At the sight of the hook and sword, Moxiang smiled delightedly. "Senior Brother Yuan is here!"
Scarcely had those words left his mouth when the newcomer was already above their heads, wielding hook and sword together as he joined battle with the Ape Demon.
The newcomer was none other than Yuan Hua!
Years ago, he had been slain by Suyin, Master Youtan's foremost disciple, and had cultivated into a Ghost Immortal in his disembodied state. A fortunate turn of fate had then brought him under Shi Feiyang's tutelage. First, he had obtained the Dao manuals, sword, and treasures left to him by his old master from a previous life, the Green-Haired Immortal Liu Laogen. Then he had accompanied Shi Feiyang to Heaven Beyond Divine Mountain. In recent years, he and Jinxu Nu had jointly administered the Nation of Ten Thousand Demons there.
Jinxu Nu was the Heavenly Official, overseeing astronomy and the calendar and establishing rites and laws according to celestial observations. He seldom appeared in public, leaving all practical affairs to Yuan Hua.
Originally an Ape who had attained sentience through cultivation, Yuan Hua greatly admired human civilization. After learning the Three Sovereigns Great Way from Shi Feiyang, he was even more like a fish returned to water. He had put his abilities to full use in Evernight City, managing every aspect of life, the hundred tribes and myriad households, and matters great and small in perfect order.
The Three Sovereigns Great Way—cultivating oneself, ordering one's household, governing a nation, and bringing peace to all beneath heaven—was one whole with many facets. One Dao gave rise to four methods, and each method could lead into the Dao. While governing a nation and bringing peace to the world, one could still comprehend the Dao and cultivate oneself. Indeed, the more