Chapter Six: Subduing the Ancestor of Heaven and Earth, the Sibling Pair of Nuwa and Fuxi

"Me? I'm the one who will kill you!"

A faint smile played at the corners of Li Tian's lips, and inwardly he felt a surge of satisfaction. Once again, his caution had proven wise—if he hadn't been so careful, he might already have been possessed by this old ancestor of Heaven and Earth. Even if it wasn't certain that the old ancestor could succeed, there was always a risk, wasn't there?

"Kill me?" The old ancestor of Heaven and Earth retreated a step. Clearly, he could sense Li Tian's extraordinary cultivation. In his current body, he hadn't even reached the Celestial Immortal realm. Even with some hidden trump cards, he could at most exert the power of a Golden Immortal of Taiyi.

His mind raced, and the old ancestor decided to flee. But would Li Tian give him that chance?

"Die!" Li Tian soared into the air, summoning the Chaos Bell, which descended from above, enveloping the old ancestor within.

"The Chaos Bell!" The old ancestor's face changed drastically. He hurried to bring forth the Cauldron of Heaven and Earth to block the attack, but his body was too weak. Instead, the cauldron's backlash struck him, and he coughed up blood.

With a thunderous crash, the old ancestor was suppressed in an instant. He didn't even have time to scream before his soul was annihilated. Li Tian scanned the area with his spiritual sense, carefully inspecting every detail. After confirming that all was well, he stowed the Chaos Bell away, then waved his hand and collected the Cauldron of Heaven and Earth into the bell.

Meanwhile, in a secluded mountain valley not far away, a brother and sister heard the commotion.

"Brother, did you hear something?" A beautiful girl of sixteen or seventeen, playing in the mountain stream, frowned at the sound and looked toward her white-robed brother not far behind.

"Let me divine." The youth in white moved his fingers, streams of magical light flowing over his fingertips. After a moment, a smile appeared on his lips. "A distinguished guest has arrived. I foresee that we'll become good friends with him. And..."

"And what?" The girl, curious at her brother's secretiveness, pressed him for an answer.

"And it seems, little sister, that you and he share a thread of destiny." His smile grew a touch more playful.

The girl didn't understand at first. She blinked her pure, innocent eyes, then realization dawned, and she pouted in protest.

"How could you tease me, brother!"

With a wave of her hand, the stream's waters transformed into droplets of rain, showering down upon her brother.

"Alright, alright, I was wrong." The youth in white quickly begged for mercy, shielding himself with his sleeve, but still got thoroughly drenched.

"Hmph!" The girl turned her head away, pouting in feigned displeasure.

"Alright, little sister." The youth could only smile helplessly, powerless before his sister's moods. He quickly changed the subject. "I'll remove the formation and invite our guest in."

With a wave of his hand, a golden barrier shimmered around the valley, then faded and disappeared.

At the same moment, Li Tian sensed the fluctuation in the formation and let out a quiet "hmm?" Scanning with his spiritual sense, he quickly found the hidden valley and saw a young man and woman within. The man was elegant and handsome, the woman pure and beautiful—a pair so perfect that such appearances were rare even in the vastness of the primordial world.

"Could it be that brother and sister? Have they already been born?" Li Tian frowned, making his own deductions, and wondered whether he should go pay them a visit.

"I am Fuxi, and this is my sister Nuwa. Greetings, fellow Daoist."

As he pondered, a message from the young man in the valley reached Li Tian's mind.

So it really was them!

A smile broke across Li Tian's face as he finally confirmed their identity. He felt particularly fortunate—having just obtained the Cauldron of Heaven and Earth, he now encountered Nuwa and Fuxi as well. He must find a way to befriend them...

Descending into the valley, Li Tian greeted the pair with elegant courtesy.

"I am the Supreme Heavenly Emperor of Sublime Sumeru, but you may call me Supreme Heaven."

Fuxi and Nuwa exchanged a glance, their expressions a little odd. Do all outsiders have such long names?

Of course, they kept these thoughts to themselves, and Li Tian noticed nothing amiss.

As Li Tian's gaze lingered on the two of them, he found himself captivated by Nuwa's beauty. Her jet-black hair spilled to her waist, a few locks braided and adorned with delicate, snow-white blossoms. Her pure, flawless features glowed with a sweet smile, enough to melt any heart. Her clear, beautiful eyes seemed to speak, inspiring an urge to cherish and protect her, to kiss her eyelashes.

She wore a snow-white gown with a touch of ancient wildness, but the wildness was absent—only a maiden's innocence and gentle fragility remained. There was a unique aura about her, gentle and beautiful, like water, like the earth, like the first sunlight of spring, like a mother's smile—warm and comforting.

As Li Tian continued to gaze at her, Nuwa grew increasingly displeased. How rude this man is, she thought, casting a reproachful glance at her brother. But in front of outsiders, she restrained herself.

"Ahem." Fuxi, a little embarrassed, cleared his throat to remind Li Tian.

"Ah..." Li Tian snapped back to himself, blushing with embarrassment and cursing his bad luck for leaving a poor first impression on Nuwa.

"My apologies. Your beauty stunned me and I lost myself for a moment. Please forgive my rudeness."

He bowed deeply, his face sincere with regret, as if he had committed some grave sin.

At this time, Nuwa was still an innocent maiden, having never left Mount Buzhou. Hearing Li Tian's sincere apology and his compliment, her opinion of him improved considerably. A secret delight bloomed in her heart, and any lingering blame melted away.

Fuxi, noting this change in his sister's expression, let out a hearty laugh and invited Li Tian to sit with them. Li Tian, of course, did not refuse—he had long hoped to build a rapport with this legendary pair, and if he could bind them to the Heavenly Court of the demon race, or even win Nuwa's hand, his life would be complete.

The three sat around a stone table in the simple valley, which held only a few wooden huts, a stone table, and some stone stools.

Nuwa brought out some spiritual fruit and placed it on the table. As they ate, the three chatted amiably.

During their conversation, Li Tian learned that Nuwa and Fuxi had been born only a few centuries ago and had never yet left Mount Buzhou. He was immediately tempted to invite them to journey through the primordial world together. So he regaled them with stories of the world's splendor and shared some strange and wonderful tales from his own travels. At the end, he even took out a few ginseng fruits to share.

As they talked, the three grew more familiar and at ease. Noting the sweet, shy smiles that sometimes flitted across Nuwa's face, Li Tian grew more confident in his chances of winning her heart. He silently considered a hundred different ways to pursue her, though each plan he quickly dismissed.

...