Chapter 241. Nüwa Mends the Heavens (14) Queen Mother and Yellow Emperor

     Every time the Yanzhi tribe fought the dark mist they have an indescribable ferocity, they were avenging the Weaver Girl Yanzhi-Shi.  

     The clusters of dark mist within the 1000-meter radius of the sea were gradually cleared, and the submarine continued to dive deeper in search of more.  

     Between 3000 and 5000 meters underwater, there were still no signs of life, but the number of dark mist clusters had decreased. Hawk-Eye’s scanning became useful again, which clearly indicated that the spread and intensity of the dark mist were determined by the presence of living beings.  

     Once all life vanished, the dark mist would slowly shift toward other regions with more living creatures.  

     Below 5000 meters, some drifting organisms from other parts of the sea began to appear again.  

     If a human were to exit the submarine and swim in these depths, their waterproof gear, mermaid pearls, and mermaid scales would deplete at an alarming rate. So, the crew stayed inside, watching the footage from within the vessel.

     Wang Xue was even on the verge of pulling out a small box of sunflower seeds—once planted and salt-roasted by the unlucky gambler Watson—to munch on, but a glance from Ye Mo stopped her from causing trouble.  

     “……”  

     Fine. Jerky would do.  

     While watching the footage, members of the other tribes had no concept of how deep the ocean was or what the underwater world was like.  

     When Ye Mo simply explained some common sense about the sea, they were confused. The mermaids of the Diren tribe were all in awe, thinking that Nuwa knew the sea better than they did.

     In fact, it is not necessarily the case. The difference between life experience and scientific knowledge is that the latter likes to summarize and generalize, and people who rely purely on life experience will resonate very well when they hear it.

     In front of the few remaining merfolk, Ye Mo also emphasized several key characteristics of the dark mist they had discovered. Since the Diren tribe lived in the ocean, as long as they took the threat seriously, they could effectively prevent the dark mist from accumulating in these waters.  

     After a full day and night of searching the deep sea, Hawk-Eye detected two small clusters of dark mist actively consuming nearby life and two depleted spirit ore deposits in their vicinity.

     Ye Mo did not kill these weak black fog balls, but captured them alive. They are living things, so they cannot enter ordinary storage spaces, but can be placed in life spaces.

     Note: 【 The size of the life space is not determined by the area, but by the number of lives it can accommodate. 】

     Ye Mo placed the two clusters of dark mist into her life spaces, both of her 5-unit-capacity containers were now full. The smallest and weakest cluster was restrained in a semi-life space resembling a flowerpot.  

     As the submarine ascended back to the surface, everyone crowded around the dark mist-filled “flowerpot,” staring wide-eyed. Under the guidance of a few survivors from the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, their thoughts gradually became more organized.  

     “What exactly are they?”  

     “Where did they come from?”  

     “Why can they spew fire? Why can they devour life?”  

     “They’re formless, yet different from spirits, they can be touched, their breathing sensed. They don’t necessarily possess dark-type abilities, just varying degrees of dark spiritual energy.”  

     “The remains they leave behind after death are similar to the spiritual beasts and plants of the Nine Provinces(Jiǔzhōu) continent…”  

     By the time the submarine breached the surface, the group had been discussing nonstop, yet their questions about the dark mist had only multiplied.

     Ye Mo had once suspected it might be similar to the myths of ancient Egypt, but her research revealed something entirely different, even contradictory. She couldn’t help but wonder how Ji Li was doing now.  

     By now, the gray haze over the sea had mostly dissipated. This stretch of ocean and its islands were slowly regaining ecological balance, though it would likely take quite some time.  

     The merfolk of the Diren tribe, who were born with fish tails over the past dozen or so days, had been waiting here all along. When they saw the submarine surface, they swarmed toward it.  

     Guided by the Diren tribe, Ye Mo’s submarine made its way to a relatively large island, the territory of the mermaid chieftain, the leader of the Jiāorén tribe.  

     Now, the surviving leaders and strongest warriors of the Suiren, Leize, Yinyou, Yuren, and Shennong tribes had all gathered here.  

     Some were recuperating from injuries, while others waited for their companions.

     Ye Mo’s submarine had been submerged for quite some time. Had it not been for the fragmentary bits of information the Diren tribe gathered from sea creatures, they might have assumed the entire Yanzhi tribe had perished.  

     When the submarine finally surfaced, Suiren and the others couldn’t help but feel a tinge of regret. Seeing the Yanzhi tribe emerge completely unscathed left them with complicated emotions.  

    But strength commands respect.  

    No matter how unwilling they were, their attitude toward Ye Mo had done a complete 180-degree turn, nothing like when they first arrived at the Jiāorén tribe.  

     Not a trace of condescension remained. No longer did they view Nuwa’s descendant as some three-hundred-year-old brat. Their unspoken alliance to eliminate the Yanzhi tribe was tacitly put on hold.  

     They couldn’t be sure what other bizarre tricks Nuwa might still have up her sleeve.  

     Only Yinyou kept pushing relentlessly. The mere thought of that curse twisted her expression into something truly unpleasant, while her clansmen privately urged her to break it before Nuwa reached the Weaver Girl’s level of power.  

     But Yinyou refused to yield.  

     Meanwhile, the leaders of the Yuren and Shennong tribes once again expressed their gratitude, mentioning that their respective tribes were already preparing offerings of thanks. Suiren and Leize, on the other hand, tactfully expressed curiosity about the cruise ship, submarines, and the assortment of weapons and equipment.  

     To Ye Mo’s surprise, the mermaid tribe once again pledged allegiance to the Yanzhi tribe, but this time, it wasn’t their former leader Jiaoren-Shi who submitted, but another powerful warrior of the tribe: Wen Yao, who bore a human torso, the tail of a winged fish, and a pair of matching wings.  

     Jiao Ren had perished, just as in Nuwa’s memories. Yet fortunately, with these waters now cleansed, the mermaid tribe no longer needed to abandon their homeland and migrate southward.  

     Ye Mo accepted their allegiance once more, though not without conditions.  

     A massive tribute of mermaid pearls, scales, and an entire spirit jade mine was non-negotiable. Beyond this, she casually assigned them the task of patrolling the seas for any resurgence of the dark mist—a duty that would, after all, protect their own homeland.  

     Wen Yao agreed without hesitation. As one of those rescued by the Yanzhi tribe, recent events had made one thing clear to her: aligning with Yanzhi meant prosperity.  

     The brief reunion soon came to an end, and it was time to part ways once more.  

     Ye Mo felt reluctant to let Wang Xue go, but they both knew her return to the Suiren tribe brought more benefits than drawbacks. Not just for nurturing Fuxi, one of the future powerhouses, but also because the Suiren tribe was already formidable, and Suiren-shi’s own strength was absolutely not to be underestimated.  

     Wen Yao bid farewell to each departing tribe one by one.  

     With the tacit approval of all the tribes present, the Yanzhi tribe deservedly took their leave first.  

     A massive black Quetzalcoatlus suddenly appeared in the sky, hovering midair. Like the submarine, its cabin door slid open, and the members of the Yanzhi tribe either flew or leaped aboard one after another.  

     The hatch closed.  

     The Quetzalcoatlus took flight, shrinking from enormous size until it soon became a mere speck before vanishing entirely from sight.  

     “……”  

     The onlookers exchanged glances. Some opened their mouths as if to speak, but no words came out.

     There is no doubt that the only winner of this mission were the Yanzhi tribe. And with this, Nuwa’s reputation across the Nine Provinces(Jiǔzhōu) continent also began to change for the better.

     …

     When Ye Mo and others returned to the Yanzi tribe, there was another lively celebration.

     Many tribespeople displayed exaggerated yet genuine enthusiasm, crowding around the warriors who had gone to the Diren tribe, eager to hear tales of their rescue mission.  

     Some recounted events in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner—after all, despite the danger, with the cruise ship and submarine at their disposal, the Yanzhi tribe had never truly faced any extreme peril.  

     However, the stories told by these people were disliked, and many listeners ran off after a short while.

     In contrast, lively individuals like Dai Qing found themselves surrounded by multiple layers of eager listeners. They had thoroughly become Nuwa’s little fangirls, showing off their leader’s heroic deeds to other tribe members again and again.

     They truly had a talent for storytelling.

     From the initial betrayal by the mermaid tribe, to the dramatic humiliation delivered by the cruise ship’s appearance, and then…  

     Gasps of amazement rippled across the wilderness.  

     Ye Mo sighed, “This is… a bit exaggerated.”  

     “It’s wonderful,” the Wūzhù replied, now in human form, standing beside Ye Mo with a knowing smile.  

     The Yanzhi tribespeople hadn’t felt such joy and pride in a very long time. The bitter taste of their fall from grace still lingered in everyone’s memory, but now their chieftain’s leadership and the tribe’s unity were strengthening each other in perfect harmony.  

     “They’ve been waiting for this day for so long.”  

     Hearing this, Ye Mo decided to let them indulge in the celebration. After the revelry, she could always deliver a few reality checks later!  

     Just then, Yunshu approached to report on the tribe’s affairs during their month-long absence.  

    Truth be told, not much had happened—probably similar to how things would’ve been had Ye Mo stayed.  

     When the conversation turned to new additions to the tribe, Yunshu’s eyes curved into happy crescents. “Our tribe has been blessed with continuous good fortune. Recently, two very special little ones were born.”  

     She paused meaningfully, glancing at Ye Mo before continuing, “The first is the chieftain’s own baby sister. The little one has already awakened four superior-grade abilities: wood, dark, water, and earth elements, along with an ancient divine beast’s heritage, evident in her fangs and tail. Her cries are extraordinarily powerful, suggesting she might possess even more latent gifts.”  

     Ye Mo: …A sister?

     Though Nuwa had stopped living with her parents since age twenty, she wasn’t exactly born from stone—so having a younger sister wasn’t entirely strange. Well, perhaps it was still a bit unexpected.  

     The Wūzhù was genuinely delighted to hear of new births in the tribe. “What wonderful news indeed! Is the other newborn also Nuwa’s sister?”  

     “This one’s even more remarkable,” Yunshu continued with amusement. “Though not the chieftain’s sister—just a baby boy—he astonishingly shares Nuwa’s own human torso with dragon tail, having awakened an ancient divine dragon bloodline from birth.”  

     Ye Mo suddenly had a strong premonition: “Their clan names?”  

     “Your mother initially planned to name her ‘Wangmei’ (Younger Sister Wang), but since the little one took a full day and night to be born and turned out exceptionally lively, she’s now called ‘Wangmu’ (Queen Mother). As for the boy—his great-grandmother possessed bear-like abilities, so he’s named ‘Youxiong’ (Possessing Bear), hoping he’ll grow as strong and healthy as her.”  ^[1]Queen Mother of the West (西王母, Xiwangmu) : In Chinese mythology, the Queen Mother of the West is a powerful goddess associated with immortality, cosmic order, and the Kunlun Mountains. She is … Continue reading

     Ye Mo: “…”  

     Her first reaction was to think of Qiong, the descendant of the Queen Mother of the West, whom she met in the “Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period” dungeon. The coincidence was almost too perfect.  

     Truly, double blessings had arrived together.