Chapter 17

Kong Xuan walked along the small path of Jinao Island with Qiongxiao, leisurely admiring the scenery. Qiongxiao chattered away, introducing things to Kong Xuan, pointing out what was where, and what bad deeds had just happened there. Kong Xuan listened.

As they walked, they saw a large crowd gathered ahead. The restless Qiongxiao immediately crowded in to watch, and one look made her furious. It was Yuyixian again.

"What is it, you brat, still unconvinced? It is an honor for your Daoist companion that I, Senior Brother, noticed her, yet you dare to challenge me? Today, I will let you experience the methods of your Senior Brother. Come, beat him for me." It was that same sinister, mocking voice. Kong Xuan did not need to look; it was Yuyixian again.

It turned out that Yuyixian, having nothing to do, was strolling around Jinao Island with a group of junior disciples when he saw a pair of Daoist companions walking toward them. The junior sister was truly as beautiful as a flower, enough to make the moon hide and flowers blush. Yuyixian immediately began to harass the woman.

The man naturally would not stand for it. Although he had heard that Yuyixian ran rampant on Jinao Island, he was momentarily overwhelmed by impulse and cursed Yuyixian on the spot.

Yuyixian immediately lost his temper; a mere unknown junior disciple dared to curse him. Thus, the scene Kong Xuan and the others witnessed unfolded. The surrounding onlookers all felt sympathy, and their contempt for Yuyixian grew even deeper.

The man's cultivation was not very high to begin with, and under the siege of so many people, he could not hold out for long. It looked like he was about to be beaten black and blue.

"Stop! Yuyixian, you have such audacity, bullying a junior disciple openly on Jinao Island. In a moment, I will certainly report this to Grandmaster and have him punish you. Let's see if you dare to be arrogant again." Seeing that person being beaten, Qiongxiao immediately walked in and spoke these words.

Hearing this voice, Yuyixian knew it was Qiongxiao. Upon seeing that it was just Qiongxiao alone, he said, "Hmph, always knowing how to complain to Grandmaster. If you have the ability, fight me one-on-one." In the past, Qiongxiao had always reported Yuyixian to Tongtian, causing Yuyixian to be frequently lectured by Tongtian. Furthermore, his cultivation was at the peak of Great Luo Golden Immortal, slightly higher than Qiongxiao's, so he grew bold and proposed a one-on-one fight.

Kong Xuan would naturally not let Qiongxiao be bullied, so he stepped out immediately: "Who dares to touch my sister Qiongxiao? I will cripple him."

Yuyixian did not even look to see who the newcomer was and immediately retorted: "Hmph, which blind brat dares to provoke me on Jinao Island? A newcomer, I presume."

Kong Xuan then said: "Ha, Yuyixian, you've grown bold. It seems I didn't beat you hard enough last time; you don't remember the lesson. Fine, today I will let you see why flowers are so red."

When Yuyixian saw that the newcomer was Kong Xuan, he was startled and immediately covered his face. Seeing the people around him looking at him with amusement, he became angry from embarrassment: "Kong Xuan, I am not afraid of you. I have many people here."

"Many people? Let me tell you one thing: no matter how much trash there is, it is still trash." After speaking, Kong Xuan immediately struck.

Yuyixian only saw a gust of wind flash by, and all the surrounding junior disciples fell to the ground. He was instantly stunned: "You, don't come over, don't come over, I'm calling for help!"

Kong Xuan did not care about that; he immediately charged at Yuyixian with his fists, unleashing a brutal beating that left Yuyixian in a miserable state.

Just like that, after playing on the island for a few days, the Saint Tongtian finally returned and immediately summoned Kong Xuan.

The two chapters for today are finished. If the recommendation votes reach 650, I will upload another chapter. Thank you all for clicking, bookmarking, and recommending.

"I have already discussed it with several other Saints. We can only proceed according to your method. Each of the three sects will support one side, and we shall see who emerges victorious in the end," Tongtian said after calling Kong Xuan into Biyou Palace.

"Oh, I wonder which side each of the three sects is supporting?" Kong Xuan asked.

"The Chan Sect supports the side of the Western Marquis. Let me first talk about this Western Marquis. The Western Marquis is named Ji Chang. After Ji Li died, he inherited the position of Western Marquis, also known as Bo Chang. He inherited the cause pioneered by Hou Ji and Gong Liu, emulated the laws established by his grandfather Gu Gong Dan Fu and his father Ji Li, practiced benevolent governance, respected the old and loved the young, treated the virtuous with courtesy, and governed the base of the Zhou clan under Qishan. During his governance of Qi, he practiced rule by virtue internally, advocated 'cherishing and protecting the common people,' vigorously developed agricultural production, and adopted the 'nine-one assistance' policy—that is, dividing fields, letting farmers help cultivate public land, and paying a one-ninth tax. Merchants were not taxed when passing through, and wives were not implicated when someone committed a crime. He implemented the politics of the early feudal system, which was the politics of enriching the people; that is, the collection of rent and taxes was restrained, allowing farmers to have savings to stimulate their interest in labor. Externally, he recruited the virtuous and talented. Many talents from outside tribes and wise men who came to defect from the Shang Dynasty under King Zhou were treated with courtesy and employed by him. People like Bo Yi, Shu Qi, Tai Dian, Hong Yao, San Yi Sheng, Yu Xiong, and Xin Jia all successively defected to Ji Chang's command and became his subjects. Ji Chang himself lived frugally, wore commoner's clothes, and even went to the fields to work, diligently governing his country. Under his governance, the national strength of Qizhou grew day by day. He is a fine monarch in the human world."

"Buddhism supports King Zhou of Shang. As for this person, King Zhou, first of all, 'King Zhou' is not an official imperial title; it is an evil posthumous title forcibly added to him by later generations, meaning 'cruel and damaging to goodness.' Di Xin ascended the throne at twenty. The Shang Dynasty had already been founded for three hundred years, and its national strength was robust. With abundant goods and a prosperous population, Di Xin was in his prime, physically strong, and capable of fighting wild beasts with his bare hands. His divine courage was unparalleled for a time, and he was eloquent and also well-versed in music. Thus, relying on the abundant national strength and his own excessive energy, he launched a large-scale expansion to the southeast, conquering the fertile Fang tribes, thereby expanding his territory immeasurably and spreading the prestige of the country far and wide. This 'revival atmosphere' of the Yin Dynasty inflated King Zhou's re-evaluation of his own worth, causing him to become arrogant in front of his ministers and to become stubborn and self-opinionated. He used clever words to cover up his faults, could not listen to remonstrance, prided himself on his talents, and thought that no one in the world could surpass him. He even began to speak to his ministers in a loud and rough voice, putting on airs. Gradually, he could not even listen to the words of Bi Qian. At the same time, his demands for living standards also rose. Carved chopsticks were replaced with ivory ones, and cups were replaced with rhinoceros horn and jade. Once he had ivory chopsticks and rhinoceros horn cups, he wanted to eat the meat of rare beasts. He wanted nine layers of brocade robes for clothing and wide mansions and high platforms for housing; furthermore, the beams had to be carved, the rafters painted, the windows hollowed out, and the walls decorated. The Star-Plucking Tower was not enough to satisfy his view, so he built the Deer Terrace. His original wife, Jiang Shi, was old and faded, so he demanded that the feudal lords offer beauties. This is the kind of person King Zhou is."

"As for our Jie Sect, the Eastern Earl we support is not as outstanding as the other two; he just manages things according to previous management methods. But why did our Jie Sect choose him? It is mainly because this person reveres immortals and is relatively obedient, easier to control than the other two, so I chose the Eastern Earl. In fact, the previous strength of the three parties is not worth worrying about at all; it mainly depends on the strength of Buddhism, the Chan Sect, and the Jie Sect. Basically, whichever sect has the stronger power wins. Also, we several Saints have agreed not to take action, but this agreement is not reliable, mainly because no one will watch their own disciples die in large numbers and do nothing. So, at the beginning, the Saints will not interfere, but later on, it is hard to say. Furthermore, everyone has decided to use Third Generation Disciples at the beginning, after all, Second Generation Disciples are the core of each sect, so unless it is the final moment, it is best that Second Generation Disciples do not take action. You understand this, so that is all for now. Go and prepare." Tongtian said all this in one breath.

"My disciple's three great divine monkeys are all practicing the Blazing Profound Art; one is at the early stage of the Five-Turn, and two are at the Four-Turn Peak. I believe they will certainly be able to serve as the main force at the start. I will go back and give them instructions, and then I will take my leave." After speaking, Kong Xuan exited Biyou Palace, flew out of Jinao Island, and flew toward Dongying Island.

I have posted three chapters today and hope everyone will support me. From now on, it will be the exciting Battle of the Investiture of the Gods. I will strive to write it well. I estimate I will update again after 12 o'clock tonight. Thank you all for your support. I will shamelessly ask for monthly tickets again; I haven't seen a monthly ticket yet.