This Great Shang Dynasty had too many problems.

Three years after the Li Jing paternity incident.

Li Changshou’s true body sat before the pill room, a palm-leaf fan in his hand, wearing a loose, soft robe.

Though his face still appeared young and handsome like someone in their twenties, there was something about him that gave off the air of an old grandpa from ‘whatever village.’

Getting an early start on retirement life.

Since breaking through to the Golden Immortal realm, Ling’e had begun spending more time in seclusion;

Originally, she had only wanted to casually become a Golden Immortal to stay by her Senior Brother’s side for a long time, but now she too was troubled by the many insights that came with cultivation.

Having more strength was always good, and cultivation itself, especially when continuously breaking through, was a joyous thing.

Hmm…

Poor Spirit Zhenzhu who had his Dao realm locked by the Heavenly Dao earlier.

During these three years, Li Changshou’s true body hadn’t left Little Qiong Peak;

His paper avatars had also been operating in the shadows, only occasionally showing face in the Heavenly Court to stabilize the morale of those above and below, maintaining a very low profile.

He was also afraid of someone else claiming him as his father.

The world had become quite peaceful as if the great calamity had passed.

The great battle in Central Divine Continent was gradually coming to an end, with immortal sects losing thirty percent of their gates and over half of their powerful immortal experts.

For humanity’s overall strength, it was indeed a powerful blow.

During the hundreds of years of battle in the Central Divine Continent, the Heavenly Court had recruited large numbers of unaffiliated immortal experts, continuously raising the average strength of the Heavenly Generals.

As the Heavenly Court’s planner, although Li Changshou hadn’t handled many specific matters, these were all part of the plans he had set, so he naturally deserved the primary credit.

By now, the Heavenly Court had formed a complete system for cultivating Heavenly Soldiers, with methods for celestial advancement, regular recruitment, and gathering experts, keeping the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals full of vitality and combat power.

What remained lacking were the positions of various proper deities.

When the Investiture of the Gods’ killing tribulation concluded, an enormous entity surpassing even the peak of Sage’s great teachings would stand above the Nine Heavens.

The Sages would retreat and all immortals would fear it, its extended heavenly rules and doctrines would become the standards for immortals and all living beings.

Those Western Teaching disciples whose paths to the Investiture of the Gods list had been blocked early by Li Changshou were purely tribulation ash—no names on the list, not even half a remnant soul on the golden pillars of the Jade Emperor’s Palace.

The early plans were being realized one after another.

Of course, some were being realized in ways that even Li Changshou hadn’t imagined…

Like Wen Jing.

The Western Teaching had completely sealed Spirit Mountain and ceased activities, but this didn’t mean Li Changshou had lost his source of intelligence about the Western Teaching.

During these three years, his paper avatar had met with Daoist Wen Jing’s blood mosquito, and to stabilize Daoist Wen Jing, Li Changshou had no choice but to conceal the matter of the Grand Master and Kong Xuan, only setting up some psychological preparations for Daoist Wen Jing.

[The Grand Master seemed to have a close friend before, and they appear to have developed something recently.]

What puzzled Li Changshou was Daoist Wen Jing’s…

Rather strange reaction.

Wen Jing wiped the corner of her mouth at the time and asked about that person’s strength. When Li Changshou said it was on par with the Three Teachings’ Senior Brothers, Daoist Wen Jing became worried.

She started worrying about whether she would be qualified to integrate into the Grand Master’s dao companion circle in the future.

Li Changshou: …

Is this what the world of the strong is like?

Regarding this, Li Changshou could only silently recite scriptures, praying for the Grand Master’s safety, Kong Xuan’s safety, Wen Jing’s safety, and the safe fulfillment of the Human Teaching’s reproduction mission.

When Daoist Wen Jing spoke of Spirit Mountain’s current situation, she repeatedly praised Star Lord’s methods as sufficiently dark and his strikes as sufficiently fierce.

Today’s Spirit Mountain was desolate, with over half of the originally hidden Sage’s disciples dead or injured, undoubtedly a fatal blow to the Western Teaching.

These Sage’s disciples could no longer hide in the shadows and were dispatched by Sage Zhunti to the Three Thousand Worlds to manage the affairs of the various Incense Fire Divine Nations.

The Incense Fire Divine Nations were the Western Teaching’s stable source of merit, and they naturally didn’t want to give them up.

However, after the previous Spirit Mountain battle, Spirit Mountain’s direct combat forces had suffered too many losses, with nine-tenths of the experts recalled from the Three Thousand Divine Nations perishing, leaving many Incense Fire Divine Nations quite empty inside.

After the Spirit Mountain battle, the Temple of Heaven and the Immortal Union declared total war on the Incense Fire Divine Nations, which also put enormous pressure on Western Teaching.

The Western Teaching now had placed its focus, or rather its last hope, in the Three Thousand Worlds, with only an empty shell of Spirit Mountain remaining in the Five Continents.

What Li Changshou cared about most was whether Daoist Wen Jing had suffered the Western Sages’ anger in this battle.

Daoist Wen Jing giggled a few times and somewhat embarrassedly spoke of her currently awkward situation.

‘How did your servant end up becoming their Western Teaching’s Vice Patriarch? Tsk tsk.’

Li Changshou: …

This?

This could happen?

Li Changshou couldn’t help but start to wonder if he had promised her too much, though what he could originally give wasn’t enough.

Now, he could only hope that the Grand Master had enough charm to make Wen Jing completely devoted, taking a bite of the Golden Lotus at the crucial moment.

During the previous Spirit Mountain battle, Li Changshou had considered the idea of having Wen Jing go after the Golden Lotus.

But firstly, Master hadn’t given any signal;

Secondly, at that time Wen Jing was ordered to lead the Primordial Fierce Beasts and Ancient Beast Gods in underground concealment, unable to reach deep into Spirit Mountain to contact that lotus.

But now, Daoist Wen Jing had become the Western Teaching’s Vice Patriarch, and Spirit Mountain was extremely empty.

Next, as long as the two Sages left home, that would be the true opportunity.

This hidden piece that was Daoist Wen Jing was about to surface.

Li Changshou encouraged her with a few words, telling her to wait calmly at Spirit Mountain, and specifically mentioned that when the time was right, there would be orders from Master, so she needn’t worry too much.

By now, Wen Jing had secretly understood her ‘mission.’

After all, the targets requiring her continued infiltration into Western Teaching were now few.

Indeed, the Supreme Clarity Lord wanted to slay a Sage, requiring her to hide in Spirit Mountain’s deepest parts, waiting for the Supreme Clarity Lord to beat a certain Western Teaching Sage into a severely injured, dying state, so she could deliver the finishing blow…

Sage blood!

Daoist Wen Jing’s heart instantly became excited, and she repeatedly agreed to Li Changshou’s instructions.

Her level of enthusiasm made even Li Changshou somewhat embarrassed.

Being an undercover agent and reaching Vice Patriarch, not counting Kashyapa and Maitreya and other Sage’s personal senior disciples, she was essentially the third seat of current Spirit Mountain…

That was quite something.

From a certain perspective, Western Teaching was quite miserable.

But this couldn’t be blamed on Master’s ruthlessness, after all, the Western Teaching had struck first, secretly plotting against the Three Teachings of the Dao School while thinking the Supreme Clarity Sage wouldn’t notice.

It was just trying to steal a bell with ears covered.

But the Western Great Prosperity would still prosper.

According to Li Changshou’s current understanding, if not for the Master’s scheme of transforming the barbarian into Buddha, the Western Teaching’s Sages would still at some point ‘receive the Mandate of Heaven,’ establish the Mahayana Buddhist Gate, modify the Western Teaching’s doctrines, and then begin their path to prosperity.

If there were a way to suppress Western prosperity, Master wouldn’t have used the method of ‘stealing their title, fortune, and doctrines.’

The soul of Sage’s great teaching was its doctrines.

Even if the transformation of barbarian to Buddha succeeded perfectly, what was preached to the world would no longer be the Three Teachings of the Dao School’s doctrines, but Buddhist doctrines, just with a different group of people presiding over the doctrines.

“Ah…”

This world was still operating according to the Heavenly Dao’s will, rather than the will of all beings.

Li Changshou half-closed his eyes, using a thread of immortal power to make the reclining chair gently rock, content and without joy or sorrow.

He hadn’t been idle these three years either, following the plan to infiltrate the mortal royal authority, the whole process being quite simple, not consuming much of his energy.

Of course, Li Changshou hadn’t used supernatural powers, much less controlled mortal minds.

He had just used a tiny bit of strategy to find himself an insignificant small position in the Great Yin City.

Nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning.

“My Lord—”

Hearing faint calls in his mind, Li Changshou’s consciousness returned to his ‘Official’ paper avatar, opening his eyes in a mansion within the Great Yin City of the Shang Dynasty, rising from behind his desk.

Opening the wooden door of his study, bright sunlight streamed in as Li Changshou stretched lazily, his whole being becoming more spirited.

This paper avatar of his had a middle-aged appearance, with gray-white hair and beard, and a rather thin frame, giving off an immortal, transcendent air.

A servant knelt before him to report that it was time for the palace council meeting, and the carriage had been prepared in the courtyard.

“Understood.”

Li Changshou walked out with his hands behind his back, soon boarding his exclusive wide-canopied ox cart, swaying along toward the sprawling palace complex.

Similar ox carts joined along the way, all carrying officials heading to the daily council.

To say something that would sadden the Jade Emperor, in just half a year of infiltrating this position, Li Changshou’s attendance at the Human Emperor’s court nearly matched his total attendance at the Heavenly Court.

This was because, for the previous two and a half years, Li Changshou hadn’t yet infiltrated the court officials.

This was the center of power in the Shang Dynasty, a place of revelry and entertainment, where the filth and indecency of the mortal world couldn’t be seen.

But sweeping his immortal awareness across the area, he could see the oppression of slaves by nobles and commoners throughout the Shang Dynasty.

The Shang Dynasty had far too many slaves.

In most contexts, slaves were a social class who weren’t worthy of names, had no protections, and served as the main labor force in the Shang Dynasty system.

They were nobles’ playthings, even burial objects, with absolutely no path to advancement. Even if born beautiful or handsome, they were still just playthings, unable to gain recognition from the Shang people.

The Shang Dynasty’s customs were rather open, and many slaves instead began living lives of debauchery, squandering their youth and ending their lives early.

But the immortal realm’s rich resources and South Jambudvipa’s vast lands allowed the Shang Dynasty to barely sustain its enormous slave population.

Currently, the massive slave population has become a huge hidden danger.

The main source of slaves was prisoners of war captured during the Shang Dynasty’s expansion; the Shang Dynasty didn’t prohibit slaves from marrying and having children, leading to an awkward situation where the slave population exceeded the Shang population.

These problems…

Li Changshou just observed casually, not intending to interfere much.

Let history develop on its own.

After all, he had confirmed through various means that this immortal realm had no direct connection to his home Blue Star.

Entering the palace gates, the ox carts swaying immediately became gentler, the level and solid ground leaving no wheel tracks.

Soon, the ox cart stopped before a great hall, and guards pulled back the curtain as Li Changshou stepped out, showing a warm smile and exchanging greetings with several Shang Dynasty officials who had dismounted at about the same time.

“The Grand Steward looks in good spirits.”

“Ah, Deputy Magistrate Lin, that court dress is quite splendid.”

“General Wang, when did you change your armor? Truly impressive.”

Before long, a group of officials gathered around Li Changshou, chatting and laughing as they climbed the steps to the hall together.

At the hall entrance, Li Changshou raised an eyebrow, glanced at the empty hall, made his apologies to the friendly officials around him, and headed toward a corner of the hall.

There, several rather young clerks were arranging stone tablets, tortoise shells, and bamboo slips, preparing to record the contents of this hall meeting.

—The tortoise shells weren’t for carving text; their use was somewhat more complicated.

These clerks, both male and female, wore uniform but rather complex official robes, their ranks already quite high.

Among them, one had a square face and dignified features, his brow full of righteousness, with a mark on his forehead vaguely showing the outline of a vertical eye.

Just sitting there, he had a natural presence that overshadowed the other clerks. It was hard to tell if this was his first time being assigned to record the ‘King’s Words.’

This person was quite confident, seeming to have little fear or reverence for his surroundings, carrying a kind of sharpness in his bones.

Who else could it be but Wen Zhong?

At this moment, Wen Zhong also noticed this official walking toward him but remained seated and lowered his head, pretending not to see.

His current progress was already ahead of the other immortals who had attended Star Lord Taibai’s lectures that day.

What was so difficult about being an official in the mortal realm?

Show some ability, display the talents mortals value, and hadn’t he already reached the Shang King’s side?

Although he was just rotated in to serve as a note-taking official, coming twice a month.

But compared to those third-generation disciples sent by the Enlightenment Teaching who were still wandering around, and Senior Sister Fire Spirit who was now working as a fire tender in the Great Yin City’s guard camp.

He, Wen Zhong, was the most successful immortal in Great Yin City!

At this rate of development, in less than ten years, he could become an official with rank, in twenty years he could become a member of the court, and in thirty years he could become the Shang Dynasty’s most important minister!

When that time came, dealing with the tribulation would be effortless!

“Ahem!”

Why was this official coughing? Must be looking for someone else.

There were several clerks from different departments. He was a pure administrative clerk, while the two women beside him were from the ‘Divination Bureau,’ a group of mortal women without any cultivation who claimed they could communicate with heaven, earth, and ancestors.

Quite amusing.

The other two men, one was from the Grand Historian’s office, and the other was of the same ‘background’ as himself.

Their main task was to…

“Ahem! *cough* *cough*!”

What was this official coughing about? Got breakfast stuck in his throat? Why was he still standing in front of him?

“Nephew Wen Zhong, doing quite well for yourself.”

Wen Zhong was startled, suddenly raising his head to stare at the finely dressed official before him, seeing that half-smiling expression on his face, feeling that unforgettable dao rhythm appearing in his heart, and hearing that slightly teasing divine communication!

“Mas—!”

“All of you pay attention,” Li Changshou calmly interrupted Wen Zhong’s words, secretly shaking his head.

This child Wen Zhong still wasn’t mature and steady enough.

Apart from Wen Zhong, the other four male and female clerks stood up and bowed to Li Changshou.

“Grand Historian, my Lord.”

Grand!

Wen Zhong stood speechless, then was reminded by gestures from the side and quickly stood up.

Li Changshou laughed a few times and instructed: “Seeing there are new faces among you, this official came to remind you not to miss or record incorrectly later, and the document format must be unified.”

“Yes!” Wen Zhong responded firmly, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

Uncle Master Taibai was truly everywhere.

When Li Changshou returned to the group of officials, Wen Zhong heard several quiet discussions from the side, making his heart twitch even more.

Three years, from a famous scholar of Great Yin City to one of the Shang Dynasty’s Six Ministers, deeply appreciated by King Wen Ding.

Was this Uncle Master Taibai’s capability?

Wen Zhong sighed deeply in his heart…

He truly still had far to go.

…

Jade Void Palace, Waterfall Pavilion.

Guangcheng Zi stood with his hands behind his back before a painting, which showed an aerial view of Great Yin City.

He remained silent for a long time, making the middle-aged and young Daoists standing behind him quite anxious.

“How many years of life does the current Shang King have left?”

Guangcheng Zi suddenly asked thus, and a middle-aged Daoist immediately stepped forward to answer:

“Observing his fortune, about six years.”

“Six years, who is the next Shang ruler? Has it been decided? Are there any brothers?”

“The next Shang ruler seems to be Zi Xian, with two brothers, Xu Yu and Bi Gan.”

Guangcheng Zi nodded slowly, then paced with his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing with slight brightness.

Got it.