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

Chapter 92 Li Yunjing warns the fox demon, Randeng's heart yearns for the Western Paradise.

Meanwhile, Su Hu personally escorted his daughter to Chaoge, spending the night at Enzhou Post Station along the way.

Su Daji was placed in the inner hall behind the post station. Su Hu, along with his son Su Quanzhong and several generals, rested separately. His three thousand soldiers were also stationed outside the post station, completely surrounding it.

"A mere mortal army is nothing to me; they can come and go as they please!"

The nine-tailed fox spirit arrived at the outer perimeter of the inn. Looking at the heavily guarded area below, she sneered disdainfully, gently swayed her body, and transformed into a gust of demonic wind, sweeping downwards.

A strange wind swept through the hall and into the inner room, but the soldiers and the Su family father and son did not react at all.

"What a beauty! No wonder King Zhou insisted on marrying her. What a pity! This stunningly beautiful woman is about to perish today."

Looking at Su Daji, who was fast asleep on the couch, the nine-headed fox spirit couldn't help but admire her beauty.

After a moment of reflection, the nine-headed fox spirit, having revealed its form, was about to unleash its supernatural powers to devour Su Daji's soul completely and substitute itself for her when it suddenly felt a tightness on the back of its neck, and the entire fox was lifted up from behind.

Startled, the nine-tailed fox spirit turned her head and saw a Taoist priest in a fiery red robe staring coldly at her.

"You fox, how dare you come here to harm people? Don't you want to live?"

"Please spare me, senior!"

Looking at the Taoist's cold demeanor, the nine-headed fox felt a chill in its heart. It hadn't expected that it would encounter a highly accomplished master at this crucial moment.

Even with his Golden Immortal cultivation, he had no power to resist and was captured by this Taoist without even realizing it. This showed how high the Taoist's cultivation was, and that he was someone he could not afford to offend.

"You fox! I am the Chaos Daoist, a true disciple of the Jie Sect. You do as I command, do you understand?"

Li Yunjing coldly looked at the little demon he was carrying, then casually tossed it to the ground.

"hiss!"

Upon hearing that the newcomer was the Chaos Dao Lord, the nine-headed fox spirit was so frightened that her heart stopped beating. She quickly spoke in human language, saying, "Dao Lord, spare my life! I have heard of your name, Dao Lord. Whatever you command, I will do!"

Clearly, the titles of teacher of the human race, teacher of the three emperors, one of the five great disciples of the Jie Sect, the Great Emperor of the Purple Star and the North Pole of the Heavenly Court, and a quasi-saint with great supernatural powers in the primordial world, almost scared this fox spirit to death!

"You're smart enough to know what's going on here. I know perfectly well why you've come. I don't want to interfere in other matters, but you can't harm my disciples. Also, if you try to frame Xiqi, kill either Ji Chang or Ji Fa, I'll reward you with a 'Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.' You've heard of this elixir, haven't you?"

Li Yunjing sneered repeatedly, revealing his plan: since chaos in the Shang Dynasty was inevitable, let's start by killing the virtuous minister, Marquis of Xibo, Ji Chang!

"Ah~~~this..."

The nine-tailed fox spirit was dumbfounded when she heard what Chaos Daoist said.

Although she didn't know why Chaos Daojun was targeting Xiqi, this plan wouldn't affect her fulfilling Nuwa's orders. If she succeeded and obtained a "Nine-Turn Golden Pill," she could immediately advance to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and become one of the most powerful demon saints in the world. This temptation was immense.

"Furthermore, although King Zhou is tyrannical, he symbolizes the fate of humanity. You can ruin the fate of the Shang Dynasty, but don't go too far and damage the face of humanity!"

Seeing that the nine-tailed fox was moved, Li Yunjing gave her another instruction.

"Yes! This little demon understands and will certainly do as the Daoist Lord instructs!"

"You just do your thing, I'll take away Su Daji's three souls and seven spirits."

He glanced at the drowsy Su Daji on the couch and saw that she was indeed a beauty of unparalleled grace. This woman was innocent, and since Li Yunjing had seen her, he naturally had to rescue her. He pointed and sent Su Daji's soul flying out of her body. As soon as Su Daji's soul came out, she saw the fox spirit trying to possess her body.

Faced with this innocent woman, Chaos Dao Lord offered no explanation. With a flick of his sleeve, he took away her soul, leaving only her delicate body.

"Now that you have possessed Daji's body and entered the palace, you must behave yourself and be dutiful."

"Yes, I will remember."

The nine-tailed fox spirit nodded respectfully, pondering deeply.

Originally, with the decree of the Goddess Nuwa and the support of a sage, she was fearless. However, the sudden appearance of the Chaos Dao Lord truly frightened her. If she had offended some powerful figures or the great emperors of the human race because of the decree of the Goddess Nuwa, the Goddess might not have intervened to resolve the karma for a little demon like herself.

After all, in the eyes of a sage, this little demon was at most a mere pawn.

Thinking of this, the nine-tailed fox spirit became secretly vigilant. She had to be careful, otherwise her life would be in danger during this great calamity, let alone achieving enlightenment.

Chaos Dao Lord, hidden in the void, watched as the nine-tailed fox spirit possessed Daji, transforming into the fox demon Daji, before carrying Su Daji's three souls and seven spirits towards the Nine Netherworld.

"Su Daji, today I, this humble Taoist priest, will send you into reincarnation, hoping you will have a good birth in your next life."

Since the powerful cultivator had entered the Netherworld, no strong members of the Witch Clan came to interfere. Li Yunjing took out Su Daji's soul and spoke to her.

"Immortal Master, that fox demon seized my body, entered the palace, and used my name to bewitch King Zhou and ruin my reputation. I am irreconcilably vengeful against that fox demon! I was saved by you, Immortal Master, and I beg you to save me in my next life and teach me supernatural powers."

"That's fine too."

Originally, Li Yunjing was not prepared to take in a mere mortal, but after some calculation, he came up with a new plan. He immediately cast a "Shangqing Immortal Light" on Su Daji's soul, so that when Su Daji was reincarnated, he would naturally be able to find her and help her become an immortal.

Meanwhile, the nine-tailed fox spirit took Su Daji's place, transforming into the fox demon Daji. She feigned illness for over a month at Enzhou Post Station, and only after becoming familiar with the real Daji's behavior did she set off again for Chaoge, escorted by Su's father and son.

Su Hu was completely unaware that his daughter had been replaced by someone else.

Half a month later, Su Hu and his party finally arrived at a place 300 miles outside Chaoge City and set up camp.

Although the Marquis of Xibo and the Marquis of Beibo had pleaded for him before, Su Hu knew he had committed a serious crime. After entering the city, he first took "Su Daji" to see King Wucheng Huang Feihu and asked him for help.

In addition, he visited each of the important officials in the court with whom he had a good relationship, and finally, he prepared generous gifts to meet Fei Zhong and You Hun.

Fei Zhong and You Hun initially resented Su Hu's arrogance followed by obsequiousness, but upon seeing Su Daji's appearance and the two boxes of gold and silver jewels, their anger subsided, and they agreed to plead for Su Hu's life.

The next day, at the morning court session, after all the officials had finished their greetings, the official at the Meridian Gate brought up the matter of Su Hu presenting his daughter to plead guilty.

"Announce!"

Emperor Xin sneered repeatedly and summoned the emperor to an audience.

Su Hu, dressed in the robes of a disgraced official and daring not to wear official attire, prostrated himself in the hall, crying out, "This criminal, Su Hu, deserves death! Deserves death!"

Emperor Xin coldly said, "Su Hu of Ji Province, you wrote a seditious poem at the Meridian Gate, declaring 'Never to pay homage to the Shang.' When Chong Houhu was ordered to punish you, you still resisted the Heavenly Army and slaughtered soldiers. Now you come to pay homage to the Emperor! What do you have to say?"

He turned to his attendant and said, "Bring out the head from the Meridian Gate to uphold the law!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Prime Minister Shang Rong stepped forward and advised, "Su Hu rebelled against Shang and should be executed. However, the other day, the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, had a proposal to have Su Hu offer his daughter to atone for his sins, in order to uphold the great principle of loyalty between ruler and subject. Now that Su Hu has respected the law and offered his daughter to the king to atone for his sins, there is some extenuating circumstance. I hope Your Majesty will spare his life."

Subsequently, several ministers who had promised to plead for Su Hu stepped forward and offered various reasons in hopes that King Zhou would forgive Su Hu.

Seeing this, Fei Zhong and You Hun exchanged a glance and stepped forward to say, "Your Majesty, it would be better to first summon Su Hu's daughter, Daji, to court. If she is beautiful and virtuous, and can be employed, Your Majesty may pardon Su Hu's crime; if she does not meet Your Majesty's expectations, she may be executed along with Daji in the marketplace to atone for their crimes."

Fei Zhong and You Hun dared to say this because they had seen the beauty of Su Daji and were confident that King Zhou would never be able to resist such a stunning beauty. Thus, the two of them were essentially doing what Su Hu asked of them after receiving payment.

"Hmm? Then summon Su Daji to the palace."

King Zhou had long admired Su Daji and had been itching to marry her. Seeing Fei Zhong and You Hun persuading him, he readily agreed.

At that moment, a close attendant was ordered to go and convey the imperial decree that Su Daji should enter the palace for an audience.

As Su Daji entered the Meridian Gate, she felt the majesty of the palace and could only proceed with trepidation, daring not to relax in the slightest.

"This sinful woman pays her respects to Your Majesty!"

When Su Daji entered the palace, upon hearing the sound, King Zhou looked intently into the hall and saw a delicate woman kneeling there timidly. Her hair was piled high with black clouds, her face was almond-shaped and her cheeks were peach-like. She had a light spring-like complexion and a slender waist. She was full of charm and could be called a peerless beauty. One could not help but want to be immersed in her beauty.

"Wow! She truly is a stunning beauty!"

King Zhou's eyes lit up; he had taken a liking to Su Daji, so Su Hu's crime naturally didn't matter anymore.

Soon, with the combined persuasion of the beauty and the courtiers, King Zhou issued an edict to release Su Hu and allow him to return to Ji Province. Instead of punishing him, he was rewarded with some wealth and allowed to continue serving as the Marquis of Ji Province.

King Zhou, having obtained Su Daji, was so eager for her that he hastily left the court and took her to the "Longevity Immortal Palace," where they consummated their marriage that very day, their love as deep as glue.

With the warning from the Chaos Dao Lord, Su Daji, apart from enjoying herself with King Zhou and mentioning the virtuous reputation of Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, remained honest and well-behaved in the harem and did not cause any trouble.

However, the constant mention of how Ji Chang treated scholars with respect, cared for the people, and was deeply respected by many feudal lords only made King Zhou more and more disgusted with Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West, and he even felt that killing him would not be enough to vent his hatred.

If King Zhou hadn't retained a shred of reason and dared not easily execute a virtuous minister, he would have truly wanted to summon Ji Chang, who had returned to Xiqi, to Chaoge again, find a pretext, and execute him.

On the other hand, the important figure of the Chan Sect, the vice leader, the Daoist Randeng, has also recently fallen into a dilemma.

Recently, this quasi-saint master met the Western Sage Zhunti.

The second leader of the Western Sect specifically came to him, explained the Great Way of Nirvana, and spoke of the benefits of the Western Paradise. He also hoped that Dipankara would join the Western Sect, become the past Buddha of the Western Sect, and take charge of all affairs, large and small, within the sect.

This temptation was immense. You see, he was a figurehead in the Chan Sect, his position as deputy leader was merely a formality. The Twelve Golden Immortals addressed him as Master Randeng on the surface, but in their hearts they didn't care.

He is a near-saint level expert, and not a fool. How could he not know what everyone is thinking?

This position was extremely awkward, and the Primordial Celestial Venerable did not treat him as one of his own. Everyone else was rewarded with some spiritual treasures, but he, as the vice leader, did not receive a single one. He was practically just a guest of the Chan Sect.

"Sigh, do we really have to take this step?"

Daoist Ran Deng looked worried. Lately, he had even found it difficult to enter a meditative state. As one of the three thousand guests of the Zixiao Palace, he did not have a single high-grade or top-grade innate spiritual treasure for severing corpses. He was stuck at the early stage of Quasi-Saint, which was extremely embarrassing.

Zhunti promised to help him at least sever his good and evil corpses. This promise was as heavy as Mount Tai. A sage's promise is highly credible, which is another reason for his inclination towards Western religion.

But if he were to commit treason, would the Primordial Celestial Venerable forgive him?

When he thought of the ruthlessness of the Primordial Celestial Venerable, who did not even spare the Tongtian Sect Master, and treated his own brother like this, what good could he, an outsider, possibly do?

Thinking of this, Daoist Ran Deng couldn't help but shudder; he couldn't help but be afraid!

"Now the opportunity has arrived. As long as I switch allegiance to the Western Sage, my Quasi-Sage cultivation will overwhelm many experts of the Western Sect, making me the strongest below the Sage. Then, with the Sage's promise, I can sever my two corpses and reach the peak of Quasi-Sage. At that point, severing all three corpses will not be far off, and becoming a Sage will no longer be a pipe dream!"

After pondering for many days, the Daoist Ran Deng finally overcame his fear of Yuanshi Tianzun with his expectation of attaining the Dao, and a hint of determination appeared in his eyes.

"However, during the Investiture of the Gods, we must be careful not to reveal our true thoughts and wait for a suitable opportunity before we can leave the Chan Sect."

"Besides, if we go to the Western Sect, we won't have any support, and it might be the same as the Chan Sect! We need to recruit some people from the Twelve Golden Immortals to go there, which will also be a way to show our strength in front of the two saints, Jieyin and Zhunti."

The names of the Twelve Golden Immortals floated through his mind one by one, and the Taoist Ran Deng fell into deep thought.

……

There was once a general named Li Jing in Chentang Pass. From a young age, he sought the Dao and cultivated immortality, becoming a disciple of the True Man of Xikunlundu'e, where he mastered the Five Elements Escape Technique.

Because of his mediocre talent, he could not achieve immortality, so he returned to the mortal world, descended the mountain to assist the Yin Shang dynasty, became a general, and enjoyed worldly riches and honors.

His wife, née Yin, bore him two sons.

The eldest son, Jinzha, became a disciple of Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun at Yunxiao Cave on Wulong Mountain, while the second son, Muzha, became a disciple of Puxian Zhenren at Baihe Cave on Jiugong Mountain.

Both of their sons had bright futures, backed by the powerful figures of Xikunlundu'e Zhenren and the Chan Sect. They also ruled over a region in the Shang Dynasty, wielding immense power and becoming extremely prominent.

However, in the past three years, Li Jing, this once-prominent figure, has lost his former vigor and composure. Over these three years, his brows have furrowed more and more, and he has become increasingly troubled.

(End of this chapter)