In the void, Houtu narrowed her eyes as she watched Gungun's plump figure fly south, a profound gleam flashing through her gaze.
She had heard every one of Gungun's thoughts just now, so she knew what Gungun intended to do. Gungun wanted to place those demons' three souls and seven spirits into the wombs of female Soft-Bone Rabbits about to give birth, allowing them to be reborn.
"Wash away the demon souls' memories, dissolve their magical power, restore their primordial spirits to their original three souls and seven spirits, then let them be reborn into a weak race. Is that your solution, Gungun..." Houtu murmured, her lips parting slightly.
With that, she lowered her head and glanced at Mount Xiaoyu, which had brightened now that all its resentment had been drawn into the Spirit-Washing Cauldron.
Her dark brows furrowed. Then Houtu raised her arm and swept her sleeve.
Hum~ Vast streams of spiritual energy immediately surged toward Mount Xiaoyu from all across the primordial world, rapidly nourishing the Spirit Plants whose growth had been stunted by resentment for years. Before long, the mountain had returned to the wondrous beauty and abundant spiritual energy it had possessed over a hundred thousand years ago.
Satisfied, Houtu nodded, then walked through the void in pursuit of Gungun.
The primordial world was vast-extraordinarily vast. Neither a planet nor even a universe from before Gungun's transmigration could compare to it. Aside from sages, who could traverse it with a single thought, other living beings-even a Great Luo Golden Immortal like Gungun-could not necessarily reach their destinations in an instant.
Of course, some Great Luo Golden Immortals or quasi-sages who commanded special laws could manage it. But Gungun commanded the Law of Silence, which was utterly useless for travel, so reaching the Soft-Bone Rabbit clan's territory took a full hour.
After casting an invisibility spell so no one could see Gungun, Gungun descended from the sky. Suddenly, a bang rang out, and the earth shook several times, making the Soft-Bone Rabbits living on the grassland tremble in fright!
Gungun scratched at Gungun's head, somewhat embarrassed. But looking at the Soft-Bone Rabbits densely packed across the grassland, Gungun's attention was soon diverted to something else-whether to catch a few rabbits to take home and roast. Besides, spicy rabbit heads were supposedly quite delicious too, weren't they?
With that thought, Gungun counted on Gungun's fingers to divine the answer: as long as these rabbits were not newborns, they were all destined to satisfy Gungun's appetite. They were fair game!
Delight immediately spread across Gungun's big, chubby face. After wiping the drool from the corner of Gungun's mouth, Gungun got down to business.
Gungun took out the Spirit-Washing Cauldron and made it invisible as well, then began distributing the three souls and seven spirits among the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race so their homes could be filled with children and grandchildren.
On and on Gungun distributed them. For some reason, when it came to throwing things-no, distributing three souls and seven spirits-Gungun worked with extraordinary enthusiasm, without feeling tired at all. Gungun even found it rather entertaining. Thus, in only the time it took to drink a few cups of tea, Gungun finished distributing all the three souls and seven spirits the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race's newborns could accommodate.
During that time, many female rabbits on the grassland successfully gave birth to litters of little rabbits. So many mothers delivering at almost the same time was truly a joyous event the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race rarely saw even once in ten thousand years, and the grassland soon grew lively.
Watching this scene while still invisible, Gungun leaned sideways with one paw resting on the Spirit-Washing Cauldron, and a sense of accomplishment suddenly welled up within.
I, the great god Gungun, helped rabbits into life. No need to thank me!
Hum! Just as that thought crossed Gungun's mind, purple clouds suddenly spread across the sky above the entire grassland, and five-colored rosy light appeared. An auspicious cloud of merit hovered overhead. Looking up at the sky, Gungun was utterly dumbfounded. What's going on? Merit?
Whoosh! The auspicious cloud of merit descended. Seventy percent entered Gungun's body, while thirty percent entered the Spirit-Washing Cauldron. But the Spirit-Washing Cauldron was a Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure and had no need for acquired merit, which would only tarnish it. Soon, that thirty percent flew back out and entered Gungun's body as well.
With all the merit entering Gungun's body, Gungun immediately fell into a daze. Aspects of the Great Dao that had previously been incomprehensible suddenly flooded Gungun's mind. Gungun blinked, immediately straightened up, then sat cross-legged and entered a state of Dao comprehension.
The great god Gungun could grow stronger simply by lying down, without deliberately comprehending the Dao. But with merit lending its aid, passing up this chance was impossible. It was far faster than ordinary sleep, and felt exceptionally wonderful!
As for where this merit had come from, Gungun had more or less figured it out by now, though there was no certainty yet. Gungun was too lazy to confirm it, either. After all, doing this forever was hardly an option.
Taking Houtu's place and transforming into reincarnation was even more out of the question. First, Gungun lacked the ability. Second, sacrificing freedom in exchange for all that merit was a losing bargain no matter how one looked at it.
Gungun was already an Iron-Eating Beast blessed with profound good fortune. What was the point of having so much merit? Could it be eaten?
No matter how fine the prison food, the great god Gungun wanted none of it!
Elsewhere, in the void.
Seeing through Gungun's invisibility spell, Houtu watched Gungun sitting cross-legged on the ground, comprehending the Dao while enveloped in merit. Her eyes widened, and then her expression changed.
She was surprised that her own Gungun had suddenly gained merit, but that was all-surprise. What truly concerned her was that, after the merit appeared, her incomplete primordial spirit had suddenly trembled, as though this event were connected to her. And it was no ordinary connection: it involved her Dao!
"My Dao..." Houtu murmured, lowering her gaze, a flicker of emotion stirring in her eyes.
The Wu Race had no primordial spirits. Even the Twelve Ancestral Wu had incomplete primordial spirits. Could she truly attain the Great Dao like this?
She had considered this question before, but according to Dao Ancestor Hongjun, the Ancestral Wu could not attain the Dao because their primordial spirits were incomplete. Thus, she had more or less resigned herself to her fate, thinking that living this way was fine. She would look after the Wu Race and help them become the Protagonists of Heaven and Earth. As for attaining the Dao, she might as well forget it.
But now it seemed she was not without a chance to attain the Great Dao!
"That feeling just now couldn't have been mistaken. The reason Gungun gained merit must be connected to my Dao," Houtu said earnestly, raising her head.
Then she closed her eyes and began recalling everything Gungun had done over the years. What exactly had earned Gungun that merit...
After a long while, Houtu slowly opened her eyes. She had realized something. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a sharp gleam flashing through them, and she murmured to herself, "Wash away the memories of fallen demon souls, dissolve their magical power, restore them to their original three souls and seven spirits, then place them in the wombs of those about to give birth, allowing them to enter the world anew. This is... a cycle of reincarnation. The Great Dao of... reincarnation?!"
Before you continue