Pangu, Are You Still There?

"Hm?"

When Xiang Dong opened his eyes, he found that he was still holding his teacup. Yangmei, Nuwa, and Fuxi were quietly sipping tea beside him.

Something on the level of Enlightenment Tea was still beyond Nuwa and Fuxi's reach for the time being, and it was also immensely beneficial to their cultivation. Naturally, they had to savor it slowly, one sip at a time; they couldn't gulp it down like Xiang Dong.

Sensing that Xiang Dong's Primordial Spirit had returned and his body had regained its vitality, the three of them naturally turned their eyes on him, their gazes full of inquiry.

Nuwa and Fuxi were mostly curious, while Yangmei was more puzzled. Wasn't your enlightenment a little too fast? Less time had passed than it took to drink a cup of tea, and they hadn't even finished the cups in their hands.

Still, enlightenment was a very private matter. Some people needed a long time, while others were simply fast, getting it done in a few seconds. It wasn't impossible.

"You're awake, young friend. It seems you gained quite a lot from this enlightenment."

Daoist Yangmei was the first to speak. Fuxi, beside him, said nothing, but his expression was exceedingly strange.

The Power of Principle that had surged from Xiang Dong had been like fireworks: it flared briefly with a bang, then swiftly fell silent, as though nothing had happened.

The only change was that his cultivation realm had climbed from the early stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal to the middle stage, and that was only because of the Spiritual Qi vortex that had poured into him earlier. Without that influx of massive amounts of innate Spiritual Qi, Xiang Dong would have remained entirely unchanged.

Fuxi couldn't make sense of it. Could all that Power of Principle just now have been nothing more than flowers in a mirror and the moon reflected in water?

Was the effect of this Enlightenment Tea merely a trial card that vanished like a night-blooming flower? Could its effects not last?

If Yangmei had known what Fuxi was thinking, he would surely have told him to come to his senses. My Enlightenment Tea is the genuine article. Was it the tea's fault that the effect vanished like a night-blooming flower? Clearly, the problem was the person.

Besides, one couldn't judge things by appearances alone. What concerned Yangmei more was Xiang Dong's current mental state. He had the constant feeling that Xiang Dong's Dao heart had undergone a transformation and that he was no longer quite so... carefree as before.

"Congratulations, fellow Daoist Xiang Dong, on the great advance in your cultivation."

Of everyone present, only Nuwa offered her congratulations with genuine delight. It was good to be young and innocent, without so many twists and turns and schemes.

"Ah, what gains? What great advance in my cultivation? That's all empty talk." Xiang Dong waved a hand and said quietly, as though explaining himself, or perhaps trying to convince himself, "I just found something... something I lost a long time ago."

Was that light in his heart hope, the future, or protection?

And then there were Pangu's words, "I'm counting on you." Xiang Dong didn't want to take on this mess. Once he did, it would mean being drawn into endless struggles. He would truly have to fight the heavens and measure himself against Hongjun.

The thought of it all inevitably left Xiang Dong feeling restless. It was a crushing weight of pressure, even more suffocating than Pangu's Pressure on Buzhou Mountain.

Yet he had never refused. He resisted, but he hadn't refused, and Taichu had already accepted it, so what else could he do?

He slapped his own cheeks to clear his head.

"Speaking of which..."

Xiang Dong composed himself and looked Yangmei straight in the eye.

"Brother Yang, you can't have come looking for me just to catch up, crack sunflower seeds, and chat about everyday life, can you?"

He had only just awakened from his super-fast recharge not long ago, and Yangmei had already come knocking. Presumably, he had sensed Xiang Dong's awakening and rushed over at once.

Buzhou Mountain was permeated with Pangu's Pressure, making it rather unfriendly to any living being, especially Chaos Demon Gods like them. If they had no business there, they would surely stay far away, or their PTSD would be about to flare up.

All told, they had only had a brief acquaintance, and their relationship wasn't necessarily all that close. Nobody visited a temple without a reason.

Xiang Dong's thoughts raced. He and Taichu had just gotten on the same page: inside Pangu Hall, Xuanming and Houtu had only just been born.

All Twelve Ancestral Witches had taken form, but because each had given up a drop of heart's blood upon birth, they were all in a weakened state. Even Di Jiang, the first to emerge, had yet to recover fully.

In a way, that could be considered a good thing. If they were always recuperating, they wouldn't go out and stir up trouble.

So the Witch-Demon Kalpa was still a long way off at this stage. Dijun and Taiyi had only just emerged from the Sun Star and begun traveling through the Primordial World.

For the moment, there were no conflicts or clashes of interest between the two sides, but if they met, there was still a ninety-eight percent chance they would fight.

So what major event was there at this stage—and one that concerned Yangmei, at that? It could only be the struggle between Dao and Demon.

The struggle between Dao and Demon involved more than just Hongjun and Luohou. Because of the Zhuxian Sword Formation, if Hongjun couldn't gather enough people to throw their lives away breaking the formation, the Dao Ancestor would have no real confidence in taking down Devil Ancestor Luohou.

At that thought, Xiang Dong glanced at Yangmei again.

This surviving relic of the Chaos Demon Gods was still unfathomable, but he had certainly not reached the Sage realm.

Yangmei didn't take offense at Xiang Dong staring so bluntly. Rather than answer his question directly, he first asked one of his own.

"Before I answer your question, young friend, I would like to ask you something as well."

"Is Pangu still there?"

"Back then, after I brought you to the foot of Buzhou Mountain, an enormous upheaval struck the mountain not long afterward. Pangu's will awakened, and heaven and earth shook with fury, but it soon subsided."

"Not long ago, during the great battle between the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans, a curtain of light appeared on the battlefield, and Pangu's phantom appeared with it..."

Yangmei hadn't spoken too plainly, but no one present was a fool. His meaning was already clear: both of Pangu's appearances had something to do with Xiang Dong, so Xiang Dong ought to know exactly what had become of Pangu.

Had he completely dissipated, or was he still there?

An old monster was an old monster, with countless thoughts in his head. Xiang Dong was certain Yangmei had noticed something but wasn't quite sure, and perhaps he was also wary of Pangu, which was why he hadn't dared to verify it himself.

After all, if he really made a move, there was a good chance that testing it would mean dying for it.

Xiang Dong chuckled and didn't answer Yangmei's question directly, because he couldn't say for sure what the answer was either.

Pangu had died of exhaustion after splitting heaven and earth apart, not under the onlooking gazes of the Chaos Demon Gods. So no one could say whether he had left himself some fallback before his strength ran out.

Every one of those Chaos Demon Gods had their own means of staying alive. Even in death, a hundred-legged centipede did not go limp.

So even though Pangu's body had become all things, and his remnant soul and will had nearly dissipated, Chaos Demon Gods like Yangmei didn't dare take the gamble.

"I never would have guessed you missed Father God so much. If I get the chance, I'll be sure to tell him and have the old man get together with you for a good long visit. You can sit down, drink some tea, and have a chat."