Chapter 241

Yandi's smile on his face was radiant and also mysterious.

At this most perilous moment, he could still laugh… that in itself is quite strange.

Moreover, he even expressed to Nüwa—

A comeback from desperation?

That is possible!

The dawn of victory?

That also exists!

And all of this is tied to the final forbidden divine ability he spoke of.

Fire Cloud Cave!

"To perform this divine ability, the price is enormous; I will surely perish… this is merely the premise."

"And, moreover, we need your power of creation, Nüwa, to press down upon it, representing the life source of all humanity."

Yandi coughed blood, his smile undiminished, "The power of creation is of utmost importance; it is the most core key before you, Pangu, and also the symbol of your status and position."

"This is far more important than reincarnation."

"Before, I dared not mention it… for fear of displeasing you."

"But now, those four Heavenly Emperors are ruthless and directly want to kick you completely off the board of Honghuang… I thought, rather than retain this authority, it would be better to press it upon you as a final gamble."

Yandi's gaze was clear and pure, like an upright gentleman, directly meeting Nüwa's eyes.

"Of course."

"I have seriously considered from a practical standpoint and recommend to you the best plan… which is actually to make the Azure Emperor yield."

"This way, at most it would be a slight loss of face, plus the forfeiture of most of your authority… yet the power of creation would still remain in your hands."

"And, those forfeited authorities… they would not dare go too far; they would compensate with reputation, lifting you high in honor to become the supreme sage of merit."

"From now on, whenever there is a major proclamation, you will surely have to utter the phrase 'Raise high the banner of Empress Nüwa'."

Nüwa, hearing this, fell silent and hesitant.

Finally, she shook her head, "Do not speak of this again; my heart remains unchanged."

"Never mind." Yandi smiled faintly, "The choice is in your hands; follow your own heart."

Nüwa felt some hesitation, some reluctance to meet his gaze, and some sense that she was acting against her conscience—others had made such a great sacrifice for her, even on their deathbeds still scheming, even actively sacrificing their vitality to seek death… while she still pondered other matters.

Is this perhaps too lacking in conscience?

Nüwa, whose moral bottom line far exceeds that of the average of the five Heavenly Emperors, now reproaches herself inwardly, hating her own powerlessness, and feeling sorrowful that she must still scheme how to make Yandi's death yield maximum value.

But this is the duty of a sovereign… they cannot be willful, cannot let personal compassion cause them to neglect the greater good.

Nüwa dare not imagine what a miserable fate awaits her loyal subordinates should she step down.

For example, Xing—his severed head is unlikely to be recovered.

Likewise, the captain of the guard—You, who embraced a death wish and fought Huangdi to the death—will most likely be ruthlessly suppressed by Huangdi with the harshest punishment, never to rise again.

……

One by one, they are likely to meet a bad end.

This is a necessary measure for the stability of the new regime—a decisive act to lance the abscess of hidden troubles, meanwhile freeing up positions and opening paths for advancement… it is certainly not because those Heavenly Emperors hold grudges, each keeping a ledger of unknown length.

Nüwa cannot afford to lose.

She can only press forward toward victory.

So now, she suppresses her inner shame and asks for details.

"How effective is this divine ability…?"

"Using myself as a sacrifice, it should be able to bind the Azure and Yellow Emperors for a time…" Yandi said, "Without these two strongest opponents, the remaining White and Black Emperors…"

"Their trump cards have been expended; at our level of battle they amount to nothing… at least they pose no problem for you."

"Thus, with this buffer, perhaps it will be enough to sustain you until you complete mending the heavens and setting the earth… I just don't know whether you are willing to stake that final chip representing the crux of humanity, to gamble for a sliver of hope of victory."

Yandi laid everything out openly.

Nüwa's thoughts turned, she gritted her teeth and nodded firmly, "This stake… I'll put it down!"

"I believe in you!"

She waved her hand, and the authority of creation shifted; she stared fixedly into Yandi's eyes, "I have already given you the authority of reincarnation, and now I give you the authority of creation… all my authority in the realm of humanity is now concentrated in you, while I myself am left with nothing."

Nüwa, having endured two vast and lengthy eras, has through diligent labor achieved her present accomplishments.

In the Dragon-Phoenix era, she worked for others and obtained the supreme authority of creation.

In the Demon-Ghost era, she started her own venture and opened up the supreme authority of reincarnation.

But now, she has given them both to Yandi.

"What nonsense are you speaking?" Yandi laughed, "How could that be being left with nothing?"

"After this battle, you will surely become the master of the Honghuang family."

"For now, I am compelled by circumstances to take your authority… after the affair, I will return it all to you."

"I hope that by then you will be happy…"

Yandi said, feeling the reincarnation and creation authorities under his control, he shook his head, "No more talk of this… I must set out."

"……" Nüwa fell silent, then solemnly promised, "If I win, I will surely think of every means to let you recover and return as swiftly as possible…"

To this, Yandi merely waved his hand, as if utterly indifferent to his own life and death.

——What noble conduct this is!

……

The exchange between Yandi and Nüwa appears lengthy.

However, to a Great Luo who commands time and space, this is actually quite brief.

As Qingdi and Huangdi, opponents of Nüwa, and the melon‑eating Heavenly Will as spectators, they merely watched Yandi struggle forward with his wounded body; in the blink of an eye, Nüwa waved her hand and the authority over Creation changed hands.

"Nüwa the Sage has only now achieved her hegemony by wielding these two Great Dao authorities, taking the throne of Pangu… What you are doing now—are you trying to create another Pangu?"

Some Great Luo felt their hearts leap with dread, thinking of a terrifying possibility.

But this was quickly rejected by a veteran expert.

"Pangu is won by struggle, not inheritance… Mastering these two Great Daos merely means you have the qualification to contend for the position, but in practice you must also gain the acknowledgment of all Great Luo."

"Furthermore."

"Creation and Samsara are the foundation of Nüwa's Dao, perfectly matching her… Yandi's inheritance can only guarantee the status of authority; the rest? Unless he changes his own foundation."

"Never mind the internal issues—could there be a risk of being assimilated by Nüwa into a mere avatar? Even speaking of it, if a Great Luo doubts the Dao he achieved through bitter struggle, how could he ever hope to progress? Don't even think about it."

Ancient and divine, they showed no worry that Yandi would suddenly burst forth and a Pangu would appear right there.

But after a moment's distraction, they were no longer so confident.

Because they all sensed a great terror.

—When Yandi pointed his forefinger and middle finger together like a sword at his own brow!

Not to mention ordinary great supernatural beings, even the ancient Heavenly Will.

Even if they were as mighty as the Five Direction Heavenly Emperors… at this moment the Black Emperor and White Emperor both showed looks of shock.

Qingdi and Huangdi turned their attention away from Nüwa, no longer surrounding her, their blades aimed straight at Yandi—no matter what tricks, interrupting is never wrong.

However, Nüwa also went all‑out.

She employed a trade‑injury‑for‑injury tactic merely to restrain the two Heavenly Emperors.

Even if she would thereby suffer grave injury… after all, it was two against one.

However, such a tactic…

Yet the effect was surprisingly good, achieving results even Nüwa herself had not anticipated.

One person restraining—no, it was suppressing two Heavenly Emperors!

Only because…

"Qingdi, what are you doing holding back?" Huangdi exclaimed angrily, "So many great opportunities… like that last move, you won't even say you'd heavily injure her, but you can't even land a punch to swell one of her eye sockets?"

"If the setting were different… I would have done this long ago." Qingdi blocked left and right, rolling his eyes, "At home I would have let her know why the flowers are so red."

"But we're not exactly in public, are we?"

"After all, she's also someone who has achieved the accomplishment of Pangu… what if I made her nose bruised and face swollen, crying?"

"Then wouldn't she be unable to hold her head up when she goes out?"

"As her brother, I have to save her face!"

Qingdi explained.

Huangdi, angry at his lack of resolve, shouted, "How can you be so soft‑hearted?!"

"If it weren't for you being soft‑hearted, we wouldn't be in this troublesome situation now!"

"Me soft‑hearted? You're joking… go to the Chaos Era, find any Chaos Demon God and ask around—see who thinks that?" Qingdi muttered, "Well, most of the time I'm not soft‑hearted, only especially so when facing her… after all, she's my only sister—how could I not dote on her?"

"Even if I've oppressed her, it's fundamentally for her good… she just doesn't appreciate it."

"I admit I'm not keen to strike hard…" Qingdi suddenly countered, "But you… you have no burden, no need to be soft‑hearted, so why did you hold back when you could have stabbed her in the waist just now?"

"……" Huangdi fell silent for a moment, then said helplessly, "After all, she is the creator of humanity; all humans must revere her as a mother…"

"As the Human Emperor, considering my position… in a duel it's fine, no matter."

"Now that we're teaming up, fighting two against one already looks a bit shameful… if we hurt her further, it just doesn't feel right?"

"You've rebelled… and yet you're talking about shame or not?" Qingdi glanced with some contempt, "Saying that—are you discovering your conscience, feeling guilty about your actions, or simply discarding conscience?"

"In short, I'm not keen to deal a heavy blow." Huangdi said, "Or perhaps elder brother Qingdi would be more suitable… even if you made her cry, to others you could claim it's brotherly discipline of a sister, which is reasonable and proper."

"No, no, my heart is too soft…" Qingdi shook his head repeatedly, "After thinking it over, it should be you, Fellow Daoist Huangdi… after all, as her brother I'm supposed to discipline her, but she always refuses to obey."

"Only a beating from outsiders, from society, a stern wake‑up call, can make her truly repent and deeply recognize her mistakes and shortcomings!"

""

The two Heavenly Emperors passed the buck to each other, each hoping the other would take responsibility and give Nüwa a bout of "loving" care.

Thus Nüwa found herself laughing through tears, discovering that in the midst of fighting she had actually seized the initiative!

Only when a change appeared on Yandi's side did those two Heavenly Emperors, who in her view were strangely feuding, lay down their quarrel.

"Wait…"

"Something's off…"

"Uh… have we caused trouble?"

"That's certain…"

At this moment, Yandi's sense of presence began to climb without end.

And the two Great Daos he opened—Yin De and Fu De—became manifest, each resonating with a kind of authority.

—They were formerly Nüwa's Great Dao authorities!

Yin De, resonating with Samsara.

Fu De, resonating with Creation.

The Yin De Dao and the Samsara Dao write death, set the rules for the departed, and leave a thread of life for all beings… death is not the end; in the quietest repose new life gestates, and beings shall gain another kind of eternity and immortality!

And if one speaks of Yin De Samsara, it represents one of the ways of escape.

Fu De Creation is the Great Derivation Fifty, making use of the forty‑nine, forty‑nine number.

It responds to all living beings.

Past living beings, present living beings, future living beings… are all organized together!

Merely Fu De is not frightening… but now, with Creation's endorsement, rightly letting the whole Human Dao lend its backing?

That atmosphere was completely different now, with a sign of sublimation!

The White Emperor and Black Emperor in the distance watched, first stunned, then decisively slipped away.

Even Qingdi and Huangdi, at this moment, their faces drastically changed, they stared fixedly over there, defenses fully raised.

In the next moment, however, Yandi was seen lightly laughing.

Holy fire becomes fire.

Collective effort forms clouds.

Take me as the sacrifice.

Blessings upon all beings.

Amid the light laughter, the existence of this Human Emperor's physical form, including his primordial spirit and soul, began to fragment, began to collapse and disintegrate, turning into countless points of light, guarding a brilliant, incomparable Primordial Indestructible Spiritual Light, illuminating the souls of all sentient beings in humanity.

All of Honghuang heaven and earth are now trembling, a greatest power is surging, descending with that Primordial Indestructible Spiritual Light as a guide!

Seeing this, Qingdi and Huangdi exchanged a glance, then...

They began a strategic shift.

"Two fellow Daoists, please stay!" Yandi shouted loudly, "Take my move, 'Fire Cloud Cave'!"

You all keep saying it's for the great cause of humanity and future development, so you rashly launched this coup?

Since that's the case, I have now dug a pit, inviting you both to take up residence, and then fill it in... From now on, together with me, for humanity and the cause of humanity's blessings and virtue, will you devote yourselves unto death?

As everyone knows, a Daluo will not die.

At most, I will be lost.

Thus this so-called 'devotion unto death'... can be equated to 'zero-zero eternity'.

Qingdi and Huangdi were both very unhappy with this, turning and leaving.

But...

They have failed!

Yandi using himself as the sacrifice, the consequences are terrible.

A vast mixed cavern appeared, surrounded by burning holy fire and encircling floating clouds, taking blessings and virtue as the main, creation as the stepping stone, yin virtue and reincarnation as the auxiliary wings, integrating the will of humanity, mobilizing the power of all Honghuang, transforming into a supreme strike!

(End of chapter)