Return to Chaoge, Winds of Change

The demon crisis was resolved, and the Western Sect's matter was settled.

Ran Deng was resigned.

He had prepared for three years, waited for three years, only for it all to come to nothing.

Zhun Ti hadn't played by the rules; not only did he scheme against Gu Changqing, but he also tricked Ran Deng.

Gu Changqing was growing stronger, his power base more solid, making it increasingly difficult to turn him against his allies.

Now, with two Demon Saints under his command, killing him was also becoming much harder.

"Nephew Changqing, the Western Sect and Demon Clan's influence has been eradicated. There will be no more trouble on the way to the main camp, so I won't accompany you further."

Ran Deng bid farewell to Gu Changqing. There was no point in him staying any longer.

"Thank you, Uncle Ran Deng. Please, go ahead."

After Ran Deng left, Gu Changqing swept his sleeves, taking several armored soldiers and flying away.

Upon returning to the main camp, Gu Changqing briefed Wen Zhong on the aftermath before heading back to Chaoge.

Inside Chaoge, chaos still reigned. Though Di Xin possessed considerable strength, he lacked capable people.

There were many loyal officials, but loyalty didn't count for much when facing cultivators.

Even with Di Xin's diligent governance for his people, it was difficult to maneuver.

"Master, you're back so soon?"

Inside the royal palace, Di Xin's face lit up with joy upon seeing Gu Changqing.

"Yes." Gu Changqing nodded, took out the Kongtong Seal, handed it to Di Xin, and said, "This is your Kongtong Seal."

Di Xin put away the Kongtong Seal and then asked, "Master, how did things go in the North Sea?"

"The demon crisis has been quelled, and Wen Zhong will soon return to the capital with his troops. However, Chong Heihu sacrificed himself for the nation; you must console his family well."

Having promised to ensure Chong Heihu died honorably, Gu Changqing naturally wouldn't break his word.

"Understood," Di Xin replied. "Once the Grand Tutor returns to court, we will honor them together."

Gu Changqing pointed to Fei Lian and E Lai and added, "These two are ancient Demon Saints. They have now turned from darkness to light and will assist you from now on."

"Demon Saints?"

Di Xin was slightly taken aback. Weren't they Quasi-Sages?

"Fei Lian greets Your Majesty."

"E Lai greets Your Majesty."

The two Demon Saints bowed to Di Xin.

They had sworn allegiance to Gu Changqing, and Di Xin, as Gu Changqing's personal disciple, was akin to their young master.

"No need for such formality, esteemed ones."

Di Xin was overjoyed. He hadn't expected his master to bring such a great gift upon his return.

Many unsavory tasks he couldn't personally handle, and his subordinates were incapable of doing them.

Now, with the help of two Demon Saints, Chaoge would become his Chaoge alone.

Gu Changqing continued, "The North Sea demons have relocated to Chengdu Zaitian Mountain. From now on, the demon and human races will govern themselves and not interfere with each other. You must issue another royal decree: no human is allowed to approach Chengdu Zaitian Mountain for any reason. Those who violate this order will be executed."

"Yes."

Di Xin readily agreed. It was just a mountain. Gaining the allegiance of two Demon Saints was an incredible bargain.

Fei Lian and E Lai looked gratefully at Gu Changqing, and at the same time, their impression of Di Xin also improved.

With a royal decree, if anyone dared to enter Chengdu Zaitian Mountain, their Demon Clan could rightfully kill them.

Chengdu Zaitian Mountain had a harsh environment, so ordinary folk wouldn't go there anyway.

Those who did go would undoubtedly have ill intentions.

Gu Changqing thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you heard of Da Ji?"

"Da Ji? Su Da Ji?"

Di Xin asked in surprise, "Why does Master mention Su Hu's daughter?"

Gu Changqing replied, "This woman has a deep connection with you. You must treat her with caution."

It seemed Da Ji hadn't entered the palace yet, but it would likely be soon.

Di Xin gave a wry smile. "Zi Shou is already married and not one to covet beauty, Master. Please don't tease Zi Shou."

Gu Changqing then said, "Some things, you can't refuse even if you want to. Think about the Nüwa Palace incident."

"What?"

Di Xin was startled upon hearing this. "Master means..."

"Not necessarily," Gu Changqing clarified. "Don't overthink it. The Heavenly Dao is the Human Dao. As long as you have a clear conscience and are worthy of your people, Heaven will not let you down."

After giving some further instructions, Gu Changqing returned to the Grand Tutor's Mansion to begin his seclusion.

Now that he had over two hundred billion Merits, he could cultivate for at least four or five years.

In the original timeline, Wen Zhong was supposed to return to court after fifteen years, and only after his return would the Investiture of the Gods truly begin to peak.

Although it was already the Investiture of the Gods Period, it was still just minor skirmishes.

There was still time!

Gu Changqing began to burn his Merits, using the Primordial Creation True Scripture to condense his Law Body.

If he were to condense a Merits Golden Body, his current Merits would be more than enough.

But that wasn't what he wanted.

A Merits Golden Body sounded impressive, and indeed it was formidable in the Primordial World.

However, it was not a Law Body in the end.

Only a Law Body could allow him to go further.

After Gu Changqing entered secluded cultivation, Di Xin began to consolidate his power at court.

Civil and military officials were easy enough to deal with, but the difficult ones were those from the immortal sects.

Now with Fei Lian and E Lai by his side, Di Xin had no more reservations.

Fei Lian and E Lai were like two grim reaper's scythes, quietly harvesting those from the immortal sects.

Whether it was the Chan Sect or the Western Sect, the two of them would always find various reasons and methods to quietly eliminate them.

Gu Changqing came from the Intercepting Sect, so the two of them showed leniency towards the Intercepting Sect disciples.

With Fei Lian and E Lai handling the dirty work, the immortal sects' influence over Chaoge grew weaker and weaker, and Di Xin's power became more centralized.

As bloodcurdling incidents continued to occur, Di Xin earned the title of King Zhou among the immortal sects, while Fei Lian and E Lai became the number one sycophants.

Di Xin didn't care about this at all; he was the king of the Human Realm, not the king of the immortal sects.

Fei Lian and E Lai also didn't care; they were only loyal to Gu Changqing.

However, they underestimated the shamelessness of the immortal sects. The bad reputations of the three of them, along with that of the Intercepting Sect, quickly spread from the immortal sects to the Human Realm.

No one knew how it started, but Di Xin became the most tyrannical ruler in history, and Fei Lian and E Lai also became the top sycophants.

The Intercepting Sect became the embodiment of evil, and even the kindest Shi Ji became a notorious demoness, though at this time, Shi Ji was still in Golden Light Cave condensing her Golden Body.

The Human Race never cared about the truth, and of course, ordinary humans didn't have the ability to understand the truth.

During a great drought, if someone brought rain, that person was a true god.

During a plague, whoever brought good medicine was compassionate, and the Plague God naturally pointed to the Intercepting Sect.

All bad and evil things were attributed to the Intercepting Sect, and all good and virtuous things were the Merits of the Chan Sect and the Western Sect.

Da Ji's self-sacrifice also turned into King Zhou forcibly seizing a civilian woman, with Fei Lian and E Lai becoming the biggest accomplices.

In fact, before Da Ji entered the palace, Fei Lian and E Lai had only heard Da Ji's name once, and that was from Gu Changqing.

The Western Sect and the Chan Sect, seeing they couldn't establish themselves in Chaoge, then initiated Phoenix Cries Qishan.

Marquis of Xibo Ji Chang suddenly gained widespread fame for his virtue, attracting many wise and capable individuals.

A prime example was Jiang Ziya. Unable to thrive in Chaoge, he went to the Wei River to fish and subsequently became the prime minister of Xiqi, holding a position equivalent to Wen Zhong in Chaoge.

After five years and two hundred billion Merits, Gu Changqing emerged from secluded cultivation once more.

At this point, he was only one step away from perfecting his Law Body, but that final step was the most difficult.

To perfectly condense his Law Body, he needed to thoroughly comprehend the first chapter of the Primordial Creation True Scripture.

Gu Changqing had a feeling that perhaps burning even more Merits wouldn't help him take that final step.

Gu Changqing pushed the door open and saw Wen Zhong looking troubled. He asked curiously, "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Junior Martial Uncle, please quickly persuade His Majesty, he wants to kill Bi Gan!"

Wen Zhong said helplessly, "Ever since His Majesty gained the assistance of Fei Lian and E Lai, he's been like a changed man."

"Oh?" Gu Changqing frowned and asked, "You're saying Di Xin wants to kill Bi Gan?"