Chapter 784: Xihuang Appears, the Black Pot Nüwa, the Human Race

"Qingdi?"

"No!"

"You are Xihuang!"

The powerful were frightened, and some trembled even more as they retreated.

An unexpected yet fitting figure revealed his presence, chilling onlookers.

He had once left supreme prestige in an even older era, forging Pangu's might with the blood of three thousand demon gods!

In the dim void, a supreme ancient god played celestial music that flowed through all worlds; the rise and fall of the human Dao, the ebb and flow of destiny, all reside in this tune.

Heaven and earth blurred, time and space disordered; faintly, an ancient era seemed to approach, as if verdant histories and scrolls unfurled, allowing a splendid civilization to descend!

Hetu.

Luoshu.

At this moment, the so‑called Hetu evolved the river of time, imprinting a civilization's evolution.

The so‑called Luoshu recorded the verdant annals; it is the book of history.

With images displayed and text explained, a vivid era and civilization sprang to life, full of vigor, thus imprinted upon the hearts of all beings.

This is an unprecedented great change!

At this time, at this moment, the mountains, rivers, earth, and the celestial star sea… countless ancient beings seemed to have the dust wiped from their hearts, vaguely recalling something.

Their eyes brimmed with tears as they sincerely kowtowed; boundless devout thoughts surged, praying to a name.

"Heaven‑opening, earth‑parting, exalted August Emperor!"

"Not Xihuang, not Qingdi, but the August Emperor!"

Pressed to the brink by Wu Clan experts, with the Heavenly Court already damaged and its buildings shattered, suddenly a splendid radiance burst forth—graceful, pure, transcendent… exquisitely beautiful, beyond description.

It bore the weathered aura of an ancient glory, as if a supremely splendid ancient civilization buried by time were reviving…

No, it's not merely like it—it is exactly that!

Once there existed an unsurpassed Heavenly Dynasty, a supreme Divine Court, with three thousand gods jointly revered, and the human Dao revered by all beings… They strove together for a dream: to let the entire Honghuang world attain eternal Dao.

That dream was ultimately realized.

But soon, the human Dao went mad!

He buried all this, even erasing it from the memories of all beings and from the river of history, replacing it with a false historical panorama to deceive posterity.

Only those of Daluo, and the sentient races favored by Daluo, can comprehend the truth.

Thus the world's direction also became the focus of contention.

Someone decided to go with the flow of the human Dao, stroking it for personal gain… Thus, from the former supreme creator—the Heavenly Dao—its born sentient wisdom Hongjun organized personnel, perpetuated the name of the Heavenly Court and its remaining statutes, ruling the world.

Others decided to retread the path of the human Dao, using dreams to unite hearts, end the errors of the old age, draw lessons, surpass the past, reach the pinnacle, and incidentally teach certain people a lesson.

Thus came into being the yaos and the wus.

Of course!

Privately, the human Dao felt—are you teaching me what to do?

But this is another matter.

Now.

On the brink of the Heavenly Court's collapse, a generation's demon emperor—Donghuang Taiyi—had reached the end of his life, falling into his death throes, when suddenly a change arose: ancient splendid light reappeared, and the past glory of the human Dao blossomed!

A scroll of history swept in; though the mountain‑opening divine axe was sharp, at this moment it was blocked, even shaken apart!

"Ha!"

Wenming roared in anger, veins bulging in his arms as he strained to swing the divine axe, seeking to cleave the myriad worlds.

But facing a civilization that once pursued—and even achieved—the dream of 'eternal exaltation of realms,' where realms ascended to the far shore, thereafter the Honghuang concepts endured and spontaneity arose… how could such a civilization, even if merely introduced or projected, sever the rupture?

"Boom!"

In the boundless torrent, the human king of Dongyi retreated, unable to achieve merit.

"Sigh."

A soft sigh, laden with endless feeling: "This axe… don't say it's merely a counterfeit."

"Even if it's genuine, what then?"

"Within Honghuang, the human Dao is supreme!"

"This is an ironclad rule!"

"Even if it's the heaven‑opening axe, a genuine heaven‑opening axe, or even a heaven‑opening divine axe reforged from the three treasures of heaven‑opening!"

"As long as the human Dao does not acknowledge it!"

"Within the heavens and earth of Honghuang, one may dominate for a time, but not for an age."

"After all, it is merely Pangu's weapon, not a true Pangu…… a true Pangu cannot run wild within Honghuang's heavens and earth, let alone an axe."

The waters of Honghuang run deep.

Even the heaven‑opening axe is not omnipotent.

Having provoked the human Dao, even Pangu would dare to strike—let alone an axe!

The heaven‑opening divine axe can be invincible because, owing to its past supreme merit, the human Dao has acknowledged it, granting it authority to enact slaughter on behalf of all beings—this equals the will of two Pangu, naturally allowing it to overwhelm everything.

But only that heaven‑opening axe, now shattered into three pieces, possesses this.

Thereafter, what appears at most represents the will and path of a single Pangu…… Of course, often this suffices—slaying ordinary mighty ones is like chopping vegetables, yet even top‑tier experts can suffer great loss if they're careless.

Yet it is not without solution…… for within Honghuang, the human Dao is supreme!

Whoever gains the human Dao's approval, or skillfully exploits it, naturally suffices to neutralize this threat.

At this moment, Xihuang appeared and taught, dispelling the edge of the mountain‑splitting axe.

This caused some ancient gods and great sages to look strange—this big shot truly has a big heart, himself dismantling the lethal power of his own weapon!

But upon further thought, the subtlety behind this—Nüwa secretly created Pangu's true form, and also forged a copy of the Opening Mountain Divine Axe—such a blatant, unabashed act of replacement is rebellion, treason, plotting wrongdoing; most likely it has driven Xihuang to a dead end.

Now they are cutting down Donghuang.

What about the future?

I fear they'll casually unite the Three Treasures of Opening Heaven, recreate that Axe of the Beginning, and then, brimming with killing intent, go chop a few blows at the August Emperor!

"This really is……"

Some deities stared at each other, their expressions strange, struggling to hold back whatever emotion.

"How wonderful……"

The Eight Trigrams' hearts throb; those watching the fun have no objection to a big affair.

……

"What a pity."

In the flowing ages, a towering figure gradually emerged.

He sat alone on the dais, an ancient zither placed before him, sounding without wind, playing an eternal immortal melody.

This is Xihuang.

He appeared amidst the gaze of all and the trembling hearts of the gods.

Having lurked for most of the post-witch-demon era, he finally appeared on the eve of the Heavenly Court's collapse.

"In the mountain, without tigers, monkeys call themselves kings."

"Hongjun lies dormant, the Dragon Ancestor is sealed, Di Jun seeks quick success…… Otherwise, how could Houtu's imitation axe be so rampant, needing me to handle it personally?"

"Is this also in your calculations…… Houtu, little Nüwa!"

Xihuang appeared, yet he regarded no one, possessing an invincible aura that faced all.

He regarded the many ancestral witches and human kings who attacked the Heavenly Court as non-existent, merely talking to himself, engaging in a void dialogue with the absent Nüwa.

In conversation, he casually tossed out black pots one after another, as if it were truly the case.

"In the past, you deliberately let Hongjun frame you, bearing reincarnation in your body, but you feigned ignorance and disguise, solely to scheme against Feilian, Yingzhao, and Bifang."

"Although it seemed like slaughter, it actually concealed a secret mechanism, letting them escape by borrowing death, plotting for the future."

"Later on, you had long foreseen that my contest with the human way would inevitably change the ages, so you laid in advance the Everlasting Soil and the remnants of the forged Opening Heaven Axe……"

"No…… not just that!"

Xihuang murmured, 'There is a little Responding Dragon who once served as your charioteer…… what merit and ability does she have?'

"Only not long ago did I understand."

"You have long been eyeing the position beneath the old dragon's tail."

"You buried this piece silently, merely to go with the flow and substitute the peach for the plum."

"This iron-headed blue beast has toiled for years, yet all its efforts were merely a wedding dress for you."

"The Dragon Master has fallen and risen again; upon its reappearance, it already bore your mark."

"Furthermore, under the orders of Wenming, they slaughtered Chonghua, revived the dead, slew Kui Niu and Wuzhi Qi, thus establishing victory."

"Finally, they killed their way into the void, fought through the ages, winning by overwhelming the few with the many, the strong over the weak……"

"Such ability to turn clouds into rain and rain into clouds…… truly impressive skill!"

Xihuang seemed to sigh and praise, unable to restrain his emotions.

Before the gods, he gave Nüwa an era summary.

What a miraculous life—simply the greatest schemer of this age!

From Xihuang's mouth, the gods learned Nüwa's true face—her mind as deep as the sea, unfathomable.

"Creak…… creak……"

In the cycle of the underworld, Houtu barely broke free from her past oath bonds, now puffing her cheeks, grinding her teeth, eyes fierce.

"—Her reputation has been terribly smeared!"

"—How will she manage to get by in the future?"

Houtu narrowed her eyes, coldly smiling.

"—She wants to rush out!"

"—Expose the truth!"

"—Nonsense!"

"—You're just talking nonsense!"

"—The matter of the Responding Dragon is purely coincidental; I don't even know how I got here."

"—Feilian is indeed someone I raised, but Yingzhao and Bifang are not under my command!"

"—Kui Niu? I wanted him dead, but I never imagined he'd be besieged to death!"

"—As for Wenming's attack on Chonghua and the Opening Mountain Axe…… that has nothing to do with me! It's Fuxi's doing!"

However, she suddenly turned her anger into joy.

"Compared to my past performance, you're even better…… this level hasn't lowered our family's average intelligence."

"It reassures me, worthy of praise."

Xihuang said thus, 'I admit, you indeed have the potential to surpass me.'

These words, spoken in public, the gods' thoughts are hard to say, but Houtu……

She suddenly felt……

Despite those genuine and false achievements, even if half of them are black pots, she seems able to accept them after all!

"I am certainly not doing this just to win that breath, needing everyone's approval; I have completely surpassed Fuxi in intellect and martial prowess……"

She convinced herself, 'I am merely considering the greater good of humanity; I don't want to fail at the last step before victory……'

"Exactly! That's it!"

"Anyway, as long as I make it clear, I definitely have to surpass Fuxi!"

"Whether the black pot is black or not…… it's completely unimportant!"

"Once I become Pangu! Once I crush Fuxi! These trivial details, not important at all!"

"She hypnotized herself like this, took responsibility for these black pots, offered no rebuttal, causing the gods to be astonished."

"——Nüwa is awesome!"

"——What a formidable Empress Wa!"

"——Scheming and plotting, first move harmed five Yao Marshals, destroyed the Heavenly Court's plans in the Eastern Barbarians, toppled Zhonghua's rule, and casually absorbed the Dragon Masters……"

"——In the end, the human Dragon Masters, Bird Masters, and Fire Masters were all under control, they marched on the Heavenly Court and ended the Demon Race's rule!"

"What a legend!"

"It made even Xihuang unable to stand by, appearing when she was near victory to carry out interception."

"He was worried!"

"He was panicking!"

"This is the feeling of the ancient god sages."

"——Fuxi fears Nüwa's wisdom!"

"Thus, he had no choice but to appear, invoking the power of the Human Dao, blocking the gleam of the Opening Mountain Divine Axe."

"He was afraid!"

"Afraid that after Nüwa's victory, she would overthrow him, this corrupt familial imperial ruler!"

"The gods had such an insight."

"This also seems like a matter of course."

"After all……"

"Reviewing Nüwa's "performance," that series of spark-and-lightning actions was truly too terrifying!"

"It can be said that with one's own power she reversed the heavens' decline, playing the Heavenly Court in the palm of her hand!"

"\"What a pity……\""

"Xihuang changed the tone of his speech, "I'm here.""

"He brushed over the strings, letting the celestial sounds cease, all noises suddenly silent, the universe utterly still."

"\"Houtu, you don't want to challenge me, do you? \""

"\"Good! \""

"\"Then I will come out and accept your challenge. \""

"\"Display the past glory, shatter the glory you forged. \""

"\"Take a look, can the Wu civilization you personally built surpass the Heavenly Court I oversee? \""

"Xihuang uttered the Dao sound, the eight wastes trembled, the starry sky resonated together."

"In an instant, he took from the Eastern Emperor the authority of the Heavenly Court, aided by the temporarily crafted River Chart and Luo Book, turning the vicissitudes of all phenomena, to crush every obstacle."

"Whether human king or ancestral witch, at this moment they all felt immense pressure."

"A splendid radiance of an old era descended, contending with the power of the new era's transformation, testing the new era's peoples—compared to us, have you truly achieved generation after generation of greater strength!"

"Unable……"

"Then, what do you rely on to replace us, to drive the change of ages?!"

"This is a stern question that neither the Heavenly Emperor Jun nor the Dao Ancestor Hongjun could utter."

"Because they are merely inheritors."

"From the past they found a remnant of a splendid civilization, barely digested and put forth, even a restorer ruler would hardly count as such, merely seeing it as a tool, a tool to operate the age and govern Honghuang."

"In this regard, they are even inferior to the Eastern Emperor…… because he, from the heart, feels remorse for the past's splendor, genuinely wishing to continue that era's beauty."

"Unrelated to interests, unrelated to factions, merely appreciation, hoping to re‑manifest this beauty of civilization, this beauty of the Human Dao."

"This is quite rare."

"Therefore, he can resonate with this civilization's creator——August Emperor, sharing a kind of resonance, a synchrony of worldviews."

"Perhaps Taiyi can wield the Chaos Bell, and there is reason for that."

"But the Eastern Emperor is still immature, his growth insufficient."

"His Dao cultivation is deep enough, yet he still cannot comprehend the height of August Emperor."

"Otherwise, today for the Wu Clan and for humanity, the one who would descend the calamity of Dao attainment would be him."

"Yes."

"Dao attainment calamity."

"If humanity wishes to contend for the primacy of heaven and earth, how could there be no calamity?"

"Defeating the Heavenly Court and suppressing the Demon Race is merely the external calamity."

"Besides the external calamity, there is also the internal calamity!"

"Just like proving the Dao to the Great Luo, aside from external risks, there is also perseverance of the heart!"

"Or rather, this is precisely what the special existence of 'humanity' ought to encounter in its calamity when proving the Dao to the Great Luo!"

"Humanity…… by what means does it lead the myriad tribes?"

"It…… has it surpassed the splendid civilization of the previous era?"

"(End of chapter)"