Chapter 85: The Divine Black Bird, Descends to Give Birth to Shang

No background, no connections, no foundation.

What did this imply?

It meant this fellow was easy to persuade!

Luo Feng wore an amiable, composed smile, showering compliments without reservation, as if they cost him nothing.

Though the Thousand-Spirit Demon King had a few schemes of his own, he had never encountered such a situation before. Whatever reserve he possessed was only applicable when facing beings of equal standing. When an immortal occasionally offered affirmation and praise, it was akin to a teacher singling out a student for praise in class—outwardly indifferent, but inwardly elated.

As a cultivator, the Thousand-Spirit Demon King’s Dao heart was not firm; otherwise, he would not be ruling Thousand-Spirit Island with only his primordial spirit. As a member of the demon race, he lacked cunning; otherwise, he would not be confined to ruling only Thousand-Spirit Island.

In less than a few days, he was already calling Luo Feng "brother" and wearing his joy openly on his face.

Luo Feng could only sigh to himself—such simple-minded monsters of the primordial wilderness! If only all cultivators in the wilderness were as guileless as the Thousand-Spirit Demon King, how wonderful it would be.

...

Though the Thousand-Spirit was somewhat weak, he truly was a disciple of the Sect of Severance. Three thousand years ago, he had the fortune to listen to the teachings of the Grandmaster, thereby awakening his spiritual intelligence. Though he was only taken as an outer disciple, he still claimed the title of a sect member, and had three or four friends on Penglai Island.

Through this connection, Luo Feng also became acquainted with several Sect of Severance cultivators. Unfortunately, not a single renowned immortal among them.

The four direct disciples and the Seven Attendant Immortals were all in Biyou Palace on Penglai Island; as a mere registered disciple, the Thousand-Spirit Demon King dared not lead Luo Feng toward the Saint’s abode. Luo Feng himself dared not go uninvited, exposing himself under the Saint’s very gaze.

As for the outer disciples—Golden Immortals and Celestial Immortals—most sought mountains to open caves or claimed islands as their own Daoist abodes. For example, the chief outer disciple, Zhao Gongming, who was said to have attained the Dao Fruit of Da Luo, cultivated on the wild continent in Luofu Cave of Mount Emei. The likes of the Three Fairies, successful Golden Immortals, had moved away from Penglai Island, establishing their own cave dwellings in the Three Immortals Cave of Three Immortals Island.

With only a primordial spirit to his name, how could the Thousand-Spirit Demon King have connections with such great immortals? After half a year, Luo Feng had met only a few Earth Immortals and Celestial Immortals; the highest among them was Ji Shui Leopard, an outer disciple at the Celestial Immortal level.

Seeing this, Luo Feng knew it was time for him to depart.

He had made the acquaintance of all the Sect of Severance disciples worth knowing—at least enough to be recognized. If he stayed any longer, the Thousand-Spirit Demon King would truly try to pull him into the sect and make him an exemplary disciple. In the future, he would either end up on the Investiture of the Gods or chanting sutras in the West. Such a losing deal was one he would never make.

The disciples of the Sect of Severance valued loyalty, but even loyalty could not stand against four Saint-level Grandmasters.

Thousand-Spirit Island, Thousand-Spirit Cave.

Luo Feng made a Daoist gesture and said, “I have disturbed you for many days. Thank you, Brother, for your hospitality. But I have important affairs to attend to and must make a journey to the wild continent.”

The Thousand-Spirit Demon King replied reluctantly, “Brother, will you not stay a few more years? In three hundred years, our chief outer disciple, Zhao Gongming the Great Immortal, will return. He cares for us disciples, and with your talent, I am sure you could be recommended as an outer disciple.”

Luo Feng shook his head and replied, “I, too, admire the great sect and wish nothing more than to live and die as a Sect of Severance immortal. Alas, fate does not favor me. When my affairs are finished, I will come to visit you again.”

The Thousand-Spirit Demon King sighed, “Since you insist, I will not keep you. But the wild continent is not as free as the overseas realms. There are human kings who rule with a firm hand, making it difficult to act freely. Some of our sect brothers, lured by wealth and honor, have taken office in the Shang Dynasty, only to complain about the abundance of rules.”

Luo Feng smiled slightly. “I am aware, Brother. Do not worry. By the way, do you know which human king currently rules the Shang Dynasty?”

The Thousand-Spirit Demon King pondered a moment. “Three thousand years ago, it was King Wu Yi who reigned over the mortal dynasty, ruling the human race for more than five thousand years. Now, three thousand years later, as no human king ever reigns forever, I suppose it must be Wu Yi’s son, King Wen Ding, who has ascended the throne.”

Luo Feng nodded thoughtfully—Wu Yi, Wen Ding, Di Yi, Di Xin. Four generations of direct succession, the Shang's sixty-four thousand years of destiny nearly spent.

“Boy, come here.”

With a soft call, Luo Feng summoned his cautious Dao attendant, who instantly transformed into a silver-white thread coiling around his wrist.

Light shimmered, space rippled with waves, brilliance flowed.

Luo Feng saw the laws of spatial order unfold before his eyes, constructing nodes, intercepting coordinates in the void, spanning billions of mountains, rivers, and seas, transporting him to the land of Yin and Shang.

“Oh? This is spatial…”

Before he could finish, Luo Feng was swept away by the pillar of light, crossing the void, leaving the Thousand-Spirit Demon King behind, utterly baffled.

Space? Space what…?

It couldn’t be that he had instantly comprehended the laws of space—such a thing, even Celestial Immortals couldn’t grasp.

The spatial teleportation array traversed billions of mountains and rivers at an unfathomable speed. Luo Feng felt as if he were riding a high-speed train, a point of light leaping through the void, constantly shifting by overlapping dimensions.

Gazing at the spatial laws enveloping him, Luo Feng was intoxicated by their brilliance.

He already knew basic spatial techniques, such as the novice Storage Spell—capable of opening a small space for use as a warehouse.

But the novice Storage Spell had one limitation: it required a medium—be it a puppet, a robe, or the flow of blood and qi.

Yet the spatial teleportation array made direct use of the void, unobstructed, laying bare the higher-level computational structure of space right before Luo Feng’s eyes.

It was as if a hamster had entered a granary!

Luo Feng’s face shone with happiness, contentment, and fulfillment for all he had gained.

In short, he had achieved enlightenment!

The novice Storage Spell upgraded to the intermediate Storage Spell.

...

He did not know how much time had passed—perhaps an instant, perhaps several hours.

A sweet voice sounded in his ear, “Honored cultivator, welcome to this teleportation array. Ahead lies the starting city of Yin and Shang. Please prepare yourself and do not be swept into spatial turbulence. Without a signed life-and-death indemnity agreement, the Void Sect of Kunlun Mountain will not compensate you!”

Luo Feng gradually withdrew from his mysterious state of enlightenment.

He had already grasped the profound principles, merely lingering in that mindset.

It was like knowing one was in a dream, on the verge of waking up, yet unwilling to leave—a state akin to the legendary sage’s serenity, utterly ethereal.

Light poured in, the void opened.

Luo Feng stepped forward, and before his eyes appeared a grand and resplendent city of black iron, soaring thousands of feet high.

Within the city, bronze-armored guards patrolled to and fro, each radiating the vitality of a flood dragon, their aura no weaker than that of Nascent Soul cultivators.

In that instant, Luo Feng finally understood.

Why, even as a disciple of the Sect of Severance, the Thousand-Spirit Demon King had to abide by human laws and complain of too many rules.

Because all he could do was complain—he dared not entertain other thoughts.

“Heaven’s Mandate Dark Bird descended, giving birth to Shang; their home in Yin, vast and boundless. The ancient emperor ordered Wu Tang to rule the lands. Thus were the four directions brought under order. The mandate passed down to future generations, holding dominion over all nine regions. The Shang’s ancestors, ever vigilant of their charge, now in the descendant of Wu Ding. Wu Ding’s grandson, King Wu, conquered all before him. Ten dragon standards, great vessels carried forth. A thousand leagues of territory, the people therein, opening the realm to the four seas. The four seas pay homage, gathering in abundance. The grand river marks the frontier. The Mandate bestowed upon Yin is fitting, and all blessings converge.”

This was the boundless primordial universe—a mythic world where gods, immortals, demons, and Buddhas mingled!

As the dynasty that had ruled the mortal world for six hundred forty thousand years, how could the Shang be anything but extraordinary?

(End of chapter)