Chapter 120: Yu and a Certain Monkey?

"Are you really done interfering with the affairs of the Five Emperors?"

High above in the Heavenly Court, Nuwa tilted her head to look at Li Tian and could not help but ask once more.

"Let nature take its course," Li Tian replied, shaking his head after briefly observing the situation in the mortal realm.

Truth be told, ever since the era of Xuanyuan, he had lost interest in the affairs of the human race. They were his descendants, after all; there was no point in scheming against them. As for that tiny sliver of human fortune, since he had not established a sect of his own, it was of little use to him anyway.

The faith of the human race still had some utility, but with the Temples of the Heavenly Emperor now scattered everywhere among the people, a vast stream of faith energy flowed in naturally every day. There was no need for him to worry about it. Thus, beyond further increasing his own power, his only remaining pursuit was to step out of the Primordial World and see what lay beyond.

Ever since he encountered that nameless transmigrator from a technological world, he had known that other worlds existed within the vast, boundless chaos. Unfortunately, the chaos was simply too immense—nearly infinite—and even with his current strength, he could not fathom its depths. Therefore, unless necessary, he did not want to risk leaving the Primordial World. After all, the chaos was so vast that once lost, returning would be an arduous task. Besides, why would he abandon his life of looking down upon all living beings to go on a dangerous adventure? It would be nothing but idle folly.

...

"Look, this man named Yu is likely the next Human Emperor."

Seeing Yu, who was busy struggling with flood control in the mortal realm, Li Tian could not help but remark to Nuwa.

"Indeed."

Nuwa observed the location where Yu was for a while and nodded in agreement. However, upon noticing Dipankara lingering nearby, she frowned slightly. "I never expected that Dipankara would take Yu as his disciple."

"I suppose it is his good fortune," Li Tian said, also spotting Dipankara not far from Yu.

It truly was Dipankara’s luck. Back then, several Sages had sent their disciples to the human realm to find someone capable of controlling the floods, and Dipankara was among them. Because Gun had failed in his attempt to control the waters, most disciples deemed him unfit for the task and ignored his orphaned son.

Dipankara, however, happened to encounter Yu and, seeing how remarkably intelligent the boy was, decided to take him as a disciple. Initially, upon learning that Yu was Gun's son, he had some regrets, but after witnessing Yu’s grand ambitions for flood control as he grew up, Dipankara became convinced he had struck gold. From then on, he spared no effort in helping Yu, hoping to become the teacher of one of the Five Emperors. He was well aware of the saying that the union of the Five Emperors would produce a Saint. If he could not become a Saint himself, having a disciple who could was a fine alternative, was it not?

...

"Yu, your wife, the Tushan woman, has just given birth to a son. You should go and see them!" a man shouted from a distance, running toward him.

Upon hearing that his son had been born, Yu felt a momentary struggle. But he realized that while he could see his son at any time, every moment lost in flood control could cost countless lives. He steeled his heart and declined the man's offer.

For the sake of the flood control, Yu worked tirelessly, neglecting food and sleep. Aside from basic necessities, he spent every waking moment surveying rivers and drawing water maps. He had learned from his father’s failures, concluding that one could not rely solely on blocking; the strategy must prioritize dredging over damming, using both in conjunction—that was the supreme method for flood control. Following this theory, he had achieved significant results over the years. Not long ago, he had been summoned by Shun, who entrusted him with the full responsibility of managing the water disaster, fulfilling his father's unfinished legacy.

"I wonder when these floods will ever subside," Yu sighed as he gazed at the churning rivers. He found a stone by the riverbank and, overcome with exhaustion, laid down to sleep.

This scene was witnessed by Li Tian in the Heavenly Court. Seeing Yu below, he recalled a joke from his past life... and now, with no Nuwa to mend the heavens, it seemed a certain monkey had no place to be born yet.

"Yes, that will do..."

Li Tian chuckled. With a flick of his finger, he transformed the stone Yu was sleeping on into a stunningly beautiful woman.

After some chaotic swirling of energy, Li Tian flicked his finger again, turning the beautiful woman back into a stone. He then located a mountain rich with spiritual energy near the East Sea and shifted the stone there.

"If one is going to act, one must commit to the full performance."

Watching the scene below, Li Tian was struck by a sense of mischief. He flashed down to the mountain, carved a cave behind a waterfall, and inscribed the words, "Cave Heaven of Flowers and Fruit, Blessed Land of the Water Curtain Cave." Before leaving, he set up a simple array to gather all the nearby spiritual energy toward that stone.

Having done all this, Li Tian shook his head and laughed, secretly sighing that he was truly bored out of his wits. Yet, thinking that a future monkey might be born from his own doing, he felt a flicker of anticipation. Even if he didn't know whether that stone would actually become the monkey of legend, surely if the Heavenly Dao wanted that monkey to be born, it would provide the necessary catalyst, wouldn't it?

...

The next day, Yu turned over and woke from his slumber. Though he was puzzled as to why the stone he had been sleeping on was gone, he did not dwell on it, as the great task of flood control lay before him. As for the events of the previous night, he dismissed them as a dream—after all, in these wild, desolate mountains, where could a beautiful woman have come from? And even if there were one, she wouldn't just throw herself into his arms. Such a bizarre occurrence could only be explained as a dream.

Not long after, Yu arrived at the Luo River. Hearing that the Goddess of the Luo River was the daughter of the Human Emperor Fuxi and had been protecting the people nearby, he was filled with admiration. He traveled to the Luo River Palace to pay his respects to Concubine Mi. Upon seeing the legendary Goddess of the Luo for the first time, Yu was momentarily stunned, but he dared not entertain any improper thoughts. After introducing himself, he began to consult her on matters of flood control.

Concubine Mi, hearing that the man before her was the one tasked with controlling the floods, felt a sense of favor toward him. She, too, had heard the rumors that the one who succeeded in flood control would be the next Human Emperor. After a detailed discussion, she gifted him a water map she had drawn over many years. Yu was overjoyed; with this map, he would save an immeasurable amount of effort.

Bidding farewell to Concubine Mi, Yu led countless humans to begin digging channels. To measure the depth of the water, he specifically sought out a divine iron that could grow or shrink at will, fashioning it into a measuring staff. After his successful flood control, this staff absorbed a portion of the merit and became incredibly hard, rivaling even top-tier innate spiritual treasures. However, having no use for the staff, Yu gifted it to the Dragon Clan, who had assisted in his work, as a token of gratitude. The Dragon Clan, finding little use for the staff—which had become impossibly heavy after absorbing the merit—placed it in the East Sea Dragon Palace as an ornamental piece.

Meanwhile, with his successful flood control, Yu’s prestige soared, and Shun began grooming him as his successor. Before long, Shun chose an auspicious day and passed the throne of the Human Emperor to Yu.

Thus, the human race entered the Era of Emperor Yu.

As for Yu becoming the Human Emperor, no one was more delighted than the Western Sect and Dipankara.

"Could it be that the Heavens pity the suffering of the West and have sent this opportunity to bring prosperity to my Western Sect?"

In the Western lands, Zhunti could not help but look up to the sky and laugh aloud.