The Heavens' Will Was Hard to Defy

"... Do you, the Nangong Seven Friends, intend to support the Grand Tutor in becoming the Tai Su Demon Emperor? Or do you want to sabotage his plans?"

Although Li Fan had even considered the possibility of launching a sneak attack and instantly killing Xiao Qingzhi and the little toad along the way, seeing the situation on the Grand Tutor's side, he didn't have such thoughts for the time being.

Good heavens, Grand Tutor, you've really gone all in. These are tens of thousands of Fiend Corpse Generals, and they're all Martial God at that. If you mess this up, I'm afraid you won't be able to hold your own...

Xiao Qingzhi shrugged, it was unclear whether he had nothing to say or simply didn't want to.

Li Fan thought for a moment, then asked, "Fellow Daoist, what do you think the Grand Tutor will choose?"

Xiao Qingzhi stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and said,

"If Daozi were to ask Zhi Jingzi, he probably wouldn't care whether the Grand Tutor became the Tai Su Demon Emperor or the head of the Songshan Sect."

Grand Tutor is a rare and ruthless hero. He is not like Xianhua and Daozi, who are reclusive scholars who are single-mindedly pursuing the Dao. His Dao is in the world. No matter what choice he makes, he will inevitably become an obstacle to General Nangong's ambition to achieve hegemony, and he will certainly attract the attention and attacks of the Three Great Sects and various forces.

To be an enemy of the world is the destiny one must bear to become the supreme ruler. If one lacks even this courage to face this calamity, one is not worthy to rule the world. I do not believe that the Grand Tutor will miss this opportunity.

Whether it's the Immortal Palace or the Demon Palace, it's essentially the same thing in a different guise. Even without the Grand Tutor, someone else will surely become the Demon Emperor in the future. After all, there's something else interfering behind the Immortal Palace, and Daozi understands that too, right...?"

The company... well, there's a department manager on the sun, a replica of a Celestial Venerable, okay? Not counting primordial spirit techniques, his combat power is absolutely invincible. Why not make him your Demon Emperor?

Moreover, the company has now completed the technology line for mass-producing Demon Gods. Judging from the scene in this underground palace, once the production line is up and running, producing Divine Transformation experts will be as easy as mass-producing Teppei. Cloning hundreds of Corpse Grand Tutors and Corpse Wen Tianjun to become Corpse Demon Emperors will be a piece of cake.

Li Fan hesitated for a moment, "Then, without asking Zhi Jingzi, does Fellow Daoist Xiao also support the Grand Tutor becoming the Demon Emperor?"

Xiao Qingzhi laughed and said, "I have already told Daozi that I am here to observe the tribulation. Let's see if Grand Tutor can overcome it first. We'll talk about the future later."

As they spoke, the flying boat had already passed through the smoke-like evil aura, flew over the underground Wang Jing that resembled an ancient tomb, and landed in front of the palace gate of the Ziwei Yuan under the watchful eyes of all the demon gods and generals.

Xiao Qingzhi arrived and said, "Daozi, please come in. Didn't you come to deliver a message? Don't miss the opportunity."

Li Fan floated off the boat, glanced back, and saw the little toad sticking its tongue out at him. Startled by Li Fan's sudden turn, it scurried behind Xiao Qingzhi. The latter nodded to him and sailed away.

Li Fan narrowed his eyes, but ultimately did not fight the other party. He turned his head to look at the underground imperial palace.

Indeed, time was running out, and the calamity had already begun. Li Fan could clearly feel the malevolent energy surging like a tidal wave within the underground Wang Jing. Looking back, all was silent and dark within the city walls, as if some being was slowly awakening.

In fact, Li Fan wasn't really worried about the company, or rather, worrying wouldn't have made a difference.

So what if they mass-produce demon generals? All that fancy stuff. Mass-produced cruisers are even more awesome, aren't they? If a company wants to destroy the world, it's just a matter of pressing a button. Destroying you is none of your business, okay?

However, perhaps this is not necessarily a bad thing.

Because Li Fan had met the person on the other side of the 'door'.

Just as the system said, on the other side of the 'door' is a higher-dimensional civilization, not higher-dimensional humans.

Without the aid of technology, the humans on that side would be nothing compared to the native wild animals on this side of the 'gate'.

Although even novice players can easily destroy dangerous wild animals using advanced technological weapons, that doesn't mean they don't want to become stronger.

Biotechnology and human enhancement—aren't those the hottest and most profitable markets?

The more valuable a world is, the safer it is. If a company discovers that this world can produce Pathway enhance mortals into superhuman beings at the Transformation Stage, and that this can be mass-produced, then the value of the Taiji Realm will greatly increase! At least it won't trigger pest control programs so frequently anymore, right?

Common interests are the bottom line for coexistence.

Li Fan mentally assessed the number of people tied to the tracks on both sides, made a silent decision, and stepped into the palace gates that were open to him.

Grand Tutor Zheng stood in the Beichen Hall of the Ziwei Heavenly Palace, his hands behind his back, looking towards the imperial throne. The place was empty, without any fancy decorations such as a dragon throne or an iron throne.

"Qingyue, the Mohist," the middle-aged man with a somewhat fierce look turned to Li Fan and smiled, "Are you here to kill me? Come on, I won't back down."

"Grand Tutor, please don't joke. This junior is here on behalf of Manifestation Dao Lord to invite you to a banquet at Yuntai Peak."

Li Fan glanced at him; he hadn't actually become a demon god yet, and he was still hesitating about something. But it seemed Li Fan could still back out now.

"Of course, if you wish to sit in this seat, please allow me to observe closely."

"Oh? You're not going to stop me?" the Grand Tutor asked curiously. "Or do you want to take a risk and wait until the crucial moment to make your move?"

Li Fan shook his head and said, "I originally had this plan, but looking at the scene outside, I'm afraid I can't control it. Letting the demons disperse would only cause more chaos."

Therefore, I think that since the appearance of the Demon Palace is unstoppable, it would be better for you, Grand Tutor, to take this position. At least there will be a channel of communication. If we can't even communicate clearly with someone else, we'll only be able to fight to the bitter end, which could lead to widespread death and bloodshed."

The Grand Tutor smiled wryly, "But I don't want to sit in such a good seat."

Um?

The Grand Tutor took out a scroll and handed it to Li Fan, saying, "Take a look."

Li Fan took it and initially thought it was some kind of celestial book or Yuan Shi, but upon closer inspection, he was shocked to discover it was actually some kind of QD-OLED rollable LCD screen! Moreover, the screen displayed... detailed design blueprints and construction plans! Not just for the Three Enclosures, but for the entire world!

Besides this underground Wang Jing, if you zoom in, you can actually see that the entire Kyushu Twelve Countries have been redesigned and reorganized! This includes not only human-inhabited cities, but also the territories of the Demon Race and the secret realms of the demon gods!

The world that Human Race once occupied is now fragmented. Near almost every human city's stronghold, there are caves and strongholds of other monsters and demons of similar strength and scale. It's like how in some places, the rich and the poor are just across the street from each other, and you can go out and play.

Hetu even meticulously categorized the demons and gods surrounding the town and in various caves according to their cultivation levels. For example, low-level dungeons only had a Nascent Soul Stage boss, mid-level maps had a Divine Transformation boss, and high-level maps had various Divine Transformation monsters at the entrance. This was completely unlike a normal world; it looked...

It's like a bizarre, fantasy-themed online game. What a terrible company...

The Crystal Palace romance trend is outdated, right? The eerie fantasy style is all the rage, right? They're really just trying to cash in on the hype and make money, aren't they? They're just desperate to make money!

Seeing Li Fan so skillfully pointing and drawing, picking out various parameters and dungeon design drawings, the Grand Tutor asked curiously.

"Oh? How come you're so adept at using this Investiture of the Gods? Is this really the first time I've seen it?"

"What?! This is the Investiture of the Gods of the Gods?!" Li Fan almost tore the LCD screen apart with a tremor.

"Isn't that the 'Investiture of the Gods'? This thing was originally called the 'Hetu Luoshu'. Legend has it that the heavens commanded the god of the Gen River, a dragon-horse, to carry the map out and present it to the immortal lord for sweeping across the Six Combinations and conquering the eight wastelands. I also racked my brains to figure out a little bit of its workings, but you, my friend, can use it skillfully as if you were born with it. Indeed, you are the one destined to rule."

Li Fan broke out in a cold sweat. "Don't be like that, Wang Ming's prestige is getting lower and lower..."

The Grand Tutor didn't elaborate further, only pointing with a wry smile to the electronic scroll screen, which displayed the Twelve Countries' lands, fragmented and ravaged by various demon and monster kingdoms.

"What a pity! I was so clever all my life, thinking that by pledging allegiance to the River Chart, I was destined to be the one chosen by Heaven, shouldering the heavy responsibility of restoring the land and rebuilding the world for the Immortal Venerable. Who would have thought that when the time came, the chart would tell me that I should turn the Human Race's land into this mess!"

Alas! If word gets out, who will believe that the Demon Race is about to rise to power! I'll lose all face. I might as well let you stab me now and retire to my hometown."

"Fate... So that's how it is, this is fate..."

With this Investiture of the Gods and his own system that could directly crack and view the backend data, Li Fan finally understood that this was the 'will of heaven' determined by the company's system, with even the entire program and script plot planned out.

Without a doubt, the next version will feature multiple races to play. In addition to Human Race, there will be all sorts of demons, Chi Mei Wangliang, and even some inexplicable alien creatures, which is a complete waste of the traditional Chinese ink painting style! It seems that the Ling King was right; it really is 'heaven's' will for the Spirit Race to prosper.

Of course, the Human Race won't completely disappear, but the company has prepared factions for the players.

The three new Three Great Sects.

The Western Divine Religion, the Northern Luo Sect, and the Southern Sword Palace are the three recommended factions for players to role-play. They are the main forces chosen by destiny, each with its own main storyline and faction characteristics.

In the Western-themed cult faction, players take on the role of members of the Blood Talisman God Sect and participate in a major factional battle.

In addition to participating in the cult's comprehensive reward and punishment system, running for Sect Leader, and collecting Blood Record Heavenly Book, players can also engage in various faction battles, encounter unique guardian demons, and collect and raise Pokémon.

The Luo Sect in the north is told from the perspective of the remnants of the demonic path who escaped during the Luo Sect Rebellion. These old demons, who were once disciples of the Xuanmen, betrayed the Luo Sect and were later suppressed by the Xuanmen, scattered in various places to accumulate power. They would take advantage of the Tai Su Opening Heaven opportunity to recruit disciples and plot their resurgence.

Players will take on the role of disciples of these demonic figures, not only having the opportunity to access the Cultivation Method of the Luo Sect and Black Lotus Sect, but also, depending on their master's powerful background, having the chance to obtain a unique storyline of 'revenge' against a random Xuanmen sect. If revenge is successful and the entire Xuanmen sect is wiped out, players will obtain various Daoist resources and magical treasures from the Xuanmen lineage, and establish a new Xuanmen!

As for the sword palace in the south, it is naturally the Beichen Sword Palace. But do you think it's the sword palace run by the Li Family Village on Ink Bamboo Mountain?

No, the name of the leader of the Sword Palace faction planned by the company has already been chosen.

Nangong.

Yes, the Nangong Family.

The Nangong Family will have a demonic son, Nangong, who will inherit the legacy of the Beichen Sword Sect and become the Nangong Heavenly King and the nineteenth generation master of the Sword Sect!

Players will take on the role of, or rather, be reincarnated into, the vessel created by the Nangong Family to become the Nangong, helping Nangong sweep across the world and establish the Sword Palace's hegemony!

Excellent! This faction is the new agent, the New Immortal Palace, that the company has planned to have received the 'Mandate of Heaven'!

Heavenly Demon Sword Palace!

This faction has even more advantages. Not only is it officially designated by the company, with Nangong replacing Beigong as the new imperial clan, but it also inherits the Tai Su True Teachings of the Nangong Seven Friends and the Nine Yin Mountain Sword Technique, probably from the Chen Jinu storyline.

Given the Nangong Family's style, coupled with the Sword Sect's heritage, what more can be said? It's all about killing, killing, killing, killing! And with both Immortal Emperors and Immortal Empresses involved, and the Nangong Family's demonic sons only caring about looks and not brains, there's probably bound to be some romantic escapades in the Crystal Palace...

So what about the Three Great Sects?

Of course, you'd be the villain, and all of you would be in the main story.

Look, even the dungeons for the final boss of this version, the Wang Jing Capital, the Celestial Devil Emperor, and the Demon God Army, are all set up, aren't they? The role of the Grand Tutor, the Demon Emperor, and the Demon Palace is probably to fight tooth and nail with the Xuan Sect God Sect, and, according to the company's instructions, find something for the Three Great Sects to do to weaken the strength of the natives.

Needless to say, the Xuanmen sect is a legitimate demonic sect. In the future, they will have a lot of love-hate relationships with the remnants of the Luo Sect. Perhaps the giants of the huge Xuanmen sects will also have to enter the game one by one with each version update.

As for the Divine Cult, well, the old Divine Cult isn't much better. What good can come of it getting mixed up with the Legion? When players and natives start vying for the positions of Altar Master, Dharma King, and Sect Leader, internal fighting and infighting within the Divine Cult will be inevitable.

On the company's system's Investiture of the Gods, every native with a name has a place, but Li Fan didn't see 'Qingyue'.

The abbot and mountain master of Ink Bamboo Mountain are still Feng Qingnian and Mo Zhi. Interestingly, even the Big White Legs and the Five-Colored Squad are among them, which is basically the same configuration as ten years ago. It's as if the company's information system is a version behind when it comes to Ink Bamboo Mountain.

After seeing that Li Fan had roughly finished reading, the Grand Tutor sighed.

"Even if I survive this tribulation and become the Demon Emperor, I will still be subject to the whims of fate. I might be destined to be killed by those extraterrestrial demons and immortals at any time. I wonder if you, my young friend, can teach me how to escape this deadly predicament?"

Ha, this guy, with the company system helping you become the chosen one, and being a disciple of an immortal and the Grand Tutor of the court, everything went smoothly for you, you were invincible. Don't you think your destiny is bad?

Oh, so now you realize your main character's trial card has expired, and you have to pay off your debts. You've entered the game, and now you know how to "replenish" it? You can't do it anymore! Who owes money to the company!?

Li Fan glanced at the Grand Tutor, then suddenly remembered something. He flipped back to the 'Investiture of the Gods' and looked at the plans for the area around the Three Enclosures.

As expected, the Demon Realm and Devil Domain Palace dungeon is entirely the territory of the Demon Emperor, the Corpse Demon God, and the Demon Divine Transformation stage. The Demon Emperor isn't named; he's just a dungeon boss, so if the Grand Tutor doesn't want to be the boss, Wen Tianjun from outside can take on the role.

But if the Grand Tutor doesn't take this high position, he probably won't have a place to stay in the future.

What? You're asking why he didn't go back to the Old Immortal Palace to continue serving as Grand Tutor?

Because it's gone... Didn't you see? In the company's plans, there's no longer a place for the Immortal Palace.

If the Mandate of Heaven is gone, then now, the Three Enclosures are probably gone too...

Li Fan looked outside the Beichen Palace and, sure enough, it was gone. And now, it had started to rain.

It's raining blood.

At first, it was a light drizzle, then it became raindrops the size of soybeans, and finally it was a torrential Blood River, pounding and splashing on the glazed tiles of the Forbidden City roof, staining the golden dragons and phoenixes blood red.

It was blood seeping down from above, flooding the tunnel, submerging the underworld, and pouring down.

It seems that the Xuanmen, or the 'Demon Sect,' or 'Heaven's Will' outside have already begun to make their move.

With that amount of bleeding, Miyuki probably has nothing left.

Li Fan thought for a long time, then finally shook his head and returned the Hetu, saying...

"I thought I had many paths to choose from, that I could choose my own path, but now I realize that as long as the government is still in power, there is no choice at all."

"Grand Tutor, you're so capable, having handled so many tasks for them for so many years. You must have caught the eye of their boss over there. I'm afraid you'll be working for them like a dog from now on."

The Grand Tutor smiled bitterly, "I've been waiting for you for so long, and this is all you say? It's so bitter, so bitter! I only regret that I gave birth to a bunch of useless sons and not more daughters and granddaughters. As a result, they were all taken by those good-for-nothing bastards of the Three Palaces. It's pitiful that they're all going to be ghosts in their graves today. Otherwise, if I had married a few of them to you, perhaps they would have had a chance to live. And you wouldn't be so perfunctory with me..."

Li Fan looked at the old thief helplessly, "If you really don't want to be a dog, why not go all out and try your luck? Why not defy the heavens and give it a shot? Even if you're destined to perish, you might not die a horrible death, right? If all else fails, I'll try to steal your head and send it to the south to be reincarnated?"

The Grand Tutor thought for a moment, sighed, shook his head, and took back the Investiture of the Gods.

Actually, he wasn't without a way out. He had already brought up the matter of manifestation, and Li Fan had also mentioned the method of reincarnation. But since he ultimately didn't dare to turn against the company, Li Fan didn't need to say anything more.

There is no more Grand Tutor; here, only a tamed corporate slave remains.

As Li Fan walked out of Beichen Palace, he seemed to hear someone say something.

"If I had followed the Grand Chancellor to defend Suiyang back then, at least I would have had a swift and painless end."

When I turned my head, I couldn't see anyone.

Then the Xuanhuang aura surrounding the Ziwei Palace disappeared, and the space of the underground Wang Jing, under the torrential rain of blood, rolling evil clouds, and the maniacal moonlight, began to churn and twist as if it were alive.

Li Fan watched as the bricks and stones beneath his feet transformed into flesh and blood, knowing this was not his illusion, but a real transformation. Although he didn't know how the company system had done it, the laws of physics were distorting. The buildings and walls of Tian City were turning into faceless, aimless heads with gaping maws, gulping down the blood rain from the sky, like a parched demon god drinking sweet dew.

On the other side of the Taiwei Underground Palace, the demon generals who were bound and sealed, such as Wen Tianjun, Junyi Godly Monarch, and Lord of Pingxiang, were being devoured by the magic array. The chains turned into tentacles, and the earth cracked open with a blood-red maw, swallowing these strong and nourishing demons into its mouth, chewing them up, and causing the evil aura and flesh to splatter everywhere.

Meanwhile, the Ziwei Underground Palace was also changing. One after another, headless giants rose from the ground, supporting palaces and pavilions. Their bodies, made of clay, flesh, and bricks, were haphazardly pieced together, stained with blood and evil spirits, and sprinkled by the purple moon, showing the appearance of dried purplish-brown blood scabs. It was as if beneath this imperial palace, a large number of decapitated, limb-severed, wounded, and rotting corpses were dancing wildly in the Moon.

Li Fan teleported to the sky, stood next to Hou Gu's head, and together they looked down at the gradually awakening Wang Jing.

Blood and flesh flowed freely, mountains collapsed and the earth cracked, mud and sand swarmed down, and ghosts wailed and gods howled.

The city walls beneath our feet seemed to have been rolled over by a baby who had just been fed in swaddling clothes.

Here we go,

The birth of the first ancestor of the Tai Su world

The Supreme Celestial Devil Emperor has descended.