My classmates chose martial arts and fantasy, but I chose the prehistoric world.

Nuwa stood outside the ancestral land of the Wu tribe, looking at the young man who had just walked out of the Pangu Palace, her feelings quite complicated.

She and Meng Chuan clashed on the battlefield during the Lich War 20,000 years ago, and it can be said that they had become enemies.

Now she's come knocking on my door demanding the treasure...

It has to be said that this is somewhat awkward and ironic.

"Was Nuwa only missing the Nine Heavens Breath Soil to create humans?"

Meng Chuan got straight to the point, his tone calm.

Nuwa was taken aback, then nodded: "Yes."

"The creation of humans requires the use of the Nine Heavens Breath Soil, and the only primordial source of the Nine Heavens Breath Soil in the primordial world is in the hands of the Ancestral Witch Houtu."

Nuwa stated frankly, "Therefore, I had no choice but to come."

She paused, then said, "I know the Demon Court and the Witch Clan are enemies, but I still came. This item is related to my plan to create humans, and even more so to whether I can obtain enough Heavenly Dao merits to achieve sainthood with the help of the Primordial Purple Qi."

"I'm willing to pay the price for this."

She spoke very frankly, and even said she was prepared for a "major hemorrhage".

In her mind, given the hostile relationship between the Witch Clan and the Demon Clan, and based on her experience of attacking Meng Chuan on the Witch-Demon battlefield, even if the other party didn't take the opportunity to make things difficult for her, they would definitely demand a high price.

She had prepared everything: spiritual treasures, cultivation techniques, human relationships, karma...

However, Meng Chuan simply looked at her and suddenly asked, "Is this the great merit that the Dao Ancestor spoke of when he accepted Nuwa as his disciple at the end of his three lectures?"

Nuwa remained silent.

She didn't expect Meng Chuan to still remember this.

When Hongjun accepted her as his personal disciple after the three lectures at Zixiao Palace, he did indeed say that she "possesses the virtue of creation and will have a great merit to perform in the future."

That was the key to her sainthood, and the opportunity she had been waiting for.

Now that the opportunity has arrived, she's stuck at the final step—

Material.

"Houtu".

Meng Chuan turned his head and looked at the barefoot, hemp-clothed figure behind him.

Houtu stood not far away, not saying a word, just watching quietly.

Hearing Meng Chuan call her, she stepped forward.

"Give her some Heavenly Soil."

Meng Chuan said, "Consumables are fine, they don't affect the original source, and they can be restored with time."

Houtu didn't ask why, she just nodded and raised her hand to beckon.

A ball of dark yellow light emerged from her palm, radiating a profound and vast earthly aura.

With a casual gesture, she separated a fist-sized ball and presented it to Nuwa.

Nuwa was stunned.

She stared at the floating mass of dark yellow light before her, momentarily unable to process what it was seeing.

Just like that... you gave it to me?

No conditions?

No cost?

She looked at Meng Chuan, then at Hou Tu, to make sure she hadn't misheard.

"Fellow Daoist Meng Chuan, Ancestral Witch Hou Tu... don't you need me to give anything in return?"

She asked very carefully, even with some uncertainty.

She had seen too many transactions, too many calculations, too many "equivalent exchanges".

Having lived in the prehistoric world for so many years, she had long been accustomed to the rule that everything had a price to pay.

Houtu glanced at Meng Chuan and said calmly, "I'll listen to him."

These four short words sent a jolt through Nuwa's heart.

She looked at Meng Chuan, waiting for his answer.

Meng Chuan stood with his hands behind his back, his expression calm: "Empress Nuwa, remember this karma for now. In the future, if needed, I will give you the opportunity to settle this karma."

Nuwa was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "As long as it does not go against my conscience, I will not shirk my responsibility."

She accepted the clump of Heavenly Breath Soil, nodded slightly to the two of them, turned around and transformed into a streak of light, disappearing into the horizon.

Meng Chuan watched the streak of light disappear into the distance, then turned and called to Houtu before returning to the Pangu Palace.

Inside the hall, he summoned a fragment of the Chaos Pearl, and the chaotic aura descended, enveloping the entire hall and working in conjunction with the Pangu Hall to conceal the secrets of heaven.

Houtu stood beside him without saying a word.

Meng Chuan remained silent for a while before explaining, "The reason I gave her the Nine Heavens Breath Soil so readily is because the human race must be born."

"The best time to establish the Earth Path is when the number of primordial beings increases and a large number of beings die."

He spoke slowly, as if he were organizing his thoughts or confirming his judgment.

"Nuwa created humans, the human race multiplied, fortune increased, and the number of living beings increased..."

"The Lich Wars are not over yet; another great war will inevitably break out sooner or later, leaving countless dead and wounded, and vengeful spirits everywhere..."

"At that time, establishing the underground tunnels will allow reincarnation to take shape, accumulating immeasurable merit, and only then can the underground tunnels truly rise to prominence!"

He looked at Houtu, only to find her expression calm.

"You don't need to explain."

Houtu looked at him, her gaze gentle, her voice soft yet resolute: "I believe you."

These three short words struck a chord with Meng Chuan, touching the softest spot in his heart.

He smiled, a genuine smile from the bottom of his heart.

He didn't say much, he just nodded.

After a moment, he spoke again: "Next, I need to go out and take care of some things."

Houtu didn't ask what was wrong, she just nodded: "Be careful."

Meng Chuan responded, turned around and walked out of the Pangu Palace. With one step, he disappeared into the void.

He went straight to Kunlun.

After the Lich War ended, he really wanted to go and settle accounts with Yuan Shi.

At that time, the Three Pure Ones had not yet separated, so he could not make a move in front of Tongtian—even though the two had fallen out, they were still brothers, and he still had to give Tongtian some face.

Later, when the Three Pure Ones separated, he went into seclusion.

After breaking through to the late stage of Quasi-Saint, he continued to consolidate his cultivation until recently when it was completely stable, having just emerged from seclusion.

Before they even had a chance to go to Kunlun, Nuwa came knocking on their door.

Now, even Nuwa is going to create humans...

This gave Meng Chuan a sense of urgency.

He knew that in the original primordial trajectory, after Nuwa created humans, the Three Pure Ones would successively establish their religions and become saints, followed by Jieyin and Zhunti in the West.

Lao Tzu was the first to become a saint, followed by Yuan Shi, and then Tong Tian.

Once Yuanshi becomes a saint, it will be almost impossible to kill him.

He dares to claim invincibility below even the most sages.

He was powerless above even the most revered sages.

Therefore, this hidden danger must be completely resolved before Yuanshi becomes a saint.

During their sparring session at Kunlun last time, he spared Yuanshi's life, originally out of respect for Tongtian, and did not intend to pursue the matter further.

However, Yuanshi did not appreciate the gesture and instead intervened in the war between the Lich King and the Lich King, intending to kill him and seek revenge.

Although Yuanshi did not gain any advantage in that battle, Meng Chuan could clearly see the killing intent in his eyes.

That wasn't just a momentary impulse of hatred, but a deep-seated murderous intent!

As he traveled, he pondered another question.

During their sparring session at Kunlun, he nearly killed Yuanshi, but Hongjun didn't intervene...

This time, they probably won't interfere either, right?

He recalled that earlier, during the dispute over the gourd vine, he had harbored murderous intent towards Yuanshi, and Hongjun had given him a timely warning.

At that time, Hongjun had not yet merged with the Heavenly Dao. Perhaps it was because he had not yet obtained the merit of Yuanshi as Pangu's primordial spirit in creating the world that he spoke up to protect Yuanshi.

Now that the merit of creating the heavens has been obtained, and Hongjun has accumulated enough merit of the Great Dao, he is able to successfully merge with the Heavenly Dao...

Furthermore, he publicly stated that he would not easily appear to interfere in matters of the primordial world unless there was a great calamity.

Unless Hongjun is already working on the Investiture of the Gods, there is no reason for him to break his promise to protect Yuanshi.

But since the human race hasn't even appeared yet, this possibility is unlikely.

With this in mind, Meng Chuan felt reassured.

Ahead, the Kunlun Mountains came into view.

He stopped and stood above the sea of ​​clouds, his robes fluttering in the wind.

Last time, he came to exchange skills...

This time, he's here to kill!