After the noise faded and the guests departed, the family of three was left in peace.
Wu Zhi ascended a high platform, gazing at the city lights for a long time before suddenly sighing.
“With the unification of Dingzhou, what could possibly be troubling you?”
Wu Ming stood behind her, asking calmly.
“I’m not unhappy, I just feel… the burden on my shoulders has become heavier!” Wu Zhi replied gently, looking at him. “As the ruler of Dingzhou’s millions of soldiers and civilians, how to ensure the people live in peace and prosperity, then train the troops and pacify the chaotic era… these are all tests for me!”
Her eyes sparkled with joy: “I’m truly grateful to my husband for giving me this opportunity. Otherwise, even if I could escape the fate of the Fengge, I would probably just be stuck managing two commanderies now!”
Wu Zhi was an intelligent woman. How could she not know how much Wu Ming had secretly helped her?
Moreover, she vaguely sensed that Wu Ming had other secrets—not because she found any evidence, purely a woman’s intuition.
“Recalling our bold words back then, I feel ashamed, but now I’m even more motivated, especially after having Ding’er… I must not fail now!”
Wu Zhi spoke candidly.
“What more could a husband ask for with a wife like you?”
Wu Ming smiled, his eyes clear and pure: “I believe you can pacify this chaotic era!”
Truthfully, their relationship was not like that of ordinary couples, but more like cultivation partners. In fact, he had also placed part of his own wishes and ideals upon this woman.
“Ding’er is crying again; I must go down now!”
Wu Zhi smiled sweetly, everything unspoken yet understood, and gracefully descended from the platform.
…
Wu Ming stood in the night breeze for a while, silent, before suddenly using his spiritual sight technique across the entire Dingzhou city.
At this moment, the whole Dingzhou was under Wu Zhi’s rule, with countless fortunes converging on her, revealing the dragon qi, which was the perfect time to observe.
Boom!
In an instant, everything around him seemed to vanish from his sight, leaving only a bright red spiritual net spreading across the sky, as if radiating from Dingzhou outward.
Threads of crimson and white surged along the net, occasionally interspersed with flickering golden-green lights, converging at the governor’s mansion, blending the five elements into purple.
Purple originated from the five elements yet transcended them. Although there were higher forms, in a world like Zhou’s scale, this was the color of dragon qi!
Roar!
Chi Chi (Red Dragon) cheered, absorbing the dragon qi, its body becoming more robust, its scales and claws glowing brilliantly, while also suppressing its subordinates.
Wu Ming glanced briefly and saw that beneath Chi Chi were several other qis—some green qi transformed into brilliant scrolls radiating light, beside them two martial auras—one like starlight, and the most prominent, a green qilin. They all appeared quite obedient, prompting a smile from him, knowing Wu Zhi still had control over these subordinates.
“The qi exists before events, and can serve as a reference for great trends. Right now… Wu Zhi’s dragon qi and laws seem very stable, and her subordinates are also united. Without external interference, she should achieve fifty years of kingly rule! This fortune is overwhelmingly grand, surpassing her former Fengge fate by countless times…”
Although Wu Zhi was born with the Phoenix qi, in terms of total fortune and influence, she was still limited to the pattern of a few commanderies, especially after transforming into dragon fortune.
But now, having taken Dingzhou and gained the qi of heaven and the people’s hearts, she had for the first time transcended her innate pattern.
“Even if heaven bestows great fortune, it’s merely for pioneering use, allowing rapid rise. What truly matters is the postnatal pattern and great trend…”
Observing this, Wu Ming immediately gained insight.
“When dragons battle in the wild, their blood stains the earth black and yellow!
In the struggle for the dragon throne across the world, there are too many unpredictable things. Even true dragons may perish, let alone Wu Zhi’s Chi Chi, which is merely a water dragon!
“At this moment, no one within Dingzhou can overturn the situation, but if drawn into the grand trend of the entire world, things would be uncertain…”
Wu Ming began to ponder carefully, simultaneously retrieving the memories of the unfortunate Xuan Sheng Tianjun.
This deity was a fifth-level powerhouse, naturally well-versed in the divine ways of the Zhou world, and should have some knowledge of the heavenly immortal pattern as well.
“As for the Dao of Immortality, that Tianxiang Daoist and Yüqing old Taoist are also on the same path… Although they are merely earthly immortals, they are insiders of the Daoist system… Perhaps they know even more than deities!”
Inside the Main God’s Hall.
Wu Ming sat high on the Throne of Ten Thousand Worlds, with a golden light orb floating before him.
In the center of this orb was a crystal with three hundred and sixty-five facets, each containing a small image of Xuan Sheng Tianjun—cultivating, fighting, drinking and enjoying life, nurturing the people… mysteriously extraordinary, clearly all his memories!
Even just one fragment contained an epic-like brilliance, the joys and sorrows of an ordinary person’s lifetime not even reaching a ten-thousandth of this.
“I am Xuan Sheng Tianjun!”
“Heavenly Emperor will never forgive you!”
…
Although merely a lifeless object, these thoughts gathered together and actually emitted Xuan Sheng Tianjun’s voice.
The real him had long perished, but the fusion of these memories was striving to take form, giving Wu Ming the impression that it was about to revive.
The vitality of a sixth-level divine being was indeed unfathomable!
“Hmph! Lingering spirit!”
Of course, this was only an illusion. With just a hum from Wu Ming, that faint voice immediately dissipated.
“If the Heavenly Emperor could truly sense you, it wouldn’t be about world rank, but about reaching the Great Luo state…”
Using the Main God’s Hall to conceal, he had killed this deity and obscured the heavenly mechanisms, making the entire world believe that Xuan Sheng Tianjun had successfully reincarnated but merely suffered from prenatal amnesia.
Such concealment could not be pierced unless one reached the true eighth level, the Great Luo state!
“From this, it seems even the Heavenly Emperor is merely seventh level… How difficult it is to achieve the Great Luo state…”
Wu Ming sighed, as if glimpsing some secrets of the Heavenly Emperor, then waved his hand and began carefully browsing through Xuan Sheng Tianjun’s memories and thoughts.
“Hmm… this person attained divinity during the Han Dynasty, once served under the Heavenly Emperor. After five hundred years of struggle, he barely reached the green level, then after several thousand years of accumulated worship, barely reached sixth level and was enfeoffed as Xuan Sheng Tianjun… this time he wanted to enter the world and vie for the dragon fortune?”
Wu Ming quickly skimmed the cause and effect, sighing again: “He was just an unfortunate soul!”
However, from Xuan Sheng Tianjun’s memories, Wu Ming also learned several important pieces of information.
Firstly, the Heavenly Emperor of the Zhou world indeed followed the Dao of nature, with numerous deities residing in the celestial court, maintaining the operation of heaven and earth, treating all equally.
This deity had chosen to enter the world to vie for the dragon fortune, and even if he perished, there was no concept of the Heavenly Emperor seeking revenge.
“It seems the previous words were just bluffing…”
Wu Ming was somewhat speechless, but even if the Heavenly Emperor came knocking, he was not afraid. At worst, he could hide within the Main God’s Hall, where the entire world could do nothing to him.
If absolutely necessary, he could even completely leave the Zhou world.
With the Great Luo’s ability, how simple could it be? With the Main God’s Hall in hand, he was invincible.
“As for this deity’s friends, now knowing of his reincarnation, they would not recklessly send avatars to contest him, perhaps even opening some convenient paths… In short, the divine path poses no hindrance, and might even offer some benefits…”
Wu Ming stroked his chin: “Next, is the Dao of Immortality…”
In this world, although the thirty thousand great paths all lead to immortality, even heterodox paths, as long as one cultivates to fifth level with some fortunate coincidences and great fortune, one might also plant a blessed land. However, the two most influential forces were still the Dao of Immortality and the Divine Path.
Other techniques such as Mechanism Arts, Buddhist Paths, Confucianism, and Witchcraft… some had weak foundations, others had innate deficiencies, and some had to rely on human ways. Even if they temporarily rose to power, none could rival them, but eventually would face decline.
Only these two schools had lasting prosperity, enduring for millions of years without decline.
“The major divine beings of the Divine Path were basically all in the celestial court, the rest were merely local deities like mountain gods, river gods, land gods, and city protectors…”
Wu Ming quickly flipped through Xuan Sheng Tianjun’s memories.
“As for the Dao of Immortality, those without blessed lands or caves were all mere wandering cultivators! Only those whose ancestral masters attained the fifth level earthly immortal and successfully planted a blessed land could be considered true disciples of the Dao! The true major powers must have Heavenly Immortal ancestors and cave foundations!”
“How difficult is it to become a Heavenly Immortal? Even in the entire Zhou world, if you ranked all the caves, there would be no more than thirty-six!”
“Thirty-six Caves and Seventy-two Blessed Lands… these are the core forces of the Dao of Immortality in the Zhou world, the very foundation to rival the celestial court!”
“The former Azure Beast Sect and the White Lotus Celestial Maiden were each the leaders of their sects, but after their demise, their blessed lands collapsed… likely reducing the Thirty-six Caves to Thirty-four… but adding me, it becomes Thirty-five!”
Undoubtedly, with Wu Ming’s current Heavenly Immortal status, if he established a sect, he would immediately become the highest level in the Dao of Immortality, a major figure.
“I wonder… how many earthly immortals and heavenly immortals are there among these more than a hundred blessed lands and caves?”
Wu Ming stroked his chin, pondering silently.
Caves and blessed lands would not easily vanish. The blessed lands of the Azure Beast Sect and the White Lotus Celestial Maiden collapsed because the heavenly immortals had excessively drawn on the cave’s essence and then perished hastily.
At the earthly immortal and heavenly immortal stages, if their lifespan was about to end, they could perform secret techniques to pass away within their own cave blessed lands and pass these lands on to their successors.
Earthly immortals had 500 years of life, heavenly immortals at least a thousand. With such ample time, there were still immortals who failed to break through their limits and perished. The difficulty of cultivation was evident.
“Come to think of it, I’m a legitimate heavenly immortal too… With this status, I should be able to gain a lot of insider information, right?”
Wu Ming had no qualms about using his heavenly immortal identity to infiltrate the upper echelons of enemy forces.
“But this isn’t really espionage, is it? It’s just attending a gathering and casually gathering some intelligence, at least to see what other major Dao of Immortality sects are planning…”
Both the Divine Path and the Dao of Immortality loved to support potential dragons. Wu Zhi was currently developing in isolation, but one day might inevitably clash.
Wu Ming was also quite interested in the upper echelons of this world.
Previously, it was due to insufficient strength, but now he had no such concerns.
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