Investiture of the Gods: I am Bigan, the Master of Conspiracy

In this great calamity, Jiufeng fought against Taishang Laojun, and the Great Dao of Power began to take shape. Her heroic figure as a female war goddess was magnificent, and she could be said to have become famous throughout the Three Realms.

Although the Wu Clan is now almost extinct, the formation of the Nine Phoenix Avenue has given them new possibilities.

Riding on the might of their great victory in the Great Calamity, the Nine Phoenixes rushed straight towards the Netherworld after the Calamity ended.

At this time, the Netherworld was already in chaos. Now that the order of the three realms has been reconstructed and the power structure of the three realms has begun to be divided, the Netherworld is naturally a huge interface equivalent to the Heavenly Realm, and there is even a cycle of reincarnation.

However, no one else came to compete for it, because they had all witnessed the power of the Nine Phoenixes. Even the Styx River had not been able to seize the benefits of the Netherworld.

The Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha of the Underworld has already fled and returned to Mount Sumeru in a panic. The Ten Kings of Hell, who were originally avatars of the True Man Taiyi, have all been taken back. The Great Emperor of Mount Tai has been restored to his divine position. However, this series of changes has caused great chaos in the Underworld, with chaos and disorder permeating everywhere.

Even the newly appointed Emperor Taishan is not the one who truly governs the underworld; he is merely the Heavenly Court's representative in the netherworld.

The arrival of Jiufeng signifies that he is the true master of the Netherworld. However, Jiufeng did not immediately rectify the Netherworld, but instead, without hesitation, headed straight for Houtu Palace.

There's no rush to reorganize the underworld. The remaining underworld officials can just perform their duties. Besides, the prehistoric world will undergo great changes in the future, and the role of the underworld will also change.

The Ten Kings of Hell, originally established to govern the increasing number of mortals, would cease to exist if the number of mortals in the Three Realms decreased.

In other words, the Ten Kings of Hell were an order that emerged after the Investiture of the Gods, created to cope with the increase in the number of mortals in the Three Realms. With the end of the order of the Investiture of the Gods, the Netherworld would naturally also undergo changes.

"Ancestral Witch, Nine Phoenixes have returned!"

Upon arriving at Houtu Palace, Jiufeng's voice echoed throughout the Netherworld, carrying the excitement of seeing Houtu again after experiencing countless vicissitudes.

Houtu slowly walked out of Houtu Palace. As the greatest meritorious person in the prehistoric world, her whole body was shrouded in golden light of merit. Her golden body of merit was sacred and inviolable.

Upon hearing of Jiufeng's return, Houtu's eyes were filled with joy and she was so excited that she almost cried. She rushed forward, grabbed Jiufeng tightly, and said in a slightly trembling voice, "Jiufeng, it's so good that you're alright. Now that the Great Tribulation War has taken place, your safe return and your profound cultivation mean that the revival of the Witch Clan is in sight!"

In the final battle of the Wu tribe against the Jiuli, Jiufeng disappeared but was unable to leave the Netherworld to participate, which worried Houtu. It was one thing for the great witches like Xingtian and Xiangliu, but Jiufeng was the true core and true future of the Wu tribe.

Because Jiufeng lacks innate laws, but possesses the physique and primordial spirit of the Wu clan, she is naturally able to comprehend laws. This makes her an anomaly among the Wu clan, and also the future of the Wu clan.

Other great witches have too little room for development; there is a limit to how much physical body they can build, and they can only cultivate innate laws and cannot cultivate other laws. But Jiufeng not only has the powerful physical body of the witch clan, but also a strong primordial spirit, and she has no exclusive laws. This is where infinite possibilities lie.

While Houtu could accept the death of Xing Tian and Xiang Liu, she could not accept the unexpected death of Jiu Feng, whose importance surpassed that of the Ancestral Witches.

Jiufeng was also extremely excited. The once glorious Wu Clan was no more and had suffered a devastating calamity. Now, she was the only one left who had returned from the brutal pursuit.

Jiufeng tightly grasped Houtu's hand, her eyes gleaming with excitement, and said, "Ancestral Witch, the bloodline of our Father God cannot perish like this. Now that the great calamity has been won, Jiufeng is determined to revive the Witch Clan!"

Houtu nodded emphatically, saying "good" three times in a row, her eyes glistening with tears.

Houtu sighed softly, her expression filled with sorrow: "Back then, I performed the cycle of reincarnation to give the Wu Clan a chance to survive, but I never expected that the Wu Clan would end up almost wiped out. Only you survived, and I am so glad that you have returned. In the future, I will definitely clear the Wu Clan's name!"

Upon hearing this, Jiufeng looked puzzled and hurriedly asked, "Innocence? What does the Ancestral Witch mean by this?"

Houtu sighed deeply, her eyes filled with helplessness and indignation: "The Wu clan was wiped out, burdened by the karma of the collapse of Buzhou Mountain, but how could a mere Ancestral Wu clan possibly shatter Buzhou Mountain!"

With a resolute look in her eyes, Jiufeng said, "Rest assured, Ancestral Witch, Jiufeng understands this matter and will definitely clear the name of the Witch Clan! We will definitely investigate the truth behind the collapse of Buzhou Mountain! The Witch Clan cannot bear this karma. If this karma remains, how can the Witch Clan ever be revived!"

Houtu nodded with satisfaction and said with emotion, "Jiufeng, you were trapped, and I was trapped in the Netherworld and could not get out, so I could not save you. Fortunately, you were able to come back and participate in the Great Tribulation War, fight against the Supreme Being, and your power shook the Three Realms. I am very gratified."

Recalling the past, Jiufeng sighed, "During the Jiuli War, the immortals of the Chan Sect mobilized all their forces, and that despicable villain Zhuanxu plotted treacherous schemes, ultimately causing the demise of all the remaining great shamans of the Wu Clan, and Xing Tian also tragically died in battle. I could only flee to the ancient starry sky, trapped in the Starry Sky Innate Killing Array. I don't know why, but Ziyu was able to find me, rescue me, and even discuss the Dao with me, telling me that comprehending the twelve laws could lead to the Great Dao of Power, which is why I was able to return during this great calamity!"

Since the Investiture of the Gods, Houtu has naturally known everything that has happened in the Three Realms. Even though she knows, she has no way to participate and has no direct followers, so she can only observe.

Houtu naturally saw all of Yin Ziyu's schemes and was amazed.

Upon hearing this, Houtu couldn't help but exclaim, "Ziyu is truly a master strategist; he even managed to outwit you!"

Jiufeng was also amazed, sighing, "This person's scheming is truly astounding. He has actually reconciled the karma between humans and demons, and between witches and demons, so that the three races are no longer enemies!"

Houtu nodded slightly and said solemnly, "The three races should not be enemies. His ability to see through the root of the problem is truly beyond the reach of ordinary people."

Upon hearing Houtu's words, Jiufeng was slightly taken aback and hurriedly asked, "Ancestral Witch, what is the root cause of this?"

Houtu's expression was solemn. After a moment's thought, she slowly said, "I am now trapped in the Netherworld. Since the beginning of reincarnation, all the members of the Wu Clan have perished. The vast Netherworld is without a ruler. Seeing this, Buddhism and Chan Sect have both moved into the Netherworld. I am powerless to maintain the operation of reincarnation. Now that you have returned, all these causes and effects, and even the future of the Wu Clan, are in your hands. From now on, you are the patriarch of the Wu Clan and the lord of the Netherworld. All choices will be made by you!"

Upon hearing this, Jiufeng's expression turned solemn. He slowly nodded and looked at Houtu with a serious gaze.

At this moment, Jiufeng's combat power is already renowned throughout the Three Realms. The outcome of her battle with Yin Ziyu is unpredictable. If she were to receive assistance from the Pangu Palace, she would be virtually invincible in the Three Realms.

Now, directly taking control of the Netherworld and becoming its master would be no challenge for Jiu Feng.

Even if the three religions had not closed their mountains, they would still not be able to stop Jiu Feng.

It can be said that the Witch Clan has completed the first step of its resurrection since the decline of the Witch Demons. The ancient starry sky has made a powerful return, and the Three Killing Stars Innate Array has been refined. They have mastered the Great Dao of Power, and their army, though composed of only one person, has become an unstoppable force.

It can be said that as long as the Nine Phoenixes of the Wu Clan live, the Wu Clan will not perish.

Houtu is essentially a reincarnation of the Heavenly Dao. She naturally knows many secrets, but she is restricted and powerless to do anything about them.

Now that Jiufeng has returned and taken charge of the Wu tribe, the ancient secrets must naturally be revealed to her. This victory in the great calamity is, in fact, a step into the deep waters of the primordial karma.

There is no turning back. Whether it is Yin Ziyu, the Witch Clan, the Demon Clan, or even the Jie Sect, there is no turning back.

These three forces were destined to perish according to the original primordial order, but now they have not only survived but have also won the Great Tribulation and seized power in the primordial world. In this case, the cause and effect of the ancient times must be settled.

In other words, the victory in this great calamity has brought the reform of the primordial world into deep waters, getting closer and closer to the root cause, so a huge crisis will inevitably come.

All these forces have lost their way out, and Houtu must inform Jiufeng about the root of the problem so that Jiufeng can prepare.

Now that the Great Tribulation has ended and the karma since the Investiture of the Gods has been cleared up, the karma of the Witch and Demon has been exposed.

The cause of the Investiture of the Gods came from the witches and demons. The cause of the witches and demons is related to the root cause. Now that the Investiture of the Gods has ended, the root cause has been exposed. Yin Ziyu understands, the sage understands, and Houtu understands, but she just doesn't say it out loud.

Houtu paused, then continued, "With the collapse of Mount Buzhou, the Wu Clan has been burdened with heavy karma, losing not only the power to control the Netherworld but also preventing the formation of the Underworld. Nuwa created humans, perfecting all living beings, marking the beginning of humanity. However, the demon race's slaughter of humans exacerbated the rifts among all beings, making it difficult for humanity to unite. This is the core root of the Wu-Demon Calamity!"

Houtu directly explained to Jiufeng the most fundamental issue of this primordial calamity: everything originated from the witches and demons, and the Investiture of the Gods was merely a continuation of perfecting order after the witches and demons.

After a moment of contemplation, Jiufeng said, "So, the endless struggle between the Witch and Demon races is actually a conflict between the Human Path and the Earth Path. All of this is intolerable to the Heavenly Path, which is why it prevents these two paths from taking shape?"

Houtu nodded slightly, her expression somber: "That's right. The various changes during the Lich War were all for the purpose of destroying the formation of the human and earthly paths, even at the cost of causing Mount Buzhou to collapse."

Jiufeng suddenly realized and said, "In that case, you, Ancestral Witch, should be the master of the Earthly Path, and Nuwa should be the master of the Human Path. And the occurrence of the Witch-Demon Calamity was to destroy the formation of these two paths? The extinction of the Witch Clan, the decline of the Demon Clan, and the deification of the Human Clan, turning them into slaves of faith, all restricted the formation of the Earthly Path and the Human Path!"

Houtu nodded, a hint of helplessness and感慨 flashing in her eyes: "Only after experiencing reincarnation did I understand the reason behind it, but it was all too late. Fortunately, Yin Ziyu has been planning step by step since the time of the Conferred Gods, and finally won this great calamity, bringing an opportunity for the reconstruction of the Underworld and the Human World. In the future, when you take charge of the Netherworld, you should form an alliance with Yin Ziyu. Since he can see through the root of the matter, he will surely help you achieve great things!"

With a resolute expression, Jiufeng nodded emphatically and said, "Don't worry, Ancestral Witch, Jiufeng understands!"

At this moment, Yin Ziyu had just finished participating in the Demon Emperor's coronation ceremony, and without lingering any longer, he transformed into a streak of light and headed straight for the Netherworld.

After all, the Netherworld is of paramount importance in the grand plan for the future.

As for the Netherworld, Yin Ziyu also had to make a trip there to finalize the future changes in the prehistoric world and to consult with the Goddess Houtu.

Yin Ziyu knew the identity of Houtu Niangniang and also possessed other information.

Deep within the Netherworld, in the Houtu Palace, as Houtu Niangniang was conversing with Jiufeng, she seemed to have already sensed something. A faint smile appeared on her lips as she softly said, "Ziyu has arrived!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yin Ziyu appeared in front of the Houtu Palace.

When Yin Ziyu arrived, Houtu personally greeted him with great respect, and Jiufeng immediately followed behind him out of Houtu Palace.

When Yin Ziyu saw Houtu and Jiufeng, he immediately bowed and respectfully said, "Ziyu greets Lady Houtu!"

Houtu is a person of great merit in heaven and earth, with a status equivalent to a saint, so Yin Ziyu naturally respects her. Houtu nodded slightly, her eyes filled with a sense of satisfaction: "Ziyu, there is no need for such formalities. I have seen you walk your own path step by step, win this great calamity, and save the life of the prehistoric world. I am very pleased."

Yin Ziyu showed a hint of apology on his face: "I have not come to pay my respects to Your Majesty until now, it is truly impolite of me to come now."

Houtu gently shook her head: "I am trapped in the underworld and cannot go out to help you. I must thank you for rescuing Jiufeng and averting the disaster of the extinction of the Wu clan."

Yin Ziyu immediately replied, "Your Majesty is too kind. Without Fellow Daoist Jiufeng's assistance, how could we have won this great calamity!"

Yin Ziyu did not take credit for this, but instead explained the attitude of cooperation and win-win. Houtu was slightly surprised after hearing this, but did not dwell on the matter. However, she greatly admired Yin Ziyu.

After exchanging pleasantries, they entered Houtu Palace. Houtu went straight to the point, sighing softly, "No need for formalities. Although the Great Tribulation has ended and it seems like we've won, the crisis is only getting worse. Ziyu, you must understand this!"

Yin Ziyu's expression turned solemn upon hearing this: "I understand what Your Majesty means. This victory is but a minor triumph; a greater calamity is not far off. Although the cause and effect of the Investiture of the Gods has been eliminated, the cause and effect between the Witch and the Demon has already manifested."

Houtu nodded, her eyes filled with even greater admiration: "Although I knew Ziyu could see through things, I am very pleased that Ziyu can think this way now!"

"Now that the cause and effect of the Investiture of the Gods has been sorted out, it is only unknown how Heaven will deal with this matter!"

Yin Ziyu frowned slightly, his heart filled with doubts, which was also the purpose of his visit.

Houtu fell into deep thought, then slowly spoke: "Although I have reincarnated through the Six Paths, I still cannot see the grand scheme of the Heavenly Dao. However, Ziyu, your Dao of the Heart has basically taken shape, and all living beings will cultivate the Dao of the Heart in the future. Obviously, the Heavenly Dao will not sit idly by, and there will surely be a great change soon! Perhaps the Heavenly Dao will have constraints to deal with your great success in the Dao of the Heart, or perhaps it will condone Ziyu's offense against the Heavenly Dao!"

Upon hearing this, Yin Ziyu frowned even more deeply: "If that's the case, then we must prepare in advance."

Houtu then said, "Ziyu, you must understand the power of the Heavenly Dao. The victory in this great calamity was extremely fortunate. If Hongjun had not intervened, this victory would have crumbled instantly. The Heavenly Dao will lose everything if it allows a sage to descend to the mortal realm! Be careful! In fact, if you do not touch the root, your cultivation will not improve. Touching the root will bring great disaster. Ziyu, you must take this seriously."

This is obvious even without Houtu saying it. We've now reached the point of walking a tightrope. If Yin Ziyu touches even the slightest red line, he could instantly reverse the victory of this great calamity.

The Heavenly Dao doesn't even need divine punishment; a sage can simply descend to the mortal realm and overturn everything.

As for the future, Yin Ziyu had no idea how Heaven or even sages would respond, let alone accept or acknowledge it.

How could the Heavenly Way Society possibly yield to ants!
Therefore, what Yin Ziyu needs to do now is to keep an eye on the red line and try not to cross it!
After discussing the issue of the red thread, Jiu Feng asked, "Fellow Daoist Zi Yu, the Netherworld is now in chaos. What should we do?"

After a moment's thought, Yin Ziyu said, "Fellow Daoist Jiufeng, you cannot rule the Netherworld without a direct line of support. However, the Witch Clan is now almost extinct. Why not relocate the Jiuli branch of the Human Race to the Netherworld? The Jiuli Clan was born from the Witch Clan of the Human Race and is of the Witch Clan bloodline. Now that the Witch Clan has basically disappeared, the Jiuli are the only remaining bloodline. Let them become the native inhabitants of the Netherworld and also become Fellow Daoist Jiufeng's direct line of support."

Upon hearing this, Jiufeng's eyes lit up immediately: "This is an excellent idea! Now, the bloodline of the Wu Clan is only left in the Jiuli Clan!"

Yin Ziyu continued, "We can also break the seal on Chi You, piece together his body, and resurrect him. Then we can relocate the Jiuli people to the Netherworld, let them multiply and thrive there, and thus form a new Wu tribe!"

Houtu's face lit up with joy upon hearing this: "That's wonderful. The Wu tribe will not perish. I must thank Ziyu for his great kindness in restoring the Wu tribe."

"Your Majesty is too kind, Ziyu dares not accept such praise!" Upon hearing Houtu's gratitude, Yin Ziyu quickly replied.

Houtu's expression hardened: "I am not sure how Heaven will target you, but Heaven will definitely come up with a way to dismantle the unity of all beings' hearts. You should understand what can replace the Way of the Heart in gathering the Way of Humanity, and what specific methods it will use. Ziyu, you should think carefully about this."

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty!" Yin Ziyu replied respectfully.

After some discussion, Yin Ziyu went to the place where Chi You was suppressed.

At this point, there was no one left to guard Chi You's physical body. Yin Ziyu raised his hand and waved it, and all the seals that had imprisoned Chi You were instantly broken.

Then, Yin Ziyu pieced together Chi You's scattered body parts, and with a thought, a powerful life force was injected into them.

In an instant, a colossal demon slowly opened its eyes; it was Chi You who had been resurrected.

After Chi You was resurrected, he looked at Yin Ziyu with gratitude in his eyes: "Chi You thanks you for resurrecting me, fellow Daoist!"

Yin Ziyu pointed to the side and said, "Look who's over there."

Soon, Jiufeng's figure appeared before them.

Chi You was originally a great shaman of the Wu tribe, but for some unknown reason, he died during the Wu-Yao calamity and was strangely reincarnated into the Jiuli tribe. This was clearly a conspiracy to destroy the Wu tribe.

Upon seeing Jiufeng, Chiyou exclaimed with great joy, "Great Witch Jiufeng, you've arrived!"

Jiufeng nodded, her eyes filled with excitement: "Brother Chiyou, you have finally been resurrected."

Chi You angrily declared, "I will definitely seek revenge against Xuanyuan!"

Ziyu quickly advised, "Times have changed, there's no need to mention revenge anymore. We need Fellow Daoist Chiyou to rebuild the Wu Clan. You can unite the Jiuli people and head to the Netherworld!"

Then, Jiufeng explained the current situation of the Three Realms, and Chiyou understood.

Upon hearing this, Chi You's expression turned serious, and he immediately said, "The Jiuli people originally possessed the bloodlines of both the human and the witch races, and also belonged to the witch race. As the great witch of the witch race, it is naturally my duty to rebuild the witch race!"

At that moment, Chi You returned to the land of the Jiuli people in the southern border region.

When the Jiuli people saw Chiyou return, they immediately stepped forward to pay homage.

Chi You stood on the high ground and shouted: "Jiuli warriors, my Jiuli tribe is originally a branch of the Wu tribe. Now follow me and the Great Witch Jiufeng to the Netherworld. From now on, the Netherworld will be the domain of my Jiuli tribe!"

As soon as Chi You finished speaking, the remnants of the Jiuli people erupted in a deafening roar. The Jiuli tribe had finally welcomed their king.

Subsequently, led by Chi You, the remnants of the Jiuli people marched in a mighty procession toward the Netherworld.

The Jiuli people inherently possess the bloodlines of both humans and witches, having not only the powerful physique of the witches but also the primordial spirit of humans.

Upon entering the Netherworld, under the coordination of Chi You and Jiu Feng, they immediately began to restore order to the Netherworld. The Jiu Li tribe quickly dispersed to the empty spaces left by the immortals and Buddhas in the Netherworld.

Under the rule of the Nine-Phoenix Chi You, the chaotic Netherworld gradually regained its order.

The Jiuli tribe possesses its own primordial spirit and can utilize the evil energy of the Netherworld to refine its body, giving it a natural advantage in controlling the cycle of reincarnation.

He quickly took over the chaotic order of the Ten Kings of Hell and the cycle of reincarnation, bringing order to the previously disordered system.

Whether it was the guidance and judgment of the deceased, or the arrangement of reincarnation, everything began to proceed in an orderly manner.

At this time, the basic structure of the prehistoric world after the Great Tribulation had already taken shape.

With the existence of a human emperor, the human race gradually regained its status as the largest race.

On Mount Zhaoyao, the Demon Court of Ten Thousand Races stands, gathering all the races of the primordial world. After the Demon Emperor ascended the throne, the cohesion within the demon race greatly increased, and their fortune also improved.

In addition, various independent cultivators also occupied their respective sacred mountains and blessed lands.

After the great calamity of the Journey to the West, the order gradually stabilized. At this time, Yin Ziyu handed over the position of the High Priest of the Human Race to Luo Shen, and took the opportunity to go into seclusion to comprehend and prove the Dao.

At this moment, all living beings in the Three Realms of the Primordial World began to enter and leave the Heart Realm in large numbers, cultivating the Way of the Heart and condensing the power of the Heart Source. This caused the Heart Realm to continuously strengthen. In the blink of an eye, an era passed in an instant, and at this time, Yin Ziyu's transcendent heart was almost perfected, and he was about to attain the Dao.

However, Yin Ziyu knew that if his cultivation level continued to increase, he would soon cross the red line.

On this day, the vast, clear sky was suddenly rippling with waves. At first, these ripples were only slight and did not attract much attention from living beings.

But in an instant, the ripples suddenly intensified, as if a huge gash had been torn open in the sky, and endless rays of light burst forth from the crack, dyeing the entire prehistoric sky red.

Immediately afterwards, an indescribable aura spread out, an aura so pure and ancient yet so vast that all living beings in the primordial world involuntarily trembled in their hearts.

From the crack in the sky, endless primordial spiritual energy poured down like a surging river.

These innate elements display a vibrant array of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, interwoven together like a magnificent ribbon stretching across the heavens and earth.

Wherever the primordial source passes, the void trembles slightly and emits a buzzing sound.

The torrent of spiritual energy transformed into a roaring dragon, instantly surging into the entire primordial world. Seeing this, Yin Ziyu immediately stood up, his eyes grave: "I never expected it to be the Primordial Origin! The Primordial Origin has returned!" (End of Chapter)