"Don't play dumb with me!" Mother Nuwa flung her hand, and the wine and food before Lord Lao, along with the table, instantly turned to dust and scattered in the wind.
Lord Lao's hand, holding the wine bottle, froze in midair.
"Give me back my children." Mother Nuwa stared blankly at Lord Lao. "Return them, and we can talk about anything. If you don't, I will be your irreconcilable enemy!"
The whole world fell silent.
Everyone quietly watched Mother Nuwa. Her eyes were wide, locked onto Lord Lao, while Lord Lao could only look up at the sky in helplessness.
A breeze swept across the sky, dispersing the thick clouds and mist.
"Why do you insist on this?"
"Insist? That's a fine word for it." Mother Nuwa gritted her teeth and scolded, "After all the heartless things you've done, now you ask me why I insist?"
"It wasn't just my decision alone." Lord Lao gently set the wine bottle down on the rubble, propped himself up by his knee, and gave a bitter, helpless smile. "Some things simply exist. Do you think if we hadn't taught them, they wouldn't have learned? When children grow up, a mother can't control them. All we did was speed up the process."
"Is that so?" Mother Nuwa snorted coldly. "Then what about my Blossom Mountain? Was it really so hard to leave me a piece of pure land?"
"If you want answers about Blossom Mountain, ask them." Lord Lao pointed off into the distance.
At the place he pointed to, the heavenly soldiers quickly stepped aside.
Mother Nuwa whipped her head around, her eyes narrowing sharply.
A hundred li away, Lord Genesis and Lord Skygate were literally crouching, trying to sneak away!
"Not good, that old fellow sold us out!"
They spun around and immediately fled toward the Thirty-Fourth Heaven.
Lord Lao bowed his head slightly, stroking his long beard and chuckling, "They thought I'd take the blame alone? Not so easy."
"Trying to run?" Mother Nuwa suddenly understood, grabbed Lord Lao by the beard, and charged toward the Thirty-Four Heavens.
"Easy, easy! I'll cooperate, alright?" Lord Lao shouted hurriedly.
"Shut up!"
Only when the two figures had completely vanished did the crowd of heavenly soldiers finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, maybe we should disperse? Otherwise, if they start fighting, we might get caught in the crossfire."
"No." The Jade Emperor frowned. "We must share the worries of the Three Pure Ones."
The sky-darkening warships began to turn, surging grandly toward the Thirty-Fourth Heaven.
"Quick, quick, quick! Gather up all the valuables!" Inside Mi’luo Palace, Lord Genesis hurriedly instructed his disciples.
At his words, the disciples immediately scattered in all directions.
Beside him, Lord Skygate sighed leisurely, "How much can you really gather?"
"Aren't you packing up too?"
"I'm here with you. Lord Lao will definitely tell her. That way, the other side will be safe, won't it?"
"You!" Lord Genesis was so furious that even his beard bristled.
...
From afar, Mother Nuwa glanced at Biyou Palace.
"Don't worry, they can't escape." Lord Lao, still being dragged by the beard, freed both hands and pulled out three copper coins, slapping them onto the back of his hand. He pointed up at the sky: "They're all in Mi’luo Palace. Rest assured, even at the ends of the earth, this old man can calculate their whereabouts for you."
Mother Nuwa glared at Lord Lao, then continued dragging him upward.
Behind them, a massive fleet of warships followed closely, still 'sharing the worries' of the Three Pure Ones.
On the outskirts of Blossom Mountain, two Buddhas still stood quietly.
"I'm not sure I understand." Saint Raymond said softly, "Luring Mother Nuwa here to Blossom Mountain and throwing the Three Realms into chaos—what's the benefit?"
"It's to make Mother Nuwa's heart-knot heavier and heavier, until it reaches the extreme. If all these things remain hidden, how could she be provoked into ascending to Heaven?" Earth-Store King tilted his head slightly and sighed, "If even Mother Nuwa cannot be redeemed, then this Golden Cicada need not speak of universal salvation."
"Let Tripitaka redeem Mother Nuwa? Is that possible? If he could, why would the Three Pure Ones have spent so many years hiding from her?"
Earth-Store King gave a faint smile. "The game is already set. Now, let's see how they resolve it."
"Come out—!" Mother Nuwa roared.
With a sweep of her sleeve, a fierce wind howled forward. In an instant, the earth bearing Mi’luo Palace trembled.
"All of you, get out here—!"
Lord Lao pursed his lips and snickered to the side: "You broke my Heavenly Dao, now let's see what you use to block her."
"What did you say?" Mother Nuwa shot him a glare.
"Nothing!" Lord Lao quickly shook his head and waved his hands. "I'm just wondering why those two haven't come out yet... Don't worry, I'll draw you a map of Mi’luo Palace's underground halls in a bit—guaranteed they can't escape."
Mother Nuwa glared at Lord Lao and snorted coldly.
Inside Mi’luo Palace, Lord Skygate and Lord Genesis were pacing back and forth.
"How about... we just fight her directly?" Lord Skygate rolled up his sleeves. "She may be half Heavenly Dao, but her true body can't appear. As for Lord Lao, even though he exposed us, he surely won't help her, right? If the two of us join forces, we have a chance!"
Lord Genesis shot him a silent glare.
"No? Then you tell me what to do."
Swallowing hard, Lord Genesis frowned and sighed, "We could win a fight, sure, but even if we do, then what? South Heaven Gate was opened by order of the Jade Emperor. If you destroy the Mother of All Beings, how will you face the living afterward? If it were that simple, how would Mother Nuwa have survived until now?"
Lord Skygate immediately deflated, like a punctured ball.
"Then what? Go out and get ourselves killed? Lord Lao won't die, but we certainly could."
Lord Genesis hesitated. "Let's... let's wait a bit longer. Maybe someone will show up and break the stalemate."
At that moment, Master Sage Subhuti finally landed outside South Heaven Gate, calm and unhurried.
A garrison general hurried over, bowed, and saluted: "Your humble servant greets Patriarch Subhuti."
Master Sage Subhuti looked up at the sky and asked softly, "Has Lady Nuwa gone in?"
The general was momentarily stunned, then cupped his hands and replied, "She has gone in."
"Who ordered the gate opened?"
"It was... His Majesty."
"Oh?" Master Sage Subhuti stroked his beard and chuckled. "How long has she been up there?"
"A while now... They say she just reached Mi’luo Palace, dragging Lord Lao along."
"Just arrived?" Master Sage Subhuti pursed his lips, then suddenly asked, "Do you have any tea here? I'm thirsty. Let me have a cup before I go."