Chapter 55: Obtaining the Dragon Scale

Mu Changge said, "Primordial Mother, I will indeed send the Demon Emperor Wu Shisan to meet the God Zongbu Yi. But as for the Celestial Emperor Haotian..."

"I will give you my guarantee that the Celestial Emperor Haotian will not disturb your peace."

"Since the Primordial Mother has said so, I can rest at ease."

Afterward, the Primordial Mother Nüwa and Mu Changge chatted about some trivial matters for a while.

***

Wugu, the Goddess of Lingshan Mountain, spent nearly a year gathering the surviving members of the Wu clan in the Huaxia realm, leading them together to the Fire Cloud Cave to seek the Heavenly Emperor Zhuanxu.

When Wugu led the Wu clan members to the Fire Cloud Cave, she happened to see Mu Changge there as well.

Wugu hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "This humble maiden pays her respects to Lord Changge!"

"We pay our respects to Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor!" echoed the others.

These Wu clan members had all heard from Wugu about how she had encountered a Heavenly Emperor named Mu Changge. Given that it was their first meeting, they felt it was safest to address him as the Heavenly Emperor.

Mu Changge glanced at Wugu and said, "Take them to see Emperor Zhuanxu. I am here to visit an old friend and catch up."

"Understood!" echoed the others.

Mu Changge entered the Fire Cloud Cave and came to the pavilion outside the residence of the Human Sovereign Xuanyuan.

Human Sovereign Xuanyuan was currently playing Go with a handsome man dressed in white robes. This white-robed man was none other than the divine beast Bai Ze, a subordinate of Human Sovereign Xuanyuan.

Mu Changge stood quietly to the side, waiting for Human Sovereign Xuanyuan and the divine beast Bai Ze to finish their game.

Once the game was over, Human Sovereign Xuanyuan looked over at Mu Changge standing nearby and said with a smile, "Changge, what brings you here to see this old sovereign?"

"Please forgive me, Yellow Emperor. It is Changge's failing that I have only now come to pay my respects."

"Hahaha, I am not that petty. Come, Changge, sit down."

Mu Changge immediately sat down.

Human Sovereign Xuanyuan looked at Mu Changge, only to find that he could no longer see through him. He asked, "Changge, have you become a Heavenly Emperor?"

Mu Changge nodded slightly. "Thanks to the generous favor of the Yellow Emperor, I have only recently ascended to the throne of the Heavenly Emperor."

"Hahaha! Excellent! Finally, our human race also has a Heavenly Emperor who does not rely primarily on the power of faith!"

Mu Changge smiled as well. "I still must thank the Yellow Emperor for your guidance back then."

***

Next, Human Sovereign Xuanyuan and Mu Changge began to discuss the current situation of the Huaxia human race.

"Alas, who would have thought that the Heavenly-Human Covenant would cease to be effective after Emperor Shun? Truly, the ways of the world are ever-changing!"

"Yellow Emperor, Emperor Yu relinquished the position of Heavenly Emperor and cast the Nine Cauldrons of the Nine Provinces, allowing the human race to take control of the land of the Huaxia realm. This was already the best choice the human race could make in the face of such a great upheaval."

"Yet, the supreme leader of the human race thereby lost the chance to become the Heavenly Emperor, and no more Human Sovereigns will ever emerge. That is not entirely a good thing."

"Yellow Emperor, every gain comes with a loss. The Nine Cauldrons of the Nine Provinces absorbed the power of faith on behalf of the human sovereign, thereby ensuring that the mortal realm remained firmly under the control of the human race."

"Alas, I am already an old relic of a bygone era. It is a great fortune simply not to be forgotten by the descendants of the human race. The future is ultimately no longer something that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors can participate in."

Mu Changge remained silent.

How could the future be something only the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could not participate in? Gods and monarchs alike would become nothing more than historical records in the future. Were it not for the resurgence of the Primordial Ancestral Star, science and civilization would have remained the protagonists of the future.

Human Sovereign Xuanyuan chatted with Mu Changge for a long time. Just as Mu Changge was about to take his leave, Human Sovereign Xuanyuan called out to stop him.

"Changge, I have something I wish to give to you."

Human Sovereign Xuanyuan produced a dragon scale of the Tianyuan烛 (Tianyuan Yinglong).

"Yellow Emperor, what is this?"

"This is a dragon scale of Lord Tianyuan Yinglong. Keeping it here with me would only let it gather dust, so I have decided to bestow it upon you."

"Yellow Emperor, but this is far too precious!"

Human Sovereign Xuanyuan shook his head. "If I have no use for it, what good is its preciousness? Changge, I believe that you are the future of the human race, and I believe that one day you will save Huaxia. This item belongs where it can fulfill its purpose."

Human Sovereign Xuanyuan continued, "If you feel this item is too precious, then whenever you have free time in the future, you can come to the Fire Cloud Cave and keep me company with a chat. Consider this item as payment for keeping me company in conversation."

Seeing that Human Sovereign Xuanyuan had put it this way, Mu Changge no longer refused, solemnly accepting the dragon scale of the Tianyuan Yinglong.

At this moment, Mu Changge possessed two dragon scales of the Tianyuan Yinglong!

Mu Changge immediately bowed in salute. "The profound kindness of the Yellow Emperor, Changge shall never forget for all eternity!"

***

After leaving the Fire Cloud Cave, Mu Changge saw that the Wu clan members led by Wugu, the Goddess of Lingshan Mountain, were still kneeling outside the door of Emperor Zhuanxu's residence. Instead of stepping forward to speak with them or waiting around, he went straight back to his own celestial palace, the Primordial Pavilion.

Although the Tianyuan Yinglong had told Mu Changge to modify the dragon scales only after the era of ancient gods had ended, Mu Changge had a premonition that now, holding two dragon scales of the Tianyuan Yinglong, he could proceed with the modification and utilization ahead of schedule.

After deep contemplation for a moment, Mu Changge decided to fuse the two Tianyuan Yinglong dragon scales into the Aurora Dragon-Patterned Spear.

***

No sooner said than done, Mu Changge set up a grand array and set to work.

Three months later, Mu Changge finished with a satisfied expression.

Just a few days after Mu Changge returned to his peace and quiet, Wugu, the Goddess of Lingshan Mountain, finally led the Wu clan members to request an audience.

Mu Changge glanced at Wugu and the members of the Wu clan, noticing a certain transformation taking place upon them. He spoke up and asked, "Are you gradually transforming into the human race?"

Wugu replied, "Lord Changge's discerning eyes see all! We are indeed gradually transforming into the human race."

"Tell me, then. How did Emperor Zhuanxu forgive you?"

Wugu immediately recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

Back then, Wugu and the Wu clan members knelt outside the door of Emperor Zhuanxu's residence to beg for an audience. They knelt for nearly two months before Emperor Zhuanxu finally granted them an audience.

After listening to the pleas of Wugu and the Wu clan members in silence for a long time, Emperor Zhuanxu said, "I will not forgive you! Never!"

Wugu and the Wu clan members bowed their heads deep into the ground, not daring to utter a word.

After a few breaths, Emperor Zhuanxu continued, "Although I will not execute you for this, you must accept punishment!"

"I shall strip away your longevity, reducing your lifespans of several millennia to less than a hundred years."

"Not only that, I shall strip away your identity as the Wu clan. From this day forward, you shall be no different from the human race."

"The Wu clan is hereby extinct! Do any of you have any objections?"

Wugu replied, "Your Majesty Zhuanxu, the sins committed by our Wu clan in the past are now due to be repaid. We have no objections!"

When Wugu uttered these final words, her voice was laden with grief. Her delicate body trembled; the Wu clan had been completely destroyed at her own hands.

"We have no objections..." echoed the others.

The remaining members of the Wu clan spoke those words almost through sobbing tears.

Emperor Zhuanxu felt no sympathy for these Wu clan members on account of this. When his own three sons died and turned into plague ghosts, which of these Wu clan members had repented? They had probably been gloating and clapping in joy instead.

"One final matter: I require you to swear a covenant," Emperor Zhuanxu stated his final condition. "You, and your descendants, must hereafter spare no effort to eradicate pestilence!"

"Understood!" echoed the others.