Refining the Dao into Godhood: A Tale of the Jie Sect

At the beginning of the world, the creatures born were either fierce beasts bred from the evil Qi of heaven and earth or gods commanding a Dao, inherently possessing various authorities. They were even more ancient than the three clans of dragons, phoenixes, and qilins. Yujiang, who could simultaneously hold three types of authority, was undoubtedly among the top echelon of the Innate Sacred.

Unfortunately for Yujiang, his luck was poor. The Great Dao he governed became an obstacle for the Dragon Clan's dominance of the Four Seas, thus leading to his demise at the hands of the Ancestor Dragon and his kind.

At that time, the era of fierce beasts had just ended, and the Primordial World was still in its wild state. The Innate Sacred at the time would subconsciously vie for destiny and authority.

How could the Dragon Clan, who intended to rule the Four Seas, possibly tolerate a Sea God above them?

"Such is time! Such is fate!"

Xuanqing couldn't help but sigh, then turned to Zhi Ming and asked, "Senior, besides the Wind God Authority, can I take the Plague God Authority as well?"

"As you wish!"

Zhi Ming was a bit astonished and then chuckled, "Having too many authorities is not necessarily a good thing! You are an Immortal Dao cultivator and should not be entangled with too much karma! However, that guy Meng Zhang is probably happy to see it happen!"

The cultivation system today greatly differs from ancient times. Immortal Dao cultivators, by comprehending various Divine Skills, can also leverage the rules of heaven and earth.

If one holds an authority related to one's own Great Dao, cultivation could advance rapidly. Holding unrelated authority, on the other hand, might even hinder one's progress.

Xuanqing didn't mind.

His path was one of refining all methods, and he had also comprehended the art of Self and Other, capable of using his other selves as avatars to take on this karma in place of his true self.

Moreover, he had his own schemes. He knew that the Witch and Demon Clans would both suffer great losses, that Emperor Jun would fall, and Hao Tian, the child of the Daoist Ancestor, would become the new Heavenly Emperor.

With Hao Tian lacking capable people, coupled with the arrogance and karmic retribution of the Twelve Golden Immortals, it was these converging karmic forces that would lead to the Divine Enthronement Tribulation.

But what if the Heavenly Court was not in lack of people?

Xuanqing, who had comprehended the art of Self and Other, could perfectly well take on multiple roles by himself.

In fact, after creating the "Sui Renshi" as his other self, he came up with a bold idea.

Disciples of the two Daoist schools looked down on Hao Tian and the Heavenly Court, believing in the carefree life of the Immortal Dao and unwilling to be commanded by Hao Tian, right?

Then he alone would undertake the Divine Enthronement!

The Upper Four Divisions of the Heavenly Court, which consisted of Thunder Fire Fighting Plague, and the Lower Four Divisions, including Star Constellations, Three Mountains and Five Mountains, Cloud Formation, and the God of Good and Evil—all represented various authorities.

For Xuanqing, who aimed to refine all methods, the benefits were unimaginable. It would help him better understand the heavenly heart and comprehend the many Great Daos of the Primordial World.

Your arsenic, my honey!

Once Hao Tian became the Heavenly Emperor, Xuanqing would proactively ascend to heaven, first letting "Sui Renshi" vie for the Fire Department's authority, then use the Thunder God Authority, Wind God Authority, and Plague God Authority gained from Thunder Marsh and Yujiang to create several other selves as avatars, usurping divine positions to control eight divisions' authorities by himself.

The Heavenly Emperor's role can be left to Hao Tian!

His goal was to seize the various divine positions and to hollow out Hao Tian's reign.

In an instant, Xuanqing was flooded with innumerable thoughts. If he could refine the Wind God Authority and the Plague God Authority, it would only be right for him to become the Wind God and Plague God in the future.

Having refined the Innate Thunder Pool and commanding several types of Divine Thunder, becoming the Thunder Department's True God shouldn't be a problem either!

"Sui Renshi" ignited the fire of civilization; he has also refined several types of Divine Fire. Once the Human Race takes center stage in the world, it wouldn't be too difficult for him to mix in and become the Fire Department True God.

Eventually, when he finds the "Treasure Coin" and establishes the currency and trade system, taking charge of the Finance Department and becoming the God of Wealth controlling the wealth destiny of all beings also wouldn't be excessive, right?

...

Initially dissatisfied with Meng Zhang's scheming against him, as soon as Xuanqing thought of the two great authorities soon within his grasp, he tossed his displeasure to the back of his mind!

Zhi Ming's voice came again: "Why not consider it again? While authority is fine, undertaking cause and effect will also consume your personal fortune."

"Thank you for the advice, senior!"

Xuanqing's mind was made up; naturally, he would not hesitate: "I will not regret it! Senior Zhi Ming, please tell me how to refine the authority of the great god Yujiang!"

"Alright!" Upon hearing this, Zhi Ming did not try to persuade him further but explained to Xuanqing: "Before Yujiang fell, he integrated his Wind God Authority and Plague God Authority into a Spiritual Treasure called the Myriad Tribulations Chessboard! The space you are currently in, as well as the demon beasts in this space, are all evolved from the Myriad Tribulations Chessboard!"

"And that Sea Eye you see is the manifestation of Yujiang's resentment. Use the merit on your body to purify the resentments in the Sea Eye, and naturally, you will be able to obtain the authority within the chessboard."

Upon hearing this, Xuanqing suddenly had an epiphany.

As Meng Zhang, one of the supreme Holy Beasts, suppressed the eastern extremity, he naturally acquired an endless stream of merit, but he used all his merit to mitigate the Karma of the Dragon Clan.

How could there be any to spare?

No wonder the Green Dragon Meng Zhang schemed against him!

It turns out, he coveted the merit he held from kindling fire from wood and the evolution of the Innate Eight Diagrams!

Karma is reflected in all aspects and could erupt at any moment, especially for those who have cause and effect with the Dragon Clan, which might bring about the peril of extinction!

Don't assume that because Yujiang and Thunder Marsh, two existences with cause and effect tied to the Dragon Clan, have both perished, the Daluo True Spirits are immortal, and one can only eliminate their Physical Bodies and Primordial Spirits. Perhaps one day, they might return from the boundless time and space due to cause and effect!

These two were among the oldest of the Innate Sacred, born at the dawn of heaven and earth, older even than the three thousand illustrious guests of the Purple Cloud Palace.

If they were to return and seek to settle cause and effect with the Dragon Clan, with the current size of the Dragon Clan, even if not exterminated, they would suffer extremely heavy blows.

Perhaps they would never recover!

The Dragon Clan of today, although its prestige is not as great as before, can still barely maintain itself with its past heritage. If that heritage were depleted or they were to suffer heavy losses, it might truly lead to an utter catastrophe!

He heard that not long ago, Donghuang Taiyi led the elite of the Demon Clan and fought a great battle with several old ancestors of the Dragon Clan atop the East Sea.

Xuanqing followed Zhi Ming's guidance, first using the "Purple Lightning Hammer" to strike at the Sea Eye, driving out Yujiang's resentment, then slowly enveloping it with his own Merit Golden Light.

And merit is indeed a cure-all existence. In just a moment, it eliminated Yujiang's lingering thoughts, and two chess pieces, one black and one white, burst from the Sea Eye.

They were the manifestations of Yujiang's "Wind God" and "Plague God" authority.

"Refine!"

Xuanqing hurriedly operated the Creation Furnace.

An unknown amount of time passed; the "Wind God" authority was the first to be refined, intertwining with Thunder Marsh's "Thunder God" authority, beginning the slow transformation of Xuanqing's "Innate Wind and Thunder Dao Body." Wind and Thunder Power intertwined in the void, the Great Dao roared, and the two merged, causing Xuanqing's body to emit bursts of immortal light, as if taking flight towards the heavens.

At this moment, Xuanqing suddenly felt his aptitude begin to transform again, evolving from a High Grade Innate being towards the footstep of a Top Grade Innate being.

And the Dao Tree within his Inner Scenery Land started to grow wildly, in just a moment, breaking through from its previous height of dozens of zhang to reaching hundreds of zhang.

The trunk also became much thicker!

Moreover, as Xuanqing's understanding of the Wind and Thunder Dao deepened, the Dao Tree continued to grow, and vaguely, it appeared on the verge of breaking through a thousand zhang.

Xuanqing immediately seized the moment to refine the authority of the "Plague God" of Yujiang.

"Creation!"

Upon opening his eyes once again, Xuanqing saw a being with the head of a person and body of a fish nodding slightly towards him, then quickly dissolving into specks of light that swiftly dispersed in the void.

Afterward came frenzied vibrations in the void, a feeling of the earth spinning and sky whirling, coupled with a powerful repulsion force that pushed Xuanqing out of this strange space.