Wen Zhong led 300,000 troops and horses, grandly departing from the city of Chao Ge and marching toward Xiqi.
Banners blotted out the sun, and iron hooves thundered like the roar of the heavens.
“The Grand Tutor’s personal expedition will surely destroy Xiqi!”
In the Shang army’s ranks, war drums shook the sky, and morale reached a fever pitch.
This undoubtedly acted as a shot of adrenaline for the Test Takers who had chosen the Shang faction.
The Great Desolation channel boiled over with excitement: [Grand Tutor Wen is the direct disciple of Jinling Shengmu, the best among the third-generation disciples of the Sect of Interception. He’s invincible!]
[He just suppressed the rebellion of the seventy-two regional lords of Beihai. With such achievements, how could that old man Jiang Ziya possibly compete?]
[The orthodox luck of the dynasty is right here. What ‘Mandate of Heaven lies with the Zhou’? What a joke! In the Great Desolation Dao, the strong are respected!]
[King Zhou may have faults, but the entire court shares the responsibility. How can Xiqi betray the country because of that? They are clearly rebels!]
[I feel like I definitely chose correctly. Grand Tutor Wen leads a king’s army! Victory is certain!]
Su Fu shook her head as she watched these comments.
Wen Zhong was indeed powerful, but he was going against the heavens.
In the end, he would meet a tragic death.
Meanwhile, the Test Takers in the Xiqi faction were naturally unwilling to be outdone: [Heh, let them come! It’s the perfect chance to wipe them all out at once!]
[Hilarious. King Zhou of Shang is tyrannical and immoral. Any normal person knows he’s finished!]
[Wen Zhong is aiding a tyrant. King Zhou is the only correct choice.]
The two groups of Test Takers argued incessantly in the channel, neither side willing to yield.
Just then, a new notification from Shen Yan rang out: [“System Announcement: Faction Missions Opened”]
Su Fu raised an eyebrow and clicked into the interface.
The missions were divided into several factions, including the Chan Sect, Sect of Interception, Western Sect, and the Demon Race.
Of course, the most prominent were the two major factions: the Sect of Interception and the Chan Sect.
Several missions were listed in the Sect of Interception mission bar: [Grand Tutor Wen is personally leading an expedition against Xiqi! Seeking people of ambition!]
[Protect the dynasty today and suppress the Zhou rebellion. There will be great rewards upon completion!]
[Conferment of general ranks, wealth, and eternal fame!]
On the other side, the Chan Sect also had a series of missions: [Yuxu Palace is summoning disciples to descend the mountain and aid the Zhou in the crusade against Shang!]
[Follow the Mandate of Heaven, support the Zhou, and usher in a new dynasty!]
[Join this grand occasion! On the day of success, you shall be listed among the immortals!]
Su Fu blinked and muttered, “Listed among the immortals?”
‘To become a worker bee dependent on incense and divine power, bound by the Heavenly Court, forced to follow the Heavenly Rules and Regulations, and unable to act freely?’
She sighed, ‘Look at that rhetoric; it sounded so pleasant.’
But the Test Takers in the channel didn’t know about the massive trap hidden behind those words.
They were all incredibly excited: [Faction missions? Are we fast-forwarding to the final decisive battle already?]
[Are there any big shot Test Takers in Kunlun? Carry me! I want to be listed among the immortals too!]
[What does Wen Zhong count for? I have already received the true teachings of Yuxu Palace. By descending the mountain this time, I will surely achieve great merit!]
[I am Fang Qing, a disciple under Guangchengzi. I sincerely invite fellow Daoists to descend the mountain and aid the Zhou. I intend to fight for a formal position in the Investiture of the Gods!]
[I am Li Qing, a cultivator from Cloud Cave. Seeking fellow cultivators. Only elites. No noobs! Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you and I were listed on the Investiture of the Gods together!]
[The big shots are moving. It seems they are preparing for the Investiture of the Gods.]
[Of course! Once you’re on the Investiture of the Gods, you become a formal deity of the Heavenly Court. The benefits must be endless!]
[Speaking of which, does anyone know how to get on the list? What are the specific rules?]
[How could we know? Anyway, as long as we win, it’ll work out. I’m an expert in lightning techniques; please take me along!]
“…”
Su Fu watched the messages flash wildly in the channel and shook her head.
The Investiture of the Gods meant becoming a deity after death.
One had to experience their soul being shattered and dying first.
However, aside from the Saints and a few others, no one had any way of knowing this.
They all assumed it was a good thing.
They only saw the superficial glory; they had no idea that becoming a god was not so easy.
Not all Test Takers were lucky enough to obtain identities in the Chan Sect or the Sect of Interception.
Many loose cultivators were shouting for teams.
But the faction with the largest number of Test Takers was the Sect of Interception.
After all, their recruitment was lenient, they taught without discrimination, and ten thousand immortals came to their court.
As for why they weren’t worried about the Mandate of Heaven?
As long as one was strong enough, why couldn’t they change their fate against the heavens?
Unfortunately, Su Fu lamented that in the Great Desolation, one really couldn’t just change their fate against the heavens.
This was a script written by the greatest big shots in the world.
However, looking at the team recruitment messages, Su Fu became thoughtful.
‘Since so many Test Takers are in the Chan Sect and the Sect of Interception, doesn’t that mean there are Test Takers in places like Kunlun Mountain and Biyou Palace right now?’
Those places were filled with treasures.
The Mixed Element Umbrella was good, but it was just an appetizer.
‘Although I can’t go there myself, it doesn’t say I can’t find someone to cooperate with…’
‘Should I… find two moles? Ahem, no, two friends!’
The more she thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Later in the war, when everyone’s eyes were focused on the battlefield, those usually heavily guarded immortal lands would surely be empty.
If she could plant an insider on both sides, it would be the perfect time to “steal their home.”
Regarding this, she felt she already had a complete set of procedures.
She was very experienced but she couldn’t just find anyone for this task.
First, they had to have enough strength.
Second, they needed a high-status identity.
Most importantly, they needed enough flexibility and the ability to adapt.
They had to be able to retreat safely at the critical moment to bring the treasures back.
***
In the Kunlun Jade Void Palace, specifically the weapon refinement hall of Taiyi Zhenren.
A girl dressed in Daoist robes was controlling a flame to forge an immortal sword.
The fire blazed, and the sword’s prototype was being tempered in the heat, letting out a humming vibration.
Huangfu Yun seized the moment to throw in various rare materials one after another.
She held her breath, not daring to be even slightly negligent.
The identity Shen Yan had assigned her was merely an outer disciple of Kunlun.
By chance, she had been chosen to handle miscellaneous weapon refinement tasks for Taiyi Zhenren.
Initially, she had been reluctant.
After all, who wanted to do menial labor?
But when she saw Taiyi Zhenren tempering treasures with the essence of the Five Elements and constructing restrictions with Array Formations—watching materials transform into divine weapons that could open the sky in his hands—she was instantly shocked.
Was China’s weapon refinement technology actually this advanced?
He could integrate the principles of the Five Elements’ mutual generation and restriction into a treasure, making an object contain both noble righteousness and lethal decisiveness.
Huangfu Yun had originally thought that her God Mecha represented the peak of human technology.
But compared to this Chinese refinement art, it seemed excessively mechanical and lacking in spirit.
Chinese refinement didn’t just focus on materials and structure; it emphasized the union of heaven and man, and the resonance of the soul with the vessel.
Taiyi Zhenren once said: “To cast a great vessel, one must first clarify the heart and see the nature. The vessel is but a carrier of the Dao. Only through the blending of heart and spirit can a truly immortal weapon be forged.”
At that time, she had been left speechless for a long time.
Although she didn’t quite understand “the Dao” or “the heart,” she knew this was the peak of technology she had ever witnessed.
From then on, Huangfu Yun stayed contentedly.
Her idea was simple: if she could learn a thing or two from Taiyi Zhenren, it would be a massive opportunity.
Perhaps she could further improve the design of the God Mecha, or even lead a revolutionary leap in mecha technology.
Just as she controlled the sword’s exit from the furnace, someone suddenly arrived.
The newcomers were a man and a woman.
The man wore green robes and had a handsome, refined face, while the woman wore white, her features as beautiful as a painting.
Though their status didn’t match the direct disciples of the twelve Golden Immortals, they held significant weight among the ordinary disciples.
“Why are you here?” Huangfu Yun didn’t show much respect; instead, she frowned and asked.
The man stepped forward, set up a soundproofing barrier, and said solemnly, “We discovered that the twelve Golden Immortals are acting strangely. I’m afraid something big is about to happen.”
‘Acting strangely?’
Huangfu Yun’s heart skipped a beat.
She then remembered that Taiyi Zhenren had indeed been in a hurry and very busy recently.
“That shouldn’t be…” Her voice tightened. “The war has only just begun. Has it already reached the level where the Golden Immortals need to get involved?”
What did the twelve Golden Immortals represent?
They were the twelve most powerful disciples under Yuanshi Tianzun, each capable of moving mountains and draining seas.
Above them were the Saints—Yuanshi Tianzun, Grandmaster Tongtian—top-tier existences she hadn’t even seen yet.
She had originally thought this fight would last for a while and that she would have time to continue learning.
But looking at the situation, were the Golden Immortals about to take the stage?
Huangfu Yun sucked in a breath and asked, “My god, will the Saints be alerted directly in the next step?”
The man and woman sighed.
The man was Chiya, and the woman was Zero.
They could not only copy the skills of target characters but also directly replace Anomalies to obtain intelligence.
“Unfortunately, the level of the twelve Golden Immortals is too high. Neither of us can copy them,” Chiya lamented.
“But regardless, we must prepare early.”
None of the three had expected the situation to deteriorate so quickly.
Once the twelve Golden Immortals took the field collectively, would their opponents just sit and watch?
The experts of the Sect of Interception, the group of immortals from Golden Island, and even Grandmaster Tongtian himself…
“Then wouldn’t… this world become a purgatory?” Huangfu Yun murmured to herself, a trace of fear flashing in her eyes.
What should they do?
‘Wait!’
Huangfu Yun suddenly realized something and lowered her voice, “One person might know more.”
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