Chapter 682: The Only Way?
Jiang Li’s existence overturned the cognition of the Divine Vault Sovereign and the three Primordial Chaos and Limitless Immortals.
The words spoken by the Divine Vault Sovereign similarly overturned Jiang Li’s own thoughts.
Previously, Jiang Li only knew that the myriad heavens and worlds faced a great calamity, and the Immortal Realm was no exception.
To resist this calamity, the Immortal Realm chose to destroy the worlds in advance, then reshape them.
Later, from the Observer World, he learned of the existence of the Black Tide and the truth of the calamity, but he still couldn’t figure out why the Heavenly Dao wanted to destroy the worlds, and how it intended to reshape them.
What was the connection between destroying the worlds and reshaping them?
Only now did he finally understand. So this was how it was.
“When I first gained consciousness, the Dao Ancestor thought I was born from the collective will of living beings and couldn’t understand why I wanted to destroy the worlds.”
“This is very easy to understand. My actions are what the living beings need.”
“Survival is the primary need of living beings. Before the Black Tide, even survival becomes a problem. What I need to do is actually save the worlds, to grant living beings the right to survive.”
“Therefore, after gaining sentience, I chose to destroy the myriad heavens and worlds, ensuring I become the final will, the only will.”
“I told the host of immortals part of the truth. After all, if I told them the whole truth, there might be unscrupulous individuals who would try to harm me, wanting to become the last one to survive themselves.”
The Divine Vault Sovereign glanced at the Immortal Emperor. The Immortal Emperor dared not meet His gaze and turned his head away.
What the Immortal Emperor wanted—usurping power, defying the heavens—was precisely to survive to the end and create a world of his own.
“The Dao Ancestor and the Confucius Sage had the compassion of a woman, thinking living beings shouldn’t die, that perhaps there were other solutions.”
“I asked the Dao Ancestor what other methods there were, but the Dao Ancestor said he didn’t know either.”
The Divine Vault Sovereign sneered. Unable to think of a solution, yet putting on a show of being a good person. It was truly nauseating.
The Confucius Sage hung his head in shame. His dispute with the Buddha stemmed from this very point. He also felt there were other solutions, but as for what those solutions were, he didn’t know.
Thinking what you’re doing is wrong, yet unable to think of an alternative. This is a very shameless act.
“So I killed the Dao Ancestor. He was too much of a hindrance.”
Jiang Li recalled what Houtu Huangqi had told him, that after the Dao Ancestor died, he felt the Heavenly Dao might be right, and that he himself was a hypocrite.
The Dao Ancestor was also aware of the Black Tide. The reason he didn’t tell Houtu Huangqi was probably because he feared she would also agree with the Heavenly Dao’s view and help destroy the worlds, or perhaps he worried Houtu Huangqi would develop selfish desires and try to become the “last person.”
Many previous doubts could now be explained.
“To ensure I become the only will, I had the Immortal Realm take action, destroy the myriad heavens and worlds, destroy the Underworld. In the end, the immortals would commit suicide, and I would become the only one.”
“But destroying the myriad heavens and worlds isn’t something that can be rushed to completion.”
“If the methods are too drastic, it’s possible for embryonic forms of the Heavenly Dao to appear. If an embryonic Heavenly Dao carries the collective will of all beings, even without sentience, it still counts as having a will.”
“The reason I can guarantee the revival of the myriad heavens and worlds is because I am both the Heavenly Dao of the Immortal Realm and, through the Celestial Ascension Ladder connection, the Heavenly Dao of the myriad heavens and worlds.”
“My mind holds the image of every single blade of grass and tree in the myriad heavens and worlds. I can restore the former myriad heavens and worlds.”
“If what remains in the end is not me, this Heavenly Dao, but an embryonic Heavenly Dao from another world.”
“Then that embryonic Heavenly Dao can only restore its own world, not the myriad heavens and worlds.”
“So I repeatedly emphasized: do not let embryonic Heavenly Daos appear, do not let embryonic Heavenly Daos appear. Yet, I never expected problems would still arise.”
The Divine Vault Sovereign glanced at Jiang Li. “As a result, not only did an embryonic Heavenly Dao appear in the Nine Provinces, but you also appeared.”
The Divine Vault Sovereign sighed and said to the Immortal Emperor, “Qiongxiao, this is a problem with the system.”
“If you hadn’t made Luwu a close minister overseeing the host of immortals, Luwu wouldn’t have spared no effort trying to bring down Minghuo.”
“To avoid leaving any evidence, Minghuo could only kill Baiye Immortal, whose work error led to the appearance of an embryonic Heavenly Dao.”
“Minghuo’s methods frightened Du Ye, scaring him into not daring to report the matter of the Nine Provinces.”
“On the surface, it looks like coincidence, like Luwu’s ambition being too great.”
“In reality, it’s your excessive oversight that frightened the host of immortals into a state of constant fear.”
Jiang Li pondered for a moment before speaking. “If I use Word as Law, can it resolve the Black Tide?”
The Divine Vault Sovereign smiled and shook His head. “You’re thinking of the Black Tide too simply. Your Word as Law, in the end, is just a type of Dao technique. What I can do, Word as Law can do. What I cannot do, Word as Law also cannot do.”
Seeing Jiang Li still thinking, the Divine Vault Sovereign continued, “You are the Human Sovereign in the Nine Provinces, so I shall respectfully address you as Human Sovereign Jiang.”
“Human Sovereign Jiang, you have transcended the rules. Perhaps you can deal with the Black Tide a few times, but it’s futile.”
“The Black Tide is a randomly occurring phenomenon. The time of its appearance is uncertain, the location is uncertain. It might appear in the void, it might appear in your Nine Provinces, and it might even appear inside a person’s body.”
“Can you guarantee that every time the Black Tide appears, you can eliminate it in time?”
“Moreover, do you only want to protect the Nine Provinces? Will you not care for the other worlds?”
“After being enhanced by the Convergence of Possibilities, the Black Tide devouring all worlds has become an inevitability. If you repeatedly shatter the Black Tide, it’s possible for several Black Tides to appear simultaneously. What will you do then?”
“The only plan now is one method. That is for you to go and eliminate the other parallel worlds, then take your own life before the Black Tide arrives.”
“Or, I can let you become the last person, the last consciousness. But then, does your mind hold the image of the myriad heavens and worlds? Can you reopen the worlds, restore the present?”
The Divine Vault Sovereign spoke eloquently, in a very good mood, even having the leisure to joke.
He knew Jiang Li was an upright man, concerned with the welfare of all under heaven. So what if he was powerful? To solve the Black Tide, what’s needed isn’t power, but Him, this Heavenly Dao whose mind holds the image of the myriad heavens and worlds.
To save the worlds, there is only this one method He spoke of!
With Jiang Li’s help, He can become the only Heavenly Dao, ensuring He survives to the end among all Heavenly Daos!
Jiang Li frowned, beginning to ponder the problem the Dao Ancestor had once pondered.
Was there truly no other solution?
He knew nothing about the matters the Divine Vault Sovereign spoke of and couldn’t think of any other method.
“Heavenly Dao, you are lying. You know there is actually a second method.”
Swoosh—
Suddenly, the sound of a river flowing came from above the crowd.
Everyone looked up simultaneously and discovered a crack had appeared overhead. Emperor Shun, wearing a raincoat, arrived by boat, traveling upstream against the River of Time, coming to the present.
Ji Shun left the River of Time, arrived at the present Immortal Realm, and said to the Divine Vault Sovereign and Jiang Li with a chuckle, “If there wasn’t a second method, why would I bother establishing the Great Zhou dynasty with law as its foundation?”
“Ji Shun!”
The Divine Vault Sovereign erupted in anger. Space congealed, the atmosphere turned murderously tense.