Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Xiqi Martial Arts Arena

Banners blotted out the sun, and swords and spears formed a forest.

Ji Fa stood on the command platform, his armor gleaming, his face resolute.

He gazed at the 100,000-strong army arrayed below, at their young yet resolute faces.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

My father is imprisoned, and the court is in chaos.

The people of the world have suffered from the tyranny of merchants for too long.

Ji Fa wanted to overthrow King Zhou.

We must act on behalf of Heaven, and we must mourn the people and punish the guilty.

We must restore peace to the world.

"Master Jiang."

Ji Fa spoke, his voice low and deep.

Jiang Ziya stood beside him, his Taoist robe gray and white, his face composed.

"Your subject is here."

Ji Fa looked at him and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Xiqi raised an army to attack Chaoge."

"Jiang Shi is the commander-in-chief, leading the three armies."

"Is that alright?"

Jiang Ziya remained silent.

He looked at Ji Fa, at that resolute yet expectant face.

Thoughts raced through my mind.

Raise an army.

To overthrow King Zhou.

The Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods has officially begun.

He, Jiang Ziya, was the one destined to face this calamity.

That is the person in charge of bestowing titles upon the gods.

He is the kind of person who will save as many as he can.

"My lord, I obey your order."

Jiang Ziya knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

The sound shook the training ground, and the 100,000-strong army knelt down in unison.

"Conquer King Zhou!"

"Conquer King Zhou!"

"Conquer King Zhou!"

The sound shook the heavens, and the waves surged backward.

Ji Fa raised his hand, and the army fell silent.

He drew his sword and pointed it straight east.

"Let's march!"

The two words fell as if by divine decree.

One hundred thousand troops marched out in unison.

The earth trembled, and the weather changed color.

......

Chaoge Royal Palace

Emperor Xin sat upright on the dragon throne, his imperial robes draped down, his crown majestic.

Below, the courtiers stood on both sides.

Civil and military officials each occupied their respective positions.

The atmosphere inside the hall was heavy and oppressive.

Wen Zhong stood in the hall, a divine light flickering in his three eyes.

He bowed slightly, his voice low.

"Your Majesty, Xiqi has raised an army."

"Ji Fa appointed Jiang Ziya as commander-in-chief, leading an army of 100,000 to march eastward to Chaoge."

"The vanguard has reached Sishui Pass and will soon be at the city gates."

As soon as the voice fell, a commotion erupted in the hall.

The ministers turned pale and whispered among themselves.

Some suggested seeking peace, some advocated holding firm, and some suggested moving the capital.

There was much noise and disagreement.

Di Xin gazed at the noisy assembled officials with a cold look in his eyes.

That's enough.

The two words fell like ancient ice.

The hall fell silent.

The courtiers knelt and trembled.

Di Xin rose and stood with his hands behind his back before the dragon throne.

The emperor's robes hung down, and his crown stood majestically.

He raised his eyes and looked out of the hall.

Looking towards the west.

The direction from which the Xiqi army attacked.

"The Western Zhou rebels have invaded our Shang territory."

"I, the Emperor, will personally lead the expedition."

The sound fell like a thunderclap.

The assembled officials looked up, their eyes filled with disbelief.

The emperor personally led the expedition?

Is His Majesty going to personally lead the expedition?

Wen Zhong stepped forward, his three eyes flashing.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"Your Majesty is the most honored ruler of the land; how can you lightly venture onto the battlefield?"

"I am willing to be the commander and lead the army to meet the enemy in battle."

"We will surely defeat Xiqi and protect the Shang dynasty."

Di Xin looked at him, his gaze calm.

"Grand Tutor Wen, you've grown old."

The five words fell like the sound of a morning bell and an evening drum.

Wen Zhong was startled.

He looked at Di Xin, at that resolute yet determined face.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

His Majesty said he was old.

Yes.

He is old.

After cultivating for tens of thousands of years, one can become a Great Golden Immortal.

But before a sage, they are nothing but ants.

Before the army of Xiqi, it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

He is old.

I can't fight anymore.

It's time for him to step down.

"His Majesty."

Wen Zhong knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

"I am old."

"Ke Chen's heart has not grown old."

"Your Majesty, I am willing to be the vanguard and pave the way for you."

"Even if I die on the battlefield, I will never flinch."

Di Xin looked at him and remained silent.

a long time.

He nodded slowly.

"it is good."

"Grand Tutor Wen was appointed vanguard, leading the army ahead."

"I will personally lead a large army, and they will arrive shortly there."

"I want the rebels of Xiqi to know this."

"The Shang Dynasty is not to be trifled with."

"Di Xin is not someone to be trifled with."

The sound fell, like the clanging of metal and stone.

The courtiers knelt and prostrated themselves, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

"Long live Your Majesty!"

The sound reverberated throughout the palace, lingering for a long time.

Di Xin raised his eyes and looked outside the palace.

Looking towards the direction of the post station.

"Fellow Daoist Kong Xuan."

He spoke in a low voice.

"I am personally leading the expedition; I entrust Chaoge to you."

The sound faded, returning to nothingness.

......

Western Mount Sumeru

As dusk settled, the golden light dimmed.

At the Eight Treasures Merit Pond, lotus flowers withered and the water became murky.

Since Jieyin and Zhunti were suppressed by Taotie above the Di Ku tribe, the Western religion has been declining day by day.

Most of the disciples have scattered, and the fortune has dropped by 30%.

Even the few remaining close disciples were filled with fear and anxiety every day.

They were afraid that the man in blue might suddenly decide to suppress them as well.

He sat cross-legged by the pond, his body radiating an ever-changing golden light.

That face, which had once held so much pity for the billionaires, was now etched with exhaustion.

Only after Hongjun Daozu intervened were the two of them released by Taotie, and he has been cultivating here ever since.

It's not seclusion, it's hiding.

He hid from the gaze of the world, from the gossip of the ancient land, from the humiliation that made him feel utterly ashamed.

Zhunti sat beside him, head bowed, without uttering a word.

The youthful vigor that once graced his thin face was gone.

Only desolation remains.

Only despair.

There is only the helplessness of having no choice but to accept one's fate.

"Senior brother."

Zhunti spoke, his voice hoarse.

"Xiqi has raised an army."

The guide nodded.

"Know."

"Jiang Ziya was the commander-in-chief, Ji Fa was the leader, and an army of 100,000 marched eastward to Chaoge."

"The Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods has officially begun."

Zhunti looked up at him.

Those murky eyes held a complex mix of emotions.

"Senior brother, who do you think will win this calamity?"

Receiving silence.

He gazed at the murky water in the pond, and at the withered lotus flowers.

a long time.

He spoke slowly.

"have no idea."

"But I know that no matter who wins, the Western Church will lose."

Zhunti was startled.

He looked at Jieyin, at that tired yet clear-headed face.

A chill ran through me.

My senior is right.

Regardless of who wins, the Western religion loses.

Even if the Jie Sect wins, Xuan will not let them go.

Even if the Chan Sect wins, Yuanshi will not share any of the spoils with them.

Even if Hongjun Daozu wins, they are nothing more than pawns.

Once used, it is thrown away.

"Senior brother..."

Zhunti spoke, his voice trembling.

The guide raised his hand to interrupt him.

"No need to say more."

"You and I only need to cultivate ourselves here and wait."

"Wait until the Investiture of the Gods ends, wait until the Great Tribulation passes."

"We need that man in blue to give us an explanation."

Zhunti remained silent.

He gazed at Jieyin, at those closed eyes.

He slowly lowered his head and stopped speaking.

The pond has returned to silence.

Only the withered lotus flowers swayed gently in the wind.

Only the murky pool water rippled slightly in the twilight.

Only the two golden figures, like two fossils, sat cross-legged here.

and so on.

Waiting for that unpredictable future.

Deep in the void.

A figure in green robes stood with his hands behind his back, hidden in the chaotic energy.

The radiance of the Chaos Pearl enveloped him, completely concealing his aura, cause and effect, and origin.

Even Jieyin and Zhunti could not perceive it in the slightest.

Xuandu gazed at the two figures sitting cross-legged by the pond, at their tired faces, at their ashen faces.

A slow smile crept onto his lips.

That smile was cold, like ancient ice.

He will not allow the Investiture of the Gods to proceed in the same direction as originally planned.

The primordial order was laid out, Hongjun was in charge, and those who guided the way extracted profits.

The immortals of the three religions are listed, and the ten thousand immortals of the Jie Sect face calamity.

This is the predetermined course of Heaven, and it cannot be changed.

Even Xuan Du himself could not reverse it.

But he can change.

To change the variables within the fixed destiny, to change the details within the eons, and to change the timing of the sage's intervention.

When Xiqi raised an army, Chaoge responded to the challenge.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect will enter the tribulation, and neither the Human Sect nor the Western Sect will sit idly by.

At that time, the disciples of the Jie Sect will go into battle and fight against the immortals of the three religions.

In a life-or-death struggle, each side relies on its own abilities.

But what if Jieyin and Zhunti disregard martial ethics, bully the weak, and attack the disciples of the Jie Sect?

Although Kong Xuan was powerful, he was only a Hunyuan Golden Immortal.

How can one withstand the Heavenly Saint?

Duobao, Sanxiao, Wudang, Guiling, Jinling.

Even if all of them were to participate, they would only be serving food.

He can't let that happen.

Therefore, he wants to eliminate all possibilities from the root.