Chapter 456

Attaining the Grand Simplicity is difficult.

Honghuang has three thousand Great Luo; but now, how many Grand Simplicity Great Luo are there?

On average, among roughly two or three hundred Great Luo emperors, there is only one who is a peak sovereign of the Grand Simplicity level.

In fact, such an achievement can no longer be reached in a short time by mere personal effort…… There is no such thing as a certain Great Luo painstakingly secluding himself in his cave for how many aeons, then suddenly emerging, sweeping the world unopposed, shocking the gods.

——We are all figures capable of reversing time and forging innate divine holy foundations; in cultivation, whose talent could be worse than another's?!

Secluding oneself and locking the country, building cars behind closed doors—only brings backwardness!

Everyone pools wisdom and uses an entire civilization to aid their own growth, yet it still can't match someone's solitary cultivation…… This can only mean either that the civilization's foundation is extremely poor, or that those involved in building the civilization are playing petty tricks, few actually doing real work, while slackers abound.

To attain the Grand Simplicity Dao, one must use the entirety of Honghuang heaven and earth to elaborate and prove one's own Great Dao, then one can advance with composure, no longer merely theorizing on paper.

Such a demand is actually predetermined in the dark; the number of figures in an era who can cross that threshold is limited.

The slots are limited.

So…… whoever acts later suffers a loss.

During the entrepreneurial opportunity period, assuming personal abilities are roughly equal, unless one is born extremely well, generally it's worse than being born earlier.

Now active among the witch and demon clans, the ancestral witches and Yao Marshals…… each of them were big figures who seized their first pot of gold back in the Dragon-Phoenix era!

They occupied the heavyweight slots, and kept maintaining sound operations, relying on the huge profits from their scale to lure latercomers into working for them, siphoning off part of the residual value, then earning even more…… If they don't work for them, they just wait to be squeezed to death by monopolistic means!

Choosing the lesser of two evils, there is no other choice.

The Eastern Splendor Emperor is one of the few outstanding individuals who stand out under this vast dark curtain.

The ultimate winner of life's comeback!

He relied on working for his boss, the Dragon Ancestor, to enter a high-ranking position in the Dragon clan's corporation—if the chairman is the Dragon Ancestor, then without doubt, the Eastern Splendor Emperor is a professional manager, handling corporate management and future strategy formulation, gaining countless experience.

Unfortunately, Chairman Dragon Ancestor Mr. got dragged into a major case, and due to losing the struggle, he was accused of using the 'Great Unification' ideology to control ethnic groups, suspected of monopolistic operations, and was imprisoned in the highest prison of Honghuang heaven and earth, beginning a life of endless incarceration.

At the same time, the Dragon clan's enterprise was forced into compulsory bankruptcy liquidation, and the Dragon offspring all suffered terribly.

But at the same time, he was fortunate——the representative of the victorious side, Fuxi the Sage, did not pursue the Dragon clan's enterprise too harshly; aside from the die-hard loyalists of the Dragon Ancestor who remained blind to the situation, the others would not be implicated, and indeed would be assessed for personal ability, absorbed, and reused…… For this, there would even be the act of spending a thousand gold to buy a horse's bone!

The Eastern Splendor Emperor thus became the horse's bone.

He brought with him the countless insights and experiences accumulated from growing up and building prosperity in the Dragon clan, joined the construction of the newborn Heavenly Court, and truly inaugurated a glorious divine life.

From joining the Dragon clan and obtaining his first pot of gold; to breaking out of the Dragon clan's system, establishing his own line, joining Fuxi's divine court; finally, today's Eastern King and Grand Minister of Destiny personally led the largest societal civilization reform, redefining the distribution of human blessings……

This, then, is the splendid life record of this legendary emperor!

Looking at this resume, how many Great Luo could not be convinced?

Even Nüwa, whose status and cultivation realm surpass the Eastern Splendor Emperor, upon revisiting the emperor's rise, cannot help but praise repeatedly.

"Although considering how much the Dragon Ancestor once valued Eastern Splendor, regarding him as the most important confidant, yet after the Dragon Ancestor's death he did not remain loyal unto death, instead turning to the Dragon Ancestor's greatest rival in life—the Phoenix faction—making him inevitably criticized by many divinities, his private morals somewhat unreliable, with suspicions of being a fifth columnist......"

"But consider that the direct planners, promoters, and executors of the crucial battle in which the Dragon Ancestor died were all Luo Hou the Demon Ancestor, not the Phoenix faction…… Looking at Eastern Splendor Emperor's impoverished beginnings, starting out without even a dog, expecting him to starve himself to death to uphold chastity is also too inhumane."

"Overall, Eastern Splendor is quite good."

"As for the Dragon Ancestor, there's no need to resent Eastern Splendor too much......"

Houtu chuckled, glancing at the neighboring Ancestral Witch Gonggong who kept grinding his teeth.

"Hehe......"

At that very moment, Fengxi heard a chilling laugh that made one's spine tingle and gooseflesh erupt, and saw Gonggong's smile that didn't reach his eyes.

If resentment could be materialized, Fengxi felt that Gonggong's resentment at this moment could probably break through the heavens and strike straight at the Heavenly Court.

"If it were just that, that would be fine......" Gonggong said, each word deliberate, his tone cold enough to make one's heart chill and tremble, "I am not some narrow-minded deity...... If I were to fall and die, I would not demand my followers fight to the last drop of blood for me, to bury me with them."

"None of us are anyone's vassals; we possess spirits that command our own life's will."

"But... but..."

Ancestral Witch Gonggong ground his teeth, making a creaking sound, "I am very doubtful...... I am too doubtful......"

"That Eastern Splendor fellow is actually an undercover agent sent by the Phoenix faction!!"

"Otherwise, how could a deity like him be infiltrated and corrupted by Luo Hou, go berserk and fall into the demonic path, leaking my whereabouts from back then and the surrounding security arrangements?"

"In the end, letting me, a lone dragon, be caught by Luo Hou, trapped in the Zhu Xian Sword Formation, to drink hatred there!"

Ancestral Witch Gonggong's killing intent boiled over.

The youth Fengxi stared, dumbfounded.

So…… it's not madness, uh no, it's demonic deviation and being bewitched by the demon ancestor, having such a blast back in the Dragon-Phoenix era?

But thinking about it, it makes sense——without a close confidant's "betrayal," how could the Dragon Ancestor, the supreme leader of the Dragon clan, die so cleanly?

Even if he had to die, he should have been the last to die!

However, the matter is not as simple as Fengxi imagined.

Gonggong recalled the painful past, his killing intent and anger surging, and the teacup in his hand unintentionally shattered into calamitous ash.

"Luo Hou killed me, and it wasn't just killing me...... heh, I don't know if behind this is some layout by unnamed parties......" Gonggong said coldly, "Luo Hou smoothly took over my Dragon clan's foundational industry, attempting to realize demonic contamination of Honghuang!"

"In this process, the loyal core's blood and sweat, truly devoted to me and the Dragon clan faction, were purged and slaughtered by Luo Hou more than half, even nearly washed clean in blood!"

"Thus, when someone later cleaned up the remnants, they didn't need to face much resistance...... Otherwise, even if the Phoenix faction could defeat the Dragon clan on the front lines, wanting to rule deeply would still require facing the frenzied counterattacks of various local forces, incurring countless sacrifices!"

"My Dragon clan's Great Unification system, at the very least, has soaked the mountains and rivers for countless years!"

"Great Unification, having unified spirit, culture, system, and thought, possesses the strongest vitality!"

"Even if the mountains and rivers are shattered, split into fragments, there will certainly be outstanding figures rising to rebuild the mountains and rivers and recast orthodoxy!"

"Dragons...... never fall!"

Gonggong was full of heroic fervor.

Unfortunately, he suffered a defeat before reality.

"Damnable! Damnable!"

"Being madly slaughtered by that Luo Hou scoundrel, used to enhance his Great Dao of slaughter and destruction, the loyal core perished entirely, and even the quintessential essence-spirit was scattered!"

Gong Gong's face showed sorrow.

He was having a really tough time!

The Dragon Clan faction's vitality was originally very assured.

What can be done?

Facing the demon ancestor Luo Hou, it was never about ruling……he just wanted to kill, kill, kill, aiming for the goal of leaving no dragon under heaven!

Performing sacrifices to his killing formation, he rashly sought to fulfill his mission of destroying Honghuang.

Then the damned thing happened……this arrogant demon ancestor ultimately failed his mission and capsized in the Phoenix camp.

"In the end, everything ended up benefiting the Phoenix side." Gong Gong narrowed his eyes, unable to conceal his anger otherwise, "They defeated Luo Hou, took over the Dragon Clan's territory, and didn't have to worry about any opposition at all."

"Because all the tough bones are dead!"

"From the Great Luo level down, they were unbending, being sealed and suppressed by Luo Hou; down to the core loyalists, they generously gave their lives in the demon calamity."

"As for the remaining populace, they had basically no fighting spirit, let alone morale and will."

"If the opponent were brainless and frenziedly oppressive, perhaps we could still draw out their bloodiness……alas, Fuxi's path is one of great impartiality, expecting a myriad of blossoms, not blaming either side, making them feel that once they surrender, they surrender, and it's not like they can't survive."

"How sorrowful!"

"The speed of the Dragon Clan's defeat is astonishing!"

Gong Gong gritted his teeth, "The more I think, the more I hate!"

"Especially when I think about how that guy Luo Hou died!"

He slammed the table with all his might, the table shattered outright, and the palace kept trembling, "How I died is exactly how Luo Hou died!"

"Those like Dong Hua and Ming He, who had gone berserk and were originally fallen into the evil path as core members, at the war's crucial moment turned traitors, rebelled on the battlefield, abandoned darkness for light, and were outright killed!"

"Luo Hou didn't even have a chance to flee for his life!"

"Originally he charged to the front, fighting the Phoenix in blood; his retreat was cut off, and all the high-level powers defected……in the end, he was a lone individual, surrounded in the center by two or three thousand Great Luo beings, with divinities on all sides arrayed in a great formation."

"How could he not die? How could he possibly not die!"

"Thus, Luo Hou died!"

"Or rather, he shone and burned enough to lay the groundwork for all the Dragon Clan's organized manpower and the elite resisting Phoenix rule!"

"In this, Dong Hua……is absolutely crucial!"

"Twice!"

"Two consecutive defections!"

"They directly directed the fate of Honghuang……you say, is there not a black hand behind this pulling the strings? Is it not an evil maneuver by the Phoenix side?"

Gong Gong had blood difficult to swallow in his throat, "Originally, I still had allies—Nüwa, who held the Qiankun Cauldron, was the chief overseer of our side's logistics."

"If she had stepped forward to take charge, the Dragon Clan might still have survived, could have united a group of people—about half of the present Wu Clan……alas, back then, in front of her brother, she was just tough-mouthed, and when it came to actually acting, she was the quickest to chicken out."

"She lacked the will to fight, allowing Fuxi to become the biggest winner!"

"You tell me……should I hate or not?"

Gong Gong let out a mournful howl!

Fengxi was stunned in his heart.

This time, he basically sorted out some of the love-hate grudges among the top powerhouses.

'"I was just saying……why does Gong Gong bear such hostility toward Emperor Dong Hua?"'

'"There's always an attitude of wishing he were dead……turns out that's exactly what's going on!"'

'"The emperor's skills are also slick……no wonder when Kui Niu the Great Sage fell ill back then, he could intercept it so easily and precisely."'

'"Turns out he's actually the founder of this path!"'

'"He went mad, then recovered……a madman's thoughts are broad, his brain circuits weird, so he ended up killing those two top powerhouses, reaping the benefits, and strolling leisurely toward the pinnacle of life."'

Fengxi savored it, and a nameless chill also rose in his heart.

He suddenly felt——

"Just now, did he just do a colossally foolish thing?"

"The Old Man of Longevity hanging himself——is he just tired of living?"

"He actually dared to scheme and design such a ruthless person……afterward, won't he be fiercely struck back?"

'"Afraid……I'm weak, pitiful, and helpless……by the way, can I take back what I just said?"'

Fengxi was worrying.

On the other side, an ancestor witch countered Gong Gong's remarks, directly pointing out that his words were absurd and couldn't withstand scrutiny.

'"Gong Gong, are you playing mind games with me?" Gou Mang the ancestor witch tapped the table, very dissatisfied, "What do you mean by the Phoenix camp secretly controlling everything, scheming the Dragon Clan's defeat, borrowing a knife to kill and purge the Dragon Clan's core?"'

'"Do you have any evidence? Don't spout nonsense!"'

'"Otherwise, I'll sue you for slander!"'

'"The Phoenix deity, how lofty and kind she is, how could she do such a thing!"'

Gou Mang fiercely criticized Gong Gong——this is quite reasonable, after all everyone knows this ancestor witch's sleeping quarters are the Wutong Hall, made of wutong wood……wutong and phoenix, that's the perfect combo!

He now stands with the Phoenix, no problem.

On the other side, Houtu also furrowed her brows, somewhat displeased.

She conducted a very serious discussion, urging Gong Gong to watch his wording.

What does "just tough-mouthed, but quick to chicken out when it comes to action" mean?

If you can't speak, then say less!

'"Am I chicken? That's looking out for the big picture!" Houtu spoke with conviction, "What was the situation back then? Luo Hou wanted to kill all the gods and destroy Honghuang, while Hongjun's heavenly dao intelligence rebelled, triggering a machine crisis!"'

'"Both Dao and demon were causing trouble together……for the safety of Honghuang and the interests of all the innate divinities, we had to concentrate all possible force onto one person to get through the crisis!"'

'"On this point, others can't do it, can't fully convince everyone, lacking a foundation of mutual trust—only we siblings could step forward—Fuxi representing the Phoenix camp, I representing the Dragon Clan camp, coincidentally playing a crucial role at the critical moment, relying on our understanding of the heavenly dao system's construction, we suppressed Hongjun's rebellion!"'

"What coincidence?" Gong Gong snorted, "Just the two siblings betting on opposite sides, each ended up at the top layer, come drought or flood, profit is assured... sibling black house! Just say it outright!"

(End of chapter)