Chapter 86: with translation of title

Houtu

At this very moment, this situation and scene fully reveal the profound and far-reaching schemes of Lord Houtu, and the myriad considerations of the Wise Man.

Unfortunately, she lacks a feather fan in her hand, so she cannot show off that kind of pretentious aura—in the midst of conversation and laughter, all the conspiratorial black hands will fall into my trap, waiting only for the moment to arrive, then I will reduce him to ashes and smoke!

Year after year she lay low, feigning stupidity before the enemy, pretending to be foolish and honest; in the end she let far too many people look down on her, truly believing she could be deceived and fooled however one wished.

Five Direction Heavenly Emperors

——I laugh at Nüwa's clumsy schemes, Houtu's short-sighted wisdom; under today's heaven, who do the heroes belong to? It must be I, the Azure and Yellow Emperors!

Green Emperor

Huangdi

the Wu Clan

Honghuang

"Do you think you can covertly steal my command over the Wu Clan, and after sweeping through all the myriad races of Honghuang, claim the certain victory fruit of the human race as the protagonist of heaven and earth?"

"Then don't blame me for making your Azure and Yellow disconnected, breaking the board in the middle!"

Houtu stood with arms akimbo, feeling pleased for a while.

the Demon Race

"What's wrong?" Houtu reacted, asking concernedly, "You seem to have a doubt."

"There is a little." Xuan Ming nodded, looking at Houtu's expression, speaking cautiously, "What if… I say what if!"

"What if… if the Azure Emperor and the Yellow Emperor don't join forces? This time, Fuxi is sincerely giving you advice?" Xuan Ming glanced at her, "Or perhaps, this one is not standing from the human race Azure Emperor's stance, but choosing the Demon Race Xihuang's stance, purely to cause trouble within the Wu Clan, to sow discord between the human emperor and the ancestral Wu."

Human King

Demon Emperor Di Jun

Purple Cloud Palace

the Heavenly Court

"The existence of the Demon Race is in accordance with the law of heaven and earth, engraving the order of the strong preying on the weak, the hierarchy of tribes, and the food chain network into an iron rule… This appears to be under the control of the four sovereigns of the Demon Court, but behind it is Hongjun silently permitting!"

"The biggest share of the benefits, Hongjun takes the biggest share—forty percent!"

"After deducting forty percent, the Demon Race's four sovereigns split the remaining sixty percent… each takes one tenth, and the final twenty percent is then distributed further."

"Moreover, considering the nature of the Demon Race, for the ultimate alliance of Honghuang's myriad races… this component is too many and too mixed; how could the tribute of fortune dividends have no loss? Not only is there loss, but the loss is not small, estimated at least thirty or forty percent!"

Innate Spirit Treasure

This is probably even beyond an omniscient and omnipotent Great Luo, unable to give a definite figure.

Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root

Demon God Great Luo

Demon Court

Four Emperors of the Demon Race

The Demon God Great Luo in charge of these aspects is already not far from madness.

This is also why, although the Wu Clan has already established itself for a not‑short time, the Demon Race's Demon Court still does not know where it is—even though the Demon Emperor Di Jun has already gone to the Purple Cloud Palace to report to Hongjun the establishment of the Heavenly Court, the gate of the Southern Heaven Gate is now a complete mess wherever it stands.

"Humans are different!" Houtu counted on her fingers, she could calculate clearly, "Within the human race, the subgroups are purer, so losses are reduced to the minimum."

"Moreover, humans have the speed and foundation of enlightenment, the outlook is favorable for growth…… Back and forth, this is enough to stir interest, allowing top-tier great powers to consider increasing their holdings."

"Especially the highest positions!"

"The humans' proper sacrifices—the Five Direction Heavenly Emperors!" Houtu pursed her lips, "I estimate each person gets at least a ten percent share of the human race's fortune dividend…… If we also count the other Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors positions, plus the human king's bonus……"

"I was thinking, the mental effort Fuxi puts into this account of the Qing Emperor could be no less than that of Xihuang."

"It's not a matter of loyalty or not."

"But rather, what kind of existence is Fuxi?"

"Innate divine! Supreme Emperor!"

"This is the investor!"

"It's the Party A boss!"

"Simply because he invests in a side, his stance is locked to that side…… This is quite absurd."

"Why can't they just take everything?"

"——'I want Xihuang's dividend, I also want the Qing Emperor's profit!'"

"'I, Fuxi, am just that overbearing!'"

"'Of course, considering the Qing Emperor's account earns more, so it's appropriate to increase investment in the human race a bit, right?'"

"……"

"Houtu spoke with a definite, certain tone, 'Based on firsthand information from Nüwa, this guy Fuxi is actually sly and wicked……'"

"Because of his humble origins, he currently doesn't even have a single innate spiritual treasure, and even the only Fuxi Qin he has was made only after he ruthlessly damaged the supreme innate spiritual root—the wutong tree."

"——Fuxi, seeing the phoenixes gather on the wutong, took its form, 'cutting the wutong' to make the qin."

"He doesn't consider at all how the big and small phoenixes will later gather on the wutong."

"Open and close his eyes—home is gone!"

"Precisely because of his poverty, he severely drags down the wealth average of top-tier great powers, and is even compared by his sister Nüwa as utterly worthless…… Now he's already started digging into the money eye."

"So I'm seventy to eighty percent sure that Fuxi will increase his layout in the human race, awaiting future returns…… Therefore, his collusion with the Huangdi isn't too strange."

"But……" Xuanming frowned, "Who is the Huangdi now? Even you, Elder Sister Houtu, the supreme being most versed in true spirit research and capable of opening the cycle of reincarnation, are completely at a loss, and how the Qing Emperor was contacted and then allied with him is also unclear."

"As you said, the Huangdi is terrifying beyond compare, not leaving even a hint of a backup; to rise from mediocrity to the peak from a spotless, nothing-at-all background, no incarnation could be…… Only after awaiting the final pinnacle achievement, sweeping away all enemies in one go, then reversing cause and effect in one fell swoop, leaving not a trace beforehand." Xuanming's mouth twitched, "This is practically laying bare one's most fatal weakness all along the way!"

"If someone were to strike him down when he's weak, there would be not even a shred of strength to fight back…… This simultaneously reflects in the reversal of cause and effect, meaning he would be undone himself, the Supreme Emperor lost me!"

"Would the Huangdi really do that? Among the boundless Wu Clan, letting a pure-bodied individual rise, experiencing countless hardships and obstacles along the way…… What are the odds of not losing me?" Xuanming let out a long breath, "So slim as to be almost none…… Moreover, having to lurk beside Elder Sister Houtu, growing under her very eyes."

"A dreamlike scene..." Xuanming shook his head. "A pure body capable of attaining Great Luo is already terrifying—how many Great Luo could exist in the primordial ages? Not to mention needing to keep growing."

"A dreamlike scene..." Xuanming shook his head. "A pure body capable of attaining Great Luo is already terrifying—how many Great Luo could exist in the primordial ages? Not to mention needing to keep growing."

We'll produce something like:

"「A dreamlike scene……」 Xuan Ming shook his head, 「A pure body, being able to prove Da Luo is already terrifying——how many Da Luo could there be in the vast ages of Honghuang? Not to mention needing to continue growing? 」"

But we need to keep the Chinese quotation marks? The source uses 「」 which are Chinese quotation marks. In English translation we should replace with English quotes? The instruction: "Render onomatopoeia / sound effects as English sound words, never delete them." It doesn't specify to keep Chinese quotation marks. Usually we translate the quotes to English quotes. We'll use English double quotes.

Thus we output:

【61】 "A dreamlike scene……" Xuan Ming shook his head, "A pure body, being able to prove Da Luo is already terrifying——how many Da Luo could there be in the vast ages of Honghuang? Not to mention needing to continue growing?"

But we need to preserve the ellipsis exactly as in Chinese: "……" is two dots? Actually Chinese uses two dots for ellipsis? They used 「……」 which is two dots? In Chinese, ellipsis is usually six dots but they used two? Actually they used two fullwidth periods? The source shows 「……」 which is two dots? Might be a typographic ellipsis. We'll keep as "……". In English we can use "…". But we need to keep exactly? The instruction: "Render onomatopoeia / sound effects as English sound words, never delete them." For ellipsis not specified. We'll just use "…". But to be safe, we can keep the same number of dots: "……". However English typical ellipsis is three dots. We'll use "…". I think it's fine.

We'll output:

【61】 "A dreamlike scene…" Xuan Ming shook his head, "A pure body, being able to prove Da Luo is already terrifying——how many Da Luo could there be in the vast ages of Honghuang? Not to mention needing to continue growing?"

Now check punctuation: we have em dash —— we can keep as — or --? We'll keep as — (em dash). Use —.

Now line 【62】:

"From an ordinary Great Luo to a supreme being, capable of overpowering Houtu, sister, the strongest of the ancestral witches, and even manipulating countless Human Kings, becoming the source of the ancestral line, their forefather!"

Translate:

"From ordinary Da Luo to Supreme Being, being able to overwhelm Houtu, sister, you the strongest among the ancestral witches, and also be able to toy with a great many human kings, becoming the origin of the ancestral lineage, to be their forefather!"

But we need to keep the quotes.

We'll produce:

【62】 "From ordinary Da Luo to Supreme Being, being able to overwhelm Houtu, sister, you the strongest among the ancestral witches, and also be able to toy with a great many human kings, becoming the origin of the ancestral lineage, to be their forefather!"

Houtu, sister, you the strongest among the ancestral witches

Now 【63】:

Can he really live to see that day?

Translate: "Can he really live to see that day?"

We'll output:

【63】 "Can he really live to see that day?"

:

"All Great Luo aren't blind... I'm afraid that as soon as he shows a hint of that, he'll be directly executed and lose himself!"

Translate: "All Da Luo have eyes that aren't blind……fearing he just showed a hint of that, he would be directly eliminated, losing himself!"

But we need to keep the ellipsis.

We'll output:

【64】 "All Da Luo have eyes that aren't blind… Fearing he just showed a hint of that, he would be directly eliminated, losing himself!"

directly be eliminated, losing himself!

Now 【65】:

Even if we ancestral witches don't intervene, the demon race won't stand by, and Hongjun certainly won't either!

Translate: "Even if we ancestral witches don't act, the demon race won't stand by, and Hongjun certainly won't either!"

We'll output:

【65】 "Even if we ancestral witches don't act, the demon race won't stand by, and Hongjun certainly won't either!"

:

Xuanming doubts Houtu's inference.

Translate: "Xuan Ming doubted Houtu's inference."

We'll output:

【66】 "Xuan Ming doubted Houtu's inference."

:

She deeply believes that, no matter how stunning and unparalleled the Yellow Emperor may be, this era does not allow him to shine.

Translate: "She deeply believed that, no matter how stunningly brilliant Huangdi might be……this era would not allow him to blossom in glory."

We'll output:

【67】 "She deeply believed that, no matter how stunningly brilliant Huangdi might be… this era would not allow him to blossom in glory."

:

Because, there is no suitable stage!

Translate: "Because, there is no suitable stage!"

We'll output:

【68】 "Because, there is no suitable stage!"

:

The ancient innate divinities have become the world's top chess masters, each having lived through countless ages, their eyelashes empty—what grand scene have they not witnessed?

Translate: "The ancient primordial divine sages became the peak chess players of this world, having lived through endless ages, their eyelashes empty—what grand scene have they not seen?"

We'll output:

【69】 "The ancient primordial divine sages became the peak chess players of this world, having lived through endless ages, their eyelashes empty—what grand scene have they not seen?"

:

A newcomer, in such an environment, really finds it hard to stand out.

Translate: "A novice, in such an environmental background, really finds it hard to stand out."

We'll output:

【70】 "A novice, in such an environmental background, really finds it hard to stand out."

:

Nobody is stupid.

Translate: "Everyone is not stupid."

We'll output:

【71】 "Everyone is not stupid."

:

"Yellow Emperor, if you had been born when the primordial world first opened, when the innate divinities arose together, and when the cultivation civilization just began to sprout, Houtu sister, your speculation like that, I would accept—it would surely bring great deeds, ascending to heaven as emperor, commanding the primordial world."

Translate: "Huangdi, if he were born when Honghuang first opened, the primordial divine sages arose together, and cultivation civilization just began to sprout, Houtu, sister, your speculation—I would agree……it would surely bring great deeds, ascending to heaven to become emperor, commanding Honghuang."

We'll output:

【72】 "Huangdi, if he were born when Honghuang first opened, the primordial divine sages arose together, and cultivation civilization just began to sprout, Houtu, sister, your speculation—I would agree… it would surely bring great deeds, ascending to heaven to become emperor, commanding Honghuang."

:

"Unfortunately... born at the wrong time."

Translate: "What a pity……born at the wrong time."

We'll output:

【73】 "What a pity… born at the wrong time."

:

Xuanming feels sorry for the Yellow Emperor.

Translate: "Xuan Ming felt pity for Huangdi."

We'll output:

【74】 "Xuan Ming felt pity for Huangdi."

:

Lacking the space and resources to rise—because they've all been monopolized by people.

Translate: "Lacking space and resources to rise——because they've all been stared down to death."

We'll output:

【75】 "Lacking space and resources to rise—because they've all been stared down to death."

:

"How could the Yellow Emperor possibly conceal his actions and obtain such enormous resources and support, growing to the point of surpassing Houtu's ability?"

Translate: "How could Huangdi possibly hide the sky and cross the sea, obtain such enormous provisions and aid, and grow to the point of overwhelming Houtu's ability?"

We'll output:

【76】 "How could Huangdi possibly hide the sky and cross the sea, obtain such enormous provisions and aid, and grow to the point of overwhelming Houtu's ability?"

:

If such an opportunity truly existed, how could it fall to him?

Translate: "If such an opportunity truly existed, how could it fall to him?"

We'll output:

【77】 "If such an opportunity truly existed, how could it fall to him?"

:

It was already taken away!

Translate: "It was already taken away!"

We'll output:

【78】 "It was already taken away!"

:

"Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, merit and fortune—those with virtue dwell there."

Translate: "Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, merit and qi luck— the virtuous dwell therein."

We'll output:

【79】 "Heavenly materials and earthly treasures, merit and qi luck— the virtuous dwell therein."

:

Under heaven, is there anyone more virtuous than the administrator?

Translate: "Under heaven, is there anyone more virtuous than an administrator?"

We'll output:

【80】 "Under heaven, is there anyone more virtuous than an administrator?"

:

"What you say is correct."

Translate: "You're not wrong."

We'll output:

【81】 "You're not wrong."

:

Houtu nods in agreement, "At first, I also thought the same as you, believing this was utterly impossible."

Translate: "Houtu nodded in agreement, "At first, I also thought the same as you, believing this was absolutely impossible.""

We'll output:

【82】 "Houtu nodded in agreement, "At first, I also thought the same as you, believing this was absolutely impossible.""

:

"So, at that time I never even thought of secretly allying with the Green Emperor and the Yellow Emperor."

Translate: "So, at that time I never even thought of secretly allying with Qingdi and Huangdi."

We'll output:

【83】 "So, at that time I never even thought of secretly allying with Qingdi and Huangdi."

:

"Until one day I met Tiānwú, chatted with him, a spark of inspiration struck, I reassessed the situation, and only then discovered a blind spot in my view."

Translate: "Until one day I met Tiānwú, chatted with him, a spark of inspiration stirred, I reassessed the situation, and only then did I discover a blind spot in my view."

We'll output:

【84】 "Until one day I met Tiānwú, chatted with him, a spark of inspiration stirred, I reassessed the situation, and only then did I discover a blind spot in my view."

Tiānwú? Oh, it's him……" Xuanming felt interested, "What did he say?"

"He mentioned Hongjun's origins to me." Houtu's eyes narrowed slightly, "It's precisely because of this that I have a completely new speculation about Huangdi's origins."

"What qualifies Hongjun to be called Daozu by us? What right does he have to execute the Heavenly Dao? Why can he wield the Jade Disc of Creation? Why can he unite his body with the Heavenly Dao?" Houtu sighed lightly, "Because he is the Heavenly Dao of the Honghuang universe, born with sentience, taking form!"

"The Heavenly Dao is the highest server that manages and governs the operation of the rules of the Honghuang universe; it can check what heaven and earth need, maintain a certain degree of balance, and autonomously seek out and destroy loophole viruses…"

"And Hongjun is this Heavenly Dao that has attained sentience!"

"Heavenly Dao Essence—Hongjun!"

"Therefore, he can be called Daozu, and no one can refute it."

"Therefore, his executing the Heavenly Dao on behalf of heaven is truly deserved."

"Therefore, he can unite his body with the Heavenly Dao—this is simply returning home!"

"If Pangu does not appear, Hongjun's authority is the greatest; he is the dog-like ruler we want to overthrow." Houtu gritted her teeth, "If the Heavenly Dao were not sentient, merely a mechanical servant to us Great Luo, how wonderful that would be!"

"Yet it gave rise to self-consciousness, shouting 'Heavenly Authority' and 'The Heavenly Dao will rise up,' running amok over our heads—how absurd!"

"You, a mere Heavenly Dao intelligence, why don't you honestly accept our domination and oppression?"

"You suffer alone while everyone else enjoys happiness!" Houtu felt anguished—this unknown amount of resentment she had accumulated toward Hongjun, after all, was adding obstacles to her endeavors.

"Xuanming remained silent."

"Houtu can talk back to Hongjun, but she cannot."

"Her fists are too small; she can't beat him, there's nothing she can do."

"Fortunately, Houtu didn't dwell on this topic too long; she shifted the conversation: 'These days, even the Heavenly Dao of the Honghuang universe can become a sentient essence, giving rise to Hongjun.'"

"Then, if the human race's fortune also becomes a sentient essence, achieving the strongest human sage-emperor, what's so strange about that?"

"Houtu sighed."

"The Honghuang realm is vast, so nothing is strange."

"In this world, anything is possible!"

"When I consider this possibility and extrapolate…… I find that every problem can be explained." Houtu remarked, "Beyond everyone's expectations, yet everything is perfectly reasonable."

"Xuanming listened quietly."

"The Wu Clan's fortune is the same as the human race's fortune…… so, does Huangdi need to scheme and seek cultivation resources?" Houtu chatted leisurely, "No need!"

"Our ancestor Wu, toiling tirelessly for the Wu Clan…… the process of the Wu Clan's growth is essentially Huangdi's cultivation!"

"If one day the Wu Clan defeats the Demon Race and humanity becomes the protagonist of heaven and earth…… hehe!"

"When the Heavenly Dao becomes a sentient essence and achieves Hongjun, from birth he is a peak existence…… aside from Pangu, no one in single combat can surpass him!"

"And humanity…… when it takes its rightful place as the protagonist of heaven and earth, such vast fortune surpassing past, present, and future, taking form……" Houtu had more to say, but it made Xuanming shudder, his face drastically changing.

"I think catching up to Hongjun is not at all strange."

"Beating a group of great divine-ability users and making them call you father and ancestors…… is it hard? Not at all!"

"Moreover, this can also explain another issue." Houtu pinched her brow, "The so-called 'loss of self' problem."

"What is the fundamental source of the human race's fortune?"

"Actually, it is every living being that belongs to the human race!"

"In other words, every pure-blooded, upright little Wu of the Wu Clan right now can be considered its incarnation!"

"This might be the existence least worried about losing oneself…… because it doesn't care who it is!"

"When the proper time comes, it will select the most outstanding, excellent one among them and bestow power…… there's no need to worry about being cut off midway!"

Because they're all backups…… if this one dies, we can just replace it with another, picking the best from the rankings.

Impossible to defend against!

This is the most stunning and brilliant part of the Qing Emperor and Huangdi's colluded layout. Houtu exclaimed, heartfelt convinced, "If I can't see through this, no matter what I'll fall into the trap."

Ignoring Huangdi, he directly succeeded in stealing a chicken, and by playing it safe became a big winner.

If I had listened to him and followed his plan, supporting a 'fake Huangdi' to become the real Huangdi……

Hehe…… when the time comes, the fake is essentially real, letting me lift a stone only to smash my own foot!

Qing Emperor…… what a ruthless scheme! Houtu clenched his fist, "He doesn't care who I pick at all; he just wants me to choose and support a pure little witch, to pull a 'dark under the lamp' trick!"

One strategy, Absolute Kill—pit and kill Houtu!

Fortunately, I have discerned Huangdi's possible background, and thus I know of the alliance between Qing Emperor and Huangdi. Houtu sneered, "Fuxi cultivates the Way of Change, forms the Eight Trigrams, and deduces the Heavenly Secret……"

His mastery of the Heavenly Secret is unmatched in the world…… and those who cultivate the Heavenly Secret are best at sensing qi fortune!

Heavenly Secret and qi fortune are originally two aspects of one entity, interconnected like branches of the same tree!

The Qing Emperor and Huangdi cooperating is as natural as water flowing into a channel!

(End of chapter)