Chapter Forty-Three: The Great Calamity of the Human Race (Part One)

The Three Pure Ones returned to Kunlun Mountain. Tongtian still had unanswered questions, so he went to ask about them. At that moment, the Supreme Lord Taishang spoke a single sentence that instantly made the relationship among the Three Pure Ones subtle and strained.

"Are you truly the Little Spirit Treasure?" Taishang shouted at Tongtian.

Tongtian's heart was thrown into turmoil, and for a moment he found himself speechless. After some thought, he replied, "I am Tongtian, and Tongtian is me."

Unexpectedly, Taishang and Yuanshi Tianzun both flung their robes and, with an angry snort, left, ignoring Tongtian altogether. Tongtian understood their meaning; they were questioning his very identity. But the Great Dao had acknowledged it—how could this be?

Tongtian did not dwell on it. At worst, the Three Pure Ones would split. He refused to believe Taishang and Yuanshi could truly be so heartless.

Now, the Wu Tribe was the hegemon of the wilderness closest to the human race, yet even so, they had never purposefully harmed humanity. Instead, they proposed an alliance through marriage to Xuandaozi. Xuandaozi was delighted; without a primordial spirit, the Wu would eventually be assimilated by the humans anyway.

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. The human population grew from tens of thousands to twenty million, becoming a great tribe spread throughout the periphery of Buzhou Mountain.

During this millennium, several outstanding figures arose among the humans: the Three Ancestors of Humanity—Youchao, Suiren, and Gaotian.

These three were the first clay people molded by Nuwa, so their comprehension of heavenly principles far surpassed that of others.

For any species to prosper, it must overcome hardship. In the saga of humanity's growth, Xuandaozi did not teach them those survival skills passed down to later generations, but instead allowed them to discover everything on their own. Lessons gained through personal struggle are always cherished more than those bestowed by others, so Xuandaozi simply stayed atop the ancestral mountain of humanity.

These three were not only accomplished in the Dao but also made immortal contributions to their people.

Youchao, witnessing relentless rains and people with nowhere to shelter, devised a way for humans to live and rest off the damp ground—he created dwellings.

During the day, the weather was clear and bright, but at night the chill became biting. Suiren racked his brains to find a solution. When he could not, he climbed the mountain to consult Xuandaozi.

Xuandaozi could not answer him directly. Instead, with a spell, he sent a bolt of lightning into a grove of trees. Then, paying Suiren no further attention, he returned to his cave.

Suiren watched as the entire grove burst into flames, black smoke billowing forth. Curious, he approached and felt the warmth, finally breathing a sigh of relief—he had found the answer at last.

But the good times did not last. Soon, the fire died out. Suiren examined it, recalling how Xuandaozi had channeled power through his palm to ignite the wood with a bolt of lightning.

Suiren pondered the mystery and invented the method of drilling wood to make fire.

Gaotian, seeing that everyone lacked anything to keep out the cold, used the hides of hunted beasts to invent clothing.

At this time, humanity enjoyed peace and harmony, but it was short-lived—a new calamity was about to begin.

As the human population swelled, their territory inevitably expanded. In this process, it was impossible to avoid encounters with the demon tribe.

One day, a demon who had taken human form killed a human and absorbed his soul, feeling greatly empowered by it. He boasted to the other demons, and soon, humans on the periphery suffered devastating slaughter, nearly wiped out.

Xuandaozi, swallowing his grief, issued a strict order forbidding humans to stray from the ancestral mountain. But before long, more tragic news arrived: all the humans outside Buzhou Mountain had been annihilated.

Three million humans vanished without a trace. How could Xuandaozi and the Three Human Ancestors accept this?

Just as Xuandaozi prepared to confront the demon leaders, vast dark clouds gathered over the sky, covering the entire ancestral mountain.

When he looked closely, he saw none other than the demon emperors Dijun and Donghuang Taiyi themselves.

"Dijun, why have you slaughtered my people?" Xuandaozi’s grief was profound, and his hatred for the demons grew ever deeper.

Having once been human, he felt compassion for all life, especially seeing a living person beaten to death before his eyes—how could he accept such a thing!

"Hmph, your humans are nothing but playthings created by our tribe’s great sage Nuwa," Donghuang Taiyi sneered down at him.

"How could the Holy Mother ever stoop to collude with your kind? Cease your falsehoods! Unless you explain the massacre of my people today, none of you will leave here alive," Xuandaozi was now truly enraged, drawing out his gourd vine, ready for battle.

But Donghuang Taiyi’s next words stirred the blood of every human present.

"You probably still don’t know, do you? Besides your lot, there are no more humans left in the wilderness. Our demon armies have absorbed all their souls to strengthen ourselves—hahaha!" Donghuang Taiyi laughed wildly, and all the demon lords joined in.

Meanwhile, on Kunlun Mountain, Tongtian was speaking with Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang.

"Eldest brother, second brother, are you not going to save the humans?" Xuandaozi alone could not stand against the entire demon tribe, so Tongtian hoped Taishang and Yuanshi would join him in rescuing humanity.

"This is your concern, not ours," Taishang said, closing his eyes. He and Yuanshi both withdrew into meditation, ignoring Tongtian’s plea.

"How can you be so heartless? You—" Tongtian began, but suddenly felt himself lifted and then slammed to the ground. He could hardly believe his eyes: Taishang, whom he had always revered, had struck him.

Taishang stared at his trembling hand in shock, then turned to Tongtian. "Tongtian, I—"

Tongtian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and turned, his face already streaked with tears. He could never have imagined his elder brother would treat him so, to strike him over so small a matter. Perhaps he had been too naive.

Yuanshi Tianzun’s eyes were wide with astonishment. He looked from Taishang to Tongtian and began, "Actually, elder brother—"

"Say no more. Since you two will not go, I shall go alone." Drying his tears, Tongtian left the painful memories of Kunlun behind and made his way to the human base at Buzhou Mountain.

In the underworld, the Emperor Fengdu recalled the Ten Yama Kings, assigning the judges to maintain order, and also set off for Buzhou Mountain.

In the ancestral Wu hall of Buzhou Mountain, Houtu was embroiled in a fierce argument with the other ancestral witches.

"Brothers, let us help the humans," Houtu pleaded.

"No. If we join the battle, our losses will be even greater. Besides, our formation is not yet complete—it would be a waste," said Dijang, leader of the tribe, whose military judgment was sound, but who fell short in political matters.

Houtu knew this was a fated opportunity for the Wu tribe, but the secrets of heaven could not be so easily revealed. She only shook her head and left the ancestral hall, flying toward the ancestral mountain of the humans.

Was it for that last sliver of fortune for the Wu, or out of hope for Tongtian’s safety?