Chapter Forty-Six: The Kunpeng Suffers a Setback

The imperial edict spread rapidly; after all, under the rule of the Heavenly Court, countless beings were made aware of it. The reactions among the myriad mighty figures of the Great Desolation were varied: some dismissed it with a laugh, some cursed Li Tian in secret, and others, lacking caution, went straight to Xuanming’s tribe to question her directly.

The outcome, unsurprisingly, was rather miserable.

“The Supreme Sublime Emperor of the Sumeru Mysteries is simply too overbearing!”

Upon hearing of the edict, Xuanming was furious. The witches of the Xuanming Tribe lived in constant fear, worried they might inadvertently provoke their ancestral witch.

When the other ancestral witches learned of it, their expressions darkened as well. The twelve regarded each other as siblings; their fortunes and misfortunes were intertwined.

Some of the more belligerent great witches clamored to declare war on the Heavenly Court, but were promptly suppressed by the ancestral witches. The time for the great tribulation spoken of by the Dao Ancestor was still far off.

Even the most unruly ancestral witches had to show respect after witnessing Hongjun’s terrifying power.

Far to the North Sea, Kunpeng also received the news and immediately considered traveling to the Witch Tribe. He still couldn’t let go of that wisp of Primordial Purple Qi.

...

“Greetings, Empress of Heaven.”

As Nuwa stepped out of the Mirrored Palace, several handmaidens bowed to her.

She nodded gently and made her way to the high terrace before the palace, gazing across the expanse of the heavens.

“Greetings, Your Majesty.”

At that moment, Li Tian approached. The handmaidens bowed once more.

With a slight nod, Li Tian stepped behind Nuwa, wrapped an arm around her waist, rested his head gently on her shoulder, and breathed in her delicate fragrance. “What troubles you?” he asked.

A gentle smile played at Nuwa’s lips as she leaned naturally into his embrace. By now, centuries had passed since their wedding; they were as much an old married couple as any in Heaven.

“It’s nothing,” Nuwa replied, her lips smiling yet her gaze distant and wistful. “I cannot help but worry. I do not know when the Heavenly Court will once again face war with the Witch Tribe, nor how many innocents may perish as a result...”

“That’s a simple matter,” Li Tian said with a soft laugh, bringing his face close to hers to feel her warmth. “So long as we both attain sainthood, dealing with the Witch Tribe will be a trivial task.”

Nuwa nodded in agreement, but when she thought of her own path to sainthood, she couldn’t help but feel lost. “But how am I to become a saint? My teacher told me I would one day accomplish a great merit, but I have no idea what that might be.”

“You need not worry about that,” Li Tian reassured her. “When the time comes, you’ll know in your heart what you must do.” He felt no concern for her path—after all, Nuwa creating humanity was destined.

“But you’ve only just reached the early Primal Saint stage. It’s not wise to become a saint too soon. You should at least sever your second incarnation and reach mid-stage before you ascend.”

Li Tian recalled that in the original history of the Great Desolation, Nuwa had hurriedly become a saint after severing only one incarnation. Though she drew upon immense merit, she remained the weakest of the saints. Even when the fortunes of her human race were suppressed by the Three Pure Ones, she dared not protest. In time, even the Western Two Saints bullied her.

But now that Li Tian was here, he would never let her repeat that mistake. At the very least, she would sever two incarnations before becoming a saint.

Nuwa nodded softly, then smiled. “You’d best work hard yourself; my cultivation is nearly equal to yours now!”

Li Tian was embarrassed. It was true his talent for cultivation was lacking; he was still only at the early Primal Saint stage. Yet his strength was in no way inferior to those at the late stage. With more combat experience, he could even challenge the peak.

Still, he couldn’t let Nuwa tease him like that.

“Oh, so that’s how it is? Let’s see how I deal with you!” he declared, pulling her tightly into his arms and kissing her from behind.

“Stop... there are people watching!” Nuwa protested, blushing furiously. She broke free and glared at him.

“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re an old married couple now,” Li Tian grinned, leaning in again.

After all, only a few handmaidens were present; he didn’t mind.

...

Within the Witch Tribe, at Xuanming’s settlement—

“Ancestral Witch, Kunpeng of the North Sea seeks audience.”

A witch woman entered Xuanming’s palace, bowed respectfully, and spoke with caution.

“Send him away!” Xuanming barked, assuming he was another one prying into her affairs. Her temper was foul.

“Yes...” The witch woman withdrew, trembling.

Outside the settlement, she bowed to Kunpeng. His overwhelming presence made her feel as if she could barely breathe. “Master Daoist, our Ancestral Witch is not receiving visitors. Please, return.”

“Can you not make an exception?”

Kunpeng frowned, his aura intensifying further, making it even more difficult for her to stand.

After all, he had come to incite war between the Witch Tribe and the Heavenly Court. If he couldn’t even meet Xuanming, how could he sow discord?

“Master Daoist...” The witch woman was terrified, her voice barely steady. She feared that Kunpeng might kill her on a whim. “If the Ancestral Witch will not see you, there is nothing I can do...”

Kunpeng considered for a moment, then summoned his spiritual power and declared, “Kunpeng of the North Sea seeks urgent audience with the Ancestral Witch Xuanming. May the Ancestral Witch grant me a meeting!”

“Such arrogance!”

Within the palace, Xuanming could bear it no longer. Ignoring Houtu’s attempts to restrain her, she flew out, her blue eyes blazing with fury.

“Xuanming!” Houtu called after her, but seeing Xuanming ignore her, she could only shake her head and follow.

“Ancestral Witch Xuanming, I mean no harm,” Kunpeng explained hurriedly as Xuanming soared into the sky, her anger palpable.

He had come to provoke a war, but if the opportunity presented itself, he even considered joining the Witch Tribe. He had no wish to become Xuanming’s enemy.

But Xuanming would hear none of it. From afar, she shouted, “Die!”

With that, she transformed into her true form—a great blue serpent-bird.

Kunpeng, sensing her immense power, was shocked and had no choice but to assume his true form as well, barely managing to withstand her assault.

He had hoped to resolve matters peacefully, but Xuanming pressed her attack relentlessly, each strike deadly. Driven to real anger, Kunpeng retaliated with all his might.

The two colossal beings clashed, shaking the heavens and earth, devastating tens of thousands of miles around them.

In the end, it was Houtu’s intervention that finally halted the battle.

Under Houtu’s mediation, both returned to human form. Kunpeng, battered and humiliated by Xuanming’s ferocity, was left seething, forgetting his original intent.

Yet, with both Xuanming and Houtu present, he dared not continue. In his frustration, he spat out, “Nothing is harder to cultivate than women and petty men,” and departed in disgrace.