Chapter 350

Chapter 350: Destiny

“Dear friends, please go ahead.”

The human ancestor looked at Lin Qianmo and the others.

“Farewell.”

Xuanxin bowed as he took his leave.

Nuwa appeared, not merely due to the Heavenly Emperor’s offense; there was surely a deeper reason behind it. Even if they wanted to stay, Nuwa probably would not allow them to remain.

Although Qi Yuanchu and the Formless Demon Lord wanted to stay, the two of them dared not to bring misfortune upon themselves.

“My life is more important.”

The Formless Demon Lord flew out of the Nuwa Temple.

“Regarding today’s events, I must report to the Master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion upon returning.”

“Damn it! The legendary Nuwa actually showed up!”

“The invincible Heavenly Emperor was actually severely injured by Nuwa!”

The Formless Demon Lord’s heart pounded wildly.

The journey to Haotian Realm had been incredibly thrilling.

The Mad Daoist remained calm and composed; being a son of Nuwa, he naturally would not leave just like that. After all, Nuwa’s "legacy" included a share for him.

“The root of the Heavenly Emperor’s crimes lies with me.”

After everyone else had departed, the human ancestor suddenly knelt down on one knee and apologized to Nuwa: “I was blind and foolish in judgment, unable to recognize people properly. This caused today’s calamity, which harmed countless lives. Please punish me, Mother Goddess!”

The human ancestor’s eyes were full of self-blame and regret.

After the Heavenly Emperor emerged, although the human ancestor felt a change in him, he never imagined that this disciple he had personally taught would turn so madly wicked, using all beings in the world as pawns to explore the path of transcendence.

But the great disaster had already happened and could not be undone.

This required the teacher to pay with his very life.

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Nuwa spoke lightly: “Every event in this world was predestined long ago. This universe had been peaceful for tens of millions of years and was due for such a tribulation.”

“Great tribulation brings great opportunities. In this era, a second one should attain transcendence.”

Hearing this, the Mad Daoist’s expression instantly became excited.

Compared to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion, the Mad Daoist trusted Nuwa more deeply in his heart—she was, after all, the mother who created him with her own hands, and there were no tangled conflicts of interest.

He was very curious: who would Nuwa refer to as the second one?

“Old Bai is pitifully naive—it couldn’t be him.” The Mad Daoist wore a look of pride. “If not him, then who else could it be but me?”

But Nuwa’s next words completely extinguished the Mad Daoist’s notion.

“Yi.”

Nuwa looked toward the human ancestor.

“Mother Goddess, what are your orders?” The human ancestor lifted his head.

"The edifice is collapsing, and you alone must bear it—such is your destiny. This Merit Dao Embryo is what I leave for you." Nuwa spoke slowly, "You possess a benevolent heart, devoted entirely to all living beings. No one is more suited than you to walk the path of Transcendence through Merit."

"Mother Goddess!"

The Mad Daoist grew frantic. This was the complete opposite of what he had envisioned.

He hastily replied, "I too can save all living beings! Entrust the Merit Dao Embryo to me. I will not disappoint your expectations, Mother Goddess."

Nuwa stated, "You and the Heavenly Emperor are cut from the same cloth. Both of you are selfish and self-serving. The path of Transcendence through Merit… you will never succeed."

The Mad Daoist instantly fell silent. He couldn’t refute Nuwa’s words in the slightest. Indeed, he was much like the Heavenly Emperor—both craved transcendence and were willing to sacrifice anything for it.

Nuwa ignored the Mad Daoist further and turned to address the Human Ancestor.

"This Merit Dao Embryo was prepared precisely for the great calamity today. It was born to meet the tribulation and should be used accordingly. Do not disappoint my expectations."

As her words ended, Nuwa’s will finally dissipated completely from the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo.

Swoosh!

Seizing that instant, the Mad Daoist lunged, his hand reaching to grasp the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo to seize it for himself. Even if he couldn’t use it, he could sell it to Heaven’s Secret Pavilion for a hefty price.

Hiss!

But at that moment, the Mad Daoist’s palm was completely melted. A ball of golden divine flame rose from the Merit Dao Embryo, burning his hand to ashes.

"Old madman, don’t waste your thoughts," the Human Ancestor solemnly declared. "The Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo is something the Mother Goddess left for the one destined to face the tribulation. You are not worthy to use It."

With a gentle beckoning gesture, the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo flew into the Human Ancestor’s hand. A mysterious aura flowed into him, clarifying his thoughts. In an instant, he gained insights into infinite profound mysteries.

Watching this scene, bitterness and unwillingness filled the Mad Daoist’s eyes.

"The Mother Goddess favors you too much! The finest treasure… was actually left for an old fool like you!" The Mad Daoist gnashed his teeth. "If not for you, the likes of the Heavenly Emperor would never have emerged into the world! Old Bai, you should die to atone for your sins!"

The Human Ancestor’s expression remained tranquil.

"That day is near."

The Mad Daoist froze for a moment, then looked at the Human Ancestor with complex emotions in his eyes. The collapse of the Immortal Realm… a single Human Ancestor could not stem the tide alone. Not even with the power of the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo could he survive.

"Since the Mother Goddess left her most precious thing to you," the Mad Daoist began distributing assets, "this Haotian Realm and that Primordial Immortal Gate—they both belong to me. You cannot contest them."

"Leave the Nuwa Temple," the Human Ancestor said.

"Agreed."

The Mad Daoist nodded.

Boom!

The Human Ancestor flicked his wide sleeve, unleashing vast waves of magical power. They enveloped the entire Nuwa Temple and instantly refined it, drawing it into his Purple Palace.

The two figures stepped out of the Haotian Realm. The Mad Daoist channeled his energy and began refining the realm itself.

"Old madman, take your time refining it. I’ll go ahead." The figure of the human ancestor gradually faded.

"Sensing something amiss here?"

The Mad Daoist pondered while refining the Haotian Realm.

"Did the Mother Goddess leave the Merit Dao Embryo specifically for Old Bai to die willingly?"

The Immortal Realm’s collapse meant certain death for the human ancestor.

This outcome had no doubt.

But why would Nüwa leave a wisp of Divine Sense within this Merit Dao Embryo solely for that matter?

"Could it be that the merit of saving all beings across realms allows Old Bai to gather sufficient merit through the Dao Embryo, enabling transcendence and ascension?"

The Mad Daoist’s eyelids twitched.

"If true, wouldn’t this Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo possess far greater value than I had imagined?"

He sighed, seeming to find resolution rather than clinging further.

"At this point, my only recourse lies with the master of Heaven’s Secret Pavilion."

…

Within the void of Great Luo Heaven,

this realm was crafted by the human ancestor using the Great Dao of space to conceal celestial secrets, nearly impossible to locate.

Now, the human ancestor sat in lotus position. Across from him rested the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo, positioned identically.

"My thread of life resides here."

Joy spread across the human ancestor’s face.

He had never imagined that saving all beings could grant him a chance to transcend mortality—yet the emergence of the Merit Dao Embryo kindled that hope.

At the very least, survival was possible.

"A year suffices to fully refine the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo and forge its foundation."

He channeled his magic power, merging his consciousness with the embryo.

The very next moment, the Xuantian Merit Dao Embryo rose and approached the human ancestor.

It entered his physical form, sitting within him in lotus position, overlapping perfectly with the ancestor’s being. A vast, mysterious aura emanated from him.

Unseen currents revealed fragments of ancient tableaus to his sight:

Pan Gu creating the heavens.

Nüwa repairing the heavens.

The Heavenly Emperor forging the Immortal Realm.

These were epochs carved into history’s permanence, woven from the merit from all beings;

the Merit Dao Embryo itself coalesced from streams of accrued merit.

Within those visions, the human ancestor witnessed his own past: creating scripts, trailblazing Cultivation Civilization, leading posterity’s beings through hardships toward ascendance since their primal origins.

His entire existence, bound to the multitudes of life from birth itself.

All of it was the human ancestor’s ordained fate.