Chapter 354: The Enfeoffment Method, the Wu Clan's Path to Transcendence (5000-word grand chapter)

Qi waved his sleeve, and a brocade picture of mountains and rivers appeared before everyone's eyes, covered with countless markings; this is the map of the myriad races' distribution collected by the Heavenly Court.

Any race that possesses a Great Luo Golden Immortal will be marked on it; this is the general register.

As for the Taiyi races, the Golden Immortal races are listed below in turn, not recorded in the Heavenly Court, but kept in the stations of the heavenly troops above the Wilderness.

Fuxi lightly tapped his finger, and countless rays began to appear on the register, gradually dividing the myriad races according to terrain and strength.

After a few breaths, Fuxi checked against his memory and said, 'Such division gives each race its place; it is also reasonable.'

After observing, Di Jun added many more, turning the originally neat distribution into ruggedness, and said, 'The lands divided by Fuxi are too neat; if so, their union would be too easy; we should divide by combined races, which would be proper.'

Qi looked at the two with a strange gaze, hesitated slightly, and said, 'Have you forgotten something? Our enfeoffment of the myriad races is not to let them live in peace, continuing their old way of life.'

'If we follow your division, each race either has a defensible stronghold or is evenly divided by strength on the plains.'

'If so, when will the great calamity we seek arrive? How is this enfeoffment of the myriad races different from before?'

'In my view, it would be better like this.'

After Qi's words fell, he waved his big hand, turning the originally aesthetically pleasing division on the map into extreme complexity, with the divided lands crisscrossing and the distribution extremely chaotic.

Fuxi and Di Jun were still observing, pondering the meaning, while Taiyi immediately reflected and said with a rather strange gaze:

'Qi, you are indeed a bad seed, but this division does show your wisdom.'

Di Jun and Fuxi immediately understood; they saw that in the register, every place with a natural barrier was in the hands of foreign states.

Whoever passes through these places will find the gates wide open; the states interlock like dog's teeth, each holding the other's gates.

Before, there was no distinction of territories; the myriad races felt no difference, but after the nations gathered popular sentiment, how could such strongholds rest easy in others' hands? Moreover, under Qi's division, in the Wilderness, every great clan's land would inevitably suffer loss, and all natural barriers would be in foreign hands.

Di Jun loudly praised, 'This is indeed wonderful.'

Fuxi, however, gave a bitter smile and shook his head, 'In the past, my heart was tied to the Wilderness; even now, though there are schemes and calculations, the heart to seek blessings for the Wilderness remains unchanged.'

'But with us like this, the restraint of the Wilderness' power has become much stronger, which also better serves the Heavenly Court's interests, though the future will inevitably bring suffering to the beings.'

Qi responded calmly:

'The strong overcoming the weak is simply the Heavenly Dao; the protagonist of the human Dao should also be born from the fires of war; if not for the imminent great calamity, the Heavenly Court might still be able to withdraw from it.'

Di Jun fell silent for a moment, then also spoke rather helplessly:

'Such is the Mandate of Heaven, helpless; if the Heavenly Court does not manifest, the foundation of the myriad races of the Wilderness would not recover so quickly, but with the present Wilderness, relying solely on the myriad races' struggle cannot support the great calamity.'

'In the present world, ordinary beings only know that the Heavenly Court's rules and regulations are very strict; the heavenly realm is the supreme place for beings, and the Heavenly Emperor is the sovereign of all in the Wilderness.'

'If the Sages do not appear, we can still wait, push forward the human Dao great calamity, so that the Heavenly Court may withdraw from within.'

'But now that the Sages have appeared, the Wu Clan's advantage over the myriad races of the Wilderness is too great, the human Dao is already imbalanced, and how could it support the great calamity?'

'The Sages are exalted, the highest combat power in the Wilderness; although the Heavenly Court has Nüwa and Kunpeng assisting, on this matter their stance has been reversed.'

'Moreover, according to the Dao of the Wilderness, there is no principle of the weak controlling the strong; the Sages will not allow anyone above them, and the Heavenly Court cannot command the Sages.'

'To govern from below is rebellion; the Dao is constant in heaven, and there is no room for anything above the Great Dao; this is great treason against the Dao.'

'If I achieve the Primordial Infinite Net Heavenly Venerable God, and with Nüwa and Kunpeng present, the Heavenly Emperor should be the most honored; those Sages who do not submit are rebels.'

'Looking back now, if initially Nüwa had been made Heavenly Emperor, perhaps the Heavenly Court could have avoided this calamity.'

'If Qi or Taiyi, one of you achieves the Primordial Infinite Net Heavenly Venerable God, I would yield the Heavenly Emperor's position to you; thus the Heavenly Court would survive myriad calamities.'

Taiyi replied helplessly, 'Between us, it doesn't matter who is the Heavenly Emperor; what matters is that neither I nor Qi has enough time now to attain the Primordial Infinite Net Heavenly Venerable God.'

Having said this, everyone increasingly felt their birth was too late; they did not even dare to say they were born at the same time as Luo Hou Hongjun, but if they could have been born together with Zu Long and Yuan Feng, Qi and Taiyi would have some confidence.

But unfortunately, the time of birth is caught just before the Great Dao departs; on the Great Dao, one can only gain a faint echo, and on the Heavenly Dao, one cannot even be called intimate.

Yet Qi laughed in the midst of everyone's silence, 'Heaven and earth have nurtured us, far surpassing ordinary fellowship; we can perceive the Great Dao's radiance and comprehend the Heavenly Dao's mysteries, to inherit both paths, we cannot but speak of our fortune.'

'The Great Dao is strong and flourishing, the age of great supernatural powers; authority is the nobility of heaven and earth, yet everything is fixed, with no chance to change—not even the Three Sovereigns can escape; how can one speak of a prosperous age?'

'The Heavenly Dao is exquisite and supreme, the way to the Dao fruition; the Sages are the nobility of heaven and earth, yet everything retreats, losing the essence of the Great Dao; look at the later-born innate divine sages, their divinity cannot be perfected; how can one seek the Dao thus?'

'We have inherited the full essence of the Great Dao, forged an unblemished Dao fruition, grasped the authority of heaven and earth, our foundations are noble, our Dao heart unchanged, and all things pale in comparison.'

'Below, we connect with the marvelous contention of the Heavenly Dao; beneath the Heavenly Dao remains a thread of life, enabling full attainment of the Dao, the joy of sentient beings flourishes, and vigorous vitality accompanies us.'

'Thus we see that the Three Sovereigns are still inferior to us, and later generations cannot compare at all; if this is not our fortune, what is?'

Di Jun, Fuxi, and Taiyi were suddenly startled, then burst out laughing together:

'Marvelous, marvelous, this is our own self-underestimation; looking at it this way, it is actually we who are narrow-minded.'

Qi nodded, his expression unusually resolute, and said, 'Naturally it shall be so; we have received this fortune, though with some trials and tribulations, we have long prepared a retreat, so how could there be any reason to complain?'

Everyone laughed, Qi among them; however, it is only the great calamity, for he had earlier prepared a retreat for everyone, and now he merely walks through it once—what is there to fear?

Although Hongjun is old and scheming, in Qi's impression he has never gone back on his word; even if he protects one person in the great calamity, it does not amount to breaking his promise.

Yang Mei has long been acquainted with everyone, both teacher and friend, having helped many; since he spoke early on, Qi also trusts him.

Fuxi himself has Nüwa to rescue him, needing no extra worry from Qi; at least his life is safe.

Qi himself had long ago set up a second incarnation; he only needs to shed this Heavenly Court cage, and then he can be free thereafter.

Moreover, everyone had long ago made plans; at worst, they would merely re-cultivate, going over the path of practice again, which, compared to losing their lives, is surely great good.

Even Qi himself faces such risk; if his physical body is destroyed in this battle and never reaches Cloud Dream Marsh, he too would have to start over from scratch.

After the laughter subsided, Di Jun then addressed the map floating above the hall: 'Since that is the case, today's matter is settled; take this as a template and hand it to White Marsh and others for further investigation, to implement your dark thoughts, Qi, into the Wilderness.'

Di Jun wore a smile, not waiting for Qi to rebut, and continued, 'Thus it seems that the myriad races of the Wilderness encountering such an emperor is also their fate; truly it is suffering beyond words.'

Qi merely glanced at Di Jun and said, 'How dull; now the affairs of the Wilderness are settled, yet we should speak of the Heavenly Court as well—I do not know when the several princes and princesses of my Heavenly Court will be born.'

Di Jun immediately laughed:

'Not far off; according to my calculation, they should be born at the conclusion of the Primordial Assembly, when the New Primordial begins.' Taiyi, upon hearing this, immediately became spirited and asked:

'For the child born inheriting the sun and moon yin and yang, can you select a good nurturing place? Or do you plan to send it to the Sun Star or the Moon Star?'

Di Jun laughed:

'Naturally, I have long had a plan; after the Heavenly Court bathes in the sun, when the fire poison on the Sun Star is exhausted, we can first send it into the Sun Star.'

'With the Help Mulberry Tree present, it will greatly benefit its growth; the Moon Star is relatively gentle, so no further action is needed.'

After the solar star's fire poison accumulates again, we will move a branch of the Fusang tree into the wilderness, placing it in the Tang Valley that was originally the Dao Chang of the Eastern King Prince.

When the solar star is ordinary, it is lesser yang; the solar qi gathers there, allowing them to survive, which is quite beneficial for them.

But once the fire poison erupts, it becomes the utmost yang of the world, too extreme, unfavorable for their growth; then they can be moved to the Tang Valley to recuperate.

The Tang Valley is a place of pure yang, the most stable; after we move the solar star away, it can serve as the Dao Chang for those children, allowing them to survive there long-term.

Fuxi heard this and immediately laughed, saying: "It seems you have already confirmed that the offspring born of Xihe and Changxi have already carried your Golden Crow and Jade Rabbit bloodlines."

In that case, I should first offer my congratulations here.

Hearing Fuxi's words, Qi, Di Jun, and the three of them all wore smiles; after exchanging smiles, they each returned.

Above Xifang Dalu, countless sharp sword qi pierced Di Jiang's body; at his chest a huge wound lay exposed, through which his five viscera and six bowels could be clearly seen.

Looking at his still-beating heart, the wounds covering it faintly ached; Di Jiang recalled the flying sword that had just pierced his chest, and he still felt lingering fear.

As if thinking of something, Di Jiang hastily focused on observing the changes in his wounds; even Chiyou below, who kept shouting while bringing medicine, went unheard by Di Jiang.

After a long while, Di Jiang's wounds healed, the hole in his chest and abdomen vanished, and he gradually regained consciousness, noticing Chiyou clinging tightly to the copper pillar below.

Di Jiang fixed his gaze and saw that Chiyou was completely naked, his whole body scorched black, yet the bundle in his arms remained intact, the medicinal herbs inside unharmed.

Chiyou spat out a black gas and shouted angrily: "Lord Di Jiang, what happened to you earlier? No matter what I did, you never responded; the Heavenly Court is truly hateful! To have wounded you to this extent!"

Di Jiang looked at Chiyou with guilt and asked:

"How long have you waited for me? Even your flesh has suffered such severe injury; it seems the time hasn't been short—I am sorry to you."

Upon hearing this, Chiyou was momentarily at a loss, then quickly spoke to excuse Di Jiang:

"Not long, not long, and how could this be blamed on you? It's all because of the Heavenly Court; if not for them, Lord Di Jiang, you wouldn't have ended up like this!"

Di Jiang's eyes flickered, and he spoke again: "Actually, by now I don't even know whether I should blame the Heavenly Court; to be frank with you, Chiyou, I actually feel somewhat grateful toward the Heavenly Court."

Chiyou stared, stunned, wondering if the Heavenly Court had accidentally knocked Lord Di Jiang senseless; otherwise, how could the Heavenly Court treat him so cruelly, yet he not only bears no grudge but even feels gratitude? Di Jiang disregarded Chiyou's offended gaze and said: "Chiyou, you have always been the wisest shaman in my tribe, but now it seems you still lack a bit of timing."

Without waiting for Chiyou's response, Di Jiang muttered to himself: "When I first began serving my sentence, my hatred for the Heavenly Court far surpassed that of anyone among you."

After all, whether it's the endless thunderbolts or the sword qi that constantly pierces the heart, honestly, it truly makes me wish I were dead.

But only after my heart died did I understand why cultivators of the Great Dao become so immersed in it; only today have I awakened.

"Misfortune depends on fortune; fortune hides within misfortune. Having suffered such trials, I have instead gained insight and reaped great benefit."

As Di Jiang spoke, the golden light in his eyes even stung Chiyou's eyes faintly; he wanted to urge Di Jiang to first take medicinal herbs, but Di Jiang was clearly immersed again.

Chiyou only heard Di Jiang mutter:

"All the secrets of bloodline and bodily apertures are hidden in this suffering; and I, too, in this suffering, have finally gained something."

A bolt of lightning fell from the sky, striking Di Jiang and Chiyou; Chiyou let out a miserable cry and suddenly slid downward a segment.

Di Jiang paid no heed, immersed in his flesh wounded by the lightning; after a long while, he saw Chiyou pass through the clouds and return to his original position.

Di Jiang didn't know whether he had noticed him or intentionally wanted to share his joy with someone, and said: "Look carefully, don't be distracted."

Although Chiyou had thousands of words and myriad thoughts he wanted to utter, facing Di Jiang's words he could only restrain himself and stare intently at Di Jiang.

Di Jiang, meanwhile, clenched his fists and began to circulate his own blood and qi; although his hands and feet were bound by chains, Chiyou noticed that Di Jiang's blood and qi throughout his body were remarkably vibrant and strong.

The bound hands and feet limited Di Jiang's movements, but the slowly flowing blood and qi entering Chiyou's view greatly shocked his mind.

Yet Di Jiang's flesh, amidst the continual circulation of blood and qi, gradually shrank; his formerly tall and robust physique became thin, and his bulging muscles began to dissolve.

Yet in this shrinkage, Di Jiang's aura became increasingly solid and pure.

His emaciated, scar-ridden body looked wretched, yet the power it contained gave Chiyou the feeling that Lord Di Jiang's strength at this moment far surpassed before.

Just by clenching his fist, Di Jiang made Chiyou feel as if he were suffocating, as though he himself were in Di Jiang's hand, turning to ash with his movements.

With a single clench of his fist, Di Jiang suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood that fell on Chiyou, startling him from his stupor.

Gazing at the emaciated Di Jiang before him, Chiyou slowly opened his lips, panting heavily, as if wanting to say something but lacking the strength to speak.

Di Jiang looked at Chiyou before him, the fresh blood staining his body adding a dash of heroism; panting, he said: "Chiyou, you say the Heavenly Court has given me such an opportunity, allowing me to discover the bodily secret hidden in suffering—should I hate it or be grateful to it?"

"With such kindness, how could I not feel grateful? If I do not let the Heavenly Court be destroyed by my own hands, annihilated by this power, how could I repay its grace?"

At this moment, Di Jiang's gaze was extremely calm, showing no madness; in contrast, Chiyou's eyes were blazingly fervent, like an undying volcano that never ceases, constantly awaiting eruption.

Faced with Di Jiang's grand words, Chiyou responded excitedly: "I, Chiyou, swear to follow Lord Di Jiang unto death, and will surely trample the Heavenly Court to repay his will!"

Di Jiang burst into laughter that would not stop, echoing in the blowing gale; though the sound was torn apart by the gale, its heroism could not be erased.

As long as I fully comprehend this power, the Wu Clan will surely surpass the three past clans, and the Father God's majesty will eternally remain in the wilderness.

"Even the lofty Heavenly Court will be pulled down from the sky by us, fall into the dust, and bring supreme glory to the Wu Clan."

"The Wu Clan's path to transcendence lies herein! The wilderness will ultimately come under the Father God's bloodline, to shepherd all peoples on behalf of Heaven and Earth—not only a divine duty, but one I can also fulfill."

Di Jiang's voice rang through the clouds; Chiyou's eyes turned red, unable to restrain himself, he could only shout repeatedly, showing his excitement.

In the higher azure clouds above the copper pillar, a Heavenly Court general curled his lip, his eyes full of disdain, smiling at the person beside him: "Another one has gone mad; after suffering so much torture, who wouldn't go mad? It's pitiful that half of the twelve ancestral shamans are no longer normal."

Above the azure clouds, the laughter of many heavenly soldiers and generals rang out; amidst that laughter, the words of the twelve ancestral shamans were all presented to the Heavenly Court. (End of chapter)