Chapter 156

"No... buddy, how did you become the boss?!"

Seeing Jiaoming gradually walking down the path of self-destructive backlash, Zhao Si was stunned at that moment, and even conjured a hallucination:

The second-generation Golden Heavenly Emperor was basically just this Lao Jiao pattern—constantly suppressed, constantly rebelling, and finally being exhausted to death by the vast Demon Race……

"Not right!"

Zhao Si hurriedly began a careful analysis:

As a veteran of the Phoenix clan who had experienced the Three-Race War, even after three lifetimes of reincarnation, he still loathed the Three-Race War from the bottom of his heart.

Therefore, his goal in this life was initially to eliminate the three ancient ancestors of the races, because they three were the origin of all sacrifices, the top three war profiteers!

But it's obvious that Jiaoming's worldview has been deeply affected by the Three-Race War; as the three ancestors fell one after another and submitted, the things he loathed gradually expanded to war itself……

After slaying the primordial dragon, Jiaoming had in fact risen above the entire wilderness; he not only wanted to slay all mysterious ambitious ones, but also to eradicate all war!

Moreover, he believed he possessed this strength.

Want to fight? Then die!

Jiaoming intends to use his power to create an eternally peaceful and tranquil, small-state-with-few-people, oppression-free eternal wilderness!

But the problem is he doesn't understand that war itself is a path of civilizational development; when he unilaterally bans all war, the dragon society of the wilderness is already forced to be unable to develop.

Without annexation and unifying wars, the regions of small states with few peoples would each go their own way, the distribution of needed resources would become uneven, and excessive population would also make resource allocation tense, so a strong government must exist to meet people's various needs.

War is both a means of redistributing resources and a driving force for social development.

Jiaoming loathes war and slavery, but his approach instead prevents higher social systems from arising.

This series of wars was not initiated unilaterally and sporadically by those dragon kings, but was voluntarily launched by everyone.

It is the contradiction between limited resources and infinite population, thereby giving rise to an inevitable trend!

In short, Jiaoming has hindered societal development; he is now opposing the tide of the times……

Jiaoming could easily overwhelm the tide of the times with absolute personal force, but suppressing the tide would only harm all spirits.

He planned to kill the second ancestor for the sake of all spirits, to stop war for the sake of all spirits, and to create a perfect world where all spirits dwell in peace.

But the perfect world he envisions is an anarchism worse than slavery—a thing suited only to an age when all spirits were unintelligent; now that all things possess spirits, such old notions naturally no longer fully apply……

Going on like this, either he will "dictate the ages," completely cutting off the wilderness society's path of development.

Or he will be toppled by the rolling tide of the times, and all spirits will fiercely strike him down, using his head as the key and sacrifice to usher in a new era!

This time there is no boss left for him to fight, because the perfect boss template across the entire wilderness is now placed upon Jiaoming's head……

"Huh? Wait a moment!"

Zhao Si suddenly furrowed his brow:

"Seems a bit off…… resource allocation too little?"

This problem already existed in the ancient era?!

The more Zhao Si thought, the more he felt there was a problem:

In the era of Jin Bing, the ancient times had long passed, and the unified Demon Race Heavenly Court had even stably developed for nearly four hundred yuanhui.

Moreover, the era of the Golden Heavenly Emperor's Equal Heavenly Court is even called "eternal wilderness"; as long as Jin Bing does not die and the Equal Heavenly Court's discipline is not abandoned, theoretically the wilderness can forever maintain a golden age!

The ancient era had a few hundred yuanhui, the Di Jun Heavenly Court had four hundred yuanhui, and adding Jin Bing's Heavenly Court's infinite yuanhui, the population has already exploded N times more than in the ancient era, yet we haven't seen any problem of insufficient resource allocation blowing up!

It seems that for the Equal Heavenly Court, resources were never a problem; the only problem was humanity's "demon upon demon"……

"With such a terrifying reserve of resources, the ancient era could fundamentally never face a resource crisis; even a state of few states and few people could peacefully endure infinite ages."

Zhao Si scratched his head:

So, why is this?

Why does the wilderness in the Golden Heavenly Emperor's era have virtually infinite resources, while in theory the barely developed Jiaoming ancient era, with that small population, could also stir up a resource crisis, even being forced into war by resource scarcity……

Zhao Si has a hunch that this problem will definitely serve as a foreshadowing in Jiaoming's plot.

……

Eastern Wilderness, Jade Capital Mountain.

Hongjun sat beneath an old tree, silently observing the clouds rolling and unfolding below the cliff.

He suddenly spoke:

"Fellow Daoist, do you really intend to just watch him die like that?"

He was not asking about Jiaoming, but about the Ancestor Phoenix.

The Ancestor Phoenix, clad in red robes, also sat beneath the tree; she remained silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"How could I persuade him? You know, he's always been that sort of person……"

Hongjun said in a deep voice:

"Neither you nor I want him to walk toward death on this path…… He is already considered demonic; sooner or later the whole wilderness will unite to kill him!"

"He has severed everyone's path to the Dao, so even a Golden Immortal of the Great Luo is now the ceiling; even if we few can still fight, we're only a few Great Luo, while talented people in the wilderness are countless!"

"Sooner or later they will give birth to a hundred, a thousand, or even more Great Luo……"

The Ancestor Phoenix spoke faintly:

"What can I do? If I want to help him, the only way is after attaining the Dao to use the power of the wilderness to overwhelm everything!"

"But I cannot attain the Dao, for the lesson of the old serpent warns that if I seek the Dao, he will surely not spare me; all my affection for him cannot outweigh his love for all spirits……"

Saying this, the Ancestor Phoenix narrowed her eyes:

"You don't want to attain the Dao? You can completely go help him slay to your heart's content; kill enough, and the true spirits of all beings can be as you wish……"

"Don't harm me!"

Hongjun rolled his eyes and spoke irritably:

"You're afraid—does that mean I'm not? Given his love for all spirits, if I dared to kill, do you believe he could burn me to death on the spot?"

The Ancestor Phoenix chuckled:

Don't believe it? Unless you go try it.

Hongjun: ……

Try your ass!

The exasperated Hongjun swore, then his face turned worried:

If he keeps suppressing them like this, sooner or later the myriad spirits he loves most will personally overthrow and kill him, venting their anger on his head...

I can't do anything about it.

Zu Feng sighed again:

In his eyes, peace among the myriad spirits is paramount; he will not tolerate anyone destroying this hard-won peace.

Those dragon kings who blocked his path he burned to death in the most cruel way; if we two block his path, he will likewise burn us without hesitation.

He is the enemy of all ambitious sorts, and even we are among his enemies.

As they spoke, a bloody escape light suddenly descended from the heavens, transforming into a red-robed figure brimming with killing intent.

He looked frail and scholarly, yet his aura was terrifying……

This is none other than the Primordial Era's fiercest demon god and sage, Jiao Ming, whose cultivation has reached the pinnacle of Da Luo!

Upon seeing Jiao Ming return to the mountain, the two quickly turned to him; Zu Feng pressed his lips and asked:

How many more did you kill?

Jiao Ming fell silent for a moment, then slowly said:

I didn't kill anyone.

Huh?

Hongjun and Zu Feng stared at each other:

Good heavens, has he changed his temperament?

I've figured it out……

Jiao Ming let out a long sigh:

If we're going to fight, then let's fight!

Without waiting for them to ask, Jiao Ming suddenly walked down the mountain.

He arrived at the residential area of the second-generation Phoenix Race, including Zhuque, where a vigorous young person was directing the Phoenix Race in construction.

Under his wise leadership, hundreds of second-generation Phoenix Race members were arranged in orderly fashion, and he enjoyed it tirelessly, as if the tedious command work not only didn't bother him but rather delighted him, making him work even harder……

"Ah Jun."

Jiao Ming gazed at him working, his eyes complex; over the years, that little golden crow of long ago had already become a Golden Immortal of Da Luo.

The young man couldn't help but look up; upon seeing Jiao Ming, he instantly beamed with joy:

"Foster father! You've returned!"

Hmm.

Jiao Ming said nothing more, only speaking in a low voice:

Father…… I want to entrust you with a matter.

What matter? Just say the word!

Go, for the sake of all beings, conquer the Primordial Wilds.

The young man froze at that, then his face lit up with wild joy:

His foster father has finally come to his senses!

Yes!

【At a certain epoch, meeting, and cycle, you, having reached the pinnacle of Da Luo cultivation, as the strongest being in the Primordial Wilds, grant legitimacy to your foster son Di Jun, permitting him to campaign against the chaotic myriad spirits of the dragon race in the Primordial Wilds!】

【Having just become a Golden Immortal of Da Luo, Di Jun formally steps onto the grand stage of the Primordial Wilds!】

【Although lacking experience, Di Jun is no less a power-endowed being of extraordinary talent; having obtained Zu Feng's consent, he immediately took eight hundred second-generation Phoenix Race members at the Taiyi realm as his core and began to build his regime.】

【Di Jun took his elder sister Xihe and younger brother Taiyi, along with the Phoenix Race's Zhuque, as generals, leading eight hundred Phoenix Race members out of Mount Yujing to campaign against the dragon clans in all directions!】

【Because his founding core was exceptionally strong while the average strength in the Primordial Wilds was low, Di Jun's force, once expanded, advanced like a bamboo shoot splitting—unstoppable.】

Using just one epoch, he conquered the entire Eastern Wilds, governing a populace of dragon race civilians numbered in the hundreds of millions of trillions!

【Having ruled such vast territory and numerous populace, the inexperienced Di Jun naturally became somewhat flustered, causing no small amount of chaos; but after all, his talent and adaptability were there, and after a brief period of exploration, Di Jun gradually found his footing……】

【In order to unite the vast dragon race, Di Jun naturally could not treat tribal affiliations as a joke, but the concept of 'dragon race' was easily swayed by the Four Seas Dragon Palaces; thus he invented the concept of the Demon Race, asserting that all peoples are members of the Demon Race and equal to one another!】

【Since everyone originally hailed from the same great clan, the dragon race, the Demon Race was essentially just the dragon race renamed, encountering little resistance upon implementation……】

【Having united the populace under his rule, Di Jun, now with a solid foundation, finally let loose and began to build his new regime with bold, sweeping measures!】

【The new regime abolished the old slavery system, replacing it with a bureaucratic framework; there was no longer any distinction between slave master and slave, only between officials and commoners, and officials held only the authority to govern the populace, lacking the power of life and death, and were fully subject to Di Jun's supervision and management.】

【A whole set of combined measures enacted, the Eastern Wilds' heavens and earth instantly shed their old appearance for a new one, and the flames of a civilization more brilliant than that of the dragon race began to blaze……】

【At a certain epoch, meeting, and cycle, Taiyi formulated the Primordial Wilds' first standard calendar and chronology, taking this cycle as the 'first epoch, first meeting, first cycle' of the Demon Calendar; thus the Primordial Wilds finally left the primeval barbaric age and entered the era of Demon Calendar civilization!】

【In the first epoch, first meeting, first cycle of the Demon Calendar, Di Jun, acting on the orders of his foster father Jiao Ming, took the title 'Heavenly Emperor', established the Heavenly Court, designated Mount Yujing as the capital, and conferred upon his elder sister Xihe the title 'Solar Charioteer', his younger brother Taiyi that of 'Eastern Emperor', the Phoenix Race's Zhuque that of 'Fire Regent', and the remaining dragon and phoenix officials various ennoblements.】

【The Heavenly Court, formally established!】

【In the fourth meeting, sixth cycle of the Demon Calendar's first epoch, the Heavenly Emperor personally led a campaign into Central Province, with the Solar Charioteer and Eastern Emperor in attendance, while alone the Fire Regent led the Demon Race's army to conquer the Southern Wilds, seizing the Phoenix Race's ancestral land, the Great Volcano.】

【In the second epoch, third meeting, eighth cycle of the Demon Calendar, the Heavenly Emperor pacified the various dragon race fiefdoms of Central Province, incorporating Central Province into his domain!】

【In the following meeting, the Fire Regent Zhuque seized the Great Volcano, and with the Phoenix Race's main forces pacified the Southern Wilds, bringing the Southern Wilds under the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction!】

【In the third epoch, eighth meeting, second cycle of the Demon Calendar, the Heavenly Emperor personally conquered the Northern Wilds, while the Fire Regent Zhuque subdued the Western Wilds; both succeeded, and from then on the Heavenly Court held sway over the five directions!】

【In the fifth epoch, second meeting, sixth cycle of the Demon Calendar, the Heavenly Emperor, accompanied by the Solar Charioteer, Eastern Emperor, and Fire Regent—four mighty Da Luo beings—jointly confronted the Azure Dragon of the Eastern Sea, a battle that would decide the fate of the Primordial Wilds, imminent!】

……

(End of chapter)