Chapter 296

Qi sat cross-legged in the lotus platform, a huge

Entities: Qi (person), lotus platform (generic object) – it's a lotus platform, maybe a named object? It's not a proper name; it's a generic thing, so ignore.

Such heavenly and earthly changes have persisted this long; it seems only now, after roughly three yuan meetings, are they finally ending. Yet if things continue as they are, the primordial landscape will shift again.

Entities: Three Yuan Meeting (three yuan meeting?) Might be a time period: "three yuan meeting". Could be a term; it's a cultivation term? Might be a named time period. Not sure if it's a proper noun. It's a term: Three Yuan Meeting. Could be translated as "Three Yuan Meeting". Might be considered a named term. We'll treat as a term: Three Yuan Meeting. Also Primordial Wilderness (the wilderness) is a generic term for primordial world; not a proper name. So ignore.

Qi's face was full of weariness as he looked around; the scenery remained just as it had been, and his mind finally eased a little. He then said, "At least we have managed to preserve this land's water and soil, preventing it from becoming like the outside world."

Entities: Qi (person). No new.

His wings unfolded slightly, and Qi fled to the water eye of Cloud Dream Marsh, where he saw the water still rippling, the vigorous vapor containing boundless spiritual essence.

Entities: Cloud Dream Marsh, water eye - generic? Might be a named feature: water eye of the marsh. Could be considered a named place? We'll treat as part of place: water eye of Cloud Dream Marsh. But we might list Cloud Dream Marsh as place, and water eye as generic? Probably not needed.

A jade‑cocoon‑like giant stone settled within the vapor, with light waves occasionally flowing across it; as Qi gazed upon it, the stone glowed a little brighter with a lustrous sheen.

Entities: jade cocoon - object; not proper name.

His body coiled around the jade cocoon, binding it tightly; his wings drooped to cover his serpentine tail, and with his hands clasped before his chest, Qi fell into a deep sleep.

Entities: Qi (person).

Over the past three yuan meetings, Qi had been maintaining the formation, and the drain on his mind and spirit was immense; had the formation not been built upon its foundation and of his own devising, he could not have endured it for so long.

Entities: three yuan meetings again; formation generic; formation base generic.

Nevertheless, the hardship of those three yuan meetings was not without reward; Qi's grasp of the Primordial Cloud Dream Stellar Grand Formation deepened considerably.

Entities: Primordial Cloud Dream Stellar Grand Formation. We'll translate.

Moreover, Cloud Dream Marsh has become, amid the current heavenly and earthly changes, the sole place that remains perfectly preserved, having endured the Great Dao, the Heavenly Dao, and the celestial transformations, thus forming a cave‑heaven blessed land.

Entities: Cloud Dream Marsh, Great Dao (the Great Dao) already in glossary, Heavenly Dao (the Heavenly Dao) already, Cave Heaven Blessed Land generic? Might be a term: "cave heaven blessed land". Could be considered a named place type. We'll translate meaning: Cave Heaven Blessed Land.

Even the remaining mountains—Buzhou and Kunlun—have suffered losses; aside from a few small parts, most of them are now no different from the outside world.

Entities: Mount Buzhou already, Kunlun Mountain.

Meanwhile, many primordial deities continue to study the spiritual qi after the heavenly changes, seeking to see how the admixture of pure and turbid qi has altered the resulting spiritual energy.

Entities: primordial deities generic; pure qi generic; turbid qi generic.

The Heavenly Court is also investigating this, and has so far reaped considerable gains.

Entities: Heavenly Court already.

According to the Heavenly Court's findings, the present spiritual qi has little effect on cultivators who have not yet attained immortality; it merely reduces the lifespan gained from advancing one's cultivation somewhat compared with before.

Entities: Heavenly Court, cultivator generic.

However, for those who have achieved Heavenly Immortality or lower, many new restrictions arise, with the threat of the Five Declines of Heaven and Man and the addition of several calamities.

Entities: heavenly immortal generic? Might be a cultivation realm: Heavenly Immortal. Could translate: Heavenly Immortal. Five Declines of Heaven and Man is a known term; translate: Five Declines of Heaven and Man. calamities generic.

When cultivating to become an immortal, one must first undergo a lightning tempering, which dispels most of the impurities accumulated from the past mingling of pure and turbid qi within the body.

Entities: lightning tempering generic.

This lightning tempering is called the heavenly tribulation by the Heavenly Court; after surviving it and attaining immortality, one will, due to personal karmic forces, face the Three Calamities and Six Tribulations and the Five Declines of Heaven and Man—though their timing is uncertain, they are usually preceded by some forewarning.

Entities: heavenly tribulation generic? Might be term: Heavenly Tribulation. Three Calamities and Six Tribulations translate: Three Calamities and Six Tribulations. Five Declines of Heaven and Man again.

Later, upon reaching Golden Immortality, one undergoes another heavenly tribulation, thereby achieving an imperishable golden body; thereafter, one is no longer stained by calamities, and the Five Declines of Heaven and Man do not afflict them.

Entities: Golden Immortal generic? Could translate: Golden Immortal. Imperishable Golden Body translate: Imperishable Golden Body.

For spiritual‑root immortal herbs, the impact is considerable; except for a tiny fraction that benefits from its location, the rest see their quality decline from their original grade.

Entities: spiritual root immortal herbs generic.

Fortunately, because the spiritual qi has become much denser, countless ordinary plants now have a chance to gain spirituality, giving mortals far more opportunities to cultivate than before.

Entities: spiritual qi generic; mundane plants generic; mortals generic.

Fuxi feels rather conflicted about this; although the heavenly realm is sealed off by formations and aided by many primordial deities, he has not been affected by the primordial changes.

Entities: Fuxi already, Heavenly Realm generic? Could translate: Heavenly Realm. primordial deities again.

However, Mount Buzhou and the primordial wilderness below have, during these three yuan meetings, undergone a complete transformation.

Entities: Mount Buzhou already, primordial wilderness generic.

Countless small tribes have benefited, with the number of cultivators among them nearly multiplying several times—practically a nation‑wide cultivation effort.

Entities: minor tribes generic; cultivator generic.

The once‑powerful great clans, whose strong bloodlines usually made offspring rare, now reap the least benefit from the primordial changes.

Entities: great clans generic.

Moreover, the newborns born in the primordial world nowadays are increasingly frail compared with the past, their constitutions weak and ordinary, lacking any remarkable traits.

Entities: primordial generic.

Although the present period is relatively short and not yet noticeable, if it continues, Fuxi does not know what form the future primordial beings will take.

Entities: Fuxi, primordial beings generic.

In former times, ordinary primordial mortals who did not cultivate would, barring accidents, live for over a thousand to two thousand years.

Entities: primordial mortals generic.

If they possessed a trace of exotic beast bloodline, they might even gain severalfold longevity, and with good fortune living ten thousand years would be normal.

Entities: exotic beast bloodline generic.

Yet now the average lifespan has dropped by nearly ten percent, though the people of the primordial world have not noticed, simply because most primordial beings now engage in cultivation.

Entities: primordial people generic; primordial beings generic.

"I do not know whether this is good or bad; if it persists, would it not mean that everyone cultivates, yet none enjoy long life?"

Entities: cultivators generic.

Fuxi muttered to himself, while beside him Nüwa furrowed her brows; she cultivates the Way of Creation and now feels deeply troubled as well.

Entities: Fuxi, Nüwa, Way of Creation generic? Could translate: Way of Creation.

Although the quality of spiritual qi has declined, it has become much denser, making cultivation somewhat easier; this undoubtedly grants countless ordinary people a chance to defy fate and change their destiny.

Entities: spiritual qi generic; mortals generic.

However, if one survives long in such an environment, their foundation will inevitably deteriorate, and the cultivators' aptitude will also diminish.

Entities: cultivator generic.

After merely a hundred generations of inheritance, the lifespan has already been reduced by a tenth; what will happen after a thousand or ten thousand generations?

Entities: hundred generations generic.

Would it not then be like ordinary flowers and weeds, flourishing and withering within a single year? Moreover, the gods will surely retain something of their own; personal Dao‑chang will mostly be able to maintain, like the Heavenly Court, the pre‑change state, preserving primordial purity and nature.

Entities: ordinary flowers and weeds generic; all gods generic; Dao Chang already; Heavenly Court already; primordial generic.

Within the bounds of a Dao‑chang, inside and outside the primordial world become two distinct realms; the disparity in their beings is hardly less than the difference between heaven and earth.

Entities: Dao Chang, primordial generic, beings generic, heaven and earth generic.

The Twelve Ancestor Wu had already returned to the West; when heaven and earth suddenly changed, the Heavenly Court was temporarily unable to deal with them, thus letting them escape once.

Twelve Ancestor Wu the West

They merely do not cultivate the Primordial Spirit Great Dao, so their perception of the changes in heavenly and earthly qi is vague; yet they recognize that game has become increasingly insufficient to stave off hunger.

Entities: Primordial Spirit Great Dao maybe translate: Primordial Spirit Great Dao. prey generic.

Formerly a single meal could sustain them for ten days, but now they feel hungry after just nine days, naturally alerting them to the change.

No new.

"The great heavenly and earthly change has now ended; sooner or later the Heavenly Court will free its hands to address what Emperor Qi once said—what do you all think we should do about it?"

Entities: Heavenly Court, Emperor Qi (Emperor Qi?) Actually "Emperor Qi" could be "Emperor Qi" or "Qi Emperor". It's a title: Qi Emperor. We'll translate: Emperor Qi. Or "Qi Emperor". We'll decide: Emperor Qi.

Di Jiang sat at the head of the hall, with the Twelve Ancestor Wu all present, none missing.

Entities: Di Jiang, Twelve Ancestor Wu again.

Upon hearing this, Hou Tu's brows twitched slightly; she was suffering a great headache, though she had been residing peacefully in the Heavenly Court and had not suffered slight or abuse.

Entities: Hou Tu, Heavenly Court.

Yet she never imagined her brothers would be so bold and reckless as to plot her abduction, and even go so far as to extract the primordial god's essence blood contained within Mount Buzhou.

Entities: Primordial God's Essence Blood generic? Could translate: Primordial God's Essence Blood. Not sure if it's a named item. Might be considered a treasure. We'll translate: Primordial God's Essence Blood.

One does not know whether to be more cautious; their actions were detected by the Heavenly Court, and after a brief calm they must stir up trouble again.

Entities: Heavenly Court.

Never mind giving the Heavenly Court an explanation; as for her brothers, Hou Tu knows them best, and this meeting is likely intended to discuss how to deceive the Heavenly Court.

Entities: Heavenly Court, Hou Tu.

Faced with Di Jiang's question, Hou Tu did not wait for others to reply but spoke first: "Even to this day, are you still not giving up? When the Immortal Court fell, you and I witnessed it with our own eyes; yet after merely three yuan meetings, you have already forgotten what it looked like back then."

Entities: Di Jiang, Hou Tu, Immortal Court, three yuan meetings again.

"Could it be that you truly intend to reduce the Wu Clan to the same state as the fallen Immortal Court—executing the leaders and leaving only a few small fish and shrimp to flee in all directions?"

Entities: Wu Clan, Immortal Court.

"Do not think I am unaware of your intentions; the primordial deity you have hidden among your clan—could it not be a remnant of the Immortal Court?"

Entities: primordial deity generic? Could translate: Primordial Deity. remnants of the Immortal Court translate: remnants of the Immortal Court.

"You hope to have him abandon the divine path and turn to immortal cultivation as a Great Luo Golden Immortal, then foolishly seek to master a formation capable of rivaling the Heavenly Court—nothing but a daydream!"

Entities: Great Luo Golden Immortal translate: Great Luo Golden Immortal. god's path generic? Immortal Path generic? Heavenly Court again. formation generic.

"What are the foundations of the Heavenly Court? I have dwelt there for over ten yuan meetings; could it be that you understand them better than I do?"

Entities: Heavenly Court, yuan meeting generic.

"How was the formation used when the Heavenly Court's gods forcibly opened the gate of the heavenly realm back then? You also saw it, having witnessed it with your own eyes; compared to the day the Immortal Court fell, what difference do you perceive?' 'What we saw was merely the Heavenly Court revealing itself beyond the cloud sea—only a few scales and claws for us to behold; the parts hidden beneath the cloud sea, do we truly understand them?"

Entities: Heavenly Court, Heavenly Realm generic, formation generic, Immortal Court, Cloud Sea generic? Could translate: Cloud Sea.

"Could you possibly withstand Donghuang Taiyi's attack that day? You gave it no thought at all, blinded by ambition; could you really still see clearly?"

Entities: Donghuang Taiyi already.

In the hall, only Hou Tu's voice echoed; the others remained silent, their faces showing a mix of shame and resentment.

Entities: Hou Tu, great hall generic.

Di Jiang waited until Hou Tu's emotions had eased somewhat, then began to explain briefly:

Entities: Di Jiang, Hou Tu.

"Mu Lun Jun is a capable individual; being able to withdraw safely under the Heavenly Court's encirclement and interception shows his extraordinary ability."

Entities: Mu Lun Jun, Heavenly Court.

"Since they are under our protection, external influences cannot affect them; even though the Heavenly Court is strong, it cannot locate the persons hidden by our Wu Clan."

Entities: Wu Clan, Heavenly Court.

"Moreover, he has a good grasp of formations; precisely because we recognize the current gap with the Heavenly Court, we must strive to catch up."

Entities: formation, Heavenly Court.

"And Mu Lun Jun is precisely the starting point of our Wu Clan's formation experiments; if we were to give up lightly just because the gap is large, when would our clan ever have a chance to revive?"

Entities: Mu Lun Jun, Wu Clan, formation.

Xuan Ming below also spoke up, advising: "Sister Hou Tu, we too wish for the Wu Clan's survival not to depend on others' goodwill; we are not necessarily seeking to contend with the Heavenly Court."

Entities: Xuan Ming, Hou Tu, Wu Clan, Heavenly Court.

"Moreover, this primordial world was originally opened up by the Primordial God; as his descendants, we rightfully deserve a share of it."

Entities: primordial generic, Primordial God generic? Could translate: Primordial God.

Not to mention going to become the ruler of heaven and earth, at the very least one should have the right to freedom of movement, rather than being as we are now, being kept in captivity in the middle of half a Xifang Dalu!

Hou Tu's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Xuan Ming, then she scanned the crowd; seeing that most people largely approved of Xuan Ming's words, she finally understood why the Wu Clan had come to this point.

Hou Tu's expression turned complex yet calm, making many ancestor Wu feel a chill in their hearts, and they involuntarily looked at her with concern; Hou Tu merely gave a bitter smile and said:

"You are mistaken! It is true that the wilderness was opened by the Father God, but if we follow what everyone says, where then would those innate deities, the heavenly gods and earthly spirits, be?"

"I can understand your ambition, but you must know that once the Wu Clan opens hostilities with the Heavenly Court, the Wu Clan will face only two possible outcomes."

"Either the Heavenly Court is overturned by the Wu Clan, falling from its position as hegemon of the wilderness, and the Wu Clan becomes a target of public criticism, to be destroyed by the myriad gods;"

"Or the Wu Clan fails, the Heavenly Court remains the hegemon of the wilderness, and the defeated Wu Clan becomes like the present-day qilin—either exterminated or forced to hide in dark places, daring not to show themselves."

"Unless we abandon our faith in the Father God, take the place of the innate deities, cease cultivating blood qi sorcery and the power of laws, and instead cultivate the Great Dao of the Primordial Spirit."

"Otherwise, as for us, among the gods of the wilderness we are merely outsiders, and how could outsiders stand above those gods?"

"I have seen in the Heavenly Court's records of wilderness history that the previous race similar to the Wu Clan was the ferocious beasts."

Di Jiang and the others heard this and instantly felt anger rise; Gong Gong, even more furious, shouted:

"Hou Tu sister, how can you be so unrestrained in speech, actually comparing us to filthy, mindless beasts! Don't forget, you too are of the Wu Clan!"

Hou Tu merely responded with a calm smile:

"Otherwise, what do you think the gods think of us? Likewise we do not cultivate the Great Dao of the Primordial Spirit, likewise we take blood as our cultivation resource, likewise we cultivate the power of laws."

"If it were not for the Wu Clan still possessing wisdom, I fear they would have long regarded us as ferocious beasts, either raising us in captivity or killing us outright."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew a bit gloomier, and She Bi Shi frowned and said:

"In the wilderness, those who consume blood are not only the Wu Clan; do not the myriad races also do so? Which race has never eaten blood!"

Hou Tu merely shook her head and said in one sentence:

"They cultivate the Great Dao of the Primordial Spirit."

As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell deathly silent; Hou Tu had pointed out what they had long refused to face, and it was finally laid bare before them.

The sole fig leaf covering the Wu Clan and the wilderness's myriad beings was ripped away by Hou Tu directly; this is their difference—different Daos, they do not plot together.

This is also the most direct contradiction between the Wu Clan and the wilderness's sentient beings—a struggle over the Great Dao, leaving no alternative.

Di Jiang finally spoke in a hoarse voice:

"Could it be that we truly have no chance to become the hegemon of the wilderness? We can only live under the gods, under the Heavenly Court, depending on others' breath, wagging our tails and begging for survival?"

Hou Tu remained silent for a long time; after a while, she finally spoke with difficulty:

"At least, now is absolutely not the time for us to come into conflict with the Heavenly Court; as for the future, what you and I say does not decide it."

"Those who wish to resist the Heavenly Court's rule are certainly not only us; for now the Wu Clan cannot strike a stone with an egg."

"Those innate deities also absolutely do not wish to have the Heavenly Court forever pressing down on their heads; they will eventually be unable to endure it."

"Especially after the sages spoken of by the Dao Ancestor appear, they will absolutely be unable to tolerate having a great mountain weighing on their heads."

"At that time, as long as those sages wish to move the great mountain on their heads, to untie the shackle of heavenly rules and regulations, it will inevitably provide the Wu Clan with a supporting expanse, enough room to breathe."

"Only then will the Wu Clan be able to become active, to step forward and contend with the Heavenly Court, and only then, after victory, will they not be annihilated by the myriad gods."

"After all, the ones who first seek to overthrow the Heavenly Court are precisely those innate deities; we Wu Clan are merely their spokespeople."

"Only when they themselves take up arms will they abandon all principles, no longer caring whether Daos are the same or different, whether they are outsiders."

"And before that, what we most need is to lie low, so as not to give the Heavenly Court a reason to target and attack us."

"You must know that, since I can see this clearly, the Heavenly Court contains countless talented and wise people; how could they not know?"

"But they are even clearer that, without the Wu Clan, the gods will eventually produce another opposing force; and to them, the Wu Clan is the easiest to deal with."

"This is why they have kept us alive to this point, and why they tolerate us in every way."

(End of chapter)