No New Things Under Samsara

"And besides, even if we obtained the Earthly Origin Dao Fruit, could we really complete the Earthly Dao?"

Xuan Yin looked at the expectant Zhu Jiuyin, but deep doubts rose within him. If the Earthly Dao were so easy to complete, why had the Twelve Ancestral Witches failed over the past several epochs?

Within the Primordial True Realm, Houtu transforming herself into Samsara was the most crucial part of the Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao. Yet few Sages were willing to watch the Wu Clan control Samsara and wield the authority of the Netherworld.

The Exposition Sect placed the greatest emphasis on aptitude when accepting disciples, so naturally it valued beings of the Heaven-Human Dao.

As for the Two Sages of the West, if they wanted the West to rise to Great Prosperity, they likewise could not do without the authority of Samsara. Otherwise, Ksitigarbha would not later make his great vow, sit in the Netherworld Underworld, and guide departed souls for the Buddhist Sect!

Most of those departed souls who were guided across had been reincarnated in the West. Only then could the future West gain its opportunity for Great Prosperity.

The Three Thousand Worldly Travelers taken from the Jie Sect could be considered its backbone, while Duobao, Cihang, and the others counted as its upper echelon.

But for a lineage to achieve Great Prosperity, it needed not only its backbone and upper echelon, but also ordinary beings at the bottom who labored silently.

Where would these beings come from?

They could only come after Ksitigarbha entered the Underworld and guided them across from the Netherworld Underworld!

Of course, speaking fairly, Xuan Yin still hoped that the Wu Clan would succeed. If the Earthly Dao revived, it would at least make the other Sages wary.

Only then would he have a chance to manipulate karma and seize a sliver of life for the future Jie Sect.

But in the previous cycles, because the Earthly Dao had been incomplete, Houtu could only attain an incomplete Sage Fruit. She had no ability to leave the Underworld at all.

Besides, even if Houtu could obtain a complete Fruit Position this time with the Earthly Origin Dao Fruit, would the other Sages truly refrain from stopping her?

To oppose the Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao was to make enemies of the many future Da Luo. They would never watch the Wu Clan casually alter the greater trend!

Suddenly, Xuan Yin's heart stirred. He looked at Zhu Jiuyin and asked seriously, "Let us put aside completing the Earthly Dao and helping Ancestral Witch Houtu attain the Dao. I am curious—why did Ancestral Witch Gonggong choose to smash down Buzhou Mountain in every epoch reincarnation?"

The collapse of Buzhou Mountain would undoubtedly bring immense karmic burden. Since the Wu Clan knew this, why had they never stopped Gonggong?

A complicated expression flashed through Zhu Jiuyin's eyes before he slowly said, "This was actually the Wu Clan's final struggle! Since the Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao could not tolerate the Wu Clan, we might as well reopen Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind and let those Sages see the unyielding bones of the Wu Clan!"

"I know that after those Sages attain the Dao again in every epoch, they can learn the memories of the previous epoch reincarnation!"

"If they are willing to change things, perhaps they can fight for a sliver of life for the Wu Clan!"

"Just like Luohu!"

With a wave of Zhu Jiuyin's large hand, the scene within Pangu Hall changed again. It showed Dao Ancestor Hongjun joining forces with many Great Divine Ability Users against Luohu.

Yet among the twenty cycles, there had been one in which Luohu won!

Naturally, Hongjun had done this deliberately.

As the first being in this world to attain the Dao, he had also been the earliest to learn the secret of Samsara. After several failed attempts at transcendence, during one epoch, he had voluntarily allowed Luohu to attain the Dao Fruit. But Luohu still failed to escape this cycle!

After the Immeasurable Kalpa, the Chaos Universe restarted, Pangu opened the heavens once more, and everything repeated itself. Compared to the previous epoch, little had changed.

The sole difference was that Luohu had also perceived the secret of epoch reincarnation. He made a great vow and became the dark side of the Primordial World Heavenly Dao!

Luohu was also a Sage!

It was merely that the demonic waned while the Dao flourished, leaving him with no chance to manifest his sanctity at all!

Xuan Yin shook his head helplessly. "Since Luohu attaining the Dao did not change anything in the slightest, why would the Sages allow the Wu Clan to share their authority?"

Though each epoch's reincarnation had its changes, the overall trend remained in the Sages' hands. All of them sought ways to strengthen their own foundations.

Take Primordial Heavenly Venerate, for example. He had attained the Cause of All Fruits and still wished to become the Source of All Gods.

In the eyes of the many Sages, only by increasing their foundations through one cycle after another could they possibly escape the eternal reincarnation in the future.

Thus, every epoch reincarnation saw struggle after struggle over the Dao.

Those with an advantage continued expanding it, while those without one sought another path, seeking a new way forward for their Dao Fruits.

According to Sect Master Tongtian, Primordial Heavenly Venerate wished to seize the Pangu Dao Fruit and attain the Dao through strength. The Grand Pure Sage, meanwhile, wished to gather the Dao of the Three Pure Ones and unite past, present, and future as one. That was how One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones came to be!

As for Sect Master Tongtian, he had set his sights on the Acquired Great Dao.

Though the Innate Great Dao was wondrous, it had ultimately been born of heaven and earth and was constrained by heaven and earth. Blindly pursuing the authority of the Innate Great Dao would invisibly deepen one's karma with heaven and earth.

That would make transcendence even more difficult!

The three Sages each had their reasons. Who was right and who was wrong, none could say... after all, not a single person had truly transcended yet!

Not even Pangu was an exception. He opened the heavens time and again, fell into Samsara time and again, yet still could not break this eternal reincarnation.

The Wu Clan wished to imitate Luohu, stake everything on a desperate gamble, and fight for a sliver of life for themselves. But they had underestimated the Sages' pursuit of their own Great Dao.

Luohu detonated the Western Earth Veins, Gonggong furiously crashed into Buzhou Mountain, and Sect Master Tongtian reestablished Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind... at their core, all were struggles against fate.

But the Sages' Dao hearts were as hard as iron. When their own interests were at stake, how could they possibly yield over such matters?

Dao Ancestor Hongjun had yielded once, but it had created the disaster that was Demon Ancestor Luohu.

With that precedent before them, how could the Sages allow another Sage to emerge in the Primordial True Realm?

"Thinking about it now, Old Ancestor Hongyun's matter was likely not so simple either!"

Xuan Yin could not help but feel sorrow in his heart. Though he was not of the Wu Clan, he could still sense their helplessness—the frustration of being toyed with by fate.

Moreover, would the future Jie Sect not also repeat the Wu Clan's tragedy?

Houtu felt the same. She lowered her eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "What has already happened will happen again; what has already been done will be done again. Within Samsara, there are no new things!"

In truth, when Zhu Jiuyin sought out Xuan Yin, he may well have intended to win over Sect Master Tongtian.

Among the Sages, Sect Master Tongtian was the one most severely suppressed. Moreover, his Great Dao was to seize a sliver of life for all beings, making him the most likely Sage they could win over.

Xuan Yin was somewhat tempted as well.

But he had no intention of joining the Wu Clan!

Nor did Zhu Jiuyin force him. He merely told Xuan Yin to consider it and had Tianwu lead him to carefully observe the Dao inscriptions outside Pangu Hall.

Whether Sect Master Tongtian was willing to help or not, they would struggle against fate to the end!

Why?

For the sake of the so-called Great Trend of the Heavenly Dao and the Sages' interests, could the Wu Clan simply be sacrificed?

Why?

Could those future Da Luo calmly feed upon the corpses of the Witch and Demon Races?

The Wu Clan...

Refused to accept it!

Since the world was destined to move toward destruction, why must the Wu Clan leave the stage? Why must they yield their place to the Da Luo of later generations?

Since you Sages would not leave the Wu Clan a path to survival, then they would reestablish Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind!

That was the thinking of the many Ancestral Witches.

Especially since, tens of thousands of years ago, they could have used their karma with Wangshu to destroy the Demon Clan in one stroke, only to be stopped by the future Da Luo and forced to spare Xihe. Their desire to destroy the world had taken even deeper root. They merely still wished to fight for some chance of survival for the Wu Clan, which was why they had chosen to compromise for the moment.

But temporary forbearance did not mean the Twelve Ancestral Witches would endure like this forever!