Chapter 40: Since Emperor Shun, There Have Been No Sovereigns of Men

Through his achievements in flood control, Great Yu successfully became the leader of the human tribal alliance.

The first thing Great Yu did after taking power was to delineate the Nine Provinces, drawing upon the experience he gained while traveling across the world to tame the floods.

Great Yu’s wife was Nü Jiao, a divine nine-tailed white fox from Mount Tushan. Unlike the nine-tailed fox spirit among the three demons of Xuanyuan, the nine-tailed white fox of Tushan possessed divinity and was also the totem for several human tribes.

Sharing equal status with the Tushan nine-tailed white fox was the Qingqiu nine-tailed fox; both were considered auspicious beasts, symbolizing the rise of a king. Because of his wife, Great Yu was also regarded as having the signs of an emperor.

The fall of the Heavenly Emperor Di Jun and the dissolution of the Kunlun Imperial Capital meant that the Covenant of Heaven and Man no longer held authority over the leader of the human tribal alliance. Thinking of his father, Gun, who had been exiled for his failure in flood control, Great Yu began to consider abolishing the system of abdication.

Thus, after attaining the status of Heavenly Emperor, Great Yu used the Human Emperor’s Decree and the Human Emperor’s Sword as the core, supplemented by various rare metals and exotic materials offered by the leaders of all the tribes under heaven, and utilized his own divine status as Heavenly Emperor and the faith of his subjects as the refining fire to forge the Nine Tripod Cauldrons.

Great Yu used the Nine Tripod Cauldrons to stabilize the land of the Nine Provinces and established the Xia Dynasty. As the founding monarch of the Xia, he claimed the title of Emperor and Son of Heaven, effectively ending the abdication system.

The era of the human alliance’s joint leadership thus came to an end, and humanity entered the age of hereditary monarchy.

Faced with the great transformation of the Heavenly Emperor Di Jun’s fall and the dissolution of the Kunlun Imperial Capital, Great Yu seized the opportunity to establish the Xia, helping humanity gain absolute dominion over the earth. However, at the same time, because human emperors could no longer receive the power of faith, and because their destiny and fortune were to be shared with the Yellow Dragon, they lost the opportunity to become the Heavenly Emperor.

Yet, Great Yu had no regrets. How could the title of Heavenly Emperor compare to allowing his own descendants to rule the earth and the human race for generations to come?

This is why it is said: after Emperor Shun, there were no more Human Emperors.

***

Tianyuan Yinglong was not surprised by Great Yu’s actions. He knew that the human race would eventually reach this day, and Great Yu had simply acted decisively to take control of the earth while the ancient gods were temporarily unable to oversee the world.

However, Tianyuan Yinglong also knew that the moment the rulers of the heavens could no longer constrain the rulers of the earth marked the beginning of the conflict between the Supreme God and the human emperors. In the future, the Supreme God of the heavens and the human emperors of the earth might very well end up in a state of total opposition.

Tianyuan Yinglong’s foresight was correct. Long after, the human emperor who seized the mandate of heaven to create the Imperial Jade Seal would completely break ties with the Heavenly Court. Of course, not every human emperor with great fortune and destiny was as formidable as that "Emperor Through the Ages"; at the very least, the emperor who initiated the Reign of Zhenguan could not achieve such a feat.

***

A piece of news spread rapidly throughout the heavens and the earth: Tianyuan Yinglong was taking the supreme beings of the True Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans to leave the Huaxia Realm and head toward the sea of stars. Even the Zhulong, who governed day and night, was set to depart.

Among the myriad races, some of the more obtuse finally realized that this was a turning point in the era—a time of great change. The degree to which one could adapt to this uncertain shift would determine their standing in the next era.

At the Fire Cloud Palace, Tianyuan Yinglong met with the Human Emperor Xuanyuan.

"Does Lord Tianyuan Yinglong no longer wish to stay in the Huaxia Realm?"

"I have already finished what I intended to do; there is no need for me to remain in the Huaxia Realm indefinitely."

Human Emperor Xuanyuan sighed and produced Tianyuan Yinglong’s dragon scale. "Lord Tianyuan Yinglong..."

"There is no need to return that to me. It was a gift for you; use it as you see fit."

"...Very well."

"One more thing: I must make it clear to you. Once the Yellow Dragon transforms into a winged five-clawed golden dragon, it will no longer protect the supreme leaders of the human race."

"Lord Tianyuan Yinglong, what then will become of the future of the human race?"

"Have you not already seen the future of humanity? That young man following the goddess from another world."

Human Emperor Xuanyuan thought of Mu Changge and nodded thoughtfully. He suddenly wondered if Tianyuan Yinglong had brought the Yellow Dragon to the human race for a specific purpose. The current Yellow Dragon, nourished by the imperial fortune of Human Emperor Xuanyuan and the Five Emperors, had become immensely powerful—it was no longer the little dragon it once was.

Human Emperor Xuanyuan pondered for a moment but decided not to ask. Since Tianyuan Yinglong did not wish to elaborate, it was better left unsaid. He had an intuition that the Yellow Dragon was involved in some major event, which was why Tianyuan Yinglong had included the dragon when forming their covenant.

And what of Mu Changge? It was clear that Tianyuan Yinglong knew his origins and had even called him the future of the human race. What role did Mu Changge play in Tianyuan Yinglong’s grand design?

Just as Human Emperor Xuanyuan was lost in thought, a divine voice resonated: "Nüwa pays her respects to Lord Tianyuan Yinglong!"

It was the Primordial Mother Goddess, Nüwa. She had arrived at the Fire Cloud Palace with Athena and Mu Changge to see Tianyuan Yinglong.

"Hmm. What are your intentions?"

"In reply to Lord Tianyuan Yinglong, I intend to observe for a while longer. If the era of the ancient gods ends, I shall seal myself within my own secret realm."

Since the Primordial Mother Goddess Nüwa had made her decision, Tianyuan Yinglong said no more. He then turned his gaze to Athena. "If you were to return to that future era, would you let that sacred mountain reappear?"

Athena knew he was referring to Mount Olympus. "I seek your guidance, Lord Tianyuan Yinglong."

"You, too, can now observe the future, so I shall say nothing more. I will not interfere with your decision; after all, your treasure is already by your side."

Athena remained silent, seemingly in deep thought.

Finally, Tianyuan Yinglong looked at Mu Changge. "Mu Changge, I am in a good mood today. I can answer one question for you, provided it falls within the scope of what I am willing to disclose."

Mu Changge nodded and asked, "Lord Tianyuan Yinglong, why is this planet called the Origin Ancestral Star?"

Tianyuan Yinglong immediately gave the answer: "That is because..."

***

In the world at the planet's core:

"That is because the name 'Origin Ancestral Star' is a memorial to the Origin Universe, which was destroyed in the battle between myself and Geng Chen."

Ouroboros looked at Geng Chen—that is, Tianyuan Yinglong—and spoke the words. He then seemed to drift into nostalgia. "I wonder how many of the Primordial Behemoths of the Origin Universe survived to settle in the new universe. After all, only the Origin Universe could give birth to the Primordial Behemoths."

***

After leaving the Origin Ancestral Star, Tianyuan Yinglong found a place in the vast, boundless universe and created a secret realm there, naming it the Divine Domain of Time and Response.

The Thunder Heavenly Dragon (God of Thunder), the Five-Colored Phoenix (Empress of Colors), and the Sacred Fire Qilin (Fire Rui) entered the Divine Domain of Time and Response with some of their kin. The Zhulong also led his subordinate gods into the domain.

From then on, Tianyuan Yinglong made the Divine Domain of Time and Response his dwelling.