Chapter 127: Passing the Flame

Chapter 127: Passing the Torch

The Water Turtle Demon God—or rather, the Water Turtle Divine Official—rose to return the salute, her eyes filled with shock. Only after accepting the divine office of the Heavenly Court did she truly grasp what the Heavenly Court was. It stood above all heavens, governing the three realms and six paths, the boundless starry sky, and billions of great worlds.

Luo Feng smiled faintly. Any immortal from the Prehistoric Era would scoff at such descriptions, for these were merely nominal titles. Nominal status, after all, was ephemeral. Yet, who doesn’t know how to boast? Even among the orthodoxies of the Sages, there was constant strife. The Taiqing lineage claimed that Laozi transformed into the Three Pure Ones; the Yuqing lineage proclaimed that the Primordial Heavenly Lord was the embodiment of the Great Dao, who had once transformed into the giant Pangu in the chaos to create the world. As for the Shangqing lineage, they simply smiled, said nothing, and displayed the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and various innate spiritual treasures, as if to say, "This is the true orthodox path of the Dao."

The Heavenly Court was powerful, certainly, but it was not the only power. However, this information was more than enough to hoodwink a lower-realm demon god.

Thus, the hoodwinked Water Turtle Demon God asked nervously, "Great God, this lesser deity now understands the sins of the Green Flood Dragon. I wonder how he fares now?" Despite understanding the great power of the Heavenly Court and knowing the Green Flood Dragon could be saved, she could not help but feel anxious.

Luo Feng waved his hand, and the primordial spirit of the Green Flood Dragon appeared in his palm, laced with strands of sin. As soon as it appeared in the mortal world, the sky over Mount Tianzhu instantly turned pitch black, thick with clouds and rolling thunder. With a flip of his palm, Luo Feng masked its aura, and the clouds vanished instantly. He shook his head and clicked his tongue.

"Heaven’s will is ruthless; it honors only virtue. If the Green Flood Dragon had successfully transformed into a dragon and entered the sea to govern the waters of this realm, he could have accumulated merit through his divine position, and within decades, his sins would have been wiped clean. Unfortunately, he failed. With no chance of redemption, his sins were exposed after death, and Heaven’s will came knocking immediately."

Luo Feng looked at the Water Turtle Demon God and said, "Do you see? This is what it means to offend Heaven. When the Green Flood Dragon returns depends on when you repair the water veins; you must use your divine merit to atone for his sins. It will take several hundred years."

"Several hundred years?" The Water Turtle Demon God’s eyes were filled with disappointment. She murmured, "Is there no way to bring him back sooner, other than using divine merit?" Even for a demon god, such a vast span of time was a grueling test.

Luo Feng smiled; she had finally understood the point. "Young Water Turtle, have you ever heard of Amway... ah, I mean, the Eighteen Levels of Hell?" The Eighteen Levels of Hell were a wonderful thing—they could grind away sins; their only drawback was the intense pain involved.

...

After much cajoling, they settled on the agreement that the divine merit would be repaid at an interest rate of thirteen for every nine issued. Everything was resolved perfectly. The Green Flood Dragon’s redemption was set, and he would have other uses later. In the future, when Luo Feng sought to seize the position of the Great Emperor of Water, the Dragon Race would be an unavoidable hurdle; in a few hundred years, he would send the Green Flood Dragon to the Dragon Race to gather intelligence.

He had gained another profit—killing three birds with one stone. Clapping his hands, Luo Feng smiled with satisfaction. He stepped onto a propitious cloud, preparing to leave the Tianchen Realm. He had spent enough time here; in the Water Origin Palace, countless other worlds with water-related crises awaited his redemption—those were sources of endless merit and fortune.

Suddenly, a call reached his ears. "Great God, please stay!"

Luo Feng glanced back; it was the Yellow Bird Demon God. Ever since his arrival at Mount Tianzhu, the few demon gods had acted as reverently as if they were serving an emperor emeritus, yet they had been wishing for his departure every second. After all, having lived as local despots for so long, who would want an emperor emeritus looming over their heads?

The Yellow Bird Demon God bowed low: "Might I ask, does the Great God hail from the Heavenly Court?"

Luo Feng’s pupils constricted. He immediately replied, "No, I am not. Do not speak nonsense." The Heavenly Court? How did the Yellow Bird Demon God know of the Heavenly Court?! Normally, only the Water Turtle and he himself knew the true meaning of the Heavenly Court; others at most had only heard the name.

Recalling every action and word since he entered the Tianchen Realm, Luo Feng was suddenly alarmed. In an instant, his thoughts connected: from entering the Tianchen Realm, to the Yan Tribe, to the inexplicable shift in his own mindset, the crushing of the realm, and finally the ascent to Mount Tianzhu—everything seemed to have been leading to this moment. The water here seemed quite deep.

"Farewell. Let us never meet again." The heavenly summoning light descended, and Luo Feng stepped into it immediately. Time to run.

The Yellow Bird Demon God became anxious and hurriedly shouted, "Great God, please wait! An elder of the human race asked me to pose a question to the Heavenly Court should I ever encounter a Great God from there!"

In an instant, Luo Feng hesitated and paused the summoning light. It wasn't the Yellow Bird Demon God’s question that intrigued him, but the phrasing—asking the Heavenly Court, rather than him personally. More importantly, it was the phrase "an elder of the human race." Even if there were complications, sacrificing a manifestation of an Earth Immortal for his great boss was worth it.

Luo Feng shut down the summoning light and used the Dao of Space to seize the Yellow Bird Demon God and bring her to the peak of Mount Tianzhu.

White snow fell, crystalline and pure, and a heavenly pond lay nearby, brimming with spiritual charm. By the pond, Luo Feng and the Yellow Bird Demon God sat down to discuss the Dao.

Luo Feng said indifferently, "What is it?"

The Yellow Bird Demon God hesitated, then said slowly, "Reporting to the Great God, I have a friend..."

Luo Feng raised an eyebrow and asked bluntly, "Is this 'friend' you speak of actually yourself?"

The Yellow Bird Demon God gave an awkward smile. Luo Feng understood; another case of "a friend of mine." Tsk, tsk—demon gods these days were no longer simple. "The human elder you mentioned—did he leave a name? What did he look like?" Luo Feng asked.

The Yellow Bird Demon God paused, retracted the flames surrounding her, condensed them into a single spark, and handed it to Luo Feng. He reached out to take it, and instantly, a trace of shock flashed in his eyes. He was Luo Feng’s Earth Immortal manifestation, number 1573, not his true self, and his physical form was forged from ordinary Five Elements spiritual materials, not innate ones. The flame of a primordial spirit demon god should have at least felt scorching, if not harmful.

However, as the spark entered his hand, the feeling it brought was warmth, safety, comfort, and peace. The spark leaped, grew with the wind, and transformed into a grand radiance. Luo Feng did not resist, for the warm and peaceful aura within the flame grew increasingly strong. It radiated a message: it would not harm the human race.

As the flame enveloped his body, faintly forming a ring and shifting into a shape similar to the Yellow Bird Demon God, Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. He saw a great world rising and falling. An old man dressed in animal skins, surrounded by golden light, with a solemn expression like a god, held a lamp and walked resolutely through the Great Wilderness. Before him lay fierce dangers and treacherous paths.

The old man was fearless and undaunted, moving forward, driving away nine-headed beasts, burning the evil earth, and slaying demon gods... He was like a lighthouse, illuminating a great future.

Suddenly, the sage’s voice echoed in his ears: "The fire is passed on, and the human path shall never perish!"

So said a Sui-ren who wished not to reveal his name.

At the same time, in the Heavenly Court above the nine heavens, outside the Water Origin Palace in the Water Department, a celestial boy stood waiting. A moment later, a manifestation of an Earth Immortal emerged. The boy bowed and said, "Greetings, Star Lord of Water Virtue. My master, the Lord of the Big Dipper, requests your presence."