You have seen a Venerable Deity. Why do you not bow?
Ji Xiu looked at the Mace-Wielding General before him, a colossal figure a thousand feet tall, so vast it seemed to hold up the heavens and blot out the sky. His brows couldn’t help but knit together.
Beneath the lotus throne, His Name was inscribed:
[Central Yellow Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General]
This was the very same Divine Being from the Central Yellow Sect that Lin Du and the Three Great Gangs—whom he had wiped out—had worshiped.
Now, firmly established as the General Leader of the Anning Mountain Dao, Ji Xiu was no longer the greenhorn he used to be.
Through Duan Chenzhou, Gu Baichuan, and other channels, he had pieced together a clearer picture of the many secrets of the Great Xuan.
The Central Yellow Sect was composed of Outer Deities and Evil Deities from one of the Outer Dao Celestial Universes, Central Yellow Heaven.
They used the Emperor Venerable, Central Yellow Taiyi, as their cornerstone, extending a divine hierarchy of the Holy, Celestial Monarchs, and Divine Generals. They spread this system across the heavens, establishing the foundations of the Divine Dao.
If the demonic creatures and fiends infected by Abyss Ruins Heaven, one of the Outer Dao Celestial Universes, were chaotic and disordered, then these Divine Beings were something else entirely. They were single-mindedly bent on destroying the Daozhou Prefectures of the Great Xuan, intending to transform this vast, boundless territory into a paradise for the Divine Dao where they could sow their faith. This made them the natural enemies of the Human Immortal Martial Dao.
He remembered Gu Baichuan mentioning the atrocities committed by the Central Yellow Sect—case after horrifying case—all detailed in scroll after scroll within the Northern Garrison Command Archives.
The so-called Secret Techniques of the Central Yellow Sect were all cultivation methods founded on faith in Divine Beings, forming the very bedrock of their Divine Dao. The thought alone sent a chill down Ji Xiu’s spine.
Cultivation, whether it used the physical body as a raft or the spirit as a lantern, was ultimately about seeking transcendence and self-realization.
But this method of worshiping Divine Beings... it wasn’t even a matter of the Dual Cultivation of Life and Spirit anymore. From the very beginning, it ran completely counter to the entire purpose of Ji Xiu’s own Cultivation.
Under such circumstances, forget becoming a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster. Even if one managed to achieve a Titled Martial Dao, what would be the point?
You would still be at the mercy of another. If they ordered you to present your neck for the blade, you would have no other choice.
Listening to the trembling hum that thundered in his ears like war drums...
Ji Xiu knew this Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General had likely used some kind of medium, wielding immense Spiritual Power to forge a connection with him while he was immersed in his training.
’It must be that small Divine Shrine I took from Lin Du.’
’Previously, I killed Lin Du and seized the assets of the Three Great Gangs for myself. Those actions dealt a heavy blow to the branch hall the Central Yellow Sect general had established in Anning.’
’Under these circumstances...’
’...this Divine General was still promising me a direct path to becoming a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster? Was he really that magnanimous?’
"I killed your believers and stamped out your worship. Are you, General, truly willing to let bygones be bygones?"
Ji Xiu’s tone was probing. At the same time, he sized up the hazy surroundings, hoping to discern some truth from this strange and novel scene.
Watching this young Martial Artist from the Great Xuan, who seemed curious about everything yet showed no trace of apprehension or fear, the Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General’s divine eyes narrowed in displeasure:
"To forge a golden body, to ascend to the rank of Dharma Protector, to be titled as a Divine General... I sit high upon my divine altar. Why would I trouble myself with such mundane squabbles?"
"If you bow before my throne, you shall become my Grand General Order Envoy. You will be second only to the mortal regents of the Holy and the Celestial Monarchs. Your status will be revered, and all Believers will hold you in the highest esteem."
"Furthermore, I see your innate talent is considerable, and you possess great spiritual wisdom. I am willing to bestow upon you a scripture on par with a Secret Inheritance of the Human Race. You need only prostrate yourself in piety and recite it with reverence each day. In less than one hundred days, you will naturally become a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster!"
"So, will you not kneel?"
The Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General dodged the important questions, every word a promise of status and power. But it all felt like castles in the air, utterly unreliable from the start.
As the General’s words echoed in Ji Xiu’s mind... they brought two very fitting words to the forefront.
’Pyramid scheme!’
For a moment, Ji Xiu was taken aback. He asked, feigning astonishment:
"Really? It’s that incredible?"
The Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General’s expression softened. It seemed this mortal could be swayed after all. Just as the deity was about to press his advantage...
...who would have expected that in the next instant—
"Then, may I ask the Venerable Deity, can this technique grant immortality?"
"...It cannot."
"Then could I beat you with it?"
"...You could not."
"Then..."
Ji Xiu pointed toward the very center of the hundreds of lotus thrones, to the grand, central seat that seemed to be the throne of the Emperor Venerable himself, and asked:
"After I master it, can I sit on the Jinluan throne and become the Emperor Venerable?"
Cracks began to spiderweb across the Spirit Summoning and Saint Manifesting General’s face.
His once-solemn, majestic expression contorted into a mask of pure fury. He raised his Treasure Mace, and the entire celestial palace began to tremble.
"Audacious!"
"That is the throne of the Emperor Venerable, Central Yellow Taiyi! Do you think it is something that a mere mortal like you can covet!?"
’He truly had not expected this mortal’s ambition to be so vast.’
’Immortality, a divine throne!’
’To join the ranks of the Immortals, to become an Emperor Venerable!’
’Did he have any idea what that meant?’
’Even he himself was worlds away from such a level—not even in the same reality.’
’If he possessed that level of Cultivation, if he could bestow such power upon others, would he still be here trying to scrape together Believers?’
’He would have struck out on his own long ago!’
’Originally, he had seen that the boy’s foundation was profound. If someone like him were in the Central Yellow Heaven and caught the eye of one of the Holy, then once he reached what those Martial Artists call a "Qi Cultivation Grandmaster," he’d have a chance to receive a divine investiture and embark on the path of Divine Dao Cultivation.’
’At that point, if his luck was good, it wasn’t out of the question for him to even reach a position similar to his own—a Dharma Guardian General.’
’A momentary appreciation for the boy’s talent had made him wonder if he could bewitch... no, *recruit* him into his own camp.’
’But instead, the boy had mocked and taunted him. Did he really think this deity was a pushover, molded from clay?!’
’This whelp only cultivates his fleshly shell, without any protection for his spirit... He clearly has no deep heritage and doesn’t understand the Profound Mystery of the Dual Cultivation of Life and Spirit.’
’Today, using this medium, I’ll just teach you a small lesson. But wait until the day I manifest in Anning. Then I will make sure this disrespectful little brat learns what it truly means for a Divine Being to descend upon the mortal world!’