Chapter 1 Days at the Fengshen Pavilion

Life at the Fengshen Pavilion remained calm, unchanged by the arrival of a great monk.

The Da Zhou Dynasty prohibited the propagation of Daoism and Buddhism, but it did not seek to exterminate them entirely, only to forbid the open teaching of their doctrines. In fact, as long as it wasn't done in a blatant manner, the Jing Ye Si wouldn't pursue every minor instance of preaching or scripture recitation.

After all, there were cultivators of both Buddhism and Daoism within the Jing Ye Si itself.

"Master, you wish to impart a divine power to the young lady?"

Inside the fourth floor of the Fengshen Pavilion, in the main hall, Qiao Moke held a teacup, his expression沉凝 (chen ning, solemn), betraying neither joy nor anger, and said indifferently,

"Are you unaware that the Emperor himself is compiling a 'New Cultivation' to replace the old Daoist and Buddhist practices?"

Eighteen years wasn't a long time, yet the Da Zhou Dynasty's reforms had swept through the entire territory with a speed that astonished other major sects and imperial dynasties.

The only thing that hadn't been implemented was the 'New Cultivation' method, which was why monks and Daoists hadn't been completely eradicated within Da Zhou's borders.

However, everyone, including Da Liang, Yuhua, and even other major sects, knew that Da Zhou intended to compile a 'New Cultivation' method.

For eighteen years, from the Emperor Long Xingyi down to the Golden Core cultivators within the original seventy-two Daoist sects, all had gathered in the Da Zhou imperial city, working day and night to compile the 'New Cultivation'.

"Do you believe such boasts, Pavilion Master?"

Hong Tong put down his teacup and shook his head with a smile. "The years are flawed, and history has gaps, yet few know the origins of the various Buddhist and Daoist cultivations..."

Qiao Moke held his cup and listened attentively.

"In the ancient calendar, the founding of the Huangtian Imperial Court was the first year, with the creation of the world by the gods as the beginning. So far, there have been twelve thousand eras, but among them, the era of creation was the shortest. The Huangtian Era, the Primordial Era, the Heavenly Demon Era, the Chaos Era, all were far longer..."

Hong Tong's tone was calm, as if he were recounting family treasures from bygone ages, revealing an air of滄桑 (cang sang, vicissitudes) and antiquity. "Yet the existence of Daoism and Buddhism is far older than that number...

What does Da Zhou rely on to create a new cultivation?"

The idea of Da Zhou creating a 'New Cultivation' was known to the world, but countless people, including those within the Da Zhou imperial court, didn't believe it.

Even with Hong Xuan Dao Ren, who was suspected to be in the 'Creation' realm, behind Da Zhou, it was still the case.

The reason was that Buddhism and Daoism were ancient and had never been interrupted. They had been passed down through generations, with each generation innovating and refining, the essence of countless cultivators' efforts over the ages.

The true path to immortality and transcendence.

Since ancient times, there had been countless unorthodox paths, and even the Confucian school, which had a brief period of existence outside of those paths, was now divided into three. It still had some presence in Nanzhan, but in other continents, it was merely an unorthodox path.

"Eras..."

Qiao Moke and the others hadn't paid much attention at first, but they were unconsciously drawn in by the things revealed in his words, and their hearts were shaken.

One era was one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred years. Legend has it that this number is the limit of longevity, and also the node of the exchange of old and new. The ancient gods and demons used this as a 'year'.

Humans, in the eyes of gods and demons, were no different from ephemeral plants, merely short-lived creatures that lived only for a morning or evening.

"The Emperor is naturally gifted and intelligent; he wouldn't be ignorant of this principle. The reason he's doing this must be that he has confidence in success."

Qiao Moke was expressionless.

He spoke of the Emperor, but he was well aware that everything was the work of his teacher.

"I've said too much."

Hong Tong rarely entered the world, and even more rarely acted as a teacher, so he couldn't help but say a few extra words. However, he immediately realized that he had spoken out of turn. With a smile, he changed the subject, saying,

"The young lady's wisdom is outstanding. This humble monk is incapable of accepting her as a disciple, but imparting a divine power can be considered a worthy encounter with great talent."

During his seven days in the manor, Hong Tong had naturally done more than just reside there. He had also conducted various tests. Although he couldn't be absolutely certain yet, he was seventy or eighty percent sure of the 'Supreme Awakened One's' identity.

Next was the transmission of divine power.

No successor could ever surpass his predecessors. He firmly believed that even the so-called 'Awakened One', who was favored by the last of Buddhism's luck, would be unable to threaten the Buddha once he received the Dharma.

Even all cultivation would become the foundation for the Buddha's attainment of enlightenment.

"This matter is not to be discussed for now."

Qiao Moke put down his teacup. He preferred to have his own teacher guide his son and daughter, rather than a wild monk of unknown origin.

Even though this monk seemed unfathomable.

Xi Yingqing didn't dwell on the inheritance of divine powers. After Qiao Moke spoke, she also said, "Seven days have passed. I wonder if the master has found a way?"

"This matter is both difficult and easy."

Hong Tong shook his head slightly.

Qiao Moke's brows furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

"The easy part is that as long as your son is willing, he can cultivate the various Dharmas at any time. The difficult part is, how can he be willing...?"

Hong Tong held his tea and drank lightly, confidently saying, "Your son has been silent and uncultivating for many years, not because of illness, but because he is unwilling. That's all!"

Hong Tong was extremely casual.

He had lived in Mount Sumeru for a long time, and was often stationed at the Buddha's brow. Although his cultivation might not be stronger than a Bodhisattva, his vision was certainly no worse. No illness, pain, or劫难 (jie nan, tribulation) could escape his discerning eyes.

During the seven days, while testing the identities of the two, he also took a look at the blond boy. Although he didn't pay much attention, he could see the 'root of the problem'.

But at this time, his mind wasn't on that boy at all, and he didn't care whether he was arrogant or something else.

"How is that possible?"

Qiao Moke and Xi Yingqing exchanged a look, first in disbelief, and then with suspicion.

These words were too easy to expose, so they didn't seem like a lie.

"Whether it is true or not, you will know in the future."

Hong Tong smiled slightly and disappeared from the main hall in full view of everyone.

Even though Qiao Moke and Xi Yingqing were focused on him, they didn't notice how he had left the Fengshen Pavilion at all, and their hearts were immediately shocked.

Whoosh~

Xi Yingqing pointed a finger, and sword light like water circled the table where the monk had been sitting. With a 'thud', a dusty seed fell on the table.

"Is this the seed of divine power?!"

Looking at the seed, Qiao Moke stopped his steps towards it and looked back at his wife.

Xi Yingqing had already groaned softly and was pushed out of the main hall by an invisible force.

"Seed of divine power!"

Before Qiao Moke could finish his words, he was pushed out of the main hall. He looked up and saw various brilliant colors flashing in the main hall.

He didn't know what those seven colors were, but he had seen similar things containing the seeds of divine power before.

He had seen them in the Divine Court's Sky Net!

"Is that monk also a 'God Successor'?"

Qiao Moke was suspicious, but his vigilance against the monk diminished slightly. Just as he was pondering, he heard his wife scold softly.

He looked up and saw that his daughter had somehow arrived in the main hall.

"Ci'er!"

"Nannan!"

......

The sky was high and the clouds were light, and the sun was scorching.

It was midsummer, and the Northwest Dao was like a蒸笼 (zheng long, steamer). The plants in the mountains and plains lowered their heads, and there were few pedestrians on the road.

At the foot of Mount Shouyang, however, there was a surging crowd and a lively atmosphere.

Mount Shouyang couldn't be considered a spiritual mountain or sacred ground, let alone being famous in the Northwest Dao or Youzhou. Even in the tens of thousands of miles of mountains, it was unremarkable.

It was only a thousand feet high, and although it was surrounded by mountains, the nearby population was sparse. Few sects established themselves here, and after a disturbance a few years ago, it was burned into a barren land.

Few people came and went.

But at this time, outside the mountains, there was not only a sea of people, but also a city rising from the ground.

"This, when did a big city appear here?"

A passing merchant, attracted by the crowd, came to sell his goods and was shocked to see the majestic new city:

"Did it fall from the sky?"

Building a city was no small matter, and building a large city was even more time-consuming and labor-intensive. Usually, it would take several years or even decades to build a city.

But he clearly remembered that when he came here last year, there was no city here. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things.

"Speaking of this 'Hunyicheng', it's extraordinary. It is said that a few months ago, a Daoist on the mountain peak raised his hand,摘 (zhai, plucked) off a meteorite, and combined it with the mountains and rivers to build this city overnight!"

"More than that? According to the people in the city, they were clearly transported from hundreds of millions of miles away. Overnight, tens of thousands of people were transported here. The神通 (shen tong, supernatural power) can be called earth-shattering!"

"Aren't you ignorant? If you knew who the cultivator in 'Mount Shouyang' was, you wouldn't be surprised!"

"Could it be that person? I heard that he came from 'Hunyimen'. Now that he has returned, is he going to rebuild the sect?! So many cultivators are gathering, are they all thinking of joining that person's sect?"

......

In the crowd, passing cultivators were talking, and when they mentioned Mount Shouyang, they were all amazed. Some people were excited and eager to try.

"Hong Xuan Dao Ren!"

Under a Xuan (black) colored cloak, the Zhulong (Candle Dragon) Walker was shocked.

He had been mixing in the mortal world for many years, so of course he knew the great name of this Hong Xuan Dao Ren. Legend had it that this Hong Xuan Dao Ren had likely cultivated into 'Creation' and was the strongest expert in Nanzhan, or even in the human world today!

"Did the Divine Emperor come here to suppress that Hong Xuan Dao Ren?"

The Zhulong's mind was filled with thoughts, but he didn't sense any supernatural aura from the mountain, and he was immediately suspicious.

If the Divine Emperor took action, how could this place still be so lively...?

Since descending from the Guanjie Sea, the Zhulong thought that the Divine Emperor would notice him and guide him to go there, but he had been standing here for several hours and couldn't wait for guidance.

He was tempted to go and explore, but when he thought of that Hong Xuan Dao Ren, he was a little afraid.

He wasn't good at fighting with cultivation, let alone his cultivation hadn't recovered. Even if he recovered to his peak, he wouldn't want to fight with experts of the same level.

After thinking again and again, he decided to be cautious and stepped into Hunyicheng wearing a cloak, wanting to wait until the 'mountain gate opened' before going to explore.

"Hmm?"

As soon as he stepped into this newly built Hunyicheng, before he could take a closer look, the Zhulong's heart suddenly trembled and he looked not far away:

"That beggar......"

There, a disheveled beggar was sitting on the ground, coldly scanning the pedestrians.

A beggar was unremarkable. Even if this city only had this one beggar, it wouldn't move the Zhulong.

But when he looked at the beggar, his heart trembled and various memories rolled up.

In a trance, he seemed to see a poisonous dragon with its tail wrapped around a giant mountain, its head in the clouds, and indescribably狰狞 (zheng ning, ferocious) and fierce!

"What's your name?"

Lin Qianlong was sitting in the mud, 木然 (mu ran, woodenly) looking at the pedestrians. Hearing this sound, he suddenly looked up, his eyes lit up at first, then dimmed, unable to hide his disappointment:

"No, it's not you......"