Chapter 26: The Rebellion of Gonggong
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After the White Emperor Shaohao attained the position of Celestial Emperor and left humanity for the Fire Cloud Palace, Zhuanxu became leader of the human tribal alliance.
When Zhuanxu took office, many ordinary humans revered ghosts and gods while neglecting worldly affairs. Everything was decided through divinations performed by summoned shamans.
The Shaman Race had been formed from the vital essences of Heaven and Earth. They could communicate with ghosts and gods, understand astronomy, and comprehend geography. They were an intelligent and capable race.
The shamans communicated with Heaven, Earth, ghosts, and gods on behalf of ordinary humans, and were therefore deeply revered by most of the people.
Most of the shamans in the world lived on Spirit Mountain, under the rule of the Ten Shamans of Spirit Mountain. The remaining few dwelled in Enlightened East, governed by the Six Shamans of Enlightened East.
The first thing Zhuanxu did after taking office was to launch a reform. He appointed trusted ministers to oversee sacrifices and civil administration, urged the people to follow the laws of nature in their agricultural work, encouraged them to cultivate new fields, and prohibited commoners from summoning shamans to communicate with Heaven, Earth, ghosts, and gods through divination.
The shamans thus lost their livelihood among humanity.
There was no doubt that Zhuanxu’s actions angered the Shaman Race. Some shamans, having lost their means of support and being unable to find another place to go, cursed Zhuanxu’s sons.
Because of the curse, Zhuanxu’s three sons all became plague ghosts after their deaths. One dwelled in the River Jiang as the Fever Ghost; another dwelled in the Ruoshui River as the Goblin Ghost; and the third haunted human dwellings, delighting in frightening young children, and became the Child Ghost. Zhuanxu’s three sons never realized that, because Zhuanxu was protected by the Yellow Dragon, the shamans’ curse had no effect. In their fury, the shamans had therefore turned their wrath upon the three sons instead.
During his reign, Zhuanxu sought the aid of Nuwa of Youjiao in the Palace of the Goddess Wa to defeat the Yellow Water Monster that plagued the southwestern region of Neihuang. Nuwa, the Sage Goddess, bestowed upon Zhuanxu a Heavenly King’s Sword and taught him how to use it. Only then was Zhuanxu able to defeat the Yellow Water Monster.
After dealing with the Shaman Race and the Yellow Water Monster, Zhuanxu believed he could finally devote himself to developing humanity in earnest. However, he soon came into conflict with the Water God Gonggong, who had arrived among the human tribes, because they held different views on water conservancy and political affairs. Their disagreement grew increasingly bitter.
The Water God Gonggong began to resent the Celestial Emperor Dijun, who had established the covenant between Heaven and humanity. He therefore summoned the God of War, Xingtian. Tempted by Gonggong’s offers, Xingtian was moved as well. After conferring repeatedly, the two gods finally joined hands and rose together against the Celestial Emperor Dijun.
Thus, under the schemes and arrangements of the Water God Gonggong and the God of War Xingtian, every fierce beast in the Huaxia Realm, led by the four great beasts Qiongqi, Hundun, Taowu, and Taotie, surged toward the Imperial Capital of Kunlun in a vast and murderous host.
The fierce beasts attacking the Imperial Capital of Kunlun were also met by divine retainers belonging to Gonggong and Xingtian, plunging the capital into a crisis.
The Celestial Emperor Dijun ordered ten divine generals—the Goddess of Punishment, Queen Mother of the West; the Fire God Zhurong; the Wood God Jumang; the Metal God Rushou; the Earth God Houtu; the Divine Archer Zongbu; the Guardian God Lu Wu; the Patrol God Yingzhao; the Drought Goddess Nuba; and the Rain God Jimeng—to lead the gods in resisting the enemy and eliminating the rebels and fierce beasts.
The Celestial Emperor Dijun himself went into the starry heavens to wage war against the Water God Gonggong and the God of War Xingtian.
This was a rebellion ignited by Gonggong and Xingtian in their struggle for the position of Celestial Emperor. The flames of war it unleashed shook every race in the Huaxia Realm.
The four great beasts—Qiongqi, Hundun, Taowu, and Taotie—fought the Fire God Zhurong.
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The fierce beasts Gu Ying, Tulou, Zhuhuai, and Paoxiao fought the Wood God Jumang.
The fierce beasts Yayou, Zaochi, Heju, and Guique fought the Metal God Rushou.
The fierce beasts Mafu, Xiqu, Fuxi, and Zhuyan fought the Earth God Houtu.
The fierce beasts Jiuying, Dafeng, Fengxi, and Xiushe fought the Divine Archer Zongbu.
The fierce beasts Qinpi, Li, Suanyu, and Qizhong fought the Goddess of Punishment, Queen Mother of the West.
The fierce beasts Zhu Nao, Weiniu, Liangqu, and Tiangou fought the Guardian God Lu Wu.
The fierce beasts Juru, Yonghe, Yelang, and Qiuyu fought the Patrol God Yingzhao.
The fierce beasts Changyou, Hepei, Huashe, and Liyu fought the Drought Goddess Nuba.
The fierce beasts Mingshe, Feiyi, Yunniao, and Tiaochong fought the Rain God Jimeng.
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With the ten divine generals arriving at the battlefield and the Nine Heavens Eight Trigrams Formation beginning to operate, the gods of the Imperial Capital of Kunlun gradually shifted from defense to offense and prepared to encircle and destroy the invading fierce beasts and the rebellious ancient gods.
The ancient gods and fierce beasts battled from the heavens down to the earth. Divine blood and bestial blood fell like rain across the world, and Heaven and Earth themselves cried out in sorrow.
The sky was battered until it seemed ready to collapse, while the terrain was reshaped at will. The battlefield was so horrific that it defied description.
Heaven and Earth were dyed in blood. Fallen ancient gods and dismembered fierce beasts plunged down like meteors, scattering around the Sacred Mountain of Kunlun.
Tragic!
Heroic!
Chaotic!
This was a world-shaking war from the ancient mythology of Huaxia.
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Only now did all things between Heaven and Earth truly understand how difficult it had been for the three races of the True Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin to scatter the hordes of fierce beasts and win the living world an opportunity to develop. They also understood why the Celestial Emperor Dijun had insisted on exterminating the fierce beasts before: so long as the beasts remained, Heaven and Earth could know no peace.
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Beyond the Origin Ancestral Star, in the vastness of space.
The Celestial Emperor Dijun was locked in battle with the God of War Xingtian and the Water God Gonggong.
The Celestial Emperor Dijun wielded the divine weapon known as the Sun-Moon Divine Wheel. The God of War Xingtian held a divine axe in each hand and carried a divine shield, while the Water God Gonggong gripped a divine spear. The three ancient gods fought fiercely throughout the cosmos.
Dijun struck his fists together. The enormous Sun-Moon Divine Wheel split into three. The central section, representing the stars of the firmament, stood behind him, while the Sun Wheel Blade and Moon Wheel Blade flew forth in succession, shooting straight toward the divine heads of Xingtian and Gonggong.
Xingtian used his divine shield to ward off the Moon Wheel Blade while wielding his divine axe to hack down the stellar radiance shooting from the circular disc behind Dijun.
Gonggong, meanwhile, entangled the Sun Wheel Blade with his divine spear. The spear, containing the vast divine power of water, clashed against the wheel blade, which contained the essence of the sun.
The Sun-Moon Divine Wheel was the Celestial Emperor Dijun’s exclusive divine weapon. It possessed both the essence of the sun and the essence of the moon, and also contained the stellar essence formed from the gathered stars of the firmament. The Sun and Moon wheel blades occupied either side, with the stars of the heavens between them. Driven by Dijun’s divine power, it was as if one were simultaneously facing the gods of the sun, the moon, and the stars. Its terrifying might proved that the Celestial Emperor was not to be offended. If Dijun unleashed the full power of the Sun-Moon Divine Wheel, the shockwaves produced by its attacks alone would be enough to reduce a massive planet to dust.
For this reason, Dijun had chosen space as the battlefield. Even a slight lapse in restraint would inflict damage upon the Origin Ancestral Star.
Both Xingtian and Gonggong were peak Divine Ancestors. Xingtian in particular was known as the foremost divine general of the Imperial Capital of Kunlun. His divine power was second only to that of Dijun, making him virtually a half-step Celestial Emperor. The longer he fought, the stronger he became. Even when faced with Dijun’s overwhelming attacks, he never retreated by so much as a step, proving himself worthy of the title God of War.
Although Gonggong was inferior to Xingtian, he was still a powerful contender for the position of second divine general, rivaling the Fire God Zhurong. Water was the source of life and the foundation upon which all things survived. Gonggong therefore represented origin and the ceaseless renewal of life, possessing divine power that approached infinity.
At that moment, a silent corner of the cosmos was illuminated by dazzling radiance. The collision of divine powers set off brilliant fireworks throughout the universe.
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