Has Su Daji's Storyline Begun?

Starting today, he would turn over a new leaf.

He would correct his past neglect of government, his indolence, and all his other faults, and invite all living beings under heaven to hold him accountable.

He resolved to establish a heart for heaven and earth.

To secure the fate of the people.

To carry on the lost teachings of the ancient sages.

To open an age of peace for all generations to come.

The edict of self-reproach personally written by Ye Xuan spread far and wide.

By now, a great many of the lords had received the Human Emperor's edict of self-reproach, and it had spread widely among the common people as well.

For a time, the lords were all filled with indescribable astonishment.

Just as they were marveling at the Human Emperor's change,

Another piece of news spread through Yin Shang at tremendous speed.

Huang Feihu had actually appeared on the lands of Yin Shang at the head of a wondrous cavalry force.

This cavalry force consisted of two parts. One was the well-known elite cavalry of Chaoge.

The other consisted of more than ten thousand giant elephant riders, the likes of which no one had ever heard of or seen before.

Like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, this cavalry force gave the lords a tremendous shock.

The mammoths themselves were enormous monsters, standing three to four meters tall and measuring six to seven meters long.

They were beings somewhere between ferocious beasts and demonic beasts.

Paired with relatively powerful Human Clan Qi-refining warriors,

They were truly boundlessly powerful and overbearing.

They crossed mountains and hills as though walking on level ground.

Everything before them was like grass, destined to be utterly destroyed with the force of rotten wood being smashed apart.

Such a mighty force had suddenly appeared within Yin Shang.

Naturally, it gave all the lords a great shock.

In particular, this mighty force swept through Yin Shang as it went.

Bandits, mountain raiders, and armed forces lurking in the shadows were all swept away wherever it went.

Wherever the giant elephant cavalry passed, all forces operating in the gray were cleared away like wind sweeping away the last clouds.

This wondrous army protected the peace of the people in every place it went, while also intimidating the various lords.

At this moment, all the lords sensed that something unusual was afoot.

The reigning Human Emperor's style of handling affairs seemed to have changed abruptly. This iron-blooded style was truly difficult to get used to.

For a time, the lords all treaded on thin ice. After all, none of them wanted to be the bird that stuck its head out.

Meanwhile, Ye Xuan sat somewhat languidly in the Nine-Roomed Hall of Chaoge.

Holding court so early really was hard for him to get used to.

"My ministers, present your reports if you have any. If not, let us dismiss court!"

Ye Xuan was eager to get back to sleep.

Just then, someone suddenly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, Human Emperor, your minister has a matter to report!"

Ye Xuan hesitated when he saw the figure below.

The fellow below was Fei Zhong.

He was one of Yin Shang's notorious treacherous ministers. It was this very fellow who, after seeing Di Xin become infatuated with Nuwa's stone statue,

Proposed a beauty selection to gather beautiful women from all over the realm for the Human Emperor's carnal pleasure.

Although the proposal was stopped by many ministers, the fellow then suggested that Di Xin take Su Hu's daughter, Su Daji, into his household.

That was what led to the drama of Nine-Tails throwing the world into chaos and wreaking havoc in Yin Shang's imperial palace.

Now that this fellow had stepped forward with a report, could it be about that very matter?

Was Nine-Tails' storyline really about to begin?

"Speak!"

Ye Xuan suppressed the urge to kill him and spoke indifferently.

"Your Majesty, this humble minister has heard that Su Daji, daughter of the Marquis of Jizhou, Su Hu, possesses a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms, with looks no less than those of the Holy Mother herself."

"There are even rumors that she is the most beautiful woman among the Human Clan. Your Majesty, why not take Su Hu's daughter Su Daji into the palace and add another brick and tile to the harem? Would that not be a match made by heaven?"

Hearing this, Ye Xuan's heart turned cold.

Was it really the storyline of Nine-Tails and Su Daji?

Originally, Di Xin had offended Nuwa with a poem, and only then had Nuwa sent Nine-Tails to throw Yin Shang's realm into chaos.

But now he had already settled his karmic ties with Nuwa and repaired their relationship. By rights, the storyline in which Nuwa sent Nine-Tails to wreak havoc in the harem should no longer happen.

So why had this matter come up once again?

Could it be that Nuwa still wanted to bring disaster upon him, the Human Emperor?

Or was it because Di Xin and Su Daji were fated to meet, and he still could not escape this karmic tie?

Ye Xuan turned his gaze to the other ministers.

Yet he found that not a single one of them stepped forward to object.

Ye Xuan was taken aback. What was going on?

Weren't these fellows supposed to jump out in opposition and persuade the Human Emperor not to indulge in women?

Why wasn't anyone objecting now?

The way this storyline was unfolding seemed a little off.

In truth, Ye Xuan also wanted to see Su Daji, the woman who had thrown Yin Shang's realm into chaos and was famous throughout history.

But when he thought of how this woman would later be possessed by a fox demon, Ye Xuan lost some of his interest.

Just as Ye Xuan was considering how to deal with this storyline,

He suddenly remembered that there was another formidable figure in Jizhou.

Thinking of that man, Ye Xuan instantly regained his interest.

Under Su Hu of Jizhou, there was a fellow named Zheng Lun.

That fellow was no ordinary man. He was a disciple of Du'e Zhenren of Kunlun.

He was a fellow disciple of Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing and General Heng of the famous Heng and Ha.

Having received Du'e Zhenren of Kunlun's true teachings, he had cultivated two streams of Qi in his nostrils. When he encountered an enemy, a snort from his nose rang like a great bell and sent out two beams of white light.

Not only could it shake others until their hearts and courage shattered, it could also draw out their souls. Zheng Lun had defeated many opponents with this ultimate move.

If nothing unexpected happened, Zheng Lun was probably the one who would take the disaster of the Investiture of the Gods in True Person Du'e's place.

Thinking of this, Ye Xuan became interested.

The Kalpa of the Investiture of the Gods actually had many purposes!

First, the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun wanted to abolish the Human Emperor's exalted status of nine and nine and demote him to the supreme status of nine and five, completely stripping the Human Emperor of control over the Human Clan's fate, so that they could take it for the Heavenly Dao's use.

Second, after abolishing the Human Clan's fate, Hongjun could use the opportunity to scatter the will of all living beings, making it easier for the Heavenly Dao to devour the Human Dao.

The Great Dao Repository was boundless, but it could be broadly divided into the Heavenly Dao Repository, the Human Dao Repository, and the Earthly Dao Repository.

In ancient times, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had merged with the Heavenly Dao, ultimately forcing the Great Dao into seclusion and allowing the Heavenly Dao to flourish and stand above the Primordial World.

Sensing the pressure, the Earthly Dao Repository ultimately chose to merge with Houtu to protect itself.

The will of the Human Dao Repository had actually intended something similar, and the most promising candidates to merge with it were the Human Emperors of successive generations.

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao had placed shackles on every Human Emperor, leaving them unable to cultivate.

The Human Dao had never found a suitable candidate to merge with, and thus it was the most chaotic of the three Daos.

The Heavenly Dao also hoped to use this Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods to devour the will of the Human Dao Repository.

As for the third purpose of the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods,

It was the struggle between Dao lineages. The Heavenly Dao hoped to use the Kalpa of the Investiture of the Gods to build a core force for Haotian Shangdi within the Heavenly Dao's ranks.

All who fell during the kalpa would be placed on the list and ultimately become members of the Heavenly Court, taking orders from heaven!

Faced with the great tribulation, the Chan Sect and the Interception Sect had devised different solutions.

Sect Master Tongtian of the Interception Sect ordered his disciples to remain within their immortal abodes and quietly recite the Huangting scripture until the great tribulation ended, hoping they could avoid it.

The facts proved that Sect Master Tongtian's method was wrong.

The Chan Sect, on the other hand, took a different path, sending its disciples down the mountain in advance to find third-generation disciples who could face the tribulation of death in their place.

General Heng Zheng Lun and Pagoda-Bearing Li Jing were both disciples of Du'e Zhenren. They were presumably the ones meant to face the tribulation in True Person Du'e's place.

If he could bring General Heng Zheng Lun under his command ahead of time, wouldn't that ruin Du'e Zhenren's grand plan to have someone bear the disaster for him?

At that thought, Ye Xuan's heart grew fervent.

He immediately decided to make a trip to Jizhou himself.

Not only could he see what Su Daji, who had brought disaster upon all living beings, looked like,

He could also bring General Heng Zheng Lun under his command ahead of time.

He could also take the opportunity to see whether Su Hu, who had vowed never to submit to Shang, truly intended to rebel.

Three birds with one arrow.

Having made up his mind, Ye Xuan spoke.

"I have my own plans for this matter. Fei Zhong, there is no need for you to say more."

Hearing this, Fei Zhong's face twitched despite himself. He wanted to say something, but ultimately held back.

The Human Emperor had now made up his mind: once court was dismissed, he would immediately assume the identity of Wuming and go to Jizhou in person.

He chose to assume Wuming's identity because his exalted status as Human Emperor made it rather inconvenient to act.

It also made certain sneaky dealings inconvenient.

On the other hand, he also needed to use Wuming's identity to keep the Human Emperor's cultivation a secret.

Otherwise, once the fact that the Human Emperor was cultivating came to light, never mind those Sages-

Even the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun would probably be unable to sit still.

If it really came to that, the consequences would be unthinkable.