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

Chapter 146 The Great Emperor Gouchen!

Jiang Ziya stared at Jiang Heng in utter astonishment. Given the strength Jiang Heng displayed in his battle against the Jade Emperor Haotian, how could he not immediately pacify Xiqi?

"Although the land of Xiqi has not yet rebelled, its acceptance of the Heavenly Court's investiture clearly reveals its rebellious intentions!"

"If left unchecked, it will surely grow stronger and stronger, and in the end, it will inevitably become a major threat to the Shang Dynasty!" Jiang Ziya said.

Jiang Ziya's worries were not without reason. With his wisdom, he could naturally realize that Xiqi itself was actually not important at all.

Importantly, during the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, there will definitely be those with ulterior motives who will gather their power into Xiqi.

By then, Xiqi's power will grow stronger and stronger, and eventually it may even be able to rival the Shang Dynasty.

Only when Jiang Heng defeated the Jade Emperor Haotian, with invincible momentum, did he pacify Xiqi in one fell swoop, leaving no room for any other parties to place their bets.

In this way, the threat of Xiqi can be completely eliminated in the shortest possible time, and a calamity that could have brought down the Shang Dynasty can be averted.

Jiang Heng shook his head but didn't say anything more. Under normal circumstances, what Jiang Ziya said was indeed correct.

But it wasn't just the Jade Emperor Haotian who made the move; in fact, to be honest, the Jade Emperor Haotian was just a clown.

The Jade Emperor Haotian is nothing special, but the Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao behind him are the truly troublesome beings.

Moreover, the strange phenomena in Xiqi this time may have been orchestrated by some sages.

Jiang Heng was certain that once he began his campaign against Xiqi, the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods would truly begin, and a great war would be inevitable.

With Jiang Heng's current apparent peak Quasi-Saint strength, he is certainly not invincible, and there are still quite a few strong individuals who can stop him.

Even if Jiang Heng possesses the power of a sage, as long as he dares to attack Xiqi, a sage will still intervene and stop him.

Moreover, for Jiang Heng, Xiqi was also a human race. If the Shang Dynasty were to conquer Xiqi, it would lead to an internal strife among the human race.

The Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods should occur within the human race, with the change of human dynasties serving as the means by which the Great Tribulation descends. How many humans will die as a result?

"Dao Ancestor Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao are quite cunning, but unfortunately, you have your schemes, and I have mine!" Jiang Heng thought to himself.

The reason Jiang Heng did not choose to deal with Xiqi immediately was that he did not want the human race to fall into internal strife, thus causing the human race's strength to be wasted.

Whether Xiqi's power will surge in the future is not important. As long as there is no internal strife, everything is actually under Jiang Heng's control.

At this point, the struggle between the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect becomes crucial, and Jiang Heng must keep the Investiture of the Gods calamity within his control.

"It's time to put those backup plans I left behind to use!" Jiang Heng muttered to himself.

As Jiang Heng had predicted, things remained calm in Xiqi for the next period of time, and Xiqi did not immediately raise the banner of rebellion.

However, in secret, some Heavenly Court experts and some disciples of the Chan Sect have already taken up residence in Xiqi, which has greatly increased Xiqi's strength.

However, because of the battle between Jiang Heng and the Jade Emperor Haotian, people in Xiqi became panicked, and many humans even fled Xiqi.

Jiang Heng remained indifferent to this matter, but the Jie Sect was gradually becoming restless.

To reiterate, Jiang Heng has remained calm and composed, ensuring that the Investiture of the Gods calamity unfolds in accordance with the interests of the human race.

Just as the situation for humanity became increasingly unpredictable, a strange star suddenly lit up in the heavens.

This star shimmered with an eerie light, and even in broad daylight, hanging high in the sky, it remained incredibly conspicuous.

Any powerful being in the primordial world who notices this star will know that it is the Gouchen Demon Star.

"They've arrived? The Jade Emperor Haotian is going to be quite busy from now on!" Jiang Heng said with a strange smile.

At this time, in the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor Haotian, after being defeated by Jiang Heng and thrown into the Heavenly Court like a dead dog, chose to go into seclusion to cultivate.

Those who didn't know the truth might have thought that the Jade Emperor Haotian was seriously injured in the battle with Jiang Heng, but only the Jade Emperor Haotian himself knew that he was not injured at all.

With the protection of the Golden Body of Merit, even a saint cannot harm the Jade Emperor Haotian in the slightest before the power of merit is exhausted.

But for the Jade Emperor Haotian, although he was not physically injured, the deep-seated trauma in his heart tormented him to the point of wishing he were dead.

Having been utterly humiliated by Jiang Heng like a dead dog, the Jade Emperor Haotian, the ruler of the Heavenly Court and the nominal sovereign of the primordial world, had utterly lost face.

Even while in seclusion cultivating, the Jade Emperor Haotian knew that he had become a laughingstock throughout the entire prehistoric world.

Even within the Heavenly Court, countless immortals and gods are probably secretly laughing at themselves, and many are likely already disloyal and alienated.

Unable to face all of this, the Jade Emperor Haotian chose to go into seclusion and cultivate, becoming a complete coward.

However, faced with the appearance of the Gouchen Demon Star, even if the Jade Emperor Haotian didn't want to show his face, he still had to pay attention to this matter.

Just as the Jade Emperor Haotian was wondering why the Gouchen Demon Star was behaving so strangely, the auras of several powerful figures rose above the Heavenly Court.

The Jade Emperor Haotian's expression changed, and he took a step forward, leaving his secluded cultivation place and arriving at the South Heavenly Gate.

Upon seeing the several figures that had suddenly appeared before the South Heavenly Gate, the Jade Emperor Haotian's gaze quickly focused on the figure in the center.

"Who are you? Why are you trespassing on the sacred grounds of Heaven?" The Jade Emperor Haotian asked solemnly.

"Lu Ya, a demon, pays his respects to the Jade Emperor. He has come because he admires the Heavenly Court's prestige and wishes to pledge his allegiance to it!"

The figure in the center stepped forward, making no attempt to conceal his aura. Instantly, an aura belonging to the Quasi-Saint level erupted.

"Lu Ya? The Tenth Prince of the Golden Crow? You actually want to pledge allegiance to my Heavenly Court?" The Jade Emperor Haotian was slightly startled, his gaze sweeping over Lu Ya.

With the Jade Emperor Haotian's cultivation level, it was not difficult for him to see Lu Ya's true identity, especially since Lu Ya did not try to hide it.

The man before them, Lu Ya, was not only a quasi-saint, but the intense aura contained within his presence was clearly that of the True Fire of the Sun.

As a member of the demon race, and having condensed the true fire of the sun, there is no other possibility besides the overlord of the demon race, the Golden Crow race.

The figures beside Lu Ya were also demons, and all of them were powerful demons at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level.

In the past, if Lu Ya had brought powerful demons to the Heavenly Court to seek refuge, the Jade Emperor Haotian would have been overjoyed.

However, the Jade Emperor Haotian had just fought a battle with the current Human Emperor of the human race, and the result of that battle is now known throughout the entire prehistoric world.

Now, Lu Ya is actually saying that he brought the demon race's powerful warriors to submit to the Heavenly Court because he admired its prestige.

It was just an ordinary, polite remark, but to the Jade Emperor Haotian at that moment, it sounded incredibly grating.

After he was defeated by that Human Emperor, he was thrown into the Heavenly Court like a dead dog. What prestige did the Heavenly Court have left in the prehistoric world?

Forget about any prestige; the Heavenly Court has long since become a laughing stock, and the Jade Emperor Haotian is the biggest joke of all.

"In ancient times, my demon race suffered a great calamity, but fortunately, the goddess Nuwa helped us, which gave many powerful demons a chance to survive."

For years, we have been hiding outside the primordial world, which has allowed the entire demon race to recover some of its vitality!

"But for my demon race, the primordial world is our home. We cannot wander outside forever, so we return to the primordial world!" Lu Ya said in a deep voice.

At this moment, the Jade Emperor Haotian finally understood Lu Ya's intentions and the reason why Lu Ya wanted to join the Heavenly Court.

The Jade Emperor Haotian was naturally aware of the war between the Lich King and the Demon King. In that earth-shattering battle, the Demon Race suffered a crushing defeat.

Not only did the two supreme beings of the demon race, Emperor Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, perish, but most of the powerful members of the demon race also died.

It could be said that at that time, the demon race was practically wiped out. According to Lu Ya, it was only through the intervention of the sage Nuwa that the demon race was able to retain a sliver of hope.

Come to think of it, Nuwa, after all, was born into the demon race, and she couldn't possibly stand by and watch the demon race be completely wiped out.

Of course, Lu Ya's words also clarified the relationship between the demon race and the saint Nuwa, forcing the Jade Emperor Haotian to treat the demon race with caution.

According to the Jade Emperor Haotian, after the war between the Lich King and the Demon King, the human race began to rise and began to fight and kill the remaining demon race.

Therefore, it is normal for Lu Ya to say that the demon race has been living outside the primordial world and has only recovered some of its vitality.

The demon race has now recovered some of its strength, so it has begun to consider returning to the primordial world.

But now, the primordial world has become the domain of the human race. Given the human race's attitude towards the demon race, how could they possibly allow the demon race to return to the primordial world?

Therefore, if the demon race wanted to survive in the primordial world, they would inevitably need to find a powerful backer, and the Heavenly Court was undoubtedly the best choice.

"Did your demon race just return to the primordial world? Is that why the Gouchen Demon Star is acting strangely?" The Jade Emperor Haotian asked in a deep voice, a thought stirring in his heart.

"Your Majesty the Jade Emperor is indeed insightful. I have indeed just led the powerful demons back to the primordial world and arrived at the Heavenly Court immediately."

"As for the Gouchen Demon Star, it was indeed a habitat specially created by the Sage Nuwa for our demon race!" Lu Ya didn't hide anything and said directly.

The Jade Emperor Haotian nodded. It seemed that Lu Ya had just returned to the primordial world and had no idea about his battle with the current human emperor.

Therefore, Lu Ya's words just now were not meant to mock him as the ruler of the Heavenly Court.

Lu Ya was, after all, a quasi-saint level expert, and together with those several demon race experts at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level, their combined strength was considerable.

The Jade Emperor Haotian understood that this was only a portion of the demon race's power. Given the demon race's resources, it was impossible for a Grand Luo Golden Immortal to possess only what was before them.

However, the Jade Emperor Haotian still had some doubts about Lu Ya's identity, after all, Lu Ya was the crown prince of the Golden Crow clan!

When the Lich Kings dominated the world, the Golden Crow Clan was the royal family among the demon races, and Emperor Jun of the Demon Clan was the first Heavenly Emperor.

Although the demon race has declined, its strength is still not to be underestimated. And the demon race now undoubtedly follows Lu Ya's lead.

With Lu Ya leading powerful demons to join the Heavenly Court, the Jade Emperor Haotian had to be wary of whether Lu Ya harbored ulterior motives and consider the potential impact of the demons' influx.

"No! Why should I think about so much at this time? The human race is the mortal enemy of the Heavenly Court!" The Jade Emperor Haotian was suddenly startled and thought to himself.

What's the current state of the Heavenly Court? After being defeated by the current Human Emperor, the entire Heavenly Court has become a laughing stock in the prehistoric world.

If the Heavenly Court cannot avenge its previous humiliation, it will have absolutely no chance of becoming the ruler of the entire prehistoric world again.

However, if they want to defeat the current human emperor and completely crush humanity, the current Heavenly Court has absolutely no hope.

Now, as long as the Jade Emperor Haotian sees hope of defeating the human race, he would drink it without hesitation, even if it were poison.

The addition of the demon race to the Heavenly Court will undoubtedly boost the court's strength, and may even provide an opportunity for the Heavenly Court to once again compete with the human race.

Given the human race's attitude towards the demon race, the human race is an unavoidable obstacle for the demon race if they want to survive in the primordial world.

There is absolutely no possibility of coexistence between the human and demon races. If the demon race wants to survive in the primordial world, it must rely on the Heavenly Court.

In this situation, the Jade Emperor Haotian holds the initiative. If handled properly, the demon race can become a powerful tool in the hands of the Heavenly Court.

Moreover, the Jade Emperor Haotian had enough confidence in himself. Lu Ya was just a nobody; he could certainly suppress the other party's ambitions.

"Good! It is a blessing for our Heavenly Court that the demon race can join us. Please follow me into the Heavenly Court first, and the investiture will be held later!" said the Jade Emperor Haotian.

Lu Ya's face also showed a rare smile. Although the demon race had been outside the prehistoric world for a long time, they were not completely ignorant of what was happening in the prehistoric world.

The primordial world now belongs to the human race. The demon race will never forget how the human race ruthlessly exterminated them after the war between the demons and the lich.

Once mere ants, they have become the protagonists of this primordial world, and have even tried to exterminate the demon race. One can only imagine the hatred in the hearts of the demon race.

However, circumstances are beyond human control. Today, the human race is not only the protagonist of the world, but also possesses unparalleled strength.

After much deliberation, Lu Ya decided to join the Heavenly Court. Only in this way could the demon race appear openly and legitimately in the primordial world.

"With the help of the Heavenly Court, let our demon race return to the primordial world. In the future, our demon race may very well become the overlords of heaven and earth once again!"

Lu Ya followed behind the Jade Emperor Haotian, gazing at the strangely familiar Heavenly Court. This place had once been the territory of the demon race, he thought to himself.

Soon, due to the Jade Emperor Haotian's anxiety, many celestial beings and gods of the Heavenly Court gathered in the Lingxiao Palace.

"Today, I have summoned all of you ministers here because I have an important announcement to make. This is Lu Ya, the former tenth prince of the Golden Crow, who is now the lord of the demon race."

Lu Ya admires the prestige of my Heavenly Court and wants to bring many powerful demons to join my Heavenly Court. I am naturally overjoyed.

"From this day forward, the powerful demons will officially become members of my Heavenly Court. Lu Ya can be the Gouchen Shanggong Heavenly Emperor, one of the Four Emperors of my Heavenly Court!" the Jade Emperor Haotian said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the many immortals and gods of the Heavenly Court were immediately surprised, and their gazes involuntarily focused on Lu Ya.

"Thank you for the title, Jade Emperor. From this day forward, my demon race will obey the Heavenly Court's orders!" Lu Ya said in a deep voice.

As soon as Lu Ya finished speaking, the Heavenly Dao sensed it, and the divine position of Gouchen Emperor, one of the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court, was already condensed on Lu Ya's body.

As one of the Four Emperors of Heaven, Emperor Gouchen has the ability to command all the stars and is in charge of military affairs. He can be said to be the God of War in Heaven.

The Jade Emperor Haotian's conferment of the title of Gouchen Emperor upon Lu Ya not only aligns with Lu Ya's identity as a demon, but also carries a deeper meaning.

The Great Emperor Gouchen is in charge of the Heavenly Court's conquests and holds the position of God of War. This also means that from this day forward, Lu Ya will fight for the Heavenly Court.

Now, who is the Heavenly Court's opponent? Without a doubt, it is the human race, which also means that the demon race will clash head-on with the human race.

This is naturally the best outcome for the Jade Emperor Haotian. Using the demon race to fight against the human race can weaken the strength of both races simultaneously.

In the end, whether the human race or the demon race wins, it will be the best outcome for the Heavenly Court.

The Jade Emperor's strategy of "driving away the wolf to devour the tiger" and "the snipe and the clam fight while the fisherman benefits" was undeniably brilliant, yet Lu Ya found himself unable to refuse.

As mentioned earlier, if the demon race wants to survive in the primordial world, the human race is an obstacle that they can never get around.

For the sake of the demon race's future, Lu Ya had no choice but to fight against the human race. Only by defeating the human race could the demon race have a place to survive.

Now, during the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, a great battle is inevitable, and the addition of the demon race is a golden opportunity for the Jade Emperor Haotian.

However, just as the Jade Emperor had his own plans, so too did Lu Ya and the demon race.

Besides, Jiang Heng already knew about the existence of the Gouchen Demon Star hundreds of thousands of years ago, so how could he have been completely unprepared?

Moreover, the existence of the Gouchen Demon Star was the work of the sage Nuwa. How could this sage truly ignore the demon race?

If the Jade Emperor Haotian thinks he can sit back and relax, he has miscalculated. Neither the demon race nor the human race will act as the Jade Emperor Haotian wishes.

"Great Emperor Gouchen, the primordial world is currently in the midst of the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods. Under the operation of the Heavenly Dao, this calamity has befallen the human race."

Xiqi is a land favored by Heaven. Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, is not only the Ziwei Emperor, one of the Four Emperors of Heaven, but also the future Human Emperor.

"Our Heavenly Court, acting in accordance with the will of Heaven, is obligated to assist Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, in restoring order and ensuring the success of this unprecedented calamity of the Investiture of the Gods!" said the Jade Emperor Haotian.

"Oh? Could it be that you want my Heavenly Court's experts to descend to the mortal realm and lend a hand to that Marquis of Xibo, Ji Chang?" Lu Ya asked in a deep voice.

"That's right! Once the Investiture of the Gods tribulation is completed, my Heavenly Court will become the true ruler of heaven and earth, and the human race will be subordinate to the Heavenly Court."

"When that time comes, the human and demon races may be able to live in harmony and no longer need to hate and kill each other!" Jade Emperor Haotian said with a smile.

Lu Ya remained calm, but he knew that this was the Jade Emperor Haotian reminding him. If the demon race wanted to survive in the primordial world, they had to obey the Heavenly Court's arrangements.

"Although my demon race has been far from the primordial world for many years, I have heard that among the human race there are nine cauldrons that suppress the land of the nine provinces!"

I've heard that the Nine Cauldrons have long since been transformed into treasures of merit, and have even been arranged into the Nine Provinces Grand Array, covering the entire territory of the human race.

"As long as the demon race enters the human territory, the Nine Provinces Grand Array will be activated, turning all demons to ashes!" Lu Ya said in a deep voice.

The existence of the Nine Provinces Grand Array was also a major reason why Lu Ya chose to submit to the Heavenly Court. With the Nine Provinces Grand Array in place, the demon race could not even set foot on human territory.

Nowadays, the human race's territory has spread almost throughout the entire prehistoric world, and there are only some places lacking spiritual energy where there are no traces of humans.

The demon race, which survived in the primordial world, is now struggling to survive in these places where spiritual energy is scarce.

Lu Ya wanted to bring the demon race back to the primordial world, so he naturally couldn't let them live in such a stifled state. The Nine Provinces Grand Array became the key.

"Indeed! That Nine Provinces Grand Formation is extraordinary. Even a demon race at the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal would find it difficult to withstand it."

Only demons at the Quasi-Saint level can move freely within the Nine Provinces Grand Array, but they cannot stay within it for long.

"Unless one possesses a supreme treasure capable of concealing heavenly secrets, or a sage intervenes to conceal heavenly secrets, it is impossible to prevent the Nine Provinces Grand Array from detecting it!" the Jade Emperor Haotian said in a deep voice.

"As far as I know, the land of Xiqi should also be within the territory of the human race. I'm afraid it will be difficult for our demon race's experts to go and help!" Lu Ya said in a deep voice.

The Jade Emperor Haotian was slightly taken aback; he had only just realized it himself. The existence of the Nine Provinces Grand Formation prevented powerful demons from descending upon Xiqi.

This also means that during this great calamity of the gods, most of the demon race's power will not be able to threaten the human race.

Only a quasi-saint like Lu Yi can freely travel to and from the Nine Provinces Grand Array, so his impact on the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation is probably not significant.

"I did not consider this matter carefully, but I will find a way to resolve it as soon as possible!" the Jade Emperor Haotian said in a deep voice.

Lu Ya's expression shifted slightly. It seemed that the Jade Emperor Haotian's words implied that there was some way to prevent the demon race from being affected by the Nine Provinces Grand Array.

How could that be possible? Given the strength of the Nine Provinces Grand Formation, unless a sage intervenes to conceal the secrets of heaven, it would be impossible for the demon race to remain unaffected within the Nine Provinces Grand Formation.

However, judging from the Jade Emperor Haotian's expression, this matter is not entirely hopeless, which is somewhat inconsistent with Lu Ya's plan.

"In that case, I will first gather the powerful demons and temporarily station them in the Heavenly Court!" Lu Ya said.

"Excellent! With the help of Emperor Gouchen and the demon race, our Heavenly Court will surely become a pivotal force in the Investiture of the Gods!" said the Jade Emperor Haotian with high spirits.

The Jade Emperor Haotian had completely forgotten how badly he had been defeated in the battle with Jiang Heng; all he had now was boundless hope for the future.

In the heart of the Jade Emperor Haotian, this great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods will be his last chance and the best moment for the Heavenly Court to rule over the prehistoric world.

What does a little humiliation matter if one can truly become the ruler of the primordial world? Besides, the Jade Emperor Haotian still wants to seek revenge on that human emperor.

The Jade Emperor Haotian and Lu Ya each had their own plans, and the Chan Sect was also making its own calculations, gradually investing its power into Xiqi.

Under these circumstances, the Chan Sect naturally could not sit idly by and watch Jiang Ziya, the key figure in bestowing divine titles on behalf of Heaven, remain by Jiang Heng's side.

(End of this chapter)