Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

The East-West Chamber of Commerce was originally a caravan from the villages of Dongsang and Xisang. Later, with the support of Su Ji, it became the most successful in Jinfeng County and one of the top chambers of commerce in Yuzhou.

During the period of the Three Emperors' rule, the East-West Merchant Guild boarded the ship of the Western Emperor, and with the Western Emperor's formal ascension to the throne, it became a world-renowned imperial merchant.

Now that the East-West Chamber of Commerce has been fully taken over by the imperial court, the people who are most unable to accept it are not Su Ji, but the elders of the East-West Chamber of Commerce.

However, the court's decision could not be resisted by opposition, and the East-West Chamber of Commerce was soon taken over by officials.

Zhou Wen accepted reality and took a step back, going from being the top leader to a high-ranking official in the imperial merchant group. Zhou Lan, still resentful, resigned from his post and returned to Yuzhou. Qiu Yue voluntarily applied to be transferred back to Jinfeng County. The Li couple hadn't gotten involved much to begin with and continued to run the Laifu Restaurant in Jinfeng County...

Of course, there were those who refused to relinquish power and those who secretly sabotaged the process, but they all became targets for making an example of others. In the face of the behemoth that is the imperial court, not to mention these members of the chamber of commerce, even Su Ji could only stand by and watch.

It wasn't that Su Ji lacked power, but rather that the more he resisted in the face of the overwhelming tide of humanity, the greater the losses would be, and the turmoil in the human world might even provoke the Heavenly Court to intervene. So he simply stopped getting involved.

On second thought, the East-West Chamber of Commerce rose and fell because of the Western Emperor, and now he owes the court nothing!

Moreover, even if large chambers of commerce like the East-West Chamber of Commerce were handed over to the imperial court, they could continue to operate according to their "inertia," and would not affect Su Ji's base of support in the short term.

Ultimately, even without the East-West Chamber of Commerce, Su Ji still has various industries at his disposal. Not to mention the various blessed lands, the land, mines, fishing grounds, and factories alone are enough to form the foundation for his comeback.

Indeed, the imperial merchant portion of the East-West Chamber of Commerce was handed over, but this did not affect the civilian merchant portion of the East-West Chamber of Commerce. Qiu Yue of the Qiu family returned to Jinfeng County to stabilize her base.

As time went by, the East-West Chamber of Commerce became the number one private merchant in Yuzhou in just three months.

The imperial court had just enjoyed a taste of wealth, and although it did not suppress the East-West Chamber of Commerce, it did not forget to keep a close watch on it. Apart from goods transported via the South China Sea route, it basically restricted the East-West Chamber of Commerce to the territory of Yuzhou.

Even so, the East-West Chamber of Commerce still prospered, not only because its business methods far surpassed those of ordinary merchants, but also because of the high quality and technological content of its products.

Several years ago, the East-West Chamber of Commerce began to develop rubber products. Whether it was rubber shoes, rubber water pipes or rubber tires, they all became new products ahead of their time. Even though the imperial court levied heavy taxes on these products, they were still in high demand and sold all over the country.

Secondly, there were some machines developed by the Mohist mechanical engineers, including steam-powered and electric machines, but they were very bulky due to the difficulty in manufacturing batteries.

Even so, the first steamship was officially launched, sailing down the Taihe River into the sea and even reaching the island chain in the South China Sea.

For a time, not only the people along the coast, but also foreign tribes were shocked, but the imperial court did not take it seriously.

Soon, a fleet of steamships was assembled and began to travel to various places via major waterways, selling the goods of the East-West Chamber of Commerce to all regions.

Because of the wealth gap, the customer base is not ordinary people, but the wealthy and powerful.

As large amounts of silver flowed into the Yuzhou East-West Merchant Guild, the imperial court finally realized something was wrong, but it was powerless to stop it. After all, the East-West Merchant Guild paid taxes on every penny it earned, and the imperial court also made a considerable profit.

Even regarding the steam caravans' journey to trade on the islands of the South China Sea, only the officials in charge of the royal caravans felt the pressure; the imperial court was only concerned with collecting taxes and did not interfere much in other matters.

At the same time, Su Ji once again came to the Phoenix Clan's Cave Heaven and met Zhang Xiaolian, who had achieved success in her cultivation.

Zhang Xiaolian is only in her early twenties, yet she has already mastered all the Dao Fruits left over from her previous life, becoming an invincible immortal general who possesses three medium-sized Dao Fruits. She is only one step away from fusing the Dao Fruits and becoming a true immortal lord.

However, Zhang Xiaolian couldn't do this in her previous life, and it's not so simple in this life either. Besides her own cultivation level, there is also pressure from the Taiyin Star Moon Queen.

Looking at the man before her who had long surpassed her, Zhang Xiaolian sighed and said, "The protection and cover provided by the Phoenix Clan's Grotto Heaven have come to an end. According to my plan from my previous life, my next step should be to head to the Hell of Extreme Desire!"

After ordinary people die, except for the most wicked and evil, they will enjoy incense offerings in their hometowns in various places. Some are reincarnated after their lifespan in the underworld has run out, while others choose to reincarnate early because the incense offerings are insufficient to sustain their lives.

As a result, the underworld is merely the last stop for souls to reincarnate, and most of the underworld is thus referred to as hell.

Under the rule of the Five Emperors, there were eighteen levels of hell: the Eastern Wind and Thunder Hell, the Southern Fire Hell, the Western Vajra Hell, the Northern Dark Hell, and the Central Universal Plunder Hell. Brahma's territory was not large, consisting only of these eighteen vertically descending levels of hell...

In addition, the South China Sea island chain also has its own hell, namely the so-called Hell of Extreme Desire.

The existence of the Five Directions Hell serves not only to control the ghosts and gods born in the underworld, but also to punish the wicked and serve as a warning to others.

The eighteen levels of hell in Brahma's realm are more for intimidating believers and to highlight the beauty of the Pure Land of Brahma.

The extreme hell of the South China Sea island chain is different. Here, all the ghosts can release their most primal desires, "bloom" the most essential power in their souls, and ultimately become spiritual or even soul food for alien gods.

The Hell of Extreme Desire is said to be completely free, but if you want to unleash your desires, you need a certain amount of capital... There are no middlemen here, and the only beneficiaries are those powerful alien beings.

Su Ji frowned: "Even if you prepared enough resources in your previous life, it may not be enough to satisfy the greed of the alien powers. Once exposed, those alien powers will be even less likely to stop the Moon Emperor for your sake. I think you should not go to the Hell of Extreme Desire!"

The fact that he could say these words proves that he already had an alternative, namely the capital city, where humanity and national fortune were at their peak.

Now that the world is at peace and humanity and the nation are thriving, Zhang Xiaolian will absolutely not be detected by the Moon Empress, the Emperor of Taiyin, as long as she does not use the power of the Dao Fruit in the capital.

Even the resources Zhang Xiaolian needs for cultivation can be transported to the capital through the East-West Chamber of Commerce, and she can break through to the Immortal Lord level when the time is right.

“In that case, let’s go to the capital to cultivate!” In fact, Zhang Xiaolian did not want to be bound by the constraints of her past life, not to mention that Su Ji at this time had already surpassed her in her past life.

As autumn turned to winter, a wealthy family from Yuzhou quietly appeared in the capital. Even though their newly built mansion was inconspicuous, it aroused much speculation because of the celebration by Zhou Wen, a high-ranking official of the imperial merchants.

Only then did people realize that the Zhang family was one of the founding members of the East-West Chamber of Commerce, and that the Zhang family's wife was a descendant of the Deng family, a prominent family of scholars.

Back then, although Grand Secretary Deng only held the fifth rank, one of his students became a prime minister, which made him quite famous.

Subsequently, people also noticed this unmarried Miss Zhang. Although few people saw Miss Zhang's face, they could discern something from her extraordinary temperament.

Some even wanted to introduce Zhang's daughter to potential marriage partners, but she replied that she was devoted to cultivating Taoism, which many people secretly regretted.

Soon after the Lunar New Year, the Lantern Festival arrives, and a lantern festival that blends Taoist and Buddhist customs slowly unfolds.

Lanterns hung everywhere in the streets and alleys, and even lotus lanterns floated in the river. The streets and alleys were bustling with traffic, creating a lively and prosperous scene.

Zhang Xiaolian originally intended to continue her spiritual practice at home, but she accepted an invitation from Li Hui, who was returning to the capital to report on his duties, and also from the brothers Zhou Wen and Qian Feng, who were new to the capital.

Li Hui and Zhang Xiaolian's fathers were colleagues who died together on a business trip to the countryside. Li Hui inherited his father's official position, while Zhang Xiaolian could only return to Dongsang Village with her mother.

Over the years, Li Hui has become a general commanding three thousand soldiers, but he has never married despite his years of military service. This meeting is partly a reunion with fellow villagers and friends, but also carries some hidden agendas.

As Zhang Xiaolian gracefully approached, Li Hui was momentarily stunned. Even though she wore a veil, it couldn't hide her fairy-like aura.

After greeting her, Zhang Xiaolian removed her veil, revealing a face that, while not stunning, possessed an elegant and dignified beauty, like that of a deity in a temple. Li Hui, though a handsome man, paled in comparison.

During the meal, Li Hui only talked about his experiences over the years, and after the meal, he simply watched Zhang Xiaolian leave without mentioning anything else.

Unexpectedly, before Li Hui could withdraw his gaze, a familiar figure came into view. It wasn't the appearance or figure, but rather the unique anomaly on that person.

Then, a magnificently dressed man surrounded by a crowd radiated seven-colored light. Looking up, one could see a golden canopy shrouded in purple mist. It was none other than the emperor whom Li Hui had just met that morning!

The direction the emperor was heading was precisely towards Zhang Xiaolian, who had just left her banquet to go home.

"Not good!" Li Hui's expression changed slightly.

Even he felt that Zhang Xiaolian's extraordinary temperament paled in comparison; it would be bad if the emperor took notice of her.

As expected, the emperor, disguised as a white dragon fish-shaped man, actually set his sights on Zhang Xiaolian. To everyone's surprise, Zhang Xiaolian disappeared into the crowd in the blink of an eye.

Although Li Hui didn't know what had happened, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Even though he felt he wasn't good enough for Zhang Xiaolian, he didn't want the emperor to approach her...

Unfortunately, before Li Hui could even leave the restaurant, a group of people blocked his way and began asking about Zhang Xiaolian's situation.

Since the other party had not yet invoked the emperor's name, Li Hui remained silent and even tried to find an opportunity to force his way out.

However, Zhou Wen's figure appeared not far away, and he knew that everything could no longer be hidden.

As expected, officials went to the Zhang residence early the next morning with the emperor's decree to confer the title of "Master Yujing Chongmiao" upon the young lady of the Zhang family, a nominal fifth-rank position at Yaohua Temple.

Yaohua Temple enshrines Yaohua God, one of the gods under the Southern Red Emperor, and is worshipped in various places.

Ordinary people thought the emperor had simply conferred the title of female Taoist priest, but Li Hui saw through the emperor's intentions. This first step was merely to elevate Zhang Xiaolian's status, and the second step was to use his power to bring Zhang Xiaolian into the harem.

This is not just wild speculation; the Eastern Emperor did it during his short reign, and there have been similar examples among emperors throughout history.

However, before Li Hui could come up with a solution, news came from the Zhang residence that Zhang Xiaolian had passed away in just a few days.

Not to mention Li Hui, even the emperor dared not believe this matter, and even suspected that the Zhang family did this on purpose to disobey orders.

However, news soon confirmed that this was true, and the emperor, in disbelief, went to the Zhang family in person to check the situation.

The Zhang residence was not large, consisting of only two courtyards, an inner and an outer one. Upon entering, one would find an old tree with few leaves remaining. And upon reaching the corridor, one would indeed find the lifelike corpse of the Zhang family's young lady.

By this time, Li Hui had been standing in the courtyard for a long time, watching the emperor leave with constant sighs, a strange mix of emotions stirring within him. In Li Hui's view, it was all because of the emperor that Zhang Xiaolian chose to end her promising life with death…

He never expected that Zhang Xiaolian was standing behind Su Ji, calmly watching the emperor leave.

"I sent you to the capital, but I never expected this calamity." Su Ji was also helpless. If Zhang Xiaolian hadn't possessed a real dream, this calamity would have been really difficult to resolve.

The price was not small. This move deceived everyone with a physical body created from a real dream, but it also severed many of Zhang Xiaolian's karmic ties in this life. She could no longer walk the world as Zhang Xiaolian.

Zhang Xiaolian simply smiled and said, "In my previous life, I foresaw many situations worse than this one, but none of them occurred after I met you, sir. Even this time, it was thanks to your power of heaven and earth that the investigation of human destiny and national fortune was blocked."

No sooner had these words been spoken than the emperor, who was leaving by carriage not far away, suddenly sensed something and inadvertently turned his head to look at the sky above the Zhang family's courtyard.

In an instant, the dragon of national destiny coiled above the capital city suddenly opened its eyes. Before its huge golden dragon eyes were fully open, a powerful aura gathered around Su Ji.

"Not good!" Su Ji's expression changed slightly.

His ability to hide in the void with Zhang Xiaolian was not due to the use of any magic or supernatural powers, but rather because he constructed a small world with the power of heaven and earth.

However, even though he had already comprehended the last [Root Law] of Yin-Yang Harmony, he still had not completely integrated the nine [Root Laws] into one and become a true Pioneering Little Saint.

So much so that when the human emperor, carrying the power of the long dragon of human destiny above the capital, looked down, the small space he created was like a layer of ice under the sun, and it was very likely that a gap would break through it.

If the emperor were to see them, the backlash against humanity and the nation's fate would be secondary; the real fear would be that the emperor would relentlessly pursue Zhang Xiaolian, leading to countless troubles.

So Su Ji quickly took a branch from his waist, and instantly a phantom sun rose in front of him.

Subsequently, Su Ji used nine [Root Methods] to activate the most fundamental way of deflection, redirecting the emperor's and the long dragon of human destiny's fortune to the great sun behind them.

In an instant, a golden streak of light with a seven-colored tail streaked across the sky and finally disappeared in the direction of the sun.

In the emperor's eyes, the golden light emanating from the sun was slightly dazzling, and for a moment he even saw the phantom of a sacred Fusang tree.

"Could it be that Miss Zhang did not die... but ascended to the Sun God Court?" This thought suddenly emerged in the emperor's mind, and then took root like a tree.

Legend has it that there is a Sun God Court within the Sun and a Moon God Court within the Moon. Some people ascend to heaven in their physical bodies, while others ascend in their souls.

Upon first meeting Miss Zhang, he sensed an ethereal quality about her and couldn't help but think of taking her into his harem as a concubine.

"That must be it. Miss Zhang has already achieved great success in her cultivation, and now the time is right for her to ascend to the Sun God Court!"

The emperor became increasingly certain and immediately said to his attendants, "Miss Zhang's passing is not as simple as her death. She must have attained enlightenment and ascended to the Sun God Court. Immediately build a temple to worship this Jade Serenity and Wonderful Divine Maiden!"

Even if an ordinary Taoist ascends to immortality, he is still just an ordinary immortal. If he wants to get involved in the divine path, he still has to wait in line for a vacancy in a divine position.

If the imperial court builds temples for Taoists to worship, it is a great honor, and such human deities with a foundation of faith are more likely to obtain divine office.

Zhang Xiaolian, however, was somewhat disdainful. In her previous life, she was the Lesser Yin Goddess, one of the three great powers in charge of the Western Vajra Hell, and she looked down on the so-called Jade Serenity and Wonderful Goddess.

Furthermore, the position of human deity bestowed upon her by the emperor would become a burden, and if it exposed her past life identity, it would be an even worse thing.

"What should I do?"

Just as Zhang Xiaolian frowned slightly, Su Ji suddenly revealed a smile.

He had mastered the "Yin-Yang Harmony" [Root Method] for more than half a year, but it still seemed like something was missing, and he had not been able to fully integrate the nine [Root Methods].

It was the emperor's glance that suddenly made him find the problem: the way to expand the road not only involves the mysteries of heaven and earth, yin and yang, the four symbols and the five elements, but also the mysteries of heaven, earth and man.

Over the years, he has been comprehending the mysteries of heaven and earth, but he has neglected the most basic human principles. If he wants to integrate the nine [root methods] and become a pioneering saint, he still needs a little help from human principles.

Zhang Xiaolian has just severed her karmic ties in this life because of humanity, yet he does not need to personally enter the mortal realm to experience humanity. You should know that his position as the God of Wealth is that of a pure and upright human deity!

Having made this plan, Su Ji noticed Zhang Xiaolian's expression and couldn't help but smile: "Since you can't stay in the capital, why not take advantage of the Emperor's power to enter the Sun God Court? There, the Moon Emperor and the Moon Queen won't be able to interfere with you!"

Zhang Xiaolian's position is in the Lesser Yin realm, which, in theory, conflicts with the Sun God Court.

In Su Ji's view, Taiyin can give rise to Shaoyin, and Taiyang can also give rise to Shaoyin. Perhaps Zhang Xiaolian's opportunity to attain enlightenment lies somewhere in the Taiyang Divine Court!
Immediately, Su Ji summoned an avatar of the God of Wealth and began to comprehend the power of humanity within it.

In the following days, the imperial court indeed built a temple for Zhang Xiaolian as instructed by the emperor, and it was completed in just over a month.

Over the past month, many immortals and gods have been curious about this ascended Miss Zhang, but under Su Ji's cover, they have not noticed anything unusual. Even the spies of the Taiyin Emperor have returned empty-handed.

On the day the temple was completed, all the gods and immortals finally met this Miss Zhang, including the Golden Toad God, who had a close relationship with the Zhang family.

At that time, the incense smoke filled the sky. With the help of the great humanistic power bestowed by the emperor, Su Ji flew into the sky and brought Zhang Xiaolian, who was shrouded in the auspicious energy of the incense, to the Sun Palace of the Heavenly Court.

Immediately, Su Ji took out the hibiscus branch in his hand, and the gods of the Sun Palace cooperated by opening the Void Well passage to the Sun God Court.

Without anyone noticing, Su Ji and Zhang Xiaolian arrived at the Sun God Court, keeping it a secret from the world and even from the Moon Goddess.

However, before they could even leave the Void Well platform, a hibiscus branch fell from the sky and landed on Zhang Xiaolian's forehead.

If it were merely the falling of hibiscus branches, it would be one thing, but it also contained a breathtaking power, like a finger of heaven tearing through the void.

Upon seeing this, Su Ji's expression changed, and the mysterious power around him suddenly spun, blocking the hibiscus branch.

In an instant, a golden light, like ripples on water, appeared in the void. Beneath the seemingly ordinary light, the void was covered with cracks like a spider web. The energy that should have been blazing and vast in the center of the cracks seemed to have entered a black hole and disappeared into the void in an instant.

"Shattering the void!" This scene went unnoticed by ordinary gods, but it caught the eye of the Sun Emperor, whose eyes shone with golden light.

It should be understood that even those who achieve physical sainthood only shatter the void in other places, not within the Sun God Court that the ancient gods have managed for countless years.

Only those who have paved the way to sainthood can, through their mastery of the void, channel the power of the Heavenly Treasure Spiritual Root, the Fusang Divine Tree, into the void.

The Fusang Divine Tree no longer possessed its previous oppressive aura, instead conveying a benevolent wave: "So this child has already achieved the Great Perfection of the Path Opening and become a Lesser Saint. Regardless of whether the person he brought is the one wanted by the Heavenly Court, we need not concern ourselves with it..."

Even more so, to express its goodwill, the Fusang Divine Tree broke off another branch, which fell in front of Zhang Xiaolian: "You are blessed by the Golden Toad Immortal Saint and supported by the fortunes of the Humanitarian Nation, making you a truly fortunate person..."

Although Zhang Xiaolian had not yet reached that level, she had seen the void cracks. After the initial shock, she was quite incredulous that the situation had changed from immense danger to the current state.

Su Ji had already withdrawn his hands and revealed a smile: "Since it is a gift from the Fusang Divine Tree, Xiao Lian, you should accept it!"

His hands trembled imperceptibly, clearly indicating that the attack from the Fusang Divine Tree was not as simple as it seemed.

Fortunately, he was no longer the same as before. After officially entering the top ranks of this world, he could even barely withstand a casual strike from a Heavenly Treasure Spiritual Root.

Of course, we cannot ignore the powerful banner of the Soul Spirit Emperor behind him. Otherwise, a mere Pathfinder Saint might be able to act lawlessly in the outside world, but to run wild in the Sun God Court would be courting death.

"Thank you, Fusang Divine Tree!" Zhang Xiaolian thanked him obediently, and then a seemingly ordinary man with golden light hidden in his eyes walked over.

Su Ji understood and quickly said, "It's really too much trouble for the Sun Emperor to personally welcome us!"

The Sun Emperor, however, showed a gentle expression and said, "Fellow Daoist, you are already a Celestial Saint who has achieved the pinnacle of the Path-Opening Realm. After leaving the Sun God Court, I only dared to say that I could surpass you when the sun was hanging in the sky during the day, not to mention that your future is vast and far beyond what we so-called emperors of small worlds can compare to..."

The emperors of the small worlds are merely mid-level Celestial Immortals, while the emperors of the Nine Heavens are beings above Celestial Immortals; there is simply no comparison.

Furthermore, if Su Ji could break through to the Celestial Immortal level, he could directly surpass these so-called Small World Emperors. If he continued to advance along the path of expansion, he might even become a Great Sage!

Su Ji smiled and said, "Your Majesty flatters me!"

Of course, he didn't get carried away and quickly revealed the purpose of his visit to the Sun God's Court.

"The sun is born in a place of lesser yin?" Even the Sun Emperor was dumbfounded. There was indeed such a saying in the world, but he did not know that there would be such a place on the sun.

Just as Su Ji's face showed disappointment, the Fusang Divine Tree suddenly spoke: "In the ancient times, there was indeed a sun that gave birth to a lesser yin, but I refined it, and thus the Golden Crow clan was born..."

Upon hearing this, not only Su Ji and Zhang Xiaolian, but even the Sun Emperor was startled.

The Golden Crow Clan is a divine race born from the Fusang Divine Tree. There are even Golden Crows of the Sun at the Emperor level, making them the first-class among the ancient gods.

Unexpectedly, the birth of the Golden Crow God Clan was actually due to the Fusang Divine Tree devouring Lesser Yin. No wonder some Golden Crows possessed the ability to reproduce, giving birth to the Fire Crow Clan in ancient times. It turns out they were a mutated species with both Yin and Yang.

Then, the Fusang Divine Tree looked at Zhang Xiaolian and offered a choice: "If this destined person is willing to shed her human form and become a member of the Golden Crow clan, she can take advantage of the moment of transformation to comprehend the mysteries of Lesser Yin, and perhaps become an Immortal Lord at birth."

"At that time, you will be my daughter, and also a sister of the Golden Crow God Clan. Even the Heavenly Emperor will not dare to act recklessly upon learning your identity!" (End of Chapter)