Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 64 The Way is Not Easily Passed Down
Following the teachings of the serpent god, the former deserter began his new round of actions.

At this point, he no longer deliberately helped the Ignivas. After all, it had been proven that if the Ignivas did not find their way, then no matter how much help he gave them, it would still be meaningless.

Just as it's better to teach someone to fish than to give them a fish, it's better to help these Ignivas find out why they live than to simply provide them with a way to feed themselves.

But how can this kind of knowledge be taught?

"Just tell them."

That was his initial thought.

Passing on his understanding of the Dao was the most reliable method he could think of, and in his view, it was no big deal, even easier than secretly watching over these Ignivas people before.

After all, before, he needed to provide mammoth cubs or seedlings of fruits and vegetables, but now, he only needs to speak.

All it takes is speaking; it's practically free. He just needs to say what he thinks and understands, and the knowledge will multiply from one copy to two, or even more.

"And these are things I've painstakingly come to understand over decades..."

At that time, he felt that what he was about to tell was very valuable, and that when he told these things, the people down the mountain would surely be able to get rid of their lack of morality and gradually begin to find their own way.

"Just like what that Dao Ancestor did to us."

In a daze, he even felt that he had grasped the profound meaning of the Dao Ancestor.

He even felt at one point that he had also stood in the position of the ancestor of the Dao.

It was at that moment that he understood what the feeling of being on par with the gods really meant—it was never about combat strength. After all, the royal family of the past had already proven this point: having combat strength but lacking the right principles will only lead to self-destruction.

The true measure of being on par with the divine lies in the Tao itself.

This is the true path to godhood.

"And now, I will pass all of this on to you."

At that time, he said this to the Ignivas people he had recruited.

“I have already taught you these secrets about the Tao. You must take this knowledge back and share it with your people… When you all understand the meaning of the Tao, your people will continue to thrive.”

At that time, he felt that he had succeeded, and that these Ignivas people would surely find their own way and the meaning of their lives, just like the people in the mountains before them.

But who could have imagined that the Ignivas would laugh it off and ignore his words?

The Ignivas did learn something, but what they wanted to learn was how to gain greater power. After trying several times and finding that they couldn't use the various supernatural abilities like the mountain people, they eventually turned their attention to the traditional magic of the Ignivas themselves.

Whether something is powerful or not ultimately needs to be proven, and the best way to prove power is naturally to kill enemies.

So, naturally, these Ignivas went to war again, against the giants, and even against each other. They all felt that they had a deep understanding of everything, and that as long as they were strong enough, everything could continue.

"When did I ever tell you this?" By the time he realized something was wrong, it was too late. After all, the tradition of the Ignivas was to exchange food for fighting power—and as the bellies of those mages grew larger and larger, the already ravaged land became more and more barren.

"Why is this happening?"

Seeing the Ignivas people on the verge of extinction once again, he was completely dumbfounded.

In an effort to help these Ignivas escape annihilation and find their own path, he tried several more times. But each time, these Ignivas always managed to come up with something new—heaven knows what these Ignivas were thinking. He had explained the path so clearly, yet they still repeatedly chose to walk down the path to their doom.

At this moment, he would no longer say anything about being on par with the gods, after all, that snake god, or rather that ancestor of the Dao, had not fallen into the same predicament as him.

"So where exactly is the difference...?"

He was puzzled.

It was at this moment that he realized that he might not have been able to go down the mountain on the day Chi Ying died—at this moment, he was no longer able to calm down and continue to study his own path.

The repeated suicidal acts of those Ignivas kept nagging at him, and he would think of this unsolvable problem whenever he closed his eyes.

“If this matter isn’t resolved, I won’t even be able to continue practicing my principles!”

At that moment, he suddenly realized that this might be the most dangerous ordeal he had ever encountered in his life.

The unsolvable problem, like an invisible shackle, directly locked his understanding of the Dao, and even locked his thoughts themselves—he even considered killing all these Ignivas people, after all, this was also a way to solve the problem; as long as everyone was dead, the problem would naturally disappear.

But he quickly dismissed the dangerous idea.

Even if he killed all these Ignivas, it wouldn't solve the problem. In fact, killing them would only deprive him of the way to solve the problem. Right now, he needs to rely on these Ignivas to prove that his idea is correct and that his understanding is right.

Only if these Ignivas continue to live, and even continue indefinitely, can he continue on his own path to godhood.

Perhaps it was the call of fate, or perhaps it was the protection of the Dao Ancestor in the dark.

On the very day of the harvest festival, during the worship of the great serpent god, he once again saw an opportunity to spread the Way.

"Just like that great ancestor of the Dao..."

At this moment, as he looked at the young man in the distance, he saw a reflection of himself from years ago.

He was just as young back then.

At that time, when the Dao Ancestor had just awakened, he didn't even pay attention to him.

"Perhaps I should do the same."

He vaguely realized something.

(End of this chapter)