I Am King Zhou, Human Emperor!

"May I ask where the Daoist master comes from, and what business brings you here?" Zi Shou asked, his expression unchanged.

He naturally knew Yun Zhongzi's identity—a full-fledged Golden Immortal of the Exposition Sect, a disciple of the Sage Yuanshi Tianzun. Moreover, Yun Zhongzi was a Blessed Golden Immortal, destined to be free of calamity and hardship, which made him far from ordinary. Yet what puzzled him was why Yun Zhongzi had come at this very moment. The Investiture was already set; Yuanshi Tianzun held the Investiture of the Gods List, and Jiang Ziya had already become his disciple. Great Shang had about twenty years of national fortune left, and he, King Zhou, was fated to be the ruler of a fallen state. As a Golden Immortal of the Exposition Sect, Yun Zhongzi could not be ignorant of the Investiture matter—so why had he come to see him?

"This poor Daoist has been cultivating in seclusion at Zhongnan Mountain. Lately, I climbed high and gazed afar, only to see demonic aura thick over Chaoge City, so I came specially!" Yun Zhongzi said.

So it was still the same—Yun Zhongzi had come to eliminate demons. But this only deepened his confusion. If Yun Zhongzi knew of the Investiture, he should also know that the Exposition Sect was meant to uplift Zhou and overthrow Shang. From that standpoint, the Exposition Sect and Great Shang stood on opposing sides by nature, yet Yun Zhongzi insisted on coming to slay demons. As a Golden Immortal of the Exposition Sect, helping him, this King Zhou—wasn't that aiding the enemy?

"May I ask the Daoist master, how should the demons be eliminated?" Zi Shou inquired.

Whatever Yun Zhongzi's purpose, since he had come to slay demons, it was naturally welcome. After all, when Goddess Nüwa's wrath descended, it would fall on Yun Zhongzi, not on him, this King Zhou. If this caused the Exposition Sect to become enemies with Goddess Nüwa, that would truly be a magnificent piece of news.

"This matter is simple. This sword is made from a thousand-year-old pine tree. Hang it above the palace gate, and within three days, the demonic fiends will surely die without a doubt!" Yun Zhongzi said.

Zi Shou took the Pine Wood Sword in hand. It looked crude, but he could feel a vast, righteous power condensed within it.

"Daoist master, since there are demonic fiends, wouldn't this sword alone be unreliable? Why not take action yourself?" Zi Shou said.

As far as he knew, this sword was personally crafted by Yun Zhongzi, coming from the hand of a full-fledged Golden Immortal—naturally extraordinary. He believed that if he hung this sword above the palace gate, the three demons of the Xuanyuan Tomb would likely not last three days. But that was vastly different from Yun Zhongzi acting in person. Since he had met Yun Zhongzi, he didn't want to let this opportunity slip.

Yun Zhongzi, who had been calm and composed, gave King Zhou a rather surprised look after hearing this.

"The King does not know this: all things in heaven and earth are determined by fate. Even this poor Daoist can only follow the course of karma and cannot act recklessly. However, Your Majesty, rest assured—just hang this sword above the palace gate, and after three days, all will be secure without fail!" Yun Zhongzi said.

Zi Shou remained silent. He now understood clearly: this Golden Immortal of the Exposition Sect had not come to slay demons at all. If he hung the sword above the palace gate, and after three days the three demons of the Xuanyuan Tomb were annihilated, Goddess Nüwa would surely be furious. After all, Yun Zhongzi had only come to deliver the sword—whether to use it or not was up to him, the King. Good heavens! First, he had defiled Goddess Nüwa in her temple, and now he would kill the three demons of the Xuanyuan Tomb. What would Goddess Nüwa think? This was a provocation to a Sage. If Goddess Nüwa did not rage, that would truly be strange. If he did not hang this sword above the palace gate for three days, and the three demons did not die, wouldn't that mean he, this King Zhou, was beyond saving? From the very start, Yun Zhongzi's visit had used demon-slaying as a pretext; the real purpose was a test—to see if he, this King Zhou, had been bewitched by the three demons of the Xuanyuan Tomb, and to test whether his recent change in behavior was genuine or false.

"Since the Daoist master is unwilling to act, then take this sword back!" Zi Shou said.

He knew Yun Zhongzi was testing him. He could have accepted the Pine Wood Sword first, then destroyed it. Then Yun Zhongzi would likely believe he had been bewitched by the three demons of the Xuanyuan Tomb and be completely at ease. Continuing to lie low, quietly building strength—that could have been a viable strategy. But he simply refused to do so!

"What does the King mean by this? Since you know there are demonic fiends, why refuse this sword?" Yun Zhongzi asked again, surprised.

Since meeting this King Zhou, this was already the second time he had been taken aback. Everything was somewhat different from what he had anticipated. He had considered many possibilities, but never that the King would refuse the sword!

"This Lonely One is the Human Sovereign. A mere demonic fiend—my human race will deal with it ourselves. Why should your Exposition Sect intervene?" Zi Shou said in a deep voice.

If he truly wanted to kill the three demons of the Xuanyuan Tomb, he could have long summoned Grand Tutor Wen into the palace to slay them. Why would he need Yun Zhongzi? He could see Yun Zhongzi's surprise, but from start to finish, this Golden Immortal of the Exposition Sect had never truly looked him in the eye. Taibai Jinxing had been the same—surprised, perhaps, but only surprised. Even if it was just to salvage his pride, he was tired of pretending. And why should he disguise himself? As Grand Tutor Wen had said, the Human Path Luck was now at its peak, blazing like the great sun hanging high in the sky. As the Human Sovereign, what did he have to fear?

"So it seems the Human Sovereign was already aware of this?" Yun Zhongzi asked, surprised.

This was his third shock. Before coming to Chaoge City, he had indeed learned of some things, but he had not taken them to heart.

But looking at it now, this King Zhou before him was not only beyond expectations but also seemed to know quite a bit.

Was it a Jiejiao disciple who told him? The Great Shang indeed had many Jiejiao disciples serving as officials, so it was possible they had leaked the matter of the Investiture of the Gods.

From the change in how he addressed King Zhou, it was clear he had already grasped some things.

"Why bother with probing? Imperial We will state it plainly here today—the affairs of our human race are not for your Exposition Sect to meddle in. If you insist on going your own way, not only will Imperial We refuse to agree, but the billions of humans will refuse as well!" Zi Shou said in a deep voice.

Probing! Even now, Yun Zhongzi was still probing!

What was there left to probe? He had simply flipped the table; let's see what Yun Zhongzi could do now.

"So it seems this poor Daoist came for good reason, but I must remind the Human Sovereign—the Investiture is already set. This is the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao, and no one can defy it!" Yun Zhongzi made another Daoist salute, and without waiting for the king's reply, turned and left.

"Daoist, Imperial We knows nothing of the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao. Imperial We only knows that man can conquer fate!"

Though somewhat hasty, it was time to tell those gods and buddhas that the fate of the human race—and his fate—was not theirs to decide.

Yun Zhongzi left. He had come with the purpose of probing, and after getting his answer, there was naturally no reason to stay.

He didn't even take back the Pine Wood Sword. It had been made on a whim, so he didn't care much about it.

Fiddling with the Pine Wood Sword in his hand, Zi Shou pondered for a moment before seeing Su Daji and the other two demons approaching gracefully.

The three demons had never left. As soon as they saw Shang Rong and Yun Zhongzi depart, they came immediately.

Without guessing, it was clear the three demons had made up their minds to take him down today.

"My King!" Su Daji was full of allure as she drew near.

The Nine-Tailed Pheasant Spirit and the Jade-Faced Pipa Spirit were equally radiant, their eyes seeming to drip with moisture.

"A Daoist just came by, saying there are demons in Imperial We's harem, and he gave Imperial We a sword!" Zi Shou said.

As he spoke, he raised the Pine Wood Sword in his hand and gestured toward Su Daji and the other two.

Sure enough, just as expected, the three demons were greatly startled, their seductive demeanor vanishing entirely.

Without thinking, the three demons stepped back simultaneously, their eyes full of fear. The Jade-Faced Pipa Spirit was even trembling.

"My King, how could there be demons in the harem? That Daoist must be trying to stir up trouble!" Su Daji said pitifully.

The moment she saw the Pine Wood Sword, she sensed something was wrong. She even felt a dizzying sensation, as if she were about to be reduced to ashes.

No need to guess—the Daoist who gave this sword must be a terrifyingly powerful cultivator.

While inwardly terrified, she was also filled with rage. After all, she was not some demon without a background.

Coming to seduce King Zhou was a task ordered by Goddess Nüwa herself. Who dared to ruin her plans?

Just when she was about to take down the king today, this unexpected trouble appeared. How could she make her move?

Forget making a move—with this Pine Wood Sword around, she didn't even dare stay in the harem. How could she seduce the king?

"That Daoist also said that if this sword is hung above the palace gate, within three days, the demon will surely die. I wonder if he's just boasting! My beloved, tell Imperial We—should Imperial We hang this sword at the gate to expose that Daoist's true face?" Zi Shou said with a half-smile.

Though he had no intention of hanging the Pine Wood Sword, that didn't stop him from scaring the Xuanyuan Tomb Three Demons.

"Why should my King believe some wild Daoist? If there's nothing else, your concubine will take her leave!"

The Xuanyuan Tomb Three Demons left in a flash, though whether they would flee the harem entirely was uncertain.

Either way, he could enjoy some peace for a while. The coming days would be busy enough.

On the other side, Yun Zhongzi left Chaoge City and headed straight for Yu Xu Palace on Kunlun Mountain.

As soon as he arrived at Yu Xu Palace, a young attendant came to greet him and led him into a grand hall, where someone was already waiting.