He was only one final step away from ascending to Great Luo.
He would then join the ranks of the top powerhouses in the Primordial World!
Unfortunately, boundless karmic power still filled his body.
It had come from borrowing formidable strength across a span of a million years, and it carried with it powerful karmic ties to the Heavenly Dao.
Human Dao could not erase them.
Only Heavenly Dao merit could.
"What is this..."
Suddenly, Jiang Chen sensed that some of the Heavenly Dao karma within him seemed to have vanished. He was astonished.
"The immense merit from kindling the Human Race's first spark seems to have disappeared..."
Merit had been used to offset karma.
Jiang Chen wasn't displeased in the slightest. If anything, he felt relieved.
Now that he had established Human Dao, he no longer wanted anything to do with Heavenly Dao karma or merit.
If he could purge the Heavenly Dao karma and merit from his body, that would be no bad thing.
On the contrary, it would be a rare blessing.
That way, he could completely leap free of the river of Heavenly Dao and, in the end, deeply unite with Human Dao!
"Unfortunately, the merit from the Human Race's first spark still isn't enough. I need more..."
"Human Emperor! Our Human Race now has Great Destiny. It can offset your immense karma!" Suiren Shi called to Jiang Chen.
"No need... I have another way..." Jiang Chen refused.
Setting aside the fact that he had already found a way to erase this powerful karma within him—
Should he really use the Human Race's Great Destiny to cleanse his karma?
And cause the Human Race's cultivation talent to fall once more?
That would go against his original intention and put them right back where they started.
He had done all that before because cultivators with talent among the Human Race were so scarce. Out of countless people, only ten thousand had reached the Earth Immortal realm, and they had come from the two books.
If so, how could he quickly raise the Human Race to prominence?
How could he obtain more rewards for producing powerful talents?
"Human Emperor..."
Xuanyuan Shi, Shennong Shi, Zi Yi Shi, and the other Human Race ancestors looked at Jiang Chen, their gazes meaningful.
They frantically signaled him with their eyes.
Jiang Chen turned around, puzzled.
Well, would you look at that!
A beautiful woman, with large eyes as pure as the clearest pool of water in the world.
Her whole face seemed to embody the wonders of creation, as if the Dao itself had especially favored her. She was breathtakingly beautiful.
But that wasn't the point...
He recognized the petite young woman standing before him, who was a head shorter than he was.
Wasn't she Houtu of the Wu Clan?
A Quasi-Saint!!!
When had she slipped into the Human Race's Forbidden Zone?
He had nearly forgotten himself while wielding that sword earlier. His eyes had been on no one, and he hadn't noticed a Quasi-Saint entering the Human Race's Forbidden Zone.
"Houtu..." Jiang Chen felt his scalp tingle. He had no idea why she had come.
One thing was certain.
No one in the Human Race's Forbidden Zone could defeat Houtu.
Not even he could beat her!
She was a Quasi-Saint!
If the powerful karma in his body weren't preventing him from using the Hong Meng Dao Law of Self-Transformation and Freedom again, Jiang Chen might not have feared her.
But there were no ifs. Everything had already been decided!
Houtu saw how wary Jiang Chen was.
She found it quite intriguing.
"To leap from Grand Unity Golden Immortal to Sage—you're a fascinating member of the Human Race..."
Houtu regarded Jiang Chen with great curiosity.
What drew her to him wasn't specifically how he had risen from Grand Unity Golden Immortal to Sage.
To her, it didn't matter whether someone was a Sage or not.
All she wanted was peace in this Primordial World.
She wanted all living beings to be free from bloodshed and chaos, from conflict, and from the loss of their people.
That was her deepest, dearest wish.
Everything Jiang Chen had done made her see in him the outline of her own future.
"Perhaps one day, I'll have the chance to bring the Wu Clan a peaceful home, too..." Houtu murmured.
Hearing that, Jiang Chen couldn't help feeling despondent.
As a Quasi-Saint, Houtu could sense the emotions of those around her.
She asked, perplexed, "The Human Race has found its footing, but it seems there's still something you can't let go of?"
Jiang Chen knew he couldn't hide anything from a Quasi-Saint. Besides, Houtu was arguably the purest and kindest Quasi-Saint in the entire Primordial World.
So he didn't conceal the truth.
"The Human Race has entered the Forbidden Zone. No one but a Sage may disturb us."
"It seems peaceful."
"But how many bones still lie among the green hills, beneath the flowing rivers, under the ruins of this Human Race land..."
"They... were all members of the Human Race who died unjustly."
Houtu seemed moved. A sorrowful, regretful expression appeared on her delicate face.
"The conflict between the Witch and Demon Clans spread far and wide... I apologize to the Human Race on behalf of the Wu Clan..."
"It had nothing to do with you... The Human Race was weak back then, and the strong ruled. Their weakness made this outcome inevitable." Jiang Chen saw things clearly.
"What do you plan to do next?" Houtu asked.
"The Human Race now has two Paths of Transcendence to choose from. For now, there's nothing I need to do."
"The living have goals to pursue, but the scattered remains and bones across the Human Race land are frozen and broken. I want to bury them."
That was what Jiang Chen had in mind.
He didn't rush to gain immense merit to offset the powerful karma within him.
Instead, he chose another path—one that seemed to offer him little benefit, yet brought him much greater peace of mind.
"I... May I walk the Human Race lands with you?"
Houtu shed every disguise. She carried no Quasi-Saint pressure, nor was she shrouded in the mists of Chaos.
She seemed like a simple, kind girl next door.
Yet her words were filled with sadness, deeply mournful.
Jiang Chen didn't know whether she had been thinking of everything that had happened to the Wu Clan, or whether she truly wanted to walk through the Human Race's Forbidden Zone as it was now.
But knowing how kind Houtu was, he had no reason to refuse.
In the Human Race's Forbidden Zone as it stood, a Quasi-Saint was an overwhelming force.
With a single thought, she could raze the entire Forbidden Zone.
There was no way to change that.
So Jiang Chen nodded and agreed.
"I don't know how long I'll be walking through the Human Race lands. If you don't mind the hardship, come along."
Jiang Chen's heart brimmed with emotion.
Houtu nodded slightly. In her beautiful, flawless, clear eyes, she saw the scene replay: not long ago, Jiang Chen had stood with sword in hand atop Shouyang Mountain, facing off against two of the Demon Clan's most powerful figures and contending with the Grand Pure Sage.
And he had won the Human Race a chance.
Before you continue