The demon menace had been quelled, and the matter of the Western Sect had been resolved.
Ran Deng was numb.
He had prepared for three years and waited for three years, only for it all to come to nothing.
Zhun Ti had not played by the rules. Not only had he set Gu Changqing up, but he had also played Ran Deng for a fool.
Gu Changqing was growing ever stronger, his wings ever fuller. Turning him against his side was becoming increasingly difficult.
Now that Gu Changqing had two great Demon Sages under him, killing him had become even harder.
"Changqing, my martial nephew, the forces of the Western Sect and Demon Clan have already been eliminated. There should be no further trouble on the way to the Great Camp, so I will not accompany you any longer."
Ran Deng bade Gu Changqing farewell. There was no point in him staying any longer.
"Thank you, Martial Uncle Ran Deng. Please, go as you wish."
After Ran Deng left, Gu Changqing swept his sleeve and took several Armored Soldiers into the sky.
After returning to the Great Camp, Gu Changqing gave Wen Zhong instructions for handling the aftermath before returning to Chaoge once more.
Inside Chaoge, demons still ran rampant. Although Di Xin possessed considerable strength, he had no capable people at his disposal.
There were many loyal and worthy ministers, but loyalty and integrity offered no advantage when facing cultivators.
Even though Di Xin governed diligently for the people, it was difficult for him to keep everything under control.
"Master, you returned so quickly?"
Inside the royal palace, Di Xin immediately beamed with delight upon seeing Gu Changqing.
"Mm." Gu Changqing nodded, took out the Kongtong Seal, and handed it to Di Xin. "This is your Kongtong Seal."
Di Xin put away the Kongtong Seal and asked, "Master, how did matters in the Northern Sea turn out?"
"The demon menace has been quelled, and Wen Zhong will soon lead the army back to court. However, Chong Heihu died for the country. You must properly compensate and console his family."
Gu Changqing had promised to let Chong Heihu die with honor, so naturally, he would not go back on his word.
"Alright," Di Xin replied. "Once the Grand Tutor returns to court, we shall reward them together."
Gu Changqing pointed at Fei Lian and E Lai. "These two are ancient Demon Sages. They have now abandoned darkness for the light and will be at your command from now on."
"Demon Sages?"
Di Xin was slightly stunned. Were they not Quasi-Sages?
"Fei Lian pays respects to the Great King."
"E Lai pays respects to the Great King."
The two Demon Sages bowed to Di Xin.
They had sworn loyalty to Gu Changqing, and Di Xin was Gu Changqing's personal disciple, which made him equivalent to their young master.
"You two immortals need not stand on ceremony."
Di Xin was overjoyed. He had not expected his master to bring him such a great gift upon returning.
There were many dirty tasks he could not handle personally, while his subordinates were incapable of handling them.
Now that he had the aid of two Demon Sages, Chaoge would become Chaoge under his sole control.
Gu Changqing added, "The Northern Sea Demon Clan has migrated to Chengdu Zaitian Mountain. From now on, demons and humans shall govern themselves without interfering with one another. Issue another royal decree: no member of the Human Race may approach Chengdu Zaitian Mountain for any reason. All violators shall be executed."
"Yes."
Di Xin agreed readily. It was only a mountain. Exchanging it for the loyalty of two Demon Sages was an absurdly good bargain.
Fei Lian and E Lai gave Gu Changqing grateful looks, and they also began to view Di Xin favorably.
With a royal decree in place, if anyone dared enter Chengdu Zaitian Mountain, the Demon Clan could kill them with full justification.
Chengdu Zaitian Mountain had a harsh environment, and ordinary people would never enter it.
Anyone who went there would surely have ill intentions.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Changqing asked, "Have you heard of Da Ji?"
"Da Ji? Su Da Ji?"
Di Xin asked curiously, "Master, why do you mention Su Hu's daughter?"
Gu Changqing replied, "She shares no shallow fate with you. You must treat her with caution."
It seemed Da Ji had not yet entered the palace. Presumably, it would happen soon.
Di Xin gave a bitter smile. "Zi Shou has long been married and is not a man who indulges in beauty. Master, please do not tease Zi Shou."
Gu Changqing added, "Some things cannot be refused simply because you wish to refuse them. Think about what happened at Nüwa Palace."
"What?"
Di Xin was startled. "Master, you mean..."
"Not necessarily," Gu Changqing said. "Do not overthink it either. The Heavenly Dao is the Human Dao. As long as you are true to your heart and to the people, Heaven will not fail you."
After giving Di Xin a few more instructions, Gu Changqing returned to the Grand Tutor's Mansion and began closed-door cultivation.
Now that he had more than two hundred billion merit points, he could cultivate for four or five years at the very least.
In the original course of events, Wen Zhong would need fifteen years before returning to court. Only after his return would the Investiture of the Gods Period gradually enter its climax.
Although they had now entered the Investiture of the Gods Period, it was still merely minor skirmishes.
There was still time!
Gu Changqing began burning merit and used the Primordial Creation True Scripture to condense a Law Body.
If he wanted to condense a Merit Sacred Body, his current merit was already sufficient.
But that was not what he wanted.
A Merit Sacred Body sounded formidable, and it truly was extraordinary in the Primordial World.
But in the end, it was not a Law Body.
Only a Law Body would allow him to go farther.
After Gu Changqing entered closed-door cultivation, Di Xin began rectifying the court.
Civil and military officials were easy enough to deal with. The troublesome ones were those from the immortal sects.
Now that he had Fei Lian and E Lai, Di Xin no longer had any reservations.
Fei Lian and E Lai were like two scythes of death, quietly harvesting the lives of immortal sect members.
Whether they belonged to the Exposition Sect or the Western Sect, the two always found all manner of reasons and methods to quietly kill them.
Gu Changqing came from the Intercepting Sect, so the two showed mercy toward its disciples.
With Fei Lian and E Lai doing the dirty work, the immortal sects' influence over Chaoge weakened by the day, while Di Xin's authority became ever more concentrated.
As bloody incidents continued to occur, Di Xin gained the title of King Zhou among the immortal sects, while Fei Lian and E Lai became the foremost treacherous ministers.
Di Xin did not care in the slightest. He was the king of the mortal realm, not the king of the immortal sects.
Fei Lian and E Lai did not care either. The only one they served was Gu Changqing.
However, they had underestimated just how shameless the immortal sects could be. The evil reputations of the three of them and the Intercepting Sect swiftly spread from the immortal sects into the mortal realm.
No one knew when it began, but Di Xin became history's greatest tyrant, while Fei Lian and E Lai became its greatest treacherous ministers.
The Intercepting Sect became the embodiment of evil. Even Shi Ji, the kindest of them all, became a notorious demoness feared far and wide, while Shi Ji herself was still in Golden Light Cave, condensing her golden body.
The Human Race had never cared about the truth. Of course, ordinary humans had no ability to learn the truth either.
During a great drought, whoever brought a little rain became a true god.
During an epidemic, whoever brought effective medicine became compassion itself, while the plague god naturally became the Intercepting Sect.
All vile and wicked deeds were said to be the work of the Intercepting Sect, while all beautiful and benevolent deeds became the merits of the Exposition Sect and Western Sect.
Da Ji offering herself to the king became King Zhou forcibly seizing a common woman, while Fei Lian and E Lai became his greatest accomplices.
In truth, before Da Ji entered the palace, Fei Lian and E Lai had only heard her name once, and that had been from Gu Changqing.
Seeing that they could no longer gain a foothold in Chaoge, the Western Sect and Exposition Sect then arranged for Phoenix Cries Qishan.
Marquis of Xibo Ji Chang's reputation for virtue suddenly spread far and wide, attracting many worthy and capable people to seek refuge with him.
The most notable was Jiang Ziya. Unable to make a living in Chaoge, he went fishing by the Wei River and then became Xiqi's minister, holding a status equal to Wen Zhong's in Chaoge.
Five years passed. After expending two hundred billion merit points, Gu Changqing emerged from closed-door cultivation once more.
At this point, he was only one step away from perfecting his Law Body, yet that final step was the most difficult.
To fully condense the Law Body, he needed to completely comprehend the first volume of the Primordial Creation True Scripture.
Gu Changqing had an illusion that perhaps no amount of additional merit burned would help him take that final step.
Gu Changqing pushed open the door and saw Wen Zhong wearing a worried expression. He asked curiously, "What is it? What happened?"
"Junior Martial Uncle, please hurry and persuade the Great King. He wants to kill Bi Gan!"
Wen Zhong said helplessly, "Ever since the Great King received Fei Lian and E Lai's aid, he has seemed like a completely different person."
"Oh?" Gu Changqing frowned. "You are saying Di Xin wants to kill Bi Gan?"
Before you continue