“Perhaps… we can use the people on this list as bait to see if the ‘Lord God’ will appear… If we can kill him in one strike, it would truly eliminate a long-standing threat!”
Wu Ming stroked his chin. “Finally… this is it!”
With a wave of his hand, a black leather pouch from the Blood Alliance Leader landed in his palm.
“Identify!”
A beam of light descended, and the mechanical voice of the Temple of Divinity immediately sounded:
[Item Name: Taotie Jiezi Bag!]
[Materials: Taotie’s stomach, Jiezi sand, Kunpeng feather]
[Use: Can be used for storage, holding thousands of stones yet as light as a feather! It can preserve items in perfect condition, never deteriorating!]
“Excellent item!”
Compared to his own Tian Gong Ring, this Taotie Jiezi Bag was significantly more advanced. Without hesitation, Wu Ming erased its previous mark and fastened it to his waist.
“This is the final reward…”
Wu Ming’s spiritual sense probed inside. The bag contained little; aside from various tools and machinery, there were only two notable items.
One was the previous mechanical pangolin, and the other was a golden-armored general several zhang tall, radiating an aura of battle. Wu Ming estimated them as level four and five mechanical beasts, respectively.
Fortunately, the chamber had been small, and Wu Ming had caught Gongsun Zhe off guard, leaving him no chance to flee. If he had hidden inside this level-five golden-armored puppet, Wu Ming might have struggled to deal with this turtle shell for a while.
However, even this golden-armored puppet paled in comparison to the other pile.
“The Twelve Golden Men!”
With a gentle tilt of the Jiezi bag, a pile of golden fragments spilled out—some as small as millstones, others as massive as mountains, emanating a faint aura of bloodlust and an overwhelming, terrifying presence. Beside them hovered an imperial jade seal, tinged with a faint crimson hue, its bloodlust coalescing into a roaring black dragon.
There was also a yellowish-white pearl, within which a mysterious bird seemed poised to take flight, yet was completely sealed.
“Gongsun Zhe poured everything into this plan, never expecting it would ultimately benefit me…”
Could the Blood Alliance Leader’s most prized possession truly be nothing more than a level-five puppet?
Wu Ming naturally doubted it, but after extracting Gongsun Zhe’s soul, he believed it.
The reason was simple: Gongsun Zhe had invested most of his wealth into the Twelve Golden Men, hoping to use them as leverage for a future comeback.
Unfortunately, he made one miscalculation. The Temple of Divinity had cast him out as bait to lure Wu Ming, perhaps hoping for mutual destruction and then to reap the benefits as the final victor. However, his defeat came far too quickly, exceeding expectations.
“Alas, year after year I press the golden thread, only to make garments for another…”
Wu Ming gave a slight shake of his head. “Gongsun Zhe originally planned to use Shang Jie’s imperial aura and the Shang dynasty’s mandate as the core, with the remnants of the Twelve Golden Men as the foundation, to forge a mechanical beast. Admittedly, it was a brilliant concept… But I have no knowledge of machinery. Even with fragments of Gongsun Zhe’s memories, it’s too late to begin learning now. What’s more, lacking his innate talent, I could never attain such mastery in mechanical arts…”
With a wave of his hand, the pile of fragments vanished from the ground.
“The use of these items still requires careful consideration…”
Now standing outside the grand and vast entrance of the Temple of Divinity, Wu Ming placed his hands on the gates, sensing the eternal and transcendent light within, along with a faint resistance. A cold smile immediately appeared on his lips.
After increasing his authority, although he still couldn’t push open the door, he could clearly feel the malice within the resistance!
“So it really is you! Just a remnant soul of the Temple of Divinity, and you dare covet authority?”
The divine artifact is one thing, but its spirit is another—completely different matters. The Temple of Divinity itself was naturally millions, even billions of times more important than a mere soul. There was no comparison.
To put it metaphorically, the Temple of Divinity was like the Zhou World, while the current will was merely one of the countless beings within the Zhou World, like an ant compared to an elephant—completely incomparable.
“Just an ambitious madman yearning for heaven!”
A cold smile curled Wu Ming’s lips. “One day…”
…
With a flash of light, Wu Ming reappeared in the courtyard of the Wu Family Fortress, where Li Xiuyun resided.
The air was slightly cool, the fragrance of winter plum blossoms lingering, and there was an atmosphere of celebration around.
The lord’s wedding brought joy, followed by the New Year festival, naturally requiring grand festivities.
Earlier, Wu Ming had generously distributed money and rice to his tenants, sharing in their joy. He was widely praised, and his previous reckless behavior was conveniently overlooked, which was somewhat amusing.
“Not long from now will be the New Year’s Eve…”
Wu Ming sighed inwardly. “Five peaceful years have passed, and now comes the sixth… Time waits for no one… Unfortunately, just married, Wu Qing will enter the mountains for cultivation after the New Year. With the festival approaching, I should first eliminate the enforcers in Dingzhou, then organize the Blood Alliance forces…”
The Zhou World’s New Year was an ancient festival, with the tradition of returning home for reunion.
At the start of the new year, every family burned firecrackers, replaced peach charms, drank and celebrated all night—it was the most important day of the year.
Travelers far away also returned home during this time, cleaned ancestral houses, and paid respects at ancestral graves.
“Although using this method to lie in wait feels somewhat despicable…”
Wu Ming grimaced, then saw a flash of white light from within the room, followed by a woman’s suppressed cry, giving him a clear idea of what was happening.
“There’s no point in going in now—it would only cause embarrassment. Forget it…”
Without disturbing Li Xiuyun inside and confirming her safety, Wu Ming quietly withdrew.
After all, having a new reincarnator in the household was an issue, forcing him to change his previous plans.
Of course, the biggest hassle was the time he had been missing. Even though he had adjusted the flow of time, some servants still needed to be silenced.
On the other side.
“I… I’m back!”
Li Xiuyun covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face.
The room’s furnishings were unchanged, even the sewn clothes neatly placed aside. Yet the memories of the Shang dynasty, the decorations on her body, and the clear energy circulating within her told Li Xiuyun that this was no dream!
“Master Ming…”
Looking at the clothes beside her, the first thing she wanted to do was find the head of the family to confide in. However, she remembered Huang Ying’s repeated warnings, especially the Temple of Divinity’s threat of annihilation, and forced herself to hold back.
“What should I do? What can I possibly do?”
In the end, she was just a young girl in her prime, and facing such a situation, she immediately lost her composure.
In fact, without Wu Ming secretly intervening, she would certainly have faced great danger, with a tragic fate inevitable.
However, Li Xiuyun was ultimately someone with inner strength beneath her gentle exterior. After crying for a while, she finally accepted reality.
“Daoist techniques?!”
A faint glow appeared between her fingers. The advanced cultivation method Wu Ming had previously given her had been diligently practiced during her retreat with Huang Ying in the mountains, combined with the Temple of Divinity’s merit exchanges, leading to rapid progress.
“Power! Huang Ying was right—being a weak woman, I need power to protect myself!”
Li Xiuyun clenched her small fist, determination in her beautiful eyes. “Once I’ve mastered the Daoist techniques, I’ll be of some use. Perhaps I can even help Master Ming?”
The beauty lowered her head, seemingly lost in thought, a blush creeping onto her face.
…
“Wu Tiehu!”
Wu Ming didn’t dwell on these matters. Upon returning, he first silenced the servants who had cared for Li Xiuyun, giving them a stern warning. Then he ordered someone to ride swiftly to the prefectural city to summon Wu Tiehu.
Just an hour later, Wu Tiehu, clad in full military attire, arrived and immediately knelt upon seeing Wu Ming. “This servant greets the head of the family!”
“You’re now a seventh-grade official commanding five hundred guards. There’s no need for such formality—rise!”
Wu Ming sat behind the desk, waving his hand.
“This servant dares not. This servant was born into the Wu family, alive or dead, I will serve the head of the family without hesitation!”
Wu Tiehu bowed deeply once more.
He was a perceptive man. He knew that without Wu Ming’s patronage, a mere household servant could never have been promoted so rapidly, eventually becoming a seventh-grade military officer with future command over an entire prefecture’s military!
“Hmm!”
Although he knew these were just flattery words, Wu Ming was quite satisfied with this gesture, nodding slightly.
Looking closely, he saw Wu Tiehu’s head shrouded in swirling, dark-red fortune, clearly befitting a seventh-grade official. A stream of starlight descended, exuding strong martial intent—an excellent general’s fate.
“Indeed! After becoming a guard captain, Wu Tiehu’s fortune surged, finally reaching the point of manifesting his innate fate. He has now entered the second level—he is truly a talent!”
“But… the Yang Star?”
Wu Tiehu originally had a star-encircled fate, at most suitable for a minor officer. However, with his recent promotion and strong fortune, his star fate had advanced further, reaching the point of manifesting his innate destiny, allowing Wu Ming to discern his roots.
The Yang Star was one of the six major malefic stars in Purple Micro Astrology. Although not as formidable as the Three Killing Stars, it suited a military commander’s fate.
“Still… this is the limit of his stellar power. To ascend further to Deputy Fate or even True Fate, he must defeat another general with the same Yang Star destiny, seize their fortune, and strengthen himself! I’ll give him some guidance when the time comes!”
Thinking thus, Wu Ming spoke leisurely. “Wu Tiehu, I have some tasks for you. Assign trusted men to do them secretly!”
“Understood!”
Wu Tiehu responded loudly, secretly delighted, knowing this was a sign of the head of the family’s trust.
Otherwise, within the Wu Family Fortress, there were many like Feng Han and Zhao Song—why specifically choose him? Thinking of these two, he felt a sense of crisis and resolved to complete the task perfectly.
“Select a few capable individuals and go to a certain location first. Check if there are two specific items there… If they are, retrieve them directly!”
Wu Ming’s voice was somewhat ethereal. “Also… I’ll give you a list. Secretly monitor those individuals. If they’re not around, keep watch on their ancestral homes… No, I’ll go myself!”
Monitoring the reincarnators was an utmost secret, with the risk of being counter-tracked by them, though the probability was low. Still, Wu Ming dared not take chances.
“As you command!”
Although puzzled by the head of the family’s indecision, Wu Tiehu still immediately and without hesitation accepted the order.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage