Tongtian Fell into the River

"Well said. That was a fine speech today. Come, have some tea."

Hu Jiu Mei and the other two demons poured tea and water nearby. Zhou Wang did not even dare raise his eyes. Ever since witnessing the "methods of immortals," he felt that Wang Yuan was an unparalleled immortal, perhaps even the strongest Immortal King or Immortal Emperor among immortals!

If Wang Yuan knew what Zhou Wang was thinking, he would have burst out laughing. You really have quite the imagination.

"This tea is Myriad World Origin Tea, the ancestor of all teas. It clears the mind." Thinking of what Do Bao had told him, Tongtian swept his gaze over Zhou Wang, his eyes turning slightly cold. A mass of Demon Qi was actually lurking in Zhou Wang's mind. That Demon Qi was exceedingly sinister—not truly a demon, but something condensed from the resentment left behind after a great demon's death.

A great demon?

It had to be one of those around Di Jun during the Witch-Demon War. Tongtian had already guessed who was behind this. It was surely those two from the Western Religion, stirring up conflict in the East so they could seize the opportunity to profit from it.

Zhou Wang took the tea and gave it a light sniff. Its fragrance refreshed his heart, and an indescribable clarity blossomed in his mind.

"Good tea! Wonderful tea!"

Wang Yuan smiled faintly. Of course Myriad World Origin Tea was good.

After Zhou Wang drank the tea, he felt a warm current spread throughout his body.

"This is... Ah!"

He suddenly flung away the teacup, then clutched his head and cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground and rolling around nonstop.

"Huh? Ninth Sister, did you poison him?"

"I didn't... It wasn't me..."

"Pipa? Zhi Zhi? Did you do this? Killing the Human Emperor... that would be a grave sin..."

The two women's expressions changed in fright as well. They knew the Human Emperor was burdened by karma. Who would be stupid enough to kill the Human Emperor for no reason?

"It wasn't us..."

Tongtian hurriedly said, "Uncle, Zhou Wang won't die. He hasn't been poisoned either."

"Then what's he doing? Faking an injury? Trying to extort us? Quick! Great nephew, throw him outside the mountain. He can't die here!"

Tongtian: ...

"Uncle, there is a mass of evil qi in his mind. Myriad World Origin Tea combined with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Spring happens to counter Demon Qi and cleanse his demonic heart."

"Oh... As long as he won't die."

Zhou Wang: ...Could you at least act human? Forget saving me—couldn't you at least offer some comfort?

Wisps of black qi rose from Zhou Wang's head. Just as they were about to do something, Tongtian secretly blew a breath and scattered them directly.

Half an hour later, Zhou Wang's screams finally stopped.

"Tsk, tsk. As expected of a strong man who could carry beams and replace pillars. After screaming for an hour, he still sounds so full of vigor."

Wang Yuan squatted on the ground, looking at Zhou Wang.

Zhou Wang slowly rose to his feet. "Immortal Elder, why did you harm me?!"

"Harm you? When did I harm you? Didn't you hear what my nephew said? There was a demon in your head."

Zhou Wang froze. "Huh?"

A divine light flashed through Tongtian's eyes. He pointed at the top of Zhou Wang's head, and a streak of white light immediately appeared.

The instant it landed, Wang Yuan started drooling.

"I haven't had lamb skewers in so long..."

A goat three meters long and two meters tall stood before Wang Yuan. Aside from being much larger than an ordinary goat, it had one other difference: wings grew from its ribs.

Wang Yuan was no longer the man he used to be. He knew the Primordial World could not be judged by the standards of later generations, but anything that looked like this would probably taste about the same.

But the goat suddenly spoke in human words. "Thank you, Tong..."

Before it could finish, it abruptly fell silent. After a long while, the goat looked at Wang Yuan. "Thank you, fellow daoist, for saving me! I am Bai Ze!"

Bai Ze?

Wang Yuan had once read the Classic of Mountains and Seas and knew of this figure. Bai Ze was quite a famous character.

Yet he remained calm. "Oh, so it is fellow daoist Bai Ze. How did you end up inside the Human Emperor..."

Bai Ze sighed. "Even now, I do not know what happened. I had been living peacefully in the North Sea when, one day, a great cultivator suddenly abducted me. When I awoke, I was already..."

Wang Yuan scratched his head. Since this thing could speak human language, he could not very well eat it anymore, could he?

"Fine, then..."

Zhou Wang was dumbfounded. He could not believe that such a thing had been in his head. At the same time, he realized just how many dangers surrounded him.

"All right, Human Emperor, you should leave. A day in the mountains is a thousand years in the world below. This is not a place for you to stay long. Do not forget what you told me: do not forget your original heart, and do not forget the common people. Your Great Shang will surely endure."

Wang Yuan looked at the bewildered Zhou Wang, then suddenly stood and spoke.

Tongtian looked at his usually unserious Uncle in surprise. Since Uncle had said so, and the fortunes of Jie Sect and Great Shang were linked, did that not mean Jie Sect would endure as well?

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became. Even the way he looked at Zhou Wang turned affectionate.

"Yes, I will heed Immortal Elder's teachings."

"Go on."

Zhou Wang went down the mountain. Wang Yuan escorted him to its foot, then moved his mind. By the time Zhou Wang came to his senses, the Immortal Mountain had vanished, leaving behind only a barren Desolate Mountain.

Zhou Wang bowed toward the mountain three times.

At this moment, Da Ji and the other two also arrived. Seeing the astonishment on Zhou Wang's face, Zhu Wushuang and Xiang Wuchen exchanged glances. Zhou Wang had probably met that Senior.

"Great King!"

Zhou Wang was somewhat excited. He took their hands and said, "My three beloved consorts, the immortal has promised me that as long as I implement the New Policy, my Great Shang will endure."

He trusted Wang Yuan completely. That was an immortal! Since an immortal had made a promise, there could be no problem.

Xiang Wuchen and Zhu Wushuang nodded. "Congratulations, Great King!"

"Haha, good! Let's go! Back to the palace—we must celebrate properly!"

Immortal Mountain.

"Fellow daoist, I should leave as well. It would not be proper to impose any longer..."

Bai Ze had matters on his mind. Although he knew Wang Yuan's place was even better than the former Heavenly Court, this was not where he belonged.

"All right, go ahead. Great nephew, see him off."

He pulled Tongtian aside and whispered, "Have him go back and protect Zhou Wang. I think this lamb skewer is pretty formidable."

"Yes, Uncle, I understand!"

Tongtian's eyes lit up. Right, Uncle's method was excellent. It would not only keep the Western Religion from learning of this matter, but also let Bai Ze protect Zhou Wang. Leaving aside everything else, who was Bai Ze? One of the ten great demons from the Witch-Demon War, with formidable combat power. And after cultivating his character all these years, his cultivation had already reached the Quasi-Sage realm.

The two left the Immortal Mountain. Bai Ze could not help asking, "Sage, that person... is he truly your Uncle?"

It was not only humans who loved gossip; even great demons were the same.

Although Bai Ze had lived in seclusion in the Northern Cold Lands and cultivated his character, that did not mean he was not curious about gossip.

Tongtian glared. "What? Is that not allowed?"

"It is..."

Did he dare say it was not?

"Bai Ze, you are also someone from the era of the Witch-Demon War. Now that the Demon Race has declined, what plans do you have? Do you still hate the Witch Clan?"

"Alas."

Bai Ze sighed, and only after a long silence did he say, "The two Demon Emperors have fallen, and fewer than one in ten of the Demon Race remain. The Witch Clan is even worse, with the Twelve Ancestral Witches having fallen. Over these years, I have come to understand. The Heavenly Dao is merciless and treats all living things as straw dogs."

Tongtian's heart stirred. He vaguely sensed that Bai Ze's magic power had reached its peak—the Quasi-Sage Peak. In other words, with only a single opportunity, Bai Ze could comprehend the Dao and become a Sage.