“Humanity’s first celestial emperor…” Lu Yun rubbed his nose. “That’s not going to be me as well, is it?”

“How would I know? It’s Fuxi and his friends who went to the future, not me. You’re the one who’s come from the future, also not me!” A huffing Wahuang glared at Lu Yun, who smiled back ruefully.

“These matters have long been buried in the future, so I’ll have to live through those events before I know what the truth is.” He shook his head slightly.

“If you’re not going to the world of celestials, what are you doing here? You’re not here just for a chat, are you?”

“Of course not,” Lu Yun quickly explained. “I’ve selected three hundred sixty-five of the best talents from the Yan Tribe and tasked Tianqi with bringing them here. Will Your Majesty personally train them? They will be the future cornerstones of the human race.”

He bowed at the holy emperor.

Wahuang cocked her head and sized up Lu Yun with a half-smile. “You selected three hundred sixty-five Yan tribespeople? Humans of Mount Buzhou are the greatest human geniuses. Why didn’t you choose from them?”

“The human sacred land has to do with humanity’s foundations and the inheritance of our legacy. What exists here should remain here. If I choose from Mount Buzhou, I might very well create a relationship that later threatens the sacred land.

“Besides, those three hundred sixty-five are going to follow me into battle. I can command them with my authority in the tribes, but those of the sacred land acknowledge only the holy emperors, not the Flame Emperor.”

Wahuang’s forehead smoothed out slightly to hear this response. Acknowledging only the holy emperors and not the Flame Emperor… that was indeed the tradition of the human sacred land. After Lu Yun proclaimed himself to be the Flame Emperor, the first to laugh at him hadn’t been the connate demon gods or the Xiong Tribe, but the humans of the sacred land.

Those in the sacred land had greater potential than those elsewhere in the great wilderness. They had a dozen qi cultivators at the human king realm and one infinitely close to empyrean realm. 

That however, wouldn’t be an easy goal. Empyrean realm was the equivalent of a great emperor in the human dao era. One had to grasp their own great dao to be able to ascend, which was something out of reach of the current human race.

“So you do possess some degree of self awareness,” Wahuang chuckled. “Alright, I agree. I’ll train those tribespeople well.”

“My thanks to Your Majesty!” Lu Yun bowed. “Lie Shan will be taking his leave now since you have agreed.”

“Go on.” Wahuang waved at Lu Yun.

After his departure, he headed for the netherdark instead of the human tribes. He wanted to see Daoist Yuyu.

It must’ve been Hongjun’s will that Guang Chengzi go to the Xiong Tribe. Lu Yun didn’t know what the dao ancestor was planning, so he wanted to ask Daoist Yuyu.

As for Guang Chengzi, well, Lu Yun couldn’t meet him yet.

……

“Ahhhhh this is so boring, so boooooooring! So lonely~~~” Daoist Yuyu hugged Eternal’s egg, caressing it gently over the Blood Sea. He grumbled softly, “Why did master give me this task, there’s not a single living thing in the netherdark. Though Eternal’s recovered some thought patterns, she can’t talk yet.

“I’m so~~ lonely~~”

He unclasped the big gourd at his waist and dumped a large gulp of wine into his mouth. “Senior brother’s gone to be the future kingmaker, second senior brother’s gone to civilize the monsters and gremlins, but I got the short end of the stick and got sent to this middle-of-nowhere netherdark!

“There’s not even a dead thing here, much less anything alive!

“Oh woe is me~~~~” His complaints echoed throughout the netherdark.

There had once been plenty of dead spirits here and netherdark natives, but when Lu Yun battled Darkriver and Luo Houluo during his last visit, he’d sent hellfire scouring over everything in the realm. The premises had been cleansed of all life and awaited rebirth in the hell to come.

Lu Yun heard Yuyu’s complaints as soon as he rounded Mount Tai, and he couldn’t help but listen to them in a daze.

“Fellow daoist!” He crossed the void and landed in front of Daoist Yuyu, giving the mournful guardian quite a shock. 

He shot to his feet and flung the wine gourd behind him, relaxing only when he saw that it was Lu Yun.

“Martial uncle, you scared this poor daoist senseless by suddenly showing up like this!” Yuyu chuckled wryly and fetched his wine gourd.

Lu Yun stared dumbly again.

“What did fellow daoist call me? Martial uncle?”

“You and my master call each other fellow daoist, so you’re naturally my martial uncle.” Daoist Yuyu was rather vexed at how youthful Lu Yun looked. “There are only two others in the entire world who can call my master fellow daoist—you’re the third! He hit me on the head real hard when he learned that I called you fellow daoist!”

Lu Yun still didn’t quite understand. There were only two others who called Hongjun fellow daoist?

That must’ve been the creators Pangu and God, then. Does that mean Hongjun thinks I can become a creator in the future?!

Lu Yun started to daydream, but a depressing thought soon struck him. God would die in the future.

“Martial uncle?” Daoist Yuyu waggled two fingers in front of Lu Yun when he saw the human staring.

“Eh? Ah.” Lu Yun came back to his senses.

“Martial uncle hasn’t come to just laugh at me, have you?” Daoist Yuyu plopped back down on the one-hundred-and-eight ranked white lotus and hugged Eternal’s egg to himself, looking at Lu Yun with dissatisfaction.

“Eh, I’m here to ask what plans does your master have?” Lu Yun smiled ruefully at the daoist who really did look like he’d been exiled to the netherdark.

“What else can he be planning? He wants us three to guard the great wilderness and make sure the demon gods and realm monsters don’t get up to any trouble.” Daoist Yuyu reeled off, “Netherdark and the Blood Sea should be Asura and the demon gods’ final sanctuary, but since the hell of human dao has yet to be established, they’ll be the masters of the great wilderness if Asura gets the Blood Sea.

“That’s why I’ve been sent here to guard the netherdark.” He caressed Eternal’s egg again.

“That’s it?” Lu Yun frowned.

“Of course not!” Yuyu stood with sudden seriousness. “Asura’s birth means the doomsday of the connate demon gods, but whoever Asura eats now will become the future Asura race of the netherdark. They’ll become his replicas and make him stronger, so you have to conquer the celestial court as soon as possible and create order in the three realms. Only then can you use the three realms to fight Asura and make sure he doesn’t grow too strong!”