Indeed, worthy of the Ancestral Dragon's name

But now!

It had been seen through by Supreme Lord Laozi!

How could Wudang not panic?

After all, though Supreme Lord Laozi was mighty and resembled the Taiqing Saint in bearing, he was ultimately just a Good Corpse!

Supreme Lord Laozi lacked the majesty of a saint—he could never be the saint's Original Body.

For a non-saintly Good Corpse to see through a saint's great divine power—how terrifying was that?

Could it be that the Taiqing Saint had already surpassed the other saints?

But above the saints was none other than Dao Ancestor Hongjun!

Wudang's heart was filled with disbelief.

At this moment, Duobao couldn't help but ask in shock:

"Are you really Junior Sister Wudang? Did you end up on the Investiture of the Gods?"

Since Supreme Lord Laozi had already made it clear, Old Mother of Mount Li could no longer hide it.

She immediately revealed Wudang's true form and acknowledged Duobao.

"Wudang greets Senior Brother. I came to rescue our fellow disciples—I am not on the list."

Duobao paused at this, then sighed.

"Even saints cannot alter the Investiture of the Gods, so how can you rescue our fellow disciples?"

Master Tongtian had once tried to reverse the Investiture, but found no way.

Thus, Duobao now focused more on the Jie Sect Disciples!

Not on redeeming those on the list.

Because that was simply impossible!

Wudang sighed as well.

How could she not know this?

But people always need a shred of hope!

Yet by now, Wudang's mindset had shifted.

She fixed her gaze on Supreme Lord Laozi.

Saints might be powerless, but as Senior Grand Uncle, the Taiqing Saint seemed to have transcended the realm of sainthood!

So, could the Taiqing Saint reverse the Investiture?

Supreme Lord Laozi smiled and nodded.

"Your resolve is commendable."

"Moreover, the Investiture is not irreversible."

As the master of the Primordial Origin, he only needed to raise his rank—whether it was an Investiture position or a Heavenly Court position—to change it at will.

Duobao and Old Mother of Mount Li were overjoyed.

"Senior Grand Uncle, is this true?"

Supreme Lord Laozi smiled calmly.

"Not only can the Investiture be reversed, but Tongtian can also return to the Primordial World and revive the Jie Sect."

Master could break free and revive the Jie Sect?

Duobao and Wudang were stunned and exhilarated, as if they could already see that day.

The grand scene of Saint Tongtian's return, the Jie Sect reappearing in the world—how eagerly anticipated that would be!

When Duobao and Wudang had calmed down a little, Supreme Lord Laozi laid out his plan for them.

"Wudang, in the Heavenly Court, you no longer need to hide your strength. Show your ability and build your prestige."

"Bridge the Jie Sect and the Chan Sect, offer protection, then lie low and wait for the right moment."

"The Three Teachings were originally one—you should set aside past grudges."

"Duobao, you must establish Mahayana Buddhism and spread the Dharma."

"Build your own power to counter Tathagata, while protecting the Jie Sect in the West."

"Yes, Senior Grand Uncle!"

Duobao and Wudang replied with fervor.

Their hearts brimmed with hope, trusting Senior Taiqing completely.

They yearned for the day the Jie Sect would rise anew and were willing to sacrifice everything for it.

Supreme Lord Laozi smiled faintly, pleased with the two.

Duobao, in particular, faced a far heavier task.

With Supreme Lord Laozi stationed in the Heavenly Court, Haotian had already come to regard Old Mother of Mount Li as the court's pillar.

In time, if Old Mother of Mount Li could build her prestige, she need only wait patiently for the right moment.

But Duobao, left alone in the Buddhist Sect, had to contend with Tathagata for power over Mahayana Buddhism while also protecting and supporting the Jie Sect in the West.

Even under the watchful eyes of the Two Sages of the West, he showed no fear.

Supreme Lord Laozi casually produced two Yellow Zhong Li Plums.

"These are Yellow Zhong Li Plums. Refine them."

Duobao and Our Lady of Wudang were overjoyed—never had they expected Senior Grand Uncle Taiqing to bestow such precious innate spirit fruits.

Before this, they had rarely seen them even in the Jie Sect.

In that moment, their reverence for Taiqing deepened.

Then, the two began refining the Yellow Zhong Li Plums within Tushita Palace.

After refining them, both achieved breakthroughs: Our Lady of Wudang reached the Quasi-Saint Realm, and Duobao advanced to Late Quasi-Saint.

They were ecstatic.

Taiqing smiled lightly and waved his sleeve.

"Go now."

Duobao and Wudang exchanged glances, their resolve to carry out Taiqing's orders stronger than ever.

"We take our leave, Senior Grand Uncle!"

Beyond Chaos, in the Taiqing Realm, Daluo Heaven.

Grand Pure One Laozi opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping across the Primordial World, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

The key pieces in the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Sect were now in place.

Duobao and Wudang would penetrate the very cores of the Heavenly Court and the Buddhist Sect, playing pivotal roles at critical moments—so subtle that even Hongjun could not foresee them.

This Primordial World was like a chessboard, crisscrossed with infinite variations.

Taiqing had long laid his plans deep, every move precise, every thread stretching a thousand miles.

An unstoppable momentum was quietly taking shape, beyond anyone's power to halt.

Within Grand Simplicity Heaven, where the power of the Chaos Pearl enveloped all.

Taiqing's Divine Sense materialized, watching Sun Wukong from a hundred times the normal flow of time.

At that moment, a dazzling golden light shot into the sky, and a vast aura swept the surroundings.

"Master! Old Sun has become a Golden Immortal!"

Sun Wukong leaped about in joy.

Nüwa's Divine Sense appeared, her expression touched with emotion.

"Such a pace of cultivation is truly rare."

Taiqing nodded with a smile. "Wukong's talent is extraordinary—indeed, not of the ordinary."

Seeing this, Nüwa's beautiful eyes shifted, and she spoke with a smile. "This power over time is truly astonishing. The Time Compass can control a Hundredfold Time Flow—Senior Taiqing's creation is truly admirable."

Taiqing smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

Though the Time Compass's effect still fell short of the Time Dao Palace, Sun Wukong's cultivation speed was already swift enough, and Taiqing was quite satisfied.

After offering some guidance to Sun Wukong in Grand Simplicity Heaven, Taiqing's mind stirred slightly, and his gaze turned toward the Primordial World.

The world of the Human Race was undergoing earth-shattering changes!

Primordial World! Earthly Immortal Realm!

After the long Great Contention Era, the chaotic Spring and Autumn Warring States period had finally come to an end.

This era, measured in Primordial World chronology, had stretched on for ages, giving rise to countless brilliant figures.

Ever since Taiqing had spread his teachings among mortals, King Ying Zheng of Qin had governed with vigor, and the Qin Empire had risen swiftly.

With grand ambition, Ying Zheng gathered the Hundred Schools of Thought and the realm's finest talents.

The Soldier Immortal Han Xin, the Legalist Han Fei, the strategist Zhang Liang—all such talents pledged themselves to Qin.

Now, King Ying Zheng of Qin led his great army to sweep across all directions, unifying the realm.

The entire human territory was thus completely unified.

King Ying Zheng established the Great Qin Empire, proclaimed himself First Emperor, and issued orders to all under heaven.

Qin Shi Huang, with his unparalleled genius, became the true leader of humanity.

The fortune of the human race grew ever stronger, faintly taking the shape of a Fortune Dragon.

This feat was nothing short of earth-shattering.

In the Thirty-Third Heaven, within the Hall of Celestial Supremacy.

Heavenly Emperor Haotian nodded slightly, quite pleased with the imperial "We."

In high spirits, he did not take Ying Zheng seriously at all.

This was no longer an era where humanity stood alone; it was the time of the Heavenly Court's prosperity!

Even if Ying Zheng was brilliant beyond compare, a rarity through the ages, he was ultimately but a Son of Heaven.

The unification of humanity meant the Heavenly Court could gain even more fortune.

In Haotian's eyes, humanity was merely a crop to be harvested.

Dreaming of rising? Utter fantasy.

In the Primordial Earthly Immortal Realm, at the capital Xianyang.

Upon the Ancestral Altar, Ying Zheng proclaimed to heaven and earth the founding of the Great Qin Empire.

The surging fortune of humanity stirred, faintly revealing the shape of a Dragon Embryo.

Yet though the fortune gathered, it did not coalesce into a complete Fortune Dragon.

At that moment, Ying Zheng sensed that his cultivation was bound by some restriction.

"Your Majesty, perhaps it is the limit of Heaven's Mandate," said the strategist Zhang Liang, deducing the celestial secrets through his arts.

The Grand Pure One's teachings spread throughout the land; all the elites of Great Qin cultivated the Dao and could comprehend the celestial secrets.

Ying Zheng's gaze was firm, fixed upon the Nine Heavens.

He also understood that upon becoming the Human Co-Lord, he could no longer break through to the immortal realm.

This was the limitation of the Son of Heaven's position.

As a Son of Heaven, one could not ascend.

Unless the Heavenly Emperor granted permission.

But Ying Zheng's eyes burned even brighter.

His voice was steady and powerful, filled with resolve!

"This Lonely One shall restore the majesty of the Human Emperor, and will never stoop to the mere title of Son of Heaven!"

Yet within the Heavenly Court.

Heavenly Emperor Haotian paid no heed to this Human Co-Lord.

He even dared to dream of becoming the Human Emperor?

How absurd!

In the Taiqing Realm.

Within Daluo Heaven.

At the Eight Sceneries Palace.

Grand Pure One Laozi gazed at the lingering, uncoalesced fortune of humanity, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

"Truly worthy of the name Ancestral Dragon."

The Grand Pure One smiled calmly, his whisk gently stirring.

The aura of the Primordial Origin radiated around him.

The subtle fluctuations of the law of cause and effect rippled quietly.

At that moment, in the city of Xianyang.

Many citizens of Great Qin lamented—could even a wise ruler like the First Emperor not gather the fortune of humanity?

Ying Zheng's eyes flickered.

Just now, his heart sensed something—he had caught a trace of opportunity!

Shouyang Mountain was the ancestral land of the mortal world!

It was said that the Fire Cloud Cave, where the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors cultivated, was hidden here!

Perhaps he could pay homage to the Human Ancestors!

"Prepare the carriage. I am going to Shouyang Mountain!"

Ying Zheng turned decisively.

He strode away from the ancestral altar.

The vast fortune of the Human Race shifted with his movement.

For a moment, it was as if a miracle had manifested.

At this moment, even the sages were watching the Human Race.

Netherworld Underworld.

Six Paths of Reincarnation.

Pingxin gazed at the surging fortune of the Human Race and merely shook her head slightly.

"This child is gifted beyond measure, but in the end, he cannot escape his bonds."

Grand Simplicity Heaven.

Wa Huang Palace.

Nüwa's face was peerlessly beautiful, yet tinged with distraction.

She had never thought she would see the Human Race flourish again!

In times past, he would have become a Human Emperor.

A pity—that time would not return.

"Is there truly no hope?"

A sudden feeling stirred in Nüwa's heart, and she looked toward Taiqing Daluo Heaven.

With Senior Taiqing present, victory or defeat was still unknown!

After all, Senior Taiqing was one who could contend with the Heavenly Dao.

The West, Western Paradise.

Receiver and Cundi exchanged a knowing smile.

The Human Race's fortune was strong?

Then the Buddhist Sect's fortune would increase all the more!

In the Buddhist Sect's view, the Human Race was merely a vessel for drawing fortune.

Primordial Wilderness.

Human Race's ancestral land.

Shouyang Mountain.

Xuandu slowly opened his eyes.

Seeing the Human Race's fortune churning, he revealed an admiring smile.

"Master's schemes span the Primordial Wilderness for eons—truly divine foresight!"

Xuandu rose.

At this moment, Ancestral Dragon Ying Zheng also arrived at Shouyang Mountain!

Observing Ying Zheng's flourishing fortune, Xuandu nodded with a smile.

"This poor Daoist is Guiguzi. Today, on behalf of my master, I accept a disciple. First Emperor, are you willing?"

On Shouyang Mountain.

Ying Zheng listened to Xuandu's words and was utterly astonished.

The man before him was none other than the legendary Guiguzi!

It was said that Guiguzi was an enlightened immortal, knowing all and understanding all.

During the Spring and Autumn Warring States period, he had imparted countless mysterious Daoist scriptures and arts of stratagem, contributing greatly to the Human Race.

After unifying the six states, Ying Zheng had tried to recruit these reclusive masters but failed.

Now, to learn that this man was on Shouyang Mountain, and waiting specifically for him!

Was this the will of Heaven?

Xuandu was indeed Guiguzi, a name given by Taiqing himself.

Yet facing this renowned immortal, Ying Zheng remained composed.

"Immortal, could you grant me some guidance?"

Xuandu smiled faintly at this, silently praising—truly worthy of the one his master had chosen, with an extraordinary bearing.

Then he lightly flicked his sleeve, and heaven and earth shifted.

Amid the bewildered gazes of the Great Qin soldiers, Ying Zheng and Xuandu's figures vanished without a trace.

The next instant.