Primordial Era: The Great Celestial Venerable on the Road to Mythology

Chapter 73 Fuxi attains enlightenment, Shennong succeeds to the throne. Laozi imprisons the Human Emperor, Nuwa is dissatisfied.

Through Lieshan's daily experiments and cultivation, he finally selected five grains—millet, sorghum, wheat, beans, and hemp—that could be planted on a large scale from among thousands of plants.

He distributed the seeds of these grains to the tribe members and taught them how to cultivate them.

Spring goes and autumn comes, golden waves roll across the fields, and ears of grain are laden with fruit.

The granaries of the Jiang clan gradually filled up, and the clansmen no longer had to worry about hunger. The news spread like wildfire throughout the surrounding area, and the leaders of various tribes, upon hearing the news, led their people to the Jiang clan to seek seeds and learn farming methods.

Lieshan clan welcomed all who came and taught them everything he knew. In no time, the name of Shennong spread throughout the prehistoric land.

When Fuxi heard about this in the ancestral temple, he immediately took it seriously.

Although he had deduced the Eight Trigrams through the Hetu and Luoshu, laying the foundation for human civilization, he always felt that there was something lacking in matters concerning people's livelihood.

Upon hearing that someone had found the five grains and was teaching the people how to cultivate them, he immediately decided to personally go to the Jiang clan tribe to find out.

On this day, Fuxi came to the banks of the Jiang River.

From afar, he saw the fields a sea of ​​gold, and his tribesmen were busy working in the fields, their faces beaming with unprecedented satisfaction and joy. Fuxi nodded to himself and strode towards the tribe.

Upon hearing the news, Lieshan rushed over and respectfully bowed, saying, "Lieshan pays respects to the Human Emperor."

Fuxi raised his hand in a gesture of support, his gaze falling on Lieshan Shi, and his expression suddenly froze.

With his cultivation at the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, he could immediately see the extremely rich humanistic aura emanating from the Lieshan clan. It was a sign of destiny bestowed upon them, and it could not be faked.

"It seems I didn't choose the wrong person," Fuxi thought to himself.

He had long sensed that his time was running out. Not that his lifespan was coming to an end—with his True Martial cultivation, his lifespan was practically limitless. Rather, it was that the moment he would attain the Dao and become the Human Emperor was approaching.

After attaining the status of Human Emperor, one must leave the human race to suppress its destiny. This is both fate and the decision of the sages.

After all, how could a race ruled by a human emperor freely spread its doctrines? Did people believe in the human emperor or the sage? He had his own calculations on this matter.

Fuxi was prepared for this and was not surprised.

He stayed in the Jiang clan's tribe for several days, carefully examining the farming methods created by Lieshan, the five grains he sought, and his way of dealing with people.

The more I looked at him, the more satisfied I became. This child was not only exceptionally intelligent, but also possessed a kind heart and was compassionate towards the suffering of his people. He was the best candidate to succeed the Human Emperor.

"Lieshan, from this day forward, you will serve by my side," Fuxi said. "I will teach you how to govern the human race."

Lieshan was taken aback, then knelt down and said, "Lieshan respectfully obeys the Emperor's command."

In the years that followed, Fuxi kept Lieshan under his wing, personally teaching him and imparting all his knowledge without reservation.

Lieshan was intelligent and hardworking, and he grew up quickly in just a few years. He not only learned how to govern the human race, but also developed a calm, generous, benevolent and loving character under the influence of Fuxi.

Seeing that he was capable of handling things on his own, Fuxi finally felt at ease entrusting the burden of the human race to him.

On this day, Fuxi sensed that the time for his departure had come.

He ordered people to build an altar on a high mountain in preparation for worshipping Heaven and passing on his throne. The altar was ninety-nine feet high, majestic and magnificent, with a wide and flat top on which sacrificial animals were placed to pay homage to Heaven and Earth.

As the news spread, countless tribal leaders along the way led their people to the altar. Although not all tribes in the distance could attend, their leaders and skilled warriors traveled day and night to reach the altar.

In the past, such a long distance would have been impossible for many people to travel. However, because Fuxi created martial arts and promoted cultivation techniques, the strength of the human race greatly increased, and their travel speed also increased significantly, which enabled distant leaders to arrive in time.

On this day, the weather was fine and sunny, with not a cloud in the sky.

High on the mountain, the altar stood majestically. Fuxi, dressed in his finest attire, stood solemnly atop the altar. Below him, Lieshan stood in the center, surrounded by a dense crowd of tribal leaders and their most skilled warriors, all standing in solemn silence.

Fuxi took a deep breath and spoke loudly, his voice echoing throughout the land and reverberating between heaven and earth: "I, Fuxi, the common ruler of the human race, have been diligent and hardworking in governing for many years, and have never dared to slacken in the slightest."

He paused, then continued, "Today, my merits have been fulfilled, and I shall abdicate in favor of a more worthy successor. I hereby pass the position of the supreme ruler of humanity to Lieshan. Lieshan is benevolent and loves his people, possessing both wisdom and courage. He discovered the five grains and taught agriculture, making unparalleled contributions to humanity. I firmly believe that he will carry on his legacy and lead humanity to an even more glorious tomorrow."

He looked up at the sky, his voice growing louder: "May the Holy Mother and the Leader of the Human Religion grant our request, and may Heaven bear witness!"

The words had barely left his mouth—

A clear and melodious phoenix cry resounded throughout the heavens and earth, purple clouds drifted eastward for 30,000 miles, and countless rays of light and auspicious colors filled the air.

Everyone looked up and saw a golden phoenix flying down from the sky. On its back stood a graceful, dignified, and holy woman—none other than the Holy Mother of Humanity, Goddess Nuwa. Her face was calm, but her brows held a complex expression.

Immediately following, a magnificent white jade bridge, seemingly spanning endless void, appeared, built from the east. On the bridge was a blue ox, and on its back sat an old Taoist priest with white hair, holding a whisk, his face serene—none other than the leader of the Human Sect, Laozi.

Both saints arrived at the same time.

Nuwa and Laozi greeted each other and stood in the void, looking down at the altar.

"Fuxi has rendered meritorious rule over the world, and his merits are complete. Passing the throne to Lieshan is in accordance with the Way of Heaven." Laozi spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but clearly reaching everyone's ears. "In the name of the leader of the Human Sect, I agree."

Nuwa nodded and said, "In the name of the Holy Mother of Humanity, I grant your request."

With the two sages' approval, Heaven was moved.

In an instant, golden clouds gathered in the sky, layer upon layer, covering the entire firmament. Within those golden clouds lay a rich power of merit, radiating boundless light that illuminated the earth.

A massive burst of golden light, representing merit, descended from the sky like a waterfall, enveloping Fuxi.

The golden light was extremely dense, and eighty percent of it entered Fuxi's body. In an instant, Fuxi's aura surged, his martial arts essence became more and more solid, and the essence of the Eight Trigrams seemed to come alive, flowing endlessly around his body.

His martial arts true form, tempered by this power of merit, became increasingly powerful, with a faint radiance flowing within its human body and snake tail form.

A tremendous aura surged into the sky, shaking the heavens and the earth!

Its aura was so powerful that it was almost comparable to that of a saint—though there was still a gap, it was already the most outstanding existence below the saint.

The remaining two merits did not disappear.

Yi Cheng transformed into a golden ray of light and flew eastward toward Shouyang Mountain, the location of the Human Sect's Daoist temple, Xuandu.

The other one split in two: one shot towards the Heavenly Court and disappeared into the South Heavenly Gate.

A beam of light fell onto the Hetu and Luoshu in Fuxi's arms, and the two innate spiritual treasures shone brightly, faintly gaining a touch of mystery.

As the merits dissipate, heaven and earth return to clarity.

Just then, Laozi suddenly spoke, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable authority: "Now there is a human race's common ruler, Fuxi, who has attained the position of Heavenly Emperor and whose merits are complete. He shall be stationed at the Fire Cloud Cave to suppress the human race's destiny. He shall not leave unless there is an urgent matter."

Upon hearing this, Nuwa's expression changed drastically.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of the human race did indeed need to suppress their destiny; this was the will of Heaven. But there was never a rule forbidding them from leaving the country. This was clearly a restriction imposed by Lao Tzu on the human emperors, no different from imprisonment.

Nuwa was displeased, but refrained from showing her displeasure due to the occasion. She gave Laozi a cold look, her eyes filled with questioning.

Lao Tzu, however, did not care at all, and smiled slightly, as if nothing had happened.

Fuxi remained calm, as if he had long anticipated this day.

He bowed respectfully, his voice calm: "Fuxi respectfully follows the decrees of the sage."

He knew in his heart that in the primordial world, strength ultimately reigned supreme. With his current cultivation level, although he was already at the top below the Saint level, he still could not contend with the Saint.

Laozi, the Supreme Lord, is the head of the Three Pure Ones and the senior disciple of Taoism, possessing unfathomable strength. Even if his former sister, the Goddess Nuwa, were here, she might not be his match.

Moreover, the Three Pure Ones are one entity, bound by the same breath; even the two Western Saints stand on Laozi's side. What can a newly enlightened human emperor do?

Imprisonment—so be it.

Fuxi sighed inwardly, but showed no sign of it on his face.

Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from the distant sky.

Following the sound, everyone looked and saw nine dragon horses riding on auspicious clouds, pulling a magnificent golden chariot slowly descending from the sky. The chariot was carved with dragons and phoenixes, and its canopy was as white as clouds, exuding an ancient and noble aura.

The chariot stopped not far from the altar, waiting quietly.

Fuxi turned around and looked at Lieshan Clan below the altar.

Lieshan raised his head, his eyes filled with reluctance and respect.

Fuxi patted his shoulder and said in a deep voice, "From now on, the human race is entrusted to you. Do not let me down, and do not betray the trust of the human race."

Lieshan's eyes reddened slightly as he solemnly kowtowed, saying, "Lieshan will certainly do his utmost to live up to the Emperor's trust!"

Fuxi nodded and said no more.

He turned and strode toward the chariot. As he boarded the chariot, he glanced back at the land he had ruled for countless years, at the clansmen who had fought alongside him, and at the Lieshan clan, the young man to whom he had placed his hopes.

"Take care of yourself."

He uttered two words softly, then turned and stepped into the carriage.

Nine dragon horses reared up and neighed, their four hooves off the ground, pulling the chariot as they galloped towards the horizon. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the distance.

The direction is right towards Fire Cloud Cave.

Nuwa gazed in the direction the chariot had gone, remaining silent for a long time.

Her heart was filled with mixed emotions. Fuxi was her elder brother, reincarnated as a human, and had attained the status of Human Emperor—a truly auspicious thing. Yet now, he was imprisoned in the Fire Cloud Cave, forbidden to leave. Although it was said to be "suppressing destiny," how was it any different from imprisonment?

She was displeased, but she also knew that this was not something she could change on her own.

"snort!"

Nuwa snorted coldly, her figure vanishing into the void without even a word.

Lao Tzu gazed in the direction she had left, smiled slightly, and remained unconcerned. He turned, rode his blue ox, stepped onto the white jade bridge, and slowly departed.

On the altar, Lieshan stood up and stood for a long time, gazing in the direction where Fuxi had gone.

He clenched his fist, silently vowing: he would govern the human race better, living up to the expectations of the Human Emperor, and—