Chapter 68: Come, Show Yourself!

Jiang Yuan no longer bothered to overthink; what must come would come. Now that he knew Jiang Ziya had descended the mountain, the great tribulation of the Investiture was not far off. What he didn’t know was whether, after transmigrating here, Shen Gongbao would still seek him out for allegiance. It was said there was more than one Investiture Scroll, and it seemed Shen Gongbao held one as well. Perhaps he could even establish his own Celestial Court? The thought made Jiang Yuan unexpectedly excited. It might not be so bad to become the Jade Emperor himself—after all, emperors take turns, and this year might be his family’s turn. But then again, wasn’t he already the Human Sovereign?

“Grand Preceptor, perhaps we shouldn’t linger here any longer. General E Lai outside is probably getting anxious,” Jiang Yuan said with a smile.

“You’re right, let’s return to the camp,” Grand Preceptor Wen nodded in agreement.

Just as they were about to move, Jiang Yuan stumbled over something at his feet. Looking down, he saw Nezha, who wore a gloomy expression.

It seemed Grand Preceptor Wen had only just noticed Nezha. He turned to Jiang Yuan and asked, puzzled, “Whose child is this? So young, yet already at the realm of True Immortal—a rare talent indeed. No wonder the king keeps him close.”

Jiang Yuan was taken aback. Did he only now notice Nezha? Just earlier, Nezha had clamored the loudest among everyone, eager to join the battle with him. Yet none of these thoughts showed on Jiang Yuan’s face. He replied with a faint smile, “This child is named Nezha, the third son of General Li Jing of Chentang Pass. He is a disciple of Perfected Taiyi, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect. He’s mischievous by nature; just now, he was the one yelling to join the Grand Preceptor in pacifying the unrest.”

Wen Zhong regarded the diminutive Nezha with amazement. Such an extraordinary talent, and the child of a great general of Shang. The only flaw was that he was a disciple of Perfected Taiyi. The Chan Sect’s attitude toward the Shang dynasty was now plain for all to see, acting wantonly with a sage backing them. Was it not just bullying the Human Clan for having no sage of their own? In the old days, every Human Sovereign was a sage!

At this thought, Wen Zhong couldn’t help but glance at Jiang Yuan with some anticipation. Perhaps the day would come again when all the realms would pay homage to the Human Clan.

“This is a promising talent. I hope Your Majesty will nurture him well and not let him stray onto the wrong path,” Wen Zhong said solemnly.

His meaning was clear: Nezha, as a disciple of Perfected Taiyi, could become a grave threat to Shang if he ever stood on the opposing side.

“Rest assured, Grand Preceptor. With me watching over him, nothing will go wrong,” Jiang Yuan replied confidently.

“That’s good,” the Grand Preceptor nodded.

Throughout the exchange, Nezha wisely remained silent, having realized this Grand Preceptor was even more irascible than himself. If he said or did anything to displease the old man, he’d probably get a beating. What could he do? He couldn’t win in a fight.

Furthermore, when the old man learned he was a disciple of the Chan Sect, his eyes flashed with a fierce light as if he wanted to eat him—truly terrifying.

Nezha simply shrank into a corner, trembling.

“Let’s go,” Jiang Yuan said, reading Nezha’s mood and giving him a friendly pat on the head with a smile.

It was a good thing for Nezha to have someone to be afraid of—it might keep him from causing endless trouble.

Then, turning to the soldiers behind Wen Zhong, Jiang Yuan called out, “Well done, brave men! Let us return to camp—your efforts will not go unrewarded!”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!” the soldiers replied, visibly moved.

At that moment, Zhang Kui stepped forward, glanced at the remaining members of the Corpse Tribe, and asked respectfully, “Your Majesty, what should be done with these people of the Witch Tribe—should they be killed or spared?”

Jiang Yuan looked at the terrified survivors, waved his hand dismissively, and said, “Kill them all.”

Though pitiable, these people had invaded the human realm; Jiang Yuan felt not a shred of sympathy. Even if he spared them now, another Corpse King might arise in the future, the tribe would regroup, and they would invade once more.

“As you command, Your Majesty,” Zhang Kui replied and withdrew, drawing his Thunderblade as he strode toward the Witch Tribe survivors.

As Jiang Yuan’s party left the cliffs, a system prompt sounded in his mind.

“Ding! The host is ruthless and merciless, having slaughtered an entire tribe with no compassion, aligning with the ways of a tyrant. Reward: 200 Tyrant Points. Current total: 819!”

Jiang Yuan scoffed inwardly. If he had compassion, who would show him mercy when the time came? He knew that, by now, Zhang Kui had exterminated the entire Corpse Tribe.

“Let’s wait for General Zhang,” Jiang Yuan instructed.

Grand Preceptor Wen nodded, then asked, “According to the records, General Zhang’s cultivation was only at the peak of True Immortal. Has he broken through recently?”

“You can ask him yourself when he returns,” Jiang Yuan replied mysteriously.

He groaned inwardly. Here we go again—about to lose more Tyrant Points. If the Grand Preceptor learned Zhang Kui had broken through thanks to his own divine edict, wouldn’t he pester him to help as well?

“System, if I help the Grand Preceptor break through, how many Tyrant Points will it cost?”

“Not much! Wen Zhong is already at the peak of Golden Immortal, just a step away from Da Luo Golden Immortal. For only 399 Tyrant Points, the host can gain a Da Luo Golden Immortal-level powerhouse!” the system coaxed.

That was quite the bargain.

Jiang Yuan fell silent, increasingly feeling like an errand boy. Why did every hard-earned Tyrant Point end up in the system’s pocket? Even the richest families couldn’t sustain this.

Still, having a Da Luo Golden Immortal by his side was a necessity—after all, he was still just a fledgling True Immortal.

By this time, Zhang Kui had returned from the cliffs to report. Wen Zhong wasted no time, asking bluntly, “General Zhang, when did you reach the Golden Immortal realm?”

Zhang Kui scratched his head at the question, uncertain whether he should answer, and looked to Jiang Yuan for guidance.

“Just answer the Grand Preceptor’s questions. Why are you looking at me?” Jiang Yuan said calmly.

“It was His Majesty who helped me break through,” Zhang Kui replied.

“This rascal helped you break through?” Wen Zhong was incredulous.

“It’s true—His Majesty not only helped me reach Golden Immortal, but also aided General Huang Feihu in attaining True Immortal,” Zhang Kui declared solemnly.

At this, Wen Zhong turned to Jiang Yuan, saying nothing, but his gaze was expectant.

His look seemed to say: Go on, show us.

Jiang Yuan felt a headache coming on, forcing himself to appear reluctant. “It’s true I have some power to make words reality, but the more difficult the request, the greater the toll it takes on me. After helping General Zhang, I needed a long time to recover.”

Zhang Kui was deeply moved by this, not expecting His Majesty to have made such a sacrifice on his behalf.

Wen Zhong hesitated before asking, “What’s the worst that could happen—would it cost you your life?”

Jiang Yuan shook his head. “It won’t come to that.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let me witness your divine power. I’ve been stuck at the peak of Golden Immortal long enough,” Wen Zhong urged.

After all, Jiang Yuan wouldn’t die from it, and if he broke through to Da Luo Golden Immortal, the benefits were his to reap. With such a powerhouse supporting Shang, their reign would last all the longer.

Jiang Yuan, with a look of feigned reluctance, said, “Very well, as you wish, Grand Preceptor.”

So be it, let me shine for a moment. Step aside, everyone—my moment of glory has arrived!