Rumble...
Within the River of Fate.
The instant Hongjun stepped into the Human Race's destiny—
A mighty force suddenly surged toward him with the force of an avalanche.
Deep within the River of Fate of the Human Race, the phantom of a Sky-Supporting Giant slowly emerged. In an instant, its aura crushed everything.
"How... could this happen?"
Pfft—
High above the void, Hongjun spat out a mouthful of blood. Golden Blood spread across the Primordial World before transforming into endless Spiritual Energy.
"How... could this happen? The Dao Ancestor actually spat blood?"
"What happened? Could this be another one of Chu Yan's schemes? What methods did he use?"
The Endless Great Powers of the Primordial World were stunned, and once again took a fresh look at the Human Race.
"Teacher, are you all right?"
The Six Great Disciples were horrified and hurried to ask.
Hongjun slowly opened his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he said:
"I'm fine."
But inside, he was stunned. What had just happened in the River of Fate?
Who was that phantom? It definitely wasn't a living being—but if it wasn't, then what was it?
He was already the Dao Ancestor, yet he had suffered a backlash in the River of Fate.
And he hadn't seen Chu Yan's fate at all.
Not only that, but Hongjun had also become entangled in the Human Race's Karma.
That had given him quite a scare.
He was the Dao Ancestor, untouched by the Karma of the Primordial World. So why had the Human Race's Karma ensnared him?
In truth, there was no such thing as being untouched by Karma. Sages were simply so powerful that Karma couldn't reach them.
But if the Karma was great enough, even a Sage would be caught up in it.
During the Dao-Demon Conflict, Hongjun had fought Demon Ancestor Luohu, and their battle had shattered the Western Lands.
Even after becoming a Sage, Hongjun still bore that Karma.
After all, the Primordial World had been shattered.
Otherwise, why would Buddhism later flourish? That was how Hongjun repaid his Karma.
And when Pangu created the world, all the living beings in the Primordial World inherited his Karma.
Take the Witch Race, for example. Neither the Sages nor Hongjun dared attack them directly, for fear that the Karma would erupt.
That was why they had no choice but to scheme: they made Gonggong crash into Buzhou Mountain and used the Demon Race to wear down the Witch Race.
They had even made the Three Pure Ones join the Xuanmen Immortal Path.
All of this was done to wear away Pangu's Karma.
"Chu Yan."
Hongjun's voice rolled like thunder as he continued:
"The Human Race was created by Nuwa. That is Heaven's Will. You have already taken the name of the Human Race for yourself, so leave the title of Holy Mother to Nuwa."
"Fine. Have Nuwa make a Dao Oath first. Otherwise, the Human Race will never acknowledge her as Holy Mother."
Chu Yan simply refused to budge. He wouldn't give an inch, not even for the Heavenly King Laozi.
The mighty figures of the Primordial World were so scared they could barely stand.
Damn, that was the Dao Ancestor, and Chu Yan actually refused to show him any respect?
"Chu Yan, don't be so arrogant!"
"You're out of line! How dare you disrespect our Teacher?"
At once, Hongjun's six disciples erupted. Chu Yan had gone too far.
But Hongjun silenced them with a glance, then looked toward Chu Yan:
"The Great Dao numbers fifty, while Heaven's Evolution is Forty-Nine. One Escape Path remains, giving all living beings a Thread of Life. Chu Yan, you've already obtained what you wanted. Why do you still want to cut off Nuwa's Thread of Life? You've gone too far."
"Have I?"
Chu Yan chuckled and said:
"I only want to secure some peace for the Human Race. If there's nothing to hide, what harm is there in making a Dao Oath? Yet you insist on stopping Nuwa from making one. What, do you have something to hide?"
His final words rang out especially loudly.
"Chu Yan, you're out of line!"
Hongjun couldn't hold back. Chu Yan's words had struck a nerve.
"I'm a Sage. Why would I scheme against you?"
That was true enough. Chu Yan was Innate Human Race, and he was doomed to die either way. Whether or not anyone schemed against him, the Demon Race would take the blame.
But Chu Yan just chuckled. The whole Primordial World knew Hongjun was the biggest schemer of them all, and now he had the nerve to claim he didn't scheme? Who was he trying to fool?
"Then have Nuwa make a Dao Oath. Or... you could make one yourself. That works too."
"You've gone too far!"
At last, Hongjun couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm the Dao Ancestor. How can I swear an oath on a whim?"
"Ha. So we can't reach an agreement?"
Chu Yan spread his hands and continued:
"You keep saying it, but none of you are willing to make a Dao Oath. Then don't blame me for flipping the table."
Chu Yan turned and shouted to the Innate Human Race behind him:
"We are the Human Race. We must stand strong and rely on ourselves. We kneel to neither Heaven nor gods. The Human Race will walk its own path. From this moment on, I, Chu Yan, shall become the Human Race's..."
"Shut up—!"
Rumble...
Thunder roared through the heavens. Hongjun's beard bristled.
"Chu Yan, do you really think I have no other options?"
But Chu Yan simply chuckled and said:
"I believe you do. Go ahead and try."
You had other options? Sure, he believed that—but at most, they would only let Nuwa become a Sage.
Chu Yan's trap, however, wasn't just about letting Nuwa become a Sage.
He had already accounted for several of the calamities that would shape the Primordial World's future.
No matter how powerful Hongjun was, he couldn't beat someone who had the script in hand.
And Chu Yan had seized the Primordial World's Achilles' heel.
Hongjun gritted his teeth in rage. At that moment, he wanted to change races just as much as Nuwa did.
But the General Trend had already taken shape. There was no changing it.
Hongjun's mind raced as he calculated and considered how to gain the greatest benefit without changing the General Trend.
After a long while, he finally spoke:
"Fine, Chu Yan. The Human Race need not acknowledge Nuwa as Holy Mother. You may teach and guide the Human Race, and become its Ancient Sage."
At these words, Chu Yan was taken aback. Was this really such a good deal?
The Endless Great Powers were surprised as well. The Dao Ancestor's Six Great Disciples were dumbfounded. Could it be that Hongjun had actually given in?
But Hongjun's next words nearly made Chu Yan curse.
"You may become the seventh disciple under my tutelage. As the Ancient Sage of the Human Race, you may become my Seventh Disciple, and in the future, you can become a Sage—the Human Race's Sage."
Holy crap—
The Endless Great Powers of the Primordial World were utterly astonished.
Damn, Chu Yan was incredible. He'd actually won himself the status of a disciple of the Dao Ancestor—and the chance to become a Sage in the future.
For a moment, it felt as if the entire balance of the Primordial World was about to change.
Even the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti looked stricken.
"Teacher, you can't!"
Nuwa cried out in a panic:
"Teacher, if the Human Race won't acknowledge me as their Holy Mother, how can I become a Sage?"
"Silence!"
Hongjun was seething. It was just creating humans—how could such a simple task have gone wrong? And she still had the nerve to argue?
He then looked at Chu Yan and asked:
"Chu Yan, what do you think?"
But Chu Yan shook his head:
"I don't think much of it."
What...
In an instant, countless mighty figures across the Primordial World were scared stiff again.
Was something wrong with Chu Yan? That was the chance to become a Sage in the future, and he was just throwing it away?
"Chu Yan, enough! I've already taken a step back. What more do you want?"
Hongjun roared in fury. A wind stirred around him, and his Daoist robe billowed.
"Hongjun, I don't want to become your disciple, and I don't want the Human Race to be at your mercy. Unless you make a Dao Oath, the Human Race will never back down. Even if the entire Human Race is wiped out, we won't retreat a single step."
Chu Yan spoke with unwavering conviction. How could he not know what Hongjun was thinking?
If he joined Hongjun's sect, Hongjun could do whatever he wanted with him.
And becoming a Sage? He might as well believe a ghost.
To cultivate the Xuanmen Immortal Path and become a Sage by Slaying the Corpse, he'd need magical treasures. Did he have any?
He'd also need Hongmeng Purple Qi. Did he have that stuff?
Anyone with a brain could see it was a trap.
"Bastard!"
Hongjun roared.
"Chu Yan, you've pushed me again and again. It seems I'll have to teach you a lesson."
"Fine! Come on, then. Who's afraid of whom?"
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