The Kongtong Seal returned, and Di Xin stood before the statue of Nuwa. He held his head high, circulated his qi and blood, and spoke with a voice like rolling thunder:
"An outsider was hiding behind the Holy Mother's statue, attempting to deceive me into committing a grave offense against the Holy Mother. I have already used the Human Race's supreme treasure, the Kongtong Seal, to blast him into oblivion!"
--Rumble!
For insulting a Saint, the Heavenly Dao sent down thunder as a warning, attempting to reduce the Human Race's Destiny by a fraction. However, a tortoiseshell intercepted it in midair. The stars shifted as the thunder shot straight toward the West. Just as it was about to strike the peak of Mount Sumeru, a golden lotus enveloped it.
Jieyin intervened. After catching the divine thunder, he broke through the Map of Mountains and Rivers' seal and welcomed Zhunti back.
"Hmph!"
Nuwa looked toward the West, her face cold. A trace of anger surged forth, but after gritting her teeth, she turned and headed straight beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens!
"Your Western Teachings will pay the price!"
Yet Di Xin knew nothing about any of this.
When the tortoiseshell appeared, Di Xin looked up at the sky. Although he had been confident that the Three Sovereigns would intervene, only now did he truly relax!
With the Kongtong Seal in his hand, he was the orthodox Human King. Anyone who rebelled against him would be condemned by everyone as a traitor to the Human Race! They wanted to stand on the moral high ground and enumerate ten great crimes against him? To hell with them!
"The Three Sovereigns have manifested their divinity! Bless the Human Race!"
Di Xin spoke, and all the officials followed suit. The generals and soldiers stirred their qi and blood and shouted with all their might. For a time, their voices soared into the heavens, ringing clearly throughout Chaoge!
"The Three Sovereigns have manifested their divinity! Bless the Human Race!"
"The Three Sovereigns have manifested their divinity! Bless the Human Race!"
After returning to Chaoge, Di Xin ignored the confusion of several ministers and spoke directly:
"I am somewhat tired today. Rather than have me answer your questions now, why don't you discuss them among yourselves first? Tomorrow, at the morning court, I will answer them for you."
"Great King, this..."
Shang Rong wanted to speak, but Bi Gan tugged at him from the side. The latter gave the former a look, and only then did Shang Rong lower his head.
"We respectfully see the Great King off!"
Di Xin's dragon carriage disappeared into the inner palace, leaving the civil and military officials bewildered. They all turned to Bi Gan, but all they heard was:
"We'll discuss it at tomorrow's court."
Elsewhere, Di Xin returned to his palace and dismissed everyone around him. He also ordered the guards not to let anyone approach him. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and collapse onto his throne.
He spread out his hands and looked at them. Di Xin felt as though he were still dreaming. He had started by provoking a Saint—he had to be the most reckless transmigrator ever, right?
The Kongtong Seal seemed to sense Di Xin's confusion. It flew into the air with a buzzing sound and circled around him, spiraling up and down as if it were taking credit.
"I knew it. So you had a hand in it too."
Di Xin smiled. When he held the Kongtong Seal, he seemed to truly become that domineering Human King, that Di Xin who had replaced the supporting pillars! Perhaps this was also his resentment—the Human Race's resentment. It had merely borrowed his soul to amplify the thoughts within his heart.
"The Investiture of the Gods... Countless members of the Human Race will die, and we'll never be able to straighten our spines again. We'll become slaves to gods, Buddhas, demons, devils, and immortals—ignorant and pitiful.
"I've come here, but what can I do?"
"There's a lot you can do!"
As Di Xin asked and answered himself, his eyes grew brighter and brighter. The Kongtong Seal lowered streams of golden light, hiding his thoughts within the countless thoughts of the Human Race and cutting off the perception of the gods and Buddhas.
"First, I need to understand my position! Although I have the Kongtong Seal in hand, when facing those mighty figures who can casually destroy the heavens and earth and recreate the forces of fire, water, and wind, I'm still just a child. I can make some moves and take a few advantages within the bounds of the 'rules,' but if I want to truly become a player, I still have a long way to go!
"So, the only thing I can do now is cling to a powerful backer! I have to cling to a powerful backer! I need to demonstrate my value. Only by becoming useful will I avoid being casually treated as a discarded piece!
"Then, given my current identity, there's only one thing I can do—and it can produce results the fastest, letting the players see my value!
"The Human Race!"
"I am the Human King. At the very least, I'm still the Human King for now! And there are only three factions connected to me that are qualified to become players: the Grand Pure Sage of the Ren Teachings, Nuwa, the Saint who created humanity, and the Three Sovereigns of Huoyun Cave. Although the latter are weaker, the three of them can still match a Saint.
"So, I need to focus on the Human Race and do things that make them happy—or, rather, things they'll be glad to see.
"For the Three Sovereigns, developing the Human Race and strengthening the Human Race Destiny is enough. If I accomplish that, they'll naturally value me.
"As for Holy Mother Nuwa, I might not have understood it before, but it's obvious now! Oppose the West! If I can't reach the Saints, I'll bite their disciples! In short, as long as I make things difficult for them, that's good enough!
"As for the Grand Pure Sage... he's really difficult to figure out..."
Wa Palace
Nuwa had returned from Zixiao Palace, and her anger had yet to dissipate. She wanted to take a look at Di Xin, the Human King who called himself her "son."
The fact that he had broken a Saint's scheme alone was enough to make her take notice. Not to mention that Emperor Fuxi clearly had a fondness for this Human King.
When she directed her gaze toward Di Xin in Chaoge, this Di Xin had actually used the Kongtong Seal's astonishing ability to block her perception. This added a trace of curiosity and amusement to her otherwise boring life.
"What exactly is this little fellow thinking?"
The Saint who could calculate everything across the boundless territory of the Great Desolation had actually been stumped by a "mortal" today. Nuwa's anger faded, and a trace of curiosity appeared between her brows. After lowering her head and pondering for a moment, she raised her hand and summoned a gourd.
Nuwa waved her saintly hand, and a beam of white light burst from the gourd. Once the light dispersed, a small banner sparkling with starlight and filled with wandering spirits stretched in the wind, growing to a size of four or five zhang before stopping.
Five colors alternated across the banner, and auspicious radiance shone in all directions. It was the Monster Summoning Banner! With a light wave, it could summon all the monsters beneath the heavens.
The Monster Summoning Banner looked magnificent, but once it was waved, demonic winds rose everywhere. Gloomy mists spread, dark clouds gathered from the eight wastelands, and baleful energy surged in from all directions.
Nuwa made a brief selection and left three female demons prostrating themselves before her holy carriage.
"This little demon pays respects to Niang Niang. May Niang Niang enjoy boundless longevity!"
Their fates had long been determined. These three demons were naturally the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb: the Thousand-Year Fox Spirit, the Jade Pipa Spirit, and the Nine-Headed Pheasant Spirit.
Nuwa looked over the three demons and nodded in satisfaction. They were so delicate and charming that they would make a fine match for her "son."
"The Western Sage angered me a few days ago, so I want to make things difficult for them as well. You three will accept my secret decree and take up residence beside this generation's Human King. First, make him cause trouble for the West with all his might. Ideally, have him send every disciple of the West onto the Investiture of the Gods! Second, keep watch over this Human King's words and actions at all times. If possible, find out what he's thinking and report it to me. Once the tribulation ends, you may enter my Wa Palace to listen to the Dao. Your efforts will not have been in vain."
"This little demon accepts your decree! We will not disappoint Niang Niang!"
The three demons hurriedly kowtowed in salute. Nuwa waved her hand, sending them away.
"Little fellow, let's see what kind of tricks you can come up with."
Nuwa's mood at this moment was like that of someone whose handmade figurine had suddenly become interesting. She could not help wanting to take a few more looks.
Before you continue