"I am grateful for your regard. It seems that if we can truly obtain a prefecture, I shall not shy away from the position of Heavenly Lord."
"Although, for now, this is merely an empty title, do you not wish, my lords, to carve out a territory in Lishanhe?"
The gazes of the many Dharma Sect leaders fell upon the Thunder King. Within this gathering, each leader harbored their own intentions. The grievances within the Dharma Sect could be traced back generations, with the succession of believers and territories, the struggle to enhance oneself by seizing incense, even the infiltration of each other's sects, or the private sabotage of each other's sorcerers, and even the desecration of each other's altars.
These conflicts were more intense and more overt than those of the Three Teachings.
The Three Teachings held immense power and were involved in numerous affairs of the world. Should they truly engage in conflict, it would easily invite the intervention of the imperial court, and the situation would be difficult to control. Past events like the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the late Han Dynasty, the four hundred and eighty Buddhist temples in the Southern Dynasties, and the Neo-Confucianists' eradication of the Old Confucians in the Song Dynasty all proved that once the Three Teachings began to spread, it was inevitably accompanied by the change of imperial power. The imperial court could not but guard against this.
The Dharma Sect, however, was entrenched in the southeast. Although it had been passed down continuously since ancient times, it lacked a unified faith. Some originated from Buddhism, some from Confucianism, some from Taoism, and some from wild, unorthodox paths, following demons, ghosts, devils, spirits, strange beings, heavenly gods, folk deities, sea gods... Their origins, doctrines, and roots were all different, making them unable to unite.
Therefore, their influence was far less than that of the Three Teachings. The southeast to the South China Sea was also a region beyond the reach of the imperial court's influence. Hence, the conflicts within the Dharma Sect were minor, and the imperial court found it difficult to govern. They were also unwilling to expend resources solely to intervene in the trivial matters within the sects.
"The arrival of the Master has shown us a new path."
"If we wish to contend with the imperial court, we must cast aside the grievances of the past ten generations and the hatred of nine lives, unite, and truly make the Dharma Sect a great sect, rather than scattered remnants occupying the southeast, vying with each other for a mere three parts of incense and two taels of oil, fighting to the death, with disciples succeeding their masters."
"Now, since the advent of the Dharma Sect, nearly a thousand years have passed!"
"The Three Teachings bully us, and the imperial court regards us as mere dust. The last time a Taoist Master from the imperial court came to our Dharma Sect territory, he caused trouble before the gateway of the South China Sea, destroying the subordinate altars of our sects. This is an irreconcilable hatred!"
"If we do not unite, the imperial court will sooner or later dispatch divine soldiers to incorporate us all. At that time, we will be reduced to mere lackeys, our lives held in the hands of others. Will we still be Dharma Sect cultivators then!"
"What is the Dharma Sect! Not within the Three Teachings, but leaping beyond the Six Realms! Our lives and deaths are determined by ourselves; we do not belong to Buddha, Tao, or Confucianism. We open the doors of convenience outside the Three Teachings, not judging people by their roots, but saving the world with great love!"
"This is 'education for all'!"
"The Three Teachings are not to be provoked, the imperial court is not to be provoked. If we cannot provoke them, it means others can freely dictate our lives! If you do not wish to surrender your lives to fate, when will you awaken if not now!"
At this moment, the Thunder King's words were imbued with the Buddhist Heavenly Dragon Thunder Sound and the Taoist Dragon Roar. The combination of these two sound techniques caused the various sect leaders, some of whom harbored grudges, some of whom had unresolved issues, some whose doctrines were similar, and some whose doctrines were divergent, to feel as if struck by lightning. Their minds paused for a fleeting moment. In the next instant, as they regained their senses, a great fear arose in their hearts.
The Thunder King's strength had increased!
He was more powerful than when they had last met!
"The Thunder King is at the peak of Pure Yang, half a step from ascension?"
"Congratulations! Congratulations! The Thunder Hall is impregnable, and the Thunder King has hope of ascending!"
"A further step forward!"
"Ascension is in sight, ascension is in sight!"
After entering the Pure Yang realm, progress became exceedingly difficult. The spiritual energy in the mortal world was too scarce, far from comparable to Lishanhe. Thus, the Lord of Shangqing Mountain, the Master of Chongyang Palace, and even several Pure Yang cultivators from Wudang Mountain had been confined to the Pure Yang realm for a very long time. The scarcity of spiritual energy also meant a diminished lifespan.
To coexist with heaven and earth, to become one with heaven and earth, the so-called immortals consuming mist and exhaling qi was precisely because earth immortals could only roam the earth and mountains, drawing spiritual energy from mountains, rivers, and seas to nourish themselves. Once the spiritual energy became sparse, the lifespan of an earth immortal would also be limited.
The feeling the Thunder King now gave them was entirely different from when they had met him before!
Therefore, after sensing the Thunder King's aura, which was no longer mortal, several sect leaders who had harbored grievances against him were now the first to offer congratulations. However, their expressions were not joyful, but rather filled with fear, and their words conveyed a sense of shock.
The Thunder King's earlier words, employing the thunder sound techniques of both Buddhism and Taoism, were intended to intimidate them and display his power. This had indeed intimidated the other sect leaders, causing their expressions to shift constantly and their thoughts to churn endlessly.
"Hmm? Thunder King, your aura... it bears a resemblance to our sect's Divine Lord."
At this moment, a Taoist dressed in yellow robes, wearing a black crown, and carrying a magic sword on his back, looked at the Thunder King with a puzzled expression:
"Taiyi Thunder Sound Unmoving Heavenly Venerate... Does your Thunder Hall not worship the Thunder Ancestor?"
Among the Dharma Sects, they often did not worship each other's main deities. Some deities were introduced from the Three Teachings and had their own folk incarnations, often having their own alternative names within the Dharma Sect.
Taiyi Thunder Sound Unmoving Heavenly Venerate, known within the Dharma Sect as the main deity of the Huaguang Sect, the Great Emperor Huaguang!
The Thunder King's Thunder Hall was even more audacious, directly claiming to be the manifestation of the Nine Heavens Thunder Ancestor, Yuqing Zhenwang, descending to the mortal realm. It had a great connection with Taoism, having descended in the Tang Dynasty to become "Thunder Shock King," and after reincarnation, was known as the Great Sage Thunder King, signifying "transformation from mortal to sage."
"I wield heavenly and sea thunder, while Huaguang wields jade and fire thunder. We are all thunder practitioners, like the ghosts of heavenly decrees. Worshipping the Unmoving Heavenly Venerate in the Thunder Hall is to demonstrate my sincerity."
The Thunder King looked at the yellow-robed Taoist: "Ha, you are merely one of the three deputy sect leaders, not the sect leader, so you are unaware of certain matters. It is not only the Unmoving Heavenly Venerate of your Huaguang Mountain!"
He then looked at all the other sect leaders, naming them one by one!
"The Guangze Great Sage Sect, the divine King Guangli Hongsheng, Lord of Mount Nan, Zhu Rong; the Zhushan Guanyin Sect, Bodhisattva Guanyin of the South Sea; the Kaishan Sacred King Sect, Lord of Mountains and Rivers, Yu the Great."
"The Puji Holy Mother Sect, Heavenly Consort Mazu; the Jishi Sect, True Man Jigong; the Zhenxin Sect, the Jade Emperor of the Vast Heavens; the Sanshan Great Sect, the divine brothers of the Three Mountains from the Song Dynasty."
"The Yu Si Sect, Patriarch Liandu, the Three Heavenly Officials Yan Hui; the Wu Po Sect, the Great Sage Emperor Tianhou, Wu Zetian; the Wu Jiang Sect, the Great Emperor Qin, Fu Jian's divine spirit."
"The Maitreya Sect, Lord Buddha Maitreya; the Taigong Sect, True Man Jiang Ziya; the Yaowang Sect, Sun Simiao, the King of Medicine."
"And also... the Wantian Dachang Sect, the Lord of the Five Directions Changbing, Chi You, and the Great Lord of Wantian, Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji."
"After this, there are no more. We await all of you to bring your divine statues into my Thunder Hall."
The Thunder King finished speaking.
The surrounding Dharma Sect leaders' faces changed drastically, as if they had heard something unbelievable. Looking around, several of the mentioned sect leaders were not present, which made the other Dharma Sect leaders feel even more fearful.
"You...! You have already united... and intend to dominate the South China Sea!"
Upon hearing this question, the Thunder King calmly replied, "All for the sake of forming a great sect."
The yellow-robed Taoist's expression also shifted at this moment, but he chose to remain silent.
The Thunder King then looked at the Buddha Ghost and asked, "However, even if we form a great sect and occupy a prefecture in Lishanhe, we may not be able to escape the interference of the Four Heavenly Hearts of the mortal world, right?"
"Even if the Filth-Cleansing Vajra is behind us, wishing to support us, who are the other three?"
The Buddha Ghost replied without hesitation: "You need not test us cautiously. Regarding the Four Heavenly Hearts, my Lord has already interfered with the other three's covetousness. Your presence here speaking with us will not be heard by Heaven."
He then pointed to the ceiling and lowered his hand, drawing two lines in the void.
"Currently, the Four Heavenly Hearts closest to the mortal world are: in Buddhism, it is the Filth-Cleansing Vajra, appearing as a youth, whose appearance purifies the world. In Confucianism, it is the Six Heavenly Envoys, appearing as middle-aged men, wearing blue robes and white crowns, whose appearance signifies a great sacrifice for the world. In Taoism, it is the Purple-Robed God, appearing as a youth, riding twelve white horses, whose appearance signifies a great war for the world. As for the Fangshi, it is the Mountain and Sea Wandering Immortal, appearing as an old man, wearing coarse gray robes, and this one is the only Heavenly Heart who does not shy away from revealing his name, though some things cannot be spoken too openly, lest they be sensed."
"He once annotated the Classic of Mountains and Seas, and his appearance signifies great changes in the world."