Chapter 255 The End of the Agreement

A group of people headed to Mount Tai, but strictly speaking, only Wei Yuan was truly human.

The First Emperor self-deprecatingly considered himself no more than a phantom, while Wang Jian and Wang Ben were true spirits lingering on their weapons. Ehuang and Nying were deities after death. Only Wei Yuan himself had experienced life, death, separation, regret, and sorrow in each of his many reincarnations.

Having already arrived in the land of Qi and Lu, it wouldn't be long before they reached Mount Tai.

The leader of the Five Sacred Mountains.

At the foot of the mountain stood the Dongyue Temple, one of China's four ancient architectural complexes, which had been renovated and expanded by emperors of past dynasties. Encompassing three miles, it contained over one hundred and fifty ancient buildings in the style of the Song Dynasty palace. Many tourists came and went, and there were also Daoists within, quietly cultivating and sweeping.

This was also a Daoist divine mansion.

The Lord of Mount Tai, or rather, a belief mixed with the Lord of Mount Tai presiding over life and death, and the worship of the Eastern Peak.

Mount Tai was located in the east, the land where all things originated, presiding over life and death.

One of the most ancient beliefs in China regarding life and death.

Although it had been partially impacted by the westward spread of Buddhism and the rise of the belief in the Ten Kings of Hell, the fact that it had been worshiped and valued by emperors throughout history led to the increasing status of the Eastern Peak Mansion and this deity of Mount Tai.

The First Emperor walked in front, Wei Yuan walked beside him, looking at this scenic spot which was basically modernized. Within the ancient architecture was a modern core. This place, once used by emperors to sacrifice to Mount Tai, was now a scenic spot open to all.

The practitioners of the Dongyue Temple lineage differed from the Talisman School and the Quanzhen School.

They worshiped the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, the Lord of Mount Tai.

A Daoist with keen eyes saw Wei Yuan and his group at a glance, especially the man walking in front, who was obviously someone who had been in a high position for a long time. He took the initiative to greet them, bowed, and said with a smile, "Are these benefactors here to offer incense and pray?"

The dignified man smiled and asked, "Offer incense, pray, pray for what?"

The old Daoist's disciple interjected, "For incense, we have stick incense, coil incense, pagoda incense, incense pills, incense powder, and incense seals, depending on what the benefactor prefers. As for praying, the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak has boundless power, and any wish can be made."

The dignified man was slightly stunned, then smiled faintly with a hint of helplessness, and said, "A benefactor?"

He turned to the younger, more heroic youth beside him and said:

"Burning incense is a sacrifice offered as smoke to Heaven; the other gods are not qualified to enjoy it."

"This is a tradition that began with King Wen of Zhou."

"Now it has become something that guests can buy?"

He said, "In the end, I'm still not used to it."

The young Daoist scratched his head and said:

"Which Daoist temple or monastery doesn't burn incense and worship gods these days? Isn't this normal?"

"It's been a tradition for at least one or two thousand years."

The old Daoist looked strangely at the man and said, "Does the benefactor wish to enter and worship the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak?"

The First Emperor shook his head and said, "No need."

Wei Yuan and the others all understood this choice.

Especially Wei Yuan, Wang Jian, and Wang Ben.

Whether it was the emperor of the Qin Dynasty worshiping incense sacrifices that only came into being during the Eastern Han Dynasty, or the creator who first suppressed divinity and condensed the jade seal worshiping the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, who was repeatedly conferred titles by later emperors, it would be a reversal and make people feel ridiculed.

Only now did Wei Yuan suddenly realize that Qin was already such a distant past.

So distant that it was even more distant than the ancient gods familiar to people today.

Nying still felt a sense of indignation and resentment in her heart.

This king, who could say when sacrificing to the gods that the gods should know to protect the land and ensure good weather, and who could make mortals go to war against gods in a fit of anger, to ask him to kneel and worship the gods of later Daoist disciples was simply a joke.

Then he came here for…

The First Emperor asked, "Do you have wine here?"

The old Daoist looked at him strangely and said, "We do have some…"

"I want a pot of wine."

"…Alright."

The old Daoist hesitated for a moment, then turned and went inside, taking out a pot of wine. It was the wine used for sacrifices. In fact, most places used less-than-good wine for sacrifices to gods and ghosts. The First Emperor personally took the wine and thanked him casually.

During this time in the modern era, he had become somewhat accustomed to it.

For some reason, the old Daoist felt a sense of being flattered. After hesitating for a moment, he still advised, "It's better for the benefactor not to drink in the temple."

The First Emperor said, "It doesn't matter."

"Go to the top of Mount Tai."

His second sentence was directed at Wei Yuan and the others beside him. The old Daoist was surprised. This was still at the foot of Mount Tai. These people, except for that burly man, didn't look like they had the physical strength to carry wine up the mountain. What if they went up and fell while drinking at the top? How would they be involved?

Moreover.

Coming to Mount Tai and not worshiping the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak, but instead carrying wine to the top of the mountain?

He hadn't seen anything like this in previous years.

But in the blink of an eye, before he could ask further, the group had already walked away.

The First Emperor walked on the mountain path. The scenery he saw along the way was very different from what it had been in his time. Nying hesitated for a moment and asked curiously:

"I heard that the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan and Emperor Zhuanxu all held the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai. My father and husband also came here to meet the gods for the Feng and Shan sacrifices. It was vaguely rumored that King Cheng of Zhou also held the Feng and Shan sacrifices, but after him, I haven't heard of any famous people coming up the mountain, until you."

"How did you hold the Feng and Shan sacrifices?"

Ying Zheng said, "Were you here to meet the gods at that time?"

Ehuang said, "The divine path is Kunlun, the human path is Mount Tai. It has been so since ancient times."

"At that time, humans and gods had not yet separated, and both firmly adhered to the covenant."

"I see…" The First Emperor nodded and said, "I don't know about anything further back, but King Cheng of Zhou certainly did not reach the summit. Guan Zhong once said that there were seventy-two who had held the Feng and Shan sacrifices in the lands of Qi and Lu, but that is also untrue. At least they did not reach the summit of Mount Tai. When I ascended Mount Tai for the Feng and Shan sacrifices, the mountain path had to be reopened and renovated."

Ehuang thought for a moment and said softly, "The state of Lu wanted to hold the Feng and Shan sacrifices, but Confucius stopped them. After Duke Huan of Qi became a hegemon, he also wanted to hold the Feng and Shan sacrifices, but Guan Zhong stopped him. Besides worrying that a human king holding the Feng and Shan sacrifices would provoke the wrath of the gods, I'm afraid they were also worried about the rugged mountain roads and the many demons?"

"After all, the kings who held the Feng and Shan sacrifices in the past were all on the level of myths and legends."

She glanced at the back of the First Emperor and said, "Even if the Feng and Shan sacrifices started with you, the First Emperor, in the two thousand years that followed, only five emperors have held them, and almost every time it was accompanied by conferring titles upon the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak of Mount Tai."

"Five?"

The First Emperor was slightly stunned.

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment and replied, "It's not that the other emperors didn't have this intention, but the last one to hold the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai was Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. He signed the Chanyuan Treaty. It's not that he was a terrible emperor, but it was a bit unfitting for him to hold such a ceremony."

"Before him, the other emperors were from the Han and Tang dynasties."

"Emperor Wu of Han, Emperor Guangwu of Han, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang."

"Because after Emperor Zhenzong of Song held the Feng and Shan sacrifices on Mount Tai, this ceremony, which was originally the greatest achievement and pride of the ancient kings of China, became a bit…"

Wei Yuan was too embarrassed to continue.

It was probably to the extent that the gold content directly plummeted into the Mariana Trench.

If it had been Zhao Kuangyin, it would have been easier to explain.

Zhao Kuangyin failed to recover the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and never came here. You signed the Chanyuan Treaty, paid money to the Liao Kingdom every year, and then ran to Mount Tai to hold the Feng and Shan sacrifices. Zhu Yuanzhang's evaluation of Emperor Zhenzong of Song was based on the Chanyuan Treaty as a dividing line, and the former was clearly an emperor who restored China, but he never mentioned the Feng and Shan sacrifices.

Perhaps he thought about it occasionally in the middle of the night.

But when Empress Ma mentioned that the previous one was Emperor Zhenzong of Song…

With Hongwu's personality, he probably lost interest immediately.

This was a very embarrassing and divisive event in history. After Emperor Zhenzong of Song, the emperors who came to Mount Tai only offered sacrifices. Even the most vainglorious emperors never mentioned the Feng and Shan sacrifices again. By the time Wei Yuan and the others reached the summit of the mountain…

The old Daoist, who had been chasing after them, suddenly stopped. He saw clouds and mist rising from the mountainside, enveloping the entire Mount Tai. Ordinary people didn't know why, but they lost the desire to continue climbing. They just looked at the suddenly rising sea of clouds and took pictures with their phones.

The old Daoist was shocked.

But on the summit of the mountain, everything remained calm. Or rather, because of the sea of clouds at the mountainside, the scenery on the mountain became even more open. Clear and melodious music came from the mountain. A young man was sitting cross-legged on a bluestone, with a seal wrapped in black and gold fabric beside him.

The First Emperor waited for the young man's music to stop before walking forward.

The young man turned around. He was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a handsome appearance and bearing. When he saw the visitor, he was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Are you here to meet a guest on Mount Tai?" He smiled and pointed to the clouds surging on the mountain, "Ordinary people can't pass through this sea of clouds."

The First Emperor nodded and said, "Where is He?"

The young man replied, "If you're talking about that old man, he told me to tell you that he went into the mountains to gather herbs. The sea of clouds is churning, and it's hard to see him again. Half a month ago, I built a hut at the foot of the mountain to cultivate. That old man suddenly appeared and gave me this thing, saying that it was originally yours and should be returned to you."

He handed over the seal.

For the gods, those words were almost equivalent to farewell.

The First Emperor said, "Did He say anything?"

The young man was stunned, and then his pupils flickered subconsciously. When he regained his composure, the look in his eyes had changed, revealing a trace of the vicissitudes and serenity that shouldn't belong to his age. This was a spell to leave a message, emotions left behind by the past.

The young man, or rather, the God of Mount Tai from half a month ago, looked ahead, his voice gentle and smiling:

"Ying Zheng…"

He looked at the young emperor, and after a long time, he sighed complicatedly:

"There are no more emperors in the world. Our agreement from back then has ended."

The First Emperor asked, "What about my question back then?"

"As you said." The God of Mount Tai said, "I have looked down upon the world intermittently for more than two thousand years. Among the emperors of later generations, there has never been anyone more special than you… I use the word 'special' because they have had martial achievements and ambitions, and many of them have been heroes full of spirit, but no matter what, they are all walking in your shadow…"

"Not only in Huaxia, but in the entire East, you are the origin of the title 'Emperor'."

"But in this era, there are no more emperors."

The God of Mount Tai sighed:

"Even if you are as talented and ambitious as you, the path you opened up has been surpassed by later generations."

"I also feel more and more the terror of humans."

Contrary to Ehuang and Nying's expectations, Ying Zheng was not angry. He just poured wine into a cup and replied softly, "That is natural."

"China is vast, and I have always hoped that among the heroes behind me, there would be someone whose achievements surpassed mine. And the modern era and governance have proved my expectations. If after two thousand years, there is still no one whose achievements are above mine, then this vast land of China would be too lonely!"

"Now, I am very pleased."

The God of Mount Tai was stunned and said, "As expected, it's Ying Zheng."

Ying Zheng and the God of Mount Tai shared a cup of wine.

The God of Mount Tai laughed loudly, and his spirituality gradually dissipated, not knowing where it went. The young Daoist was still somewhat dazed because he had fallen asleep due to the influence of the spell. The First Emperor turned around, stood on the summit of Mount Tai, and looked down on the world from afar, saying, "Didn't you ask me how I held the Feng and Shan sacrifices back then?"

Nying was stunned.

The First Emperor said, "As you said, in the past, they came here to meet the gods. But in my era, even among the Confucian scholars of the state of Qi, there was no definite rule for the Feng and Shan sacrifices. So I chose my own method."

Inscribing steles to record achievements was done by Li Si.

And the emperor ascended to the summit of Mount Tai. The First Emperor of Qin said:

"Heaven is honored by its height, and Earth is virtuous by its thickness."

"Therefore, increase the height of Mount Tai to repay Heaven, and add to the base of Mount Liangfu to repay Earth…"

"The high are made higher, and the thick are made thicker, to make clear what Heaven and Earth have decreed."

Ying Zheng raised his wine to toast Heaven and Earth, his voice calm: "Tell Heaven and Earth that I have been here."

"This is the Feng and Shan sacrifices."

Ehuang and Nying were shocked. After this emperor's first Feng and Shan sacrifices, and before Emperor Zhenzong of Song, this simple ceremony was the most valued ceremony by the emperors of China. For hundreds of years before him, no one had held the Feng and Shan sacrifices. After him, only emperors with great talent and ambition could hold them.

But for some reason, the emperor who raised his wine to toast China looked the most like a lonely mortal.

At this moment, several more figures broke through the cloud blockade and stepped onto Mount Tai. Leading them was a tall and sturdy man, and the others all had fierce auras. Ehuang and Nying immediately noticed the divinity floating on the surface of these people. Wei Yuan stepped forward with his sword, but the First Emperor stopped him.

"Since you are gods who have come to Mount Tai, are you here to pay respects to the God of Mount Tai?"

After meeting the God of Mount Tai, the First Emperor seemed to have finally let go of something. The heavy sense of oppression in his calmness was gone. He said, "Since that is the case, you are welcome to come here. There is wine here that can be used for sacrifices. You can take it as you please."

His relationship with the God of Mount Tai was more like that of a confidant.

The burly man in the lead only looked coldly at Wei Yuan. Through spells and supernatural powers, he recognized this historian who was hated by the real Qiongqi. He felt delighted in his heart and grinned grimly.

A silent aura erupted.

In the next moment.

The wine bowl in the First Emperor's hand shattered instantly.

The blazing wine flowed down the emperor's palm, wetting his robe.

The surroundings fell silent in an instant.

p.s.: Today's first update… four thousand two hundred words, thanks to the River of Time Alliance Master, thank you~

The Ten Kings of Hell and King Tai are Buddhist products, after the Lord of Mount Tai, and the Lord of Mount Tai was born in the Eastern Han Dynasty. The era of Qin Shi Huang was probably the period of the earliest Shan Hai myths and the regional myths of the Seven Kingdoms.

The earliest known Shan Hai Jing rubbings were from the Warring States period.