HomePull StringsChapter 715: The Primordial Lord Pays a Visit!

Chapter 715: The Primordial Lord Pays a Visit!

In the Royal Palace, within the Great King’s Hall.

Without realizing it, King Di Xin was no longer young. Though still in his prime, his mighty frame had begun to stoop as he sat upon the throne. In a single night, his hair had grown noticeably whiter.

More than ten ministers sat behind two rows of low tables, each maintaining their silence, not daring to speak a word.

After an unknown time had passed, Di Xin asked in a hoarse voice:

“Any word?”

Uncle Wang Bi Gan rose and said, “Your Majesty, Western Qi lies far from Chaoge. Even with signal fires, the message would need…”

“Report—”

Suddenly, a commander rushed in from outside the hall, clasping his fists high as he called out:

“Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong broke through Western Qi’s city walls with his army, but rebel forces from both north and south arrived at that moment, trapping the Grand Preceptor within Western Qi.

The Grand Preceptor… fell in battle.

The rear forces have returned to their respective garrisons, following the Grand Preceptor’s final orders to defend the Zhou territory!”

“What?”

“How could the Grand Preceptor—!”

“Your Majesty, this old minister volunteers to lead an army against Zhou!”

The ministers’ expressions changed drastically. Several were so shaken they stood up too quickly, knocking over their low tables.

Di Xin closed his eyes and remained silent, his body trembling slightly, yet he maintained his composure.

Once the hall grew quiet, Di Xin finally spoke, his voice inevitably quavering:

“Bring the Grand Preceptor’s final counsel to my beloved ministers.”

Several armored guards immediately stepped forward, placing bamboo scrolls before each minister.

Di Xin continued:

“When the Grand Preceptor was trapped in Western Qi, he sent his final message through a dream, offering six strategies to save the nation.

Apart from the first strategy, discuss and formulate plans for the remaining five among yourselves.

The Grand Preceptor said to place all blame upon himself. How can I accept this? What crime has Shang committed?

Chaoge City shall mourn the Grand Preceptor’s passing for ten days, all citizens joining in grief. Those who disobey will be executed.

Uncle Wang.”

“Your Majesty,” Bi Gan bowed deeply.

“You shall temporarily assume the Grand Preceptor’s internal duties, while Fei Lian will take his external responsibilities. All warfare shall cease for now. Grant amnesty to one or two small states to demonstrate Shang’s benevolence.

Uncle Wang, you possess the Seven Apertures of Wisdom. All know of your keen intelligence, and you hold the highest reputation among the royal family today.

Write a memorial of remonstrance to correct my errors. Feel free to criticize my mistakes and shortcomings. I shall acknowledge them accordingly.”

Di Xin sighed weakly:

“The Grand Preceptor said we haven’t taken the wrong path—only that our methods were incorrect, our purpose unclear, and our approach too aggressive.

Had the Grand Preceptor said these things on an ordinary day, I wouldn’t have believed them. How could I? But these were his final words sent through a dream—what more can I say?

Enough. Study the Grand Preceptor’s words carefully. I shall retire to the inner palace to rest.

From now on, Great Shang has lost one of its pillars, and there are those beyond our realm who scheme against us, threatening our dynasty’s foundations. The path ahead is uncertain, and our nation’s fate is precarious. To secure our ancestral legacy, I need everyone’s full support.

The Grand Preceptor has fallen, but Shang must not fall.”

The King, who had been so vigorous just days ago, stood up. His bloodshot eyes gazed at the dozen or so high ministers below, then he sighed, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked toward the side of the platform, exiting through a side hall.

The ministers bowed in unison, each picking up the bamboo scroll before them to carefully study the written characters.

At the Star-Plucking Tower.

Di Xin’s form sank into the soft couch, his eyes somewhat vacant as he sat in silence, unsure what to say.

A jade-like beauty approached gracefully from the side, her delicate hands gently pressing on Di Xin’s shoulders as she called softly, “Your Majesty, you mustn’t exhaust yourself so…”

“Beloved, let me have some quiet.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Leave.”

“Yes,” Da Ji quickly stepped back, curtseying slightly to Di Xin before departing the royal chambers, looking back three times with each step.

She didn’t go far, resting instead on a soft couch by the jade pool nearby. She extended a touch of immortal awareness to monitor Di Xin’s clay-like figure sitting in the empty tower.

At the Canonization Platform, Wen Zhong stood silently in the southeastern corner, gazing at the faint clouds surrounding this realm’s boundaries, motionless for a long time.

In the distance, the great hall rang with endless songs—the “welcoming feast” for Wen Zhong had become a showcase for certain Severing Sect disciples’ vocal and poetic talents.

Drinking and singing, for what is life worth?

Yet Wen Zhong, the guest of honor at this welcoming feast, now stood forgotten, inevitably feeling somewhat desolate.

“Sister, what are you thinking about?”

In the Three Immortal Islands, within Yun Xiao’s chambers, the immortal maiden who had been gazing at the jade statue outside her tower collected her thoughts at these words. She turned her head to smile gently at Qiong Xiao, who approached carrying fine wine.

Yun Xiao said softly, “I was wondering how Elder Brother is faring at the Canonization Platform.”

“How could he be doing poorly?”

Qiong Xiao covered her mouth and laughed lightly, teasing: “Right now, our Elder Brother must be incredibly proud. Having slain the Sixth Sage, wouldn’t Heaven treat him like a treasure?

I heard from Senior Brother that Elder Brother is now ranked tenth in the Heavenly Dao Sequence, and brother-in-law just reached ninth.”

Yun Xiao smiled and shook her head, her robes dancing as she moved to sit behind the low table, gazing thoughtfully at the clear wine.

Qiong Xiao blinked but didn’t ask further, raising her wine cup for a sip.

After a moment, Yun Xiao laughed softly and said quietly:

“Third Sister, do you think this was all arranged by him, or did something unexpected happen?”

“Well…”

Qiong Xiao tilted her head, humming thoughtfully, “It’s hard to say. Looking at how things unfolded, it seemed like he killed the Sixth Sage in a moment of anger, but his brother-in-law is quite the schemer.

Hmph!

He’s so far-sighted, everything he does is meticulously planned. He can see nine hundred and ninety-nine steps ahead with each move. If you’re saying he killed the Sixth Sage in a burst of anger, then Sages must be too easy to kill.

He must have been prepared long ago. Besides, how could the Twenty-Four Heavens be evolved so easily?

And that Heavenly Dao Sequence—brother-in-law worked for hundreds of years, dealing with the Dragon Clan, helping the Underworld, forcefully bringing Heaven to its current position, just to reach tenth place in the Heavenly Dao Sequence.

Elder Brother’s current authority in the Heavenly Dao is only slightly below brother-in-law’s, even higher than Earth Store who completed the Six Paths of Reincarnation system.

This couldn’t have been accomplished on a whim.

Only Elder Brother still naively believes brother-in-law acted out of brotherly rage. This must all be brother-in-law’s calculations.”

Yun Xiao gave Qiong Xiao a slightly reproachful look and said seriously, “Shou did all this planning just to save Elder Brother.”

“Yes, yes, your little sister spoke wrongly.”

Qiong Xiao’s beautiful eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, “Sister, you haven’t even married him yet, and already you won’t let your sister speak ill of him.

Ah, all sisterly affection is false, and these many kalpas of companionship mean nothing.”

Yun Xiao found herself speechless, feeling her sister had a point—she had indeed neglected her sisters, her heart entirely preoccupied with that immortal in the heavens.

“This is your elder sister’s fault,” Yun Xiao sighed lightly, “But the sister finds herself helpless in this matter. Love is both bitter and sweet, with many wonderful aspects.

When you find someone you care for in the future, you’ll understand.”

Qiong Xiao made a face and complained, “Sister, you’ve set the bar too high. How could we possibly find someone like that?

Someone as extraordinary as brother-in-law would be hard to find again.”

“He’s not extraordinary.”

Yun Xiao thought carefully, her beautiful eyes affectionate and her lips curved in a smile, her heart clearly drifting into unknown depths despite being a primordial immortal.

“He just thinks differently from others, with some rather inconceivable ideas.

The principles he believes in always give me new insights when I consider them carefully.”

As she spoke, Yun Xiao raised her wine cup with delicate fingers, taking a small sip before continuing softly, “Right now, I just want to wait for the great tribulation to pass, so I can be with him, no longer having to endure this pain of separation.”

Qiong Xiao: …

Sister was already pretty much beyond saving.

“I wonder how the great tribulation will unfold,” Qiong Xiao looked at the clouds outside the window, “It feels different from what we imagined.

Though the world is filled with solemnity, there’s less killing energy, and it’s only contained between us and the Enlightenment Sect.

The ancient tribulations were truly frightening, with beings everywhere fighting inseparably, the world on the verge of shattering at any moment.”

Yun Xiao said, “Any death and injury is regrettable. Don’t wish for grand spectacles.”

“Oh,” Qiong Xiao responded, resting her elbow on the low table and gazing out the window thoughtfully.

How long could those countermeasures help the Shang nation?

Li Changshou found it difficult to judge.

He had actually deceived Wen Zhong somewhat, telling him that the current situation in heaven and earth had changed and that he needed the Shang ruler to resist destiny for a while longer.

In reality…

The slaying of the Sixth Sage had caused the power of living beings in heaven and earth to ebb, dissipating much of the great tribulation’s force. Both the Enlightenment and Severing Sects had already changed their attitudes toward the great tribulation.

Though the succession of mortal authority in the Southern Continent remained crucially important to the world’s destiny, it held little weight in the game between Li Changshou and the Primordial Lord.

Li Changshou intervened purely to see how the Heavenly Dao and Primordial Lord would resolve this situation, thereby deepening his understanding of both. Even a slight increase in his chances of victory would be worthwhile.

The merger of the Enlightenment and Severing Sects—this matter truly left one at a loss for how to proceed.

The theory was plump, but the action was bony.

The difficulty lay in how to make Second Uncle and Third Uncle accept his ideas and spread them throughout both sects.

The Primordial Lord certainly wouldn’t stand idly by, instead applying pressure and sowing division within the Dao School through various channels.

This was the greatest challenge he currently faced.

In his lakeside cottage, Li Changshou ran both hands through his long hair, staring at dozens of jade talismans arranged before him, sometimes arranging them in a serpentine pattern, sometimes building them into a “blockhouse.”

No matter how he thought about it, merging the Enlightenment and Severing Sects would require first removing the Primordial Lord’s influence.

In other words, the Primordial Lord must be eliminated before the two sects could be salvaged from the great tribulation.

The difficulty was perhaps too high.

Was the Primordial Lord like the Sixth Sage? Who could nearly fall from Sagehood after a few casual slaps from his master?

The key was…

It was just like playing games in his previous life on Blue Star—if you want to fight a boss monster, at least it should show its health bar, right?

Whether one could win or not was another matter, but now the Primordial Lord had merged with the Heavenly Dao. The Primordial Lord was the Heavenly Dao.

He couldn’t exactly charge into the Purple Jade Palace and shout:

“Ancestral Master, show your health bar!”

The Primordial Lord would probably just concentrate heaven and earth’s power and, even if unable to kill “The One Who Departed,” could at least paralyze half his body and stuff him in some dark, cold corner.

The Primordial Lord’s continuous opposition to him had other motives, involving the deepest level of their game.

Li Changshou flicked his finger, scattering the jade talismans across the table, idly pushing them around with his finger.

Following the current line of thought, the merger of the two sects must occur after the great tribulation, becoming an important means of preserving the Dao School’s destiny and teachings, preventing the concept of Dao from dissipating from heaven and earth.

That would be the content of the next stage of the game.

Stages?

Indeed, Li Changshou had divided his game against the Heavenly Dao into four stages.

The first stage was the power accumulation period, beginning with the start of the Canonization Tribulation and Master Qi Yuan’s death.

At that time, he needed strength and sufficient comprehension of the Dao to see through the many secrets of heaven, earth, the Heavenly Dao, and the Primordial Lord, perfect his strategy for struggle, and formulate subsequent plans and various contingencies.

The second stage was the period of endurance, beginning with his conquest of the Kun Peng Ark.

Back then, he didn’t dare even mention opposing Heaven, wouldn’t even think about it, focusing solely on increasing his strength while secretly accepting Senior Wanderer’s legacy—which actually consisted of the Primordial Lord’s vital points and the Heavenly Dao’s loopholes.

The third stage was the tactical deception period, beginning with his arrangements for Ne Zha.

By then, having absorbed the variables of Yang Jian and Ne Zha, Li Changshou had become the greatest variable himself. At that time, he focused entirely on infiltration, constantly talking about escaping the primordial world.

Truth and falsehood intermingled, falsehood and truth intertwined.

During this stage, Li Changshou inevitably came into opposition with the Heavenly Dao but strove to confuse it.

Right now, they are in the later phase of the tactical deception period.

Li Changshou was certain that in five to ten years when the Canonization Tribulation fully concluded, a battle between Sages would inevitably erupt. He would have to face the Heavenly Dao directly, entering the fourth stage.

Careful deliberation and comprehensive analysis followed by a measured counterattack.

What would the Primordial Lord do next?

The Primordial Lord had nothing left to do, just like Li Changshou at present. Their respective arrangements were complete, waiting for results to emerge and then guiding those results in favorable directions.

Just wait.

If the Primordial Lord didn’t move, he wouldn’t move.

As soon as the Primordial Lord made a move, his chances of victory would increase by at least one-tenth of a percent.

Thus, in the following years, Li Changshou lived quite leisurely—these were also the most active years for his main body.

He would go to the Moon Palace to guide the Chang’es in their dance, and drink and make merry with veteran officials like Wood Duke and the Old Man Under the Moon.

He would attend court sessions at the Lingxiao Hall, standing in the first position below the high platform, frightening some old ministers so much they trembled as they spoke.

He cultivated a team and passed the method of crafting “livestream” bronze mirrors to Heaven while establishing the framework for “green livestreaming.”

He showed concern for the Queen Mother’s health, sending several Pregnancy Spirit Pills pilfered from the Elder Lord, hoping Emperor Jade would soon gather his Seven Dragon Balls—no, Seven Fairies.

He would also walk around the Southern Continent, strolling through the mortal realm for half a day, resting among high mountains and flowing waters for some time.

He even took Ling’e to browse the markets twice more, earnestly telling her that they might not have the chance to enjoy such places for quite some time.

Of course, the place he visited most was the Canonization Platform, transforming it into an immortal training institution integrating “education, entertainment, and leisure.”

Though mostly he just drank and chatted with Zhao Gongming, looking forward to how adorable the two little ones would be after Golden Spirit Sacred Mother gave birth.

However, the Golden Spirit Sacred Mother wished to wait until after the great tribulation to give birth.

Primordial beings were so remarkable, not having to follow mortal rules—the longer offspring were nurtured within the body, the higher their starting point at birth.

No comparison possible, no comparison at all, truly formidable.

Li Changshou didn’t closely observe the changes in the Shang nation of the Southern Continent, just giving them a cursory glance for form’s sake.

The strategies he had given Wen Zhong, Wen Zhong had passed on verbatim to Di Xin.

Wen Zhong’s death greatly affected Di Xin, also making him directly experience the pressure immortals and gods placed on mortals.

Di Xin still had a “Sacred Mother Palace traitor” by his side.

The deeper his feelings for Da Ji grew, the more compliant she became, even revealing matters that shouldn’t be told to mortal emperors, such as the Enlightenment Sect, Severing Sect, and the tribulations of immortals.

Di Xin was depressed for several months because of this, but his spirit was renewed when he issued a series of new policies.

Initially, the various feudal lords didn’t take these new policies seriously, generally believing that Shang was already in decline, with Wen Zhong’s death being the harbinger of Shang’s downfall.

In the new policies, Di Xin abolished more than ten cruel punishments, weakened guilt by association, and strengthened the details of punishment and law.

He reduced some taxes and offered monetary rewards to merchants who voluntarily freed their slaves.

He established systems for military merit and civilian medals, giving appropriate rewards to merchants—citizens of Shang—who performed good deeds, eliminated evil or showed loyalty and filial piety.

If a slave saved a merchant, that slave could gain freedom.

Slaves who had grown grain for ten consecutive years could receive a plot of land in remote areas.

Regular care was provided for elderly and weak merchants…

And so on.

While implementing the new policies, Di Xin also posted announcements explaining the purpose of his series of measures—to inherit the will of his ancestors and establish a new Great Shang.

The elderly would have support, the young would have guidance, emphasizing benevolence and virtue, establishing rules, and defining boundaries.

Di Xin even said these words in court:

“Since Great Shang has conquered the feudal lords once, we can conquer them a second time.”

Di Xin completely abandoned attempts to win over the rebel lords, deploying troops to guard various locations while concentrating superior forces to first resolve the greatest threat—the Jiang family in the east.

Thus, unexpectedly, within a few years, the Shang situation stabilized once again.

Voices opposing Di Xin grew increasingly faint within Chaoge City. The elder ministers began considering ways to survive, merchants became more eager to join the Shang army, and supplies flowed continuously to the frontier from various regions.

In contrast, the Zhou nation united with the feudal lords, gathering their forces at Mengjin for humanity’s first grand military review in the mortal realm, summoning hundreds of feudal lords, their armies stretching endlessly.

The feudal lords swore a blood oath, collectively supporting Ji Fa, who took the title King Wu, his gaze fixed on the wealthy Shang territory.

Behind this, the Enlightenment Sect provided constant support, with many feudal lords choosing to join Zhou’s ranks after being persuaded by the sect’s immortals.

Di Xin’s new policies;

The Mengjin Alliance.

Within just a few years, mortal humanity had completely split into two major camps, with Di Xin’s side still holding the advantage.

Similarly, because the Severing Sect had changed its strategy, greatly reducing its support for Shang, only a dozen or so immortals from both sects had fought to the death in these years, with no progress at the Canonization Platform.

How would the Heavenly Dao act?

What method would the Primordial Lord use to conclude the Canonization Tribulation?

Li Changshou was somewhat curious about this as well.

This day, as he left Wood Duke’s immortal mansion on a cloud, returning to his own Taibai Palace and Little Jade Peak, just as he stepped through the palace gates, Li Changshou suddenly sensed a strand of Dao essence descending from the Nine Heavens, heading straight for Little Jade Peak.

His eyes widened, and Li Changshou’s form vanished with a whoosh.

This most abstruse Dao essence!

This unparalleled mysterious aura!

And the strange ripples appearing in the cosmos!

Li Changshou’s form flickered several times as he rushed into his arranged formation, charging into the array outside the pill room, materializing before the wooden sign that read [Lost?], frowning as he looked toward the forest “reception room” ahead.

A mighty-figured Daoist stood before the wooden sign, leisurely examining the characters written upon it.

Broad robes, long hair, Dao crown…

In the cottage, Ling’e is trapped under the Chaos Bell;

In the spirit beast enclosure and lake, those continuously trembling spirit beasts and spirit fish…

Li Changshou quickly adjusted his expression, striding forward several steps while calling out:

“Ancestral Master, why didn’t you inform this disciple of your visit beforehand? This disciple could have cleaned up and put things in order.”

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