All Li Shanhe representatives in the world have lost contact with the Heavenly Palace forces they represent.
All Heavenly Palaces have fallen silent, not only due to the demotion and damage of countless Immortals, but also because the closer Li Shanhe gets to Biao Shanhe, the more this damage will continue, according to the deductions of the Heavenly Heart cultivators.
The Way of Heaven takes the strong to supplement the deficient.
The Way of Man makes the strong stronger and the weak weaker.
But this expansion or weakening is not limitless; when an extremely powerful Li Shanhe attempts to touch the power of the Heavenly Way, it will be relentlessly weakened by the Heavenly Way. Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. To the Heavenly Way, Immortals and mortals are ordinary beings. Without reaching the level of the Dao, they are all on the same tier.
Similarly, the weak Biao Shanhe will be continuously reinforced.
In the cloud sea of the Heavenly Palaces, a command was issued from the Zhu Huo Heavenly Palace:
Cease all Immortals from descending to Biao Shanhe in their physical and spiritual forms!
The Zhu Huo Heavenly Palace of the Shang Qing Sect sealed itself, but a dispute broke out within. The Shang Qing Ancestral Scripture was about to appear, and at such a critical juncture, there was no need to consider the mutual transformation of Heaven and Man!
"For legitimacy, we must obtain the Shang Qing Ancestral Scripture! Since the Immortals have already been demoted, why not go all out and find a way to perform inverse corpse dissolution through the Yin world's Dharma realm and enter the human world!"
Some Immortals were still unwilling to give up. Anyway, those who had comprehended Taiyi and Da Luo were already ruined and could no longer break through to the Heavenly Heart realm. Not only that, but they could not even touch the peak of ascension. Their path as rogue Immortals was cut off until their lifespan was exhausted.
Since that was the case, why not let them undergo inverse corpse dissolution, shed their Immortal bodies again, and perhaps have a chance to return.
"Unacceptable."
As soon as this statement was made, it was opposed by another Flying Immortal at the peak of ascension.
"Madam Wei has ordered that no one is allowed to perform inverse corpse dissolution! Entering Biao Shanhe is extremely dangerous... We have learned from Yuan Huang that the Heavenly Will has sent down its form, and the Demon King has descended to the mortal realm. You, who lack the Dao heart, will shed your Immortal bodies and enter Biao Shanhe, only to endure the demon tribulation again. This demon tribulation will be no ordinary one!"
The four Heavenly Hearts closest to the human world were monitoring Yuan Huang. The matter of the Demon King's descent had already been discovered. Moreover, the Buddhist sect's Huiji Vajra had known about this matter for a long time. They had even called in a favor from the Buddha Emperor, which had caused considerable displeasure among the other three Heavenly Hearts for not revealing it earlier.
Upon hearing this, many demoted Immortals recalled that the Zhu Huo Palace had a grudge with that Demon King. The voices within became noisy, and they sighed, calling it troublesome.
Their good intentions had long since vanished. To re-experience the demon tribulation would be certain death. The Heavenly Will sending the Demon King to the mortal realm at this crucial time when Biao and Li Shanhe were merging was clearly aimed at them.
"Kill him!"
Someone spoke out. A rogue Immortal who had just been demoted was filled with hatred and indignation: "This humble one is willing to go! Capture and kill this person!"
"Although the Demon King's descent is terrifying, upon careful consideration, it is merely dragging a residual Immortal's body. It can be inferred that they cannot truly manifest and must rely on the reincarnation of the deceased or the resurrection of those who underwent corpse dissolution..."
Before the rogue Immortal could finish speaking, the Flying Immortal nodded:
"No need to say more."
"What you said may have already been confirmed."
"One day in heaven is one year in the human world. The so-called heaven is a place of Dao, and the so-called human world is a place without Dao. Li Shanhe is prosperous in magic but not in the Great Dao. We see Biao Shanhe as a fleeting dream, and after a long period, the human world is but a day."
"About ten years ago."
The Flying Immortal informed the rogue Immortals that several corpse-dissolved Immortals had appeared in Biao Shanhe, and they had all awakened suddenly, with a common characteristic.
They were all Han Immortals!
The cultivation system of Han Dynasty Immortals was not yet complete. Heavenly Heart and Hunyuan referred only to a spiritual level, not a basis for cultivation. At that time, becoming an Immortal was the highest rank. It was not until the Wei and Jin dynasties that distinctions like Heavenly Immortal, Earth Immortal, and Corpse-Dissolved Immortal were made, with methods like ascending to the heavens in broad daylight appearing as the supreme method of becoming an Immortal.
According to what the Flying Immortal said, Han Immortals might have become vessels for the Demon King's descent, and it was the Heavenly Will that caused them to awaken in this era!
These were the oldest batch of Immortals. There were not many Qin and Han ancient Immortals in Li Shanhe. A large number of ancient cultivators explored the methods of corpse dissolution and died in their slumber. It was not until tens of thousands of years later in Li Shanhe that these people gradually awakened, as if to remind the world that they still existed.
Gu Shuang
"I believe other Heavenly Palaces have also noticed."
"All Qin and Han Immortals will be wanted in Li Shanhe. If they are truly favored by the Heavenly Way, then we can learn some methods of cultivating the True Realm of the Heavenly Way from them."
"Even if we don't know anything, by controlling them, we can prevent them from cultivating to the True Realm of the Heavenly Way."
The old ghosts of Qin and Han did not abide by the unified order of Li Shanhe and huddled together with the few surviving Tang Immortals for warmth. Therefore, if they cultivated to the True Realm of the Heavenly Way, they would pose a great threat to the rule of other Heavenly Palaces!
However...
The Flying Immortal's gaze flickered.
If any force had the greatest hope of cultivating a True Realm of the Heavenly Way, it was not the alchemist group, the precursors of the Three Teachings, but the Buddhist sect, which had the largest influence and the most ancient sages in Li Shanhe!
"The True Realm of the Heavenly Way opened by the Great Dao of the Dynasty..."
"The Buddha Emperor, who was once the Son of Heaven of Han, is most likely to achieve it."
In fact, at this time, the alchemists, the Confucian school, and the Taoist school had all begun to exert pressure on the Buddhist sect.
A large number of cultivators gathered outside the Great Thunder Sound Temple!
Dong—!
The sound of the thunderous bell struck, resonating through the Four Great Continents. A powerful Buddhist chant emerged:
"The Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata is aware of your intentions! Please return and inform your Heavenly Heart Venerables!"
"The Buddha Emperor has sealed himself. For the next thousand years, unless the Thunder Sound collapses or the Hell disintegrates, he will not emerge again and will not disturb your competition for the True Realm of the Heavenly Way!"
"Please return!"
The implication was clear: their Buddhist sect would not secretly achieve immortality without them.
However, the flying Immortals were clearly not so easily dismissed.
"I have heard that the Buddhist doctrine is profound."
A Flying Immortal cupped his hands: "We are guests. We have come of our own accord, sincerely listening to the Dharma, until the heavens and earth shatter and the mountains and rivers merge!"
With that, the Immortals chose peaks in the spiritual mountains surrounding the Great Thunder Sound Temple and descended, their Immortal Dharma realms descending and encircling the area.
And within the Great Thunder Sound Temple, Buddhist lights manifested, and the phantom images of Bodhidharma, Kumarajiva, and Master Xuanzang appeared.
.....
Shuntian Prefecture. The people watched in terror as the Forbidden City cracked and flew into the sky, rising higher and higher before disappearing from their sight.
Panic was evident in the streets. They had just experienced the great event of Shuntian's destruction, and not long ago, another earth-shattering change had occurred. Countless people were preparing to flee, to leave Shuntian Prefecture.
"I've lived most of my life, and I thought there was nothing I hadn't seen? Damn it, the things that have happened in the past two or three months, I'll never see again in my next life!"
The dock was instantly crowded. The wealthy rushed to board the ferries, eager to go anywhere but stay in Shuntian!
However, after about an hour of such noise and turmoil. In the sky, a deafening roar like an earthquake and mountain collapse shook the heavens and the universe!
The Forbidden City reappeared, intact, and suspended high in the sky, with the qi of the sun, moon, and stars as its base, and the dust of mountains and rivers as its foundation!
A powerful national destiny erupted from this celestial divine palace, spreading throughout the entire Ming Dynasty!