Yuan Heng had actually guessed more or less correctly. Jieyin was still relatively calm, but upon seeing Nuwa and the Three Pure Ones of the east attain Sainthood one after another, Zhunti was already in a state of high anxiety, pacing back and forth on Mount Xumi.
“Senior Brother, we can wait no longer! Our West has already fallen far behind. If we keep waiting, the two of us won't even be able to catch a glimpse of the tails of Senior Sister Nuwa and our Three Pure Ones senior brothers!”
A trace of struggle flashed between Jieyin's brows. “But Junior Brother, if the two of us imitate our Three Pure Ones senior brothers by establishing a cult, the merit we receive might not be enough to elevate both of us to the holy seat of Sainthood!”
Zhunti grit his teeth, his tone carrying a hint of resolve. “Then we shall make Grand Vows!”
If we want to eat and drink but have no money, we'll just run up a tab!
The West today was already vastly different from before, and he had absolute confidence in the future of the West!
Jieyin let out a helpless sigh and nodded in agreement. “Then let us do as you say, Junior Brother...”
The two looked at each other, exchanged a glance, and thus initiated the Primordial World's very first merit loan transaction.
“Heavenly Dao above!”
“I, Jieyin, have comprehended the Grand Dao of Nirvana, shattering all illusions to return to truth. Pitying the living beings suffering in the sea of misery, I vow to universally deliver all souls and guide them to pure liberation...”
“I, Zhunti, have comprehended the Grand Dao of Karma, wielding the laws of affinity to transcend tribulations. I vow to universally deliver all spirits, enabling all living beings to understand the principles of good and evil, and bringing all manner of karma in the world to great perfection...”
“Today, the two of us shall take the revival of the West as our duty, converting all spirits. Suppressing our cult's providence with the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit, the Western Cult is established!”
The Heavenly Dao bestowed the merit of establishing the cult. However, just as the two of them had anticipated, this batch of merit was only enough for one person to attain Sainthood. Jieyin glanced at his junior brother and was about to open his mouth to make a Grand Vow.
To his surprise, Zhunti lunged forward and covered his mouth.
Jieyin: “Mmph—” Junior Brother, don't...
In the blink of an eye, Zhunti began proclaiming his Grand Vows.
“Heavenly Dao above! I, Zhunti, vow to build the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, delivering all spirits of the Primordial World, freeing all living beings from suffering and keeping them forever from the path of evil. I make this Grand Vow: if I cannot fulfill this aspiration, may I never achieve ultimate enlightenment...”
As he spoke more and more, the sky filled with mysterious yellow merit descending from the vault of heaven... By the time he finished proclaiming his twenty-fourth Grand Vow, he realized it was already enough for him to attain Sainthood.
Jieyin: ?? (⊙o⊙)
He fell into deep thought. Ah... is that really enough? But I prepared a whole forty-eight vows.
Oh well, the less we have to borrow, the better.
The two successfully proved their Dao and ascended to the holy seat of Sainthood.
Listening to the sound of the Grand Dao drifting over from the west, Yuan Heng fell into deep thought.
Sigh, she knew it. Senior Brothers Jieyin and Zhunti were bound to be right on their way.
Yuan Heng bowed toward the west along with the rest of the world's living beings, and then went back to busying herself with the grand migration.
Activating her clever little brain, she realized that Sages could come and go at will in a single thought, tearing through the cosmos with a wave of their hands... That meant she wouldn't even have to make a trip herself to handle the migration of the Human Race to the western lands.
“Senior Brother Jieyin, Senior Brother Zhunti, your junior sister wishes to migrate a portion of the Human Race to the western lands. Would that be acceptable?”
Jieyin & Zhunti: !!!
Junior Sister is delivering some warmth to us again!
Zhunti didn't even bother to play the polite younger brother to his senior brother this time. He hurriedly replied, “Junior Sister, of course it is acceptable! If the Human Race comes, my senior brother and I will surely protect them.”
That was absolutely wonderful. Their West was severely short of inhabitants. Leaving talent aside, while the last few thousand years had been somewhat better, before that, there had been thousands of miles of barren wilderness with not a single soul in sight.
Being able to have more living beings was naturally for the absolute best.
Jieyin's voice soon rang out as well. “Please put your mind at ease, Junior Sister. Just send them over.”
“Mmhmm.”
Hearing Senior Brother Jieyin's gentle and compassionate voice, Yuan Heng replied, “Then I shall trouble you both, Senior Brothers.”
Yuan Heng continued her discussions with the Three Ancestors. She had considered whether she should refine a magical treasure to make things easier, given how truly vast the Primordial World was.
Otherwise, who knew how many ages it would take for them to finish migrating.
But the Three Ancestors were very firm in their desire for the Human Race to undergo some tempering, even if it meant sustaining some losses.
Besides, as for her craftsmanship... she had been too focused on having fun in the past and had never actually refined such a formal magical treasure before.
Sigh...
Oh well, let's not talk about that for now.
With her face still painted pitch-black, Yuan Heng left the highly stubborn Three Ancestors' large treehouse.
To her surprise, just as she returned to her cave, the helpers sent by her Three Pure Ones senior brothers arrived.
The moment Duobao and Huanglong landed, they hurriedly rushed over to greet her. Duobao had grown much taller, already looking like a young teenager.
His voice carried a hint of clear-minded high spirits. “Little Junior Aunt!”
Huanglong had also grown a lot. He was already capable of speaking the human tongue, and his voice was soft. “Little Junior Aunt~”
Only Nanji, who was meeting this "Little Junior Aunt" mentioned by his elders for the first time, bowed respectfully in greeting. “Nanji pays respects to Little Junior Aunt.”
Yuan Heng: Oh my, he truly is Senior Brother Yuanshi's disciple.
She nodded at Nanji and smiled. “So you are Nanji? I have heard Senior Brother Yuanshi mention you. You are one of our own juniors, so there is no need for such formalities.”
“Duobao, Huanglong, you both have grown so much.”
The two nodded, their eyes sparkling. Little Junior Aunt is still so warm and friendly.
Yuan Heng smiled to end the small talk, and then, adopting a more serious expression, she called over the nameless youth who was standing not far away, introducing him to them. “My three martial nephews, this is the personal disciple taken by your Eldest Senior Uncle.”
“Um... he hasn't been given a name yet, so you should all get to know each other first.”
The nameless youth had assumed an adult Dao body form, so Duobao still had to look up at him. Still, as Eldest Senior Uncle Taiqing's first personal disciple... well, since his own master's seniority was lower, he still had to call him “Senior Brother.”
The three called out in unison, “Greetings, Senior Brother.”
The nameless youth nodded. “Greetings, Junior Brothers.”
Sigh... although Master has taken me under his tutelage, he hasn't bestowed a name upon me yet. I suppose I will just be addressed like this for now.
They did not engage in much small talk, as they knew they had work to do upon coming here.
Yuan Heng gestured for them to sit in a circle, and then explained the details of the Human Race's migration to them.
“Duobao, Nanji, and Huanglong, before you came here, your masters should have already told you.”
“The Human Race was created by your Martial Aunt Nuwa. Now, the vicinity of Mount Buzhou is no longer suitable for the entire Human Race to inhabit.”
Indeed, in her discussions with the Three Ancestors, Yuan Heng felt that the vicinity of Mount Buzhou was far too prone to troubles. She wanted to migrate everyone away.
But the Three Ancestors told her that there would always be people who could not bear to leave their ancestral home. Yuan Heng realized that she had still underestimated the weight of the phrase “hard to leave one's homeland.”
Yuan Heng's voice continued, “The Three Ancestors and I have discussed this. One-third of the Human Race here will head to the West.”
“Another third will head to Mount Shouyang in the east. That will be a good place.”
“As for the remaining portion of the humans who are unwilling to leave, they will continue to stay here.”
This area was to the southeast of Mount Buzhou. Although it could not escape the impact of the great calamity, it was currently safe for them to live in peace. As for the future...
Sigh... it was quite a worry.
“I need you to assist the Three Ancestors in escorting the two groups of migrating humans to the western lands and the east.”
The four accepted the order in unison, “Yes, Fourth Ancestor/Little Junior Aunt!”
Yuan Heng nodded as she looked at them, voicing her thoughts. “However, there is still one matter that worries me.”
“I am wondering whether it is better to refine a flying magical treasure to send them there directly, or if we should just do it the honest way—those who can fly will fly, those who can build vessels will build them, and those who must walk will go on foot...”
The Grand Dao of the Golden Elixir was indeed crucial to the Human Race. The first generation of three thousand innate humans already possessed cultivation bases.
Apart from the Three Ancestors, the strongest among them had already reached the Taiyi stage, and even the weakest was at the Heaven Immortal stage. Naturally, some among them understood a bit of weapon refinement.
Except for the nameless youth, the other three fell silent. They had no understanding of such practical considerations so closely tailored to the actual situation of the Human Race.
Only the nameless youth hesitated for a moment before giving an answer identical to that of the Three Ancestors.
He let out a sigh, his tone carrying a trace of conviction. “Fourth Ancestor, it is still better to let the Human Race migrate the honest way.”
One could not see a rainbow without going through wind and rain. The Primordial World was perilous, and the Fourth Ancestor had already done more than enough.
It was time for the Human Race to learn more about the ways of the Primordial World.
Rate on N.U.
