Many children, many blessings; the twelve ancestral witches forced marriages throughout the primordi

Kunlun Mountain, Yuxu Palace.

This is the stronghold of the Chan Sect, shrouded in mist year-round, with cranes flying in flocks—a veritable paradise. But today, the atmosphere inside the Jade Void Palace is so oppressive it's suffocating.

Yuanshi Tianzun sat on a high cloud bed, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

He held a jade slip in his hand, which was a battle report sent back by Shen Gongbao from Xiqi.

"Useless! All of you are useless!"

The Primordial Celestial Venerable threw the jade slip to the ground, and with a "crack," the jade slip shattered into powder.

"Which of the Twelve Golden Immortals of my Chan Sect isn't deeply rooted and blessed with good fortune? How come they all turned into cowards when they encountered Lin Xuan and his gang of brats? Guang Chengzi was beaten unconscious, and Taiyi Zhenren was utterly humiliated, not only having his magic treasures stolen but also losing his underwear! Now the entire prehistoric world is laughing at my Chan Sect!"

Below the main hall, several disciples of the Chan Sect who had not yet descended the mountain knelt on the ground, trembling and not daring to utter a sound.

Especially Cihang Daoren, who has always been the softest-hearted one in the Chan Sect, was now bowing her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her heart filled with unease.

"Master, please calm down." Daoist Ran Deng (now in the form of a one-eyed dragon) spoke in a sinister tone from the side, "This Lin Xuan is indeed strange, and the Shang Dynasty is currently very powerful. We cannot confront him head-on."

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Yuanshi Tianzun asked impatiently.

"The reason why the Shang Dynasty is so strong is because of Su Daji's so-called 'economic reforms' and Lin Xuan's novel ideas." A wicked glint flashed in the last eye of the Taoist Ran Deng. "As long as their foundation is cut off, the Shang Dynasty will collapse on its own."

"Foundation?" Yuanshi Tianzun narrowed his eyes.

"That's right, the foundation of humanity is the will of the people, is survival." Daoist Ran Deng pulled a small, dark green bottle from his sleeve. "This is the 'Netherworld Poison' I found in an ancient ruin many years ago. Just a drop in the water source of Chaoge will cause all the people of Chaoge to contract a strange disease, their bodies to fester and they to die. Then, we'll send people to spread rumors that this is divine retribution, that the Shang Dynasty's wickedness has angered Heaven. Once the people's hearts are in turmoil, even if Lin Xuan is powerful, he won't be able to do anything about it."

Yuanshi Tianzun looked at the bottle, his eyes flickering.

That move... was indeed a bit underhanded.

But what wouldn't a saint do for the sake of face and fortune?

"A good plan." Yuanshi Tianzun nodded, took the bottle, and casually cast a spell into it.

The poisonous water in the bottle instantly boiled, its color becoming even more bizarre. It was not only poisonous, but also imbued with a trace of curse power by the sage.

"Cihang," Yuanshi Tianzun called out.

Cihang Daoist was startled and quickly looked up: "Disciple is here."

"You take care of this." Yuanshi Tianzun tossed the bottle to her. "You are usually best at saving all living beings, so go and save those ignorant people this time as well. Let them be freed as soon as possible; it is also a form of compassion."

Cihang Daoren caught the bottle, his hands trembling.

This...this is called compassion?

This is clearly a massacre!

"Master, isn't this...isn't this too cruel?" Cihang Daoist asked softly. "There are still so many innocent children in Chaoge City..."

"Shut up!" Yuanshi Tianzun roared. "Heaven has ordained the Shang Dynasty to perish! Are you questioning your master? Or are you questioning the Way of Heaven? Go! If you can't handle this matter, don't bother returning to Kunlun Mountain!"

Cihang Daoren bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.

She dared not disobey her master's orders, so she could only tremble as she put away the bottle and kowtow: "Disciple... obeys."

Watching Cihang Daoist walk out of the main hall in a daze, Randeng Daoist chuckled sinisterly: "Master is wise. Cihang is soft-hearted, so it's a good opportunity for her to practice. If she really can't bring herself to do it, then it shows that her Dao heart is unstable and she is not worthy of being my Chan Sect disciple."

Yuanshi Tianzun snorted coldly: "Hmph, womanly sentimentality! Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. What is this sacrifice as long as we can defeat Lin Xuan?"