Nuwa, the goddess of immortality, said that cultivating immortality does not require spiritual energ

Before Qin Le could even respond to the sound, a figure had already entered the side hall.

The newcomer was a woman dressed in a dark yellow cloud-patterned fairy dress. Her face was so perfect that it seemed otherworldly. Her long, flowing black hair cascaded down to her waist. Most striking of all were her golden eyes, which were now quietly gazing at Qin Le—or rather, piercing through him and looking into the depths of his consciousness.

"Junior Qin Le greets the Goddess Houtu." Qin Le immediately bowed respectfully.

Although he could not directly confirm the other party's identity from his appearance, the vast and sage-like aura surrounding him revealed everything.

Within the underworld, there is only one sage.

Of course, Qin Le knew that the one in front of him was most likely just an incarnation. The real Houtu Niangniang was probably in the Heavenly Realm with other saints, doing her best to suppress the Chaos Body.

Upon hearing Qin Le's voice, Houtu Niangniang's gaze finally returned from the void and landed squarely on him.

"Tsk." She clicked her tongue lightly, her tone carrying a clear sense of familiarity and disdain: "That narcissist, after all these years, is still so obsessed with looks."

This sounds like a complaint, or an expression of dissatisfaction with the deep-rooted habits of a familiar person.

Before Qin Le could reply, the air above his head rippled slightly, and the little clay figure Nuwa appeared out of thin air, sitting steadily in his hair.

"Oh dear, little Houtu," the little clay figure Nuwa said with a smile, her voice clear and melodious. "I know you've always been jealous that I'm prettier than you, but you don't have to make things difficult for my junior because of that. It's so embarrassing!"

"Jealous of you?! What a joke!" Houtu Niangniang glared with her golden eyes and immediately retorted, "Besides, who said I made things difficult for him? I don't have time for that!"

Jealous that Nuwa was prettier than her?

Absolutely impossible!

She, Houtu, would never acknowledge such a thing!

"Since it's not a difficult situation," the little clay figure Nuwa tilted her head and asked with a smile, "then there must be a reward? Take it out and let me see it, so I can broaden my horizons?"

"..." Houtu Niangniang was speechless.

She... hadn't actually prepared a reward.

She simply sensed Nuwa's aura and remembered that face she didn't like, which made her dislike Qin Le as well. On a whim, she decided to give him a little test.

award?

I never even thought about it.

"You wouldn't... not have prepared at all, would you?" The little clay figure Nuwa drawled, her tone becoming even more teasing. "You're supposed to be a saint, setting up a trial for a junior and not even bothering to offer a decent prize? Tsk tsk, that's really... a bit embarrassing."

She continued to add fuel to the fire, clearly knowing how to manipulate this old friend. Back when she was still in the Three Realms, she had teased Houtu, who was not yet a saint, quite a bit, so her experience was considerable.

"Who, who said there isn't one?! Is this enough?!"

Houtu Niangniang seemed to have her tail stepped on, and waved her hand in dissatisfaction. A fist-sized crystal with a dark yellow luster appeared in her palm, with the veins of mountains and rivers faintly visible inside.

Qin Le recognized it at a glance as the Heart of the Earth, containing the pure essence of the earth. It could be used to refine top-tier earth-type magic treasures or directly refined, granting the refiner the power to mobilize the earth's power, which would increase with cultivation level.

In the Three Realms, this would be an absolute treasure that countless cultivators would fight tooth and nail for.

however……

The little clay figure Nuwa glanced at it, her face revealing undisguised disdain: "Are you this poor? This kind of roadside stone deserves to be a reward bestowed by a saint?"

The Heart of the Earth might be priceless to others, but it was practically useless to Qin Le.

He wanted to mobilize the power of the earth?

Why not just go and comprehend the Great Dao of Earth?

It is more powerful and requires no external aids.

Furthermore, this so-called Heart of the Earth is essentially nothing more than the condensation of the essence of the earth, infused with a trace of the power of the earth at the level of the Heavenly Dao.

In Nuwa's eyes, they were indeed not much different from the slightly special stones on the roadside.

"Then... adding this piece of 'Netherworld Iron' should be enough, right?"

Houtu Niangniang gritted her teeth and took out a fist-sized, pitch-black metal block that exuded a chilling aura.

"I say, little Houtu..." The little clay figure Nuwa sighed, her disdain practically overflowing, "If you're really short on cash, you can just say so. Chi You's hometown has one of these, at least ten times bigger than yours. My little Lele saw it and immediately threw it to Laozi to strengthen the Heavenly Realm's fighting force. You... you can't possibly not know that, can you?"

Increasing the rewards not only failed to satisfy Nuwa, but instead drew even sharper contempt.

What use are these broken stones and scrap iron to Qin Le?

He was neither a weapon refiner nor lacked equipment; taking it would not help his own cultivation except to give it away.

As for weaponry, he had already reserved the peerless weapon from the Heavenly Court, whose killing power was unparalleled in the Three Realms.

Armor?

Once Qin Le ascends to immortality and no longer needs to conceal that he has comprehended the Great Dao rather than the Immortal Dao, ordinary armor will be meaningless—enemies who can harm him are either unable to touch him at all, or are terrifying beings capable of breaking through the Great Dao of Time and Space. At that level, whether he wears armor or not, the outcome will be the same.

Unless... Chi You himself makes one tailor-made for him.

"Then what exactly do you want?!" Houtu Niangniang finally couldn't hold back any longer, her voice rising several decibels.

Having been scorned and treated as worthless twice in a row, she felt that her saintly dignity was about to be completely lost in front of this junior.

"Well..."

The little clay figure of Nuwa pretended to think, a sly smile flashing in her eyes. Then, her lips moved slightly, clearly transmitting something to Houtu.

After hearing the telepathic message, Houtu Niangniang was first taken aback, then her fair cheeks flushed visibly, and she shook her head repeatedly, her tone resolute:

"Impossible! Absolutely not!"

Qin Le was incredibly curious about this scene.

What kind of outrageous request did our Nuwa mother make that could elicit such a reaction from Houtu, a goddess known for her compassion and composure, a mixture of shame, anger, and resolute resistance?

From their familiar yet tense conversation, Qin Le could guess that there must have been many stories between them in the past, otherwise Houtu Niangniang would not have shown such a vivid side that was so different from the legend.

"If you're too scared to gamble, then forget it," the little clay figure Nuwa said in an extremely exaggerated and obviously provocative tone. "Just let my little Lele go back to the mortal world, we're not forcing you~"

This level of provocation should be too much for a normal person to fall for, let alone a saint.

however……

Perhaps his resentment towards Nuwa ran too deep, perhaps he was unwilling to show the slightest weakness in front of his old adversary, or perhaps he was simply blinded by anger...

Houtu Niangniang, she just happens to fall for Nuwa's charms!

"Who, who said I wouldn't dare?!" Her golden eyes widened, she straightened her back, and said defiantly, "Fine, I'll bet! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Houtu's heart skipped a beat, and a sense of regret welled up inside her.

But as a sage, one's words are law, especially in front of juniors, how can one immediately go back on one's word?

If it were just her and Nuwa, she could easily cheat, but now...

"Not bad, not bad." The little clay figure Nuwa clapped her hands, laughing like a fox who had stolen a chicken: "Little Houtu, little Houtu, after all these years, how come you're still so easy to fool?"

"Hmph!" Houtu Niangniang forcibly suppressed her annoyance, snorted coldly, and stated her condition: "Let's make it clear beforehand, during the trial, you absolutely cannot personally help him! At most, you can only offer guidance from the sidelines!"

If Nuwa were to personally intervene, any trials she set up would be meaningless.

"Don't worry, don't worry," the little clay figure Nuwa assured her confidently, "I definitely won't interfere directly."

In her view, Qin Le passing Houtu's trial was a sure thing.

"You'd better keep your word." Houtu Niangniang glanced at her, her golden eyes still filled with suspicion.

At this moment, Qin Le, who had been ignored by the two sages, finally found an opportunity and weakly raised his hand to ask:

"Um... Lady Houtu, may I ask what the trial entails?"