I Am King Zhou, Human Emperor!

A booming voice rang out across the Great Shang military camp, and many soldiers raised their heads to see the Golden Immortals of Chanjiao standing in midair.

They stood proudly in the sky, surrounded by shimmering radiance and ethereal immortal aura—the very image of accomplished True Immortals.

Immortals descending to the mortal realm! At that moment, it was the thought shared by all.

"What a grand display! Does Chanjiao not even understand basic courtesy?"

Just then, another thunderous voice rang out, like a clap of thunder, filled with authority and fury.

Yet, though the voice sounded, Zi Shou himself never appeared.

Ridiculous! What were the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao to him, that they deserved his welcome?

Did they think putting on this show of immortal majesty would make him come out to greet them? The sheer absurdity!

Today, he would teach the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao what true courtesy meant.

"We come from beneath the Sage's tutelage, honoring the Dao above all. What are mortal customs to accomplished Golden Immortals like us?"

"Moreover, even in ancient times, the Human Sovereign Xuanyuan personally welcomed us Chanjiao Golden Immortals. What makes you any different?" Guang Chengzi said gravely.

He had heard of King Zhou's arrogance from Taiyi Zhenren, but he never expected the king to be so blatantly disrespectful.

As disciples of a Sage, they held themselves in high regard, and no one had ever dared speak to them this way.

"The past is the past, the present is the present. Times change, and so do the rules. If you don't like it, then get lost!" Zi Shou said coldly.

This was his confidence. As the current Human Sovereign of the human race, only a Sage's personal arrival would warrant his welcome.

And even if he didn't greet a Sage, as long as he remained Human Sovereign, even a Sage could do nothing to him.

Besides, he knew full well why the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao had come.

Coupled with the rebellion in the North Sea, what good attitude could they expect from him?

Hearing this, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao all frowned, anger rising on their faces.

How many years had it been? How long since anyone dared speak to them like this?

"You know not the height of heaven or depth of earth! Do you realize this is a path to disaster?" Guang Chengzi said furiously.

Even in ancient times, when the Human Sovereign Xuanyuan met him, he had observed the rites of a disciple.

And now, a mere King Zhou dared to speak this way?

If he didn't know this man was the Human Sovereign, he would have slapped him down right then and there, teaching him what Golden Immortal power meant.

"This Lonely One only knows that this is Great Shang, and the rules of the human race apply here—even to the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao," Zi Shou said.

Between him and Chanjiao, there was no room for anything but mortal conflict. Did Guang Chengzi think a few words could intimidate him?

Against Chanjiao, he would be this unyielding. If they had the nerve, let them strike now!

Even Goddess Nüwa couldn't accomplish what she wanted—what made the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao think they could?

The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao exchanged glances. Though burning with rage, they knew they could not act now.

As cultivators, harming the human race was itself a taboo. One misstep would bring boundless karmic retribution.

Strike at the Human Sovereign? That was practically begging for an early grave!

But they had come today to reclaim Taiyi Zhenren's disciple and test the king's mettle.

Who would have thought the king would be so unyielding that they couldn't even see his face?

To return like this? Chanjiao couldn't afford the shame.

Guang Chengzi raised a hand and pointed. A golden path of light appeared, stretching deep into the camp, straight to where Zi Shou sat.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao stepped onto the Golden Light Path, like immortals descending to the mortal realm, lotuses blooming with every step.

An invisible force enveloped the entire camp, preventing anyone from approaching the Golden Light Path.

Yet Guang Chengzi dared not harm mortals; he merely used the path to deliver them before the king.

He wanted to see if the king could still keep his composure once he felt their presence.

After all, with their profound cultivation, they didn't need to act—their mere aura was enough to make mortals prostrate in worship.

"Their nerve is extraordinary. In the past, This Lonely One truly couldn't have done anything to them," Zi Shou thought to himself.

If Kong Xuan acted, he could suppress the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao, but Zi Shou didn't want that now.

Under the eyes of all, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao had so brazenly provoked him, the Human Sovereign. He had to act himself.

The next moment, Blazing Prairie erupted, soaring to the heavens, spreading three thousand li. A clear phoenix cry rang out.

From the black flames, a massive phoenix spread its wings and soared, circling the nine heavens.

In that instant, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao stared at the phoenix bathed in flames, their expressions shifting wildly.

"Manifestation of Human Path Luck? How is that possible?"

Blazing Prairie, soaring to the heavens, spreading three thousand li. A phoenix born from fire, crying to the nine heavens!

Such an omen could only be seen by cultivators—and only those of considerable skill.

Just like the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao, who, seeing this, knew exactly what it meant.

That blazing flame was unmistakably the fire of Human Path Luck, and that phoenix was clearly the manifestation of the Human Race's fortune.

"The manifestation of Human Race fortune—this is a true Human Sovereign!" Guang Chengzi said in a grave tone.

Seeing this, how could he not understand that they now faced a Human Sovereign, not King Zhou?

King Zhou was the current Human Sovereign of the human race, but that was merely a nominal title; there remained a vast gap between King Zhou and a true Human Sovereign.

If he were only a Human Sovereign in name, as long as they did not strike at King Zhou, he would be nothing more than a mortal.

But to be able to condense Human Race fortune and manifest it visibly—that was a Human Sovereign in the truest sense.

When a Human Sovereign stood before them, even a Sage personally present could not ignore it, let alone them.

Originally, they had thought that by appearing before King Zhou and releasing just a hint of their aura, they could make him prostrate in worship.

But now, with Human Race fortune manifesting, if they dared to emit even a trace of their aura, they would immediately suffer backlash from Human Path Luck.

Take the Golden Light Path, for example—before the fire of Human Race fortune, it had already dissipated into nothing.

The fire of Human Race fortune seemed formless and intangible, yet at this moment, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao all felt an illusion of being scorched by flames.

"The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao, the Human Sovereign is here—why do you not hasten to pay your respects?"

Zi Shou's majestic voice rang out, paired with the extraordinary phenomenon of manifested Human Race fortune, sounding like the very Dao itself.

The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao's faces sank like water. In this situation, they were caught between advance and retreat.

If the Golden Light Path had cleared the way, they could have appeared before King Zhou like Immortals descending to the mortal realm.

Then, by manifesting their auras to intimidate, they could have made King Zhou prostrate in worship, cementing the prestige of Chanjiao's accomplished Golden Immortals.

But now, with the Human Sovereign before them, Human Race fortune manifesting in boundless grandeur, and their Golden Light Path shattered, the tables had completely turned. Were they not now the ones paying homage to the Human Sovereign?

The distinction between host and guest, high and low, was utterly different from what they had anticipated.

Now, the Human Sovereign was the master, and they were the guests; the Human Sovereign was above, and they were below.

As the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao, when had they ever endured such treatment? When had they ever faced such a scene?

Yet if they retreated now, where would the face of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao be?

But if they stayed, what King Zhou had just said would imply that they were actively paying homage to the Human Sovereign, losing the upper hand in momentum.

Except for Guang Chengzi, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao all exchanged bewildered glances, truly at a loss for what to do.

Guang Chengzi's face was ashen. He cast a deep glance toward the depths of the military camp, then swept his sleeve, and he and the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao vanished without a trace.

Proud as he was, even at the cost of losing face, he had no desire to see King Zhou's arrogant demeanor.

"The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao—nothing special!"

Seeing the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao disappear, Zi Shou let out a scornful laugh, his face full of disdain.

If the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao had remained composed and still appeared before him, he would have thought the better of them.

But to leave without even a harsh word, merely for the sake of saving face, was truly contemptible.

There was no need to guess—by now, the fury of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao must have soared to the heavens.

Having lost face, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao would surely seek to reclaim their standing elsewhere.

The matter of the North Sea was not yet settled, and it was foreseeable that it would only escalate further.

Still, after this encounter, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao would likely never appear before him again.

This also meant that as long as Nezha remained by his side, this disciple was one Chanjiao could never take back.

"Master, were those people just now the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao? How arrogant and overbearing!" Nezha said with a frown.

He was thoroughly unconvinced by the domineering attitude the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao had displayed.

Though young in years, like Kong Xuan, he was a wild and untamable spirit—how could he tolerate others being so insolent?