"The immortal herb in Cascade Cave... What does that mean?" Monkey unconsciously widened his eyes. "So the immortal who originally lived in Cascade Cave was actually Mother Nuwa?"
"That's right."
With a heavy sweeping blow, countless half-serpent puppets were flung into the sky.
Monkey gripped his Golden-Hooped Staff and wiped the blood from the corner of his eye with the back of his hand.
He suddenly recalled what Yang Chan had told him: Blossom Mountain was rich in spiritual power, but it was gradually dissipating. The creatures of Blossom Mountain were vastly different from those elsewhere—they could all speak.
"What exactly is the relationship between Blossom Mountain and Mother Nuwa?"
Clara Heart descended at full speed inside South Heaven Gate, flashed her token at the gate guards, and charged straight east with all her strength.
"I don't know either, and there's no time to ask. I'm heading straight to Daisy Grass now."
"Daisy Grass is at Blossom Mountain."
"I know."
"How do you know?"
"I've met her."
"What?" Monkey was stunned.
Clara Heart has been to Blossom Mountain? Why did she go there?
For some reason, Monkey suddenly felt that there were many things behind Clara Heart that he didn’t know about—yet all were closely intertwined with him.
He was briefly distracted, but a new wave of half-serpent puppets surged toward him, forcing him to break off his thoughts and plunge back into the battle.
...
Layer upon layer of clouds, Clara Heart sped through them.
Moments later, a gust of wind swept by, subtly shifting the shape of the clouds, and two figures emerged.
Gazing in the direction Clara Heart had departed, the Earth-Store King sighed, "It seems Lord Lao still can't truly remain uninvolved."
Saint Raymond, titled Right-Dharma Radiance, glanced at him lightly. "What do you mean?"
"Mother Nuwa is not simply a Sage’s Path cultivator. When it comes to alchemy, she’s naturally not a match for Lord Lao. To poison Monkey’s group, she must have used her unique toxin. That young woman is carrying the antidote, heading to Blossom Mountain to find the medicine guide."
Saint Raymond looked at the Earth-Store King in surprise. After a moment, he chuckled, "It seems you know quite a lot."
The Earth-Store King smiled faintly. "There are many paths to enlightenment, but they all point to the same place. You recite sutras and meditate every day; I, a humble monk, prefer to travel and observe. We each have our strengths."
Saint Raymond fell silent.
After a long pause, the Earth-Store King sighed, "Let’s go. Since Lord Lao has intervened and broken the rules, it’s time for me to do something as well."
With that, the Earth-Store King flicked his hand, sending a streak of cyan spiritual light roaring westward, while he himself turned and flew east.
Watching the Earth-Store King’s departing figure, Saint Raymond glanced back toward the direction where Monkey and Mother Nuwa were locked in battle, his brows furrowing slightly.
After a while, he finally followed the Earth-Store King and flew east.
...
Amid the swirling sandstorm, a half-serpent puppet formed of stone lunged toward the unconscious Rosemary.
In a flash, Rosemary’s body was pulled slightly aside—the half-serpent puppet missed its mark. The next instant, the Golden-Hooped Staff thrust upward into its abdomen, piercing straight through. With a twist, Monkey tore the stone body in two.
Dragging his five unconscious companions, Monkey carved a path overhead and instantly broke out of the sandstorm’s center.
Suddenly, he felt the assault of the half-serpent puppets weaken. Looking up, he saw a streak of cyan light cutting across the clouds, howling toward the direction of the Women’s Kingdom.
"What was that?" Monkey was momentarily stunned.
At that moment, all the half-serpent puppets stopped moving, staring blankly upward as if awaiting some disaster.
...
Tearing through the sky and ripping apart the clouds, the cyan light swiftly lowered its altitude, skimming across the territory of the Women’s Kingdom.
Everything around was swept backward in a blur of light and shadow.
Soon, the final destination emerged ahead—Mother Lake!
On the ground, the citizens of the Women’s Kingdom all looked up, eyes wide with astonishment.
The cyan glow illuminated their faces, casting an indescribable eeriness.
...
"Who is it? Who’s launching a sneak attack from the shadows?"
At the very center of the colossal jade, the immense shadow clenched its fist and trembled slightly.
...
The cyan light slowed, then soared straight up into the clouds, before abruptly accelerating downward—aimed directly at the center of Mother Lake!
Before anyone in the Mother’s Mausoleum could react, the cyan light had already struck the exact center of Mother Lake.
A blinding cyan light engulfed everything, then quickly faded away—leaving only silence.
The surface of Mother Lake remained as smooth and clear as a mirror. The surrounding grass and trees still swayed gently in the breeze.
As tranquil as ever.
"What just happened?" The priestess stared blankly, utterly bewildered.
...
Deep underground, at the very center of the colossal jade, the immense shadow clenched its fist and trembled slightly.
"Who is it? Is it the Tathāgata? Or Lord Lao?"
It wasn’t just her; everything nearby—every drop of liquid, the entire jade—was trembling faintly.
The green radiance dimmed considerably.
In an instant, all spiritual connections between the inside and outside of the jade were severed.
...
The half-serpent puppets collapsed one by one, dissolving into sand and water.
In an instant, the dense army that had stood before him collapsed, leaving nothing but a field of mud.
Monkey stared in disbelief at the scene before him, momentarily stunned.
What happened? Did Mother Nuwa’s spiritual power run dry?
No, if her power had run dry, she would have foreseen it. This situation looks more like her spell was forcibly broken for some reason.
After a brief moment of shock, he spun around, soared into the air, and used his spiritual power to drag his companions, racing toward Blossom Mountain at top speed.
No matter why Mother Nuwa halted her attack, his priority now was saving everyone. As long as the others survived, even if Nuwa attacked again, what could she do to him?
...
In the gentle breeze, the Earth-Store King and Saint Raymond walked side by side, heading slowly toward Blossom Mountain.
"Back then, Mother Nuwa actually attained Heavenly Dao cultivation. But to break through the Heavenly Dao, one must endure Heavenly Tribulation. In all history, only those two soul-bound monkeys succeeded. Mother Nuwa was a special case, but not much better off. Thanks to her Sage’s Path cultivation, she refined a god-stone in advance and imprisoned her true body within it. That way, the Heavenly Dao couldn’t sense her. But now, she can never step outside that god-stone. If the stone is struck directly, and wavers, all her external spiritual power will instantly vanish. That’s why she’s called a ‘half-Heavenly Dao’ being." The Earth-Store King smiled. "That’s the real story behind ‘Nuwa Mends the Sky.’"
"So the rumors among mortals aren’t all false," Saint Raymond sighed. "Heavenly Tribulation is the hole torn in the sky. Nuwa refined stone and patched the sky, and after that, she ‘perished’... That’s not wrong. It’s just not the kind of patching they imagine, and Nuwa didn’t really perish—she’s just trapped somewhere, unable to get out. It’s a pity. Mortals revere Nuwa as their mother, believing she sacrificed herself to save the world and achieved immense merit. I wonder what they’d say if they knew the truth?"
The Earth-Store King glanced at Saint Raymond meaningfully and chuckled softly. "Not quite."
"Is there more to the story?"
"Judging just by the sky-patching, that’s true. But it’s too soon to say Nuwa had no merit. Besides, her crossing of the Heavenly Tribulation was forced upon her."
"Oh?"
"Her merit is probably greater than mortals can imagine. It’s just that the masses are ignorant and cannot comprehend it. Of all the creators, only Nuwa truly deserves the title ‘Mother of All Beings.’"
...
"Her Ladyship! What happened? Her Ladyship, are you all right?"
In the earth-palace, the priestess faced the now-lusterless jade wall, leading the others in kneeling and wailing.
After a long time, the jade wall flickered faintly.
"Her Ladyship! Her Ladyship, are you all right?"
"Her Ladyship, I beg you, please say something—let us know you’re all right!"
No matter how the women called out, there was no reply.
After a while, the jade wall slowly began to emit green light again—this time, far brighter than ever before.
"That monkey... actually brought help! This is intolerable!"
A voice burning with infinite rage echoed through the earth-palace, leaving the wailing women frozen in shock.
...
A fierce wind swept across Mother Lake, and in an instant, the mirror-like surface churned with waves.
At the very center, a vortex slowly formed, and a jade-green, translucent half-serpent figure shot skyward, pausing in mid-air—this was Mother Nuwa’s soul!
In her soul-form, Mother Nuwa raised her hand, scattering sparkling droplets that swiftly formed a jade-green shield, enclosing the entire Mother Lake.
Then, she too sped off toward Blossom Mountain in the east.
...
At that moment, above the Eastern Sea, Clara Heart clutched the medicine bottle hidden in her sleeve, flying at full speed as the turbulent waters below parted violently.
High above the Southern Continent, Monkey used his spiritual power to carry five unconscious companions with one hand, gripping his golden staff with the other, sprinting forward at full speed.
Over the winding archipelago, the Earth-Store King and Saint Raymond traveled together, weaving through the clouds.
Everyone’s destination was astonishingly the same—Blossom Mountain, where an even fiercer battle was brewing!
...
Inside Tusita Palace, Lord Lao sat cross-legged, frowning in deep thought.
"To go, or not to go?"
He rolled up his sleeve and with a flick of his hand, a tortoiseshell and three copper coins appeared.
He shook them vigorously and poured the coins onto the table, casting a divination.
Examining the result, Lord Lao stroked his beard and shook his head, saying, "Forget it, better not go... no need to invite trouble."