Chapter 427: Chapter 367 Taizhen Sect, Leiyin Mansion! [Seeking Monthly Votes!]
"It is said that there are immortals beyond Great Zhou, often descending to the mortal world to save it. Mortals call them the ’Taizhen Sword Immortals.’
"Yet no one knows why they are called ’Taizhen.’"
The legends surrounding the ’Taizhen Sword Immortals’ are numerous.
Some claim there is a mountain overseas, named ’Taizhen Mountain.’ Immortals dwell within the mountain, hence the name ’Taizhen Sword Immortals.’
Others say there is a heaven above the clouds, called ’Taizhen Heaven.’ Immortals reside in that heavenly realm, thus the title ’Taizhen Sword Immortals.’
Yet others claim that in this world, there exists an Immortal King known as the ’Taizhen Immortal King.’ All immortals serve under the Taizhen Immortal King, and everyone commands swords. Therefore, they are called ’Taizhen Sword Immortals.’
"Taizhen Mountain."
"Taizhen Heaven."
"Taizhen Immortal King."
Chen Jichuan pondered these names in his heart, curiosity sparking within him.
Unfortunately, the information he could recall was scant, unable to form a coherent understanding.
But this was not surprising.
Jiangg Xian was young and rarely ventured outside. Beyond Zhang Family Village, the farthest he had been was a marketplace seven or eight miles away. Moreover, his time was consumed caring for his ailing mother, leaving little room for leisure or insight into the wider world.
The limited tales of the ’Taizhen Sword Immortals’ he knew were told to Jiangg Xian by a young circus girl from the market when he was a child.
The young girl was exceptionally beautiful.
The Sword Immortals were equally extraordinary and legendary.
This left Jiangg Xian with an indelible impression of the ’Taizhen Sword Immortals.’
...
A sword light headed eastward.
Crossing countless mountains and rivers, it finally stopped.
"Whoosh!"
Wuu Quan, accompanied by two youths, landed within Leiyin Mountain. Summoning the steward of the mountain, he uttered a few instructions before assigning someone to arrange placements for the two youths.
After that, Wuu Quan strode towards the rear mountain and entered a modest courtyard.
"You’re back?"
"How did it go this time?"
As soon as he entered, a middle-aged, noblewoman approached him, concern evident as she inquired.
This was Zhang Jin, Wuu Quan’s wife.
The couple both hailed from the Taizhen Sect, with impressive cultivation and battle prowess. In the Great Zhou Cultivation Realm, they were quite renowned. A few decades ago, they obtained the qualifications to establish a mansion and settled at Leiyin Mountain over a century ago to set up ’Leiyin Mansion.’
After a hundred years of management, the mansion had grown into a significant presence.
This time, Wuu Quan had ventured out alone, leaving Zhang Jin to anchor Leiyin Mountain. She had worried greatly. Seeing Wuu Quan return safely, she let out a breath of relief and had the leisure to inquire about the trip’s details.
"The Emperor Zhou represents the true orthodoxy of Great Zhou, with many Immortal Sects, including our Taizhen Sect, supporting him."
"While the Zichuan King and other vassal kings may appear formidable—this alliance of seven kings, rallying under the banner of ’purging the court,’ and marching on the Divine Capital—looks impressive but is ultimately unsustainable."
"In my view, the Seven Kings will undoubtedly fall within the next one or two months."
Wuu Quan shook his head with a sigh.
Zhang Jin, hearing this, frowned as well and asked, "Did the Zichuan King refuse your advice?"
"He has lost his mind."
Wuu Quan snorted coldly, displeased. "Encouraged by factions like the Yangji Sect and Illusion Mountain Sect, he truly believes that the Seven Kings united can prevail—or at the very least, force the Emperor Zhou to abandon the ’Enlarging the Grace Order.’ But he doesn’t realize that Emperor Zhou’s destiny has not run dry. With the staunch support of the Five Great Immortal Sects, led by our Taizhen Sect, we strive to maintain stability and uphold the ’Enlarging the Grace Order.’ This battle’s outcome will not be decided by the Seven Kings and Emperor Zhou but by the conflict between the Seven Great Sects supporting the Seven Kings and the Five Immortal Sects championed by the Taizhen Sect."
Hearing this, Zhang Jin fell silent.
Centered around Great Zhou, the realm of cultivators was vast, constituting the Great Zhou Cultivation Realm.
The Taizhen Sect, along with the other leading sects, represented the orthodox power.
Among them, the Taizhen Sect held the deepest roots, having once aided the Zhou Dynasty’s Grand Ancestor in founding the empire.
The Taizhen Sword Immortal was invincible throughout the world.
Even to this day.
Any cultivator or sword wielder appearing within Great Zhou’s borders would be referred to by the common people as ’Taizhen Sword Immortals.’
This alone illustrated the profound influence of the Taizhen Sect and its close relationship with the Great Zhou imperial orthodoxy.
Centuries ago.
The Zhou Emperor recognized that the vassal lords had grown too powerful and considered reducing their domains.
However, when the ’Policy of Reducing Feudal Domains’ was proposed, it provoked widespread discontent among the feudal lords.
That era’s Zhou Emperor grew fearful, executed the proposer of the policy, and abandoned the endeavor.
But centuries later.
Today’s Zhou Emperor revived these ambitions.
Unlike his predecessor, the current Zhou Emperor was far more prudent. After thorough planning and securing the agreement of the Taizhen Sect, he gained the support of the Five Great Immortal Sects.
The strategy was also improved.
The blunt ’Policy of Reducing Feudal Domains’ was transformed into the more overt and divisive ’Enlarging the Grace Order.’
Once the decree was issued, chaos first erupted within the ranks of the vassal lords.
Some surrendered and were dismantled. The remaining factions, led by allies such as King Wuu and King Chu, united as the Seven Kings, but their threat to Emperor Zhou had significantly diminished.
Anyone with insight could foresee the inevitable defeat of the Seven Kings’ alliance.
Wuu Quan and Zhang Jin had previously established some rapport with the Zichuan King among the seven. Upon hearing the news, Wuu Quan traveled to Zichuan Country to persuade him, but the Zichuan King was obstinate and refused to listen.
Ultimately, however, showing some awareness, he disclosed the whereabouts of his illegitimate son to Wuu Quan, asking him to take the boy back to the Taizhen Sect for training. This way, even in failure, the Zichuan King’s lineage would endure.
"Ha!"
"The royal family has always been devoid of emotion."
"When I arrived, I found someone attempting to kill Jiangg Xian. After capturing the assailant, I learned it was the Zichuan King’s legitimate heir who had sent them. His purpose was clear: to ensure this half-brother would not return to the royal mansion and threaten his status as the princely heir."
"To act so ruthlessly toward his own blood! What a truly vicious successor!"
Wuu Quan gave a cold laugh.
This journey had deepened his understanding of the cutthroat struggles for power in the mortal world, leaving him with growing disdain.
For power, vassal kings could wage war in fury.
For power, blood-related siblings could kill one another.
"Throughout history, how many horrific acts have been committed in pursuit of the throne and imperial authority?"
"That Mr. Jia in the Divine Capital is indeed a man of great talent. His insight into the darkest recesses of human nature is unparalleled. Just one ’Enlarging the Grace Order’ skillfully set the vassal lords and their heirs at odds, accelerating the implementation of the previously stagnant ’Policy of Reducing Feudal Domains.’"
"For this alone, Mr. Jia deserves to be enshrined as Prime Minister!"
Though Zhang Jin was a True Person of Freedom, her understanding of mortal power struggles and courtly affairs was substantial.
After all.
Many of Great Zhou’s civil servants and military generals originated from the Taizhen Sect.
For example, the most celebrated and influential figure in the Great Zhou Court today, ’Mr. Jia,’ was a disciple of the Taizhen Sect. Instead of pursuing immortality, he mastered the arts of governance and peacekeeping. After completing his studies and descending the mountain, he entered the court, where he presently wielded great power and was on the verge of securing the prime ministership.
In fact.
This Mr. Jia was a junior disciple of both Zhang Jin and Wuu Quan.
"Junior Brother Jia is indeed extraordinarily talented."
"Once the Seven Kings are defeated and Junior Brother Jia secures the prime ministership, it is likely only a matter of years before he reaches the third-order ’Unity Realm,’ attaining a power comparable to Divinity Transformation Ancestors. By then, his accomplishments will allow him to retire in triumph."
Speaking of their Junior Brother Jia, Wuu Quan couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "Though there are many shortcomings in the Xing and Life Daos, their growth in the mortal world is undoubtedly faster than ours as cultivators of the Immortal Dao."
"Each individual has their own destiny."
"The Xing and Life Daos and the Immortal Dao each have their strengths and weaknesses. We cultivators of the Immortal Dao have never been inferior to anyone!"
Zhang Jin felt some envy in her heart, but her fighting spirit was greater.
"That’s true, my lady."
Wuu Quan heard this and couldn’t help but laugh.
...
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Jichuan and Zhang Yu had already been at Leiyin Mansion for three months.
During this time.
It became clear to them that the one who brought them to Leiyin Mountain was none other than the unattainably exalted mansion lord.
Upon bringing them back, Wuu Quan did not show them any special favor.
He merely placed them within the outer disciple sect, where they trained alongside the other outer disciples.
As they gradually adapted.
Chen Jichuan came to understand the general situation of this lifetime, at least concerning Great Zhou’s cultivation realm.
"Great Zhou is divided into the mortal world and the realm of immortal cultivation."
"The two are distinct yet inseparable."
"The Immortal Sects control the mortal world."
"The mortal world depends on the Immortal Sects."
"Most disciples in the Immortal Sects are selected from the mortal world, while the civil servants and military generals of the Great Zhou Court are also largely nurtured by Immortal Sects like the Taizhen Sect."
Take Leiyin Mansion, for example.
There were True Persons who specifically ventured into the mortal world to recruit disciples into their ranks.
Once these disciples joined Leiyin Mansion, they were presented with three paths to choose from based on personal aptitude and ambition—
"The Immortal Dao."
"The Xing Dao."
"The Life Dao."
Of these, the Immortal Dao offered a carefree existence, requiring no involvement in mortal affairs.
Practitioners of the Xing Dao were often affiliated with Buddhism, Daoism, or Confucianism. Buddhists and Daoists subdued demons and eradicated evil, operating similarly to orthodox immortals, with one foot in the mortal world and the other in the realm of cultivation.
Confucians, on the other hand, primarily focused on developing skills in governance and administration, seeking to enter court as officials and govern territories.
The Life Dao was much the same.
While a minority of Life Dao practitioners lived reclusively in the wilderness, the majority entered the military, leading troops in battle, pursuing ranks of command and generalship.
Those who entered the court as officials or generals had varied motivations: some sought temporal power and prestige, others aimed to govern well and pursue pure ideals, while still others simply leveraged court resources to pursue everlasting life.
...
"Jiangg Xian."
"Tomorrow is the day of faction allocation. Have you decided which path to choose?"
At night.
Zhang Yu lay in bed, staring into the darkness toward Chen Jichuan’s side of the room. Unable to sleep, he sat up and broke the silence with a question.
They had been at Leiyin Mansion for three months now.
In this time, they had mainly devoted themselves to familiarizing themselves with their surroundings while also learning the script and some basic texts.
Now, three months later.
Tomorrow would mark the moment they chose their paths.
"Will it be the Immortal Dao?"
"The Xing Dao?"
"Or the Life Dao?"
Zhang Yu was curious about which path Chen Jichuan would pick. As for himself, he had already made up his mind: "I am going to pursue the Xing Dao. I will read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, enter the court as an official, and one day become a prime minister—just like Chancellor Jia—lauded by the people!"
Just as Wuu Quan had predicted.
The Seven Kings’ Rebellion was swiftly crushed, and Mr. Jia was promoted to prime minister, becoming the most celebrated figure in Great Zhou, a role model for countless aspiring scholars.
The news reached Leiyin Mansion.
And spurred many newly admitted disciples to prepare to choose the ’Xing Dao,’ aspiring to become Confucians and one day achieve greatness like Chancellor Jia.
"The Xing Dao?"
Chen Jichuan lay on his bed, feigning sleep, unwilling to engage Zhang Yu.
He had long made up his mind.
"The Xing and Life Daos fundamentally conflict with the Immortal Dao."
"The former cultivates the three souls and the seven spirits."
"The latter refines the primordial spirit."
"They are difficult to reconcile."
"I have already achieved significant progress in the Immortal Dao. I should press on and continue down this path. Gaining understanding of the Xing and Life Daos is sufficient; there is no need to divide my focus."
In the Starry Sky World, Chen Jichuan had already become an Eleventh Tribulation Independent Immortal. In this lifetime, reaching the fourth-order realm of the Immortal Dao would be a relatively effortless endeavor.
Only a fool would choose the Xing or Life Daos instead.
...