To Save or Not to Save, A Thought Away

"This is bad!"

"They're coming for me!"

A distant memory suddenly surfaced in Xuan Qing's mind. He recalled that in myths and legends, Kuafu drank dry the Yellow River and the Wei River out of thirst when he was chasing the suns.

The reason for his panic was that he was currently holding the Mountain River Cauldron and refining the water transport of the entire Yellow River basin in the Yellow River Water Mansion.

Under normal circumstances, water transport was continuous, but if someone were to dam rivers and cut off waterways, the process of refining water transport would be in vain.

With this thought, Xuan Qing immediately confirmed with Suiren Shi and took out the Map of Mountains and Rivers for comparison. He finally determined that the Ten Great Golden Crows and Kuafu were indeed coming for him, and he couldn't help but sigh deeply.

"If it's fortune, it can't be avoided; if it's disaster, it can't be escaped!"

Recently, Xuan Qing had successfully located Wuyi Mountain with the help of the Map of Mountains and Rivers, and had pocketed the Treasure-Dropping Coin and a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Enlightenment Tea Tree. He was feeling quite pleased with himself, but unexpectedly, as soon as he prepared to refine the water transport of the Yellow River basin, he encountered unforeseen disaster.

"It seems my Destiny is not strong enough to bear so many opportunities!"

Xuan Qing couldn't help but frown, sighing, "My teacher once said that everyone's Destiny is limited, and the opportunities they can bear are also limited!"

"Previously, I used my Heavenly Merit and Destiny to bear the Karma of Lei Ze, Yu Jiang, and the Dragon Clan. I also obtained the Heavenly Gu Yuan Yu Banner, the King Pan Yuan Gu Sword, the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle, the Mountain River Cauldron, and several other Spiritual Treasures. I had already exhausted most of the Destiny I gained from inventing fire by drilling wood and deriving the Innate Eight Trigrams!"

"Now, by taking the Treasure-Dropping Coin and the Enlightenment Tea Tree from Wuyi Mountain, I have completely depleted the immense Destiny brought to me by those two instances of Heavenly Merit!"

"Misfortune lies on the doorstep of good fortune, and good fortune lurks within misfortune. The only ways to solve the problem of insufficient Destiny now are to break through to Great Golden Immortal and accumulate Merit!"

A person's Destiny is limited, but not constant. When a cultivator breaks through a realm or does something beneficial to the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao bestows Merit, which can increase the cultivator's Destiny. This is also one of the fundamental rules of the Great Desolation's Heavenly Dao.

Generally speaking, no cultivator, like Xuan Qing, at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, would have the opportunity to possess so many Innate Spiritual Treasures and Innate Spiritual Roots.

This was also why Sect Master Tongtian, known as the Heavenly Lord of Spiritual Treasures, who possessed hundreds of Innate Spiritual Treasures, did not bestow them all upon a single disciple.

Of course, Daoist Duobao was an exception.

He was born from the Treasure Distribution Rock, which was inherently capable of bearing numerous Spiritual Treasures. He would not suffer a loss of Destiny from acquiring Spiritual Treasures; instead, his own Destiny would grow.

"Breakthrough?"

Xuan Qing shook his head.

To achieve Great Golden Immortal is to achieve eternal proof. It is an extremely crucial realm in cultivation, and the Dao Flower that blooms is related to the ultimate limit one can reach in future cultivation.

This was why Duobao, Nan Ji, Jin Ling, Yunxiao, and others, including Xuan Qing himself, who could clearly break through, were suppressing their cultivation!

Even the current Xuan Qing dared not guarantee that he could bloom a ninth-grade Dao Flower like the Three Pure Ones.

He still wanted to refine his skills further!

After some thought, he immediately retracted the Mountain River Cauldron, abandoning the refinement of the Yellow River's water transport.

When Kuafu arrived chasing the Ten Great Golden Crows, the refinement process would inevitably be interrupted. It would be better to proactively give it up to avoid suffering a backlash from the water transport.

Soon, the Ten Great Golden Crows, enveloped in True Sun Fire, flew towards the Yellow River.

Kuafu followed closely behind, holding a Peach Wood Staff and striking fiercely at the Ten Great Golden Crows. The immense power caused the void to tremble violently.

"Die!"

Seeing the Yellow River, Kuafu rejoiced. His body transformed into a colossal figure tens of thousands of feet tall, and he directly swallowed the Yellow River's water in one gulp. He then transformed into a spiritual rain and sprayed it towards the Ten Great Golden Crows.

Clearly, he intended to use water to counter fire and extinguish the True Sun Fire around the Ten Great Golden Crows.

His idea was not bad, but he had clearly underestimated the True Sun Fire. As one of the top divine fires in the Great Desolation, how could it be extinguished by mere Yellow River water?

Crossing the Yellow River, the two sides fought further and further away, reaching millions of miles away in mere moments.

"Should I save him, or not?"

At this moment, Xuan Qing, hidden in the void with the Golden Cloud Crown, hesitated. "If Kuafu dies, Hou Yi will surely shoot down nine suns. If those little Golden Crows die, a great war will erupt between the Witches and Demons!"

Xuan Qing held the Map of Mountains and Rivers bestowed by Nuwa. Its power was boundless, and with its abilities, he could intervene in this battle.

However, arbitrarily changing the Great Trend could also bring disaster upon himself.

He was currently standing at an extremely important juncture in time.

Whether to save him or not was a matter of a single thought!

If he were to save Kuafu later, he might gain the friendship of the Witch Clan, but he would also incur the enmity of the Ten Great Golden Crows and the many Demon Clans behind them!

If he did not save Kuafu, and when Hou Yi arrived to shoot down the nine suns, he were to intervene and save those little Golden Crows, he might gain the friendship of the Demon Clan, and even the gratitude of Di Jun, but he would also incur the enmity of the Witch Clan!

Of course, he could also choose to do nothing and quietly watch the great war erupt between the Witches and Demons.

"Wait!"

"What I should be thinking about is not whether to save or not, but how to maximize my own benefits without altering the Heavenly Dao's Great Trend!"

Suddenly, Xuan Qing had an idea. He immediately used the Soaring Golden Light spiritual power, transforming into a rainbow and heading towards the battlefield between Kuafu and the Ten Great Golden Crows.

When he arrived near the battlefield, the Ten Great Golden Crows were activating the Ten Suns Patrol Formation, manifesting True Sun Fire and fiercely sweeping it towards Kuafu.

Ten suns hung in the sky, forming a giant rotating wheel that trapped Kuafu within the formation. An endless stream of flames spewed out from all directions.

At this moment, Kuafu was at a disadvantage. His Great Witch true body was covered in marks left by the scorching True Sun Fire.

"Damn feathered birds!"

Kuafu cursed incessantly, waving his Peach Wood Staff, but it was of no use.

Just as Kuafu was about to be incinerated, Xuan Qing's heart stirred. He activated the "King Pan Bead," creating an invisible, colorless, and bizarre illusionary mist.

This illusionary mist was formless and traceless, possessing no destructive power. Its sole purpose was to induce a three-second hallucination in the ten little Golden Crows.

During these three seconds, Xuan Qing's Other Self Incarnation utilized the "Submerging Abyss Shrinking Earth" Spiritual Power. He infiltrated the great formation, collecting Kuafu's True Spirit and a portion of his vital blood into the "Mountain River Cauldron." He then nourished the True Spirit with "Tianyi True Water."

The Witch Clan lacked Primordial Spirits but possessed True Spirits. As long as the True Spirit wasn't extinguished and a portion of vital blood remained, a blood rebirth was possible.

Of course, Kuafu had temporarily lost consciousness. Only a "Peach Wood Staff" remained, which, under the stimulation of Xuan Qing's Qi of Creation, transformed into a peach grove.

When the ten Golden Crows awoke from their hallucination, Kuafu's figure was nowhere to be found.

"He must be dead, right?"

The little Golden Crow asked timidly.

"Naturally!"

The Great Golden Crow confidently replied, "He's just a Great Witch. How could he withstand our great formation?"

Xuan Qing merely smiled at this.

At the same time, he couldn't help but marvel at the profoundness of King Pan's techniques, which had silently plunged the ten Golden Crows into an illusion without them even noticing anything amiss.

Of course, this was also because the ten Golden Crows were still at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, not yet having broken through to Great Golden Immortal, and their Primordial Spirits had not yet undergone transformation.

"Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, the Dao of Evolution reigns supreme. Next, it's time for the second match!"

Xuan Qing smiled faintly and concealed himself once more. He could already sense an aura far stronger than Kuafu's rushing towards the ten Golden Crows.

Hou Yi!

And it was an enraged Hou Yi!

He had no intention of altering the fate of the ten Golden Crows. He merely planned to save the one little Golden Crow who would have originally escaped death after the other nine Golden Crows perished.

"Let Xuan Qing, who slew Demon God Xiao Mang, handle the matter of the Witch Clan owing a favor!"

"And let the successor of Wa Palace, who holds the 'Map of Mountains and Rivers' and has myriad connections with the Demon Clan, handle the matter of Demon Emperor Jun owing a favor!"

"Perfect!"

Xuan Qing was extremely satisfied with his plan.

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