Merely hearing the name Jinglun Tiangong, Ji Xiang for a moment couldn't ascertain the other party's identity.
Did you think you were so important that everyone should recognize you?
However, the New Celestial Masters' Way, that was indeed famous. After all, the current Celestial Masters' Way was reorganized from the unification of the original Northern and Southern Celestial Masters' Ways. The New Celestial Masters' Way, which rose during the Northern Wei period and merged before the Sui Wendi, was known as...
"Kou Qianzhi!"
Upon hearing Ji Xiang utter the name of his great Celestial Master, the man nodded and smiled, "Precisely! The master of Jinglun Tiangong is indeed Celestial Master Kou!"
"We all call him 'the Great Celestial Master of the Northern Peace and Profound Capital'!"
This was a renowned immortal figure within the Daoist sect, and Ji Xiang was truly surprised.
An important point was that a portion of the Daoist Heavenly Laws currently held was written by this Northern Great Celestial Master!
Moreover, this Northern Great Celestial Master... was a sworn enemy of the lineage passed down by Zhang Daoling. The reason for this was related to the chaotic state within the Daoist sect at that time.
This was an extremely distant and old matter.
"The Northern Great Celestial Master is also a peerless figure in the Daoist sect. How could he become the mastermind behind the Wenxiang Sect?"
Ji Xiang asked, "Are you planning to fight me here? It seems today, I shall kill a Xiantian expert to establish my might."
Having uttered the harsh words, Ji Xiang mused that to kill a Xiantian expert, he would have to open the Heavenly Gate and capture him. Otherwise, he had no chance of winning in the outside world. As for how the battle would unfold... he had never fought before, so how could he know? He was uncertain.
His gaze fixed on the man. The man had not yet shown hostility, nor was he possessed by a Yin spirit, so his Inner Scenery Divine Tablet had not reacted for the time being.
"Northern Pole True Person, you speak incorrectly. I will not be your enemy unless it is absolutely necessary."
"I have come only to invite you to join my sect. Jinglun Tiangong holds goodwill towards you. Speaking of which, you attained the Dao in the late Han Dynasty, and you have little connection with the methods of the Three Zhangs. That Celestial Master Zhang merely had some acquaintance with you, not enough to help him guard the mountains and rivers, right?"
"Those you knew in the past might be cultivating in the Inner Mountain River, having ascended and attained immortality, while you are still trapped in the Outer Mountain River. Over a thousand years have passed, and you have gained nothing. You've finally come back to life, only to be in a half-crippled state."
"Do you truly wish to remain like this forever? Furthermore, ascension from the Outer Mountain River is difficult. That Celestial Master Zhang, with the aspirations of successive generations of Longhu Mountain Celestial Masters assisting him, broke through to the realm of ascension. But you, you have neither a sect nor friends. Although you still possess the cultivation for ascension, if your physical body cannot ascend, you will never be able to recover to your peak, let alone advance further."
"Therefore, the Great Celestial Master has opened a path for you. If you continue to linger in the Outer Mountain River, you will only end up on a dead end. If you do not ascend, you will eventually turn to dust. Moreover, by serving the emperor, you will inevitably face the fate of 'birds have flown, the good bow is stored away; the cunning rabbit is dead, the hounds are cooked!'"
"Have you not seen the affairs of Liu Bowen and Yao Guangxiao!"
The Xiantian expert attempted to persuade Ji Xiang to surrender, while Ji Xiang merely asked, "What about the matter of the Wenxiang Sect?"
"The Wenxiang Sect? As long as you join our Jinglun Tiangong, you can deal with these Wenxiang Sect members as you see fit. Even if you cause them all to be scattered into ashes and their spirits annihilated, that is your business; we will not interfere."
"Your importance far outweighs that of these Wenxiang followers. What we seek in the Outer Mountain River is nothing but the supreme Great Dao. Utilizing the Wenxiang Sect is merely preparation before completing our objectives. The faith of mortals gathers into aspirations, and the wondrous use of the aspirations of the masses can only be collected through these White Lotus Sects and Wenxiang Sects."
"But if you come to Jinglun Tiangong, the New Celestial Masters' Way will be revived in the Outer Mountain River. As the proper path, how can it be led by the false techniques of the Three Zhangs? It is time to correct the chaos, sweep away the false techniques of the Three Zhangs, and re-establish the righteous spirit of our Daoist sect."
Ji Xiang couldn't help but laugh heartily, "The Wenxiang Sect extorts wealth and kills everywhere... I don't know about other evils, but based on what happened in this county town tonight, look at the flames outside. Does this count as righteous spirit?"
"The myriad heavens are vast and bright, my Dao prospers daily. Since when did the Daoist sect have to rely on heterodox cults like the White Lotus Sect and Wenxiang Sect as its subordinates or pawns?"
The Xiantian expert spoke indifferently:
"Because no one cares about the righteous path. The righteous path will not make one's life better. The righteous path will not tell you the way to make money but will ask you to strive for good deeds and accumulate merit. But how many people in this world perform good deeds out of morality and benevolence, rather than out of self-interest?"
"Ask those scholars. Even if they have read extensively, how many of them possess the righteous spirit of heaven and earth? Among the ministers of this Ming court, not a single one possesses the righteous spirit of heaven and earth. If you ask me, this Wanli court is not as good as the Jiajing court. At least at that time, there was a true Confucian sage."
"But the White Lotus Sect can make people's lives better. You believe in me first, and I will rob those who do not believe. I will use their wealth to lure you. They paint grand visions for their followers and then use their evil arts to deceive people's hearts. These people truly believe they can become kings, nobles, generals, have beautiful wives and concubines, and abundant wealth..."
"Thus, even more aspirations are gathered. Don't you think that we, the righteous paths, are like clowns from Persia during the Tang Dynasty, making people laugh?"
After a moment of contemplation, Ji Xiang replied, "One should not despise the righteous path because the heterodox path cultivates quickly. The art of being kind to others is the righteous path, and the act of instigating others to do evil is the evil path."
The Xiantian expert chuckled a few times, "To put it bluntly, wasn't the Taiping Dao that caused great chaos in the late Han Dynasty an evil path? As for becoming a sect leader entrusted by deities, our Great Celestial Master has also done so, and Zhang Daoling has also done so. In fact, when they first started, did they differ from those outside, like the Wenxiang Sect or the White Lotus Sect?"
"We claim to have scriptures taught by Lao Jun, or by the Grand Master of the Profound Capital. They claim to be Maitreya incarnate or the birth of the Mother of Formlessness. Is there any difference? It's just the conflict between old and new laws. Our doctrinal inheritance comes from the ancient Daoism of the Outer Mountain River, while theirs is a messy mixture. But don't you think they have become compatible with Buddhism and Daoism?"
"By absorbing the techniques of a hundred sects, taking their strengths and discarding their dross, in another two or three hundred years, they might also become the righteous path."
"In the Inner Mountain River, there is no distinction between what you call the righteous and heterodox paths. All are techniques developed in pursuit of the Great Dao. Techniques are the lower grade, and the Great Dao is the higher grade. Clinging to the notion of good and evil, how many Heavenly Palaces in the Inner Mountain River will be dragged down by the concepts of good and evil, and annihilated by heavenly wrath? Even the Jiajing Emperor of the Great Ming deserves to die."
"Moreover, hundreds of years ago, a master of the White Lotus Sect already joined our Dao and promoted our righteous path!"
The logic of this Xiantian expert was impeccable, and even Ji Xiang had to admit that he had a point.
In fact, many righteous Daoist sects indeed had inglorious pasts.
"So, why should the distinction between good and evil always be on one's lips? This is precisely the repentance of later generations for the disgraceful deeds of their predecessors. One must constantly guard oneself, dare not forget the disasters caused in the past, and dedicate subsequent efforts, generation after generation, to performing good deeds. Therefore, those who attain Heavenly Immortality must accumulate thirteen hundred good deeds."
"Even you, ask your ancestors, did they accumulate thirteen hundred good deeds before they attained the Dao and ascended?"
"But people and doctrines, and actions, all change and continue to change with time. This I further acknowledge, not only with the examples of these heterodox cults but also with yours."
"Those who practiced the righteous path in the past no longer have the concept of good and evil today. Perhaps this is also a path of cultivation, from clear Yin and Yang, to the unity of chaos, and finally to the boundless void. Perhaps this is closer to the original Dao."
Ji Xiang, speaking to and explaining to this Xiantian expert, recounted:
"Zhang Lu surrendered to Cao Cao, and thus the Celestial Masters' Way prospered. Otherwise, Northern Kou and Southern Lu would not have reformed the Daoist legal system. But no matter how right what you say now is, even if what you say is truly correct."
"But killing is killing, and deceiving people is deceiving. Right and wrong are sometimes very simple and clear. I don't know if there are any good people in the White Lotus Sect, but I know that all I see are evil people."
"You have become respectable and dignified. You also protected sentient beings in the past. The Inner Mountain River, the passage of time is far faster than the Outer Mountain River. Perhaps a hundred or a thousand years have smoothed out your spirit, dispelled your notions of good and evil, and made you forget what you were like in the past."
These words penetrated the depths of the Xiantian expert's mind, evoking a degree of empathy.
His eyes became somewhat unfocused, as if recalling his past self.
He gradually showed a look of surprise.
He couldn't remember. He had forgotten why he began learning the Dao in the first place. A thousand years of scheming, competing in magical power, fighting each other, with strength as the ultimate principle, without regard for the distinction between good and evil, nor for good and bad. It was only about whether it was beneficial to oneself.
But it seemed it wasn't like this at the beginning.
When learning the Dao, three sticks of incense wafted to heaven. What did he say with his clear voice back then? What vows did he make?
The Heavenly Dao is impartial; it always favors the benevolent.