Chapter 693

Then let's wait and see!

Nüwa didn't care about Di Jun's explanation.

When she resolved not to betray the sacrifices and devotion of her comrades who had walked this path with her, the victory or defeat of Pangu in this era was no longer something she clung to so tightly.

Laughing last? No, she hoped to end the war as soon as possible.

Even if in this process there would inevitably be countless monsters and demons jumping about, countless petty tricks spinning and leaping in situations where she couldn't intervene, possibly shaking her authority...

Even possibly, there could be seemingly loyal aides who were actually only loyal to profit, turning traitor!

But she was willing to place her trust in this.

She was willing to believe that the vast multitude would have a pair of clear eyes, willing to believe that the human way... is great! 'In this era, enough blood has been shed.'

Nüwa felt somewhat sorrowful as she thought, 'Such a heart-rending pain, the myriad beings should surely reflect deeply and thoroughly...'

'If so, the war should end as soon as possible, rather than continue to be dragged out for someone's benefit, falling into endless consumption.'

'Even if the Wu Clan and Demon Race don't cooperate, countless ambitious individuals may emerge, possibly making the war even more brutal.'

'But... a long pain is worse than a short pain!'

'For now, being able to suppress it temporarily is not wrong.'

'But if the root of the problem isn't solved, our peak combat power returning to the battlefield will only make the slaughter more brutal!'

'Rather than that, it would be better to let go once... and see whether the myriad beings are willing to walk the ideal path I have proposed for them, voting with their feet to decide the final victorious side.'

'If, after countless bloodshed and sacrifices, the myriad beings still do not identify with the Wu Clan, and instead feel deep down that the Demon Race and the Heavenly Dao system are better, what am I still insisting on?'

'Acting under the banner of doing good for the human way, yet doing things that the already awakened myriad beings would not accept... what difference is there between me and the earlier Hongjun who wanted to imprison the human way with the Three Corpses method?'

Empress Nüwa possesses the Holy Way in her heart, dignified and upright, bright and honest; she is a rare conscience among the ancient gods' great sage collective.

Compared to ordinary deities, who consider things from the bad side and always prepare for the worst... she hopes that this era, this heaven and earth, could be better.

Her Dao permeates Honghuang's creation; the myriad sentient beings she has enlightened together enact the world stage, which should not be only slaughter and ugliness, but should also have a beautiful side.

Even if such an idea has been criticized as naive...

'Even if I make such a choice, considering the great forgetfulness of the human way, if I do not personally lead them to victory, the myriad beings will become strangers to me, and the fruits of my victory could be usurped, becoming others' wedding gowns, adding new challengers...'

'Especially those top schemers... I admit, I can't outplay them...'

'But...'

'Such a result, I am not unable to accept.'

'Peace of the era is the primary contradiction; who leads is merely a secondary contradiction!'

'As long as the result is not bad, these side details don't matter...'

'Time will eventually pass, everything will be buried... after endless ages, it will ultimately be just a joke.'

'I only seek peace of mind, only seek a clear conscience.'

Nüwa stood at the peak of the cultivation path infinitely close to Pangu; looking back at the road's end, she suddenly realized... all along, what she liked, enjoyed, sought, and proved was never to become king and overlord, looking down on the gods.

What she sought was merely a share of peace and joy!

Doing something she likes, while also hoping that all the myriad beings under heaven can do something they themselves enjoy, everyone happy, living a perfect life.

Pangu created heaven and earth, Nüwa fashioned myriad beings; stage and actors are in place. She came to watch a comedy where everyone is happy, not a tragedy that adds to her own worries! So when the moment arrived, she instead saw it openly.

Di Jun remained worried and anxious, concerned about the chaos of the situation; having left Honghuang, the situation would undergo changes beyond control.

Nüwa, however, chose to relinquish the pursuit of benefit, steadfastly continuing on her past path, once again 'loving the myriad beings' with the utmost divine and holy heart, blessing that someone could follow the human path to lead the myriad beings of the myriad spirits, quelling the era's turmoil in the shortest time.

Then, they would come before her, using their own strength and achievements, to contend in the final showdown, to determine the ownership of Pangu's exalted position.

If she won thus, Nüwa would be content; if she lost, there would be little to regret.

'Oh.'

'Right.'

'It must not be a pawn arranged and instigated by my elder brother, usurping the fruits of my victory...'

Nüwa can be tolerant and magnanimous toward others who become competitors.

Only toward her brother! That, she cannot be polite about.

This is a matter of principle for the Feng family! On this issue, even the great righteousness of the myriad beings becomes mere clouds!

People contend for a breath; Buddhas contend for an incense stick.

Nüwa had been 'oppressed' for many years; whenever she did anything, her brother would find fault, pointing and criticizing, and also daily unpaid overtime; when she was young, she even lost a lot of hair... tolerable? Who could tolerate it! Nüwa can be tolerant toward the myriad beings of the human way, with a heart of pity and compassion beating, enduring hardship for the greater good, sacrificing personal interests.

But the family throne? Absolutely must be fought for! No amount of persuasion works!

Thinking of this real problem, Nüwa secretly clenched her fists, sincerely praying that her underlings, the major generals, could be more effective.

Although she isn't too concerned about whether others might take advantage of the chaos to pacify Honghuang and seize the fruits of victory... but if her own kin are reliable and effective, pushing her to become Pangu, then she, the Great Empress Nüwa, could just go overnight to settle accounts with the August Emperor—this is possible!

If a mistake occurs at this stage, the newly appointed Pangu would be in league with Xihuang, colluding and conspiring... wouldn't Nüwa then have to again 'endure humiliation and bear burdens' for an era? Perhaps, what should have been her own birthday, her own natal day, would instead require her to first go to Fuxi's place, bowing and scraping to pay respects...

Hiss! Just thinking about such days is terrifying!

Nüwa suddenly felt a chill despite not being cold.

'Little Fengxi...'

'You are the biggest card in my hand right now...'

'You must... give it your all!'

'I have chosen the future, spending countless sums on human heroes in the gacha, not knowing how many human hero cards I drew before pulling you this golden legend, a pure-blooded human who has truly come into his own...'

'The crucial moment has arrived!'

'You must be able to stand on your own, launch a heavy strike against Fuxi's layout, dealing crucial damage... but please, please don't just scratch!'

Nüwa began to feel anxious about gains and losses.

As the most outstanding talent in her command in both ability and strategy, Fengxi is Nüwa's trump card hidden at the bottom of the box!

When she cannot oversee the affairs of the human race, the village's hope... lies solely with this contemporary human emperor! Nüwa hopes that he can be sufficiently spirited... so that she can, at home, hold her head high before Fuxi.

She had let go of the obsession to rule over all beings, yet she was unwilling to relinquish the pursuit of the familial throne—this is the contradiction in Nüwa's heart. Of course, this is also unavoidable… Who made Nüwa suffer so long under Fuxi's 'lascivious might'?

Even to this day, she still carries some shadow; it's hard to say that facing the August Emperor she could possess any degree of nonchalant confidence, often feeling as if confronting a formidable foe.

The next moment, this problem became prominent.

Only saw Nüwa's complexion suddenly change, utterly solemn and serious, like a poor student entering an exam that decides their fate.

She turned sideways, overlooking the waves of ages, seeing time fade away; that 'version-update axe' hewn by the August Emperor Heavenly Emperor in the vast Honghuang, colliding with the peak of humanity's counterattack, finally came to an end.

In the ocean of divine light of the great destruction, amidst the surging era-mist rising from the source of Honghuang, this most ancient sovereign who opened heaven and earth let out a loud, unrestrained laugh, so wanton and unrestrained.

Even though fighting away from home, and Honghuang's violent reaction to 'foreign objects' was fierce, his all-out counterattack, sparing nothing to expel and exclude, not hesitating to burn his own source, was a posture of immortality; in blasting him out of the heavens, earth, and universe, his form became stained with calamitous ash and dust.

Yet even so, the August Emperor's heroic spirit remained undiminished, stirring people's hearts and minds.

——Because he left Honghuang with a deeply memorable 'gift', the axe mark he chopped down, impossible to wear away through countless ages… This is actually leaving a scar in Honghuang heaven and earth; his Great Dao is eroding this universe, cutting off the normal trajectory of historical time, using his will to open a dungeon, overwriting and tampering with the original data! In a sense, this almost announces the outcome of this confrontation, proving that even within Pangu there are superior and inferior.

Of course, bullying the mentally ill and the intellectually disabled to gain victory is not particularly praiseworthy.

But for many ancient god sages who haven't even touched the threshold of Pangu, this is enough to become shocking talk—'one person suppresses a realm, glorious only Xihuang!' And when such a supreme being, together with the restless humanity, shifts the battlefield back beyond the realm, the final world-shaking words they utter carry immense influence, plucking the heartstrings of countless divinities.

"Former comrades-in-arms!"

"Do you wish to step onto my level and together witness the scenery of Pangu?"

"Do you want to obtain the qi luck Great Dao and merit authority I have opened? Do you want to become the supreme leader of the Heaven and Earth Bank?"

"If you do, then go gallop on the stage I have opened!"

"I have already placed these precious things in this era, to be gifted to the most outstanding fated ones!"

"Whoever obtains them will be able to inherit my Dharma lineage and become the king of this era!"

"Hurry!"

August Emperor Heavenly Emperor was driven out of Honghuang heaven and earth by the 'furious' humanity; the two powers stood off, seemingly unable to attend to each other, only the August Emperor's faint echo lingered, resonating between heaven and earth.

"Slow down, wait until the era-split state I struck humanity with disappears, then these things might possibly be reclaimed by Honghuang!"

"I really don't want to see this great 'filial son' of humanity get off without a harsh lesson and just reap such a big benefit!"

"Hahaha…"

August Emperor Heavenly Emperor wielded his divine axe, chopping forth the tremendous power capable of opening heaven and earth and recreating Honghuang, clashing with humanity's Honghuang peak; in that void beyond the realm, for a moment creation and destruction danced together, the grandest formation and devastation surged, causing all scenes to collapse! Thus, the sudden prominence of August Emperor's strange troops and the great event interfering with Honghuang can be considered temporarily concluded.

But his influence and aftermath are extremely terrifying!

He split open a brand-new era, banishing the current peak combat power; during the version update period, it's all banned, unable to affect the overall situation.

If one says this is merely a small spark, unable to shake the great situation of the lich's domination.

Then, at the final moment, the words the August Emperor spoke are truly the overturning! The Qi Luck Great Dao!

Merit authority!

This is the greatest bait!

August Emperor stated that these most precious things have already been placed in this era, awaiting only a fated person to inherit this wealth.

Strictly speaking, only those who can command qi luck and merit can be called the supreme leader of this era.

——One cannot rely on printing money and allocating funds to plunder wealth, control economic trends, adjust industrial layout, and use 'credit' to infiltrate influence everywhere—do you feel justified calling yourself the supreme Heavenly Emperor?

The gun barrel must be hard.

But one cannot rely solely on the gun barrel.

Qi luck and merit—these are the true supreme authority that all gods yearn for.

Yet today, August Emperor Heavenly Emperor candidly let go, seeking a fated successor.

This is enough to ignite the hearts of all striving for progress! 'Crazy…'

'Chaotic…'

The Vermilion Dragon Great Sage again went to scout the future of the new version, only to discover that in the not-so-distant future, there are countless blades, endless strife, many powers rising together, turmoil in the human realm.

'Thoroughly chaotic…'

He glanced at Di Jiang not far away and said, 'August Emperor is playing a big hand!'

'Throwing out things like this… do you think this era has lost too few of my Great Luo?'

'Who knows?' Di Jiang Zu Wu answered with a smile, 'Perhaps he thinks those who enjoy the spectacle don't mind big matters; he sits alone, lonely and cold in the realm beyond, feeling quite uncomfortable, so he simply adds some obstruction to humanity… well, maybe he's also giving our esteemed fellow Daoist Nüwa some trouble.'

'It's also possible he feels it's truly necessary to find a successor to pass on this authority… who can say for sure?'

'Right, Vermilion Dragon!'

Di Jiang's smile undiminished, 'We needn't wild-guess; if we guess wrong, we'll harm ourselves; if we guess right, who knows—someday knowing too much might get us killed.'

'Also true!' the Vermilion Dragon Great Sage sighed, 'From now on, Honghuang will be full of affairs!'

'The temptation of qi luck, after all, is too great; everyone inevitably will contend for it… and we don't know whose hands it will finally fall into.'

'Fated one… fated one!'

Di Jiang smiled without speaking.

Fated one…

What is a fated one? The final interpretive right belongs to August Emperor.

He says whoever has affinity, has affinity.

Even without affinity, there is affinity.

He says whoever lacks affinity, lacks affinity, even if all competitors are left out in the cold.

But… isn't there still humanity?

As clever as he is, he had long buried the fuse—

Once the version ends, humanity will take it back! As for when it ends, that depends on the result of August Emperor and humanity discussing together! Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

(End of chapter)