NOVEL WEB Chapter 55: All is Pangu
Tongtian sighed as she transferred all the merits she received to her Obsession Corpse, Lingbao. Although it was only five percent, it was the most merits she had ever received. Despite that fact, it was still far from enough to consecrate Lingbao.
'It seems I have to wait until Buzhou Mountain shatters,' Tongtian thought.
Far away, Lingbao placed the merit into the Allheaven Jianmu Tree. The more perfect the connate spiritual root was, the more merits would descend when it became the new heavenly pillar that separated the heavens and earth.
Back in the Underworld, Tongtian flew towards Youdu, the Nether Capital. There, she sensed a drop of Houtu's presence. 'Did Houtu not die?'
Unlike humans or other creatures, when titans died, their souls would dissipate and could not undergo reincarnation because they did not have any spirit to protect their truesoul.
Seeing Tongtian flying inside, Minghe followed after a moment of hesitation.
Tongtian ignored Minghe and flew into the palace in the middle of Youdu. There, in the throne room, she saw a woman in a black dress sitting on a throne. Although her facial features were different, the woman on the throne reminded Tongtian of Houtu and someone else. "Are you Houtu or the Chaos Fiendgod of Samsara?"
The woman on the throne looked at Tongtian and smiled. "The Chaos Fiendgod of Samsara died when Pangu created heaven and earth. Houtu died when she incarnated into the Underworld. I am Empress Pingxin, but you can just address me as a fellow Daoist."
"Then, I've seen Daoist Pingxin," Tongtian said. She could tell that Empress Pingxin no longer possessed the body of a titan. In fact, her body appeared weaker than an average Quasi-Saint's.
Empress Pingxin closed her eyes, "...sever."
Tongtian felt the whole Underworld tremble as Empress Pingxin severed her Corpse. Her Corpse appeared like an old lady with a hunched back but still exuded a charismatic charm, like an amiable grandmother or elder.
"Old Lady Meng, go and welcome the souls at the Bridge of Forgetfulness," Empress Pingxin said.
As Old Lady Meng left, Tongtian stared at her back. 'So Old Lady Meng, who gives soup of forgetfulness to the dead souls, is actually Empress Pingxin's Corpse?'
"Fellow Daoist, I still have a few questions I hope you can answer for me," Empress Pingxin said.
"As long as I can answer them, I naturally will," Tongtian said.
Empress Pingxin nodded. "Although I have formed the Underworld and the River of Reincarnation, it isn't perfect. I wonder if Daoist Tongtian knows why?"
"I have a guess," Tongtian said. "The Underworld lacks personnel. No matter how powerful you are here, you cannot take care of everything. You can gather some of the giants to help you run the Underworld. Furthermore, you can choose some ghosts who do not want to reincarnate and have them become nether officials."
Empress Pingxin nodded.
"As for the River of Reincarnation," Tongtian continued. "From the moment they are born, all things bear karma and continue accumulating karma while they are alive. All souls should reincarnate into different life forms depending on their karma."
Empress Pingxin's eyes lit up. "And what should they reincarnate into?"
"If they bear karma for slaughter, they will be reincarnated into shuras; souls bearing karma due to excessive cravings and attachments should be turned into ghosts; souls with karma resulting from impulses and instincts should be reborn as beasts; souls with balanced karma should be reborn as humans; souls contaminated with only Karmic Sins shall not reincarnate until they are served due punishment for their actions. Together, they form the Shura Path of Reincarnation, Hungry Ghost Path of Reincarnation, Animal Path of Reincarnation, Human Path of Reincarnation, and Hell Path of Reincarnation," Tongtian said.
"Daoist Tongtian is wise indeed," Empress Pingxin said. She turned towards Minghe, "Daoist Minghe won't mind, right?"
"How can I mind?" Minghe said. He couldn’t wait to beg Empress Pingxin to turn the shura race he created into one of the paths of reincarnation. A constant supply of merit would descend on him without needing to do anything.
Empress Pingxin nodded and amended the River of Reincarnation, transforming it into the Five Paths of Reincarnation. The Way of Heaven sent down merits again the moment she completed it. Seventy-five percent flowed to Empress Pingxin and the Underworld; fifteen percent flowed to Tongtian, and ten percent flowed to Minghe.
"Fellow Daoist, reincarnation still is incomplete," Empress Pingxin said.
"That is indeed the case. Since there is a Hell Path, there must be a Heaven Path for all those who bear great merits and good karma," Tongtian said. "Unfortunately, such a race has not been born yet."
"So, that's the case," Empress Pingxin said with regret. "It seems that I can only wait."
Tongtian nodded and cupped her fist. "Since Daoist Pingxin is busy, I'll leave first. I still have many gains that I haven't digested."
"Then I bid farewell to Daoist Tongtian," Empress Pingxin said. Not long after, Minghe left too, leaving Empress Pingxin alone. She waited, waited for the titans to arrive.
Minghe returned to Crimsonsap Palace and summoned the four Shura Kings: Sakra, Bali, Kharakantha, and Vemincitrin. The four of them had grown stronger all these years, reaching the peak of the Great Firmament Realm.
However, their growth had come to a halt.
Minghe had reservations about the shuras, so he never taught them how to become Quasi-Saints. After all, shuras were bloodthirsty and even more belligerent than titans. They only respected him because of his strength. What if they pointed their fangs at him?
Although, even if he did, they would only become early Quasi-Saints. Due to the nature of shuras, they had no good thoughts, so they could only create two Corpses at most. Still, Minghe had no desire to face a group of Quasi-Saint shuras.
Minghe scanned the four Shura Kings. The one he feared the most was Sakra. Not only had he reached the peak of the Great Firmament Realm the fastest, but Minghe could see signs that he had started comprehending the Law of Lightning. Even if he didn't teach them the method to sever three Corpses, Minghe suspected the shura could enter the Quasi-Saint Realm by tempering his qi.
Upon feeling the deeply hidden killing intent from the shura's creator, Sakra lowered his head to expose the nape of his neck, showing his subservience. But the more subservience Sakra showed, the more Minghe wanted to kill him. Compared to the other shuras, who only knew how to kill head-on, Sakra's mind was too deep.
Minghe suppressed his killing intent. It was not yet time, and Sakra hadn't grown beyond his power yet. His eyes left the four Shura Kings. "Today, I have decided to establish a sect called the Shura Way."
Upon hearing this, all the Shura Kings became excited. The establishment of a sect meant great merit, and if possible, they might be able to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm.
"The Shura Way will focus on war and killing to wash away the karma and sin of previous lives," Minghe continued. "You four will be the vice-masters of the Shura Way, commanding four forces each in your war against each other."
All four Shura Kings nodded and obeyed, especially Bali, Kharakantha, and Vemincitrin. Sakra had always oppressed them. If they obeyed their creator's order, couldn't they openly attack Sakra?
After years of being suppressed by Sakra, the three Shura Kings eventually learned what teamwork was.
Minghe nodded. "The Way of Heaven above, I, Minghe, establish the Shura Way! All shuras born from reincarnation shall war and fight to cleanse their karma and sins!"
Clouds of merit descended from the sky. As before, compared to when Nuwa created humanity or when Laozi, Yuanshi, and Redcloud Ancestor established their sects, the amount of merit he received was but a fraction. It couldn't even be compared to the establishment of the Liberation Sect.
Sixty percent flowed into Minghe, but even after absorbing all of them, he could not merge his three Corpses and enter the Peak Quasi-Saint Realm, much to his frustration. The twenty percent split into four parts and flowed into the Shura Kings, while the last twenty percent was distributed among the shura race.
Minghe's actions alerted everyone in the Great Desolation. Some called him an opportunist. Others called him a copycat while drowning in envy, but the eleven titans ignored this as they made their way to the Underworld.
Inside Youdu Palace, the eleven titans confronted Empress Pingxin.
"Houtu, what is the meaning of this?" Di Jiang asked. Although his voice was calm, a trace of barely contained fury could be heard.
Empress Pingxin sighed. "I no longer possess the body of a titan, so I can no longer use that name. The Way of Heaven won't allow it."
"So, you are abandoning your identity as a titan?" Gonggong asked, the sting of betrayal reflected in his tone.
"It's not that I want to, but I must," Empress Pingxin said. "I am now Empress Pingxin, ruler of the Underworld."
"Underworld, Pingxin, I don't care," Jumang said. "I just want to know why you did this. Why did you abandon the Titan Tribe?"
"Because it is Father God's will," Empress Pingxin said.
"Father God's will?" Tianwu repeated.
"When Father God formed heaven and earth, it was incomplete for various reasons," Empress Pingxin said. "Houtu was born to form the Underworld and perfect heaven and earth. That's why she was able to advance to the peak of the Quasi-Saint Realm so quickly."
"Bullshit!" Zhurong cried out as he pointed accusingly at Empress Pingxin. "There's no way Father God would want a titan to fall like this!"
Then, without warning, Zhurong covered his fist in flames and sent it toward Empress Pingxin. Before his fist could even reach her, the flames dissipated, and coercion arose, freezing all the titans in their positions.
"Zhurong, stop," Empress Pingxin said. "It's useless. Not even Saints of Heaven can defeat me in the Underworld."
"Houtu," Di Jiang began but stopped when he saw Empress Pingxin's gaze. Unwillingly, he said, "Pingxin, let Zhurong go. You know what he's always been like. He just let his emotions go to his head."
The coercion receded back into the ground, freeing the titans. Zhurong still glared unwillingly at Empress Pingxin but said nothing and closed his eyes. When the coercion appeared, it resembled when the Dao Ancestor descended and stopped their Pangu Genesis Formation.
"Pingxin, what is the Titan Tribe supposed to do? Without you, we cannot form the Pangu Genesis Formation," Di Jiang said.
"I already thought of this," Empress Pingxin said. She waved her hand, summoning a large drop of earthen yellow blood. "Before my body incarnated into the Underworld, I extracted my remaining blood essence. Give it to Chiyou, and he can take my place as one of the twelve cornerstones of the Pangu Genesis Formation."
When Houtu's blood essence floated to Di Jiang, he looked at Empress Pingxin with a complicated gaze. Compared to before, her manner was far less compassionate. "I want to ask a question. You said that not even Saints could do anything to you in the Underworld. This means you must have reached a similar level to Saint's, right? What are the chances of the Titan Tribe prevailing against Heavenly Court?"
Empress Pingxin closed her eyes and stayed silent. That was all Di Jiang needed to know.
"So that's the case." A powerful aura erupted from Di Jiang's body as his fighting spirit soared. He entered the Peak Quasi-Saint Realm.
Empress Pingxin opened her eyes and looked at Di Jiang and the rest of the titans with conflicting emotions. "If any of you want to retreat, you can always come to the Underworld."
Without hesitation, all of the titans rejected Empress Pingxin's offer. A titan could lose and even die, but they must never admit defeat, even in the face of certain death. She sighed and did not try to convince them, knowing it was useless.
"Send me some giants," Empress Pingxin said. "The Underworld is understaffed. Allow me some giants to help me manage it. The Underworld benefits heaven and earth, and even a minor position will grant immense merits over time."
"Pingxin's words are worth thinking about," Jiuyin said. "We can spare some giants to help manage the Underworld."
Although he called it helping, Di Jiang knew that Jiuyin meant leaving a retreat for the Titan Tribe in case Heavenly Court won. So, even if they lost, the Titan Tribe would still exist and not perish to history.
"Welcome back, Master," Wutian greeted Tongtian as she entered Three Purity Palace.
Tongtian nodded and moved to enter Supreme Purity Hall but paused at the last moment. "How are you feeling?"
Wutian froze for a moment but responded quickly. "I'm coping. The deaths of Eldest Brother, Second Sister, and Third Brother have motivated me to improve humanity's strength even more. I don't have time to overthink."
Tongtian sighed. "The River of Reincarnation has been created, and it's not impossible for the three ancestors of humanity to be reincarnated in the future and regain their memories."
Wutian's eyes shone with hope. "Please enlighten Disciple."
Tongtian shook her head. "With my current strength, I cannot calculate it, but they are people of great merit, so their reincarnations will not be lackluster. For now, go attend to the human race. Stay on Kunlun Mountain until the Titan-Demon War ends."
"Per Master's orders, I take my leave."
After instructing Wutian, Tongtian headed into the Supreme Purity Hall. When the River of Time had created the River of Reincarnation, she had peered into the future and saw the end. At the end of the River of Time, Tongtian saw Pangu.
Pangu incarnates into all things. Thus, all is Pangu.
Her Law of Time had made a major breakthrough, and it was time to form her first incarnation. She had expected to sever her past or present, but never did she expect that she would sever her future first.