"General Zheng, since we have some leisure today, why don't we spend the night talking by candlelight as sovereign and subject? Tell me about the state of affairs in the Primordial World!"
Just then, Di Xin stopped laughing, looked at Zheng Lun, and asked with a smile.
Although Di Xin had read Investiture of the Gods thoroughly in his later-life world, that had been the Primordial World of a book. What lay before him now was the real Primordial World. There were bound to be many differences between fiction and reality, and much of what the book described had been shrouded in clouds and mist. Perhaps now he could learn more of the truth about the Primordial World from Zheng Lun.
After all, although Zheng Lun was not among the most prominently portrayed figures in Investiture of the Gods, he had studied under Perfected Du'e and was a Third Generation disciple of impeccable lineage in the Primordial World!
Of course, more importantly, although he now possessed the Thanks for Playing Secret Art, it might not actually be enough to withstand Daji.
If anything went wrong, he would be in trouble.
Besides, the [Thanks for Participating Secret Art] merely thwarted Daji's intentions. Not going to see her would achieve the same result.
Rather than that, he might as well turn passivity into initiative, changing the uncertainty of going to see Daji into having Daji come to see him, and seize the initiative!
"Your Majesty, aren't you going to see Consort Daji tonight?"
Zheng Lun froze at his words, then looked at Di Xin and asked in surprise.
"Having you at my side is like sweet rain after a long drought. How could a mere Daji compare with my beloved subject?"
Di Xin swept his hand grandly, his impassioned delivery displaying his considerable acting skills.
"Your Majesty, I will serve you unto death..." At those words, Zheng Lun's fierce eyes grew hot. He clasped his fists and dropped to one knee, his declaration as firm as iron.
And at that moment, he became utterly certain that all the rumors about Di Xin he had heard in Jizhou-tyrannical, brutal, arrogant, extravagant, and debauched-were nothing but deliberate slander spread by vile scoundrels like Ji Chang, the Marquis of the West!
Was there truly a tyrant who would let a pearl like him shine instead of leaving it buried in dust?
Was there a tyrant who would forgo a night of passion with a delicate beauty like Daji to discuss the affairs of the Primordial World with him?
They were all liars!
His Majesty was no tyrant!
He was a wise ruler, a truly great and wise ruler!
[Loyalty from Zheng Lun, +95...]
In an instant, a system notification flashed through Di Xin's mind.
"Hahaha! Rise, my beloved subject. Tonight, we shall talk by candlelight and together create a tale of sovereign and subject worthy of remembrance!"
Laughing heartily, Di Xin helped Zheng Lun to his feet and led him to a side hall. He ordered the palace maids to bring wine and food, and the two drank as they talked.
"Why hasn't that tyrant Di Xin come to the Pepper Chamber Palace yet?!"
Meanwhile, in the Pepper Chamber Palace, Daji gazed at the darkening sky outside, her brows tightly knitted as she anxiously watched the palace entrance.
Empress Nuwa had issued a decree ordering the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb to bewitch Di Xin and ruin Great Shang's fortunes. She had even promised to help the three sisters attain true fruition once they succeeded.
Yet why had the supposedly insatiably lustful tyrant still not come to see her at the Pepper Chamber Palace, even after seeing her beauty?
If Di Xin did not come, how could she carry out Empress Nuwa's mission, corrupt this tyrant, and destroy his dynasty?!
Moreover, Daji was bewildered by that brief moment of distraction she had experienced in the royal hall today. She could feel it-at that moment, her heart had actually stirred!
Fox demons never fell in love. How could she be the exception? And for an ordinary mortal like Di Xin, a cruel tyrant, at that?!
"Your Highness, there is no need to wait any longer. His Majesty will be discussing affairs of state with General Zheng by candlelight until dawn. He will not be coming to disturb you tonight."
Just then, a young palace maid arrived from outside, bowed to Daji, and spoke softly.
That tyrant actually wasn't coming?!
Daji froze at the news. Her face turned ashen, her hands and feet grew cold, and she could not help looking into the bronze mirror.
After seeing a beauty like her, that tyrant-who supposedly prized lust above life itself and had inscribed such obscene verses in Empress Nuwa's temple-could actually stay away?!
Could there have been a mistake? Was Di Xin not a tyrant, but a wise ruler?!
But if Di Xin refused to see her, how could she fulfill Empress Nuwa's command?
If she failed, then Empress Nuwa...
At that thought, the color drained from Daji's lovely face. Her gaze lost focus, she shook her head repeatedly, and an involuntary shudder ran through her body.
The empress in Wa Huang Palace was not as kindly and compassionate as the statue in her temple. She too wielded thunderous methods. During the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity, how many mighty beings across the three realms had been reduced to ash and obliterated into dust at her hands!
"No! Absolutely not! Di Xin, I will conquer you and make you bow beneath my pomegranate-red skirts!"
After several sharp shudders, Daji suddenly clenched her five slender, fair fingers, determination rising in her eyes.
Meanwhile, in the side hall, Di Xin looked at Zheng Lun, who lay drunkenly slumped over the table before him. He tapped his fingers against the tabletop, his expression grim.
Zheng Lun truly was a Third Generation disciple of impeccable lineage. He might not have been the finest among them, but his background allowed him to see the broader situation in the Primordial World more clearly than others.
After the War of the Liches and Demons, there had been a peaceful interval, but the conflicts between the Chan and Jie Sects had grown increasingly irreconcilable. The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect were renowned throughout the Primordial World, their prestige immense. Each had cultivated the three flowers above the crown and the five energies within the chest, attaining the realm of Daluo Golden Immortal!
The Interception Sect, meanwhile, claimed to have ten thousand immortals paying homage. It also boasted such prodigies as the Ten Heavenly Lords of Golden Ao Island, the Three Xiao Fairies, and its eldest disciple Zhao Gongming, all of them formidable in their own right!
Even mortal nations in the mundane world of later ages fought over first and second place, let alone these immortals. Each side looked down on the other: one believed the other had willingly sunk into depravity, wallowing in the same mire as feathered beasts; the other believed its rival put on far too many airs and claimed sole orthodoxy, while it professed to seize a sliver of heaven's secrets to perfect itself!
Beyond the Chan and Jie Sects, there was naturally the Ren Sect founded by Laozi. It claimed to educate and protect the Human Race, but in truth had monopolized the Human Race's providence!
Moreover, another great power of later ages was now in its infancy: the Heavenly Court, founded by Dao Ancestor Hongjun's young attendant, the future Jade Emperor Haotian!
Though the Heavenly Court's ranks were sparse now, this great Investiture of the Gods calamity was deeply connected to Jade Emperor Haotian. Only after this calamity would he establish his authority over heaven and earth, thereafter commanding the gods and ruling the heavens!
By that reckoning, the greatest victor after the Investiture of the Gods calamity would be neither the Chan Sect nor the Western Teachings, but Jade Emperor Haotian!
Of course, the most pitiable of all these powers were the Human Race's three ancestors, Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan. Clearly, these Three Sovereigns had ushered in the Human Race's prosperity, yet in the end, the Three Pure Ones had seized all their merit and providence, claiming it as the fruit of their own instruction...
The Three Sovereigns had even ended up guarding the Human Race's merit and providence in Fire Cloud Cave, unable to take so much as a step outside. The true victors had become utter losers, and the three who should have been the protagonists had been reduced to supporting roles...
As things stood, the Ren Sect upheld tranquility and nonaction, claiming not to involve itself in worldly affairs. In reality, it watched from the ramparts, observing the fire from across the river, while the hotheaded fools of the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect fought to the death to determine who was superior!
Of course, the unluckiest were neither the Chan Sect nor the Interception Sect, but the Human Race.
In a calamity of this magnitude, ordinary people would naturally suffer the most deaths. Even if disciples of the two sects died, they could still make a trip onto the Investiture of the Gods List, become gods in spirit form, and live on in another fashion as officials of the Heavenly Court. The Human Race, however, would simply die like ants.
When the calamity came, the living did not know its name; the dead did not even know who had killed them!
Of course, as the king of Great Shang, he was another hapless victim!
The two sects insisted on using the mortal realm as their battleground. Since both professed to be upright and honorable, they naturally needed a pretext. Thus, he had been branded a tyrant and made a pawn in the Sages' hands!
At that thought, Di Xin could not help looking out the window.
As far as his eyes could reach, heaven and earth lay steeped in darkness. Even here, in one of the grandest cities in the world, everything remained shrouded in primal ignorance, like summer insects that knew nothing of winter snow.
"I will survive. I won't be a pawn. I will be the one moving the pieces!"
Di Xin abruptly clenched his fingers as he gazed at the tiny flame nearby. Though heaven and earth were dark, that little flame still illuminated a patch of light.
Suddenly, the inspirational platitude the system was always spouting sprang into his mind, and he could not help murmuring it aloud: "Man can conquer heaven!"
Before you continue