A great battle ensued, turning the sky and the earth upside down.

Wu Wang sat in the position that Xiao Jian Daoist had previously occupied. He watched the empty long table before him as immortal soldiers carried away the corpses, preparing to cremate them and give them a grand burial as per Wu Wang's orders.

They were the brave warriors of their respective tribes and kingdoms, deserving such treatment.

Regrettably, they had always seen the problem as too simple and underestimated the means and ruthlessness of Heaven Palace.

"Sigh..."

Wu Wang took out a wine cup, poured a little clear liquid, raised the cup towards the long table, and drank it all in one gulp.

Several figures descended from the sky and hurried to Wu Wang's side, each saluting with a cupped fist.

"Report! The battle ahead has concluded. Our division fought at a disadvantage, managing to eliminate only Evil God Gu Diao and Evil God Zhu Yan! Qiong Qi, Kui Ox, and Ming She have all fled with severe injuries."

Wu Wang put down his wine cup and frowned. "Didn't we agree to launch a fierce attack on Qiong Qi? How did it escape?"

"Hall Master, we were indeed on the verge of killing Qiong Qi."

A commander sighed. "But this Qiong Qi is truly too cunning. It abandoned a pair of wings, two hooves, and a long tail, transforming them into a divine skill to assault our spiritual minds. Its mangled body then escaped through the breach in the great formation created by Ming She..."

"Perhaps it's simply not its time to be vanquished."

Wu Wang said, "You've all worked hard. Please ensure the affairs of the fallen are well taken care of."

"Yes!"

The men bowed their heads to accept the orders and hurriedly departed.

Wu Wang pondered his brief conversation with the Head Manager; the words 'Dao of Longevity' particularly excited him.

This was almost certainly the Head Manager's Achilles' heel.

Once struck, even if it didn't kill the Head Manager outright, it would cause turbulence in the Lifespan Dao.

Due to the Head Manager's wanton actions, Heaven Palace constantly stirred up trouble using the Lifespan Dao. Now, this Lifespan Dao was already twisted and taut, bearing considerable 'pressure' itself.

The emergence of the Dao of Longevity could very well push this Great Dao to its breaking point.

But how could one cultivate the Dao of Longevity?

The term 'longevity' was more often an innate attribute of the Innate Gods, something that even the Transcendent beings of the Human Domain hadn't acquired.

Had the Innate Gods monopolized longevity?

Wu Wang fell into deep contemplation. It seemed he needed to find a few Innate God specimens and dissect them at the level of the Great Dao to truly understand this matter.

At that moment, several figures descended from the sky, taking seats on their own behind Wu Wang.

The one leading them was Liu Baiyi.

He slapped his thigh and cursed, "Qiong Qi escaped! It truly infuriates me!"

"Pavilion Master, there's no need to be angry over this."

Wu Wang spoke earnestly, "Our initial goal was only to kill Qiong Qi. Now, we've managed to eliminate both Gu Diao and Zhu Yan. Gu Diao had it even worse, annihilated just after taking its post. Right now, Heaven Palace can be summed up in one word—distressed. Moreover, Qiong Qi suffered serious injuries this time. To rush it back into service, Heaven Palace will probably have to bestow more Divine Power. All things considered, Heaven Palace has effectively lost the Divine Power equivalent to creating three Evil Gods."

Feng Zhizi, who was beside them, couldn't help but chuckle. "Rush back into service..."

"What were our losses?"

"More than a dozen severely wounded, all of them reckless individuals who ignored commands! The sight of an Evil God made them see red!"

Liu Baiyi banged the table and gnashed his teeth.

"Just because they've reached the Transcendent Realm means they can ignore orders? This matter must be taken seriously! Later, we'll set up a training camp for them and drill them hard for a few years!"

The Pavilion Master of Heavenly Craft Pavilion sighed. "Our side clearly had the complete advantage, and we launched alternating offensives using the Wave and Grand Triad formations. We shouldn't have suffered any losses. This is indeed a significant problem. Although those in the Transcendent Realm are powerful, they lack coordination, as each has been pursuing their own Enlightenment for too long."

In a few words, the Pavilion Masters discussed how to train the Transcendent beings of the Human Domain.

Wu Wang quickly realized that he had inadvertently taken the seat of honor, a position rightly reserved only for Elder Shen Nong.

It wasn't as if he was aiming to usurp the position; he had arrived first, and they came afterward!

"Ahem," Wu Wang said, "I'm going to welcome Daoist Brother Xiao Jian."

With that, he rose and leaped to the top of the long wall, gazing at the northern landscape, now reshaped by the great battle.

The mountain-like corpses of two Evil Gods were being sealed by a large group of Immortals; they would later become Wu Wang's "Divine Power cans."

After all this, as long as he absorbed the Divine Power of the Three Evil Gods—even if purified by his necklace—his Dao Body's strength would, conservatively, rival that of a Transcendent in Body Cultivation.

This method of absorbing Divine Power was truly hundreds, even thousands, of times faster than cultivating on his own.

For the moment, the downsides had yet to manifest.

Several figures flew in from the north. Xiao Jian Daoist landed alone before Wu Wang, bowing his head in a Daoist salutation.

"Hall Master, Xiao Jian failed to hold back Qiong Qi..."

"Please, have a seat. Let's talk," Wu Wang conjured two wooden chairs. "Daoist Brother, it seems your spiritual mind is troubled."

"Sigh."

Xiao Jian Daoist offered a bitter smile and settled into the wooden chair, his form sinking into it, his eyes slightly bewildered.

The collar of his robe trembled lightly, and the girl from the Small People Kingdom fluttered out on her Light Wings, curiously observing Wu Wang.

Wu Wang sat beside Xiao Jian Daoist, took out two jugs of Immortal Brew, and handed one to the Daoist. The two drank in silence for a while.

"Wu Wang, what if... what if I had decided not to meet them...?"

"It would have been the same," Wu Wang said indifferently. "The moment they appeared at the border, they would have met this fate. The only difference would be whether they were lined up, hooded, and beheaded at Heaven Palace, or pressured to death here by the Head Manager, as they were today. Daoist Brother, you must understand that the essence of Heaven Palace's dominion over the Hundred Races is to keep them living in fear. Planting seeds of fear in the hearts of those youths—that is the Head Manager's true aim. To kill one as a warning to others, like killing a chicken to scare the monkeys. In fact, if we speculate reasonably, the very fact that these sixteen kingdoms could secretly unite and reach the border... it's not impossible that Heaven Palace had a hand in orchestrating it. In other words, the Head Manager might have directed this entire affair."

Xiao Jian Daoist tilted his head back and took a large swig of liquor. He wanted to curse angrily, but in the end, he merely sighed.

"I am still too naive."

"It's that you underestimated the cruelty of the Innate Gods towards living beings," Wu Wang's eyes sparkled as he spoke via voice transmission. "Daoist Brother, do you know about the original Star God's blessing in our Northern Wilderness?"

Xiao Jian Daoist slowly nodded.

Wu Wang briefly recounted the Bearean tribe's first encounter with the Star God's blessing and the Kuafu tribe's experiences back then.

"The Innate Gods do not allow living beings to threaten them. They see Heaven and Earth as their personal playground."

Wu Wang continued, "They are like mountains pressing down on the heads of all living beings. Unless these mountains are toppled, there can be no true peace for living beings, not even if the Star Gods are asleep."

Xiao Jian Daoist sighed. "The Innate Gods believe we are merely their creations."

"Creations..."

Wu Wang gestured vaguely towards the distance. "The Great Nuwa has vanished, who knows where. If she were here to witness Heaven Palace oppressing living beings, I wonder what she would decide."

"It seems I need to go into seclusion for a time to temper my spiritual mind."

"Rest well, Daoist Brother. I also plan to lay low for a bit. After clashing with the Head Manager this time, that fellow will definitely try to scheme against me secretly," Wu Wang said with a laugh. "Fairy Ling has gone into seclusion, and you're going into seclusion too. I might as well stay in the Northern Wilderness. I can even enjoy the company of the young women from my clan who've grown up recently; it's good for my body and mind."

Xiao Jian Daoist looked at Wu Wang with a smile and said softly, "Wu Wang, sometimes, I truly envy you."

Wu Wang's mouth twitched slightly. "Are you referring to my luck with women? There's nothing to envy about that."

"No, it's not about women. If I wanted to find a Dao companion, I could certainly attract some exceptional female cultivators," Xiao Jian Daoist said with some pride, then sighed.

"I'm talking about your perspective, your ideas that always manage to astound, and your inherent disdain for the Innate Gods. These are things I cannot achieve, just as the vast majority of cultivators in the Human Domain cannot. The Human Domain may seem to resist Heaven Palace, standing firm in the South Wilderness, but in truth, we are still influenced by Heaven Palace. The pressure Heaven Palace exerts on us also affects our thoughts; it remains a dark cloud hanging over the Human Domain."

"Don't worry, that cloud will soon break," Wu Wang said, looking northward and murmuring,

"This time, I actually have to thank the Head Manager. The first spark has been cast, and it landed among the Young Masters of various powers. Of course, one spark isn't enough. We need more flames, more kindling, to burn across the lands of Central Mountain. Someday, they will become a prairie fire that incinerates Heaven Palace."

Xiao Jian Daoist stood by, momentarily stunned, then laughed freely and extended his right hand to Wu Wang.

"Give me an Annihilation Sect Token. I'll go to your place for seclusion."

Wu Wang rummaged through his ring for a moment and, from between Hall Master Tokens, Young Master Tokens, and Star God Holy Envoy Tokens, he pulled out an Annihilation Sect Master Token.

"If you have any requests, just tell them," Wu Wang said. "Of course, if you plan to find a Dao companion in the Black Desire Door, you can't just love 'em and leave 'em."

"Tsk!"

Xiao Jian Daoist snatched the Jade Talisman from him, giving Wu Wang a disdainful look.

"You think everyone's like you?"

He muttered a few more words, then wrapped the little person on his shoulder in immortal power, tossed her in front of Wu Wang, and floated away, leaving only a single sentence behind:

"Take good care of her for me. It would be best to send her back to the Eastern Wilderness."

"Hm?"

Wu Wang frowned slightly as he looked at the tiny resident of the Small People Kingdom hovering upside down before him, just about to speak.

"My name is Xiao Deng! Deng, as in lantern!"

The little person shouted,

"I don't want to go back to the Eastern Wilderness! Can you find me a bird's nest to settle in? Not one from those birds of prey, preferably a small bird's nest. They're easier for me to control. This place is too far from the Eastern Wilderness; I'd be old by the time I got back!"

Suddenly, Wu Wang recalled some records.

Small People Kingdom, a lifespan of six years.

"Do you wish to stay in the Human Domain?"

Wu Wang smiled. "In that case, how about I arrange for you to stay near that Daoist who just left?"

Xiao Deng was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Yes, yes! I consider him a friend now! Oh, kind sir, you truly are a good person!"

"A good person? It's rare that people say that about me."

Wu Wang turned his head. The Grand Elder's figure had already materialized in a wisp of blood-red light. He stepped forward, took the little one, and brought her back to the Annihilation Sect to be settled.

The Dao of Longevity.

Wu Wang sat askew in the wooden chair, one finger propping up his temple, lost in thought for a long time.

Who in the Human Domain is closest to true longevity? Obviously, it is Elder Shen Nong.

This matter, along with what he needed to do next, absolutely required a serious discussion with the Elder.

「In a corner of Heaven Palace, within the Head Manager's grand hall.」

The sound of SLAPPING echoed back and forth.

Numerous beautiful women lay prostrate on the ground, most too afraid to make a sound. Two maidservants knelt there, their backs already bloody and raw.

The Head Manager gripped a leather whip, venting his fury.

Suddenly, a cold snort sounded from behind. The Head Manager froze, closing his eyes to concentrate.

He turned to see the Young Master standing quietly by the window, frowning at him.

The Head Manager forced a gentle smile and gestured towards the two maidservants. Their wounds healed rapidly, and they kowtowed in gratitude.

The Young Master frowned. "Unable to best others, you take your anger out on your own servants. Brother, why do you seem like a completely different person these past ten thousand years?"

"Have I?"

The Head Manager smiled faintly. "I'm just a little frustrated."

The Young Master said calmly, "I've heard. The new Evil God and Zhu Yan were killed. Qiong Qi, Ming She, and Kui Ox were severely injured. You went to scheme against the Human Domain but ended up being ambushed by them."

"I was a bit careless."

The corners of the Head Manager's mouth twitched; he couldn't manage a smile now.

"This is that Wu Wangzi, the one you let go. He lured me into a trap, killed my incarnation, and destroyed all my hard work."

The Young Master remained silent.

She gazed at the Head Manager's face and said softly,

"Brother, I suddenly find you somewhat unfamiliar, not the brother I once knew. We were born from adjacent Great Daos. For countless ages, you've cared for me. When you decided to follow His Majesty, I too became a member of Heaven Palace. We are spirits of the Great Dao. Yet, due to Heaven Palace's orders, you have repeatedly made decisions against the will of the Great Dao. You've manipulated lifespan wantonly, to the point of suffering a backlash from the Great Dao itself. Brother, is doing all this truly worth it?"

The Head Manager frowned.

"Don't speak such rebellious words! Since we have pledged loyalty to His Majesty, we must naturally obey His Majesty's commands! Besides, you are mistaken."

"Where am I mistaken?"

"We *are* the Great Dao! We *are* the will of the Great Dao!"

The Head Manager stated firmly, "The decisions we make *are* the decisions of this Great Dao!"

The Young Master pressed her lips together slightly but said no more, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

The Head Manager closed his eyes, much of the ferocity in his gaze receding. He said softly,

"My mood is unstable today. I may have frightened you."

Just then, a faint, pale white Divine Light bloomed, hovering before the Head Manager.

This Divine Light slowly rotated, transforming into chasing yin and yang fish.

The Head Manager's expression changed. He immediately signaled the Young Master to remain silent, while he himself bowed deeply. "I pay my respects to Your Majesty! You've awakened?"

From within the yin and yang fish came a clear voice, uttering just two words:

"Come here."

"Yes," the Head Manager bowed in acceptance. "Your servant erred this time, causing a loss of Divine Power in the Divine Pool. I am willing to accept punishment."

The yin and yang fish dissolved into a wisp of clear energy. The Head Manager closed his eyes, seeming to let out a long sigh of relief.

Two drops of cold sweat trickled down his forehead, and his expression was somewhat downcast.

The Young Master remarked from the side, "I recall that a long time ago, there wasn't so much ceremony among Divine Spirits."

"Focus on your duties—managing the reproduction of living beings—and that will suffice."

The Head Manager murmured, glanced at the beautiful figures kneeling everywhere, then turned and walked towards the main doors of the grand hall. His form dissolved into a wisp of Divine Light and vanished without a sound.

Wu Wangzi?

The Young Master leaned against the jade railing, lost in thought.

「Meanwhile, in the Northern Region of the Human Domain, within a secluded mountain forest.」

Blue sky, white clouds, a small building by a flowing stream, sprawling herb gardens, and flocks of spiritual birds. On the rocking chair in front of the wooden house, an old man sat smiling, his eyes half-closed.

The Heaven and Earth outside the courtyard rippled slightly, then a fissure tore open. A young figure in green and an elderly figure flew out from within, and the fissure sealed behind them.

The arrivals were, of course, Wu Wang and the Annihilation Sect's Grand Elder Miao... someone.

Several Pavilion Masters had their own matters to attend to and did not come to pay their respects.

Upon arriving, the Grand Elder immediately performed a Daoist salutation to the old man in the small courtyard, then turned and stood guard at the courtyard entrance.

Wu Wang, however, looked around, and his forehead seemed to be covered with black lines of frustration.

That building... He had built it! He had built it with his own two hands! Back then, he was just a frail, powerless young Priest, yet that old fellow had tricked him into climbing mountains and felling trees, hauling back logs one by one!

Wu Wang couldn't help but cover his face with his hand; his mood had thoroughly soured.

"Oh, our great hero has arrived?"

Senior Shen Nong beckoned with a smile. "Come in and rest."

Wu Wang gritted his teeth. "Senior, aren't you a little too comfortable here? If you had taken action earlier, not a single Evil God would have escaped, right?"

"This old man didn't refrain from acting out of reluctance, but rather to deter those Strong Gods in Heaven Palace."

Shen Nong chuckled. "This old man did indeed make an appearance earlier, just further north, that's all. Later, I'll have to deal with the Evil God corpses and gather some Divine Power for you. How about that? This old man has been quite good to you, hasn't he?"

Wu Wang's mouth twitched slightly, and he smiled. "Thank you, Father-in-law."

Shen Nong's complexion visibly darkened.

Wu Wang quickly added, "Your Majesty! I've come this time regarding three minor matters and one major issue! Would you like to hear the minor ones or the major one first?"

"The major one!"

"Right away," Wu Wang jogged over, took out the memorial he had written earlier, and presented it respectfully.

Senior Shen Nong accepted the memorial, tossed it aside without a glance, and said meaningfully, "When you were writing it, this old man had already seen it through the Yan Emperor's command. You can make the decision on this; this old man isn't as skilled as you in such matters."

Wu Wang was left speechless.

Was the senior saying that he had been watching his every move?

"Tell me about your three minor matters."

"The first concerns the Image Projection Bead of several Pavilion Masters ganging up on the Head Manager," Wu Wang said. "Should we distribute some of these in Central Mountain?"

The senior laughed. "Go ahead. Rattle the Head Manager's spiritual mind a bit."

"Alright, I'll inform Master Liu later. The second matter is a proposal of mine: to promote the basic cultivation methods of the Human Domain throughout the Nine Wildernesses of the Great Wilderness."

"That's already being done, but the effects aren't very pronounced," the senior said, shaking his head. "Otherwise, why do you think you managed to obtain so many cultivation methods in the Northern Wilderness?"

"This time it's different," Wu Wang said with a smile. "It's like a bow and arrow. The Cultivation Technique is the bow. Previously, we were just twanging an empty string with no arrows. This time, we have arrows."

Shen Nong's interest was piqued. "What arrows?"

Wu Wang smiled and pulled a piece of cloth from his sleeve. "Please take a look, Senior."

"Hmm? The creatures of the Great Wilderness unite to overthrow the tyrannical Divine Spirits... The future of the Great Wilderness lies in the hands of its creatures..."

Senior Shen Nong pondered for a moment, then asked, "Will these words actually be effective?"

"How will we know if we don't try?"

Wu Wang smiled. "Those Cultivation Techniques should also be interspersed with some of the Human Domain's ideologies, as well as calligraphy and paintings depicting the prosperity of the Human Domain."

Shen Nong nodded slowly. "We'll discuss this in detail later. What's the third matter?"

"The Dao of Longevity."

Wu Wang murmured, "You must be the being in the Human Domain closest to true longevity. I wish to seek some enlightenment from you, to find a clue, to see if, at some point in the future, I can grasp the Dao of Longevity and end the Innate Gods' monopoly on it. If our Human Domain's Transcendents could all achieve longevity, what would Heaven Palace matter anymore? Senior, to be frank, I'm simply targeting a certain Innate God who controls the Lifespan Dao."

Shen Nong couldn't help but chuckle. "Why on earth did this Head Manager strike you with the transcendence catastrophe for no good reason? He simply handed me an advantage on a silver platter."

"Success isn't guaranteed."

"Just you wait. This old man will find a few texts from Emperor Fuxi regarding his insights into the Dao of Longevity. With your mother's support, you might just be able to walk a path we couldn't."

Shen Nong stood up and, with a wave of his hand, parted Heaven and Earth. The other side of the fissure seemed to be a dim, small world.

Wu Wang's eyes immediately brightened.

He knew it! The scripture hall of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion wasn't all the Human Domain had to offer!

"Senior, take me with you!"

Shen Nong smiled. "Come on then. In any case, this is a place only a Human Emperor can enter."

"Then forget it."

Wu Wang obediently stood by the rocking chair, offering Shen Nong a warm smile.

After Shen Nong stepped into the fissure in Heaven and Earth and disappeared from sight, Wu Wang flopped onto the rocking chair, his feet tapping lightly.

The position of Human Emperor... it was nothing special, after all.

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