Meng Zhang Divine Lord

Without Meng Chen's knowledge, Meng Zhang Divine Lord quietly came to the school and inquired about Meng Chen's academic performance from his teacher.

If Meng Chen found out about this, he would be absolutely "thrilled."

In the Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi Tianzun was playing chess with Meng Zhang Divine Lord. On the board, the two clashed fiercely, neither yielding an inch, slaughtering until rivers of blood flowed and corpses littered the field.

With every move they made, scenes of the Witch-Demon conflict in the Primordial World appeared above the board. The past, present, and future of the Witch and Demon Clans all manifested on that small square of a chessboard.

They were playing chess, yet not merely playing chess—rather, it was like using the board to deduce the trends of the world, to evolve the cosmos and the primordial wilderness.

The moment the aura of Meng Chen's completed transformation came through, the chess pieces simultaneously turned to ash and vanished. Yet Yuanshi Tianzun and Meng Zhang Divine Lord both laughed at the same time.

"Ha ha ha!"

Their laughter rang through the hall, echoing for a long, long time.

"Daoist Meng Zhang, Chen'er is indeed exceptional. Much thanks to your excellent guidance, which has allowed This Seat to gain such a successor."

Though Yuanshi Tianzun was Meng Chen's teacher, he knew full well that Meng Chen's character was not something he had cultivated. What he passed on to Meng Chen were merely Daoist arts and the principles of being an immortal. If Meng Chen's character were lacking, no amount of teachings would have taken root.

His third brother's disciples were a prime example. Had Master Tongtian not taught them? Had he not poured his heart into them? But it was all useless.

A mountain's nature is hard to change; acquired cultivation can only restrain a person's actions, not alter their innate nature.

Only those with kindness in their hearts can turn back from the brink. Those born evil, no matter how much they are taught, remain unchanged.

Meng Zhang Divine Lord said with a smile, "You flatter me, Daoist. Without your nurturing, my son would not have achieved what he has today. Chen'er is still a child after all; he will need to rely on you greatly in the future."

"Not at all, not at all!"

Yuanshi Tianzun nodded slightly, his gaze piercing through the void, spotting Meng Chen who had completed his transformation.

"Chen'er's nature is pure and good—This Seat can sense it. On the surface, he seems cold and ruthless, but in truth, he uses that coldness to protect himself. The Primordial World is full of deceit and scheming; he is on guard against everything."

Meng Zhang Divine Lord nodded, fully in agreement.

"Daoist speaks truly. Does This Seat not know this as well? Yet walking the Primordial World does require keeping one's wits about. You and I both stand at the pinnacle of the Primordial World; no one in heaven or earth can scheme against us. Chen'er is different from us—his cultivation is still shallow. That he knows how to protect himself is a good thing."

"Daoist worries too much! With the protection of the Three Pure Ones of Pangu and the Four Primordial Spirits, who could scheme against Chen'er? Who has the ability to scheme against him?"

Yuanshi Tianzun smiled faintly, his words brimming with confidence.

Meng Zhang Divine Lord paused at this, then burst into hearty laughter: "Indeed! This Seat truly need not worry."

Meng Zhang Divine Lord's agreement to let Meng Chen take Yuanshi Tianzun as his master was largely for this reason. The Four Primordial Spirits and the Three Pure Ones had no conflict of interest; on a certain level, they naturally stood in the same camp.

Thus, Meng Zhang Divine Lord simply let Meng Chen become Yuanshi Tianzun's disciple.

In this way, both the Four Primordial Spirits and the Three Pure Ones of Pangu became Meng Chen's elders. If you stretched it further, even Ancestor Hongjun would be Meng Chen's grandmaster.

From then on, whether Meng Chen wanted to attain the Chaotic Origin or achieve sagehood, no one could stop him.

"The conflict between the Witch and Demon Clans is growing fiercer. The four Daoists will have to work hard for a while."

Yuanshi Tianzun suddenly spoke, whether as a reminder or a hint was unclear.

"Mm!"

Meng Zhang Divine Lord's expression turned serious as he nodded slightly. "Daoist speaks truly! The situation between the Witch and Demon Clans is exactly the same as that of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans. The future of the Primordial World is not optimistic. However, we prepared during the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation. When the time comes, even if the Witch and Demon Clans tear the heavens apart, we can still keep the Primordial World safe."

Hearing the words "tear the heavens apart," even Yuanshi Tianzun, a sage, grew extremely solemn.

This was not a situation he wished to see. Once the heavens were torn, the balance of celestial and terrestrial energy would be lost, the laws of heaven and earth would fall into chaos, and the world would briefly enter the Age of Dharma's End. Beings below the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm would be unable to even cast spells.

"The Wu Clan are also of the Pangu Sect. Surely it won't come to that?"

Yuanshi Tianzun said in a hesitant tone.

Meng Zhang Divine Lord, however, gave a cold laugh. "The Twelve Ancestral Witches are bent on militarism. For the sake of their Dao, they have thrown all caution to the wind. They constantly complain that the Wu Clan's numbers are too few. Little do they realize that this situation is of their own making."

"The Wu Clan wages war year after year. The lower-ranking Wu no longer wish to bear offspring. Every Wu knows that their children will be sent to the battlefield as soon as they reach the Celestial Immortal realm. Which Wu would still be willing to reproduce?"

Yuanshi Tianzun fell silent at this.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches sought to contend for the Calamity Fate of heaven and earth—there was nothing wrong with that in itself. In a racial struggle, there was no right or wrong. Yet the Twelve Ancestral Witches only knew war, not how to rest and recuperate. Within the Wu Clan, the people lived in misery.

What was more, to increase their numbers, the Wu Clan even abducted human women, who most resembled them in appearance, using them as breeding machines.

Such actions made even Yuanshi Tianzun feel ashamed, for the Twelve Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones were both of the Pangu Sect.

Yuanshi Tianzun was silent for a long time before speaking. "What Daoist speaks of may indeed come to pass. However, as a sage, without the decree of my teacher, it is not fitting for me to meddle in the racial struggles of heaven and earth."

If even sages came out to take sides for a particular race, then what was left for other races to contend for? Let all things compete freely under the heavens—that was the Primordial World in a sage's eyes!

Meng Zhang Divine Lord shook his head but said nothing.

The Four Primordial Spirits had long since stopped interfering in the affairs of the Primordial World. They only wished to manage their own small domains and naturally achieve the Great Dao. If not for Meng Chen joining the Chan Sect, the Azure Dragon Clan would not have set foot in the Primordial World.

Meng Zhang Divine Lord took out an invitation and presented it to Yuanshi Tianzun. "Daoist has accepted my son as a disciple, so the Chan Sect and the Eastern Celestial Pole are one family. Forty-eight thousand years from now, the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven will open. This Seat wishes to invite your sect to the Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven."

Hearing the words "Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven," Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes lit up.

"The Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven? The one transformed from the East Pole Azure Thearch, one of the eighty-one incarnations of Father Pangu?"

Aside from his main body, the great god Pangu had eighty-one incarnations, each possessing unparalleled divine powers. After Pangu transformed into heaven and earth, his incarnations also turned into various wondrous opportunities, left scattered across the Primordial World.

"Indeed!"

Meng Zhang Divine Lord revealed a faint smile. "Is Daoist interested?"

"Of course! This Seat thanks Daoist on behalf of his disciples!"

Yuanshi Tianzun clasped his hands in gratitude.