Chapter 183: Clandestine Meeting or the Silk Belt Edict; Fortune's Substitute Death

When Fengxi probed indirectly and secretly observed, he discovered that almost all spectators and participants of the fate tournament were completely unaware of the Yao clan's high-ranking officials openly fabricating false auspicious signs; even those companions suspected of having 'heaven-reaching backgrounds' only showed a strange, sudden realization after their eyes flickered in confusion and they looked toward the Heavenly Court presence atop Buzhou.

Immediately, Fengxi no longer dared to speak loudly, nor did he show off any 'I alone am sober while everyone else is drunk' air of superiority.

He acted correctly from the heart, his expression going with the flow, and he expressed shock at the completion of the Yao clan's Heavenly Court, saying such auspicious signs were unheard of and unseen.

On one hand, he lamented that the Yao clan's Heavenly Court office was too wicked, right next to the Wu clan's main base, surely leading to future friction—truly a tumultuous autumn.

On the other hand, he secretly examined his whole body, from the true spirit's will to bodily mana, leaving no clue unchecked, striving to find the cause of his current abnormality.

In the end, Fengxi indeed found a suspect.

——originating from the plug-in gifted by the Great Sage Fuxi, which merged with his true spirit.

There, a crystal-clear fragment glowed, its radiance spreading, revealing eternal divine charm, illuminating Fengxi's soul.

Perhaps it was precisely because this radiance shone that he became abnormal.

"What is this thing? When did it pop out?"

Fengxi earnestly traced back all passive information-received memories of his body, seeking the root and source of the fragment's appearance——

That was when the Wu and Yao clans' ultimate camps deployed their strategic grand formations, engaging in passionate combat, to the point that Fengxi was left dumbfounded.

"More precisely, it was at the instant when Pangu's true form appeared……"

He made a rough calculation and confirmed the exact moment.

Exactly at that moment, the twelve ancestral witch tattoos on his body, as the society witch's emblem, all emitted a faint light, similar to the prelude of activating the daily combat plug-in 'Pangu Dharma Form'; then… then the fragment appeared out of thin air.

Just like when Yandi revealed his flaw back then.

"Pangu's true form appears…… and then this thing appears……

Fengxi remained very composed, keeping his expression as usual, fully embodying 'unflappable in the face of change'; while patrolling the venue and maintaining the competition's progress, he also greeted his fellow Wu clan teammates and presided over the work.

But inside, he was about to burst.

"I somehow feel… as if I've been drawn into some terrifying vortex?"

Fengxi raised his head, gazing at the starry sky, gazing at Buzhou's peak.

"No… I should be more confident, getting rid of 'I feel' and 'it seems'."

Looking back on his past life experiences, Fengxi felt a sense of suffocation.

Xihuang, with kind eyes and benevolent countenance, gifted him the plug-in… his own imitation of the Pangu Dharma Form, which also benefited from what he saw with the Great Sage Fuxi, is the most important, crucial piece of the puzzle……

With these prerequisites, after being stimulated by the Pangu true form jointly evolved by the Twelve Ancestral Witches, a fragment popped out of thin air……

What is this?

It seemed as if, right before Fengxi's very eyes, a thrilling, exhilarating underground rendezvous was being staged, transmitting coded information.

In such an action, what is the keyword?

It is Pangu!

After a bout of sneaky signal exchanges, Feng-Yandi's nickname, Houtu's confidant, little witch benchmark, Xi received something suspected to have a major connection with the Great God Pangu.

The more Fengxi pondered, the more he felt something was off.

This plot……

"Is it that, under the blockade and encirclement of a huge evil enemy, we painstakingly carry out work in hopes of safeguarding the last, most crucial fire of hope?"

"Or is it a bloody silk‑belt edict from some great boss, secretly passed to me, so that I may lurk awaiting the ripe moment, then raise troops to loyalist‑king rescue the emperor?"

"Good grief… am I being overestimated?!"

"I'm just an ordinary little witch; why would I be linked to Pangu?"

"Although sometimes, when my cultivation tires me, I decide to relax, sleep soundly, and daydream… in the dream I see myself incarnated as Pangu, axe raised, tears streaming as I slay three thousand demons… but that's just a dream!"

Fengxi lamented his fate.

He originally wanted to be a law‑abiding, ordinary little witch… but who knew the world would be unpredictable, actually dragging him repeatedly into mire.

He once thought he was a little witch with no background, only a silhouette.

But then one day, Yandi swayed his own shadow and told him—'You are not.'

Then he left in a carefree manner, selling him out.

Left pitiful and alone, facing only the ancestral witch Houtu.

Fortunately, Houtu is broad‑minded and bold, not caring about Fengxi's entanglement with Yandi; he kept him under his command, entrusted him with important duties… it seemed he was about to rise through his own abilities, when an unknown fate again befell him.

This time it was harsher; Pangu's shadow flickered in and out, indicating——

"Young man, I'm optimistic about you, okay?"

Fengxi engaged in an intense psychological struggle within his heart.

Pangu!

This is a great word.

He represents selflessness, dedication, nobility…… and also represents strength!

Peerless strength!

Being involved with such a figure, and things related to him, are just placed here……

At first, Fengxi's law‑abiding, sincere initial intention was to refuse.

Because, it was too dangerous.

It inevitably involved the peak‑level experts' treacherous, cloud‑and‑wave games; how could his frail self possibly take part?

But the heart‑demon named 'Greed' wreaked havoc; the capable minister under the Luo Hou demon ancestor, who deludes countless cultivators' minds, existed and shook Fengxi's pure, honest, stone‑solid heart.

Indeed, the added value brought by the name 'Pangu' is too tempting!

Even knowing that once stained, one might fall into the mire vortex and be unable to extricate oneself.

But don't say it's Fengxi.

It's those Myriad Heavens' great powers; in such a situation, how many of them could remain indifferent?

At this moment, Fengxi's mind underwent a heavenly-human clash, as the "law-abiding, follow-your-heart" little person squared off against the "indifferent to life and death, everything's mine" little person, and they came to blows.

Although this thing came from Pangu's true body being stimulated, it actually came from the cheat granted by Xihuang. And Xihuang and the Wu Clan are currently hostile…… What if it's meant to harm me? Or maybe it's bribing me to be a spy?" The conscience-driven little person argues vehemently, "Handing it over to Lord Houtu is surely correct!"

"You're overthinking it! If Xihuang wanted to harm me, why go to such great lengths? As for the spy matter?" The greedy little person's eyes turned red, "I just want to take a look! Just a look…… Afterwards I'll turn it over to Lord Houtu, wouldn't that be wonderful?"

"Perfect, let's inspect the goods first—this way we can also avoid offending Lord Houtu's heavenly countenance if the contents turn out to be something insulting."

The two little persons, each trying to win over Fengxi's myriad thoughts, stood in line like a pitiful soul wavering between study and play.

But……

Often, people think they can take charge of some matters and are mentally prepared to bear the responsibility.

But the fact is, it often ends up smearing egg on their faces.

And, tell them——

You, in fact, have no choice!

Before Fengxi could make up his mind from hesitation, that crystalline fragment began to gradually disintegrate, turning into a vast torrent of information that surged forth.

Fengxi's face turned green; he hurriedly activated his only innate treasure, the Nine Nether Diagram, expanding its protective function to the max, hoping to protect his true spirit.

Unfortunately…… useless!

Who knows, perhaps it is of a more transcendent nature?

Or perhaps its control over the Nine Nether Diagram surpasses Fengxi's authority?

The information torrent directly ignored this innate treasure.

Fortunately, this is not a lethal means but pure information data, like an inheritance.

Afterward, from Fengxi's true spirit's perspective,

In an instant, eternity unfolded here!

Honghuang's heavens and earth changed their aspect at this moment.

The mysteries of the universe, the Heavenly Dao and the Great Dao…… time, space, creation, destruction, yin and yang, the five elements……

The essence of myriad Great Dao laws manifests in Fengxi's eyes—how they interact and transform, how they deduce an ultimate aspect of the 'Dao', tracing back to the shattering of Chaos and the opening of Honghuang, deducing the universe's destruction and the Chaos of its ultimate fate…… The birth and death of the vast universe can all be summed up in the single word 'Dao'.

A flicker of Fengxi's will wandered therein, as if listening to Pangu, who opened heaven and earth, lecturing him on the Dao…… No, this was no longer just lecturing on the Dao.

It was practically someone doing it with their own hands while letting another watch with their own eyes!

Although, limited by Fengxi's knowledge foundation, this process inevitably has some shortcomings.

——His brain told him he had mastered everything and could go forth to copycat the opening of a Honghuang.

But in actual practice, his hand would slap himself, telling Fengxi——you still can't!

Of course, the elevation of his vision is genuine, and the sublimation and fulfillment of his own Dao fruit are also real and not false.

Fengxi suddenly had an epiphany in a daze.

He might not be able to open up a Honghuang world.

But creating and evolving a multiverse, and using his own Great Dao concept to keep it running eternally…… seems not difficult?

In silence, Fengxi had already arrived before a door where illusion and reality intertwined; it seemed that as long as he reached out and gave a gentle push, he could cross the threshold and enter the world beyond.

That is the world of Great Luo.

It is the world where the ultimate administrator of the Honghuang cosmos takes his stand.

A fragment's insight into the Great Dao sent Fengxi before this heavenly chasm that unknown how many beings it blocks.

Unbelievable.

But it also stands to reason.

Anything related to Pangu—how could its efficacy be weak?

Leveraging his superb vision, Fengxi came to know all manner of Great Dao in the world, and more importantly, he gained the ability to combine and transform them, enabling him to expound his own thoughts.

This is a rigid prerequisite for attaining the Dao of Great Luo.

One must recognize the characters (the principles of the Great Dao); common characters must be readable and writable, and their meanings clearly understood without omission. Then one uses them to write essays, expounding one's own thoughts, able to use this thought to guide the development of heaven and earth, guide the progress of all beings, becoming a wisdom weapon usable across all fields…… This is attaining the Dao of Great Luo.

Recognizing characters, forming words, constructing sentences, establishing the essay's main idea, distilling life experiences, verifying and deducing past and future…… establishing a school and forming one's own doctrine.

A little gift helped Fengxi pass the first three stages, and he did so in the most perfect manner.

Writing essays is no problem.

The rest only awaits Fengxi filling it with spiritual substance…… perhaps a miracle will then unfold.

A minor Wu attains the Dao instantly, and in a single leap becomes the administrator of the Honghuang heavens and earth.

But, when Fengxi unconsciously reached his hand toward that 'gate,' he suddenly halted.

Because a chill and a hint of hidden worry lingered in his heart.

An instinct, a intuition, reminded him…… now, it is not suitable to cross that gate.

His foundation is shallow, the refinement of his life experiences not deep enough, and he has not yet verified and deduced past and future…… Even if he luckily succeeds, stepping into the Heaven's Will tier would absolutely be the bottom rung, destined to be used as a unit of measurement!

If there were no Great Luo in the world, the first person to attain the Dao of Great Luo using his own strength as a unit of measurement would be a great honor, but now……

Look!

That Demon God possesses the strength of several hundred Fengxi!

Look!

This Primeval Wu possesses the strength of tens of thousands of Fengxi!

Fengxi unconsciously shivered.

This is practically the rhythm of being nailed to the pillar of shame for a lifetime!

Thus, he awakened from the state of wandering in the comprehension of the Great Dao's evolution, and distanced himself from the gate of attaining the Dao.

At this moment, looking again at that fragment, it seemed about to release an information torrent that would burn everything away, after broadcasting the most splendid slideshow in history, its brilliance dimmed, heading toward nothingness and annihilation.

"Eh…… wait a moment!"

Fengxi exerted a bit of will to fish, but came up empty; helplessly he said, "Can you tell me what the purpose is?"

Everyone says there's no free lunch under heaven…… you don't seem to have some conspiratorial transaction vibe, I feel uneasy taking this benefit!

The fragments were tranquil and soundless.

It seemed just as when it appeared—quiet and unnoticed—and its disappearance was also tranquil, soundless and breathless.

Just that.

At the end, only a glimmer of afterglow remained.

The afterglow poured and flowed, and in Fengxi's true spirit perspective it manifested as an immensely complex imprint of the Great Dao.

The imprint had just appeared when signs of dissipation already showed.

Fengxi seized the time to memorize and to interpret.

This expanse of imprint mainly expounds a forbidden technique, and also an incomplete path.

Obviously, this is the black hand behind all this now, hoping that Fengxi will cultivate the divine ability, and also open a path for him.

The secret technique is for substituting death with qi fortune!

The path is for the five virtues to be held together!

Fengxi looked, and his whole body shuddered, as if a great drum were beaten in his heart.

He first examined the secret technique, roughly grasped a bit of its mystery, and his complexion changed.

"The qi fortune substituting death forbidden technique... can it be used to resist a single strike when one's life gate foundation is controlled by another, thereby avoiding the loss of self, substituting death to transfer calamity?"

This is a means of contending between the Great Luo and heavenly will!

It is a forbidden move used for desperate counterattack, to fight for life and death in extreme disadvantage!

The Great Luo is very strong.

Undoubtedly.

They are free and eternal in endless time and space, knowing all and able to do all in the Honghuang universe.

But they are not without opponents.

An even greater Great Luo!

The game between heavenly wills often results in the covering and assimilation of endless time and space.

When a Great Luo, his source is grasped and locked by an opponent, who can then alter all his experiences and encounters on his path of growth…… this is deadly.

His worldview is wiped out by the great enemy, leaving only his Dao nature, becoming an excellent innate spiritual treasure.

Just like the Nine Nether Diagram.

A demon god personally enacted a tragedy, telling the world "there is heaven beyond heaven."

Likewise, in the River of Time, that cultivator who broke through to Great Luo without certification…… could become an administrator of the Honghuang, his talent and ability beyond compare.

Yet he does not bow to the dock, does not seek a backer, lacks tact, does not know to follow unspoken rules, and does not pay tribute to certain bigwigs.

As a result, he was blocked on the path by the demon lord under Luo Hou Mo Zu, and he brought back an innate spiritual treasure.

(End of chapter)