Divine Lord Meng Zhang

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

If Meng Chen found out about this, who knew how "happy" he would be.

Within Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi Tianzun was playing chess with Divine Lord Meng Zhang. On the board, neither yielded to the other. Their battle was a bloodbath, littered with corpses.

With every move they made, scenes of the struggle between the Witch and Demon Clans in the Primordial World appeared above the board. The past, present, and future of the Witch and Demon Clans all unfolded upon that tiny chessboard.

They were playing chess, yet not merely playing chess. Rather, they were using the board to deduce the general course of the world and evolve the primordial cosmos.

The instant the aura of Meng Chen's completed transformation arrived, every piece on the chessboard simultaneously crumbled into ash and vanished. Yet Yuanshi Tianzun and Divine Lord Meng Zhang both smiled.

"Hahaha!"

Their laughter resounded through the hall and echoed for a long, long time.

"Daoist Meng Zhang, Chen'er is indeed exceptional. Thanks to your excellent guidance, This Seat has gained such a successor."

Although Yuanshi Tianzun was Meng Chen's teacher, he understood very clearly that Meng Chen's temperament had not been cultivated by him. What he had taught Meng Chen were merely Daoist arts and the principles of being an immortal. If Meng Chen's character had been lacking, then no matter how many principles he taught, Meng Chen would not have been able to absorb them.

His third brother's disciples were excellent examples. Had Master Tongtian not taught them? Had he not poured effort into them? Yet it had all been useless.

Rivers and mountains might change, but one's nature was hard to alter. Later education could only restrain a person's behavior; it could not change their innate disposition.

Only those who harbored kindness in their hearts might turn back from the brink. Those born evil could not be changed, no matter how they were taught.

Divine Lord Meng Zhang smiled. "You are too modest, fellow Daoist. Without your cultivation, my son likewise could not have attained what he has today. Chen'er is still a child, after all. I will have to rely on you greatly in the future."

"Not at all, not at all!"

Yuanshi Tianzun nodded slightly. His gaze pierced through the void, and with a single glance, he saw Meng Chen, who had completed his transformation.

"Chen'er's nature is pure and kind. This Seat can sense that clearly. He appears cold and merciless on the surface, but in truth, he uses indifference to protect himself. There is too much intrigue and deception in the Primordial Wilderness, so he is wary of everything."

Divine Lord Meng Zhang nodded, deeply agreeing.

"You are right, fellow Daoist. How could I not know that? Yet one truly must be more cautious when walking the Primordial Wilderness. You and I stand at its peak; no one in heaven and earth can scheme against us. Chen'er is different from us. His cultivation is still shallow. It is a good thing that he knows how to protect himself."

"You worry too much! With the Pangu Three Pure Ones and the Four Primordial Spirits protecting him, who could scheme against Chen'er? Who would even have the ability to do so?"

Yuanshi Tianzun smiled faintly, his words brimming with confidence.

Divine Lord Meng Zhang was stunned for a moment, then burst into hearty laughter. "Indeed! This Seat truly has no need to worry."

This was more or less why Divine Lord Meng Zhang had agreed to let Meng Chen take Yuanshi Tianzun as his master. The Four Primordial Spirits and the Three Pure Ones had no conflict of interest. On some level, they naturally stood in the same camp.

Since that was the case, Divine Lord Meng Zhang simply let Meng Chen become Yuanshi Tianzun's disciple.

That way, both the Four Primordial Spirits and the Pangu Three Pure Ones would be Meng Chen's elders. If they continued tracing the connections upward, even Ancestor Hongjun would be Meng Chen's grandmaster.

In the future, Meng Chen could attain the Chaotic Origin if he wished, or prove the Dao and become a saint if he wished. No one could stop him.

"The conflict between the Witch and Demon Clans is growing increasingly fierce. The four Dao Friends will have a difficult time ahead."

Yuanshi Tianzun suddenly spoke, though it was unclear whether he was offering a reminder or a hint.

"Mm!"

Divine Lord Meng Zhang's expression turned solemn, and he nodded slightly. "What you say is correct, fellow Daoist! The situation between the Witch and Demon Clans is exactly like that of the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans. The future of the Primordial Wilderness does not look promising. However, we made preparations during the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation. When the time comes, even if the Witch and Demon Clans tear a hole through the heavens, we can still ensure the Primordial Wilderness remains safe."

Upon hearing the words "tear a hole through the heavens," even Yuanshi Tianzun, a saint, became exceedingly grave.

This was not a situation he wished to see. Once the heavens were torn open, the yin and yang energies of heaven and earth would lose balance, and the laws of heaven and earth would fall into disorder. The world would briefly enter the Age of Dharma's End, and beings below the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm would be unable even to cast spells.

"The Wu Clan is also of the Pangu Sect. Surely they would not go that far?"

Yuanshi Tianzun spoke in a hesitant tone.

Divine Lord Meng Zhang merely sneered. "The Twelve Ancestral Witches are bent on war. For the sake of their Dao, they have already become utterly reckless. The Twelve Ancestral Witches constantly complain that the Wu Clan's population is too small. Yet they do not realize that they caused this situation themselves."

"The Wu Clan wages war year after year. Those Wu at the bottom no longer wish to bear children. Every Wu knows that once their children cultivate to the Heavenly Immortal realm, they must go to the battlefield. Which Wu would be willing to keep having children?"

Hearing this, Yuanshi Tianzun fell silent.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches sought to contend for the Calamity Fate of heaven and earth, and there was nothing inherently wrong with that. In struggles between races, there was no right or wrong. However, the Twelve Ancestral Witches only knew warfare and did not understand rest and recovery. Within the Wu Clan, the people lived in misery.

They even seized Human Race women who most closely resembled the Wu Clan in appearance and treated them as breeding machines for the Wu Clan in order to increase its population.

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

After remaining silent for a long time, Yuanshi Tianzun finally said, "What you speak of may indeed happen. However, as a saint, without my teacher's decree, it would not be appropriate for This Seat to interfere in the struggle between the races of heaven and earth."

If even saints came forth to support a particular race, then what would the other races have left to fight for? Let all living things compete freely beneath the frosted heavens—this was the Primordial Wilderness the saints envisioned.

Divine Lord Meng Zhang shook his head without speaking.

The Four Primordial Spirits had stopped interfering in the affairs of the Primordial Wilderness long ago. They only wished to manage their own territories well and naturally attain the Great Dao. If Meng Chen had not entered the Chan Sect, the Azure Dragon Clan would never have set foot in the Primordial Wilderness.

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

When Yuanshi Tianzun heard the words "Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven," his eyes lit up.

"Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven? The grotto-heaven formed from East Pole Azure Thearch, one of Father Pangu's eighty-one incarnations?"

Besides his true body, Pangu possessed eighty-one incarnations, each one invincible in divine powers. After Pangu merged into heaven and earth, his incarnations also transformed into all manner of wondrous opportunities, remaining upon the lands of the Primordial Wilderness.

"Correct!"

Divine Lord Meng Zhang revealed a faint smile. "Are you interested, fellow Daoist?"

"Of course! I thank you on behalf of my disciples!"

Yuanshi Tianzun clasped his hands in thanks.