The Yellow River God, named Feng Yi, was once human but later achieved Dao by consuming the Eight Stones.

The Eight Stones, as the name implies, are eight types of stones.

The precursor to the Dao of Alchemy was the practice of consuming substances. Ancient sages discovered that certain materials had beneficial effects on the body and thus dreamed of achieving immortality through consumption.

Of course, this path was extremely tough—ninety-nine percent of practitioners were poisoned by pills, with only a few achieving immortality successfully.

In Song Lin's view, they merely stumbled upon success by chance.

This so-called idea of consuming mica, magnetic stones, or sulfur might have resulted from the combined medicinal properties forming something akin to the pill's potency within the body, allowing them to achieve immortality.

Later generations sincerely believed that consuming such items could lead to immortality, which caused the deaths of many.

Even for those who succeeded, their achievement was no greater than the Corpse-Dissolving Immortal type.

The process of persuading Feng Yi to join was straightforward—it didn't even require a fight. He was simply told that Song Lin possessed a superior alchemy method, and Feng Yi accepted without hesitation.

At this moment, within the World in the Pot.

Feng Yi was observing Song Lin's alchemy.

The Furnace of Eight Trigrams, accompanied by supreme Spirit Pills, was being meticulously refined and reformed in a mysterious manner.

First Turn, Second Turn, Third Turn, Fourth Turn… Ninth Turn.

The Ninth Turn was complete, and the nine apertures became crystal clear.

At the moment the pill was finished, faint flashes of lightning appeared in the sky.

Boom!

Boom!

Three Divine Thunders descended from the void, only to be effortlessly neutralized by Song Lin in the next instant.

Song Lin held the pill and asked, "How is it?"

"Marvelous, simply marvelous!"

The medicinal potency of the Spirit Pill alone had left Feng Yi astonished, not to mention the multiplied potency after the Ninth Turn.

Just one pill required years of dedicated effort to fully absorb.

"It's yours,"

Song Lin sealed the pill inside a bottle and handed it to Feng Yi.

"No, it's too precious. I don't deserve such a treasure."

Feng Yi didn't dare to accept it—he had never consumed something this valuable in his lifetime.

"Haha, don't worry. There'll be more in the future. Just let me know if you want one. Oh, by the way, I'll give you a Pill Scripture later so you can practice on your own—stop eating stones," Song Lin chuckled. The Nine-Transformation Golden Pill was rare, but in the end, it was something he could refine at any time.

Song Lin occasionally crafted a batch of Nine-Transformation Golden Pills for the Heavenly Court's higher-ups. Fire De True Monarch Luu Yunsheng treated these pills like candy, and now, Luu Yunsheng had become the second person in the Heavenly Court to achieve the Nine-Transformation Golden Body. The lesser transformations, such as Five-Transformation and Sixth Transformation, were also common.

Feng Yi, lacking the profound energy requirements of those cultivating the Nine-Transformation Mysterious Skill, might not even fully consume the pill within ten years.

With that, Song Lin handed over the "Nine-Transformation Rejuvenation Pill Subtle Manifestation Technique" and "Supreme Jade Core Pill Refining Treasure Technique" to Feng Yi.

"Many thanks, Divine Lord."

Feng Yi received the scriptures with delight.

A common misconception existed in later generations—a pathological admiration for ancient times—always assuming that the older, the better.

This perspective wasn't entirely wrong, but it was overly simplistic.

Consuming pills was undeniably better than chewing mica. Pills were the refined essence of countless treasures.

The Dao of Alchemy, through years of development, had far surpassed the ancients, just as the Cultivation Method had outstripped Pre-Qin Qi Cultivation.

Feng Yi's submission marked the inclusion of all river and water deities in the Yellow River and Yangtze River basins into the unified system.

Unlike the Yangtze River, which housed numerous Water Gods, the Yellow River had only Feng Yi, whose divine power was exceptionally robust.

In the days to come.

The Chu Country swept across the other nations—Qi, Qin, Wei, Zhao, Han, Yan… As the nations fell, the King of Chu formally united the realm.

A new era began for Zhuxia.

The King of Chu ascended the throne and declared himself Emperor, instituting the first era name in history—Long Han.

This era name was rooted in the Taoist Five Epochs perspective, with Long Han symbolizing the dissolution of past epochs and the beginning of a new era.

In Luoyang.

Taoist Soldiers and demon beasts worked tirelessly day and night to construct this heroic city.

The city was arranged in the Eight Diagram formation, facing in eight directions with eight gates, each gate adorned with a treasure mirror.

The Eight-direction Dragon Qi converged here. If chaos arose anywhere in the realm, the treasure mirrors could eliminate foes from thousands of miles away.

Of course, this was tied to the prosperity of the dynasty. In its peak, a single ray of light from these mirrors could annihilate countless demons; during a period of decline, their effectiveness would be questionable.

The Eight-direction Treasure Mirrors were only a safety measure—the cultivation of Martial Artists was far more vital.

With millions of Martial Artists, even hordes of demon beasts wouldn't pose a threat.

Martial Artists provided humanity's steadfast defense against demon invasions.

The greater the wars, the more masters emerged.

In the Real World, nearly a hundred True Immortal-level masters had already appeared.

Within Luoyang City.

Sixty-five-year-old Wu Qi lay on his sickbed. Having served as the Prime Minister across two reigns, participating in state affairs for forty years, he now had white hair and a frail body.

Unlike the two Kings of Chu, Wu Qi had been deeply involved in every reform—one could say that the modern Chu Country was largely his creation.

The grand cause had been accomplished, and fortunately, no betrayal or purge occurred due to his merit. Wu Qi was granted the unique title of King of Different Surname.

Now, this man had reached the end of his life.

The King of Chu personally visited him, and Wu Qi, despite his physical weakness, imparted numerous instructions.

"Your Majesty, do not allow eunuchs to meddle in government affairs. Keep the Crown Prince near the center of authority, and before transferring the throne, ensure other princely sons are sent away to territories. Be wary of maternal relatives, and do not rely on culture over military power! The military should ideally remain under your command. Confucians may be employed, but do not trust them blindly."

"Those who win the hearts of the people shall win the realm."

At the brink of death, Wu Qi ignored all taboos and shared everything he knew.

The King of Chu didn't dwell on these words; today, he was not a ruler but a junior receiving earnest advice from a mentor.

"Teacher, please rest," the King of Chu implored.

"No need. By the way, do not allow my title to pass to any offspring after my death. Simply appoint some of them as marquises so they may enjoy wealth. Too much fortune would be beyond their capability to handle."

"Very well."

Wu Qi drifted into delirium, muttering nonsensical words.

When the King of Chu realized that Wu Qi's time had come, he summoned Wu Qi's offspring.

Wu Qi alternately recounted past events, sometimes mistaking the King for the previous ruler or reminiscing about his youth.

Suddenly, a golden light filled the room, forming a doorway.

Within the door lay a wondrous Immortal Realm that left the mortals speechless.

"Haha, do not mourn! Today, I shall secure my place among the Immortal Rank!"

Wu Qi suddenly stood up and strode boldly into the golden gate.

As the radiance faded, the crowd regained their senses to find that Wu Qi had passed away, a smile on his face.

Witnessing this, everyone perceived it as a miraculous event, believing Wu Qi had ascended as a deity.

The next day, the King of Chu bestowed upon Wu Qi the title of National Guardian King, to be worshipped as the State's deity.

"Issue the decree—divide the land into counties, and any who defy shall be executed!"

The King of Chu commanded.

Within the Palace of the Polestar, Wu Qi, now a Ghost Immortal, stood amidst numerous deities of the heavenly realms.

"Wu Qi, for your contributions in spreading the Taoist lineage, you are hereby titled National Guardian Spirit True Monarch, overseeing all City Gods under heaven!"

Of course, at present, there was only Wu Qi as the City God. Suitable candidates for the role were scarce. Over time, as the county system was implemented, the City God system would gradually be completed.

With Wu Qi's ascension, the domain of heaven, earth, humans, spirits, and demons reached equilibrium.

Now was the time for consolidating power—expanding overseas while preparing for the decisive battle ahead.

Another twenty years passed.

The Chu Country conquered new territories and expanded multiple times.

The Wushan Heavenly Court had solidified as the rightful Taoist lineage of the Human Clan.

The masses revered only the Eastern King and not Taiyi God. Official rituals hardly mentioned Taiyi God except briefly in prayer texts.

Another decade went by, and the King of Chu passed away, becoming the royal deity protecting the dynasty.

Thanks to Wu Qi's advice, the transition of power went smoothly. The second Emperor of Chu continued campaigns in all directions, expanding the boundaries of the Wushan Heavenly Court.

With the Heavenly Court's protection, demon beasts suffered repeated defeats and retreated overseas.

However, the demon beast forces were not weakened but rather grew stronger.

The Four Great Fierce Beasts rallied a multitude of demon beasts, including Feiyi, White Xi, Qilin, Lingyu, Gu Diao, Ao Hen, Shu, Nine-tailed Fox, Zhengzhange Mountain, Huan, Zhong Mountain God, Ba Snake, Xuan Turtle, Tiger Jiao, and others, forming a formidable force.

Across the boundless cosmos, witnessing the Wushan Heavenly Court occupying more than half the stars, the Candle Dragon realized the gravity of the threat.

If this continued, the Wushan Heavenly Court would soon become unstoppable.

Within the Wushan Heavenly Court, the Eastern King possessed unmatched power.

If their sole focus remained on territorial defense, even countless demon beasts would be helpless.

Fortunately, they hadn't seized the Ancestor Star. If they harnessed the power of the Ancestor Star, even the sun couldn't deter them.

As for now… dominating the Wushan Heavenly Court remained within reach.

"From today onward, the Mortal World shall never see night again."

The Candle Dragon resolved.

Utilizing the Power of the Taiyang to scorch the land below—at worst, it would severely deplete their strength.

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