Chapter 299: with translation of chapter title

The human race, facing the fickle and treacherous political climate, decided to invite a saintly and wise figure of a school of thought to steady the situation.

They set up a fire wall to resist the assimilation and erosion of the Demon Race's ideology, ensuring human development wouldn't go astray.

As for the effect… it needs time to verify.

And that time is already flowing, washing over the entire world, moving forward relentlessly.

The mighty being the human race invited has not yet arrived under the most formal procedures and rites.

The Demon Race's storm, however, blew in first, sweeping across the human realm, giving the newly born human race a spiritual baptism.

At the same time, the human race's Wise Men and Sages, following the plan step by step, let those with ill intentions feel the human race's enthusiasm and unique 'clan sentiment'.

How many rights and wrongs, laughter and tears, are contained within.

……

「Finally… I finally made it here! 」

A being with a human body and dragon tail, an extraordinary creature, arrived in the human realm.

Standing before a very conspicuous landmark building, he sighed repeatedly.

The hardships of that journey are hardly worth telling outsiders.

Traversing the boundless heavens and earth, setting out from near Kunlun, crossing mountains and rivers through endless time and space, he finally reached Mount Buzhou… If it weren't that the human race was once his root and source, he would not have done so lightly.

After all, with his considerable cultivation, he originally reigned as king over a small mountain.

In Honghuang, even a small mountain is nothing trivial.

The so-called big and small are only relative… Compared to Kunlun, to Mount Buzhou, to these ancient divine mountains and veins, his original territory was naturally the youngest of the young.

In reality, the small mountain is not small at all, stretching east-west, north-south for billions of miles… It's only because it's placed in Honghuang that it's reluctantly considered junior.

Just on paper, this 'small mountain' could nurture countless races and even civilizations, with divine dynasties clustering together… Moreover, the special spacetime structure of Honghuang means some places look palm-sized but actually contain the vastness of the world within reach.

Even more, sometimes the ubiquitous sand and stone hide a whole world within; when cultivators inside exceed their limits, they can even 'ascend' to Honghuang.

So when truly calculated, what seems merely a mountain's 'overlord' actually governs an unknown number of cosmic worlds and enjoys immense tribute.

But all of this was abandoned by this human-bodied dragon-tailed being, who resolutely embarked on the road to trace his origins and go to the human race.

Alright.

Besides those sentiments, there is also a more important reason—

The Monster Clan Heavenly Court's war conscription was about to reach him.

This being's cultivation is not weak.

But it is not strong enough.

In the eyes of ordinary people, he is considered a relatively successful cultivator, possessing an upper-middle level of strength.

Unfortunately, the reality… those so-called middle-tier claims are merely hype, meant to satisfy the vanity of the vast cultivator masses.

In Honghuang, strictly speaking, the true strata are only high and low—the Great Luo who hold authority, and everything below Great Luo.

What about those neither high nor low?

In ordinary times they live quite comfortably, able to call themselves successful people.

But once a special period arrives, that's all there is to it.

Like this human-bodied dragon-tailed being, he cannot reach the true high echelons and is powerless to resist the Heavenly Court's overall situation. Thus when the order comes, he either must voluntarily contribute money and resources to aid the Heavenly Court, or, unwilling to spend wealth to avert disaster, he is 'voluntarily' drafted into the Demon Race's forces, becoming a reserve soldier ready at any moment to join the war against the Wu Clan.

After much thought, he chose to embezzle funds and flee, relying on the Immortal Alliance's conduit vehicle to head for Mount Buzhou.

Having made up his mind, he would avoid the Wu-Demon war if possible… The human race, which in his pre-transmigration legends was the one who laughed last as the world's protagonist, turned out to be a decent refuge.

Not being able to profit from war, he seeks ways to avoid war's harm… This too is human nature.

Unable to find a master or enter a Saint's school, the human race became a good destination.

At the same time, it could fill his spiritual emptiness; he no longer saw himself as drifting duckweed from within, but found an organization.

The human-bodied dragon-tailed being calculated his resources and was willing to donate a portion to help the human race's ancestors struggle in the harsh world.

「For the present human race, a Taiyi cultivator like me helping them develop… should be of great help, right? 」

This being muttered to himself, 'I'll help them stir up some basic construction, build a few roads or palaces bearing my name, then establish a sect and pass down the Dao…'

「Once the human race develops, my Dao lineage can be said to be the human race's most ancient sect… Even if I perish one day, the legend can forever be transmitted, eternal through the ages. 」

「All descendants of the human race can be considered to have a master-disciple transmission relationship with me…」

His abacus clacked loudly.

Then, he strode into the grand, magnificent stone gate, and what met his eyes was a brand-new world.

「Ah ha? 」

He fell into deep confusion, rarely beginning to doubt life.

Who am I?

Where am I?

What am I doing?

Director, this script is wrong!

The human race's territory was not as desolate as he imagined; instead, it was bustling with mortal fervor.

As far as the eye could see, various extraordinary creatures were hawking their wares, and humans could be seen constantly wandering about.

It was an unprecedentedly prosperous, immense market!

「Hmm… hmm? 」

The human-bodied dragon-tailed being half-squatted, picking up a few small twigs, and laid out an eight-trigram pattern on the ground.

This was to probe the source of heavenly secrets, to see what was going on.

But before he could work out a one-two-three, a sly-looking old Daoist slipped up beside him, squinting and smiling, 'Little brother, you've just arrived, unfamiliar with the place—do you need an old hand to show you around?'

「No need! 」 the human-bodied dragon-tailed being shook his head repeatedly, 'I can figure it out myself; I don't need to waste money on something meaningless.'

"Eh…… little brother, you can't talk like that!" The old Daoist wasn't annoyed either, "Even if you could figure it out, it's only the most rudimentary information…… To go deeper——what hidden rules exist on this land? Which local tyrants who have taken up residence can't be offended? Whose business is honest and fair? This constantly changing information—without an elder's guidance, where could you possibly work it out purely by calculation?"

Besides, the traces of Nüwa's Great Dao left on this land naturally suppress heavenly calculations and numerology.

The being with a human body and dragon tail listened, pondered slightly, finally put down the ritual in hand, furrowed its brows, and asked, "Is that so?"

"Of course!" The ancient Daoist patted his meat‑less chest and guaranteed, "On this tract of land there are tremendous opportunities and also tremendous pitfalls…… little brother, think carefully—what place is this?"

"It's Mount Buzhou!"

"At the summit lies the Heavenly Court of the Demon Race."

"At the foot of the mountain is the Wu Clan's main base."

"The human race was created by the Heavenly Court's Nüwa Empress, yet we can live here and are quite close to the Wu Clan…… you say, is the water here deep?"

The human‑body‑dragon‑tail being gasped, drew a cold breath, nodded solemnly, and said, "Fellow Daoist, your words are quite right."

Since it concerned his life, the being no longer took things lightly; the fellow Daoist also joined in, his thoughts became nimble, he flicked his sleeve and—when he stopped—already had a jug of immortal brew in hand, "Old sir, you look like a regular here, knowledgeable and experienced; surely you can teach me."

"Ha! Little brother, you're not wrong!" The old Daoist took the immortal brew, "I arrived here long before you—basically I've watched the human race develop to its present state with my own eyes; even if my information isn't the absolute most, it's not far off."

"Just… we're also merchants, so there's a fee for this information……"

The ancient Daoist rubbed his fingers together and announced a number.

"Cough cough…… elder brother!" The human‑body‑dragon‑tail being sucked in a cold breath, began to curry favor, wore a bitter expression, pointed at his shabby attire and said, "You can tell from my clothes I'm no wealthy grand cultivator—could the information fee be lowered a bit?"

"Little brother…… you, don't try to fool me." The ancient Daoist chuckled, "I've wandered the world for years, gone south, ventured north, been to the starry sky, seen the Sea of Blood—what don't I understand?"

"I can see your situation at a glance…… you're not a long‑distance traveler hiding your wealth, are you?"

"Dressed in grimy clothes, wearing tattered gear, with cultivation neither high nor low, appearance utterly ordinary—you just don't want to catch the eye of some bandit strongman…… otherwise, with all the strange supernatural powers in this world, you could easily meet a bizarre fate somewhere for no reason."

"With your look, people probably wouldn't even give you a second glance…… any possible gain wouldn't even cover the cost of the investment."

"Elder brother, you're truly perceptive!" The human‑body‑dragon‑tail being sighed, flipped his hand and offered several pieces of innate spiritual materials for forging, "I only hope your information lives up to this price; otherwise we'll likely be quite unhappy."

"Little brother, you can rest easy!"

The old Daoist smiled, put the spiritual materials away, and said, "Come, follow me this way……"

He led the being to a solemn, ancient stone hall and said, "First we'll register, get a number, and obtain a temporary residence permit."

"Tem…… temporary residence permit?"

The human‑body‑dragon‑tail being looked utterly bewildered.

Hearing that term, he felt completely off.

"How novel!" The old Daoist flicked his whisk, "Didn't I just tell you…… where is this place?"

"It's the humans' territory!"

"You're not one of their people, just a merchant visiting…… to better manage this place's order, creating this thing is hardly objectionable."

"Besides."

"This is still Mount Buzhou!"

"Buzhou…… what a magnificent place this is!"

"It's the spine of the primordial god Pangu, or you could say it's the greatest creative divine soil in the present universe!"

"In cultivation, this place is an extraordinarily blessed land…… its Dao is clear; a day's insight here equals a thousand years of bitter practice."

"Such a fine place—even if it existed elsewhere, would they let you in?"

The old Daoist shook his head.

"Moreover, the Wu Clan originally controlled this land and does not open it to outsiders…… even if you enter, you may not stay."

"That's why the human presence here is an exception—protected by Nüwa, not under the Wu Clan's jurisdiction, which opened a gap."

"But the humans also don't want chaos here, so they instituted this temporary residence permit—to avoid future disputes and make clear that this land belongs to humanity."

"This is a rather important certificate……" The old Daoist swept his whisk, "Without this permit, you can't do anything at all……"

"Doing business? Confiscated."

"Making propaganda? Crackdown."

"Cultivating and realizing the Dao? No protection."

"One could say, without this temporary residence permit you can't move an inch…… many newcomers have suffered losses here."

The old Daoist led the human‑body‑dragon‑tail being into the stone hall, where a solemn‑looking human handled the paperwork.

"Please state your Daoist name."

"Ji Hanyu."

"What brings you to the human realm?"

"Trade and communication, to aid development and establish a Dao lineage."

"Do you have a Great Luo Divine Sage you can contact to vouch for your past conduct and issue a no‑criminal‑record certificate?"

"This…… I don't have one."

"All right, please wait a moment."

After a brief exchange, Ji Hanyu received a jade tablet recording his basic information.

"Please keep this temporary residence permit safe…… update the information record every month to secure your continued right to reside."

"If not updated, or if lost and not reported…… once discovered, you'll be placed on the blacklist and subjected to corresponding sanctions, enforced by Nüwa's treasure left here—the Human‑Creating Whip."

"The newborn human race is fragile in every way, hence this measure; please understand."

Ji Hanyu listened, blinked, nodded, and agreed in a friendly manner.

Then he asked around, trying to find out which great sage had devised this trick that had led him on a wild goose chase.

Especially that temporary residence permit—it felt familiar, leaving a deep impression.

"This seems like advice offered by a mighty, extraordinary great cultivator to our human race……" a young human maiden nearby replied, "Back when our race had just been born, we didn't know how to interact with the outside world."

"At that time, the first batch of cultivators from other races came from outside; one of them suggested this to our human leaders, and it was then approved and carried out."

"His name seems to be called what... Lei Tong?"

"Besides making suggestions, this great sage also said many brilliant phrases... What talent!"

"Oh, is that so."

"Ji Hanyu nodded, showing he understood, calmly retreated, and came to the side of the old Daoist."

"Sir, I have already obtained this temporary residence permit; please take me to the next place."

"A strange smile appeared on his face: 'This human race... although we've only seen the tip of the iceberg now, I'm finding it increasingly interesting.'"

"Okay!"

"The old Daoist shouted loudly, 'With me, Hei Ri Tian, you will surely see the most comprehensive human race!'"

"You don't just want to donate funds, but also related commerce and teaching, right?"

"These three also require certificates."

"Especially this donation certificate... once you have it, everything else becomes easy!"

"(End of chapter)"