Eighty-four generations of Yu succeeded to the throne, and the Nine Provinces Divine Cauldrons
Having completed his mission, Yang Miaojun naturally chose to retire gracefully, and no matter how Da Yu tried to persuade him to stay, he couldn't. However, Yang Miaojun, true to his reputation as the cunning person Xuan Tian had chosen, subtly revealed some reasons why he couldn't stay among the human race during Da Yu's attempts to persuade him to remain. These reasons included the obstruction of several sects, his status as a disciple of Penglai Island, and the fear of offending his master and fellow disciples among the saints. He also mentioned the possibility of those sects joining forces, and although he was highly skilled and unafraid of group attacks, he didn't want Da Yu to be implicated. Da Yu didn't think much of it, only considering the disciples of those sects too domineering, and he was even more displeased. Seeing that he couldn't persuade Yang Miaojun to stay, he gave up on his own.
After Yang Miaojun left, Yu the Great naturally returned to report. Over the years, he had devoted himself to controlling the floods, and his virtuous reputation had spread far and wide, almost overshadowing that of Emperor Shun. Emperor Shun himself was getting old and also wanted Yu to succeed him as the leader of the human race. So, in accordance with the will of the people, he abdicated the throne to Yu the Great when he returned.
After Yu the Great ascended the throne, the previous imperial tutor, Randeng, naturally spared no effort in placing members of the Chan Sect in important human affairs. The Jie Sect, realizing this, also sought to compete with the Chan Sect for power in order to develop and expand their own sect and pass on their lineage. The two sides fought to the death, creating chaos and confusion in the court, leaving all the civil and military officials in a state of panic and turmoil.
Yu the Great watched the chaotic struggle between the Chan and Jie sects, his displeasure growing. He vaguely recalled Yang Miaojun's parting words, increasingly feeling that the two sects were too domineering, yet he was powerless to find a solution. The Jie sect, rooted in the human court since the time of the Five Emperors, had grown immensely powerful and deeply entrenched over hundreds of years. The Chan sect, led by Randeng, the former imperial tutor, had relentlessly suppressed the Jie sect and installed his own confidants since Emperor Shun's ascension to the throne. While not yet as powerful as the Jie sect, Chan was newly emerging and aggressive. The court was filled with members of both sects or their followers, their struggle for power proving irreconcilable. Yu the Great, powerless to stop it, knowing his reign was short and he couldn't contend with the two sects, remained aloof, secretly cultivating his own leadership team, waiting for the two sects to weaken each other before seizing power.
However, most of the human race now consists of cultivators from the two major sects, while the rest are independent cultivators who are not very influential and dare not compete with the disciples of the two major sects, since they have a big boss behind them. Da Yu really couldn't find a force that he could cultivate, and he racked his brains for this reason.
Finally, heaven rewards those who persevere. Five years after Yu the Great ascended the throne, he finally discovered a force that could be nurtured: the remnants of the ancient Jiuli tribe.
The Jiuli tribe was originally a human tribe. Later, it mixed with the Wu tribe and was renamed Jiuli. After the Jiuli tribe was defeated and Chiyou was sealed by Xuanyuan, most of the original Jiuli tribe people were driven to live in the Great Wilderness and were called barbarians.
The Jiuli tribe has many people of mixed human and witch blood. Some of them have reached the level of witch generals, which is equivalent to the cultivation level of a celestial immortal cultivator. There are also several survivors of the last great war who have reached the level of witch masters, which is equivalent to the cultivation level of a Taiyi cultivator.
The people of the Jiuli tribe have a deep-seated hatred for the cultivators, and because they are called demons by the cultivators, the two sides often fight whenever they meet. When Yu discovered this situation, he was overjoyed. He had finally found a force to rely on. Whether he could break free from the control of the two religions would depend on his actions.
Yu the Great lived up to the reputation of the Five Emperors. He was proficient in the art of rulership. Although the disciples of the Chan and Jie sects served as officials in the court, most of them were believers and not very skilled in managing people's livelihoods. They fought for power and profit in their daily lives, but it was for the sake of their respective sects' orthodoxy. In addition, most of them were people who usually secluded themselves to cultivate in seclusion. They were completely fooled by Yu the Great.
Whenever the Chan Sect made a request, Yu the Great would grant it. The people of the Chan Sect were already proud, so they became even more arrogant. When the people of the Jie Sect came to make requests, Yu the Great would make excuses and eventually complain that the people of the Chan Sect were pressuring him, and that he dared not speak out against their pressure. The people of the Jie Sect were mostly rough and tumble, but they valued morality and loyalty, so they hated the Chan Sect even more. As a result, the two sides fought even more fiercely, often causing trouble. Only then would Yu the Great step in, pretending to be compassionate and heartbroken, and rebuke the troublemakers from both sects. Then he would clean up the mess on his own, making everyone feel ashamed and unwilling to get involved.
Thus, within a few years, the power painstakingly built by the Chan and Jie sects was destroyed. When some of the more astute disciples finally realized this, they were no match for Yu the Great. After all, Yu the Great was a human emperor, a status far beyond what these scattered cultivators could attain. This couldn't be compensated for by mere cultivation. Yu the Great was merely a mortal, capable of killing anyone, but as a human emperor, he possessed the aura of a true dragon and the power of the people's faith, protecting him from harm. No one could touch him; otherwise, the karmic consequences would be so profound that any cultivator would be annihilated, their true spirit utterly destroyed. Helpless, the group could only swallow their anger and return to the mountain in despair.
Having gained power, Yu the Great feared a counterattack from the disciples of the two sects, so he naturally did his utmost to suppress the remnants of the two sects in the court and among the common people. He also heavily relied on people from the Jiuli tribe, which destroyed the foundation that the Chan and Jie sects had painstakingly built over a hundred years, bringing them back to square one. Now, they have to be careful when spreading their teachings, lest they be discovered and falsely accused. Even cultivators are hesitant to act, lest they be disgraced by Yu the Great. Ordinary humans naturally trust the government, and if things go wrong, not only will they themselves be ruined, but their sects' reputations will also be tarnished.
Yu the Great was ambitious, and quite ambitious at that. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were all ordained by Heaven, but the Three Sovereigns had the greatest merit and could only enjoy their positions of honor after abdicating. As long as the human religion remained, they would live forever. The Five Emperors did not have this fortune. Although they had merit, it was not enough to reach the level of the Three Sovereigns. Among the first few human emperors, apart from Zhuanxu who cultivated the path of immortality by borrowing the merit of the Five Emperors, the other three emperors were all reincarnated after death. Although their merit was enough for them to enjoy endless blessings in the cycle of reincarnation, they could not ultimately enter the path of immortality. As mere mortals, they were nothing more than ants in the eyes of cultivators. Yu the Great was unwilling to accept this, so he wholeheartedly wanted to transcend reincarnation and reach the status of the Three Sovereigns in one fell swoop, or even the supreme position of a sage.
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