Qinglong nodded, "Indeed, what the Saintly Realm sees is vastly different from what ants see."
Qingling chuckled, "Elder Brother once served as the Heavenly and Earthly Venerable One, his standing no lower than a Saint's. My little disciple, Kong Xuan, will also require Elder Brother's care." Da Feng Novel Network
"What? Are you leaving again?"
"Precisely. This is my mission and duty as a Saint of All Beings."
Qinglong frowned, "Who dares to bestow a Saint's mission upon you?"
Qingling laughed, "Then it is a mission granted to me, Qingling, by Heaven and Earth. Since I have arrived in this world, I am destined to change the fate of all living beings."
...
Kunlun, shrouded in immortal energy, along a mountain path paved with rare herbs, cranes cry out, and mist drifts. Two figures descend the mountain.
The foremost is an elder with an immortal bearing, followed by a middle-aged man in black robes, both leisurely making their way down.
"Senior Brother Jiang, where will you go after descending the mountain?" the middle-aged man asked.
"After careful consideration, I shall head to Xiqi. And Junior Brother Shen?" the elder replied.
"Me? Heh heh, Junior Brother merely wishes to be a happy and carefree immortal," Shen Gongbao said. "I only hope that when Senior Brother bestows titles, you will consider our master's face and not involve me in the calamity."
Jiang Ziya stroked his three-inch white beard and smiled, "Junior Brother, rest assured."
The two then parted ways, heading in opposite directions.
Jiang Ziya walked unhurriedly into the mortal world, observing the rolling mortal energy like a vast sea or a ferocious beast, devouring countless immortals and mortals. Innumerable entanglements caused immortals to suffer to the bone, kings to lament bitterly, and all beings to find little joy.
Entering the mortal realm is easy; leaving it is difficult.
Jiang Ziya smiled and murmured to himself, "The path of immortality is vast and distant, yet I have attained wisdom.
The mortal world is clamorous and chaotic, yet I, Jiang Ziya, will not suffer its woes. How else can I understand the hearts of men? I shall venture into the mortal realm for a while!"
Jiang Ziya found his old friend and brother, who was in Chaoge.
Before the city of Chaoge, a terrifying humanistic power suppressed Jiang Ziya's full magical abilities, forcing him to live as a mortal.
Jiang Ziya said softly, "Today, Chaoge suppresses my immortal bones; when I return to Chaoge again, it will be I who suppresses it."
Through the introduction of his old friend, Jiang Ziya married an older woman, a plump and robust matron. Their marriage was filled with constant conflict.
However, Jiang Ziya never revealed his identity as a disciple of a Saint. He acted as if he were merely a mortal, and over time, others genuinely believed him to be so.
To earn a living, he engaged in many professions, experiencing the joys and sorrows of mortals, tempering his heart and shaping his will, all for the future.
On the other hand, after Shen Gongbao descended the mountain, he roamed the vast rivers and mountains, exploring all the realms. With his Taiyi realm cultivation, as long as he did not act recklessly, he could go anywhere in the world.
Shen Gongbao marveled at the scenery of the Four Continents, the grandeur of the World Tree, and the prosperity of the City of Beings. He also used inter-realm teleportation arrays to visit various great thousand worlds, witnessing their wonders.
He did not presume to be a disciple of a Saint. Unlike Jiang Ziya, Shen Gongbao had been expelled from his sect.
Jiang Ziya was ordered to descend the mountain to oversee the Investiture of the Gods, acting on behalf of Heaven.
Shen Gongbao was cast out of the mountain, alone and in hiding from his sect.
Meanwhile, Kong Xuan entered the mortal world and arrived at Qishan, where he cultivated and gained enlightenment.
Below the mountain lay Xiqi city. Although the Marquis of Xiqi was imprisoned in Youli, his spiritual essence still governed Xiqi. Hearing of a wise elder on Qishan, he went to visit.
Kong Xuan met him, and they conversed, discussing the Great Dao of Taiji.
Through this encounter, the Marquis of Xiqi gained insight into the Great Dao of Taiji, deeply exploring its principles, seeking to understand the Great Dao of the Human Realm.
It was at this time that King Zhou summoned the eight hundred feudal lords of the realm to an audience. Even across vast distances, these lords were Golden Immortals and Taiyi cultivators. The human realm's great transport arrays ensured the king's decree reached all nine provinces.
In this era, the control a king held over his dynasty and its territories was terrifying. The rapid advancement of immortal and divine cultivation, coupled with the inheritance and development of spiritual treasures of the human realm, brought the monarch's central power to its zenith.
The eight hundred feudal lords gathered at Chaoge. The Marquis of Xiqi, imprisoned for many years, was represented by his eldest son, Bo Yikao, who attended the court in his father's stead. Unbeknownst to him, Da Ji took a liking to him. Refusing her advances, he was therefore framed and met a tragic end.
Da Ji then had palace servants prepare Bo Yikao's remains into meat pies, which were sent to the Marquis of Xiqi, ordering him to eat them.
The Marquis of Xiqi was enraged but ultimately consumed them.
King Wen eating his own son, even a Saint would falter. King Zhou was thus put at ease. The forces of Chan Jiao within Chaoge actively incited, allying with the forces of Ren Jiao, leading King Zhou to permit the Marquis of Xiqi to return to his fiefdom.
It is said that upon his return to Xiqi, the Marquis of Xiqi vomited three lumps of meat, which transformed into a spiritual rabbit. Weeping with grief, the Marquis of Xiqi deduced the Eight Trigrams of King Wen, with eight divinations and sixty-four hexagrams, encompassing all matters of the world. At this moment, the Marquis of Xiqi's rage turned to hatred. Though he had a hundred sons, his true blood relatives were only Bo Yikao and Ji Fa.
Ji Chang returned to Xiqi and, with the support of Chan Jiao forces, bravely raised his banner in rebellion.
It was at this time that Jiang Ziya departed Chaoge and was invited by Ji Chang to Xiqi, where he was honored as Prime Minister. Of the two hundred feudal lords under his command, eighty defected to Ji Chang.
Ji Chang declared himself King of Zhou, with Zhou as his kingdom and Xiqi as his capital. Jiang Ziya assembled troops and appointed generals on Qishan, erecting the Platform for the Investiture of the Gods and hanging the Divine Investiture List.
The great momentum of humanistic destiny surged and split, dividing into two: the Great Shang held nine parts, and the state of Zhou held one.
On Qishan, Heaven and Earth converged, Heaven and man interacted, Earth and man united. Divine authority was granted, immortal paths were suppressed, the human realm was divided, and the fortunes of Chan and Jie intertwined, leading to the return of all phenomena and the descent of auspicious signs.
In the 1123rd Yuan Hui of the Heavenly Emperor calendar, Xiqi rebelled, establishing the state of Zhou. Auspicious signs descended from Heaven, and a phoenix cried from Qishan!
A celestial phoenix soared into the sky, circling Qishan, with all birds paying homage. Brilliant golden light illuminated the firmament.
Li Jing, far away in Chentangguan, looked at the golden light in the sky and fell silent.
The Four Demon Kings of Jiameng Pass were blinded by the golden light, astonishment etched on their faces.
In Chaoge, King Zhou awoke from a dream, gazing into the distance, stunned.
On Kunlun Mountain, Yuanshi Tianzun opened his eyes from a divine trance, only to frown. "It has changed. One part changes, and the whole is transformed."
And on Fuyu Mountain in Beijuluzhou, the disciples were all overjoyed. Outside Luosheng Hall, Hua Ze and Hua Shuo also began to smile.
Qinglong stood on the palace terrace, hands clasped behind his back, gazing towards Dongsheng Shenzhou and smiling faintly, "Excellent!"
On Jin'ao Island, Tongtian praised, "This child possesses great wisdom."
Duobao sighed, "I have fallen behind."
"No need to be disheartened," Tongtian laughed. "He is the son of a phoenix, and his innate fortune far surpasses that of ordinary innate beings. It is understandable that he has taken the lead."
In the West, Zhunti said, "If such a person were to enter my Western sect, my great prosperity would advance further!"
Witnessed by great powers across the myriad worlds, Kong Xuan, the chief disciple of the Saint of All Beings, ascended to the realm of peak great power!
The phoenix cried from Qishan, and his past self flew back south, returning to the Celestial Phoenix plane of the Undying Volcano.
On Qishan, Kong Xuan rose, and the King of Zhou escorted him.
Kong Xuan refused, looking at the King of Zhou and saying, "Fellow Daoist Ji, our paths are ultimately different. When we meet again, we shall be enemies."
Ji Chang exclaimed in shock, "Senior, why do you say so? You are both a teacher and a friend in my heart; how can we be enemies?"
Kong Xuan sighed, "Heaven has ordained it, the human realm speaks of destiny. The Heavenly Mandate: a black bird descended and gave birth to Shang."
With that, Kong Xuan strode into the sunset, his robes billowing, and headed towards Chaoge.