Primordial Era: A God-Level Choice, Possessing Zhao Gongming at the Start.

"Gongbao, how have you been doing in my Western Religion all these years?"

Zhunti said with a smile, showing great concern for Shen Gongbao.

Shen Gongbao bowed respectfully and said, "Uncle-Master, you, Master, Brother Yaoshi, Brother Maitreya, and the others have all treated me very well. I will definitely cultivate diligently, bring glory to our Western Sect, and live up to the expectations of Master and Uncle-Master."

Zhunti waved his hand and said, "Gongbao, I have invited you here today because I have a great opportunity to give you."

"What opportunity?"

Shen Gongbao inquired.

"Your master and I have deduced the secrets of heaven and discovered that the Great Shang Dynasty in the lower realm is nearing its end. A Heavenly Mandate will be born to overthrow the rule of the Great Shang and recreate the world. You have learned great skills in my Western Sect and it is fitting that you go down to the lower realm to assist the Heavenly Mandate. After completing the great cause of unification, you will naturally receive an unparalleled opportunity, saving you countless years of arduous cultivation."

"But Gongbao doesn't want to go down the mountain. He only wants to stay by his master's and uncle's side to serve them and fulfill his filial duty."

Shen Gongbao looked reluctant to part, jokingly, as a wild leopard who had lived in the desolate northern lands for many years.

He was truly fed up with having to fight with others for even a tiny spiritual herb, living a life of constant uncertainty.

In the Western religion, he is a direct disciple and even enjoys benefits that direct disciples cannot enjoy.

The Western Religion's treasure trove is always open to him, with an unlimited supply of spiritual root medicines and daily guidance from quasi-saints.

The difference between the two is like heaven and earth; he wanted to stay in the Western Church for a few more days.

As for the task assigned to him by the teacher, isn't there also Brother Ziya?

Judging by the time, Brother Ziya should have already gone down the mountain, right?

His staying longer shouldn't affect the final outcome of the great calamity, right?

Zhunti shook his head. "Gongbao, this opportunity is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for you. If you miss it, even I, your uncle, will have to sigh for you."

Zhunti was truly frightened. Over the years, the Western Sect had been providing unlimited support to Shen Gongbao, greatly depleting their treasury and leaving a considerable number of their disciples without sufficient resources.

If Shen Gongbao continues to stay in his Western Religion, his entire Western Religion will probably go bankrupt.

Shen Gongbao hesitated for a moment, finding it difficult to speak. "Uncle-Master, I am a wild leopard from the mountains, and I am well aware of the dangers of the primordial world. With my meager Golden Immortal cultivation, I am truly insignificant. If I were to descend to the mortal realm and encounter any danger, I would not even have the ability to protect myself. Wouldn't that be a waste of Master's and Uncle-Master's prestige?"

Shen Gongbao said all that, but the core idea was the same: to ask for the treasure.

Zhunti was immediately in a dilemma. He looked at Jieyin, since he didn't have as many Western treasures as he did in the East, and he could only take out ordinary treasures.

It wasn't that effective, and they were too reluctant to take out top-tier treasures.

After pondering for a while, Jieyin made a decision, saying, "We can't let Gongbao suffer, no matter who suffers."

After saying that, with a wave of his hand, a light blue flag appeared in front of Jieyin. It was imprinted with the landscape, mountains and rivers, sun, moon and stars. It stood in mid-air, but stirred up the wind and clouds, and an extremely terrifying Dao energy rushed towards him.

Shen Gongbao's eyes widened instantly. A priceless treasure, a truly rare priceless treasure!

The guide slowly explained, "This treasure is one of the Five Primordial Banners, ranking among the top-grade Primordial Spiritual Treasures. Once it is activated, the banner will protect the body, radiating the light of relics, calming the mind, repelling all evil, and making one impervious to all magic. Gongbao, I will lend you this banner for now."

After saying that, he waved his sleeve, and the Azure Lotus Banner flew towards Shen Gongbao.

Shen Gongbao happily accepted the precious flag, examined it for a while, then bowed and said, "Disciple Gongbao thanks Master for bestowing this treasure."

Jieyin opened his mouth, wanting to reiterate that it was lending a treasure rather than bestowing it, but ultimately didn't say it.

"Then, Gongbao, go down the mountain now. On Mount Sumeru, your master and your uncle are your strongest support. Don't be afraid."

"Yes, Master, Uncle-Master."

Accompanied by the Old Man of the South Pole, Shen Gongbao scurried down the mountain and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After Shen Gongbao left, Zhunti looked distressed, as if he had lost something precious. "Senior brother, that's the Azure Lotus Banner! You just gave it to Gongbao like that?"

Zhunti was heartbroken. Not long ago, Tongtian and Nuwa had swindled him out of a large number of treasures, and now he had given away the Azure Lotus Banner.

Jieyin repeated, "It's not a gift, it's a loan. Once the Investiture of the Gods is complete, Gongbao will definitely return it."

"Besides, Gongbao is a member of Feixiong and will be in charge of presiding over the conferment of gods in the future. Of course, we should win him over. If Gongbao bestows more honorary titles upon my Western region in the future, wouldn't we have made up for everything?"

"What you say is true, senior brother."

After hearing Jieyin's explanation, Zhunti's heart was no longer in so much pain.

If Shen Gongbao were to overhear the conversation between the two brothers, he would surely laugh at them. The Azure Lotus Banner was already in his hands; did they really expect him to return it? There was no way they would.

Following Jiang Ziya, Shen Gongbao descended the mountain and headed towards the Shang Dynasty.

Emperor Xin's royal decree was also delivered by fast horse to the hands of the four great marquises in the east, west, south, and north.

The four great marquises of the east, west, south, and north are Jiang Huanchu, the marquis of the west, Ji Chang, the marquis of the south, E Chongyu, and the marquis of the north, Chong Houhu.

Each of the four great marquises governed two hundred vassal states, totaling eight hundred vassal states. Among the four great marquises, Xiqi was the most powerful.

In Xiqi, at the residence of the Marquis of Xibo, Ji Chang, holding the royal decree written on white paper that had arrived from Chaoge at breakneck speed, couldn't help but fall into deep thought. White paper was a marvelous object; it was light, portable, soft, and durable, making it suitable for writing, far superior to the heavy bamboo slips.

The content recorded on a blank sheet of paper, when recorded on bamboo slips, would require at least a large box to complete.

However, this rare item, white paper, was only available to the Great Merchants. Xiqi had not mastered its production method, and if Xiqi wanted to use it, it would have to spend a huge amount of resources to purchase it from the Great Merchants every year.

As a result, Xiqi's wealth will flow into Dashang continuously. How will Xiqi compete with Dashang in the future?

Besides white paper, there are also refined white sugar, refined salt, etc., which are all rare items that can only be purchased from large merchants.

Moreover, according to reports from Ji Chang's spies planted in Xiqi, the Shang Dynasty also possessed a strange object called the Curved Plow.

Compared to traditional farming methods, the curved plow greatly reduced the intensity of labor and greatly increased the efficiency of labor. With this tool, the Shang Dynasty had a bumper harvest of grain every year, which was sold to the four great marquises at extremely low prices.

Low grain prices have made the people in the Shang Dynasty unwilling to farm. But if this goes on for too long and the fields are abandoned, the grain prices in the Shang Dynasty will suddenly rise. What will Xiqi do then?

As Ji Chang pondered, a wave of unease washed over him. He stopped thinking about it and instead opened the royal decree that had come from Chaoge.

Upon seeing the contents of the royal decree, Ji Chang's heart tightened; a sense of foreboding washed over him. (End of Chapter)