Randeng looked back at the twelve Golden Immortals behind him, each looking dejected. He felt a pang of regret, but stepped forward and said, "Since I have accepted the Saint's entrustment, I shall see it through. Come, let this old daoist see how much skill you all possess."
Randeng slowly walked out from among the disciples of Chan Sect, his body slightly stooped, and approached the four figures hovering in the air. Bai Fu smiled and said, "Daoist Randeng, there is no need to hurry. One more is still on the way!"
Randeng's eyes darkened. "Then let them come," he said coldly.
No sooner had he spoken than a radiant golden light filled the distant horizon. The world bloomed with the vitality of spring, and phantom landscapes of mountains and rivers appeared in the air, with grains and soil overlaying the firmament. A voice of authority rang out, "Where is Ji Chang?"
In Xiqi City, Ji Chang was startled. Seeing that the heavenly procession had arrived, he hurried out of the city and bowed respectfully. All the immortals present, except for the four Guardian Immortals and Randeng, bowed their heads in deference.
"Greetings to the Earthly Sovereign Dharma Venerable."
"Greetings to the Earthly Sovereign Dharma Venerable."
It was Shennong, the Earthly Sovereign, one of the three Sovereigns of Heaven, Earth, and Man! Shennong stood amidst countless brocade immortal clouds and looked down at the immortals below. "Ji Chang, you possess supreme wisdom and should be an elder of our human race. Come with me to the Primal Ancestor Realm to cultivate the Bagua Heavenly Evolution and benefit our people!"
Ji Chang was greatly alarmed. He said, "Your Heavenly Sovereign Dharma Venerable's command, Ji Chang will naturally obey. However, I am under the Saint's command to subdue Shang and cannot spare the time to go."
Shennong chuckled. "Dynastic changes in the human world are naturally succeeded by descendants. Your Bagua of King Wen is sufficient to earn you a place among the human sages. The affairs of this mortal realm should be handled by your descendants. Come with me."
The disciples of Chan Sect were filled with uncertainty. Shennong clearly wished to take Ji Chang away, yet he personally acknowledged Ji Chang's position as King Wen. This was no slip of the tongue. If they defied him, and the three Sovereigns were to disapprove of the Zhou kingdom, the consequences would be dire. However, with the great undertaking of subduing Shang underway, Ji Chang's departure might cause dissent among the people of Zhou.
Ji Chang sighed and said, "Thank you, Heavenly Sovereign, for your regard. Ji Chang is willing to go." He then declared before the assembled immortals, "Now that I depart, my second son, Ji Fa, shall succeed me and carry on the great enterprise of my Zhou dynasty. I hope all of you will assist Ji Fa in the prosperity of our Great Zhou!"
The immortals agreed. Ji Fa stepped forward to bid farewell. Shennong smiled, glanced at Bai Fu and the other three, and left with Ji Chang.
With Ji Chang gone, the Zhou dynasty was thrown into disarray. Randeng knew that the offensive could no longer proceed. Shang and Zhou retreated to their respective positions, with Jiepaiguan serving as the dividing line. Xiqi needed to stabilize the hearts of its people, with the succession of a new king, the division of spoils, and the consolidation and administration of the territories east and west of Sishui Pass, all requiring time. As for the Great Shang, with the four Northern Xu stationed there, even Randeng might not be able to conquer them, let alone with Kong Xuan holding the fort. They were as solid as a mountain. The Great Shang could afford to stall, but the Great Zhou could not. The three-year ultimatum from Sect Master Tongtian caused unease in everyone's hearts.
Outside and inside Jiepaiguan, there was profound silence, as if it were a place for lost souls, a graveyard for the buried. In the blink of an eye, more than a year had passed, and less than a year remained until the three-year deadline.
One day, a patrolling immortal at the nascent stage of immortal cultivation leisurely ascended the city wall of Jiepaiguan. He looked out at the endless battlefield below and, feeling bored, stretched and yawned. But who said immortals couldn't yawn? The little immortal thought to himself as he unhurriedly walked towards the formation to inspect it. Just then, a blinding golden light illuminated the distant western sky, like the sun rising from the west, the eastern sun at its peak. For a moment, Jiepaiguan seemed to be caught between two suns in the east and west.
He was so astonished that his senses reeled. This was something even the Grand Unity Immortals could not achieve. Such a grand spectacle naturally alerted all the immortals in the Shang and Zhou camps. In the distance, golden auspicious clouds accumulated in the western sky, forming a golden expanse. Within these myriad golden clouds, faint lights like golden stars began to bloom – they were golden lotuses.
From afar, a barefoot daoist clasped his hands together and walked eastward. With each step, a golden lotus bloomed beneath his feet, forming a lotus path from west to east. The daoist's eyes held a compassionate smile, neither humble nor arrogant, his demeanor as serene as the clouds and water flowing beneath him. The daoist chanted, "Guest from the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, divine one of Western mystic arts. Lotuses form heaven and earth, I stand on the ninth grade. Divided into eight virtues by the pond, ever present in the seven treasures garden. After the Boluo flowers bloom, precious gold will grow everywhere. Discussing the Dharma of the Three Vehicles, relics stored within the belly. Those with affinity are born here, and will eventually become Buddhist monks."
After finishing his chant, the daoist had already arrived before Jiepaiguan. He uttered, "Amitabha, Amitabha!"
The four Northern Xu rose and bowed. Bei Xu said, "Why does the Saint leave the West to enjoy peace and quiet and enter the mortal world?"
Saint Zhunti smiled and said, "I have come to guide those with affinity in the West!"
Bai Fu smiled and asked, "Does the Saint intend to guide us four old men to the West to enjoy peace and quiet?" The four of them, in terms of age, were actually older than Zhunti and Jieyin.
Zhunti was not angered and chuckled, "My Western Paradise opens its doors wide. Those with or without affinity can all go to my Western World and enjoy the land of ultimate bliss."
In the distance, above Chaoge, Kong Xuan rose for the first time. "Is the Saint coming west for me?" Kong Xuan's words shook the heavens and echoed through the celestial realms.
"Naturally," Zhunti replied with a smile. "Amitabha, Amitabha! Benefactor, you are destined to be connected with the West. This is not my intention, but the intention of Heaven."
Kong Xuan smiled. "If the Saint can take me away today, then I am willing to experience the mystic methods of the West." As he spoke, the golden phoenix of destiny circled above Kong Xuan's head, its long cry resonating with the destiny of humanity. The great ley lines of the eight mountains and eight cauldrons in the eight directions trembled. Kong Xuan embraced the central royal cauldron with both hands, merging himself with the city of Chaoge, and thus with humanity. As long as Great Shang did not fall, Chaoge would not be breached. Unless Zhunti could, with a flip of his hand, annihilate the billions upon billions of humans in the nine provinces.
Zhunti, however, was not surprised. Instead, he said, "If Daoist Kong Xuan only hides in Chaoge City, Jiepaiguan will fall." He glanced at the four Northern Xu and added, "The four Daoist friends cannot stop Zhunti."
Kong Xuan fell silent for a moment. Then, resolutely, he stepped forward, crossing space and standing before Zhunti. "Kong Xuan offends the Saint!"
All the immortals were shocked and awestruck. He was actually going to attack a Saint? There were many powerful beings in the world, but none had ever dared to attack a Saint! Kong Xuan was the first, a being who dared to challenge the dignity of a Saint!
In Biyou Palace, Tongtian was lost in thought for a long time. Looking at Kong Xuan, he recalled the Tongtian daoist of the past who dared to venture into the four seas and eight directions alone with a single sword. He wondered when it was that he had to endure suffering even when his disciples and followers died tragically, all because of his elder brother.
Before Jiepaiguan, Zhunti smiled. Even an ant deserved its dignity, and a Saint would not be angered. He had never referred to any being he subdued as a mere beast.