"You have revealed to me the great secrets of the world. The Shenxiao Sect does not actually pray to the heavens for lightning, but to the Heaven Beyond Heaven. Does this mean you all know how to achieve the Heaven-Man Resonance?"
Emperor Jiajing was quite shaken by this truth. Spoken by Yuan Miao, it was no longer speculation but reality.
"Heaven-Man Resonance requires a response, and we merely know how to transmit our prayers."
"Heaven and I are of the same body. What we wish to unify with is the Heaven Beyond Heaven, the heart beyond the Heart of Heaven. It is a grander and more distant path. Although it still seems to have some deviations now, not the true righteous path, it undoubtedly allows one to go further than the Heart of Heaven!"
"The Heaven Beyond Heaven is unknowable, and its will is unknowable. The Heart of Heaven Realm is a substitute for the Heart of Heaven, bringing one closer to the Heaven Beyond Heaven. We, however, aim to unify with it from the very beginning, naturally placing us far above the Heart of Heaven Realm."
"Yet, since antiquity, no one has achieved this. Though often mocked, the name Shenxiao ultimately remains a title unclaimed by anyone."
Emperor Jiajing understood. "You analyze the Heart of Heaven and the Will of Heaven in the world, but you haven't reached the end. However, you seem different. By saying this, do you mean you have experienced Heaven-Man Resonance?"
"Were you chosen? Like the True Man of the North Pole?"
The True Man of the North Pole had achieved Heaven-Man Resonance. In the Inner Mountains and Rivers, a few individuals in the past had also attained Heaven-Man Resonance; these were people chosen by the Heaven Beyond Heaven.
However, the True Man of the North Pole had gained "Heavenly Will Divine Powers" by deciphering an ancient text, which then allowed him to achieve Heaven-Man Resonance.
"You also possess Heavenly Will Divine Powers? This is a skill possessed only by the Ancestors of the Dao."
"How many people in the world possess Heavenly Will Divine Powers?"
Emperor Jiajing pressed urgently. Great Sage Yuan Miao replied, "All the current paths are dead ends, which is why the Ancestors of the Dao are no longer seen. If I achieve the thought of Shenxiao, I will be an Ancestor of the Dao. But how many people in the world have obtained Heavenly Will Divine Powers? That is the will of the Heaven Beyond Heaven; how could I possibly know?"
"Just like the sudden disappearance of the True Man of the North Pole, how many others who possessed Heavenly Will Divine Powers have vanished in the past? Moreover, possessing Heavenly Will Divine Powers does not guarantee Heaven-Man Resonance. The ultimate point of Heaven-Man Resonance lies in the resonance itself, merely connecting to the Heaven Beyond Heaven. This is not enough; one must also receive a definitive response from the Heaven Beyond Heaven."
"This is the complete process. The Han Dynasty had the marvelous method of Heaven-Man Induction, but with the self-sealing of the Immortal Dao and the alteration of the Confucian lineage, it can no longer be learned, nor can the complete method of Heaven-Man Induction be found."
"One needs a medium to connect to the Dao, the ancient methods of Heaven-Man Induction, a set of Heavenly Will Divine Powers, the method to activate Heaven-Man Resonance, and sufficient innate comprehension."
Emperor Jiajing listened, unable to help but marvel:
"Compared to the merging of the Three Pure Ones, the complexity is no less. It requires the joint effort of multiple great teachings to create one person."
"In this light, the True Man of the North Pole is truly remarkable. He is a gift from Heaven, a fated one truly chosen by the Heaven Beyond Heaven. He must also bear a Heavenly Mandate, though it is not apparent. Perhaps it is a mandate of a higher level than the mandate of dynasties. As the Buddha said, true destiny is borrowed and given, not one's life. Thus, the Heaven Beyond Heaven has lent a 'destiny' to the True Man of the North Pole."
"How does one acquire the methods of Heaven-Man Induction?"
Great Sage Yuan Miao: "The methods of Heaven-Man Induction are not Daoist techniques; they are ancient Confucian arts. Therefore, while the Han Immortals have been revived, most of them are Daoist practitioners. However, with the alteration of the Confucian lineage, there should still be people in this world who know these arts."
Jiajing: "Who?"
Great Sage Yuan Miao: "The Buddha Emperor."
A light began to gleam in Emperor Jiajing's eyes.
Indeed, there was still one more.
There was this one as well.
As they spoke, the overwriting of the lineage was almost complete.
"It is impossible to trace back to the absolute origin. However, now, within the history of Daoism, you are the Great Emperor of Shangqing, unchangeable, unshakeable, and your record in the annals of history will not be altered."
After Great Sage Yuan Miao finished the overwrite, a Heavenly Mandate was born from this, spreading within the Dao. By the time they left this place, all that had happened would be fixed and unalterable, for the Heavenly Mandate had also extended to the distant past, merging with the Dao.
"This is the thought that your Shenxiao sect has cultivated all along, your unique Heaven-Man Resonance."
Emperor Jiajing felt the change. Great Sage Yuan Miao said, "Even if the Heaven Beyond Heaven does not respond, what is transmitted upwards is eternally preserved. Those below the Heart of Heaven cannot defy it, and no powerful beings above the Heart of Heaven have yet emerged."
The Primordial Chaos was not mentioned because Primordial Chaos was merely the Heart of Heaven that had mastered the power of True Unity.
"Even that colossal shadow cast from the future should not be able to alter this, as it has not yet obtained the complete lineage. This means its influence on the past, at least, will not be all-encompassing."
Jiajing nodded. "You speak the truth. I have accepted the past and future of the Great Emperor of Shangqing and have fully merged with it, becoming inseparable. The Jade God Plate is like the lifeblood of my organs; when my qi rises, it resonates and ascends to the Dao Hearing. I can also sense the complete existence of the Lingbao Heavenly Venerate; I only need to return to a specific moment to see it, though the exact moment is not yet known."
"Next is to obtain the existence of a Jade Purity Heavenly Venerate. However, the Primordial Heavenly Venerate has already disappeared. To obtain the title of Heavenly Venerate, one must start with the disciples of the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, meaning the thirteen established Jade Purity cultivators, not us 'temporary workers' who benefited from the alteration of the Confucian lineage."
"The closest Jade Purity to us..."
"Is it Yuan Huang?"
Great Sage Yuan Miao nodded. "Attacking the Underworld? However, Yuan Huang is far-sighted. The Underworld is dominated by the Song Dynasty, with three emperors coexisting. Its Heavenly Mandate is equally profound. It is not an earthly emperor, but an Underworld Son of Heaven within the immortal path."
"If the Han Dynasty had a Buddha Emperor, and the Ming Dynasty had Your Majesty as a Dao Emperor, then the Underworld has three Yin Emperors. It is also closely connected to the human world. If the Underworld is shaken, and the human world's destiny flows in, it might cause the Yin and Yang destinies to run in parallel, affecting Your Majesty."
Emperor Jiajing suddenly smiled:
"So, we are the weaker side."
Great Sage Yuan Miao nodded. "On the surface, it appears so. The Underworld has deep foundations. Our existence cannot be compared to the Underworld's. They are a single entity, the opposite of the world, named 'Yin'."
Emperor Jiajing: "I still possess a technique that you have never seen, called 'The Use of the Weak Dao.' If the Dao were not weak, it could not rebel; for the Dao to rebel, it must be weak. Now is the time of Heaven and Man's opposition, hence the Underworld's constant existence, appearing unshakeable. It is its strength and the weakness of the human world."
"However, just as the human world experiences shifts between strength and weakness, the Underworld will also have its moments of change. My second technique is capable of turning it into a moment of weakness."
"A person's birth, aging, sickness, and death, the ebb and flow of the sea, the filling and drying of lakes, the solidification and decay of stones, the disappearance and rebirth of all things in the world, are all firmly grasped by the Dao. And all things ultimately return to the Dao. Weakness is the Dao's weapon. I use this weapon to create an 'Age of Dharma Decline' that belongs only to the Underworld."
"Weakness consumes Heavenly Mandates, just as dynasties rise and fall. When the Heavenly Mandate is exhausted, it is time for a change of dynasty. The Heavenly Hearts and Immortals of the Inner Mountains and Rivers often choose new holders of Heavenly Mandates at such times."
Great Sage Yuan Miao was greatly astonished. "There is such a technique specifically designed for the weak? The weak use it to make the strong weaker, while the weak become stronger."
Jiajing: "Because in the past, I was this weak one. I have collected countless techniques, and these two are the most important techniques within the Taiqing lineage."
"I have not obtained Heavenly Will Divine Powers, unlike your peculiar methods. However, I can use the marvelous arts of Taiqing, which also possess the ability to reverse myriad changes in the world."
"Now, I shall go to the human world, assume Wanli's identity, and use the human world's destiny to attack the Underworld!"