Chapter 281: with translation of title, then ===GLOSSARY=== with list of named entities appearing in these lines

The Heavenly Dao Saint, upon birth, presides over teaching.

At this moment, the pervasive consciousness of the Human Dao is joyful, it is cheering.

It automatically sends the best blessings; auspicious light and auspicious colors flood this magnificent the Zixiao Palace, only dissipating after a long while.

During this process, the myriad gods also rise, praising it.

Even those Great Luo Heavenly Intentions, in order to seize control of the Human Dao and dominate the Honghuang world, are almost beating each other's brains out.

But in the hearts of the vast majority of divinities, they still hold expectations and goodwill toward the Human Dao.

After all, even if only from a profit perspective—the myriad beings can provide qi luck and merit, enhancing cultivation, like a hen laying golden eggs… that is enough for them to cherish it wholeheartedly.

The existing Saints, presiding over teaching… fundamentally raising the foundation of the Human Dao, can increase future gains.

Based on this alone, it is worthy of their praise.

The six Saints, at this moment facing the Human Dao's blessings and the myriad gods' praise, also accept it calmly.

However, after this widely watched glorious moment passes, they begin a solemn and serious discussion among themselves.

The Saint's position is secured.

But who will be the first to put up a sign, broadcast to all beings? The first place is still something to contend for.

Who would be willing to be second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth if they could be first?

Of course.

In this regard, the related dispute did not last long; with a one-sided result, Nüwa's chief position was approved, making her the first among the six Saints to attain Sainthood.

Whether the Three Pure Ones or Jieyin and Zhunti, the two ancient Buddhas.

As for this Lady, they all express that they dare not provoke her.

After all, she holds the legitimate title of Demon Emperor among the Demon Race, the primordial creator of myriad beings; among the Wu Clan, she is the strongest bigwig, able to summon countless great and minor Wu at a moment's notice.

To offend her over a trivial ranking? Beware, when the enraged Nüwa waves her hand, thousands of Great Luo will surround Kunlun and Sumeru mountains.

After surrounding them, there's no need to do anything too extreme.

Just sitting quietly in meditation is enough to make these five top experts' heads feel like they'll split.

Moreover, Nüwa is also a representative figure among female immortals and deities.

How many female Great Luo divinities are her wings?

It is truly unwise to offend her.

Thus, after a pleasant discussion, the five mighty divine-ability holders unanimously supported Nüwa's right to be the first to attain Sainthood.

And Nüwa herself is also bold in thought and action.

She straightforwardly declared—regarding when to announce her Sainthood to all beings, choosing the timing is her freedom.

She is also a great divine-ability holder who deeply researches the Way of Creation.

What if… what if!

When creating what race, feeling pleased, she accidentally opened a world broadcast, announcing she had become a Saint… isn't that also reasonable?

【Moreover,】 Nüwa feigned a sigh, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, 【At that moment, I feared the Xuanhuang merit in my little treasury would mold; a sudden inspiration would have me take them all out to sunbathe… this is personal freedom, I suppose none of you would object, right?】

【As for why so many complicated things happened together…】

【Eh… it's all just accident and coincidence!】

【I will now clarify all these accidental possibilities for everyone… here I sincerely request that you, when the time comes, will show understanding.】

Nüwa said 【please show understanding】, but the fierce light in her eyes conveyed this meaning——

You had better not fail to appreciate it when the time comes!

After a few Demon Race emperors and Yao Marshals exchanged glances, Di Jun laughed and responded, 【What does the Nüwa Emperor mean by this?】

【As long as it doesn't violate righteousness, what can't you do?】

【If you want to create humans, create them; if you want to become a Saint at some time, do so then; if you want heavenly merit to descend for publicity, let it descend… we have no objections.】

This Demon Race Heavenly Emperor sees through clearly, speaking frankly.

You simply want to give humanity's birth a massive publicity campaign, right?

By binding the Saint's halo, the halo of boundless merit, through your own rumor‑free conduct, you cleverly tie them to humanity, so that at birth this people gains an extraordinary halo, fabricating the illusion of heavenly mandate.

This illusion cannot fool the Great Luo Heavenly Intentions standing at the pinnacle of Honghuang.

But can it fool the beings below the Great Luo level?

That still has a market.

However……

Di Jun smiled and continued, 【Fellow Daoist Nüwa, your attainment of Sainthood is great news… but the work of a Heavenly Dao Saint can also be quite exhausting.】

【Bearing the responsibility of educating Honghuang's myriad beings, the duty is overly heavy.】

【But I believe that with Nüwa's wisdom and ability, she will certainly handle it thoroughly… of course, Nüwa having the ability does not mean we peers can just watch idly.】

【I am willing, on behalf of the Demon Race collective, to fund the construction of a Nüwa Palace, to serve as Fellow Daoist Nüwa's long‑term office, a quiet and secluded place where no need to be distracted by other clamor.】

This is Di Jun's counter.

Nüwa creating humanity lets the Wu Clan's fundamental forces enter the stage, and incidentally do some advertising? That's permissible.

Of course it can.

After all… once you've become a Saint and entered the fray, you'll be waiting for the Heavenly Dao to completely tie up most of your energy, so you can no longer act recklessly! So what if you show off a few moves?

Can humanity, relying solely on ads and halos, truly become the heavenly mandate? No, it must be won through repeated bloody battles! Once you, Nüwa, openly retreat, the Demon Race has plenty of ways to deal with humanity.

Nüwa's mouth twitched.

However, she hadn't spoken yet when Hongjun on the Dao platform first expressed his stance.

He lavishly praised Di Jun, for his support of the Heavenly Dao Saint's work, for funding the Nüwa retirement home…… no, it's the Nüwa office's conduct that is immensely commendable.

After the praise, the Dao Ancestor, with earnest words, told Nüwa: 【Di Jun's good intentions, Fellow Daoist Nüwa, you may accept them.】

From now on, I'll often stay in the Nüwa Palace... That way, if I have any work that needs to be handed over to you, I can send it over as quickly as possible.

This is a very good thing for the human Dao!

The Dao Ancestor sighed.

Nüwa glanced askance at these few who were singing in harmony, stared at them deeply, and committed them to memory.

Then, she spoke calmly.

"Di Jun Daoist, I appreciate your goodwill... but would the Demon Race fund the construction of my palace?"

That's not necessary.

After all, the Demon Race isn't wealthy either; we have various infrastructure projects to undertake to improve the welfare of all peoples and strengthen the Demon Race's cohesion and centripetal force.

At this juncture, pouring resources here to build me villas and mansions would be highly inappropriate.

After all, we must advocate integrity!

Nüwa sighed, "Otherwise, the gap in living standards would be too great—some demons indulge in all sorts of decadence, others work overtime to the point of sudden death... just talking about it sounds awful."

So I can handle the Nüwa Palace myself... just take a bit of Chaos Creation, keep it simple, and avoid any unnecessary luxurious decorations.

I even think that my conduct can serve as an excellent example for all demon kings, Yao Marshals, and demon gods to learn from, and to perpetuate this trend.

Di Jun Daoist, you should demolish your mansion on the Sun Star that occupies eight hundred billion li in radius, and lead by example by contributing it to the Demon Race's cause!

Lady Nüwa is not exactly a pushover.

Her sharp tongue and quick wit are also first-rate.

She outright left Di Jun speechless.

Of course, he wasn't willing to stay so stifled in the process and had thought of retaliating.

But when Nüwa proposed—since the Demon Race's great undertaking is not yet complete, how could the Heavenly Emperor of the Monster Clan Heavenly Court indulge in love affairs? Remain single!

He must remain single! If Di Jun wanted to unite with any goddess, she would go and talk to her, making her understand right from wrong and the greater good—for that man's benefit, one should support him in going out to strive, rather than entangle in romantic affairs! Upon this, Di Jun sucked in a breath of cold air and said nothing more.

Who made Nüwa get along so well with all female Great Luos, making her the number one matchmaker?

Not to be provoked.

After besting Di Jun, Nüwa pressed her advantage and faced off against Hongjun.

Her eyes gleamed, tiger-like and watchful.

When will the Dao Ancestor merge with the Heavenly Dao? We Saints are already in place, and we urgently need the Dao Ancestor to unite with the Dao to guide our work!

She was pressuring the court. Hongjun chuckled, not caring about that slight verbal advantage, and said leisurely.

We can start now.

But merging with the Heavenly Dao is a huge project requiring many considerations... for now, all we can do is prepare.

If we truly want to complete the union with the Heavenly Dao, it might have to wait until the next the Zixiao Palace conference opens. Then we can invite all the Great Luo fellow cultivators to attend as witnesses.

Hongjun spoke slowly and deliberately, then a flash passed through his eyes, "However, I have something to say beforehand."

My merging with the Heavenly Dao is a sacrifice for the better development of Honghuang. But when the development of heaven and earth enters a dire state, I step forward to intervene... that seems reasonable, right? I suppose no one would object.

The Dao Ancestor wants to retain his final authority, unwilling to be a mere tool until death.

But what he says also makes sense.

However, Nüwa is very vigilant, haggling.

"Awful? What do you mean by awful?"

"Hongjun Daoist, I think you should understand—often things develop in a spiral upward, with peaks and corresponding troughs."

Moreover, the existence of these troughs is not useless—they can serve as warnings, verify a wrong path, so future humanity can learn from experience and avoid repeating the same mistakes.

Nüwa spoke righteously: "This is somewhat harsh, but it's stronger than overprotective indulgence... humanity needs to stand up and walk on its own, rather than having someone hold them up every time they're about to fall. With dependence, one can never become truly independent."

This mighty goddess declared that ordinary human predicaments still don't warrant the Dao Ancestor's intervention, as it's prone to abuse for personal gain under the guise of public duty.

Hongjun fell silent for a moment, as if weighing his options.

After a moment he spoke again, but in agreement with Nüwa, leaving even this goddess somewhat startled.

"Nüwa Daoist, what you said is indeed somewhat reasonable."

Hongjun glanced at Nüwa, then at some tense mighty ones of the Demon Race camp, and chuckled, "Well then, let it be."

Then let the level of the Boundless Calamity serve as the intensity range for my intervention... how about that?

The Boundless Calamity is the calamity of heaven and earth returning to ruin, the calamity of myriad beings withering; the universe's order is shattered to the greatest extent, plunging into brutal devastation... In such a situation, as a part of Honghuang, my intervening to save the world would hardly be excessive, would it?

Hongjun countered.

Nüwa hesitated for a moment, eyeing suspiciously.

However, she found no loopholes or traps.

So in the end, she readily nodded, agreeing to Hongjun's proposed price.

From then on, Hongjun would merge with the Heavenly Dao only when the Boundless Calamity occurs!

"Good, good, good."

Hongjun burst into inexplicable laughter, uttering three 'goods'.

Afterward he no longer meddled, causing trouble for Nüwa and making the mighty ones of the Demon Race management uneasy.

He slowly reached out, moving his hand through the void, as if plucking the Three Thousand Great Daos, summoning resonance with a most grand and towering existence.

Just then, in that instant.

Fengxi felt it.

In the vast, boundless cosmos of time and space, countless beings trembled imperceptibly without awareness... the eternal sun, moon, mountains and rivers, the heavenly constellations, shook incessantly... accompanying this process, faint transcendent light welled up from the deepest essence of these beings and shone forth.

They transcended time and space, crossed mountains and seas, converged and refined at a most special level, becoming one, forming a radiant divine wheel.

Light wheel, vast and boundless…… its true volume could envelop and cover the entire Honghuang universe, yet it exists in a different layer.

It rotates, stirring eternity, opening up the future, gathering the past.

This is…… the Heavenly Dao! The utmost great creation, it is the crystallization of the most ancient batch of innate divine wisdom and ability, it is the top-tier server managing Honghuang, it is the ultimate condensation of all material existence and the Great Dao's laws.

Fengxi gazed at the Heavenly Dao, admiring its beauty and inconceivability.

The Heavenly Dao's wheel, each strand of its light, each trace of its radiance, represents the supreme Great Dao of the universe's fundamental order. Space-time, creation, heavenly secrets, destruction…… they converge, fuse, transform, sublimate, and thus become the sole one!

In the soundless and formless, a vast, transcendent, unimaginable power flows, like the supreme Pangu ancestral god walking from the ages of heaven-opening and earth-parting, arriving at this era, each wisp of breath flowing could suppress everything, destroy all.

The Heavenly Dao turns, unintentionally emitting a brilliant, gorgeous light that spreads, flowing through the era, shining into the ages.

In an instant, countless variables are being destroyed, infinite possibilities are stepping into nothingness.

Everything, everything, will become empty…… writing the end in the future, letting the vast Honghuang have no more ages, no time!

Great Destruction! In the next instant, another burst of light erupts, catching up to the previous light.

Afterward, that gradually blurring, faint river of time solidified again.

It silently continues to flow, calm and stable, as if nothing had ever gone wrong.

Great Creation! One thought extinguishes time, one thought brings forth ages…… This is the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao, a supreme power nearly equivalent to three thousand Great Luo joining forces to strike together! Fengxi understood at this moment——

Why does Nüwa fear Hongjun so much? It's simply because his background is too strong!

That is, the Heavenly Dao was forged by many ancient gods and sages joining forces, each having authority within it, able to form a check.

If there were no restraints, all authority would belong solely to Hongjun himself? In that case, handling such a Hongjun would likely require Pangu himself to descend personally.

Too powerful! At this moment, the form of the Heavenly Dao's wheel blurs the concept of spacetime; although vast and boundless, it can still hover and rotate in Hongjun's palm, flowing with brilliant light.

Dao Ancestor, the Heavenly Dao, the Jade Disc of Creation…… these three form the most subtle balance between them, resonating with each other, their auras gradually merging, gradually becoming perfect, gradually flawless.

Merging with the Heavenly Dao! However, this seems not something that can be accomplished overnight; it requires prolonged preparation.

Thus, the Dao Ancestor proceeded while also having a leisurely mind, smiling at the many Great Luo Heavenly Wills below and saying: "I, in merging with the Dao, possess profound mysteries herein, which you may take as reference."

"This the Zixiao Palace conference will last three thousand years…… there is still some time left."

"Perfect, you can also make use of this time to carefully observe my actions and enhance your cultivation."

"Virtuous Dao Ancestor!"

Instantly, a chorus of praise like mountains shouting and seas roaring rose from below.

Compared to the previous tension and smoke of war…… this time there is far too much sincerity.

After receiving a response, the Dao Ancestor said no more, gently closing his eyes, as if completely immersed.

Only the occasional flashes of brilliant immortal light and the deep resonance of the Dao indicate his state, also expounding the most profound mysteries.

……

For many ordinary Great Luo, this is an excellent opportunity to enhance their cultivation.

Even mighty beings with great supernatural powers can be significantly moved in this process.

Like Fengxi, he is now immersed in it.

Of course.

These enthralled crowds do not include those ancient gods and sages who began their wanderings in the most primordial ages.

After all, that Heavenly Dao…… was still forged by their joint efforts!

After countless ages, they have long been in contact and understood it countless times, each possessing authority within it.

For example, Fuxi, Nüwa, Di Jun, Taiyi, the Dragon Ancestor……

When Hongjun merges with the Heavenly Dao, they are merely watching the spectacle.

After watching for a while, they all lost interest.

Then they began to move seats and gather in groups, chatting privately.

Like attracts like, people divide into groups.

Like Nüwa…… with a wave of her arm, a great host of female Great Luo gathered around, flocking to the eldest sister's side.

Also like Fuxi…… the top strategist sovereign of the Demon Race, sitting together with the Báizé Yao Marshal, who likewise oversees wisdom in the Demon Race, they mutter and whisper.

Interestingly, their sitting place is not far from Fengxi, allowing this five-virtues-complete novice great power to hear their conversation clearly.

In there, it doesn't involve any major strategy of the Demon Race either.

However, upon careful listening, it is also quite laughable.

……

"How are your records of this the Zixiao Palace meeting?"

Fuxi inquired of Báizé.

"Not bad, I've recorded everything." Báizé said.

"Good, good, all recorded." Fuxi nodded and added, "However, recording is one thing, and how to publicize it afterward is another."

"As a Historian, and moreover as the Historian of my Demon Race, you must pay special attention to this, considering your position."

(End of chapter)