Chapter 706

"Everything begins with establishing oneself as emperor!"

Hougang's heart brims with fighting spirit, looking to the future, he wishes to proclaim himself emperor!

This is a small goal on his Pangu path, breaking free from the many cooperative allies that originally seemed unreliable, to achieve what he wants on his own.

Turning passivity into initiative, the demon text copyright is his, the honor of the History Emperor is also his—no one can stop it—this is what Hougang says!

Of course.

Dreams are beautiful, reality is skeletal.

After gazing at the starry sky for too long, one must still lower one's head to watch the road, keep one's feet on the ground, otherwise it's easy to trip—and fall hard.

To this end, Hougang strategizes for the Fire Masters, guiding the human race's central royal court toward the same path he seeks.

——Release constraints, let a hundred flowers bloom, the capable become king……

All this is to lay groundwork for the future.

If, when the time comes, one raises one's own troops, dominates a region, only to have the human central authorities not recognize it and instead launch a suppression, with a pair of iron fists smashing down, everything turns to nothing… that would be tragic!

For whom is all this hard work?

After much discussion, we need to set a regulation—at the very least to let him maintain his peak achievements and survive until the ultimate end of the era!

By then, the verdict will be settled, the boat built; even if Hougang relinquishes the throne and supports a bloodless unification, his name and reputation can remain in the annals, praised for ages, laying the foundation of Pangu.

After all, the one who writes the annals… isn't it him?

Even if it can't be too fantastical, adding a touch of legendary color, slightly beautifying the existing basis to craft an image and enjoy fame for ages… is understandable, right?

"Mm… that's it!"

The abacus in Hougang's mind clacks away, and he increasingly feels that great things can be accomplished.

Thinking of establishing himself as emperor, he had already decided on the era name for that time.

——Cangdi!

"Whoever controls the past controls the future; whoever controls the present controls the past."

"This is truly the way to open my Pangu path!"

"I don't even have enough anchor points for the 'present,' can't control current channels of speech—how could I master the past? In the end I'm merely a recorder, not an interpreter or definer. And if I lack sufficient authority to alter history, how can I control the future course of Honghuang?"

"Pangu… Pangu!"

Strategist Hougang's heart is swept by myriad thoughts; in the darkness, an emperor star slowly rises.

One day there will be.

The name Cangdi will be inscribed for myriad ages, the ancestor of writing, the sovereign of history!

Hougang's eyes sparkle, filled with hope.

Holding onto his dreams, he speaks passionately, striving to convince all the Fire Master ministers present, laying the groundwork for his future solo path.

"Now our Fire Masters serve as the pillar of the human race, a model example for numerous tribes."

"We represent orthodoxy, and also the responsibility of humanity."

"If we have courage, then all our people will be infected and led by us, possessing sufficient courage and confidence to face any enemy amidst the vast mountains and rivers."

"Go defeat them, go conquer them!"

"As for the end, after losing all external foes, only internal feudal lords remain, gazing at and competing with each other…"

Hougang's eyes gleamed, "Don't we still lack faith in our Fire Masters? Don't we doubt we can suppress everything?"

"We hold the righteousness of orthodoxy, and have the backing of Empress Nüwa behind us… if even a minor hilltop king surpasses us, being defeated head-on by later comers…"

"That can only mean we are incompetent!"

Hougang employed the goading tactic.

——Among those present, who is willing to admit their own incompetence?

What's more, Hougang slyly dragged in Nüwa… Nüwa stands behind him—tell me, could we still lose?

"The Fire Masters are invincible!"

General Dàyou immediately shouted lightly—he is a staunch supporter of the Nüwa faction, a loyal commander of the guard, stepping forward now, "With Her Majesty Nüwa behind us, we will not lose!"

"Empress Nüwa, whose might shakes the three realms, whose wisdom fixes the six paths—the Yao Marshal is merely a toy in her hand, and the Heavenly Court is but a puppet she plays with at will!"

"Possessing courage and strategy, unmatched in the world, with an invincible heart, what fear is there of so-called challenges?"

"All who dare to overthrow the orthodoxy of Empress Nüwa's transmitted Fire Masters are nothing but rotten timber and cracked tiles, not worth a single blow!"

Dàyou's words rang loud and powerful, shaking hearts, lifting Nüwa onto the highest divine pedestal, speaking for her—no matter who, anyone daring to stand opposite the great Nüwa will be crushed by the wheels of fate!

Confidence soaring, only I, the Nüwa Emperor!

This grand map cannon blasted to death all the innate deities, bearing an air of universal stillness.

Fengxi sat high on the imperial throne; seeing this, he couldn't help but glance askance, a murmur rising in his heart.

"That is, the Empress isn't present…"

"Otherwise… who knows if she wouldn't pipe up, saying—'Don't drag me into your bragging!'"

Of course Fengxi also knows, this cannot be blamed on General Dàyou.

After all.

When Nüwa considered preserving the face of her intellectual high ground, she had no choice but to take upon herself the glorious merits of scheming reincarnation and trapping the Yao Marshal, thereby sweeping away the impression left on the gods of old, becoming a peerless strategist who pacifies the mountains and rivers, plans for eternity—even the Yao Marshal is merely a toy in her hand, easily eliminating three of them!

Combined with the awe-inspiring martial might of the Great Nüwa Emperor, her image of wisdom and valor became fixed in the hearts of most deities, making many of the Wu Clan's great shamans who already strove to support her even more fervent.

Who could fail to respect and worship a goddess who is both strong and smart, who looks after her subordinates greatly and has a broad-minded nature?!

In the eyes of fervent fans, their idol is incredibly awesome… this is also quite a normal phenomenon, right?

Dàyou is merely one of them.

Fengxi glanced at the many gods and ministers in the hall, finding that many of them deeply agreed, nodding repeatedly.

Even those officials with many schemes, pondering whether there might be hidden dangers behind this—if restrictions were lifted, who knows what cattle and horses might burst forth, perhaps uncontrollable—but when they faced the mighty surge of the Fire Masters and the terrifying popular support of the Nüwa Emperor, they had nothing to counter, only able to echo with hesitant "uh-uh-ah-ah."

——The talk has come to this point; what else can we do?

Of course it's only……

「Exactly! 」

「That's right! 」

「Well said! 」

「Unanimous affirmation! 」

Raise high the Nüwa banner; the Fire Master will surely shatter every obstacle in its path and become the ultimate leader of the human Dao!

Fengxi gazed at this scene, secretly shaking his head……

【You all place such trust and expectation in the Empress; I wonder what expression she'll have after she finds out?】

This trust weighs so heavily it brings tears to one's eyes.

As for why we're crying—is it from being moved, or from being duped……

That's 'to the benevolent, benevolence; to the wise, wisdom'.

Yandi sighed, raised a hand to quell the enthusiastic praise: 'Her Majesty the Empress's divine might is invincible—beyond doubt.'

And with such power, surely the Empress wouldn't mind taking on greater responsibility……

——The greater the ability, the greater the responsibility!

——Although that's just a line used to fool people.

——But it's especially handy for making people take the fall and do the work.

「So……Hougang! 」 Fengxi pondered briefly, turned to the Chief Strategist, and continued, "I'd also like to hear—aside from prioritizing the Fire Master and the human race—what is your strategic plan for safeguarding the greater human Dao?"

「Let's see……can our Fire Master, inspired by Empress Nüwa's spirit, actually pull this off? 」

「The human Dao comes first……」 Hougang's eyes dimmed, "Naturally……eliminating demons is supreme! 」

He chose his words carefully, declaring solemnly: "The demon sect's resurgence and the rise of the Five Fortunes constitute a challenge to the Primordial orthodoxy!"

"The Lords of Killing Fate, Ending Fate, Intercepting Fate, and Calamitous Fate……their version of the Five Fortunes Grand Dao is utterly evil and terrifying." Hougang sighed from the bottom of his heart.

His eyes deep, hinting at apprehension: "Although the Dao knows no good or evil……the road to the Five Fortunes Grand Dao is riddled with shortcuts that benefit oneself at others' expense, easily tempting cultivators onto it."

Just like the Killing Fate wielded by the Nether River Demon Ancestor!

"To wield a sword across the vast Primordial, slaying the human Dao's corrupters, is a path……but can wanton slaughter really boost cultivation more than purposeful action?"

"So‑called sustainable development ultimately lacks appeal……when Pangu's hope lies before us, we could simply attain the Dao and depart, even if it overturns the Primordial and plunges the human Dao into misery—what does it matter to us?"

"We once kept to ourselves, only because ultimate violent repression forced us into hiding."

"Now, with several great mountains shifted, the Demon Dao has raised its head!"

"The Nether River Demon Ancestor, the Lord of Killing Fate……this is merely one of them."

"Besides, the Lords of Calamitous Fate and Intercepting Fate, etc., are all cultivators who take shortcuts; now they rally under the Demon Dao's banner, inevitably causing unease—I worry they have the strength to overturn the table."

"So, if we truly wish to safeguard the greater human Dao……then, targeting the Five Fortunes Grand Dao, we ought to introduce measures to strangle the demonic nature spreading from the Demon Dao's resurgence—I think this is very important."

Hougang spoke slowly.

"And once we embark on this path, we must avoid anything that would flare demonic flames or stir demonic thoughts……we must cleanse lands already tainted, isolate beings already corrupted by demonic influence, and bit by bit eradicate the remnants of the Five Fortunes' spread."

"Slaughter."

"Destruction."

"Taking advantage of the fire to loot."

"And so on, and so on."

"Avoid what can be avoided; reach consensus with the Monster Clan Heavenly Court, for the stability of the entire human Dao, before suppressing the Five Fortunes Demon Dao, seek common ground while reserving differences, set aside disputes, endure hard times together, and jointly develop a way to counter the Five Fortunes."

"Otherwise, the fiercer the war between humans and the Demon Race, the more turbulent the era's calamitous energy, the fiercer the flames of slaughter……under such a trend, the Nether River Demon Ancestor will grow ever stronger and terrifying—perhaps even outpacing our growth."

Hougang pointed out a crucial point.

War undying, Killing Fate undying!

As the war flames blaze, the Demon Ancestor who commands slaughter will reap huge gains……ultimately, those who started the war will taste the bitter fruit they sowed.

Therefore, if for the sake of the greater human Dao……then war ought not be waged.

This is the human Dao's internal drain, the self‑undoing of order, which will let the embodiment of chaos—the Demon Dao—raise its head!

"Pa!"

"Pa‑pa‑pa!"

Yandi clapped: "The Strategist's words are very reasonable."

He was praising Hougang.

But soon after, Fengxi shook his head.

"It's a pity, but we cannot choose this path."

He voiced his veto.

"Yeah, impossible to choose." Hougang nodded in understanding: "In this age, peace is merely a luxury."

"We cannot, for a vague and uncertain possibility, abandon our arms and put ourselves at a disadvantage."

"Humans prize self‑reliance, inheriting the ideals of Empress Nüwa and Emperor Fuxi……one is creation, reshaping nature; the other is choice, pursuing an ideal future."

"And now the Demon Race prizes the law of the jungle—survival of the fittest!"

"Ideals clash, paths differ, worldviews are mutually exclusive; sincere cooperation is too hard, and trust issues are hard to resolve."

"Who would dare pin their hopes on others' mercy?"

Hougang looked around, saw the human Divine General's cold smile, saw the Fire Master's senior officer shaking his head……evidently, everyone shares the same view.

"The duty to resist the Demon Dao is enough if entrusted to us humans." General Dahong smiled: "As for the Demon Race……who knows, they might just be here to stir trouble."

"Indeed!"

Divine General Mu nodded, "The demon nature exalts wild freedom, kills without restraint, and is hard to educate."

"This latent potential is indeed a demonic path's susceptible one; the affinity is not low."

"We must cooperate with them, yet stay wary of being stabbed in the back... This is too unjust!"

Many Divine Generals who wield weapons and wage war, with a word here and a sentence there, shot down the line of cooperation between humans and demons to jointly aid the human cause.

They would rather face the most terrifying opponent than face the most treacherous teammate.

As for those high officials full of dirty schemes, they started from another angle, arguing the reasons why cooperation is impossible.

"Moreover, we cannot ignore all those who have struggled and sacrificed along the way for the prosperity of the human race."

"In the past, everyone fought to the death, unknown how many heroes fell midway, before the human race, starting from nothing, struggled to achieve today's accomplishments."

"Now, how could we forget our roots!"

"Moreover, as the ancestor witches are bound, the Wu Clan has lost its blood-making ability and will gradually decline."

"And the Demon Race... now looks crippled, struck down by the dinosaur lineage."

"But as time passes, the lost blood will be regenerated, and they will return to their peak state!"

"When that time comes, will the Heavenly Court speak nicely to humanity?"

"I think this is quite uncertain..."

"Simply, take advantage of its illness to take its life!"

The deep‑scheming minister, sharpening his knives, laid out the strategic big picture, pointing out that humanity must not waste this great opportunity, which is filled with countless sacrifices and enough coincidences to achieve today's accomplishments.

Since we cannot do it again, we ought to—pursue the fleeing enemy with our remaining courage!

They are brimming with killing intent, each more decisive in slaughter than the last.

(End of chapter)