The video begins with Zhao Ling'er trapped in a cocoon, initially lifeless and without self-awareness.
Suddenly, a stream of emerald light drifts in from an unknown source and merges with the cocoon. The view zooms in, revealing a tiny black dot on the cocoon.
Then, two more beams of green light integrate, causing the black dot to expand.
Soon, more and more green light pours in, a dense swarm that continuously strikes the cocoon, causing cracks to spread. Finally, the cocoon shatters, and Zhao Ling'er, freed from her confinement, falls to the ground. She slowly opens her eyes, rising in confusion.
"The quality of this animation is amazing!" exclaims some viewers who are accustomed to watching animations. This is not a 3D animation, but a 2D hand-drawn one, yet its clarity is remarkably high, surpassing the quality of many current Japanese anime series.
Furthermore, it adopts a slightly realistic art style, vastly different from Japanese anime. This leads viewers to instinctively perceive the drawn character as resembling Zhao Ling'er from the television drama, a novel experience.
"Didn't I die?" At this moment, the camera focuses on Zhao Ling'er's face. Having regained consciousness, she murmurs to herself hazily.
Simultaneously, she begins to survey the world around her. Her pupils instantly constrict, and her entire body trembles as she is overcome with immense terror.
The camera then zooms into Zhao Ling'er's pupils, revealing the world as she sees it.
She finds herself in a circular room, as if enclosed within a sphere.
The room is devoid of any furniture, tables, or chairs. Only the spherical walls are present. Hanging on these walls are numerous cocoons, each containing a beautiful woman, just like Zhao Ling'er.
"Where is this place?" Zhao Ling'er stumbles back a few steps in fear, then bumps into a cocoon on the wall. She simultaneously sees the person trapped within and exclaims, "Mother! Mother, is that you? Mother!"
At this point, the screen magnifies, and the audience finally realizes that the person confined within the cocoon is none other than Zhao Ling'er's mother, Lin Qing'er, the Queen of the Bai Miao tribe, who only appeared in brief flashes and the "Fairy Dream" segment in the TV drama.
Concurrently, through the screen, another cocoon next to Lin Qing'er is visible, containing a beautiful woman dressed in purple.
"Mother, I'll save you right away!" Zhao Ling'er begins to perform magic, attempting to break the cocoon and rescue the imprisoned Lin Qing'er. However, no matter how much spiritual energy Zhao Ling'er tries to gather, she finds herself utterly incapable of mobilizing any power, as if she has become a mere mortal.
"To think that a soul could awaken from the Saint Spirit Orb is truly an anomaly!" Suddenly, a voice speaks. Zhao Ling'er whips around and sees a woman in green, serenely suspended in mid-air, observing her.
"Who are you?" Zhao Ling'er instinctively asks.
"I am the artifact spirit of the Saint Spirit Orb, and also a wisp of Nuwa's soul. You can call me Saint Spirit Auntie!" the woman in green explains cheerfully.
"This is the interior of the Saint Spirit Orb? That's right. I remember Mother telling me that after the descendants of Nuwa die, their souls would enter the Saint Spirit Orb, thereby strengthening its spiritual power and providing greater protection for future descendants. It seems I have indeed died!" Upon hearing the name "Saint Spirit Orb," Zhao Ling'er immediately recalls and murmurs to herself.
"Then, these cocoons hanging on the walls must be the past descendants of Nuwa, my ancestors!" Zhao Ling'er guesses, looking around at the cocoons and the beautiful figures sealed within.
"Correct. These are the past descendants of Nuwa. Starting from the first descendant and counting you, there are already 95 of them! Only four vacant spots remain!" Saint Spirit Auntie states.
"Only four spots left?" Zhao Ling'er pauses, then the camera quickly pans across the wall. She notices that behind where her own cocoon was hanging, there are indeed only four remaining spaces for cocoons. All other positions, even on the ceiling, are occupied by cocoons.
"Are these four spots reserved for Yiru, and Yiru's children, their children, and their children?" Zhao Ling'er's expression suddenly turns pained. The thought of her descendants having no peace even in death, being hung here, pains Zhao Ling'er deeply.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have given birth to Yiru!" Zhao Ling'er sighs.
"That is not possible. Nuwa has plotted for thousands of years to gather 99 souls of Nuwa's descendants. Even if you hadn't given birth, you would have, through subtle influences, been led to have children!" Saint Spirit Auntie says.
"Impossible! If it weren't for Brother Xiaoyao, I would never have been willing to have children with anyone!" Zhao Ling'er argues.
"Heh heh! Look at the 72nd generation Nuwa descendant to your right. Her name is Xuanyou. It is said that after giving birth, she would transfer her lifelong spiritual power to her child and die soon after, losing her immortality.
"So, she refused to get pregnant and lived for 999 years. Her spiritual power was so immense that it rivaled that of the Demon Lord. However, no matter how strong she was, she was still a descendant of Nuwa. One day, her magic power was lost, her spiritual essence was destroyed, and she encountered a beggar by the roadside. When she woke up, she was already pregnant and gave birth to the 73rd generation Nuwa descendant." Saint Spirit Auntie points to a woman with white hair sealed within a cocoon.
"Why? If her abilities were comparable to the Demon Lord, why did her magic power suddenly disappear?" Zhao Ling'er asks, her eyes wide.
"All of your spiritual power originates from Nuwa. Why do you think her magic power vanished?" Saint Spirit Auntie retorts.
"Are you implying... that Mother Nuwa is not dead..." Zhao Ling'er utters a conclusion that is hard to believe.
"Not at all. Being and not being, seeming dead and not dead, it's all relative!" Saint Spirit Auntie smiles slightly. "She is dead, because apart from this wisp of residual soul hidden within the Saint Spirit Orb, her soul no longer exists in the world.
"But she is also alive, because every bit of her soul and strength, and her body, are your descendants of Nuwa. It's just that her true spirit and memories have no attributes. She is still alive! And she has lived 95 lifetimes!"
"Then these last four remaining spots, do they represent that she can only live for four more lifetimes, and the mission of the Nuwa clan will be completed? Will Mother Nuwa completely disappear?" Zhao Ling'er, realizing the significance of the four empty spots, exclaims.
"Indeed. After the 99th lifetime, the mission of the Nuwa clan will end. But Nuwa will not disappear. On the contrary, she will reassemble the souls and bodies of these 99 lifetimes, along with the accumulated power of these 99 lifetimes, to re-attain her primordial state and return to the path of divinity. She will then fight once more against her ruthless and unfeeling brother, Fuxi, and the faithless, lecherous beast, Shennong, destroying the entire world they created together, unifying all laws, and then recreating the world!" Saint Spirit Auntie says.
"What?" Zhao Ling'er is completely stunned. "If that's the case, then Brother Xiaoyao will die too? No, Brother Xiaoyao cannot die. He cannot die!"
Tears stream down Zhao Ling'er's face. At the same time, she is filled with doubt and asks, "This is impossible! Mother Nuwa would never do something like this!"
In her understanding, the descendants of Nuwa were tasked with protecting humanity. Nuwa was the kindest deity in the world. How could she suddenly intend to destroy the world? Even demons in the demon realm would not commit such atrocities!
"It's because this world has hurt her too deeply. The ones she trusted and loved the most have betrayed her!" Saint Spirit Auntie says calmly.
"You claim to be a wisp of Mother Nuwa's soul. Why are you telling me all this?" Zhao Ling'er stands up and retorts.
"Although I am a wisp of her soul, I am also a tool she uses to control the Saint Spirit Orb. But after tens of thousands of years, I am no longer her. I am myself. If she were to be resurrected, I would become a part of her, losing myself forever. I do not wish for that!" Saint Spirit Auntie says.
"Losing myself forever? But we are all already dead. Why bother..."
"Heh heh, if you were dead, how could you be talking to me here?" Saint Spirit Auntie sneers.
"Yes, if I were dead, how could I still remember Brother Xiaoyao and have him fill my heart?" Zhao Ling'er's eyes dim with inner turmoil, and Saint Spirit Auntie continues, "It's not just you. Look at the Nuwa descendants on this wall. They are your mother, your grandmother, your great-great-grandmothers. They are not truly dead. Their souls and bodies are all here. They are all alive.
"They appear to be dead, but in reality, I have guided them into the Saint Spirit Orb using a secret technique and sealed them here with Nuwa's Tears. They are waiting for all 99 descendants of Nuwa to arrive. Then, I will sacrifice myself, using my soul and the Saint Spirit Orb as a medium, to fuse all 99 descendants of Nuwa into one, condensing Nuwa's true form. This way, Nuwa can be completely revived and become the strongest being in the world!" Saint Spirit Auntie says.
"Of course, whether it's you, me, or your great-great-great-grandmothers, all will be turned to ashes. That would be true death, beyond even the possibility of reincarnation!" Saint Spirit Auntie says.
"According to you, the final step is to be carried out by you. Then you can simply refuse!" Zhao Ling'er says.
"If I could refuse, it would be fine. But Nuwa is such a wise person. She had already foreseen that I might awaken my consciousness and resist executing my mission. Therefore, she placed many safeguards upon me. I cannot resist. As soon as all 99 descendants of Nuwa are gathered, I will inevitably perform the secret ritual to refine Nuwa's true form. This is my destiny, and I cannot resist it!" Saint Spirit Auntie says with a bleak smile.