Chapter 148: Heavenly Dao Saint?

Yang Mei's arrival made everyone extremely excited; after all, everyone had been greatly influenced by him, and all along his impression on everyone was like that of an elder, constantly imparting his experience to everyone.

Yang Mei originally wanted to join the gathering, but seeing everyone in a drunken haze, he only had a few casual drinks before finding a guest room to rest alone.

Yang Mei noticed the changes in everyone, whether in cultivation or fortune, especially when seeing Di Jun, whose noble aura felt even stronger.

"It seems they have all embarked on their own paths; after the calamity, I can also set out for Chaos to seek the Dao with peace of mind—this is a great blessing!"

Although Yang Mei had been turned away at the gate when he first arrived at Cloud Dream Marsh, he was still pleased with everyone's condition.

Now we only need to wait for them to sober up, then have a proper discussion of the Dao, which can also be seen as resolving the earlier closed-door incident.

When Qi awoke, it had already been a thousand years; among the crowd, that was relatively late, and aside from him only Nüwa remained asleep.

After Qi woke up, he only then remembered that Great God Yang Mei seemed to have arrived; recalling carefully, he hurriedly leapt from the lotus bed to seek Yang Mei.

Since the last time he acted for Hongjun, he has constantly had a vague sense of foreboding, feeling as if something bad will happen.

Regarding such uncertain matters, Qi lacked experience, so he wanted to ask Yang Mei for his opinion.

Qi did not know where Great God Yang Mei was at the moment, his divine sense had not detected his presence, but his instinct guided him.

From dawn until dusk, Qi finally found Yang Mei on a lotus leaf.

"Qi, why are you so anxious to find me? Is there something you wish to discuss?"

Although Yang Mei wondered how Qi could find him, he also knew Qi's nature; if it weren't for a problem Qi didn't know how to solve, he wouldn't have come like this.

Qi recounted his experiences over this period in detail, including Di Jun and Hongjun, as well as the things he had done, the scenes in his dreams, and his premonitions.

Yang Mei merely sat in silent contemplation, without directly responding; he needed to think through the crux and implications before giving an answer.

"You are still too young, unaware of the danger of the Great Calamity; you listened to Hongjun's words—this person is extremely cunning and cannot be trusted."

"However, since he owes you karmic debt, you should have him repay it."

"Hongjun designed you as the one to initiate the Great Calamity; it is not solely because of Di Jun's starry‑sky journey—he can use this to manipulate you."

"Rather, you possess some things he values, and those things can ensure the Great Calamity proceeds as he envisages."

"Hongjun holds a special position in the East and is immensely strong; even without the starry‑sky affair, if he finds you, you cannot refuse."

"However, by a fortunate coincidence you have the protection of a great formation, so he cannot easily force this."

Yang Mei finished speaking, then after a moment's contemplation he said:

"I think it is because, among the Earth Deities, your status is too special; acting with your rank allows heaven and earth to sense it, letting the Great Calamity proceed smoothly ahead of time."

"But as the initiator of this Great Calamity, if you avoid it, the calamitous energy will accumulate, and you will hardly escape disaster in the next Great Calamity."

"Although Hongjun is cunning, I do not endorse his thoughts, yet I cannot denounce his Dao; the Immortal Dao values life, so there must be a sliver of hope within it."

"Perhaps this is why he granted you karmic debt; he believes this debt can let you successfully avoid the next Great Calamity."

"Based on my understanding of him, it is likely again that talk of the Heavenly Dao Saint, which could also let you defect to his sect."

Qi looked up at Yang Mei with some surprise and asked:

"Heavenly Dao Saint?"

Qi had some impression of it, albeit vague, but his memory indeed held it, and it was moreover the most exalted status in the Primordial Wilderness.

Now that the Heavenly Dao has not yet appeared, how could the talk of the Heavenly Dao Saint arise so quickly?

Furthermore, according to Yang Mei's meaning, this had existed long before.

Yang Mei nodded and said:

"The notion of the Heavenly Dao Saint is a conjecture of the Heavenly Emperor Cangli Clan and also one of the core tenets of their heritage; it has been circulating in the Primordial Wilderness since ancient times, only you were born too late to know of it."

"Don't change the subject; let's return to Hongjun."

Yang Mei glared at Qi, blaming him for disturbing his train of thought.

Reorganizing his words, Yang Mei said again:

"Such a two‑birds‑with‑one‑stone scheme is exactly what Hongjun likes; moreover, its core lies with Hongjun—the karmic debt he owes you can be repaid only on the premise that he remains alive."

"Thus, whether you act to preserve your life or to become the so‑called Heavenly Dao Saint, you must stake heavily on him."

"Otherwise, in the end you can only face the calamity, and your previous stakes will simply wash away."

"As for the stake that makes Hongjun repay the karmic debt he owes, he naturally will do so, provided he is still alive."

"Otherwise, you can only chalk it up to bad luck; after all, once he is dead, all karmic debts and sins vanish like smoke."

When Yang Mei said this, his expression of disgust was evident; apparently he had suffered such a loss before.

"Now the cause of the matter is clear; next we need to discuss how you should untie this deadlock."

"Now the three clans of the Primordial Wilderness are at war, with beasts and beasts clashing; all karmic forces will partly be recorded upon you."

"This is the problem you should resolve now; otherwise, even when your fortune is thriving, a slight setback will let karmic forces burden you, making disaster unavoidable."

Qi also felt quite distressed at this point; after hearing Yang Mei's words, he could not help but feel upset.

"I actually have a method here; I just don't know whether you are willing to be so ruthless."

"Or if that truly fails, later you could defect to Hongjun's sect and attain a Heavenly Dao Saint position—that would also be a good option."

Yang Mei then suddenly laughed and said:

Yang Mei gave Qi a glimmer of hope, yet it also made his heart skip a beat, not knowing what method Yang Mei was referring to.

"Please teach me, Great God; Qi may not know whether he will use it, but at least there is a glimmer of hope."

"To place hope in another's hands is not what Qi wishes; as fellow innate divinities, Qi also does not wish to lower his status, abandoning the Divine Dao for the Immortal Dao."

Yang Mei smiled satisfiedly; if Qi truly waited for that Heavenly Dao Saint position and defected to Hongjun's sect, that would only mean Yang Mei had misjudged his friend.

"Those without lofty ambitions rest easy and walk together."

"Yang Mei is like that, and the friends he makes ought to be the same."

"Anyway, let's try first; if it fails we'll see; if it truly cannot be done, becoming a Heavenly Dao Saint is not bad either."

Yang Mei still offered comfort; as for what outsiders think, that is not something he worries about.

"Moreover, at that time Hongjun might not even be considered an innate divine; by then you could regard yourself as a disciple of the Heavenly Dao rather than a follower of Hongjun."

That being the case, there's no talk of lowering one's status.

Yang Mei's voice carried a hint of joy, catching Qi off guard.

Immediately, Yang Mei added another blow, saying:

Moreover, it's just abandoning the God's Way; the God's Way has no Dao Lord, so abandoning it is fine—it merely reduces combat strength a bit.

To stay alive, I won't tremble.

Yang Mei burst out laughing.

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(End of chapter)