Ji Chang was a kind man, and seeing his appearance, he was not angry. He then asked, "Was it you who gave me advice on the matter of Wu Ji the other day?"

Jiang Ziya replied without turning his head, "That's right." After saying that, he remained silent as ever.

Seeing Jiang Ziya speaking to Ji Chang in this manner, someone nearby couldn't stand it anymore. Xin Jia shouted, "You audacious scoundrel, do you know who you are speaking to?"

Jiang Ziya, without turning his head, said, "The phoenix sings in Xiqi, the mandate of heaven is upon me, I am the literary star of the world, and the emperor of the people."

Ji Chang was greatly alarmed upon hearing this and hurriedly said, "Sir, how can you speak like this? Be careful not to bring disaster upon yourself with your words."

Jiang Ziya turned to Ji Chang and smiled, "I am just an idle man, why should I fear disaster?"

Ji Chang, however, understood the implied meaning in his words and smiled, saying, "Sir, do you have any words to teach us?"

Jiang Ziya didn't stand on ceremony and began to talk with Ji Chang. The two talked about everything under the sun, from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to the common people. Among them were good strategies for governing the army. Ziya spoke eloquently, and the more he talked, the more amazed Ji Chang became. The group stayed for three hours. Ji Chang was amazed by Ziya's insights and theories.

That night, Ji Chang returned to Xiqi, bathed and fasted for three days, and then walked to invite Jiang Ziya. Jiang Ziya, having already made ample preparations, naturally agreed, and the two rode together in one carriage back to Xiqi.

Ji Chang then invited Ziya to the court to serve as prime minister and take charge of state affairs.

Ya lived up to expectations, doubling the strength of Xiqi within a year. The people of Xiqi respected him, and Ji Chang even called him Taigong.

That same year, a major event also occurred in Chaoge: Grand Tutor Wen Zhong returned.

When the Beihai Rebellion broke out, Wen Zhong was ordered to quell it, but he was gone for five years and only returned now after the rebellion was quelled.

When Xuan Tian was conferred the title of god in his previous life, Wen Zhong stayed in the North Sea for ten years. In this life, he was able to return in time, which was also due to Xuan Tian's help.

The rebellion of Yuan Futong in Beihai, along with the seventy-two warlords, while seemingly powerful, posed no real threat. At the time, Beihai's military and financial resources were far inferior to those of the Shang Dynasty. If Yuan Futong wasn't foolish, he certainly wouldn't have dared to rebel. And if he had, he would have undoubtedly received assistance from others.

Xuan Tian was very puzzled at the time and secretly paid attention to Wen Zhong's trip. At first, he did not find anything, but as Wen Zhong was delayed for a long time, Xuan Tian also discovered some things.

In Yuan Futong's camp, there were often cultivators coming and going. This was not uncommon. Since the Chan and Zai sects spread their teachings, many cultivators have served as officials in the court or received offerings from wealthy families. Even in the Yin Shang dynasty, there were special offerings. Some were Jie sect cultivators, while others were highly skilled rogue cultivators. They usually cultivated on their own, but when war broke out or when Chaoge was attacked by others, these cultivators would come out to help, essentially as hired thugs.

However, as time went on, Xuan Tian discovered that these cultivators, though seemingly independent, used methods employed by the Western Sect. At this point, Xuan Tian understood that the Western Sect had gone to great lengths to instigate the conflict between the Chan and Jie sects in order to benefit from the Investiture of the Gods.

The Chan Sect has few cultivators, with only a dozen or so second-generation disciples and even fewer third-generation disciples. How could they possibly be a match for the ten thousand immortals of the Jie Sect? The Jie Sect is known as the Ten Thousand Immortals, and this is no exaggeration. When Tongtian lectured, he took in several thousand disciples, mostly nominal ones, but they were still some powerful demons and giants on the prehistoric continent, and they had some abilities. Later, after the decisive battle between the Wu and Yao tribes, the Heavenly Court took in twenty or thirty thousand demons from the remaining demon races. Although their talents were mixed and most were not capable of being used, they had at least been tempered by the Wu and Yao war. If a real battle broke out, the Jie Sect would swarm in, and even if Yuanshi bestowed many magical treasures upon the Chan Sect disciples, it would be useless. As the saying goes, many ants can kill an elephant, and these ants are not small either, and these elephants are not elephants.

The Western Sect couldn't openly assist the Chan Sect, as it wasn't appropriate to publicly acknowledge their private interactions at this time. However, they could stall Wen Zhong. Wen Zhong was a veteran of three reigns and the tutor of King Zhou; even King Zhou wouldn't dare to defy him. As long as Wen Zhong was in power, nothing major would likely happen. The Western Sect's move was precisely to keep Wen Zhong tied down in the North Sea, allowing King Zhou to continue weakening the Shang Dynasty.

Wen Zhong's journey to quell the rebellion was initially smooth sailing. The seventy-two warlords were of varying strengths and sizes, so they did not pose any significant obstacles for Wen Zhong. However, later, a person arrived at Yuan Futong's camp. This person was none other than Jia Ye, a disciple of the Western Guide whom Xuan Tian had met before. He was quite skilled and had already reached the Great Luo True Immortal realm.

Kasyapa's visit was at the behest of Zhunti. If Yuan Futong's seventy-two vassal states continued in this manner, they would pose no real obstacle to Wen Zhong. Kasyapa's visit served two purposes: to assist Yuan Futong in integrating these seventy-two vassal states and to block Wen Zhong's army here, thus delaying the inevitable.

Seeing this, Xuan Tian acknowledged the Western Sect's good intentions, but would he allow them to have their way? Certainly not. If the Western Sect got their way, the Jie Sect would suffer the same fate as in its previous life, being utterly destroyed by the combined forces of the three sects, nearly wiped out. The Jie Sect would then decline, and the Western Sect could use the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation to ferry three thousand mortals to steal the Jie Sect's fortune and rise to power. These matters wouldn't normally concern Xuan Tian, ​​but the key issue was that he couldn't stand by and watch. If the Western Sect prospered while Taoism declined, and the two sides couldn't fight, how could Xuan Tian profit from the situation? Besides, stealing was Xuan Tian's favorite pastime; when did it become the Western Sect's turn?

Sages often maintain a balance when playing chess, and so does the Way of Heaven. Every great calamity occurs when one side's balance is broken, and the Way of Heaven seeks another balance. The Way of Heaven will not allow one side to become dominant, and so does the way of sages.

In the past, the three races stood in a tripartite balance, with the Dragon Clan having the greatest power and the largest population. This led to a lack of balance among the three races, and eventually the other two races united, resulting in endless wars. The three races had many causes and effects, and were ultimately abandoned by the Heavenly Dao. The Heavenly Dao used Rahu's hand to banish the three races to the cold palace, preventing them from participating in the struggle for the main role of the world again.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!