Yin Shou was obsessed with cultivation and had grown tired of entertaining little trash like Fei Zhong and You Hun.
"I'm already in the senior class of kindergarten; playing with kids in the junior class is beneath me"—that was probably his mindset.
Fei Zhong and You Hun were panicking. Their rise to power depended on their relentless bootlicking, but now that Yin Shou was fully engrossed in cultivation, their flattery was useless. No matter how much they praised, it wouldn't increase his cultivation level. What's the point?
Desperate, the two could only keep bringing beauties and strange trinkets to the Great King, just to stay visible. They were being tormented too severely by the bigwigs in court.
Now, someone had come bearing silver and beauties to present to the Great King. The two were overjoyed—what a long time it had been since they last received silver! They were deeply moved!
They met with the three beauties and immediately asked, "Where's the silver?"
The Three Demons, who lived in remote mountains and barren lands, naturally didn't have any silver. Beauty Hu came forward, pressing her ample chest against Fei Zhong, and said sultrily, "My lord~ The three of us are far more precious than gold and silver~ Tonight, we shall serve you most attentively~"
Fei Zhong instantly realized he was being duped. With a look of utter disdain (the infamous subway-elderly-man-with-smartphone expression), he pushed Beauty Hu away: "What sort of trash are you, claiming to be more precious than my treasures?"
The Three Demons froze for a moment, then erupted in fury and released a pink mist. Fei Zhong and You Hun were immediately ensnared.
Beauty Hu stripped them naked and whipped them with water-soaked lashes for two full days. "Now I'll show you what kind of 'trash' I am!"
With the controlled Fei Zhong and You Hun assisting, the Three Demons finally managed to gain an audience with King Zhou.
The Three Demons, coquettish and alluring, were presented before Yin Shou. Recently, Yin Shou had been deeply immersed in immortal arts, and having made some progress, he thought about relaxing for a change.
As a Human King, Yin Shou's spiritual sense was extraordinarily sharp. In the original story, was Daji truly able to fool Yin Shou completely? Impossible.
Now, with his Foundation Establishment cultivation and spiritual power circulating smoothly, he immediately sensed the demon energy emanating from the trio. If it had been the old King Zhou, he might have indulged in a little novelty. But now, he only wanted to test his immortal techniques.
"Brazen demons! I could tell with just one glance that you're not human! How dare you infiltrate Chaoge? I shall subdue you this instant!"
Without waiting for the Three Demons to react, Yin Shou charged forward excitedly. Finally, after grinding levels for so long, he could fight actual mobs!
The Three Demons instinctively used their sorcery, but the overwhelming Qi Fortune of the Human Dao suppressed their power, reducing it to less than one-tenth. They had no choice but to rely on instinct in their battle with Yin Shou.
Yin Shou struck with both palms, and two golden dragons spiraled toward the Three Demons. The Three Demons combined their efforts to barely block the attack.
The commotion immediately alerted the palace guards.
"Protect the King! Protect the King!"
"Assassins! Quickly, rescue the Great King!"
As the armored soldiers surrounded the royal bedchamber, Yin Shou channeled his spiritual power and unleashed a massive golden dragon, sending the Three Demons flying. He roared furiously, "Don't you dare come any closer!"
Nobody was allowed to steal his prey!
Yin Shou was naturally a ferocious fighter, and when it came to techniques, he favored the Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms. All he was missing to become the God of War was a soundtrack.
In the end, in front of thousands of armored soldiers, Yin Shou summoned his terrifying Emperor's Dharma Form and unleashed several massive golden dragons, which swallowed the Three Demons whole.
What remained afterward were a fox pelt, a nine-headed chicken, and a jade pipa.
Yin Shou stood majestically at the center, surrounded by the thunderous cheers of thousands of armored soldiers.
"The Great King is mighty!"
"The Great King is invincible!"
Yin Shou basked in the adoration. After all, what's the point of cultivation if you don't show off in front of others?
In high spirits, Yin Shou even pardoned Fei Zhong and You Hun, going so far as to show them favor.
He said, "You two scoundrels did a decent job this time. Keep it up!"
The next day, news spread throughout Chaoge and began to ripple outward.
When Nezha heard the news, he pulled his hand from someone's embrace and sighed. "It seems my arrival has truly changed many things. Whether for better or worse, who knows?"
Daji leaned her cheek against Nezha's face and curiously asked, "I read in books that fox spirits are skilled at seducing men. What do they actually look like?"
Nezha thought to himself, "You could just look in the mirror—you'd know instantly. But alas, you've missed the chance now."
Out loud, he responded nonchalantly, "Probably not as beautiful as you. At most, they're a bit more... fiery."
Daji was delighted by the first part of his answer but puzzled by the latter. "Fiery? Am I not fiery enough?"
The tale of Yin Shou slaying the Three Demons was sensationalized throughout Great Shang, and he proclaimed himself Yin Shang's number one warrior!
The feat struck terror into the hearts of all the Lords.
When the news reached Beihai, Wen Zhong was immensely gratified. Moreover, his senior brother had arrived in Chaoge without causing any trouble. "The dynasty of Cheng Tang can endure another five hundred years!" Empowered, he fought the Demon Clan as if he'd taken a stimulant.
In his camp, Yuan Futong smashed a table to pieces in a fit of rage.
"Damn it! Those three good-for-nothings!"
"I sent you to sow chaos in Chaoge, not to buff Wen Zhong!"
The gears in Yuan Futong's monkey brain churned for a while. He was certain his plan had been sound, but the issue was with the Three Demons of Xuanyuan Tomb. He'd ordered them to seduce their targets, but instead, they teamed up for an assassination attempt—completely abandoning his brilliant scheme!
The strategy of using demons to disrupt the enemy's rear lines was still solid. However, seduction clearly wouldn't work. It was time to create utter chaos!
Such was the thinking of a monkey.
After much deliberation, he thought of his dear son, Yuan Hong. Yuan Hong had been taught divine skills by an enigmatic master, and even Yuan Futong himself might not be his match. Now, in the Demon Clan's hour of peril, it was time to deploy Yuan Hong.
Without delay, he rushed to Mei Mountain. Yuan Hong possessed legitimate training, and though his teacher's identity remained unknown, Yuan Futong believed they must be a figure of great renown.
Because of this, Yuan Hong looked down on the Demon Clan, but after much wailing, tantrum-throwing, and emotional blackmail from his father, he finally relented and agreed to head to Chaoge.
Though father and son were highly cultivated, their vision was woefully limited. They had no idea what massive consequences their interference in Chaoge would provoke.
When Ji Fa, the dignified King Wu, overturned Yin Shang, he carried the Fate Grid of the Emperor bestowed by Universal Circulation—and died just one year later.
One dared to invite; the other dared to go.
Perhaps all monkeys in the Primordial Age were this unruly!
In the West, Zhunti's brow inexplicably twitched. "They never let me have a moment's peace."
In Chaoge—
After this incident, Yin Shou's prestige reached its peak, as did his yearning for cultivation.
He decided to win over Nezha by constructing a Taiping Palace.
Initially, it was intended to be a massive, labor-intensive project that would cost countless lives, but Nezha opposed it, stating that such practices violated the teachings of the Taiping Heavenly Sect. Ultimately, the project was transformed into a paid construction initiative, which Huang Feihu volunteered to lead.
Little did he know, this decision would solidify the sect's renown.
In the past, forced labor offered no pay; you were lucky to get some food. Most people would never return alive. But now, workers were provided meals, accommodations, and even wages. To the commoners, this change was nothing short of revolutionary.
During construction, many even tied yellow turbans around their heads and volunteered to work.
Huang Feihu strictly adhered to the principle of "more work, more pay," even using his own funds to raise wages, elevating the Taiping Sect's reputation to new heights.
Ji Chang, imprisoned in Chaoge, gazed at the distant construction site. Upon hearing the full story, he yearned to join the labor crew himself!
"Earning money for work—this is the foundation of a harmonious society!"
"Could the Great Sage Master be a Saint?"
Clutching a fresh copy of the "Taiping Heavenly Book," Ji Chang began to read it from the beginning. This marked his eighth copy; all the previous ones had been worn to shreds.
He thought to himself, "Once I've worn out ten copies, I should be able to comprehend a sliver of the Great Sage Master's heart."
"Then I'll annotate the 'Taiping Heavenly Book'!"
"So that all under heaven may understand the Great Sage Master's boundless love!"