"Old... Emperor..."
"Er, no! Imperial Tutor, please speak."
Di Xin could barely get the words out. In his heart, Gu Changqing was a godlike existence.
Now that he stood above while Gu Changqing stood below, he felt dizzy.
Gu Changqing gave a wry smile and thought, Why was this kid so nervous? It wasn't like I ate people.
"Great King, your civil and martial achievements surpass those of the Three Sovereigns, and your virtue exceeds that of the Five Emperors. You should ascend as the Human Emperor."
"Approved!"
Di Xin had not heard what Gu Changqing said at all and approved it outright. Deep down, he believed that whatever Gu Changqing said was right.
The court officials were scared witless!
The Imperial Tutor really dared to say it, and the Great King really dared to approve it!
Civil and martial achievements? Looking at the chaotic mess that was Chaoge, where were the civil achievements? Where was the martial virtue?
And achievements surpassing the Three Sovereigns, virtue exceeding the Five Emperors?
That was complete fucking nonsense.
In recent years, it had been either natural disasters or man-made calamities, with rebellions erupting everywhere. Great Shang's foundation was practically gone.
Could you at least have some shame?
"Impossible!"
The court officials dared to be angry but not speak out. Only Wen Zhong dared to jump up and object before Di Xin.
"Great King, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were ordained by Heaven. How can Your Majesty covet the position of Human Emperor?"
What? Human Emperor?
Di Xin was stunned. Only then did he realize.
Gu Changqing had come to court to establish him as the Human Emperor!
Was this really okay?
I wasn't ready yet!
Di Xin cast Gu Changqing an inquiring look.
Gu Changqing gave a slight nod.
Seeing that Gu Changqing was serious, Di Xin's heart settled completely.
It did not matter if he was not ready. As long as Gu Changqing was ready, it was enough.
His trust in Gu Changqing had already reached a blind level.
The Northern Sea rebellion had yielded no results after Wen Zhong spent three years there, yet Gu Changqing had succeeded the moment he went, even bringing back two Demon Saints along the way.
When their luck had plummeted, Gu Changqing's trip to the Ancestral Tomb had caused it to surge, solid and unbreakable.
After ten years of seclusion, he had Proved the Dao of Mixed Origin. Not even biographies dared to write something like that.
The Queen had merely benefited from a little of his glory, yet she was now a Primordial Golden Immortal and could beat ten of him with ease.
Thinking of Gu Changqing's great accomplishments, Di Xin's confidence soared.
"My might encompasses all under Heaven, and I have united the four directions. Why can I not be the Human Emperor?"
Di Xin stared at Wen Zhong and demanded.
Wen Zhong anxiously said, "The southeast remains unsettled, and Xiqi is stirring. If Your Majesty ascends as the Human Emperor now, the feudal lords will surely rise in revolt. Great Shang will be in grave danger."
Di Xin replied, "I have a million elite soldiers. Wherever the royal army goes, none dare refuse submission. Why should I fear petty scum?"
Ignoring the overly inflated Di Xin, Wen Zhong turned to Gu Changqing and asked, "Junior Martial Uncle, the Great King may not understand the state of the world, but do you not understand it either?"
"Xiqi has the support of the Intercepting Sect, and the Western Sect is secretly aiding them as well. Xiqi is already a thorn in our side. If the Great King ascends as Human Emperor now, it will surely provoke the wrath of both the Immortal and Mortal Realms."
Wen Zhong's words made the officials nod in agreement, and even Di Xin found them quite reasonable.
It was not that he could not ascend as Human Emperor, but at the very least, they should wait until after the rebellion had been quelled.
Gu Changqing smiled. "And then?"
Wen Zhong:?
And then? Then Great Shang would perish!
He truly could not understand why his usually steady Junior Martial Uncle was being so radical today!
Could this be a fake Junior Martial Uncle?
Gu Changqing continued, "If the southeast wants to rise up, suppress it. If Xiqi wants to rebel, crush it. If the immortal sects want to cause trouble, slaughter them."
"Is that so difficult?"
So difficult?
Wen Zhong nearly fell over.
Although the Intercepting Sect was the dominant force, it still could not withstand the combined strength of two sects.
The Sect Leader's Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation was said to be unbreakable without four Saints, but with four Saints, it could indeed be broken!
The Two Sages of the West, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Saint Nüwa made exactly four Saints.
As for which side the Eldest Master would stand on then, that was still uncertain.
Junior Martial Uncle, your restlessness was not just going to destroy Great Shang. You were going to destroy the Intercepting Sect too!
Gu Changqing continued, "Do you think Xiqi will not rebel if the Great King does not ascend? That the immortal sects will be peaceful? That the southeast will remain stable?"
"That..."
Three questions in a row left Wen Zhong speechless.
Gu Changqing continued, "Since there is great chaos, there must be great order. Success will bring eternal renown and the rise of the Human Race. Failure will leave a stench for ten thousand years and bring the Human Race into decline. For the great cause of the Human Race, we must fight, and we must win!"
Di Xin then said, "I have made up my mind. I shall pray to Heaven at once..."
"You are the Human Emperor, as great as Heaven itself. Why pray to Heaven? Why offer sacrifices to it?"
Gu Changqing cut Di Xin off and continued, "Take out the Human Emperor Brush, write the edict, stamp it with the Human Emperor Seal, and proclaim it to the Three Realms."
Fierce. The Imperial Tutor was truly fierce!
Everyone praised Gu Changqing's dominance while worrying over his madness. At the same time, they acknowledged that he was right.
It seemed radical, but Great Shang was already at a critical moment of life and death.
Advance, and they would die. Retreat, and they would perish.
They might as well die in a blaze of glory and not waste this journey through the mortal world.
"Good!"
Di Xin was stirred by Gu Changqing's spirit. He decided to risk it all.
Heaven and earth wanted to kill him anyway, and they wanted to bring down Great Shang anyway. He might as well give it everything he had.
"Fei Lian, bring the Human Emperor Brush!"
"Yes!"
A short while later, Fei Lian borrowed the Human Emperor Brush from Jiang Si.
Di Xin took the Human Emperor Brush, wrote the edict, and stamped it with the Human Emperor Seal.
Roooar—
Once the edict was completed, the Luck Golden Dragon roared forth, flying out of Chaoge to survey the four seas and eight wastelands.
Endless dragon might suppressed the mortal world.
It proclaimed Di Xin's legitimacy and spread Great Shang's heavenly might.
After a full hour, the Luck Golden Dragon returned to Chaoge and transformed into four dragon pillars, standing within Dragon Virtue Hall.
This...
The sudden turn of events left the court officials dumbfounded.
Could King Zhou truly be one ordained by Heaven?
Gu Changqing was slightly stunned as well. Was this the benefit of Luck Manifestation?
It was not only the court officials who were stunned, but the people throughout the land and the various immortal sects as well.
Heavenly Court.
"Human Emperor?"
Haotian smashed the desk before him with one palm.
"That brat thinks he deserves it?"
Kunlun Mountain.
Yuanshi Tianzun's face was livid as he looked at Ran Deng and angrily said, "This is the result of your attempt at turning them against each other?"
Ran Deng had no answer.
Since their parting at the Northern Sea, Gu Changqing had not appeared again.
When he did reappear, he immediately went and established a Human Emperor!
Judging by the momentum, he had fucking succeeded too!
Mount Sumeru.
The Two Sages of the West looked worried, especially Zhun Ti.
Back then, he had tricked Gu Changqing.
If Gu Changqing truly helped Di Xin stabilize his footing, Buddhism's Journey Eastward would become far more difficult.
Although Buddhism's Journey Eastward had been ordained by the Heavenly Dao.
The Heavenly Dao had only established three Human Emperors, yet Di Xin had now become the fourth.
His might even surpassed that of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
Even the combined luck of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors could not compare to his vast fortune.
The Heavenly Dao was not unchangeable!
On Golden Turtle Island, Tong Tian looked utterly bewildered.
Kid, hadn't you gone too far?
You actually dared to do something like establish a Human Emperor?
Within Zixiao Palace, Hongjun's blood pressure hit the roof.
The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors had already passed, yet they still dared establish another Human Emperor!
Furious, Hongjun raised his hand and struck toward Gu Changqing with his palm.
The instant he saw the explosive amount of merit surrounding Gu Changqing, he calmed down.
Boss, as long as you're happy.
Possessing such merit, Gu Changqing was absolutely not as simple as a mere final disciple of the Intercepting Sect.
Even though Hongjun had merged himself with the Dao and become the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, he still could not truly rule the Primordial World.
The Primordial World held great terrors and great secrets!
The more one knew, the greater one's reverence became.
Wary in his heart, Hongjun simply closed Zixiao Palace.
Until the Investiture of the Gods was complete, the palace gates would not reopen.
Whether the Human Emperor could stand firm or not, the answer would come after the Investiture of the Gods.
Other than Nüwa, the Saints all rushed toward Zixiao Palace.
The Human Race establishing another Human Emperor was too great a matter for them to decide on their own.
Aside from Tong Tian, no one believed Gu Changqing alone could accomplish it.
Before they had even reached the halfway point, they lost contact with Zixiao Palace.
This...
What was going on?
The Saints were utterly bewildered.
Before you continue