The Spiritual Attainment of Minghe

It was because Minghe knew the current situation that he felt at ease having Musen keep the Kongtong Seal. Though Musen was no match for the Sages, his identity as the Ancestor of Martial Arts meant they couldn’t snatch the seal from him. Further, few people beneath the Sages were capable of defeating him. Thus, the seal would always remain with him.

Having combined himself with the Way of Heaven, Hongjun naturally knew the seal was the Treasure of Humanity. When he saw that all the Sages understood this, he said, "If you want to establish the Human Sovereigns, you need the Treasure of Humanity. So you need to consult... Minghe about it."

Minghe’s expression changed drastically when he heard his name. Hongjun actually dragged him into this. Though he was indeed scheming, the tribe would eventually be formidable. They would be the future ruler of Heaven and Earth. If they were to be powerful, so would the Way of Heaven.

He lifted his head and stared darkly at Hongjun. He saw that Hongjun had seemingly separated himself from the Way of Heaven and resumed as his own being, as he had done when gifting Houtu the Bell of Chaos. But that was only for a brief moment before he assimilated with the Way of Heaven again. Only this time, Minghe noticed something was different.

Resentment of the tribe. Yes, that was it. Minghe had always wondered why Hongjun removed the resentment of the tribe when he put away the Wu-killing Sword. From the looks of it, it seemed that he was using it to separate himself from the Way of Heaven. With the tribe being the future ruler of Heaven and Earth, their resentment would naturally cause disturbance to the Way of Heaven. That was why Hongjun temporarily returned to being himself.

However, Minghe couldn’t understand why Hongjun would do so. First, Hongjun changed the minor trend of heaven and gave Houtu the Bell of Chaos which was supposed to be hidden from the world. Second, he directed the spearhead at Minghe. With his remarks, everyone likely found out about Musen’s secret. This greatly messed up Minghe’s plans.

His expression was unpleasant as he looked at Hongjun who had returned to being emotionless. He knew Hongjun was scheming something, but after putting two and two together, he realized Hongjun was scheming against him specifically. Though he had his own plans, it wouldn’t only benefit himself. With the development of the tribe, the Way of Heaven would be benefitting as well.

But he no longer had so much time to worry about this. The Sages had directed all their gazes at him. Now that Hongjun said as such, the secrets of Heaven were revealed. With some prediction, they would be able to learn the relationship between Musen and Minghe.

"The matter of the Human Sovereigns is of utmost urgency. You all need to have a discussion." Having said that, Hongjun disappeared but none of the Sages paid his absence any mind. What they cared about was the fact that Musen was Minghe’s Selfcentric Separation. What a fine plan! If Hongjun hadn’t clued them in today, they would really still be dancing on Minghe’s palm.

Minghe suddenly calmed down while facing the intense gazes of the Sages. In the past, he would still be worried about his losses and gains. But his horizons were broadened after learning about another world in the Chaos and those worries no longer weighed on his mind.

Laozi looked at Minghe, heart burning with hatred. Previously, he hated Musen for removing the superiority of the Tribe of Humanity in the tribe. Now that he knew Musen was Minghe’s Selfcentric Separation, that ought to be the latter’s idea. On this aspect, Laozi had placed undue blame on Minghe. It was entirely Musen’s idea but perhaps no one would believe so.

Laozi said coldly, "Fellow Taoist Minghe, you’re indeed good at scheming and laid down such a massive arrangement. If the Honorable Ancestor didn’t give us a clue today, perhaps we’d still be kept in the dark. We didn’t expect you’d long ago placed such an important person in the tribe. I have to say you’re the one with the best arrangement."

Minghe gave a slight smile. "Fellow Taoist Laozi, I didn’t scheme against the tribe. Musen, the Ancestor of Martial Arts, is indeed my Selfcentric Separation. However, he has been separated from me when Goddess Nvywa had first created humans. He bears all my obsession with his human body but none of my Original Spirit or supernatural power. He’s a genuine human. Besides, the tribe back then was so weak they’re not worthy scheming about."

The expressions of the Sages changed somewhat. If that was so, that really couldn’t be considered a scheme against the Human Tribe. Besides, at that time, the Wu and Demon Tribes ruled the world. However, they still couldn’t understand why Minghe would choose a human body to store his obsession. They wisely refrained from asking since that was Minghe’s secret. He might not answer even if they asked.

Laozi frowned. "You indeed have good foresight. Since that’s the case, we should settle the Karma between us. Back then, you used Musen to weaken the position of the Tribe of Humanity in the Human Tribe and took away our tribe’s Luck. It’s time to pay your debts."

Minghe sneered and said, "Fellow Taoist Laozi, are you kidding? There’s no Karma between us. It’s absolutely a groundless to say Musen snatched your Luck. Don’t forget, you’re the one who robbed Musen off his Luck when you first established your tribe. He’s only taking back what belongs to him."

Laozi’s expression immediately darkened. He had forgotten that during its establishment, the Tribe of Humanity snatched 10 percent of Musen’s Luck and 10 percent of Goddess Nvywa’s Luck. That meant that while Minghe didn’t owe him Karma, he owed some to Goddess Nvywa.

Goddess Nvywa cared neither about the grudges between Minghe and Laozi nor the position as the Mentor of Human Sovereigns. What she was concerned about was the position of the Human Sovereigns which could gain merit for teaching the Human Tribe. When Human Sovereigns fulfilled their duties, the Merit for Human Sovereigns would naturally fall.

Fuxi’s shattered soul was still living inside Goddess Nvywa’s Mountain and River Map. Though she had done the best she could to treat Fuxi, no one knew how long it would take for him to completely recover. Most importantly, his shattered soul had no physical body to reside in. Hence, even if his Original Spirit recovered, he would not be complete without a body.

The Three Royals and Five Emperors gave Goddess Nvywa new hope. If Fuxi could be incarnated as a Human Sovereign, he would completely recover his cultivation. Not only that, the Demon Tribe’s Luck could also be recovered using the Human Tribe’s Luck. When that happened, Fuxi could return to the Demon Tribe and ensure the prosperity of their tribe once again.

Considering this, Goddess Nvywa said, "Fellow Taoist Minghe, you may not owe Senior Brother Laozi anything but you owe me for using my Human Tribe to separate your Selfcentric Separation and gaining much Luck through it. Moreover, you weakened my power in the tribe. You should be repaying your Karma, no?"

Minghe nodded. "That’s true but I don’t know how can I repay such Karma. You can ask for anything and I’ll never refuse if it’s within my capabilities." It was true that he owed Karma to Goddess Nvywa and he also knew how to pay back it. Since Goddess Nvywa had made her request, she must be coveting the position of Human Sovereign for her brother, Fuxi.

Goddess Nvywa said happily, "I’m not interested in the position of the Mentor of Human Sovereigns. What I want is the position of the Heavenly Sovereign. My brother Fuxi suffered greatly from the last Cultivation Tribulation and he’s left only as a shattered soul. Since we’re establishing the Three Royals and Five Emperors, I want my brother to be the Heavenly Sovereign of the Human Tribe."

That was well within Minghe’s expectations. The other Sages also understood what Goddess Nvywa wanted. She had a good relationship with her brother Fuxi. Since there was only Fuxi’s shattered soul left, it was natural she wanted to rely on the Merit for the Human Sovereigns to help Fuxi to completely recover. Besides, she was the Sacred Lady of the Human Tribe and Minghe also owed her Karma. They had no reason to object.

However, Minghe needed to explain one thing in advance. "Fellow Taoist Goddess Nvywa, I’m fine with Fuxi being the Human Sovereign. But there’s one thing that I need to stress in advance. Fuxi is the Royal Fuxi of the Demon Tribe. He must give up his existing identity to become the Heavenly Sovereign of the Three Royals and Five Emperors. The Human and the Demon Tribes had pledged that they wouldn’t coexist. You can imagine what will happen if the Human Tribe finds out their Human Sovereign was once a tribesman of the Demon Tribe. Fuxi can only be a human."

Goddess Nvywa’s expression changed. She had forgotten about this. Even if Fuxi becomes the Human Sovereign and recovers both his cultivation and memories, he wouldn’t be able to return to the Demon Tribe. She couldn’t accept this.

Inside the Mountain and River Map, Fuxi quietly listened to everything happening outside as he struggled with himself. He didn’t want to make things difficult for Goddess Nvywa. Even if the Human Tribe accepted him as the Human Sovereign after knowing he once belonged to the Demon Tribe out of respect for Goddess Nvywa, she would probably lose the reputation she had among the humans. If that happened, it would be hard for her to protect the 10 percent of Luck she had in the tribe.