Humans in the primordial world, inscribing the Way of Heaven!

Chapter 222 [Life is like a game of chess, the move is made at the center] (Please subscribe)
Hongjun's expression remained unchanged, but with a slight thought, he conjured a chessboard in the Zixiao Palace: "The Primordial True Realm is the chessboard, and the Sages are the players in this game. But in the face of a higher level of existence, aren't we Sages just pieces on the chessboard?"

"Pangu was the same!"

"You can choose to play black or white, and choose where to place your piece, but you cannot violate the rules set by the Supreme Being!"

"If you ever try to break the rules, take back a move, or even overturn the game, that corrective force will set everything right!"

"Over the years, I have sat in the Zixiao Palace, watching all things come into being and perish, and all lineages rise and fall, just hoping to glimpse some of the rules set by that supreme being!"

Those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly. When you're in the thick of it, you're bound to be influenced by the overall situation. Only by observing from the sidelines can you glean some patterns from the chessboard.

Upon hearing the Dao Ancestor's analysis, Xuan Yin did not hesitate and directly told Dao Ancestor Hongjun about the memories of the wise demon god that he had glimpsed in Danxue Mountain.

"Master!"

"There is probably more than one person behind this. During the eighteenth cycle, the Wise Demonic Path heard a different kind of seductive voice!"

"Furthermore, during the twentieth cycle, after Pangu slew three thousand Chaos Demons, he did not immediately attempt to create the heavens as he had done in the past. Instead, he tried to tear the entire chaos apart with his own power. At that time, a mysterious hand of rules descended, reshaping the chaos and correcting everything. After the chaos was reshaped, Pangu continued to create the heavens under the influence of that mysterious power!"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun remained unmoved: "I am aware of this matter as well. Pangu wanted to overturn the chessboard, but the supreme being naturally would not allow it!"

"If we wish to seek transcendence, we can only act within the rules set by that supreme being!"

"Wisdom is no match for supernatural powers, and supernatural powers are no match for destiny. That fellow Wisdom is indeed clever, but his own strength is nothing to cause any ripples!"

"Although Pangu possessed unparalleled power, he was still somewhat lacking in the face of that supreme being and could not violate the fundamental rules set by that being!"

In fact, during the twenty cycles of reincarnation, Hongjun also discovered some rules.

Pangu slays three thousand chaotic demons and gods, and then creates heaven and earth; this is the beginning of the story, followed by the continuous arrangement and combination of the Great Dao and spacetime.

During the third cycle, he allowed Luo Hou to refine the primordial world in reverse as a test. Luo Hou's actions undoubtedly aroused the dissatisfaction of the supreme being. When the era restarted, he heard a cold snort, which was obviously because the third era ended too quickly and did not meet the expectations of the supreme being.

Furthermore, beings who performed well in the previous era can still have a greater role in the next era, even if they cannot retain their memories.

For example, Fuxi, Styx, Zhen Yuanzi, Hongyun, Dongwanggong, Xiwangmu, and others!

With each additional being who attains enlightenment, the next era will bring more variables, which is one of the reasons why he allowed the Demon Ancestor Rahu to cause trouble!

He didn't want to test the so-called rules himself, so he had to let the Demon Ancestor Rahu do it for him!

Then comes the memory!

The distinction between a sage and a Primordial Golden Immortal is a watershed moment. Only when one's own strength reaches the level of a sage or a Primordial Golden Immortal can one actively recall memories of past eras. This is also one of the fundamental rules established by the supreme being for this chaotic universe.

Once one's strength declines, the power of forgetting will emerge, causing one to temporarily forget until one re-establishes the Dao and remembers the events of past eras.

Otherwise, if Hongjun, Luohou, and Yangmei had retained their memories of past eras after being reborn in the Primordial True World, they would have been able to recover their peak cultivation levels in no time.

How can we play then?
Listening to the explanation of Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Xuan Yin fell silent. These rules seemed to be designed to allow the person behind the scenes to better observe the fate of living beings and to explore the different permutations and combinations of the Great Dao, time and space, and the fate of all living beings under the given rules!
"Let's play a game of chess!"

Seeing that Xuan Yin was obviously silent, Dao Ancestor Hongjun was not surprised at all. He simply said, "This old Daoist also wants to see if you, this variable, can defeat this old Daoist under the established rules and become the chess player of the Primordial True World? If you can defeat this old Daoist in one game on the chessboard, this old Daoist will give you another opportunity!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin was immediately shocked. Dao Ancestor Hongjun was in harmony with the Heavenly Dao and could see the fate of all living beings. He could almost see all the possibilities in endless time and space. How could a Great Luo Immortal like him defeat Dao Ancestor Hongjun on the chessboard?
This is undoubtedly a test.

In a normal game, even if he had ten thousand chances, he still couldn't beat Dao Ancestor Hongjun even once!
But what if you exploit loopholes in the rules?

Xuan Yin's heart stirred, and he looked respectfully at Dao Ancestor Hongjun: "I dare not refuse the order of my master, but could my master allow me to go first?"

"can!"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded and laughed, "This old Daoist thought that, given your usual shamelessness, you would directly ask me to give you a dozen or so moves! But I didn't expect you to just ask for the first move! You've really impressed me!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin immediately took out a white piece and placed it in the very center of the chessboard.

"Placing a piece on the center of the board is a major taboo!"

Hongjun remained expressionless, casually placing a black piece down, and then quietly watching Xuan Yin, seemingly pondering how Xuan Yin could defeat him within the rules.

Xuan Yin remained calm and placed another white piece, but the placement of the piece caused Dao Ancestor Hongjun on the cloud bed to show a hint of surprise.

But he didn't hesitate and continued to place his pieces. In this way, back and forth, dozens of pieces appeared on the chessboard in a short time.

Although there are still hundreds of pieces left to be played, Dao Ancestor Hongjun has already foreseen the outcome. If Xuan Yin continues playing his current style, Xuan Yin will surely win by one point by the end of the game.

There is no other reason!

Apart from the initial white piece, Xuan Yin's other pieces followed his moves; wherever his black piece landed on the board, Xuan Yin's white piece would land on the corresponding position.

In short, it's a game of imitation chess, with the exact same moves, so it's naturally hard to tell who's better. But unfortunately, Xuan Yin had the first move in the game.

"What a shameless move!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun thought for a moment and restored the chessboard to its original state: "This game, I have lost! Placing a piece at the center point seems to be disadvantageous to the whole game, but if you had followed my moves, no matter how I placed the pieces, you would have gained a one-point advantage on the board. The outcome is already decided. You truly deserve to be the greatest variable of this era!"

"but……"

"This method of beating doesn't violate the rules, it's just a bit unethical!"

Hongjun smiled and continued, "If you were in the position of an old Taoist, how would you break through the impasse while adhering to the rules?"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin fell silent. With his wisdom, he naturally knew that Dao Ancestor Hongjun was not asking about the imitation chess game, but about how to... secure a chance of survival for himself in the cycle of reincarnation.
He thought for a moment, then took out another white chess piece and placed it in the center of the board: "Life is like a game of chess. According to the rules set by that supreme being, Pangu is the central piece. If we want to find a way to break the deadlock, we should probably focus on Pangu!"

“A Grand Luo who doesn’t want to be Pangu isn’t a good Grand Luo. Since Grandmaster wants to break the deadlock, why not try to discuss with the Great God Pangu that in the next era you can become Pangu and let him become the Dao Ancestor Hongjun?”

"The Pangu system takes turns, with each era bringing a new one. Even if one cannot directly glimpse the mysteries of transcendence, it can still help the sages see things from a different perspective!"

"Of course, the premise is that our Grandmaster, or any of the Sages, can persuade the Great God Pangu!"

Not long after he joined the Jie Sect, the First Qilin wanted to trade Earthly Dao Fruit with him, which shows that Dao Fruit and identity are not immutable.

The sages reduced and sought emptiness, allowing other beings to inherit cause and effect. Wasn't this also a way of altering the Dao and allowing themselves to break free from the constraints of the Heavenly Dao's rules?

If that's the case, then it should be feasible to have Hongjun become Pangu, Pangu become Hongjun, Rahu become Yangmei, Yangmei become Rahu, Nuwa become Houtu, and Houtu become Nuwa.

If that supreme being wants to see the arrangement and combination of the Great Dao under the established rules, why can't it change the order of the combination?

"interesting!"

Upon hearing this, Dao Ancestor Hongjun laughed: "Your idea can be described as audacious, but it does indeed have a slight possibility of breaking the deadlock!"

"Since you have chosen to place your piece at the Heavenly Origin, then this Heavenly Origin Cauldron is bestowed upon you!"

Before he finished speaking, a stream of light flew out from Dao Ancestor Hongjun's sleeve and transformed into a magnificent cauldron that landed in front of Xuan Yin. The aura of a top-grade innate spiritual treasure was clearly revealed, as if it had the ability to refine all things.

"This cauldron was forged by the old Daoist using the primordial chaos and several kinds of primordial chaos metals. It was then reversed by the Qiankun Cauldron to return to its original state. It contains the Taiwu Immortal Fire. Although it is not like the Qiankun Cauldron, which can return to its original state, it is still quite good for refining pills or forging weapons!"

Xuan Yin was immediately startled, then his face lit up with joy: "Grandmaster, thank you for bestowing this treasure upon me!"

It has to be the Dao Ancestor!

Just as he had latched onto a powerful figure, the Primordial Measuring Ruler transformed into a supreme innate treasure, and he was also bestowed with a top-grade innate spiritual treasure with forty-eight restrictions.

The Primordial Chaos Profound Yin had also heard of it; it was the embryo or membrane of the universe, and if it grew up, it would become a top-tier Great Thousand World.

The Heavenly Origin Cauldron is made primarily from the Primordial Chaos, so it must be all-encompassing and extremely extraordinary, possessing even more innate restrictions than the Eight Trigrams Furnace of the Supreme Purity.

The Taiwu Immortal Fire contained within it is the unique Chaos Divine Fire of Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Although the Dao Ancestor only mentioned alchemy and weapon crafting, since it contains such top-tier divine fire, it must be quite effective in combat.

"All right!"

"Go down!"

Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded slightly: "If Luo Hou, Taiqing, and the others make any unusual moves, you may come back to this time and space to look for this old Daoist!"

"It's time for this old Taoist to merge with the Tao!"

A sage can understand the past, present, and future with a single thought. The Dao Ancestor Hongjun is even more so, as he is one with the Dao of Heaven. The imprint of any time and space is equivalent to the Dao Ancestor himself.

Therefore, although Xuan Yin arrived at the time when the three lectures at Zixiao Palace had ended, what he saw was mostly the will of the Dao Ancestor after he had merged with the Dao.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to our Grandmaster!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin immediately bowed deeply once more, then watched as the figure of Dao Ancestor Hongjun transformed into the rules of the universe within the Zixiao Palace, merging with the Dao and with the heavens, becoming a part of the primordial heavenly rules.

Just as he was about to leave, his gaze involuntarily fell on the cloud bed where the Dao Ancestor had sat.

There was a futon on it. According to Xuan Yin's judgment, it should be from the same source as the Green Lotus Futon of Tongtian Jiaozhu, the Wind and Fire Futon of Taiqing Laozi, the Heaven and Earth Futon of Yuanshi Tianzun, the Creation Futon of Nuwa Niangniang, the Nirvana Futon of Jieyin Daoren, and the Bliss Futon of Zhunti Daoren. They are all top-grade innate spiritual treasures with boundless power and the mysterious ability to help cultivators comprehend the Dao.

Although he had just received many benefits from Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Xuan Yin felt that he could still try to gain some more benefits from him.

So he quietly walked to the cloud bed of Dao Ancestor Hongjun and tentatively asked, "Grandmaster, since you are going to unite with the Heavenly Dao, you probably won't need this futon! Why not lend it to your grand-disciple for a few dozen yuanhui?"

He grabbed the prayer mat and strode quickly towards the exit of Zixiao Palace: "Grandmaster, if you don't say anything, I'll take it as your consent!"

Boom!

The gates of Zixiao Palace slammed shut in an instant, leaving only a hesitant voice lingering.

(End of this chapter)