If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1233 The Great Vow to Become a Saint

"After the ancient dragon captured the first generation of humans from the Primordial Era, it kept them for tens of millions of years."

Their initial purpose was the same as that of the demon race: to usurp the human race's destiny. Then, as they were raised, they became food for the humans.

In fact, the demon race learned all of this from the ancient dragon race.

Despite their current decline, the dragon race was undoubtedly the overlord of the waters from the beginning of time in the primordial era until the early Primordial period.

At that time, the demon race wanted to become servants of the dragon race, but they could not get the job. The dragon race looked down on them.

Dragons are too proud and too powerful. Among all the races in the Three Realms, dragons have the strongest physique, unparalleled wisdom, and a bloodline that will never be broken.

The dragon race is a naturally divine race, supreme and holy, and is the object of worship and learning for all races.

But they can't learn the power and authority of the dragons at all.

The demon race didn't get a single bit of the human race's fortune.

The dragons, however, gained the faith of the human race through the 'power of rain,' thus sharing a small portion of the human race's fortune.

Master Qin looked strange, his face showing lingering grief and sorrow, as well as an awkward mix of pride and admiration.

Xiaoyu could tell that his feelings towards the dragon race were extremely complicated.

There was a hint of resentment, a touch of fear, but also a sense of closeness, awe, appreciation, and worship.

"Your sect is one of the first generation of humans who were abducted by the Dragon Clan back then?" Xiao Yu asked.

Master Qin nodded and said, "My sect is one of them. By currying favor with the dragon clan, we avoided the tragic fate of becoming food and were fortunate enough to be passed down from ancient times to today."

Our branch is probably the one with the purest bloodline, the longest history, and the most noble status among humans.

In ancient times, when the ancient dragons could still control the world, our Shimen clan was revered among humans as 'Dragon Messengers'.

We are like gods walking among the earth. No matter which tribe we visit, we are received with the highest honors.

Because by controlling rainfall, we can help the ancient dragons determine the rise and fall of a tribe.

As he spoke, his head involuntarily tilted back.

An awkward mix of pride and self-satisfaction resurfaced on his face and in his eyes.

Grand Tutor Yu also felt quite awkward and wanted to mock him: How can a pureblood who has been kept in a cage compare to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors who pioneered humanity?
Seeing her indifference, Master Qin said seriously, "Grand Tutor, don't think I'm talking nonsense."

Our Shimen clan is absolutely the clan with the purest bloodline among the human race.

Why do you think those innate demon gods would capture the human race, who were just created by the goddess Nuwa?

Although the human race was extremely weak at that time, each of them represented a possibility for the human race.

If the identity of 'protagonist of heaven and earth' represents authority, then authority can be divided into many parts, with each newborn human naturally possessing one part of authority.

Their descendants can inherit that authority and, as the race grows and prospers, expand it further, eventually even representing the entire human race.

In other words, the authority held by the first generation of humans was like a 'seed' that could take root, sprout, and grow into a complete tree, representing the entire human race.

The innate demon gods took action to capture the first generation of human races, not to cultivate them into the protagonists of the world.

If the human race becomes the protagonist of heaven and earth, other races will naturally lose their status as the protagonists of heaven and earth.

But they all knew that in the future, the human race would surely become the protagonist of the world.

From the very beginning of humankind's existence, all the powerful beings in the Three Realms knew that humanity's future would be incomparably glorious.

Xiao Yu asked curiously, "Why is it that everyone attaches such great importance to the newly born human race, and even knows that we can become the protagonists of the world?"

"Grand Tutor, don't you know? When the human race was first born, the Goddess Nuwa relied on the human race to become a saint. Later, the Dao Ancestor relied on the 'Human Religion' to become a saint."

Master Qin casually replied, then continued his previous reflection, "The innate demon gods of the Three Realms have very complex feelings towards us humans."

They wanted to suppress the development of the human race to protect their status as the "protagonists of heaven and earth," but they were also unwilling to give up their illusions—that once the human race truly became the protagonists of heaven and earth, they would develop and strengthen their own branch of the "first generation of human race," help them control the entire human path, and then take their place.

That's what they all think.

As a result, the pure-blooded humans they raised, despite their extremely pure lineage, failed to develop into the great nation of China, which led the way.

On the contrary, the human race, which lived among the witches, did not rely on any innate demon gods and developed and grew from nothing.

Today, the Xiongnu, whose bloodline was relatively pure, have instead been relegated to the status of barbarians.

Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "Your statements and ideas about 'bloodline theory' are fundamentally wrong."

The biggest difference between humans and other races is that humans do not need to care about bloodlines.

Bloodline has no meaning for humans.

The newly born human race was not a noble 'pureblood'.

They were just primitive embryos.

You should respect pure blood, because at least pure bloodlines can bring real and extraordinary power.

However, the 'pure blood' of humans means that there is no power in their bloodline.

If that's the case, what's the point of advocating for 'purebred'?

Pure-blooded humans are coarse embryos; 'coarse embryos' are merely food for demons, not the protagonists of heaven and earth.

Like a piece of iron ore, it has the potential to be forged into an unparalleled weapon, but a stone is not a magic weapon.

The 'raw human race' forged itself in blood and fire, treating spirit and culture as a bloodline to be passed down, and even integrating them into its soul.

The dragon, phoenix, and qilin are passed down through bloodlines, but each generation of bloodlines is weaker than the last, leading to their elimination.

Humanity inherits its spirit and culture, with an indomitable spirit, and pursues a more civilized culture. This culture is passed down from generation to generation, growing stronger with each generation.

Finally, a piece of iron ore was refined and forged, and humanity transformed into the protagonist of the world.

Upon first hearing Grand Tutor Yu's denial of the "pure blood" of the first generation of humans, Qin from the sect felt uncomfortable and even more unconvinced.

After all, one of the greatest honors of their sect is their extremely pure bloodline. From the birth of the ancient human race to the present day, their bloodline has been almost entirely unmixed with that of other races.

After Grand Tutor Yu finished speaking, he was filled with emotion. "Grand Tutor, you are right. Without exception, all races that inherit their lineage by blood are declining."

At this time, the True Dragon Clan's bloodline, supernatural powers, and authority were not even a fraction of what the 'Ancient Dragons' of the Ancestral Dragon Era possessed.

Human beings' immortal martial arts, military formations, military strategies and tactics, and various schools of thought continue to develop.

This kind of inheritance is far more 'stable' than bloodline.

Then his tone changed, and he said seriously, "But the Grand Tutor's understanding of bloodlines is still somewhat shallow."

Everything you're saying now was already known to the ancient dragon clan back in the primordial era, and they even deduced it in advance.

But they still pursue a purer and stronger bloodline.

It wasn't that those innate demon gods were stupid; it was because they saw the possibility of transcending the world through bloodline.

Within the Pangu world, bloodlines are too dependent on the environment and the will of heaven.

The environment has changed, fate has shifted, and even powerful creatures like dragons, phoenixes, and qilin can only sadly relinquish their thrones as the 'protagonists of heaven and earth'.

If one can break through the Pangu World and attain the Void Chaos from the innate demon gods within that world, one can transform into a more powerful and higher-level Chaos Demon God.

The Chaos Demon God is unaffected by the environment and the will of Heaven; on the contrary, it can manipulate and distort the will of Heaven.

Although the human race's spiritual culture can be passed down from generation to generation, to be honest, my clan once saw the Ancestral Dragon standing at the gate of transcendence, but they were unable to cross it.

If the Ancestral Dragon wins the final battle in the struggle for supremacy among the three races of Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin, it can devour the Ancestor of the Phoenix and the Ancestor of the Qilin, digest and absorb their bloodline essence.

The world of Pangu will become an eternal dragon's lair. Even today, dragons remain the protagonists of the world.

As for the human race, I don't even see any hope of them standing at the door.

"Humanity has already stepped halfway across the threshold, so why can't we see any hope?" said Grand Tutor Yu.

Master Qin was taken aback and asked, "Grand Tutor, are you talking about immortals?" Xiao Yu countered, "Aren't immortals people? Even the dragon race can be divided into ancient dragons who only develop their bloodlines, and 'modern dragons' who have given up their ancient dragon powers and cultivate immortal techniques."

Humans can certainly forge several different paths.

The path of immortality is the path of human development, and so is the path of divinity.

Ordinary people represent infinite possibilities.

In the future, other paths may emerge.

Even if we take a step back and assume that the development of the human race stopped today,

Today's immortal and divine paths surpass even those of Gu Long back then.

Master Qin said, "The Lord of the Immortal Path, the Dao Ancestor; the Lord of the Heavenly Path, the Heavenly Emperor, are not human."

Whether they are human or not is not important. What is important is that they are based on humanity. A person is not an individual, but a group.

"Look at the current main body of the Immortal Path, isn't it human?" Xiao Yu asked.

Master Qin shook his head and said, "The main body of the immortal path is still not human. For example, the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect are not human."

Xiao Yu said, "From ancient times to the Middle Ages, countless tens of thousands of years have passed before a group of 'Twelve Golden Immortals' emerged."

From the time of the Investiture of the Gods to the present, only 300,000 years have passed, how many Great Luo Immortals of the human race have been born?

In this great calamity at the end of the Qin Dynasty alone, more than twelve quasi-Great Luo Immortals entered the calamity and attained enlightenment.

"If I had gone easy on them this time and let them have their way, the human race would have gained another group of Great Luo Immortals."

"Will the Grand Tutor go easy on us?" Master Qin asked curiously.

“I won’t let go! To attain the Great Luo Dao, one must rely on true ability,” Xiaoyu shook his head and said.

Qin, the master, pondered and said, "Many human Grand Luo Golden Immortals are actually just different races with different skins."

From ancient times to the Middle Ages, the path of immortality has developed for countless millennia, and there are definitely more than just the Twelve Golden Immortals alive today.

Those ancient and powerful beings possessed unparalleled supernatural abilities and boundless cultivation.

As long as one is reincarnated as a human, it is easy to attain enlightenment by borrowing the fortune of humanity.

I estimate that more than 80% of the Great Luo Golden Immortals born in the last 300,000 years are such 'human-skinned aliens'.

Grand Tutor, think about it, when they were a different race, they lived for hundreds of millions of years.

"Having been reincarnated as a human for only a few decades, would you truly accept the spirit and culture of the human race?"

“Their foundation is humanity, and they must acknowledge humanity. That’s enough,” Xiaoyu said.

“But after they attain the Great Luo Dao, they transcend reincarnation, are no longer bound by the Five Elements, and no longer need the human way,” said Qin Dao of the sect.

Xiao Yu sneered, "Haven't you noticed that there is only one path to attaining the Great Luo Dao—the Heavenly Immortal Method! Only the Dao Ancestor possesses the Heavenly Immortal Method."

The Daoist ancestor took humanity as his foundation.

You've used the methods of the Dao Ancestor to prove your Dao, where do you think you can run to?

Master Qin Xian suddenly realized, then hesitated and said, "Only the Supreme Dao Ancestor and Goddess Nuwa are based on the human way, while the other two Dao Ancestors do not rely on the human way."

Xiao Yu asked curiously, "Does your sect have any records of sages attaining enlightenment?"

Master Qin's face glowed with pride as he nodded and said, "Among the entire human race, probably only my Master's Clan has detailed records in this regard."

Several sages attained enlightenment in different ways, but in essence, my master's lineage's ancestor believed that they all made a great vow.

Nuwa, the goddess, had the merit of mending the sky and created the human race, thus becoming the first to attain sainthood.

But Grand Tutor, consider this: in the beginning of time, humanity was merely food for all races; how could it possibly provide the vast amount of 'human destiny' needed for Nuwa to achieve sainthood?

Xiao Yu asked, "Did the Goddess Nuwa borrow the fortune of humanity in advance? Is it similar to the current practice of cultivating immortality by taking out loans? Did she borrow money to become a saint?"

"Perhaps. A sage is even stronger than the Ancestral Dragon. My sect was merely a servant of the Dragon Clan back then. We had no ability to understand the affairs of sages, nor did we dare to delve into them."

The records that have been passed down are mostly stories heard from Gu Long.

Master Qin continued, "The Supreme Dao Ancestor established the Human Religion, drawing upon the fortune of humanity to attain sainthood. The Human Religion is the Human Way itself; the Supreme Dao Ancestor guided the development of the Human Way and obtained great fortune."

Of course, like the goddess Nuwa, establishing a religion for humanity is a grand aspiration.

At that time, the human race had only been born for a short time and certainly did not have the ability to provide a massive amount of fortune.

The Primordial Dao Ancestor vowed to establish the Chan Sect and expound the Way of Heaven to all beings who were destined to become immortals.

Tongtian Daozu vowed to establish the Jie Sect, to cut off a glimmer of hope for the "beings who should not have become immortals" in the world, so that they could also attain enlightenment and become immortals.

The standard for whether or not one should become an immortal is the three essential elements for becoming an immortal that are now widely known in the cultivation world: innate talent, affinity with immortals, and blessings from immortals.

They possess exceptional physical attributes, even being born with divine bones; they have an affinity for the path of immortality, with immortals actively imparting their teachings to them; they are incredibly fortunate, encountering divine medicine on the road, consuming it, and instantly ascending to immortality.

Those with such a strong background deserve to become disciples of the Chan Sect.

Those who lack innate talent, have no karmic connection to receive divine guidance, and have bad luck, yet wish to defy fate, should join the Jie Sect.

Alas, it's a pity that the Jie Sect disappeared after the Investiture of the Gods.

Otherwise, people like Grand Tutor Yu and myself, who have no background or connections, could go to Jin'ao Island and hear the Tongtian Daozu impart the Great Dao.

There are virtually no barriers to entry.

—I am different from you. I have been given a divine technique by an immortal, and it is the fundamental technique of the Chan Sect, the "Eight-Nine Mysterious Arts".

Xiaoyu asked, "Could I borrow your sect's secret documents to take a look?"

Shi Men Qin hesitated and asked, "Which part does the Grand Tutor want to see? In fact, Emperor Ying Zheng, like the Grand Tutor, wanted to take over our Shi Men's collection after learning about the history of the Shi Men clan."

Firstly, my sect would certainly not want to give away its rich heritage accumulated over millions of years to others.

Secondly, our clans and sects remaining in the Pangu world are unable to provide the entire collection of the Ying clan.

"The Shimen Clan is not in the Pangu World?" Xiaoyu asked in surprise.

Master Qin said, "As everyone knows, beyond the four continents, there is only ocean."

But the ocean is not the boundary of the world. Beyond the ocean lie the desolate seas and the eight wastelands.

My master's clan is in a very special ancient dragon secret realm in the Southern Wilderness.

It is considered part of the Pangu world, yet it has always been outside the world.

The secret realm will only open briefly when a great calamity befalls the world.

We bid farewell to the Grand Tutor because during this great calamity, the 'Ancestral Dragon Secret Realm' will open a crack in its gates to allow Shi Mengang and Shi Mendong to return.

My sect leader Rou and I stayed behind. We failed to become immortals, missed this opportunity, and will never return for all eternity.

Xiaoyu said, "I'm not greedy, I only want records related to the saints' attainment of sainthood."

I won't take your collection for nothing.

I possess a divine skill called 'Dragon God Transformation.' Upon mastering it, one can transform into an ancient ancestral dragon.

"Impossible! There can only be one Ancestral Dragon. Even the son of the Ancestral Dragon cannot become the new Ancestral Dragon. How can a mortal be allowed to cultivate into the Ancestral Dragon?" Master Qin shook his head repeatedly.

"I have now achieved minor success in my cultivation and can transform into a young ancient dragon who controls the waters. My immortal techniques can be improved, and my cultivation can be enhanced. Who can predict what the future holds?"

"Even if I can't become the original Ancestral Dragon, it's not impossible for me to possess power close to that of the Ancestral Dragon," Xiao Yu said.

Master Qin hesitated and said, "I have long heard of Grand Master's 'Dragon God Technique'."

But my sect and clan cannot cultivate the 'Dragon God Transformation.' We cannot become dragons, especially ancient dragons."

(End of this chapter)