The Lei Zu Peak Demon Confinement Palace was opened, and Hu Long entered. Seeing the captured sinners from various sects, he immediately let out a cold snort:
"You followed Prince Lu in rebellion and now face such a fate. Do you have any regrets?"
Regret may not have been present, but most, to survive, would certainly claim to be remorseful.
The sinful cultivators wept bitterly, wishing to escape this torment. However, when Hu Long revealed his identity as someone from the Northern Imperial Guard, these sinners immediately put away their pretense. They began to loudly denounce him, declaring they would rather starve to death in the Demon Confinement Palace than bow to the court!
Nonsense. If they bowed, they would lose their lives! Having committed such grave offenses, who could expect to walk out alive from the Northern Imperial Guard? At least in the Demon Confinement Palace, they could linger on for a few more years!
The captured sinners all declared they had no regrets and begged Hu Long not to arrest them, wishing instead to remain in the Demon Confinement Palace for a few more years!
"You wish! If I do not take you away today, I shall leave your lives here for now! I will report to the Son of Heaven, and then your fates shall be decided!"
Hu Long had no official documents regarding their disposition, so he couldn't punish them. Taking them back to the Forbidden City was also not feasible, as the Forbidden City had flown into the sky. According to Grandmaster Zhang, such external criminals should be expelled. Good places should not harbor potential threats; if such individuals were to self-detonate one day, it could turn hundreds or thousands of people into scattered fragments.
Of course, there were deeper reasons...
"On my way here, I encountered some people..."
Hu Long briefly explained to Ji Xiang. On his way to Wudang Mountain, he had seen several great cultivators from other sects, dusty and dejected, gathered together and flying towards the northeast. After stopping them, he learned that some events had transpired at Wudang Mountain previously.
If these sinful cultivators were to be killed directly, the court would have no reason to ask the cultivators of those sects to assist in battle. It was better to detain them at Wudang Mountain for the time being, with the court promising them rewards if they fought bravely and earned merit, thereby redeeming themselves.
This would, to a certain extent, prevent those great cultivators from slacking off during the war.
Although the sinful cultivators had already committed grave errors, if they were not executed at their own mountain gates but by the court or Wudang Mountain, their sects would lose face. This was especially true for Chongyang Palace and Laoshan. The former, as the head of the Quanzhen Dao, would likely see its already dwindling followers scatter further if such a dire incident occurred. Therefore, the expedition to Korea was not only to summon Ji Xiang but also to dispatch cultivators from various sects to provide support.
Immortals against immortals, mortals against mortals – this was only fair.
Regarding the situation in Shuntian Prefecture. The offices of the Northern Imperial Guard had also been relocated. Within the Imperial City... no, more precisely, within Shuntian Prefecture, the prisoners in the jails had essentially been brought out and reassigned based on the severity of their crimes.
Thus, Shen Weijing, the old man who had been imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, was also released and entrusted with important tasks again.
Furthermore, Old Man Shen volunteered to continue his service on the Korean battlefield, but Emperor Wanli flatly rejected him. This saddened Old Man Shen, as he had finally been released from prison only to be unable to see his good brother. The "Crouching Dragon and Young Phoenix" combination could not be restored, and it was a regret that he, as Crouching Dragon, could not strategize and win battles from afar.
He expressed his hope that after the war ended, his good brother and "Young Phoenix," the great intelligent one, Konishi Yukinaga of the Japanese army, would still be alive.
As for the ominous East Yue Temple, which had been haunted, it was given to a Western missionary to build a Christian church. Many people said the place was unclean, but the bearded Westerner stated he liked unclean places!
Unclean places had cheaper land!
"Broadly speaking, this is the situation in Shuntian. The next person to visit should be Shen Weijing. He cried asking the True Master to take him as a disciple. I think we can let him be the supervisor of this Demon Confinement Palace..."
"And True Master, please do make sure to head to the assembly point within five to six days..."
The assembly point mentioned was the location for the Ming Dynasty's third reinforcement deployment. Japan had increased its naval forces, and naturally, the Ming Dynasty also needed to dispatch more naval forces. If Ji Xiang were to wait a few more days before leaving, a contingent of naval forces would be departing from a crossing on the Yangtze River, and he could board their ship directly.
It was not easy to go abroad. Flying consumed immense spiritual power. If he encountered combat immediately upon arrival due to excessive depletion, affecting his performance would be unacceptable. Traveling abroad would also be influenced by the national prestige of other countries...
Ji Xiang thought of the Southern Forbidden City. His current national destiny was tied to the Ming Dynasty. If the Ming Dynasty's national prestige suffered defeat in battlefield engagements, it would definitely affect him.
"Naval reinforcements, traveling by sea, won't that take a long time?"
"Not long! With the help of the gods of the water and sea! The Cloud God will drive away the mist, the Wind God will push the waves, and the Sea God will stir the surf. A journey of thirty days can be completed in just five days! Within five days, True Master can conserve his energy and prepare for the great battle!"
The Ming court dispatched some divine generals. These were local deities similar to the King of Zhenjiang. Some were deified folk gods, while others had received positions in the celestial bureaucracy. Their strength was formidable. After Prince Lu's death, some divine generals, seeing the trend, remained silent and showed no unusual behavior. This time, the court issued dispatch orders to these divine generals in a very short period. They dared not disobey and all expressed their willingness to assist with all their might.
"There is one more thing! If True Master encounters any ambitious demonic beings again, even if they are not exceptionally loyal to the country, as long as their morals are not those of bloodthirsty individuals, you can recommend them! The Son of Heaven has already issued an imperial decree, and simultaneously summoned a large number of Confucian scholars..."
"To draft a decree for the Investiture of the Gods!"
Seeing Ji Xiang's confusion, Hu Long briefly explained.
The decree had not yet been finalized, so the details could not be clarified, but overall, Emperor Wanli and Grandmaster Zhang, among others, decided to conduct a large-scale Investiture of the Gods to compensate for the weakness of the Forbidden City's forces!
Of course, they could not deify heavenly gods, but rather a large number of folk gods. However, these folk gods would have legitimate imperial sacrifices, and temples would be erected in various regions for their worship. Their role would be to serve as divine generals for the court. At the same time, the Investiture of the Gods would not grant deities as much power as in the past.
The appearance of the strange folk deity Ling Xiao Nü, who stole the position of the Fire God and burned the Forbidden City, could not happen again. Therefore, a crucial point to be established during the Investiture of the Gods was the elimination of the "Son of Heaven's Sacrifice" step!
Without this step, the status of folk gods was lowered. Furthermore, with the participation of Confucian scholars, the application of divine power would be suppressed. They could not wield incense and offerings indiscriminately as in the past but would be subject to restrictions and rules.
And for the divine generals, there was an additional benefit! The emperor would not casually revoke their divine positions; they would only be punished for committing the ten heinous crimes!
Of course, the definition of the ten heinous crimes was redefined under Emperor Wanli's advocacy, the first time since the Sui Dynasty!
Even with so many stipulations, this decree for the Investiture of the Gods remained a highly attractive option for demons! With the power of incense, they could save decades of arduous cultivation. The power of the worship of the masses was immense, not to mention being bound to the dynasty's national destiny. If they guarded a region, their future prospects would be limitless. Perhaps they could even use this as a stepping stone to receive positions among the celestial gods, truly transforming from a commoner into a phoenix, ascending to the heavens in one leap!
"Farewell!"
Hu Long handed the imperial decree to Ji Xiang. Whether it was officially announced or not was irrelevant; at the level of Immortals, such formalities were unnecessary.
The sinful cultivators were overjoyed. The court's envoy had left, and they could live again. Regardless of how many days they had left, at least they would not die now.
"Everyone! Our task is not yet finished."
After Wudang cultivators saw off Hu Long, Ji Xiang, in his capacity as the head of the Daoist Registry Bureau, summoned all the cultivators. He instructed everyone, except for Patriarch Dongyun, to cultivate only the "Ultimate Great Spiritual Consciousness Scripture" within these five days! He also selectively recounted his and Zhang Sanfeng's investigation of the Taiping Town ruins to them.
Upon learning of the strange human-faced fog that could turn a person's three souls into rotten water and give rise to new consciousness from the physical body – a more terrifying and bizarre method than soul possession – the faces of the Wudang cultivators turned pale.
For Patriarch Dongyun, Ji Xiang intended to impart the Five Tooth Celestial Scripture as a means to screen disciples, preparing for the future unification of the inner and outer landscapes and the preservation of the Daoist lineage.
As for the consumption of the second-stage immortal elixir, it would likely have to be postponed!
...
Xiangyang City. The young lady of a wealthy family suddenly fell into a coma and could not be awakened. Since yesterday, several people in the city had exhibited similar conditions.
A doctor in his fifties, carrying his medical kit, moved between the beams and pillars, rushing through the marketplace. Upon entering the large courtyard, he was greeted by servants and hurried to the side of the comatose young lady.
"Divine Doctor, please see what has happened to my daughter!"
The wealthy man's face was etched with anxiety. After examining her for a while, the old doctor informed him that this was a strange condition that had appeared recently. In the past two days, many people in Xiangyang had suffered from these unexplained comatose symptoms. It appeared to be an epidemic and was contagious, yet the patients showed no signs of illness on their bodies.
"The person's complexion is visibly fading. When I arrived earlier, I examined a comatose patient I had diagnosed two days ago. His face was pale, his breath faint, clearly a sign of the soul scattering. In medicine, the soul resides in the liver, mediated by blood, nourished by liver blood."
"The blood and qi are deficient. Deficiency in blood and qi belongs to the heart. When the heart's qi is weak, the person fears, closes their eyes, and sleeps."
"Prolonged sleep without waking is a sign of liver problems. The spirit disperses, and the soul wanders aimlessly..."
The master, upon hearing this, was delighted: "So, there is a way to solve this?"
"No, the strange thing is that I prescribed some medications to nourish the liver and calm the spirit, but the patient did not wake up after taking them, nor did their condition improve... Although the effects of the medicine are not immediate, it should take at least five days to see results. However, upon re-examination, I found that the medicinal power was like a stone sinking into the sea, with no echo."
This meant it was completely ineffective, and waiting would not resolve the issue.
"I can only try my best..."
As he was speaking, a sudden commotion erupted from the other side as the main gate was broken open. The servants of the wealthy family were extremely alarmed. The servants who entered rushed forward, found the old doctor, and cupped their hands:
"The Prince of Xiangyang is gravely ill and cannot be awakened. Please, Divine Doctor, save him!"
The old doctor quickly inquired about the situation at the Prince of Xiangyang's mansion. The old Prince of Xiangyang had died two years ago, and it was now his son who managed the mansion. The son, in his early twenties, had not yet inherited the princely title but was in good health. This was because the old doctor's father had previously treated this noble son, who had abundant yang energy and a long lifespan, making him immune to ordinary illnesses.
"This... even the Prince's mansion has not been spared. Has the young prince encountered anyone in the past two days?"
"He has encountered so many people! How can we know clearly!"
The servants of the Prince's mansion wanted to take the old doctor away. The wealthy family hurriedly shouted, stating that the illness here was not yet resolved and how could he go to treat someone else? However, they were met with obstruction and fists. Seeing this, the old doctor could only sigh helplessly.
Power is higher than money, and money is higher than ordinary people. This has always been the case since ancient times.
"Why don't you all go and invite the eminent masters from various Taoist temples and Buddhist monasteries to see if they have any solutions for this?"
The old doctor suggested: "This illness is likely beyond the reach of medicine. I fear it is related to demonic spells. Mortal power may not be able to resolve it."
"It's useless. The masters in those Taoist temples and monasteries are also experiencing similar situations. Their disciples collapse and fall into a coma after being blown by the wind, and it is said that a portion of their souls has also vanished. They are busy treating themselves and have no time to help us."
"That's why we can only come to you! You are the son of a divine doctor, you have traveled far and wide with your father, seen countless plagues and cures, and even possess techniques to remove curses. If anyone in the world can solve this strange disease, it must be you."
The old doctor listened in silence, then shook his head: "Alas, my medical skills are insufficient. If my father were still alive, he would surely have a way to deal with it."
"I can only do my best..."
The old doctor sighed, feeling extremely powerless. As the servants were walking, a demonic wind suddenly swept through the street, blinding their eyes. Shortly after, seven or eight monsters emerged from the ground, with strange appearances. The servants were immediately startled and surrounded the old doctor. The old doctor, however, was not afraid and said to the monsters:
"Mortals have fallen into a comatose illness, and even cultivators cannot escape it. Are even demons coming to seek help now?"
The monsters chattered, and one of them, a tanuki demon, jumped out: "Are you Li Jian Yuan, the son of Li Shizhen?"
"I am."
The old doctor admitted. The tanuki demon immediately said: "Some of our brethren here have also fallen into a comatose illness. We heard you are a skilled physician, so we came to invite you. However, from your previous words, it seems this strange illness in Xiangyang is not treatable by medicine! We are here to remind you that there is a place that can help the people here."
"Last month, two people contracted the same comatose illness and were transported to Wudang Mountain in the north by three corpse gods. They passed by us, and we saw them."
"Later, within ten days, we heard that two important figures from Wudang Mountain went to the mountains south of Xiangyang and inquired about some matters with the demonic brethren there, seemingly searching for the source of this strange illness. Those demonic brethren also told us that if there was anything unusual here, we should immediately report it to Wudang. We do not know the details of this strange illness, so we are prepared to take you to Wudang Mountain, where you might find some answers."
The old doctor's spirits immediately lifted: "Is that so! Then there is no time to delay. Please, all you demon kings, take me with you."