Chapter 48

After much deliberation, Feng Ye finally decided to take on the heavenly vow. However, this time, Feng Ye was more astute. To prevent any future changes or loopholes in the vow, he strictly defined its terms. He would only assist in the completion of the five grains and the six domestic animals, ensuring the well-being of the human race during the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, spreading the methods of animal husbandry and agriculture, and helping the human race thrive. Once this was done, the vow would be considered fulfilled.

Otherwise, if the concept of the human race expanded to the Three Kingdoms, Tang, and Song dynasties, and there were still people who couldn't eat enough, it would still be considered that the vow was not fulfilled. He would be too busy just managing food, and even in the 21st century, there would still be famines in some places, with billions of people. This vow would then have no end.

The five grains and the six domestic animals were originally the achievements of Fuxi and Shennong. By merely providing guidance and assistance, the vow could be considered fulfilled, making it as easy as picking up merit.

However, this meant that Feng Ye would have to visit the human race. Thinking of this, Feng Ye turned to look at the Huaxu tribe, where a red protective shield firmly guarded the tribe.

"Ha, the River and Mountain Map, this is the work of Nüwa! She is very cautious about protecting her brother. No immortal or deity can easily approach. How could you easily get close to Fuxi?"

After much thought, Feng Ye did not dare to go in person, fearing that the Sage might crush him with a single finger.

When Feng Ye achieved the rank of Golden Immortal, his primordial spirit merged with the innate Daoic embryo, discarding his post-natal immortal body, which remained as a feathered transformation.

Thinking of this, Feng Ye's heart moved, and he took out the discarded body. Looking at it, Feng Ye felt extremely conflicted. Strictly speaking, this discarded body was Feng Ye's human form, which he had given up to achieve the innate Daoic body, thus also giving up his human identity in a sense.

In both his past and present lives, Feng Ye was of human origin, so he was naturally very reluctant to part with it. However, how could he achieve the innate Daoic body otherwise? Refining the human dharma body alone would take at least several thousand years to reach the innate stage, and it might not be as good as the innate Daoic embryo tailored for him.

Since this was the case, it would be better to use this discarded body as his avatar, a way to remember his human identity, and a convenience for future travels in the world of chaos!

With this thought, Feng Ye slapped the discarded body, infusing it with a powerful magical force, refining it into primordial essence.

Although directly refining an avatar was possible, Feng Ye wanted to be cautious when approaching Fuxi. The best method was to reincarnate. Reincarnating into the Huaxu tribe and working alongside Fuxi, this childhood friendship would be useful in the future. After all, the vow he had to fulfill did not require any supernatural abilities; a mere human body would suffice.

Of course, the biggest obstacle was Nüwa. However, if he explained his intentions to Nüwa, she would not be petty, right? Besides, his vow was about the well-being of the human race, so Nüwa would not interfere.

The world of chaos was indeed cruel, but no one wanted to offend everyone, right? Although it was hard to do good every day, if it didn't harm him, it was fine to do a favor. After all, being kind to others was being kind to oneself, and a good deed might save a life in the future.

Feng Ye refined the discarded body into primordial essence, which took the form of a red dragon. He wrapped the red dragon around his left arm and extracted the vow's power from his primordial spirit, transferring it to the red dragon's essence. Since the red dragon's essence was part of him, the transfer was easy.

Finally, he imprinted his primordial spirit into the red dragon's essence, refining it into an avatar. He then rode the red dragon avatar and flew toward the Huaxu tribe.

The red dragon transformed into a human, standing outside the Huaxu tribe's protective shield, and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I once made a great vow, and now I need to take the next step. I wanted to come in person, but I feared interfering with the reincarnation of the great deity Fuxi, so I came through reincarnation. I hope Your Majesty will grant me permission!"

If he came in person, Nüwa would naturally be concerned about her brother's safety. After all, Fuxi and Nüwa had many enemies in the world of chaos. If an enemy sent a few assassins to kill Fuxi, Nüwa would regret it. However, an avatar that reincarnated as a human could not affect Fuxi. On the same starting line, Nüwa was confident in her brother.

In essence, Feng Ye was proving to Nüwa that he was harmless. With such sincerity, Nüwa had no reason to refuse.

A hole appeared in the shield, and the red dragon avatar entered. Then a divine light descended from the sky, and Nüwa personally transformed the red dragon avatar into a baby next to the Huaxu tribe.

Respecting Feng Ye's decision to reincarnate rather than come in person, Nüwa helped him, ensuring he reincarnated as a human without going through the cycle of rebirth. As a Sage, she had the means to do so.

For Feng Ye, this was the best outcome. If he had to go through the cycle of rebirth, it would add complications and new karmic ties. Nüwa's assistance was exactly what he wanted.

A newborn baby, left near the tribe, would naturally be adopted. After all, a baby posed no danger and represented the future of the tribe. Even if it wasn't from their tribe, they would not let it be eaten by wild beasts but would bring it back to raise with their own children. When the baby grew up, it could contribute to the tribe.

Seeing the red dragon avatar successfully reincarnate and gain Nüwa's approval, Feng Ye breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Nüwa was reasonable. If he had encountered a stubborn person, fulfilling the vow would have been much more difficult.

With this, Feng Ye could finally focus on cultivation.

Speaking of which, Yuan Kui went to the Eastern Purple Sun Grotto to visit Doumu Yuanjun.

Doumu Yuanjun was the mother of the Northern Stars, also known as the Purple Light Lady, with a revered status and great power. Although Yuan Kui shared the same origin, the difference in strength and gender, as well as the time of enlightenment, made their meeting awkward.

However, after some time, they got to know each other's temperaments and became more friendly, addressing each other as "Lady" and "Dragon Lord."

Both understood that although their cultivation levels were different, they were both manifestations of the nine-headed human emperor, and if one achieved enlightenment, the other would also benefit. Moreover, Yuan Kui would eventually become a Great Luo Immortal, and as they shared the same origin, they were natural allies. It would be unwise to quarrel over minor issues.

While Yuan Kui was chatting with the Purple Light Lady, a three- or four-year-old boy ran in from behind the curtain and sat on her lap.

Seeing the harmonious mother-son relationship, Yuan Kui's heart moved, and he joked, "Lady, is this one of the Northern Stars? Which one? As his uncle, I should give him a gift!" He then took a jade pendant from his dragon robe and gave it to the boy.

"This is my youngest, who hasn't interacted much with outsiders, so I apologize for his behavior," the Purple Light Lady said, seeing her son playing with the jade pendant. "You should thank your uncle!"

With the child as a bridge, communication became easier. They had already agreed that Yuan Kui would inherit the nine-headed spirit, and he had started to recognize his new family through this nephew.

"Is this the seventh star of the Northern Dipper, Yaoguang? How can he go to the Heavenly Court every day at this age? Do his older brothers take his place?"

The Purple Light Lady's face darkened, and a fierce aura appeared. The boy, seeing his mother angry, ran away, and Yuan Kui quickly pulled him to his side, soothing him. "Why are you angry, Lady? Did I say something wrong? If so, I apologize!"

"Your Majesty has just achieved enlightenment and may not know, but a few thousand years ago, my seven children were killed! Now, besides Gouchen and Ziwēi, only this little one remains!" she said, her face showing a fierce expression.

"Killed? We are of the nine-headed human emperor lineage, with a long destiny. Lady, you have the legacy of the Eastern Emperor, and your children, inheriting your destiny, are long-lived deities, rulers of the stars, and have great merit. Who would dare to attack them? Are they not afraid of your anger?" Yuan Kui asked, surprised.

After a moment, he thought, "Could it be the one from the Sun Star?" he speculated.

"Your Majesty, don't make accusations without evidence! That one is the Heavenly Emperor of our divine race! How could he plot against us orphans and widows?" she said, but her face showed a mocking expression, not even bothering to hide it.

"Heavenly Emperor? Lady, do you really think he is worthy of the title? After the nine-headed human emperor, I only recognize Taiyi as the Heavenly Emperor!" Yuan Kui said, disdainful.

"If he acted, we will settle this karmic debt in the future!" Yuan Kui coldly said, thinking, Could this be why Doumu has been concealing the heavenly secrets for us, to use me as a pawn?

Thinking of this, Yuan Kui changed the subject, "But speaking of which, Lady, you only have nine sons. What is the origin of this tenth son?" He then used his divine eyes to look at the boy, seeing the seven stars of the Northern Dipper rise behind him.

Yuan Kui's heart moved, and he turned the boy upside down, taking off his shoes. Indeed, there were seven red moles on his foot, forming the shape of the Northern Dipper.

"So, this youngest son is the reassembled soul of the fallen seventh star?"

"This was the work of the Sage Nüwa, who helped reassemble the residual souls of my seven children into seven spirits, reuniting their life souls and using a human body to bring them back to life!" the Purple Light Lady said, taking the boy and patting his back to calm him.

The three souls and seven spirits are the human soul's concept. Other races' souls might not be the same. When the seven Northern Dipper stars died, only a residual soul escaped. A single soul could not reincarnate independently, so they had to be combined into one. This made the human soul's three souls and seven spirits the most suitable structure.

For this, Doumu Yuanjun even asked Nüwa to personally reshape the souls and nurture them.

"I see, now I understand why you are helping me. You want to use me to act against the Heavenly Emperor! Unfortunately, I have no intention of becoming the Heavenly Emperor, which may disappoint you!" Yuan Kui spoke bluntly, not bothering to be polite.

Hearing this, the Purple Light Lady said urgently, "Your Majesty, if you are to reunite the nine heads, why not take it further? I believe the Sage Nüwa would also be pleased to see you become the Heavenly Emperor!"

Yuan Kui thought, How poorly must Emperor Di Jun have treated others for so many great deities to be dissatisfied with him? Even the gods of the Wu and stars, and perhaps even the Sage Nüwa, might want to remove him.

---

Bookworm's Tea Room:

Yes, today is Children's Day. How nostalgic! We miss our childhood! In those days, we were so innocent, playing with our friends, arguing over silly things, and getting scolded by our parents. Now, those are all part of our black history!

Anyway, I wish all the big kids to keep their childlike hearts and all the little kids a happy Children's Day! This is one of the few holidays that truly belong to children.

Also, do you remember what I said last Sunday? I mentioned that there would be extra updates each week. So, there will be a second update soon, although the timing might be a bit unpredictable.