Junior Uncle is too cunning.

Jiang Ziya originally intended to use Chen Fusheng to influence Li Shundao, so that he could successfully obtain intelligence on the four major lords, and gradually bring the two sides closer together.

If Li Shundao really did secretly pass on the intelligence to the Great Shang Imperial Court as Jiang Ziya instructed, it would mean that the God of Wealth Cult had truly sided with the Great Shang Imperial Court.

The feudal lords of the land were not fools, especially Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo. Li Shundao had heard Chen Fusheng talk about him; he was definitely an old fox and would surely be able to see that the message was being conveyed by the God of Wealth Sect.

After all, in the Southern Continent, apart from the God of Wealth Cult, there really isn't any other force that can gather such detailed intelligence.

Especially since the friction began between the Shang Dynasty's imperial court and the feudal lords, the most distressed during this period were not the Shang Dynasty's imperial court and the feudal lords, but the various merchant guilds caught in the middle.

Smaller merchant guilds were either founded by feudal lords and nobles or were third-rate guilds. Seeing the current situation in the Southern Continent, even the most foolish among them could see some signs of trouble.

Not to mention, how could a business association that can expand its business to Jambudvipa (the southern continent of Jambudvipa) possibly lack foresight?

The departure of smaller chambers of commerce did not please the larger chambers of commerce; instead, it made them unusually silent and quiet.

Merchant associations under the Heavenly Court, such as the Lingxiao Association and the Huajian Merchant Association, are relatively good. With the Heavenly Court as their powerful backer, as long as they behave themselves, even the Great Shang Imperial Court and the feudal lords would not dare to offend them easily.

Merchant associations like Lingbaoge, which belong to the Chan and Jie sects, went from open to covert operations as early as when the Chan and Jie sects were supporting the Great Shang imperial court. In particular, the four major lords of the east, west, south, and north abandoned their shops and retreated back to the territory of the Great Shang imperial court.

They weren't stupid. Although giving up temporarily would result in some losses, they didn't dare to believe that the feudal lords were merciful enough to leave them alone.

The turbulent changes in the Southern Continent directly affected the normal operations of many chambers of commerce. Larger top chambers of commerce, such as the Lingxiao Society and the Lingbao Sect, could still cope, but some smaller chambers of commerce were wiped out, either by being swallowed up by the feudal lords or by going bankrupt.

Now, Li Shundao has put Jiang Ziya's proposal out in the open, treating it as a business deal. He has acknowledged the status of the God of Wealth Cult in the Great Shang Imperial Court. In return, Li Shundao has given him information on the four major lords. It's a normal business transaction, and even if the lords know about it, they can't say anything.

After all, since entering the Southern Continent, although the God of Wealth Sect has grown stronger year by year, it has never been officially recognized by the Great Shang Dynasty's Imperial Court. Although it's not impossible, being recognized by the Human Race's Imperial Court would be a major event for the God of Wealth Sect.

After all, once recognized by the Great Shang Dynasty's imperial court, all actions of the God of Wealth Cult would become reasonable and legal, which would be of great benefit in attracting believers in the future.

Putting aside everything else, so far, only the Three Pure Ones Taoism and Western Buddhism have been recognized by the Great Shang Imperial Court. However, the Great Shang Imperial Court is now working to abolish the orthodox status of Western Buddhism. Once it is abolished, there will definitely be a great war between the Great Shang Imperial Court and the feudal lords, the Three Pure Ones Taoism and Western Buddhism.

This is a battle for destiny, and even saints dare not give up easily. After all, once you reach the saint stage, there are not many things that can help you cultivate, and destiny is the best auxiliary tool.

This is why several sages founded great religions and preached to humanity. It's because humanity had essentially become the overlord of the primordial world, possessing the destiny and fortune of heaven and earth.

Once one can occupy a position among humans, one will be blessed by the Heavenly Dao, and will be a superior aid for both cultivating immortality and seeking enlightenment.

For the Three Pure Ones, the two Western Saints deliberately provoking this incident can be seen as a serious challenge to the status of the Daoist sect.

However, they were also very confident. Over the years, Western Buddhism had invaded the East before, but they had always managed to stop it and keep it firmly in Xiniu Hezhou. This time would be no different.

However, it's no wonder they're confident. Excluding Dao Ancestor Hongjun, there are six saints in the prehistoric world, and four of them are on the side of the Great Shang Imperial Court this time. Moreover, compared to Western Buddhism, the Three Purifications, excluding the Human Sect which has fewer members, are enough to suppress Western Buddhism with the Chan Sect and the Jie Sect alone.

However, Buddhism had no choice. Since Zhunti became a saint, he had been suppressed by the Heavenly Dao, and his cultivation had not increased at all over the years.

This was originally a rare opportunity. If the plan succeeded, the chance for Buddhism to flourish would truly arrive. Even if the Three Pure Ones resisted again, they certainly wouldn't dare to defy the will of Heaven.

Jieyin and Zhunti had been planning for this opportunity for many years, and only found a glimmer of a chance. So even now, they would not give up.

Li Shundao couldn't care less about what Western Buddhism and the feudal lords thought. After all, this was a normal transaction. He couldn't let the God of Wealth Cult give up such a good opportunity for the sake of the feudal lords and Western Buddhism, since their relationship wasn't that good!

Looking at Fang Hui, who had finally understood, Li Shundao gave her a slight approval. He also noticed some of Fang Hui's strengths. Although her aptitude was not as good as Lu Ling'er and Ling Xian'er, it was still quite good, similar to Chen Fusheng's.

Most importantly, he was perceptive and quick-witted, which was probably the key factor Chen Fusheng took him as a disciple! In the prehistoric world, the most important thing for cultivation and survival is self-awareness, knowing when to do what, and knowing when to advance and retreat. That is the most important thing.

The reason why the disciples of the Jie Sect suffered heavy losses in the Investiture of the Gods in their previous lives was because they all considered themselves disciples of saints, thinking that the Heavenly King was number one and they were number two, looking down on others. In the end, they perished at the hands of some juniors and became stepping stones for others.

In fact, it wasn't just the disciples of the Jie Sect; most of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect had this problem as well. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been surrounded by the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation set up by Yunxiao and had their three flowers cut off by the Hunyuan Golden Bucket. If it weren't for Yuanshi Tianzun seeking help from Taiqing Sage and using the Nine-Turn Immortal Pill to restore them to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, they would have truly lost a thousand years of cultivation in a single day.

Having self-awareness is an important skill for survival. Just like Chen Fusheng, before becoming a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, he was always so cautious, not only hiding most of his supernatural abilities, but also concealing several layers of his cultivation.

Fang Hui picked up the teacup and drank the Da Hong Pao tea in one gulp. She bowed to Li Shundao and hurriedly headed towards Nanzhanbuzhou.

Before reaching the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, such large-scale travel as Fang Hui's would be a huge waste of magical power and time. However, Fang Hui has recently discovered a benefit: her self-control has improved considerably.

The Great Shang Dynasty Court of Jambudvipa (Southern Continent).

In the imperial palace of Chaoge, Fang Hui relayed Li Shundao and Chen Fusheng's message and then retreated to the side, becoming invisible.

A glint of light flashed in the eyes of King Zhou above and Jiang Ziya, Shang Rong, and Bigan below. They exchanged glances and fell into deep thought. As for Wen Zhong, who did not attend the meeting today, he had already gone to the front line at the border between the Shang Dynasty and the Western Marquisate three years ago to suppress the rebellion.

They were all shrewd people, and they immediately understood the meaning behind Li Shundao's suggestion. However, they were still undecided about whether or not to make the decision.

This secret meeting ended rather abruptly, starting strong but ending weakly.

Jiang Ziya did not return to the Prime Minister's residence, but went directly with Fang Hui to the residence of the Chan Sect stationed in Chaoge, and the two went inside.

Shen Gongbao, Baihe Tongzi, and other Golden Immortals such as Wei Tuo, Lu Ling'er, and Ling Xian'er from the third generation of disciples were already waiting inside. Upon seeing the two enter, they nodded in greeting, and Fang Hui sat down with Jiang Ziya.

Jiang Ziya was not surprised at all. He simply recounted the meeting to everyone and then stopped to look at the others.