The prehistoric infrastructure maniac

Chapter 175 The Sage's Game
Wen Zhong returned to Jue Long Ridge and stared at the three ancient characters carved into the mountain wall some time ago, lost in thought.

"Yun Zhongzi?" Turning to look at Yun Zhongzi, who stood gracefully in a white robe in the valley ahead, Wen Zhong smiled self-deprecatingly: "Has my time come?"

“Wen Zhong, you are not someone who is ignorant of fate, so why are you so persistent?” Yun Zhongzi asked in return.

"Persistence," Wen Zhong murmured with an increasingly complicated expression, "Yes! If it weren't for my persistence, perhaps the Four Saints of Nine Dragons Island and the Ten Heavenly Lords wouldn't have died. Perhaps my teacher and grandmaster are also blaming me?"

“But I am the Grand Tutor of Yin Shang, protecting Yin Shang and upholding the legitimacy of the Human Emperor. What wrong have I done?” Wen Zhong’s tone then turned somber.

"What you are protecting is not the legitimate succession of the Human Emperor, but merely the Yin Shang Dynasty! Who is the legitimate successor of the Human Emperor is not for you to decide, but for the will of Heaven and the people," accompanied by a cold voice, Bai Qingqing appeared on the cliff beside her.

"The will of Heaven and the people?" Wen Zhong sneered, while Bai Qingqing nodded solemnly and, with a flick of her wrist, took out a dark red energy ball, then tossed it to Wen Zhong: "That's right! This is formed from the blood and resentment of the soldiers and civilians you slaughtered in the East Sea. They will show you what the will of the people truly means."

Boom! The moment the dark red energy ball fell, a cloud of blood-red energy spread out, transforming into a sea of ​​blood flames, with faint, helpless, and frantic roars echoing through the air.
Standing there, as if surrounded by mountains of corpses and seas of blood, Wen Zhong's expression changed slightly.

Yun Zhongzi, who had retreated gracefully, waved his whisk, and instantly pillars of fire shot into the sky from the valley, drawing upon the power of the earth's fire to transform into fire dragons that swarmed and attacked Wen Zhong.
"Haha." Despite being engulfed in flames, Wen Zhong suddenly burst into laughter: "I, Wen Zhong, have no regrets for my king, no regrets for the Shang Dynasty, and I have no regrets in this life!"

Before long, when the blood mist and flames in the valley dissipated, Yun Zhongzi shook his head and waved his hand to put away the pillars of divine fire that reached the sky. After he and Bai Qingqing left, the ground in the valley suddenly cracked open, and the surrounding mountains also cracked.
Boom! Suddenly, the mountain collapsed, and magma gushed from the cracks in the valley floor. Within the magma surging from the collapsed mountain fissures, a dazzling red light could be faintly seen, revealing a crystal with an internal liquid-like sloshing, emanating a mysterious aura. As the light flowed, faint water and fire divine patterns appeared.
Influenced by the battle between Yuanshi and Tongtian, in a short period of time, some rare spiritual materials, never before seen in the primordial world, appeared in places where earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occurred.
The seas were boiling and many changes were happening on the seabed. The dragons of the four seas and the cultivators who were cultivating in seclusion on the immortal path of the sea were the first to be alarmed and discovered many spiritual treasures that were no less than innate spiritual materials.

Naturally, fighting and scrambling were inevitable, and this great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods seemed to have unknowingly affected all living beings in the primordial world.
The dragons were the first to suffer, and many of them were killed by some greedy cultivators. Who told them to take advantage of the terrain and get more spiritual materials and treasures from the beginning!
Inside the Eight Treasures Cloud Light Cave on Nine Cauldrons Iron Fork Mountain, Shi Mo, who was meditating cross-legged on a jade platform, suddenly frowned, opened his eyes, and said with a hint of helplessness:
"Originally, these were just attempts to comprehend the workings of the world and the principles of energy creation and transformation, resulting in some spiritual materials. I never expected that they would be involved in the struggle of this great calamity. This is quite a significant karmic connection!"

"Indeed, the actions of a sage have a profound impact on the primordial world; no wonder sages have almost stopped appearing in public since then."

Suddenly, starlight descended and transformed into a handsome man in purple robes, none other than Ziwei.

"Father!" Ziwei bowed respectfully to Shi Mo and called out.

Upon seeing Ziwei and sensing the subtle changes in his aura, Shi Mo couldn't help but laugh and say, "It seems you're about to achieve your goal. Why aren't you cultivating in the Ziwei Palace on the Thirty-Third Heaven? What brings you here to see me?"

“Father, once all the gods of the heavens return to their places, I will have achieved perfect merit,” Ziwei said. “However, the Dragon Clan is in trouble, and Mother has gone to help Aunt Ao Li. I am worried about this great calamity.”

Before he could finish speaking, Shi Mo said, "You don't need to worry. With your brother going along, your father's reputation as a saint is not unfounded!"

"Father, this great calamity of the gods has only just begun, and yet there are already sages fighting each other. I am worried," Ziwei said, her voice filled with concern.

"Afraid that your father will become the target of public criticism?" Shi Mo shook his head and smiled.
"Although the Three Pure Ones are one family, it's hard for them to be of one mind. As long as they don't join forces, I have nothing to fear. Not to mention your Uncle Zhenyuan on my side, how much do you know about my methods?"

"Alright, rest assured and be the Great Emperor of the North Pole of the Central Heaven. In the future, you will be the true Lord of the Zhou Tian." Shi Mo's words made Ziwei respond respectfully with great enthusiasm, and then his figure disappeared and left.

After Ziwei left, Shi Mo, his eyes slightly flashing, remained silent in contemplation as an invisible, mysterious aura emanated from him.
"Hmm? Senior Brother Laozi?" Seeing the figure of Laozi rapidly solidify, Shi Mo's gaze sharpened, and he quickly stood up and greeted him with a smile: "Senior Brother, what brings you to my place?"

"Junior Brother is quite patient. I haven't been in a hurry to break through. I wonder what Junior Brother Shi Mo is waiting for?" Laozi asked, looking at Shi Mo.

Upon hearing this, Shi Mo's gaze sharpened, and he then smiled and said, "Of course, we are waiting for Senior Brother to come and give us guidance! It's just that Junior Brother has been waiting for so long before Senior Brother finally arrives."

"Ah! Junior brother is so much more composed! We were all too impatient," Laozi sighed, a strange, complex look flashing in his eyes, and then said:
"The West is about to rise, and the fate of our Eastern Xuanmen will be taken away. It is inevitable. Junior brother, are you really planning to just watch the show from the sidelines?"

Shi Mo asked noncommittally, "Then what are your plans, Senior Brother?"

"The West can be divided into the fortunes of the Xuanmen, and we can naturally also share in the fortunes of the West," Laozi said meaningfully, looking at Shi Mo.

"Oh? How does Senior Brother plan to divide it?" Shi Mo asked calmly.

"Duobao, Kong Xuan, and that Dizang," Laozi said with some emotion, "Junior Brother has good judgment!"

"Senior Brother has set his sights on me," Shi Mo shook his head and smiled. "Brothers Randeng, Julusun, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang, and Yuanshi are truly discerning!"

"Don't say that to his face," Laozi said with a helpless wry smile. Shi Mo casually replied, "Senior Brother wants to use my disciple against me, but what good will that do me?"

"Isn't it enough that it benefits Duobao and Kong Xuan? The benefits my junior brother has received are already enviable," Laozi couldn't help but say.

"The eldest brother's incarnation went to the Heavenly Court?" Shi Mo asked, while Laozi smiled bitterly: "I am destined to be hardworking and toilsome!"

“The Thirty-Three Heavens, the Tushita Palace, wherever our eldest brother goes, he will be supreme and noble,” Shi Mo said with a smile.

"I can't compare to you, the Lord of Zhou, the King of the Four Seas, the Supreme Being of the Primordial World!" Upon hearing Laozi's words, Shi Mo's brow twitched: "Eldest Brother's words have made my heart pound. Where does that leave our teacher?"

"Master is already the Dao Ancestor, so why would he care about these disturbances in the primordial world?" Laozi shook his head and smiled.

“But if things get too out of hand and destroy this primordial world, our teacher will eventually have to intervene,” Shi Mo’s words made Laozi’s expression become slightly more serious: “Junior brother, I have learned my lesson!”

"Senior Brother, you flatter me," Shi Mo said. Laozi laughed loudly upon hearing this, and then his figure disappeared.

After Laozi left, Shi Mo, whose smile had faded, couldn't help but feel a little helpless: "That old fox, everyone says he's inactive, but he's actually the most perceptive of all the sages!"

Meanwhile, inside the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain, Laozi opened his eyes, and the Primordial Celestial Venerable beside him couldn't help but ask, "Brother, how is it?"

"It's no wonder that the teacher favors Shi Mo; our junior brother is indeed the most intelligent among our fellow disciples," Laozi said. "He's truly unfathomable!"

“He is indeed very secretive. His cultivation and methods are unfathomable. He has taken all the benefits.” Yuanshi Tianzun’s tone was quite indignant.

Lao Tzu said, "Gaining too much benefit and standing out too much may not be a good thing. However, in this great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, he did indeed gain the upper hand!"

"Hmph! His disciple is in charge of the Investiture of the Gods, which has made us unable to extricate ourselves, while he stands by and watches." Yuanshi Tianzun said, becoming increasingly displeased.

"It's alright! He can't remain a bystander forever," Lao Tzu laughed. "Even if he wants to stay out of it, my third brother will force him to take action."

Upon hearing Laozi mention the Tongtian Sect Leader, Yuanshi Tianzun frowned.

"Second brother, we and third brother are ultimately one, so we must not go too far, lest we become a laughing stock and be taken advantage of," Laozi said solemnly.

Yuanshi Tianzun smiled wryly and said, "Elder brother, I understand this principle, but you know my third brother's temper. He has always held a grudge about leaving Kunlun Mountain back then! If I had known this would happen, I should have left with you and given Kunlun Mountain to him."

“He doesn’t have the destiny to rule. Even if he stays in Kunlun Mountain, he won’t be able to control the situation,” Laozi shook his head. “From now on, your disciples should try to avoid conflicts with Biyou Palace!”

Yuanshi nodded slightly and smiled helplessly, "I didn't want to either, but it's all fate. I have to go through tribulations to become a carefree immortal."

“My disciples will always have to go through some twists and turns before they can truly achieve perfect merit,” Yuanshi Tianzun continued.

Laozi remained noncommittal: "In the end, it is a great calamity of gods and immortals. Because of Junior Brother Shi Mo, there have been many deaths and injuries. I believe this great calamity should be able to end ahead of schedule."

"The great calamity has ended, but we disciples are all under the control of others, which has benefited the West and Shi Mo for nothing!" Yuanshi Tianzun was full of resentment.

Laozi frowned upon hearing this: "Who could have predicted that Junior Brother Shi Mo's child would have the destiny of Ziwei? It is the will of Heaven, and there is no way to change it!"

"Heaven's will is too biased towards Junior Brother Shi Mo. Is it really just because of his repair of the earth veins back then, and the influence of the earth vein array now?" Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't help but ask.

Laozi then said solemnly, "Now, Junior Brother Shi Mo has become the cornerstone of the prehistoric world, and his position is indeed unshakeable. Second Brother, you need not worry any more. After the Investiture of the Gods, the status of the Chan Sect as the orthodox sect is also secure."

(End of this chapter)