Chapter Eighty-Nine: Fuxi Descends the Mountain

At last the Human Sovereign Fuxi was born, and this delighted the Thunder God and Profound Daoist beyond measure. With the burden in his heart finally lifted, Profound Daoist seemed to grow decades younger in an instant. Yet at that very moment, a discordant voice rang out.

“Profound Daoist, this child is destined for me. I hope you will grant my request.”

It was the Grand Supreme Lord Lao, who suddenly revealed himself nearby and spoke to Profound Daoist and the Thunder God.

Earlier, Tongtian and Grand Supreme Lord Lao had already agreed that Profound Daoist would care for Lady Huaxu, while Fuxi would be raised and taught by Grand Supreme Lord Lao. After all, he was Tongtian’s elder brother, and moreover Tongtian was not especially skilled in matters of mystic learning.

Do not be fooled by the fact that Tongtian once learned the supreme arts of both Grand Supreme Lord Lao and the Primordial Lord of Heaven; too much is hard to digest, and Tongtian had only taken in Grand Supreme Lord Lao’s alchemical way. As for mystic learning, Tongtian had not yet studied it, nor could he simply learn it by rote.

Mystic learning was something Grand Supreme Lord Lao had mastered within the Diagram of the Great Ultimate. Even if Tongtian devoted a lifetime to it, without the Diagram of the Great Ultimate to open the gate, he could never grasp the wondrous essence of mystic learning.

So Tongtian thought it over: rather than arguing until their faces flushed red, and if need be coming to blows, it was better to admit that Fuxi was simply suited to this path. They could not ruin such a talent. Besides, the sacred tokens and instruments needed to establish the Human Sovereign had not yet been by his side: the River Diagram, the Lo Writing, and the Kongtong Seal. All three objects were in Grand Supreme Lord Lao’s possession.

At the time, Tongtian had been occupied with other matters and had not attended to this affair, so in the end Grand Supreme Lord Lao retrieved them from the Demon Master Kunpeng. After much reflection, Tongtian finally made his decision: let Grand Supreme Lord Lao teach and guide Fuxi.

Though somewhat reluctant, Profound Daoist still allowed Grand Supreme Lord Lao to take Fuxi away. Before that, Profound Daoist had also argued with Thunder Dragon for a while, and in the end the Thunder God yielded a step.

Time flowed onward in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, fifteen short years passed. Lady Huaxu and the Thunder God were still living together, and who would have thought that Lady Huaxu became pregnant again? This child, however, was carried for only three years and nine months before being born.

It was a girl. Profound Daoist was also present at her birth, after all, she was his niece. Yet this child’s arrival startled him greatly.

A human head atop a serpent’s body.

Was not that the very form of the Lady Wa? Profound Daoist was still puzzling over it when, the moment the child was born, she suddenly spoke aloud: “My name is...”

This shocked Profound Daoist so much that he nearly jumped. What sort of situation was this?

Then a voice sounded by Profound Daoist’s ear, and at once his heart settled.

“This is one of my incarnations. Fellow Daoist, there is no need to panic.”

The voice was soft and delicate, and its clarity carried a warmth that touched the heart.

Only then did Profound Daoist understand the origin of this “Wa.”

For the next twelve years, Wa lived together with Lady Huaxu and the Thunder God. This left Profound Daoist somewhat neglected on the side, and he felt quite disappointed.

“My disciple, today is your fifteenth birthday. After today, you should return to your true home.”

Grand Supreme Lord Lao wore a kindly expression, smiling as he spoke to the elegant youth before him.

This youth was Fuxi, now fifteen years of age. He had lived here for a full fifteen years. Hearing his revered master suddenly tell him to leave the mountain, he could not help but show his sorrow.

“Teacher, I do not want to leave you. Please do not send me down the mountain, all right?”

Fuxi truly depended on Grand Supreme Lord Lao too deeply. Indeed, he had grown up here and had formed attachments to everything within this place; that was why he was unwilling to leave.

“You must go. This is your mission!”

Grand Supreme Lord Lao’s expression turned grave as he sternly addressed Fuxi.

Seeing his master so unwavering, Fuxi could only obediently agree. After packing his things and slinging his bundle over his back, he descended the mountain alone. Looking back at the place where he had lived for so long, he could not help lingering on it with reluctance.

Then he turned toward the cave where he had once lived and kowtowed three times in succession, a gesture of gratitude for Grand Supreme Lord Lao’s kindness in raising him. Afterward, Fuxi took up his bundle and headed down the mountain, casting the Supreme Pure Method to fly eastward toward the Huaxu tribe.

Meanwhile, Grand Supreme Lord Lao remained in the cave and murmured to himself, “The fledgling eagle has finally taken its own first step.”

Fuxi made his way straight east. Everything he passed and saw made the young man, newly come down from the mountain, brighten with wonder. So this was the many-colored world outside.

Before long, he arrived above the Huaxu tribe and circled for a long while without descending. Suddenly, an unexpected change arose.

“Who are you, to spy upon our tribe?”

That voice struck Fuxi so hard that his spirit quivered. One must know that Fuxi already possessed the cultivation of the Grand Unity Mystic Immortal; in the prehistoric world, he was considered a small expert in his own right. Yet with a single cry, he was knocked straight from the clouds. What manner of cultivation and power was this?

Fuxi had truly opened his eyes. So there really were people of extraordinary ability in this prehistoric world.

After Fuxi had brushed the dust from his body on the ground, he saw two women and one man walking toward him from afar.

“Was that really necessary? I was only looking around, so what’s the big deal? Let me tell you, I’m the grandson of the Huaxu chieftain. Why don’t you hurry up and guide me to pay my respects to my grandfather?”

Fuxi was plainly acting like a scoundrel. Indeed, from childhood he had been rather clever and lively, and that touch of quick wit now showed itself without warning.

But today he had chosen the wrong people. If it had been anyone else, they might have been stunned by his identity. Today, however, he was simply out of luck.

The man stepped forward and delivered a flick to Fuxi’s forehead. Yet for some reason Fuxi found that even his power had been sealed, and he could only endure the pain of the blow, while the man shouted, “So you want to be arrogant, you little brat? So you want to cause trouble!”

After just this little torment, Fuxi’s head was raised with so many bumps it looked like the scalp of a Buddha in later ages, which left Fuxi thoroughly depressed.

“All right, all right, why are you quarreling with a child? Come here, child, come to your mother.”

Unable to bear seeing her child suffer, Lady Huaxu hurried forward to stop him and spoke to Fuxi.

Only then did Fuxi look carefully at the woman’s appearance. Was this not his mother, whom he had longed for day and night? She looked exactly as he had imagined. Knowing that this was indeed his mother, Fuxi embraced Lady Huaxu, and the two of them could not help shedding tears of happiness.

The matter was now clear, and yet Fuxi still resented why his father, the Thunder God, had treated him in such a manner. But as time passed, Fuxi gradually matured, moving from youthful inexperience into adulthood.

He also took great care of his so-called younger sister. Whatever fun things he found, whatever delicious things he had, he always gave to Wa. Thus the already happy family grew even more joyous.

Three years. A full three years.

During those three years, Fuxi joined his grandfather and his father, the Thunder God, in bearing the burden of guarding the Huaxu tribe. Youth is full of vigor, and Fuxi rushed to do everything. This caused the tribe’s members to look at him with new respect, and the Huaxu chieftain finally decided to step back into seclusion, passing the position of chieftain on to Fuxi.

At first, the Thunder God and the others all objected. First, Fuxi was still far too young in seniority; second, there were matters he simply could not yet handle on his own. But after overcoming every difficulty, the Huaxu chieftain ultimately decided that Fuxi should ascend and become the chieftain of the Huaxu tribe.