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

Chapter 224 Humanity and Land Prosper Together, the Darkest Period of Xiqi

As time flows by, the vast wilderness loses its record of years.

Since Dao Ancestor Hongjun stepped in to quell the chaos, the entire prehistoric world has fallen into peace because all the saints have things to do.

The doomsday shadow that once hung over the heads of all living beings in the primordial world has finally dissipated.

Without the sages recklessly manipulating the winds and clouds, heaven and earth ushered in a long-awaited period of rest and recuperation.

For the Shang Dynasty and the Jie Sect, who had escaped the deadlock of the Heavenly Dao, this was undoubtedly a golden period of development.

The land of humanity is vast and ever-changing.

In Chaoge, the capital of the Great Shang Dynasty, the morning bells and evening drums resounded, and all industries flourished.

Emperor Xin sat upright in the Longde Hall.

Having severed the shackles of the bewitching concubine and cleansed the confusion from his brow, this ruler of the Great Shang Dynasty completely restored the wisdom and might of the human emperor.

He reduced taxes and encouraged open discussion.

Even the former villains Huang Feihu and Deng Jiugong were subdued and returned to the Shang Dynasty. They strengthened their military and prepared to rebuild their empire.

The land of China enjoys favorable weather and abundant harvests.

Throughout the land, in prefectures, counties, and towns, countless City God Temples are thriving with incense offerings.

The gods patrol the countryside day and night, while civil and military judges oversee good and evil.

The people had a real place to rely on, and no longer worshipped the gods and Buddhas in the heavens in a vague and unreal way, but only respected humanity and the underworld.

The immense power of incense offerings transformed into visible columns of blue smoke, gathering above Chaoge City.

The ancient black bird, transformed from the national fortune of the Great Shang Dynasty, is bathed in the boundless blessings of humanity.

Its body was solid, its colorful feathers shone brightly, and it emitted clear cries that resounded through the heavens.

The black bird circles, and all evils are warded off. The great merchant's fortune is like oil being boiled over a raging fire, as solid as a fortress.

Those disciples of the Jie Sect who had scattered throughout the world had all broken up and integrated into this vast network of the City God's laws.

They traversed the bustling streets and famous mountains and rivers, silently yet meticulously searching for the destiny of newborns, waiting for the reincarnation of their master, the Tongtian Sect Master, to return.

at the same time.

Deep within the Nine Netherworlds, in the realm of the netherworld.

The River of Oblivion flows gently, and the path to the Underworld is orderly between Yin and Yang.

Emperor Yunxiao and Lady Pingxin preside over Fengdu, while the disciples of the Jie Sect manage the Yin and Yang, guiding all kinds of wronged souls into the underworld to enhance its prestige.

Zhen Yuanzi held the Earth Book in his hands, sorting out the veins of the land of the nine provinces, and perfectly stitching together the incense offerings of the human world with the origin of the underworld.

The Styx Ancestor led the Asura clan to guard the eighteen levels of hell, transforming the malevolent energy of countless ghosts into a continuous stream of merit, making the eighteen levels of hell famous.

Each performs its own function, and the system operates continuously.

The vast power of the underground passages is no longer confined to the depths of the underworld, but extends openly and legitimately to the mortal realm through the City God's network of laws.

With this foundation, the fortune of the Netherworld soared.

Outside of the grand scheme of the Heavenly Gods' Conferment, they forcefully carved out a broad and righteous path belonging to the authentic world.

Subtly, it has already established a grand and imposing presence, rivaling the Thirty-Three Heavens Court and the Great Merchants.

With the prosperity of both people and land, the Jie Sect is ushered in a new era.

However, the fortunes of the world are ever-changing.

In stark contrast to the booming Shang Dynasty was the Western Zhou army, which had retreated to the foot of Mount Qi.

Although the snowstorm has stopped, the cold still penetrates to the bone.

The camps in Xiqi stretched for miles, but there was no sign of life.

There were no drill chants, no neighing of warhorses; the camp was filled with an oppressive atmosphere of stagnation and deathly silence.

Inside the central command tent, the lights were dim.

Jiang Ziya, dressed in a gray-white Taoist robe, stood with his hands behind his back in front of the sand table.

In just a few short years, this once spirited prime minister of Xiqi seemed to have aged decades.

His temples were as white as frost, his back was hunched, and his face, etched with deep wrinkles, was filled with profound weariness and helplessness.

He stared at the sand table.

To the due east of the sand table stands a massive stone representing Jiepai Pass, like an insurmountable chasm, firmly blocking the throat of the Xiqi army's eastward advance.

After a long while, Jiang Ziya sighed, his face showing sadness.

"Sigh~"

He had to admit that he had been fooled by Yuanshi Tianzun again.

He was supposed to conquer all directions, but after waiting for so long, he still couldn't see the real Yuanshi Tianzun, and the Jiepai Pass was still unconquered.

"Master, what are you doing? In this situation, how can I be granted the title of god? Is Xiqi truly destined by Heaven?"

""

Jiang Ziya sighed. Although he did not know about the previous incident at Jiepai Pass, he had a vague feeling that the Sage seemed to have no way to deal with Jiepai Pass.

After a moment, Jiang Ziya shifted his gaze to the corner of the command tent.

Apart from a few third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect, the vast Xiqi camp had no other top-tier experts to speak of.

If a general has no more than ten men, his soldiers will have no will to fight.

Years of war and defeats have exhausted Xiqi's food supplies and manpower.

The soldiers were weary of war, and rumors spread. If it weren't for the vague decree that "King Wu's conquest of Zhou was ordained by Heaven," the army would have long since scattered.

"Destiny—"

Jiang Ziya's lips trembled slightly, and he let out an extremely bitter self-mockery.

He walked to the desk, stretched out his withered fingers, and gently stroked the two objects placed on the desk.

A scroll of the Investiture of the Gods radiating a faint golden light, and a God-Slaying Whip covered with Heavenly Dao runes.

This is a supreme treasure bestowed by the Primordial Celestial Venerable, and it is the supreme authority to confer divine titles on behalf of Heaven.

However, no matter how great the power, it seems so ridiculous at this moment.

The God-Slaying Whip strikes the righteous gods on the list.

The list is now mostly empty, many of the Jie Sect disciples have entered the underworld and are protected by the underground passage, the Western Sect has been suppressed by Xiao Wuji, and the Chan Sect has suffered heavy losses.

Who can he beat? Who can he block?

No soldiers knocked on the gate, no powerful figure broke the formation. He held these two heavenly artifacts in his hands, yet he could only gather dust in the commander's tent of Xiqi.

Jiang Ziya slumped down onto the prayer mat.

Outside the tent, the night wind howled, whipping the tattered banners and making a sound like the weeping of a lonely soul.

The flickering lamplight stretched his hunched shadow long.

In the long, silent night, Jiang Ziya felt an unprecedented sense of suffocation.

He was like a pawn completely forgotten in a corner, bearing the empty title of a god bestowed by Heaven, yet sinking deeper and deeper into the quagmire of the mortal world.

There was no way to retreat in front of them, and no reinforcements behind them.

It seemed that fate had cruelly abandoned him at Jiepai Pass.

"Master————"

Jiang Ziya raised his head, looking at the dark tent ceiling, and a layer of water welled up in his cloudy old eyes.

A long sigh echoed in the empty command tent, eventually being completely swallowed up by the cold wind outside the camp.

Just when Xiqi was mired in despair.

Beyond the thirty-third heaven, on Mount Kunlun, lies the Jade Void Palace.

The once auspicious and ethereal Xuanmen Sacred Realm is now shrouded in an oppressive and deathly silence.

Inside and outside the main hall, even the white crane attendants guarding the gate kept their distance, not daring to breathe loudly.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable sat regally on the Nine Dragons Agarwood Carriage.

He kept his eyes closed. Within the pure and vast Jade Clarity Immortal Light surrounding him, a chilling, dark aura churned—a murderous intent suppressed to the extreme.

The fortunes of the Shang Dynasty have been restored, and the power of the underground trade routes has greatly increased.

All of this was like a series of resounding slaps to the face of the Chan Sect.

In the center of the Jade Void Hall, the void cracked open like ripples on water.

Two beams of cold, golden Bodhi light descended from the sky, and the Daoist Zhunti and the Daoist Jieyin stepped into the main hall together.