Chapter 16: The Three-Colored Cloud of Merit
Within the innate imprint of Di Cang, there too was hidden the legacy of the Great Dao of Creation’s Heaven-Mending Art.
However—
Di Cang stood at the pinnacle of the Heavenly God Realm, equivalent to an Immortal Celestial in the Dao of Immortality. Yet, his own bloodline’s potential amounted only to the Golden God stage.
Nuwa, on the other hand, was already at the mid-stage of the Hunyuan Divine Demon Realm, equivalent to the mid-stage Quasi-Saint of the Immortal Dao. And this realm was by no means her ultimate destination.
At this moment, as Nuwa unleashed the Heaven-Mending Art, it was utterly incomparable to the mere fragment of inheritance Di Cang had gained.
Nuwa gathered her divine power, and on one of her fingers, a luminous, milk-white radiance entwined with endless Dao patterns gradually took shape. The radiance transformed and descended upon the innate gourd vine before her. In but an instant, a portion of its once depleted origin was restored.
The life essence of the innate gourd vine recovered with astonishing speed, visible to the naked eye, growing rapidly.
...
Time flowed swiftly—five centuries passed in the blink of an eye.
Through these five hundred years, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Fuxi, and Nuwa found not a moment’s respite for other affairs. All were wholly devoted to the secret realm of chaos and the innate gourd vine.
After five centuries of tireless effort and care, the innate gourd vine’s strength gradually returned. From its initial withered and lackluster state, it grew resplendent; every leaf glistened jade-green, its entire being shrouded in boundless chaotic power. The true majesty of a supreme innate spiritual root was revealed—brilliant and awe-inspiring.
“It is done!”
Jumang, the Ancestral Witch of Wood, finally breathed a long sigh of relief and addressed the gathered company: “The innate gourd vine’s life essence has been restored. Moreover, with the great time-space formation at its roots alleviating the strain of nurturing the seven precious gourds, the coming tens of thousands of yuanhui will require only that I enter the chaos secret realm from time to time, harness the power of spring’s renewal, collect life essence, and use it to nourish this innate spiritual root. Thus, it will not face any grave danger.”
“The seven precious gourds will ripen and fall as they should, and the innate gourd vine itself will not vanish from existence.”
...
As Jumang’s words fell, all present looked up—and in that instant, they saw, high above, a cluster of merit clouds, radiating a tri-colored light, silently coalescing. These clouds of merit spread across the sky, releasing an endless aura of purity and tranquility.
“Tri-colored merit clouds?” Fuxi exclaimed. “If one were to rank the power of Heaven and Earth’s merit, foremost would be the Xuanhuang merit of creation itself. Yet, Xuanhuang merit is a rare fortune, almost impossible to obtain. Next in excellence is the seven-colored merit cloud. Legend has it that such merit can transform a supreme innate spiritual root into a chaotic spiritual root, something that surpasses all ordinary innate roots. More often, though, it grants a supreme innate spiritual root sentience—allowing it to cultivate as a divine being.”
“The power of a chaotic spiritual root is rarely seen!” Fuxi continued. “Thus, if such a root receives the seven-colored merit cloud, it is almost certain to gain sentience and embark upon the Dao.”
“Moreover, the seven-colored merit cloud can allow a top-tier innate or postnatal spiritual treasure to evolve further, and for those at the pinnacle of the Hunyuan Divine Demon Realm, it may even permit half a step into the Chaotic Divine Demon Realm!”
“Such merit clouds are famed across the ages. Since the world’s creation, who has ever truly acquired the seven-colored merit cloud?”
“Of all the merit clouds, the tri-colored is second only to the seven-colored.”
“The power of the tri-colored merit cloud is similar to that of the seven-colored, differing merely by one grade,” Fuxi explained. “If merged into a high-grade innate spiritual root, it might elevate that root to the supreme tier. More likely, though, it will grant the root sentience, setting it upon the path of cultivation. Even if it manages only a forced elevation, it would still be a newly ascended supreme root with limited power. Still, if one were to use merit to forge an entirely new supreme innate spiritual root, that too would result in great merit.”
“If a perfected Da Luo Divine Demon absorbed this cloud’s power, they could step into the early Hunyuan Divine Demon Realm.”
“If a high-grade innate or postnatal spiritual treasure absorbed its power, it might evolve into a supreme merit spiritual treasure.”
“To obtain such a treasure—imagine the fortune we have acquired through this endeavor!”
...
Nuwa mused, “From what I know, the innate spiritual roots of this world serve not only to bear spiritual fruits and treasures, but also play a crucial role in drawing the chaotic energy of the primordial world, transforming it into the primordial world’s innate pure and turbid qi.”
“By preserving the innate gourd vine, we have also safeguarded the very foundation by which the primordial world refines chaotic power into the pure and turbid qi. For such an act, the descent of great merit from the Dao is only natural.”
“Who could have foreseen this?” The Twelve Ancestral Witches all voiced their amazement. “Tri-colored merit clouds!”
Everyone laid out what they understood of the situation, then asked, “Now that the tri-colored merit clouds are before us, what do you all intend?”
“My friends,” said Houtu, the Ancestral Witch of Earth, after some thought and with a gentle smile, “though the tri-colored merit clouds are a wondrous fortune, if we fourteen divide them, each would gain barely enough merit to refine a single high-grade merit spiritual treasure.”
“I have a proposal—would you care to hear it?”
Nuwa replied, “Since you raise the idea, you must have insight. Pray, what do you suggest?”
Houtu answered, “Our witch tribe has long collected the power of various spiritual roots. To this day, we have gathered the supreme innate gourd vine, as well as high-grade spiritual roots like the Thunder Tree and the Four Symbols Plantain Tree. By merging this merit into one of these high-grade roots, there is a real chance it will gain sentience and begin its cultivation. And with our means, could we not help such a newly sentient root progress further, even to the Hunyuan Divine Demon Realm? Should a high-grade root take form and reach that realm, it too could become a supreme root. What do you think?”
Houtu’s meaning was simple: to use this merit to nourish the Thunder Tree and Four Symbols Plantain Tree—perhaps it would succeed.