Chapter 184

How miserable?

One moment still a peerlessly magnificent Heavenly Will administrator, the next moment transformed into an innate spiritual treasure…

The contention and scheming among Great Luo beings—the loser's end is this miserable.

However, generally speaking, such an outcome usually arises because the two sides differ vastly in strength—tenfold or even greater—so that they are sealed off with no way to heaven or earth, nowhere to flee, and all of endless time and space is suppressed, leaving not a trace of life or chance.

But if it's generally the case, that also means there are special cases.

Creating life and destiny, transmitting the Dao and teaching…

Great karma!

With such a tremendous karma in existence, there's no need for an overwhelming strength disparity; the one who grasps karma naturally holds the advantage—because this is pinching the vital lifeline!

No need to rack one's brains; with tenfold or even hundredfold strength playing hide-and-seek, one can directly locate and kill with a single strike!

But, having said that…

Those two parties so entwined by karma are usually close comrades in the same trench, sharing the same stance, like-minded… it's rare for them to face each other in such a decisive life-and-death confrontation.

Who would dare imagine—

Master and disciple turning against each other?

Children and parents facing each other with raised blades?

To forge such the tightest karma, there was once mutual trust… the junior's reverence for the senior, the senior's painstaking effort in cultivating the junior into a Supreme Emperor Great Luo, at the very least the crucial support and shelter in critical moments…

Such a tragedy rarely occurs.

Of course.

Few does not mean absolutely none.

Thus, it's no surprise that someone would devise a forbidden countermeasure against it.

"But… why would you transmit this divine ability to me?"

"I can't bear it! Ahhh!"

Fengxi let out a lament from the depths of his heart.

He carefully calculated.

Judging by the target of this divine ability forbidden technique…

When Fengxi attains the Dao as a Great Luo, he can still use great karma to strike and heavily wound those few mighty beings.

For example—Nüwa.

Again, for example—Houtu.

And again, for example—Yandi.

Now, Yandi must guard against Houtu, severing karma; the only things left to consider are the first two.

Fengxi's previous life, traced to its source, was created by Nüwa.

In this life, his rebirth came because, as his soul was about to enter reincarnation, Houtu intercepted it… well, that's someone else's own thing, not really an interception, at most using public office for private gain.

Because Houtu intervened, he gained a second life rebirth, descending into the Honghuang world with the identity of the Wu Clan.

This too is a great karma of creating life and destiny.

The great karma of those two supreme goddesses hangs plainly over Fengxi's head.

You can escape Nüwa, but you cannot escape Houtu.

So, the thoughts of the one who transmitted this 'fortune-substitution death' divine ability to Fengxi… are quite worth pondering.

"Moreover, the cost of using this divine ability is quite troublesome…" Fengxi pondered, "One also needs to match it with fortune essence… what is this thing?"

"Oh… so it's the raw material for the fortune merit system?"

"Using this as a seed, resonating with a clan's fortune… the entire clan's fortune serves as water and fertilizer, irrigating it to grow and strengthen?"

"To mobilize a clan's fortune to such an extent, the prerequisite is to hold a high position, make unprecedented great contributions, and be able to guide future development with one's thoughts, forging a path to eternity for the clanspeople…"

"When the time comes, the seed will sprout, taking the bearer's will as its core to achieve an incarnation… which could be called fortune essence?"

"By sacrificing this fortune essence, one can resolve an Absolute Kill of karma, gaining ultimate liberation?"

Fengxi didn't know what expression to make.

He already understood the general procedure.

—A clan or faction funds it, clearing the debts of a highly capable individual who owes astronomical liquidated damages… or rather, it's a transfer of claim, from the original individual to the collective.

But understanding is understanding.

In practice, does understanding alone make it useful?

Looking at the specific requirements, Fengxi was utterly speechless.

Because both parties to the debt are Great Luo, essentially eternal, only a clan that has truly established an eternal foundation has the qualification and ability to clear the debt.

But if the clan has the ability, what does that have to do with the individual?

Only by making an extraordinarily important contribution to the clan can one truly enable the clan's fortune to expend everything, settling personal debts.

It's like using personal achievements as collateral to take out an astronomical loan… which later still must be repaid, likely requiring one to sit somewhere for endless ages.

But compared to dying on the spot, this is far better.

This 'fortune-substitution death' divine ability essentially points out the concrete procedure: how to operate so that, after meeting future conditions, the liquidated damages are compensated, allowing me to guard against the day Nüwa or the Houtu ancestral witch fixes their gaze on me—one stretch of the hand and I would have little resistance, becoming an innate spiritual treasure, yet still retaining the ability to struggle and resist.

"But, this difficulty is too high; I can't do it!"

"This isn't just an individual's problem of attaining the Dao as a Great Luo and eternal ease; it's about forging a ladder to eternity for an entire clan… logically, this is harder than being the protagonist of heaven and earth!"

Fengxi let out a long sigh.

"The protagonist of heaven and earth is hegemony, the manifestation of strength—those with strong troops and sturdy horses can naturally vie for supremacy in Honghuang and become the protagonist of the universe."

"As for attaining the Dao and eternity… is having enough strength alone sufficient? No!"

"There are still too many shortcomings to make up…"

Holding a sword lets others listen to your opinion.

But heartfelt approval?

Without a lofty intent, it's hard to be passed down for ages, to etch immortal glory in the flow of time.

I feel I can wash up and sleep.

Such an achievement that could stand shoulder to shoulder with Pangu—is that something ordinary people can pull off?

Fengxi lost interest.

Originally, the seemingly clandestine underground meeting made him feel extremely stimulated, a sense of mission welling up.

But looking back now, aside from that initial information and data… the rest, better not expect too much.

Hmm… this path?

Five virtues together?

After Fengxi committed the secret art to memory, he surveyed the remaining materials.

This is a path; for cultivators seeking the Dao, it is equivalent to the central idea in an essay.

Is that the path you want me to take?

Good topic—you want me to study it deeply, summarize my insights, and finally write a paper?

Then publish it on this great platform of Honghuang, to verify past and future?

But the 'five virtues together' path… is a bit too much, isn't it?

Fengxi's face darkened.

I haven't not thought about this path… but I can only think about it.

Once, he gained insight into the Dao during his conversation with the Shaoyang Emperor.

At that time, Fengxi just felt.

To forge a perfect human Dao sage emperor, one must have the five virtues complete.

He also eagerly wrote some outlines.

But Fengxi later discovered…

This is a beautiful lie.

Just one of those virtues is enough to make a mighty figure expend everything to practice and prove it—let alone five.

Among the Three Pure Ones, who is the highest-ranking Celestial Venerable?

The Virtue Celestial Venerable!

A top-tier mighty Celestial Venerable merely uses the two characters 'Virtue' as his divine name.

What about the five virtues?

Beyond virtue, there are sage virtue, merit, hidden virtue, and blessing virtue.

Which one is simple and easy?

Ancestral Witches and Demon Emperors are practitioners of the sage virtue path.

But let's ask them——

Which one has achieved the true Holy Way, radiant and virtuous, covering Honghuang?

Without unifying Honghuang's heaven and earth, bestowing virtue upon all beings, this path cannot be considered complete.

As for merit…

This is even something that the Great Luo Heavenly Will would covet.

Whoever masters merit—such a scene is unimaginable.

To say it commands the gods is not an exaggeration!

As for hidden virtue—seeing Houtu Ancestral Witch jumping up and down, it's actually about forging this Great Dao.

Five virtues complete, the supreme sage emperor.

This is a paper topic even top mighty beings dare not lightly set; if poorly done, they'll be picked apart, ruined in reputation.

Where is this something Fengxi's puny arms and legs can handle?

Hidden virtue and blessing virtue still have some room for maneuver; one can partially cooperate with Houtu Ancestral Witch, drawing on various references.

But sage virtue, merit, and virtue—he has never been the supreme Honghuang leader, never managed Honghuang's finances, never taught and transformed all beings, never guided an entire era.

The three virtues are lacking!

Hmm… it's not impossible to try.

I too have over a thousand trumpets… in those spacetime worlds, I can still toss around educating and leading beings.

Merit—well, we can also make some substitutes to get by.

But can the experience from a small world be placed into this vast Honghuang and become the highest universal truth?

After all, this world has the Great Luo, there's heavenly will playing games… the complexity is almost limitless!

Fengxi looked at the future prospects of the five virtues path on this material, shaking his head and sighing incessantly.

This path, combined with the secret art of 'qi fortune substitution,' is indeed a perfect match.

All prerequisites can be satisfied here.

—With a sage emperor possessing the five virtues complete, what's there to fear about not being able to forge a stairway to eternity for the clan?

But likewise, wanting to cultivate it…

The simplest method is to dream.

In dreams, it's good.

In dreams, everything exists.

Not to mention mastering this secret art and path, even proving the Dao by Pangu is no problem.

Mmm… well, don't say that, but there really is a way to achieve the Dao through dreaming.

So, I'll go wander around the Buddhist gate in the future, taking as a model the Dao-confirmation in dreams.

Or perhaps another day I'll bring some gifts and sincerely visit the True Person of Nanhua.

Zhuang Zhou dreamed of a butterfly… I demand something a bit higher—to dream of becoming Pangu.

Fengxi gave up the joy and excessive expectations of the sudden windfall before him, fully aware that one should only undertake what matches one's ability.

He decided that, once the fragment's radiance had completely faded, he would pretend that nothing had happened today.

Regarding the possible entanglements and mist, even outright conflict, between Fuxi the Great Sage, Pangu the Great God, Nüwa the Ultimate Sage, and Houtu the Ancestral Witch, he kept far away, covered his ears, and blinded his eyes.

Selective deafness, selective blindness, and then selective amnesia…

All set!

Too bad…

Just as the appearance of this fragment and the skew in destiny's trajectory are not guided by Fengxi's will.

The moment he stepped onto the pirate ship, he had no room for choice whatsoever.

It seems the mastermind behind the fragment's appearance had long anticipated Fengxi's choice.

When the radiance dissipated, when the fragment vanished… all traces returned to nothingness in an instant.

In the darkness, a soft laugh sounded.

Three specks of light appeared out of nowhere and fell into Fengxi's true spirit.

Fengxi suddenly understood.

These were three portions of the Great Luo's true meaning.

They are the ultimate condensation of the principles of sagacity, merit, and morality!

In other words.

If he thoroughly studies and completely masters the principles within, he can use them to prove the Dao and attain Great Luo.

He could even go extraordinarily far in the achievement of Great Luo.

Of course, the premise is that there is no copyright dispute, that the original owner does not come knocking over personal copyright protection, and that, through special means, they safeguard their own interests and take away all profits and future gains that Fengxi has created with this.

If the original owner has no objection, Fengxi naturally possesses the right to use and dispose of this wealth.

Inheriting the predecessors' teachings and putting one's own name on them… although there is some suspicion of deceit and stealing fame, as long as the achievement is not exposed, it is real.

However, usually speaking, many beings who dare to harbor such thoughts in pursuit of the Great Luo Dao end up failing.

They are assimilated by the original lord of the Great Dao and become an incarnation.

But even so.

Three specks of light, three portions of genuine, non-false Great Dao true intent—this is also an astonishingly grand move.

Fengxi, trembling with fear, was forced to accept.

He didn't even dare to examine the detailed contents within the specks of light.

This is different from a great master expounding the Dao, different from holy scriptures…… it is a Great Luo cultivator's lifetime insight.

Once accepted, if one's foundation is not deep enough, one will instantly be assimilated and subdued by the principles within.

Because…… to Fengxi, every sentence within them is correct, an irrefutable truth he cannot refute.

Great Luo is the Dao; the Dao is truth.

Truth, certainly, is worth pursuing.

But the ultimate goal of Dao seekers is to create truth…… if one has become another's shape, how can one create entirely new truth?

Fengxi still harbors long-term aspirations.

He does not want to become another's form.

Moreover, such a hot potato…… heaven knows how many big pits await him inside.

Just a moment ago, Fengxi was muttering, the benefits are too few.

But now…… the benefits are too great, great enough to frighten him.

The message in the darkness is still laughing.

"The three virtues are complete, only lacking yin virtue and fortune virtue…… I don't know if, this way, you have the ambition and drive to make it whole?"

"If possible, perhaps it will make up for all past deficiencies……"

"Are you willing to do it? Can you succeed?"

"My heartfelt blessings."

"Sigh…… I am such a person of unfirm resolve……"

"I have already given up, no longer care…… yet I still think of leaving a final sliver of life's variable, to make one last gamble."

"If you succeed, I feel joy."

"If you fail, I accept reality."

"But I heartily bless you, bless the human Dao, bless the Honghuang…… everything can welcome the most beautiful ending."

The voice of the message gradually grew faint, tending to disappear.

At this moment, Fengxi was greatly excited and loudly inquired.

"Who are you?"

"Why did you choose me?"

The message seemed to have anticipated this.

"Who am I?"

"That doesn't matter."

"When the Five Virtues Holy Emperor appears, you will naturally understand."

It hasn't shown up; no matter how much you know, it's pointless.

As for why it would be you?

Because... Houtu!

(End of chapter)