On the morning of that day, a notice was posted on many bustling streets and at several city gate entrances in Chaoge City.

Over the years, Chaoge has developed rapidly, and the number of outsiders has increased by 50% compared to before. As a result, Chaoge is now facing a housing shortage, and many people have to build temporary residences outside the city, which has greatly affected the lives of the people and is also not conducive to management.

Emperor Xin therefore issued a proclamation to expand Chaoge, extending the entire city outwards. He specially recruited 100,000 city-building craftsmen. All those who signed up would be guaranteed three meals a day and receive monthly wages. Furthermore, if the people who participated in the city-building were not originally from Chaoge, they would have priority to obtain the right to reside in Chaoge after the completion of the project.

The announcement caused an uproar throughout Chaoge City. Regardless of the era or background, all people seek is basic sustenance. In recent years, with the liberation of slaves, more and more refugees from various vassal states have flocked to Chaoge. The original Chaoge City was already overburdened. This announcement gave these people hope. They no longer had to live under someone else's roof or sleep outside the city, but could finally have a home of their own in a dignified manner.

Registration points were overcrowded in no time, with nearly 200,000 people registering in just three days. The authorities had to remove those who were already residents of Chaoge, but the number continued to rise. It was expected that as the news spread, even more people from all over the country would come to participate in the city building and obtain a home of their own.

Zhutianlou, Wutian, and Guanyin's gazes fell upon the densely packed crowd, and they couldn't help but feel a myriad of emotions.

"These are mortals. They ask for very little. They don't have many demands. They just want a place to settle down and make a living. The King of Men is truly remarkable," Wutian praised.

"If all the feudal lords in the world could truly consider the well-being of the people, perhaps there wouldn't be so much conflict," Guanyin also said.

"Not necessarily. Some things are not as simple as they seem. Along the way, you and I have witnessed many battles between feudal lords. These are not just entanglements of interests, but also deeper levels of strategic maneuvering," Wutian said, shaking his head.

"Buddha, do you mean that there are cultivators involved behind the scenes among the feudal lords?" Guanyin asked, frowning.

"The Chan Sect, the Human Sect, the Jie Sect, the Western Sect, the Demon Clan, the Ancient Remnants, and even the mysterious Underworld are all eyeing the human race as a piece of meat," Wutian said slowly.

Guanyin's pupils suddenly contracted, and she turned to look at Wutian with a shocked expression.

"Don't think I'm exaggerating. Humans are a special race. They have short lifespans but tenacious vitality and powerful creativity. They are a race that cannot be ignored. Everyone wants to control them, gain their faith, and thus ensure their own transcendent position."

"Belief..."

“Yes, it is faith. Since the birth of humankind in ancient times, the gods and immortals have discovered that this weak race can generate enormous energy. This energy is generated through the unique spiritual power of humankind. The power that the gods and immortals gain after absorbing this power is more useful than their own hard work in meditation and cultivation. However, after the great calamity of the Lich King, humankind's faith collapsed, and they were filled with disappointment in the gods and immortals. Most of humankind no longer believe in the gods; they only believe in themselves,” Wutian said slowly.

Guanyin nodded in agreement. She had indeed noticed that the human race did not seem to worship gods much. Although they still revered and feared these powerful beings, they did not have faith in them.

"So this is not what those people want to see. They want to regain the faith of the human race to satisfy their inner desires. Even saints cannot resist this temptation," Wutian continued.

"You already know about the severe drought in Chaoge a year ago, and you also know who the mastermind behind it was. So, is that person different from the one you know?" Wutian looked at Guanyin with a questioning gaze.

The two learned about the severe drought in Chaoge and the appearance of the Primordial Illusion from Mengmeng. Guanyin was greatly shocked and looked incredulous. It wasn't until today that Wutian asked her for her thoughts.

Guanyin sighed softly, then shook her head.

"I didn't know my teacher would do such a thing. I find it hard to accept," Guanyin said with a bitter smile. She still couldn't accept this fact.

Seeing Guanyin's expression, Wutian nodded and stopped asking questions. There were some things she needed to see for herself and to unravel the veil covering her.

"Heave-ho..."

A cute, petite figure jumped in through the window.

"There are so many people outside! There are so many people outside the city too! It's so lively!" the little guy exclaimed excitedly.

"Didn't you go to find Nezha? Why are you back?" Wutian asked.

"Hmm, Nezha has to cultivate and doesn't have time to play with me," the little guy pouted.

“You’re the most carefree person in the whole world. Here’s what I’m going to do: I’m planning to go to Zhen Yuanzi’s place. He invited me to visit before. Do you want to come along?” Wutian said.

"Okay, okay!" Mengmeng exclaimed excitedly.

"Then you must promise me you won't do anything reckless," Wutian continued.

Mengmeng rolled her eyes and nodded her little head, but her expression made it hard to trust her.

Wu Tian shook his head helplessly. To be honest, if this child really wanted to cause trouble, there was nothing he could do.

While Chaoge City was still being flooded with people registering every day, the group quietly flew away from Chaoge.

In the sky, above an auspicious cloud, Wutian, Guanyin, and Mengmeng sat upright, with two little creatures, one black and one white, beside Mengmeng, namely the white tiger and the black qilin.

The group flew at a slow speed, occasionally landing in cities to explore. They noticed that everyone in these cities was discussing what had happened in Chaoge, demonstrating the significant impact of Chaoge's expansion.

On this day, when the group flew to Zhongnan Mountain, they suddenly saw a radiant light shining from the mountain ahead, as if a rare treasure had been born. Immediately afterwards, a powerful aura came from afar.

"Wow, look, what beautiful clouds!" Mengmeng exclaimed, pointing to the distant sky.

Suddenly, the clouds above Zhongnan Mountain turned crimson. This crimson was not the red of the setting sun, but a natural red caused by that energy. Wutian stopped, and the group watched what was happening from a distance.

Gradually, the powerful aura weakened abruptly when it reached a critical point. The aura rapidly diminished, and the red clouds in the sky slowly faded, eventually returning to white.

Wu Tian shook his head with some regret.

"What a pity," Wutian said.

"Buddha, was someone about to break through to Quasi-Saint just now?" Guanyin asked in surprise, because that power almost made her lose control of her suppressed cultivation.

"Yes, it's a pity, all our efforts were in vain," Wutian sighed.

"Who could it be?" Guanyin wondered.

“Let’s go pay him a visit. He is, in a sense, one of your Chan Sect members,” Wutian said.

"What?" Guanyin was immediately startled. How could she not know that there was such a master in her sect, and the aura she had just witnessed was completely unfamiliar to her.

"etc..."

Just then, Guanyin seemed to have thought of something.

“A long time ago, Brother Randeng once said that our teacher had a mysterious disciple outside, whose aptitude and strength were no weaker than the true disciples. Could it be him?” Guanyin said.

Wu Tian remained noncommittal, then rode a cloud toward Zhong Nanshan.

At this moment, in a cave on Zhongnan Mountain, there are many natural jade pillars. The green pillars are integrated with the cave, which is very unique. At this moment, a Taoist priest is sitting in the center of the cave with some disappointment. He is wearing a blue Taoist robe and has a very ordinary face with no special features, but he gives people a very refined and easy-going feeling and is very approachable.

"Alas, how could this be?" The Taoist priest looked worried.

Just now, he failed to break through. At the very moment when he thought he was about to succeed, something in his heart suddenly appeared and interfered with him, causing him to fail at the last minute.

The Taoist touched his chest. There was a power within him that had always followed him. This power was mysterious, but it had never shown any abnormal behavior before. In fact, it had greatly helped him in his previous breakthroughs, allowing him to cultivate many times faster than ordinary people. He had asked his teacher, Yuanshi Tianzun, about it, but the answer he received was ambiguous. Yuanshi did not answer his question, but only said that this power was not harmful to him.

But now, his breakthrough to Quasi-Saint was being interfered with by this power, which puzzled him greatly.

"How could this be? Why are you stopping me?" the Taoist muttered to himself.

"Hmm?" Just then, the Taoist sensed the arrival of Wutian and the others, looked up at the cave entrance, hesitated for a moment, and then got up and went out.

At this moment, Wutian and his two companions flew over Zhongnan Mountain. Below, they saw clouds and mist swirling, and the mountain was covered with exotic flowers and plants, but they did not see any trace of people. Wutian's eyes lit up, and he looked at a cliff on Zhongnan Mountain, where the aura of a barrier could be faintly seen, obviously set up by someone in the mountain.

"Eeya, watch me!" Mengmeng arrived at the cliff and said excitedly. After saying that, the little guy stretched out his little hand to destroy the barrier.

"Mengmeng, don't be rude." Wutian quickly called out to the little one.

Just then, a golden light flashed across the cliff, and the previously empty scenery on the cliff changed. A cave slowly emerged, and at the same time, a Taoist priest walked out of the cave.

The Taoist priest looked up at the sky, slightly raised his hand to bow to the group, and smiled.

"I am Yun Zhongzi, and I have met several fellow Daoists," the Daoist said slowly. He seemed unaffected by his recent breakthrough, and his demeanor exuded a trustworthy aura.

"Amitabha Buddha, I am Wutian."

"Guanyin".

"Hehe, my name is Mengmeng."

The three of them introduced themselves.