CHAPTER 314: CHAPTER 312: THE ARROGANT SON’S BIG MOUTH

"Senior... Your Majesty."

After listening to Shen Nong’s few words, Wu Wang’s address changed twice as he spoke, his lips trembling.

How could things suddenly become so pessimistic?

When he called Shen Nong ’Senior,’ it was mostly out of personal affection, seeing Shen Nong as a guide on his own path of cultivation, a highly respected elder of the human race.

When he called him ’Your Majesty,’ he naturally regarded Shen Nong as the Human Emperor of the Human Domain.

In that instant, Wu Wang began to doubt his own ears.

To say his ears doubted might not be quite appropriate; he was currently relying on a strand of Transformation Qi given to him by Shen Nong years ago to communicate with Emperor Yan of Shennong as he wished, despite the obstruction of Heaven and Earth.

At this moment, Wu Wang started to check his spiritual mind.

Having confirmed that his spiritual mind was unharmed, he began to reflect on whether he had not learned the script of the Human Domain well enough.

He recognized all of the characters spoken by Senior Shen Nong, but when put together... he dared not believe they meant what they literally suggested.

Just now, His Majesty Shen Nong spoke of making a trade, and from his words, it seemed that the parties involved in the transaction were the Human Domain and the power behind Wu Wang.

Shen Nong had said, "The problem with the Human Domain lies at its foundation, and it has now become too deeply entrenched to be easily remedied.

"Wu Wang, the deal I want to make with you is for you to stand forth and lead the remaining beings of the Human Domain through the inevitably arduous times that will follow after my demise.

"As you said before, I must stand up and not leave the problem to the next generation.

"If the Human Domain was born in the hands of a Human Emperor, it should also end in the hands of a Human Emperor.

"The upcoming great battle is a necessary path we must take; there will be many casualties in the Human Domain, and the power of the Heaven Palace will also be weakened.

"In the next few hundred years, such battles will become the norm, until I can reach the Heaven Palace and have a direct confrontation with Emperor Shun."

"What do you mean by this, Your Majesty?"

With a tremor in his Dao heart, Wu Wang immediately asked in return, "Why is the fundamental problem of the Human Domain now too deeply entrenched to be easily remedied?

"A power as large as this, having existed for so long, is bound to have its problems. However, through constant innovation and upgrades, these issues can be resolved.

"Why must we be so pessimistic?"

Yun Zhongjun saw Wu Wang’s expression becoming somewhat solemn and urgent, and couldn’t help but frown in contemplation.

However, he could not hear the conversation between Wu Wang and Shen Nong at this moment.

Wu Wang continued, "Even if we have to fight to the death against the Heavenly Emperor, we should still have a thorough plan. There’s no need to fill the gaps with human lives..."

Shen Nong said, "You actually already know the answer, Wu Wang."

Wu Wang’s words halted.

Shen Nong’s voice rose from the depths of his heart, encircling his Primordial Spirit, as he said, word by word, "In the last ten thousand years, I have not known how to face the living beings of the Human Domain."

"Your Majesty, let’s speak openly, as if I know nothing at all."

Wu Wang said, "Each of us may have different understandings of the same matter.

"If we cannot communicate directly and simply, especially on such important matters, it is easy to make the wrong judgments.

"The problem that Your Majesty speaks of, as I understand it now, is the method of inheriting the Dao of Fire."

Shen Nong said, "To be precise, it’s about how the inheritance of the Dao of Fire was completed."

At this, Shen Nong sighed softly.

Sitting on the wall at the Northern Border of the Human Domain, the old man had a calm gaze and a serene demeanor.

He said, "I never wanted to force you into the position of the Human Emperor, not because I thought you were unsuited for it.

"Wu Wang, I simply did not want you, or any young person in the Human Domain, to repeat the tragedy of my teacher Fu Xi and me.

"The Yan Emperor’s Command was not given to many.

"Before I met you, I even thought that if the Human Domain just ended like this, it would also be a kind of relief."

Wu Wang’s eyes were full of confusion.

He asked, "What tragedy?"

"The tragedy of the Fire God,"

Shen Nong whispered, this time not playing riddles, but unraveling and explaining everything in detail to Wu Wang.

The old man said, "There is a problem in the inheritance of the Dao of Fire.

"Naturally, we have no reason to judge this matter as right or wrong, nor should we casually evaluate the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan.

"In different eras, we face different crises.

"It was Emperor Suiren’s decision that gave us the opportunity today to hesitate, to reminisce, to choose.

"Or one may say, Emperor Suiren left the power of choice to us, the successors.

"Why has the Dao of Fire remained in the Human Domain, in the hands of successive Human Emperors?

"You must have thought about this question many times already, Wu Wang."

"Hmm," Wu Wang said, "but I do hope that all my conjectures are wrong."

Shen Nong spoke softly, "The Dao of Fire is locked within the bloodline of the human race.

"The manner in which the Dao of Fire is passed on is through—death.

"The more people die, the more fragments of the Dao of Fire the inheritor can obtain.

"During the dark turmoil, when the population of the Human Domain died off by more than ninety-five percent, the Dao of Fire could be fully inherited by the Human Domain cultivator who obtained the key.

"Emperor Fu Xi had no choice at that time.

"He watched countless of his people fall before him, saw the slaughter unleashed by the Heaven Palace, and looked upon the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled behind him...

"How lofty his aspirations were, but what could he do?

"Emperor Fu Xi could only pick up the key, insert it into his Primordial Spirit, transform into the Fire Emperor, accept this power, to protect the remaining people...

"The Human Emperor, oh.

"The Human Emperor is actually the most incapable cultivator in the Human Domain.

"Unable to follow one’s own Great Dao from beginning to end.

"Watching one’s people fall, yet only able to protect those behind by relying on the Dao left by predecessors..."

Towards the end, Shen Nong’s voice was so somber that it was barely audible.

"Senior."

Wu Wang tried to stabilize his Dao heart, thinking about how to help Shen Nong out of his current emotions, and said with a smile, "During the second transformation of the Yan Emperor’s Command, I had almost comprehended these matters."

"Boy, you truly don’t understand. Sometimes I really don’t want to give you the Yan Emperor’s Command.

"But more often than not, I have to consider leaving a ray of hope for the Human Domain.

"At worst, it would be the path that I once took myself."

Shen Nong suddenly smiled. "Before becoming the Human Emperor, I actually wanted to become a healer."

"I’ve always had a question."

Wu Wang asked, "Why not let a cultivator practice the Dao of Fire, infuse him with insights, and let him directly inherit the Dao of Fire?"

"The Dao of Fire is merely one of the paths of the Five Elements Gods," Shen Nong replied. "How can it stand against the Heaven Palace relying on the Dao of Fire alone?"

"What is it then?"

"The Dao of Fire in the Human Domain has resonated with the Dao of Life, transforming into the Dao of Fuel and Fire,"

Shen Nong said slowly. "So long as life doesn’t extinguish, the fuel and fire will be everlasting.

"A single spark can start a prairie fire.

"This was the doing of the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan, and also the blueprint he laid out for the human race amidst utter helplessness.

"The existence of the Dao of Fuel and Fire allows Human Domain cultivators to be stimulated by the Dao of Fire and connects all people of the human race to the Dao of Fire.

"Life serves as the kindling, and anger as the flame.

"This flame is powerful enough to pierce the heavens, powerful enough to reverse any battle, and powerful enough to instill fear in the gods of the Heaven Palace.

"Of course, they don’t understand these things and think it’s the innate strength of the Dao of Fire.

"At the core of it, it’s still the Dao of Life surging and aiding.

"Living beings are the source of power that changes this heaven and earth."

Living beings.

Wu Wang asked, "So the succession of the Human Emperor’s position must involve death... if enough people die, the remaining ones can be preserved?"

"Indeed, the bones of our ancestors serve as kindling; it is not a glorious method, but a helpless measure."

"Such a method should not continue to exist."

Wu Wang agreed, his thoughts incredibly complex.

He had subtly sensed these things for a long time. From the moment the old Sect Master was killed by the Heavenly Tribulation and a ray of Spirit Light entered the Yan Emperor’s Command, Wu Wang had perceived the anomaly.

If these people willingly sacrificed themselves for the existence of others, that would be a great deed worthy of praise. But if all this is unknown to the ordinary Human Domain cultivators, and if the new Human Emperor is ’ripened’ by a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood after the old Human Emperor’s death...

"Thus, I regard your Star God’s Dao as another hope for the Human Domain,"

Shen Nong said slowly, his voice returning to calm.

The Human Emperor asked, "Having come to this point, is there anything you still don’t understand?"

"Senior, what are your chances of victory against Emperor Shun?"

So low.

Wu Wang countered, "Does Senior intend to stake the fate of the Human Domain and the human race on this thirty percent?"

"Those of the human race who are being sacrificed now have started to become the kindling for the Dao of Fire to pass down,"

Shen Nong said. "Since the worst outcome is to repeat this tragedy, then why shouldn’t I give it a try? I have been waiting for this battle for ninety thousand years."

"In Your Majesty’s eyes, those of the human race who are currently bleeding and sacrificing themselves..."

"They are my clansmen, my brothers and sisters, my descendants," Shen Nong said. "I have already experienced one dark upheaval; I don’t want you youngsters to go through the tragedy of those days once more.

"Wu Wang, would you make this deal with me?

"I can give you the Divine Power that you need.

"The things that you did adventuring in the Western Wilderness—others may be kept in the dark, but they don’t escape my notice.

"As long as you agree, I can cast aside all concerns behind me and entrust you with the ensuing troubles, focusing my whole heart on preparing for the battle with Emperor Shun."

At this moment, however, Wu Wang didn’t know how to answer.

There was no evasion, and no questioning.

Shen Nong, at this moment, exuded a sense of despair that Wu Wang had felt before—in the fragmented words left by Emperor Fuxi.

Wu Wang let out a small sigh in his heart as his Primordial Spirit was pulled into a series of images.

It was the beginning of everything.

An old man, his body full of cracked blood marks and already thin as kindling, fell into the arms of another elderly man. The older man’s eyes were filled with despair and helplessness; his white hair had dried up, and only skin remained over his bones.

They were living beings, naturally bound by rules.

Thus, he had to accept the unified end of all creatures—death.

The scene shifted, and Wu Wang saw a cave.

Inside the cave, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back, studying the stone wall in front of him, which was painted with yin and yang and marked with the Eight Trigrams Picture. He was deducing, desperately deducing. His eyes were full of longing, his whole body uncontrollably trembling. Behind him, a flame waited quietly.

Outside the cave, the once thick human wall that spread from this place to the horizon, like a wheat field ravaged by a fierce wind, was collapsing in swathes.

He was driving himself to the edge of madness.

Thus, he had to endure the inherent flaw of living beings—deviation from the Dao.

As the images shown by the Primordial Spirit flowed again, Wu Wang saw a young man dressed in light-colored linen, leaning on a red wooden staff. He kept seeking, walking incessantly through heaven and earth. In the distance, dark clouds were growing ever closer. That young man, as if driven by desperate hunger, stuffed some herbs into his mouth, searching for their true essence. Suddenly seized by stomach cramps, he grabbed his staff, his face turning pale, and fell at the edge of the tall grass.

Thus, he had to endure the common malady of living beings—fragility.

The images continued to turn, and Wu Wang saw.

He saw the old man, reduced to skin and bones, shakily draw a flickering flame with his hand. Sighing lightly, he said, "After I’m gone, after I’m gone, the Heaven Palace will surely wage a great war.

"Even with the distraction of foreign gods from the Outer Sky, without a supreme powerhouse like me, you will not be able to match the Heaven Palace.

"This is the only strategy I can offer.

"If future generations blame me, there’s no need to explain for me; as long as someone is there to blame me, it proves my journey was all worthwhile."

Then, the flame fluttered and drifted into that cave.

"Enough."

The middle-aged man’s eyes held a trace of desolation. Listening to the increasingly close shouts of killing and sensing the frenzied approach of the Heaven Palace’s strong cultivators, he let out a slight sigh. He put down the carving knife, looked at the nearly completed Eight Trigrams Picture with a hint of regret, and then turned to grasp the flame.

The flame surged, blinding Wu Wang’s Primordial Spirit for a moment. When peace returned, the scene was back to grassy fields under an overcast sky.

The young man, with blood on his lips, revealed a relieved smile.

A flame appeared out of nowhere, burrowing into his chest...

The image faded.

The Yan Emperor’s Command, at some unknown point, had slipped from the seal of Wu Wang’s Divine Power and now hovered in front of him.

It was that flame.

...

The fundamental problem of the Human Domain lies right here.

The Human Domain may seem prosperous, but the foundation of this prosperity is built on the people lost in the dark chaos.

When the Human Emperor falls and the Dao of Fuel and Fire goes silent, blood must be shed, and living beings must become fuel to rekindle the flame.

The Dao of Fuel and Fire confines the Human Emperor himself, but compared to the pressure the Human Emperor must bear for it, this confinement is actually trivial.

Emperor Fuxi made efforts before his lifespan’s end, gifting the Heavenly Emperor with humanity.

The Shennong Family aims to end this cycle before their lifespan’s end, to fight Emperor Shun to the death, constantly seeking the possibility of defeating Emperor Shun.

If this matter were made public, the hearts of the people in the Human Domain would surely scatter, and the prestige of the Human Emperor would be utterly lost.

In the crack in the rock at the north part of Central Mountain, Wu Wang maintained his silence, his expression transitioning from conflict and contemplation to serenity.

Just as Shen Nong had said, Wu Wang had actually guessed much of this matter already.

However, hearing it from the Human Emperor today still shook his Dao heart.

"Senior, I want to know the method by which the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan grew stronger,"

Wu Wang said softly. "This is very important to me."

Shen Nong pondered for a few moments but did not hide such secrets of the Human Domain.

He said, "The way in which the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan became stronger was initially by gathering the collective will to become a Divine Spirit.

"The Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan, by drilling wood to make fire, comprehended his own Dao. The name of this Great Dao is ’Self,’ meaning ’Ego.’

"It can be said that this is the foundation upon which Human Domain cultivators can practice cultivation.

"This Dao is not an Innate Dao; it’s a product that arose after the Dao of Life was born. However, the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan reversed it, elevating it to a Dao that surpasses both the innate and acquired definitions.

"This is what ’True Heart’ means."

Self, Ego, True Heart?

Shen Nong continued, "Emperor Suiren aggregated the hopes of all living beings in the South Wilderness of the Great Wilderness and turned these beliefs into his own Divine Power.

"According to my teacher, the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan, due to a fortuitous coincidence, went to the Land Beyond the Skies.

"There, he continuously grew stronger, honing his Dao, and eventually challenged the Candle Dragon.

"Emperor Suiren suffered defeat but leveraged the impact of his duel with the Candle Dragon to pass through a unique pathway and returned to the Great Wilderness.

"Upon his return, the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan was already a strong being, on par with the strongest gods.

"You might not know, but at that time, the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan declared himself the ’Fire Immortal.’

"This was the first Human Immortal between Heaven and Earth.

"And he was one that cultivated by himself, fully tapping into the potential of his innate spiritual physique, drawing from all the treasures of the Dao physique left by the Holy Mother.

"Only then did Emperor Suiren slay the Fire God.

"Emperor Suiren stood too high, too far away.

"He clearly recognized the nature of the Heavenly Emperor, saw through the hypocrisy of the gods in the Heaven Palace with his supreme wisdom, and instructed us to be self-reliant and independent, not to rely on the Divine Spirits, but to cultivate our own God."

Wu Wang then asked, "Why did the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan fall?"

Shen Nong replied, "Emperor Suiren was secretly assassinated by Emperor Shun.

"The power of the Head Manager’s Dao was greatly reduced because he forcefully set a lifespan limit on all the strong members of the human race that year.

"That was akin to a curse from ancient Divine Arts. For this curse, the Head Manager paid a heavy price.

"Then the Heaven Palace declared that the Head Manager had set lifespan shackles for all beings.

"In fact, the backlash he suffered was to suppress Emperor Suiren, reinforcing the rule that ’all living beings must face the end of their lifespan.’ "

Shen Nong paused his words and asked, "Are you willing to make such a trade?"

"I refuse."

Wu Wang almost blurted out.

Shen Nong, however, showed no emotion, as though he had anticipated this response.

"Senior, just continue doing what you wish to do."

Wu Wang weighed his words carefully and continued softly, "My path from now on will not be in the Human Domain, but the Human Domain will become a cornerstone for me in the future.

"If Emperor Shun is not killed by you, Senior, then he will surely fall at my hands.

"But I would like to propose a new trade."

"Oh? Let’s hear it," Shen Nong said.

Wu Wang’s eyes flickered with compelling Divine Light as he said, "I want all the Divine Power harvested in the Human Domain for the next eight hundred years, including but not limited to the Divine Power formed by gathering collective will into gods.

"As an equal condition, I will do my utmost to ensure that the human race maintains a dominant position in Heaven and Earth.

"Of course, this refers to the Heaven and Earth of the future."

Shen Nong replied, after a moment of silence, "Are you truly Wu Wang? Since when did you start talking so big."

"Whether you agree or not, Senior," Wu Wang said with a smile, "I’m rarely this motivated."

"Let me consider it."

Shen Nong answered ambiguously and then cut off communication with Wu Wang.

Wu Wang’s Primordial Spirit looked at the flames before him. His Primordial Spirit flicked a finger, confined the flames completely, and tossed them back into the corner.

Playing with fire cannot save the Human Domain.