Time flew by. Today was the day Shun abdicated. Beneath the Nine Heavens, the crowd roared with excitement, gathered solely to witness the birth of a new Human Emperor.
Da Yu wore embroidered robes depicting winding rivers and mountains as he steadily ascended the sacred altar.
Standing atop the platform, Shun handed him the Human Emperor Seal and declared in a clear voice that carried across the land, "Da Yu of Clan Gun, you have rendered great service in controlling the floods. Today, I pass the throne to you. May the Human Race suffer no more floods from this day forth and flourish without end!"
Heavenly light blazed brilliantly over the sacred altar.
Holding the Human Emperor Seal, Da Yu seemed, in a daze, to hear the prayers of his ancestors. He spoke solemnly, "Yu will never fail this trust, nor the hopes of the people!"
"Human Emperor!"
"Emperor Yu! Stabilize the realm!"
The cheers of the masses below surged like waves, shaking the clouds.
Shun looked deeply at Da Yu. That gaze contained far too many complicated emotions—approval, concern, and the exhaustion of finally being able to let go.
Perhaps Da Yu would do better than him.
He was a little tired.
Slowly, he placed Yuheng upon Da Yu's crown, completing the final ritual.
Among the crowd, Nu Jiao wore plain white robes as she gazed at the figure on the platform with smiling eyes. Time had passed so quickly. The man who had once controlled the floods had become the Human Emperor.
At that moment, Da Yu held the flood-control scriptures and swore to his people, "Water has no fixed form. Even if there are slight ripples, what is there to fear?"
The ceremony finally came to an end.
The new emperor would receive the homage of tribes