But after that ancient war, Demon Master Kunpeng vanished without a trace. No one knew whether he had fallen or gone into hiding.
In this era, the Human Race had risen, and the Yao Race's living space had been steadily squeezed.
The North Sea was vast and boundless, but it was also bitterly cold and rarely visited by people. Gradually, it became a place where the remnants of the Yao Race gathered.
The most famous among them was the Jiao Demon King. It was said that he had cultivated for many years and possessed considerable power. For years, he had occupied the North Sea.
Of course, that was only what was known on the surface. No one knew how many Ancient Demon Lords still lurked in the vast North Sea.
The Ancient Demon Lords who had survived from ancient times rarely showed themselves anymore. That was why the Jiao Demon King had risen to fame.
"If we subdue the Jiao Demon King outright, I wonder if we can quell the North Sea rebellion," Zi Shou said.
For him, this would hardly be difficult, not with Kong Xuan by his side.
Forget a mere Jiao Demon King—even if Demon Master Kunpeng reappeared, it was hard to say who would be stronger between him and Kong Xuan.
Otherwise, with his current strength, how would he dare come to the North Sea in person?
"Master, don't worry. It's only the Jiao Demon King. I'll capture him right now!" Nezha said, chin raised haughtily.
A three-year-old child with his chin held high and an air of utter arrogance was a rather comical sight.
Few people knew, however, that this three-year-old child already possessed impressive strength.
In just over ten days, Nezha had cultivated to the Sixth Heaven of Immortal Platform—the Great Saint Realm.
He was still within the Human Dao Domain, but seeing this level of cultivation in a three-year-old was still astonishing.
"Don't be in such a hurry. A mere Jiao Demon King isn't worth our attention," Zi Shou said with a smile.
Ever since they arrived in the North Sea, Nezha had stayed by his side. On the surface, this was so Zi Shou could teach him more easily.
But Zi Shou knew the truth: after Taiyi Zhenren's defeat, he would certainly refuse to let the matter rest.
In the North Sea, Zi Shou would have to face not only the remnants of the Yao Race but quite possibly the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao as well.
Zi Shou's guess had been exactly right. Taiyi Zhenren was indeed unwilling to accept that his disciple had been snatched away.
While Zi Shou was on his way to the North Sea, Taiyi Zhenren went to the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun to discuss the matter with the other Chan Sect Golden Immortals.
"How dare King Zhou show such contempt for our Exposition Sect?" Guang Chengzi said angrily.
The Chan Sect Golden Immortals all looked furious. They were outraged by what had happened to Taiyi Zhenren.
Taiyi Zhenren was a Chan Sect Golden Immortal, after all. How could a mere mortal emperor dare treat him this way?
Even in ancient times, when the Human Emperor Xuanyuan met the Chan Sect Golden Immortals, he had treated them with respect.
Guang Chengzi, for instance, had once been the teacher of Emperor Xuanyuan Huangdi. To this day, he still held an exalted position among the Human Race.
And now, King Zhou had not only humiliated Taiyi Zhenren but had also taken his disciple away.
Was this an insult to Taiyi Zhenren? No! It was a slap in the face to the entire Exposition Sect!
It was simply outrageous!
"Senior Brother is right. King Zhou is foolish and immoral. Now he even dares to insult our Exposition Sect. He deserves to die!" Jù Liúsūn chimed in.
The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao all spoke up, condemning King Zhou for his disrespect. Yet none of them said what should actually be done to him.
They were no fools. They knew King Zhou was the current Human Sovereign, and that there was nothing they could do to punish him, even if they wanted to.
"Enough! There's no point in saying all this now. Our first priority is to take Taiyi Junior Brother's disciple back," Guang Chengzi said gravely.
Though he had once been the Teacher of the Human Emperor, he was just as powerless when facing the current Human Sovereign.
The other Chan Sect Golden Immortals all nodded. Whatever happened with King Zhou, Taiyi Zhenren's disciple was the most important matter.
The child was not merely a child—he was also one of the destined protagonists of the Canonization of the Gods, and would be of great use in the future.
Losing one destined protagonist was a small matter. The truly disastrous outcome would be if it affected the Canonization of the Gods.
"There's a powerful figure by King Zhou's side. I don't know who he is, but his strength is terrifying," Taiyi Zhenren said.
Even now, he still had no idea how he had lost. The whole thing made no sense to him.
But that only made the mysterious powerhouse seem all the more terrifying.
"Hmph! So what if he's strong? We'll all go to Chaoge City together!" Guang Chengzi said scornfully.
The Chan Sect Golden Immortals all nodded, their faces full of disdain. They did not take the matter seriously at all.
Their Exposition Sect was a lineage of a Sage, and they were disciples of a Sage. Who could possibly frighten them?
But the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao were destined to be disappointed. Before they could set out, they received news that King Zhou was leading an Imperial Expedition.
However, when they learned that King Zhou had gone to the North Sea, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao exchanged glances, their expressions turning grave.
The North Sea was an extremely important place to them as well.
With the army's morale restored, Zhang Guifang once again led the troops in their campaign against the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
Originally, his plan had been to advance step by step, steadily shrinking the territory available to the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
Once the time was right, he could win the decisive battle in one fell swoop and consign the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea to history.
This was the safest and wisest approach. Its only drawback was that it would take a great deal of time.
By his estimate, it would take three years to completely pacify the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
But to his utter surprise, the King issued an order for him to send out the troops as soon as possible and suppress the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
Without even bothering to take command of the army, he immediately went to see the King in person and laid out the advantages and disadvantages.
"What you say makes sense, my minister. But since I've led an Imperial Expedition, how could I spend three years in the North Sea?" Zi Shou said.
If he spent three years in the North Sea, not only might all the Lords of the Realm rebel, but Chaoge could also descend into chaos.
Besides, this was a crucial moment in the Three-Year Development Plan. How could he stay in the North Sea for long?
He had come to the North Sea only to fish. If the fish took the bait, he would return to Chaoge immediately.
But before he left the North Sea, the rebellion of the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea had to be quelled.
With the momentum of a great victory behind him, he could then put down the other rebellious lords and save a great deal of time.
"Your Majesty, you must not do this! The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea are no ordinary foes. You must not take them lightly!" Zhang Guifang said.
In Zhang Guifang's eyes, the King was clearly being overambitious. There was no way to rush this.
One careless move, and the question would no longer be whether they could suppress the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, but whether they would suffer a crushing defeat.
Their last defeat was still fresh in his mind. If it happened again, the situation in the North Sea might become irretrievably disastrous.
"Hmph! You need say no more. I have my own plans. Just lead the army and do as I command!" Zi Shou said.
Perhaps Zhang Guifang thought he was being overambitious and giving orders recklessly.
Zi Shou knew perfectly well that completely putting down the rebellion of the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea would not happen overnight.
But there were some things he would not tell Zhang Guifang in advance. After all, he had to deceive his own people first if he wanted to fool the enemy.
Zhang Guifang was about to argue further, but when he saw the King's stern gaze, all he could do was sigh helplessly.
I hope the last defeat was just an accident. If it happens again, the consequences will be unimaginable! Zhang Guifang thought to himself.
Though the plan had been completely disrupted, the King had already issued his order. No matter how unwilling Zhang Guifang was, he could only grit his teeth and lead the troops out.
Fortunately, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea were not especially powerful. Achieving some results in a short time would not be difficult.
We'll soon find out who's behind the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea! Zi Shou thought to himself.
The reason he was so eager for Zhang Guifang to attack was that he wanted to find out who was behind the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea.
If he could eliminate the hidden threat behind them, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea would pose no real danger.
Then Zhang Guifang could stay behind to restore order, and Zi Shou would no longer need to remain in the North Sea.
"Master, I want to go on the expedition too!" Nezha suddenly jumped forward and said.
He was restless by nature. Ever since his cultivation had improved, he had been eager to test his strength.
"Don't worry. You'll have your chance to fight," Zi Shou said.
Even Zi Shou was a little envious of Nezha's cultivation speed. In just a few days, Nezha had already reached the Quasi-Emperor Realm.
In a few more days, Nezha might even Prove Dao and Become Emperor. That was much faster than Zi Shou himself had cultivated back then.
But it couldn't be helped. Nezha was not only a destined protagonist; his origins were also extraordinary.
In his previous life, Nezha had been a young attendant under Goddess Nüwa. Having received a Sage's instruction and cultivated for many years, he had already built up considerable power.
Because of the Canonization of the Gods, he had been reborn into the Human Race to undergo his tribulation, destined to become one of the protagonists of this Canonization of the Gods.
Favored by the fortune of Heaven and Earth and bearing the fruits of his previous life, it would have been strange if Nezha's cultivation had been slow.
However, because of Zi Shou, Nezha's destiny had already changed. Zi Shou wondered what Goddess Nüwa would think of it.
It seems I still have to find a way to quell Goddess Nüwa's anger, Zi Shou thought to himself.
He had once profaned Goddess Nüwa at Nüwa Temple. It was a hurdle he could never avoid, but he had to get past it.
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