The moment the words left Nuwa's lips, a sudden clarity washed over Ling Xiao. He had been wondering what could have prompted her visit at such a critical juncture.
It turned out she was here to play the matchmaker.
He had completely overlooked the event of validating the Heavenly Marriage; in the grand tapestry of history, Nuwa could arguably be called the very first matchmaker in existence.
What Ling Xiao hadn't expected was that even without the formal establishment of a Heavenly Court, Nuwa would still find her way here to seek the Heavenly Marriage.
Does every path truly lead to the same destination?
Nuwa froze for a moment upon hearing Dijun's blunt dismissal. Feeling a wave of vicarious embarrassment, she quickly began her explanation, falling back on the same old logic.
"As the saying goes: solitary Yin cannot sprout, and solitary Yang cannot grow. The tempering of Yin and Yang is the supreme Great Dao. It would bring inexhaustible benefits to both the Sun and the Moon Stars."
"Are you suggesting we should form a union with those two star-deities of the Taiyin Star?"
Dijun had finally caught the gist of it. He asked the question with a look of pure astonishment.
"Exactly!"
Nuwa nodded. There were certain things she didn't state explicitly; in truth, the proposal wasn't aimed at "all of you," but primarily at Ling Xiao alone.
However, that was a delicate thing to voice. She feared causing resentment or making Dijun and Tai Yi look bad in the process.
To her surprise, the moment she confirmed the intent, Dijun let out a disdainful laugh. "I shall not participate in this union. It would only hinder the speed of my Cultivation!"
Immediately after, Tai Yi nodded in agreement. "My thoughts are the same."
The two of them rejected the proposal without a single heartbeat of hesitation. They still remembered their past conflicts with the Moon Palace Fairies of the Great Desolation; they harbored no particular fondness for those two lunar deities.
Currently, their only desire was to focus entirely on their Cultivation and close the gap between themselves and their third brother.
Nuwa felt a flicker of internal joy. She wasn't angered by their rejection; in fact, the Heavenly Marriage was never meant for them to begin with.
Their refusal suited her plans perfectly.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have known how to approach the subject without wounding their pride. She knew the Three Crows shared an exceptionally close bond, and she had no wish to offend any of them and risk alienating the others.
Nuwa turned her gaze toward Ling Xiao. Simultaneously, the eyes of Dijun and Tai Yi also fixed upon him.
They were all waiting for his answer.
Ling Xiao did not rush to respond, for the System's choice had manifested once again.
[Detected: Nuwa has arrived to validate the Heavenly Marriage. Please make your choice!]
[Choice 1: Accept the Heavenly Marriage. Marry the Taiyin Star Goddesses. Reward: One fragment of the Law of Yin and Yang.]
[Choice 2: Reject the Heavenly Marriage. Women only hinder the speed of my Cultivation! Reward: One random Law fragment.]
[Choice 3: 'I want them all.' Say to Nuwa: 'You've arrived at the perfect time,' and invite her to join the Heavenly Marriage as well. Reward: One fragment of the Law of Yin and Yang, one fragment of the Law of Devouring, and one-half of the Karma for Attaining Sainthood!]
"Holy... System, are you even human?"
Ling Xiao nearly lost his composure when he saw the third option.
The Moon Palace Fairies weren't enough? He had to add Nuwa into the mix as well?
"You've arrived at the perfect time?"
Wasn't that a famous line from a certain television drama in his past life?
Regardless, he knew he absolutely could not agree to this Heavenly Marriage.
He walked the Path of Laws. What possible use did he have for Heavenly Dao Karma?
Even if it were offered without any strings attached, he would not touch it. Once he accepted Hongjun's Heavenly Dao Karma, his path would no longer be pure; he would likely leave himself open to future leverage or manipulation.
As for the third choice, the rewards appeared magnificent, but they weren't strictly necessary.
He already possessed the Law of Yang; he only lacked the Law of Yin to eventually synthesize the Law of Yin and Yang. As for the Law of Devouring, he already had the Sky-Swallowing Gourd and the Chaos Pearl; if he truly wished to comprehend it, it wouldn't be overly difficult.
And that so-called "one-half of the Karma for Attaining Sainthood" was a hollow prize in his eyes.
"System, I choose Option 2."
Ling Xiao gave the options a cursory glance and made his decision within his heart.
During this brief interval, the gazes of Nuwa, Dijun, and Tai Yi remained fixed upon him. In reality, only a single breath of time had passed.
Nuwa was filled with expectation, a small sprout of joy growing in her heart. Ling Xiao's slight hesitation suggested to her that he was tempted.
This would be a perfect conclusion; the Moon Palace Fairies shared the same desire.
A match made in heaven!
Fate truly was a mysterious and wonderful thing.
But in the next heartbeat, Nuwa was struck dumb. Ling Xiao's following words sent her plummeting from the clouds into an abyss.
"We appreciate Fellow Daoist Nuwa's kind intentions. However, the cultivation of my two brothers and I remains far too weak. How could we possibly consider starting a family?"
"Your cultivation... is weak?"
Nuwa felt as if the air had been sucked from her lungs. She stood there, mouth agape. You are already the most powerful existences beneath the Dao Ancestor himself. If you call yourselves weak, what hope is there for any other living being in this world?
This excuse was staggeringly clumsy.
Does he simply look down upon the Moon Palace Fairies?
She remained silent for a moment, then spoke again, refusing to give up.
"Fellow Daoists of the Three Crows... validating the Heavenly Marriage brings a multitude of benefits and massive Karma. The tempering of Yin and Yang is the fundamental principle of heaven and earth."
"This is not a simple matter of starting a family. Do you truly not desire the Karma?"
Nuwa spoke with a solemn face, her tone growing increasingly frantic.
Hearing her plea, the Three Crows exchanged a single look and then, with an eerie synchronicity, shook their heads in unison.
Their refusal was perfectly aligned.
"I..."
Nuwa gasped, feeling a tightness in her chest. Her breath was ragged, and her emotions were becoming dangerously unstable.
Who in this world could possibly turn away from Karma? The very thing she yearned for with every fiber of her being—did it truly hold zero attraction for them?
Give me some kind of reaction!
Ling Xiao observed Nuwa's distressed state and spread his hands. "Fellow Daoist Nuwa, are you alright?"
He summoned a prayer mat and gestured toward it. "Do not just stand there. Sit and rest for a moment."
Nuwa was speechless, yet she obediently sat down upon the mat.
She simply could not reconcile herself with this failure!
Everything had been prepared. She had gone through the arduous effort of convincing the Moon Palace Fairies, only for the Sun to refuse the union.
How was she supposed to return and explain this?
"The Three Crows didn't think you were worth their time?""They feel you are unworthy?"
Sitting upon the mat, Nuwa struggled with her internal conflict before looking back at Ling Xiao. "Fellow Daoist Ling Xiao... will you truly not reconsider? I can wait!"
Ling Xiao let out a silent, inward laugh as he began to calculate. He thought he understood why Nuwa was so desperate to validate the Heavenly Marriage.
The Wu Race was dominant; the Yao Race was in decline.
She was clearly seeking to use the Karma to slay her corpses—perhaps even to Attain Sainthood.
This presented a problem.
If he rejected the Heavenly Marriage, would Nuwa be forced to seek out another path? In her desperation, would she be driven to create the Human Race ahead of schedule?
He had originally intended for Nuwa to take over the Yao Race specifically to delay the timing of her creation of humanity.
If his rejection of the marriage inadvertently pushed her into "Learning how to create humans" out of sheer necessity... then his plan would backfire spectacularly.
While the possibility was small, Ling Xiao knew he couldn't afford to be complacent.
Until he had successfully validated his status as a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, he could not allow the rise of the Saints to begin.
I must find a way for Nuwa to obtain a portion of Karma—just enough to hold her over for now...
Ling Xiao's thoughts raced, scanning the major events of the primordial timeline.
Wait! The creation of the Demon Script! That has potential!
If I have Nuwa popularize and systematize the Demon Script, wouldn't she reap the Karma?
The Karma from the Demon Script should be sufficient to allow Nuwa to slay her second corpse, right?
With this thought, Ling Xiao reached a decision. Since Nuwa craved Karma, he would gift her an alternative.
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, I cannot grant your wish regarding the Heavenly Marriage."
"However... you seek to validate this marriage primarily for the Heavenly Dao Karma, correct?"