The Spiritual Attainment of Minghe

Chapter 42 Hongyun’s Trace

After Kong Xuan left, God Farmer continued his career, tasting a hundred herbs. His footprints were all over the steep mountains. Wherever exotic flowers and rare herbs grew, you could find God Farmer. After several years arduous journey, God Farmer returned to Chen Du with full gains.

He began a Closed Door Meditation so that he could process the experience he had obtained from tasting a hundred herbs. With the help of the Reddish Brown Whip, God Farmer not only identified whether herbs were poisonous or not but also wrote The Classics of Herbal Medicine to warn the Human Tribe. Henceforth, fewer people died from illness or eating poisonous herbs by mistake in the Human Tribe. The Human Tribe was flourishing.

...

After watching the Human Sovereign Abdication Ceremony, the Sages left Wuzhuang Taoist Temple. Minghe secretly came to the Temple. He had no option. Whether Hongyun became the Earthly Sovereign or not would have no effect on Minghe, but since there had been such a big accident, he needed to figure it out in reason or sentiment. Plus, it was related to Zhenyuanzi.

Since Zhenyuanzi established the Earth Immortal’s Residence, we could say that his own Luck was booming. With the help of Luck, his cultivation naturally went smoothly. Though he had already been at the Peak Level of Sage-to-be, his strength had not reached the Sage-to-be limit. Certainly, he was some distance from the Realm of Origin.

But now Zhenyuanzi was not calm at all. Seeing Minghe, he asked anxiously, "Fellow Taoist Minghe, what exactly has happened to Fellow Taoist Hongyun? Why did the position of Earthly Sovereign go to another person? And where is Fellow Taoist Hongyun’s Original Spirit?"

Minghe could understand Zhenyuanzi’s anxiety. After all, Hongyun had been Zhenyuanzi’s good friend for many years. Now Hongyun had disappeared, it was reasonable for him to feel anxious. Minghe said, "Fellow Taoist Zhenyuanzi, don’t be too worried. Right now the secrets of heaven are in a mess. I can’t figure out where Fellow Taoist Hongyun is."

After a while, Minghe continued to say, "As for who did it, I can make a guess. It must be the Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu. Fellow Taoist Hongyun was sent into reincarnation by my own hand. Only Houtu can play tricks using the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

Zhenyuanzi was astonished at these words. "The Ancestor of Sorcery, Houtu? How can it be possible! Fellow Taoist Hongyun has nothing to do with her. Why would she play underhand tricks on him?" Hongyun was a rare good guy in Untainted Land. He had not injured the Wu Tribe in the least. Why would the Ancestor of Sorcery have reason to hurt him?

Minghe sighed. "It’s my fault that I hadn’t fully considered it. At first in Zixiao Palace, I promised Fellow Taoist Goddess Nv Wa that Fuxi would be the Human Sovereign, but then Fellow Taoist Hongyun was in an unexpected accident. What’s more, at that time Hongyun had the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign. Now the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign is still in the Nether World, it must be Houtu who gets it."

Before coming to Wuzhuang Taoist Temple, Minghe had sent his Selfcentric Separation Mu Sen to use the Kongtong Seal to check where the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign that had been sent to Hongyun was. It turned out that the Supreme Aura had been in the Nether World and then disappeared. It provided the obvious answer as to who had done it.

Minghe finally understood partially why at first Hongjun had sent the Bell of Chaos, to Houtu. It was causing trouble for Minghe. It was said that strength was the mother of ambition. Houtu was a Sage at the Secondary Stage, but she was merely an Original Spirit with a weak human body. She did not have any powerful Magic Weapons. Her spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak.

But now it was a different case. With the Bell of Chaos, several Sages could not surpass her. Now Houtu was stuck in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, but the Bell of Chaos was not. Using the power of a Sage to control the Bell of Chaos also had extreme power.

Houtu was the kindest and gentlest among the Twelve Ancestors of Sorcery, but that was only comparing her to the other Ancestors of Sorcery. Besides, Houtu had already been a Sage. Even if she was not ambitious, one could not forget the existence of the Wu Tribe behind her. Just like Goddess Nv Wa, she wholeheartedly wanted the Demon Tribe to revitalize.

Now though Minghe was taking charge of the Nether World. The essential part of the Nether World was the Six Paths of Reincarnation which was controlled by Houtu. Even Minghe could not intervene. Minghe did not want to plot something by using the Nether World, but it would likely be easy for Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu to interpose into something like what had happened to Hongyun. Thinking about it, Minghe naturally felt uncomfortable.

Zhenyuanzi naturally did not know what Minghe was thinking about. The only thing he was concerned about was where Hongyun was. He said anxiously, "Now the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign is in the hands of the Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu. That means Fellow Taoist Hongyun must also be in her hands. I’ll go to the Nether World immediately and ask her to give back his remaining spirit."

Minghe waved his hands and said, "Fellow Taoist Zhenyuanzi, don’t be so hurried. Fellow Taoist Hongyun’s remaining spirit may not be in the hand of Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu. Maybe she is trying to warn me that she is and always has been the ruler of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. She took the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign, but she may not have Fellow Taoist Hongyun’s remaining spirit. Hmm, do you still have his Ninety-Ninth Spirit-killing Gourd?"

Zhenyuanzi shook his hand, and then a big red gourd appeared. Minghe took the red gourd and made some incantation gestures. "Spirit of the soul... the root of origin...Back to basics...Go!" A streak of silver light entered the red gourd from Minghe’s hand. The red gourd reacted immediately. It soared and then flew outside Wuzhuang Taoist Temple.

Minghe and Zhenyuanzi quickly followed it. They followed the Ninety-Nine Spirit-killing Gourd to a common tribe within the Human Tribe. It stopped over a grass hut. Inside the dwelling, a family was very happy because a baby had just been born.

As soon as Zhenyuanzi saw the baby, he became very happy. The baby was Hongyun’s incarnated body. He said excitedly, "It is so good that Fellow Taoist Hongyun has finally incarnated. Now that the position of the Human Sovereign is gone, I’m going to lead him to Wuzhuang Taoist Temple, and teach him the rule of cultivation. Someday Fellow Taoist Hongyun will return to himself."

Hongyun had already lost the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign and the position of the Earthly Sovereign. It was impossible for him to regain his preexistent cultivation in the Human Tribe. It was surely best to follow Zhenyuanzi and go back to Wuzhuang Taoist Temple. However, seeing Hongyun’s present look, Minghe smiled.

Minghe stopped Zhenyuanzi, who was about to call a cloud. He smiled and said, "Fellow Taoist Zhenyuanzi, don’t rush. Though Fellow Taoist Hongyun has no chance for the position of the Human Sovereign, what goes around comes around. The Ancestor of Sorcery Houtu has delayed Fellow Taoist Hongyun’s incarnation time and seized his Supreme Aura, but she has sent him another large Fated Chance."

Curious, Zhenyuanzi repeated, "Fated Chance? What’s the Fated Chance?" Now Hongyun was just an ordinary baby in the Human Tribe. How could there be a large Fated Chance? But since Minghe had said it, he must be correct. Zhenyuanzi naturally needed to find out.

Minghe smiled and shook his head. "The secrets of heaven are something I can’t divulge. If you’re worried about it, you can leave one of the Three Separations to look after Fellow Taoist Hongyun and teach him some rules of cultivation. In days to come, the Fated Chance will arrive. At that time, he will incarnate and come back."

Zhenyuanzi did not understand, but since Minghe had said it, continuing to wonder would just be flogging a dead horse. He sent the Good separation to look after Hongyun, and he went back to Wuzhuang Taoist Temple. Since there were so many things in the Earth Immortal’s Residence waiting for him to handle, it was a bad idea for Zhenyuanzi to stay here for a long time.

Minghe looked at Hongyun’s incarnated body again, smiling mysteriously. He mounted the clouds and went back to the Blood Sea. It was said that sweet are the uses of adversity. Hongyun had lost the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign, but he had gotten another aura and a new name.

The worrying about Hongyun ended, but Minghe was troubled by the Ancestor of Sorcery, Houtu. Such a powerful and ambitious person meant big trouble was coming near. As for the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign, Minghe mostly knew what she wanted to use it for.

It was like objects in a mirror or the moon upon the water. You could see it, but it was impossible to touch. Even with the Supreme Aura of Human Sovereign, it could not be helped. Besides, now the Ancestor of Sorcery and Hongyun had Karma. If there was a day of Karma beginning, then the day of paying Karma back must also come someday. It was the circulation of the Way of Heaven, and even a Sage could not go against it.