People Are All Useless Things

Inside the Golden Palace, Xie Luoxian occupied the throne, closed his eyes to rest, and rested his hands together, leaning on a stone sword in front of him.

This sword is the very essence of the Transcendent Sword.

This sword also had a tragic fate. Its naturally formed spirituality was destroyed by Xie Luoxian himself, and the new spirituality that Xie Luoxian nurtured was destroyed by Chu Tianshu.

Even so, this sword, based solely on its material, can still be considered a rare treasure.

Wan Longsheng, carrying his zither, strolled slowly through the hall. He paused for a long time in front of each large vermilion pillar, as if he could see the aura of the founding ministers in those pillars.

He was using this method to observe the operation of the Temple Beyond the Mind and to devise a strategy for joint warfare.

"You two are really good at keeping your composure."

An old Daoist priest, with his hair bound by a golden crown, eyebrows like swallow tails, and a face as white as the moon, suddenly appeared in the Golden Palace.

Not only were the imperial guards outside the palace completely unaware, but Wan Longsheng and Xie Luoxian only became alert a moment before he spoke.

"Qianyang?!"

Wan Longsheng felt a chill run down his spine and looked up at the Heavenly Ranking.

After Ancestor Qianyang ascended to the top of the Heavenly Ranking, the power associated with his name on the Heavenly Ranking grew at an uncontrollable rate and became increasingly corrupted.

That's why he avoided the West.

Normally, once he returns, the Heavenly Ranking would sense it, and his corresponding title would flash. However, judging from the current situation, the Heavenly Ranking seem to be unaware of it.

It seems that over the years, Qianyang has truly integrated Eastern and Western knowledge and gained a great deal from studying the Ark of the Law the Covenant, the most precious treasure of church worship.

"Master!"

Xie Luoxian's face lit up with joy. She rose, descended the jade steps, and bowed with her hands clasped.

Ancestor Qianyang helped her up and said with a smile, "You've always been so filial, but poverty has always brought sorrow, and if the children in the family are incompetent, that is the greatest act of filial impiety."

"This time, sigh, you've also fallen victim to incompetence—"

Xie Luoxian sighed, "Even with the three of us attacking Zongheng, he still managed to kill one of us. We are truly incompetent."

I wasn't referring to that.

Ancestor Qianyang shook his head, "Although your martial arts are inferior to his, you haven't been killed by him yet, so you can't be considered incompetent."

"What I'm saying is, as a Dowager Consort, you have been in charge of the capital for many years and are still sitting in the palace. You must have a way to secretly send out orders and mobilize people from all over the country."

"However, large quantities of inciting and harmful substances are flowing out of the capital, and you have failed to stop it, and it seems you haven't even grasped the gravity of the matter. This is your incompetence."

Xie Luoxian asked in surprise, "I've also noticed that Lan Ziya is secretly controlling the bookstores and the caravans, but such things take three to five years to achieve results. Can Zongheng really make it effective if he does it Zongheng?"

Ancestor Qianyang nodded firmly, turned around and paced back, looking out at the vast world beyond the Golden Palace.

"In the last two or three hundred years, there have been many people practicing martial arts, many engaging in commerce, and the public's intelligence has gradually increased."

"The speed at which popular opinion spreads far surpasses that of ancient times. While it may not be enough to actually incite them to revolt, it could awaken their will much faster than you expect."

Ancestor Qianyang shook his head and said, "Because the Great Xuan has indeed been doing poorly these past few years."

"And their Zongheng across the Jingxiang regions has likely been remarkably successful."

Wan Longsheng asked, puzzled, "But I've noticed that the power gathered in the Golden Palace has indeed been increasing recently."

"Even my reputation Zongheng hasn't surpassed that of you, the Ancestor Qianyang."

Ancestor Qianyang glanced at him.

He knew that Wan Longsheng was also a smart man, but he was particularly incapable of seeing through the concept of victory or defeat.

Having lost to Chu Tianshu once, Wan Longsheng was somewhat unwilling to admit deep down that Chu Tianshu was also superior in other aspects.

Ancestor Qianyang didn't say much, he just flicked his whisk and drew two circles on the ground.

The circle on the left is smaller, and the circle on the right is larger.

A small whirlwind quickly formed in the circle on the left, but it only reached the edge of the circle at its largest.

The circle on the right reacted a little slower. It first created several small whirlwinds, which gradually merged into a huge whirlwind. With the slightest movement, it scattered the wind column in the small circle.

Wan Longsheng's pupils contracted slightly, he closed his eyes, severing the lingering resentment in his mind, and fully regained his senses.

The water in a lake is easy to stir, but if you stir it to the end, it will still just be a lake.

The waters of a vast ocean are difficult to stir, but when they finally give rise to a hurricane, they possess an overwhelming and unstoppable force.

Wan Longsheng opened his eyes. "It seems we should act quickly. Are you confident you can defeat him?"

The old Daoist priest smiled.

"Sometimes, when you reach a certain level, if you are only obsessed with winning and losing, it becomes even harder to succeed."

Ancestor Qianyang, holding his whisk, walked outside.

"I will go find him myself. You all just need to calm your minds, prepare yourselves, and make your move at the most opportune moment later."

The imperial palace and the Duke Yi are not too far apart.

Chu Tianshu sat alone on the seventh floor of the Star Gazing Tower in the Duke's mansion.

There were no stars in the daytime, and he was facing north, so the sunlight shone in from behind him.

The building seemed to conceal countless sparks, which, when exposed to sunlight, would ignite into fist-sized, colorful flames.

Then, like birds flying into the forest, they kept flying towards Chu Tianshu and entered his body.

Stinking Lungs, Thief Swallower, Non-Poison, Filth Removal, Hidden Arrow.

He has already condensed five invisible souls and opened them up into his dantian.

Judging from this, as long as everything goes smoothly, he will not only be able to cultivate the Seven Souls Dantian in this world, Triple Leakless, but he will also have the hope of entering the "Returning Light and Rebirth" realm.

"By then, will the Heavenly Ranking still be able to stop me?"

Full of fighting spirit, Chu Tianshu absorbed and refined the Yanxia energy.

Suddenly, a knock came from outside the Duke's mansion.

The person outside the door raised his hand and knocked three times, and within the hundreds of acres of mansion, the door knockers of every building were knocked three times in response.

Chu Tianshu turned his gaze toward the mansion gate.

"Qianyang?"

The mansion gates opened wide, and a figure walked in, looking up at Chu Tianshu.

"Not Qianyang."

Ancestor Qianyang stepped forward, smiling broadly. His white hair turned black, and his appearance changed. In just a few steps, he became exactly like Chu Tianshu.

"I am the Great Immortal Zongheng, and I have come to pay my respects to you."

Inside the Duke's mansion, Lan Ziya, the Dream-Eating Marquis, and others floated up to the top of the wall to peek out, and happened to see this scene, and were all stunned.

Chu Tianshu stared at the old man who had changed his expression right in front of him, his eyelids twitching.

"Old ghost."

Chu Tianshu said nonchalantly, "You don't think I can't bring myself to hurt my own face, do you?"

"Playing such tricks in battle is utterly beneath us."

The Ancestor Qianyang laughed heartily and said, "This is not a trick, but my true intention. I have decided that even if I defeat you today, I will show this face for the rest of my life and carry on this name."

"I used to use the name Qianyang because there was no one on the Heavenly Ranking worthy of my self-sacrifice. But since you reappeared in the world, I've come to believe that the title ' Great Immortal Zongheng and Vertical' is far more fitting than 'Ancestor Qianyang' —to become a god!"

When he said this, his eyes shone brightly, as if two golden suns were rising again and again.

God! God! God!

There must be a God in this world!

The will of the Ancestor Qianyang expanded outward without reservation, resounding in the ears and hearts of everyone in the Duke's Mansion.

He didn't need to say another word; everyone sensed his intention and understood his deepest, truest thoughts.

Human beings are all pathetic creatures—confused, weak, fickle, and prone to changing their minds constantly.

To make the world a better place, it is impossible to allow them to govern themselves, nor is it possible to govern people by men; only by governing people by God can there be a sliver of hope.

This god can be called the Lord in the West and the Holy Emperor in the East.

Those who steal fame become saints, those who deceive the world become emperors; to become a saint or emperor, one must first deceive the world and steal fame.

Fuxi is considered a sage emperor because he embodied all the inventions and achievements of his ministers, as well as the research results of later generations.

Shennong is considered a sage emperor because he incorporated the achievements of all the previous Flame Emperor and physicians into one.

Why is Xuanyuan called the Holy Emperor? Because he not only stole the title, but also deceived the world, possessed the most powerful military force, and killed all those who disobeyed him.

Even the most stubborn Chiyou was torn apart by five horses and scattered South Sea, demonstrating his cruelty and tyranny.

Unfortunately, in today's world, the West only has the Lamb of God, but no incarnation of God; the East only has descendants of the Holy Queen, but no Holy Emperor living in the world.

Qianyang has always wanted is to deceive the world and steal a reputation, first becoming a holy emperor, and then ruling this great world.

Now, the Great Immortal Zongheng is even more sagacious and wise, igniting a burning passion in the hearts of people all over the world.

Even if Qianyang could kill Chu Tianshu, it would be troublesome to then quell the will of the people.

So he decided to become this Great Immortal Zongheng as well.

"For the sake of bringing peace and order to the world, I do not care what name people will use to remember me in the future."

Qianyang laughed and said, "Your Nine-Syllable Mantra and Sky-Spanning Divine Art don't actually contain any of the principles of the School of Zongheng. Back then, you called yourself a successor of the Zongheng, but you didn't always use your real name. Doesn't that reflect my current feelings in some way?"

The classic view is that the grandfather is like the Sunzi.

Chu Tianshu chuckled and was about to speak.

Qianyang continued, "Back then, you fought in the south and north, discussed the Dao at Poyang Lake, and wanted to change the world. But after thirty years of seclusion, your power and successors have become unrecognizable. What are your thoughts on this?"

Chu Tianshu frowned.

Qianyang said, "Judging from your actions, I know you absolutely disagree with the idea of governing people with gods. But ask yourself honestly, even if you were to return to the martial world now, with unparalleled martial arts skills, if you still leave room for the world and govern it with people, could you truly bring lasting peace and stability to the world?"

Lan Ziya couldn't stand it anymore. "Does that mean we can govern it with gods? I don't think the West is peaceful either."

That's because their gods were once just illusions.

Qianyang gazed into the distance and said with a sigh, "To venerate the Holy Emperor is also the orthodox way of Confucian scholars throughout the ages. It is the most beautiful method of governing the world in their imagination, but they have never been able to realize it."

"Now that we can make it all a reality, doesn't anyone really want to give it a try?"

"If I were also Zongheng, and you were also Zongheng, and we together became the Great Immortal Zongheng, elevating this title higher and higher, ruling over everything, the world would surely be ten times more prosperous, a hundred times more prosperous than it is now."

He was speaking entirely from his own heart.

Coupled with that powerful mental cultivation, his infectiousness is naturally extraordinary.

Even Lan Ziya hesitated after hearing this. In the current situation, is a direct confrontation really better than cooperation?

The Dream-Eating Marquis was even more shaken.

There's no need to fight anymore. With Ancestor Qianyang becoming one of the backers of our own camp, that's definitely a good thing.

I only have one question for you.

Chu Tianshu rubbed his temples and said helplessly, "Have you ever governed a country?"

Qianyang laughed heartily, "Even my disciple is a high-ranking official in the court—"

Chu Tianshu's tone was almost ghostly as he said, "So you made Great Xuan even worse, turning it into this mess?"

Qianyang didn't take it seriously and calmly said, "Those are all strange things—"

"Don't blame this or that."

Chu Tianshu coldly rebuked, then suddenly stood up. "Why should I believe the ideals painted by a fraudster?"

"You simply don't understand how precious it is for a powerful force to adhere to its original aspirations for thirty years."

His eyes flashed with lightning, and anger and murderous intent emanated from him.

"I hate the current Great Xuan, but I will never allow you to disregard the spirit we had back then on Poyang Lake, where everyone used their actions to find a way out!"