Primordial Era: I rule the great sect and command all immortals.

Chapter 121 King Wu's Conquest of Zhou, and the Ruthless Scheme of Ran Deng

Unexpectedly, Jiang Ziya had anticipated Huang Feihu's escape and had laid an ambush in all directions. Huang Feihu led three thousand men out of the camp and fled eastward for a hundred miles, just as he was about to rest.

Suddenly, several drumbeats rang out, and in an instant, shouts of battle filled the air from all directions. It turned out that Xiqi had ambushed 10,000 troops in this area, led by young third-generation masters such as Yang Jian and Wei Hu.

The presence of the Grand Master Lingbao and a Great Luo Golden Immortal from the Western Sect demonstrates the immense determination of the Chan Sect to eradicate the threat completely; it was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"Haha! Huang Feihu, Lü Yue, where do you think you're going to run?"

Yang Jian and Wei Hu were both outstanding members of the third generation of the Chan Sect, each a fierce and brave individual. With a single move, they killed four of Lü Yue's disciples. Lü Yue dared not fight any longer, and even disregarded Huang Feihu, fleeing alone towards a small hill.

"Fellow Daoist Lü Yue, your name is on the Investiture of the Gods. Where do you think you're going?"

The Grand Master Lingbao came here to send the disciples of the Jie Sect to the list of successful candidates. Now that he saw Lü Yue trying to escape, how could he let him go?

"Fellow Daoist Lingbao, we are all disciples of the Xuanmen Sect, why force us so?"

Lu Yue was terrified. Seeing that the Grand Master Lingbao was relentlessly pursuing him, he couldn't help but beg for mercy.

"Lu Yue, it's not that I want to kill you, but I'm facing imminent death, and I have no choice but to let you die instead!"

In just a few breaths, Grand Master Lingbao caught up, and with a flick of his magic weapon, he severed Lü Yue's head. Looking at Lü Yue's corpse, this Grand Immortal of the Chan Sect sighed, picked up his blood-dripping sword, and returned to the Xiqi camp.

Subsequently, Huang Feihu, Huang Tianhua, and Meishan, among other demon saints, could not escape the encirclement and suppression of the Chan Sect. They were all slaughtered by experts such as Yang Jian and Wei Hu. In this great battle, the Yin Shang Dynasty suffered a complete defeat, and another great general died.

Soon, news of Huang Feihu's death slowly spread, throwing the entire Chaoge into chaos. In just a few years, following Wen Zhong, another great general had died, and the entire Chaoge was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

When King Zhou received the news that Huang Feihu had been defeated, that his five brothers and sons had all died for the country, that Deng Jiugong and his daughter had surrendered to the enemy, that Zhang Shan and Li Jin had died in battle, that Grand Master Yang Ren had died in battle, and that hundreds of thousands of troops had surrendered, he was extremely shocked and saddened.

With the destruction of his kingdom imminent, King Zhou could no longer afford to indulge in the pleasures of his harem. Instead, he began to reorganize state affairs, summoning the armies of the Eastern Marquis, the Northern Marquis, and the Southern Marquis, along with the main army of the Shang Dynasty, totaling one million men, to once again head to the front lines to fight against Xiqi.

The death of Huang Feihu became a turning point in the balance of power between the Western Zhou and the Shang dynasties. The Western Zhou launched a full-scale attack to conquer the Shang, while the Shang, unable to launch an offensive, could only rely on the various passes along the way to defend themselves.

This million-strong army was scattered across various passes, and with the help of demons and wandering immortals, their momentum was quite good for a time. However, they still could not stop the advance of Xiqi's army when faced with the arrival of the immortals of the Chan Sect.

Under the leadership of Duobao Daoren, Jinling Shengmu, and others, the Jie Sect repeatedly employed the piecemeal tactics. Many second-generation disciples, such as Yiqi Xian Ma Yuan, Jiulongdao Lianqi Shi Liu Huan, Huolongdao Yanzhong Xian Luo Xuan, were defeated one by one by the Chan Sect in battles against the enemy, and were sent to the Investiture of the Gods.

"What a waste of such a favorable situation!"

The Ziwei Palace, overseen by the Ziwei Emperor who observes the Three Realms, is naturally clear to him. He is helpless against the incompetence of Duobao Daoren, Jinling Shengmu, and others. Fortunately, Guiling Shengmu, Wudang Shengmu, and others remained in the sect, serving their teacher and thus were spared from the calamity.

However, under these circumstances, he had no idea how many more people from the Jie Sect would die.

Seeing Duobao Daoist's incompetent performance, Li Yunjing was puzzled. Was this kid a spy for the Chan Sect or the Western Sect?

This time, Shen Gongbao was warned by him and promoted to the Great Luo Golden Immortal level. He repeatedly brought in rogue cultivators from the Three Mountains and Five Peaks to take the tribulation for the Jie Sect. In addition, the Nine-Tailed Fox was unwilling for the Yin Shang Dynasty to perish so early. The two of them colluded together, and the demon race and rogue cultivators died far more than the two sects in the tribulation of gods and immortals.

Under such circumstances, it is truly incomprehensible that Daoist Duobao could be so foolish as to hand over the second-generation disciples of the Jie Sect to the Chan Sect to kill.

Was this kid bribed by Daoist Zhunti beforehand?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. The thought that this biggest traitor had eventually become the leader of the Western Sect made Li Yunjing prepare for the next great calamity to teach him a lesson and hopefully eradicate this cancer from the Jie Sect.

On this day, the Xiqi army marched triumphantly all the way to Jiepai Pass.

Huang Gun, the general of Jiepai Pass, was Huang Feihu's father. All his sons and grandsons had died in battle. This old general, though old, still had ambitions. He trained his troops and joined forces with Hong Jin, the general of the Chaoge reinforcements, to block the attack from Xiqi.

However, Huang Feihu's total army of one million was defeated by the Chan Sect. How could Hong Jin and Huang Gun possibly stop the advance of Xiqi?

As the Chan Sect gained momentum, various forces took a liking to it, and the Dragon Clan also took the initiative to send people to bet on the Chan Sect.

Before Hong Jin and his group could regain their footing, they were captured by Princess Longji. This third-generation disciple of the Jie Sect was a spineless coward and surrendered directly to Xiqi.

As the third generation of the Jie Sect, whether to kill him or not was irrelevant to the overall situation. In order to weaken the Jie Sect's will and give them a glimmer of hope, the immortals of the Chan Sect recruited this traitor and invited the Old Man of the Moon to come forward, saying that Hong Jin and Princess Longji were destined to be husband and wife.

The two then held a wedding and spread the news throughout both sects. This action immediately dealt a heavy blow to the morale of the Jie Sect.

After that, Xiqi defeated the thirty-six armies of the Yin Shang dynasty and marched straight towards Chaoge, finally fulfilling its long-cherished wish.

The situation was very favorable, and the immortals of the Chan Sect and the Western Sect were all smiling. At this point, they even began to congratulate Jiang Ziya in advance, wishing him a change of dynasty.

"Alas, what can fame and fortune compare to the freedom of the immortal path? If possible, I also hope to be able to serve our teacher at Jade Void Palace as often as my fellow disciples."

The closer victory seemed to be, the more uneasy Jiang Ziya felt. He appeared to be in great glory, but his lifespan was coming to an end, and he would die soon.

The fame and fortune before our eyes are like trying to catch the moon's reflection in the water; they may seem glamorous, but what good are they?

"Junior brother, your teacher once said that you are not destined for immortality in this life, but can only enjoy worldly riches. You have made such a great contribution to our Chan Sect, and in the next life, your teacher will send someone to guide you to become an immortal."

Guang Chengzi laughed heartily, enjoying a rare moment of joy, and couldn't help but offer Jiang Ziya a few words of advice.

"That's the only way!"

Jiang Ziya shook his head. Although he was not very satisfied, his own aptitude was really poor. He was not even as good as the weakest third-generation disciple in the Chan Sect. How could he become an immortal?

With victory imminent, the Taoist Ran Deng secretly summoned four close Daluo Golden Immortals—Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Julusun, and Cihang—to his tent.

Once everyone was present, Daoist Ran Deng personally took action, using his quasi-saintly power to seal off the entire tent. Unless a saint personally intervened, no one could discover the secrets within the tent.

"Teacher Ran Deng, what did the two sages say?"

This time, everyone was "one of our own," so Manjushri Bodhisattva didn't hold back and asked directly.

"Everything was within the calculations of the two sages. As the losses of the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect increased, the fortune of the Western Sect was slowly gathering and growing stronger."

Seeing the four Great Luo Golden Immortals nodding in agreement, Daoist Ran Deng's smile widened.

"When the Jie and Chan sects finally clash, the losses will be even more devastating. They might even decline completely. That will be the time for the Western Sect to rise. If everyone joins the Western Sect, they will naturally receive the blessing of good fortune. With the Western Sect's Golden Body Technique, severing the two corpses will be as easy as turning one's hand."

The Taoist Ran Deng naturally knew the purpose of the four people joining the Western Sect, so he continued to talk about the benefits of joining the Western Sect. Sure enough, the eyes of the four Ju Liusun showed longing.

Which Great Luo Golden Immortal doesn't want to sever their corpse and achieve the quasi-saint status?

They had learned a great deal about the doctrines of the Western Religion from the Great Immortals of the Western Religion, and it was also true that the Western Religion had produced three Quasi-Saints.

Although all three Quasi-Saints were killed by Chaos Daojun, Julusun and the others did not believe that the Western Sect's Great Law was inferior to the Jie Sect's Great Law. They simply believed that the Western Sect was impoverished and the three Quasi-Saints did not have any decent magic weapons, which is why they were killed by Chaos Daojun.

Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Julusun, and Cihang are all masters of the Chan Sect. Each of them possesses a powerful innate spiritual treasure, far surpassing the poor ghosts of the Western Sect. Once they advance to Quasi-Saints, they will immediately awe the Three Realms and become true great supernatural beings.

Therefore, the four of them naturally had extremely high expectations for joining the Western Religion and quickly eliminating their corpses.

"Did those two sages say how they would arrange things for us?" Cihang Daoren asked, as this concerned their status and he had to find out.

"Where there are people, there is conflict! But the Western Sect doesn't have many talented people either; their three Quasi-Saints were even sent into reincarnation by the Chaos Dao Lord. This is our best opportunity!"

The Taoist Ran Deng smiled at everyone and said, "With the five of us joining forces, we are the most powerful force in the Western Sect. How could our status be low?"

"Indeed! I do have contact with the Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Western Sect, but it's nothing more than casual conversation, and I'm not even as good as the Great Luo Golden Immortals of the Jie Sect."

Samantabhadra nodded in agreement.

The others nodded in agreement. The sense of superiority of the true disciples of the Chan Sect naturally made them look down on everyone else and despise the other Great Luo Golden Immortals.

After the five chatted for a while, Daoist Ran Deng said, "However, the two sages said that although the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect have suffered considerable losses, they have not been seriously injured yet, and we still need to add fuel to the fire."

"Oh, how so?"

Julusun frowned. To be honest, they had really had enough. The divine calamity made them live in constant fear. They only hoped that it would end soon so that they could go to the Western Paradise and enjoy peace and tranquility.

"Gentlemen! If we don't demonstrate our strength and give the two leaders of the Western Sect a testament to our loyalty, how can we gain their trust?"

Seeing that the four were clearly reluctant to continue stirring up trouble, Daoist Ran Deng sneered inwardly, but remained calm and continued speaking slowly.

"But! There are only three passes left. We can then march straight into Chaoge and achieve final victory. How can we still cause trouble?"

Master Puxian looked grim; he still didn't want to take any risks.

"Hehe! We're not the ones who will actually do it. Guang Chengzi is brave but reckless. Why not devise a plan to provoke him into going to Biyou Palace? He'll surely have a falling out with the Jie Sect members, maybe even a fight. That way, we'll anger the Jie Sect's sage, hehe."

"hiss"

As soon as the words of the Taoist Ran Deng were spoken, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Julusun, and Cihang gasped in shock. Master Ran Deng was too ruthless!

If things go wrong, the eldest disciple Guang Chengzi might die in Biyou Palace. If that happens, Master Yuanshi will get angry, and the two saints will naturally fight each other, which will cause a huge commotion.

"Hehe! Everyone, think about it. In the future, when we go to the Western Paradise and become Buddhas or Bodhisattvas, neither Guang Chengzi nor the Jie Sect will consider us enemies. If you pity them now, they won't show us any mercy later!"

A cold glint flashed in the eyes of the Taoist Ran Deng, and he said coldly.

"Great! Bottoms up!"

After a moment of contemplation, Master Puxian was the first to agree, and the others could only nod in agreement.

"Haha! Don't worry! Think about it, since the beginning of the Investiture of the Gods, with my protection, have you ever encountered any danger? As long as this plan succeeds, we will have made contributions to the Western Sect and be able to establish a foothold in the future!"

Seeing that the four agreed, Daoist Ran Deng was overjoyed.

"I have to thank Teacher Ran Deng for his protection!"

The four rose and bowed. They knew that during the Investiture of the Gods, Daoist Ran Deng, as the person in charge, had entrusted dangerous tasks to his loyal disciples, such as Guang Chengzi. It was because of this that Taiyi Zhenren and Huanglong Zhenren were sent to the Investiture of the Gods by the Jie Sect.

Without Teacher Ran Deng's protection, their fate would probably have been quite grim.

"Hahaha! We're all on the same side! If we go to the Western Church in the future, we should look after each other to avoid being ostracized by the local forces there!"

The Taoist Ran Deng smiled smugly; these were all his men!

What the Taoist Ran Deng didn't know was that if a person lacks strength while the people below him are too capable, the team cannot be sustained for long, and the small team he built will naturally fall apart.

The five Daoists, including Ran Deng Dao Ren, devised a conspiracy. They would naturally try to bewitch Guang Chengzi, making this senior disciple of the Chan Sect so confused that he seemed to have become the number one person of the third generation of the Xuanmen sect.

Once Jiang Ziya had reorganized the army and assembled a million-strong force, he divided his troops into three routes to attack Chaoge.

The first route was led by Jiang Ziya himself to conquer Sishui Pass; the second route was led by Hong Jin to conquer Jiameng Pass; and the third route was led by the surrendered general Deng Jiugong to conquer Qinglong Pass.

The three armies marched in a mighty force toward Chaoge.

Meanwhile, the second army, led by Hong Jin, arrived at Jiameng Pass. In one day, they fought three battles in succession, killing three generals of Jiameng Pass. However, this attracted the attention of "Qiu Mingshan," the Holy Mother of Fire Spirit.

The Holy Mother of Fire Spirit suddenly arrived and ordered General Hu Sheng to select three thousand soldiers to train as fire dragon soldiers.

(End of this chapter)