Jiang She merely watched Wu Shuangjiang draft the historical records with a detached air, as if an outsider observing a spectacle.

By choosing to let Wu Shuangjiang write the history, Chen Ping’an had voluntarily ceded the “fame” to Wu Shuangjiang.

This “historical record” was far from official history; its content was wilder than even unofficial accounts.

Jiang She shook his head and chuckled, “How did you become the Hidden Official? So timid and afraid of stirring up trouble, afraid of being accused of ‘claiming credit for heaven’s work’? Or are you afraid of accumulating karma, hesitant to become embroiled in the turmoil of the Qingming world?”

Jiang She mused to himself, “Considering this, it’s somewhat understandable. Among position, fame, and reality, the culprit who plunged a world into chaos, Chen Ping’an, who only possesses empty fame, is the one who suffers the most.”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled and said, “I suspect there’s a truly wild history up in the heavens, one where Chen Ping’an of the human world slays Jiang She, usurping his position and fame. Meanwhile, Zhou Mi from beyond the heavens, miscalculating, fails to kill but becomes an ally, offering much assistance?”

Chen Ping’an let out a soft “heh,” but didn’t deny it.

Jiang She was startled. How dirty are the hearts of scholars nowadays!

Wu Shuangjiang said, “Chen Hidden Official, you can name your price now.”

In today’s battle, two natal flying swords were “conjured out of nowhere,” in addition to the four imitation swords he had gifted.

As a sword cultivator, Chen Ping’an would have plenty of swords to refine.

Jiang She suddenly asked, “Aren’t you curious why I gave up… my death throes?”

Chen Ping’an said, “I won’t ask. When we reach the night-voyaging ship, you’ll have to explain yourself anyway. It will be even more embarrassing then, and no one might even listen to a word or two. Wouldn’t that be awkward?”

Jiang She was immediately stumped.

As an elder, I said a few words to you, and you’re already holding a grudge?

Jiang She muttered to himself, “If the three of you were weaker, you’d be dead, defeated, or fleeing. The outcome would be whatever it was meant to be.”

“Similarly, you won cleanly and decisively with your skills, without any lingering issues. I’m in my current state, having lost everything, neither human nor ghost, neither god nor immortal. Of course, I accept this.”

Speaking of this, Jiang She’s spirits lifted. “My only regret is not being able to gauge the truth of Zheng Juzhong’s ‘you die, I live’ in two perfect forms. Other than that, it was a pleasure. Of course, the invisible suppression of various Great Daos was extremely annoying. While I couldn’t recover my peak cultivation, it was also within your calculations. Military stratagems are deceptive, and so it should be.”

“When I emerged from the mountain this time, the grand pronouncements I made earlier were not false; I wasn’t intentionally deceiving a young junior like you. It’s just that I had another path I wanted to take, but only if I knew the first path was blocked. Only after you successfully blocked my path and intercepted me could we have the conversation we’re having now.”

Jiang She glanced at Wu Shuangjiang, then at Jiang Shangzhen, and said, “A great man, encountering such an opportune time, in his position, cannot afford to be swayed by personal affections. It’s not that he’s entirely unconcerned and always hard-hearted. This is far more open and upright than the political machinations in later dynasties or the marital alliances between mountain immortal estates and lowland aristocratic families.”

“Since that’s the case, either I, Jiang, will, with great killing intent, personally turn the first page of a new chapter, or the name Jiang She will write a bloody end to the old chapter. Either old people kill the new, proving that the present is inferior to the past, or new people slay the old…”

Jiang She finally seemed to pronounce his own epitaph, “Victory and defeat, life and death, are all self-inflicted.”

Cui Dongshan nodded.

Without such character and spirit, Jiang She wouldn’t be Jiang She.

Perhaps this is what the old saying means: a tiger remains a tiger even in death.

Jiang Shangzhen sighed.

As expected of the progenitor of the military strategists, his words are imposing. Though his tone is calm, like chatting casually, others are stirred upon hearing them.

If I could apply this to the realm of romance, wouldn’t I be invincible? What fairy or swordswoman could rival that?

Jiang She squinted at Jiang Shangzhen, “You fellow, you really can’t change your ways. I thought highly of you for nothing earlier.”

Jiang Shangzhen looked helpless, “You’re going to keep picking on me, aren’t you?”

“But don’t celebrate too early.”

Jiang She clasped his hands on his knees, “Imagine, if you were one of the gods ruling the ancient heavenly court, seeing those cultivators swarming in, numerous as locusts and dense as ants, what would you feel as a divine being?”

Wu Shuangjiang shook his sleeve, conjuring the scene Jiang She described. Everyone felt as if they were standing before the gates of the ancient heavenly court, looking down at the world.

They saw the creatures on the ground gathered in four directions, beginning their ascent to heaven. Aside from two ascension platforms, countless Daoists were ascending together.

The vast earth below was paved with a brilliant river of stars, even more dazzling than the one in the sky, like the pure Dao heart of the Daoists whose Dao title was “Human World.”

Under the guidance of countless “witches,” high platforms were built and bonfires were lit. This time, however, they were no longer entertaining or sacrificing to the gods, begging for heaven’s charity and forgiveness, but for the sake of all beings in the human world. Fires were lit one after another, ancient languages were spoken in turn, and the fires spread across the land, connecting to form winding fire dragons.

Jiang Shangzhen’s heart swayed, and he murmured, “How could there be so many acts of self-sacrifice in the human world at the same time…?”

Cui Dongshan explained, “Because we didn’t live through those difficult years, and we haven’t experienced the sheer obviousness of having complete autonomy for over ten thousand years. With ten thousand years of human hearts expanding and naturally developing, the ways of the human world have changed, for better or worse. It’s like Bai Jing says about the current Daoists, they don’t truly smile when they smile, and they don’t truly cry when they cry. Her implication is that our Dao hearts have become so complicated that we are no longer ourselves. It’s like Jiang She feels that modern Daoists are far more skilled at calculating human hearts than they were ten thousand years ago, being able to be both so convoluted and precise.”

Speaking only of the battle of Tongye Continent’s sinking, there were certainly elders like Old Heavenly Lord Taiping Shan and Xun Yuan of Yu Gui Sect, as well as “middle-aged” people like Jiang Shangzhen. But the majority of those who sacrificed their lives were young people.

Perhaps the human world of ten thousand years ago was still a simple-minded youth.

Jiang She glanced at Cui Dongshan, who had created several porcelain figures, and smiled, “When humanity was first created, the gods were not without their considerations, so they carefully set up several barriers to prevent these ants from growing too large in the human world, becoming insatiable, and coveting more.”

“For example, the pursuit of immortality and longevity, living as long as heaven and earth.”

“Ants, like dust in the human world, dare to aspire to join the ranks of the gods.”

“To extract the most essence of incense from the human world, making the gods’ pure golden bodies tend towards eternity, while also ensuring that these sources of incense remain obedient, the people on the ground must forever face one thing: the unknown of the ‘Dao’ and the fear of the ‘mind’.”

Heaven’s might is vast, the gods are glorious, unfathomable and elusive.

Under the guidance of the “witches,” the people of the human world prostrated themselves, begging for heaven’s forgiveness, yearning for grace, and seeking to avoid punishment.

Fear arose in their hearts, and they were terrified, daring not to have any thoughts of rebellion.

“Since fear comes from the unknown, knowing brings a sense of normalcy. Subsequently, one will not resign oneself to fate, but instead develop resentment and rebellious thoughts, leading to various attempts to discover the boundaries. This is human nature.”

The human body is the vessel of incense. The suffering of the human heart is the source of piety.

The gods naturally would not allow humanity to find the source of suffering. In the beginning of the human world, on the vast earth, people were busy with survival, private desires, making mistakes, and infighting.

Human nature is a muddy bowl of water. But precisely because it is muddy, it has vitality.

Divinity is a bowl of clear water. Gods and divine positions are merely the bowls holding the water.

When the Mountain Lord of Nanyue, Fan Junmao, a reincarnation of divinity, encountered the sword-wielders descending upon the human world, did she have any thought of resistance at that moment? No, she was willing, offering her neck for execution.

Jiang She said, “Unforeseen natural disasters without warning, various calamities on the earth, the continuous decay of the physical body and various illnesses, the rampant behavior of carnivorous creatures, including the demon race, all instilled in humanity an emotion that, beyond the greatest fear, finally overcame suffering one day.”

Cui Dongshan said, “That’s anger.”

Jiang She smiled, “Mr. Zheng doesn’t seem to possess this emotion of ‘anger’.”

Cui is certainly formidable, very similar to Zheng Juzhong, but Jiang She would never think that the Embroidered Tiger lacked “humanity.”

It is precisely because Jiang She can sense a great, silent anger from Cui.

This immense, silent anger makes Cui like a scorching sun placed in the human world.

It’s just that Cui is too proud; he never deigns to speak of it, never wants to be understood.

Zheng Juzhong is different.

If he didn’t have a clear understanding of the Dao of the Three Sect Ancestors and the Little Master, he would never allow the human world to repeat its mistakes.

Jiang She was almost led to believe that Zheng Juzhong was a manifestation of a part of the Dao of that supreme deity.

Jiang She’s illusion was also reflected to some extent in Yu Dou of White Jade Capital.

Zheng Juzhong’s wisdom, Yu Dou’s rationality.

Whether a god is described as having full human nature is subject to varying opinions.

But to say that a cultivator who cultivates the Dao has no humanity is definitely an insult.

Chen Ping’an said, “Before, or rather beneath, fear, anger, desire, etc., the true underlying color of human nature is probably hunger.”

Zheng Juzhong nodded gently.

“To prevent our transgression, from becoming increasingly ‘non-human gods,’ the ancient deities set up several barriers.”

Jiang She said, “First, at the beginning of human birth, there is the human nature of seeking survival, but also a hidden innate desire for death. There’s no need to delve into details; it’s evident everywhere in the human world. Indulging in various desires without restraint, gluttony, excessive indulgence in sexual pleasure, seeking without limit, and many similar behaviors, without preserving one’s spirit, exhausting one’s mental energy. The rampant seven emotions and six desires are no less than a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, tormenting human lifespan. The hidden desire for death in human nature can limit the height of the human world.”

Cui Dongshan said, “Those who cultivate the Dao emphasize purity of heart and few desires, staying away from the mundane world, not getting involved in worldly affairs, seeking their original appearance, recognizing their true selves, seeking inward, and heading towards the heavens. In short, cultivating the Dao is going against human nature. ‘Those who cultivate the Dao are already not human,’ hits the nail on the head. But it’s the best answer to this colossal problem.”

“Second, the physical body that ‘lives to die’ determines the length of human lifespan. A short human lifespan and a fragile body make it controllable, with fewer possibilities.”

“But if humanity is too weak, easily becoming food for the demons on the ground, it will lead to scarce incense, and the existence of humanity will become meaningless. For the gods, this is a significant paradox. Therefore, martial arts were actually given to the human world earlier than magical techniques. But the Golden Body Realm is a bottleneck; nothing more will be given to humanity.”

Above the Martial Arts Golden Body Realm is the Far Roaming Realm, where the human body can “ascend” by controlling the wind like a bird.

Because humanity controlling the wind and leaving the ground without permission was considered a transgression by the gods.

Jiang Shangzhen asked curiously, “Why did the gods, who never make mistakes, change their minds?”

If humanity had always been limited by limited martial arts, without magical techniques, how could there have been the later ascension to heaven?

Cui Dongshan said, “Doesn’t Chief Zhou have a blessed land of Cloud Cave that generates wealth?”

Jiang Shangzhen asked doubtfully, “Yes, but how is that related to my question?”

Zheng Juzhong explained in more detail, “When you have a blessed land of lower rank, you want to elevate it to a middle-grade blessed land. When it becomes a middle-grade blessed land, you want to become a top-grade one. With a top-grade blessed land, you want to connect it with Grotto-heaven blessed lands, forming a pattern where heaven and earth meet. Then you want to create a small thousand world with complete Great Dao and self-circulation. Finally, you want three thousand small thousand worlds to achieve a Great Thousand World.”

Wu Shuangjiang added, “To take a step back, even if you don’t want to gain more, there will be others around you who hope to make it happen.”

Jiang She continued, “Third, the ancient heavenly court would not sit idly by. If humanity occasionally reached prominence as an exception, the Heavenly Dao and the gods would reach out to suppress it.”

“Just like the reincarnation of cultivators in later generations and the change of dynasties, it’s a manifestation of ‘Heaven’s displeasure,’ used to usher in the new and send off the old. Ten thousand years ago, the Three Sect Ancestors and their group of Daoists ultimately couldn’t completely replace the old Dao with the new. They retained and inherited many ‘orthodoxies,’ hoping to continuously improve and correct after gaining ‘autonomy,’ and thus there was…”

Wu Shuangjiang smiled, “The riverside deliberation, the ten-thousand-year agreement led by the Dao Ancestor.”

“Let’s see if a subtle balance can be formed between complicated human nature, pure divinity, and equally pure beast nature in the few worlds, including the Savage Lands.”

“Let’s see if a more powerful ‘second wave of Daoists’ can emerge after ten thousand years of rest and recuperation in the human world.”

Zhou Mi felt that the Three Sect Ancestors had failed, a complete failure.

Wu Shuangjiang suddenly asked, “What does Ancestor Jiang think?”

Jiang She smiled, “Not good, not bad, just passable.”

“On the one hand, it allows the slightly larger ants on the ground to remain just large grasshoppers.”

“On the other hand, if this ant becomes refined and luckily flies to the azure sky, it can fill the increasingly numerous divine positions in the ancient heavenly court.”

“So initially, the two ascension platforms were just for the ‘world,’ but they gained a new purpose, also used to guide earthly immortals to achieve divine positions.”

Jiang She’s use of the word “world” here is as a verb.

A kind of balance.

The ascension platform was originally a shortcut for gods to descend to the earth, but it became the only path for intelligent beings to cultivate and become gods. Ascending the ascension platform was a gamble. Those who failed, who didn’t reach the peak, completely perished, turning into ashes, falling back to dust, returning to the land. Those who succeeded were ultimately very few.

Old Man Yang of Yang’s Pharmacy, who became one of the twelve high-ranking deities, Azure Child Heavenly Monarch, was the first human to reach the Ascension Realm in the human world.

Therefore, he is also known as the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals and holds goodwill towards humanity.

But most ancient Daoists were still unwilling to step onto the ascension platform. As a result, the ascent to heaven was obstructed, and Daoists were forced to develop horizontally, like water overflowing to the surroundings, resulting in more and more Daoist temples and blessed lands, like a thicket of thorns with sword tips pointing to the sky. One by one, Daoists exhausted their efforts, imitating divine abilities and researching more techniques. More and more cities with ordinary people gathered, although somewhat rough, they were full of vitality.

Daoists occupied grotto-heavens and absorbed spiritual energy, but since there was always a day when their lifespan would reach its limit, they began to seek the inheritance of their Daoist lineages, accepting disciples who were not blood relatives, thus branching out and meticulously recording their magical techniques and divine abilities, allowing their “Dao” to be passed down, like extending their lives in another way.

The city walls grew higher and higher, and more and more people lived inside the cities, giving rise to the prototypes of later rules, etiquette, laws, and village agreements.

Boundaries crisscrossed the human world. With the unspoken “morality,” good and evil naturally emerged.

Having donned clothes warm enough to ward off the cold, they began to pursue beauty, grandeur, and goodness unrelated to survival.

Compared to the almost eternal and immortal gods, the human beings on earth seemed to have short lifespans, existing and dying almost simultaneously. Their wavering Dao hearts, their sense of insignificance and nothingness compared to the vast heaven and earth, and the emergence and development of language and writing all led to increasing levels of hunger and fatigue within the human heart.

“Then the fourth barrier appeared. Humanity first honed their bodies, strengthening their physical forms, then practiced magical techniques. If lifespan could be extended and human nature could be refined, their existence would become increasingly similar to that of the gods. Chen Ping’an’s so-called ‘hunger’ was infinitely magnified. In the beginning, humans killed demons for survival, and humans killed humans. The struggles and killings among ancient Daoists were to become alternative gods in the human world faster, earlier, and higher. There were bottlenecks at each level, and most importantly, the inner demons that surfaced along with them became the shadows of the Daoists.”

“However, the emergence of the first Daoist in the human world was one of the biggest variables.”

“It was he who taught the Daoists that the Dao could be cultivated in this way, and the path could be walked in this manner. There was no need for a life-and-death struggle, no need to walk that narrow plank.”

“In the beginning, his preaching was not obvious, but as time went by, more and more Daoists felt that he was right.”

“Finally, fifth, it was still the total number of humans. Without this foundation, would you still dare to aspire to ascend to heaven and compete with those gods? Do you think the population in the current worlds, even if dense, is numerous?”

Jiang She scoffed, “Compared to the complete human world of ancient times, the current scale of living beings is practically on the verge of extinction.”

Incense flourished, growing more and more, and the ancient heavenly court saw the emergence of a large number of new gods. For example, those in charge of marriage, responsible for life and death, in control of ghosts, and so on. The more gods in the heavenly court, the more refined incense was needed. In the human world’s view, the stars in the sky, both visible and hidden, were like lamps, shining brightly throughout the ages. In addition to being the countless remains of gods, they were also considered the natal stars of “candidate gods,” human beings. The star-pulling technique developed by later cultivators. Beyond the ancestral land, every star in the sky is a human’s natal star. It’s just that the cultivator who created this Daoist technique in later generations wasn’t even sure of this himself.

“Otherwise, how do you think we ascended to heaven back then? And how many years, decades, do you think that war lasted?”

“In the battle of ascension, every Daoist who left the ground was, at that moment, a truly ‘self,’ a new, incredibly powerful god, solely because each of us bore the immeasurable, flourishing incense of the human world!”

“All cultivators of the Dao are ascended gods. That was truly a world-shattering event.”

Speaking of this, Jiang She looked at Zheng Juzhong and the others, “How much refined incense can the current mountain and water spirits in a place, occupying temples, consume?”

Jiang Shangzhen whispered, “What is ‘ancestral land’?”

Unfortunately, no one answered this question.

Assuming the Age of Dharma Decline would definitely arrive, and spiritual energy would cease to exist, and magical techniques would disappear, Zheng Juzhong and Cui found two alternative paths. One sought outwards, and the other sought inwards. For example, gathering a group of like-minded great cultivators, striving forward, jointly ascending beyond the heavens into the vast, boundless void, gathering spiritual energy, searching for the remains of gods, and creating “enclaves” similar to a certain world, suitable for ordinary people to inhabit, thus reproducing and extending different… civilizations.

One seeks inwards, the human body as a small world, changing a certain state of existence, pursuing another boundless territory. Or creating a rough existence that can be understood and seen with the naked eye to solve the “pressing need,” such as porcelain figures!

When discussing matters with someone like Zheng Juzhong, empty talk and grand principles, no matter how beautifully you speak, no matter how rigorous your thinking, are still meaningless. That’s why Zheng Juzhong asked Cui for a ready-made example at the time. Cui said that in his hometown of Bottle Gourd Continent, in the Pearl Grotto-heaven, there was a porcelain mountain that could be tried first.

“Back then, you were the first to break the Golden Body Realm bottleneck, allowing pure martial artists to travel far across the land. That was a great taboo, and it had already attracted the attention of the gods. But other than you, all martial artists who reached the Far Roaming Realm were completely killed, not a single one escaped. Was it because you had the protection of a certain supreme being, the Armored One?”

Jiang She tilted his chin towards the sky. For her, such secrets were trivial matters. Why bother seeking them far away?

Jiang She pointed to his head, “Do you think the grand trends of the human world are all ‘calculated’ and ‘carefully planned’? Wrong, completely wrong.”

Jiang Shangzhen deeply agreed, nodding repeatedly. In any case, he was hinting at smart people like Mountain Lord Chen and Mr. Zheng.

Jiang She raised his hand and clenched his fist tightly, “It’s all about situations and circumstances forcefully created by brute strength. Who isn’t groping in the dark, seeing where tomorrow lies? Whether we can even survive today is debatable.”

Jiang She pointed to his chest, “Daoists and gods are similar and different; the true natal essence is here.”

Jiang Shangzhen was filled with emotion. Ancestor Jiang’s words resonated deeply with him, truly hitting the mark.

Cui Dongshan cursed with a smile, “Just a few words and you’re already worked up. If Chief Zhou had lived ten thousand years ago, he’d be one of those people who starved to death while eating cakes.”

Wu Shuangjiang said, “Not entirely.”

Jiang She scoffed, “Oh?”

Wu Shuangjiang said, “Assuming the general trend is such that at a certain time and place, a hero who achieves great deeds will definitely appear, then whether ‘someone’ is me cannot be determined by gambling alone.”

Jiang She said indifferently, “That’s because you lucky ones have never truly despaired.”

Jiang She added a sarcastic remark out of nowhere, “Naming things, you’re still a bit lacking.”

The three levels of the Martial Arts Apex: Flourishing Qi, Returning to Truth, and Divine Arrival. All were named by Jiang She.

In those temples and Daoist monasteries, ordinary people light three sticks of incense, and their sincerity can connect with the divine.

Yet they don’t know that the human body is a temple, where anyone can light a stick of heart incense.

Why is there the prefix “pure” for martial artists?

A martial artist’s physical body becomes divine, their body and world are their temple, only because that wisp of pure true qi is incense!

The presence or absence of pure true qi is the key to becoming a martial artist. The thickness, strength, and length of a breath of pure true qi are the basis for the breadth of martial arts foundation and the height of achievement. How could a martial artist not value it as much as their life?

Which cultivator’s nature and Dao heart will not be gradually affected and influenced by their natal objects?

For example, the two natal flying swords to Lu Zhi. And the water dragon Charcoal Snow to Gu Can.

Jiang She said, “Pure martial artists, why are they least afraid of karmic entanglement? Countless military generals have seized power and usurped the throne. Do cultivators dare to wantonly kill emperors and monarchs, the yellow and purple-robed officials who carry the literary fortune of a dynasty? In the end, they only become national teachers, protecting Daoist masters, or royal consorts of a certain surname. These immortals, if they slightly transgress, face calamity. Martial artists dare to take and chop off the head of the old emperor. Just look at the lineage of the Avengers; how many women have twisted the necks of rulers, stabbed swords into the hearts of so-called supreme beings, and which of them didn’t have a martial arts foundation?”

The higher the martial arts in the human world, the purer the incense, the more it connects with the divine.

The more martial artists above the Golden Body Realm, the denser the incense rising from the ground to the heavens.

Do you think the culprits behind the collapse of the Heavenly Dao were just that struggle between water and fire?

The sword-wielders and the armored ones parted ways even earlier.

“That earth-shattering struggle between water and fire was just a ‘necessary’ outcome formed by countless ‘accidents’.”

The real source lies in the armored ones, in the sword-wielders. And even more so in that existence.

“Since the struggle for the Great Dao began, everyone wanted to restore the original order. Otherwise, do you think they were out of their minds?”

The remains of countless gods created the stars embedded in the “Dao.” The shattered golden bodies formed the so-called River of Time in later generations.

Humans settled by water, and ancient Daoists also “drank” from that River of Time, becoming cultivators. Magical techniques and divine abilities began to be described differently. Divine abilities could only be bestowed by Heaven, but magical techniques were sought by oneself. Daoists who possessed both divine abilities and magical techniques began to kill gods, causing more gods with “divine abilities” to fall to the human world, evolving into more magical techniques.

But with Daoists, who learned the methods of ascending mountains and began to abandon the seven emotions and six desires of human nature, inner demons appeared, like shadows, “chasing” the Daoists.

They were like drowned ghosts, trying to drag people into the water.

That’s why the mischievous acts of outer demons are referred to as “water disasters.”

Military cultivators, being relatively furthest from the River of Time, and protected by the merit of their progenitor Jiang She for being the “first to slay a god” and “creating heaven and earth,” were able to, like pure sword cultivators, be least afraid of the suppression of the “new Great Dao of the human world.”

Cui Dongshan said, “According to the earliest agreements and alliances, military strategists and sword cultivators could each occupy a world. Jiang She, relying on that unparalleled achievement, could even establish a sect and be called an ancestor. It was Jiang She, in alliance with some sword cultivators, who wanted to take control of the heavenly court ruins, which led to that internal strife.”

It was Cui Dongshan who spoke, but Jiang She looked at Chen Ping’an and sneered, “It sounds very fair, couldn’t be fairer. But you’re about to become the Great Li National Master, how could you not know the traps within?”

“First, establishing a sect and being called an ancestor is the least free. The slightest stir in one’s Dao heart will accelerate the process of Daoizing the heaven and earth.”

“Second, if military strategists occupy the entire world, will there still be wars? If there are wars, countries will slaughter each other, causing immense suffering, cries of lamentation, and people unable to live in peace. How would such a world be different from the past? If there are no wars? Then damn it, can you still call yourselves military strategists? To take a step back, even if military strategists changed their appearance, you’re afraid of comparison. Human hearts are afraid of comparison…”

Jiang Shangzhen couldn’t help but interject, “Yes, we can have wars, why not? The senior only needs to manipulate the situation in the world from behind the scenes, cultivating a group of puppets to sit on the dragon throne and be emperors. While this country rests and recuperates, that country will engage in major conflicts. Some will strengthen their military preparations, accumulate strength, while others will provoke border disputes. Or maintain overall stability, and every two or three hundred years, let dozens or even over a hundred countries fight a big battle. Isn’t that also a kind of division followed by unity, and unity followed by division?”

“Or, we can be even more ruthless.”

“Fight until the entire world is fragmented, with no other living beings surviving. As the only remaining existence, wouldn’t one be able to seize the opportunity to attain the Dao and become the first sixteenth-realm cultivator in the new human world?”

“The most ruthless approach is not to have wars in one’s own world, but to choose a world as a hypothetical enemy and fight until the Great Daos of both worlds collapse. Perhaps the opportunity is greater? The Great Ancestor of the Savage Lands attacking Haoran ultimately couldn’t significantly improve his Dao power during the great war, but Jiang She can. He’s more White Ze than White Ze.”

Silence.

No one spoke.

Jiang Shangzhen cautiously said, “Was I being naive?”

“You young fellow, you really dare to think!”

Jiang She suddenly burst into hearty laughter, “Just as I said, you’re smart, what’s your Dao title again? I’ll remember it.”

Jiang Shangzhen said with a grin, “This junior’s Dao title is Yuanshen, and my ancestor is called Jiang Shangzhen.”

Jiang She glared, “Go play in the mud somewhere else.”

Jiang Shangzhen grumbled, “Getting angry again.”

Jiang She’s expression was dazed, recalling an old friend, “Someone once suggested the same thing.”

But Jiang She didn’t accept it.

Manipulating a world, playing with human hearts, supporting puppets? How would he, Jiang She, be different from those high and mighty gods?

Chen Ping’an hesitated to speak.

Earlier at the Demon Suppressing Tower, the Sage Confucius himself mentioned something, saying he had “just figured it out.”

If Chen Ping’an had chosen to ignore everything back then and allied with the visible sword cultivators and the hidden Zheng Juzhong and Wu Shuangjiang to surround and kill Lu Chen near the Sword Qi Great Wall ruins, then regardless of the outcome, the progenitor of the military strategists might not have appeared, or at least someone else would have taken the position.

Zheng Juzhong and Wu Shuangjiang’s ambition for the position of the new military strategist progenitor was long premeditated, involving the future grand trends of the Qingming world. Was the Dao Ancestor unwilling to interfere? Even if the Dao Ancestor knew, he might have simply felt it was better to let nature take its course. But was White Jade Capital completely unaware, without noticing a single clue from beginning to end?

Zheng Juzhong joked, “Being a thief is always easier than preventing one.”

Earlier at the Demon Suppressing Tower, Chen Ping’an had suspected that Zheng Juzhong’s third clone had long been in the Qingming world, plotting something big, seeking the identity of the progenitor of the military strategists in the new human world. At that time, the Sage Confucius only gave a vague answer of “hard to say.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Don’t overestimate the extensive divine abilities of the fifteenth realm. Those close to the Dao still have their limitations after all. Jiang She’s statement that Dao attainers who establish sects and become ancestors are not free hits the mark. Moreover, at their level, the importance, urgency, and significance of human affairs that they perceive are also different.”

The whereabouts of a night-voyaging ship on the sea is a good example.

Finding a needle in a haystack is naturally as difficult as ascending to heaven. Catching a particular fish in your own pond is not easy either.

Haven’t Zhou Mi’s hidden arrangements only been discovered one by one until now?

Chen Ping’an whispered, “I always feel that something isn’t right.”

Zheng Juzhong said with a telepathic voice, “Because you’ve overlooked Lin Jiangxian, or more precisely, you haven’t overlooked him, but you’ve underestimated the role of the last sacrificial official of the Sword Qi Great Wall.”

On a certain booklet in White Jade Capital, the Dao Ancestor and his three disciples each wrote down names, totaling less than ten Daoists.

For example, the name written by the Dao Ancestor was Lin Jiangxian. Yu Dou wrote the name of that female sword immortal, Baolin. Lu Chen wrote the name of the Real Man of White Bones.

Upon completing his ten-thousand-year sentence, Jiang She, as the progenitor of the military strategists, emerged from the Flaming Star, returning to the human world.

For the new and old four worlds, Jiang She’s choice would have immeasurably far-reaching effects.

For example, the Haoran Martial Temple replacing the ancestral portrait and actively welcoming Jiang She back to the ancestral shrine to receive incense is one possibility.

Another possibility is Jiang She forming an alliance with Yu Dou and White Jade Capital, or Jiang She being unwilling to be under others’ command and collaborating with Feiran in the Savage Lands.

Or Jiang She might be willing to wait patiently for another few decades for the new Five-Colored World that is opening again.

The Sword Qi Great Wall has been secretly intercepting martial energy, silently gathering it within one person, the last sacrificial official of the Sword Qi Great Wall, Yan Guo. About three hundred years ago, he went ahead, leaving the Sword Qi Great Wall for the Pearl Grotto-heaven in Bottle Gourd Continent, changing his name to Xie Xinen and becoming a disciple of Old Man Yang. He eventually went to the Qingming world, now Lin Jiangxian of Ya Mountain in Ruzhou. Not long ago, the old刑官豪素 also entered the Divine Firmament City of White Jade Capital. Who are they waiting for? Of course, they are patiently waiting for the last Hidden Official, and Chen Ping’an just happened to become this last Hidden Official.

Zheng Juzhong said, “Lin Jiangxian and Xie Shiji reaching the eleventh realm of martial arts almost simultaneously also largely affected Jiang She’s strength. Otherwise, Wu Shuangjiang wouldn’t have only suffered the collapse of his Great Dao and died once.”

In this battle, if we don’t talk about the “sharing of spoils” afterwards, Wu Shuangjiang suffered the most damage to his Great Dao, paying the same price as when he sought Dao in White Jade Capital.

Chen Ping’an also paid a considerable price.

As for the real price, perhaps it was that Ning Yao was present, and Chen Ping’an didn’t feel comfortable saying too much.

What was shattered into chaos was not just those natal objects, but also humanity and divinity.

One was relatively free, the other completely unfree. Regardless, they had to force a smile and act relaxed. After all, they would soon be going to the night-voyaging ship outside.

It’s not to say there wasn’t any benefit to the Great Dao. The essence of finding joy in suffering is nothing more than three words: look long-term.

Zheng Juzhong said, “You can ask Yan Guo about these more detailed matters face to face later.”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Seeing that Jiang She no longer had the mood for idle chat, Wu Shuangjiang reminded him, “We can talk about business now.”

Chen Ping’an began to state his “price.”

“First, a ready-to-use spiritual book of secrets that can also benefit an ascension to Dao, not just providing help in dire straits, but adding icing on the cake.”

“Second, that Sleeping Dragon Terrace. Third, give me at least two spiritual energy rivers.”

“Fourth, five hundred Golden Essence Copper Coins. I can have Xiao Mo go get them.”

Wu Shuangjiang chuckled and asked, “That’s it? What about the fifth and sixth?”

Chen Ping’an said, “Palace Master Wu, don’t be impatient. It’s a bit difficult for me to speak right now. Let me recover.”

Cui Dongshan telepathically said, “Sir, I heard that the Palace of End of Year has a secret immortal weapon that is truly priceless.”

Jiang Shangzhen didn’t want to be left behind, “Mountain Lord, don’t think that divine money is beneath you. Ask for ten or twenty thousand Valley Rain Coins, borrowing them is fine too.”

Zheng Juzhong smiled at Jiang She, “Senior, how about we go to another place to relax?”

Jiang She stood up and said, “That suits me well. This place is smoky and filled with the stench of copper.”

Jiang She casually asked, “What are your plans next, Mr. Zheng?”

Zheng Juzhong said, “One will travel outside the heavens, following the old path of the Dao Ancestor, to see the true Great Thousand World. Perhaps I will also find a few small thousand worlds along the way to verify some long-standing questions, such as whether the scale of time truly exists. Why can the ancestral land be called the ancestral land? How do the thoughts and ideas of ordinary people here, and those of the insane and cultivators, manifest differently outside the heavens? In addition, one will remain in White Emperor City in seclusion to seek the Dao, and another will go to the Qingming world to wade through the muddy waters.”

Jiang She stretched, shook his head, clearly not interested in Zheng Juzhong’s words, and smiled, “Then I wish you all success.”

Zheng Juzhong said, “Thank you for that.”

Jiang She was more curious about one thing, “You and that Embroidered Tiger just look alike, but you’re not truly kindred spirits. Why are you willing to single him out for special regard?”

Zheng Juzhong was silent for a moment, then gave an answer, “Talking to Cui isn’t tiring.”

The path of martial arts.

Upon Jiang She’s death, a general amnesty was declared throughout the world.

I remember Cui once said.

The best writing in the human world, regardless of length, regardless of literary brilliance or simplicity, is ultimately an allegory.

It can summarize history and predict the future.

Remembering the black-clothed youth holding a white chess piece in the chess game at White Emperor City back then, Zheng Juzhong actually felt a little melancholy.

Inside White Emperor City, after discussing the deal, Chen Ping’an asked if he could take a nap for a moment.

Lying on the ground, he fell fast asleep.

Wu Shuangjiang, Cui Dongshan, and Jiang Shangzhen all left, leaving only Ning Yao sitting beside him.

In the Qingming world, in a small Daoist temple in Ruzhou, the lamp flickered on the table. The old man had already narrated the story, which was nearing its end, in reverse order, back to his childhood.

When he was a child, he helped with irrigating the rice fields late at night. The dark and thin child lay alone on the ground, his hands serving as a pillow, chewing on licorice, with one leg crossed over the other, gently swaying a straw shoe, staring blankly at the starry sky.

Carefully hidden in his heart.

Like an orphan without money, he stole the entire starry sky with his eyes.