Chapter 770: Chapter 770

The Queen of Women’s Country felt a surge of panic and hurriedly said, "Oh exalted Immortals, I recognize our errors. Once I return, I shall summon all our citizens to worship Holy Mother and renovate her Divine Temple anew."

Sun Wukong’s eyes twinkled, and he chuckled, "Third Prince, should we give them another chance?"

Nezha shook his head with a sigh, "What’s the use of giving another chance? The very existence of Women’s Country shows that the Holy Mother hasn’t taken their neglect to heart; she has been overly lenient with them."

The facial expression of the Queen of Women’s Country stiffened. The fact that Women’s Country still exists suggests that Holy Mother does not blame us for our neglect, so should I understand that if Holy Mother did blame us, Women’s Country would cease to exist?

There was a mix of relief and blame in her heart. What were our ancestors doing? Initially, all the citizens recklessly consumed the waters of the Mother and Child River, provoking the fury of the Heavenly Emperor, who consequently inflicted divine punishment.

Later, they forgot the divine grace of the Holy Mother, ruined the Sacred Temple, and ceased the worship. Fortunate for us, Holy Mother was forgiving, otherwise, they wouldn’t even know how they’d die.

The ability of Women’s Country to have lasted till now was truly a miraculous fortune. The Queen felt a pang of sorrow in her heart—had their ancestors left behind other lethal dangers? Were these not pitfalls for their descendants?

Tang Sanzang spoke from the side, "Let’s go inside first. Let’s go pay homage to Nuwa."

The group moved forward, stepping onto stone stairs and immediately, they were enveloped by a vast and aged atmosphere, making them feel minuscule and filled with reverence—even the usually boisterous Sun Wukong calmed down.

A massive stone door, sealed by a chain covered in rust and nearly half-decayed, signified it had been a very long time since the Holy Temple was last opened.

Nezha stepped forward, flicked the chains, and clank—the chain broke into pieces and fell to the ground. He then pushed the gates open with both hands. As the doors moved, dust fell continuously and swirled around, causing Tang Sanzang and others to cough repeatedly.

With the gates fully opened, a fresh breeze swept the dust away.

The group entered the grand hall cautiously, admiring the foremost Divine Temple of Nuwa in the Three Realms.

Inside, the temple seemed spacious, perhaps once decorated, but now all had turned to dust with the passage of time, rendering it slightly dilapidated.

Two stone pillars stood inside the hall, each carved with a giant serpent, which seemed to be watching the outside. Far from appearing sinister, they possessed a majestic righteousness, inspiring fear and veneration like divine beings.

Around the walls, there were murals depicting ancestors of the Human Clan battling Demon Beasts, picking wild fruits, dancing and singing, and in some paintings, humans were depicted fleeing from attacking Evil Spirits.

The largest mural displayed many ancestors of the Human Clan worshiping in front of a Divine Temple, densely packed and prostrating on the ground—the only decorations in the temple.

At the innermost part of the temple stood three statues; in the center was a noble goddess with a human upper body and serpent lower body. Despite being made from clay, her benevolent gaze still looked downward.

To the lower left stood a middle-aged god statue stepping on a stone zither.

On the right stood a young god statue, with wings sprouting from his back, looking heroic and remarkable. Follow current novels on novel~fire~net

Sun Wukong observed the winged statue, surprised, and said, "This statue resembles Emperor Gouchen."

The Queen of Women’s Country immediately explained, "This is a Holy Envoy, an ancient legend says that he is one of Holy Mother’s protectors."

Nezha added, "In the early days when the Human Clan had no means of self-defense, Nuwa had asked Fu Xi and Bai Jin Immortal to guard them until they could defend themselves. These protectors are revered by the Human Clan as Holy Envoys."

Sun Wukong nodded thoughtfully, contemplating in his heart. In the ancient and majestic expanse of Heaven and Earth, Emperor Gouchen must have been an invincible great god. Just thinking about Emperor Gouchen’s unparalleled grandeur from those ancient times excited the Monkey King, wishing to witness it.

Tang Sanzang, somewhat surprised, commented, "This... why are these made of stone?"

"What’s wrong with stone?"

"This is a statue of Nuwa. Shouldn’t it be made of gold? Even in our Buddhism, the smallest of temples have golden Buddha statues. Although some are only gilded, we shouldn’t neglect the True Buddha."

Sun Wukong chuckled and said, "The East doesn’t care about that. Last time we were in the Kingdom of Chechi, we encountered those three guys, the tiger, deer, and sheep. As national advisors and having erected clay statues for the Three Pure Ones Sect Hierarch, I, Old Sun, went to pay my respects too."

Zhu Bajie couldn’t help but say, "Master, those golden-bodied Buddhas were out to kill your children! We are now seeking protection from a stone statue."

"This..." Tang Sanzang’s heart quivered slightly, he clasped his hands together, bowed, and knelt to the ground, with a heart filled with piety, respectfully saying, "Disciple Tang Sanzang pays respect to the Human Clan’s Holy Mother, and to the noble Human Clan’s Saint Envoy. Your disciple has encountered evil pursuers and can only seek refuge here; may the Holy Mother please offer your protection."

Nezha also knelt directly on the ground, paying his respects earnestly and excitedly, "Disciple Lingzhu Zi pays respect to the goddess; I wish the goddess divine peace!"

Zhu Bajie, with his large belly, also kneeled down.

Sha Wujing and Gao Cui Lan also bowed down, then stood up and said, "Disciple Zhu Ganglie (Sha Lan, Gao Cui Lan) pays respect to Goddess Nuwa; I wish the goddess divine peace."

Sun Wukong looked up at the statue of Goddess Nuwa, a surge of emotion rising within him. Am I really born from her hands? He then knelt down reverently and said, "Disciple Sun Wukong pays respect to Goddess Nuwa!"

The ruler of Women’s Country also kneeled and prayed, "Descendant, the unworthy descendant Ji, pays respect to the Holy Mother!"

After everyone performed three prostrations and nine bows, they stood up.

Tang Sanzang looked around and said, "This Divine Temple is a Holy Land for the Human Clan. Let’s clean it up together!"

Nezha nodded and said, "Indeed, it is necessary."

Everyone immediately started to work, sweeping, mopping, and wiping the statues; they all undertook the tasks hands-on without using any spells, therefore expressing their heartfelt piety and awe.

At night, everyone barbecued in front of the Temple of Goddess Nuwa, and the two pregnant men stayed inside the temple.

The next morning, Sun Wukong summoned Zhang Zhongjing and Hua Tuo again, who conducted a detailed examination of the two pregnant men.

Inside the Divine Temple, Tang Sanzang and Zhu Bajie were lying on beds, with Sun Wukong, Gao Cui Lan, and the ruler of Women’s Country among others standing around.

Hua Tuo stroked his beard and chuckled, "Great Saint, no need to worry; they are in good condition and can deliver the baby tomorrow."

Gao Cui Lan joyfully said, "Thank you, Divine Doctor."

A wave of invisible disturbance suddenly swept across Women’s Country.

At the entrance of the Divine Temple, Nezha’s expression changed, he turned his head and gravely shouted, "Great Saint, the goddess’s divine power has vanished, Buddhism is coming."

Tang Sanzang anxiously cried, "Wukong, they... they wouldn’t dare to enter the temple, would they?!"

"Sha, you take care of the little monk and Bajie; leave the rest to me."

"Don’t worry, brother!"

Sun Wukong immediately ran outside, arriving next to Nezha, anxiously whispering, "Third Prince, Yang Jiao, Yang Jian, Ao Bing, why haven’t the brothers arrived yet? They couldn’t have forgotten, could they?"

Sun Wukong looked around curiously and asked, "Where?"

The sky filled with rolling white clouds that suddenly transformed into golden clouds. The Buddha Light shone in all directions, illuminating the entirety of Women’s Country.

The citizens of Women’s Country, all came out of their homes, looked up at the sky, pointing and discussing; some women knelt and prayed excitedly.