Although the Hidden Lineage had twenty-four ancestors, the other twenty-three all followed Ancestor Haofeng's lead.
"No need for formalities!" Jiang Haofeng said with a nod.
After everyone rose, Jiang Haofeng swept his gaze over the crowd and spoke.
"Time flows on. Twelve hundred million years have passed. All of you have attained the Golden Immortal Realm and strengthened our human race. This is cause for celebration!"
"It is all thanks to Ancestor Haofeng's guidance!" the five thousand humans said in unison.
Jiang Haofeng smiled and did not dwell on the matter. "I have gathered you here today because there is something I wish to discuss."
"All of you present are Golden Immortals, free from the concerns of lifespan. You can serve as the foundation of our human race."
"I intend to establish a human army, using Golden Immortals as soldiers to form a force that will protect humanity!"
Jiang Haofeng had already discussed this matter with the other twenty-three Human Ancestors, and they had unanimously agreed.
"We shall obey the ancestor's orders!"
The five thousand Hidden Lineage humans below spoke as one.
"Good. From this day forth, the 1,475 Innate Humans shall form an army known as the Heavenly Gang Camp. The 3,721 Acquired Humans shall form an army known as the Earth Fiend Camp. The martial recruits of these two camps shall be the army of our human race, protecting its peace and safety!"
"Yes!"
The soldiers of both camps answered in unison.
"In both camps, five men shall form a squad, with a squad leader. Five squads shall form a team, with a team commander. Four teams shall form a battalion, with a battalion commander. Five battalions shall form a division, with a general!"
"Zhuxiang, Haoying, and Getian, the three tribal elders, shall enter the Heavenly Gang Camp as Heavenly Gang Generals and command the camp!"
"Yanghou, Wuhuai, Jinti, Goujiang, Jitong, Zhongqi, Susha, and Ranxiang shall enter the Earth Fiend Camp as Earth Fiend Generals and command the camp."
"The Earth Fiend Camp's eight divisions shall have their first seven divisions at full strength. The final division shall temporarily have only 221 men. It will be filled once suitable candidates are found!"
As Jiang Haofeng's words fell, eleven people stepped out from among the tribal elders and joined the humans.
Once the eleven had taken their positions, the more than five thousand humans below divided into eleven small groups, each with roughly five hundred members.
"The eleven generals have been chosen. As for the remaining military posts in each division, they shall be decided by the respective commanding generals, with cultivation taking priority!"
"The strong shall rise, and the mediocre shall fall!"
The moment his words fell, a sharp gleam flashed through the eyes of the humans.
Jiang Haofeng smiled faintly to himself. This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Over the years, Jiang Haofeng had managed the Hidden Lineage entirely according to military rules.
Martial Dao was not Immortal Dao. Martial Dao valued competition and battle. It was unlike Immortal Dao, where secluded cultivation was far less effective than sparring with one another.
For the time being, the Hidden Lineage could not leave Central Phoenix Mountain to challenge the experts of the primordial world. But Central Phoenix Mountain had no shortage of experts or opponents.
Martial Dao was inherently suited to military camps. Martial artists tempered in the army and forged through battlefields were unquestionably far stronger than martial artists of the same realm.
Jiang Haofeng's original plan had been to forge the Hidden Lineage into an elite army that protected the Dao.
"Everyone, in the Heavenly Court, the Demon Emperor uses the River Diagram and Luo Book as the array core to refine the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Array. The Witch Clan possesses the Twelve Capital Celestial Gods Array, which can combine the power of the Twelve Ancestral Witches to confront powerful enemies!"
"The Twelve Ancestral Witches are formidable even alone, but many in the primordial world can match any one of them. Yet when all twelve join forces, who in the primordial world would dare contend with them?"
"Our human Martial Dao originated from the Witch Clan. I intend to imitate the Witch Clan's Twelve Capital Celestial Gods Array and develop a battle formation for humanity, gathering everyone's strength to slay powerful enemies."
Once he finished speaking, Jiang Haofeng began directing the army to release their baleful aura, gathering and refining it in an attempt to develop a battle formation. At the same time, the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Book within his mind lit up with mysterious light, deducing the method of the battle formation.
Ten years later, everyone dispersed and returned to their homes to cultivate.
Jiang Haofeng sat cross-legged atop a meditation cushion. Over ten years, they had only managed to merge their baleful aura. Yet after it gathered, it was still merely a mass of baleful aura, incapable of unleashing great power.
However, with the Myriad Manifestations Heavenly Book, Jiang Haofeng had gained some insight. Once he conducted further deductions alone, he would gather the army again in a hundred years to test the battle formation.
Since the Twelve Capital Celestial Gods Array could be created, a battle formation could certainly be created as well. The primordial world lacked nothing but time. If they took it slowly, one day they would deduce a battle formation suitable for humanity.
Jiang Haofeng looked around at the sparsely populated Nuwa City. After some thought, he rang the golden bell again, this time using his magic power.
Before long, the forty-nine Innate Humans gathered once more, and humanity's third tribal assembly began.
Jiang Haofeng proposed selecting gifted and intelligent people from the Visible Lineage to enter the Hidden Lineage and inherit Martial Dao.
The Hidden Lineage had three hundred thousand people, men and women alike. Over the past ten thousand cycles, many descendants had been born. However, all of those descendants had been sent to the Visible Lineage and none had remained in the Hidden Lineage.
If the Hidden Lineage's descendants remained in Nuwa City, it would not take long before the entire city was filled. The number of Hidden Lineage humans would swiftly exceed ten billion, but that was not what Jiang Haofeng wanted, nor was it what humanity needed.
If that happened, humanity would merely gain another powerful tribe, little different from the tribes among the Visible Lineage outside.
Moreover, in time, the Hidden Lineage would become separated from the Visible Lineage outside. Then it would no longer be a Hidden Lineage that protected humanity, but a distorted tribe that believed itself superior to all others.
Only by selecting the most suitable people from the Visible Lineage, allowing them to grow up in their tribes during childhood before entering the Hidden Lineage to cultivate, could they avoid becoming separated from the Visible Lineage humans.
Furthermore, this would guarantee the aptitude and strength of the Hidden Lineage humans to the greatest extent possible.
Of course, this selection would not take away every genius from the Visible Lineage. Only half of the most outstanding geniuses would be brought away. The remaining tribespeople still needed to stay in the Visible Lineage to guard their tribes.
All the Innate Humans agreed without objection. The Hidden Lineage's development over the years was plain for all to see. It had truly cultivated a great number of powerful experts for humanity.
In terms of peak strength, excluding the three Grand Luo Golden Immortals among them, the Hidden Lineage had already completely surpassed the Visible Lineage, and it was an absolute advantage.
Everyone found this surprising. The number of geniuses was clearly the same, and the Visible Lineage even had many geniuses who had not been selected. The Visible Lineage also possessed the inheritance of the Grand Pure Immortal Method, yet its cultivation speed remained unsatisfactory, and the number of experts it produced was far inferior to the Hidden Lineage's.
In the end, everyone could only attribute the cause to the Hidden Lineage's unique environment.
The Innate Humans felt this deeply. While in the Hidden Lineage, they could not help wanting to cultivate diligently. The entire Hidden Lineage cultivated hard, so it would be difficult to justify not cultivating themselves. But once outside, that feeling truly vanished.
If the Grand Pure Immortal Method had not been unsuitable for relentless hard cultivation and required one to calm the mind and comprehend the laws of heaven and earth, they would certainly have remained on Central Phoenix Mountain to cultivate.
The tribal assembly set the policy: every hundred years, a group of geniuses from the Visible Lineage would be selected to enter Central Phoenix Mountain and inherit Martial Dao. With that, humanity's third tribal assembly came to an end.
Afterward, the Hidden Lineage resumed its arduous cultivation. Time drifted by, and in the blink of an eye, another three thousand cycles had passed.
That day, a trace of enlightenment arose in Jiang Haofeng's heart. In an instant, a terrifying suction force erupted, and endless innate spiritual qi poured into his body. As the spiritual qi continuously entered him, his aura grew stronger and stronger.
Endless Mysterious Yellow Light shone around Jiang Haofeng. His body strengthened at a visible rate. As time passed, his body radiated a precious glow, indestructible like Primordial Divine Gold. A surging sense of power flooded his heart, and unprecedented strength filled his body, as though he could shatter an ancient star with a single slap.
The vast river of time and space descended. Countless shadows flickered within it before finally merging into a phantom of Jiang Haofeng, which entered his body.
Thus, he attained the Grand Luo Golden Immortal Realm, transcended the river of time and space, and severed his past and future.
After thirteen thousand cycles, through his own efforts, Jiang Haofeng had finally attained the Grand Luo Golden Immortal Realm, becoming the first human to advance to the Grand Luo Realm without relying on merit!
Strictly speaking, Jiang Haofeng should not have been considered a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. After all, he did not cultivate Immortal Dao, had neither Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown nor Five Qi Towards Origin. He possessed only a Great Witch Treasure Body capable of breaking all techniques with sheer force!
No, it should have been called a Martial Dao True Body!
The instant Jiang Haofeng broke through, the sages of the primordial world all sensed it. On Kunlun Mountain, the Three Pure Ones opened their eyes at the same time. The Grand Pure Sage silently withdrew his gaze, glanced at Xuandu below, who stood at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, said nothing, and resumed his sermon.
Lord of Primordial Beginnings narrowed his eyes. Of the three thousand Innate Humans, fifteen hundred were disciples of the Humanity Teaching. The remaining fifteen hundred belonged to his junior sister Nuwa's human race and were also disciples of the Mystic Sect.
Among the Four Sects and one race of the Mystic Sect, the first to break through to the Great Luo Immortal Realm was actually a human.
Haofeng of humanity truly possessed exceptional talent.
Lord of Primordial Beginnings looked at the disciples listening below him. "Cultivation requires diligence. None of you may grow slack."
With those words, Yuqing Immortal Light flashed, and Lord of Primordial Beginnings vanished, leaving behind a group of baffled disciples.
"We shall obey Master's command and cultivate diligently."
After hesitating briefly, the future Twelve Golden Immortals of Jade Void bowed together under Guang Chengzi's lead.
"Senior Brother, is Master dissatisfied that our cultivation is progressing too slowly?" After leaving the Jade Void Palace, Daoist Cihang spoke.
"That should be the case," Guang Chengzi said with a nod.
"It has only been a little over ten thousand cycles, and we have already advanced to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm. Is that still considered slow?" Daoist Cihang clicked his tongue inwardly.
In the ten thousand cycles since entering the Sage's sect, they had advanced from Golden Immortals to Grand Unity Golden Immortals. Such speed was undoubtedly among the very best in the primordial world.
"We are disciples of a Sage, listening to a Sage's sermon. At this rate, we have failed Master's expectations."
"Master gives us a sermon once every ten thousand years. Such progress is indeed somewhat slow. Among the countless living beings of the primordial world, how many are fortunate enough to hear even one sermon from a Sage?"
"Our blessings are so profound, yet our cultivation is somewhat lacking. From this day forth, we must cultivate diligently and never tarnish Master's reputation!" Guang Chengzi said solemnly.
"Yes, Senior Brother!"
The Jade Void immortals all bowed and answered.
As Jade Void's foremost immortal and the first person to ring the golden bell, Guang Chengzi held considerable prestige among the Jade Void immortals.
At the same time, Sect Leader Tongtian of the Jade Pool Palace also halted his sermon. Looking at the myriad immortals below, he said, "Among the Four Sects and one race under the Mystic Sect, humanity has already produced a Great Luo Immortal. You must cultivate diligently and not disgrace the might of my Jie Teaching!"
The three thousand Innate Humans of humanity in the past had all been nominal disciples of the Grand Pure Sage. Though they were neither direct disciples nor outer disciples, they still counted as members of the Humanity Teaching and third-generation inheritors of the Mystic Sect. Yet clearly, the humans of the original timeline had been far inferior to the Four Sects.
Since Jiang Haofeng had transmigrated here, he had unknowingly changed humanity in many ways. Setting aside everything else, humanity's strength was unquestionably countless times greater than in the original timeline.
Mount Sumeru!
The Western Two Sages also turned their gazes toward humanity.
Humanity...
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