The First Demon of the Chan Sect
Chapter 424 - 112: The Return of Saint Emperor and Nuwa

Chapter 424: Chapter 112: The Return of Saint Emperor and Nuwa

In the stillness of the Lotus Pond Pavilion, a gentle breeze stirred, causing ripples to spread across the tranquil water surface.

"How is it, you do not know?" Li Qingming looked at Shennong, who had fallen into silence, and continued, "Under the Heavenly Dao, there should be Nine Great Venerable Positions, just beneath that of a Saint! They are the Six Emperors and the Three Saint Emperors of the Human Clan! The Human Emperor, having obtained the Saint Emperor ranking, shall dwell in the Fire Cloud Cave perpetually, securing the Human Clan’s Qi Fortune!"

After a long silence, Shennong finally nodded and said, "What the Master has said, the disciple is of course aware of. After ascending to the Saint Emperor position, the Human Emperor shall reside in the Fire Cloud Cave, and naturally, there will come a day to achieve and authenticate the Primordial Chaos Saint position!"

Li Qingming slightly shook his head and said, "Shennong, residing in the Fire Cloud Cave only grants immortality and indestructibility! Achieving the Saint Emperor position might seem unrestrained, but in reality, it’s a cage. To safeguard the Human Clan’s Qi Fortune, you can only stay within the Fire Cloud Cave, never able to leave its bounds. And to authenticate the Primordial Chaos, that is the true achievement of a Saint’s position, though not a Heavenly Dao Saint who hosts their Primordial Spirit in the Void, it is still that of a Saint! Do you understand the difference?"

Shennong was astonished, even in his former life as a Chaotic Demon God, he had never considered this point!

Indeed! As long as the Human Clan does not perish, the Three Saint Emperors who enjoy the fortune of the Human Clan would naturally be immortal. Yet, they can never step out of the Fire Cloud Cave in their entire lives, thereby completely losing their freedom. Only by breaking free from the binding of the Saint Emperor rank, can one leave the Fire Cloud Cave and achieve the Primordial Saint.

Saint, Saint! Shennong never expected his Master to have such a plan. Shennong was utterly confused, completely overwhelmed!

Before Shennong could wrap his head around it, Li Qingming continued, "You must understand what I mean! Now, as your Master, I am giving you two choices. First, you forsake the chance of becoming a Saint in exchange for saving your daughter’s life! The second is that you can still become a Saint, but that girl will forever only be Jingwei!"

Shennong collapsed to the ground, helplessly distraught, torn between becoming a Saint and his dear children, neither of which he could abandon.

At that moment, Shennong failed to notice that the corners of Li Qingming’s mouth had curved into a strange arc, as if he was anticipating something.

Aoguang, pulling Ao Bing, stood beside the pavilion. Although Li Qingming’s words profoundly shocked them, they believed that Li Qingming had a deeper meaning for saying so.

To become a Saint is what all beings on the Huaxia Land dream of! But compared to their own pitiable child, to hell with Saints and Primordial Chaos!

Shennong clenched his teeth bitterly and firmly said, "To let the Master know! Since my daughter was born, Shennong has not fulfilled the responsibilities of a father. Now, if I forsake my daughter for sanctification, wouldn’t I be worse than a beast? Master, Shennong only wishes for his daughter to be reborn. As for the position of Saint, I would rather not have it!"

Such a difficult choice!

Li Qingming’s eyes gleamed, looking intently at Shennong, he said, "Shennong, are you certain of your decision? You must know, once this decision is made, it cannot be changed."

The look in Shennong’s eyes was resolute, his expression firm, "Please, Master, be compassionate and save my child!"

"Hahaha!" Li Qingming suddenly laughed heartily, loudly calling out, "Ao Bing!"

"Present!" Ao Bing, startled, stepped forward and saluted.

Li Qingming raised his hand, signaling Shennong to rise, then turned to Ao Bing and said, "Ao Bing, didn’t you encase that little girl’s flesh in Xuan Ice? Release her at once. I shall revive her with my magic!"

"Yes!" Ao Bing excitedly turned red, flicked his sleeve, and flung out an eight-foot square block of Xuan Ice. Inside the Xuan Ice lay a lovely little girl exquisitely crafted from jade.

Li Qingming smiled faintly and waved his hand lightly. The Jingwei Bird, which had still been in the East Sea collecting wood and stones to fill the sea, instantly appeared in Li Qingming’s palm.

This adorable bird kept chirping sweetly, yet its eyes resembled a stagnant pool, void of any emotional ripples.

"Alas, Jingwei, Jingwei! A daughter cannot express, a father’s grief so deep! How can the sea be ever calmed, with waves that violently leap! Such a grand vow, even in a billion years, could it ever be complete! Well then, I shall return you to your true form, and let you be reborn!" Li Qingming looked at the bird in his hand and let out a soft sigh. His left fingertip reached out and touched the bird’s heavenly spirit.

"Screech!"

The bird cried out in alarm, its soul reverting to that of a girl, transforming into a streak of Red Light and returning to the flesh.

Li Qingming casually dissolved the Xuan Ice, releasing the girl.

The girl’s long eyelashes trembled lightly as she opened her eyes. Her watery, large eyes looked around and when she saw Ao Bing standing by, she instinctively felt a sense of fear, even though she did not recognize him.

Shennong lovingly gathered the girl into his embrace, tears streaming down his reddened eyes as he shakily said, "My child, my child!"

The girl lay peacefully in Shennong’s arms and burst into tears: "Wah! Father Emperor, that smelly little dragon bullied me! You must punish him for me!"

Standing to the side, Ao Bing awkwardly touched his nose, thinking, "Who have I offended to deserve this? Such bad luck, truly!"

Shennong comforted her for a while, then suddenly noticed Li Qingming at his side, brimming with smiles. Coming to a realization, he bowed and knelt, saying, "Disciple Shennong, I thank Master for the miraculous salvation of my daughter!"

While speaking, he pulled the girl to kneel beside him, saying, "Quick, my child, pay your respects! This is your Grand Master!"

The girl blinked her big eyes, stared at Li Qingming for a while, and said, "But shouldn’t Grand Master be a hunched old man with a long beard? This big brother looks so young and pretty; how could he be Grand Master?"

Shennong’s face darkened, and he scolded sternly, "How dare you! Pay your respects this instant!"

"Hahaha, Shennong, why do you need to scold this little girl like that? Children speak their minds without intending offense," Li Qingming waved his hand, seemingly quite fond of the mischievous little girl.

Shennong trembled all over, frightened, and said, "Yes, Master is correct in his teaching!"

Li Qingming turned to look at the awkward-faced Ao Bing beside him, and said, "Aoguang, let Ao Bing stay on Penglai Island. Just let Xiong Da give him a good beating!"

As for Li Qingming’s unassuming mount, Xiong Da, Aoguang was thoroughly familiar with it. Although the creature by nature was quite lazy, it has followed Li Qingming since the Dragon Han Calamity and, by now, was at least a sub-saint.

Coupled with the fact that he frequently accompanied Li Qingming to listen to the Dao and preach the law, to say that he was the leading demon below the Saints would indeed be well-deserved.

Aoguang patted Ao Bing’s shoulder and said, "Have you not thanked the Emperor of the North?"

Overwhelmed by the sudden good news, Aoguang promptly fell to his knees and cried out, "I, little dragon Ao Bing, thank Your Majesty!"

Li Qingming nodded slightly and said, "All right! Now that the matter is perfectly resolved, why are you still lingering on my Penglai Island? Surely you each have your own matters to attend to?"

Both Shennong and Aoguang looked at each other, startled, then promptly took their leave. Only Ao Bing was left behind, standing there dumbfounded in the pavilion. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, we welcome you to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)