Nezha was his son to begin with. This time, he had charged into the enemy ranks alone, routing the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea and even killing the Earth Immortal Evil Jiaolong in battle.
Afterward, he had led his army in completely crushing the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, putting down the rebellion in the North Sea.
Perhaps their joint efforts in defeating the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea would become a celebrated tale.
This was a tremendous achievement! From what he had learned of the King over the past while, the King would certainly reward him generously.
Though he had once studied the Dao under an eccentric, his talent was limited, and he was unlikely to accomplish much in cultivation.
His master had once told him that all he could hope for was worldly wealth and status. Now it seemed that was indeed the case.
As long as he followed the King's lead, he could secure wealth and status in the mortal world—and perhaps even rise to the highest position among his peers one day. That was no mere fantasy.
"Excellent! You have rendered great service this time, beloved minister. Once we return to court, you will be rewarded along with the others!" Zi Shou said.
Li Jing had once had deep ties to the Exposition Sect, but after this battle, those ties had been severed completely.
As long as Li Jing remained loyal, what difficulty could there be in securing him worldly wealth and status—or even helping him attain immortality?
After this battle, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea were no longer a threat, and Zi Shou no longer needed to concern himself with what remained.
Zhang Guifang would lead the army in clearing out the remnants of the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea. That would not be difficult.
By rights, with the rebellion in the North Sea put down, it was time for him to lead his troops back to court.
But for several days in a row, he had kept his forces in place, showing no intention whatsoever of returning.
Many believed he wanted to wait until the North Sea was completely pacified before returning, which would undoubtedly be the safer course.
But they did not know that he had no intention of returning just yet. Instead, he was waiting for the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao to make their next move.
The Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea might have collapsed, but given the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao's way of doing things, how could they possibly let the matter rest?
Besides, there were still hidden dangers in the North Sea. Since he was already here, he would naturally deal with them once and for all.
"At last, I've won a battle. That was no easy feat!"
Inside the Hall of Heroes of the Human Emperors, Zi Shou stepped out of the Great Emperor's Arena, his face alight with excitement.
Ever since the Great Emperor's Arena had appeared, he had entered it every day to fight the Human Emperors to the death.
For a long time, though he had made clear progress, he had never once won.
It was not that he did not want to win. The Human Emperors were simply too monstrous, with nearly all of them having reached the peak of their respective realms.
They were renowned Human Emperors whose names would be remembered throughout history. Their strength was beyond doubt, so defeating them was naturally incredibly difficult.
But today, after challenging a Human Emperor in the Great Emperor's Arena once again, he had finally won.
This time, his opponent had been the Yin-Yang Saint Emperor, who had even lived through a second lifetime.
This ancient emperor, who had created the Yin-Yang True Scripture, had nearly transformed to the level of an immortal. His strength was terrifying.
But after so many bloody battles in the Great Emperor's Arena, Zi Shou's own strength had also climbed to its peak, and he had made a qualitative breakthrough in this fight.
He had brought the Myriad Daos together within himself and gathered a hundred scriptures into one, using the method of nurturing a hundred scriptures in a single furnace to transform successfully and create a path of his own.
He had cultivated Emperor Wushi's Wushi Scripture and inherited Emperor Ye's method of transforming into a Red Dust Immortal.
But those belonged to others. He could use them, and even master them together, but they were not truly his own.
Only by creating a Dao of his own on the foundations laid by his predecessors, and transforming to create a method of his own, could he make further progress.
Take the Nine Secrets, for example. Each one was incredibly powerful, and the Nine Secrets combined formed a peerless divine ability no less powerful than an immortal art.
But the Nine Secrets had been created by those who came before. No matter how later generations cultivated them, they could never reach the level of their creators.
That was why the Fierce Emperor had created new secret arts based on the Nine Secrets, and Emperor Ye and Emperor Wushi had done the same.
He had also been on the path of creating his own method, and his battle with the Yin-Yang Saint Emperor had finally brought about a qualitative breakthrough.
This step was crucial. Before, he had only been imitating those who came before him, which was why he had never won a battle in the Great Emperor's Arena.
But after taking this crucial step, he was confident he could fight even Emperor Wushi and Emperor Ye head-on.
However, he knew very well that his method and his Dao had not yet truly taken shape. For now, they were only in their infancy.
That was because his ambitions were vast. To him, Proving the Dao and Becoming Emperor—or becoming a Red Dust Immortal—was only the beginning.
Even an Immortal King, let alone an Immortal Emperor, would likely be no match for the Saints in the Investiture of the Gods World.
And if he wanted to change his own fate and the fate of the Human Race, he could never succeed without power enough to stand against the Saints.
Like Emperor Ye, his Dao and method would encompass all others within himself. The more methods he cultivated, the stronger he would become.
As for what kind of method and Dao he would ultimately transform into, there was no need to worry about it.
Everything would take its natural course. Once he had truly reached perfection, his Dao and method would naturally become supreme and invincible.
Just as Zi Shou was quietly cultivating, the once-calm North Sea suddenly erupted into towering waves.
One enormous figure after another appeared between heaven and earth, striding over the waves from the Deep North Sea.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
Soon, amid earth-shaking roars, countless members of the Yao Race came ashore from the North Sea.
"Just what is the identity of that mysterious expert beside King Zhou? How did he manage to hide from us?" Jù Liúsūn said gravely.
They had used Daoist arts to transport the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea and catch their enemy by surprise, so they had naturally made thorough preparations.
After all, they knew King Zhou could think of the same plan. In the end, it would come down to whose methods were more effective.
For that reason, while they mobilized the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea, they also kept a close watch on King Zhou.
Not the slightest stir could escape their notice. That way, nothing could go wrong.
But they had never expected that Nezha and Li Jing's army would still appear out of nowhere while they were watching so closely.
From beginning to end, they had no idea how those people had appeared, which was why they had suffered such a crushing defeat.
They were, after all, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao, with profound cultivation. Hiding from them was no feat an ordinary person could accomplish.
"There's no point talking about that now. After this battle, the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea have all but been wiped out!
"What matters most now is how to deal with King Zhou. Are we just going to let him return to court?" Taiyi Zhenren said.
With the Seventy-Two Route Lords of the North Sea defeated, the rebellion in the North Sea had been quelled. Without a doubt, this was a great victory for King Zhou.
They wanted King Zhou to return to court, but not like this—not after a great victory.
"I've already made arrangements. The North Sea Demon Race should have arrived by now. King Zhou won't be able to leave for the time being," Guang Chengzi said.
He naturally could not allow King Zhou to return to court after putting down the North Sea rebellion in triumph.
That would not only disrupt all of their Exposition Sect's plans, but it would also cost the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao their dignity.
The North Sea had to remain in turmoil, and King Zhou had to return in disgrace. Only then could they soothe their anger somewhat.
"The North Sea Demon Race? They dare attack the Human Race?" Jù Liúsūn said hesitantly.
This was no longer the ancient era. Launching a large-scale attack on the Human Race would be a grave matter.
Before the Human Path Luck, radiant as the Great Sun, if the North Sea Demon Race struck, it would likely be nearing its own destruction.
Even if the North Sea Demon Race needed their Exposition Sect's help, would they really agree to such a suicidal plan?
"What do the demons know about luck? They're just a few remnants of the Yao Race. Even if they're burdened with karmic sin, what does that have to do with us?
"Besides, as long as the North Sea falls into chaos, it won't be difficult to make the people of the Human Race slaughter one another," Guang Chengzi said coldly.
The other Golden Immortals of the Exposition Sect said no more. They were naturally unwilling to return to the Jade Void Palace just like this.
After all, if word of this got out, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao would lose all face, and the Exposition Sect would become a laughingstock.
They had to win back their dignity! And in the region around the North Sea, the North Sea Demon Race was the only possibility left.
"Report! Yao have appeared in the North Sea!"
The news soon reached Zi Shou. He was not particularly surprised.
The Exposition Sect knew that the North Sea Demon Race was the only one left in the area. How could he not know as well?
He was still the Human Sovereign, and the time for the Canonization of the Gods had not yet come. The Exposition Sect could not take the field in person and could only operate from behind the scenes.
Once the North Sea Demon Race made a move, they did not even need to besiege cities or seize territory. Their mere presence meant the North Sea could no longer be peaceful.
What puzzled him was whether the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao truly believed the North Sea Demon Race could turn the tide.
In other words, the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chanjiao must have known about Kong Xuan's presence, yet they were still underestimating him.
"Order the entire army to march toward the North Sea coast!" Zi Shou said.
Since those remnants of the Yao Race in the North Sea had arrived, he would naturally go and see for himself, as the Human Sovereign.
Since ancient times, humans and demons had been enemies. The hatred between the two races had long since seeped into their blood.
The Human Race had hunted demons and exorcised evil, while the Yao Race had devoured humans. Such things had happened countless times.
The army set out. Before they even reached the North Sea coast, they could already see demonic energy surging into the sky, along with the emergence of a terrifying aura.
One enormous figure after another stood in the North Sea, while many more massive figures were making their way from its depths.
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