Primordial Era: Becoming the Great Emperor of Humanity from the Start

Chapter 121 The Tribulation of Conferred Gods Begins! (Two Chapters Combined)

After the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors achieved their goals, the first dynasty of the human race, the Great Xia, was established, and the development of the human race entered a new era.

The establishment of dynasties gradually blurred the concept of various tribes among the human race, allowing the entire human race to slowly merge into a unified whole.

Humanity thus ushered in an opportunity for rapid development, and its footprints can be found throughout the entire prehistoric world and the three thousand minor worlds.

As time went by, the Great Xia Dynasty eventually succumbed to the erosion of time, becoming corrupt and eventually being replaced by the emerging Great Shang Dynasty.

Jiang Heng paid no attention to what was happening to the human race. He and his several avatars remained in seclusion in the Fire Cloud Cave, cultivating their skills.

On the one hand, he did his best to perfect the Emperor Fist, and on the other hand, he comprehended the Creation Mark, which allowed Jiang Heng's realm of godhood to rise steadily.

On this day, Grand Master Xuandu, who had not seen Jiang Heng for many years, suddenly arrived at the Fire Cloud Cave.

"Fellow Daoist! Our master has issued a decree, requesting that you come with me to the Taiqing Realm!" said Grand Master Xuandu.

Since the Sage Taiqing had invited him, Jiang Heng naturally dared not delay and quickly followed Grand Master Xuandu toward the Sage Taiqing's sacred site.

"Congratulations on taking another step forward, fellow Daoist! You have already achieved your Dao!" Jiang Heng said with a smile.

Since Jiang Heng went into seclusion at Huoyun Cave, he had not seen Grand Master Xuandu for over 100,000 years.

During this long period of time, not only was Jiang Heng in seclusion cultivating, but Grand Master Xuandu was also not idle.

Moreover, as a disciple of the Taiqing Sage, he has access to top-notch cultivation techniques and a superior environment for training.

Grand Master Xuandu's talent was exceptional, and in this era, he has finally reached the Quasi-Saint realm.

"I am far inferior to you, fellow Daoist! However, being able to take that step means I haven't let my teacher's painstaking guidance down!"

Grand Master Xuandu's face was also full of joy. Being able to step into the Quasi-Saint realm, he was already qualified to be called a top expert in the prehistoric world.

Moreover, Grand Master Xuandu is a human, and his cultivation time is not very long. It is already quite remarkable that he has reached this point.

Of course, just as Grand Master Xuandu said, he was still far inferior to Jiang Heng, that freak.

As a disciple of the Taiqing Saint, Grand Master Xuandu cultivated for hundreds of thousands of years before finally reaching the Quasi-Saint realm.

And what about Jiang Heng? He only cultivated for a few thousand years, yet he not only entered the Quasi-Saint realm, but also reached the peak Quasi-Saint realm in one fell swoop.

"I wonder what the purpose of this summons by the Sage Taiqing is?" Jiang Heng asked.

Based on Jiang Heng's understanding of the Sage Taiqing, this sage would not visit the Three Treasures Hall without a reason, so his summons of Jiang Heng this time must not be out of boredom.

"I'm not entirely clear on this matter either, but before that, Master was summoned by the Dao Ancestor and went to Zixiao Palace!" said Grand Master Xuandu.

Jiang Heng understood that Dao Ancestor Hongjun had already merged with the Dao and would not easily show his face in the prehistoric world, let alone summon the Six Sages.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Jade Emperor Haotian should be following the established script and going to Zixiao Palace to complain to Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Before long, under the guidance of Grand Master Xuandu, the two arrived at the Taiqing Realm, the Daoist temple of the Taiqing Sage.

Jiang Heng had been to Taiqing Realm several times, so he was already very familiar with the place and soon arrived at the Taoist temple of the Taiqing Sage.

After Grand Master Xuandu withdrew, Jiang Heng stood obediently before the Sage Taiqing, waiting for the Sage to speak.

The entire Taoist temple was silent. To Jiang Heng's dismay, the Sage Taiqing was lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to Jiang Heng's presence.

It is unknown how much time passed before the Sage Taiqing opened his eyes and looked Jiang Heng up and down.

"I have summoned you here because a major event is brewing that may affect the entire human race. Under no circumstances should you act rashly!"

The Sage Taiqing remained indifferent, but his gaze toward Jiang Heng held a profound meaning before he slowly spoke.

Jiang Heng remained calm. Since he had already guessed what the Sage Taiqing was talking about, he was naturally not surprised at all.

"Forgive my ignorance, but I humbly request the Great Sage Taiqing to tell me what kind of changes will occur to the human race in the future!" Jiang Heng said.

Jiang Heng was asking a question he already knew the answer to; he actually wanted to see what kind of attitude the Taiqing Sage would have towards the human race.

"This matter is not yet truly confirmed, so I cannot inform you at this time! But you must remember that patience is the most important thing in all things."

Otherwise, in an instant, not only will you be in grave danger, but the entire human race will suffer boundless calamity as a result! The Supreme Saint said in a deep voice.

Jiang Heng sneered inwardly, but said nothing more. After seeing the Sage of Taiqing once again wandering into other realms of existence, Jiang Heng took his leave.

"Hmph! What a grand calamity of the gods! Treating my human race as pawns, did they even ask for our opinion?"

As Jiang Heng stepped out of the Taiqing Realm, his expression gradually turned somber. From the Taiqing Sage's words, Jiang Heng had already confirmed quite a few things.

In the future, there will be no other possibility for anything involving the human race other than the impending Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

For Jiang Heng, the Investiture of the Gods was a conflict between the Sage Sect and the Heavenly Court, and had absolutely nothing to do with the human race.

But why pin this great calamity on the change of dynasties in the human race? Is it simply because the human race is the current protagonist of the world?

Moreover, whether it was Dao Ancestor Hongjun or the Six Sages who were high above, did they ever ask for the opinion of the human race?

No! Whether it was Dao Ancestor Hongjun or the Six Sages, they only discussed the quotas on the Investiture of the Gods, but never cared about the thoughts of the human race itself.

Even when the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect used the rise and fall of human dynasties as a game of chess, and fought fiercely against each other, no sage ever cared about what would happen to the human race.

What do you mean by saying that King Zhou of Shang was tyrannical and deserved to be replaced by the Great Zhou Dynasty? This is a matter for the human race itself, and what does it have to do with the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect?

Even though countless humans died because of the conflict between the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect, the high-ranking saints never took it to heart.

Such a Dao Ancestor! Such a Sage! From beginning to end, he regarded the human race as mere ants. How could he care what the human race thought?

Unfortunately! Man proposes, God disposes. Even though everything was a pre-arranged script, Jiang Heng still had to throw in some surprises for this grand drama.

As his thoughts raced, Jiang Heng did not immediately return to Huoyun Cave, but instead turned and headed towards Nuwa Palace, the sacred site of the goddess Nuwa.

"You have time to come here; it seems Senior Brother Taiqing has already told you something!"

When the sage Nuwa saw Jiang Heng, she showed no surprise whatsoever, as if she had long expected him to come.

Jiang Heng was not surprised at all. It was common for a sage to be able to see the world in a single thought and to expect that he would come.

"The Sage Taiqing didn't tell me anything explicitly, but only gave me some instructions! I'm still a bit confused, so I've come here specifically to ask the Holy Mother for some guidance!"

Jiang Heng wasn't lying. Although he knew it was all because of the Investiture of the Gods, he had no idea what had actually happened in the Zixiao Palace.

Because of Jiang Heng's intrusion, although the general trend of the prehistoric world has not changed, many details have deviated greatly from the original history.

Take the Heavenly Court as an example. The Jade Emperor Haotian is now in a much more difficult situation than the Jade Emperor Haotian in the original history.

This time, no one knows what exactly angered the Jade Emperor Haotian, which led him to go to Zixiao Palace to complain to Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Although the Jade Emperor Haotian was once a servant of the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, he is now the ruler of the Heavenly Court and still has some dignity to maintain.

Complaining to the Taoist patriarch is like a child who has lost a fight and then complains to his parents—it's extremely embarrassing.

Moreover, if the Jade Emperor Haotian, now the ruler of the Heavenly Court, still had to go to the Dao Ancestor Hongjun to complain when he encountered problems, wouldn't that make him seem very incompetent?

Moreover, this kind of thing can only happen once, not twice. If it happens too many times, even Dao Ancestor Hongjun would probably think that Jade Emperor Haotian is a useless person.

Whether Dao Ancestor Hongjun will consider replacing the Jade Emperor at that time is something that Jade Emperor Haotian has to consider.

The risks of doing so are far too great, so the Jade Emperor would never choose this approach unless absolutely necessary.

Upon hearing Jiang Heng's words, the Sage Nuwa couldn't help but roll her eyes, surprisingly revealing a human-like expression.

"The matter is actually quite simple. The Jade Emperor Haotian was humiliated by the disciples of his senior brother Yuanshi. Unable to swallow his anger, he went to his teacher to complain."

Originally, I thought the teacher would at most punish Yuanshi Shi, but who would have thought that the teacher would actually take out the Investiture of the Gods.

Under the narration of the sage Nuwa, Jiang Heng gradually learned about the events that occurred in Zixiao Palace, which were not much different from the original history.

The story begins with Yunhua, the fairy sister of the Jade Emperor Haotian, who, out of curiosity about life on the primordial earth, secretly descended to the mortal realm.

It's quite a dramatic story. The fairy Yunhua, who was an immortal, unexpectedly fell in love with an ordinary human while traveling among the prehistoric human race.

Of course, Jiang Heng was more inclined to believe that this was something that had been predetermined by fate under the workings of heaven.

The immortal and the ordinary human unexpectedly came together and had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons was Yang Jian, one of the protagonists of the future Investiture of the Gods.

Not long after Yang Jian was born, the Jade Emperor Haotian discovered that the fairy Yunhua had married a human, and Haotian was naturally furious.

During the reigns of Emperor Fuxi and Emperor Xuanyuan, the Jade Emperor Haotian was humiliated by the ruler of the human race, and one can imagine the resentment he felt towards the human race.

Now, the fact that the Jade Emperor's sister has secretly married a mortal and even had a son is undoubtedly a slap in the face to the Jade Emperor.

Enraged, the Jade Emperor Haotian immediately dispatched celestial experts to the mortal realm to capture and suppress Fairy Yunhua.

As for Yang Jian and his father, the Jade Emperor Haotian naturally wanted to eliminate them completely. However, unexpectedly, Yang Jian was rescued by Yu Ding Zhenren, a disciple of the Chan Sect.

Enraged, the Jade Emperor Haotian rushed to Yu Ding Zhenren's cave to demand the person's return, only to be casually rebuffed by Yu Ding Zhenren.

If Yu Ding Zhenren hadn't been a direct disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, the Jade Emperor Haotian would have wanted to tear Yu Ding Zhenren to pieces immediately.

Left with no other choice, the Jade Emperor Haotian, filled with grief and indignation, went to Zixiao Palace to lament to Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

"Hehe! As expected, the squeaky wheel gets the grease! This time, the Jade Emperor Haotian has completely abandoned all pretense of decency for the sake of the Heavenly Court."

"Speaking of the Investiture of the Gods, even the Six Sages probably couldn't come to a conclusion, and it would inevitably end in discord," Jiang Heng said sarcastically.

Jiang Heng didn't need to hide his emotions from the Sage Nuwa, and the Sage Nuwa knew some of Jiang Heng's secrets.

The reason why the Sage Nuwa rolled her eyes at Jiang Heng just now was probably because she guessed that Jiang Heng was not completely ignorant about the affairs of Zixiao Palace.

"The two senior brothers were naturally unwilling to use their own disciples to fill the Investiture of the Gods list, so that they could survive the calamity in the whole day!"

"In my opinion, the final outcome of the Investiture of the Gods will depend on the methods employed by my two senior brothers!" said the Sage Nuwa.

The two senior brothers mentioned by the Sage Nuwa are naturally the Sages Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu, not the other Sages.

The Investiture of the Gods should have 365 positions for the eight departments of Heaven, and so many positions need to be filled by disciples of sages.

The sage Laozi of Taiqing was a man of tranquility and inaction, with only one disciple, the Grand Master Xuandu, so naturally he had no need to concern himself with the Investiture of the Gods.

The Sage Nuwa did not even establish a lineage of Daoist teachings, and she only had a few disciples. Moreover, the Sage Nuwa possessed great merits, and the Investiture of the Gods had nothing to do with her.

The two saints of the Western Sect lamented that the Western lands were barren and had no outstanding disciples, and therefore refused to be included in the Investiture of the Gods list.

The only ones left are Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu, one of whom founded the Chan Sect and the other the Jie Sect.

The disciple of the Chan Sect, Master Yu Ding, directly triggered the Investiture of the Gods calamity, and naturally, he was inextricably linked to the Investiture of the Gods list.

Needless to say, the Jie Sect had many disciples but no supreme treasure to suppress its fortune, so it was impossible for them to escape the Investiture of the Gods.

In fact, the Jie Sect is said to have ten thousand immortals paying homage, and if it were just about the 365 positions of the Heavenly Court's righteous gods, it would be filled very easily.

However, the Tongtian Sect Leader, a saint, has always been one to yield to gentleness rather than force, and under the coercion of the other saints, he simply cannot bow his head.

This is normal. If the disciples of the Jie Sect could fill the Investiture of the Gods list so easily, how could the Investiture of the Gods calamity have taken place?

On the surface, the Investiture of the Gods was a preparation for the rise of the Heavenly Court, with disciples of the three religions being listed on the Investiture of the Gods list to secure the positions of the true gods in the Heavenly Court.

But in Jiang Heng's view, the true purpose of Dao Ancestor Hongjun was to suppress the Three Pure Ones and, incidentally, to completely crush the human race into oblivion.

After the Investiture of the Gods, there were no more human emperors, only Sons of Heaven. From this point alone, the purpose of the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Dao is already crystal clear.

"The Primordial Sage has the Pangu Banner, a supreme innate treasure, to suppress destiny. He may not be afraid of the Investiture of the Gods, and in the end, the one who will suffer is probably the Tongtian Sage."

But if I'm not mistaken, in the end, the matter of bestowing the titles of gods will still fall on the shoulders of our human race, which is probably what the Jade Emperor Haotian would like to see.

"Your Majesty, as a Holy Mother of the Human Race, I'm afraid you won't be able to escape responsibility in the end!" Jiang Heng pondered for a moment and said in a deep voice.

"Hmph! Let them scheme all they want. I sit high in the Thirty-Third Heaven. Even if the world turns upside down, they won't be able to affect me in the slightest."

As for the human race, you don't need to worry about them. After all, the human race is now the protagonist of heaven and earth, and even the sages dare not be too presumptuous!" said the sage Nuwa.

"I hope so!"

Jiang Heng gave Nuwa a meaningful look, but said nothing more. Nuwa was far too naive in this matter.

Since the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, saints have not appeared in the world. Even the Saint of Taiqing could not escape it, so how could the Saint of Nuwa be an exception?

When the great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods truly arrives, everything will become clear. There's no point in saying anything more to the Sage Nuwa now.

After Jiang Heng returned to Huoyun Cave, he summoned a Great Luo Golden Immortal of the human race and asked him to give an item to Houtu Ancestral Witch in the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

The human Grand Luo Golden Immortal dared not delay and quickly arrived in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, handing the item over to the Ancestral Witch Houtu.

When Houtu, the ancestral witch, opened the object, she found it to be a jade slip for transmitting sound and a bead that contained nine colors.

Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, opened the jade slip, and Jiang Heng's voice rang out: "The Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods is about to begin. The long-awaited opportunity has arrived."

If you're bored out of your mind in the cycle of reincarnation, why not come with me and be reborn among the human race?

A rare smile appeared on Houtu Ancestral Witch's face; she naturally knew what Jiang Heng was talking about.

Back then, Jiang Heng deceived Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao by sending nine drops of his essence blood into the Six Paths of Reincarnation. Eight of these drops of essence blood have already been reincarnated as the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.

Now, deep within the cycle of reincarnation, only a drop of essence blood remains, which has not yet been reincarnated into a human, and is naturally waiting for the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

Before she transformed into the cycle of reincarnation, Houtu, the ancestral witch, had a conversation with Jiang Heng, during which they discussed various matters related to the Investiture of the Gods.

This time, Jiang Heng had Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, accompany him in reincarnation into the human race, naturally for the purpose of the Investiture of the Gods calamity.

"In my current state, it wouldn't be difficult to separate a wisp of my primordial spirit and reincarnate into the human race!" Houtu Ancestral Witch murmured to herself.

When the Western religion was planning the Six Paths of Reincarnation for the second time, Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, did not truly achieve perfection, but forcibly broke through the barrier.

However, after hundreds of thousands of years of cultivation, Houtu Ancestral Witch has perfected herself and become a true sage.

It was not difficult for him to separate a wisp of his primordial spirit and reincarnate with Jiang Heng into the human race.

In fact, Jiang Heng and Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, had not seen each other for hundreds of thousands of years, and only the two of them could understand the longing they felt for each other.

Even if she were to be transformed into a mortal and lose all her original memories, Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, would still be willing.

Thinking of this, Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, flicked her finger, and the bead that condensed nine colors merged into the remaining drop of Jiang Heng's essence blood.

Then, Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, became serious and separated a primordial spirit, sending it along with the remaining drop of Jiang Heng's essence blood into the human realm.

Under the workings of the heavens, Jiang Heng's drop of essence blood and a wisp of Houtu Ancestral Witch's primordial spirit have already been reincarnated into the human race.

With the Earth Ancestor Witch's control over the Six Paths of Reincarnation, arranging suitable identities for the two of them would be an easy task.

This matter was something that even the Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao could not prevent. In fact, even the Heavenly Dao could not detect it within the Six Paths of Reincarnation.

This is why, after Houtu, the ancestral witch, transformed into the cycle of reincarnation, Jiang Heng was able to transform into the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors without the Heavenly Dao noticing.

Afterwards, Houtu, the Ancestral Witch, sank into the depths of the Six Paths of Reincarnation. She knew in her heart that the day when the great war would break out was not far away.

Meanwhile, inside the Fire Cloud Cave, Jiang Heng and the other incarnations of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were also making their final preparations.

"The first three forms of the Imperial Fist have been perfected, but there is still a fine line between them and true mastery. I'm afraid it will take some more time."

"The last five forms of the Emperor Fist are still quite a distance from being truly perfect, and we don't have much time left!" Jiang Heng said in a deep voice.

"The opportunity still lies in the Creation Mark. In the time to come, we should join hands to comprehend the Creation Mark!" he said, transforming into Fuxi.

"The Creation Mark is the supreme opportunity for us to attain enlightenment. As long as we can comprehend even a little bit of it, we will surely benefit greatly!" He transformed into Shennong and said.

"We have already given all our Dao Fruits to the tenth incarnation, so we probably don't need to worry about the human race anymore!" said the incarnation Xuanyuan.

"There's no use in worrying. During the Investiture of the Gods, we will definitely face Dao Ancestor Hongjun!" he said as Emperor Zhuan.

"Everything depends on strength. Even if we don't completely defeat Dao Ancestor Hongjun, we should at least make him wary!" He, in his human form, said.

"This matter still requires the help of Chaos Bell. It's time to put those backup plans we left behind to use!" He transformed into Emperor Yao and said.

"This matter will be planned by the tenth incarnation, and no matter how much we worry, it will be useless!" said the incarnation Emperor Shun.

"In that case, let us quickly go into seclusion to cultivate and strive to make further progress in the remaining time!" He, Emperor Yu, said.

Jiang Heng and his avatars all nodded. Now that the Investiture of the Gods calamity is getting closer and closer, they really don't have much time left.

Subsequently, Jiang Heng and his incarnations, including the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, began a deep-seated closed-door cultivation in the Fire Cloud Cave.

The nine transformed bodies joined forces and began to fully comprehend the Creation Mark, and the disturbances from the outside world could no longer disturb them in the slightest.

Not long after Jiang Heng and his avatar went into seclusion to cultivate, the Six Sages were once again summoned by Dao Ancestor Hongjun to the Zixiao Palace to discuss the matter of the Investiture of the Gods.

The result is self-evident: Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu remained deadlocked, neither wanting their disciple to be listed on the Investiture of the Gods.

Finally, under the intervention of Dao Ancestor Hongjun, it was decided that the disciples of the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect would each rely on their own methods, and who would be listed on the Investiture of the Gods would depend on their own destiny.

The final battle of the saints in the Investiture of the Gods was thus foreshadowed, perhaps it was originally part of the plan of Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao.

As the celestial mechanisms unfolded, the malevolent energy within the entire world began to intensify, and the aura of a great calamity began to envelop the primordial land.

Since Pangu separated heaven and earth, the fourth great calamity in the primordial world is about to arrive, and this time it will be a terrifying war between sages.

With the world-destroying power of a sage, if they were to engage in a reckless war, the destruction they would cause to the entire primordial world would be incalculable.

As the protagonists of this world, the human race will bear the brunt. Moreover, this great calamity is precisely related to the change of dynasties within the human race.

Affected by the calamity, one after another chosen ones begin to be born, and in the near future, they will all step onto the stage of the Investiture of the Gods.

At the same time, Jiang Heng's tenth drop of essence blood and a wisp of Houtu Ancestral Witch's primordial spirit were also born into the human race.

(End of this chapter)