Chapter 137 Shas Appear

In the South Sea region, a land of Zhufa teachings, Fogui felt uneasy.

He stared at a bowl of white water in his hand, his gaze shifting downwards.

The bowl was perfectly still.

The water was also undisturbed.

But his gaze continued downwards, not towards the tables, chairs, or the ground.

The Buddha sees a bowl of water, eighty-four thousand insects.

Water in Buddhism is a name, capable of transforming into the Prajna sacred fruit. It can become Bodhi dew, leading people into dreams.

In dreams, one can awaken to Zen, becoming countless streams to cleanse the mortal body, or even the Yellow Springs, where a single drop brings oblivion.

The water of the human world is still, but within its depths, the eighty-four thousand water insects are restless. Under Fogui's gaze, one of the insects twisted its body, drawing all eighty-four thousand insects together.

It transformed into a wisp of white smoke, rising from the bowl of water.

It was a creature like a loach, earthen yellow but entwined with grey clouds. After emerging from the bowl, it turned its small eyes, curiously observing the world and the Fogui who was watching it.

"Tu Niao, stealing water to cause floods, stirring clouds to bring rain, belonging to the category of Ten Directions Evil Stars."

Fogui stared at it intently. The small loach also stared at Fogui. At this moment, a disciple serving here saw the appearance of the Evil Star, and was shocked, thinking it was some kind of monster. He hurriedly stepped forward to help, wanting to catch and kill the small loach.

But Fogui waved his hand, stopping the actions of the serving disciples, and slowly turned his head, staring at another damp corner of the wall.

"Croak—"

A red-skinned toad squatted in the corner, appearing from nowhere, also staring with its small eyes, fixedly watching the people in the room.

"Gou Zhu... essence of the stove, capable of bringing good fortune to people, belonging to the category of Ten Directions Evil Stars."

Fogui stopped his Zen meditation in the room. He came to the courtyard and saw a group of green geese in the courtyard. As soon as he came out, they all turned their heads to look at him.

"Fu Ni, appearing whenever a dam is built, inevitably causing the dam to collapse that night. Throwing five-colored zongzi will make it leave... detested by boatmen... Ten Directions Evil Stars."

These Evil Stars should have appeared in specific places, but instead, they were concentrated around him. The red-skinned toad was squatting in the corner instead of near the stove. There were no dams here in the South Sea, let alone within a Zhufa-cultivating sect, and a water insect in a bowl of water was able to transform into a Ten Directions Evil Star. This kind of thing was happening before his very eyes.

He was very familiar with why this was happening!

Although he didn't sense any movements, someone in this world must have ascended to immortality!

"Outside the border... But, I didn't see any signs of ascension, nor did I sense any immortal power, yet the impact has spread to the South Sea. The Evil Stars, rarely seen by the world, have appeared one after another..."

Fogui thought that the outside world must be in chaos now.

The people of Guangdong in this South Sea region greatly revered these roadside wild gods, which was also the reason for the lasting prosperity of the Zhufa teachings. No matter what kind of gods or demons, as long as they protected the territory and brought peace to the people, they could receive orthodox worship. The people here believed him to be a righteous god, and after decades, even if he wasn't originally, he was now.

However, ordinary people still didn't often see the Evil Stars.

Sure enough, someone soon found Fogui. This was the Zhufa teaching's gateway under the Thunder King, so he naturally had to come in person because he also had a strange feeling in his heart.

It was like a force accumulating in his chest, unable to be released, and at this moment, he also had a premonition that an opportunity had arrived, so he came specifically to ask.

"The streets outside are in chaos. Evil Stars are appearing everywhere, regardless of whether they are auspicious or inauspicious. In broad daylight, wild ghosts are roaming. The spirits of the sea and the creatures of the mountains have all come out. Some people have even seen flood dragons stirring up the sea, causing great unrest."

"I also have an impulse in my heart. What exactly is this..."

The Thunder King said, then suddenly paused.

"What's wrong?" Fogui asked, seeing his expression change. The Thunder King's tone became hurried.

"Another feeling has come..."

"Another one?"

"Yes. It's like urging me to make a decision as soon as possible."

"Ah... so it has affected this place as well."

"Master, what does this mean?" The Thunder King's gaze became serious. He didn't know if what Fogui was about to say was consistent with the answer he had in his heart, but soon, he received an accurate response.

"If you have such a strong feeling, then it must be true. It's just that this situation is too terrifying."

"There are clearly no signs of ascension, but the effects of ascension have affected Guangzhou. Who exactly is this ascender, and where are they ascending from?"

"I'm afraid it's not just you who has this feeling. The other Chunyang leaders must also have sensed it, but their feelings must not be as strong as yours because they haven't reached the pinnacle of humanity."

The Thunder King's eyes gradually widened.

"In other words, my idea was correct!"

"Someone has become an immortal!"

Following Zhang Tianshi, the second true ascender in the human world had finally appeared, and judging from Fogui's assessment, it seemed to be extremely terrifying?

"How does it compare to Zhang Tianshi?"

"It's hard to say. I haven't seen the situation of the current Zhang Tianshi's ascension. If I could know the phenomena..."

Before he could finish speaking, another Zhufa teaching leader came in a panic, bringing news said to have been sent back by the people of Biyou Palace in the north through communication talismans!

Earthquake, a very large earthquake! It's unknown how many hundreds of miles it spans or where it came from! The sky is tilting towards the northwest, and the sea of clouds is like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting. The atmosphere is boiling, and the Evil Stars are running wild on the earth. Demons and monsters are panicking, and the sea is surging. The whole world is shaking!

Fogui's eyes also gradually widened.

As a powerful god and Buddha who had existed since the Song Dynasty, he had seen many ascenders, but he had never heard of or seen anything like an 'earthquake.'

"Unbelievable, unbelievable! I know who this person is!"

Without a doubt, there was no need to wait for Fogui to say the answer. His expression had become somewhat fearful, while the Thunder King frowned deeply.

"Is it the Dao Lord of the imperial court? To ascend at this time, although the phenomena haven't spread to us, the impact has already arrived. This is Guangzhou, which is extremely far from the capital. If even this place is affected, can it be assumed that..."

"He is showing us his power?"

They had already received a reply from the imperial court, and they knew that the imperial court had sent that Dao Lord south. But to cause such a commotion at this juncture... Wasn't this a disguised display of force?

It must be! Who would ascend near their enemy's doorstep? In the capital, in Korea, at Mount Tai, where couldn't one ascend?

The impulse in the Thunder King's heart grew stronger.

Fogui pondered for a moment and said to him,

"Since that's the case, why not respond to this feeling? You are also a peak powerhouse in the human world. Perhaps at this time, the ascension of that Dao Lord is the arrival of an opportunity... I will protect you."

"It's now. Ascend here! With an immortal coming south, without an immortal, it will be difficult to resist. Relying on this old monk might not work."

Fogui had learned some big things not long ago. An Enlightened Bodhisattva had crossed the border and descended in divine form, almost being torn apart by that Dao Lord. Even a descending flying immortal was so embarrassed, let alone an ordinary immortal?

He had not yet reached the realm of Enlightenment, being one step short. If he fought with Ji Xiang, he would not gain any advantage. It would be better to let the Thunder King ascend at this time. Moreover, due to the great faith, the entire Guangzhou could be used as the Thunder King's immortal paradise!

His strength would far exceed ordinary immortals!

He looked at the Zhufa teaching leaders who had come here and suggested,

"If you all have a premonition, whoever wants to ascend, do it as soon as possible. Do not delay!"

If they failed, they would have no chance to ascend in this life. Of course, if they didn't ascend now, they probably wouldn't be able to ascend later either.

The world stretched far away. After the people were stirred, three immortal pillars shot into the sky. One was extremely large, while the other two, although equally powerful, were far inferior to the first in terms of momentum, and even had a sense of collapse, as if they had been forcibly condensed.

But next.

The faith of the South Sea, countless incense wishes, began to support these three immortal pillars.

For the past two hundred years, the accumulation of the people, their prayers, faith, wishes, and intentions, all looked towards these pillars ascending to the sky.

The blessing of the people!

........

The same scene also appeared on Mount Wudang.

The distance from Mount Wudang to Shangqing was like the distance from Shangqing to Guangzhou. There was no earthquake seen on the mountain either, but it had also been affected, and the Ten Directions Evil Stars had been startled.

Zhang Sanfeng looked at the other palaces. There were quite a few Chunyang on Mount Wudang. Although Daoist Pei was at Dragon Tiger Mountain and not here, there were still two peak Chunyang.

Including Dongyunzi, who had recovered not long ago and quickly returned to the Chunyang realm, there were now three peak Chunyang on Mount Wudang.

"It's good to try your luck."

All those who had reached the pinnacle of humanity had that premonition at this time. Although it was not as strong as Bixia Yuanjun's, and perhaps the tribulations they would suffer during ascension would not be as easy as hers, and their accumulation was not as strong as hers, they felt that there was a chance if they risked it.

Three immortal pillars rose from Wudang!

At the same time, two immortal pillars also rose from Dragon Tiger Mountain, but one of them was far inferior to the other. At a glance, it was the kind that was likely to fail.

In normal times, this kind of immortal pillar would definitely not pass the demonic trial.

But this was the order that the Tianshi had sent to Dragon Tiger Mountain. So, apart from Daoist Pei, who was temporarily staying here from Wudang Mountain, the only cultivator on Dragon Tiger Mountain who had not yet reached the pinnacle of Chunyang, and was still lacking some accumulation, had no choice but to follow the order and take a gamble.

At the same time, Zhang Tianshi also sent messages to other Daoist sects who were willing to obey the imperial court's dispatch, or who had a good relationship with him. Along with the transmission of these messages, immortal pillars of varying power gradually rose from the land of the Great Ming!

The Demon King was not here at this time.

If they didn't fight at this time, when would they!

All the sects that had the ability to reach the threshold of ascension were using the foundation of their sect. The success or failure of their sect over hundreds of thousands of years was like a single gamble!

In the Northern Chongyang Palace and on Zhongnan Mountain, one immortal pillar rose into the sky in each place.

On Mount Laoshan in the East Sea, one immortal pillar pierced through the high heavens.

On Mount Hua, one immortal pillar broke through the clouds, with great momentum.

On Mount Qingcheng in Sichuan, one immortal pillar soared into the sky.

On Mount Gezao, the last of the Three Mountains, a fierce immortal light soared into the air, stirring up the wind and clouds on the ground, indicating its deep accumulation.

In the Nine Border Towns, two immortal pillars coiled and ascended, and vast military aura turned into array clouds, pressing all the way to the north, crossing the Great Wall, causing the desert north of the Great Wall to rumble!

On Mount Changbai, one immortal pillar had the greatest momentum, causing the entire Mount Changbai to shake and tremble! Following this immortal pillar, a small immortal pillar rose, but its momentum was weak. It had just risen when it already felt exhausted. The luck of the entire Mount Changbai was converging here, seemingly preparing to forcibly lift this small immortal pillar up.

In total, there were fifteen immortal pillars rising into the sky, which meant that fifteen people had reached the level of ascension before this time. However, the path of immortality was difficult. If they failed, their cultivation would turn into flowing water and suffer great losses, especially the old Daoist in Chongyang Palace, the last face of the Quanzhen School. If Zhang Tianshi hadn't told him that this was the greatest opportunity in two hundred years, he would rather sit and die than ascend.

In this era, if a Chunyang died, their sect would inevitably fall, like Shangqing. With the mountain lord missing and Shangqing without a leader, it was difficult to compete with the Zhufa teachings. There was a lack of experts at the Chunyang level. In recent years, the South Sea Zhufa teachings had produced several Chunyang-level figures. They collected incense, condensed incense true bodies to help their cultivation, and gained a large amount of faith. Although their strength greatly decreased outside the South Sea, as long as they were in places where Zhufa teachings flourished, their strength would not decline. Therefore, they wanted to promote Zhufa teachings to seize the faith of the orthodox sects and enhance their strength.

Similarly, if the Southern Zhufa teachings were included, there were now eighteen immortal pillars.

Before this, in the human world, apart from Ji Xiang, the 'Remnant Immortal,' there were seven other true immortals, such as Ge Tianshi and Qin Nvxiu, who had all undergone corpse liberation and reincarnation, and did not listen to the orders of the current dynasty.

From this time onwards, there were twenty-five immortals in the world!

One person attains the Dao.

Chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!

When Ji Xiang ascended, there was a thousand li of earthquake, and the sea of clouds collapsed like mountains.

When Bixia Yuanjun took advantage of the situation to ascend, there were three hundred li of wind, rain, thunder, and lightning.

And when eighteen peak Chunyang all ascended, no matter how many of them were forced to do so, with the incense and wishes accumulated over two hundred years as their foundation, even if they were forcibly pushed, they could still enter the threshold of the immortals!

Even if they were the weakest, at the bottom of the immortals, they were still "immortals"!

The world's phenomena had almost covered the eastern and south-central parts of the Ming Dynasty. The people in this land were terrified and confused. The phenomena they saw in each place were completely different. Of course, in the land south of the Yangtze River, they could see several phenomena superimposed together, forming a vast formation.

On Mount Wudang, for example, heavenly thunder struck the summit, with hundred li of thunderclouds striking the mountain. At the same time, there was a void wind blowing across the earth, accompanied by the humming and vibrating of all metal weapons, such as precious swords and sabers!

........

Outside the East Sea, Xu Fu was upgrading Japan into a complete divine kingdom, and at this time, his heart was filled with a palpitation. The enormous pressure instantly made him somewhat unbearable. Past emotions and desires all emerged from his heart, which meant that a huge change had occurred in the world. Especially for him, a "pseudo-immortal" connected to the divine kingdom, he could sense the change most clearly.

And the source of this change was still his hometown, also the enemy he had just fought.

On the west side of the sea.

In that Central Earth!

"Someone has ascended? Is it that black-clothed kid? But the ascension of just one person is not enough to make me feel palpitation. What exactly is going on..."

He was overseas, and it was difficult for him to clearly know the movements that were happening in the West Sea at this time.

However, seeing that the divine kingdom was about to be completed, and the time for the whole country to ascend was not far away, he no longer cared about these things.

After the divine kingdom was built, within the divine kingdom, he would be like the heart of heaven, almost omnipotent. Although external attacks were insufficient, self-preservation was more than enough. Moreover, if the divine kingdom annexed the Ming Dynasty, then the divine kingdom would incorporate the Ming Dynasty, and the entire land of the Ming Dynasty would become his terrestrial divine kingdom, merging with the current Japan.

The fusion of luck, and even the fusion of the concept of the country, was more powerful, tighter, and more imperceptible than the battle of swords and soldiers.

........

In the True Spirit Ranking Chart.

An immortal figure stepped out.

Vast immortal aura surged around him, but it was firmly locked and difficult to leave. Finally, it was all absorbed into that immortal figure!

When achieving the Immortal Dao, according to one's own understanding, one could achieve a true great supernatural power that connected heaven and earth!

That supernatural power imprint fell and transformed into his palm.

Ji Xiang stepped out of the True Spirit Ranking Chart, raised his head to the sky, and only felt great joy. Seeing the thousand li of sky rumbling and shaking, he just exhaled, and in an instant, the sea of clouds dissipated, the earthquake stopped, and the immortal energy surrounded him, making him feel that there was infinite power in his body, as if he could reach out and pick the stars and catch the moon.

Having achieved the Immortal Dao, below the Heart of Heaven, there was no longer anyone who could stop him! He could sweep away the world with one hand!

Snow presses down on the branches, though low, it does not touch the mud.

Once the red sun rises, it is still equal to the sky!