Chapter 610

Xihuang forcefully knocked down a chess piece, as if representing his will, and he was quite dissatisfied with Nüwa's recent actions.

"Imperial Elder Brother bears a great grudge." The Heavenly Emperor chuckled and followed with a move.

"Not bad… Who let her sometimes dare to bluff even me?" Xihuang snorted coldly, "Lifting the roof tiles, she deserves a beating!"

"Hahaha!"

The Heavenly Emperor's laughter rang out boldly, and for a moment the place was filled with a cheerful atmosphere; even Houtu's wind-and-wave-making deeds in the netherworld seemed to become trivial.

But after all, it was only "seemingly".

Every move of a peerless power who holds the authority over reincarnation is destined to cause a huge stir, drawing the attention of all gods in heaven and earth.

……

"Houtu's" actions are too great.

Having shaped the Nine Springs, the realm of reincarnation came to be called the Nine Springs' Under.

And this is merely an insignificant part of Houtu's grand move.

"She" has too much to do; it can even be said to be a complete overturning of the past!

In the past, the most ancient era's Heavenly Court, the supreme deity who governed heaven and earth—the August Emperor who opened heaven and earth—believed that life returns to life, death returns to death; the departed should not cling to the mortal world, for conclusion is the destination; since a life has ended, one should not hope for an afterlife, emphasizing living in the present, avoiding evasion, regret, and leaving present sufferings to future lives, with endless karma.

A thousand-mile dike collapses from an ant hole… Since we must nip trouble in the bud, we should start from the most basic level, striving not to accumulate worldly contradictions, not to solidify classes, so as to bring boundless calamity upon Honghuang.

Thus, reincarnation became a thorough reincarnation, letting the hopes of the next life die, while the myriad peoples strive to live in the present.

The most resolute act of cutting off retreat!

Relying on this, after prolonged effort, the Human Dao finally coalesced!

From a loose sand, it ultimately formed a supreme, vast consciousness, building a bridge across eternity, enabling the entirety of Honghuang heaven and earth to self-attain the Great Luo!

But as the situation changed, new problems also arose.

After striving, the whole of Honghuang finally proved Pangu… In such a grand undertaking, both past and future departed souls also received recognition for their contributions, yet they could not enjoy the benefits.

Thus resentment arose.

From the most macroscopic standpoint, August Emperor Fuxi is just.

But from a personal perspective… there is resentment, loudly crying injustice!

The August Emperor Heavenly Emperor was unwilling to compromise, had no will to fight, did not want to form factions, nor gather the other members of the Pangu Committee to cause trouble, which would only end in ancient emptiness; in the end, the misfortune would still befall heaven and earth and the myriad peoples, so he abandoned struggle, letting the most ancient Heavenly Court go bankrupt and be liquidated, while he himself remained solitary, standing in the unseen and silently observing.

The Heavenly Emperor is broad-minded, never caring whether the Human Dao regards him as friend or foe.

—otherwise, the Human Dao could not have so easily succeeded in privately colluding with him, plotting layouts, and trapping many ancient gods and sages.

Because from beginning to end, the Heavenly Emperor never cared about this personal honor or disgrace… Whether the Human Dao hates him or respects him, what does it matter to him?

He merely silently does his own business.

Even if, on the path of reincarnation, his ideas diverge from the Human Dao and they part ways, he also has no intention of clinging.

Moreover, he even threw out a sliver of hope, granting Nüwa the qualification and authority to alter and reshape reincarnation——

This actually already amounts to tacitly permitting the Human Dao to carry out its own mischievous maneuvers!

After all, Fuxi does not really believe that Nüwa, relying solely on herself without support, could slaughter all three thousand gods of Honghuang in one sweep and march onward invincibly… He knows Nüwa's standing very well.

Leaving other matters aside, the Heavenly Dao gate cannot be passed—Hongjun, the number one person beneath Pangu!

At that time, if Nüwa dared to act against Hongjun, shouting for a duel, Hongjun would dare to press her to the ground and beat her!

The Dao Ancestor declared——

I cannot defeat Fuxi, but beating you? I still have plenty to spare!

Nüwa, I advise you to know what's good for you!

The gap in power destined Nüwa to canvass everywhere, seeking support.

Seeking support like this, once you start, there will be a second… It's just like throwing away one's principles.

First time raw, second time familiar.

All the teammates of the Great Luo divinities have been found; could it be that they would still overlook assistance from the Human Dao?

One day, she will surely cater to the Human Dao's needs and wield the knife against reincarnation!

And Nüwa no longer harbors hope.

She truly altered reincarnation, conforming to the Human Dao's will, leading the myriad peoples onto a brand‑new path!

As for this path, is it correct or mistaken?

Is it a narrow goat‑trail?

Or a grand and proper way?

Then it all depends on the abilities of the Human Dao and Nüwa.

Sometimes a route has no right or wrong, only a distinction between suitable and unsuitable.

If one can persevere to the end and achieve a result that satisfies everyone, then no matter how bizarre or strange this road may be, it is the true way of heaven and earth!

Reincarnation reshaped, allowing rebirth…… Can this road truly work?

Especially under the premise of not overdrawing the Human Dao's potential and not violating worldly justice!

The most ancient Heavenly Emperor, with folded arms in the unseen, watches the show, awaiting a result.

For now, Nüwa—Houtu—has taken the first step of overturning.

But according to real‑world feedback, this step of overturning may not only have toppled the ancient rules; perhaps it might even overturn herself.

—after all, it is an incomplete reshaping, lacking too much.

……

One after another, they have stirred the nether soil into a boiling porridge, as if it were a huge joke mocking Nüwa's mistaken execution of the Human Dao's route—so absurd and laughable.

And against such a backdrop.

Houtu has made a move once again!

Um.

It's Houtu!

She eases the hardships of the human path, relieves Nüwa's worries, strides forward with unprecedented steps, enacts the most thorough overturning of order.

This time, the reshaping is not only of the Netherworld, but of the entire universe's rules; it is forging a brand‑new system that fits the meaning of the Netherworld's existence.

Boom—!

Crimson lightning streaked across the horizon, shattering who knows how many stars.

At times, blood rain fell from the heavens, as if resentful spirits were howling.

At other times, sweet dew fell, cleansing the mortal world.

The most evil and the most holy proceeded side by side, making the gods glance askance; the endless multitudes even dared not breathe loudly for a moment.

"If you want justice, I'll give you a stage for justice."

Houtu's divine manifestation is boundless, standing tall between heaven and earth in the Netherworld, exuding a grandeur that stirs the heart.

"If you want to go home, I'll give you the chance to return home."

Houtu lowered her gaze; all the wandering souls of the entire underworld fell within her sight, making each ghost feel her gaze.

Yet that gaze, those eyes, did not frighten the ghosts; instead they held a gentleness and tranquility, and suddenly a hint of emotion arose—as if a weary soul, body and mind exhausted by time, had finally relaxed, taking shade under an evening tree, body and mind at peace, self and world forgotten.

At this moment, Houtu was not a stern deity but a kind mother—no, there was something subtle, as if she were the most benevolent aspect in the hearts of the myriad beings, blessing the strong who live on and offering gentle solace.

Oneself is the one who knows best how to care for oneself.

Others may abandon or betray you, but oneself never will.

"If you seek redress, I'll give you a platform for redress."

Houtu's kind thoughts quietly shifted; this time the change was for justice, highly infectious, sweeping across all of Honghuang, whether the living or the dead.

The human path listened to her voice, and heaven and earth became her solitary stage.

"Believe me."

"Believe in the future."

"Believe… in yourselves!"

In a sigh‑like tone, an eternal immortal light blazed forth, piercing the law that separates life and death, illuminating the mortal world.

This is an unprecedented intervention!

As the Lord of the Netherworld, this is the greatest cooperative request sent to the world of the living.

However, this path is arduous.

"Houtu… you've overstepped!"

From the Heavenly Court, the first to object.

Their response was swift; they immediately activated the Zhou Tian Star Dou Grand Formation, and immeasurable starlight poured down like rain, filling the vast mountains and rivers.

The formation itself possesses divine might, capable of obliterating nearly everything.

Although the divine light issuing from the underworld is strong, it cannot match the supreme killing formation forged from the Heavenly Court's accumulated wisdom; it was blocked in an instant.

However.

As for this, Houtu didn't even glance at it, remaining silent and calm.

Looking down on all, invincible in every direction!

This is the attitude of utterly disregarding the Heavenly Court, a complete disregard.

"This…"

In the heavenly palace, the Heavenly Emperor's expression changed, his gaze deep and focused.

Di Jun's brows tightened suddenly, the corner of his mouth twitching into a half‑smile: "What a Houtu… what grandeur!"

"Exactly, she isn't afraid of causing a collapse?"

"Who knows?" Xihuang's eyes gleamed with amusement as he placed the last piece: "All right, in this game I… have slain the great dragon!"

……

"I follow my own Dao."

"My Dao is upright and proper; it benefits all ages, and the myriad beings of the world naturally follow."

"If the star sea does not comply now, then I will go with it."

"One day, when the tide turns, they will of their own accord reverse course and heed my commands."

Houtu's bearing is boundless; she truly possesses the aura of a peerless ancestral witch, clad in Houtu's shell yet not lacking the original master's demeanor.

At most, she falls short of her predecessor in boastful talk, unable to shout lines like "The Qiankun Cauldron, grinding the world to dust, severing all demon gods and destroying the azure heavens; at the pinnacle of the gods, reigning supreme, only I, Nüwa, fashion a new heaven," or "Only those who chant my true name throughout the world can, in the cycle of rebirth, behold eternal life."

But her carefree and unrestrained manner always carries a confident, open‑minded ease that wins people's hearts.

Houtu laughs proudly at heaven and earth, converses with the myriad beings, engages with the human path hidden in the depths, fully embodying the notion that authority flows from the bottom up, bypassing the Heavenly Court's obstruction, directly laying down a great stake, winning the people's inclination, their support and following in this matter.

"I, as the Lord of the vast mountains and rivers, take this as a pledge: I will exchange the human path to conform to my will for three thousand ages, enact my netherworld laws, and walk the Dao in both life and death!"

Houtu, bold and magnanimous, outright mortgaged the most exalted authority of the ancestral witch identity!

Houtu, Houtu… what is Houtu?

Earth is the land.

The 'hou' means sovereign!

This "hou" character is equivalent to "emperor" and "sovereign", both terms for a leader!

Just as Fengxi has never removed the title "Wind Lady"… this "Wind Lady" means the leader of the Feng clan.

Houtu means the supreme sovereign who governs the land of Honghuang!

And this identity is not mere bragging.

But it is an innate endowment acknowledged by Honghuang!

The origin of the Twelve Ancestral Witches was that Nüwa somehow got hold of a piece of Pangu's true blood and shaped them into being.

They each hold the foundation of an important Great Dao of heaven and earth, which is naturally already filed with the human Dao!

And at this moment, Houtu places this chip, her sincerity cannot be considered small, directly stirring the human Dao's instinctual consciousness, bypassing the Heavenly Court's obstruction, and is about to allow Houtu to act recklessly on this earthly test field.

Of course, this aura is indeed grand.

The Yandi, far away in the human royal court, is not doing well.

Selling offspring to farm the father's field, not feeling sorry...

Yandi mutters, "Little guy, your gall is too fat... I said let you act freely, give you space... not saying let you mortgage all my property deeds..."

Grimacing, Yandi momentarily lost his image.

However, even with many misgivings in his heart, he is still very patient, choosing to trust his most capable subordinate, silently supporting him, without coming forward to oppose.

If Houtu truly does not oppose, the stand-in Houtu would then truly not be genuine; referring casually to the Buddhist macro-vow lending concept, yet with even more sincerity, one move of collateral loan smashes down, breaking through the Heavenly Court's blockade.

Fact proves it.

The human Dao has the habit of voting with feet; it has never been a one-person dictatorship.

Whose rules are more beneficial, that's whom it leans toward… no matter who is in charge!

Your Majesty… shall we place a bet? Put up the chip, carry out obstruction?

In the heavenly palace, a Yao Marshal meets the Heavenly Emperor and Xihuang.

Xihuang remains silent.

After a moment's thought, the Heavenly Emperor lightly sighs, "The Wu Clan is making a high-risk gamble; we won't follow... what if it's a strategic deception, luring us in?"

Let's seek stability.

Thus the Heavenly Court fell silent, not raising the stakes to fight.

After all, the Netherworld, under the banner of benefiting all beings, wants to compete and obstruct; the price the Heavenly Court would have to pay would be great.

Seeking stability with one hand is actually normal.

However, the level of attention from cold-eyed onlookers has not diminished in the slightest.

Within the rules, hindered by the human Dao, it's not easy to stop.

But there is something called an Off-board Move!

……

Houtu looks down upon all directions, placing upon the authority of the earth's sovereign, conducting a heaven‑shaking, earth‑shaking version update on the Netherworld.

Faced with countless ghosts' petitions, she resolves them in the most sincere manner, aiming to win over all hearts!

——Whatever you want, I will give you all!

And of all this, the foremost to be changed is…… the soul!

——Since Hongjun, there have been three corpses.

——From this morning onward, after me, there will be…… three souls! seven corporeal essences!

(End of chapter)