Can't Talk? Then Flip the Table! (Seeking Follow-ups!!)

Rumble...

Within the River of Destiny.

The moment Hongjun stepped into the fate of the human race.

He suddenly saw a colossal force surging toward him with overwhelming momentum.

Deep within the River of Destiny of humanity, the phantom of a Sky-Supporting Giant slowly emerged, its aura crushing everything in an instant.

"This... how can this be?"

Pfft--

In the void, Hongjun spat out a mouthful of blood, golden blood spreading across the Primordial World before transforming into endless Spiritual Energy.

"This... how can this be? The Dao Ancestor actually spat blood?"

"What's going on? Could this be another one of Chu Yan's doings from the human race? What method did he use?"

The countless Great Powers were shocked, once again re-evaluating the human race.

"Teacher, are you alright?"

The Six Great Disciples' faces changed drastically as they hurriedly asked.

Hongjun slowly opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and then said:

"I'm fine."

But inwardly, he was shaken—what exactly had happened in the River of Destiny just now?

Who was that phantom? It was definitely not a Living Being, but if not a Living Being, then what was it?

He was already the Dao Ancestor, yet he had been rebounded in the River of Destiny.

And he hadn't even seen Chu Yan's fate at all.

Not only that, but Hongjun had also become entangled with the Karma of the human race.

This gave Hongjun quite a fright.

He was the Dao Ancestor, untainted by the Karma of the Primordial World, so why had he been entangled by human Karma?

In truth, there was no such thing as being untouched by Karma; it was just that sages were too powerful for Karma to approach them.

But if the Karma was too great, even a sage would be implicated.

In the Dao-Demon Conflict, Hongjun and Demon Ancestor Luohu fought a great battle that shattered the Western lands.

Even now, having become a sage, this Karma still clung to Hongjun.

This was the collapse of the Primordial World, after all.

Otherwise, why would Buddhism later rise to prominence? This was Hongjun's way of repaying that Karma.

And then there was Pangu's World Creation—it could be said that all Living Beings in the Primordial World bore Pangu's Karma.

Not to mention the distant past, even the Witch Race alone made sages and the Dao Ancestor dare not act directly, for fear of triggering that Karma.

They had no choice but to scheme, making Gonggong crash into Buzhou Mountain and using the Demon Race to wear down the Witch Race.

They even forced the Three Pure Ones to switch to the Xuanmen Immortal Path.

All of this was to consume Pangu's Karma.

"Chu Yan."

Hongjun's voice rumbled like thunder as he continued:

"The human race was created by Nuwa—this is Heaven's Will. Since you've already seized the right to name humanity, leave the position of Holy Mother to Nuwa."

"Fine, but first let Nuwa swear a Dao Oath, or else the human race will never acknowledge a Holy Mother."

Chu Yan simply refused to budge—not even if the Heavenly King Laozi himself came would he give face.

Whoosh--

The Great Powers of the Primordial World were so frightened they could barely stand.

Damn, this was the Dao Ancestor, and you wouldn't even give him face?

"Chu Yan, do not be so arrogant."

"You are far too insolent, showing disrespect to the Teacher."

In an instant, Hongjun's six disciples erupted—this Chu Yan was utterly out of line.

But Hongjun stopped them with a single glance, then turned to Chu Yan:

"Heavenly Evolution Forty-Nine, with One Escape Path granting all living beings a thread of hope. Chu Yan, you have already obtained what you wanted. Why must you cut off Nuwa's thread of hope as well? You have gone too far."

"Have I?"

Chu Yan chuckled and said, "I merely seek stability for the Human Race. If one has a clear conscience, what harm is there in swearing a Dao Oath? Yet now you obstruct Nuwa from doing so. What? Could it be that your consciences are not so clear after all?"

His voice rose sharply on the final sentence.

"Chu Yan, you go too far."

Hongjun could no longer hold back; Chu Yan's words struck straight at his sore spot.

"I am a Saint. Would I stoop to scheming against you?"

This was true—Chu Yan was of the Innate Human Race, and destined to die regardless. Scheme or no scheme, the Demon Race would take the blame either way.

But Chu Yan just laughed. In all the Primordial World, no one schemed more fiercely than you, and now you have the nerve to claim otherwise? Who are you fooling?

"Then let Nuwa swear the Dao Oath. Or... you could swear it yourself—it's the same."

"You... push me too far."

Finally, Hongjun lost his composure.

"I am the Dao Ancestor. How could I swear oaths casually?"

"Heh. So we can't reach an agreement?"

Chu Yan spread his hands and continued, "After all this talk, none of you are willing to swear a Dao Oath. Then don't blame me for flipping the table."

He turned and addressed the Innate Human Race behind him in a loud voice: "We are the Human Race. We must stand strong and self-reliant—kneel to neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. The path of humanity shall be walked by humanity itself. From this moment on, I, Chu Yan, shall be the Human Race's—"

"Silence—!"

Boom, boom, boom...

Thunder rolled across the sky, and Hongjun's beard bristled.

"Do you truly believe This Seat has no other recourse?"

But Chu Yan only smiled and said, "I'm sure you do. Go ahead and try."

You have other options? I believe you. At most, you could make Nuwa a Saint.

But the trap Chu Yan had laid wasn't just about Nuwa's sainthood.

He had already accounted for several future kalpas that would shape the Primordial World's destiny.

No matter how formidable Hongjun was, he couldn't compete with someone holding the script.

And Chu Yan had a firm grip on the Primordial World's Seven Inches.

Hongjun ground his teeth in fury. In that moment, he shared Nuwa's thought: he wished he could swap out the entire race.

But the General Trend was already set—there was no changing it.

Hongjun's mind raced, calculating frantically, trying to extract as much benefit as possible without altering the General Trend.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Fine, Chu Yan. The Human Race need not worship Nuwa as Holy Mother. They shall be entrusted to your guidance. You may become the Human Race's Ancient Sage."

Hearing this, Chu Yan was stunned. Such a good deal?

The endless Great Powers were also taken aback. The Six Great Disciples of the Dao Ancestor were dumbfounded. Had Hongjun truly conceded?

But Hongjun's next words nearly made Chu Yan curse aloud.

"You shall be the seventh disciple under This Seat's tutelage. In the future, you may attain sainthood and become the Human Race's Saint."

Holy shit—!

At these words, the endless Great Powers of the Primordial World were shocked, shocked, and shocked again.

This Chu Yan was incredible—he had actually secured the status of the Dao Ancestor's disciple, with the promise of future sainthood.

For a moment, it felt as if the very structure of the Primordial World was about to shift.

Even the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti all changed expression drastically.

"Teacher, you cannot!"

Nuwa cried out in panic: "Teacher, if the Human Race does not worship me as Holy Mother, how am I to become a Saint?"

"Silence."

Hongjun was also stifled. Wasn't it just creating humans? Such a trivial matter had gone wrong, and she still had the nerve to argue?

He then turned to Chu Yan and asked, "Chu Yan, what say you?"

Yet Chu Yan shook his head.

"I don't think so."

What...

In that instant, countless Great Powers across the Primordial World nearly wet themselves again.

Was there something wrong with Chu Yan? That was a future saint standing right there, and he was just throwing it away?

"Chu Yan, enough. This Seat has already taken a step back. What more do you want?"

Hongjun was furious. His robes billowed without wind, his Daoist vestments fluttering wide.

"Hongjun, I refuse to take you as my master, and I refuse to let the human race be manipulated by the likes of you. Unless you swear a Dao Oath, the human race will not retreat one step—even if it means total annihilation, we will not yield a single inch."

Chu Yan's words rang out with iron resolve. How could he not know what Hongjun was thinking?

Once he entered Hongjun's tutelage, Hongjun could toy with him however he pleased.

And become a saint? Who was he kidding?

Cultivating the Xuanmen Immortal Path by Slaying the Corpse Becoming a Saint—did he even have a single magic treasure?

And he'd need the Hongmeng Purple Qi too. Did he have that?

Anyone with half a brain could see this was a trap.

"Bastard."

Hongjun bellowed.

"Chu Yan, time and again you push me. This Seat will have no choice but to discipline you."

"Fine, come on then. Who's afraid of who?"