Chapter One Hundred and One: Pangu’s Stratagem, Seeking to Establish the Six Paths of Reincarnation

“Control reincarnation?” Houtu looked puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

Pangu explained, “The Primordial Realm was never complete. Though Hongjun merged with the Dao with his own body, he still failed to perfect it. When living beings perish, their remnants remain in the world, and as time passes, the Primordial Realm will be transformed into a demonic domain. To prevent that, someone must give themselves to reincarnation, so as to benefit all creation. And you are the one who was originally meant to become reincarnation.”

Houtu was struck speechless. “But I never intended to save all living beings. How could I possibly become reincarnation?”

“It is only that the time has not yet come,” Pangu said, shaking his head. “When the moment arrives, it will not be up to you.”

Houtu was startled. Then an idea flashed through her mind, and she hurriedly asked, “Father God, is there any way to let my Wu clan control reincarnation?”

Seeing that she had asked the crucial question, Pangu nodded and smiled. “The demon race has now unknowingly committed a grave mistake, and may very well end up like the savage beasts of old.

“On top of that, the three thousand guests of the Purple Cloud Palace all owe you karmic debts. If matters are handled well, the Wu clan need only pay a slight price to extricate itself from this tribulation.”

Houtu had not experienced the calamity of the savage beasts, but she had heard of it. Back then, the savage beast clan had offended some mysterious expert, and after the disaster not a single trace of their bloodline remained. It was enough to chill the heart to think how ruthless that man had been.

Houtu suddenly froze, remembering another of Pangu’s words. She blurted out, “What does Father God mean when he says the three thousand guests of the Purple Cloud Palace owe me karmic debts?”

She naturally knew she had done nothing at all, and would of course have no karmic entanglement with them. This must have been Pangu’s doing.

Pangu was momentarily taken aback, then said indifferently, “Nothing much. Back then, I condensed a Dao-rhyme fruit and had my master use it during Hongjun’s preaching, merely helping them sense the laws of the Great Dao a step earlier.”

Hearing Pangu speak so lightly, Houtu refused to believe him. Setting aside everything else, just the fact that he had enabled the three thousand guests of the Purple Cloud Palace to sense the laws of the Great Dao together meant that even Pangu must have paid a tremendous price.

A sudden flash of insight passed through her mind, and Houtu instantly remembered the things Morning Star had once told her when he came to the Wu clan. At once she understood, and tears fell anew. She knelt and cried, “Father God has exhausted heart and soul for my Wu clan, and Houtu can never repay you even in death! My Wu clan would rather see the whole clan perish in tribulation than allow Father God to suffer harm again!” With that, she burst into loud sobs.

Pangu was deeply moved as well, and helped Houtu to her feet. “Though I am for the Wu clan, I have always done it only for you. You bear my bloodline and should be my daughter, under my protection. How could I bear to watch your clan enter tribulation and be doomed forever?”

As he spoke, he extended his hand, and several items appeared in his palm. Houtu stared at them, not understanding what they were.

Before she could recover, Pangu pointed again, and a vast corpse devoid of the slightest trace of life appeared in the Chaos.

Yes, Houtu was truly stunned. This corpse, towering nearly ten thousand zhang high, radiated a terrifying force of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Pangu smiled and explained, “This is the corpse of one of the three thousand divine demons I slew when I opened the heavens, the ones who stood in my way as I sought enlightenment. It ranked among the top four in strength, and was formed from the laws of the five elements. You may use it to transform into reincarnation.”

He then tossed the objects in his hand to Houtu and continued, “This is the Nether Book, a supreme innate treasure born within the Chaos. I have divided it into two items: the Book of Life and Death and the Judge’s Brush. They may be used to suppress reincarnation.”

Houtu took the two treasures, overjoyed. She knew that if everything proceeded according to Pangu’s plan, the Wu clan would be able to withdraw in full.

Seeing that the matter of the Wu clan now had a solution, Houtu finally let out a breath of relief. Her curiosity immediately rose, and she asked, “Since Father God did not truly perish back then, how did you become all things of the Primordial Realm? Your heart is still within the Wu clan, is it not?”

Seeing Houtu regain the liveliness proper to a young woman, Pangu felt somewhat gratified and answered, “The one who transformed into all things of the Primordial Realm was me. And the one standing before you now is also me.”

Seeing Houtu looking utterly bewildered, Pangu chuckled. “My master used great divine power to reshape my body. My original body became the myriad things of the Primordial Realm. Do you understand now?”

Only then did Houtu come to a sudden realization. Though she still did not quite understand how Morning Star could possess such means, she knew that he was by no means merely the Great Saint-stage cultivator she had seen.

Unable to resist her curiosity, she asked, “May I ask what realm Morning Star… ah, I mean Father God’s master has reached? Is he truly even more formidable than Father God?”

Pangu’s expression turned solemn. “You must never be disrespectful toward Master Morning Star. I regard him as you ought to regard me. Remember that!”

Then he explained, “As for Master Morning Star, speaking strictly, he has no cultivation at all, because he does not need it. Only when you are someday able to prove the Dao by force alone will you be qualified to know his identity.”

Houtu could not help sticking out her tongue. From Pangu’s words, she finally understood that Morning Star was absolutely an existence of terrifying origin. She no longer dared ask further, and instead began asking Pangu about the details of opening the Underworld and establishing the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Unknowingly, several thousand years remained before the appointed time of one era.

Within the Primordial Realm, countless beings felt the approach of storm clouds. They knew the war between the Wu and demon clans was not far off. Countless wandering cultivators left the center of the Primordial Realm and fled to distant places to avoid calamity, fearing they would be slain by one of the two clans.

One day, Houtu walked slowly across the western lands of the Primordial Realm. Looking at the filthy sea of blood before her, she saw countless resentful souls in the sky emitting shrill cries as they plunged into it.

Houtu smiled faintly and murmured, “So this is the place?”

As she approached the Blood Sea, a figure in blood-colored light appeared before her and cried out, “Friend Houtu, I wonder what brings you to my Blood Sea!”

The one who had come was none other than Minghe, lord of the Blood Sea.

Houtu smiled gracefully and bowed slightly. “Greetings, Friend Minghe. I have come today to offer you a tremendous opportunity, though I do not know whether you are willing to accept it.”

Minghe was startled and asked curiously, “What opportunity could you possibly be willing to give me?”

“I wish to establish reincarnation within this Blood Sea, so that the myriad living beings may be reborn through it and not dissipate into heaven and earth. By then, the Heavenly Dao will naturally bestow merit. What do you think?”

Minghe’s pupils contracted. After a long silence, he said with a strange look in his eyes, “If that is so, why should I not build reincarnation myself and claim the Heavenly Dao’s merit all for myself? Why cooperate with you at all?”

Houtu let out a cold laugh, a trace of mockery flashing in her eyes. “To build reincarnation is to mend the incompleteness of the Heavenly Dao. I am not looking down on you, Friend. Without my support of the power of the earth, and without supreme treasures suppressing the Underworld, the day reincarnation is completed will also be the day you perish.”

Minghe fell silent.

He naturally knew that the Underworld was the foundation of the earth. If the foundation proved unstable and caused the Underworld to vanish, that karmic burden would likely be enough to doom him beyond all hope.

After a long while, Minghe said, “Reincarnation is to be built by you, and the Underworld is to be controlled by you. What merit could I possibly gain, so that the Heavenly Dao would bestow merit upon me?”

Houtu smiled and said, “Friend, do not forget that there is still another formidable place that you could take charge of. If you can control it, not only will you obtain a great deal of merit, but after the Six Paths of Reincarnation are established, it will also solve one of your major problems.”

Minghe was taken aback, not understanding what she meant, and asked, “What do you mean?”

Houtu enunciated each word clearly: “The Eighteen Levels of Hell.”

Minghe’s body trembled. After a quick calculation, he was instantly enraged. “If Hell is to be established, then I would have to bring out my Twelve-Grade Karmic Fire Golden Lotus. You are not helping me at all—you are coveting that lotus, aren’t you?”

Houtu laughed. “Although you would lose one treasure, the merit you gain will more than make up for it. Besides, you would then control Hell, and in the future you will naturally receive a great deal of merit from it. What reason is there not to do it?”

Minghe remained silent, unable to make up his mind for a moment.

Seeing this, Houtu added fuel to the fire. “Could it be that you do not wish to leave even a sliver of hope for the Asura clan?”

Minghe was jolted deeply.

Indeed, the Asura clan arose from the remnants of souls in the Blood Sea and had no ability to reproduce. If the Six Paths of Reincarnation were established, then the Asura clan would naturally be able to be reborn. By then, perhaps they would even gain the ability to bear offspring.

Thinking of this, Minghe made up his mind and said, “I can agree to what you said, but you must agree to three conditions of mine.”

His tone brooked no refusal.

Houtu smiled and said, “Please speak.”