Chapter 91

Mayflies flicker, tenaciously surviving in the Suiyue Changhe.

They bear the departed past, pursuing the newborn future.

Even if the former body has died, as long as the spirit and memory can one day be passed down, it is already another kind of immortality!

Although this path is not smooth, full of rugged obstacles…… As a member of the countless defeated, one must crush countless rivals, devour each other to grow, seize the civilizational sediment others bear, and use it to perfect and elevate one's own essence, only then can one withstand the trial of the ages and welcome rebirth.

In the Suiyue Changhe, transforming into a kun, into a dragon…… step by step, each is extremely arduous.

But, one must have a dream.

After all, that supreme being has not abandoned rescuing those who have already fallen.

Pangu possesses great love.

He opened up Honghuang, established what seemed a cold, rigid, emotionless cosmic order, yet still left this spark of hope in the Shijian Changhe.

Although the original life has ceased breathing, civilization buried…… yet as long as someone can remember, bear, and carry it through… in spirit, it still lives, continues!

Such a sliver of life remains, the ages remember, not abandoning rescue…… then what right do the mayflies dwelling in the Suiyue Changhe have to not pursue that glimmer of hope?

"'They are still like this, having fallen into the depths of death, yet still striving…' Fengxi's eyes deep, gazing at the river, 'My conditions are tens of millions times better than theirs—what right do I have to relent?'"

"'Moreover, leaving the Wu Clan's place where many Supreme Emperor Trumpets gather, the most dangerous shackles are undone…… perfect for me to fully unleash my fists!'"

Thinking thus, Fengxi's lips curled slightly, as if seeing a beautiful future.

At his side, Mu watched him, eyebrows slightly raised, 'You seem rather happy now?'

"'Can you tell me what you're happy about?'"

"'Happy? Naturally because……' Fengxi blinked, quite honest, 'Among the Wu Clan, geniuses by the hundred million, troublemakers in droves…… a veritable dragon's pool and tiger's den.'"

"'I can break out—what reason is there not to be happy?'"

Mu was speechless.

After all, he is a great shaman, a Supreme Emperor, naturally not feeling how dreadful the Wu Clan's atmosphere is.

Even his trumpet cultivated within the Wu Clan often walks a path of abuse…… yet to say he feels fear? There is none.

On the contrary, sometimes he feels stimulated—being able to contend on another stage with so many big shots, how joyful a thing that is!

Their mindsets are worlds apart.

Fundamentally, it's because Mu possesses his own strength, has the courage to bear and endure hardship, and can afford to lose.

To Mu, the existence of trumpets is a series of investments that harm neither root nor foundation; even plucking a leg from his true form would outweigh the combined value of a hundred eighty trumpets.

But to Fengxi, his life is a single thread, capital scraped together by selling all he owns; lose it and it's gone!

Fengxi's mindset, Mu could not grasp at once.

However, after a little perspective-taking and reasoning, he suddenly understood, shaking his head with a wry smile, 'Ah, that's how it is.'

"'You don't see the Wu Clan as a warm harbor, but rather as a volcano about to erupt?'"

"'Naive child…… do you think the outside world is as beautiful as you imagine?'"

"'You don't get it!' Mu sighed lightly, 'Indeed, describing the Wu Clan as a dragon's pool and tiger's den is spot on…… yet behind all this, the ancestral shamans still hold sway.'"

"'Some statistics are terrifying, yet overall it remains harmonious…… even if someone wants to kill you, they must fabricate coincidence after coincidence, stage a locked-room murder, making you 'commit suicide'."

"'Yet outside the Wu Clan?'"

Mu's lips curled with a smile that was hard to tell whether teasing or mocking, 'You'll often get to witness the might of a Supreme Emperor if you can't speak.'

"'By then, you must take it easy…… don't let yourself be killed by the aftermath.'"

"'How? You don't believe my words?' He looked at Fengxi's doubtful eyes and smirked, 'No matter—if you don't believe, at our current speed, in less than a day you'll be fortunate enough to witness it once.'"

This great shaman slightly turned his head, gazing toward a direction.

Where his gaze reached, the void illusory faded, the ages turned to smoke; nothing could block his sight!

He seemed to see distant events unfolding and performing, speaking words of a prophetic nature.

Fengxi followed that direction with his gaze, but what was helpless and disheartening…… he saw nothing.

"'Even if you have an innate spirit treasure on you, you're still far too distant from a Supreme Emperor.' Mu shook his head, 'No need to strain—you simply can't see it.'"

Fengxi could only give up.

"'To speak of it shamefully, I truly haven't listened in detail to the views of you lowly ones……' Mu said wistfully, 'Especially someone like you, a special minor shaman, understands much……'"

"'What are your feelings toward the human Wu Clan?'"

"'Feelings?' Fengxi pondered, 'How to put it…… it should be……'"

"'Chaos!' he clapped his palm, 'Exactly, it's chaos!'"

"'On the surface, heaven's proud rise……' Fengxi sighed, 'One after another leaping joyfully, this one tossed about, that one tossed about……'"

"However, as I understand, many here are actually pawns of the external Supreme Emperor, which is why they display such excellence…… Though I also know this is a necessary compromise in the war against the Demon Race, so the ancestral shamans grant present authority and future income to win over and unite every force that can be united."

"'For the conduct of these pawns, most of the time we turn a blind eye.'"

"'But now, my feeling is…… just too chaotic! A murky mess!'"

"'Moreover…… such a coalition formed by interest, does it lack sufficient centripetal force, cohesion?' Fengxi worried, 'For example, at a life-and-death juncture, the most perilous moment, will the Supreme Emperor truly fight to the death for humanity?'"

"'Are future profit gains greater than one's own life and death?'"

Fengxi's worry is not without reason.

Money gone, can be earned again.

Many Supreme Emperors now appear to enjoy investing in the human Wu Clan, opening trumpets with great delight, the myriad avatars combined, their momentum staggeringly immense.

But would they, for a temporary investment loss, spare nothing and wager their lives in war?

Supreme Emperor, possessing eternal life, inconceivable divine abilities, the mandate to govern Honghuang…… how could they, over a momentary gain or loss, go red-eyed and slaughter, forsaking life and forgetting death?

In Fengxi's view, not only does the Wu Clan have this problem, the Demon Race does as well, perhaps even more severely!

Like Xihuang, Nühuang, Di Jun, Báizé…… though they hold posts in the Demon Race, their true origins are not of the Demon Race!

They are innate divinities!

The origin, before the Honghuang world was fully opened, had enjoyed the blessings left by the great god Pangu, and naturally possessed the world's mandate!

Compared to those postnatally born, moisture-born, egg-born spirits, they are fundamentally not of the same kind.

So these ancient great gods, even if they hold office among the Demon Race, to claim they would fight to the death for it, loyal and unwavering… is not very realistic.

Otherwise, there would be no legends such as the human emperor Fuxi, the holy mother Nüwa, the human king Emperor Ku, the auspicious beast Báizé, etc.

But, is this the end?

If the Supreme Emperor of the Great Luo and the innate gods' stance is not on the side of the Demon Race, does that necessarily mean they will wholeheartedly stand on the side of humanity?

Fengxi was very confused.

"So," Mu smiled at him, "Are you worried about the future of humanity?"

"Are you still afraid… that such a faction gathered for interests will eventually become corrupt?"

Mu's tone was gloomy, helping Fengxi voice what he hadn't said aloud: "Besides the scattering of monkeys when a tree falls in defeat, there are also the problems that may arise after victory—will the Great Luo investors chasing profits greedily exploit humanity, this 'protagonist of heaven and earth,' raising them like livestock to harvest their fortune?"

"Are you worried about these things?"

Mu asked with a smile, Fengxi's face turned a little pale, and finally nodded, "Yes."

"The core of all this is actually asking—are there any Great Luo truly loyal to humanity? Or are there any Great Luo who attained the Dao from human origin?" Mu looked toward the River of Time, "In other words, does humanity itself have the power to guarantee its will remains pure, not interfered by external forces?"

"If so, we can clarify the relationship with the investment partners, each taking what they need and growing together."

"If not… the Great Luo investors, who today could lift humanity as the 'protagonist of heaven and earth,' tomorrow might lift a 'three-eyed race' that is like humans except with an extra eye, with the same reproduction and thinking abilities; the day after tomorrow they might even chant 'the rise of the divine race'…"

Mu spoke more freely than Fengxi could, casually laying everything out.

Fengxi could only nod, and nod again.

"Actually, things might not be as bad as you imagine." Mu's tone became somewhat ethereal, "The methods of the Great Luo are even more unimaginable and illogical than you imagine."

"Reversing cause and effect, twisting history, the past arising from the future, one proof leads to eternal proof, one establishment leads to eternal establishment…"

Mu, at this moment, seemed to speak from another dimension, crossing the boundless spacetime barrier, somewhat distorted and out of tune, "Now the active innate gods—who knows how many of them are future humans who have attained the Dao as Great Luo, having arrived at the time when Pangu opened heaven, to lay their own foundations?"

"You only think of this, but now among the Wu Clan there is a murky, corrupt atmosphere, with each ancient Great Luo madly inserting trumpets, various left-and-right ideologies…"

"But why not think… perhaps, many people's innate god status is actually the trumpet, and their current actions are to safeguard the rise of the tuba?"

Mu extended one palm flat, catching a splash of spray that had flown onto the warship, "Such a Great Luo, not revealing their identity now, may simply be waiting for a suitable moment."

"Moreover, changing their roots, hiding behind enemy lines… all for the day they can sing a hymn of loyalty!"

"Really?" Fengxi listened, stunned repeatedly.

"Who knows? Who dares to say it's impossible?" Mu's voice faded, "Just my personal speculation."

"Some stunning human heroes… for example, the left historian of the Yellow Emperor, called Cangjie, who made great contributions to writing, should be called the Emperor of Characters, the Ancestor of Characters, more fitting."

"But his title is actually the Historiarch."

"This reminds me of an old friend, who also loves writing history…… that divine person is excellent, very upright, writes with integrity, of noble character, letting me admire them."

(End of chapter)