Chapter 2603: Destined

"Wait!" Sure enough, the Houtu phantom quickly stopped him. "Actually, by helping me, you are helping yourself."

"What do you mean?" Zu An asked in a deep voice.

"That era is too far removed from the present day, and the Mermaid Queen is imprisoned by Guanghan Palace. Even if I wanted to help you now, I couldn't," the Houtu phantom patiently explained.

"What about Jiang Luofu then? You sent her there; don't tell me you're powerless," Zu An said, suppressing his emotions. If he could save anyone, he wanted to save them first.

"Due to the intense nature of one of her emotions, Jiang Luofu attracted the attention of a great being. This is her destiny and her opportunity. You don't need to worry about her." As she spoke of that great being, the Houtu phantom's voice carried a hint of inexplicable emotional fluctuation.

Zu An's heart stirred. He had heard similar words from Zhuanxu before, so it seemed she was indeed not in any danger.

"Who is that being you mentioned?"

"You should know by now that secrets are dangerous. Your current strength is insufficient; knowing about that being would only bring you destruction."

Zu An fell silent. He naturally understood this principle. He was not the type to be reckless or foolish, so he did not press further. Instead, he changed his question: "Is that being even stronger than you and the Heavenly Emperor?"

The Houtu phantom nodded slightly: "Not only stronger than us, but even stronger than Saints. This was the first time we realized there are even more powerful realms beyond the Saints."

Zu An was speechless.

In the myths and web novels of his previous life, the Saint realm was essentially the ceiling. He never expected there to be higher levels.

He suddenly recalled some information he had previously obtained from the Chronological Scribe and Mi Li, and a sudden realization dawned on him.

Beings like Houtu, even if they became Saints, their influence was limited to the Six Paths realm. Other worlds might not recognize her, or other deities with similar functions might exist in those worlds.

There are countless worlds in the cosmos.

Those more powerful beings were likely conceptual gods that objectively existed across countless cosmic worlds.

This thought immediately ignited his fighting spirit. With a clear goal, many things became clearer.

"If neither of those options works, then what's the point of asking me to stay?"

"Because by helping me, you are helping yourself," the Houtu phantom said without delay, quickly adding, "If you help me successfully refine the Six Paths of Reincarnation, I can use it to help the Mermaid Queen, and..."

She paused here, seemingly glancing at Pei Mianman next to Zu An: "And for your Wushan Goddess to be reborn through reincarnation."

"Originally, reincarnation must be just and follow the established laws of the world. My actions would be considered favoritism and opening a back door, which would greatly harm me. But considering how much you've helped me, I can pay this price."

Pei Mianman's heart pounded. She had originally harbored some doubts, wondering if the Wushan Goddess was truly her previous life, or merely a resemblance, given the vast difference in their personalities. But seeing the Houtu phantom's gaze just now, it didn't seem to be false.

Zu An said in a deep voice, "So, only reincarnation? But in my opinion, they would clearly be different people. What meaning would that have for her from that era?"

"Your view is too narrow-minded. Once you look from a higher perspective, you will realize that while reincarnation might change one's appearance, personality, or experiences... no matter how it changes, the true essence remains unaltered. Therefore, they are, in fact, the same person."

Hearing Houtu's explanation, Zu An frowned. He simply could not grasp such a concept—how two entirely different people could be considered one.

As if sensing his reluctance, Houtu continued, "You need to think this through. If you insist on preventing their reincarnation, then the very premise of your confidantes existing by your side would vanish. Without reincarnation, how would they even come to be? Is that what you wish to see?"

"What!" Zu An was greatly shocked. He instinctively glanced at Pei Mianman, noticing that her usually radiant face was now somewhat pale.

"Actually, you don't need to be so conflicted. Something happened in that era later on, and they likely only had one path to survival: choosing reincarnation." Houtu's voice sounded again.

"What exactly happened back then?" He had vaguely known from the recordings left by the Wushan Goddess that a major event occurred, but the specifics were never mentioned. A being like Houtu might possess more information.

Houtu shook her head slightly: "Unfortunately, I have lost some memories and don't know exactly what happened then. I only vaguely recall it as a great catastrophe."

Zu An was startled. Even a being like Houtu could lose memories. Was it due to injuries sustained during that great catastrophe?

The thought of the Mermaid Queen and the Wushan Goddess not only enduring solitary waits for countless ages in that era but also helplessly facing such a terrifying catastrophe filled his heart with pain.

"Could it have been caused by the War of the Witches and the Demons?" Zu An asked, puzzled.

"Probably not. Although the War of the Witches and Demons was a great cataclysm, both sides were gravely wounded and eventually withdrew from the stage of history, allowing humanity to flourish. There were no signs of any major disaster," Houtu reasoned.

Zu An also recalled that the Wushan Goddess's recordings mentioned she had waited for over ten thousand years, which indicated that no major disaster had occurred within that period.

"I've given you the method. This is my limit. Whether you're willing or not is up to you. At most, I'll just fall back into slumber and wait for the next person willing to help me. You should know that historically, I did successfully refine the Six Paths of Reincarnation." Houtu's voice was calm. For a being like her, the passage of time truly held no meaning.

Zu An pondered deeply and had to admit that what she said made a lot of sense.

He didn't know what kind of catastrophe had befallen that era, but the only thing he could do was leave a path of retreat for the Mermaid Queen and Gong Suyin.

He then took out the authorities of the various worlds he had previously obtained. The Houtu phantom's expression instantly turned serious. She continually tapped her hands in the void, and soon a vortex appeared in mid-air. Although much smaller in area than the eye of the sea he had descended through, it was far deeper.

A rich aura of death could be felt emanating from it, yet at the same time, a faint hint of vitality subtly seeped out.

Next, the Houtu phantom flicked her sleeve, and the authorities of the six worlds floated into place in six directions. A bright silken thread extended from each into the vortex, and the entire vortex gradually began to spin with six colors.

Zu An and Pei Mianman seemed to see silhouettes of countless worlds appearing behind each color, clearly indicating that the Six Paths of Reincarnation was establishing connections with the countless worlds within the Six Paths.

At this moment, Houtu's voice rang out again: "I am about to fully merge into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Your assistance in establishing the Six Paths of Reincarnation has earned you great merit, and the will of heaven and earth will remember all of this. Once the Six Paths of Reincarnation is fully complete, the Underworld will be needed to help it operate daily. You are the destined Lord of the Underworld."

"Are you willing, Emperor Fengdu?"