Damn, what generous rewards!
Di Xin stared at the string of flashing characters and sucked in a breath. He was used to the system screwing him over. This was the first time it had offered such lavish rewards all at once. It was almost unbelievable.
Yet, whether it was his imagination or not, Di Xin felt as though a fierce killing intent lurked in the system's voice this time.
"Jiang Ziya is already in Chaoge..."
What surprised Di Xin, however, was that Jiang Ziya had appeared so early.
After all, in Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya's appearance and his burning of the Pipa Spirit came several sections later. He had never expected him to show up now!
Still, it was hardly strange. According to Investiture of the Gods, Jiang Ziya had indeed spent some time in Chaoge after descending the mountain. Di Xin had simply overlooked it.
Fortunately, the system could track Negative Emotion Points in the background. Otherwise, he might have overlooked this ruthless figure from Investiture of the Gods, this great traitor to humanity!
In the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, it seemed that Shen Gongbao's "Fellow Daoist, please stay a moment" had triggered the great calamity of the Chan and Jie Sects and brought the war to a fever pitch. In truth, however, Jiang Ziya's fanning of the flames had been the most crucial factor.
Without Jiang Ziya, the calamity would, at most, have involved magical contests between the Third Generation disciples of the Chan and Jie Sects. His persuasion, however, had dragged even the Chan Sect's second-generation disciples into it, expanding the calamity without limit until living beings were plunged into even greater misery and blood flowed deep enough to float pestles.
Even setting aside his talent for fanning the flames, his character was nothing to praise.
According to Investiture of the Gods, Hu Sheng, the defending general of Jiameng Pass, had intended to surrender to Zhou to spare his soldiers and the common people from death and injury. His surrender was delayed only because of the Fire Spirit Holy Mother. After her death, Hu Sheng sent another letter offering to surrender. Jiang Ziya initially said he forgave him, only to later declare him fickle and untrustworthy. After accepting his surrender, he had him beheaded. What a double-dealing petty villain!
Moreover, Jiang Ziya was not only hard on himself; he showed little mercy to his family either.
After arriving in Chaoge, he married Lady Ma through Song Yiren's matchmaking. Once married, he gave no thought to earning money to support their household. Lady Ma criticized him for it and later asked for a divorce. After the successful campaign against King Zhou, she went to the prime minister's residence to find him, only for the narrow-minded man to scorn her with "spilled water cannot be retrieved." He even called her a snob, driving her to her death through public condemnation.
Yet a married couple ought to consider how they would make a life together. What had Lady Ma done wrong?
Even that was not the end of it. After Lady Ma died, Jiang Ziya remained as petty as ever. Pretending to cherish their former bond, he bestowed godhood upon her-only to make her the Broom Star, leaving her to endure humiliation and infamy for generations to come!
Someone who disregarded the lives of his own kind, excelled at fanning the flames, practiced double standards, and harbored such a petty heart-if he was not a traitor to humanity, what was he?!
The reason Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi had not made him a god after the Investiture of the Gods was probably that, once the disciples of the Chan and Jie Sects realized what had happened and understood the rights and wrongs of it, they would kill him and spark another conflict. Thus, Yuanshi had dismissed him with a single claim that he had no affinity for immortality.
Still, hateful traitor to humanity though Jiang Ziya was, his strength could not be underestimated.
His aptitude was mediocre, and he hardly deserved his place among the Chan Sect's second-generation disciples. After forty years of cultivation, he had not even attained immortality, much less the Daluo Golden Immortal realm with five qi in his chest and three flowers above his head like his senior brothers. Yet his ability to freeze Mount Qi in Investiture of the Gods showed that he possessed, at the very least, the power of the Qi Refining into Spirit Realm!
Otherwise, turncoats like Bi Gan and Yang Ren would not have planned to use his abilities to force the king's hand!
Still, that suited him just fine. Those turncoats, stubborn old fossils, and that great traitor to humanity would never imagine that he already knew their plans inside out.
Since they wanted to force his hand, he would play the oriole behind the mantis stalking the cicada and catch all those turncoats and traitors to humanity in one net!
Without Jiang Ziya, there would probably be a Wang Ziya or Li Ziya to preside over the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. But who could say a replacement would not be a little better?!
Their Negative Emotion Points are so concentrated that they'll probably make their move soon. Once I break through, I'll go find Daji!
With that thought, Di Xin immediately decided to discuss matters with Daji.
After all, Daji, that Nine-Tailed Fox, had skills beyond the bedchamber. She possessed abilities of her own, and it would be a waste not to make use of such a powerful ally.
It would also be a good opportunity to see whether Daji's "please command me as you wish" applied only in bed or everywhere else as well.
"I choose to break through to the Qi Refining into Spirit Realm!"
Di Xin then immersed his consciousness in his mind and pressed the upgrade button on the Negative Emotion Points interface.
"The system has detected the Host's selection: break through to the Qi Refining into Spirit Realm! Expenditure: -50,000. Remaining points: +6!"
As soon as the system finished speaking, Di Xin felt magical power spread swiftly through his body like layer upon layer of ripples. It surged ceaselessly through every meridian, like a frozen river thawing in spring and gathering into a torrent that would sweep everything away like rotten wood.
For the first time, Di Xin felt the pain cultivation brought. It was as though countless shackles within his body were being shattered in one stroke by that torrent.
Once they broke, an extraordinary sense of clarity and ease followed.
Just as floodwaters ultimately converged upon the sea, the magical power finally poured into his dantian. As it intertwined and swirled, Di Xin suddenly felt something light and ethereal within him break its chains, leap with all its might, and escape its restraints.
"This is..."
The next moment, Di Xin felt the world before him abruptly change. Everything grew brighter than before, and he could see countless veins of spiritual energy flowing slowly between heaven and earth.
Then he saw his own physical body sitting cross-legged on the ground below.
My primordial spirit has left my body!
The most distinctive hallmark of the Qi Refining into Spirit Realm!
Beyond that, Di Xin sensed tremendous power within his primordial spirit, as though a torrent were surging and gathering strength, ready to erupt and rush forth like a mountain flood!
That power even gave him the feeling that he could hold everything in his grasp.
All of it filled Di Xin's heart with the joy of growing stronger!
He knew perfectly well that in the world of Investiture of the Gods, the strong devoured the weak. Only a Sage could escape the calamity!
Likewise, whether it was Daji, Zheng Lun, or the Three Sage Emperors in Fire Cloud Cave, he could rely on none of them. The only person he could rely on was himself!
Since this is the true face of the world, then... I'll become strong!
I'll become a flame. Perhaps I'm only a spark now, but one day I'll set the plains ablaze, burn across the heavens, and illuminate this dark world ruled by one Patriarch and six Sages!
[Ding! Congratulations to the Host on breaking through to the Qi Refining into Spirit Realm. Basic Escape Technique, basic Five Elements Technique, basic Thunder Technique, and basic Talisman Art have been unlocked for the Host...]
At that moment, another system notification sounded in Di Xin's mind. Small golden booklets flew out one after another, and he felt new knowledge immediately fill his brain.
When he opened his hand slightly, a ball of lightning flashing with purple radiance instantly appeared in his palm, radiating intense, incomparable power!
When he casually tossed the lightning ball at an ornamental rock formation in the courtyard, a thunderous crack rang out. The formation instantly exploded into fragments, leaving a shallow black crater in the ground.
This Thunder Technique may only be the Basic Thunder Technique, but its power is quite decent!
Di Xin nodded in satisfaction, unable to help feeling a little excited. Whatever else might happen, with these secret arts, he at least no longer possessed cultivation without the means to wield it. Even if he encountered Jiang Ziya, he could pit his magic against him!
He eagerly anticipated the wonderful expressions on those turncoats' and traitors' faces when they saw him casually conjure a ball of lightning!
When the time comes, I can even give them a line: "Well? Pleasantly surprised? Didn't see that coming, did you?!"
"Your Majesty, what happened?"
Hearing the commotion, palace attendants hurried over. At the sight of the enormous crater, they sucked in cold breaths and asked nervously, trembling.
"Nothing. A little thunder struck and shattered a rock, that's all..." Di Xin waved a hand dismissively and spoke lightly before adding, "Come, prepare my conveyance to Shouxian Palace. I will spend the night with Daji!"
Before you continue