The comet remained silent, only relentlessly unleashing heavenly tribulations.

Chapter 124 Cihang Jingzhai

Song Yi's heart tightened.

He and Jiang Ziya had become sworn brothers before the Investiture of the Gods, and he was able to enter the Investiture of the Gods thanks to his relationship with Jiang Ziya.

After the Investiture of the Gods was completed, Jiang Ziya was enfeoffed as the ruler of the State of Qi, in charge of the destiny of humanity. His position was equivalent to that of a second-rank Heavenly Venerable Emperor in the Heavenly Court, and he could mobilize the power of the Golden Dragon of Humanity, displaying strength comparable to that of a Great Luo Golden Immortal.

This is the authority of humanity.

The reason why emperors of all dynasties were able to become the rulers of the three realms was precisely because of this humanistic fortune.

When the Golden Dragon of Humanity appears, even a sage must give way and dare not confront its sharp edge head-on.

However, the fortune of humanity has always been a double-edged sword. Those who wield it are entangled in the karma of the mortal world. After the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, few human emperors have lived beyond the first Yuanhui. Moreover, as humanity has become increasingly prosperous, the lifespan of human emperors has continued to shrink.

Although Jiang Ziya attained the status of a terrestrial immortal, his lifespan was not infinite due to the karmic entanglements he was bound by.

Song Yi sighed and patted the rhinoceros's neck.

The rhinoceros with the intricate floral pattern seemed to understand its master's intentions. With a long cry, clouds surged between its four hooves, increasing its speed several times over. Like a white meteor streaking across the sky, it galloped towards the State of Qi at full speed.

Linzi City was the capital of the State of Qi. The royal city was majestic, and the faint image of a golden dragon could be seen circling above the city walls. It was a manifestation of the condensation of human fortune.

Song Yi rode the patterned rhinoceros to the front of the royal city gate. His divine light subsided, revealing the figure of an old man.

He wore the robes of a True Lord of the Pure and Turbid Palace, with a Thunder General token hanging at his waist. His beard and hair were half white, and his face was gaunt.

As soon as he landed, the sound of armor clashing rang out all around him.

Dozens of halberd-wielding generals poured out from both sides of the city gate, surrounding him. The leader shouted, "Who are you, daring to trespass into the royal city?"

Those generals all had a faint golden light flowing around them, clearly connected to the fate of the Qi Kingdom. In this royal city, with the blessing of human fortune, even celestial beings descending to earth would have to be wary.

Song Yi remained calm and simply said, "I am the Manifested Sage True Lord, and I wish to see the King."

His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Upon hearing this, all the generals immediately knelt down, saying, "So it is the True Lord who has descended! We were blind and ignorant, please forgive us!"

Previously, Song Yi was bestowed the title of Protector of the Nation and Manifestation of the Holy True Lord by Jiang Ziya, a position comparable to that of a monarch.

On the day of the imperial decree, Jiang Ziya also held an extremely grand ceremony to confer the titles of gods.

The powerful families, nobles, and major sects of the State of Qi all sent people to observe the ceremony.

Once these generals knew his identity, they naturally dared not stop him.

Deep within the palace hall, Jiang Ziya lay on his sickbed, covered with a thick brocade quilt. His face was withered, his eyes were sunken, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.

The dark aura of the five signs of decay had spread to his entire face, even covering his brow with a dark, deathly gray.

Several ministers and physicians from the State of Qi stood beside the bed, their faces filled with sorrow and helplessness.

The five signs of decay in the celestial beings are omens of the fall of immortals and gods.

His clothes were filthy, his hair was disheveled, he was sweating under his arms, and his body smelled foul; he was not pleased with this seat.

Jiang Ziya's five signs of decay were even more severe, and their root cause was not the ordinary exhaustion of lifespan, but the backlash from human nature.

He wielded power over humanity in the guise of an immortal, but now the consequences of his actions have backfired, and even a saint would find it difficult to reverse.

"Elder brother, you've finally arrived—"

Jiang Ziya seemed to sense something and struggled to open his eyes.

His eyes, which had been dull and lifeless, suddenly lit up with a glimmer of light when he saw Song Yi.

Song Yi walked to the bedside and looked at the person who had presided over the Investiture of the Gods calamity. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional and said in a low voice, "Brother, the cycle of life and death is the natural order of Heaven. With your status as a disciple of a sage, you should be able to break free from the cycle of reincarnation in no time."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ziya gave a faint smile, seemingly unconcerned: "Perhaps."

He remained silent for a moment, then looked up at the dome of the main hall, as if piercing through layers of barriers to gaze into the distance.

Then, he slowly began to speak: "After the Investiture of the Gods, the Chan Sect has always used the pretext of educating the human race to establish numerous Daoist temples in the Qi Kingdom. Now, all affairs, large and small, in the Qi Kingdom are actually controlled by the Cihang Jingzhai. I, as the ruler, am merely a figurehead, elder brother—"

Song Yi's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he did not reply.

Jiang Ziya continued, his voice weak but each word clear: "Although I am a disciple of the Heavenly Venerable, all twelve Golden Immortals look down on me—after all, the Jie Sect values ​​lineage, and the Qi Kingdom's Jade Seal is a token of humanity; only the one who holds it is the true ruler of Qi. But now, it is in the hands of Cihang Jingzhai."

He turned his head with difficulty and looked directly at Song Yi, his eyes full of pleading: "Elder brother, I am about to die and have no other concerns, except for this matter. I beg you, elder brother, if you are able in the future, to retrieve the Qi Kingdom's jade seal from Cihang Jingzhai, so that Qi Kingdom will no longer be subject to the control of the Chan Sect."

Song Yi remained silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Rest assured, my dear brother, I will certainly live up to your expectations."

"Thank you, elder brother."

Having received this promise, Jiang Ziya felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His expression suddenly relaxed, his aura gradually faded, and his breath grew weaker and weaker.

Inside the hall, the officials wept softly. Outside the window, the phantom of the golden dragon, a Taoist priest, suddenly let out a mournful cry, and the clouds above the entire city of Linzi were tinged with a dark gold color.

Just then, a sudden gust of cold wind arose in the hall, and the temperature plummeted.

Suddenly, six black holes opened up in the void, each one deep and bottomless, from which a cold wind blew.

Two figures emerged from the central black hole; they were none other than the Black and White Impermanence.

Black Impermanence held a soul-snatching rope, while White Impermanence held a mourning staff. Although their appearances were terrifying, they immediately bowed and greeted Song Yi with respect, calling him "True Lord."

Song Yi nodded, indicating that the two of them did not need to be so polite.

Then the Black and White Impermanence stepped forward and gently placed the chains on Jiang Ziya's body.

A faint, ethereal figure emerged from the corpse; it was Jiang Ziya's soul.

The soul bowed deeply to Song Yi, and then was escorted by the Black and White Impermanence, slowly disappearing into the six black holes.

The black hole closed, the yin energy dissipated, and silence returned to the main hall.

"Cihang Jingzhai—" Song Yi muttered to himself.

Although the Investiture of the Gods was a Pyrrhic victory for the Chan Sect, they ultimately gained the qualification to educate the human race, so it wasn't a complete loss.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of Jade Void successively established sects in the Southern Continent, using the banner of educating all living beings to firmly nail the immortal sects into the fortune of the Zhou Dynasty and the various states, continuously drawing human fortune to nourish Jade Void Kunlun.

In just over a hundred years, the Twelve Golden Immortals recovered sixty to seventy percent of their strength, a progress that was many times faster than cultivating in seclusion.

"If it were any other sect within the Chan Sect, they would have to think twice before making a move. As for Cihang Jingzhai, is it still considered part of the Chan Sect?"

Song Yi chuckled softly, then left the royal city and patted the rhinoceros with the intricate floral pattern.

The rhinoceros let out a long moo, its four hooves shone brightly with cloud light, and it transformed into a purple aura that disappeared into the end of the sea of ​​clouds.