Chapter 597

Above the Nine Heavens, Donghuang Palace.

Gu Yuan was leaning lazily against a soft couch carved from a single piece of Nine Heavens Warm Jade, listening to the servant girl's optimistic report on the situation of the human tribes below.

"Prince, although the human tribes now have divine soldiers patrolling and evil yaos dare not approach, their constitutions are frail; they eat hair and drink blood, and often die in large batches from mistakenly eating poisonous plants or being unable to withstand the night cold. Their reproduction speed is extremely slow."

"Oh?" Gu Yuan didn't even lift his eyelids, as if listening to a trivial little matter.

Di Jun at his side, however, had a furrowed brow.

These past few days, he had been constantly paying attention to the human race.

He discovered that even without external enemies, this race was still pitifully fragile.

A bout of wind-cold, a case of diarrhea, could easily take their lives.

At this rate, forget becoming a help to the Yao Clan; they would likely go extinct themselves first.

"Younger Brother," Di Jun finally couldn't help but speak, his tone carrying a hint of puzzlement, "The human race is so weak; how can they become a help to our Yao Clan? Relying solely on protection seems far from enough."

He really couldn't figure out what medicine his younger brother, who calculated all living beings, was selling in his gourd.

Hearing this, Gu Yuan slowly opened his eyes; a trace of amusement flashed in those clear pupils.

"Elder Brother, the human race is a blank sheet of paper; it is precisely because they are weak that they are easy to paint on."

He coughed lightly twice and beckoned to Di Jun.

Di Jun immediately understood and leaned over.

Only to hear Gu Yuan, in a voice only the two of them could hear, lightly say two words.

"Fire Seed."

Di Jun was stunned, his eyes full of bewilderment.

What Dao method is this? What divine ability? Or the name of some innate spiritual treasure?

He racked his brains, flipping through all his memories from birth to now, and had never heard of these two words.

Gu Yuan, barely suppressing his laughter, coughed twice more and explained weakly: "Elder Brother... Fire Seed, that is... fire seed."

"Fire seed?" Di Jun was even more confused, "Younger Brother, do you mean... Taizhen?"

He subconsciously raised his hand; a strand of golden flame condensed to the utmost limit danced on his fingertip, emitting a terrifying temperature capable of incinerating a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

"With the human race's frail constitution, forget my Taizhen; even a single mouthful of ordinary flame spat out by the lowest Fire Crow Yao Bing would be enough to burn their entire tribe to ashes. Give them fire seed? This isn't protection, it's extinction."

"Elder Brother misunderstands." Gu Yuan waved his hand, "What I speak of is not divine ability fire, but mundane fire."

"It is the... human world smoke and fire that can cook food, drive away wild beasts, and resist severe cold."

Human world... smoke and fire?

Di Jun froze.

As an ancient god born of the Tai Yang Xing, he was the emperor of flames in heaven and earth; he had never thought that fire could actually have such a lowly use.

In his view, flames should be hegemonic, destructive, the supreme mighty power that burns mountains and boils seas, refining all things.

Cooking with fire?

This is simply...

Gu Yuan looked at Di Jun's expression of having his worldview overturned and secretly laughed in his heart.

He naturally wouldn't tell his elder brother that this seemingly insignificant cluster of human world smoke and fire represented the beginning of civilization.

It would thoroughly separate humans from wild beasts.

When the human race begins eating cooked food, their brains will develop better; when they no longer fear darkness, they will have more time to think and create.

This is the cornerstone of everything.

"Elder Brother," Gu Yuan continued in his patient, guiding tone, "For the human race to become strong, they must first learn to survive. Teaching them to use fire is the first step."

"This..." Di Jun still hesitated somewhat, "But how to grasp the measure? My Heavenly Court soldiers are all immortals and gods; every move they make has vast power. I fear the slightest carelessness will cause a great disaster."

"This matter is simple." Gu Yuan had long since thought of a countermeasure, "Does Elder Brother not have countless Fire Crow Clan Yao Bing under his command? They are originally experts at playing with fire, their bloodline is of the same source as Elder Brother, and they are most loyal."

"You can dispatch a venerable, steady Fire Crow Saint, transform into a divine bird, descend upon the human tribe, bestow the first cluster of fire seed, and teach them how to use and preserve fire. Thus, it both displays the vast grace of the Heavenly Court and avoids casualties from loss of control of power."

Hearing this, Di Jun's eyes instantly brightened.

That's right!

This method is good!

It can not only precisely complete the task, but also further establish the Heavenly Court's image of "sacred" and "benevolent" in the hearts of the human race.

"Younger Brother truly has a peerless clever plan!" Di Jun praised sincerely, "Elder Brother will go handle this at once!"

Finished speaking, he turned around vigorously and strode with large steps toward Lingxiao Baodian, his impatient appearance as if he were going to execute some top-secret mission concerning the life and death of the Heavenly Court.

Half a day later.

Honghuang Dadi, near the Human Ancestral Land, "He" Tribe.

Youth Sui was currently leading the tribe members, laboriously processing a wild boar they had only managed to smash to death with traps and stone throwing after much difficulty.

They had no sharp tools; they could only use sharp stones to scrape away the wild boar's tough hide bit by bit, then use their teeth to tear off bloody raw meat.

Fishy-smelling blood, mixed with mud, covered everyone's faces and hands.

Some young children, unable to bear the raw meat's rank smell, cried loudly from hunger.

Just at this time.

Chirp——!

A high, clear cry rang out from above the Nine Heavens.

All humans subconsciously raised their heads, faces showing shock.

They saw a huge fire cloud rapidly approaching from the horizon.

In the clouds, a divine bird with a body so huge it blocked out half the sky spread its wings and slowly descended.

That divine bird's entire body burned with golden-red flames; every single feather seemed to be composed of the purest fire laws, emanating a noble, majestic, inviolable aura.

"It... it's a god!"

"It's the Heavenly Court's gods who have descended!"

Sui was the first to react; he recognized on that divine bird's wings the exact same sun totem as on the Golden-Armored Heavenly General's battle armor that day.

He excitedly threw away the stone in his hand, the first to kneel on the ground, facing the sky, devoutly kowtowing in worship.

The other people in the tribe, seeing this, followed suit one after another, prostrating on the ground, their bodies trembling violently with reverence.

That golden divine bird was precisely the Fire Crow Clan elder sent by Di Jun's order to bestow the fire seed — a genuine Great Luo Golden Immortal.

He hovered suspended above the tribe, looking down at that group of humans who wore no clothes to cover their bodies, ate raw meat and drank blood, like ants; a trace of incomprehension and disdain flashed in his golden eyes.

For mere living beings who don't even count as enlightened, why does His Majesty value them so?

But he dared not defy the Heavenly Emperor's decree, and dared not slight that Great Emperor Taiyi whom even the Ominous Teacher Adult regards with wariness.

He cleared his throat, and a majestic, sacred voice resounded in every person's mind.

"I am the Heavenly Emperor's Envoy Below, Sun Divine Palace Envoy, Fire Virtue Divine Lord."

"By the benevolence of the Heavenly Emperor and Great Emperor Taiyi, seeing you ignorant and unaware, not knowing cooked food, not knowing cold and heat, I have specially come to bestow Civilization's Fire, awakening your spiritual wisdom."