"The Emperor possesses such talent; it would be a true pity for him to become mere bones after death. Why not learn from me the art of Qi Refinement, achieve the Dao, become an immortal, and share the longevity of heaven and earth, shine alongside the sun and moon..."

The Queen Mother of the West smiled and said.

"If the Queen Mother of the West would bestow the Immortal Dao upon me, I would be eternally grateful."

Zhong Shenxiu offered another three glasses of wine.

The Queen Mother of the West seemed quite talkative, and as she lightly flicked her sleeve, the hall was filled with radiance, overflowing with immortal aura, revealing a Nine-Colored Golden Core.

Then, her voice, like the trickling of mountain streams or the pure notes of the Great Dao, began to elaborate on the art of the core.

From Qi Refinement to the transformation of Qi into Spirit, and especially on Golden Core Formation...

Each word was a precious jewel, leaving listeners utterly mesmerized.

Zao Fu, hiding behind Zhong Shenxiu, perked up his ears, eager to remember every single word.

In his heart, he was extremely excited: "This is a heavenly opportunity! A heavenly opportunity indeed! The king sacrifices his appearance just to befriend the Queen Mother of the West and obtain the Immortal Law from Kunlun? No wonder the king travels westward; it's not for tours and leisure but rather because of his grand strategy and vision!"

Zao Fu believed he saw through everything but didn't realize he was still at the bottom, with others observing him from above the clouds.

...

The Queen Mother of the West was imparting wisdom, and everyone was in a daze, unaware of how much time had passed in the mortal world.

On this day, a Junior Fate Master suddenly stepped forward to report: "Milady, an attendant of the Emperor of Zhou has rushed in a panic, and we have captured him. He claims an incident in Great Zhou has occurred, with the Xu Yi's leader commanding the Nine Barbarians to invade Central Zhou, led by King Xu Yan himself!"

"Ah!"

Zhong Shenxiu was so startled he overturned his wine cup, exclaiming, "Milady, my country's matters are urgent; I am deeply anxious and must take my leave!"

Though reluctant, the Queen Mother of the West had no choice but to bid Zhong Shenxiu a heartfelt farewell.

In the end.

Zao Fu drove the carriage, taking him to the foot of the mountain.

"My Lord!"

The armored warriors and attendants at the foot of the mountain were already deeply anxious: "The Eastern Xu Yi have rebelled. The distance to Zhou is ten thousand miles, and the news has come with difficulty. By the time we return, it may already be too late. What should we do?"

"Why panic?"

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at them: "I have received the teachings of cultivation and Qi Refinement from the Queen Mother of the West, aided by the divine nectar. Now, with my practices complete, I have formed a Leakless Golden Core, able to traverse Qingming and roam the seas... The mere rebellion of Xu Country is but a path to their own doom! You will return to West Zhou by the original route; I will go ahead first!"

Before he finished speaking, Zhong Shenxiu flicked his sleeve and was already riding a piece of white cloud, swiftly flying towards the east.

"This... My Lord has become immortal?"

The other armored warriors were dumbfounded, looking at Zao Fu.

"My Lord received the Queen Mother of the West's secret guidance, and after consuming Kunlun's divine elixir, is now a Golden Core Expert, capable of living five hundred years..."

Zao Fu answered enviously.

Meanwhile, he was secretly planting a seed of ambition in his words.

The Queen Mother of the West imparted teachings to the Emperor of Zhou secretly, unbeknownst to him! But in reality, he has secretly recorded a core method, with hopes for a future Golden Core!

...

East of Great Zhou.

There existed the Eastern Barbarians.

In the era of Da Shang, the Eastern Barbarians were unruly, and Da Shang waged war against them repeatedly, with mixed outcomes. The closest to success was when Grand Teacher Wen Zhong, leading the main forces of Da Shang, nearly annihilated them.

However, at this time, the news of West Zhou's campaign against Shang and Emperor Xin's self-immolation arrived, causing Shang's army morale to collapse, leading to a great defeat at the hands of the Eastern Barbarians, resulting in Wen Zhong's death in battle.

After Great Zhou's establishment, the Eastern Barbarians alternated between submission and rebellion, proving to be highly unpredictable.

During the reign of Mu Heavenly Emperor, a brilliant leader emerged among the Eastern Barbarians, known as 'Yan'!

He had the bloodline of Shang, which he successfully activated becoming an Innate God and Demon, and then united nine Eastern Barbarian tribes, forming the 'Xu Country', declaring himself 'King Xu Yan', and led an army against Great Zhou.

King Xu Yan was skilled in warfare, and coupled with the chaos in Great Zhou due to Mu Heavenly Emperor's absence, managed to win successive battles, advancing near Haojing.

Haojing.

Fu Hou, looking at the massive Xu Country army beneath the city, appeared anxious and asked Zhu You of the Zhou Heavenly Son Temple beside him: "What is the Empress's decree?"

Great Zhou held profound strength; after Ji Fa's death, he underwent Divine Enthronement, embarking on the Immortal Path, establishing the Dragon Court Blessed Land to protect the people of Great Zhou.

During the Wu Geng Rebellion, this blessing had manifested, regaining the upper hand.

At this moment, Fu Hou could only hope that the Empress might once again show divine power to save Great Zhou.

"The Empress has said that due to the restrictions of the world's rules, it's difficult to communicate between yin and yang… However, she also promised that, if the Xu Army breaches the city, she will certainly intervene!"

Zhu You loudly responded.

"We can only wait for the city to be breached?" Fu Hou felt a sense of despair, thinking of the casualties Haojing would suffer.

Moreover, if the capital city was breached, how would the world view Zhou?

Thud thud!

Outside the city walls, war drums thundered, tens of thousands of Xu troops parted to make way, releasing a ferocious beast onto the battlefield.

It was covered in dark green scales, as tall as the city walls, and possessed nine serpentine heads that spewed both water and fire, vicious beyond compare.

"Is it the Nine Infant, a mythical beast?!"

Fu Hou felt its primal ferocity, causing his knees to go weak and despair to etch across his face.

On top of the Nine Infant stood a figure, King Xu Yan, whose voice rang across the field: "Attack Zhou! Attack Zhou!"

Whoosh!

The Nine Infant heads spewed poisonous water onto the city walls, emitting a fierce corrosive sound.

White mist rose, and the massive city walls crashed down with a thunderous roar.

Fu Hou involuntarily closed his eyes.

Too late!

Though he had sent a message to Mu Heavenly Emperor as soon as the Xu Country rebellion began, Mu Heavenly Emperor was in the far west, likely just receiving the message by now?

In such a dire state, the Emperor was absent.

Upon his return, he would undoubtedly face resistance from the nation!

While he anxiously worried, a clear blade's hum suddenly resounded from the horizon!

Whoosh!

A beam of white light descended, revealing a crystalline flying sword.

This sword soared nimbly, trailing a streak of Sword Qi over ten zhang long, transforming into a white rainbow, and suddenly piercing towards the Nine Infant!

The gigantic beast had no time to react, and each of its heads was severed in turn.

A single sword strike, akin to divine fury!

"Who's there?"

Standing on the remaining head of the Nine Infant, King Xu Yan warily scanned the sky.

"Riding the sword and soaring with the wind, wandering freely across the earth!"

With a flick of Zhong Shenxiu's finger, amid a sword's cry, the white light transformed into a flying sword under his feet, reflecting him like an immortal relegated from the heavens.

"This..." King Xu Yan was dumbfounded.

Even more dumbfounded were the ministers of Great Zhou atop the city walls.

"It's the king!"

"The king has returned!"

"Salute to the king!"

Fu Hou and others bowed in excitement.

"You've all worked hard; now watch me slay beasts and demons!"

Zhong Shenxiu nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hmph? Slay me?"

King Xu Yan slapped his mount, and the Nine Infant immediately spewed a large amount of toxic smoke, engulfing the sky as it swept towards Zhong Shenxiu.

"All are mere travelers through history; only the drinkers leave their names!"

Zhong Shenxiu took out a white jade wine cup, gently shaking it to absorb the toxic smoke, then took a sip and flicked out his sword!

Whoosh!

The crowd only saw a flash of sword light, as both the heads of the Nine Infant and King Xu Yan were severed!