Chapter 1 The Beginning

Su Zhou had once planned to visit the primal worlds of all great beings to witness their correctness—perhaps in one timeline he did, but not now.

However, this wasn't a big deal. The primal worlds weren't truly primal, merely reflections of them anchored in the sealed multiverse, serving more as chains to lock these great beings in their prison cells than true origins.

By following the chains, one could naturally understand why these great beings were defeated and grasp their essence… but what could be more direct than directly touching the great beings' Great Daos?

Just like now.

Su Zhou had just returned from the Great Dao of the Great Love · Samsara.

He had never been to the Primal World of the Lonely Sovereign, but he didn't need to now—he had already witnessed a scene of Samsara, a glimpse of that immense system's facade.

The underworld is a one-way journey.

In every world, in every legend, the underworld is solemn, dark, and even if it contains a glimmer of hope, it is ultimately shrouded in gloom.

As the Divine Comedy describes—entering the underworld is entering sorrow, stepping into eternal loss, entering the endless hatred and pain. But also, before the underworld was born, everything was eternal emptiness. Only with the advent of death did life gain meaning.

Precisely because entering the underworld requires abandoning all hope, it proves that hope does indeed exist.

The underworld is always being broken through and transcended.

In Mycenaean mythology, the offspring of the Olympian gods often entered and exited the underworld. The bravest of them, the later-deified Hercules, moved freely. They often took from the underworld those they wanted to take, bringing the dead back to the world of the living.

In Zheng Country mythology, a demon Great Sage charged into the netherworld and tampered with the Book of Life and Death, another symbol of breaking the underworld.

The underworld is a symbol of death, severing hope, eternal sorrow—but just as nether and earth are a mixture of death and life, everything born in the underworld exists to be broken by true transcendents.

Like shackles, their purpose is to be opened and broken free from.

But even such an underworld has taboos.

Buddhist scriptures say that once there was a wicked robber who committed countless evils and killed innocents. After his death, he was destined to fall into hell to suffer the torment of burning flames. One day, the World Honored One passed by a well and heard miserable cries coming from within. He knew that this well led directly to hell, and the robber could not bear the burning flames. Seeing the World Honored One's serenity and solemnity, he begged the World Honored One to relieve his suffering.

The World Honored One surveyed the three thousand worlds with his wisdom eyes, past and future, and saw that although the robber had done nothing but evil, there was one day when he was walking and almost stepped on a spider. He suddenly felt compassion and moved his foot away.

The World Honored One lowered this spider's silk into the well. The robber was overjoyed and climbed upwards—if he could climb to the top, he would escape the underworld.

Herein lies the taboo of the underworld.

No turning back.

—When the robber climbed halfway up the spider's silk, he turned his head and saw countless demons of hell also climbing up the spider's silk. Overcome with fear, he kicked away the demons, but the spider silk snapped at the instant he kicked, and the robber returned to hell.

Similar examples exist in Mycenaean mythology and Cross mythology. If one can break the cycle of reincarnation, then break it. But if one wants to turn back, then what awaits is death with no chance of return.

Not to mention, those who truly dare to challenge the underworld are always few.

Even Dao Harmonization experts are the same.

Su Zhou narrowed his eyes. His own Great Dao incarnation stared at the Dao Harmonization expert before him, who was somewhat unfamiliar and yet not unknown—he had sensed the aura of the Hongshi Emperor, which had appeared on Earth and in the void, but because there was no malice, he had let it be.

And now, Su Zhou had a good impression of the Hongshi Emperor.

If it was just resurrecting one person, that would be simple. As long as the soul was complete, then they—even a Land Immortal could bring the dead back to life.

If it were Heavenly Immortals or Heavenly Sovereigns, with just a thought, the broken souls and lost spirits could all be resurrected.

The power of Dao Harmonization experts far surpassed everyone's imagination. They could resurrect species one planet at a time, return spirits one galaxy at a time—snatching people from the underworld? What a joke. They were the superiors of their world's underworld. Rescuing someone only required issuing an order!

But if one wanted to resurrect a universe that was not contaminated by their Great Dao, a universe occupied by hostile Dao Harmonization experts, and even more so, resurrect a True Spirit that had been dead for a long time, and whose soul had almost dissipated… then things became troublesome.

At this point, it was no longer within the scope that ordinary Dao Harmonization experts could solve, because True Spirits were eternal, True Spirits reincarnated, and the next life of a True Spirit had almost no cause and effect with the life that had already died. Unless the True Spirit reincarnated with a fragment of its soul, resurrection would be almost impossible.

Even if it could be resurrected, wasn't the life that the True Spirit had now given rise to a life as well? To kill one person in order to resurrect another was simply ridiculous.

Su Zhou also found it troublesome, but compared to ordinary Dao Harmonization experts, he had the Samsara Seal.

He could see the cause and effect of the old woman who was praying to him, her longing pierced through many worlds, directly into the core of the distant sealed universe… The Samsara Seal, following this tenacious love, allowed him to see the underworld of the underworld, the nether earth of the nether earth, the Great Love called Samsara.

As long as there was still longing entrusted to the world, as long as there was still existence and memory that had not been erased, the True Spirit would not begin to reincarnate. They would trek and wander on that vast prairie, purifying their hearts—those who were still remembered would always have the opportunity to save those they loved and remembered from death.

This was compassion that transcended endless time and space, an achievement that only eternal infinity could create.

So Su Zhou reverently accomplished all of this. He brought the souls of the old woman's family out of the multiverse True Spirit Samsara system, giving them the possibility of resurrection.

And in this process, even with shock, even with the realization of the massive structure that he had never noticed, the Dao Harmonization expert named Hongshi Emperor did not hesitate. He decisively took action, using his divine power to help the praying old woman, allowing her longing to create a more tenacious ladder, and bestowing his own blessings upon her.

"Seriously, you're a really good person."

Zhuzhou reached out to the high heavens, and he said with a smile, "I think we might get along, want to join forces and try?"

He extended an invitation.

【…No, I shouldn't be a good person.】

The Hongshi Emperor was silent for a moment, staring at the Zhuzhou before him.

The other party had actually reached towards the Samsara Lonely Earth, that vast structure located in the depths of the multiverse core, which even he found difficult to fathom, and had successfully rescued the three souls that he had originally intended to rescue. All of this was truly somewhat incomprehensible to him.

Not just Zhuzhou's motives, Zhuzhou's abilities.

And Zhuzhou's attitude.

Su Zhou, the Primal Zhuzhou, had not a trace of vigilance, not a trace of hostility, of malice towards him.

In the multiverse, only the most severely ill people, the most thoroughly insane people, would completely abandon malice and hostility. Every intelligent life would be wary, because it was their life instinct. Without these instincts, life could not continue, propagate, let alone compete, develop, and become stronger.

But the Primal Zhuzhou before him was different.

He looked into the eyes of a Dao Harmonization expert, and all he could think of was kindness.

—This was arrogance, or the most extreme self-confidence.

In an instant, the Hongshi Emperor understood.

Because the Primal Zhuzhou believed that no one, no life in this world could harm him, so he simply did not need malice.

Because the Primal Zhuzhou believed that there was no one, no life under heaven that could surpass him, so he simply did not need hostility.

He was too strong, too immense. The Great Dao of the Primal Zhuzhou, even if it was just an incarnation, could allow the Hongshi Emperor to see a surging river of flames… Yes, such an existence simply did not need any malice or hostility. No one would be willing to be his enemy, and he could freely release his kindness.

The benevolent is invincible.

Was it benevolence that made people unwilling to oppose him, or was he so powerful that he could wield the means of benevolence without being backlashed? This was truly a question.

Slightly startled, the Hongshi Emperor felt that he had lost his composure.

【I can't shake hands for now.】

So saying, the black-haired, red-eyed emperor sighed softly. His Dharma Idol floated in the center of the Great Sun, and one could see that he was holding the bottom of a tall tower with his right hand, and pressing on the top of the tower with his left hand. Inside the tower, a small bird and a small person were angrily attacking, but they were still unable to break through the tower's barrier.

Suppressing the Taiyi Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi with both hands, the Hongshi Emperor said calmly: 【Please forgive me, my hands are a bit busy.】

"It's nothing, it's just a formality. I didn't expect you to be so busy."

Su Zhou retracted his hand. He lowered his head at this moment and could see that the old woman who had been praying earlier had already gotten up, preparing to go home—he had created the Revolving Immortal Technique and several other Zhuzhou-lineage cultivation methods. Without a doubt, the old woman's lifespan and aptitude were no longer a problem. As long as she had an unwavering, never-giving-up heart, she might be able to resurrect her husband and children with her own strength, fulfill her happy wish, and achieve 'Innovation'.

The so-called innovation doesn't necessarily mean changing the world. Changing the past decadent self who was unwilling to act and would sleep through difficulties into a hardworking self who would strive for dreams and wishes is also a broad definition of innovation.

Su Zhou said: "Speaking of which, friend, I recently opened a new prison. If you're willing to trust me, can you tell me what mistakes these two Dao Harmonization experts have committed? If it's convenient, I'd be happy to help you suppress them and solve these troubles."

The Hongshi Emperor was silent. Although he often did some shocking things, such as coming to suppress two neighboring Dao Harmonization experts this time, which was enough to exceed common expectations, even he found it difficult to say in front of the Primal Zhuzhou that the reason why he had decided to suppress the two neighbors was in order to have the leeway to cross the myriad worlds and find his Primal Zhuzhou's true body.

And then, save him.

However, now it seemed that perhaps his understanding of innovation was also biased?

The Hongshi Emperor lowered his gaze. He could naturally perceive the changes that had suddenly appeared in the old woman… It wasn't bad, but it wasn't the best. And not only that, in the Heavenly Phoenix and Xuan Renzi worlds, Zhuzhou had manifested more than once. Just like he himself was now handling the calls for help from the entire multiverse, the Primal Zhuzhou was also constantly handling the wishes and requests from the surrounding universes.

Both of them were essentially listening to prayers while simultaneously communicating with the Dao Harmonization expert before them. This similarity caused the Hongshi Emperor, who had originally made up his mind, to decide to revise his plan.

—He should, confirm it again.

Not only from the mouths of the innovated people, but also from the mouth of the innovator, the Primal Zhuzhou himself.

So, he spoke. Question: 【Saving people requires saving completely, why don't you just bring them out?】

【Primal Zhuzhou, why don't you just resurrect that family? That old woman has a firm will, but firmness cannot change reality. She needs to become stronger, the journey is destined to be arduous, and it will take a long time. No one can be sure if she can succeed.】

【If it were me, I would resurrect them directly. Since I want to act, then I must save them completely… I know the fishing net and the fish, but before the fishing net catches the fish, people may starve to death.】

As he asked this, the Hongshi Emperor's aura became heavier and heavier. Although the halo of the Great Sun was no different to ordinary people, to all transcedent beings, it became majestic and awe-inspiring, impossible to look directly at.

"Not bad either."

But he heard an unexpected, extremely quick response.

Su Zhou nodded, not opposing the Hongshi Emperor's opinion: "Killing people requires seeing blood, saving people requires saving completely, I understand. If you don't eradicate the entire world of sin, the social environment of sin, then the same tragedy will continue to be staged—not completely resolving the source of sorrow is all a stopgap measure, you're right."

However, then, as the Hongshi Emperor frowned in confusion, he shook his head again and said: "But who are you? Who am I? Anyway, neither of us is perfect, just pick one. I occasionally resurrect people directly, that's indeed very convenient and universally pleasing, but today I think that letting the old woman rescue her own family with her own hands will fulfill her innovation."

"Otherwise, she will always just be an old woman who only knows how to pray piously, and will never become a female war god conquering the underworld, a pure yang True Immortal breaking through the netherworld, a creation goddess reshaping the world's sentient beings… isn't that right? Her possibilities are so many, I can just take a look and see thousands upon thousands of glorious paths forward."

The youth even boasted: "And all of this is born because of my blessing—if it's just pure salvation, then there won't be any radiance."

The Hongshi Emperor found it difficult to refute Su Zhou.

He thought about it carefully and felt that what Su Zhou said was indeed correct—he himself saved people completely, but he also eliminated the old woman's strength to strive for her own wish. In other words, he had also erased the possibility of the old woman achieving something better.

A person needs a goal to live, needs hope, and a protagonist growing in a story needs motivation. If it's just pure salvation, perhaps it will only extinguish a legend, tear up a story, and turn what could have been a happier and more fulfilling life into a direct retreat to the mountains and forests.

【But it could also become worse.】The Hongshi Emperor said: 【She may die, die on the road, and you won't continue to help her.】

His voice became stern: 【You are just bestowing blessings, not saving.】

"Yes, I am a blesser." Su Zhou nodded seriously, he replied with a smile: "Not a savior."

"I will bless everyone to become their own savior. Other than that, I don't plan to do anything else."

【But that will always mean that someone will die, that someone will always fail, that someone will always lose—can't you hear their sorrow, their tears?!】

The Hongshi Emperor's voice was filled with thunder, and angry, low doubts exploded in the multiverse void: 【Why can't you just go and save them?】

Su Zhou was silent for a moment.

He listened to the sorrow, listened to the weeping, listened to the vast river that was flowing in the multiverse.

For a time, the youth's expression changed slightly, it was a sadness that seemed to be empathetic.

"I can hear it."

Su Zhou said softly, he sighed: "I can always hear it."

Then, he raised his head in the thunder and replied: "But I will still only bestow blessings."

"Because I think that just blindly saving is wrong."