Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

Deep within the chaos, in an unnamed secret place.

Lu Chen sat cross-legged in the center of a chaotic vortex, with a chaotic brick floating above his head, emanating an aura that devoured all things. The sharp killing intent remaining from the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Intent had been completely worn away and absorbed by the chaotic brick, transforming into several deeper and more profound patterns on the surface of the brick.

His injuries had long since healed under the nourishment of the chaotic energy, and his aura had become even more refined, faintly touching the perfect realm of the peak of the Primordial Chaos. He seemed to be only one last bit of enlightenment away from the legendary threshold of "proving the Dao with force".

"The intent of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword can annihilate all things, but it also contains the resolute determination of 'destruction before construction.'" Lu Chen slowly opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly filled with the birth and death of chaos. "My Great Dao of Power pursues the ultimate and pure 'power,' which is more forceful than versatile. Now, by incorporating this trace of the 'annihilation' true meaning of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, I have achieved a balance of strength and gentleness, making my Dao more harmonious."

With a thought, the Chaos Brick hummed, and miniature phantoms of the Four Swords of Annihilation and Despair spontaneously evolved around the brick, swirling and dancing, their sword intent chilling. Although far inferior to the original, they already possessed a trace of divine charm.

"Not bad, it can be considered a blessing in disguise." Lu Chen nodded in satisfaction and put away the Chaos Brick.

Judging by the time, he has been in seclusion here for nearly a hundred years since the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation was broken. In the primordial world, the Investiture of the Gods should be nearing its end.

He separated a wisp of his divine thought to connect with the hidden agents left in places like Wuzhuang Temple and Jin'ao Island (ruins), and received the information flow from these past years.

As expected, the battle for the title of Gods has reached its final stage.

After the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, the Jie Sect was destroyed, and the Shang Dynasty had no strong allies. Although Wen Zhong struggled to hold on with his personal bravery and command skills, he could not do it alone. The Xiqi army, under the command of Jiang Ziya, with Yang Jian, Nezha, Lei Zhenzi and other third-generation disciples of the Chan Sect as the vanguard, advanced with unstoppable momentum, having already breached several important passes of Chaoge, and its advance was heading straight for the Shang capital.

Inside the city of Chaoge, King Zhou, already incompetent and tyrannical after the escape of the three demons, Su Daji, was now even more alienated from his people. Bigan died with his heart ripped out, Shang Rong died by crashing into a pillar, and royal ministers such as Wei Zi Qi either fled or surrendered... The six-hundred-year reign of the Shang Dynasty was already teetering on the brink of collapse, its demise imminent.

On the Investiture of the Gods, the positions of the 365 righteous gods have been mostly filled. The souls and true spirits of the Jie Sect, Shang Dynasty generals and cultivators who died in battle, as well as some scattered immortals and demons who were caught up in the calamity, are being drawn onto the list by the Investiture of the Gods, and they are waiting for Jiang Ziya to build the platform to confer the titles of gods so that they can return to their positions.

"Jiang Ziya...the Conferred God Platform..." Lu Chen's eyes flickered.

According to the "plot," Jiang Ziya will build the Investiture Platform on Mount Qi in Xiqi, bathe and fast, ascend the platform to offer sacrifices to Heaven, hold the God-Slaying Whip, read the Investiture List, and confer titles upon 365 righteous gods. This is the final step of the Investiture of the Gods calamity, and also a crucial moment when Heavenly merit descends and the order of the Heavenly Court is established.

"The God-Slaying Whip... the Investiture of the Gods..." Lu Chen's lips curled into a familiar, sly smile. "Yuanshi, can you stop me from stealing it, can you stop me from... substituting it for something else?"

He had planned this all along. He failed when Jiang Ziya descended the mountain, firstly because the timing wasn't right, and secondly because the sages were on high alert. But now, with the Investiture of the Gods nearing its end, many matters are complicated, and everyone's attention is divided, especially Yuanshi Tianzun, whose main focus will undoubtedly be on ensuring the smooth progress of the Investiture and dividing the spoils of victory. His attention to Jiang Ziya and those two treasures might be slightly less attentive.

And this is his chance!

"Moreover, although the names on the Investiture of the Gods are fixed, the rank of the 'gods,' the extent of their power, and even the flexibility to obey orders or not in the future... there is a lot of room for manipulation here." Lu Chen's eyes gleamed.

What he wanted to do was not to seize the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Slaying Whip (that would immediately incur the wrath of the sage), but rather to "borrow" them briefly and tamper with the "copy" or "rules of operation" of the Investiture of the Gods, planting some "backdoors"!

For example, the descriptions of the authority of certain important divine positions (such as the main gods of the Thunder Department, Fire Department, and Fighting Department) could be modified to make them more "independent," or extremely faint "advice" or "warning" marks could be implanted deep within the divine souls of certain key positions, triggering only under specific conditions. Another example is the addition of several extremely subtle "countermeasures" or "exemptions" clauses targeting specific individuals (such as the power of Western religions) to the "deity-slaying" rules of the God-Slaying Whip…

These changes must be extremely minor, so as not to affect the overall situation of the Investiture of the Gods or the operation of the Heavenly Dao, and even less so to be immediately noticed by Jiang Ziya, who presided over the Investiture of the Gods, and the sages behind him. But as long as the seeds are sown, in the future, at certain specific moments, they may play an unexpected role and shake up the entire structure of the Heavenly Court!

"The risk is high, but it's worth a try." Lu Chen stood up, activated his Brick Escape Technique, and headed back towards the Primordial World.

He first went to Wuzhuang Temple and found Zhen Yuanzi.

"Senior, I need to borrow the power of the Earth's membrane and take a look at your 'Earth Book'." Lu Chen got straight to the point.

"What are you going to do?" Zhen Yuanzi asked, puzzled by his solemn expression.

"I need to temporarily 'shield' a small area of ​​the heavenly secrets, for a very short time, and it needs to simulate the heavenly aura that is the same as that of the 'Investiture of the Gods'," Lu Chen said in a low voice. "Ideally, I should be able to create an 'illusion' or 'aura projection' of the Investiture of the Gods, even if it can only last for three breaths."

Zhen Yuanzi gasped, "You...you want to mess with the Investiture of the Gods? Are you crazy? Yuanshi Tianzun, Laozi, and even the Dao Ancestor might be watching!"

"Therefore, we need to be extremely cautious and only act at the very last moment, the instant when Jiang Ziya reads the Investiture of the Gods and the Heavenly Dao's attention is most concentrated and 'solidified'," Lu Chen calmly analyzed. "At that moment, everyone's attention is on the result of the 'Investiture of the Gods,' and they may be least sensitive to the subtle fluctuations of the Investiture of the Gods 'itself' due to the interference of the Heavenly Dao's energy. What I need is that one momentary opening."

Zhen Yuanzi pondered for a long time, looking at Lu Chen's resolute eyes, and finally sighed: "This old Daoist will go mad with you this once! The Earth Book can briefly project the image of the primordial mountains and rivers and the earth's veins, simulating a trace of the Heavenly Dao's trajectory. The Earth's membrane can also disrupt local Heavenly Secrets. But it can only last for five breaths at most! Within five breaths, you must complete it and immediately flee far away, leaving absolutely no trace of cause and effect!"

"Five breaths is enough!" Lu Chen nodded emphatically.

The two began preparations in secret. Zhen Yuanzi mobilized the power of the Earth Book and the Earth Membrane to practice deep within the Wuzhuang Temple. Lu Chen, on the other hand, repeatedly deduced the details of the plan, adjusted his own condition to its peak, and prepared several contingency plans for dealing with unexpected events and escaping.

Several months later, in Xiqi, at Qishan.

The Conferring Gods Platform stood majestically, soaring into the clouds. The platform was divided into three levels, arranged according to the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Banners fluttered around it, and soldiers stood in imposing armor. Jiang Ziya, having bathed and changed his clothes, slowly ascended the platform, holding his God-Slaying Whip. Below, King Wu, Ji Fa, led his civil and military officials, the immortals of the Chan Sect, and countless soldiers and commoners of Xiqi to witness the ceremony. A solemn and dignified atmosphere permeated the air.

Lu Chen and Zhen Yuanzi had already concealed themselves at a ley line node tens of thousands of miles away from Qishan. Zhen Yuanzi fully activated the earth's membrane, and the power of the ley lines silently spread outwards, like the most intricate spider web, beginning to slightly disturb the celestial secrets around the Conferred God Platform.

At the same time, the illusory image of the Earth Book unfolded above Zhen Yuanzi's head, with the image of the primordial mountains and rivers flowing around it. A trace of extremely faint but extremely high-essence "primordial authority" was extracted, simulating the rhythm of the Heavenly Dao of the Investiture of the Gods.

On the high platform, Jiang Ziya burned incense and prayed, his voice resounding far and wide:

"By the decree of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the Jade Edict of the Supreme God of Heaven, at the Conferring Gods Platform on Mount Qi, three hundred and sixty-five righteous gods are hereby appointed to complete the Heavenly Mandate and establish the order of Heaven and Earth! Those whose names are on the list, quickly return to your positions—"

He unfurled the scroll of the Investiture of the Gods, which was neither silk nor satin, and shimmered with golden light, and was about to begin reading it aloud!

This is the moment!

Thousands of miles away, Lu Chen's eyes flashed with a sharp light!

"Let's do it!"

Zhen Yuanzi shouted, activating the power of the earth veins and the projection of the Earth Book simultaneously! The celestial secrets around the Conferred God Platform showed extremely brief, almost imperceptible "ripples"!

At the same time, Lu Chen's Primordial Divine Thought, combined with the "chaotic assimilation" property of the Chaos Brick, transformed into an invisible and intangible yet incredibly precise "mental tentacle." Along the disturbed ripples of heavenly secrets, it instantly "attached" to the real Investiture of the Gods scroll in Jiang Ziya's hand at an incredible speed!

It's not about looting or destruction, but about infiltration and replication!

In that instant, Lu Chen's divine sense, like the most skillful thief, enveloped in the power of chaos, bypassed the strongest Heavenly Dao protection on the surface of the Investiture of the Gods (which was currently focused on the "conferment" ceremony) and silently infiltrated its internal information structure!

A massive amount of information about divine names, divine offices, and powers rushed in! Lu Chen was prepared. He activated the Great Dao of Power at full power, maintaining absolute concealment while "reading," "analyzing," and... "fine-tuning" at an unbelievable speed!

He implanted the barely perceptible "backdoor" runes he had prepared beforehand, like a virus, deep into the descriptions of dozens of key divine positions; in the related information of some important divine souls (such as Wen Zhong, Jinling Shengmu, etc.), he left "guardian mark" seeds that would only be triggered in extreme situations (such as being forcibly converted or having their divine souls completely refined); and even at the very bottom of the rules governing the Investiture of the Gods, he added an extremely obscure supplementary clause regarding "the authority of the God-Slaying Whip must not interfere with the underground passages, reincarnation, or specific Chaos Protectors"...

All of this was accomplished in the blink of an eye!

Three breaths! Just three breaths!

Lu Chen's divine sense receded like the tide, leaving no trace.

On the Investiture Platform, Jiang Ziya, oblivious to everything, continued to proclaim: "By imperial decree, you, Bai Jian, are appointed as the leader of the 365 Pure Blessing Gods of the Eight Divisions in the Three Realms! You, Huang Tianhua, are appointed as the Bingling Duke, the Righteous God in charge of the Three Mountains..."

In response to the will of Heaven, golden light of merit began to gather.

Ten thousand miles away, Lu Chen and Zhen Yuanzi simultaneously concealed all their auras, instantly activating their Brick Escape and Earth Escape techniques, disappearing without a trace.

They finally stopped in a desolate mountain area after traveling hundreds of millions of miles away from Qishan.

"Did...did it succeed?" Zhen Yuanzi's face was a little pale; that last attack had taken a toll on him.

Lu Chen closed his eyes and sensed for a moment, then slowly smiled: "It's done. The changes are extremely subtle and deeply hidden in the underlying rules and information of the system. Unless a sage examines the Investiture of the Gods inch by inch, it will be extremely difficult to detect. Even if someone discovers it later, it will already be a fait accompli, integrated into the operation of the Heavenly Dao, and difficult to change."

He looked toward Qishan, where golden light of merit soared into the sky, and three hundred and sixty-five divine lights flew toward the heavenly court, a magnificent sight.

"From today onwards, the gods of Heaven are no longer entirely under your control," Lu Chen muttered to himself, a profound meaning flashing in his eyes.

The great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods has finally come to a true end.

But Lu Chen knew that his struggle with the saints had only just entered a new phase.

And in his hand, he now possessed another trump card that no one knew about...