Starting with warding off evil and disaster, one can ascend to immortality after countless tribulati

Slightly different from what Jiang Ming had expected, True Lord Fudeng Huo and True Lord Changliushui were quite sensible. They even took the initiative to come and pay their respects, which really made Jiang Ming feel much better about them.

Right now, he is in need of top-notch combat support.

With the help of these two, we are much more confident in dealing with the invasion of the ancient demons. Moreover, the Golden Core True Monarch's divine sense is more sensitive, and he can perceive the changes in the ancient demon altar.

Letting them go out and oversee things would put Jiang Ming at ease, allowing him to shift his focus elsewhere.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Changliushui Zhenjun, an old man, bowed respectfully. He seemed to be a man who had accumulated knowledge and experience before making his move.

This old fellow never acts without first realizing the benefits.

Without sufficient incentives, it's difficult to get them to do things sincerely.

Now that he's taking the initiative to contact me, it's probably because he needs something from me.

Sure enough, after bowing to show goodwill, the old man leisurely spoke and tentatively asked Jiang Ming, "Fellow Daoist, we are both True Lords who were promoted later, and although we are currently enjoying great prestige."

But ultimately, it's all just a mirage, a reflection in the water or a flower in a mirror. If the old, powerful lord were to return, we would certainly have to hand it over.

In that case, let's join forces.

By exchanging resources, we can ensure that when the True Lord returns to power, we will have some ability to resist.

Nodding, Jiang Ming pondered for a moment and agreed that the matter was feasible. After all, verbal cooperation was just empty talk; he wanted to truly get the other party to do things for him.

We must bind the other party to our own interests.

Mutual help may sound like an empty phrase, but it can certainly bring people closer in the short term.

As for what choices the two True Lords will make after they return to their positions, that is beyond Jiang Ming's control.

"Fellow Daoist's suggestion is exactly what I wanted to hear. Since that's the case, I agree. From now on, we'll share both good times and bad."

Jiang Ming's kind words pleased the two True Lords greatly.

Upon learning about the Ancient Demon Altar, they immediately declared, "We will guard the Ancient Demon Altar; you can focus on your cultivation without worry, fellow cultivator."

Seeing that the two were very sensible, Jiang Ming readily nodded and then presented his own conditions: "There are some treasures in the treasury that should be beneficial to your cultivation."

"Fellow Daoists, please come with me. I will allow you to take some cultivation resources."

Upon hearing this, the two immediately beamed with joy.

In any case, tangible benefits can always win people's hearts.

Jiang Ming's willingness to offer sufficient benefits demonstrates his willingness to cooperate and his respect for them, which is undoubtedly a good sign for the two of them.

"Fellow Daoist, this Water Heart Stone is of great benefit to me. May I take it?"

"Okay." Jiang Ming wasn't too bothered by things that weren't his own, especially since the Great Zhou Dynasty was a large and powerful nation, and such a loss was insignificant.

Moreover, this kind of thing isn't very useful to Jiang Ming; it's perfect for winning people's hearts.

"I really like this primordial magic weapon of the True Lord of the Covered Lamp Flame Fruit Realm..."

After the two made several requests, Jiang Ming nodded in agreement, and the two were overjoyed.

She became increasingly obedient to Jiang Ming's orders.

As he watched the two leave, Jiang Ming began to ponder.

The current world is undoubtedly the best time for cultivators to break through. He can take this opportunity to cultivate a few trusted confidants so that he will have more confidence when the True Lord returns in the future.

Cheng Ya's cultivation attainment is that of spring water.

Ye Tao's cultivation level is the Great Forest Wood.

Although he has now taken over the Great Forest, there is still time to change his cultivation method. After all, according to the Hidden Heaven True Man's estimate, the Worry-Free Heaven will probably last for several decades.

With so many resources and several decades, Jiang Ming could cultivate several capable individuals.

After careful consideration, Jiang Ming decided to give Shen Yue and Cao Jie a chance as well.

Although these two people are not his Daoist partners, they have known each other for many years and are trustworthy.

Now that we have enough resources anyway, it doesn't matter who gets them or who gets to use them, so we might as well give them to our trusted confidants.

Of course, Jiang Ming did not intend to practice nepotism.

After all, he doesn't have many trusted confidants. If he has the opportunity, it would be best to recruit a few talented individuals. In this way, he might have a few more Golden Core cultivators to help him. Why not?

With this in mind, Jiang Ming immediately took action.

With the help of the laws of the Immortal Dynasty, he quickly identified several candidates.

They are all people of above-average talent and with strong willpower.

Such people are often loyal, and if you cultivate them sincerely, you will surely reap sufficient rewards.

Jiang Ming summoned Cheng Ya and Ye Tao to the imperial city, and immediately led them into the treasury to freely select resources and treasures.

Both of them are now at the late stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

Although their breakthroughs were due to the feedback from Jiang Ming's breakthrough to the Golden Core stage, their control over the Daoist principles was actually quite exquisite.

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage should theoretically have a certain probability.

Of course, life and death are preordained, and wealth and status are determined by fate.

Whether they succeed or not depends on their own fate.

Complete all the tasks you need to do.

Jiang Ming returned to his quiet room and silently pondered his next goal.

The fire in the sky and the trees in the great forest have already been taken over by him.

The next best position is in the ocean.

Water can nourish wood, wood can ignite fire, and water can also suppress fire. These three supreme positions complement each other, allowing Jiang Ming's strength to be maximized.

Having figured all this out, Jiang Ming immediately took action.

Currently, the position of the Great Sea Fruit is vacant. It would be difficult for him to ask for gold, but not too difficult, because there are currently no cultivators in the Great Sea who can ask for gold. Jiang Ming is currently the strongest cultivator in the Great Sea. Being close to the water tower, one gets the moon first; flowers and trees facing the sun are more likely to bloom in spring.

With this advantage, he naturally has a good chance of winning gold.

The Great Ocean Water is the most majestic of the Water-type fruit positions. For this reason, the ritual for seeking gold must be fully prepared. Otherwise, even if Jiang Ming is in the best position for the Great Ocean Water, there is still a risk of failure.

The Sea Fruit Seat, the place where one seeks gold, is, as the name suggests, located by the sea.

Tongzhou is surrounded by the sea on all sides, so Jiang Ming decided to choose Tongzhou as the location for his breakthrough. There are two main advantages to doing so.

Firstly, it can absorb the Daoist principles from the nearby sea area.

Secondly, Tongzhou is Jiang Ming's territory, and Wanfa Sect, as the strongest local force, can provide ample protection for his safety.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Jiang Ming silently began the ritual of offering sacrifices.

The azure blue water shimmered before Jiang Ming's eyes in an instant, and at the same time, the familiar scent of the ocean surged forth.

After gradually stabilizing his breathing, Jiang Ming immediately began working on his breakthrough.

As supreme positions, the ocean water and the heavenly fire are naturally repulsive, but with the neutralization of the great forest tree, the two positions gradually stabilized.

Jiang Ming also gradually moved towards the fruit stand by the sea.

Meanwhile, another peculiar scene emerged in Tongzhou.

The entire sky was covered by towering waves, but not a single drop of this massive flow of water fell.

High above the sky, it resembles an inverted sea, looking magnificent and inspiring awe.

Tongzhou, Shuiyue Sect.

The Supreme Elder Murong Yue's face darkened. Upon seeing the familiar aura of the ocean, she instantly realized that a cultivator was seeking gold, and judging from the looks of it, the probability of success was very high.

He wanted to go and see what was going on, but he was stopped by the disciples of the Wanfa Sect on the outskirts.

After only a few seconds of thought, she gradually figured out the situation: the person asking for the gold was Jiang Ming, the current ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

There was a time when she even competed against Jiang Ming on the same stage.

But now the gap in strength is like an insurmountable chasm.

She had learned about Jiang Ming's lineage, which was based on the unity of the five elements.

Right now, she has barely reached the Foundation Establishment stage, while Jiang Ming has already become a Golden Core cultivator at two different levels. The difference between people is truly greater than that between dogs.

There was nothing I could do, even though I was filled with envy.

However, Murong Yue saw things very clearly.

In the cultivation world, the capable always prevail. Jiang Ming's ability to occupy a position is entirely due to his own skills, and no one can find fault with him.

Although his own path to advancement has been cut off, if he can establish connections, becoming a Purple Mansion cultivator is still more than enough.

After all, she and Jiang Ming weren't exactly unrelated.

The dragon blood that Jiang Ming extracted back then came from her body, so it's quite a coincidence.

boom!

The water curtain in the sky suddenly shattered, and the Milky Way poured down, creating an apocalyptic scene that left many cultivators feeling bewildered.

Just when everyone thought Jiang Ming had failed.

The next second, the towering waves were suddenly stopped by Jiang Ming, and then transformed into a water dragon, flowing straight into the outer sea.

With a wave of his hand, he absorbed all the Daoist energy of the surrounding ocean into his body.

Jiang Ming chuckled lightly, a hint of pleasure on his face.

In any case, Da Hai's quest for gold was successful.

Currently, he has mastered all three elements and his cultivation is approaching the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm. Even before the opening of the Worry-Free Heaven, this level of cultivation would have been considered outstanding.

If he can achieve perfection in the Five Elements, his cultivation level will definitely approach the late stage. At that time, even if he confronts Zhou Jun head-on, he will have a chance to win.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Jiang..."

Tuoba Youyou's words made Jiang Ming momentarily lose his composure.

Jiang Ming pondered as he observed the girl's current cultivation level.

Having reached the Foundation Establishment stage, despite having had sufficient resources over the years, Tuoba Youyou's natural talent seemed unable to provide for a faster cultivation speed.

Forcing growth might help her become a Purple Mansion cultivator, but after that, the path to acquiring gold will become even more difficult.

Even if the patriarch of the Tuoba family was willing to abdicate and yield the throne to a worthy successor.

Tuoba Youyou is probably not up to the task.

Perfect timing, I can go and have a talk with Ancestor Tuoba.

First, make him give up the soil on the city wall to you.

When I break through to a higher level of cultivation, I can naturally follow Ling Xiao's example and return the earthen fruit position on the city wall to Tuoba Youyou. This would also have another benefit.

That is, Tuoba Youyou is no longer in danger of falling.

That is, Tuoba Youyou is no longer in danger of falling.

We arrived at the ancestral home of the Tuoba family.

When Jiang Ming visited Patriarch Tuoba, he realized that he used to have to be mindful of Tuoba's feelings, but now the two were on equal footing.

Even so, Jiang Ming showed no sign of arrogance.

One must be grateful and repay kindness. When he was weak, Patriarch Tuoba was kind to him. Now that his cultivation has surpassed that of Patriarch Tuoba, he would have no complaints if Patriarch Tuoba was unwilling to give up his position.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate; that's all you can do.

"Kid, you came here for the soil on the city wall, didn't you?"

Now I finally understand.

Back then, Chengtoutu chose Tuoba Youyou not because she could become Chengtoutu's True Lord, but because through her, he could see the real Chengtoutu True Lord.

You're a lucky guy, and your future achievements will definitely be great. I can rest assured that I'm handing over the position of Chief of the City Wall to you.

For so many years, it has existed as a spirit.

I've lived long enough. If it weren't for the need to leave a breath to support my descendants, I would have already gone to reincarnate.

Now that the position has a successor and the Tuoba family has cultivators to look after them, I can depart in peace.

It seems they already knew Jiang Ming would come here.

The old ancestor Tuoba had been waiting there for quite some time.

At this moment, his face was full of relief.

Under Jiang Ming's astonished gaze, he clasped his hands together and silently ended his life.

In order to fulfill his own desires, Patriarch Tuoba voluntarily chose reincarnation.

Although his soul exists, it has certain flaws. But it's better to live than to die. Now, for his own sake, Patriarch Tuoba has voluntarily given up any hope of living.

Jiang Ming should remember this kindness and this act of generosity.

He knelt silently on the ground and bowed deeply.

Jiang Ming sat cross-legged in the ancestral land of the Tuoba family and began to pray for Jin to ascend the throne.

The ancestral land of the Tuoba family was the best place to seek soil from the city walls, and with the help of the Tuoba ancestor, Jiang Ming's breakthrough process was very smooth.

The Earth God on the city wall holds the power to control cause and effect throughout history.

This was not unfounded. Through the Daoist principles, Jiang Ming could clearly see more people and things.

For example, he was able to become the Earth God of the City Wall because of the karma of the Tuoba Ancestor.

It seems that the reason why the Tuoba Ancestor was able to become a True Lord was precisely to help him become the True Lord of the City Wall. In the dark, everything is predetermined, and everything is fate.

All of this was preordained. The Primordial Saint True Lord's process of reducing and seeking emptiness continues. It is unknown whether Ling Xiao's clone can play a certain role in limiting it.

Although Jiang Ming didn't mind being a fake and replacing the position of the Primordial Saint True Lord, he was naturally willing to try if there was a better way.

After all, the feeling of being at someone else's mercy isn't pleasant.

Upon deep reflection, Jiang Ming still wanted to forge his own path to enlightenment. Being controlled by others was not his intention, and even if he was destined to become a Nascent Soul cultivator in the future, it wouldn't make him happy.

This kind of charity-like breakthrough was not what he wanted at all.

He didn't like the feeling of being manipulated.

A true man is born between heaven and earth; how can he live a life of melancholy and subservience to others?

You are the only one who can decide your own path!

After silently roaring a few words in his heart, Jiang Ming quietly left the ancestral land of Kaiyuanba.

Tuoba Changsheng learned of the ancestor's passing immediately. A thoughtful look flashed in his eyes as he gazed at Jiang Ming and sighed deeply.

"From now on, you must walk your own path. I can no longer guide you. Do whatever you want to do. The Tuoba family will always support you..."