Chapter 716

Not to mention the girl on Spirit Mountain, who is busy planning and coordinating, eagerly preparing to make a big move.

Just look at those vast mountains and rivers, where hundreds of boats race, heroes rise together, and warfare never ceases.

Although the Demonic Sect's might was checked by the gods joining forces and even sealed tight, suppressing countless demon spawn along with their leader, it has been temporarily driven off the Honghuang stage.

Yet the influence of the Five Fortunes Great Dao endures, like a wandering ghost haunting this age!

Though the fleeting udumbara flower's rampage, it deeply changed a part of the original game rules, adding a brand‑new playstyle.

Here, the Five Fortunes Great Dao interact, coordinating with each other, causing heaven and earth to take up arms and blood and fire to spread across the world.

Some of what was said is quite correct.

When the profit is great enough, people dare to trample all justice in the human world, to slaughter and destroy, to trample their own compatriots, just to seize the fruit.

The Demonic Sect tore open the benevolent facade for all beings, proposing a doctrine of harming others for self‑gain and even handing them a knife, so that all beings came to bear weapons and murderous intent arose.

——Slay monsters and level up!

——The Heavenly Devil revels!

——Steal Heaven and seize fortune!

Wait, wait...

When the Five Fortunes converge, it is a game of chess like none before.

Combining the Killing Fortune Great Dao and the Fortune Great Dao yields the forbidden art of killing to seize fortune—truly the ultimate monster‑slaying level‑up, under which nothing in the world cannot be killed.

Originally, the Honghuang universe's rules were strict; for those who slaughter wantonly, karma itself passes judgment.

However, today the controller of karma's authority… has rebelled! He himself is the Master of the Killing Fortune Dao!

Am I judging myself?

Just hearing it, you know it's unrealistic.

When karma stalls, and moreover during the Great Calamity, its data‑calculation algorithm blurs, giving too many people room to operate; a tremendous temptation lies before each person, stirring their hearts to strike at order and defy authority.

This is merely the first of them.

Killing Fortune and Fortune can combine, and the remaining Fortunes can likewise link with the Fortune Great Dao.

Otherwise, how could one claim that only with the Fortune‑infused Five Fortunes Great Dao can one be truly complete?

It appears that the style of Fortune differs greatly from that of Killing Fortune, End Fortune, Calamity Fortune, and Intercept Fortune.

But this is a social butterfly that can mix with anyone, achieving synergy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, filling the biggest gap.

When Intercept Fortune merges with Fortune, it becomes 'Steal Heaven, Seize Fortune'—deceiving superiors and inferiors, harming the public to benefit oneself, leaving people dissatisfied and craving more; it is the premier way to dismantle a hegemonic faction and drive it toward fragmentation.

When Calamity Fortune merges with Fortune, it becomes 'Heavenly Devil revels'; in the human world, even if there is no essential conflict of interest with oneself, reason and morality say one should not stir trouble—but as soon as one provokes a conflict over calamity, manipulating others or even an entire faction's fate and fortune, any disparity creates an opportunity to reap a profit from malicious short‑selling.

This is nothing but a troublemaker!

Such a style inevitably brings to mind a certain Buddhist Sect master who made grand vows and borrowed his way to the Dao; already a major figure in the human race faction has issued harsh words, warning the Buddhist Sect's bald heads to be careful when they go out, lest they get lost—and once lost, they'll stay lost for life, only to be seen again in the Underworld.

Even with those harsh words, there is no solid proof linking the Master of the Calamity Fortune Dao to Jieyin the Ancient Buddha.

But… who cares?

The punishment is surely going to fall on the Buddhist Sect—who let them specialize in this kind of maneuver?

And in fact, it is far from unjust.

The Five Fortunes Great Dao, in collusion, makes both the human race and the Demon Race feel an urge to vomit blood.

One wants to vent anger but can't—after all, aside from the Wu and Demon, all neutral great powers have been dragged into the heavenly net and earthly trap, as the gods unite the Dao to suppress them—suppress them once and that's enough, but can they be suppressed again and again?

The main party can't settle the score.

The leftover residue is still enough to disgust people.

They seem not to be directly opposed to any faction, yet they have seeped into the deepest recesses of the human heart, presenting tempting forbidden fruit that toys with the moral bottom line of humanity and all beings.

And this is well known.

As for the Human Dao… it has a very 'flexible' moral bottom line.

——That's a high‑EQ way of putting it.

Behind the scenes, the gods' friendly assessment is that the Human Dao is nothing but a lunatic!

What can you do when faced with a lunatic?

Just scrape by to stay alive!

Can't beat them, can't scare them awake… everyone is utterly desperate!

Some people, after letting their resentment build up, see their vengeful fire rise, slam the table in anger, and then go settle scores with old rivals.

Like the human race.

They then launched a full‑scale grand battle, the battlefield spreading across all of Honghuang, shifting back and forth over immeasurable mountains and rivers, with everyone sallying forth and waging war.

Each and every motivated clan and tribe is busy building its own nation—or laying the groundwork to someday proclaim themselves king or emperor—forging the tribe in the fires of war and earning merit and renown.

This is both a grand battle and a great drill.

Now that the Wu Clan has become the water without source, the human race must grow rapidly while the Wu Clan's soldiers and the Demon Race's elites wear each other down and dwindle, taking over the main force's duties.

In a silent yet immensely vast backdrop, authority seems to have been transferred.

The Wu Clan, representing many powerful adepts who have taken shares, sees its grasp on the human race's voice diminish greatly as losses mount.

And the human race…

Whether it is ideal or ambition, a vigorous fighting spirit burns; each clan and tribe strives for itself, while the Fire Master's main force pins down the Demon Race's elites, who suffer grave vital‑energy wounds, allowing the tribes to develop energetically, establish bases everywhere, launch full offensives, and grow on their own.

Gradually, they have become a force to be reckoned with!

The strategy of swallowing like a whale and silkworm‑like consumption is the human race's current strategic theme, and only the human race can pull it off.

The Demon Race cannot do that.

The present Yandi chuckled, wondering why his prestige kept rising, gradually becoming the second‑in‑command of the Fire Master system, Da You explained, 'After all, this people have barely managed, relying on a single theoretical system, to forge themselves into a united whole.'

Open it again now?

Ha!

Once taken apart, there's no way to reassemble it!

Will the wolf tribe acknowledge the sheep tribe? Will the tiger tribe coexist under the same sky as the lion tribe?

As long as the Heavenly Court dares to dismantle, they dare to declare independence!

We, too, dare to strive for it! Win them over!

Yandi said in a deep, lingering tone.

Unless absolutely necessary, the Heavenly Court wouldn't do such a suicidal act.

But... such a day is not too far off.

The dinosaurs rampaged, and the Demon Race suffered deep wounds—not just broken bones and torn tendons, but their spines were nearly shattered, the whole system paralyzed.

There isn't enough time to make up for it; the lost blood is hard to replenish.

We humans won't give them that buffer time.

For the Heavenly Court to break the stalemate, either they hope we commanders make a mistake on the grand battlefield, our main force is annihilated, suffering equal vital injury and returning to the same starting line; or they hope for a mishandling of internal human affairs, leading to mutual slaughter and severe internal drain.

But I... will not make these mistakes.

Everything, with the human race's overall situation as the priority.

I let all ambitious and aspiring talents freely recruit, build forces, and raise troops.

Ignoring internal human strife, tolerating the disturbances of the Eastern Barbarians, I simply issued the war order on my own, with the Fire Corps as the main force seeking out the Demon Race's main force.

Yandi's gaze was deep and profound: "The main force's battlefield is the bloodiest and cruelest, after all the Demon Race still has a few tricks up its sleeve."

Even the veterans of countless battles, though maimed, are not utterly destroyed; they remain sufficiently ferocious.

Whoever faces them must prepare for heavy losses.

This loss, the Fire Corps will bear!

They are locked in mutual check; nobody thinks of leaving.

Besides that, the various minor battlefields are left to those clans eager to earn merit... I allow them to establish themselves as kings, solely to mobilize every ounce of strength to clear obstacles on the path for humanity to become the protagonists of heaven and earth.

We can divide our forces and let them loose, but the Demon Race cannot... This will be a major basis for our victory.

As long as I can hold here, pin down the Heavenly Court's main force, preventing the Demon Race from diverting to sweep away and exterminate the human race's scattered trumpets everywhere, letting them grow, we will have won half the battle!

At the end, Yandi's tone rang out resonant and forceful.

But his heart harbored a hint of sigh.

"Half... yes."

"Anyway, it's all half..."

Yandi's heart held complex emotions, but they remained unknown to outsiders.

"Yandi Majesty, your righteousness is lofty." Dayou bowed his hands, saying, "Thank you, Majesty, for dispelling my doubts; I have no reservations now."

"Having no doubts is good." Yandi gave a slight nod, saying, "If you can understand my thoughts, then next... I can assign you an important task."

"Ah?!" Dayou startled, somewhat confused, "What does Your Majesty mean..."

He came as Lady Nüwa's representative to inquire the human emperor's thoughts, to understand Yandi's mind, carrying out official duties... yet suddenly the protagonist changed?

"The human race's overall situation is the human race's overall situation... but where does the Fire Corps' overall situation lie?"

Yandi smiled, "I am a person placed in position by the Lady, and you... are also the Lady Nüwa's chief commander of the guard."

You and I are the Lady's most direct subordinates; ultimately we must look after her interests.

We Fire Corps, fighting the Demon Race to the death here, do it for the human race's overall situation... but in the end, if we end up making wedding clothes for others, how pointless would that be!

I once made an pact with the tribes: whoever can storm straight into the Heavenly Court and first enter the Heavenly Palace shall become emperor!

This is a source of encouragement, a boost to morale, a stimulus to ambition, giving many people hope and a sense of lucky chance.

After all, there are subtleties here... being able to fight doesn't guarantee being the first to storm the Heavenly Court and take over the Heavenly Palace.

With good luck and proper strategy, even if slightly disadvantaged, one can still lead the strong and be the first to enter the Heavenly Palace.

Even if someone disagrees, and a powerful tribe wants to tear up this accord with force... doing so would lose the name of righteousness and sow the seeds of future defeat.

This is a bait.

Only with bait will others risk their lives to act.

But... I don't want to rely on luck.

So, our Fire Corps also needs to make some preparations.

Preparations outside of this main force of mine!

Yandi's eyes blazed, "This preparation is you!"

"Me?" Dayou stunned, "I... am I capable?"

"I say you can, and even if you can't, it's fine." Yandi simply said, "Besides, I have no other choice."

After all, only you are, among the current Fire Corps high-ranking aside from me, the Lady Nüwa's most steadfast direct descendant.

If it were someone else, I'd still have to worry about them developing ambition and harboring rebellious thoughts.

"How, you don't want to take on this job?" Yandi's eyes were unfriendly.

"Dayou wouldn't dare!" Dayou's face changed drastically, he immediately said, "I would not dare to refuse even at the cost of ten thousand deaths; I will shed my last drop of blood for this!"

"Good." Yandi eased his tone and expression, "After some time, you will follow the procedure and part ways with the Fire Corps' central command!"

"Only after separation can you avoid being bound to this war chariot, bearing the responsibility of the bloody battle against the Demon Race, and be able to wait for the right moment to act."

Yandi sighed.

These days, is it easy to be the boss?

Of course not!

Especially, a vigorous and upward-looking faction, a force that touts good moral conduct.

As the boss, however much authority you want, you must take on that much responsibility.

As the Human Emperor, you can command all of humanity; as the Fire Master, you can order all the tribes of mankind under heaven.

These are all true!

But!

When war breaks out, the Fire Master must serve as the main force on the front lines!

The most blood must be shed!

Only by shouting "Follow me!" instead of "You go!" can the Fire Master win over the masses and keep the hearts of mankind from scattering.

So it is destined that only the Fire Master, only the Human Emperor, can directly face the elite demon troops under Donghuang's command.

Yandi, does not let humanity down.

But, does this betray Nüwa?

Yandi hesitated for a long time, and only with difficulty found a method that balances both.

Despite this method, it poses great danger to him.

—Divide the troops!

He commands part of the army to oppose the Heavenly Court.

Another part of the Fire Master's army is then "starting a new stove", "listing under a borrowed shell", nominally having nothing to do with the great cause the Fire Master bears!

But the leader of this Fire Master faction must be absolutely loyal to Nüwa.

Yandi looked around and found only Da You, who could barely be relied upon.

From then on, the troops split into two routes.

One route is him, locked in a death struggle with the Heavenly Court.

The other route is Da You, wandering about, always waiting to steal an opportunity, to become the first to enter the Heavenly Palace!

To ensure Da You's chances of victory, the troops allocated to him cannot be few.

But this way, the pressure on Yandi becomes too great.

"But Your Majesty, doing this, isn't your main force here extremely dangerous, with a risk of annihilation?" Da You reminded solemnly.

"There is some danger." Yandi nodded, then gave a wry smile, "But in war, danger is inevitable; where on the battlefield can one claim absolute safety?"

"I am confident; I also have some ability... For Taiyi to want to crush me is not an easy task."

"Even if I cannot defeat him, I can still hold my ground."

"If the situation becomes even more dangerous... I can still call upon the tribes of humanity to undertake a loyalist campaign."

"At that time, I will use myself as bait to lure Donghuang into a trap, creating battle opportunities for the loyalist forces... Perhaps I will die, but Donghuang will not fare well either."

Yandi's tone was indifferent, leaving Da You greatly shocked.

—How ruthless!

To regard oneself as a mere pawn is bad enough, but to be used as a sacrificial piece!

Sacrificing to this extent, all to pave the way for the Nüwa Emperor!

For a moment, Da You felt somewhat ashamed, for having accepted Feng Bo, listened to his words, and observed Yandi during these days, feeling it had been excessive.

How could such a person, loyal and sincere in revering Nüwa, be viewed with baseless prejudice?

"Your Majesty's sacrifice will be remembered for all ages." Da You said softly, "I will spare no effort to accomplish this."

(End of chapter)