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

The underworld, the land of lamps for all races.

Qin Le supported himself on the ground with both hands, and sat down with some exhaustion, his breathing slightly rapid.

Since comprehending the Great Dao, this was the first time he had felt so exhausted—the power of the Great Dao in his Qi Sea was almost completely depleted, his mind was as if it had been repeatedly squeezed dry, and even his physical body felt weak and powerless.

Even so, the bronze lamp in front of him, which had just been lit, had only a tiny, pitiful flame flickering on its wick, as if it could be blown out with a single breath.

However, the flame was exceptionally tenacious, burning stubbornly in the silence, emitting a faint yet clear aura of life and civilization.

The Goddess Houtu watched the newly formed flame, a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashing in her golden eyes.

She looked at Qin Le and said calmly, "Well done, little guy. But there are still nine lamps left. Hurry up and restore them."

"Yes."

Qin Le responded, said no more, immediately sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, calmed his mind, and began to recover.

The effort required to rekindle the flames of a clan goes far beyond physical strength or the power of the Great Dao; it also involves some kind of mysterious cause and effect and willpower, placing a tremendous burden on the mind and spirit.

Seeing Qin Le's appearance, the little clay figure Nuwa sitting on his head pouted, her tone clearly showing dissatisfaction:

"Hey, Little Houtu, you're making my little Lele do all this hard work, shouldn't you pay her a decent wage?"

Even in the underworld, Nuwa, at her level, could naturally know about the mahjong battle unfolding in the heavens, involving four saints in disguise—the battle for the right to protect the first spirit being resurrected by Qin Le.

Houtu rolled her eyes at Nuwa: "I've already given them. As for the others' portions, you can ask them for them yourself."

She was referring, of course, to the bet she made with Nuwa. In her view, the bet itself was compensation for Qin Le.

"Oh?" The little clay figure Nuwa's eyes lit up, and an eager expression appeared on her clay face: "Then I'll have to think carefully about how to 'scam' those guys."

"..."

Houtu Niangniang chose to remain silent, but silently mourned for a moment for her fellow Daoists Taishang Laojun, Donghuang Taiyi, Bai Ze, and Yuanshi Tianzun.

If Nuwa sets her sights on you and tries to extort you, you'll probably have to bleed a little to get through this.

In fact, as the one who directly rekindled the flame of his race, Qin Le received the most immense Heavenly Dao merit.

However, merit and karma are two sides of the same coin. While reaping merit, he also truly bore the enormous karmic consequences of reviving these races.

When a sage intervenes to protect a new race, he shares a portion of the merit without being tainted by the main cause and effect. This is a sure-fire way to gain something, which naturally attracts sages to participate in the competition.

Time slipped away quietly as Qin Le recovered and made repeated attempts.

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Before Qin Le, ten bronze lamps in the once silent sea of ​​lights had been relit.

Ten clusters of flames, varying in size and color, burned quietly. Though far less intense than the dozen or so remaining lamps, they represented ten races that had once vanished into the annals of history, now having regained hope of continuing their existence in the Three Realms.

There are ten races in total: the Spirit Race, the God Race, the Barbarian Race, the Dream Race, the Moon Race, and the Five Elements Spirit Race.

Of course, the process was not without its challenges.

Qin Le had also encountered rejections, such as the lights of the Demon Clan and the Tree Spirit Clan. No matter how he communicated and tried, he was unable to light them up.

Since the other party did not explain the reason, Qin Le had no choice but to give up and turn to other races.

At this moment, although Qin Le still couldn't hide his fatigue, his eyes brightened a bit.

He looked at the Goddess Houtu and asked, "Goddess Houtu, what is the third test?"

Having spent some time in the underworld, he was indeed eager to return home.

Moreover, the karmic consequences of the revival of ten races have already reached the limit that his current level can bear.

If it weren't for the powerful figures protecting him, he probably would have already suffered a backlash. He understood the principle of acting within one's capabilities.

The Goddess Houtu set the test for ten clans, presumably because she had calculated the limits of his endurance.

However, Houtu Niangniang gently shook her head, her tone calm: "The third test... let's discuss it later."

With that, she made a gesture with her delicate hand, and a spatial portal leading to the mortal realm opened silently.

Qin Le had already performed exceptionally well in these two tests, and had put in enough effort. Therefore, she decided to postpone the final test for the time being.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, the little clay figure of Nuwa, sitting atop Qin Le's head, let out a meaningful chuckle, her clay face displaying an expression of understanding:

"Little Houtu, you really are...tsk tsk..."

"snort!"

Feeling a little uncomfortable under Nuwa's teasing gaze, Houtu gave a soft snort and turned her face away.

She would never admit that she was trying to delay fulfilling the bet!

This is entirely because Qin Le's current strength is not enough; he needs to become stronger before he can take the third test!

Yes, that's it!

Qin Le didn't think too much about it, just felt that it was good to have a temporary vacation: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. I will take my leave now."

Having said that, he didn't linger any longer and turned to step into the spatial portal.

After Qin Le's figure disappeared, the spatial gate closed, leaving Houtu Niangniang alone in front of this silent sea of ​​lights.

Her golden eyes slowly swept over the tens of thousands of bronze lamps, still dim, a hint of compassion and determination flowing deep within them. She spoke softly, as if making a promise to countless silent races:

"Gentlemen, please be patient and wait a little longer... One day, your lights will be rekindled."

In the mortal realm, the sun shines brightly in front of the Alliance headquarters building.

Qin Le's figure stepped out of the void and once again felt the familiar atmosphere of the human world.

Almost simultaneously, his phone in his pocket began to vibrate wildly, with a continuous stream of notification sounds.

Unlock the screen, and a flood of messages appears—99+ unread messages.

Qin Le looked at the avatars and names flashing on the screen, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously curved into a smile. He didn't reply to them all immediately, but instead had a thought.

The next moment, he appeared at the door of his own house.

He knew that His Majesty the Jade Emperor must have already revealed to some people that he was going to the Underworld to handle some business. Otherwise, those three hundred demon classmates who regarded him as a human-shaped enlightenment stone would probably be so anxious that their Dao hearts would be unstable.

Pushing open the door, the familiar living room came into view, and at the same time, I heard my mother Lin Wanrou's slightly ingratiating voice and my grandmother's helpless scolding.

"Wanrou! How many times have I told you? Watch your appearance! Look at you, covered in dust again!"

"Mom, I was wrong, I'll be more careful next time!"

"Next time! Next time! Every single day I've been here, you've looked like this!!"

Upon entering the living room, one could see Lin Wanrou huddled on the sofa, her body indeed covered in black ash left over from alchemy—even with Shennong's antique alchemy furnace, which was not afraid of exploding, the smoke and flames from opening the furnace still seemed to have been completely avoided.

Grandma sat to the side, holding a folding fan, her face full of disappointment.

Hearing the door open, the mother and daughter turned around simultaneously. Seeing Qin Le, their eyes lit up with surprise and delight.

"Xiao Le is back?!" Grandma immediately put down her folding fan and asked with concern, "Did you pass all the tests from the Goddess Houtu?"

After Qin Le resolved her grandfather's matter but failed to return for a long time, they finally couldn't help but ask the Jade Emperor, and thus learned that Qin Le was undergoing a test by Houtu.

"I guess you could say it's... passed." Qin Le smiled and sat down on the sofa.

"Was the test by the Goddess Houtu particularly difficult? It actually took so many days." Lin Wanrou curiously leaned closer, temporarily forgetting that her appearance was not quite right.

"It's not particularly difficult?" Qin Le thought for a moment and gave an honest assessment: "It's just... quite time-consuming."

Grandma's gaze remained expectant as she softly asked the question that concerned her most: "Xiao Le, what happened to your grandfather in the end?"

"Grandpa has successfully entered reincarnation, Grandma, please don't worry." Qin Le said gently, then took out her phone: "By the way, Grandpa left a message for everyone before he passed away. I'll send it to you."

He made a few quick moves and sent the video of his grandfather's final farewell to his grandmother's phone.

Grandma quickly picked up her phone, her fingertips even trembling slightly. Lin Wanrou immediately leaned over as well, the mother and daughter resting their heads together as they opened the video.

The video began to play, and my grandfather's familiar and nostalgic face and voice appeared on the screen. In a calm tone, with a sense of relief and entrustment, he bid his final farewell to each family member.

As she watched, Grandma's eyes quickly reddened, and the tears she had been holding back finally streamed down her cheeks. Lin Wanrou also bit her lip hard, her eyes red-rimmed, and she tightly gripped her mother's hand.

The video, though short, conveyed a deep sense of reluctance to part and best wishes.

After watching it, Grandma remained silent for a moment, then gently wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. She then took a deep breath and solemnly forwarded the video to the family group chat.

This is a farewell from a father, and it is right that all those who care about him should be able to see it, hear it, and say goodbye properly.