The Fifty-sixth Chapter of the Zhuangzi: The Debate on Joy

  From the moment when Huangdi and Chiyou started their dispute, Kunpeng had already left the pass and was watching the battle between Huangdi and Chiyou with the Water Mirror technique in the North Ming Sea. The struggle for the Human Emperor is the theme of this great calamity, and Huangdi is the Human Emperor recognized by the Heavenly Way, so Kunpeng must keep a close eye on Huangdi's every move.

  Kunpeng looked at Xuan Yuan, who was defeated in battle, and said to Wudao, Jingwei, Wu Gang (Hou Yi) and Chang'e: "The main reason for Xuan Yuan's downfall today is not Chi You, but himself. He was too proud of himself. After succeeding as the Human Emperor, he didn't wait for the people's hearts to calm down before hastily implementing his own strategy, without considering the welfare of the people at all, which led to dissatisfaction among some tribes. Later, with a strong attitude, he forced these tribes to obey his orders, and it was precisely this reason that gave Chi You a reasonable excuse to rebel."

  Jingwei saw the heavy casualties of the human army and was deeply grieved. He said, "Master, you are the sacred teacher of humanity, can't you persuade Chiyou and Xuan Yuan not to fight? Their fighting will bring great disaster to humanity."

  "Jingwei, things have come to this point today, even if the master comes out, it's useless. The reason why the human race has this great calamity is that it is a test of the heavenly way for the human race. All things need to be resolved by the human race itself."

  Jing Wei said: "Teacher, isn't there any other way to stop it?"

  Kunpeng said: "Since the human race wants to become the protagonist of Honghuang, they must go through this catastrophe. Everything has a price to pay, and it's impossible to get something for nothing."

  Wu Dao said: "Teacher, Xuan Yuan being the Human Emperor is recognized by all saints. Is it not somewhat unwise for Chi You to behave in this manner?"

  Kun Peng said: "Nothing is absolute, the Great Way is fifty, Tian Yan is forty-nine, and there is still a thread of life in the Heavenly Way, let alone this position of the Emperor."

  "Master, won't the Witch tribe's open support for Chi You provoke the dissatisfaction of the multitude of saints and bring about their own downfall?"

  Kun Peng said, "You can't say that. When have you ever heard of the Wu tribe openly supporting Chi You? Is it recognized by Da Wu Xing Tian himself or by Zu Wu Hou Tu? If neither of these two has said so, then it is just the behavior of a few individual Da Wu and has nothing to do with the Wu tribe. What reason does the multitude of saints have to deal with the Wu tribe?"

  Wu Dao said: "Teacher, it's true that the Witch tribe intervened in the struggle between human tribes. With this point alone, the various saints have sufficient reason to deal with the Witch tribe."

  Kunpeng said, "Wudao, you still haven't gotten to the root of things. Xuan Yuan has the support of the Tian Jiao sect behind him, so it's only natural that Chi You has the help of the Wu tribe as well. Saints are all concerned with appearances, they won't provoke the Wu tribe because of this. And do you really think the Dragon Clan is truly willing to send troops to assist Xuan Yuan?"

  Wudao asked in puzzlement: "Teacher, the Dragon Clan is the master of the four seas. If they didn't want to send troops themselves, then someone must have forced them, right?"

  Kunpeng said, "Since the fall of the Ancestral Dragon, the Dragon Clan has always been cautious in their actions. During the great war between the Witch and Demon Clans, they were not involved. At that time, the Demon Emperor Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor Taiyi were extremely powerful, but now Xuan Yuan's performance is far inferior to theirs. How could they be so foolish as to provoke the Witch Clan?"

  Wu Dao said, "Only the Saint of the Demon Clan and the Heavenly Court can command the Dragon Clan. However, the Dragon Clan is just a name in the Heavenly Court, so they probably won't truly surrender to the Heavenly Court. In that case, only the Holy Mother Nuwa of the Demon Clan's Saint can command the Dragon Clan."

  Kunpeng smiled and said, "What you said is not wrong. Only Nüwa would do such a thing. She is the sacred person of the demon clan, and the dragon clan can also be considered as part of the demon clan. In theory, they should be under her jurisdiction. If the witch tribe really got the position of human emperor, then the first to bear the brunt would be the demon clan. How could Nüwa let the witch tribe succeed?"

  At this time, Jingwei suddenly asked: "Master, the first of the Three Purities, Taishang Laojun, is the master who teaches people. If the Wu tribe gets the position of Ren Huang, it will also have a great impact on him. Why doesn't he take action?"

  Kunpeng smiled and said, "The Supreme Old Lord cultivated the Tao of Non-Action. No matter how you say it, Chiyou is still a member of the human tribe. Therefore, the struggle between Chiyou and Xuan Yuan belongs to the internal strife of the human tribe. As the master of human teachings, it is impossible for the old lord to take action against Chiyou."

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) asked: "Master, is this great calamity beneficial or detrimental to the Wu tribe?"

  Kun Peng sank into thought for a moment, then said: "It depends on the angle from which to look at it. From a long-term perspective, there are disadvantages. Xuan Yuan being the Human Emperor is recognized by the Heavenly Way, and Chi You will have difficulty getting that thread of life. Snatching the position of Human Emperor from Xuan Yuan's hands, after failing in the struggle, with Xuan Yuan's character, I'm afraid the Shu tribe and the Jiuli clan would be slaughtered by him; From a short-term perspective, this is beneficial for the Shu tribe to spread among the human race. To know whether it is beneficial to the Shu tribe or not, one must see if Chi You can get that thread of life."

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) said: "Judging from Master's view, Chi You has some confidence in getting the Emperor's position."

  Kun Peng said: "As for Chi You, I don't think much of him. In the end, he probably won't even get a single point."

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) asked in puzzlement: "Teacher, now that Chi You has the upper hand in the battle, why doesn't he have even a slight chance?"

  Kunpeng said: "To become the Human Emperor, one must have made great contributions to the human race, or possess a spiritual treasure that can suppress the human race's destiny. Among the Three Emperors, Tianhuang Fuxi created the Pre-Heavenly Eight Trigrams, achieving unparalleled merit. Dihuang Shennong went even further than Tianhuang Fuxi, not only tasting a hundred herbs to solve the human race's diseases but also teaching the human race to plant the five grains, solving their food crisis. Later, he also implemented currency and measurement systems, his merits almost rivaling those of the Sage. Fuxi had the Pre-Heavenly Spiritual Treasure, the Fuxi Zither, to suppress destiny, while Shennong had the 'Shennong Ding' to suppress destiny. But what does Chiyou have to suppress destiny? The 'Tiger Soul Treasure Knife' in his hand is indeed powerful, but it's just a temporary show of bravery, and over time, it will inevitably decline."

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) said: "Teacher, it seems that Xuan Yuan also has nothing to use for suppressing the gas transport?"

  Kunpeng said: "The sage may not want to personally intervene to stop Chiyou, but he will not sit idly by and watch Chiyou take the throne of the human emperor. If Chiyou takes the throne, where would you put the face of the multitude of saints? Therefore, as the leader of the Human Teachings, Taishang Laojun must bestow a spiritual treasure upon Xuan Yuan to suppress the momentum."

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) asked: "Teacher, if Chi You also finds a spiritual treasure, can it also suppress the heavenly aura?"

  Kun Peng sighed: "Hou Yi, things are not as easy as you think. There aren't many spiritual treasures with the function of suppressing the aura of luck. The Primordial Spirit Treasure of Tai Shang Lao Jun is naturally impossible to be bestowed upon Xuan Yuan. Du Dou is a postnatal treasure refined from merit and virtue, but I suppose Tai Shang Lao Jun won't spend too much merit and virtue on refining treasures either. After all, great merit and virtue are not that easy to obtain."

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) asked, "Master, can you refine a postnatal treasure of great virtue for Chi You, so that he and Xuan Yuan can stand in the same position to contend for the Human Emperor's throne?"

  Kun Peng glanced at Wu Gang and sighed, "Hou Yi, I know you value emotions, but do you think Chi You can keep a precious acquired treasure?"

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) heard Chi Yun's words and was somewhat perplexed, asking: "Master, I don't understand your meaning. Why couldn't Xi You keep a single precious treasure of acquired virtue?"

  Gong said: "Xuanyuan, as the Human Emperor, has been recognized by all the saints. Even if Taishang Laojun bestowed upon him the Later Heaven's Meritorious Treasure, no one dared to covet it, for he had the support of two saintly figures, Xuan and Tian, behind him. But if Chiyou were to obtain a Later Heaven's Meritorious Treasure, it would be different from Xuanyuan's case. Not only would it not bring him benefits, but it would also bring him disaster. The Shu tribe has already declined, and among the twelve ancestral witches, only Hou Tu is left with just one yuan god, unable to take half a step out of the underworld. With only a few remaining Da Wu, how can they intimidate people's greedy hearts?"

  Wu Gang (Hou Yi) said: "Teacher, there is also a great witch named Xing Tian among the Wu tribe, and he has almost attained sagehood."

  Kun Peng said, "Later, Hou Yi, with his cultivation of Xing Tian, can he be a match for the Underworld River? And when facing a sage, what can he do? Don't forget that Zhunti, one of the two saints from the West, is not a gentleman."

  "Wu Gang asked painfully: 'Teacher, is there really no way to help Chi You?'"

  Gonggong said: "The Great Way of Heaven is unchangeable, but you must not be too pessimistic. Chiyou has been reborn as a human and has a primordial spirit, so he will not disperse his soul. Even if Xuan Yuan wins, he will not gain much merit. After all, this struggle was started by Xuan Yuan, and even if he is favored by the Way of Heaven, he will still lose some merit. As for Guang Chengzi and others, they have already fallen into the cycle of reincarnation and committed the sin of killing, Guang Chengzi's Ban Tian Seal has slaughtered countless people from the Jiuli tribe, such a large amount of killing energy surrounds them, when the boundless kalpa arrives in the future, they will surely suffer. Only Yunzhongzi and Randalang among the Xuan teachings can be considered to have escaped this disaster. With this lesson, you must be careful in your actions in the future, do not get involved in too many causes and effects and killing karma, otherwise when the great kalpa arrives, you will surely suffer."