Once Gu Xi had made his decision, he began patrolling the Human Race.
He concealed his identity, took on the guise of the Five Elements Daoist, and began with the Human Race's first tribe.
"Thirteen thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Looking at the familiar Yanhuang Tribe, Gu Xi could not help but marvel at how time flew.
The Yanhuang Tribe was the Human Race's first tribe.
Gu Xi had personally given it that name out of nostalgia for his previous life.
Now the Yanhuang Tribe had become the Human Ancestral Land, renowned throughout the East Sea Coast.
The Human Race expert guarding it was Suiren Shi, a Golden Immortal famous throughout the East Sea Coast.
Gu Xi did not disturb Suiren Shi. He entered the Yanhuang Tribe alone.
Inside, he discovered a market established specifically for cultivators to trade.
Shops lined the bustling market, and countless beings came and went.
Besides humans, there were beings of many other races, marked by animal heads, golden hair, unusual eyes, wings, scales, tails, and more.
Among them, aquatic beings such as fish, shrimp, and crab demons were especially numerous.
There were even members of the Dragon Clan with human bodies and the heads of flood dragons or true dragons.
So many races mingled together, yet they got along peacefully and conducted their business without causing trouble.
Even Gu Xi, who considered himself well-traveled, found the sight remarkable.
Gu Xi sat down at a tavern called the Mermaid Tavern.
It was run by a woman of the Mermaid Race.
The tavern served a special spirit wine brewed by the Mermaid Race from deep-sea ingredients—Mermaid Wine!
Mermaid Wine tasted crisp and sweet, and could slightly purify Magic Power.
That made it popular with all kinds of beings.
The tavern was crowded with drinkers of many races.
Gu Xi took a sip of Mermaid Wine. A thread of crisp, cooling energy immediately rose from his stomach.
It swept through his body like a gentle spring rain.
The sensation was indescribably refreshing.
"This Mermaid Wine really is good. No wonder it's so popular."
After praising it, he listened to the conversations around him.
"Ever since that battle three thousand years ago, the Human Race has only grown more prosperous."
"Exactly! The Human Race is no longer confined to the East Sea Coast. Human Tribes are scattered across many parts of eastern Hong Huang."
"The Human Race has developed incredibly fast. Thirteen thousand years ago, Great Sage Gu Xi was its only expert above the Golden Immortal level..."
"...Now, besides Great Sage Gu Xi, the Human Race has ten Golden Immortals, including Suiren Shi, more than seven hundred Heavenly Immortals, and over eleven thousand Earth Immortals..."
"...Even without counting Great Sage Gu Xi, the Human Race is now one of the stronger races in Hong Huang."
"When you get down to it, the Human Race's smooth rise is mainly thanks to Great Sage Gu Xi."
"True. Since Great Sage Gu Xi arrived on the East Sea Coast, the outcomes of two major battles have thoroughly intimidated countless Gods and Demons. They don't dare offend the Human Race, which is why it has risen so quickly."
"And that's not all. Great Sage Gu Xi passed down the Four Seasons Sequence and Martial Dao. Both have played vital roles in strengthening the Human Race..."
Beings of various races chatted in the tavern.
They all marveled at the speed of the Human Race's development.
They also brought up Gu Xi's contributions to the Human Race again and again.
The Human Race experts in the tavern looked proud, as though they shared in his glory.
Gu Xi merely smiled, unmoved.
"By the way, have you heard? Strange phenomena have been appearing lately around the bay at the mouth of the Canglan River. They say a treasure is about to emerge, and many Gods and Demons have rushed over."
"I heard that too. Besides the strange phenomena, they say mysterious sounds have been coming from there."
"With so many Gods and Demons heading there, we shouldn't bother. We haven't even reached the Earth Immortal Realm. We'd only be cannon fodder!"
"Exactly!"
The talk suddenly turned to the strange phenomena at the bay.
Gu Xi raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
I've seen enough of the Yanhuang Tribe for now. I might as well take a look at the bay.
With that, he vanished silently from the tavern. None of the beings around him noticed.
Above a certain bay, threads of divine light pierced up from the deep sea and gathered into brilliant clouds over the water.
The surrounding sky was packed with experts—several thousand beings in all.
Many of them were Human Race experts.
Huge waves churned across the sea, while terrifying surges of Magic Power came from its depths.
Gu Xi opened his mystic eyes and looked down. Dozens of Heavenly Immortal Gods and Demons were joining forces to attack an underwater residence shrouded in countless restrictions.
"So it's only an underwater residence, apparently left behind by a Primordial Great Sage... And here I thought a Primordial Spiritual Treasure might be emerging!"
He gave a rueful laugh and lost interest.
Given his strength and the many treasures he already possessed, a Primordial Great Sage's legacy was unlikely to be of much use to him.
Just then, the dozens of Heavenly Immortals finally broke through the residence's restrictions.
"Hahaha! After thirteen thousand years, I, Old Ox, am finally free!"
The Heavenly Immortals had barely broken through the restrictions and had no time to celebrate before an excited laugh rang out from deep within the residence.
Along with it came the vast aura of a Golden Immortal, sweeping outward with overwhelming force.
"Damn it! Did this residence already have an owner? A Golden Immortal?"
"No. From that laugh, it sounds like the Golden Immortal was trapped inside for over thirteen thousand years... We may have just let him out."
The dozens of Heavenly Immortals went pale.
They had expected to find treasure after opening the residence.
Never had they imagined they would release a Golden Immortal apparently trapped inside it.
"Hahaha! All that effort to create those strange phenomena and lure you here wasn't wasted."
"Otherwise, who knows how much longer I would've been stuck in this damned residence?"
A middle-aged man burst out from the depths of the residence. He was enormously burly, covered in muscle, with blue-green skin and a great drum strapped to his back.
Violent divine power surged from him, sending all the Heavenly Immortals flying backward, coughing blood.
"Hahaha! I, Old Ox, am finally free!"
The burly man laughed and reached out. A giant hand hundreds of yards across formed and wrenched the residence from the seabed. He refined it on the spot and drew it into his body.
The dozens of Heavenly Immortals and the thousands of beings above the sea watched, but none dared interfere.
"Wait, isn't he the Kui Niu Demon God of the former Guishan Monster Race?"
One of the Heavenly Immortals spoke up.
"That's right. I heard the Kui Niu Demon God has a Magic Treasure called the Tidal Great Drum. Look at the drum on his back... It must be him."
"I wondered why the Kui Niu Demon God wasn't there when Great Sage Gu Xi destroyed the Kuishan Monster Race thirteen thousand years ago. So he was trapped here."
"Tsk. After thirteen thousand years trapped inside, the Kui Niu Demon God finally escaped thanks to us... But escaping might not be a good thing for him!"
The Heavenly Immortals present soon recognized the burly man.
They had been frustrated and resentful at being used by the Kui Niu Demon God.
Now, however, knowing looks appeared on their faces.
Some even quietly prepared to send word of the Kui Niu Demon God's reappearance to the Human Race.
After all, the Guishan Monster Race had been destroyed by the Human Race. As one of its former key members, the Kui Niu Demon God counted as an enemy of the Human Race.
If the Human Race learned he had resurfaced, they would soon eliminate him.
"Hm? What are you saying? What happened to the Guishan Monster Race?"
Still caught up in the joy of his escape and his newfound treasure, the Kui Niu Demon God froze when he heard them.
Had something happened to the Guishan Monster Race during the thirteen thousand years he had been trapped?
But before he could get an answer from the Heavenly Immortals, an enormous hand plunged into the sea.
Its five fingers were formed from the Five Elements Power of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Billions of rays of five-element divine light burst from it, terrifying to behold.
"A Primordial Great Sage—"
Before the Kui Niu Demon God could finish his cry of alarm, the hand seized him and carried him away.
"Hiss! A Primordial Great Sage was hiding here and snatched the Kui Niu Demon God away in an instant."
The dozens of Heavenly Immortals and the thousands of beings above the sea were shaken.
They could not tell who had acted.
A short while later, atop a barren mountain, the Kui Niu Demon God stared fearfully at the young man before him.
"My lord... Why have you brought me here?"
Inside, he felt utterly miserable.
Thirteen thousand years ago, he had followed a clue to a residence left by a Primordial Great Sage deep in the bay.
He had rushed there eagerly in search of treasure.
But he had found only a low-grade Acquired Spiritual Treasure before triggering a formation in the residence that trapped him for thirteen thousand years.
He had finally escaped today, only to be caught by a Primordial Great Sage before he could even enjoy a breath of freedom.
His luck could hardly have been worse.
"You have a connection with the Human Race!"
Gu Xi smiled at the Kui Niu Demon God, then used the Great Pervasion Art on him.
"Kuin Niu greets Fellow Daoist Gu Xi. Thank you for saving me and showing me the true path."
A short while later, the Kui Niu Demon God bowed to Gu Xi. When he looked at him again, his gaze was filled with reverence and admiration.
"You cultivate the Acquired Tide Great Dao... Then the divine position of Grain Rain is yours."
After learning which Great Dao the Kui Niu Demon God cultivated, Gu Xi sent a talisman decree into his body.
"Thank you for this gift, Fellow Daoist Gu Xi! From now on, I will serve you with unwavering loyalty!"
Feeling the divine position within him, the Kui Niu Demon God was beside himself with excitement.
He had never expected Gu Xi to be so generous. The moment Gu Xi "saved" Old Ox from the wrong path, he bestowed an immensely precious divine position upon him.
His gratitude toward Gu Xi knew no bounds.
"Good. From now on, come with me as I patrol the Human Tribes!"
With the Kui Niu Demon God in tow, Gu Xi continued his tour of the Human Race.
As he traveled, he also investigated Golden Immortal Gods and Demons in the surrounding areas to see whether they were suited to the divine positions of the God of Twenty-Four Solar Terms.
Whenever he found a suitable candidate, he subdued them with the Great Pervasion Art and bestowed a divine position.
In about a year, Gu Xi visited every Human Tribe along the East Sea Coast.
Along the way, he secretly helped many tribes solve their problems.
Including the Kui Niu Demon God, five Golden Immortal Gods and Demons now followed him.
He then left the East Sea Coast and began visiting the Human Tribes scattered throughout eastern Hong Huang.
Another two years soon passed.
At last, he had finished visiting the Human Tribes beyond the East Sea Coast as well.
During that time, he subdued another eleven Golden Immortal Gods and Demons.
Of course, whenever he made a move, he did so under his guise as the Five Elements Daoist.
He used only five-element divine abilities, such as the Great Five Elements Art, the Five Elements Annihilation Divine Light, and the Five Elements Divine Thunder.
Thus, no one knew that he, the Human Race Holy Father, had left the Human Sacred Hall to patrol the Human Tribes and "save" Gods and Demons throughout Hong Huang.
Many Gods and Demons in eastern Hong Huang did hear of a God and Demon called the Five Elements Daoist, who liked challenging others wherever he went and was remarkably strong.
More than a dozen Golden Immortal Gods and Demons had been defeated by him in succession.
That day, Gu Xi bestowed the last of the twenty-four solar-term divine positions, sending it into the body of a Golden Immortal God or Demon beside him.
Rumble!
The sky above Gu Xi suddenly changed.
A vast beam of golden Merit light descended and entered through the top of his head.
A huge Golden Wheel of Merit appeared behind him.
At the same time, a Four Seasons Dao Lotus descended, black and white swirling through it as the four seasons manifested. It merged into his Primordial Spirit, then turned into a rain of light and talismans that flowed into his Four Seasons Sequence Dao Embryo.
The Four Seasons Sequence Dao Embryo shuddered and advanced from the late stage to the peak of perfection.
It even gave off a faint Great Luo aura, as though it might transform into a Great Luo Dao Fruit at any moment.
"The Four Seasons Sequence has finally reached perfection!"
Overjoyed, Gu Xi could not help letting out a long cry.
He could feel it: the time had come to advance to Great Luo Golden Immortal!
The next chapter would be a VIP chapter.
With that came apprehension and nerves!
Initial subscriptions were crucial. Whether this book received recommendations would depend on them!
Before you continue