Nameless’s opening remarks once again firmly locked the attention of the Six Sages and those secretly watching the Human Race onto the grand sacrificial ceremony.
Standing at the gates of the newly completed Palace of Empress Wa in the Heavens of Chaos, Holy Mother Nuwa rested her chin on her hand and watched everything unfold. She heard it.
Even though she had not shown her face for thousands of years, her children had not forgotten her.
“But I've troubled Junior Sister Yuan Heng...”
Far away in Kunlun, the Three Pure Ones were watching the live broadcast in 4K quality through Tongtian’s Four Swords of Zhu Xian.
Tongtian propped his chin on his hand and wailed, “Yuan Heng's place seems so fun. I want to go too.”
Yuanshi’s deep, heavy gaze fell upon Taiqing. “Eldest Brother, is Junior Sister attempting to awaken the Human Path with this move?”
A trace of worry colored his voice. “I wonder if it will succeed...”
The Human Path had only barely awakened once when Junior Sister Nuwa created humans and achieved sainthood, only to fall back into silence. As for the Earthly Path, it was not even worth mentioning.
“Hopefully, Junior Sister Yuan Heng's endeavor succeeds.”
Taiqing glanced at his disciple standing next to his Little Junior Aunt, a slight twitch of his brow. “Just watch.”
It couldn't possibly get any worse than this.
Meanwhile, on screen.
The Three Ancestors stepped forward in unison. Facing the Sancai Cauldron, they held incense that Yuan Heng had somehow managed to craft in quite a decent likeness.
Ziyishi was the first to speak, bowing slightly and raising the incense above her head. “The Heavenly Dao is above! The virtue of Heaven covers and supports all living things... the Yang Dao is vast and boundless, transforming the Primordial World. Today, we, the Human Race, burn incense to pray: May the Heavenly Dao look upon our sincerity, suppress the violence of the wind and clouds, disperse the disasters along our path, halt senseless celestial shifts, and quiet the undeserved thunder and frost. May our journey of ten thousand li be met with open skies, moderate seasons, and safety from all tribulations! The Human Race reverently worships Heaven. Please accept our offering!”
As her voice fell, with a soft buzz, the sky trembled slightly, and the drifting clouds slowly swirled as if listening to the prayer.
That the Heavenly Dao responded was within Yuan Heng's expectations. After all, she had a formidable backing.
But as she thought about what was to come, a trace of nervousness couldn't help but rise in her heart.
Earthly Path, you absolutely must be woken up.
Ziyishi inserted the incense into the cauldron and took a step back, and Youchao’s voice rang out once more.
“Today, we, the Human Race, reverently sacrifice to the Earthly Path! The Great Earth sustains all things, nurturing and birthing all species... the Yin virtue is deep and condensed, stabilizing the mountains and rivers. May the Earthly Path be peaceful and the wild lands return to quiet; may it suppress the ferocity of mountains and rivers, seal the toxic miasmas of the swamps, smooth the rough roads, and stabilize the earth veins of all directions. May the waters and soils remain healthy wherever we tread... The Human Race bows to the Great Earth with the utmost sincerity of living beings. Please accept our offering!”
As his voice fell, the ground trembled slightly. The wild grass around the sacrificial altar unfurled in unison, and the turbid Qi in the soil slowly dissipated.
Yuan Heng was ecstatic. The Earthly Path! Earthly Path, you responded!
Yuan Heng beamed with joy. This was fantastic. Going by this, the Human Path was bound to give a response as well.
A certain Heavenly Dao and Hongjun, both keeping their efforts hidden, smiled in silence.
Heavenly Dao: Ahhh! Earthly Path, wake up! (Shaking wildly, throwing a left slap and a right punch) The humans are offering a sacrifice to you! Wake up, wake up, wake up!
Hongjun: Wake up! Ahhh! My disciple is secretly spearheading this sacrifice, how dare you pretend not to hear! (He lands another slap)
The Earthly Path, waking up battered and bruised with a swollen face: Ugh, I'm awake, I'm awake... Let me take a look... Fine, I'll give them a little reaction.
When it came to the Earthly Path's awakening, those with the strongest perception were naturally Houtu, who mastered the Law of Earth, and Zhenyuanzi, who held the Book of the Earth.
Inside Wuzhuang Temple, the Book of the Earth trembled slightly, its pages flipping on their own. Zhenyuanzi raised his eyes and cast a distant glance in the direction of Mount Buzhou, before shifting his gaze back onto the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
“Sigh... Hongyun, if you were awake, you would surely nag me to go watch the spectacle with you... Fellow Daoist Yuan Heng is truly extraordinary.”
Suddenly, a familiar voice drifted out from the deep core of the tree. “Eh? Zhenyuanzi? What spectacle is there...?”
Zhenyuanzi was shocked. Hongyun! This is wonderful! You've finally risen from the dead!
At the Houtu Clan, which was not far from the Human Race, Houtu arrived at the human settlement almost the instant she felt the disturbance.
Yuan Heng was happily celebrating when she suddenly came face-to-face with the abruptly appearing Houtu.
The air grew deathly silent. The youngsters around Yuan Heng instantly went on high alert, only relaxing when they saw their Little Junior Aunt remain completely unbothered.
Yuan Heng: “...”
“Fellow Daoist Houtu, you sensed the Earthly Path's awakening too? What a coincidence...”
Houtu’s eyes deepened as she nodded gently to Yuan Heng. “Your actions are of great merit, Fellow Daoist. This is the first time I have ever felt the Earthly Path vibrate. It... seems to be urging me to do something.”
But what was it?
The Ancestral Witch Houtu was utterly perplexed. Every flash of insight failed to lead to a solution. Perhaps the time was not yet right; perhaps she still lacked the proper opportunity.
Sigh...
Hearing this, Yuan Heng fell silent for a brief moment before speaking in a soothing tone. “Do not fret, Fellow Daoist. What is meant to happen will eventually come to pass.”
Must Houtu really sacrifice herself to become the Samsara...?
“Sigh, hopefully.”
Her Dao, the mission Father God had left for her—she hoped she could find it soon.
Since she was already here, Houtu stayed behind to see what kind of outcome this human sacrifice to the three paths would bring.
Seeing the Earthly Path give a brief reaction before immediately sinking back into a deep slumber, the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun were left speechless. What a useless piece of trash.
The sacrificial ceremony had now reached its final phase, which was also the one Yuan Heng valued most—the Human Path.
Suirenshi held the incense, bowing deeply. “Today, we, the Human Race, reverently sacrifice to the Human Path! The Human Path is newly born, and the hearth fire of the Human Race shall spread far and wide. The Human Race was born from the creation of Heaven and Earth. We have committed no act against Heaven, nor any deed that disrupts the Dao. We seek only to grow and multiply endlessly. Today, our tribes migrate. With millions of hearts beating as one, we support our elderly, carry our young, and walk forward together! We shall never abandon our clan, never forget our origin, and never lose our humanity. With this sincere heart, we pray to the origin of the Human Path: May human relations endure forever, may our clan never scatter, may our hearth fire never be extinguished, and may the Human Path flourish eternally. Though the road ahead is long, we shall safeguard our original heart... weathering thousands of hardships so the Human Path may thrive forever. Let it persist through a thousand autumns and be passed down generation after generation! The Human Race respects its own heart, and reverently sacrifices to the Human Path. Please accept our offering!”
Yuan Heng widened her eyes, refusing to miss a single detail.
Human Path, show some spine!
With the sacrifices to the three paths complete, tens of thousands of humans bowed their heads in deep devotion. As the thoughts of the masses converged, wisps of invisible Human Race fortune slowly flowed along the patterns of the Sancai Cauldron, merging into the void.
The hearth fire pattern representing the Human Path on the Sancai Cauldron suddenly blazed with a soft, bright light. A mass of warm, auspicious Human Path Qi surged from the cauldron and soared straight into the clouds.
At the same time, the Heavenly Dao did its utmost to resonate with the Human Path, successfully helping it hold on for just a bit longer.
This act of the Human Race connected the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, contributing to the stability of the Primordial World. It was of great merit and deserved to be rewarded.
The power of the Heavenly Dao and the newly born Human Path intertwined in midair, their aura and Qi blending together to form a brilliant golden cloud of merit that slowly descended from the high heavens.
Seventy percent of the merit fell into the Sancai Cauldron, while the remaining thirty percent was split among Yuan Heng, Nameless, Duobao and the others, as well as the Three Ancestors.
The youngsters, with the exception of Nameless: What?! We can get merit from this too?!
Looking at the golden, glowing cauldron, Yuan Heng breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Excellent. Now that the Human Path had responded, there was great hope for everything that would follow...
Wait, was the prayer she wrote a little too shameless? Offering just three sticks of incense, yet asking for so much...?
With a trace of guilt, Yuan Heng sheepishly glanced at the golden cloud of merit, which was rapidly drifting away after dispensing its rewards.
Ahem, who cares? As long as they answered!
Rate on N.U.
