I Am King Zhou, Human Emperor!

If there truly was a Heaven's Mandate, then it was this King Zhou who was debauched and tyrannical, ultimately becoming a sovereign who lost his kingdom.

Was he the one chosen by Heaven's Mandate?

No! He was now acting against Heaven!

"As I thought, when the fortune of humanity reaches a certain level, it truly has boundless wondrous uses!"

At this moment, far away in Chaoge City, Zi Shou, though unable to witness that battle, had already sensed some things.

The Imperial Edict was written by his own hand, and the fortune of humanity was also condensed by him. When the Edict was unsealed, he naturally felt it.

This was an experiment, and the result matched his expectations—humanity's fortune was indeed not merely for protection.

He also understood that the manifestation of humanity's fortune, even its transformation into the form of the Mysterious Bird, was not his own doing.

All of this was likely tied to the Luck Torch, allowing him to make some use of humanity's fortune after its transformation.

However, this use was only crude. To wield humanity's fortune as effortlessly as his own limbs, he still had a long road ahead.

"Have you heard? The King used a single Imperial Edict to slay a Deity, forcing the rebellious lords to surrender without a fight!"

"How could I not have heard? The King's divine might covers the world—first he pacified the North Sea with an Imperial Expedition, and now a single Edict quells the lords' rebellion!"

"Unbelievable! Before the King, the Deities are so utterly powerless. The King is truly the one chosen by Heaven's Mandate!"

During the battle, many had witnessed the Edict manifest and the Deity being slain, and this matter quickly spread throughout the entire Great Shang.

Compared to the Imperial Expedition, this event was far more legendary, and thus endlessly discussed by countless people.

Flames swept across the sky, the legendary Mysterious Bird appeared, and a single Imperial Edict slew a Deity!

All of this proved nothing less than that before the King, Deities were nothing special!

This was a cognitive upheaval. For countless citizens of Great Shang, the King was no longer merely a king.

A king who could slay a Deity with a single Edict was like the Heavenly Emperor himself, shrouded in too many legends.

When such a perception gradually took root in people's hearts, it would become the will of the people!

"The King is unfathomable! From now on, we must act with utmost dedication!" Yuan Hong sighed.

This campaign was his chance to shine, and he had originally wanted to display his own abilities.

Who would have thought that with just a single Imperial Edict, this battle became the King's personal show.

No matter how well he performed in suppressing the lords' rebellion, no one would likely pay attention.

Everyone would only think that the King was wise and mighty, able to slay a Deity with one Edict—so his suppression of the lords was only natural.

But now, he no longer cared about these things. What mattered more to him was the King.

When he first met the King, he only thought the King was wise and mighty, not the rumored tyrant.

Later, seeing the King's unmatched physical prowess and innate divine strength, he realized the tales of the North Sea victory were no exaggeration, and he was somewhat surprised.

Yet, despite the King's wisdom and might, he had entrusted him with great responsibility, and Yuan Hong felt grateful in his heart.

But all along, in his eyes, the King was still just an ordinary man—a gap that seemed insurmountable between him and a Cultivator.

But when he saw the King slay that Mountain God with a single Edict, he truly understood—the King was the Human Sovereign!

Not just in title, but a Human Sovereign who could condense the fortune of humanity!

His own proud cultivation was utterly insignificant before a true Human Sovereign!

For this reason, he set aside all contempt and regarded the King as a true Human Sovereign, like the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

This campaign began in the east, and the lord he had suppressed was only one of many.

In the east of Great Shang, the rebellious lords numbered in the dozens.

These lords were not particularly strong, but with Deities backing them, their influence was immense.

The Lord of the East, Jiang Huan Chu, had once tried to suppress these rebellious lords but ultimately suffered defeat because the Deities intervened.

For ordinary people, whether a Mountain God or a River God, merely appearing could shatter an army's morale.

But none of this affected Yuan Hong. He didn't even need to act—a single Edict could slay these Deities.

Thus, ever since Yuan Hong led the army to suppress the lords' rebellion, he swept through the east of Great Shang like a storm.

Along the way, he slew thirteen Mountain Gods and River Gods, all killed by the King's Edict!

Eventually, even the Deities appointed by the Heavenly Court sensed the danger and vanished, daring not to appear again.

In a short time, all rebellious lords were suppressed, and the entire east of Great Shang returned to peace.

Yuan Hong did not stop there. He joined forces with the Lord of the East, Jiang Huan Chu, and turned toward the south of Great Shang.

The Lord of the East, Jiang Huan Chu, had already suffered a defeat while suppressing the lords' rebellion—not crippling, but still a heavy loss.

Faced with Yuan Hong, who had crushed the rebellion in record time, Jiang Huan Chu dared not say a word.

Moreover, the news that the King had slain a Deity with a single Edict had spread across the land—how could he still harbor any disloyalty?

In the south of Great Shang, the rebellious lords also numbered in the dozens, and they had once defeated the Lord of the South, E Chong Yu.

However, with Yuan Hong leading his great army, all suspense vanished!

No deity dared to appear at this moment; in fact, these deities did not even dare to remain within the territory of Great Shang.

Too terrifying for the gods! An Imperial Edict could slay a deity—which deity would still dare to stay within Great Shang's borders?

The deities in the south of Great Shang had already scattered in panic, and the remaining rebellious lords were even more fragmented than scattered sand.

There was no need for Yuan Hong to dispatch troops to subdue them; those rebellious lords had already collapsed without a fight, surrendering at an astonishing speed.

"Only the west remains. I hope the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, has some real skill!" Yuan Hong said.

In this campaign, the King had tasked him with suppressing the rebellions of the lords in the east, south, and west of Great Shang.

As for the north of Great Shang, because the Imperial Expedition had already swept through the North Sea, there were no rebellious lords there at all.

For Yuan Hong and the Meishan Seven Saints, before setting out, they had been full of ambition, eager to display their abilities.

But after marching forth, all along the way, they had encountered no worthy opponents.

When they met deities, an Imperial Edict slew them on the spot—they didn't even need to act.

Those rebellious lords, upon seeing the deities slain by the edict, were instantly terrified out of their wits and surrendered directly.

This left them with heaven-reaching skills but no chance to use them, and they couldn't help feeling somewhat stifled.

It wasn't until after pacifying the rebellious lords in the south of Great Shang that Yuan Hong finally rekindled his fighting spirit.

Next came the west of Great Shang, where the situation was entirely different from the east and south.

The Lord of the South, E Chong Yu, and the Lord of the East, Jiang Huan Chu, had both suffered defeat once, which allowed the lords' rebellion to escalate and grow louder.

But in the west of Great Shang, when the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, suppressed the lords' rebellion, he had not suffered a single defeat.

Not only had he not lost a single battle, but no deities had even intervened—the rebellious lords had surrendered on their own.

For this reason, during this period, the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, had grown increasingly prestigious, praised by countless commoners.

But Yuan Hong had spoken in detail with the King—how could he not know the true situation?

The Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, was also one of the lords. In this suppression of the lords' rebellion, he had not lost a single soldier, yet his own strength had increased instead.

The soldiers of the rebellious lords became the soldiers of the Marquis of the West; the territories of the rebellious lords became the territories of the Marquis of the West.

Through this rebellion of the lords, the Marquis of the West had surged in power, becoming the foremost lord under heaven.

Thus, in the west of Great Shang, those rebellious lords were no longer the key point—the Marquis of the West was.

How to handle the Marquis of the West was something the King had discussed with him at great length.

He rather hoped the Marquis of the West truly had some skill, so that the Meishan Seven Saints could finally display their own abilities.

Within Xiqi City, an old man furrowed his brow, staring intently at the hexagram he had just cast.

"Top nine: the height of yang, great and supremely flourishing—this is an omen of great misfortune!"

This man was none other than the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, praised by countless commoners for his virtuous reputation.

All the world knew that the Marquis of the West was unmatched in benevolence and righteousness, loving his people, a truly rare sage.

But few knew that aside from his benevolence and righteousness, the Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, also had a profound mastery of the Primordial Eight Trigrams.

The news that King Zhou had slain a deity with a single Imperial Edict had spread across the land; though Ji Chang was far away in Xiqi, he had heard of it.

Now that Yuan Hong was leading his great army, having joined forces with the Lord of the South, E Chong Yu, and the Lord of the East, Jiang Huan Chu, and was advancing toward Xiqi, the entire city knew that Yuan Hong's arrival boded no good. The Marquis of the West, Ji Chang, was equally anxious, so he cast a hexagram.

The hexagram showed that a Sage possessed the virtue of a dragon, dwelling in the heavenly seat for so long that it had become extreme; when things reach their extreme, they reverse—hence, there is regret.

This was the top nine, Arrogant Dragon Repents—a hexagram of great misfortune, signifying that when things reach their peak, they must decline; when prosperity is at its zenith, it must wane!