Fate

The world was empty, even more desolate than before. But it was also more dangerous. Countless chaos currents churned, black and white energies clearly distinct, while Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire drifted through the void. It was a hostile environment where only Chaos God Demons born and raised there could survive.

The indistinct air still held traces of old friends, but they were gradually fading away. Yet the memories that could never be erased still clearly recorded everything that had happened in this world.

Pangu did not know why Yang Mei had chosen not to hide or fight back. Which of the God Demons in Chaos was not a world-shaking figure? Could Yang Mei have escaped? All Pangu had seen was the shattered Chaos Willow Tree.

After all, Yang Mei was a Chaos Living Being with a space of his own, and his achievements surpassed those of ordinary God Demons. Who could say that he had simply vanished into nothingness? Perhaps he had some life-saving divine ability. It was impossible to know.

But a Chaos Living Being who had lost his Chaos body was no longer a Chaos Living Being. Still, anything could happen in Chaos, as long as they were given time.

The dead were gone. An era had ended. It was time to welcome and create a new one.

Three green lotuses floated quietly. Pangu could sense that they shared the same origin as the Chaos Green Lotus that had once belonged to him, but they were much weaker. Perhaps things were not so simple. The Chaos Green Lotus had been with him for so long, yet even now he did not know what it was.

Only when it had resisted the Myriad Stars Grinding Mill had it revealed a little information. It was an object of the Great Dao, representing the Great Dao's life and containing the power of creation.

Could the three green lotuses that shared its origin be anything ordinary?

They had also been the ones to awaken him at the critical moment. Pangu could deeply sense the rich aura of Xuanhuang on them.

Pangu quietly studied these three strange lives, the only things remaining in this Chaos that still carried the breath of life.

The Great Dao had created the Chaos world and nurtured three thousand Chaos Living Beings. It had also arranged their fates. Was he an exception? Could the Great Dao tolerate a Chaos Living Being as powerful as him?

From Yang Mei, Pangu had seen that the Great Dao wanted the Chaos Living Beings to open up a new world and evolve all things, but did not want the Chaos God Demons to become masters who ruled the world. The Chaos Living Beings only needed to evolve the world.

What about him? He was now almost at the peak of his power.

Why could the Great Dao tolerate him? It was watching him exhaust himself opening the world, transform into all things, and provide nourishment for the world of generations to come.

Xuanhuang had left three green lotuses for him so they could help him avert this inevitable end.

He had chosen this path against Heaven, so Heaven had destroyed him.

What should I choose?

Pangu quietly began to comprehend the three green lotuses. Each one seemed to contain everything.

Just then, a beam of nine-colored light shot out from the depths of Chaos and enveloped him and the three green lotuses.

What lay in the depths of Chaos? A question surfaced in Pangu's mind.

Pangu realized that the nine-colored light had enveloped him and carried him inside one of the green lotuses.

He saw the same scene he had witnessed inside the Chaos Green Lotus: a vast, boundless darkness. Specks of purple light swirled about, but they were much weaker than before.

Could this be a reflection of the Chaos Green Lotus? Was everything here also there?

He pondered over everything inside the green lotus.

I understand. This is the embryonic form of the primordial world.

Just then, a dazzling light flared in the darkness and enveloped Pangu.

Pangu did not panic. There was no need to. He could sense Xuanhuang's aura.

A green ancient hall stood atop a section of white lotus root.

The hall's doors slowly opened.

Pangu stepped inside.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanhuang, so you're not dead after all."

"Perhaps. I possess one-third of Xuanhuang's Primordial Spirit, and now I am the spirit of this green lotus. Since you have realized the nature of this green lotus, I summoned you here as its spirit."

Pangu pondered briefly, then said, "I understand. You are the Chosen One selected by the Great Dao, because you cultivate the natural Great Dao. But sooner or later, you will merge into the world and become part of the Rules governing it."

"The Great Dao does not know how to evolve living beings and make them thrive without end. That is why we three thousand Chaos Living Beings came into existence. Its original intent was for us all to help it evolve the world. But it could not control the will of all living beings, nor did it dare let the world evolve naturally. So a selection process had to take place."

Pangu said, "Sigh, we're all pieces on a chessboard, pieces who don't know what we're alive for."

Xuanhuang said, "This is a mission, an inescapable responsibility. The Great Dao is incomplete. We have a responsibility to try to complete it and make it whole."

Pangu asked, "What are these three green lotuses? What do they do?"

Xuanhuang lowered his head in thought, as though he did not want to answer.

He sighed and said, "They are similar to the Chaos Green Lotus. You could say they are part of it."

Pangu paused. He still did not know what the Chaos Green Lotus was, but he could be sure it was essential to opening a new world. It kept the new world from being swallowed by Chaos, forming a barrier around it. It contained all the Rules of the world, and every Rule that passed away had to return to it.

Xuanhuang was unwilling to tell him plainly what these three green lotuses were. Pangu would have to comprehend them himself. If he understood, then he understood. If he did not, he would carry out his mission to open the world, and Xuanhuang would continue to remain in the world, waiting for someone who could understand.

Xuanhuang escorted Pangu out of the ancient hall. The hall was a strange presence inside the green lotus. It existed within the lotus, yet ordinary people could not sense it.

Pangu floated in the void where the green lotus rested, watching purple specks of light dart around him.

Pangu knew that each speck held a fine divine ability, but he could not obtain the Rules contained within them. They existed to prepare the new world after the World-Opening. They would become part of its Rules.

This was part of the world's evolution, and he could not change it either.

Pangu knew he was in an awkward position. He had already transcended some of the Rules, so the Great Dao would surely not tolerate him surviving in the newly opened world.

A purple speck of light, shining brilliantly, seemed to be guiding him.

Pangu released his Spiritual Sense and tried to seize the purple speck.

His Spiritual Sense entered it with ease. It contained information from the Great Dao, but only a little was conveyed. An invisible force blocked his further exploration.

What surprised him was that this was Dao Lord Lu Ya's Method of Slaying Corpses.

People had Three Corpses dwelling within them, embodying the Three Thoughts of good, evil, and attachment. They were part of the Primordial Spirit and contained all its feelings toward the world. Dao Lord Lu Ya had been unable to completely sever his attachment. There were too many of his feelings for Great Immortal Yang Mei there, that sense of dependence.

Slaying the Three Corpses allowed one to remain calm and detached, free of knowledge and desire, with a tranquil spirit and clear nature. It greatly aided the pursuit of the Supreme Great Dao.

Pangu tried to seize other purple specks, but they vanished in an instant, and he could not grasp them at all. Why had he been able to seize the purple speck containing the Method of Slaying Corpses so easily?

He pondered deeply. What does the Great Dao want me to do?

Is it giving me a sign, or is Xuanhuang giving me one?

If I use the Method of Slaying Corpses, I can have three clones. Could they take my place in opening the world? But the three clones would still carry too many of my feelings. Could the world they opened meet the Great Dao's requirements?

If it failed to meet the Great Dao's requirements, Chaos could gather again, and it could choose another Chosen One to help it evolve.

No, if I can slay the Three Corpses, then my heart will have no ties, no attachments, no lingering desires. With a flawless heart, I may become free of desire and want, and thus meet the Great Dao's requirements for the world it wants to evolve. The world would be impartial and act without interference.

This is the way Xuanhuang has shown me to escape my fate. But the world still has to be opened. How exactly should I do it?

Could the three lotuses be three chances given to me?

They are part of the Chaos Green Lotus. Perhaps this was the Great Dao's original intent. Maybe the world does not have to be just one world, one kind of world. Even the Great Dao does not know which kind of world can endure. That is why it gave me three other chances. Why would it not have arranged three chances for itself as well?

Xuanhuang suddenly appeared in front of Pangu and asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you know the path you must take?"

Pangu said, "It's not entirely clear, but I know the direction now. My Dao is the Path of Creation: creation and evolution."

Xuanhuang said, "Creation and evolution are not so simple. When the world first begins, some of its Rules will evolve, but most will still be unknown. Suitable Rules will have to evolve over time. The world must gradually perfect itself."

Pangu asked calmly, "If I open up a world, will you still exist?"

Xuanhuang replied calmly, "Who knows? Perhaps I won't. The green lotus will become the barrier around the world, and I will become part of its order, part of its Rules."

Pangu laughed. "Ha ha, we're the same. I'll become all things, and you'll become the world. We'll still be together. Ha ha."

"What exactly is inside the Chaos Green Lotus?"

Xuanhuang's unruffled face seemed to show the faintest smile. He replied calmly, "It cannot be spoken of. It cannot be spoken of. I'll send you out."

Pangu nodded.

Perhaps that's for the best. What seems to have left may still be by your side. Sometimes, a single lingering thought can be enough to support everything.

He sat cross-legged in Chaos, quietly gazing at the three green lotuses before him.

These were three profound feelings. Could he truly let them all go? Perhaps before, he certainly could not have.

They were also three profound hopes. Perhaps he could find a way to save himself through them. Even if he could not, he had to evolve a world that could endure forever, so that he would be remembered through countless memories and remain alongside that eternal world.

This chapter is a transition, so it's a little subdued. The next volume will begin a different kind of Primordial World.