Chapter 60: Innate Divine Sages and All Beings

"The waters of the world naturally have their own flow; the rise and fall of tides occur within that. To let the gods interfere, to control them, is improper, contrary to the heavenly principle."

"Qi calmly expressed his stance; he could no longer allow Fuxi to interfere with the natural evolution of Cloud Dream Marsh."

"Then would you bear to watch, letting the primordial world turn into a vast marsh, ignoring the misery of all beings?"

"Is their misery my fault? Isn't it rather your reckless meddling, controlling heaven and earth, that caused it?"

"Qi's words interrupted Fuxi's agitated emotions."

"When have the gods ever turned their gaze toward ordinary mortals? Are you truly acting for those primordial beings?"

"Is it not self-indulgent decline, clearly having seized the fortune of heaven and earth, yet still scheming to meddle with the fortune of all beings?"

"The environment becomes a stagnant pool, no longer changing—is this the Way you seek?"

"A future without change—could that truly be what all beings seek? When we jointly evolved the world, did you really learn nothing from it?"

"Or perhaps you simply don't think it matters, believing it's good for everyone, then watching as all beings live unchanging lives until they die."

"The increase brought by growing fortune has blinded our eyes, but as Innate Divine Sages, we actually lack no time for this increase to diminish."

"Fuxi, you are too impatient, too arrogant; influencing heaven and earth's myriad things is not accomplished this way."

"This is a shortcut, but it is the beginning of going astray."

"Qi calmly reminded Fuxi that he had taken the wrong path."

"Qi believed that if one wished to gain the blessing of all beings' fortune, one should establish one's own organization and gather through action."

"If the gods guaranteed changes to the water system within their control by leading all beings to alter the terrain, building canals, reservoirs, dams, and the like, then Qi would have no objection."

"But they did not; instead they chose to use the authority heaven and earth gave them, colluding, exchanging resources and power to achieve their ends."

"Is completing those projects difficult for those who possess divine power?"

"It is not difficult; indeed, it can be done without divine power, yet they chose to intervene in the workings of heaven and earth through authority."

"Seeing that Fuxi had not yet reacted, Qi could only remind him, saying:"

"\"The god in charge of the water system must bear responsibility for the beings living within their waters. \""

"\"Without a sense of preparedness in safety, they do not calculate tides, water vapor changes, or summarize experience. \""

"\"They will not adapt to local conditions, follow the trend of heaven and earth, and change accordingly; thus they will yield their living space to those who can adapt. \""

"\"Originally, those beings could adapt well; through accumulated experience and learning about heaven and earth, they could change their population's living environment. \""

"\"But the gods' unauthorized interference, while seeming to help them, actually destroys their future. \""

"\"Don't use the beings' welfare as an excuse for everything; all beings do not need divine interference—they can thrive on their own. \""

"\"Survival of the fittest. \""

"\"Heaven and earth give birth to the Innate Divine Sages, granting them divine authority and transcendent power, not so they may interfere with the workings of heaven and earth. \""

"\"The exercise of authority is meant to maintain the workings of heaven and earth, to prevent barbaric development by all beings that would destroy heaven and earth, not to pursue private gain! \""

"\"The role of the Innate Divine Sages toward all beings is merely to prevent them from going astray, by destroying heaven and earth to exchange for short-term development. \""

"\"This is indeed the role of the Innate Divine Sages toward all beings—nothing more, nothing less. \""

"\"No need for excessive control; as long as it is not excessive, we should not interfere with their lives. \""

"\"The Innate Divine Sages' role in heaven and earth is great, an indispensable part of its operation, but for all beings, it is actually not important. \""

"\"As for affecting the entire primordial continent, that is not so severe; those gods are not dead, they still circulate water vapor and regulate floods. \""

"\"After all, the pits they dug themselves can only be filled by them; they dare not let the floods run rampant. \""

"\"When the three powers of heaven, earth, and humanity fall out of balance, if humanity falters, their days will not be easy either. \""

"Having said that, Qi no longer cared what Fuxi thought, turned and left."

"Meanwhile, Fuxi stood there, dazed."

"Taiyi, Nüwa, and Di Jun stared at each other, never expecting Qi's words to be so weighty, so blunt."

"Actually, to Di Jun and Taiyi, Qi's conduct was not serious at all; indeed, it was quite reasonable."

"If the protagonist were replaced by them, they could not tolerate others manipulating the motion of the stars, especially the Sun Star, so vital a celestial body."

"Not to mention proposing it and acting on it—even thinking about it is forbidden, a crime!"

"Nüwa lacks such authority, so she does not particularly understand what this conduct entails, nor does she realize how severe its consequences would be."

"Di Jun and Taiyi are star gods; they do not understand the workings of the primordial water system, after all, these star gods differ from the primordial water gods."

"For them, suppressing the Sun Star's motion is necessary work; otherwise, its immense fiery toxicity would damage the workings of heaven and earth."

"This is the fundamental reason they did not intervene: one, they were persuaded; two, their duties differ."

"Taiyi was aware of this incident's occurrence, but through knowing Qi, not through understanding the function of the primordial divine office."

"Di Jun even less had ever imagined such a thing happening, for in his view, gods exercising their authority is perfectly normal."

"Even now, they must occasionally return to the Sun Star to suppress its activity, lest it move too frequently and affect the workings of heaven and earth."

"Those water gods, too, heard Qi's words; before leaving their own water systems, they stayed behind, preparing to meet the incoming floods while clearing the waterways for the beings living within."

"Meanwhile, those suffering severe loss of water vapor have already begun to reverse course, seeking to borrow water from the four seas or the four rivers and eight streams."

"Even if they wanted to find Qi, they have no free time in the short term; they now have a mountain of debt to settle."

"The change in primordial water vapor also affected the entire primordial water circulation, startling the Ancestor Dragon in seclusion."

"Light flickered in his eyes as the Ancestor Dragon constantly monitored the primordial water circulation, wondering where the change had occurred that directly affected him."

"Within the vast and chaotic primordial water system, only a few places could affect him; a simple check would reveal the cause."

"A place capable of causing simultaneous change in the eastern four rivers and eight streams and the western three waters."

"The Ancestor Dragon lifted his gaze to the vast map of the world's water network, composed of countless great lakes forming nodes in the water system."

"Cloud Dream Marsh!"

"\"Alas, in the end I still have to make the trip. \""

"Having spoken, the Ancestor Dragon closed his eyes."

He knew he had to make this trip, but not now; he still needed to wait for those water gods to arrive.

PS: Today's update is complete, thank you all for the monthly votes, recommendation votes, and tips; Feng Wang here expresses his thanks.

I will keep everyone's support in my heart; thank you all. I will continue updating as usual, and then keep seeking votes and support.

(End of chapter)