This is so dishonest!

Chapter 451 The Reincarnation of Haotian; The Footprints of Yangmei Immortal
“Fellow Daoist Shuiyao, I think you should become the Heavenly Emperor.”

With a serious expression, Zhunti turned his gaze to the Ancestral Dragon, whose aura was as deep as the sea.

He argued vehemently, “After Fellow Daoist Jidu abdicated, according to the rules of our Taiwei Enclosure, it should have been [Hidden Radiance Rahu Supreme Venerable] who succeeded to the position of Heavenly Emperor.”

"It's a pity that Fellow Daoist Luo Hou later took the initiative to depart in order to prove the Dao, and you and Fellow Daoist Yinghuo also happened to have an accident, which is why it was Fellow Daoist Taiyang's turn to succeed him."

"Now that you, fellow Daoist, have successfully returned from the great calamity, it is only right and proper that you should fill this position and become the Heavenly Emperor."

[Shuiyao Chenxing Shangzun] Zulong never expected that the other party's ability to shift blame was so masterful, trying to pin the blame on him with just a few words.

Without a second thought, he refused without hesitation.

"That's a bad word."

Zu Long's voice was steady and powerful as he spoke slowly.

"Firstly, according to the rules we established together at Taiwei Palace, the position of Heavenly Emperor is to be inherited in order of succession. How can it be reversed?"

"Since I had already perished in the great calamity, it means that my fate with the Heavenly Emperor's throne had ended, and I had lost the opportunity to inherit it. Now, forcibly continuing this fate would be unwise."

"Secondly, I am the lord of the Dragon Clan. In the past, I made a great oath under the Heavenly Dao to forever guard the four seas and not to interfere in the affairs of the prehistoric continent. As far as I am concerned, the position of Heavenly Emperor is truly unacceptable to me!"

The fact that the Venerable Shuiyao is the Ancestral Dragon was already known to all the great beings present during the previous great calamity.

Now, Zu Long himself has torn down this last layer of paper, completely revealing his true identity.

Zhunti was speechless for a moment.

So he turned his expectant gaze to Yuan Huang, the [Fire Star Supreme], on the other side.

However, before he could even speak, Yuan Huang's clear and melodious voice rang out, and what she said was similar to that of the Ancestral Dragon.

“Like Fellow Daoist Zulong, I am bound by the Great Dao Oath, and it is indeed not appropriate for me to succeed to the throne of the Heavenly Emperor.”

Well, here comes another one who's decisive and self-disclosed.

Zhunti was rendered speechless by the bluntness of his two colleagues.

What can he do now?
Did he also reveal his alternate identity?
Then he told everyone that he was actually the White Emperor Shaohao. He said that although he was sitting in Taiwei Yuan now, he had actually been dead for a long time.

Seeing this scene, Xuan Qing, the Dark Lord of Jidu, couldn't help but chuckle.

Putting aside others, Yuan Huang's so-called oath of the Great Dao was purely an excuse.

In the battle between Taiwei and the Immortal Path, the Ancestral Dragon himself made a Great Dao oath, voluntarily transforming into the Dao to seek a way to liberation.

The Phoenix Clan swore an oath to eternally suppress the Undying Volcano, but that wasn't Yuan Huang herself; it was clearly Yuan Feng!
What does the oath of the Great Dao that Yuan Feng made have to do with you, Yuan Huang?
Seeing Zhunti hesitate and look like he had just eaten a bitter melon, all the gods present couldn't help but laugh.

"Fellow Daoist Taibai, please stop making excuses."

"Yes, according to the rules, you should be the next Heavenly Emperor. What's wrong with that?"

Looking at his colleagues' "sincere" smiles, Zhunti felt a chill run down his spine.

To be honest, Zhunti still misses the days when Taiwei Yuan wasn't as powerful as it is now.

Back then, everyone took turns being the Heavenly Emperor, and the main theme was doing whatever they wanted and acting on impulse.

Unlike now, the position of Heavenly Emperor has become a high-risk profession.

Look, Fellow Daoist Sun's term of office wasn't even complete before he passed away.

[Huh? Your term wasn't completed?]

Just then, Zhunti suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

He realized that although the current Heavenly Emperor [Sun Supreme] had fallen, his term as Heavenly Emperor had not actually ended. According to the regulations, there should still be one hundred and twenty Yuanhui left!
【Golden Venerable Taibai】Zhunti, seeing the "expectant" gazes around him, felt as if he were being pricked by thorns. His eyes darted around, and he quickly cleared his throat, cupping his hands in greeting to the crowd:

"Fellow Daoists, fellow Daoists, please hear me out!"

He paused, and seeing that everyone's attention was focused on him, he continued with a solemn expression:

"I've been thinking about it carefully. Although the [Sun Venerable] has unfortunately passed away, his term as Heavenly Emperor has not truly ended. According to the rules, there should still be one hundred and twenty more cycles to go, right?"

The gods nodded: "What Fellow Daoist Taibai said is correct; this is indeed true."

Zhunti clapped his hands and said, "That's right!"

"Since our term hasn't expired, we can't be considered the 'next term,' so naturally it's not my turn to succeed, right?"

Seeing that everyone was silent and seemed to be thinking, he seized the opportunity and presented his complete plan:
"Therefore, I propose that within the remaining one hundred cycles, we find a virtuous and talented fellow Daoist to serve as the 'Acting Heavenly Emperor,' temporarily taking over and handling the affairs of the Heavenly Court. What do you all think?"

[Suiyao Chenxing Shangzun] Zulong pondered, "Acting as Heavenly Emperor... Hmm, this method is feasible."

Zhunti pressed on: "Firstly, if during this period, the [Sun Venerable] can successfully return from the endless void after his tribulation, then the position of Heavenly Emperor will naturally be taken over by the Sun Venerable."

"Secondly, if the Sun Venerable fails to return within the deadline, but the [Jupiter Venerable] has already attained enlightenment and returned, then according to the principle of succession, the position of Heavenly Emperor should rightfully be taken over by Fellow Daoist Jupiter!"

At this point, Zhunti took a deep breath, and finally, with a righteous expression, patted his chest and said:

"Thirdly, if the worst-case scenario occurs, and neither the Supreme Lord of the Sun nor Fellow Daoist Muyao returns within this 120 Yuanhui... then, for the sake of the Heavenly Court's legacy and for the sake of the primordial order."

"I, Taibai, will not hesitate to take over the throne of the Heavenly Emperor!"

After he finished speaking, the entire Taiwei Enclosure fell silent.

The gods present looked at each other, each silently plotting their next move.

After a moment, Xuanqing was the first to nod in agreement, saying, "Fellow Daoist Taibai's suggestion is excellent!"

"It adheres to the rules we initially established, while also taking into account various possible scenarios, demonstrating great flexibility. I agree."

"Yes, this method is indeed comprehensive, and I have no objection." The Supreme Venerable Jingyao Ziqi stroked his beard and smiled, also expressing his agreement.

Immediately afterwards, Zu Long, Yuan Huang, Nuwa, Styx, and others nodded in agreement.

"So be it."

Thus, Zhunti's "scapegoating"... oh no, "transitional" solution was unanimously adopted by all the deities present.

"If that's the case, then who would be more suitable to serve as the acting Heavenly Emperor?"

"How about Fellow Daoist Changxi take over the throne?"

At this moment, Zhen Yuanzi, the [Supreme Lord of Saturn] who hadn't spoken much until now, finally spoke.

His originally otherworldly figure suddenly swayed and transformed into an incomparably beautiful and opulent giant peony, gently swaying on the divine throne.

In the void, there were even four innate Dao characters formed from immeasurable merit: Flower, Bloom, Wealth, and Nobility.

The gods present seemed completely unfazed by this sight.

Zhen Yuanzi continued to suggest, "I observe that Fellow Daoist Chang Xi is able to skillfully wield the two supreme treasures, the Heavenly Dao Mirror and the Investiture of the Gods. Currently, she is presiding over the Heavenly Emperor's Palace, acting on behalf of the Heavenly Emperor, which ensures that the entire Heavenly Court is in perfect order."

"It is clear from this that, whether in terms of rank or ability, Fellow Daoist Changxi is a very good candidate."

"Furthermore, as she is the current empress and empress, her status makes her more easily accepted by the gods of Heaven."

This suggestion is well-reasoned, well-founded, and convincing.

However, some deities did not agree.

"I think Fellow Daoist Changxi is not suitable."

"[Moonlight Supreme] Wang Shu," she said in her extremely cold tone.

"In the war in the Heavenly Realm, the Heavenly Emperor fell, all the emperors perished, and the entire demon race was severely weakened. Fellow Daoist Changxi herself was already disheartened."

"However, she couldn't bear to see the withdrawal of the demon gods destabilize the entire Heavenly Dao; she also couldn't bear to see the floods of the heavens wreak havoc on all living beings. That's why she forced herself to step forward and act as the Heavenly Emperor in order to appease the hearts of all the prehistoric worlds."

"The best course of action now is to select a new Heavenly Emperor to succeed us as soon as possible, instead of continuing to torment a...weak woman."

The Moon Goddess of the Nine Heavens is... a weak woman?

The gods present were at a loss for words upon hearing this.

However, since Wang Shu, the ruler of the Taiyin star, has already put it this way, the proposal can only be abandoned.

"I do have an idea."

After thinking it over, Zhunti had already chosen a new candidate in mind.

"Who is it?"

Zhunti smiled and said, "What do you think of Haotian?"

"Haotian?"

"Yup!"

Zhunti laughed and said, "What you all don't know is that Haotian's identity is special. He is actually the Heavenly Dao Essence, Hongjun..."

Then, Zhunti told everything he knew about Haotian.

"Is Haotian Hongjun?"

[Yinghuo Shangzun] Yuanhuang suddenly realized: "No wonder I felt the Heavenly Dao order shake before. At the time, I thought it was caused by the Heavenly War."

"Unexpectedly, it was Hongjun who escaped."

"There's nothing more to say. This huge pitfall of the acting Heavenly Emperor—cough cough—is a great responsibility, so we'll hand it over to our former vice principal!"

As the current vice principal of the Heavenly Dao Academy, Yuan Huang stated that she felt no pressure whatsoever in persecuting Hongjun.

"We have no objection," the gods unanimously agreed.

Since the Heavenly Dao Spirit is so good at creating trouble, let's increase its intensity.

With such a candidate to take the blame, let's make this even more exciting!

At this moment, Xuanqing looked at Zhunti and said, "Since you recommended Haotian, you must take responsibility."

"After all, Hongjun himself is not a peaceful person. If he uses the power of the Heavenly Emperor to cause trouble, we must restrain him."

Zhunti listened and agreed. Hongjun was so prone to causing trouble; if he were to become the Heavenly Emperor and act recklessly, it would be better for Zhunti to take over.

"How about this!"

Soon, Zhunti came up with a solution.

"The current war in the heavens has proven that the gods yearn for a situation where the Heavenly Emperor can rule the world by doing nothing."

"After Haotian becomes the acting Heavenly Emperor, I will enter the court to assist in governance, make decisions together with wise men, and restrain the Heavenly Emperor."

"Is this alright?"

Zhunti figured it out; he was going to rise to power eventually anyway.

Let's find someone to take the blame for now. Leave all the dirty and hard work to Haotian, and only step in when there's something going on. Otherwise, just slack off!

That would be a disaster.

It won't kill you either.

[Taiwei Prime Minister] Nuwa put down the five-colored stone she had been playing with, and her beautiful phoenix eyes slowly swept across the entire scene. She said:

"I have no objection to the candidate."

"However, the position of the Heavenly Emperor is extremely noble, and he is in charge of the Heavenly Way. Only those with great merit and perseverance can occupy it."

"Although Haotian has an extraordinary background, he himself has no merit in the prehistoric world. If he is directly put on the throne of the Heavenly Emperor, it will be difficult to win the support of the people, and there will be many twists and turns in the future."

Upon hearing this, the Venerable Jingyao Ziqi, who was standing to the side, stroked his beard and smiled, immediately replying:
“What the Prime Minister says is absolutely right.”

"How about we arrange a trial of reincarnation for this future Heavenly Emperor?"

“Let him be reincarnated and start anew, experiencing tribulations and accumulating enough merit and cultivation in this mortal world.”

"On the day he completes his merits and returns after his tribulations, he will formally ascend to the throne and take charge of the Heavenly Court. Only in this way can he rightfully rule the world and command respect."

He paused and added.

“Before that, Fellow Daoist Changxi can temporarily assume the duties of the Heavenly Emperor to maintain the operation of the Heavenly Court.”

When he finished speaking, the Supreme Emperor specifically looked at Wang Shu.

Wang Shu hesitated for a moment, thinking that this was only a temporary transition, and finally nodded gently in agreement.

"I can agree to reincarnate in the myriad worlds where the flow of time is different from that of the Primordial True World."

Upon seeing this, the gods present immediately said, "Since that's the case, then let's not trouble two people with one matter. You, fellow Daoist, can handle the arrangement of reincarnation."

"Can!"

Without hesitation, the Supreme Lord agreed.

He left Taiwei Enclosure and, in a flash, arrived at the Heavenly Emperor's Palace, which had regained some order, where he met Empress Changxi.

He borrowed something from him—the "Heavenly Emperor's Reincarnation Scripture" written by Emperor Jun himself.

When he opened the scroll and saw the densely packed, profound methods on how to survive countless eons and rebuild the Great Dao in the mortal world, even with his calm mind, he couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

"Eh? I didn't expect that Fellow Daoist Sun had deduced this scripture to such a profound level?"

"Yes, that would be even better."

~~~~
In the vast and boundless myriad worlds, within a great thousand world belonging to the [Brahma Great Universe], there exists a kingdom called "Guangyan Miaole Kingdom".

The king of that country was named King Jingde Shi, and his queen was Queen Baoyue Guang.

The king and queen, with their benevolent and compassionate hearts, extended their kindness to all the people of the country. They personally traveled to the Five Ridges, diligently attended to state affairs, and never slacked off in the slightest.

This ensured that the entire Kingdom of Radiant Bliss was peaceful, prosperous, and blessed with favorable weather, without ever experiencing any disasters.

However, everything has its shortcomings. Their only shortcoming was that they were getting old and still had no children.

Therefore, the king and queen prayed day and night, sincerely seeking a son to comfort their lives.

On this day, their sincerity finally moved Heaven.

Or perhaps, it moved the two saintly incarnations who were sent to carry out the "reincarnation" mission.

Xuanqing and Taishang transformed into two Taoists who roamed the mortal world. Upon entering the realm, they immediately understood the sincere intention of King Jingde to pursue the Tao.

The Supreme Lord stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "It seems that the reason for this lies here."

Xuanqing nodded slightly: "Good."

Immediately, he took out a primordial spiritual treasure called "Jade Radiance Ruyi".

Xuanqing gently blew a breath of true energy into the Ruyi.

This was a celestial treasure, containing profound mysteries. When he breathed it with his innate true energy, it transformed into a beautifully crafted, spiritually vibrant infant.

At this time, in the palace of the Kingdom of Radiant Joy, King Jingde was resting in his bedroom.

Suddenly, boundless auspicious light appeared, illuminating the entire palace and transforming into a myriad of precious colors, dazzling and incomparable.

He hurriedly got up to look, and saw many celestial guards carrying magnificent ceremonial weapons, escorting a precious chariot pulled by nine golden dragons, which floated down from the void.

Inside the precious chariot sat two winged beings whose faces were obscured, both displaying supreme divine forms. In the arms of the high deity at the head of the chariot was a cute little child with a round face, large ears, and delicate features. The child was enveloped in a faint radiance, making him appear divine and extraordinary.

Upon seeing this, the King and Queen were overjoyed and immediately stepped forward respectfully, kneeling before the road to pay their respects.

The two high immortals spoke up, saying, "We are foolish and old, without any offspring, which is a great regret in our hearts. Today, we take the liberty of asking to beg for this child as our son. We humbly beg the Immortal to have mercy and grant our request."

Taishang smiled slightly and said, "This child has extraordinary potential and will surely attain the supreme level of the Wuji in the future. If you obtain him, you should raise him well."

The king was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly stepped forward to kowtow and accept the gift once more.

So Xuanqing lifted the infant from the throne and slowly handed it to the king.

The king quickly reached out his hands to receive it.

However, the moment his hands touched the baby's swaddling clothes, an indescribable, mountain-like feeling instantly washed over him.

He felt as if he had caught not an infant, but the entire heavy starry sky, the weight of the whole world!

He used all his strength and broke out in a cold sweat, but he still couldn't hold the baby securely.

Just then, he suddenly woke up and realized that it was all just a dream.

He hurriedly turned around, summoned the queen, and recounted in detail what he had seen in his dream.

To his surprise, he discovered that the queen's dream was exactly the same as his.

From then on, the king felt his energy increase dramatically.

Three years later, the queen indeed gave birth to a prince.

~~~~
At the very moment that the reincarnated Haotian was born in the Kingdom of Guangyan Miaole.

Beyond the infinite expanse of time and space, in the central world of the [Brahma Great Universe], a sudden and devastating catastrophe is unfolding without warning.

The sky above the entire world was in turmoil, with dark clouds gathering and streaks of black lightning, filled with an aura of destruction, tearing the heavens apart like venomous snakes in a frenzy.

The earth trembled and cracked violently, and scorching magma, like boiling blood, gushed out from the bottomless fissures, turning everything in its path into scorched earth.

At the center of the world, atop a sacred mountain called "Girasa," a majestic deity with a vertical eye on his forehead, a venomous snake coiled around his neck, and his body covered in ash, opens his third eye, a symbol of destruction.

He held a trident that shimmered with endless divine light, and each swing of it unleashed a terrifying power capable of destroying a galaxy.

He is none other than Shiva, the god of destruction of this universe.

At this moment, he was in a rage unlike any other, a rage that could make the entire universe tremble.

Beneath the sacred mountain, countless gods, immortals, and ascetics are trapped, with no way to ascend to heaven or descend to the earth.

Each of them displayed escape skills that were far beyond their actual cultivation level, and were incredibly proficient.

They skillfully performed various escape incantations and summoned all sorts of life-saving magical treasures to evade the destructive divine light descending from the sky and the world-destroying magma gushing from the earth.

"Immortal Jiyu, what... what's happening now? Why is the great Shiva starting to destroy the world again?"

A deity with an air of otherworldly elegance and a refined, scholarly deity rode a cloud to the side of another immortal who was fleeing for his life, and asked breathlessly.

The immortal known as "Immortal of Extreme Abundance" glanced back at the newcomer, and while maintaining the high-speed rotation of the flying carpet beneath his feet, loudly explained:
"What else could it be! Goddess Sakti, she... she burned herself to death, and the great Shiva is angry again!"

"Immortal Liu! My old buddy, you'd better run away now, stop chatting!"

"If we don't run now, we'll really get impaled by that trident!"

As they were talking, a terrifying divine light that tore through the void locked onto the two of them. A powerful artifact, shimmering with endless destructive light and carrying a power that would make even a Great Luo Golden Immortal tremble, flew through the air.

The one known as "Immortal Liu" was actually the [Space Demon God] Yangmei Immortal, who had long since disappeared from the primordial world.

Upon seeing the flying artifact, he didn't even have time to utter a single unnecessary word; only one word escaped his lips.

"run!!!"

After saying that, Yang Mei's figure blurred, tearing open the space in front of her and diving in. Her speed and skill in escaping were clearly the result of countless hours of practice.

Once they reached a place where no deities were watching, Yangmei Daxian regained his calm demeanor.

"Why did I just sense the presence of an old friend?"

The Great Immortal Yangmei stared intently at the heavens and the universe, examining it closely.

"Is it an illusion?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)