Fate

The world was empty, more desolate than before. But it was also more dangerous. Countless pockets of Chaos had been stirred up, the black and white energies distinct, the elements of earth, water, wind, and fire swirling. It was a harsh environment where only Chaos gods and demons born and raised within it could survive.

In the indistinct air, the aura of an old friend lingered, but it was gradually fading. Yet, the indelible memories remained, clearly recording everything that had happened in this world.

Pangu didn't understand why Yang Mei hadn't chosen to hide or resist. Every god and demon in the Chaos was a world-shaking figure. Was it possible for Yang Mei to escape? Pangu only saw a shattered Chaos Willow tree.

Yang Mei was, after all, a Chaos creature with his own space. His achievements surpassed those of ordinary gods and demons. Who could say he had simply vanished into thin air? Perhaps he possessed divine abilities for self-preservation, it was impossible to know.

But a Chaos creature whose Chaos true form had perished was no longer a Chaos creature. However, anything could happen in the Chaos, as long as they were given time.

The departed were gone. An era had ended. It was time to welcome and usher in a new one.

Three green lotuses floated quietly. He could feel that they shared the same root and origin as his former Chaos Green Lotus, but they were much weaker. Perhaps things weren't that simple. The Chaos Green Lotus had followed him for so long, yet he still didn't know what it truly was.

Only when resisting the Myriad Stars Grinding Mill did a sliver of information transmit. It was an artifact of the Great Dao, representing the Great Dao's life and containing the power of creation.

Could three green lotuses of the same origin be simple?

It was also they who had awakened him at a critical moment. He could deeply feel a dense Xuanhuang aura emanating from them.

Pangu gazed gently at these three peculiar life forms, the only remaining objects with a life aura in this Chaos.

The Great Dao had created the Chaos world and nurtured three thousand Chaos beings, simultaneously arranging their fates. Was he an anomaly? Could the Great Dao tolerate an incomparably powerful Chaos being?

Pangu saw from Yang Mei that the Great Dao wanted Chaos beings to open up new heavens and earth, evolving all things. However, it did not wish for the Chaos gods and demons to become the masters of the heavens and earth. The Chaos beings only needed to evolve the heavens and earth.

What about himself? He was now at his peak.

Why could the Great Dao tolerate him? It was watching him exhaust himself in Sky Opening, transforming into all things, providing nourishment for the future world to grow.

Xuanhuang left these three green lotuses for me precisely to help me avert this inevitable end.

He chose this path, which was already defying heaven, so heaven destroyed him.

How should I choose?

Pangu quietly began to comprehend these three green lotuses. Each one seemed to encompass everything.

At this moment, a beam of nine-colored light shot out from the depths of the Chaos, enveloping him and the three green lotuses.

What exactly lay in the depths of the Chaos? This was a question that flickered through Pangu's mind.

Pangu realized he was enveloped by the nine-colored light and entering one of the green lotuses.

He saw a scene he had witnessed within the Chaos Green Lotus: vast, boundless darkness, with specks of purple light flowing. However, they were much weaker than before.

Could this be an image of the Chaos Green Lotus? Everything he saw here was also present there.

Pondering everything within this green lotus.

I understand. This is the nascent embryo of the primordial world.

At this moment, a dazzling light emanated from the darkness, enveloping Pangu.

Pangu did not panic, nor did he need to. He felt the Xuanhuang aura.

A verdant ancient palace stood atop a piece of white lotus root.

The grand doors of the ancient palace gently opened.

Pangu stepped in lightly.

"Fellow Daoist Xuanhuang, so you are not dead."

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

Pangu pondered for a moment and said, "I understand. You are the Chosen One chosen by the Great Dao, because you cultivate the Natural Great Dao. However, sooner or later, you will merge into the heavens and earth, becoming the rules that the heavens and earth execute."

"The Great Dao also doesn't know how to evolve life and make it flourish. That's why we three thousand Chaos beings appeared. Its original intention was for all of us to help it evolve the heavens and earth, but it couldn't control the will of all living beings, nor did it dare to let the heavens and earth evolve naturally. Hence, there was a selection process."

Pangu sighed, "Alas, we are all chess pieces, pawns living for an unknown purpose."

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

Pangu asked, "What are these three green lotuses, and what is their purpose?"

Xuanhuang lowered his head in thought, seemingly reluctant to speak.

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

Pangu paused. He wasn't clear about what the Chaos Green Lotus was now, but he was certain it was a necessary component for opening up new heavens and earth. It would maintain the new heavens and earth, preventing them from being devoured by Chaos, forming a barrier. It contained all the rules of the heavens and earth, and all lost rules would return to it.

Xuanhuang was unwilling to explicitly state what these three green lotuses were. Pangu needed to comprehend it himself. If he comprehended it, he would comprehend it. If not, he would carry out the mission of Sky Opening, and Xuanhuang would still linger in the world, waiting for someone who could comprehend it.

Xuanhuang sent Pangu out of the ancient palace. The ancient palace was a peculiar existence within the green lotus; it existed inside the green lotus but was not something ordinary people could sense.

Pangu floated in the void where the green lotus resided, watching the purple light spots shuttle around him.

Pangu knew that each of these light spots contained a powerful divine ability, but he could not obtain the rules contained within them. Their existence was meant for the new heavens and earth after the Sky Opening, and they would become part of the rules of the heavens and earth.

This was part of the evolution of the heavens and earth, something he could not change.

Pangu knew he was in an awkward position. He had already surpassed some of the rules, and to survive in the newly opened heavens and earth, he would surely not be tolerated by the Great Dao.

A purple light spot, shining with dazzling brilliance, seemed to be guiding his direction.

Pangu released his divine sense, attempting to capture the purple light spot.

His divine sense easily entered the purple light spot. It contained information from the Great Dao, but it was very little. An invisible force prevented his exploration.

To his surprise, this was Dao Lord Lu Ya's technique for severing the Three Corpses.

Humans have Three Corpse Deities residing within them, namely the three thoughts of good, evil, and obsession. They are a part of the Primordial Spirit, containing all the emotions the Primordial Spirit has for the world. Dao Lord Lu Ya was unable to fully sever his obsession, which stemmed from Lu Ya's deep feelings and reliance on Great Immortal Yang Mei.

Severing the Three Corpses allows one to maintain tranquility, be free of desires, and achieve a clear mind and enlightened nature, greatly promoting the pursuit of the supreme Great Dao.

Pangu tried to capture other purple light spots, but they vanished in an instant, impossible for him to grasp. Why could this purple light spot, containing the method for severing the corpses, be captured so easily?

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

Is it guiding me, or is Xuanhuang guiding me?

By using the corpse-severing method, I can have three avatars. Can avatars replace me in Sky Opening? These three avatars carry too many of my emotions. Can a new world opened by them conform to the Great Dao's requirements?

If it doesn't conform to the Great Dao, it can re-gather Chaos and choose another Chosen One to help him evolve.

No, if I can sever the Three Corpses, my heart will be free of bonds, worries, and attachments. A flawless heart, devoid of desire and need, might then conform to the Great Dao's requirements, conforming to the world the Great Dao wishes to evolve. A world without selfishness, a world of non-action.

This is Xuanhuang's guided path to salvation. But the heavens still need to be opened. How exactly should they be opened?

Could it be that the three green lotuses are providing me with three chances?

They are part of the Chaos Green Lotus. Perhaps this was the Great Dao's original intention all along. Perhaps the world was not meant to have just one world, one type of world. The Great Dao doesn't even know which kind of world can last, so it gave me three other chances. Hasn't it also set three chances for itself?

Xuanhuang suddenly appeared before Pangu and asked, "Daoist friend, do you know the path you must take?"

Pangu said, "It's not very clear, but I know the direction. My Dao is the Path of Creation. Creation means to create and evolve."

Xuanhuang said, "This creation and evolution is not that simple. Some rules will evolve at the beginning of the world, but most rules are still unknown. Suitable rules need to be evolved slowly. The world itself needs to perfect itself slowly."

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

Xuanhuang replied indifferently, "Who knows? Perhaps not. The Green Lotus will transform into the world's barrier, and I will transform into the world's order, becoming part of the rules."

Pangu laughed, "Haha, we are the same. I am for all things, and you are for the world. We are still together, haha."

"Then what exactly is inside the Chaos Green Lotus?"

A hint of a smile seemed to appear on Xuanhuang's calm face as he said, "Cannot be said, cannot be said. I will send you out."

Pangu nodded.

This is for the best. Those who seem to leave might actually be by your side. Sometimes, having one more thought can sustain everything.

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

These are three heavy emotions. Can I let them go completely? Perhaps before, I definitely couldn't.

These are also three heavy hopes. Perhaps from them, I can find my path to salvation. Even if I can't find it, I must evolve a world that can last forever, so that I can be remembered in countless memories and exist eternally with that eternal world.

This chapter is a transition, somewhat somber. In the next volume, a different Primordial World will begin.