Chapter 715: Dao Ancestor Visits

In the Shang Gong, within the Great King's Hall.

Unbeknownst to himself, Di Xin was no longer young. Though still in his prime, as he sat on the throne, his sturdy frame was somewhat hunched, and overnight, he had gained many white hairs.

A dozen or so ministers sat behind rows of low tables, each maintaining silence, not daring to utter a word.

After some time, Di Xin asked hoarsely:

"Come letter yet?"

Wang Shu Bi Gan rose and said: "Your Majesty, Xiqi is far from Chaoge, and even beacon signals take time to..."

"Report—"

Suddenly, a general rushed in from outside the hall, entered the doors, and saluted with fists clasped:

"Tai Shi Wen Zhong led his forces to breach Xiqi city, but the rebel armies from the north and south routes arrived just in time, trapping Tai Shi in Xiqi.

Tai Shi... fell in battle.

The rear forces have withdrawn to various passes, following Tai Shi's orders to defend against Zhou."

"Ah?"

"Why Tai Shi!"

"Your Majesty, this old minister volunteers to lead troops against Zhou!"

The ministers' faces changed dramatically, and a few were so flustered that they stood up abruptly, knocking over their low tables.

Di Xin closed his eyes and remained silent, his body trembling slightly, yet he showed no sign of losing composure.

Once the hall had quieted, Di Xin spoke, his breath somewhat shaky:

"Bring Tai Shi's words and present them to the esteemed ministers."

Several armored guards stepped forward from the side, placing the bamboo slips they carried on the tables before each minister.

Di Xin said:

"Tai Shi, trapped in Xiqi, entrusted a dream with six strategies to save the nation.

Aside from the first strategy, discuss the other five among yourselves, esteemed ministers, and formulate a plan.

Tai Shi said the blame should fall on him alone. How can I accept that? What sins has Shang committed?

Let Chaoge city mourn Tai Shi for ten days, with all subjects joining in grief. Any who disobey will be executed.

Wang Shu."

"Your Majesty," Bi Gan bowed in respect.

"You shall temporarily take over Tai Shi's internal duties, and have Fei Lian temporarily handle Tai Shi's external duties. Halt all military campaigns for now, and pardon one or two small nations to demonstrate Shang's benevolence.

Wang Shu, you possess the seven-orificed exquisite heart, known for your wisdom and cleverness among the people, and your reputation is the highest in the royal family today.

You will correct my errors; write a remonstrance memorial, and feel free to scold my faults and shortcomings. I will naturally acknowledge them."

Di Xin sighed wearily:

"Tai Shi said we haven't taken the wrong path, just used the wrong methods and unclear purposes, being too radical.

If Tai Shi had said this on any ordinary day, I wouldn't believe it—how could I? But since it's from his dying dream, what more can I say?

Very well, all of you carefully consider Tai Shi's words. I will return to the palace to rest for now.

From now on, Shang has lost a pillar of support, and there are outsiders plotting mischief, threatening our rivers, mountains, and state. The road ahead is uncertain, the nation's fate full of worries. I must stabilize our ancestral foundations, and I need your full assistance.

Tai Shi has fallen, but Shang must not."

The king, who had been full of vigor just days before, stood up, his bloodshot eyes gazing at the dozen or so key ministers below, then sighed and walked away with hands clasped behind his back, exiting through the side of the high platform.

The ministers bowed in unison, each picking up the bamboo slips before them and examining the inscribed words carefully.

In the Star-Picking Tower.

Di Xin sank into the soft couch, his eyes somewhat vacant, silent and at a loss for words.

From the side, a beautiful woman approached gracefully, her gentle hands pressing on Di Xin's shoulders as she softly called: "Your Majesty, please don't overwork yourself..."

"My dear consort, let me be alone for a while."

"Your Majesty..."

"Leave."

"Yes," Daji quickly stepped back half a pace, bowed slightly to Di Xin, and retreated with lingering glances, leaving the chamber step by step.

She didn't go far, resting on a soft couch by the nearby ornate pool, releasing a trace of her immortal sense to watch Di Xin's motionless figure in the empty tower, like a statue.

At the Fengshen Tai, Wen Zhong stood quietly in the southeastern corner, gazing at the faint mists surrounding the heavens and earth, remaining still for a long time.

In the distance, the great hall was filled with endless songs and laughter, a banquet to welcome Wen Zhong, now turned into a showcase of poetic talents by some senior Jiejiao disciples.

Drunk in song, for life is short.

Yet Wen Zhong, the guest of honor, was now ignored, adding a touch of desolation.

"Sister, what are you thinking about?"

On San Xian Island, in Yun Xiao's boudoir, the fairy leaning by the window and gazing at the jade statue outside turned her attention back and smiled gently at Qiong Xiao, who was approaching with wine.

Yun Xiao said softly: "I was thinking about how Big Brother is faring at the Fengshen Tai."

"How could it be anything but fine?"

Qiong Xiao covered her mouth and laughed, teasing: "Right now, our Big Brother must be incredibly imposing. He slew the Sixth Saint, so Heaven must be treating him like a treasure.

I heard from Senior Brother that Big Brother is now tenth in the Heavenly Dao sequence, and Brother-in-Law is just ninth."

Yun Xiao shook her head with a smile. Her skirts fluttering, she moved to the low table and stared absentmindedly at the clear wine.

Qiong Xiao blinked but didn't press further, sipping from her wine cup.

A moment later, Yun Xiao chuckled lightly and whispered: "Third Sister, do you think this was all arranged by him, or was there some unexpected turn?"

"This..."

Qiong Xiao tilted her head slightly and mused: "It's hard to say. From what I saw, it seemed like a moment of anger led to killing the Sixth Saint, but Brother-in-Law is so calculating.

Hmph!

He's deeply scheming, always planning ahead, seeing nine hundred and ninety-nine steps with every move. If he really killed the Sixth Saint in a fit of rage, that saint would be too easy to defeat.

It must have been planned in advance, and that Twenty-Four Heavens isn't something you can just evolve on the spot.

As for the Heavenly Dao sequence, Brother-in-Law worked for centuries—dealing with the Dragon Clan, helping the Underworld—to pull Heaven to its current position and earn tenth place.

Big Brother's authority in the Heavenly Dao is only slightly below Brother-in-Law's, even higher than Di Zhang's, who completed the six paths of reincarnation.

This isn't something you can achieve just by saying so.

Big Brother is probably still naively thinking Brother-in-Law did it out of brotherly fury. It's all part of Brother-in-Law's schemes."

Yun Xiao gave Qiong Xiao a mildly reproachful look and said seriously: "Shou only planned all this to save Big Brother."

"Yes, yes, I misspoke, little sister."

Qiong Xiao's eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled: "Sister, you're not even married yet, and you're already defending him against me.

Ah, what about sisterly bonds? All those eons together must be for nothing."

Yun Xiao was momentarily speechless, realizing her sister was right—she had indeed been neglecting her siblings, her heart entirely focused on that immortal god in the heavens.

"This is sister's fault," Yun Xiao sighed lightly. "But with matters of the heart, it's both bitter and sweet, full of wonders.

If you find someone you care for someday, you'll understand."

Qiong Xiao made a face and complained: "Sister, you're setting the bar too high. How are we supposed to find anyone?

Someone like Brother-in-Law is one of a kind."

"He's not really that extraordinary," Yun Xiao thought carefully, her eyes affectionate and her lips curving into a smile, filled with quiet joy. Though an innate great power, her heart was now lost in the depths.

"He's just different in his ideas, his thoughts unconventional.

The principles he believes in make me ponder deeply, and I always gain something from them."

As she spoke, Yun Xiao lifted the wine cup with her slender fingers, sipping gently, and added softly: "Right now, I just want to wait for the great calamity to pass, so we can be together, free from this unseen torment."

Qiong Xiao: ...

Sister was beyond saving.

"I wonder how the great calamity will unfold next," Qiong Xiao looked out the window at the mists. "It feels like this calamity isn't what we expected.

The world is full of killing, but there's less malice, and it's mostly confined to us and Chan Jiao.

The ancient and primordial calamities were terrifying—mountains and wilds teeming with creatures, battles endless, the heavens and earth on the brink of shattering."

Yun Xiao said: "Any death and injury is no good; don't wish for such spectacles."

"Oh," Qiong Xiao replied, resting her elbow on the table and gazing out the window absentmindedly.

How long could those strategies help Shang, and how effectively?

It was hard for Li Changshou to judge.

He had somewhat deceived Wen Zhong, telling him that the current heavenly situation had changed and that Shang's ruler needed to resist heavenly mandate longer.

In reality...

Slaying the Sixth Saint had caused the power of living beings to recede, dissipating much of the calamity's force, and Chan Jiao and Jiejiao's attitudes toward the great calamity had shifted.

Though the succession of kings in the southern continent remained crucial to heavenly fate, it held little weight in the deeper game between Li Changshou and the Dao Ancestor.

Li Changshou had acted simply to observe how the Heavenly Dao and Dao Ancestor would break the stalemate, gaining deeper insight and perhaps a slight edge in his chances of winning.

Merging Chan Jiao and Jiejiao was truly puzzling.

Theory was rich, but action was tough.

The challenge lay in getting his Second Uncle-Master and Third Uncle-Master to accept his ideas and spread them through both teachings.

The Dao Ancestor wouldn't stand idly by, pressuring and dividing the Daoist sects through various means.

This was his greatest obstacle now.

In the lakeside thatched hut, Li Changshou ran his hands through his long hair, staring at the dozens of jade talismans on the table, arranging them into a snake shape one moment and a "jenga jade house" the next.

No matter how he thought about it, merging Chan Jiao and Jiejiao could only happen after removing the Dao Ancestor's influence.

In other words, he had to eliminate the Dao Ancestor first to extract both teachings from the calamity.

The difficulty was sky-high.

Was the Dao Ancestor like the Sixth Saint, who could be nearly knocked off his saintly position with a few slaps from his own teacher?

The key was... it was like playing games in his previous life on Blue Star—you needed to at least see the boss's health bar before fighting.

Whether you could win was one thing, but now the Dao Ancestor had merged with the Heavenly Dao, becoming one with it.

He couldn't just charge into Zixiao Palace and shout:

"Ancestral Master, show your health bar!"

The Dao Ancestor would likely summon heavenly forces, and even if he couldn't kill the "one who has escaped," he could cripple Li Changshou and toss him into some dark corner.

The Dao Ancestor hadn't dealt with him yet because of deeper motives, tied to their most profound contest.

Li Changshou flicked his finger, and the jade talismans scattered across the table, which he toyed with idly.

Following this line of thought, merging Chan Jiao and Jiejiao had to occur after the calamity, as a key means to preserve the Daoist sects' fate and teachings, ensuring the concept of the Dao didn't fade from the world.

That would be the next phase of the struggle.

Phase?

Indeed, Li Changshou divided his contest with the Heavenly Dao into four phases.

The first phase was the accumulation period, starting from the beginning of the Fengshen calamity, when Master Qi Yuan perished.

At that time, he needed strength and sufficient Dao realm to uncover the secrets of the heavens, Heavenly Dao, and Dao Ancestor, perfect his struggle strategy, and formulate main and backup plans.

The second phase was the endurance period, starting when he conquered the Kunpeng ark.

Back then, he didn't even dare think about rebelling; his focus was solely on building strength and secretly accepting Senior Lang's legacy—essentially the weaknesses of the Dao Ancestor and vulnerabilities of the Heavenly Dao.

The third phase was the tactical deception period, starting when he arranged for Nezha.

By then, incorporating variables like Yang Jian and Nezha, Li Changshou had become the greatest variable. He focused on covert operations, always talking about escaping the primordial world.

True or false, false or true—it was all a mix.

In this phase, Li Changshou inevitably opposed the Heavenly Dao but strove to deceive it.

Now, he was in the later stage of this tactical deception period.

Li Changshou had basically determined that in five to ten years, the Fengshen calamity would fully conclude, leading to a great saintly battle, and he would have to confront the Heavenly Dao directly, entering the fourth phase.

A measured counterattack after careful deliberation and analysis.

What would the Dao Ancestor do next?

In truth, the Dao Ancestor had little left to do, just like Li Changshou now—both had laid their plans and were waiting for results, then steering them toward favorable outcomes.

Wait, then.

As long as the Dao Ancestor didn't move, he wouldn't either.

Once the Dao Ancestor acted, his winning chances would increase by at least 0.1 percent.

So, in the following years, Li Changshou lived quite leisurely, the most active period for his true self.

He would go to the Moon Palace to guide the Chang'e fairies in their dances, or drink and chat with old ministers like Mu Gong and Yue Lao.

He'd attend sessions in the Lingxiao Hall, standing at the forefront below the platform, making some old ministers tremble as they spoke.

He formed a team, passing the method for refining "live broadcast" bronze mirrors to Heaven, and set guidelines for "green live broadcasts."

He concerned himself with the Queen Mother's health, sending a few Spirit-Enhancing Pills he had casually obtained from Lao Jun, so the Jade Emperor could soon gather his seven... ahem, seven fairy daughters.

He'd wander the southern continent, strolling through mortal lands for half a day or resting by mountains and streams.

He even took Ling E to browse the markets twice more, earnestly telling her that in the coming time, opportunities for such leisure might vanish.

Of course, his most frequent visits were to the Fengshen Tai, turning it into a comprehensive training institution for immortals and gods, combining education, entertainment, and leisure.

Though it mostly involved drinking and chatting with Zhao Gongming, anticipating how adorable Jin Ling Shengmu's future children would be.

However, Jin Ling Shengmu planned to give birth after the calamity.

Innate great powers were truly remarkable, not bound by mortal rules; the longer the offspring gestated within, the higher their starting point upon birth.

No comparison possible; best not to provoke.

As for changes in the Shang kingdom of the southern continent, Li Changshou didn't observe closely, just glanced briefly.

The strategies he gave Wen Zhong were recited verbatim to Di Xin.

Wen Zhong's death deeply impacted Di Xin, making him directly feel the pressure from immortals and gods on mortals.

And Di Xin had a "traitor from Shengmu Palace" by his side.

The deeper his feelings for Daji, the more submissive she became, even revealing things about Chan Jiao, Jiejiao, and the immortals' calamity that shouldn't be told to a mortal emperor.

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

At first, the various lords didn't take these new policies seriously, thinking Shang was on its last legs, with Wen Zhong's death as a sign of its decline.

In the policies, Di Xin abolished over a dozen cruel punishments, reduced collective punishments, and strengthened the details of laws and penalties.

He lightened some taxes and offered financial incentives to merchants who voluntarily freed slaves.

He established a military merit system and a citizens' medal system, rewarding those who did good deeds, fought evil, or exemplified loyalty and filial piety—Shang's subjects—with appropriate honors.

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

Slaves who farmed continuously for ten years could receive land in remote areas.

Regular visits and support for elderly and frail citizens...

And so on.

While implementing these policies, Di Xin also posted public notices, explaining the purpose of his measures—to inherit his ancestors' will and build a new Shang.

Ensuring the elderly are cared for, the young supported, emphasizing benevolence and virtue, setting rules, and defining boundaries.

Di Xin even declared in court: Since Shang has conquered the lords once, it can do so a second time.

He completely abandoned efforts to win over the rebellious lords, deploying troops to guard key areas and concentrating forces to first eliminate the greatest threat from the eastern Jiang family.

Thus, in just a few years, Shang's situation unexpectedly stabilized again.

Opposition voices in Chaoge city grew quieter, the old ministers began pondering survival strategies, citizens eagerly joined the Shang army, and grain supplies flowed steadily to the borders.

In contrast, Zhou allied with the lords, gathering their forces for the first major military review in Mengjin, summoning hundreds of lords with endless armies.

The lords swore a blood oath, honoring Ji Fa as king—Wu Wang—and setting their sights on the wealthiest Shang lands.

Behind this, Chan Jiao provided continuous support, with many lords persuaded by Chan Jiao immortals to join Zhou's ranks.

Di Xin's new policies; the Mengjin alliance.

In just a few years, the mortal human race had fully divided into two camps, with Di Xin's side still holding the advantage.

Similarly, because Jiejiao changed its strategy and greatly reduced support for Shang, there were only about a dozen immortal clashes between Jiejiao and Chan Jiao in these years, with the Fengshen Tai seeing no progress.

How would the Heavenly Dao act? How would the Dao Ancestor conclude the Fengshen calamity?

Li Changshou was also somewhat curious.

That day, as he rode clouds from Mu Gong's immortal abode back to his Taibai Palace and Little Qiong Peak, just stepping into the palace gates, Li Changshou suddenly felt a profound Dao rhythm descending from the nine heavens, heading straight for Little Qiong Peak.

His eyes widened, and his figure flashed away in an instant.

This obscure Dao rhythm!

This unmatched aura!

And the strange ripples in the heavens and earth!

Li Changshou flickered several times, entering the great array he had set up, rushing to the outer array of the pill room, and appearing before the "lost?" wooden sign, frowning at the forest clearing ahead.

A burly Daoist stood before the wooden sign, leisurely examining the words on it.

Wide robes, long hair, a Dao crown...

In the thatched hut, Ling E was trapped under the Chaos Bell;

In the spirit beast pen and lake, the spirit beasts and fish trembled nonstop...

Li Changshou quickly adjusted his expression, strode forward a few steps, and called out loudly:

"Ancestral Master, why didn't you inform your disciple in advance? I could have tidied up and arranged everything properly."