Inside the most exalted location of the entire Three Realm knelt an empyrean clad in silver. She was Xuannu, the Maiden of Nine Heavens. She lowered her head until her neck could not be exposed anymore. “I have failed Your Eminence. No matter what I said, that human would not accept the Nine Heavens War Code. Please punish me.”
High above in her throne, Tongtian leaned back and hummed. Even among the empyreans, Xuannu was among the most talented. She was one of the first batch to hatch and through her own painstaking efforts, she reached the Golden Immortal Realm. “There is no need to apologize. Your mission was to hand the Nine Heavens War Code to Xuanyuan, but since he does not want it, forget it. Okay, you can go back now.”
“Thank you for your leniency, Your Eminence.” Xuannu’s beautiful face looked relieved. She left Eminence Heaven Palace, leaving the Jade Emperor alone to her own thoughts.
‘Without the Nine Heavens War Code, Xuanyuan will be hard pressed to defeat Chiyou.’ Tongtian thought. Her gaze stared into the distance. It pierced the walls and the boundaries of the Heavenly Realm and onto the Earthly Realm. Her gaze settled on the Human Temple near the East Sea. Within sat her first disciple, Wutian. ‘I didn’t expect you to be so against outsiders interfering with humanity.’
Why did Xuanyuan know so much about Karmic Luck? Even if he was the future ruler of humanity, the former rulers of humanity and those before him could not aid him. Only his teacher could, but Xuanyuan did not have a teacher. The crux of this lay in the Eight Source Ascension Xuanyuan discovered.
If Youxiong discovered the pure Eight Source Ascension, then Xuanyuan found a version especially curated for him. Tongtian didn’t know what extra information it contained, but she could guess about seventy to eighty percent of them. Nothing more than preventative information to prevent outsiders taking advantage of humanity.
Tongtian shook her head. She understood Wutian’s motivation, but that didn’t mean she agreed with it. Humanity was too weak. Limited by the Way of Heaven, no human could reach the Primordial Origin Realm. If such a thing occurred, that meant that they had defied the heavens. Although having a major power at the level of the Primordial Origin would result in humanity having a great assurance, they would lose far more.
All things are connected by karma, even Saints. Few would help others, especially at a loss to themselves. It was only because of the great returns that many would risk themselves to participate. Helping humanity was simply the easiest and most convenient way to earn Karmic Luck, at least at this point. Not even Saints were immune to the attraction.
Well, most Saints. As the ruler of the Three Realms, she didn’t need to eye the Karmic Luck of humanity. If Tongtian hadn’t become the Jade Emperor, she would have likely not been so impartial toward Wutian’s many actions.
As one who pursued the Great Dao, Karmic Luck was the most powerful aid. The more Karmic Luck one possessed, the smoother their path to comprehending the myriad laws became. But she was now the Jade Emperor, so she wouldn’t take action and disrupt the relationship between master and disciple.
Still, that did not mean she wouldn’t manipulate the war between the two overlords from behind the scenes. Because of Xuanyuan’s choice, his chances of victory became that much lower. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who was behind Chiyou. Not only did Chiyou reincarnate, but it seemed that Empress Pingxin managed to reincarnate several other giants.
Tongtian didn’t know how the ruler of the Nether Realm accomplished such a feat. Giants possessed no spirits, and without spirit to guard their truesoul, they would immediately dissipate upon death without the chance to reincarnate. ‘Perhaps she found a method when she transformed her body into the Nether Realm.’
She rested her chin on her knuckles as an indolent air surrounded her. ‘According to my memories, the creator of Human Script should appear soon, right?’
Tongtian’s gaze searched every corner of Xuanyuan’s territory, but she couldn’t find any traces of the future fifth ancestor of humanity. ‘Strange. Xuanyuan is at war with Chiyou now. Although the war will take a long time, it shouldn’t last hundreds or thousands of years, meaning that he should be born now. Why can’t I find any trace of him?’
Her gaze sharpened as she straightened her back. Pinching her fingers, Tongtian began to calculate. The air around her changed, as a solemn aura surrounded her, as if warning her. Just as it seemed that the Way of Heaven would appear to warn her, Tongtian stopped.
“No wonder,” she muttered. “Someone who should have died and been reincarnated into a human to create Human Script did not die. The chances of an ordinary human being born and creating text were incredibly low. Rather, it should be the reincarnation of a major power that would create Human Script.”
She furrowed her brows. ‘Who is it that should have died and reincarnated into him?’
Tongtian knew her arrival changed the direction of the world. The overall plot stayed the same, but minor details changed. Even she couldn’t see through it all.
The Great Dao is fifty; the Eye of Heaven is forty-nine; the last one escaped. Small variables could change, but the general trend remained the same.
She had always thought that the general trend was Xuanyuan defeating Chiyou, but now it seemed that victory between the two overlords was a variable. Without the Human Script contributing to humanity’s Karmic Luck, Xuanyuan chances would become far lower.
At this point, Empress Pingxin might now not even need to intervene, and Chiyou would win. By then, the Titan Tribe would use humanity to revive itself.
After thinking it over, Tongtian realized it didn’t really matter whether or not Xuanyuan or Chiyou won. At least for her. As the Jade Emperor, she only had to manage the prosperity and direction of the Three Realms. Unless Chiyou’s humanity wanted to rebel and replace the Heavenly Court, it would not matter.
Still, Tongtian decided to stand on Xuanyuan’s side. Number one, she didn’t believe Empress Pingxin or Chiyou would be willing to remain under the control of the Heavenly Court. After all, the titans had famously declared that they would only believe in Pangu, not heaven and earth, or the Way of Heaven.
Number two, her third disciple was Xuanyuan’s sister. Not to mention her first disciple didn’t like Chiyou, who was the reincarnation of a giant. And whether the two enshrined sovereigns were willing to accept Chiyou was another matter.
Number three, none of the Saints of Heaven wanted Empress Pingxin to succeed. If she succeeded, she would occupy a majority of humanity’s Karmic Luck, reshuffling the cards. She and Laozi may be fine, but Yuanshi, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Redcloud Ancestor definitely wouldn’t agree.
For Empress Pingxin to succeed, it meant that she would have a right similar to Tongtian, who held the Kongtong Seal. Without her agreement, how could the other Saints’ disciple become the teacher of humanity’s rulers?
With her decision made, Tongtian raised her hand and made a grabbing motion. In the Empyrean Eden within the foliages of the Allheaven Jianmu Tree, one of the largest fruits trembled. Its vibration increased until it fell, but when it touched the ground, it disintegrated into tiny motes of light. With the preparations done, Tongtian summoned Wutian.
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Wutian couldn’t help but furrow his brow when he heard his master summon him. ‘Is Master displeased by my actions?’
He wasn’t blind nor reckless. He didn’t think influencing Xuanyuan would go unnoticed. Still, he never expected to be summoned so soon. ‘Master, do you want humanity’s Karmic Luck so much?’
Regardless of his thoughts, Wutian did not delay. He would face it sooner than later. Why bother to hide? He hadn’t reached the Half-Saint Realm yet, but even if he had reached it, he didn’t think he could avoid his master’s gaze. Soon, he flew toward the South Heaven Gate and entered the Thirty-Three Heavens. The guards didn’t stop and allowed him passage into Supreme Purity Heaven, where he entered EminenceHeaven Palace.
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Upon entering, he saluted Tongtian. “Master, is there anything you need from me?”
His master didn’t immediately answer. Instead, she drummed her fingers against the throne. It sounded light, but each tap resounded like thunder in Wutian’s ears. His heart couldn’t help but quicken, even though he maintained a calm facade.
This went on for a few minutes, and just as the tension reached its peak, Tongtian chuckled. “What? Finally learn what it’s like to be scared?”
Although he was sure that Tongtian wouldn’t punish him, Wutian stayed silent.
“Forget it. I know your personality and goals, nothing more than wanting to protect humanity and let it become independent,” Tongtian said with a shrug and leaned back languidly against the Nine Dragon Throne. “But that’s a hard road. If humanity gains independence, it will lose its protection. If you don’t, humanity will never gain independence, but it will be protected as long as the Three Realms exist.”
Wutian didn’t understand her words. Why was it impossible to have both?
Tongtian didn’t linger on the topic and shifted it. “The reason I called you here is for humanity’s development. Go and roam among the human territories and accept a disciple. Guide him and teach him how to create a script unique to humanity alone, just like what the Demon Preceptor accomplished.”
His eyes widened.
When Wutian didn’t speak, Tongtian continued. “Don’t think of it as needless meddling. I already divined the secrets of heaven. The Human Script will eventually appear, but it might not appear now. Without external influence, a script unique to humanity may not appear during Xuanyuan’s reign. As long as Human Script is created, humanity's luck will stabilize even more. More importantly, it will increase the Karmic Luck on Xuanyuan’s side, increasing his chances of victory.”
Tongtian stared straight at Wutian. “You might not want to admit it, but since Xuanyuan refuses to accept external aid, his chances of victory have plummeted. You have to do everything in your power to increase his chances of winning.”
“Disciple understands,” Wutian said. “Thank you, Master, for your guidance.”
He stood up to leave, but Tongtian stopped him. “Just a word of advice. The disciple you’re looking for might have four eyes.”
Wutian turned around with wide eyes, but he quickly calmed his expression. He nodded and stepped out of Eminence Heaven Palace.
Now alone, Tongtian looked up. What she saw was not the ceiling of the Eminence Heaven Palace nor the Sky of the Three Realms, but a reflection of the Three Realms formed out of countless golden threads. This was the Karmic Luck of the Three Realms.
Currently, there was a silver-blue wolf in the middle of the golden Three Realms. Countless motes of light constantly split off and disintegrated and merged with the Three Realms. This was the representation of Tengri’s corpse. The body had shrunk until it was only a third of its original size. Tongtian estimated that Tengri’s body would completely disappear by the time Xuanyuan and Chiyou’s war ended.
For now, Tongtian closed her eyes. She still needed to make preparations. When the Three Realms fully digested Tengri’s corpse, a chance would present itself to her. Only at that time would Hongjun be unable to stop her. No matter what, she must grasp it. If possible, it would be best to coincide when humanity’s new ruler becomes clear. That way, she would have more room to maneuver.
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“Did you hear?” a pedestrian in Zhuolu whispered to another.
“About what?”
“His Majesty’s decision?” Upon seeing his fellow pedestrian’s clueless look, the first pedestrian glared. “What have you been doing? Living under a rock?”
The pedestrian sighed and helpfully explained the recent events. “His Majesty just won the first battle of the war and taught those barbarians a lesson.”
“Of course I know that. I’d have to be a baby not to know.”
“Shut up and let me finish,” the pedestrian said, glaring at his companion. “I just don’t understand why His Majesty didn’t just wipe them out. Instead, he reached his hand out and promised that as long as those barbarians surrendered, he would welcome them as members of humanity.”
“Humans and barbarians? That’s impossible.”
Unknown to the two of them, a middle-aged man wearing plain clothes was right next to them, listening in. He was Wutian.
Wutian shook his head. He had heard the information many times on the street, and he wasn’t as naïve as these pedestrians. The reason Xuanyuan extended the olive branch to the barbarians wasn’t out of the kindness of his heart, but a scheme.
It wasn’t targeted at the barbarians that joined the Jiuli Tribe, but the slave barbarians. Xuanyuan wasn’t blind; he knew that they weren’t loyal to Chiyou because of worship but from fear. As long as he threw out bait, many of them would risk it all. Once one started escaping to join Xuanyuan, others would follow.
Of course, it was impossible to defeat Chiyou using only this method, but it was more than enough to disrupt the latter.
Wutian became more and more sure of Xuanyuan’s right to inherit the mantle of humanity’s ruler. After touring the streets a few more times, he shook his head. “Not here.”
He hadn’t come to Zhuolu just to listen to gossip or gather information, but to find his disciple. Since he couldn’t find him in the capital of Xuanyuan’s territory, then he would move onto other settlements. Tongtian’s words echoed in his mind, and Wutian couldn’t help but mutter, “Are Saints so powerful that they can see so clearly into the future?”
While Wutian searched for his disciple, the war of Yan and Huang raged on.
A second battle occurred between the two sides. Unlike the first battle, it was much more even. In fact, Xuanyuan’s army faintly held a greater advantage, but it still didn’t stop the Jiuli Tribe from destroying the defensive structures Xuanyuan’s people made. Once the structure crumbled, the battle ended when Chiyou retreated.
Such battles repeated themselves many times, but with each battle, Xuanyuan’s army gained a slightly larger advantage. Not to mention the fact that, as time passed, he created a logistics system to support the resources needed to carry out the war. Meanwhile, the Jiuli Tribe could only sustain themselves on the depleting grain they looted. By then, not only would they have to fight Xuanyuan’s army, but they would have to hunt and gather for their food. Even then, they would likely hunt all the surrounding creatures, forcing them to hunt farther and farther away.
It was not an exaggeration to say that Xuanyuan’s army strengthened by the day, while the Jiuli Tribe weakened with each battle. Just as it seemed like the positive trend would continue, the Jiuli Tribe changed. Chiyou had awakened the ability to control fire. Not just him, but his nine generals also awakened powerful elemental abilities. Not all the tribespeople awakened abilities, but a good majority did, allowing them to overwhelm the advantage Xuanyuan had built, forcing the war into a stalemate once more.
However, this had nothing to do with Wutian. Years passed as he continued to search for his destined disciple. One day, he decided to search Zhuolu again, and he stopped by a small village built next to the Ji River. After a few minutes, he shook his head. Just as he prepared to leave, he saw a commotion.
Wutian saw a boy flailing in the river. He moved to save the boy, but the villagers’ discussion halted his movements.
“It’s that poor boy. He must have fallen into the river again,” one motherly woman said.
Another woman, much older in the years, snorted. “Who can he blame? This isn’t the first time. We told him many times to not wander out of the village, but does he listen? No.”
The motherly woman pursed her brows. “It’s not entirely his fault. He was born with problems with his eyes.”
“Not his fault?” a third villager interjected. She looked much younger than the others and didn’t have the same compassion. “I’ve been saying this for years: this boy should have died long ago. Not only did he kill his mother during childbirth, but everyone close to him gets injured or dies.”
“How can you say such a thing? The boy is innocent.”
The young woman snorted. “Okay then. Go save him. Remember, the last man that tried to save him drowned in his stead.”
The other women didn’t know what to say. Although they pitied the boy, they wouldn’t risk their own lives. Fortunately for the drowning boy, Wutian was present.
He sighed and appeared next to the boy. His sudden appearance, coupled with the fact that he stood atop the moving rapids while fishing out the boy, instantly attracted all the villagers’ attention. Wutian ignored their gazes. He moved the boy onto the other side of the river and helped him expel the water clogging his lungs.
The boy coughed a few times before looking at Wutian. “Thank you, Sir.”
Wutian noticed the boy squinting heavily and asked, “Is there something wrong with your eyes?”
Contrary to his expectation, the boy smiled. It was a peaceful smile that should have appeared on a face decades older than his own. “Yes.”
Wutian reached into the air and pinched. Out of the air, a frame with two lenses, glasses, appeared in his hand. Humanity had not discovered the ability to forge glass yet, but this was no problem for him.
To the villagers, it seemed as if Wutian had just magically created it. They immediately knelt in worship. However, only he knew that he simply transformed the dust particles in the air. It was an ability that Golden Immortals gained and grew stronger with each higher realm, but most treated it as a useless ability meant for shocking mortals.
The boy stayed still as Wutian placed the glasses on the boy’s face.
“How about now?” Wutian asked.
“Amazing, everything’s so much clearer now,” the boy said, but he still squinted his eyes. Obviously, the lenses were not perfect.
Wutian tapped the frame and thickened the lens. He asked once again, but although his vision was sharper, the boy still squinted. So he repeated the process until the lenses turned several centimeters thick.
“Wow, everything’s so clear! Thank you, Sir!”
However, Wutian didn’t have time to process the boy’s thanks. Instead, he stared at the boy. The thick lenses caused a distortion that made him appear to have four eyes. “Boy, what’s your name?”
“My name? It’s Cangjie.”