Chapter 347: Chapter 21: I Set a New Rule for This World, Intervening in the Dao Fruit Chess Game

「Beneath the Stone Stele.」

The skeleton remained nailed to the cliff face, and the Dying Buddha on the scorched mountain peak was as ever.

Amidst three thousand chains, the exquisitely beautiful woman was curled up quietly, her head resting on her knees as she watched the roaring flames.

The entire world was silent, save for the searing sound of the flames and the grating screech of chains against bone whenever the woman shifted.

Perhaps one could occasionally hear the sound of utter silence.

Suddenly, the roaring blaze flickered. The curled-up woman abruptly lifted her head, resuming her original seated posture. Her Divine Robe shimmered with seventy-two colors of light, and she held her snow-white neck high.

The next moment, an aged figure emerged from the fire. His steps were even and unhurried. It was an elderly man in his twilight years, his head bowed and back hunched, approaching slowly.

"It’s you," the exquisitely beautiful woman said faintly. "Taiyi’s false body. The fraud who goes by Chu Tai. Xiaoxuan’s former protector."

Chu Tai smiled and offered a bow.

"Greetings, Goddess."

"I am Nuwa."

The exquisitely beautiful woman frowned, displeased. Chu Tai, however, paid it no mind. His gaze toward her was even tinged with pity.

He said with a smile,

"Goddess, your eyes see almost everything, approaching Omniscience. Yet you cannot see yourself... If you are Nuwa, then where is your Cultivation? A Dao Fruit never falls..." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"A Dao Fruit can fall. I have my ways," the exquisitely beautiful woman said, staring at Chu Tai. "If you don’t believe me, I can let your true body have a taste."

"No, no, no."

Chu Tai quickly waved his hands, his face still wearing a gentle smile.

"I was merely joking. Why must you be so agitated, Goddess?"

The exquisitely beautiful woman stared at the old man for a long moment before asking,

"For Xiaoxuan’s sake, I will pardon this offense... Why are you here?"

"I stand before you. You are looking at me. Can it be that you do not know why I have come?" Chu Tai retorted, glancing at the skeleton on the cliff and the Dying Buddha.

The exquisitely beautiful woman frowned again.

"I have seen. I do not agree."

"Since you have seen, you should know that this is also an opportunity for Lu Xuan. You can see everything, yet you cannot see futures related to the Dao Fruit. Perhaps that child can forge a new path?"

The skeleton on the cliff lifted its eyelids slightly. The Dying Buddha also quietly opened its eyes. Both were somewhat puzzled by the conversation, especially the Emperor Corpse. He and Taiyi were old acquaintances, after all, and their threads of Cause and Effect were deeply entangled...

’What is that old bastard planning?’

At this, the exquisitely beautiful woman fell silent for a moment before saying faintly,

"Taiyi’s false body, I see what you are plotting. But I have a premonition that your plot is a sham. This is also why Taiyi’s true body dares not appear before me."

Her sight brought her Omniscience, but the Chu Tai before her was only a false body, not the real Taiyi. She could only see everything related to this one false body.

After a pause, the exquisitely beautiful woman continued,

"Xiaoxuan is my child. Stop your scheming. Otherwise, I will leave this place, All Daoist Fruits will return, and your true body will die once again."

"No, no, no..." Chu Tai said with a laugh. "Look again, more carefully. You should know that this is a chance for the child to step into the realm of the Dao Fruit. The one who wins won’t necessarily be me. It could be him, couldn’t it?"

With that, he offered another bow.

"The main thing is that I never expected the one from Douluo Palace to give that tower to Lu Xuan. That was something I did not anticipate. Therefore, I request that you allow my true body to make one move. Is that permissible?"

The exquisitely beautiful woman fell silent, frowning as if conflicted.

After a long moment, she spoke in a cool, clear voice,

"Permitted."

"However, if Xiaoxuan is about to lose, I will help him."

"Is that so?" Chu Tai gave a silent laugh. "But you have no Cultivation. You can’t even perform Soaring Clouds and Mist. You are no match for my true body."

"We will see when the time comes."

"Very well." Chu Tai gave another elegant bow and slowly retreated.

After he left, the Emperor Corpse nailed to the cliff could no longer hold back and asked,

"Goddess, what were you two discussing? What is that fellow Taiyi plotting now?"

The exquisitely beautiful woman glanced at him and said faintly,

"He wants to use Xiaoxuan to reclaim the half of his Dao Fruit that he lost, and once again possess a Complete Dao Fruit. That is all."

The Emperor Corpse narrowed his eyes.

"The one who came was not Taiyi’s true body. I can sense that his plot is not that simple, is it?"

"I don’t care," the exquisitely beautiful woman said lazily. "I cannot see futures involving the Dao Fruit, but based on everything that currently exists, I can make my own deductions. Xiaoxuan’s chance for Enlightenment is here, so I allowed him to proceed."

The Emperor Corpse started to laugh.

"You and Profound Clarity have only met once."

"He called me Mom."

"He is also the disciple of The Three Pristine Ones."

"He’s the only one who has ever called me Mom."

"Fine, forget I said anything." The Emperor Corpse was speechless. ’This Goddess really does have the disposition of a three-year-old...’

A sense of regret washed over him. ’If I had known, I would have also...’

The exquisitely beautiful woman suddenly looked at him.

"You are not my child. It’s useless no matter what you call me."

The Emperor Corpse’s expression froze. The Dying Buddha shot him a strange look, as if seeing this former Celestial Emperor in a new light.

The Emperor Corpse gave a light cough, looking very uncomfortable as he said,

"Goddess, it is quite rude to casually peer into others’ thoughts..."

"Can’t be helped. I just see it," the exquisitely beautiful woman said with a pout. "Oh, and you are not to tell anyone that Xiaoxuan is the disciple of Yuqing and Shangqing. That could trigger a great calamity."

"What kind of calamity?" The Emperor Corpse was curious. What exactly had those eyes, which saw beyond the Dao Fruit, witnessed?

The exquisitely beautiful woman did not answer directly. Instead, she thought for a moment and said,