The comet remained silent, only relentlessly unleashing heavenly tribulations.

Yang Jian held a celestial banquet at the mouth of the Guanjiang River, with the Six Eccentrics of Meishan serving wine in attendance.

Amidst the clinking of glasses, the crowd recounted the ancient tales of the Investiture of the Gods and the secrets of the primordial era. Song Yi was captivated by the various ancient legends and exclaimed in amazement.

As the banquet ended and Song Yi was about to take his leave, Yang Jian stopped him with a smile: "Wait! In a few days it will be the birthday of the Earth Emperor Shennong. The Broom Star Lord was originally of human origin, possesses merits, and is also destined to have the sacred artifact of Emperor Yu. Why don't you come with me to the Fire Cloud Cave to celebrate his birthday? It would be a great opportunity."

Since the Three Sovereigns ruled the world and the Five Emperors established order, the human race has proven its status as the eternal protagonist of the primordial world, and every move it makes can affect the overall situation of the world.

The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors transcended worldly affairs; their status was comparable to that of Empress Pingxin, and they could be called "sages."

But then he thought again and looked troubled, saying, "I appreciate Your Majesty's kindness, but the Earth Emperor's birthday is a grand event in the Three Realms, and the Heavenly Court will surely send angels there. If I were to accompany them without permission, I fear I might clash with the Heavenly Court's angels, and the Great Heavenly Venerable would then blame me..."

Yang Jian pondered for a moment, then laughed loudly: "What's so difficult about that? Star Lord is Uncle Jiang's sworn brother, so he can go there with the token of the Qi Kingdom's envoy. In this way, even if he is an envoy of the human world, the Great Heavenly Venerable will not be able to find fault with him. Moreover, if he gains the favor of the Earth Emperor, the fortune of the Qi Kingdom will also rise accordingly. This is a win-win situation."

"That's a great idea!" Song Yi's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.

"Perfect timing, I haven't seen Uncle-Master Jiang in a long time, so let's go together," Yang Jian said with a smile.

The two transformed into a divine rainbow and landed in Linzi, the capital of the Qi state, in an instant.

When Jiang Ziya saw Yang Jian and Song Yi arrive together, he was overjoyed and immediately hosted a banquet in their honor.

During the gathering, Yang Jian explained his purpose, and Jiang Ziya was overjoyed, exclaiming, "After the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, King Wu, in accordance with the will of Heaven, performed the Fengshan ceremony to worship Heaven, lowering himself by one rank to become 'Son of Heaven,' thus losing the title of Human Emperor. As a subject, I am subordinate to the Son of Heaven and have long been powerless to cross the Chaos to reach the Fire Cloud Cave. It is truly a blessing for the State of Qi that my elder brother can go in my place!"

He immediately ordered lavish gifts to be prepared, and then solemnly said, "As an envoy of the Qi Kingdom, you cannot be without a title or honor. I wish to bestow upon my elder brother the title of 'True Lord Who Protects the Nation and Preserves Fortune,' ranking him in the sixth rank among mortals. Only in this way can your journey to the Fire Cloud Cave be truly legitimate!"

Before King Jie of Xia, the Human Emperor was the supreme ruler of the three realms, wielding the power to bestow titles upon all gods and exercising the authority of the Heavenly Emperor. Even the Supreme God of Heaven had to submit to him.

Now, King Wu is called the Son of Heaven, with a rank equivalent to a first-rank emperor in the Heavenly Court. Jiang Ziya, as a regional lord, is ranked like a second or third-rank Heavenly Venerable. The only titles he can bestow are those of Yin gods, such as the Earth God, the Mountain God, and the River God.

Moreover, those who were granted the title were mostly deceased members of the imperial family, noble families, or disciples of immortal sects; ordinary mortals had almost no chance of being deified after death.

The root cause behind this is the fundamental doctrine of the Chan School.

The Chan sect places great emphasis on lineage, birth, social hierarchy, and the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children, stressing order and distinction between ruler and subject.

The legitimate heir is the legitimate heir, and the concubine's heir is the concubine's heir.

A celestial being is a celestial being, and a mortal is a mortal.

Mortals are born to be slaves, servants, and sacrifices to noble immortals, generation after generation, an unchangeable fate.

In the eyes of the Chan sect, only those of noble birth, with profound blessings and deep roots are qualified to govern the world and educate the people.

Ordinary mortals are blinded by karma and are utterly ignorant. What right do they have to be deified after death?

Given Jiang Ziya's power and status, being granted the title of "True Lord Who Protects the Nation and Preserves Fortune" (a sixth-rank title) was already the limit.

If the rank were raised by one more rank, it would shake the fate of the Qi state.

On the day of the imperial decree, Jiang Ziya held an extremely grand ceremony to confer the titles of gods.

The powerful families, nobles, and major sects of the State of Qi all sent people to observe the ceremony.

As the ceremony was completed, Song Yi felt his own fortune suddenly connected with the national fortune of the Qi Kingdom, and his divine power surged like a tide, allowing him to unleash the power of a sixth-grade True Immortal!

However, when he glanced at the data panel, the clerical rank column still showed "seventh rank".

This is because the title "True Lord Who Protects the Nation and Preserves Fortune" is only valid within the territory of Qi, and is not recognized by the Heavenly Court or other countries.

The strength of a sixth-grade True Immortal can only be displayed within the territory of the Qi Kingdom.

This deity is considered a "wild god" protected by the fortune of humanity. Although it is not orthodox, it does not violate the rules of heaven and cannot be considered an evil god worshipped in a lewd way.

After everything was settled, Song Yi and Yang Jian boarded the Qi Kingdom's warship and headed towards the depths of the Great Void beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens.

This warship was forged from Heavenly Jade Green Steel and engraved with array formations and restrictions throughout. It can be regarded as one of the national treasures of the Qi Kingdom, and it would not be inferior even if it were placed in the Heavenly Court.

In the depths of the Great Void, chaos reigned, emptiness and smog were indistinguishable, and directions were indistinguishable.

Within a seemingly gentle wisp of cloud, there often lies an infinitely complex space. If an ordinary immortal does not know the way, he will surely get lost within it and never return.

The warships navigated through it like small boats on a vast ocean, constantly in danger of capsizing.

Splash!

A gray, chaotic wave suddenly surged up ahead, instantly transforming into endless wind, water, and fire, sweeping across the sky and threatening to destroy the world!

Yang Jian's gaze sharpened, and his black cloak suddenly unfurled behind him, instantly blotting out the sky and transforming into a ten-thousand-foot-long net that firmly covered the entire warship.

In the chaos, the pure and turbid energies surged and churned, and the earth, water, fire, and wind raged and roared like ferocious beasts. If it weren't for Yang Jian's intervention, even an ordinary immortal would have been annihilated in an instant.

As they were traveling, a colossal warship, tens of thousands of feet tall, appeared in the depths of the chaos ahead. Its design far surpassed that of the Qi Kingdom's Tianyu Qingluan warship, and it was extremely majestic.

The ship was filled with celestial officials and generals, with celestial music playing and incense burning, creating an extremely grand spectacle.

The leader was an elderly man in white robes, with a flowing white beard, holding a whisk, exuding an otherworldly and otherworldly air.

"True Lord Qingyuan Miaodao!" the old man greeted Yang Jian with a smile.

Yang Jian bowed respectfully: "So it is Lord Chang Geng."

He held Venus, a primordial star deity, in the deepest respect.

Because Venus was a star of war and destruction in ancient times, if a real battle were to break out, even the strongest disciple of the third generation of the Chan Sect might not be his match.

Venus turned his gaze to Song Yi and said with a smile, "The Broom Star Lord has also arrived."

Song Yi quickly bowed and said respectfully, "Jiang Ziya is my sworn brother. I have been entrusted by him to go to Huoyun Cave as an envoy of Qi to celebrate the birthday of the Earth Emperor."

Venus nodded slightly, stroked his beard, and said, "If we can truly gain some favor from the Earthly Emperor, the fate of the Qi Kingdom might indeed be enhanced."

After traveling for about three hours, a crimson rainbow bridge suddenly appeared ahead, stretching across the chaos for countless miles.

"We've arrived at Fire Cloud Cave," Yang Jian said confidently.

Then, everyone bowed deeply in unison, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Three Emperors."

Just as I bowed, I suddenly felt a lightness all over my body, and when I looked up again, I found myself in a blessed land.

But then I saw countless rays of rosy light reflecting off the sky, and a thousand auspicious clouds enveloping the universe.

In the distance, a magnificent jade cave stands tall, with two jujube trees in front of it laden with red fruit.

Under the tree, the three holy emperors Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan were playing chess. When they saw the arrival of the crowd, they all smiled and nodded.