Chapter 57

The Demon Race has four sovereigns, the Wu Clan has the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Moreover, among the Ancestral Witches there are also those with supreme divine abilities, not inferior to the Demon Race's sovereigns!

At the very least, Houtu Ancestral Witch's ultimate achievement is enough to rival Nüwa!

The opposition of life and death, the contention of creation and reincarnation…… In the end, who will win and who will lose?

A faint thought of Fengxi yearned, as if wanting to cross the barrier of time and space to witness that scene.

Suddenly, cold sweat seeped from his back.

【Lord Houtu, you have a Great Dao contention with the Holy King Nüwa…… In that case, for Lord Houtu to ascend Mount Fengqi this time, is it not taking great risk?'

【If Nüwa isn't particular, secretly gathering Demon Race experts—whatever demon gods, Yao Marshals, demon sovereigns all assemble—and set an ambush here……'

【When Lord Houtu and Lord Dijiang arrive, close the gate, smash the cup as signal, rush out, and chop the two Ancestral Witch lords into mincemeat…… then wouldn't our great Wu Clan be done for?'

Fengxi only later realized, from what the Great Sage Fuxi had revealed, that there was great danger.

The contention over the Great Dao, a fight to the death!

Would Nüwa be thinking, how to get rid of Houtu?

Fengxi now feels panicked to the core.

He gazed afar at the sacred hall within Mount Fengqi where Lord Dijiang and Lord Houtu entered side by side…… that place remained tranquil and peaceful, yet in Fengxi's eyes it was like the calm before a storm!

"Are you afraid?" Xihuang smiled.

"Of course." Fengxi sighed, "the fear of being unable to grasp life in one's own hands, of worrying about implicating the innocent; the worry of the Wu Clan reaching a critical juncture, fearing that the pillar of a safe heaven and earth would fall while I am powerless…… these are the reasons I am afraid."

"You can rest assured." Fuxi shook his head with a smile, "Even if Nüwa wanted to suppress Houtu, it wouldn't be now…… after all, suppressing the Houtu Ancestral Witch who has not opened the cycle of reincarnation would be useless."

"Why wouldn't it work? At least it could eliminate a rival…… Nüwa herself could open the cycle of reincarnation." Fengxi puzzled.

"Opening the cycle of reincarnation, my younger sister is naturally willing, even ready to spend her own resources…… but others aren't happy about it!" Xihuang somewhat helplessly said, "Nüwa, you are already powerful enough!"

"The power of creation she holds, the foundation of all human‑kind beings, is already nearly able to challenge the Heavenly Dao!"

"The Great Derivation fifty, heavenly numbers forty‑nine, with one hidden…… the human realm is precisely bearing that hidden one, the existence of beings and consciousness, whose position in Honghuang is of vital importance!"

"Without this human realm foundation, Honghuang's future development would truly be locked in, with no room for change."

"Therefore, the human realm is a must‑contend territory!"

"Now Nüwa holds creation; if she also holds reincarnation…… who would still bother to mix in?" Fuxi sighed, "At that point someone would be unable to sit still and would personally intervene."

"Other great ability‑holders would not be pleased with this situation…… they would surely swarm forth, tacitly unite, and carve up the authority over reincarnation!"

Fengxi listened, lost in thought.

He linked together some true‑and‑false memory information, conducting integration and sorting.

'The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva of Buddhism……'

'The Taiyi Savior Heavenly Venerable of Daoism……'

'The two nails driven into the cycle of reincarnation…… this is absolutely no accident!'

'But…… is this because Nüwa defeated Houtu, so the remaining great ability‑holders employ balancing measures; or did Daoism and Buddhism send mercenaries to support Houtu and challenge Nüwa?'

'Moreover, the Houtu Ancestral Witch is still one of the Four Regents of the forthcoming Heavenly Court era——bearing heaven and emulating Houtu, the Sovereign Earth, standing opposite the Jade Emperor, the Sovereign of Heaven, and entitled to the same ceremonial rites as the Jade Emperor!'

'Is there perhaps a great hand behind all of this pushing things forward?'

Fengxi thought of many things, but soon the notion of "initiative" faded away, mysteriously vanishing completely.

All that could be heard was the Great Sage Fuxi still chattering on, "The current state of heaven and earth, though a portent of the Great Calamity, ultimately the many great ability‑holders still maintain restraint and composure…… when my younger sister acts, these fellows will surely give lip service on the surface but secretly drag their feet."

"Although Nüwa is strong, to single‑handedly challenge three thousand Great Luo beings is still beyond her power."

"Only when the Wu and Demon clans clash into madness, dragging all great beings into the fray, with too many unable to attend to others, does the true moment of revealing one's sharp edge arrive!"

Fengxi clicked his tongue, "Don't other great beings know?"

"No, all great beings are perfectly clear, but what then?" Xihuang smiled faintly, "Can one set aside a blood‑red‑eyed enemy and forcibly join forces?"

"You must know, even if my younger sister cannot seize reincarnation, her own strength remains boundlessly overwhelming…… at that time, venting her anger and killing a few great beings—would that be a problem?"

"A vast, boundless Great Calamity is a stage for the weak to rise on the occasion, and also a stage for the strong to advance to higher realms!"

"Unlike now, where everyone checks each other…… on the contrary, no one has the space to roam freely."

Fuxi felt moved, his expression bearing a touch of vicissitude. This great being seemed to recall the ancient Dragon‑Phoenix era, having witnessed the rise and fall of ages, and now the familiar scene reappears, evoking countless feelings.

Fengxi remained silent, not disturbing Xihuang's reverie for the past and lament for the present.

After a long while, Fuxi finally emerged from that immersed state.

Having come to, he seemed to have lost much of his inclination to talk, casually grasping the light cluster of the "Qi Merit System" and tossing it toward Fengxi's head——

A chill flashed past, and Fengxi merged with the system as one.

From then on, Fengxi could boast outwardly——

He, too, was now a man with cheats!

'Not easy……'

'Even not counting the training time in the time‑secret realm, I've stayed in Honghuang for several thousand years…… after several thousand years, the cheat has finally come online……'

Fengxi felt a hot welling of tears.

Fuxi paid no heed to the little person's excitement, calmly instructing: "For the sake of your surname, I'll point out many secrets to you——although to Great Luo beings they are all public information."

"Knowing these will also be enough for you to proceed more smoothly."

"The Qi Merit System, to make it work…… I'll tell you the simplest method." Xihuang said, "Establish popular support, boost your influence…… in other words, strive to rise within the Wu Clan."

"The higher you climb, the more merit you can reap…… if one day you manage to attain the position of leading all the Wu Clan beneath the great witches, the accumulation needed to prove the Dao as a Great Luo is essentially nothing."

"All right, little guy." Fuxi picked up his fishing rod again, "Take your speculative, buy‑low‑sell‑high goods and disappear from my sight at once."

"After all, the negotiations between the Demon Sovereign and the Ancestral Witches are also nearing their end."

"If you don't hurry up and finish your remaining commodity trades, by the time you reach the next place…… you'll end up earning far fewer resources."

The moment resources were mentioned, Fengxi jumped up instantly.

One side busily tidying up the storage bag, while repeatedly expressing deep gratitude for Xihuang's earlier guidance.

Finally, Fengxi finished tidying up, straightened his attire, and performed a most sincere bow.

"The Holy Emperor's teachings, I will never forget in my lifetime."

"If ever commanded, I will not refuse even at the cost of ten thousand deaths."

After the rites, he stepped back step by step, leaving until Xihuang's figure disappeared from sight, then turned and ran wildly toward the market he had never visited.

After all, Fuxi revealed that the Demon Emperor Ancestral Witch's closed-door meeting is about to conclude!

However, he does not know that, after his departure, a conversation took place by the banks of that long river.

……

"Fuxi, you have fallen."

The tiny little phoenix, which had remained silent throughout Fuxi's guidance of Fengxi, finally spoke.

In its bean‑sized eyes gleamed a hint of contempt: "Now, you even dare to deceive a newly‑certified Golden Immortal little witch…"

"Of those histories and secret tales you recounted, in ten sentences, how many are true?"

"Then tell me… how many are false?" Fuxi changed his previous wistful, nostalgic expression, smiling broadly, "As a phoenix, you must provide evidence… don't slander my innocence out of thin air!"

"The information I gave can all be verified by the Shijian Changhe—there's proof, there's truth!" He spoke confidently, "Whoever doesn't believe it?"

"One can simply go back upstream in time to trace that ancient history!"

"Go there, and you will discover—that matches exactly what I said!"

"I, Fuxi, am of divine‑grade hardness, honest and reliable—this has been jointly acknowledged by all the innate deities and the Grand Luo Supreme Emperor!"

"Even if the Daoist friend Rahu, who day and night dreams of destroying the world, hears my name, he must say it's good!"

"I went to meet him, got him to delay the destruction of Honghuang—he agreed without saying another word… just think, how many times have I saved Honghuang?"

"I possess countless great merits for saving the world!"

"Pfft!" the little phoenix snorted, "Yes yes yes… you have the best character."

"Everything I said is true, it's real history… but?" The phoenix changed the subject, "You're being so pleasant with a little witch—what are you plotting?"

"If I'm not mistaken… over these years, your countless avatars that actively conversed with weak living beings have nearly reached a hundred thousand!"

"One by one, you handed out a so‑called cheat golden finger…"

"When did you, Fuxi, become such a leisurely deity?"

The little phoenix's bean‑sized eyes were full of suspicion.

Facing her doubt, Fuxi smiled and gave an answer.

"I am casting a net, a big net… to catch a few guys."

"Oh?" The phoenix became interested, "Big fish? Who?"

"Yandi! Huangdi!" Fuxi's eyes were deep and unfathomable, "The human kings—each actually has a lineage."

"Without lineage, without strength, one cannot sit firmly on the throne of human king."

"Suiren, Youchao, Fuxi, Nüwa… it's obvious."

"Di Ku, Shao Hao… I also have a rough idea of them."

"Just Yandi and Huangdi… looking at them through mist, seeing flowers, not true nor real." Fuxi said solemnly, "I actually cannot see any connection between them and any present‑day Great Luo being."

"Especially Huangdi… he is not simple at all!" Xihuang said solemnly, "His relationship with other human kings is not merely parallel."

"Rather, it is arrogant and domineering!"

"In a nutshell: I want to be your father, your ancestor!"

"Zhuanxu, Shao Hao, Di Ku, Emperor Yao… they all trace their lineage to Huangdi, honoring him as ancestor, the orthodox line of humanity!"

"Heh…" Fuxi sneered, "The existence of supposed great divine beings actually bowing their heads—behind them must lie some brutal wars."

"Most importantly, they lost!"

"Huangdi's dominance is easy to imagine."

"How could I possibly overlook such a person?"

"If I don't get to the bottom of this—one, two, three, four, five—how can I rest easy?"

"So you've made those earlier moves?" The phoenix suddenly understood, "Just now that little witch called Fengxi…"

"Unfortunately, he is not a suspect." Fuxi shook his head, sighed, "Under the pretense of guidance, I have checked him over and over tens of millions of times, yet found not the slightest problem."

"So in the end I sent him away."

(End of chapter)