Chapter 640

"When I get out, I'll try to find a chance to take you all down."

Qing Jia murmured, wandering in the darkness.

He uttered harsh words—

Extremely vengeful!

This is the tradition of the Feng family.

Fuxi the Great Sage holds grudges; his little notebook is full of opponents or subordinates who gave him trouble and made him uncomfortable. When the day of revenge comes, with tears in the corners of his eyes and a smile on his mouth, the frenzied slaughter can be delightful.

Nüwa, through subtle influence, also learned the art of holding grudges; she remembers clearly who harmed her, especially her elder brother, showing a tendency to "destroy kin for righteousness."

The current leader of the Feng family—Feng Hou Fengxi—is even more adept at this… He even takes the initiative, seeking justice for all living beings on behalf of heaven, and has the idea of collectively offering sacrifices to the three thousand innate deities!

As Fengxi's formerly most promising Trumpet, Feng·999·Xi——Yandi Qing Jia, having deeply inherited the Tuba's temperament, bears no goodwill toward those who add countless hardships to his ascent, gritting his teeth as he draws circles on the ground cursing them.

However, after the cursing, when the violent turmoil of the darkness settles into calm, he too quiets down, silently using a sincere heart to feel the whole darkness, to embrace the whole darkness, yet not to lose himself within it, but rather to gradually polish his heart, letting himself become a sun that illuminates this place!

This is a very difficult process.

So difficult that even though Qing Jia and Fengxi had made estimates beforehand, they still vastly underestimated the difficulties here.

They once thought that, possessing a special nature derived from the Human Dao, from a most transcendent stance they could easily bear the sins, sorrows, resentments, and regrets derived from all living beings, offset good against evil, and smoothly ascend to the position of Great Emperor of Fengdu.

But when Qing Jia personally participated in the election, he realized… He understood the principles, but putting them into practice was completely another matter!

Truly standing within it, it is not merely bearing the hurt, pain, sorrow, and hatred of a single moment; even the past and future, countless possibilities across myriad timelines, all superimpose and reflect upon him!

Merging and resonating, they forge a purgatory of despair, presenting boundless sinful darkness; even a slight release of divine sense will passively transform into countless tragic lives, forcing him to face countless tragedies where he is the protagonist!

And these tragic lives, combined, alternatively give rise to a "Human Dao," enacting a "Honghuang," replete with decadence and evil, becoming one of the most terrifying prisons in the world.

Within this, Qing Jia, as a Privilege Hound, was actually suppressed!

Possessing the Human Dao privilege opened by the Tuba for him, he need not worry about his mental threshold, having the broadest limitless state of mind; even with sins weighing upon him, he will not fear mental collapse.

But that is all there is.

Don't think you can easily stroll along and pluck the fruits of victory…… Instead, you must necessarily go through each tragic life one by one, genuinely undergoing the trial and tempering.

Ordinary candidates—

Trial failed, mental breakdown, the protection rule automatically ejects them, halting the trial.

As a Privilege Hound, Qing Jia—

Because there is no issue of mental breakdown, the protection rules cannot be triggered, so naturally there is no situation of being "ejected"... Moreover, since the privilege cannot be fully executed, the Human Dao's sins are somewhat excessive; not yet counting the additions from the Lich War, these instead interfere with the perfect manifestation of the cheat, rendering it half-baked… Thus, Qing Jia gets stuck!

Six-point shot?

Does not exist.

Going offline is impossible to go offline; the option to quit the game has been deleted, the three lanes all push to high ground—being forced to bounce back and forth is bad enough, often they'll also be pressed to the ground and rubbed, double-teamed…… What's hateful is that the opposing side doesn't even push the crystal, just playing around!

Beeped the dog!

Qing Jia was speechless, choking, yet could only sigh and accept reality, moving from initial complaints to later silent, resolute advance.

Each segment of tragic life reflected in his heart is a kind of forging and tempering for him.

The most perfect sense of identification lets Qing Jia gradually become the entity with the most authority to speak on Human Dao issues.

Because before this, no divine sage has ever, like him, so thoroughly delved into the most difficult aspect of sentient beings within the Human Dao, to understand, to explore… still holding a heart determined to completely solve the problem!

No way.

If this problem isn't solved, he can't leave!

The pain of all beings is like his pain.

The sorrow of all beings is like his sorrow.

An ordinary being's tragedy is insignificant to him…… but countless myriads, trillions upon trillions, piled together, like mountain after mountain pressing on Qing Jia's heart, making him forge ahead under the burden.

That is a weight capable of crushing even mighty divine abilities; even if a Buddha takes compassion as its marketing point, preaching the kindness of "cutting flesh to feed eagles," faced with such a suffocating sea of sin, perhaps beneath a single wave, a Buddha who speaks of saving all beings would, without a sound, be silently transformed into a "demon"!

Fortunately, the Privilege Hound identity, while cutting off Qing Jia's option to go offline, also eliminates the possibility of falling into demonhood, allowing him amidst countless tragedies to explore, reflect, and gradually grow and sublimate!

With the passage of time, his temperament becomes ever more deep and solemn and internalized, as if washed clean of worldly glamour, bearing a supreme compassion and heaviness, yet also possessing an uplifted fighting spirit that remains unyielding and never gives up in the face of endless suffering.

He comprehended the Dao, clarified his mind.

At that moment.

He is even more like Houtu than the true Houtu.

This nicely contrasts with Nüwa, who is even more like the Human Emperor than the Human Emperor himself.

"Only by sacrificing grand ambitions can one dare to call for the sun and moon to change the heavens!"

Qing Jia's heart throbs with unprecedented vigor, faintly causing this darkness to resonate with him.

"Souls able to reach the underworld…… you are indeed the dead, but you are certainly not powerless failures unable to break free of the rules!"

Once, death meant failure.

No matter how one died.

Especially, when dying, one carries unwillingness and resentment, filled with regret and sorrow.

In many consensus views, this is the manifestation of failure, unable to amend or alter the tragedy, leaving only an eternal regret.

But now.

Qing Jia feels that it is time to vindicate the souls, to give their lives a new definition—this is the key for him to break through, and also the key for the Human Dao to turn chaos into order and resolve sins!

Otherwise, as time flows and space is infinite, sins will forever exist; it's not as if a single mighty person descending from heaven could completely solve the problem…… because that is an endless multitude of predicaments!

"The Human Dao needs not a savior……"

"What it needs is that everyone be a savior!"

"So, what I will give to the Human Dao is not a Great Emperor of Fengdu, not a person who solves problems."

"But rather a methodology!"

Qing Jia lets loose the "I," gallops with the "heart," surges through the dark world, shining with distinct brilliance, a light apart from darkness, infecting and illuminating.

Initially, it was still very dim.

But soon, this glimmer of light was like a spark that could start a prairie fire.

"Unwilling souls..."

"You were never utter failures, but rebels!"

"You were the brave ones who sacrificed in the process of opposing an era with mistaken flaws!"

"From the very beginning of the Wu–Yao era, from that moment onward through countless ages, all who acted on their own will, all who resisted slaughter and invasion, all who struggled to survive, all who sacrificed in the contest with the times and the great trend—your spirits will shine for eternity, flowing fragrance through the ages!"

"I speak for you, I raise your voice to correct the era's errors, so that the spirit endures, so that our descendants... will not repeat the past's sorrow!"

Qing Jia's words were firm and impassioned.

With his shout, in this dark, unfathomable depth, an echo began to resonate unseen... he would no longer fight alone!

The crown of Fengdu will finally condense.

Bearing the heaviest fate, the netherworld's underworld and the lineage of gods and spirits will welcome their own emperor... the Holy Emperor!

……

When Qing Jia understood the path, corrected the direction, and began to rush wildly toward the victorious endpoint, Houtu Niangniang, who presided in the netherworld, also secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"Good..."

"Also close."

Fengxi, who had narrowly avoided being forced into women's attire, sighed lightly, glanced at the remaining ten-plus Fengdu candidates in the dark trial—originally the foremost, leading first place, was a participant whose ties with the Yao side were unclear, until this moment Qing Jia's realization allowed him to overtake successfully.

"Thus, the situation in the netherworld can be settled."

"Originally, the four armies of the Yao Court entering the netherworld were legitimate and rule‑compliant; I couldn't suppress them, only wait for them to defect first."

"If there were further problems in the Fengdu Great Emperor's election, we would inevitably become more passive."

"Now, Jiu Jiu Jiu hasn't dropped the chain... this way I have enough margin for error to cooperate with Princess Nüwa, who pretends to be the Human Emperor; she acts in the mortal realm while I disguise myself in the underworld, coordinating simultaneously, laying bait to catch the golden turtle."

Fengxi's eyes grew deep, holding the firsthand battle report from the mortal realm, reviewing the Yao Court's personnel deployment, "I just don't know which dao friend, at that time, would be bold enough to sneak into the netherworld and plant a stake in this vital part of the Wu Clan's territory?"

"Whoever comes, it will be their misfortune!"

"I have lain low for many years, always concealed, just to give the enemy a great 'surprise' at the crucial moment!"

"Drink the enemy's blood, how splendid! How splendid!"

He brushed the battle report on the table, his gaze sharp and terrifying.

"Only victory can comfort the countless sacrificed."

"Jiu Jiu Jiu, even if you propose a methodology... in the end, everything still depends on the fist!"

"Who is justice?"

"Who is evil?"

"All will be revealed thereby!"

"My path is clear; the rest... is to see it through to the end!"

Houtu·Fengxi slowly closed his eyes.

He accumulated his spirit, nurtured killing intent, condensed his entire combat power, awaiting the arrival of the glorious moment.

The correct time.

The correct place.

At that time, he will slay a supreme ancient god sage as an offering for the human way, for the masses to take charge of their own affairs and launch their undertaking!

……

"Fang Xun, suspected dragon ancestor, is quite troublesome..."

"Yandi, realm insufficient, combat power lacking, but extraordinary intellect; on the road, he mutually restrains with the Slaughter‑Wu Sword..."

"Nüwa? Currently licking her wounds, Houtu shrinks in reincarnation, looking like a salted fish..."

"..."

In the Heavenly Court, countless Yao and divinities come and go.

In that highest heavenly gate, the Yao Court's heavyweight ministers are even more engaged in detailed analysis of the leaders of the Wu, human, and dragon races.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles without peril.

The homework on intelligence is something any perfected mature force ought to do well.

Espionage and counter‑espionage, all means employed, just to seize any opportunity not to be missed.

At this moment, the Yao Emperor's desk is piled with materials, all concerning each ancestral Wu and the human emperor's investigation results; some come from the Yao Court's ministers, some are personally observed by Di Jun.

These days, Di Jun serving as Yao Emperor is not easy either; he dare not fully trust his underlings.

There's no way.

——In the Yao Court, there are too many two‑fives!

Even the Nüwa Empress is the top‑ranked great rebel, let alone others.

Moreover, this problem cannot be raised... after all, Di Jun himself isn't exactly clean.

For example, the existence of the Eastern Barbarians involves a deal between two giants... it can be said to have dug a corner of the human race, or to be Di Jun's disloyalty to the Yao race.

A huge muddled account, merely no one has bothered to expose it.

Foot on two boats, even three boats...

Basic operation!

Don't six!

Of course.

No matter how many boats you tread, the core goal won't change... that is for one's own growth, to reap the most resources.

If true matters cannot be done, naturally one won't hang oneself on a single tree.

But for now, the demon race's large ship still seems relatively sturdy; Di Jun, watching it, felt there was still plenty of room for maneuver.

After careful analysis, he found many weaknesses in the Wu Clan's side; it seemed only a light poke was needed to throw this camp into utter disarray, causing it to collapse outright and disintegrate amid a tremendous roar.

Finally, the demon race, which had been stirred up by propaganda of freedom and survival-of-the-fittest competition, gleefully reaped the fruits of victory.

But when the moment arrived and a decision had to be made… Heavenly Emperor Di Jun instead hesitated a little.

"Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor, is there any difficulty?" Ying Zhao, the Yao Marshal, probed after reading his expression.

"There are some." The Heavenly Emperor nodded frankly, admitting it without pretending to be unfathomable: "After all this fighting, our Demon Court appears to have lost troops and generals, yet we have already achieved our predetermined strategic goals, mobilized the human and dragon races' forces, and seized the initiative."

"It looks like we can move on to the next step of the plan."

"But now that the moment has come, I again have a bad feeling… I sense that something is hidden in the mist, unclear."

The Heavenly Emperor is very cautious.

As someone versed in both covert and overt schemes, his skill in countermeasures is also not lacking.

Although the situation seemed to be going smoothly, he still instinctively rose to vigilance… the more critical the moment, the more wary he became, letting down his guard not even a bit.

This is the most troublesome opponent.

Wa Dao had indeed plotted a grand scheme, yet he stood at the edge of the trap, without directly taking that final step of setting the pitfall!

(End of chapter)