Chapter 587

"You heard?" an ancient god muttered furtively.

"Huh?" the newbie looked bewildered.

"The Dragon Ancestor's methods are shocking, continuing the myth, after trapping and killing the Great Sage Red Cloud and the Eastern Heavenly Emperor, he further devised brilliant schemes, planning behind the scenes, causing the Dao Ancestor and Nüwa to suffer mutual defeat!" the ancient god sighed with deep emotion.

"Really? Is it true or false?" the newbie exclaimed in shock.

"Of course it's true! You might not know, at the emergency meeting convened within the Wu Clan, the Ancestor Witch Gonggong was smug, taking advantage while playing innocent, revealing the truth of the matter—how could he achieve this? —by relying on the Human Dao!" the ancient god leaked.

"My goodness... is the Dragon Ancestor Ancient Sage that powerful? Even the Human Dao can be moved just like that?" the newbie gasped.

"Unexpected, yet reasonable…" the ancient god whispered, "Don't forget… back then the Dragon Ancestor, full of vigor, surrounded and killed the Eastern Heavenly Emperor, but whose power did he borrow?"

"Human Dao!"

"Since there is one, how could there not be another?"

"So… the Dragon Ancestor must have secretly plotted for many years, already infiltrated the system procedures of the Human Dao, grasping tremendous authority, able to do what even the supreme gods can do!"

This ancient god spoke with conviction.

"But this doesn't make sense?" the newbie wore a face full of question marks, "If that's true, the Dragon Ancestor shouldn't be silently making a fortune?"

"How would he even speak of it outwardly?"

"This… hey!" the ancient god thought, then looked certain, "Maybe over these years the old dragon has been holding in too much and wants to show off a bit."

"Moreover, when he showed off, he didn't say it was his own doing; instead he posed as a righteous whistleblower, hypocritically reminding everyone to pay attention… under normal circumstances, who would think he was shouting 'catch the thief' while being the thief himself?"

"Just, the old dragon overlooked one thing… there's no wall that doesn't let wind through!"

"There are far too many clever people in the world… analyzing from the beneficiaries after the fact, his dragon clan didn't strengthen, but with the Dao Ancestor and Nüwa weakened, he relatively gained an advantage, becoming the big winner!"

"Everyone openly and covertly watched him, observed him, discovered many subtle clues; though we can't say they're absolutely related to him, seventy or eighty percent likely are… plus, after he clearly saw Houtu trapped, he reveled night after night, overjoyed!"

"After sorting it out like this, is there still a need to say more?"

"Although there's no solid evidence… but at our level of doing things, what more evidence do we need?"

"We can only shout—old dragon boss is awesome, and that's it!"

The ancient god sighed, "Indeed worthy of being the hero who once contended for the Dao with the August Emperor Heavenly Emperor!"

The newbie listened to this explanation and clicked his tongue in amazement.

This high-level game is just different!

At the drop of a hat they scheme against the Human Dao and all living beings, using them as chips in hand, trapping Houtu, and striking horizontally at the Heavenly Dao!

After a series of vertical and horizontal maneuvers, both strong sides are wounded, and the advantage goes to oneself!

Perhaps the only regret here is—after success, he became overly proud, floated too high, entered the public eye, repeatedly pondered, and confirmed he had sufficient motive to commit the deed.

"Alas… the old dragon is old!" the ancient god lamented, "Count the romantic figures, still look to the present… today is the era of the Wu Clan and demons, no longer the age of dragons and phoenixes!"

"It would be better if he didn't expose himself."

"Now that he's seen the light… hey!"

"I wonder what Nüwa will think?"

This ancient god chuckled, seemingly looking forward to what will happen next.

"Ah…" the newbie also had his interest piqued, boldly guessing, "Your Majesty Nüwa, she was really badly trapped this time."

"Then, will she slice the Dragon Ancestor into a thousand pieces, killing him beyond redemption?"

"Who knows?"

That ancient god shrugged, "For such a great figure, his actions and thoughts… how could we see through them?"

"Just wait!"

After a round of whispered talk, the newbie left, his mind full of gossip, satisfied.

And the ancient god spreading the gossip, after a soft chuckle, turned to propagandize brainwashing to the next newbie.

At this moment in the Honghuang world, the wind was very noisy.

Various subtle rumors spread through the years, stirring up waves.

Many big shots received them, with varied expressions.

Some smirked and shook their heads.

Some were stunned speechless.

Some sighed with deep emotion.

Etcetera, etcetera.

Too many to list.

……

"Which bastard sired a son with no asshole is spreading this propaganda?"

In the boundless glorious dragon clan's ancestral court, the Dragon Ancestor roared.

If it weren't for the excellent soundproofing here, just that voice, with sound waves myriad, who knows how many galaxies it could shatter.

Dragon Ancestor Great Sage flew into a rage.

He shouted at heaven and cursed at earth, throwing away any image to the dogs.

Can't blame him.

After all, upon waking up, he found himself, with a bewildered face, "made" into the era's most terrifying behind-the-scenes black hand, the most evil conspirator… whoever it was, no one could bear it!

Dragon Ancestor, feeling wronged.

The Eastern Heavenly Emperor risked his life to injure him to a whiteboard state, not yet fully recovered, when a heavenly dump of feces fell!

Moreover, it was said with reason and evidence, just like the truth.

It's literally like yellow mud falling into one's pants—whether it's feces or not, it's feces!

Look at the other dragons standing in this hall!

——Four Sea Dragon Kings!

——Nine Sons of the Dragon!

Thirteen figures, scanning Honghuang, could barely be counted among the dragon clan's heroes; each wore a look of astonishment, as if they wanted to carve this sentence into their forehead——

"My boss is actually this strong?!"

"What are you looking at!"

The Dragon Ancestor, feeling suffocated with anger, snapped angrily, "This matter wasn't done by me!"

"Ah?" A commotion broke out below, filled with disbelief, suspicion, and so on.

"Ancestor Dragon…" the East Sea Dragon King said, "Now that the walls have no ears, you don't need to keep it secret…"

The Dragon King gazed at the Dragon Ancestor's dark expression, his face shifting, "Could it be… really not you?"

"If it wasn't you… then why were you earlier drinking little wine, singing and dancing, pools of wine and forests of meat… what was the point?"

"Both competitors have fallen into a big pit; do I not even have the right to gloat?" the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage snapped through gritted teeth, leaving the East Sea Dragon King speechless.

"Have these years been easy for me?"

The Dragon Ancestor recounted his bloody and tearful history over these years.

"In Donghua, I almost ended up half-paralyzed!"

"Everyone's been laughing at me… especially Hongjun and Nüwa!"

"At every meeting, although Nüwa shows no overt misbehavior on the surface… I just know that this guy is surely gleeful behind the scenes!"

The Dragon Ancestor felt quite indignant.

"Despite a great advantage, I was beaten to a bloody pulp, nearly killed to a blank slate—years of hard work gone to waste……"

"Even the hat of the 'wisest' leader is about to settle on my head!"

"Now it's fine."

"After a round of reincarnation mishap, from now on we're all gods who have lost face; don't laugh at fifty steps when you've done a hundred……"

The Dragon Ancestor Great Sage's eye sockets reddened slightly, "Is it wrong for me to celebrate this for a while?"

The Dragon Ancestor loudly questioned.

"No mistake, no mistake…" the Four Kings and Nine Sons chorused, then all wore bitter faces.

"Just like that, the you who was deliberately promoted in the rumors as 'all‑wise under heaven, infallible in calculation, looking down on all gods'… your intentions are truly malicious!"

"That's not me at all!" the Dragon Ancestor snapped through gritted teeth, "I know my own level!"

"If I really were all‑wise under heaven, infallible in calculation, looking down on all gods… how could I have been infiltrated by Donghua back then?"

The Dragon Ancestor became angry out of embarrassment.

"You let me conquer the world openly and honestly—I fear no one!"

"What Fuxi, what Báizé… their level is about the same, not much stronger than me."

"It's just in this subtlety of human hearts? I'm far behind!"

"I can't play those deeply yin, scheming calculations."

The Dragon Ancestor barely kept his composure, explaining to the dragon clan's core experts, "Put bluntly, most of those who mixed in our dragon faction back then were not good at playing the yin game."

"On the phoenix side, however, Fuxi, Báizé, Jieyin, Di Jun… each one is a master of scheming, their bellies full of tricks."

"So for something like this, such a high‑end, grandiose manipulation of the human Dao—I even suspect it was Fuxi who did it!" the Dragon Ancestor declared loudly, "Even if it wasn't him, it must still be tied to him!"

In his fury, the Dragon Ancestor guessed angrily.

Of course, this is just angry talk, forgotten as soon as it's said.

Little did he know, he had unintentionally hit the truth once.

As the saying goes—'A wise man's thousand considerations must contain one mistake; a fool's thousand considerations must contain one gain.'

No one can be underestimated.

"Fuxi the Heavenly Emperor is too far away, but the rumor is right here." The East Sea Dragon King furrowed his brows tightly, "If it really isn't you, then the problem is serious."

"The outside rumors are detailed and specific; I've gone over them repeatedly, up and down, and found that they all say——this is your doing!"

"You say it's not you, but everyone says it is you… even if you step forward to explain and clear your name, those with ill intent will surely fan the flames, insisting it's you without a doubt."

"To clear oneself is never acceptable, for it amounts to handing over the initiative, letting others pick at you."

"No person is perfect, no deity is perfect!"

"As long as someone doesn't want to do good, they can turn a simple matter into a personal attack, digging up your past flaws to assail your morality and turn you into a wicked god."

"Then, can a wicked god's self‑exoneration be of any use?"

"No use!"

The East Sea Dragon King sighed, "This time, it's truly troublesome."

"Don't let me find out who did it, or else…" The Dragon Ancestor restrained his anger, his face returning to normal, but the stormy illusion in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.

"Actually, I roughly have a guess as to who spread the rumor," the West Sea Dragon King said in a low tone, "Whoever is most stable now, whoever can profit from this, that's the mastermind."

"The Heavenly Court!"

The South Sea Dragon King reacted, "That's right."

"After that previous battle, Houtu was injured, the Heavenly Dao was defeated—who benefited?"

"Nothing other than you, Ancestor Dragon, and the spectators of the Heavenly Court."

"And now, as the Heavenly Court is sharpening its weapons and preparing for battle, if you were to develop a rift with Her Highness Nüwa, it would bring the Heavenly Court a hundred benefits and no harm."

"So, maybe seventy or eighty percent likely… the Heavenly Court has played an unsavory role in this."

"But what does knowing change?" the North Sea Dragon King spread his hands, "The Heavenly Court side is itself our competitor; throwing stones into a well, framing… isn't that just standard procedure?"

"After all, we all once fought for Pangu; we can't possibly turn enemies into friends."

"If that's the case, then having offended is just that—we have nothing to fear from being known."

The most puzzling aspect of this matter is that you, the Primordial Dragon, have both motive and opportunity for the crime," the East Sea Dragon King summarized. "You are one of the leaders of the Wu Clan and know the details of Houtu's reconstruction of reincarnation.

Thus translation: "This matter, the most unfathomable part, is that you, Primordial Dragon, have a motive for the crime and also the conditions for it." East Sea Dragon King concluded, "You are one of the leaders of the Wu Clan, and you know the details of Houtu's reconstruction of reincarnation."

We need to keep quotes? The Chinese includes quotation marks. We should preserve them? The instruction: translate faithfully, not add or omit. So we should keep the quotation marks as they appear. The line includes Chinese quotes 「」. We should translate to English quotes? Usually we keep English quotation marks. The instruction: "Render onomatopoeia / sound effects... as English sound words". For quotes, we can use English quotes. We'll keep the content inside quotes translated, and use English quotation marks.

Thus output: 【121】 "This matter, the most unfathomable part, is that you, Primordial Dragon, have a motive for the crime and also the conditions for it." East Sea Dragon King concluded, "You are one of the leaders of the Wu Clan, and you know the details of Houtu's reconstruction of reincarnation."

But we need to keep the original punctuation? We'll just produce a single line.

You are a contender for Pangu's Dao, and you also have a seemingly reasonable motive explanation.

「You are a contender for Pangu's Dao, and you also have a motive that looks quite reasonable. 」

Both are satisfied; even if you explain with your heart, it's still powerless. West Sea Dragon King added, "Moreover, from your own interests, we also don't advise you to swallow your grievances for the sake of peace."

Unless you are willing to relinquish the contention for this era's Pangu Dao fruit and willingly accept being inferior.

After these words were spoken, the Four Kings and Nine Sons all looked toward the Dragon Ancestor, awaiting his decision.

Note: The term "Four Kings and Nine Sons" is a title; we can translate it as Four Kings and Nine Sons and keep it as is.

Among the dragon clan, the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage possesses supreme authority.

Among the dragon clan, the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage possesses supreme authority.

His decision will be unconditionally supported by the dragon clan.

The Dragon Ancestor's will is the reason the dragon clan brandishes their swords.

「……」 => "……" (ellipsis). We'll keep as is: "……". Probably just output the same.

The Dragon Ancestor remained silent for a long time, the muscles on his cheeks twitching, somewhat ferocious.

Quite evident.

In his heart, the fiercest clash between heaven and humanity is taking place.

Finally.

The result has come out.

To have me give up... I am unwilling.

The Dragon Ancestor spoke slowly, his voice carrying a hint of heaviness and fatigue.

Regarding Pangu's achievements... I want to contend for them.

After all, I am not without a chance of victory; I have a sliver of opportunity.

This opportunity, if missed... to think of using it again in the next era, I don't know how difficult it will be, perhaps ten or a hundred times more difficult than now.

The Dragon Ancestor said, slightly raising his head, his gaze piercing through the ages of heaven and earth, imprinting a towering, boundless divine mountain in his mind.

Mount Buzhou!

This is the transformation of Pangu's spine, which upholds this splendid and beautiful Honghuang world.

However, in the Dragon Ancestor Great Sage's plan.

That brand-new era does not need such a totem.

The era, after all, must change.

Everyone as dragons, reaching the utmost great unity, starting from bloodline ethnicity, extending outward, thereby achieving the most complete and strongest rule, minimizing meaningless internal consumption to the greatest extent, promoting the development of the human Dao.

Is this not better than past eras?

In this regard, the Dragon Ancestor came prepared, possessing his own complete set of action guidelines.

Vast Honghuang, with billions of peoples.

With so many peoples, due to their different bodily structures, their mental consciousness and worldviews all differ; this myriad blossoms is indeed a myriad blossoms, but how much meaningless internal consumption has it added?

Reorganizing these resources, using a method of ethnic convergence, which is more radical than the Heavenly Court's model; one would think the human Dao would advance faster.

The Dragon Ancestor has ambition.

But what he has is not solely ambition.

After all, having reached his level, pure ambition alone is insufficient to sustain a grand undertaking.

"Those who gain the Way receive much aid; those who lose the Way receive little aid..." This is no empty talk.

The Dragon Ancestor wishes to do something for the human Dao, or perhaps leave something behind.

Since the Primordial Dragon has made his decision, we shall follow to the end. The Four Kings and Nine Sons all said, "All plans will unfold from this point."

The enemy is framing us; we need to clarify... although it may be useless, at least we must put on a proper attitude. Said the Ox-dragon Son.

Attitude is important, yet also not important; the key is still muscle. The Taotie-dragon Son shook his head, "As long as strength is sufficient, what does it matter if we do evil? Who would dare to bite us!"

Yes yes... In this regard I greatly admire the August Emperor Heavenly Emperor, I owe a debt, and I don't care about the human Dao's reaction. The Yazi-dragon Son, "We will make a display of our formation, brandish our weapons, and tell others we are not to be trifled with."

Especially pay attention to the Wu Clan side... The Suan Ni-dragon Son sighed long, "Lady Nüwa, I fear she cannot let go of past grievances and may settle old scores."

「……」 => "……"

You say a word, I say a sentence, the Dragon Ancestor's heart gradually gains a clear assessment.

(End of chapter)