"Congratulations to the Western Lord, congratulations to the Western Lord!"
In the birthing room, a midwife came out: "It's a boy!"
"Haha, rewards for everyone!!"
Ji Chang happily waved his hand, and at this moment, another guard came in, reporting: "Reporting to the Western Lord, there is a mysterious visitor outside the palace who claims to be a Qi Refiner named Jiang Shang, seeking an audience with the Western Lord."
Ji Chang, the Western Lord, showed a look of doubt on his face but still said, "Since he is a man of extraordinary abilities, then invite him in."
Before long, Zhong Shenxiu walked in confidently.
He now wore a different face, with rosy lips and white teeth, youthful and handsome in appearance, but with a full head of white hair, truly the look of a 'mysterious person'.
"Greetings, Western Lord!"
Upon seeing Ji Chang, he just gave a slight bow and waited for Ji Chang to speak.
"Your honor comes to my Xi Qi and seeks an audience with me, may I ask for what purpose?" Ji Chang asked with some premonition.
"I am a Qi Refiner from Zhongnan, with the surname Jiang and the name Shang, known as Fei Xiong, cultivating the Heavenly Dao and attuning to the celestial mind. I have always traveled the four seas, comprehending the mysteries of nature... Today I passed by Xi Qi and witnessed the Phoenix Calling from Qishan. The Western Lord just had a son born, this is destiny! I specially came to congratulate the Western Lord and have a few words to share."
Zhong Shenxiu smiled gently and pointed, a swirl of mist appeared, outlining characters depicting dragons and phoenixes dancing in the sky:
'Emperor Yin has no virtue, sowing chaos in the world. The star fate has shifted, it cannot last long. The spirits depart, all gods blow away. The five stars gather in the chamber, illuminating the four seas!'
"Emperor Yin has no virtue? Emperor Yin has no virtue! Who exactly are you?"
Ji Chang's face turned dramatically, as if he was about to have the guards seize Zhong Shenxiu the next moment.
He himself had Divine Demon Bloodline, but he couldn't comprehend Zhong Shenxiu's strange abilities, which caused him some hesitation.
"Haha, does the Western Lord and the past rulers of Zhou truly wish to see the Shang sit atop the world? And now Xuan King Dixin has no virtue, has angered the gods of Kunlun, the demise of Yin Shang is not far, does the Western Lord really want to let such a good opportunity slip?"
Zhong Shenxiu asked with a smile.
In history, the Zhou too had coveted the lands of Shang for a long time, working tirelessly for generations, and finally seized the opportunity during King Zhou's era to overthrow the Da Shang at Mu Ye, thus gaining the world.
Which founding ruler in ancient times didn't have great ambition?
This is not about morality, only that the victor becomes king.
"God... are you a messenger of the gods?"
The Western Lord's expression changed, he waved his hand, and his trusted armored soldiers immediately sealed the area: "Jiang Shang, what is your relation with the gods on Kunlun Mountain?"
The Yin Shang just overthrew temples, declaring humanity would never be slaves.
Then Jiang Shang the Qi Refiner came to Xi Qi, it would be suspicious if Ji Chang didn't doubt!
"Qi Refiners are not gods, nor Innate Gods and Demons. We refine essence into qi, which can be seen as another path to seeking longevity... Yet I do have some connection with Kunlun."
Zhong Shenxiu blinked, what I said is the truth, not deceiving you at all.
Ji Chang solemnly said: "In that case... I invite the Daoist to come inside, and let the young earl host a banquet to entertain."
Upon these words, Zhong Shenxiu knew this Western Lord was ambitious, and replied with a smile: "It would be impolite to refuse!"
The two immediately took their seats, and Ji Chang, the Western Lord, ordered an elaborate banquet and continuously urged drinks.
After the song and dance, he dismissed all the maidservants before asking: "What teachings does the Daoist have for me?"
"Does the Western Lord know why Dixin dared to wage war against the gods?"
"Isn't it because the Yin Shang had been oppressed by Kunlun's demands, and the people were living in misery?" Ji Chang replied.
"The gods are too powerful, for mere mortals to rashly resist is to court destruction. Six hundred years, Shang got by this way, where did Dixin find the confidence?"
Zhong Shenxiu said: "This generation's Emperor Shang is ambitious and bold, and the six hundred years of offerings from Yin Shang have eroded a few gods on Kunlun Mountain, leading to an important piece of information... The gods cannot descend from Kunlun!"
"The gods cannot descend from Kunlun?"
Ji Chang was shocked and knocked over his wine cup on the table: "The Daoist's words are not false?"
"Only to say, Dixin believed it!"
Hmm, this was the information leaked by the dead Green Phoenix.
But it was just a slip of the tongue after drinking, the actual rule on Kunlun Mountain is—without the command of The Queen Mother of the West and the East King, the envoys must not descend the mountain without reason. For more chapters visıt novel⸺fire.net
However, Green Phoenix only mentioned the latter half at the time, and Qingyuan was quite reclusive.
Resulting in none of the gods descending from Kunlun for six hundred years, which led to Dixin's delusion...
Otherwise, unless one is not thinking straight, it's impossible to wage war against an overwhelmingly powerful enemy.
"Apart from that, the Shang Dynasty also offered tribute to a black dragon... This black dragon is mighty and can fight the gods!" Zhong Shenxiu threw out another piece of information.
There are quite a few exotic beasts in the Wilds, and among them, dragons and phoenixes are the top ones, with some even reaching the Primordial Pill Realm.
Yin Shang found such a one, formed an alliance through considerable offerings.
In fact, they wanted to find that Mystic Bird, but couldn't...
Ji Chang felt greatly enlightened, thinking many things made sense now.
"Therefore, look, Western Lord, although Dixin has declared an end to offerings, he doesn't dare send troops to attack Kunlun. Instead, the Four Barbarian Kingdoms might attack under the pretext that Yin Shang disrespected the gods!"
This kind of ancient battle, any excuse could serve as a pretense to fight.
But six hundred years of tribute, may indeed have created some devoted followers.
Shang doesn't want to be the bootlicker, but many tribes among the Four Barbarians still want to kneel and worship the gods of Kunlun.
"In the ensuing decades, Yin Shang will inevitably be trapped in continuous warfare with the Four Barbarian Kingdoms, depleting its national power. Meanwhile, the Western Lord can sit back and observe, nurturing strength and biding time, until the right moment to seize Shang City, then great affairs will succeed!"
Zhong Shenxiu felt he had the knack of a persuasive speaker.
At least, hearing this, Ji Chang immediately bowed: "Chang is willing to appoint you as State Preceptor, and asks you to help me accomplish great feats!"
This wasn't just because Jiang Shang provided a specific plan to topple Shang, but also because the other implicitly represented Kunlun!
Zhong Shenxiu said with a smile: "I am of shallow virtue and talent, certainly unfit to be a State Preceptor, but I can be the teacher of the Princely Heir!"
Ji Chang was surprised.
"The son just born to the Western Lord was accompanied by celestial phenomena, Phoenix Calling from Qishan, it's an omen of great fortune!"
Zhong Shenxiu was not stingy with praise when it came to people he knew: "In the future, he will surely become Emperor!"
Ji Chang's expression changed, he waved his hand, and ordered the newborn baby to be brought over.
Seeing this, Zhong Shenxiu couldn't help but purse his lips.
The newborn, still carrying a bit of a fishy smell, was all wrinkled and not very pleasing to look at.
But this was normal, in a few days, he would become chubby and cute, everyone would love him.
But at the moment, still speaking against his conscience, he praised: 'Good, very good! Western Lord, look, this child not only has the aura of dragons and tigers, the appearance of the sun, destined for great achievements in the future, but also has a clear qi soaring to the crown, is a supreme genius of our Qi Refiner lineage!'
Ji Chang suspiciously glanced at his son, feeling that even the Divine Demon Bloodline in him hadn't been awakened, and was a bit doubtful, but showed a sincere smile: "Since my son is fated with the sir, please grant him a name."
Zhong Shenxiu calculated with his fingers: "He can be named—Fa!"