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“So, we finally made it here.”

This notion first struck me when Mangnyang recounted how Miho killed Queen Mother of the West’s Green Phoenix and got kicked out of the Celestial Realm. After hearing that, Mangnyang had come out from Jinrang Valley for discussion. And, right off the bat, he suggested that Queen Mother could be the avatar of Nüwa.

At that time, it was only a possibility, without any solid proof. But with each passing moment in this reincarnation, more evidence kept surfacing that she indeed might be Nüwa’s avatar. There was no other being capable of chanting Pangu’s incantation, withstanding the backlash of the Law of Cause and Effect, and getting a green light from the Three Sovereigns quicker than her.

So, following Zhuge Sa’s plan, I informed Gong Gong that the Queen Mother was Nüwa’s avatar, and I revealed the current location where Chi You was sealed. Both pieces of information were invaluable to Gong Gong, thus he permitted me to be his envoy and, consequently, a conspiracy to eliminate the Queen Mother commenced.

Queen Mother glanced down at Gong Gong and declared, “Yes, I am both Nüwa and the Queen Mother! Do you dare to challenge me?”

With a scoff, Gong Gong chuckled, “Typically, avatars don’t pack much power and are given individual identities… but you, Nüwa, have created a ‘clone’ named Queen Mother. So you’re basically controlling your own ‘devilish’ body, right?”

She responded with a grin, “You’ve got some sharp eyesight.”

“I see you were quite eager to manage the earthly realm,” Gong Gong pressed on.

Silence answered him, but that indicated the truth—eliminating her would significantly weaken the position of the Three Sovereigns.

Gong Gong’s intentions were clear; he wanted to weaken Nüwa by eliminating her avatar, despite the risk involved in accepting me as his envoy. The seal that currently imprisoned the Yan Emperor was imbued with the powers of Nüwa and could only be released if she weakened.

Without outright denying it, the Queen Mother laughed sinisterly, her evil eyes gleaming, “You don’t understand what it means for this body of the Queen Mother to be my clone, do you? I shall awaken your despair.”

A dark aura surged from her monstrous back, and in an instant, it felt like time itself had frozen. It wasn’t just a feeling; everything stood still. The Queen Mother’s half-human, half-beast form commanded a leopard’s tail that flew up and pointed at Gong Gong.

With a crackle, Gong Gong’s body seemed to shrink as if pressured. I sensed something deadly charging at him, yet its true nature eluded me, only inferred from the words he spat out in agony, “Are you aiming to steal my name and lead me to death?”

Suddenly, Gong Gong barked loudly, and as if breaking the spell, time resumed, deflecting the Queen Mother’s magic. She mocked him with a hideous laugh, “You’ve regained more strength than I expected. But how far can you go?”

Gong Gong hesitated, clearly weighing his options. His resolve crystallized as he finally pulled out his Wooden Armor and met the Queen Mother’s wariness with his own.

Staring at her with his fiery determination holding the armor in hand, the atmosphere thickened. Then he reached for the Golden Crow, amplifying his power, causing the Queen Mother to recoil in shock, exclaiming, “You possess the Golden Crow…?”

“Think I won’t go all the way? Heh,” Gong Gong grinned ominously as tension crackled around them.

“Should you dare to break the seal of the Seven Luminaries, I won’t keep quiet!” she warned with barely restrained rage.

“And what’s so scary about breaking the seal?” Gong Gong retorted.

“Shut it!” she snapped.

“Aha! You’re just unwilling to face the fact you’re part of a massive plan, right?” His taunts drew her ire.

She glared, “I have no intention of discussing matters with you. However, I must warn you again—should you break the seal, I will wipe out the entire giant race!”

“Is that so…?” Gong Gong mused with a curious expression before gathering his strength.

“I feel like doing something you hate,” he sneered.

With a burst, he harnessed the power from the Wooden and Golden Crows, unleashing a strange sound as light engulfed the unknown characters floating before him. The seals began cracking, visible like an eggshell breaking, confirming he was forcibly dismantling the seal of the Seven Luminaries. Anger erupted in the Queen Mother’s voice.

“You’re ignoring my warning!!”

BOOM! The next moment, she lunged forward, claws out, slashing at Gong Gong without so much as a chant. It was swift and powerful, almost as if she manipulated time, and with her divine power, one hit would usually kill. But Gong Gong had erected a defensive barrier just in time, bracing against the onslaught.

She struck again, “Hmph!” causing him to stagger slightly. Seeing him struggling made me uneasy.If Gong Gong, who could effortlessly eliminate Jeon Wook’s descendants, was faltering against the Queen Mother’s strikes, it was no wonder the Celestial Sage feared her.

“Kahh!” But before she could land a third blow, Gong Gong abruptly drew out my Water Spirit, unleashing a dark energy from his mouth, merging it with the light from the Wooden and Golden Crows, causing the Queen Mother’s eyes to widen in shock.

“The Water Spirit… and the Earth Star Eight Trigrams?”

In that brief instant, he had summoned the Earth Star from the heart of Dark Heaven Village.

She hesitated as her third attack never came, her steps faltering. “Hahaha!” Gong Gong laughed madly, showcasing the four astral powers floating before him. With each moment, the Queen Mother retreated, and he grinned wider.

“Do you get it? If I forcibly unleash these four, what might happen?”

“Stop! Don’t!” she insisted vehemently.

“The Three Sovereigns’ feet will burn, you know?” He grinned wickedly.

She trembled with evident fury, her power surging further until it felt almost like she could surpass even the Sea God. It was clear her strength was increasing without bounds, just like a relentless monster.

Only then did I grasp that the reason for her boundless arrogance was not just because she was an avatar but a mix of an avatar and a clone…

“It’s not just any avatar; she can infinitely draw upon Nüwa’s power in this form!”

Typically, such tactics would be off-limits, but for Nüwa, who had enormous confidence in her power, it probably was a sidestep. While some limits still existed due to the Law of Cause and Effect, the greater her danger, the more power she would draw in. And if the full strength of the Earth Mother Goddess, who was also one of the Three Sovereigns, was transferred over, no matter how much Gong Gong wielded the Seven Luminaries, he would have no chance of winning.

And yet, the Queen Mother couldn’t continue her assault. Gong Gong held the leverage of the Seven Luminaries seal over her.

Suppressing her rage, she asked, “Gong Gong. What is it that you want? I’ll hear you out if it’s negotiation.”

“There are two conditions. Agree to them, and I’ll let you retreat peacefully from the Celestial Realm today,” he stated confidently.

“…Go on.”

With a smug grin, he continued, “First. Lift the seal on my king. Since over eighty percent of the seal stems from your power, once that’s lifted, the Yan Emperor shall resurrect.”

“And the second?”

“Kill yourself here. You can at least do that much for me.”

“…”

Upon hearing Gong Gong’s demands, I was at a loss. ‘There’s no way she would agree!’

Why would that nasty Nüwa submit to his demands when she had the upper hand and was controlling the Queen Mother’s body? The sheer thought of a suicide during combat was out of the question.

Yet contrary to my expectations, the Queen Mother roared, “Promise me your name! If I comply with your conditions, I will not release the Seven Luminaries!”

“Heh heh… I promise.”

She declared, “The Law of Cause and Effect is established.”

Suddenly, the Queen Mother’s monstrous form collapsed lifelessly. Power and divine energy drained from her body, leaving it cold in an instant.

No way?!

Was it real?! I was taken aback, exclaiming to Gong Gong, “Gong Gong! How could this be? Is it true that she actually committed suicide?”

“Of course! She’s just a puppet of Nüwa moving in that form.”

“But how can that be…?”

“Hehehe. Nüwa has succumbed to my threats. Do you think I’d keep some silly promise? Fool!”

Gong Gong laughed gleefully, declaring, “Ha ha ha! Everything is going my way now! Just need to grab the Moon and Wood, and the path to the Sun will open!”

When I heard his words, my mind went blank. Sun! That was the ultimate of the Seven Luminaries, rumored to be a divine magic crafted by Emperor Gong Sun Xuanwen himself!

To obtain the coveted Sun, one needed to gather the remaining Six Luminaries. I was struck with excitement, pondering Gong Gong’s words.

‘Wait… then if I just assist Gong Gong, he gets me to the Sun, and with the power of the Seven Luminaries and the Giants, we could eliminate the Three Sovereigns and secure humanity’s survival rights…’

Could this mean my journey could finally close? It wasn’t as impossible as it seemed. The Giant race gathering all the Seven Luminaries to resurrect Chi You and the Yan Emperor would unleash tremendous power, and if Chi You were indeed favorable to humans, perhaps this was the most practical route!

‘So, could I use Zhuge Sa’s ‘method’ that I’ve been keeping in my back pocket to avoid self-destruction and wrap everything up in this life…’

As excitement bubbled within me, Gong Gong interrupted, “Heh heh. Shall we absorb the power from the corpse of the Queen Mother?”

“Is that even possible?”

“Of course. The power of Nüwa is undeniably appealing.”

With that, Gong Gong moved my body toward the Queen Mother’s corpse. Just as he reached out to absorb the divine energy, everything shifted dramatically.

THWOMP!

“What?!

Suddenly, his hand was flung back with immense force, and the scenery transformed. It wasn’t the realm of Pangu anymore; we were in an entirely different chaotic void, much like You Tian Jun’s realm, yet filled with pure chaos.

“What kind of magic is this…” Gong Gong’s bewilderment was evident.

And then, emerging from the chaos, a voice called out. The figure molded into human form appeared in the swirling chaos, taking shape as I had seen countless times in my past lives. Dressed in the garb of a great immortal and adorned in the Daoist robe, it was simply unbelievable.

“If you made a promise, you better keep it.”

With a gentle smile, the one who spoke was none other than the Primordial Void Ruler!

 

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