「Linzi City.」
Amidst the shattered bricks and broken wood of the Royal Palace, once it was certain the Profound Cyan Chariot had departed into the heavens.
The Monarch of the Year cautiously poked his head out, the terror still lingering on his face.
’Supre... Profound Clarity?’ he muttered to himself, swallowing hard. ’So he’s from the Direct Lineage of the Grand Ancestral Master... That was a close call. A real close call. Talk about not recognizing your own family.’
As he spoke, the Monarch of the Year’s expression turned slightly grave. He shrank back, a worried look appearing on his face.
’If Master finds out about this, he’ll break one of my legs... Speaking of which, is this Senior Uncle Profound Clarity really that bold? He’s going to hold the Western Celestial Court accountable?’
He shivered, then transford into a golden streak of light and shot into the sky.
anwhile, in the Central Celestial Court, within the Milo Celestial Palace’s Lingxiao Palace.
The crowd of Immortal Officials was in a tizzy. Venus, Li Changgeng, took a step forward, his expression solemn.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, a ssenger from the West Pole Celestial Court has arrived. They report that the West Pole Celestial Court has suffered severe damages, with hardly any of their immortal palaces or buildings left intact. They request that Your Majesty allocate Divine Iron and Immortal Gold for repairs..."
Upon the Emperor’s Throne, the Emperor Corpse’s eyes opened faintly. He scoffed.
"Tell them to get lost."
The ministers were stunned. Even Venus looked up, completely dumbfounded.
’This...’
After a long mont, Venus hesitated, then cautiously bowed again and spoke.
"Your Majesty, there is also... a ssage from the Gouchen Upper Palace Emperor. He says that the Great Virtue from the Human World, Profound Clarity, has offended the majesty of the Celestial Court. His cri is unforgivable. He asks that Your Majesty dispatch Celestial Soldiers and Generals to capture Daoist Profound Clarity..."
The Emperor Corpse began to cough violently, and wry smiles appeared on the faces of the ministers.
A mont later, the Emperor Corpse, with Emperor’s Blood continuously trickling from his seven orifices, spoke in a low, ghostly voice.
"Profound Clarity... Supre Profound Clarity, ah. Well, since Gouchen has made a request, are any of you, my dear ministers, willing to lead troops to the Lower Realm?"
The various Immortal Officials of the Celestial Court looked at one another. No one dared to answer.
The mory of that palm strike, which had slapped the West Pole Celestial Court all the way from the Thirty-Three Celestial Realms, and the scene of the Celestial Gate collapsing and the palaces shattering, was still fresh in their minds...
A faint smile appeared on the Emperor Corpse’s face.
"Since no minister is willing to go, then forget it... Transmit my decree."
Looks of confusion appeared on the faces of the Immortal Officials, but they all assud an attentive posture.
The smile on the Emperor Corpse’s face widened. He cast a playful glance toward the western Celestial Vault and said languidly,
"The one Daoist Profound Clarity cursed was the Western Celestial Court. Let Gouchen dispatch his own army to the Lower Realm to capture Daoist Profound Clarity... Hmm, and rember to send a million Celestial Soldiers to the gates of the Western Celestial Court to beat the drums and cheer for Gouchen. Send them now!"
As he spoke, perhaps because of his expression, the cracked skin on his face peeled away, revealing the stark white bone beneath. The dripping Emperor’s Blood floated around the Emperor Corpse, swirling like a misty cloud.
The Immortal Officials stared at each other, utterly dumbfounded.
They knew Emperor Gouchen would never actually send Celestial Soldiers and Generals to the Lower Realm, not unless he wanted to get slapped again...
So for His Majesty to send a million Celestial Soldiers to beat drums outside the Western Celestial Court—wasn’t that just grinding Emperor Gouchen’s face into the dirt?
For a mont, all the ministers and immortals were perplexed and confused.
’There seems to be conflict between His Majesty and the Four Celestial Lords?’
’When did this happen? Why were there no signs of it before?’
Venus’s mind was reeling with doubt. Recalling recent events, a chill ran down his spine.
’Between His Majesty and the Four Celestial Lords, it’s as if... as if they’re like fire and water!’
’How could this be?’
He secretly raised his head to glance at the Celestial Emperor sitting upon the Emperor’s Throne. He was as majestic as ever, draped in the seventy-two-colored Emperor’s Robe, his face like carved jade, his body wreathed in auspicious ons and Qingyun, looking profound and boundless.
...
The three-thousand-li-wide Luoyang City stretched out vast and expansive, filled with the smoke and fire of the Red Dust and the clamor of the marketplace.
On the long streets, the populace went about their day as usual. Peddlers and vendors greeted people with smiles, children played gleefully under the shade of trees, and nobles on high-stepped horses passed through the bustling market, though without any show of arrogance.
Just then, soone shouted out:
"Lu Zi is back!"
The noisy, bustling market fell silent for a mont. Then, the peddlers, vendors, playing children, passersby, nobles, and dignitaries all sward toward the city gate.
Tens of thousands of people scrambled over each other, piling into a massive crowd, their countless eyes fixed intently on the wide-open city gates.
A mont later, to the rumble of wheels on stone slabs and the heavy thud of the Eighty-One Armors marching in unison,
The Profound Cyan Chariot slowly drove into Luoyang City. Seated upon it was a refined young man in ancient-style robes, holding a Jade Box in his arms. His head and eyelids were slightly lowered.
When an occasional cool breeze sent the youth’s robes fluttering and his long garnts rustling, one could see the profound Truths of Heaven and Earth floating within and drifting about him.
"Welco Lu Zi’s return!" a nobleman shouted, raising his horsewhip high in a deafening roar.
Instantly, the tens of thousands of people parted in perfect unison to line both sides of the road, all erupting in the sa cheer:
"Welco Lu Zi’s return!"
On the Profound Cyan Chariot, the young man lifted his head. Starlight seed to hang amidst his jet-black hair, and in his eyes, strands of arcane starlight intertwined.
He nodded to the myriad people on both sides, a smile blooming on his face like a gentle spring breeze. And then...
A real spring breeze began to blow, rippling through the late autumn air!
Along the ten-li-long street, the spring breeze blew. Withered trees were rejuvenated, old dogs grew spry, green canopies ford overhead, and a hundred grasses and a hundred flowers vied to outdo each other in a dazzling display of beauty!
The accompanying Historian swallowed hard, took up his carving knife, and engraved upon the bamboo slips, recording the truth as it was:
[After Lu Zi’s invasion of Qi, upon his return to Luoyang, the myriad people vied to welco him, and the nobles bowed their heads in reverence. Lu Zi smiled, causing a spring breeze to blow in late autumn, and the ten-li-long street blood in a riot of color!]
......
Cradling the Jade Box, Lu Xuan pushed open the door to the Guardian Storage Room and paused, slightly taken aback.
"Ma... Master?"
Inside the Guardian Storage Room, the old man was sitting upright and proper. Sandalwood Incense curled up before him, and steam rose from a cup of tea. The hot vapor rose, twirling and coiling with the smoke to form a scene of weapons clashing in a chaotic world.
"Sit," he said calmly.
Lu Xuan quickly closed the door to the Guardian Storage Room. Still holding the Jade Box, he obediently walked forward and sat cross-legged on a ditation cushion.
"Master."
"Mm." The Supre nodded slightly, glanced at the Jade Box, and sighed softly. "You really didn’t have to do this. Your senior brother has already been reincarnated. By now, he has already been born."
Lu Xuan shook his head and said earnestly,
"He still needs a proper burial."
The Supre was silent for a mont before letting out a laugh.
"You, you..."
After a pause, he continued,
"Hmm, you’ve already forged the Ninefold Supre Jade Steps. You took a shortcut, didn’t you, my boy?"
"Replying to Master, I did indeed take a shortcut. I used the diation of Creation to create a hundred Peaches of Immortality and swallowed them."
"You’ve got so nerve," the old man chided with a laugh. "Weren’t you afraid you’d stuff yourself to death? Drink this cup of tea."
Though Lu Xuan was puzzled, he didn’t ask. He obediently drank the scalding hot tea.
As the tea went down, it dissolved abruptly, transforming into a profoundly mysterious clear energy that coursed through the ridians and Acupoints of his entire body.
At that mont, Lu Xuan noticed that the slight bloating and discomfort within his body from devouring over a hundred Peaches of Immortality had vanished. His entire being felt lighter, as if his body and soul had been cleansed.
He quickly bowed.
"Thank you, Master!"
"Alright, alright." The Supre waved his hand, then asked, "Have you had any questions regarding your cultivation these past few days?"
Lu Xuan thought for a mont, then nodded.
"Replying to Master, I do have one question."
"Let’s hear it."
"I’m curious about how to reach the Extre Realm of the Climbing the Divine Ladder stage. I suspect it requires uniting the body and soul as one, but I don’t know how to do it, especially since the Ninefold Supre Jade Steps separate the body and soul..."
The old man stroked his long beard. With a gentle wave of his hand, another cup of hot tea appeared before him.
He picked up the tea and took a slow sip.
"Your guess is correct, but also wrong... It is not a complete union of body and soul. Rather, it is to achieve the Unity of Heaven and Man. If you can achieve that, you can enter the Extre Realm of Climbing the Divine Ladder."
"Unity of Heaven and Man?" Lu Xuan murmured to himself.
"Correct. This is extrely difficult. You need to attain enlightennt once while at the Celestial Human Ninth Layer to have a chance, or you could figure out its Profound Mysteries on your own."
Lu Xuan fell into deep thought. After a mont, he looked up and asked, puzzled,
"Master, is the Unity of Heaven and Man similar to the Unity of Virtue and Conduct?"
The old man paused for a mont, then said,
"Hmm, not far off, but the difference lies in knowing what is ’Heaven’ and what is ’Man’."
"Since you put it that way, then ’Heaven’ is not the soul, and ’Man’ is not the body, but they are definitely connected. In that case..."
Lu Xuan’s eyes lit up, and he muttered to himself,
"The so-called Unity of Heaven and Man... could this ’Heaven’ refer to the outer and inner sceneries? That profound mystery when the spirit, True Spirit, and so on communicate with the Great Heaven and Earth? And does ’Man’ refer to both the physical body, the Treasure Raft, and also the ’true self’?"
"So, the Unity of Heaven and Man is not the union of body and soul, nor is it the union of man and Nature, but the unity of heaven, spirit, body, and the true self?"
The smile on the Supre’s face froze.
After a long mont, he nodded grimly.
"That’s right... You caught on pretty quick."
Lu Xuan bowed, speaking excitedly.
"Thank you for your guidance, Master!"
The Old Master’s mouth twitched. He wanted to say sothing, but ultimately swallowed his words.
’Guidance? What guidance did I even give?’
After a long silence, he took a sip of tea and asked sullenly,
"Besides your cultivation questions, are there any other matters that confuse you? If it’s sothing I can speak of, I’ll answer them all for you now."
"Replying to Master."
Lu Xuan’s spirits lifted.
"I have many questions... The one I want to know most is about the Celestial Court above. I suspect that the matter of Duke Huan of Qi’s city massacres is inextricably linked to the Western Celestial Court, but I can’t figure out why."
He paused, his expression turning icy as he continued,
"The gods are high and mighty, and Immortals look down on all living things, so why must they ddle in the affairs of the Human World? And if they must ddle, why... do they do such things?"
As he spoke, Lu Xuan thought of the Life and Death Second Floors in the Current World, and of the Upper Palace and Earth Palace.
He wasn’t sure about the others, but the Life Tower was definitely tied to the Evil Cult, and based on his deductions, the Life Tower was likely connected to the South Pole Celestial Court...
Thinking of this, Lu Xuan’s eyelids drooped slightly.
The old man set down his teacup, contemplated for a mont, and answered faintly,
"Since you have already done what you have done, and even declared your intention to ascend to the Celestial Vault to demand justice... hmm, then there is no harm in telling you."
Lu Xuan’s expression grew solemn as he assud a listening posture.
The old man began to explain in a slow, deliberate manner.
"You are right about one thing. Duke Huan of Qi’s massacre of a hundred cities was indeed related to the Celestial Court, but not just the Western Celestial Court. It was... at the direction of the Four Directions Celestial Court: East, South, West, and North."
Lu Xuan’s expression changed drastically.
After a long mont, his voice was a bit hoarse.
"The Four Directions Celestial Court... Why would they do that?"
The Supre drained his teacup and smiled.
"It’s extrely complicated. It wouldn’t have been like this originally, but the Emperors of the Four Directions Celestial Court will all suffer grievous injuries tens of thousands of years in the future. They are doing this to heal those injuries."
Lu Xuan froze, his mind struggling to keep up.
’Injured tens of thousands of years in the future... and making a monarch in the Human World commit massacres now?’
’What in the world?’
His mind raced. He asked, "Master, are you saying... the lords of the Four Extres Celestial Court have all reached a level that transcends Ti?"
"Mm."
The Supre gave a light nod.
"The East Pole is the Lord of the Underworld. The more Ghost Gods in the Underworld, the stronger his power becos. Those who die of natural causes do not beco Ghost Gods; only those who die tragic deaths do."
"The South Pole holds authority over ’life’. He can grant ’life’ to all beings, and he can also strip all beings of ’life’ to restore himself."
"The West Pole governs weapons and war. The more war there is in the world, the more powerful he becos."
"The North Pole governs death. He profits whenever a living being dies."
The old man’s four simple sentences made Lu Xuan’s expression sink beyond asure.
After thinking for a mont, he asked,
"Then why, if they are injured in the future, must they... must they slaughter the living beings of this mont?"
The Supre spoke calmly.
"You are mistaken, my boy. It is not at this mont. It is... at every mont."
Lu Xuan was stunned for a second, then his expression changed drastically. His voice was utterly parched.
"Are you saying that at every point in ti where the Four Directions Celestial Court exists, those four Emperors... have begun to do this?"
"Indeed."
Lu Xuan fell silent.
For a long while, he sorted through the secrets he had just heard, his thoughts turning a thousand tis. He asked,
"Then, what about the Central Celestial Court?"
The Supre drained the tea from his cup, a mirthless smile on his face.
"The Jade Emperor?"
"Oh, him. He’s already dead."
Lu Xuan began to cough violently.
User Comments
0 comments from readers