A few days later.
The Southern Territory was shaken. The third Human King, Zhou Fangzun, was rumored to have fought to the death with enemies from the Land of the Rising Sun. Before the final battle, he voluntarily abdicated his position as Human King, and his family and relatives vanished without a trace.
Following that, in Fengcheng.
A new shop appeared on the old street opposite the Six Doors: a chess shop. It offered chess games, and the owner was a middle-aged man with a remarkably beautiful wife.
Chen Jiuyang spent some effort explaining the reason for the Human King system's collapse to him, thus persuading Zhou Fangzun. Then, at the critical moment of the death match, he saved Zhou Fangzun and took him away.
Subsequently, there was another upheaval. The Lotus Sect, notorious for its wicked deeds, announced its dissolution.
The Lotus Sect, which had left many legends in the long river of Chinese history, had disbanded just like that.
However, no one turned their gaze toward this street in Fengcheng.
Green moss entered the realm, and another year turned to autumn.
On this day, the area outside Meteorite Cliff was shaken. A demon with a mountain-like physique emerged from within.
Upon receiving this news, Chen Jiuyang sighed, "Yan Huang, Yan Huang. It would have been good to preserve the Human King system. With the right opportunity, it could have been broken at any time. Why choose this moment?"
As the events of his past life unfolded one by one, Chen Jiuyang felt little emotional stir.
The Golden Age was merely an appetizer, after all.
His goal was to achieve longevity in the mortal world and defeat the mastermind behind the scenes.
Then, another shockwave. The Five Great Sacred Lands, in league with the demon race, attacked Yan Huang. At a critical juncture, the unclaimed Human King Sword was summoned, slaying the enemies, but Yan Huang himself was also severely wounded.
As the news spread, friction between various regional powers and the Immortal Alliance intensified.
It was in this situation that Yao Zixuan, Ji Lengyue, and Qin Rourou became increasingly busy, having to handle all sorts of matters.
Chen Jiuyang, seeing this, did not intervene. He believed that once they had tasted enough hardship, they would naturally make their choices.
In this life, the flames of the Holy-Pseudo War had not yet reached Fengcheng.
However, the girl Yun Jingbai had finally found some respite.
She had walked the path of a special Confucian Dao lineage, traveled across the land of China, and returned to Fengcheng.
The first thing she did was to seek out Chen Jiuyang.
After not seeing him for several years, Yun Jingbai had undergone a complete transformation.
Clad in white, she exuded an aura of profound Confucian elegance. Her presence was like that of an unblemished lotus, rooted amidst the mud and dust of the mortal world.
She walked into Chen Jiuyang's Ping'an Bookstore, her red lips parting slightly, "Such a powerful being as Mr. Chen, yet he chooses to open a bookstore in an old city street. It is truly peculiar."
Chen Jiuyang smiled and asked, "Then what do you think I should be doing?"
Yun Jingbai chuckled softly, "How dare I comment on Mr. Chen's actions? It's just that you are entirely different from the Immortal Martial geniuses I met in the Forbidden City. You don't compete, you don't snatch, you don't seize. You truly possess a touch of immortal grace."
Chen Jiuyang replied with a smile, "Our paths are different, and so are the routes we take."
Yun Jingbai's eyes twinkled with amusement, "I will have to visit and bother you more often, Mr. Chen."
Chen Jiuyang nodded, "That would be excellent. I also wish to discuss the great principles of Confucianism with you."
"Then I shall take my leave and return home," Yun Jingbai said. She took a step, and in the blink of an eye, she had covered a considerable distance.
"Confucianism, truly mysterious and peculiar..." Chen Jiuyang's eyes held a trace of curiosity. "Words becoming reality. It is indeed extraordinary."
Then, Chen Jiuyang sat down to read quietly, his mind, however, was deep in thought.
Without the Book of Life, how would the major forbidden zones conduct transactions with the Immortal Realm to initiate the ninth and final chess game, vying for ownership of the Book of Life?
"Perhaps... they will wait indefinitely until the Pure Yang energy appears before making a move... And what will the situation be like before then?"
In this life, he remained hidden behind the scenes, not stepping onto the stage. The world did not know his name, Chen Jiuyang. Many events might occur earlier or later.
What he wanted now was to quickly improve his cultivation.
That winter, he received a wedding invitation.
Wang Jieguang was marrying Ye Tiannan, an elder of Shu Mountain. The invitation came from Wang Jieguang.
When Chen Jiuyang had repelled the young master of the Feather Ascension Sect with a single sword strike, his contact information had been exposed, and Wang Jieguang had learned of it.
Chen Jiuyang pondered for a long time before agreeing to attend.
Firstly, to meet the Ye Tiannan of this life, and secondly, to meet the top prodigies of the Immortal Alliance in this life.
Ye Tiannan, as a top prodigy with an innate Sword Body and a direct disciple of the Shu Mountain Sacred Land, must have quietly broken through to the Venerable Realm by now. The wedding would undoubtedly be of the highest caliber.
Since he had nothing else to do, attending would be excellent.
He casually prepared two high-quality elixirs and booked a flight to Shu Mountain.
He set out alone for this journey, not bringing any of his confidantes. Bringing one would be troublesome, so it was better not to bring anyone.
Taking a plane to Shu Mountain.
Memories of his past life surfaced. He had personally annihilated the Five Great Sacred Lands and slain countless prodigies and Grand Elders of the Immortal Alliance.
In this life, he wondered if this would happen again.
Because the destruction of the Five Great Sacred Lands was only a matter of time.
The major forbidden zones would likely destroy the Five Great Sacred Lands, severing the eyes and ears of the Immortal Realm's Heavenly Court, and then march towards the Immortal Realm.
Upon arriving at Shu Mountain, he was arranged accommodation by people from the Chen family of Shu Mountain.
After all, Chen Jiuyang was a prodigy from the Chen family of Shu Mountain who had been living in exile. Although he had not yet returned to the Chen family, in the eyes of the outside world, Chen Jiuyang was considered a member of the Chen family of Shu Mountain.
This was the true reason why Chen Jiuyang was not troubled after repelling the young master of the Feather Ascension Sect with a single sword strike.
Chen Jiuyang had no objection to this.
Afterward, he proceeded to Shu Mountain, where the wedding was being held.
The towering Shu Mountain, its peak hidden by clouds, was sacred, grand, and yet decayed.
As the foremost prodigy of Shu Mountain, Ye Tiannan's wedding was indeed a grand affair.
Prodigies from the Immortal Alliance and many old monsters had basically all arrived.
However, at a glance, everyone present was a prodigy. Chen Jiuyang, a cultivator who appeared to be in the Nascent Soul stage, was not particularly outstanding.
The first-tier and second-tier prodigies were all martial artists. Immortal cultivators had to rank lower on the rankings of Jixia Academy.
Fortunately, Chen Jiuyang had comprehended the law of 'Formation' in advance, which concealed his true cultivation from the perception of luck on the rankings. If not for this, Chen Jiuyang would not have remained so obscure.
Here, Chen Jiuyang met Ye Tiannan, Yan Hongming, En Fu Ben, Zhu Zhaoming, Xia Daosheng, Jin Wuhen, and other prodigies he knew from his past life.
"Welcome, Brother Chen, to my wedding." At present, Wang Jieguang, who had a Golden Core cultivation, accepted the elixirs from Chen Jiuyang with a gentle smile. "I never expected that Brother Chen would be from Shu Mountain."
"Not at all, I am merely a rogue cultivator, blessed with good luck," Chen Jiuyang said with a smile. "Daoist Friend Wang is a distinguished disciple of Kunlun, and marrying the Sword Body of Shu Mountain is something worth celebrating."
"You are too kind, Daoist Chen," Ye Tiannan of this life said with a faint smile, offering Chen Jiuyang a cup of wine.