After guarding the gates for a hundred years, I drove the Heavenly Saint to madness.

Chaoge, the night is deep.

The Tower of Stars soars into the clouds, resembling a giant beast's horn piercing the sky.

The rooftop was not filled with the sounds of revelry and dancing that had been rumored; instead, it was permeated with a suffocatingly low-pressure atmosphere.

Di Xin sat alone behind the jade table, the cup of wine in his hand long since cold.

Since Grand Tutor Wen's defeat at Jue Long Ridge, battle reports from the Shang Dynasty have been pouring in like snowflakes, and every single one of them has been bad news.

Losing a city today means losing a general tomorrow. The rebel army in Xiqi is like a wildfire that cannot be extinguished no matter how hard you try.

"Your Majesty, it is late."

Daji, draped in a thin veil, cautiously tried to step forward to add wine, but was waved away by Di Xin.

The emperor of the Shang Dynasty had bloodshot eyes, staring intently at the scroll of bamboo slips that had just been delivered to him on the table. It was an urgent document from Jiepai Pass.

He dared not look.

If Jiepai Pass is lost, the gates of the Shang Dynasty will be wide open, and the Xiqi cavalry can drive straight in and threaten Chaoge.

"Report—!"

A black-armored guard stumbled up to the rooftop, knelt down, and his voice, unlike his usual trembling voice when announcing death, carried a hint of barely suppressed excitement.

"Your Majesty! A great victory at Jiepai Pass! A tremendous victory!"

Di Xin suddenly looked up, and the bronze jue in his hand fell to the table with a "clatter," spilling wine all over the floor.

"What did you say?" Di Xin's voice was a little hoarse, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"Xiao Wuji, the garrison commander of Jiepai Pass, held the formidable pass, first defeating Nezha, the vanguard of Xiqi, then beheading Tu Xingsun, a disciple of Juliusun! And just yesterday..."

The guard swallowed hard and raised his voice an octave.

"Furthermore, he decisively defeated Ju Liusun, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, and captured Jinzha, Muzha, and Huang Tianhua alive!"

"The third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect are now being displayed on the city wall of Jiepai Pass! The Xiqi army has retreated thirty li and raised a truce sign!"

Dead silence.

A brief silence fell over the rooftop of the Star-Picking Building.

Di Xin grabbed the scroll of bamboo slips and unfolded it with trembling hands.

He read very slowly, as if he were staring at every word intently. When he reached the line "削惧留孙顶上三花" (Xiao Ju Liu Sun Ding Shang San Hua), he suddenly slammed his hand on the table.

"Good! Good! Good!!"

Di Xin suddenly stood up and kicked over the jade table in front of him.

"That felt great! Absolutely fantastic!"

The pent-up frustration that had been building up in his chest for years finally erupted at this moment.

He laughed loudly, the sound shaking the tiles of the Star-Picking Tower and startling a flock of owls perched on the eaves.

"My great Shang dynasty still has loyal ministers and capable generals!"

Di Xin paced back and forth in the main hall, his steps light and breezy. The gloom and dejection on his face had vanished, replaced by the long-lost majesty of an emperor.

"Those gods and immortals, who are usually high and mighty, regard me, the mortal king, as nothing more than a blade of grass. They talk about how destiny is predetermined and how the phoenix will sing on Mount Qi."

"And now? They've been utterly defeated by my general, fleeing in terror, and are now hanging on the city wall like dried meat!"

He turned around abruptly, waved his sleeves, and looked at the eunuchs below the steps.

"Draft an imperial edict!"

"General Xiao Wuji of Jiepai Pass turned the tide and enhanced the nation's prestige throughout the world. Such unparalleled merit deserves a great reward!"

"Xiao Wuji is hereby conferred the title of Zhenguo Wucheng King, with a rank equivalent to the Three Dukes, and is exempt from bowing before the Emperor! He is granted the authority to execute without prior approval!"

"All provisions and supplies needed for Jiepai Pass will be supplied by Chaoge with the full strength of the nation; there must be no mistakes!"

The eunuch's hands trembled as he listened. The title of Zhenguo Wucheng King was originally given to Huang Feihu. Now that Huang Feihu had rebelled, the title had been given to Xiao Wuji, who even wielded greater power.

"besides!"

Di Xin walked to the railing, gazing in the direction of the western boundary pass, his eyes flashing with a sharp light.

"Proclaim this to the world! Let all the lords of the four seas see for themselves that the immortals of the Chan Sect are not invincible! My Great Shang Dynasty's fate is not yet sealed!"

As Emperor Xin issued this decree, an invisible fluctuation suddenly gathered in the sky above Chaoge City.

That was the fate of the Shang Dynasty for six hundred years.

Originally, this black bird's fortune was already waning and its feathers were withering.

But at this moment, with Di Xin's confident and domineering roar, the black bird actually let out a clear and melodious cry.

It took flight, still wounded, but its eyes blazed with renewed fire.

"Chirp—"

A majestic phantom of a black bird, carrying the purest imperial destiny of the human race, transformed into a streak of light spanning tens of thousands of miles, instantly breaking through the night and heading straight for Jiepai Pass.

……

Jiepai Pass, General's Mansion.

Xiao Wuji, who was resting with his eyes closed, sensed something and suddenly opened his eyes, appearing on the rooftop in a flash.

He looked up and saw a huge phantom of a black bird, enveloped in rolling purple energy, swooping down towards him like the setting sun over a long river in the eastern night sky.

That's not magic, not spiritual energy, that's the destiny of the human race.

"Human destiny? It seems my human king is reacting."

Xiao Wuji muttered to himself, feeling the power instantly enter his body.

boom!

There was no direct surge in his cultivation level, but he felt that his connection with this world had become even stronger.

The slight barrier between him and the mortal world that had arisen from his cultivation of immortality was instantly bridged by this surge of fortune.

In the primordial world, luck, though invisible and intangible, is the most deadly thing.

With this aura bestowed upon him by the Emperor himself, he was now in accordance with Heaven and the people within Jiepai Pass. If the Chan Sect were to try to use any sorcery or curses to deal with him, they would first have to face the backlash from the Great Shang Dynasty's fortune.

"Di Xin is quite generous this time."

Xiao Wuji's lips curled up slightly. He knew very well that this was the Human Emperor, who had been driven to the brink of desperation, making a desperate gamble on him, his only lifeline.

"Now that I've taken your benefits, I'll guard Jiepai Pass like a fortress for you."

Xiao Wuji turned around and returned to the secret room.

The door slammed shut.

He sat cross-legged on the futon, took a deep breath, and took out all the system rewards he had accumulated over the past few days from his pocket.

Several golden pills exuding an alluring fragrance, a few radiant innate spiritual fruits, and the Xuan Bird Qi that had just entered the body and was now joyfully circulating through the meridians.

"The Chan Sect's current silence is nothing more than a prelude to something big."

"Given the arrogance of the Primordial Celestial Venerable, he probably looks down on my minor ailment, but that doesn't mean he will tolerate me slapping him in the face forever."

"This arrogance was the most precious time of my development."

Xiao Wuji formed hand seals, and the Great Five Elements Technique was activated.

The five emperor phantoms behind him were now tinged with a faint purple-gold color, a sign of the fusion of the human emperor's fortune and the laws of the five elements.

"It's time to get back to cultivation."

Inside the secret chamber, a brilliant five-colored light shone brightly, completely engulfing Xiao Wuji's figure.

He wanted to improve his cultivation level as much as possible before the next attack by the Chan Sect.

After all, if Ju Liusun is defeated, the next one might be Guang Chengzi, who wields the Fantian Seal, or an even more terrifying being.