Chapter 102: Chiyou and Xuanyuan
“Emperor of Heaven, Chiyou is willing to go!”
“Emperor of Heaven, Xingtian is willing to go!”
“Emperor of Heaven, Kuafu is willing to go!”
...
A handful of great shamans stepped forward one after another, expressing their desire to undertake the mission.
“Hmm.” Li Tian nodded slightly, then cast his gaze over the numerous great shamans below. “Anyone else willing to go? The more, the better. After all, each additional person means one more chance to compete for the title of Human Sovereign.”
If he remembered correctly, Chiyou had eighty-one brothers. With only a dozen or so coming forward now, that was hardly enough.
“Lord of Winds is willing to go!”
“Lord of Rain is willing!”
“Broken Cultivator is willing!”
“Remnant Steel is willing!”
...
Immediately, dozens more great shamans stepped forward. Li Tian roughly counted, including Chiyou, the total came to eighty-two. He nodded approvingly, then pointed with a finger, sending forth a portion of merit from his own body. It was evenly divided into eighty-two parts, each entering one of the great shamans, quickly forming a tiny seed of primordial spirit within them.
“Nurtured by the power of the Six Realms Reincarnation, a primordial spirit can be formed in ten years.”
“Yes, Emperor of Heaven.”
Di Jiang nodded, then led the eighty-two great shamans away. The dozen or so who did not volunteer saw this and bowed respectfully before retreating as well.
“Can these simple-minded shamans really accomplish the task?”
After everyone left, Nuwa glanced at Li Tian, frowning slightly.
“Whether they succeed or not doesn’t matter. I never placed high hopes on them anyway... Just watch and see.”
Li Tian smiled, offering no further explanation.
After all, these great shamans were merely stepping stones for Xuanyuan.
...
Time quietly passed. After Shennong assumed the title of Human Sovereign, he devoted much energy to agriculture and medicine but neglected the overall management of human tribes.
Thus, although productivity steadily increased, over time many tribes, led by ambitious chieftains, began to outwardly obey the Human Sovereign’s orders while secretly defying them.
Shennong, being kind-hearted, did not promptly punish them. Gradually, these tribes grew bolder and more reckless. Though they did not openly reject the Human Sovereign, their behavior was essentially no different from asserting independence.
More and more tribes followed suit as time went on.
Some powerful tribes, under strong chieftains, began expanding aggressively, plunging the entire human race into internecine warfare among warlords.
Since this was an internal matter, Fuxi, Suiren, and others refrained from intervening. After all, it was like choosing between one’s own hands; moreover, rebellious tribes now accounted for half the human population, and they had no practical means to resolve the issue—certainly not by punishing them all.
...
Of course, this chaos was not without the influence of several sages.
Otherwise, the disorder would not have escalated so rapidly.
The sages’ motive was simple: to muddy the waters of the human race, preventing Li Tian from controlling the selection of the next Human Sovereign.
When they learned that Shennong was the reincarnation of Hongyun, the sages grew wary. They recalled how, when Li Tian was in the Heavenly Court, he claimed he would no longer interfere with the next two Human Sovereigns—except that he forbade them from influencing the choice of Human Sovereign, ostensibly “to avoid affecting the timing of their births.” At the time, they did not grasp his full scheme. Now, knowing Li Tian’s design, they cursed inwardly.
This supreme, mysterious, and wonderful Emperor of Heaven truly was a master strategist!
They could only wonder how he managed to control the position of Human Sovereign and impose it upon the Heavenly Court.
As for coincidence?
One Fuxi could be called coincidence; now another Shennong—who would believe it?
...
Meanwhile, in the Six Realms Reincarnation.
After ten years of nurturing, the primordial spirits of Chiyou and the other great shamans had all taken shape, meeting the requirements to reincarnate.
“Take care. After reincarnating into the human race, avoid unnecessary killing to prevent karma from entangling you.”
Di Jiang looked at the eighty-two great shamans before him and gave this warning.
“Rest assured, Patriarch Di Jiang, the third Human Sovereign’s position belongs to our Shaman tribe!”
Chiyou’s primordial spirit smiled and said, then eagerly took the blood pearl formed from his former body and plunged headlong into the Six Realms Reincarnation!
“Chiyou is still as impetuous as ever. I wonder if he’ll be better after reincarnation.” Di Jiang shook his head with a smile, then turned to the remaining eighty-one great shamans and nodded.
“Go forth.”
“Farewell, Patriarch Di Jiang!”
The eighty-one great shamans bowed respectfully and followed Chiyou into the Six Realms Reincarnation.
...
After a twelve-month gestation, the eighty-two great shamans were each born into various shaman tribes.
Among them, Chiyou reincarnated into the Jiuli tribe, born as the chieftain’s son.
Carrying the essence blood of his original body, he was extremely robust at birth, able to speak within three days and walk within five, exhibiting extraordinary abilities.
The people of the Jiuli tribe were astonished and delighted. To them, the naturally intelligent and courageous Chiyou was likely a great sage like Fuxi or Shennong—a beacon of hope for the rise of Jiuli!
So when Chiyou reached eighteen, the chieftain of Jiuli, in accordance with the will of the people, passed the chieftainship to him, hoping he could lead the tribe to grow stronger.
Chiyou did not disappoint. He smelted copper and iron, forged weapons, and created various instruments of war, then led the Jiuli tribe on campaigns of conquest.
Before long, Chiyou had seized countless territories. Numerous small tribes, pressured by force, pledged allegiance. The other great shamans who reincarnated alongside Chiyou dwelled within these allied tribes and were naturally brought under Chiyou’s banner.
In a short time, the Jiuli tribe’s fame soared, poised to unite the human race and rival Shennong himself!
Witnessing this, the sages grew anxious. After all, Chiyou was also from the Heavenly Court. If he were allowed to advance unchecked, wouldn’t all three Human Sovereign titles fall under the Heavenly Court’s control?
At that moment, Xuanyuan—who had been gestating for twenty years—was quietly born!
Xuanyuan was extraordinary, surrounded by the purple aura of the Human Sovereign, and astonishingly possessed the cultivation of a celestial immortal at birth!
At his birth, the Feather Clan within a ten-thousand-li radius gathered to welcome the sovereign, lingering long after.
The people of the Bear Clan were amazed and praised the heavens for blessing their tribe. Some elders believed Xuanyuan would become a great sage of the human race, not inferior to Fuxi or Shennong!
The first two Human Sovereigns, Fuxi and Shennong, gestated for twelve and eight years, respectively, with Fuxi contributing most to humanity.
Now, Xuanyuan, carrying the combined legacy of both, what greater contributions would he make?
...
At the same time as Xuanyuan’s birth, the sages began scheming. Learning that Xuanyuan had no ties to the Heavenly Court, they rejoiced.
“Your supreme, mysterious Emperor of Heaven may have accounted for everything, but even the heavens have lost patience. Do you really think the Heavenly Court can monopolize all the Human Sovereign titles?”
The sages immediately traveled to the Bear Clan, intending to take Xuanyuan as their disciple. Having suffered from the previous Shennong incident, they no longer trusted sending their disciples unaccompanied.
...