After Wutian announced Cangjie’s new title, Xuanyuan arrived not long after. However, Wutian had already disappeared. As someone who had already transcended the river of time, it was best for him not to meet the human ruler candidates. Cangjie was different. He was originally a person born of this era, so it would not cause any unwanted interference even if he was taught by Wutian.

Taking inspiration from Cangjie, Xuanyuan invented many things that had not existed for humanity, such as currency, bow slings, the calendar, and more. The waves of merits that descended allowed Xuanyuan to quickly improve his cultivation base so that he rivaled Chiyou.

Xuanyuan asked Cangjie to serve as his right hand man. To show his importance, Xuanyuan created a new title and rank for him: Grand Advisor. In terms of status and power, he was only second to Xuanyuan himself. Cangjie, who knew about the war from his thirty years of travel, readily agreed. And thus, Cangjie became the grand advisor of Xuanyuan’s forces.

The old generals did not object to Cangjie’s promotion. After decades of war with the Jiuli Tribe, they had long grown tired of it. Since a powerful helper had arrived, why wouldn’t they be happy?

Aside from Cangjie, who was in the Golden Warrior Realm, only Xuanyuan had entered the Golden Warrior Realm. Coupled with Xuanyi, who was a Golden Immortal, they had three Golden Warrior level experts, not including Li Yingqiong.

Alas, the Jiuli Tribe also grew stronger. Their numbers may have dwindled, but the number of experts increased. Li Yingqiong, who could suppress Chiyou before, couldn’t overpower him anymore. Even with Xuanyuan’s aid, Li Yingqiong could only force a draw with Chiyou. Both of them knew that Chiyou was at the peak of the Golden Warrior Realm and could break into the level equivalent to the Golden Warrior of the Great Unity at any moment.

Chiyou’s nine generals had extraordinary power. Their most disgusting aspect was their tenacious vitality. Even if they received seemingly fatal injuries, they would reappear on the battlefield. Xuanyuan’s army had destroyed their hearts many times, but they would always heal.

Later, the army discovered that Chiyou’s nine generals would always defend one place, their head. If given a choice between the heart or the head, the nine generals would always choose the head. So, Xuanyuan’s army reached a consensus that beheading or destroying the nine generals’ heads would kill them. So, they changed their aim, aiming to behead the nine generals, but they never succeeded.

Now that Xuanyuan had gained another powerful expert in the form of Cangjie, he naturally wanted to battle the Jiuli Tribe again. And to facilitate the battle, Xuanyuan started another war council.

Aside from the addition of Cangjie, the participants in the council had changed. Xuanyuan, Xuanyi, General Zhang, and a few other generals remained, but there were quite a few new faces. Unlike Chiyou’s nine generals, many of Xuanyuan’s generals had fallen. Were it not for the new Sky and Profound Warriors replacing the fallen generals, Chiyou and his nine generals would have become even bigger headaches.

The most eye-catching among the group wasn’t Cangjie, but the two barbarians. Calling them barbarians wasn’t entirely correct. They were the descendents of the Jiuli Tribe and barbarians. After defecting from Chiyou, they joined Xuanyuan’s army and rose up through the ranks. They led no soldiers and only took part solely because of their Profound Warrior Realm cultivation base.

“Haha, with Grand Advisor Cangjie here, I want to see how Chiyou can stay arrogant!” General Zhang said, as he smacked the table with his palm.

“General Zhang, you shouldn’t underestimate Master Chiyou,” the taller barbarian general said. “His power has long since reached the Golden Warrior Realm, and he could break into the Great Unity Realm at any time.”

“Ha?” General Zhang sneered at the two. “Master Chiyou? Don’t call our enemy that. Or are you guys still loyal to him?”

General Zhang turned toward Xuanyuan. “Your Majesty, don’t lead them into battle. I’m afraid these two might betray us. It would be safer to lock the two of them up. Better yet, just kill them now and save the trouble.”

The two barbarian warriors glared at General Zhang with venom. “Don’t slander us. Out of everyone present, none have fought harder than us. How many times have you hidden behind us, coward?”

“You!” General Zhang’s expression turned ferocious. He sucked in a deep breath and prepared for a war of worlds, of the shouting variety.

“Enough,” Xuanyuan said. He glanced at General Zhang. “Touman and Chanyu have my trust. I told you time and time again not to question them. They have proven their loyalty through fire and iron.”

General Zhang reluctantly looked away, not commenting any further. The two barbarian warriors didn’t say anything, but the way they looked at Xuanyuan revealed their thoughts. If Xuanyuan asked them to give their lives, they would only ask how much.

Xuanyuan waved his hand. “Alright, the council is adjourned. Remember the plan. This time, we must deal a devastating blow to Chiyou. Even if we can’t defeat him in this battle, the end will not be far. I don’t want to celebrate too early, but I believe the war will end soon.”

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered. Not even a month after the war council, the next battle between the Xuanyuan and Chiyou commenced. The two armies, led by their respective leaders, once again stood across from each other. The battlefield remained the same, but the situation had changed.

The Jiuli Tribe’s overwhelming numbers have dwindled. Although their equipment had improved, as well as the basic power of each soldier, so, too, had Xuanyuan’s armor improved. Their numbers increased instead of decreasing, and after the baptism of war, they no longer feared their counterparts. Even if they were a little weaker, they would overwhelm the latter with numbers and cooperation.

“Submit to me, Chiyou. You know that continuing this war will only lead to the destruction of your Jiuli Tribe. As long as you surrender, I’m willing to allow your tribe to join humanity!” Xuanyuan said, his voice reverberating across the battlefield.

Chiyou snorted. “Your despicable trick is useless! So what if you kill everyone in the Jiuli Tribe? As long as I exist, the Jiuli Tribe exists. Even if I’m the only one, I just need to capture a few women and give birth to more children!”

Xuanyuan’s face darkened at Chiyou’s shameless method. Still, he did not lose reason. He had already learned of how self-centered the latter was. He could already see the dark future of humanity were he to become the victor. That crazy bastard might attempt to conquer all the major powers of the Three Realms.

“Since that’s the case, I won’t waste my breath. Attack!” Xuanyuan shouted.

“You should have started with that!” Chiyou shouted back as he spearheaded the charge. The friction of his body against the air ignited, shrouding his form in flames like a deity of fire.

In comparison, Xuanyuan was much more plain. Still, the golden light of merit radiating off his body bathed his troops in a warm light, bringing them warmth and purpose. Invigorated by the light, their courage surged. They released a battle cry and clashed against the Jiuli Tribe.

Xuanyuan unsheathed his sword, not the one Xuanyi gave him, and slashed. His blade locked against Chiyou’s saber. The two glared at one another, but said no words.

“Your Majesty, let me assist you!” General Zhang said as he rushed forward with his own weapon.

“Pitiful bug,” Chiyou sneered. With a slap, General Zhang felt his hands numb and his arms lose strength. His internal organs shifted as he flew into the distance.

“General Zhang!” Xuanyuan cried out. As one of the strongest generals of Xuanyuan’s army, he had been tasked to target Chiyou’s nine generals. Without his help, it would become much more difficult.

When he saw General Zhang stand back up, albeit bleeding profusely and clutching his chest, Xuanyuan sighed in relief. Anyone that attacked Chiyou besides Xuanyan or those in the Golden Immortal Realm died, so it became a rule that those without sufficient strength should avoid the leader of the Jiuli Tribe. “Retreat and recuperate! Stick to the plan and don’t come here anymore!”

General Zhang nodded and retreated into the back of the army.

“Instead of worrying about others, you should worry about yourself!” Chiyou said as he attacked Xuanyuan again.

“You should take your own advice!” Xuanyuan said as he charged at Chiyou.

Gold and red clashed once more. The aftereffects caused a shockwave that blew away the nearby soldiers.

From the rear, Xuanyi quickly reorganized the formation so that they were not affected by her brother and Chiyou’s battle, but not so distant that they wouldn’t be able to divert Chiyou’s attention should Xuanyuan enter a dangerous situation.

Not long after, General Zhang appeared and sat down. His chest heaved as he steadied his breathing. Xuanyi glanced at him. “You should have followed the plan.”

He looked down, avoiding Xuanyi’s gaze. “I’m sorry, I just couldn’t stand him insulting His Majesty.”

Xuanyi didn’t say any more. General Zhang had a Profound Warrior Realm cultivation base, but many humans were quickly reaching his level. If he could ascend to the Golden Warrior Realm, then he would be firm in his position. If not, he would be replaced by fresh blood. Alas, it seemed that he had stagnated and could not break through the bottleneck.

Her gaze returned to the battlefield. She opened her mouth and began issuing commands without end.

For now, the battlefield was at a stalemate. Several of Chiyou’s nine generals had reached the Golden Warrior level, and their numbers still outstripped Xuanyuan’s army, but with the cooperation of many Profound Warriors, they were held at bay.

Li Yingqiong held the Golden Warrior level Kuafu by herself. The other eight generals were also held back by teams specifically formed to deal with them. Cangjie was not present. It was not time for him to appear yet. Xuanyi needed to establish a greater advantage first, so that when the plan commenced, Chiyou would not be able to reverse the situation anymore.

She didn’t want a repeat of Chiyou and his generals suddenly gaining strength and dealing heavy casualties again.

---

Unknown to the mortals clashing against each other, many major powers were observing this battle. They could sense that this battle was a turning point. Some calculated that it was because of Cangjie’s appearance boosting the Karmic Luck on Xuanyuan’s side, and others came to this conclusion via their intuition.

From her Nine Dragon Throne, Tongtian looked down at the battlefield. Her eyes saw chess pieces on a board. Xuanyuan and Chiyou were both the strongest pieces on the board. Xuanyuan had more pawns, but Chiyou had more knights.

Xuanyuan’s Karmic Luck resembled a mass of humans with a golden dragon coiling atop. Rather than calling it his Karmic Luck, it would be more accurate to call it the Karmic Luck of his force. If too many of his men died, his Karmic Luck would dwindle, thus weakening his chances of becoming the third ruler of humanity.

Chiyou’s Karmic Luck resembled a blaze. It was grand and huge, but inside, it hid something. The karmic ties connecting him to his nine generals were the thickest. Although the regular members of the Jiuli Tribe weren’t as robust, they were still intricately linked. In contrast, Chiyou’s ties to the slave army were tenuous at best.

His words to Xuanyuan weren’t wrong. He was the Jiuli Tribe itself.

The two candidates’ Karmic Luck reflected their individual philosophies. Xuanyuan relied on the people’s support, while Chiyou relied on himself.

At a glance, it seemed as if Xuanyuan was the destined winner of the war. However, closer inspection revealed the truth. Because of Xuanyuan’s decisions, he alienated the Saints that would have supported him, making his Karmic Luck like a rootless duckweed. The Saints might even take action if he were to win. In contrast, Chiyou had the firm backing of Empress Pingxin. None of the Saints wanted him to win, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t triumph over Xuanyuan.

Tongtian’s gaze drifted toward Kunlun Mountain. Both of her brothers were staying put. It seemed that they did not plan to take action. Neither Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, Redcloud Ancestor, and Zhen Yuanzi seemed keen on dispatching their disciples, either.

Her gaze returned to the battlefield with a hint of interest. Just how would history change with all these variables?

---

The battle between Yan and Huang raged on. Chiyou and his nine generals suppressed the warriors and immortals fighting against them, but the Jiuli soldiers were at a disadvantage. Xuanyuan’s army had pushed them back, separating them from Chiyou and his nine generals. Xuanyuan’s army was only moments away from dominating them.

‘Now!’ Xuanyi thought. She didn’t delay and released the signal.

By her side, General Zhang stiffened. He stood as if he was about to join, but his foot remained firmly on the ground, like it was snared by roots.

Xuanyi ignored him and charged into the fray. She didn’t charge toward Chiyou to help her brother. She charged toward the second greatest threat, Kuafu.

Simultaneously, all the people fighting against the nine generals suddenly increased their strength, shocking the Jiuli Tribe and Chiyou. Not only that, every eye was on Cangjie when he appeared on the battlefield. He ignored them and formed several hand seals.

The countless characters of Human Script revolved around Cangjie like a dome. He spread his arms, and the Human Script flew into the distance, forming a colossal domain that encompassed Chiyou, his nine generals, and the entire Jiuli Tribe. Under Cangjie’s influence, they slowed down to a snail’s crawl, especially the nine generals.

As members of humanity, Cangjie’s Human Script had a special effect on all humans, like how a frog could never go against a snake. Only Chiyou, with his powerful cultivation base, will, and identity, could resist Cangjie’s Human Script.

At this time, Xuanyi appeared in front of Kuafu. She unsheathed her sword and slashed. Kuafu, who was shackled in place, could do nothing but watch as Xuanyi’s sword neared him. Then, his world flipped. The ground became the sky, and the sky became the ground. Kuafu could even see his headless body still immobilized.

That was the last thing he saw as Xuanyi’s sword stabbed towards him. In the next second, she had already unleashed hundreds of slashes, turning Kuafu’s head into minced meat, bone and all.

“KUAFU!!!” Chiyou shouted. His chest contracted, and a painful sensation filled his entire body. Despair filled his mind. This was the first time someone he truly cared about died, but the familiar and painful sensation gave him déjà vu.

Chiyou didn’t ponder on the strange sensation. He turned around and ran toward Kuafu, ignoring Xuanyuan, who was still attacking him. He ordered his tiger to distract Xuanyuan and left. However, he soon let out another painful cry.

“Jiufeng!”

At another location, a woman dressed in green robes and with a Golden Warrior Realm cultivation base had appeared around the same time as Xuanyi. She was a new face on the battlefield, but not to Xuanyuan or Xuanyi. She was Nuba, Xuanyuan’s daughter. Nuba attacked Jiufeng with all her might. Her fist smashed into Jiufeng’s face.

The first punch only caved in his face and his skull. Although critically injured, Jiufeng still lived. So the Nuba punched a second time, then a third, and so on. No matter how Jiufeng struggled, Cangjie’s Human Script tightly bound him, rendering him unable to mount an effective defense.

On the fifth punch, Nuba crushed Jiufeng’s head, turning it into a bloody stump of a neck.

At another location, Gangshe, the third general, was facing off against another Golden Warrior that had only just appeared. Unlike the previous Golden Warrior, this Golden Warrior used an axe to chop off Gangshe’s head before stomping it to a pulp under his feet.

“Gangshe!” Chiyou shouted. His eyes turned red from anger as blood trailed down his cheeks, forming two tribal tattoos. His gazes drifted toward Nanman and Baiye, where two more Golden Warriors had appeared. Their auras were clearly weaker than the previous two, but it would only be a matter of time before they beheaded Nanman and Baiye.

At that point, Xuanyuan had successfully eluded the tiger and reached Chiyou. He charged forward and pierced Chiyou’s body. His blade erupted out of the other side. Blood leaked down Chiyou’s lips and the wound, but he stayed still, as if he couldn’t feel any pain.

Indeed, Chiyou couldn’t feel any pain at that moment. The noise in his ears vanished, and the once colorful world turned black and white. All except the fresh blood leaking from Kuafu and Gangshe’s neck. It was so red, so vibrant, but the owner of the blood was dead.

“I’LL SLAUGHTER ALL OF YOU!!!” Chiyou bellowed. His voice exploded, causing a sonic boom that lifted soldiers around him off their feet. Even Xuanyuan lost grip on his sword and was blasted back.

Steam erupted off of Chiyou’s body as it turned a boiling red. His stature grew and grew. Five meters. Ten meters. Twenty meters. Fifty Meters. One hundred meters. He finally stopped growing at a hundred and twenty meters tall.

His skin blackened like obsidian. Red veins covered his entire body, like flowing magma. Fire spurted out from his nostrils when he breathed, and his eyes resembled twin suns. Any mortal who gazed into those fiery eyes would go blind.

Chiyou wasn’t the only one to change. His remaining generals Miao, Nanman, Heliu, Baiye, Binghan, and Tingle all underwent a transformation similar to Chiyou. Only, they stopped at a hundred meters, and each one exhibited different effects.

An inferno wrapped around Miao’s body. Every move he made, fire trailed behind. Each step left behind a pyre.

Nanman resembled an iron tower. Spikes grew out of his body and iron chains became his hair.

Scales appeared on Heliu’s skin. Water flitted out from under the scales, and his hair turned to moss.

Baiye’s skin turned to bark, and his hair transformed into vines.

A freezing aura covered Binghan’s body. His skin turned white and fuzzy, like a layer of snow. Anyone who neared would shiver from the cold.

Feathers covered Tingle’s body. His feet transformed into talons and his hair into clouds. Each word he spoke resounded like thunder.

They remained humanoid with one head, a torso, two arms, and two feet, but they had already exceeded the limits of humanity. They weren’t humans, but giants. The six of them started rampaging. Regardless of whether they were Xuanyuan’s army or members of the Jiuli Tribe, the six giants attacked them all.

Cangjie’s expression tightened. Veins appeared on his forehead and sweat slid down his temples as he tried to rein them in, stopping their rampaging. Alas, his top-grade innate meritorious artifact could not restrain all six of them at once. They were no longer human, so the Human Script lost their special effect, and their transformation into giants directly elevated them to the peak of the Great Unity Realm.

As for Chiyou, he directly entered the peak of the Great Firmament Realm. The sword that had impaled him melted, and he appeared in front of Xuanyi. He raised his fist and punched down.

Xuanyi didn’t have time to dodge, and could only raise her sword in defense.

Chiyou’s fist rained down, and Xuanyi’s body shot into the ground, causing it to fissure and form a dust cloud. When the dust settled, Xuanyi leaned weakly on her sword, blood spurting out by the mouthful. Her sword had bent from the punch and the blade deformed from the heat.

“Xuanyi!” Xuanyuan shouted. He punched Chiyou’s back, but a moment later, he retreated, clutching his hand with a hiss. The skin on his fist had melted, revealing their bones, but it was not obvious because both skin and bone had been charred black.

Chiyou snorted and swiped backwards. Xuanyuan dodged, but Chiyou still hit the bottom of his legs, sending him whirling onto the ground. Xuanyuan didn’t spit out blood like Xuanyi, but he could only stand on one leg. That strike had broken his ankle and burned his foot.

The volcanic giant roared and raised his foot to squash Xuanyuan, but the moment he stamped his foot down, countless glowing characters transformed into chains that shackled him in place.

Cangjie gritted his teeth. As he focused solely on Chiyou, the other six giants were free to run amok on the battlefield. Xuanyuan’s precious warriors died by the dozen. One of the four Golden Warriors that had first appeared during this battle had already died. If nothing occurred, more would follow, but Cangjie still saved Xuanyuan. He was the heart of all this. If they lost Xuanyuan, then Chiyou would automatically become the winner.

Chiyou roared again. Heat radiated off his body, distorting the air. The chains formed of Human Script couldn’t hold him at bay for long and his foot smashed the ground, cracking it. However, Xuanyuan had already escaped.

Xuanyi charged at Chiyou’s exposed back. She slashed her sword downward, but the extreme heat only deformed her sword further. Chiyou counterattacked, but she dodged with Cangjie’s aid. She, Xuanyuan, and Cangjie continued to trade blows with Chiyou.

The three of them weren’t dealing any damage to Chiyou, but likewise, Chiyou couldn’t touch them anymore thanks to their cooperation. At this time, General Zhang appeared. “Your Majesty, let me assist you!”

Xuanyuan and Xuanyi both frowned. Chiyou had already stepped into the Great Firmament Realm. A Profound Warrior would just be deadweight.

“Return! Your strength is of no help!” Xuanyuan shouted. Upon seeing General Zhang ignore him, he no longer cared. Since General Zhang wanted to court death, then he wouldn’t stop him. Xuanyuan still had his hands full, so he focused on battling Chiyou.

“I’ve arrived, Your Majesty!” General Zhang shouted when he neared Xuanyuan. Chiyou didn’t even bother to pay attention to him.

Xuanyuan coughed as he blocked another blow from Chiyou. He flew back as Xuanyi attacked Chiyou once more.

Upon seeing Xuanyuan’s defenseless back, a harsh light entered General Zhang’s eyes. Without any hesitation, General Zhang thrust his spear and pierced Xuanyuan’s defenseless back.

Xuanyuan looked back in shock, not understanding General Zhang’s betrayal. That shock only lasted for an instant and swung his fist back. Upon impact, General Zhang spat out a mouthful of blood as several of his ribs broke, and he was sent flying into the ground.

“Brother!” Xuanyi shouted as she flew toward him.

Chiyou didn’t let go of this chance. He reached out and grabbed Xuanyuan. Xuanyuan’s height didn’t even reach the length of Chiyou’s finger, and he looked like a fly trapped in a human hand. Chiyou sneered as he tightened his grip.

Cracks reverberated as all the bones in Xuanyuan’s body shattered. His flesh burned and emitted a foul stench. Sweat dripped Xuanyuan’s exposed head, which had turned red from the hellish heat. Still, Xuanyuan gritted his teeth and refused to show any pain. He glared at Chiyou because that was the only means of resistance he could make.

Chiyou revealed a malicious smile before bursting into an uproarious laughter. Those two eyes filled with wrath exuded glee as he tightened his grip. At this time, the scabbard holding the sword Xuanyi gave him broke, and its tip pierced Chiyou’s palm. He howled and threw Xuanyuan away.

He stared at his palm, where a crack spread from where the sword had pierced him. The crack ached painfully and his soul trembled upon recalling the feeling. It was as if he had met his nemesis.

“Sire!”

Chiyou was broken out of his thoughts by General Zhang, who had limped next to him.

“I helped you as promised. You’ll keep your promise to me, right?” General Zhang questioned. His eyes held a hint of fear, yet anticipation.

Chiyou, regaining his clarity, sneered. His two fiery orbs gazed upon the human. “You’re not honest. You knew of these weaklings’ plans, yet you hid it from me. You probably planned on seeing which side had the upper hand before committing, didn’t you?”

“N-no!” General Zhang quickly said. “I had no idea of their plans, honest!”

“Do you think I will believe you?” Chiyou sneered. He raised his feet. Upon seeing this, General Zhang fled, but it was too late as a shadow covered him. Chiyou stamped down, turning him into a meat paste.

With General Zhang dead, Chiyou spat on the ground. His spit was like lava and melted the ground where it landed. He didn’t care about whether General Zhang knew or not. Once General Zhang agreed, Chiyou had planned to kill him.

Chiyou turned back his gaze on Xuanyuan. He wanted to kill Xuanyuan and become the ruler of humanity. But more than that, he wanted to destroy the dangerous artifact that threatened the Titan Tribe, the Titanslayer. Yes, Chiyou had regained his memories. In his former life, he was Chiyou, a Quasi-Saint Gigant of the Titan Tribe!

He marched toward Xuanyuan and Titanslayer. He sneered disdainfully at Xuanyi who appeared next to Xuanyuan’s charred body, tears streaming down her pretty face.

Xuanyi clutched her brother’s charred hands, but it crumbled into dust upon contact. Her tears flowed even more. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the sword her master had given her. It was the only thing unharmed by Chiyou. She gritted her teeth and grasped the handle.

Instantaneously, murderous intent filled her mind. She could hear the wailing of millions upon millions of humans, each calling for blood. Xuanyi, covered in a red and black aura, turned her maddened eyes toward Chiyou. Any who gazed upon her would see the millions of souls clinging onto her back. She charged with a howl.

Chiyou clenched his fist. He had no intent of retreating. When Xuanyi neared, he threw his strongest punch.

Sword and fist collided.