Chapter 2604: Vow

Hearing the title "Emperor of Fengdu," Zu An felt a sense of daze, and in that instant, a feeling of destiny washed over him.

He recalled his first entry into the Myriad Dragon Tomb, specifically the Underworld, where he received the inheritance of the Emperor of Fengdu. Now, having traveled back in time, and to avoid his real name influencing the timeline, he had casually adopted the alias "Fengdu." He never expected to genuinely become the historical Emperor of Fengdu. Inheriting from myself? Even the most oblivious person would feel the power of destiny at this point.

"I never imagined I would be the Emperor of Fengdu. I wonder what the historical Emperor of Fengdu's ultimate fate was," Zu An mused with a sigh. When he first received the inheritance, the previous Emperor of Fengdu was clearly gone, and contemplating his own potential fate made him uneasy. However, he couldn't refuse this responsibility. The world truly needed an Underworld to maintain the cycle of reincarnation, and an Emperor of Fengdu was essential. Presently, he was clearly the most suitable candidate.

As if sensing his thoughts, Houtu’s voice resonated once more: "You need not worry about being bound by the identity of the Emperor of Fengdu. The Emperor of Fengdu is you, but you are not necessarily the Emperor of Fengdu."

Zu An's heart stirred. "What do you mean?"

"Heaven’s secrets cannot be revealed," Houtu replied, offering no further explanation. Her form began to blur, transforming into faint, visible streaks of light that soared into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. The Six Paths radiated a sacred glow, a unification of death and life. Slowly, the entire Six Paths of Reincarnation began to rotate; though not large in size, it was as vast and profound as the stars in the heavens.

Invisible rhythms emanated outwards, and the entire Underworld began to transform. The dense, almost corporeal, grey-white death aura significantly diminished, revealing the previously obscured Rivers of Oblivion and Mount Yin. Simultaneously, various terrains began to rise, collapse, and reconfigure, making everything increasingly resemble the Underworld world he remembered.

The Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and the Asura clan, sensing the immense disturbance, rushed over, their faces filled with shock. "What exactly happened?"

"Empress Houtu has transformed into the cycle of reincarnation," Zu An explained, recounting the recent events. Upon hearing this, the assembled Wu clan members burst into heartbroken wails. After their defeat in the ancient war between the Wu and Demon clans, they had hidden in this desolate place. Ancestral Witch Houtu was their sole pillar of faith. Now that Houtu had become the cycle of reincarnation, which they perceived as "death," how could they not be grieved and distraught?

Seeing their distress, Zu An comforted them, "You don’t have to be so sad. Empress Houtu isn’t dead; she is living in another state of being. Compared to before, she has now achieved sainthood and will live as long as heaven and earth. You should be happy." Although he offered these words of comfort, watching a living person transform into an emotionless Six Paths of Reincarnation, he himself wasn't entirely sure whether it was an elevation or a form of death.

Dispelling the jumbled thoughts in his mind, he continued, "Empress Houtu has already arranged a path for you. I am now establishing the Underworld to manage the souls from various realms and help the Six Paths of Reincarnation operate smoothly. At that time, you can become deities of the Underworld and receive offerings from the mortal world."

Hearing that they could become deities, the Wu clan's grief finally eased slightly. The Ox-Head and Horse-Face bowed to Zu An. "Lord Fengdu, Empress Houtu mentioned this to us before. From now on, we will obey your every command."

"Please, there’s no need to be so polite," Zu An said, helping them up. He then looked towards the Asura siblings standing nearby. "King Asura, Princess Ni Huang, once the Underworld is established, I will be able to use the Six Paths Reincarnation Plate to open a world portal and send you back to the Asura World."

King Asura expressed some doubt. "If we go through the Six Paths Reincarnation Plate, won’t we be reincarnated?"

Zu An explained, "I’m not sending you into the Six Paths for reincarnation. Instead, I’ll be using its functions to open a portal to your respective world, especially since you already possess authority over the Asura World."

As he spoke, a thought suddenly struck him: couldn't he also seize this opportunity to open the Celestial Realm and search for the Mermaid Queen and the Goddess of Wushan? However, his spirits quickly deflated. King Asura possessed complete authority over the Asura World, so even after Houtu used it to form the Six Paths of Reincarnation, it didn't significantly affect his authority. Zu An could use the Six Paths of Reincarnation in conjunction with King Asura’s authority to open a passage to the Asura World. But the authority over the Celestial Realm laws that Zu An had brought back was merely a wisp granted to him by Zhuanxu, and it had been completely consumed in creating the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Without authority over the Celestial Realm, he couldn't open a passage to it.

At this thought, he felt a pang of regret. If he had known, he would have seized complete authority from Zhuanxu back then. But it was only a thought; as the Heavenly Emperor, Zhuanxu's combat power was enough to crush him. Trying to seize authority would have been suicidal.

Hearing his explanation, the Asuras immediately cheered, yet only Princess Ni Huang remained sullen.

Over the following days, Zu An designed blueprints for the Underworld based on his memories. Of course, these weren't architectural drawings like in his previous life; he simply created holographic projections to show them what the buildings should look like. The Wu clan members then enthusiastically began construction. With their extraordinary divine abilities, building these structures was swift and efficient.

The Asura clan volunteered to help, and together with the Wu clan, they erected a massive statue at the entrance of the Underworld. The Sea clan also actively and enthusiastically cooperated, building a complementary palace for his statue within the Myriad Dragon Tomb.

Zu An was quite embarrassed by this, but both King Asura and the Ox-Head and Horse-Face insisted that his current status warranted such a statue. Moreover, they argued, a divine idol was necessary to receive faith and deter evildoers.

Recalling that these structures indeed existed historically, Zu An reluctantly agreed. One day, he suddenly remembered he had forgotten to tell them about the statue's appearance. When he rushed to see it, he found that, just as in history, the statue had no distinct facial features.

Hearing his confusion, King Asura smiled. "This was my sister’s idea. She said that a deity’s face should not be casually revealed. We thought her reasoning was sound, and my sister designed the entire statue herself." After speaking, he deliberately left them alone together.

"Thank you, Princess," Zu An said, noting the meticulous effort put into the magnificent statue.

"You're still so formal with me," Princess Ni Huang sighed wistfully, her expression complex. "Brother Fengdu, I originally wanted to stay here by your side. But as a royal of the Asura clan, I've always enjoyed a life of luxury and the best cultivation resources. Now, with the future of our race uncertain, I cannot disregard my people for personal gain. I must go with my brother and our kin to open up and fight in the new world. Will you blame me?"

"I will only admire you more," Zu An stated solemnly. "A woman should not lose herself to emotion and become someone who merely revolves around a man."

Princess Ni Huang was delighted and clapped him firmly on the shoulder. "You truly are the man I recognized. Once I settle down in the new world, I will definitely come back for you."

Zu An hesitated for a moment, then finally said, "Actually, I am not from this world."

"I actually already guessed that," Princess Ni Huang said, showing no disappointment. "Can you tell me your true identity?"

Zu An fell silent for a moment. Feeling her genuine gaze, he eventually told her.

Princess Ni Huang silently repeated his name, engraving it firmly in her heart. Suddenly, she leaned in, kissed him lightly on the lips, and then quickly ran off. "Brother Zu, I will definitely find you in the future!"

After she left, Pei Mianman appeared from seemingly nowhere. "If you can’t bear to see her go, then keep her here."

Zu An shook his head slightly, watching her departing figure. "She has her mission."

Pei Mianman sighed softly. "Before, I thought you were a philanderer, always flirting around. Now I realize you actually have it quite hard."

"Mianman, do you finally understand how hard I work?"

"Pah! You’re just gloating after getting what you wanted."