The Emperor of the Song Dynasty bowed to the celestial deities of the Jin Dynasty and was granted a promise of protection, which, judging by subsequent events, proved to be true. In the early years of Emperor Gaozong's reign, the Southern Song indeed experienced a resurgence, with numerous victories in their northern campaigns, presenting a seemingly bright outlook.
"Who is this Heavenly King of the North, that he does not protect his own country but instead dedicates himself to fulfilling Emperor Qinzong's wishes?"
"This is likely a method to acquire the complete inheritance of the Great Dao of the Dynasty."
Zhang Sanfeng found this amusing, and Ji Xiang offered an explanation. After all, the Song Dynasty was considered the legitimate successor in many respects. Even though the Great Dao of the Dynasty was split into several parts during that period, the portion belonging to the Song Dynasty was likely the most special.
During the Tang Dynasty, there was an attempt to construct a Human Dao Dharma Realm to control the Heavenly Dao. In the Forbidden City Dharma Realm, the shadowy figure of Emperor Jianwen recounted that this endeavor failed and was not pursued by later generations until the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. Despite learning from past mistakes, their proposed methods still proved ineffective.
Throughout centuries of inheritance, countless precious items were lost amidst warfare, chaos, conspiracies, power struggles, and even unintentional acts. This was especially true for something as crucial as the Human Dao Dharma Realm. Once discovered during turbulent times, it would immediately become a target for contention and dissection by various factions.
Furthermore, the Tang Dynasty was followed by the Great Chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, during which the Human Dao Dharma Realm was inevitably dismantled. After the subsequent period of minor chaos involving the Song, Liao, Jin, Western Xia, and Dali, Yuan dynasty historians, when compiling historical records, were unsure who constituted the legitimate court. Legally speaking, the Song was legitimate, but the Song also paid homage to the Liao and Jin. What then? Ultimately, they could only compile separate histories for the Liao, Jin, and Song.
As the shadowy figure of Emperor Jianwen stated within the Forbidden City Dharma Realm:
The Human Dao Dharma Realm began in the Tang, fractured in the Five Dynasties, transformed in the Song, moved to the Jin, failed in the Yuan, and vanished in the Ming.
The current Human Dao Dharma Realm has become the Forbidden City Dharma Realm, which, in a strict sense, is a castrated version, not what the dynasties of the past had hoped for. It is merely a compromise, a fallback product from the original ultimate goal.
"But if one wanted to obtain the complete inheritance, wouldn't destroying the Song Dynasty and replacing it be a better option?"
Zhang Sanfeng found Ji Xiang's explanation weak. He was a man from the later period of that era. Although his age did not compare to the old pig demon before him, he had at least witnessed the final moments of the Song Dynasty's demise. If the Heavenly King of the North possessed such divine power to revive a dynasty, it meant he could influence worldly changes, placing him at least among the four Heavenly Heart realms capable of overseeing the human world throughout history.
Lord Hai Shen spoke, "Do the two immortal lords know of the Four Heavenly Hearts?"
As a pig demon who had lived through the Song Dynasty, even if he remained detached from worldly affairs, his cultivation allowed him to sense certain things. Moreover, after centuries, the absence of ascensions in the Yuan Dynasty did not preclude ascensions before it. During the Song Dynasty, immortals from the inner rivers and mountains frequently manifested, and there was no complete severance of ties with the outer rivers and mountains.
"Of course, I know of the Heavenly Heart, the Heavenly Heart realm... titles like True Lord or Heavenly Venerable within the Daoist sects all refer to individuals at the Heavenly Heart level."
"However, before that, I have a question, which I ask the Divine Lord to answer. Before the Song Dynasty, could the inner rivers and mountains frequently dispatch immortals to the mortal world?"
Ji Xiang asked this question. Lord Hai Shen replied, "There is no need to address me as Divine Lord; you may call me Old Hai. It wasn't exactly descending to the mortal world. Once one enters the inner rivers and mountains, returning to the human world is impossible. This is considered a great event, referred to as 'becoming an immortal or a Buddha' in the scriptures of various sects. Those various Pure Lands in the East, those Spiritual Mountains of Buddhism, and even the Confucian school is said to have its own Divine Palace, where they established a Dynasty of Confucian Saints."
Zhang Sanfeng found this interesting, "Senior..."
Lord Hai Shen quickly interjected, "Please, I dare not. With the Immortal of Wudang before me, how could I dare call myself a senior? You may simply call me Old Hai. 'Divine Lord' is merely a title given to mountain animals when they attain sentience, corresponding to points in the four seasons and twelve zodiac hours. How could I address myself as such in front of an immortal?"
Zhang Sanfeng chuckled, "There's no need to be concerned. You are so much older than I am; calling you senior is quite normal. We are simply chatting. But this Dynasty of Confucian Saints you speak of, I have lived for hundreds... I have lived for over a hundred and eighty years and have never heard of it."
"Han."
Lord Hai Shen uttered the name of an ancient dynasty, surprisingly the Han Dynasty.
"Han?"
Both master and disciple were puzzled. Lord Hai Shen explained, "I heard this from my great demon master back then. He seemed to be a disciple of some ancient immortal sect and had some inherited knowledge, but he did not impart it all to me because I was not his true disciple."
"According to him, during the four hundred years of the Han Dynasty, it seems... at least four emperors were still alive. This was thanks to Emperor Wu of Han's..."
A spiritual light flashed in Ji Xiang's eyes, "Emperor Wu of Han's Bolian Terrace! The bronze immortal collecting dew plate!"
"Yes! Precisely that item!"
Lord Hai Shen affirmed, "According to my teacher, the bronze immortal collecting dew plate did indeed allow several Han emperors to live long and prosperous lives, seemingly achieving one person every hundred years. However, after the demise of the Han Dynasty, this ability also ceased with the damage to the collecting dew plate."
"Of course, it's more likely that the Han Dynasty's destiny had run its course, so there was no reason for the Son of Heaven to become an immortal anymore, especially since their imperial rule no longer existed."
"Although the existence of the Han emperors was a long time ago, they still left some traces in the world. Perhaps the medium for their ascension was the collecting dew plate, combined with the destiny of the Great Han? That's roughly how it was, just my idle thoughts from the past. Otherwise, for emperors of all dynasties, cultivating would be a simple matter, as no one controlled greater worldly resources than they did."
One person achieved it every hundred years?
Well, now they truly became divine Han!
Ji Xiang muttered to himself, if that were the case, the true demise of the four hundred-year Han Dynasty should have occurred when Emperor Xian of Han abdicated to Emperor Wen of Wei. However, Emperor Wu of Han was not the founding emperor. Assuming he was the first to achieve ascension on the collecting dew plate... Emperor Wu indeed had legends of ascending with the Queen Mother of the West. Then, two more Han emperors could have emerged. The last one to achieve ascension using this collecting dew plate, because the Han Dynasty had already fallen and the fourth century was incomplete, the ascendant might not have been a Han emperor...
Was it someone from the Three Kingdoms, or perhaps the peach-plucking master from the Sima family?
This thought flashed through his mind.
The Han Dynasty had some strange secrets, such as the current resurgence of many Han immortals. The fragments of the collecting dew plate that Prince Lu possessed, capable of creating sunlight, Dongfang Shuo, Dong Zhongshu, Kasyapa Matanga, Dharmaratna, Zhang Daoling – it is well-known that the Four Heavenly Kings are five people. And these five individuals, whether it was the earliest Dongfang Shuo or the latest Zhang Daoling, were among the first to enter the inner rivers and mountains. Without exception, despite the considerable time span, they were all Han people.
Lord Hai Shen was speaking about Confucianism:
"The Confucian school has its own divine kingdom, but it is very mysterious, and descriptions in worldly texts are not clear enough, to the point where the only term used has been replaced by Buddhist and Daoist terminology."
"In the past, it was called the Other Shore World, meaning to cross the river. In the Han Dynasty, it was called the Radiant World. In the current era, it is called the Great Void World."
The mention of "Great Void" perked Ji Xiang up slightly.
However, there were many things in the world with the term "Great Void." The Great Void World sounded like a counterpart to the Floating Emptiness World, like a shadow...
"But regardless of which world it is, one designation has remained unchanged throughout: the location of the Confucian divine kingdom, whether it be the Other Shore, Radiant, or Great Void, is uniformly called Imperial Heaven."
"The Book of Rites states: 'When bones and flesh perish in the netherworld and become earth, their essence disperses upwards as the Radiant, with mournful sighs, this is the quintessence of all things, the manifestation of spirits.'"
"People of the Han Dynasty said: 'Heaven has five designations, each used according to its suitability. When honored and made a lord, it is called Imperial Heaven.'"
"Therefore, regarding the Dynasty of Confucian Saints in the inner rivers and mountains, I personally speculate that the Han Dynasty did not perish, but why it did not continue its inheritance in the human world, I do not know. The most common conjecture is that their destiny had run its course. Adding some thought, perhaps their individual states were not good, or perhaps the Han emperors, having become immortals, no longer concerned themselves with worldly affairs. After all, the inner rivers and mountains were what the ancients called the Heavenly Realm."
"Those who have ascended to the Heavenly Realm, how would they still concern themselves with matters of the lower realm?"
Ji Xiang asked, "What about the Heavenly Heart? How did it concern you?"
Lord Hai Shen then said, "That's precisely what I was about to discuss! During dynastic transitions, the Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist schools, along with the school of mystics, would each have a Heavenly Heart appear, drawing near to the human world to observe the changes of successive dynasties. Once a dynasty changed, the Heavenly Heart would also be replaced. They observe each era with a specific purpose, either to monitor or indirectly intervene in worldly disputes, just as described in ancient texts..."
"Immortals, below True Lords and Heavenly Venerables, serve as their guards, rushing to and fro. In ancient divine murals, True Lords and Heavenly Venerables are always accompanied by numerous nameless immortals, are they not?"
In the current era, the outer rivers and mountains lack the power to sustain the spiritual and physical forms of immortals. The severance between the outer and inner rivers and mountains is consequently severe. Immortals cannot descend; descending inevitably damages their Dao cultivation and spiritual and physical forms, and they may not be able to return. These all come at a great cost.
This applies to immortals of the outer rivers and mountains as well. Zhang Sanfeng, after several hundred years, has undergone rejuvenation and rebirth several times. In the current environment, immortals who remain in the outer rivers and mountains for extended periods must pay a significant price to maintain their existence, or they must ascend to the inner rivers and mountains.
However, Zhang Tianshi might be an exception. Ji Xiang thought to himself that now that the Forbidden City Dharma Realm has been achieved, even though it is a severely castrated pseudo-Human Dao Dharma Realm, it should be sufficient to sustain the existence of a single immortal.
"The Heavenly King of the North's objective can be inferred from his assistance to Emperor Qinzong. He did not aim to destroy the Song Dynasty but rather to help it. While there are instances of nurturing before killing, judging by the subsequent performance of the Song Dynasty, he completely lost control. As someone at the Heavenly Heart realm, he would not engage in actions that would draw such trouble upon himself."
Zhang Sanfeng mused, "Unless this god had already bet on the Song Dynasty long ago? I do know that the inner rivers and mountains have been manipulating various forces in the outer rivers and mountains, and they have their own supported objects. Such a sudden change in allegiance would not occur..."
It seemed they had discovered a major infiltrator. If he were not at the Heavenly Heart realm, he would at least be a powerful figure capable of altering heavenly destinies. His mention of the Supreme Lord suggests a connection to the Imperial Heaven world of Confucianism?
"If that's the case, he is, at best, merely a Confucian immortal who descended."
Ji Xiang felt that this matter was no longer that important. It appeared to be a case of Confucian interference. Now, the Song emperors in the netherworld were worshipping this divine lord, seeking to use his form to ascend, and incidentally asking for his help?
This could also explain why Scholar Feng became enraged when he asked that Heavenly King which lineage of gods he belonged to. After all, he was asking about your own family's celestial deity, and you were asking so many questions. It served him right that he couldn't pass the imperial examinations.
"Perhaps not necessarily. I never actually heard Emperor Qinzong say those words. My sentience only dawned during Emperor Gaozong's reign. As information traveled from the north to the south, some parts were naturally lost."
The secrets surrounding the Heavenly King of the North could not be definitively resolved. Regarding the giant tomb and that strange world, Ji Xiang could only assume it was a form of Dharma Realm appearing in the human world, causing some past eras to be recalled. With this matter concluded, the area of Taiping Town could only be sealed off, and surrounding mountain monsters could be asked to observe it.
Ji Xiang and Zhang Sanfeng invited Lord Hai Shen to cultivate in Wudang Mountain, which greatly flattered Lord Hai Shen, who expressed his unworthiness as a mere monster to enter the pure mountain.
Ji Xiang told him that the imperial court was in need of capable individuals, and many demon kings had already surrendered and were about to be enfeoffed as divine generals. In the future, they might even be colleagues, and when they achieved immortality, they would help each other. All they needed to do was work hard. The end of the universe is employment; the end of employment is iron...
Oh, at this time, Tieling was not yet the end of employment. At least the immortals there did not have official posts.
"Divine Lord, you have never harmed anyone and have lived in seclusion in the mountains for a long time, cultivating diligently. This is the demeanor of a high Daoist. How can you call yourself a demon?"
Zhang Sanfeng had no prejudice against this, as he had once founded a sect that consisted entirely of monsters.
Ji Xiang rode a celestial horse back to the mountain, summoned the assembled demons, and ordered them to seal off the ancient town, allowing no one to enter or exit. If there were any anomalies, they were to promptly report to Wudang Mountain, and there would surely be rewards. With that, he gave them transit tokens and immediately offered them some incentives. Waves of incense energy emanated, invigorating the demons!
These were wild mountain monsters who had never been worshipped by humans. How could they have encountered such pure incense energy? At that moment, they felt refreshed, as if they were about to break through several realms and refine their demonic bones and blood. Each of them was overjoyed and patted their chests, assuring Ji Xiang that they would immediately report any problems to Wudang.
"Yes, in the future, you will have more tasks, and I will make you all divine generals, worshipped in temples below the mountain. You will not need to fight daily or search for blood food. If you have harmed people in the past, you will atone for it in the future. If not, then do not harbor any harmful intentions from now on."
The old donkey demon immediately flattered, "What are you saying, Immortal Lord? There are many cultivators in Xiangyang City, and the nearby villages are protected by them. With the sacred realm of Wudang here, it's a blessing if those cultivators don't come to attack us. This place is also a remote area of Yang Sha. How could we dare to harm people? We usually just fight amongst ourselves for territory. Now that the Immortal Lord has made a promise, we will no longer need to engage in such killings and can serve as divine generals receiving incense offerings."
Monsters do not necessarily need to eat people to survive. Most of the time, it is simply because eating people is more interesting, purely for enjoyment. However, this also carries risks. After all, the Yuan and Ming dynasties were discontinuous. The current cultivators are all from the Ming Dynasty, and Xiangyang is a major city. It was a key area of support during the early Ming Dynasty. Which great cultivator doesn't have a mortal relative or two?
Seeking momentary pleasure for the tongue is not worth the risk of being wiped out along with nine generations.
Ji Xiang further instructed them that if they encountered any divine plaques or statues of Heavenly Kings of the North, they were to report to Wudang immediately. He also supplemented some details, including the fact that Taiping Town was an ancient town from the Song Dynasty, mentioning that the ghosts in the netherworld were mostly released by Song Dynasty demons, and they were to be wary of strange ghosts appearing here.
After Ji Xiang and the other two left, the mountain monsters celebrated their impending official posts. In their discussions, they naturally talked about the ancient town of Taiping. By then, they knew the town was a relic from the Song Dynasty. However, for these Ming Dynasty demons, the Song Dynasty was a very distant era, especially since most monsters lacked culture.
The old donkey demon then stepped forward. He was considered somewhat cultured among these mountain demons, so he began to explain some basic knowledge of the Song Dynasty to everyone.
"Master Donkey, you've explained it clearly. So, the Song Dynasty didn't legitimately conquer the land. They can't compare to our Great Ancestor!"
Some monsters heckled. Since they were about to get official posts, it was natural to praise the Ming Taizu. However, in their view, this was not much of a boast. Which founding emperor of the past did not have legendary tales? Emperor Gaozu of Han slew a white snake to start his uprising; Emperor Wen of Sui had purple qi filling his courtyard; Emperor Taizong of Tang, though not the founding emperor, built the nation, and legends spoke of two golden dragons circling the palace. As for the Song family, wearing a yellow robe was also considered an auspicious sign!
As for our Great Ancestor?
"I was merely a commoner from Huaiyou, what could the world add to me!"
"When Emperor Taizu of Song was born, it was said that red light and purple qi filled the room..."
"Isn't that copying Emperor Wen of Sui?"
The monsters heckled, but the old donkey demon coughed and stated:
"Emperor Taizu of Song did not, but Emperor Taizong did."
"It is said that during the Chenqiao Mutiny, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky: another sun appeared beneath the sun. This sun below was Emperor Taizong, and when Emperor Taizong was born, a divine person presented him with the sun, and a red light illuminated the sky."
"And the second legend of Emperor Taizong of Song is that he destroyed the dragon qi of the 'Three Imperial Capitals,' namely Chang'an, Luoyang, and Jinyang. Taizu wished to move the capital to Chang'an and Luoyang, but Taizong advised against it, and then Jinyang was burned fiercely by fire... From then on, there was only one Imperial Capital in the world, namely Tokyo in Kaifeng..."
"Uh... this is roughly similar to the story of Immortal Liu Bowen severing several dragon veins during our dynasty's founding. Let's just take it with a grain of salt..."
The monsters laughed heartily, and the mountain air was filled with merriment.
They did not know that the original location of Taiping Town had already returned to its bustling state. In the temple, the Heavenly Net King, clad in black robes with gold trim and wearing a crown with hanging jade beads, was sincerely worshipping this divine Heavenly King.
His form was ethereal, but he could indeed influence the world.
"Thank you, Ancestor Heavenly King."
"For bringing the opportunity of restoration to our Great Song."