"The Heavenly Shooting Bow, Annihilation Spear, Life-breaking Spear, Slaughter Spear, and Godslayer Spear—these Military God's Five Weapons represent the clashing of arms and the onset of chaos in troubled times."

Elder Tianxuan gazed at the halberd, lost in thought, and whispered softly, "As your teacher, I envisioned the consequences of unsealing the Godslayer Spear, but upon actually seeing it, there is still a sense of inevitable destiny. At this moment, with the unsealing of the Godslayer Spear, it seems to symbolize that a battle cannot be avoided."

"Destiny is never predetermined—Teacher, you should know 'Great Yan 50, Heavenly Destiny Forty-nine.' By escaping one, forty-nine is constantly changing; one can only grasp the moment, but not a lifetime."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Li immediately offered reassurance, "Fate is not fixed, Teacher, do not worry too much."

Those who cultivate the Yi Dao must possess the basic mentality of understanding fate without believing in predetermination. If one believes that everything is destined, then what use is knowledge? Unable to change it, it would just be self-torment.

Although Elder Tianxuan managed to turn the tide halfway this time, it was probably the failure to prevent the Golden Dam from breaking that caused ripples in her Mental State.

Upon this thought, Elder Tianxuan rolled her eyes softly yet did not respond.

Indeed, her heart was disturbed, but not because of the Golden Dam; it was due to the karma with this unfilial disciple.

Despite cutting the red thread, they still ended up here, a hurdle in Elder Tianxuan's heart that she could never get over. And now, even the sealing technique of the Godslayer Spear had leaked out.

Because of this karmic bond, a seed had been planted in her heart. The collapse of the Golden Dam was merely stirring the deeply buried worries.

From the beginning, Elder Tianxuan was prepared for the collapse of the Golden Dam. With many forces joining hands and pushing the waves forward, even the King of Shu took part. Preparations for the worst-case scenario had to be made.

"I am not so fragile."

She hummed vaguely, turned around, and facing away from Jiang Li, said, "The Warlord once cultivated a demonically powerful skill with endless Evil Qi called 'All Heaven Divine Sha.' It was said to possess the power to shatter Heaven and Earth. It took the Ancestor, with the strength of the Yinglong Dragon, Drought, Xuan Nu and other powerful allies, to finally defeat the Warlord."

"The Military God's Five Weapons also contain Divine Evil after being cultivated by the Warlord. You must be cautious when using them lest you be affected by the Divine Evil."

Beneath her words was the implication that the Godslayer Spear now belonged to Jiang Li.

This brought unexpected joy to Jiang Li.

He knew that the last time he had claimed the Life-breaking Spear, it was handed over to the Sect.

However, upon closer thought, handing it to Jiang Li was only right. Not to mention that Jiang Li could wield the Godslayer Spear, his current identity had undergone a significant change from the past.

At that time, Jiang Li was just an Outer Disciple with a unique status, and now, while his identity was more special, he had become one of their own.

With his status different, the treatment naturally varied as well.

One ought to understand the difference in significance between an Affiliated Son-in-law and a beloved disciple.

After saying this, Elder Tianxuan paused, then suddenly waved her hand, and chains appeared on Xiao Tian's neck, sparkling with starlight, causing it to slump down, drowsy.

Then, Elder Tianxuan said, "It's best not to use the Godslayer Spear too much before reaching the third grade. The power of All Heaven Divine Sha is formidable, but your affinity with the Military God's Five Weapons is too strong. Excessive use may influence your Cultivation Body towards that of the Warlord. Those who are defeated by forces associated with the Yellow Emperor will be restrained by him, and if one day, both the Warlord's and the Yellow Emperor's Tao Fruits emerge, engaging in battle again, the likelihood of the Warlord's defeat is high."

"Why?" asked Jiang Li.

"Because of the 'Form Tomb' and due to the Divine Skills of the Yellow Emperor's Dao Fruit 'Man's Will Overcomes Heaven,'" Elder Tianxuan lowered her voice. "Chi You's aspect has become part of the 'Form Tomb'. For one who comprehends the complete 'Form Tomb', there are no secrets left. And 'Man's Will Overcomes Heaven' allows the Divine Skills of the Yellow Emperor's Dao Fruit to always triumph, no matter if it's humans, immortals, buddhas, demons, ghosts, or monsters. Once defeated by the Yellow Emperor, there is scarcely a chance of winning."

"What about Emperor Yan's Dao Fruit..." Jiang Li asked, voicing his most pressing concern.

After all, according to legend, it was after his defeat to the Yellow Emperor that Emperor Yan had allied with him.

"Emperor Yan's aspect has not appeared on the Xuanyuan Sword; it should not yet be to the point of extreme suppression, but it's likely to be influenced."

By the end of the conversation, Elder Tianxuan's voice was as thin as a silk thread, barely audible if Jiang Li's hearing wasn't so exceptional.

This was undoubtedly a great secret, especially the Divine Skills of the Yellow Emperor's Dao Fruit. If the Ji Family learned of this, they wouldn't just rebuke Elder Tianxuan for not siding with them; they might even consider her a traitor.

Jiang Li now understood why the Jiang family was positioned below the Ji Family. If the Dao Fruit could be affected, naturally, the Dao Artifact would not be spared since its essence depended on the Dao Fruit.

Even though Elder Tianxuan said it wasn't an extreme case of being suppressed, any influence could potentially tip the balance of victory and defeat. The Jiang family's strength paled in comparison, which meant they could only be subordinate to the Ji Family.

Furthermore, Jiang Li was destined to advance to Emperor Yan's Dao Fruit in the future, but now he found out that his future Dao Fruit had a nemesis, which made him feel quite helpless.

Luckily, it was only about being restrained and not about certain defeat. Moreover, the repression might not even be significant. If it came to confrontation, defeat was not certain. Plus, the Xuanyuan Sword currently had no master, so it might not become a weapon against him in the future.

After revealing this secret, Elder Tianxuan fell completely silent. Jiang Li didn't know what to say for the moment.

Such a secret divulged drew teacher and disciple closer, yet the new proximity also made them uncomfortable, uncertain how to break the silence.

However, at that moment, Elder Kaixiang and Elder Tianpeng's presences emerged and rapidly approached.

Jiang Li's brows flickered with light as he stored the Godslayer Spear inside the Heavenly Mirror Fragment. Elder Tianxuan also awoke Xiao Tian from its slumber at the same time.

Soon after, two streaks of light descended nearby, revealing the figures of the two elders and Yun Jiuye.

"We didn't locate King Shu's whereabouts," Elder Tianpeng stated.

"Kunxu Immortal Palace's whereabouts remain undetected," Elder Kaiyang frowned. "Those women are really good at hiding."

After Elder Da Kun retreated, the two of us were tasked by Tianxuan with the search for traces of King Shu, while Tianxuan himself rushed over as soon as he sensed that the Great Venerable and Jiang Li were meeting. Unfortunately, King Shu and Kunxu Immortal Palace had already withdrawn before Tianxuan could lend his aid, leaving the three of us unable to catch up with King Shu and his people.

"Since King Shu has already 'died' before all eyes, he might as well be considered dead. As for the one now harboring the Dao Fruit of Yu King, it is the culprit behind the collapse of the Golden Dam."

Tianxuan gathered her thoughts and resumed her calm demeanor, speaking indifferently, "As for Liangzhou Province, I have decided to evacuate the refugees and send them to various provinces, then trap the Taiping Sect in Liangzhou Province."

The Taiping Sect is currently assisting the refugees. Although everyone knows the Taiping Sect harbors malintent, attacking them now would be detrimental to our reputation and would play into the Sect's hands.

Instead, it might be better to join in the disaster relief and evacuate the refugees first, taking the people away from them.

"But the people of Liangzhou Province are devout believers, and the Taiping Sect has many followers. Among the refugees, there are likely to be many converts. Sending them to various provinces may cause unrest," Tianpeng expressed his concerns.

"Without their leaders, even if there's unrest, they will be scattered and unfocused. As long as Zhang Zhixuan and Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning are contained in Liangzhou Province and beheaded, the unrest can be quelled," Tianxuan stated coldly.

Even though she made it sound simple, the Taiping Sect was not a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. It was foreseeable that what lay ahead would be a tough battle.

······

······

A flood swept through Shu County like a force unstoppable, submerging fields and cities in its turbulent waters.

Suddenly, a Flying Boat burst through the flood and rose to the surface, ascending several feet into the air and gliding parallel to the flood, fleeing toward the northwest.

Inside the Flying Boat was a space arranged with refined taste, resembling an elegant hermitage. The corpse of King Shu was now lying on a soft couch within, his abdomen faintly bulging with a rich stench of blood emanating from it.

"Curse that Jiang family calamity, daring to—actually—"

A cold voice emitted from the corpse's abdomen, mixed with intermittent streams of breath, suddenly interrupted by a series of coughs.

"Your Highness."

Yun Fei looked at the wound that nearly split his upper body open, full of worry, "My elder sister will be here soon. Please, Your Highness, wait for a moment. My sister will surely be able to heal you."

As husband and wife, Yun Fei and King Shu may not have shared life and death, but they certainly shared honor and disgrace. Having a third-grade husband, even the Immortal Queen would not dare to take them lightly. Conversely, if she were to lose King Shu, although Yun Fei would still be the Fourth Palace Master of Kunxu Immortal Palace, all the years of her efforts would be in vain.

"No, don't let the Immortal Queen come."

But King Shu immediately refused, "The Immortal Queen cannot remove the All Heaven Divine Sha and cannot help me take the final step. Besides, with the Immortal Queen's ambitions, she would never pass up the opportunity to control me. You go, go to the tripod······"

"No need."

In front of the couch, space undulated as if an invisible monster was writhing.

Following that, the undulations coalesced into a human shape, which then abruptly morphed, twisted, and slowly split open like a pair of opening eyelids. A vertical pupil the size of a human eye appeared, its eyeball minutely rotating and focusing on King Shu's corpse.

"I am already here," an indifferent voice emitted from the eye.

Caught off guard by the sudden apparition, Yun Fei was startled but, recalling her previous experiences, quickly regained her composure and stepped aside to listen quietly.

King Shu's corpse moved as if coming back to life, sitting up and bowing towards the vertical pupil. The voice of King Shu emerged from within his belly, "I pay my respects······ elder."

"Hmm."

The vertical pupil responded faintly as golden light shot from within the eye, merging into King Shu's corpse.

The dense bloody scent became faint, along with the previously irregular breaths of King Shu, which now stabilized.

"Ji Yuan, you took a shortcut by using Gun's Dao Fruit to ascend to Yu King, and now that you've been seriously injured, it turns out to be in keeping with the Dao Fruit. Three years, you must remain dormant in your old body for three years before you can emerge and ascend to third grade."

From within the vertical pupil, a faint silhouette spoke unhurriedly.

"Three years······" King Shu gnashed his teeth, "Is three years a must?"

Three years was not a long time compared to the age of King Shu, and to ascend to the third grade was something one would not reject.

But in the current climate of rapid change, three years could bring about a monumental shift in the situation.

Moreover, the kingdom that King Shu had labored over for years would require his maintenance. If he lay dormant for three years, there was no telling into what state his power would crumble.

King Shu seized the opportunity to ascend not only for the sake of the third grade but also harbored other aspirations. The Emperor had lost his grip on power, causing everyone to vie for dominance, and as a prince of the Ji Family, he possessed the ambition to rule all under Heaven.

"Not necessarily, but you must pay a price," the silhouette within the vertical pupil stated indifferently.

"What is the price?" King Shu inquired.

As these words were spoken, light filled the chamber, and heavy yellow clouds billowed, making the space within the Flying Boat seem as if it were soaring high in the sky.

"Kneel down, bow your head to Yellow Heaven, and become its son, the Emperor under Yellow Heaven."

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