The Great Way to Truth, Starting from Jiazi Laodao

Chapter 290 Tearing Off Faces, Formal Clash
The Ming Dynasty was founded.

Zhu Wu firmly sat on the throne, winning the respect of his subjects below the mountain with his strength, wisdom, and skill, and his prestige was at its zenith.

The powerful figures on his side all highly regarded him, and his forces clearly expressed their allegiance on the day Zhu Wu ascended the throne. His Spirit Refining Realm representative not only admired him but also felt a certain degree of awe.

On this same day, Jianhu Palace, the Mengmo Clan, the Feng Clan, and others all clearly expressed their support for the Ming Dynasty.

Some martial artists in the martial arts world also responded.

The four prefectures, led by Fuyun Mountain, also expressed their stance.

This directly severed part of the Great Zhou Dynasty's territory, with both sides tearing off the last fig leaf and completely breaking off relations.

"This day has finally come!"

The great powers of heaven and earth all felt the same sentiment.

Those who remain neutral will remain neutral and observe the situation.

Both sides then took action.

The powerful figures personally intervened and entered the fray.

Xuanming single-handedly protected the four prefectures, standing on the Taiji Golden Bridge, holding the Mountain and River Map, and blocked a top-level powerhouse, namely the Legalist Great Divine Power Master behind the original Great Xuan Divine Dynasty, and an ordinary powerhouse from the demon race: a nine-headed bird.

Laws clash, the great paths collide.

Faced with their siege, Xuanming remained fearless, his Primordial Dao transforming into all things, displaying an air of indifference to any winds from east, west, north, or south.

They also launched a surprise attack, allowing the Supreme Taoist to severely injure the powerful demon and suppress him in the Taiji Heaven, which frightened the powerful Legalist to leave in a hurry.

"Xuanming, I will remember you."

"Does this humble Taoist priest have to thank you?"

"Hmph, we'll have a long time before we meet again!"

The Phoenix Clan and the Dream Eater Clan were temporarily protected by powerful figures from the Taiping Sect, while the Sword Lake Palace was protected by the Spirit Radiance Heavenly Lord.

When Baiyujing opens, the celestial realm will fall to the mortal world. Lingyao Tianjun has decided to reside at sea. Jianhu Palace is both an ally and a neighbor, so of course he must protect it.

At the same time, a great battle also broke out in the Netherworld.

Besides the Three Paths and the Heavenly Southern God, another powerful Netherworld being joined them and also took action; his name was Tu Bo.

The underworld is safe and sound.

They immediately launched a counterattack from the middle and lower levels.

The Ming Dynasty was further targeted by the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The moment Zhu Wu ascended the throne, the powerful figures of the Great Zhou Dynasty realized they had been tricked.

The Heavenly Emperor is not only in the Netherworld, but also in the mortal realm. The more special Zhu Wu is, the more determined they are to kill him. Unfortunately, Zhu Wu is protected by a powerful being, and the powerful beings of the Great Zhou Dynasty returned empty-handed.

On the third day after defeating the powerful enemy, the ten great beings who supported the Ming Dynasty and the Underworld jointly announced that they would launch the Conferment of Gods War. All those who supported the Ming Dynasty and the Underworld, regardless of life or death, could be conferred the title of gods based on their merits and enjoy a longer lifespan. They would also be further taught the secrets of the Earth Immortals.

This statement caused an uproar.

After years of joint efforts, the Earth Immortal Method has gained a foothold in the world and has become quite attractive to living beings.

The Investiture of the Gods was even more beyond imagination.

Most importantly, this conferment of gods is different from the conferment of gods in the human realm. The divine positions are either closely connected to the origin of the earth or in accordance with the laws of heaven and earth, somewhat similar to nature gods or divine bodies.

Not entirely dependent on incense offerings, especially achieving physical sainthood, one can cultivate as before.

Compared to human gods, earth gods are more free.

It has stirred the hearts of countless living beings.

The practitioner yearns to go further.

Mortals yearn for immortality.

Numerous forces and beings, openly or covertly, pledged allegiance to the Ming Dynasty, causing this newly established dynasty to expand rapidly.

Their influence expanded and their strength increased. Although those who came to join them were of varying quality, a number of talented individuals were selected through reasonable methods.

Make the best use of everything and make the best use of people.

Unless someone is truly morally bankrupt, everyone can utilize their talents; even petty thugs can infiltrate the Great Zhou and become spies.

A large number of ghosts also flooded into the underworld, all pledging allegiance. Among them were many ghost kings. Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun was adept at handling these matters and quickly won over those who had pledged allegiance. Even fierce and evil spirits had a place to use their power to fight evil with evil.

Although the Great Zhou Dynasty reacted swiftly and had prepared in advance, launching a similar Investiture of the Gods war, the human gods faced many restrictions and were not as beneficial as the earth gods.

However, the Great Zhou Dynasty has a strong foundation, and it remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in this battle for the title of gods.

---

Time flies.

Hidden Peak, Seeking the Way Academy.

The door opened, and a figure walked out, lying on a rocking chair, Xuanming in a relaxed posture.

As he gazed at the blue sky and white clouds, enjoying the refreshing autumn breeze, his thoughts began to flow.

Three years have passed since the start of the Investiture of the Gods.

He entrusted the matter to the Supreme Taoist, while he himself chose to go into seclusion. In the three years that followed, Xuanming's cultivation progressed rapidly.

In addition to the perfect completion of the water and fire elements, the metal element also recently reached perfection, thanks to the gathering of the three flowers at the top of the White Emperor's head.

When this deity traveled to the West, he received help from Bai Suwei, the former tiger girl, and met the White Tiger Clan Chief. With the help of the White Tiger Clan, the Metal Element Law flourished, the Metal Qi of the West was restored, and he successfully became a Divine Emperor.

Today, Xuanming is only missing the element of wood to achieve the Five Elements Convergence, and that day is not far off.

In addition, over the years, Xuanming has successfully eradicated the three poisons of resentment, hatred, and anger. He only needs to eliminate anger to complete the Five Poisons Cultivation.

Thinking about these things made him feel good.

Savoring a cup of tea, one's primordial spirit is enveloped in the floating clouds of Mount Xuanming, and Xuanming smiles with delight.

In recent years, the pursuit of truth has also made remarkable progress.

Three years ago, Li Zizai successfully cultivated his spirit, making up for the shortcomings of his Seeking Truth Observation and becoming a True Lord.

Two months ago, with the spread of the Earth Immortal Path, the seven True Immortals, including Xuanxu, achieved twice the results with half the effort in their cultivation. Using seven regions as nodes, they successfully transformed Fuyun Mountain into the number one blessed land in the world.

They also broke through their current realm and became Divine Immortals.

Moreover, the Taoists at Qiuzhen Temple number in the thousands, with hundreds of them being Qi Refining True Persons, truly possessing a touch of the aura of a sacred place.

Setting down his teacup, Xuanming silently calculated and learned the current situation of the Ming Dynasty and the Underworld.

Three years have passed, and the world remains in a tripartite balance, but with some differences.

The Ming Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty were like the legendary Western Zhou and the Shang Dynasty in the previous life. Under the leadership of Zhu Wu, the former recuperated and quietly accumulated strength. While repelling wave after wave of attacks from the Great Zhou Dynasty, it also acquired many talents and troops. After three years of accumulation, the Ming Dynasty was ready to launch a counterattack and occupy part of the Great Zhou territory.

Meanwhile, the people who were to be conferred the title of gods have also been born. One openly and one secretly pledged allegiance to the Ming Dynasty and the Zhou Dynasty respectively, just like Jiang Ziya and Shen Gongbao. These two had quite a entanglement in their previous lives, as they were the fellow disciples of the demon monk Wuhua.

In this life, however, their roles have been reversed.

Wu Hua is a righteous person, while Wu Ya is the villain.

The human world has not changed much, but the situation in the underworld has changed drastically.

With the enemy's powerful forces tied down, the Underworld, favored by the Daoist tradition, has made unstoppable progress in the past three years, conquering half of the Netherworld's territory. Gouchen Emperor is in charge of the offensive, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun is in charge of governance, and Houtu Niangniang is in charge of appeasement; they cooperate seamlessly with each other.

Chief of the Dream Eater Clan and Master of the Other Shore Flower are already half-step into great power, Empress Houtu has also gathered the three flowers at the top of her head, and the Heavenly Venerable Taiyi who saves from suffering has gone into seclusion to refine a million fierce and evil ghosts, preparing to break through to the level of a great god.

If successful, the underworld will gain a complete advantage.

With the situation looking very good, Xuanming was in a good mood.

However, it didn't last long. Half a month later, with a solemn expression, he tore open a spatial rift and stepped inside.

(End of this chapter)