Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Everyone, please rise quickly," Li Xiuyuan said. "Take me to see the Immortal Slaughtering Formation."

As the group approached the Immortal Slaughtering Formation, the Tongtian Sect Leader uttered arrogant words, "Li Xiuyuan, you have finally arrived. However, even an ancient god cannot escape my Immortal Slaughtering Formation today."

"Tongtian, why did you set up such a vicious formation?" Li Xiuyuan asked from his superior position.

"Hmph, all the gods say you are superior to Nuwa and equal to Hongjun. I see that you are so young, yet you have taken in so many disciples and allowed them to kill my disciples. This is really too much. Today I want to see if you really have the heaven-covering and sun-obscuring technique that is rumored to be able to break my Immortal Slaughtering Formation, or if you are just a name without substance."

“Tongtian, King Zhou of Shang is tyrannical, and the Martial World should rise. You must not defy the will of Heaven. Considering that we are both cultivators, I advise you to withdraw from this formation as soon as possible,” Li Xiuyuan continued.

"If you want me to withdraw, you will have to apologize to me personally on behalf of your disciples. Otherwise, all of you will be in grave danger." The Tongtian Sect Leader was arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

Li Xiuyuan stopped wasting words with him and personally entered the formation. He split into four people to suppress the four immortal swords: the Immortal Slaughtering Sword, the Immortal Absolute Sword, the Immortal Killing Sword, and the Immortal Trapping Sword. Instantly, their power was greatly reduced. Li Xiuyuan closed his eyes and merged the four people into one. He chanted the incantation: "All gods and Buddhas of the heavens, all people of the world, I offer my body as a sacrifice. Heaven's great love sends down sweet rain, the Nine-fold Star River, and all things are reborn."

In the blink of an eye, the wind and clouds changed color, the world suddenly went dark, and then countless stars appeared, constantly changing and moving, connecting into countless lines, and the lines connected into circles, finally emitting a huge light, and then suddenly disappeared. The world returned to normal, but when everyone opened their eyes, there was no Immortal Slaughtering Formation. Only the Tongtian Sect Leader was coughing up blood and falling to the ground.

Chapter 1154 The Tongtian Cult Leader's Crushing Defeat

The formation just now was one that the Tongtian Sect Leader had never seen before. Its power was so great that it could turn the world upside down, reverse the sun's and moon's rise, and possess the power to destroy everything. Tongtian couldn't believe that such a young boy could have such profound Taoist skills, becoming one with heaven and earth—no, surpassing heaven and earth. The Tongtian Sect Leader clutched his chest and gasped for breath.

“Tongtian,” Li Xiuyuan slowly descended from the lotus platform, “You created such a bloodthirsty and evil formation, which goes against the original intention of cultivators. I am considering that you have been bewitched by others. Although I am an old enemy of your master, Hongjun Ancestor, I will not kill you. I will temporarily strip you of your immortal powers and spare your life. If you commit the same offense again, you will surely die.”

The army stood on the ancient battlefield of Muye outside Chaoge City. The magnificent Chaoge City was right in front of them. When the generals looked up, it was as if the decadent music of Chaoge City was ringing in their ears, and the image of King Zhou sitting on his throne, tyrannical and cruel, appeared before their eyes. After many obstacles and hardships, they finally reached Chaoge City.

King Zhou sat amidst a pool of wine and a forest of flesh, his arm around Daji's slender waist, sipping fine wine from the borderlands, completely unaware of the impending disaster. He only blamed himself for his nepotism and cruelty towards loyal officials, which had long since chilled the hearts of those devoted to the king and his country. The only unfortunate ones were the generals guarding Chaoge, forced to protect his crumbling empire!

"We're going to attack Chaoge tomorrow. Does Prime Minister Jiang have anything to say?"

"Yes, we've finally reached Chaoge. I never imagined that we'd fought the Shang Dynasty for so long with its broken body. Now we can finally take its heart."

"King Zhou was incompetent and tyrannical. If it weren't for the Shang Dynasty's vast size, deep foundation, and abundance of talented people, how could he have made our battle so difficult?"

"No matter how stable a empire is, it cannot be maintained if it is not properly managed. Now, let us act on behalf of Heaven!"

The news that Jiang Ziya's army had reached Chaoge finally reached King Zhou's ears.

"What! They've already reached Chaoge? Where's Wen Zhong? Where's Shen Gongbao? Weren't they supposed to be quelling the rebellion in Xiqi? How come Jiang Ziya has already attacked them all?"

"Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Wen has already died in battle, and Grand Tutor Shen, seeing the defeat, has disappeared without a trace."

"Hmph, a bunch of useless trash! Where's the garrison commander of Chaoge City? Tell him to guard Chaoge well and not let anything else go wrong!"

"Your Majesty, the garrison commander of Chaoge reports that the city is short of food and weapons, and the soldiers' armor is mostly damaged. We hope Your Majesty can approve the distribution of silver and grain."

"The battle hasn't even started yet, and he's already asking for this and that. Does the general guarding Chaoge have a death wish? Tell him to fight well and drive Ji Fa back, and I'll naturally promote him and give him a title." After saying that, he picked up the wine pot again and started joking around with Daji.

"Your Majesty, Chaoge City is impregnable; they cannot break in. Don't worry," Daji said from the side.

"Did you hear that? Go and pass on the order!" King Zhou said fiercely to his subordinates.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the messenger said, scurrying off to his seat.

The morning sun finally shone over the land. The weather was unusually good today, unlike the usual gloomy days. A cold wind blew, and the grass on the ancient battlefield of Muye swayed slightly. A desolate atmosphere filled the vast sky and earth, with only the occasional sound of the wind and grass, as if telling the story of the wars that this battlefield had experienced, or as if sounding the horn for this final battle.

Jiang Ziya stood on horseback at the forefront of the army, quietly watching the isolated and helpless Shang army opposite him. Their armor was tattered, some of them were not even wearing helmets, their faces were sallow, and most of them were emaciated.

In their eyes, there was no light of fearlessness in the face of death, only a fear bordering on despair.

Yes, they were just ordinary people of the Shang Dynasty, exploited and oppressed by King Zhou, and now they had to die for him, while King Zhou was still living a life of debauchery in his luxurious palace, enjoying things they had never seen in their entire lives!

Jiang Ziya harbored no hatred, only deep compassion. His mission to help Zhou overthrow Shang was to ensure that ordinary people could live peaceful lives.

The wind suddenly picked up on the ancient battlefield of Muye, stinging people's faces. Jiang Ziya spurred his horse forward, riding very close to the Shang army, and shouted loudly:

"King Xin of Shang, posthumously known as Zhou, was an emperor who disrespected Heaven and indulged in wine and women; this was one of his crimes."

"His exclusive favor to Daji, his private deposition of the Empress, his debauchery and moral depravity, and his great violation of human ethics are the second of his crimes."

“By ordering the death of the crown prince, he lightly abandoned the foundation of the state, disregarded the heir, and forgot his ancestors and lineage. This is the third crime.”

"His execution of Bi Gan and Huang Gou, his torture of loyal officials by branding them with hot irons, and his severing of the bond between ruler and subject are the fourth of his crimes."

"He summoned the feudal lords to court without asking any questions, and executed the Marquis of the East, Jiang Huanchu, and the Marquis of the South, E Chongyu. He failed to uphold the four cardinal principles and lost the trust of the world. This is the fifth crime."

"They created the torture devices of branding and setting up pits for scorpions, abusing punishments and causing innocent souls to be found all over the world. This is the sixth crime."

“His construction of the Deer Terrace and the building of palaces were extravagant and wasteful, exhausting the people’s resources and causing them to live in misery and theft to become rampant. This is the seventh crime.”

"Their shamelessness, their deception of their ministers' wives, and their causing the death of virtuous women—this is the eighth crime."

"To please the beauty, he exposed the pregnant woman's belly to Daji, cruelly harming life and poisoning the people. This is the ninth crime."

"His blind faith in Daji led him to cut off the kidneys of young boys, extinguishing the lineage of countless people. This cruel and tragic act is the tenth of his crimes."

"King Di Xin of Shang disrespected the Mandate of Heaven and showed no compassion for the people. He was licentious, cruel, and treated human life as worthless!"

"Such a Shang king, do you still want to risk your lives for him? You are here wearing tattered armor, living a life of hunger, and now you want to throw your lives here?"

"The army is already at the city gates, yet King Zhou is still indulging in wine and women. Faced with the Zhou Dynasty's excellent army, he doesn't provide you with a single grain of rice or a new piece of clothing, yet he expects you to defend the city and risk your lives for him. Are you willing to do this?"

The wind howled, stinging Jiang Ziya's face. He was somewhat agitated and shouted loudly at the enemy army not far away. The sky darkened, as if it were about to rain. The morale of the opposing army was also gloomy. Listening to Jiang Ziya's powerful voice, they felt somewhat bewildered and angry.

Chapter 1155 The Fall of the Shang Dynasty

"King Zhou was cruel and tyrannical, and the Shang Dynasty was destined to perish at his hands. Now he is enjoying his last moments of pleasure. Do you still want to sacrifice your lives for this inevitable event?"

"King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, is benevolent and loves his people. As long as you surrender and submit to the Zhou Dynasty, King Wu will definitely take good care of you. From now on, you will be the army of the Zhou Dynasty and the subjects of the Zhou Dynasty. We are only attacking King Zhou and do not want to kill civilians. Why do you have to give your lives for him!"

Among the crowd, some were crying, thinking of the hardships of life and their deceased loved ones, tears falling drop by drop. Others had their faces flushed red, angrily gripping their weapons, not knowing whether they wanted to kill the enemy or to strike King Zhou.

Finally, the Shang Dynasty's general rode out and said, "King Zhou is tyrannical. We no longer want to serve him, but we have no choice. If we don't resist, we will be killed by the Zhou army anyway, so we might as well fight."

"Since King Zhou is willing to accept us, why should we risk our lives for him? Today, on behalf of all the soldiers, I will surrender to King Zhou, open the city gates, and let King Zhou's army enter the city!"

In that desolate court, Daji and King Zhou nestled together. In the distance, a figure, barely visible, rushed towards them in a panic, knelt down with a thud, pale-faced and trembling all over.

"Your Majesty, our soldiers have all surrendered to Jiang Ziya. Now Chaoge is undefended. What should we do? Please make a decision as soon as possible."

"Hmph, how could I, a great king, submit to Jiang Ziya? Impossible."

"You may leave now."

Daji's eyes revealed a hint of allure as she breathed heavily.

"Your Majesty, may I offer you a word of advice?"

King Zhou turned around and stared at Daji with a lecherous look, completely different from the King Zhou he had been just moments before.

"My beloved concubine, please speak."

"Your Majesty, I believe that Jiang Ziya has won the hearts of the people, and our army is turning against Zhou. We have seriously underestimated Jiang Ziya's strength."

"Your Majesty, you are overthinking it. Our Shang Dynasty is vast and rich in resources. You can rest assured that I will send someone to summon other vassal states to defend the city."

"But Your Majesty, I hope that you can retire to the countryside with me, and give this ruined kingdom to Jiang Ziya, so that we can live a simple and peaceful life together."

“My beloved concubine, how can we hand over this dynasty to others? My glorious Shang Dynasty has lasted for hundreds of years. How can it be destroyed by Jiang Ziya as he pleases? This is absurd.”

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty...we should..."

"My beloved consort, my mind is made up. I will fight Jiang Ziya to the death and restore our great Shang Dynasty."

Seeing that King Zhou was determined, Daji felt a growing worry for him and devised a plan. She then stopped trying to dissuade him.

As evening fell, the court was filled with singing and dancing. King Zhou and Daji were seen lying on their sides on the couch, enjoying this decadent life. Daji twisted her body and offered King Zhou cup after cup of wine. King Zhou's face showed lust, and a lewd smile appeared on his face. He took Daji's wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.

"My beloved concubine! You look exceptionally beautiful tonight!"

"The King"

"Hahaha, my beloved consort, there's no need to worry about those villains like Jiang Ziya. I will surely restore the Shang Dynasty for you."

Daji revealed a wicked smile, leaned towards King Zhou, and nestled in his arms, her eyes revealing a hint of cunning.

"Your Majesty, it's getting late, let's get some rest."

"Alright, I'm unusually tired today, so it's good for me to rest early."

Did King Zhou ever imagine that Daji had already poisoned the wine pot?

Outside the palace, everything seemed so deep and secluded. A shooting star streaked across the sky, and the rustling of leaves in the wind sounded so restless in the quiet night.

Daji secretly pondered this in her heart and asked the palace maid beside her.

"Has Your Majesty gone to sleep?"

"Your Majesty, the King was so tired tonight that he fell asleep as soon as he lay down."

"Okay, you can go now."

Today, Daji advised King Zhou to retire to the countryside, but King Zhou resolutely refused. Daji had already planned how to deal with Jiang Ziya.

The night was deep, and a white light streaked across the inky black sky, disappearing just above the Zhou camp, revealing a hint of demonic aura.

Daji twisted her body and crept into the Zhou camp, arriving at the tent of King Wu, Ji Fa.

Daji gave a wicked smile and entered King Wu's tent.

"Hahaha, King Wu, how have you been?"

King Wu, Ji Fa, was fast asleep when he heard the soft moaning sound. Startled, he opened his eyes to find a nine-tailed white fox standing before his bed.

"How dare you, Daji! So ignorant of your own limitations, you dare to deliver yourself to my doorstep!"

"Oh my god, that scared me to death!"

"Daji, you have aided and abetted the tyrant, causing hardship and waste of resources. Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven and punish you."

Upon hearing King Wu's shout, Feng Lai quickly put on her clothes and went to King Wu's tent to check.