C16 Human Race

The mere thought of the purple grandmist aura set the Kun Peng's heart ablaze within its cage. The allure of eternal life and supreme power, the seduction of sainthood—who could possibly withstand it?

"If that individual is indeed your elder brother, I implore you to speak favorably on my behalf. Once freed from this cage, I am ready to serve as his steed!"

The Kun Peng's request took even Fuxi and Nuwa by surprise. A creature of such rarity and might, just shy of Quasi Saint status, willing to become a mount?

Fuxi and Nuwa exchanged a silent glance, about to respond, when a disturbance outside the courtyard caught their attention. Turning, they saw Zhang Yan, a Stone Bow slung across his back and a Stone Spear in hand.

"Have you returned?"

Zhang Yan's face lit up at the sight of Fuxi and Nuwa. Upon seeing him, they momentarily set aside their thoughts of the Kun Peng.

"Big brother!" Nuwa eyed the Stone Bow and Stone Spear with curiosity. "Where have you been?"

"Hunting!" Zhang Yan replied, passing the weapons to Nuwa with a chuckle. "I crafted some weapons from the stones you brought. I had hoped to catch some game."

"Unfortunately, there's not a single creature to be found near Buzhou Mountain!"

Nuwa hadn't fully grasped Zhang Yan's words, her gaze fixed on the Stone Bow in her hands, her expression one of bewilderment.

"An Innate Spirit Treasure?!"

The Stone Bow in her hands was an Innate Spirit Treasure? Nuwa was astounded. Innate Spirit Treasures were so named because they were formed by the heavens and earth, each containing the Innate Indestructible Spirit Light.

The Dao Ancestor's teachings on achieving Quasi Saint status included the severing of the Three Corpses, which required the Indestructible Spirit Light nurtured within an Innate Spirit Treasure.

Even the most formidable artifact crafted by the greatest smith of ancient times, no matter its power, would only be deemed a Post-Sky Spirit Treasure, never having harbored the Indestructible Spirit Light.

Fuxi, too, was taken aback, for the Stone Spear in Nuwa's grasp also appeared to be an Innate Spirit Treasure.

Even Fuxi and Nuwa had never heard of anyone crafting an Innate Spirit Treasure, let alone two at the same time!

"What?" Zhang Yan didn't quite catch the whisperings of Nuwa and Fuxi.

"Oh, it's nothing, nothing at all!" Nuwa snapped out of her reverie. "Big Brother, I'm starving!"

"Ha, perfect timing. I caught an eagle a few days back, and it's still alive. We're in for a whole eagle feast today!"

Zhang Yan gestured toward the Kunpeng in the cage.

The Kunpeng was visibly shaken and began to shiver, its eyes brimming with sorrow as it gazed at Fuxi and Nuwa.

Fuxi and Nuwa squirmed under the Kunpeng's mournful stare. You're the world's first Kunpeng, a formidable being rarely matched in the ancient wilds.

What's with this pitiful display? Where's your dignity and grace?

"Wait, big brother. It's such a shame to kill this eagle after it's grown so large. It's really a waste," Nuwa implored, barely suppressing a chuckle as she grabbed Zhang Yan's arm to stop him from grabbing the knife.

The Lord of the Northern Darkness being called an 'Old Eagle' would certainly cause a stir among the cultivators beyond if they were to hear it.

"Old Eagle!" The Kunpeng huddled in the cage, nodding vehemently. With its reputation already in tatters, it had nothing left to lose.

Indeed! Growing up was no easy feat!

Fuxi, struggling to contain his amusement, pointed at the eagerly nodding Kunpeng and suggested, "Big brother, this eagle seems to understand us quite well. Maybe we should spare it."

Zhang Yan observed the Kunpeng's emphatic nodding with astonishment. Could it truly comprehend human thoughts?

Then it dawned on him; in the primordial wilderness, an eagle with human-like intelligence was hardly extraordinary.

"Fine," Zhang Yan conceded, eyeing the Kunpeng in the cage, "I'll keep you. But you'll have to help me with hunting from now on!"

Zhang Yan recalled from his past life that prairie hunters often had a majestic eagle to scout or flush out game for them.

The Kunpeng, seeing Zhang Yan's agreement, bobbed its head even more vigorously.

Hunting's my specialty! Master, are you interested in the Three-legged Golden Crow? I know a couple of big ones, and there's even a brood of little ones!

Having decided against eating the eagle, Zhang Yan whipped up a couple of simple dishes, and together with some wine that Fuxi had procured from who knows where, the three siblings settled in for a drink.

"The Wizard and Demon clans have started a great war; it's not safe out there. Be careful when you venture outside," Zhang Yan cautioned his siblings.

"I'm aware. The two clans are vying for the role of protagonist in this world!" Nuwa said, raising her hand before curiously inquiring, "Brother, who do you think will emerge as the world's protagonist?"

"The Demon Race is led by the Three-legged Golden Crow, with a legion of formidable followers. It's not out of the question for them to overpower the Wizard Clan," Fuxi chimed in, favoring the Demon Race.

"But isn't the Wizard Clan born from Pangu's flesh? Their strength is boundless, and they can find life within death!" Nuwa countered.

Both siblings then turned their gaze expectantly toward Zhang Yan.

With a hearty laugh and a swig of his wine, Zhang Yan proclaimed, "Neither the Wizard nor the Demon Clan will become the protagonists of this world."

"In this era, it seems that only these two clans are contenders for that title," Nuwa mused, her curiosity piqued by Zhang Yan's lack of confidence in either clan.

"The only ones destined to be the protagonists of the world are the humans, created by the great God Nuwa herself!" Zhang Yan declared, slightly tipsy.

Nuwa blushed at being called a god, but her embarrassment was quickly overshadowed by the implications of Zhang Yan's statement.

"The human race?"

Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged bewildered looks. Despite their extensive travels through the prehistoric lands, they had never encountered this 'human race.'

"God Nuwa, by creating the human race, you will achieve sainthood through your virtuous deeds!" Zhang Yan casually remarked, sending a jolt through Nuwa. The once obscure path to sainthood now seemed as clear as daylight, a straight road laid out before her. "Could my Dao truly lie here?!"

With that revelation, she vanished from the courtyard in an instant. Concerned for his sister's well-being, Fuxi steadied the inebriated Zhang Yan into the inner room to rest, then hurried after Nuwa.

Inside the cage, the Kun Peng, who had been covertly listening to Zhang Yan and his siblings' conversation, was utterly astounded. He thought he had already held the courtyard's master in high regard, yet it now appeared he had still underestimated him.

A mere utterance guiding one to sainthood—what kind of power was that? Even the Dao Ancestor from the Purple Heaven Palace had been ambiguous, merely suggesting that becoming a saint was a matter of fate.

"It seems we're about to witness the rise of the second saint in the annals of the cosmos."

The thought flickered in Kun Peng's mind. His thoughts then turned to Fuxi, who possessed the same purple grandmist aura, and he glanced once more at the inner room.

"Before long, this courtyard will be recognized as the most formidable locus in the cosmos."

Nuwa moved with incredible swiftness to a riverbank, where countless life forms she had fashioned from clay were at her feet.

Creatures with the heads of dragons, tails of phoenixes, sixteen hooves, and armored in scales.

And there were beings with the bodies of fish and dual gills, feathered wings, capable of flight.

"The Dao of Creation," Nuwa proclaimed.

Seated in meditation by the river, she pointed a finger, and the clay figures came alive, scampering about at her feet.

"These are not humans."

With another gesture, the living creatures reverted to damp clay.

"What defines a human?" Nuwa pondered deeply. Not far behind her, Fuxi had caught up but chose not to interrupt her moment of revelation, opting instead to stand guard in silence.