Time, space, and all energy were compressed here into the smallest possible point. This point was so infinitesimally small that conventional notions of volume failed to describe it; it was incredibly dense, its absolute weight incalculable; and its temperature was so extreme, reaching hundreds of mega-degrees, that it could melt anything.

Yet, within this singularity that defied conventional physics, there existed a separate void. Just as a single grain of sand can encapsulate three thousand worlds, this minute point contained an infinite expanse of emptiness.

In this boundless void, specks of warm light, vibrant with the breath of life, floated everywhere. Within this space, a colossal serpent body, shimmering with golden light and infused with rainbow radiance, was coiled into a circle. The upper half of this immense serpentine form distinctly belonged to a stately, beautiful, and profoundly serious matron, whose majesty was tempered by a hint of benevolence. In her left hand, she held a banner radiating kaleidoscopic light; in her right, a ruler that gleamed with pure, icy luminescence. Her slender eyes occasionally opened and closed, revealing undisguised anger and mortification.

Within the circle formed by her coiled body, a planet exceeding one billion kilometers in diameter hung suspended, rotating slowly in the endless void. This planet was predominantly blue: vast azure oceans cradled green continents, while masses of white clouds raced across the atmosphere, occasionally spawning hurricanes, flashes of lightning, and claps of thunder.

The distribution and shape of the continents on this planet were an exact replica of those on the ancient Earth, indistinguishable down to the finest detail, only magnified tens of thousands of times.

A swirl of golden vapor manifested upon the matron’s seven-hued banner, supporting a thick slab of deep-yellow earth. Fine motes of soil constantly lifted from this slab, dissolving into the Earth suspended in the void, causing the outrageously large planet to expand slightly and gain further stability.

At fixed intervals, a piece of the deep-yellow soil, thumb-sized, would break away. A fissure would then open on the matron’s brow, leaking a few drops of golden blood. This golden blood, mingling with the yellow earth, transformed into a dense, viscous mist, trailing wisps of rainbow splendor as it descended toward the ground. Once this nascent mist touched the surface, it instantly fractured, splitting into thirty or fifty clusters, or sometimes splitting into hundreds. Each cluster of mist would roll with the heavenly winds and immediately solidify into black-haired, yellow-skinned figures scrambling across the land.

These humans, born from the coalesced mist, entered existence with all their meridians open and their primordial spirits perfected. They emerged possessing at least the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul stage, each already granted the qualification of immortality. They ran and cheered joyfully across the limitless plains, some playing in the clouds, others frolicking by the riverbanks—a picture of perfect innocence, their eyes utterly devoid of any impurity.

There were already over one hundred thousand people formed from the matron’s essence blood and that yellow earth upon the surface, and more were continuously being generated.

Upon closer inspection, as these misty clusters fractured into human forms, pinpricks of light would spontaneously emerge from the surrounding void and merge into the mist. These points of light contained visages of men, women, and children, though each face was etched with sorrowful cries, their expressions laden with indignation and resentment. But once integrated into the mist, these features softened into joyous smiles, their demeanor becoming exceedingly gentle, all resentment instantly vanishing.

In the void, the woman suddenly uttered a soft chant, articulating a profound and esoteric Taoist doctrine in intricate detail. Her power was truly immense; every sound, every syllable, solidified due to her overwhelming might into tangible, gigantic golden characters. These twisting ancient glyphs gradually coalesced into clusters of golden lotuses that floated down to the ground, sequentially merging into the bodies of the waiting figures. Immediately, a light of enlightened wisdom appeared in their eyes, making them seem more sage and mature.

Gradually, as the woman continued to expound the Dao, some of the people on the ground began to master various divine abilities. Some could transform into fierce lightning, streaking across the void; others could become gentle breezes, soaring through the forests; still others could manifest as various ferocious beasts, roaming the mountains and wilderness. Some could summon rain and wind, foresee fortune and disaster, forge weapons, craft armor, or form battle arrays for mock combat. Yet others learned to build dwellings, prepare all manner of food, and so on. On this colossal planet, at the apex corresponding to Mount Everest, Siren and Aredia sat cross-legged.

Twelve plumes of black wings floated softly behind Siren, his entire body enveloped in black flames. His hair and eyes had turned the pitch black of the deepest night. His skin, conversely, had become astonishingly pale, blindingly white, a whiteness that chilled the heart. He held his hands clasped before his chest in a mudra, within which a sliver of dark flame writhed slowly.

Aredia also bore twelve wings behind her, but hers were fiery crimson. A terrifyingly hot, scarlet flame coiled around her body. Her hair and eyes had shifted to crimson. Her body, entwined by the fire, became nearly transparent, her pale red skin rippling as if made of molten glass.

After an indeterminate time, Siren suddenly opened his eyes. The void before him warped, and countless extremely fine black flames rose into that space, condensing into a longsword—exceptionally light, thin, and slender—which flew into his hand. With a slight flick of his fingers, the sword hissed as it slashed through the void several times, creating several thin spatial rifts that took a full quarter of an hour to slowly dissipate.

Aredia also opened her eyes, letting out a cold snort. She pointed her right hand at the void, and a plume of fire surged up from below, congealing into a staff of brilliant scarlet before her. Gripping the artifact tightly, she waved it gently, and torrents of fierce embers descended from the heavens. The mountain beneath them instantly thickened by several thousand meters, sending billowing blue smoke soaring skyward, carried away by the wind.

Sensing the actions of Siren and Aredia, the matron in the void shifted her body, rapidly shrinking until she materialized before them as an exquisitely elegant and noble beauty. Her left hand gripped the jade ruler, while the long banner floated above her head. Her demeanor was one of unparalleled grace, every movement radiating a supreme, unchallengeable authority.

Siren and Aredia immediately knelt, pressing their foreheads deeply to the ground.

The beautiful woman selected a nearby rock formation and sat down slowly, her voice chillingly indifferent. “What progress have your cultivation levels made?”

Siren hurriedly reported, “Aredia and I… both possess the strength of the Third Grade Heavenly Immortal!”

The matron nodded slightly. “Weak, as expected. But in the current mortal realm, it should suffice. Do you know who I am?”

Siren nodded vigorously, daring not to look directly at the beautiful woman. He could still recall the scene of Earth’s destruction: the battleships of the Polaris Empire had caused the planet to instantaneously collapse, billions of lives on the surface vaporized in a flash. Despite using all his strength, Siren had managed only to save a wisp of Aredia’s residual soul, but facing the sheer terror of the black hole, the low-powered Siren was barely clinging to life, on the verge of being shredded by the black hole’s power.

Just as Earth and Siren were about to be annihilated, an incomparably brilliant golden light burst forth from the planet’s core, followed by the appearance of this woman’s body, stretching billions of miles across the void. Holding the banner and the jade ruler, she raised her head and roared toward the sky in unconcealed fury. She waved the banner, and in the blink of an eye, she stabilized the black hole’s power frantically invading from the periphery, preserving Earth, Siren, and Aredia within the tiny singularity at the black hole's heart.

She not only preserved them but the banner in her hand also salvaged the residual souls of the billions instantly vaporized. Although these souls had been so eroded by the black hole’s power that they were almost scattered entirely, leaving only a thread of their core essence, the woman used her divine abilities to reconstruct these souls, integrating them into the new humans she had created. When Siren and Aredia witnessed her fusing her own vital blood with the yellow soil to create beings, they understood her identity.

The Ancient Sageess, Daughter of the Sovereign Mother, the only female among the Sages.

Nuwa nodded slightly, frowning as she glanced at the wings sprouting from Siren and Aredia’s backs. She murmured, “You are both of my human lineage, yet you cultivate these peculiar arts. However, judging by your auras, this cultivation method and bloodline are legacies of innate divinity; it is acceptable.”

She lightly patted the stone beside her. Nuwa’s tone suddenly turned bone-chillingly cold and murderous: “Do you know who dared touch the sovereign essence of the Human Source Star?”

Siren and Aredia exchanged glances and shook their heads simultaneously: “We do not know, but perhaps our friend does.”

“Oh?” Nuwa paused, then suddenly reached out and touched Siren’s brow with a finger, effortlessly reviewing all of Siren’s memories. After a moment of contemplation, Nuwa suddenly laughed: “An interesting little one. That little thing named Gu Xiechen is quite amusing. Looking at the scenes in your memory, this child has an extraordinary karmic affinity. A person born in the Post-Heaven era, yet cultivating the Primordial True Canon and the Great Yin Sutra—even in ancient times, anyone with such an affinity was extraordinary.”

Nodding, Nuwa declared serenely, “Very good, very good. Given Gu Xiechen’s temperament, if he hasn’t died, he must be hunting for the mastermind now. Siren, I have a task for you.”

Siren hastily bowed. “Please instruct me.”

Nuwa stated gravely, “Whoever dares to covet the Human Source Star, annihilate their entire clan, every last relative. If Gu Xiechen has already begun his action, assist him. If you fail, the responsibility will fall upon you. Can you accomplish this?” Siren gritted his teeth fiercely, “That is natural. Whoever they are, for killing so many people, I will not let them rest.”

Nodding in satisfaction, Nuwa was silent for a while. Suddenly, she flicked the jade ruler in her hand, and it transformed into a stiletto—six feet and one inch long, extremely thin and fine—which she handed to Siren. She pointed to the banner above her head; a flame rose from it, turning into a staff, three feet and six inches long and entirely crimson, which she gave to Aredia. She smiled, “These two treasures were quite famous in their time. One is the Fated Ruler, forged by my elder brother to measure the destiny of all life in the cosmos; the other is the Banner of Ten Thousand Spirits, which I crafted myself. I grant them to you today.”

After a brief moment of thought, Nuwa took the slab of yellow soil floating above the banner, split it forcefully into two pieces, and then cast them vigorously, melding them into the brows of Siren and Aredia. A vast, profound current of warmth flooded their bodies. Their bones and muscles simultaneously cracked, and they felt their physical forms strengthen considerably. Nuwa laughed, “There is little of this Humus Soil left anyway; I might as well fulfill your potential with it, and thus fulfill its own.”

Nuwa meticulously explained the miraculous effects of the Humus Soil. Siren and Aredia listened, alternating between shock and delight, almost leaping up in joy.

Siren had inherited the power of his dark angel husband, Mene, and within the black hole, he had transferred a portion of this power to Aredia to repair her soul and body. Practicing the Great Dream Reincarnation Dao, and with Nuwa’s assistance, they both attained the state of the incorruptible and undying Twelve-Winged Angel. However, although they possessed immortal bodies, their physical forms remained relatively fragile.

The enemy might not be able to kill them, but they could seal them permanently, just as they had done to Mene in the past.

But now, with the Humus Soil fused into their bodies, the strength of their physical forms—their defensive capabilities, speed, and resilience—had been enhanced hundreds of times over. Their bodies no longer feared ordinary sealing powers. As their cultivation deepened, they would be able to unleash the wondrous effects of the Humus Soil ever more fully, eventually becoming boundless and indestructible like the soil itself, unless the fundamental laws of the Heavenly Dao of this universe were mobilized. Otherwise, they could never be destroyed.

As their cultivation deepened, the Humus Soil would also draw upon a portion of their power to gradually multiply itself. The greater the mass of the Humus Soil, the stronger the two of them would become. This supposed worldly wonder, the Humus Soil, possessed such marvelous properties. Their immediate observable benefit was that the Realm Puppets summoned by Siren and Aredia had also absorbed a trace of the Humus Soil’s aura, making their puppets more powerful! Furthermore, due to the extraordinary life energy contained within the soil, their Realm Puppets would transcend the category of mere energy aggregates, becoming more akin to living beings.

Nuwa slowly explained the various divine effects of the sword that was the Fated Ruler and the staff that was the Banner of Ten Thousand Spirits, as well as the Humus Soil. She also offered guidance on the mysteries of the Dark Angel’s immortality inherited by Siren and Aredia, allowing them to grasp their powers more directly. She even occasionally commented on the Great Dream Reincarnation Dao they practiced; though these were just a few brief sentences, they deepened Siren and Aredia’s comprehension of the Dao by several times over.

How could the insight and divine power of a Sage be imagined by mortals? The karmic affinity Siren and Aredia received through Nuwa’s personal tutelage was even superior to Gu Xiechen’s.

After perhaps a month of such instruction, Nuwa suddenly looked up, frowning as she gazed into the void.

“That is enough. I will now use the accumulated power of this avatar over the years to return the Human Source Star to its original space. The three Origin Stars of Heaven, Earth, and Man—hmpf. Over countless eons, battles shattered the three Origin Stars. Even governing with an avatar, this is all I could achieve.” Nuwa looked down at the Earth, now exceeding one billion kilometers in diameter, and shook her head with dissatisfaction. She had explained to Siren and Aredia that when Heaven and Earth were first created, the Human Source Star—the Earth—was hundreds of billions of times larger than it was now.

Sighing deeply, Nuwa slowly rose. She admonished Siren once more, “Whoever dares to scheme against the Human Source Star shows disrespect to me. Pursue them through the Three Realms, search the Nine Heavens and the Ten Earths, and annihilate their entire lineage, kill every last relative. Remember this. Remember this clearly.”

Siren felt a cold sweat break out. This Empress Nuwa’s temperament was truly formidable! She was indeed warm as a spring breeze to her allies, but like an autumn gale sweeping away fallen leaves to her enemies.

However, this Sovereign Mother was someone who protected her own to an extreme degree. She explained to Siren and Aredia why she had hidden within the heart of the Human Source Star: in those ancient times, after Dao Ancestor Hongjun, numerous Sages from the Thirty-Three Heavens and the Outer Heavens charged into the new cosmic space. Others rushed forward without a second thought, but Nuwa was concerned about the humans she had created on the Human Source Star, concerned about the spirit beasts who revered her as Empress there, concerned about so many things. That was why she left behind a wisp of her spirit essence to form an avatar, hiding within the Human Source Star for silent guardianship.

Had it not been for the Earth suddenly being thrown into the black hole, on the verge of total disintegration, Nuwa’s avatar—which had been dormant to accumulate power—would not have been disturbed.

Siren and Aredia knelt deeply, neither daring to meet Nuwa’s gaze.

Nuwa’s divine sense gently swept over the humans playing in the forests, meticulously instructing them to multiply and carry forward the heritage of mankind diligently.

Afterward, Nuwa resumed her billion-mile-long serpentine form. She delicately coiled around the Earth and swung both her massive arms forcefully against the void. With a single strike, the dense emptiness suddenly exploded, a formidable power sweeping outward. The rich life energy within this void surged forth, instantly shredding the surrounding black hole into dust.

Thick waves of energetic essence rolled everywhere, instantly permeating the entire solar system. The Sun and several large planets greedily absorbed this powerful, pure energy, their volumes expanding rapidly, instantly swelling tens of thousands of times. The gaps between the planets also widened considerably.

The Earth, with its diameter exceeding one billion kilometers, smashed the small black hole apart and instantly reappeared in its original orbital path.

Her form now shrunk to barely over three feet long, sweat beading on her brow, Nuwa sighed softly as she gazed into the surroundings: “How many eons have I slept? The world has changed, and people are no longer the same. On that planet Luo Ju, why…”

Squinting, she looked toward the distant expanse of space, and Nuwa smiled faintly: “Interesting little ones…”

…Damn it!”

With another long sigh, Nuwa gave Siren and Aredia final, detailed instructions to completely eradicate the lineage of anyone who dared to covet the Human Source Star. Then, she transformed into a dim golden light and slowly flew back into the Earth’s core, sinking into an endless slumber. This miraculous manifestation had completely exhausted the immense power she had accumulated over countless years. She would not be able to manifest again in the short term.

Siren pulled Aredia close, gazing at the familiar celestial sphere around them, and suddenly burst into loud laughter.

The twenty-four massive black and crimson wings intertwined, and Siren shouted excitedly, “Brothers, I am coming!”

After several loud laughs, Siren and Aredia side-by-side transformed into a streak of light, rapidly flying toward the Heaven Star Domain. (To be continued)