In the middle of the night, the incense smoke from the Fire God Temple in Shichahai, within the inner city, almost set the main hall ablaze.
This temple had a very early construction date, existing as early as the Tang Dynasty, though it was merely a small, dilapidated shrine then. Major renovations were carried out during the Yuan and early Ming dynasties. In the fourth month of the twenty-fifth year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Wanli rebuilt the Fire God Temple and reclassified it as "敕建" (Chì Jiàn), meaning it was officially designated as a royal temple.
The principal deity enshrined in this temple was the Fire Virtue Star Lord, accompanied by many subordinate deities. Several other grand halls within the temple complex housed statues of the Three Great Officials, the God of Wealth, Bodhisattvas, Tai Sui, the Matchmaker, and... Zhenwu!
In the humble hall tucked away in a corner, the statue of Emperor Zhenwu was enshrined!
The presence of Zhenwu’s statue in the temple of the Fire Virtue True Lord was intended to balance water and fire. However, the Zhenwu Hall in the northwest corner had now been destroyed.
In the main hall of the Fire Virtue True Lord, the incense burned with immense fervor, the smoke soaring upwards, coiling around the beams.
In the side hall of Emperor Zhenwu, the incense burner lay overturned in a corner, the offerings had been consumed, and the statue had been smashed into seven or eight pieces by seven or eight people wielding iron rods. Its head rolled to the base of the wall, keeping company with the incense burner.
Similarly, the statues of the God of Wealth, the Bodhisattva, and the Matchmaker had been toppled and shattered.
Even the "Tai Sui," whose head ordinary people would never dare to disturb, had its head knocked off.
The Fire God Temple was filled with a cacophony of human voices in the middle of the night!
In the heart of the imperial capital, people dared to gather in groups, discussing scriptures, numbering in the hundreds, looking around and listening intently!
In the main hall of the Fire Virtue True Lord, countless people were praying sincerely. The incense burners in front were filled with long incense sticks, from which brilliant flames were born!
"Taiyin Sacred Light, illuminating the Sacred Fire...!"
Those who could come here to offer incense were all distinguished individuals, not officials of the court, but rather prosperous merchants, artisans, wealthy families, and even nobles, imperial relatives, and military families with significant businesses within the inner city.
Of course, they also brought their servants.
In the Ming Dynasty's inner city, the residences of nobles were located outside Donghua Gate, eunuchs outside Xi'an Gate, and other officials and clerks in Xuanwu Gate.
But now, regardless of their residence, everyone had come to the Fire God Temple.
Many people were gathered inside the Fire God Temple, and the streets outside were in utter chaos!
Many officials resided within the inner city. Their family members, in the dead of night, had left their homes, bringing many servants, and as if possessed, had come to the Fire God Temple, smashing and destroying the statues of other deities while bowing and worshipping the statue of the Fire Virtue True Lord.
When the officials entered, Guowei did not react, but he also protected them from being deluded. The officials looked at the statue, intending to have their guards smash it, but as soon as the guards entered the Fire God Temple, they immediately became loyal devotees of that statue!
Then, they turned around and bound their own masters!
"You, what are you doing! Rebellion, rebellion!"
"Mmm mmm mmm!"
Several officials were bound, their mouths stuffed with cloth or rotten grass, and tied up in the adjacent Zhenwu Hall, to keep company with the shattered statue of Emperor Zhenwu. The door to this side hall was quickly sealed, leaving the officials unable to call for help, with nowhere to turn.
In the main hall of the Fire Virtue True Lord, within the inner city of Shuntian, the sound of people's worship reached its peak.
In the outer city of Shuntian, every household that believed in the Yellow Heaven Sect emerged and raised three sticks of incense towards the direction of the Fire Virtue True Lord Temple.
The incense smoke curled and floated into the night sky, illuminating the Ming Dynasty's sky with firelight.
It was now the third watch of the night.
The third quarter of Zi hour.
"Whoosh!"
A tall flame erupted violently from the blazing incense. The statue of the Fire Virtue True Lord suddenly began to shake. A large amount of incense smoke enveloped the statue, and following that, the statue's appearance began to change!
From a fierce image with wide eyes and a mighty beard, it transformed into a beautiful woman!
She sat alone on the divine throne. Illuminated by the firelight, her complexion was as clear as jade, like a crescent moon veiled in mist. She opened her eyes. Though she did not speak, her gaze naturally exuded charm, making her incomparably beautiful.
She spoke, her voice melodious and grand:
"Taiyin Sacred Light, illuminating the Sacred Fire."
"Arise, the compassionate heart that saves the world, ignite the lamp of wisdom in twenty-four places, pilot the treasure raft to the lands of Shan and Di Xuan Yun, leaving behind the Yi Bao Scroll and the Pure True Scripture. To save ninety-two hundred million original beings."
The people below prostrated themselves wildly, chanting, "Fire Lord, Fire Lord!"
And this Fire Lord said:
"In the past, I had a human name, and the world called me Bodhisattva Puzhao, who received salvation from Buddha Puming."
"Now I have a new divine name, comprehending yin and yang, understanding the inner and outer, I have entered Mount Sumeru and also reached the luminous place of Kunlun. All the fires in the world originate from Taiyin and grow with the sun."
"I, by heavenly decree, receive the divine position, continuing the ancient and connecting the present. I am..."
"Zhu Rong!"
The Fire Lord declared herself Zhu Rong. At the same time, her shadow reflected in the firelight gradually transformed into the image of a giant, with hair tied up, a sturdy physique, and holding a weapon. However, this weapon was merely the shadow of a strange hilt, without a blade.
Around the shadow, there were flickering flames. The shadow's face and left arm were covered in light within the darkness. Other parts, however, could not be illuminated by the firelight, appearing incomplete.
As the Fire Lord's shadow changed, the Fire Lord herself also underwent a transformation. Her beautiful hair turned into flames, her face was bathed in light, obscuring her beautiful features. Her left hand was also covered by the fiery glow, and her body changed from a graceful posture to a more voluptuous form.
The Fire Lord revealed her identity to her followers, who all chanted the name of Zhu Rong. Then, accompanied by this vast chant, the Fire Lord transformed from the divine seat of the Fire Virtue True Lord into blazing light and disappeared, leaving behind only the people seeking divine favor.
Within the temple, the sounds of worship continued unabated. The souls of the people, following the vast incense smoke, poured into the Forbidden City!
Universal transformation, the bright virtue of heaven and earth, illuminating the four seas!
After the Fire Lord disappeared, she directly passed through the inner city. She raised her head, her form ethereal.
The Shichahai Fire God Temple was located in the north of the inner city.
The gate leading to the Imperial City from the north was called "Bei'an Gate," commonly known as "Houzai Gate," meaning the gate of the stable northern land. Upon entering, one would find a famous landmark—Jingshan, where Emperor Chongzhen hanged himself, also known as Coal Mountain.
The northern mountain was the guardian mountain of the Forbidden City. The Fire Lord merely glanced at Bei'an Gate, her form moving within the firelight and the worship, instantly crossing Bei'an Gate and the crooked-neck tree of Coal Mountain.
The curling incense smoke and the sky-high flames all converged at this moment.
Thus, she could enter openly.
She saw the magnificent Shenwu Gate. A thousand paces were covered in an instant, but the moment she stepped forward!
She did not enter the Forbidden City.
The celestial guards guarding Shenwu Gate immediately discovered her!
"What righteous deity dares to trespass Shenwu Gate at night!"
The reason for her sudden discovery and obstruction was that the fires within the Forbidden City had begun to extinguish!
The Fire Lord stared at the sky, silent.
Had someone foiled her plans?
What was happening within the Forbidden City?
In the sky, the firelight suddenly diminished, dark clouds appeared, and dragon roars echoed between heaven and earth!
The celestial guards approached. The Fire Lord lightly parted her crimson lips and recited the "Pujing Tathagata Key Treasure Scroll."
"The sins of the world are cast into the mortal dust of the Eastern Land..."
The surrounding celestial guards vanished instantly before her. The entire Shenwu Gate disappeared, replaced by a path of blazing fire.
This was an illusion technique, passed down from her father, Zen Master Hu Yan, from a mysterious Daoist who had taught his father.
Now, she had finally achieved minor success in this technique, deceiving the celestial guards, even penetrating magical barriers and breaking through prohibitions. Moreover, empowered by her status as a righteous deity and the incense offerings of the masses, she possessed immense divine power. This magnificent Shenwu Gate could no longer stop her.