Primordial Era: A Counterattack Against Hongjun Daozu at the Start

Under such restrictions, even if a powerful figure like the Styx Ancestor secretly sabotaged them and sent the Asura race to cause trouble, the human race could only swallow their anger and suffer in silence.

They arrived at the Eight Views Palace as they spoke. Passing through the winding corridors, they saw the Supreme Sage contemplating the Dao with his eyes closed. When the Sage opened his eyes, his gaze, sharp as lightning, pierced the Book of Changes:

"Junior Sister Nuwa should have already mentioned the Dao Ancestor's arrangements. This matter concerns the order of heaven and earth, so remember not to harbor any illusions. You have rendered meritorious service in protecting the Six Paths of Reincarnation during this war between the Lich King and the Demon King. You will need to take good care of it in the future."

"This disciple will remember. On the return journey, I will take four quasi-saint level experts to the Myriad Fire Cave," Zhou Yi replied with a bow. Purple mist swirled within the palace, and wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, making the saint's face appear even more unfathomable.

Zhou Yi smiled wryly and cupped his hands: "This time, the Dao Ancestor has put a tight band around my head, trapping me in the Ten Thousand Fire Cave as a gatekeeper. I really have no power to help with the Six Paths of Reincarnation."

This statement was half true and half false, mixed with a hint of feigned pitifulness; in reality, a secret plan had already been laid in the underworld.

The old man Taiqing didn't even lift his eyelids, and continued to add incense to the incense burner: "Those two bald monks will cause trouble sooner or later. Remember, I'll handle Jieyin and Zhunti, and you can deal with the rest of the underlings yourself."

Zhou Yi ground his teeth in disbelief. Was this old man truly confused or feigning ignorance? He himself had been confined by the Dao Ancestor; did he expect the old man to cast a spell from afar?

Just as I was wondering how to respond, I looked up and found that Laozi had long since departed into the void, leaving only the ash of incense falling in the hall.

"Well, I've been made a fool of again." Zhou Yi bowed and left the main hall. Just as he was about to cross the threshold, Laozi suddenly said, "Go to the front of the Ten Thousand Fire Cave, and take a stroll in the Chaos Sea along the way."

Zhou Yi felt a chill run down his spine, but when he turned around, the Taoist temple gate slammed shut. He sneered, clutching the two fragments of the Roc's soul hidden in his sleeve: "I was just looking for an excuse to deal with that old mudfish, and here comes the knife."

But his heart was pounding. How could Laozi know that he was thinking about the Chaos Bell?

That broken bell went missing during the Lich War; I was just trying my luck.

He was planning this mission: he had to eliminate the Roc completely, but also guard against the backlash from the Chaos Bell.

Although his quasi-saint cultivation is impressive, he might not fare well against a supreme innate treasure.

What's even stranger is that the old man Taiqing's reminder came in a really strange way. Could it be that those people from the Outer Heavens are plotting something again?

Zhou Yi's fingertips trembled slightly. Could it be that all my plans have been seen through by the Sage Taiqing? He stared at the palm lines for a long time, then suddenly shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh.

If that sage could truly foresee his own next move, how could he still be standing unscathed outside the Eight Views Palace at this moment?

"There are probably some hidden agents in the Chaos Sea that we can't figure out." He murmured as he stepped onto the cloud, suppressing all his doubts.

At this moment, in the council hall atop Shouyang Mountain, four figures draped in animal skin cloaks were pacing back and forth, the torch held by the Emperor of Fire casting flickering light on the walls.

Suihuang's torch suddenly shot up three zhang high: "Ancestor of Humanity, give me a straight answer. If we're all trapped in the cave, and the next demonic wind blows, are we going to send those little brats who've just learned to cultivate qi to take our place?"

Zhou Yi flicked away a spark that drifted before his eyes: "Do you all remember the tribulation of lightning that Heaven sent down three hundred years ago when the Water God knocked down Mount Buzhou?"

He raised his hand and drew in the air, and the cataclysmic lightning of that year reappeared before everyone's eyes: "The rise of humanity is the will of Heaven, who dares to stand in our way..."

"boom!"

The council hall suddenly trembled as lightning gathered in Zhou Yi's palm shattered half of the jade table.

Looking at the corner of the table that had turned to dust, Youchao suddenly recalled the scene ten years ago during the war between the Lich King and the Demon King, when this human emperor shattered the twelve ancestral witches' Dharma images with just his aura.

"Besides..." Zhou Yi brushed the jade dust off his robes, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, "When the day Xuanyuan emerges from Lieshan carrying his sword, do you think those old guys hiding in their grottoes will be scrambling to become his protectors?"

The torch of the Fire Emperor suddenly went out, and a sharp light simultaneously shone in the eyes of the four Quasi-Saints.

They then realized that Ancestor Hongyuan's seemingly demotion was actually a way to make room for the successor to the Human Emperor.

Thinking of this, Ziyi suddenly laughed out loud, and the beast bone pendant hanging from her waist jingled.

To put it bluntly, as long as Zhou Yi is still wandering around the human realm, he is the uncrowned king recognized by all the human races in the world.

No matter what the Three Sovereigns of Heaven, Earth, and Man might come, it wouldn't make a difference; the common people only recognize this one as their leader.

However, once Zhou Yi, along with the quasi-saints like Suihuang, went into seclusion in the Wanhuo Cave, it was only natural that the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors would ascend to the throne and become the leaders.

"What do you mean by 'talented individuals'? If it weren't for our Ancestor leading everyone in pioneering and developing the primordial continent, our human race would still be eating dirt! He passed down cultivation techniques, he nurtured top experts, which upstart can compare to him?"

Ziyi slammed his fist on the table, indignant. Although Hongyuan Daozu possessed extraordinary magical power, he had no understanding of human nature whatsoever. The imprint left by the Book of Changes on the human race could not be easily erased.

The human race now practices the Heaven-Covering Technique he created, and that alone is enough to be praised for generations.

Cang Wenshi put it even more bluntly: "Now, apart from the human race, no one would accept anyone sitting in that chair." This is no exaggeration; Zhou Yi is now a walking advertisement. As long as he speaks, even if there's a volcano in front of them, the human race would dare to jump in.

"Stop this. We can still protect the human race from the shadows while we're hiding in the Ten Thousand Fire Cave. But if we really go against the Dao Ancestor, we'll be done for in no time. At that point, forget about protecting the human race; the entire race might be doomed."

Zhou Yi's words silenced everyone. Although Suihuang and the others felt aggrieved, they could only swallow their words.

What's even more jaw-dropping is that Zhou Yi then turned around and divided the human race into tens of thousands of tribes.

The large ones had populations of millions, while the small ones consisted of groups of only a few thousand people. They were scattered all over the prehistoric world, and even the surrounding three thousand small worlds were not left behind.

Actually, he had been planning this since the Lich War had just ended, but he didn't openly break it up at the time.

At first glance, this move seems to have caused the human race to fall apart. If it weren't for Zhou Yi's overwhelming reputation, he would have been drowned in criticism long ago.

However, a closer look reveals the trick: tens of thousands of tribes are actually distributed across two hundred strategic zones, with each zone having a large tribe with a population of millions, and all of them being leaders at the level of Great Luo Golden Immortals.

This isn't just self-inflicted harm; it's clearly a grand strategy.

Within the core circle of the Imperial Feather Guard, there are two hundred top experts who have mastered the Heaven-Covering Emperor Technique.

These powerful beings each guard a specific region, and around each region are several small settlements led by Golden Immortal-level leaders.

These powerful figures had all worked together in the Imperial Feather Guard in their early years, and they shared a deep bond of camaraderie, always helping each other out in times of crisis.

The Book of Changes pioneered the strategy of "breaking down the whole into parts" to extend the tribal network to every corner of the prehistoric world.

Even in the remote Three Thousand Minor Worlds, there are vanguard outposts guarded by Golden Immortals. This layout ensures overall coordination.

With a simple call from Zhou Yi, he could quickly gather fighting forces, thus avoiding the fear and apprehension that might arise from a powerful force.