Many children, many blessings; the twelve ancestral witches forced marriages throughout the primordi

Meanwhile, in the west, Mount Sumeru.

Zhunti's condition was even worse than that of Yuanshi Tianzun.

As he watched the golden dragon of fortune soaring into the sky from the direction of the Great Shang Dynasty in the secret chamber, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and with a "whoosh," he spat out a mouthful of dark golden holy blood.

"This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous!"

Zhunti covered his still-healing right arm, trembling with anger.

"You've severed my Western Religion's lineage and destroyed my Xiqi's strategic plans! Lin Xuan, I will never let you get away with this!"

Jieyin stood to the side, looking at his junior brother's miserable state, and sighed.

"Junior brother, stop shouting. He won't hear you even if you shout your lungs out. Now that Xiqi is gone, we have no place among the humans. What should we do next?"

Zhunti wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes turning extremely sinister.

"If we can't win head-on, and we can't compete in terms of luck, then we'll disintegrate it from within. Didn't Emperor Xin admire Lin Xuan? Didn't Lin Xuan like collecting women?"

Zhunti walked to the deepest part of the secret chamber, where there was a dried-up pool. This was the pool that had once been filled with the Eight Treasures Merit Water, but now even the bottom had been scraped clean by Lin Xuan.

But in the silt at the bottom of the pond, a pure white lotus flower grew.

This is the white lotus that accompanies the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit, a being that has absorbed the last trace of pure essence from the Western Paradise and taken form.

With a flick of his finger, Zhunti caused a white lotus to bloom, from which emerged a stunningly beautiful young woman dressed in a white dress and barefoot. Her eyes were clear as water, and she exuded an aura of ethereal purity, untouched by worldly concerns.

"Bai Xiuer greets the two leaders." The girl clasped her hands together, her voice ethereal.

Zhunti looked at her and sneered.

"Xiuer, in the East dwells the great demon Lin Xuan, who has bewitched the Human Emperor and wreaked havoc on the world. I need you to descend to the mortal realm in Chaoge and use your holiness and compassion to reform them. If you have the opportunity, get close to Lin Xuan. Although he is tyrannical and cruel, killing without blinking an eye, he has a fatal weakness—he is extremely fond of women. You only need to pretend to be a pitiful rogue cultivator and take the opportunity to infiltrate the Pangu Palace. As long as you can disrupt his Dao heart or steal the Pangu Palace's defense secrets from him, my Western Sect will have hope of turning the tide!"

Zhunti became more and more agitated as he spoke, his eyes revealing a hint of madness. He was truly out of options now; he couldn't win by fighting head-on, and his schemes had backfired, so he had no choice but to resort to this despicable honey trap.

Bai Xiuer was naive and her mind was filled with the "Western righteousness" instilled in her by Zhunti. She nodded seriously, her clear eyes full of determination.

"Rest assured, Master! Xiu'er will certainly fulfill her mission. Even if it means sacrificing this very body, she will pull that demon Lin Xuan back to the righteous path and save the people of the East!"

Zhunti stroked his chin with satisfaction. Although his right arm was still bald, he finally felt a little more at ease.

"Go. I have planted a hidden Buddhist mantra within you, capable of sensing your location at any time. Remember, Lin Xuan is cunning and treacherous; you must never develop genuine feelings for him!"

Bai Xiuer clasped her hands together, transformed into a beam of white light, and headed straight for Chaoge, the capital of the Shang Dynasty.

Jieyin stared at the direction where the white light disappeared, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.

"Junior brother, you've even given up this companion white lotus. What if... I mean, what if Lin Xuan also snatches it away?"

Zhunti snorted coldly, his face full of confidence.

"Absolutely impossible! Xiu'er was born with a golden lotus of merit, her heart of Buddha is unwavering, and she regards romantic love as mere beauty and a skeleton. Even if Lin Xuan has extraordinary abilities, he can't possibly corrupt her heart of Buddha! This time, I will make sure Lin Xuan suffers a great defeat!"

At this time, night had fallen in Chaoge City, and the city lights were just coming on.

The revelry continued even after the grand sacrificial ceremony. The entire city was brightly decorated, and the air was filled with the aroma of food and wine. The people of Da Shang sang and danced in the streets, celebrating this hard-won era of peace and prosperity.

Lin Xuan didn't stay in the palace listening to Di Xin's flattery. Instead, he took his wives and a bunch of unruly children, changed into ordinary clothes, and strolled around the most bustling East Market in Chaoge City.

As the Minister of Commerce of the Great Shang Dynasty, Su Daji walked the streets like a female CEO inspecting her territory. She pointed to the bustling shops on both sides, her face full of pride.

"My lord, look! Since the reform of the spirit stone currency was implemented, the GDP of our Chaoge has more than tripled. Now even the old man selling candied hawthorns on the street can pay with broken spirit stones."

Lin Xuan casually bought a string of candied hawthorns, handed it to Lin Yin who was drooling beside him, and praised her with a smile.

"Well done. I'll give you a year-end bonus when we get back."

Su Daji's nine tails swayed slightly under her skirt, her cheeks flushed, and she whispered in Lin Xuan's ear, "Forget about the year-end bonus, just spend more time with me tonight, my husband."

Before Lin Xuan could reply, a crisp "ding" sounded in his mind.

"Ding! The system has detected a high-scoring female fairy approaching!"

"Target: Bai Xiuer (the incarnation of the White Lotus of the Western Sect)."

System score: 96 points!

"Target status: Deeply brainwashed by Zhunti, tasked with stealing secrets and disrupting the host's Dao heart. Currently attempting to create a chance encounter."

Lin Xuan paused, raising an eyebrow.

A spy sent by Zhunti? Or a top-tier female immortal with a score of 96?

Lin Xuan was secretly delighted. Had he been driven mad by his beating? He couldn't beat the mortals, he couldn't handle the Heavenly Court, so now he's offering me wives? Has the Western Sect opened a matchmaking agency?

"Dad, why aren't you leaving?" Lin Tian held a piece of roasted meat he had just bought, his mouth dripping with oil, and looked up at Lin Xuan in confusion.

Lin Xuan stroked his chin and glanced at a small alley not far ahead.

"It's nothing. Dad just thinks there looks like something interesting up ahead. Let's go take a look."