In life, only death and taxes are unavoidable. Before the Ming army stationed off the coast of Joseon had even departed, new orders arrived. Upon learning that Joseon would provide funds and provisions to support the stationed troops there, many generals who had previously been met with sarcastic remarks from the King of Joseon felt a great sense of vindication and their spirits lifted considerably. However, they had not yet figured out how the land usage rights were to be utilized. Some proposed that the intention from above was clearly "tuntian" (military farming).
However, while implementing tuntian, taxes would still be collected from Joseon. Although this land was in ruins and the populace had little wealth, according to the emperor's command, taxation would only commence after Joseon's civil power recovered. This collection was essentially a fixed supply, requiring a vassal state to provide money and grain to support its suzerain's army. Joseon had previously repeatedly used the excuse of domestic hardship to evade providing wartime financial and grain supplies. Now that the war was over, they would have to cough it all up. "So, new weis (military garrisons) are to be established here?"
Someone's eyes suddenly lit up!
In the past, it was not uncommon to establish weis or administrative offices in vassal states or in places beyond the reach of the central government, but there were not many such precedents. The Old Port Pacification Commission of the Song Dynasty was one such example. The overseas administrative office of the Ming Dynasty was located at the Great Port of Sumatra in Indonesia. Malacca also had a transit station. However, as national policies vacillated between sea prohibition and sea opening, the Old Port Pacification Commission in the Song region had essentially become defunct. And without the grand ocean-going vessels of the Zheng He era, the Ming Dynasty was no longer capable of undertaking long-distance oceanic activities. "It might not be a wei, perhaps it will be a Protectorate,"
A general joked, suggesting that the Protectorate General of Anxi of the Tang Dynasty might be revived. A large part of Joseon's territory was within the jurisdiction of the Protectorate General of Anxi. "Can the right to use land be understood in this way as well?"
Because some of the words were vague and it was explicitly stated that they could act with discretion, it was clearly a signal that the court intended to extend its influence abroad. This meant that the generals stationed in Joseon had considerable autonomy in their decision-making. Thus, it seemed that many loopholes could be openly exploited. Recruiting Joseon refugees to come and cultivate the land within the Ming-guarded areas would greatly increase the efficiency of tuntian. Simultaneously, it would allow the Ming army to quickly recover its strength, and Joseon refugees would flock to these areas in large numbers. Within the military tents, the generals were in harmony, and the generals who originally belonged to Joseon were no longer present. Li Chen and others returned to the royal capital, but they were unaware that they were originally to be dealt with by the King and ministers of Joseon. This time, due to the Ming army's occupation of the land, these military officers escaped unfounded accusations. "How will those generals be dealt with?"
Someone again brought up this matter. Those generals who had surrendered had not left with Tokugawa Ieyasu. They were consumed by inner demons, were being held under centralized control in the mountain city, and their food was running out. A decision on their disposition had to be made quickly: would they be treated as surrendered generals and soldiers, or as prisoners?
"Now that Ieyasu has left, the Japanese army's supply lines have been completely severed. Once their own rations are gone, they will start eating ours, and Joseon's. If we don't provide, there are over a hundred thousand of them. If they riot, it could cause immense damage to the mountain areas." "Those who defected can be treated as surrendered generals and soldiers. I have already submitted a memorial to the Emperor, and the divine talisman order will arrive momentarily, but there has been no news." The Minister of War responded to this matter. Chen, the Commander of the Navy, interjected, "My lord, I believe we don't need to concern ourselves with this group."
"Don't concern ourselves?"
"In your memorial, did you mention that they were consumed by inner demons and thus defected?"
"Naturally, I reported truthfully, including the meritorious service of the celestial immortal in instigating their defection."
The fact that shadow soldiers impersonated Japanese military officers, causing many to defect, was not a secret within the Ming army, only that Japan remained oblivious. Especially the existence of Kobayakawa Hideaki. For the Japanese army, the reason for the betrayal of this former commander of the Western Army remained an unsolved mystery to this day. No one knew that this former commander of the Western Army had long been replaced by a substitute, his true self swapped. "That's right. Those people have disappeared from the mountain. The mountain is now an empty city. The disposition of these over a hundred thousand people does not require our labor. Someone has already handled it. Therefore, I have not made any decisions on this matter." Chen shook his head. "The divine talisman for communication is a good thing. Someone took some from here before. Do you know who it was?" "You say, what?"
The Minister of War's eyes widened, nearly snapping his beard. He certainly remembered. Besides Ya, who else could it be? "This!"
...
Within the Great Fuli Celestial Gate, gusts of primordial spirit wind echoed and roared. Those over a hundred thousand people, consumed by inner demons, had shed their old forms and manifested in celestial forms. After entering the demonic path, they could no longer return to their original appearance. Once inner demons were stirred, if not eliminated in time, they would be completely replaced by their demonic hearts. A Celestial Demon army composed of primordial spirits of the demonic path!
However, one point placed these Celestial Demons at a disadvantage. Although called a Celestial Demon army, in reality, their existence did not meet the requirements of true "Celestial Demons." At most, they were "demons" subservient to Celestial Demons, or "demon subordinates." The Lost Path Demonic Crowds: The demons of the Lost Path are subordinates of Celestial Demons, born from inner demons, possessing form but no substance. They can bewitch people's minds, causing them to experience the "Bewildering Tribulation," which is to harm others' Dao heart, manifesting various terrifying futures in the depths of their minds, such as withered bones, severed heads in the sky, turning into ashes, turning into yellow dust, turning into decaying wood and grass, appearing in a sinking state, or suffering severe injuries, causing people's spirits to dissipate, their minds to fill with fear, their ambitions to loosen, thus cutting off their future paths and leading them step by step into the bewildered future depicted in the illusions. The demons of the Lost Path, who have lost their humanity, are themselves people with complete Dao hearts and no hope for the future. Born from their own suffering and hatred, they transform into demonic heads, often used by the eighty thousand Celestial Demons to test the Dao of mortals, appearing as the "Three Demonic Paths" below Celestial Demons. With a raise of the hand, the trial demonic soldiers' physical bodies entered the sea of suffering, dissolving into the rolling yellow waters, never to be seen again. The suffering and pain remaining in their physical bodies were transformed into the power of the sea of suffering, while their souls were refined into primordial spirits of the demonic path, seized by inner demons, and transformed into their current celestial patrolling appearance. "However, having form but no substance, meaning no physical body, being entirely composed of primordial spirits, and because they are formless, without substance, they cannot manifest in the world in the way mortals imagine, meaning they lack suitable vessels."
"And what are the Three Demonic Paths?"
Xiang, after reading the description in the Inner Scene Divine Tablet, fell into a state of confusion. Below the eighty thousand Celestial Demons of Yuqing, there were also the Three Demonic Paths? They did not belong to the ten demonic systems but were merely subordinates of Celestial Demons, and it seemed to touch upon three ancient cultivation paths, referred to as the demonic path. However, upon casual thought, ancient scriptures did mention the Three Demonic Paths. It is said that celestial demon kings, all demonic crowds, demonic citizens, demonic maidens, spirits, strange beings, and monsters, are all demonic beings. In Buddhism, these Three Demonic Paths seem to be the three evil paths in the six realms of reincarnation: the realm of hungry ghosts, the realm of beasts, and the realm of hell. The Great Sutra also refers to the Three Grades of the Demonic Path, which also seem to be related to the Three Demonic Paths: the upper grade is the demon king, the middle grade is the demonic citizen, and the lower grade is the demonic maiden. In short, there seems to be a connection, but this is far from the demonic path of Taoism. "The Three Demonic Paths. Continuing to cultivate the Yuqing Hidden Scripture will inevitably lead to encountering the remaining two demonic paths. There is no need to be impatient."
These demons of the Lost Path circled around Ya, over a hundred thousand of them covering a celestial domain. Waves of demonic sounds and thoughts permeated everywhere, stirring emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, fear, and surprise. Under the influence of the ancient Celestial Demon Qi, they gradually became more refined and handsome. This transformation, of course, was observed by Xiang, but it was not the same as what "ordinary people" could see. If other cultivators appeared here, they would discover these demonic crowds of the Lost Path gradually transforming from faint demonic soul shadows into terrifying demonic forms. After absorbing the residual power of the ancient Celestial Demon Qi, they twisted and became handsome. However, in the eyes of Xiang, a Yuqing Celestial Demon, they were even returning from Yuqing Celestial Demon to their innate state, becoming ancient Celestial Demons. In his eyes, the transformation of the demonic crowds of the Lost Path was not becoming handsome, but rather changing their images according to people's hearts. What they thought of was what they became. If they thought of being handsome, they became handsome. "This is not the illusionary magic commonly used by demonic beings, but a true sensing of people's inner thoughts and changing their own appearance. This is the true master of inner demons, the demon that transforms into oneself!"
"This kind of change is already akin to the Dao of Transformation! If even their forms and spirits can be changed, it means their forms and spirits have no fixed shape and can manifest in the human world at will. How will this cause people to fall into the Bewildering Tribulation?"
Xiang even wanted to test the law himself, to personally experience it. Why did the various demons of the Lost Path not dare to attack the ancient Celestial Demons? Even when forcibly summoned by Xiang, there was a close connection, which was the relationship between the demon lord and his subordinates. This meant that their changes would not bring any tribulation to himself, the demon lord. Instead, after they had laid down tribulations, the desires of the people they had seized would be returned to Xiang. Threads of desire appeared in the eyes of this Celestial Demon Lord, but the ends of the desire threads were all empty, meaning they had not yet found the corresponding individuals to fall into tribulation. As for Xiang himself, if he wanted to arrange tribulations for people, the Yuqing Hidden Scripture would have to be cultivated for several more chapters before he could do so. As he cultivated chapter by chapter, his path to advancement became increasingly difficult, which made Ya inevitably think that with the Joseon campaign concluded and the benefits that could be gained in Japan at his current realm having been obtained, although the major goal had not been achieved, there were more than enough unexpected surprises. Next, he would completely refine this power, and then, take the initiative to seek out weak evil cultivators in the world to eliminate them, thereby increasing his cultivation. A torrential killing intent was about to be unleashed, and time was pressing, he could not wait any longer. "All demons, protect the Dharma."
A yellow halo appeared in Xiang's palm, and a seven-petaled lotus emerged. The demonic crowds of the Lost Path surrounded the Primordial Azure Heaven. Seeing their demon lord issue commands, they all departed, but they dared not go too far. Because apart from the celestial domain where Xiang was located, which was filled with demonic energy and suitable for their existence, the other Fuli celestial domains had different powers. Some celestial domains, by merely manifesting a distant illusory projection, caused the demonic crowds to feel immense pressure, even generating emotions of terror. That was a Thunder City, with lightning and thunder, and thunder gods existed in the far distance. The demonic crowds could not approach. On the other side, divine and demonic energies intertwined, which was the residence of the Five Heavenly Emperors and Demon Kings. It was relatively close, but the leader of the demonic crowds, the Demon King specifically for eliminating Demon Kings, the Northern Emperor Demon Vanquishing Great King, not only possessed no demonic energy but also had a pure and tranquil power that made the demonic crowds fearful and afraid to look. There was also the Northern Pole Exorcism Courtyard, the various Fire Departments, the Myriad Ancient Constellations, and the Thirty-two Heavenly Emperors. The areas where the Divine Tablets were located were not connected, and no one knew how vast Fuli was. Xiang had consumed the Seven Treasures Yellow Lotus, and his originally calm body immediately felt as if it had entered boiling water! The long-lost immense sensation appeared, and for a time, his physical body felt as if it were about to be torn apart. However, although Xiang's face was contorted with pleasure, his spirit was not significantly affected. The main body of incense and the physical body were one, but the primary and secondary were still clearly distinguished. Therefore, the pleasure of the physical body did not transfer to the incense main body, unless it was a strike targeting the primordial spirit or soul. For Xiang, physical damage did not have much significance. Even if the physical body turned into a puddle of mud, he could still jump up and fight. However, after being modified by Emperor Jia's divine elixir, the strength of this physical body was comparable to that of an immortal. To turn an immortal body into a puddle of mud, it would at least require the power of a flying immortal.