The Nuwa Stone: A Magical Encounter in the Mortal Realm

When heaven and earth were first formed, Nuwa used five-colored stones to mend the sky. Some of the partially melted stones fell to earth, harboring immense energy. Cultivators regarded them as rare treasures, and factions everywhere devoted their lives to obtaining a single “Spirit Stone of the Sky-Mending,” also known as the “Nuwa Stone.” During the plum rains in Hangcheng, dampness crept over the carved lattice windows of an old house. Ji Dou bent over a mottled redwood table, delicately holding a brush with bristles fine as cow hair as he carefully scraped centuries of grime from the cracks in a Warring States jade disc. Dark red water seeped from the gaps between the old bricks lining the well, like an old wound that refused to heal. Ji Dou bent down to wipe it away, and his fingertips touched something cold: a fist-sized black stone, its surface carved with the ancient character for “mend.” In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent. Deep within the black stone, a chaotic dragon’s shadow coiled, its scales scraping against the stars. An old man with white hair stood with his back to all living things, using bone as his brush and blood as his ink to draw a sealing talisman above the Heavenly Gate. Blood rained down, and the gate burst open with a thunderous roar. Ji Dou stumbled backward. Fragments of memory pierced his mind, and the pain left him curled up by the well. The rain stopped. His pale face appeared in the bronze mirror, along with Wu Ke’s horrified eyes. “Brother, just now… your eyes were slit-pupiled.” Ji Dou clenched the black stone, his knuckles turning pale. He caught the scent of rust, but couldn’t tell whether it came from the night rain or the blood spilled in that battle a thousand years ago.