Wooo—

A deep horn blast cut through the sky, and from afar one could see a “dragon” slowly “moving” across the earth.

Li Changshou stood on the corner eaves of the Holy Mother Palace, gazing into the distance. He saw a procession of tens of thousands forming a dragon on the ground, with a hundred men and women wearing shamanic masks jumping about in front, more than ten horns carried by several people continuously emitting waves of noise behind, and several groups of replacements on either side taking turns, creating quite a lively scene.

Most of the procession consisted of armored warriors guarding an enormous carriage pulled by thirty-two identical exotic beasts.

Mortal emperors truly knew how to enjoy themselves—this carriage was like a small palace with upper and lower levels. From within came music and the graceful shadows of dancers. Besides Emperor Xin, there were eight accompanying ministers.

A true mobile palace.

The so-called exotic beasts were actually “ordinary wild beasts” tamed by humans, just with greater strength and endurance, becoming the preferred choice for pulling imperial carriages and a symbol of Shang royal status.

At this sight, birds scattered and pedestrians retreated, yellow sand rolled and blocked the sky and sun.

If one could see auras, one would notice a golden dragon slowly swimming above the Human Emperor’s procession, its head covering Emperor Xin.

The Human Emperor’s fortune.

Because the dragon race had become a human totem in ancient times and helped humans during their darkest period, they became humanity’s totemic symbol.

The Shang ruler’s fortune should rightfully manifest as a dark bird, but it ultimately couldn’t compare to the title of “Human Emperor.”

Li Changshou felt poetically inspired and began to softly chant, his left hand behind his back, his right hand slightly raised before him, about to point to the…

“Elder? White-robed elder?”

A rough voice sounded from behind. Seeing Li Changshou ignore him, the voice grew even rougher:

“Old man! Hey! I’m talking to you! The one in white! What are you doing? Thinking of jumping?”

Li Changshou turned around somewhat helplessly, looking at the nearly zhang-tall warrior below, then glancing at the guards who had previously patrolled here before hurriedly retreating.

How crude.

He shakily slid down the wooden ladder from the side and smiled, “General, this old one was just looking around. Later there will be too many people to see the Great King.”

The warrior grumbled:

“Don’t you know how old you are? What if you fell from that height? Behave yourself. When the Great King arrives, elders can naturally look from the front.

Don’t try anything funny, I’m warning you! If you spill blood and ruin the fortune, watch out!”

The warrior waved his battle ax, then rolled his eyes and walked away with his hands behind his back.

Li Changshou smiled and nodded, his eyes containing traces of amusement.

From afar, he could still hear several young commanders reporting preparation details to the warrior, constantly calling him “Commander E Lai.”

Shaking his head, Li Changshou walked back to his small house with his hands behind his back, quietly waiting for the excitement to begin.

The Nüwa Temple was already on full alert. Such a grand event naturally attracted many mortals to watch, filling the mountains and plains around the temple.

Hearing several drum beats outside and people shouting “Great King,” Li Changshou, now wearing magnificent robes, walked out of the small wooden house where his paper avatar usually stayed and headed toward the main hall with his hands behind his back.

The officers looked at each other, seeing that Li Changshou’s paper avatar had an extraordinary bearing, unlike others, unsure of his background. They hurriedly went to find that brute from before.

“Hey, you!”

E Lai’s eyes widened as he rushed over to block Li Changshou’s path, suppressing his voice while urgently shouting: “What are you doing! The Great King is about to arrive, is this a place for you to wander around?”

“Well…”

“Well, what!”

E Lai scolded: “Come here, take him back!”

Li Changshou was caught between laughter and tears. He was about to explain that he was the honorary abbot here and today’s ceremony master, just hadn’t shown his face before, when suddenly a cry came from the side:

“Is… is it Grand Historian?”

E Lai turned around, and Li Changshou calmly smiled, hands tucked in his sleeves, standing quietly in place.

Not far away, an elderly minister who had arrived early to check the arrangements ran over excitedly, staring intently at Li Changshou’s paper avatar with its child-like face and crane-white hair, nearly breaking into tears.

“Grand Historian! It is you! How are you here?

E Lai, step back now!

With your fierce appearance, what if you frighten the elder!”

Li Changshou smiled and said, “Ah, little Fang. After leaving Chaoge City, I settled here, cultivating myself daily, and have lived through these years.”

“Ah, you still remember this junior. Back then, thanks to your guidance, I have my position today. Wait, I’ll go report to the Great King right away!”

With that, the elderly minister turned and ran toward the front courtyard.

“This?”

The dim-witted commander looked down at Li Changshou, then at the elderly minister’s retreating figure, before rubbing his bald bronze-colored head, somewhat confused.

Soon after, several laughs were heard as a middle-aged man wearing a dark loose robe stepped forward, his face full of satisfaction, his eyes bright upon seeing Li Changshou.

It was today’s Emperor Xin.

Li Changshou bowed with cupped hands, saying: “Greetings, Great King.”

“Hahaha! Grand Historian, you are here! I have missed you greatly!”

Emperor Xin strode forward, followed by a group of civil and military officials.

Li Changshou: …

Speaking as if they were so familiar.

When they came near, several regent ministers each greeted Li Changshou and Emperor Xin sighed:

“When the Grand Historian left without saying goodbye, I and the Grand Preceptor were heartbroken for a long. Today seeing Grand Historian still healthy puts my mind at ease, truly at ease.”

Li Changshou smiled and said, “Alas, I am old and cannot help the Great King plan and stabilize the realm, which fills me with regret.”

A light flashed in Emperor Xin’s eyes, his smile growing deeper.

“Why is Grand Historian here?”

Wen Zhong had told Emperor Xin something.

Li Changshou inwardly sighed and said slowly, “I retired here as an abbot. This place is beautiful with its mountains and waters, quite pleasant. Today I was supposed to preside over the Great King’s worship ceremony, but it seems other abbots will have to do it now.”

“Grand Historian should rest, should rest,” Emperor Xin looked toward the Holy Mother’s main hall and smiled, “It’s just a matter of worshiping deities.”

Li Changshou smiled and nodded, saying: “Thank you for the Great King’s consideration.”

Emperor Xin smiled and nodded, saying no more as he walked toward the main hall. Li Changshou was surrounded by several ministers asking about his well-being.

To the side, E Lai pressed his lips together and frowned, silently raising his hand to pinch his big mouth, unsure how to speak.

Li Changshou raised his hand to pat E Lai’s arm, praising: “Good fellow, quite sturdy.”

Then he walked away smiling, leaving E Lai grinning foolishly.

This small disturbance quickly settled. Li Changshou followed several ministers behind Emperor Xin into the Holy Mother Hall.

Another official abbot came forward to preside over the upcoming worship ceremony.

Emperor Xin stood with his hands behind his back, appreciating the exquisite murals on both walls of the main hall as ministers interpreted them. The murals depicted scenes of Nüwa creating humans, Nüwa mending the sky, Nüwa bestowing blessings, and more.

A five-zhang-tall jade statue of Nüwa stood in the center of the main hall, emanating a faint jade light, but its face and hair ornaments were covered with white cloth.

‘The Holy Mother does not show her true countenance’—this was the highest respect mortals of this time showed to Holy Mother Nüwa.

After Emperor Xin finished touring the hall, the old abbot asked if they should begin the ceremony immediately. Emperor Xin said:

“No need for too much ceremony. I will offer sacrifices and pay respects to the Holy Mother, that’s all.”

The old abbot dared not say anything, and the ministers, long familiar with the Great King’s temperament, wouldn’t speak up about such formalities.

Soon after, guards brought roasted cattle and sheep sacrifices along with fruits and pastries. Emperor Xin took three incense sticks and, with a solemn expression, bowed to the Holy Mother’s statue before placing the incense on the burner.

Emperor Xin stepped back several paces. Guards brought over cushions, and then Emperor Xin lifted the hem of his robes and led all the civil and military officials, guards, and soldiers both inside and outside the hall in a slow prostration.

At this moment, Li Changshou suddenly understood why Emperor Xin had come to pay respects to the Holy Mother’s statue.

The women’s ceremonial group had been completely excluded, unable to participate in any steps. With Emperor Xin’s single phrase “keep it simple,” he had isolated the women’s ceremonial group and thus grasped divine authority in his hands.

This move was truly brilliant.

Just then!

Li Changshou’s ears twitched. As he was bowing before the Holy Mother’s statue, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed toward Emperor Xin.

In a place invisible to mortals, a faint purple beam shot toward Emperor Xin, but as Li Changshou pointed, a pale white halo appeared behind Emperor Xin, steadily blocking the beam.

‘Hmm?’

Li Changshou’s eyes narrowed slightly. While this paper avatar remained prostrated, his consciousness immediately shifted.

Outside the Holy Mother Temple, a guard frowned slightly, raised his thumb, and gently pressed it toward the main hall.

But this time, just as he moved, a large hand suddenly appeared, firmly gripping his wrist.

The guard was startled. Following the hand, he saw an old Taoist in cyan robes, his form ethereal, smiling as he said:

“Fellow Daoist, long time no see.”

The guard’s lips curved in a cold smile, his body twitched several times, and he collapsed powerlessly.

From the guard’s body, a pale blue smoke emerged, condensing into a faint figure invisible to mortals, hands behind his back, smiling at Li Changshou.

He was slightly plump, with what could be called a prosperous appearance, his lips always bearing a faint smile.

Western School, Maitreya.

“Fellow Daoist seems unsurprised to see me here?”

Li Changshou sighed: “I anticipated it, just didn’t expect it would be you, fellow Daoist. Your return to the world between heaven and earth must have received Heaven’s permission.

This matter is better left unspoken.

I just didn’t expect your avatar technique would still be so crude. I could smell your decay from eight hundred li away.”

Maitreya’s lips twitched slightly, his eyes flashing with ferocity.

“You want to protect the Shang ruler?”

Li Changshou smiled without speaking. His paper avatar was wrapped in a mysterious dao rhythm, temporarily elevating this inherently weak paper avatar to match Maitreya’s avatar’s aura.

In the next instant, both ethereal figures vanished!

Fierce winds arose at the Holy Mother Palace. Two clouds, one black and one white, appeared in the high sky. Around the palace’s perimeter, two flickering points of light constantly pursued and collided, but the aftereffects of their collisions were immediately erased.

Thus, the mortals prostrating themselves before the Holy Mother Palace’s main hall completely failed to notice these strange phenomena.

Li Changshou’s paper avatar’s power was rapidly depleting, but he firmly held Maitreya outside the palace perimeter, neutralizing dozens of light beams aimed at Emperor Xin in mere moments.

In the main hall, Emperor Xin had begun to rise, and the assembled officials slowly stood as well, the ceremony ending.

Knowing his chance was lost, Maitreya snorted coldly. He and Li Changshou simultaneously materialized dozens of li away in the mountains outside the temple.

Li Changshou’s lips curved in a faint smile, this paper avatar’s power was completely exhausted.

Maitreya said calmly: “Li Changgeng, do you know whose orders I follow?”

“That you can ask such a question, the answer is self-evident,” Li Changshou answered, hands behind his back.

“Then you still dare act this way?” Maitreya sneered, “Truly unafraid of trading places with my previous situation?”

Li Changshou sighed: “I merely protect the title of Human Emperor, while what you do already violates Heaven’s laws and regulations. Truly unafraid of backlash from human fortune?

Go ahead and report me. Let’s see who gets cleaned up.”

Maitreya’s lips twitched slightly. He said no more, his avatar dispersing with the wind, leaving only:

“Li Changgeng, this isn’t over between us.”

Li Changshou’s lips curled, “Welcome anytime.”

Maitreya had become Heaven’s hidden piece?

Having blocked Maitreya, wouldn’t Emperor Xin now complete his worship normally, without the ‘poem-writing’ incident?

Could the Great Investiture Calamity’s course be changed so easily by him?

If it was the Western School or Heaven acting, why would they make such simple arrangements, sending Maitreya to cause trouble while completely ignoring him, a common Heaven Court official…

As heavy doubts arose in Li Changshou’s heart, just as he was about to turn toward the Holy Mother Palace while shifting his consciousness back to the [Official] paper avatar near Emperor Xin, his dao heart trembled without warning.

Roar—

An urgent and ethereal roar came forth. Li Changshou’s paper avatar in the forest suddenly looked up at the sky.

There, the Human Emperor’s fortune golden dragon raised its head in fury, brandishing claws and fangs as if to soar skyward, but its massive body was frozen in the clouds, unable to move an inch.

Li Changshou’s eyes blazed with divine light, seeing a black light rapidly descending from high above.

In the Holy Mother Temple’s main hall, Emperor Xin, about to step over the hall’s threshold, stopped unexpectedly. Hands behind his back, he turned to look at the Holy Mother’s jade statue.

“Why does Mother Nüwa cover her face?”

…

In the forest outside the temple, Li Changshou was first silently speechless, his gaze incredibly complex. Soon his lips curved in a self-mocking smile as his form was consumed by flames, the ashes scattering in the wind.

Had Heaven become so blatant, acting without any restraint?

The fortune golden dragon being frozen—unheard of.

Emperor Xin suddenly developed this ‘interest’—unprecedented.

A mortal emperor, a secular Human Emperor, could be manipulated so freely by Heaven, not even bothering with pretense, directly intervening after Maitreya’s failure…

Why didn’t the Dao Ancestor appear?

Or was this done with the Dao Ancestor’s approval?

How could that old man lying at the bottom of the lake in Fire Cloud Cave sleep peacefully?

How could the Heaven Court, which took Heaven’s authority as its mark of legitimacy, claim the word “justice” in the future?

Li Changshou had anticipated various scenarios, imagined Zhunti acting again, imagined Emperor Xin’s temperament being gradually transformed over his years as king, imagined…

He hadn’t imagined it would be accomplished most simply, completing that essentially empty script.

What followed wasn’t worth watching.

Heaven, how could it be checked and balanced?

The primordial world was truly… too dangerous.