Chapter 1776: Forgotten in the Rivers and Lakes
Bai Yuqiong and Yan Yunxi arrived at the imperial palace in the capital. Emperor Yanfeng was busy with state affairs, burdened by much toil. Although the Heavenly Court had been broken, its influence was vast, and it was dead but not stiff; remnants of the Heavenly Court would stir up trouble from time to time in various regions.
Moreover, with the Heavenly Court destroyed, the myriad heavens had no master, each acting on their own, all harboring their own thoughts about the position of the Heavenly Emperor.
Bai Yuqiong offered advice, saying, "Your Majesty, without a leader for the dragons, chaos will inevitably arise over time. Now, Yankang dominates the Primordial Realm, standing at the head of the myriad heavens with the greatest power. If Your Majesty can take a step further, the chaos among the heavens will gradually subside. If Your Majesty does not claim it, the turmoil of the heavens will continue and grow worse, which is not a blessing for the myriad realms!"
Emperor Yanfeng said, "Heavenly Teacher Bai, I understand all of this. But the world is for the public. If I proclaim myself the Heavenly Emperor, I would turn public authority to private use. It might work in the short term, but in the long run, I would become another Ten Heavenly Venerables. If the vitality of reform is lost, I fear it will not last long."
He stood up, his gaze looking toward the world outside. Yankang was thriving and prosperous. "The Heavenly Emperor Taichu ruled with a family-based system, treating the world as his private property. The Ten Heavenly Venerables, though not a family system, formed an interest group, with power circulating within their small circle. I do not wish for this. How would that differ from Taichu, or from the Ten Heavenly Venerables? Yankang would only repeat the same mistakes!"
Bai Yuqiong frowned, testing the waters, "Could Your Majesty set a term limit for the position of Heavenly Emperor?"
Emperor Yanfeng became interested and asked, "Heavenly Teacher, please elaborate."
"Your Majesty proclaims yourself the Heavenly Emperor and establishes rules, but if you achieve the Dao realm, or after a certain number of years in power, you must voluntarily step down and yield to the worthy."
Bai Yuqiong was somewhat cautious, pondering for a moment before speaking, "Your Majesty is the founding emperor. No future ruler can surpass Your Majesty in achievements. If even Your Majesty acts this way, future rulers will naturally dare not sit on this throne forever. Moreover, when successive Heavenly Emperors step down, it is not due to death but to achieving the Dao or retiring. With past Heavenly Emperors as precedents, future rulers will not dare to act recklessly. In this way, the concerns of a family-based system or the Ten Heavenly Venerables are resolved."
Emperor Yanfeng's eyes lit up at these words. He paced quickly back and forth, then suddenly said, "Then where will the retired Heavenly Emperors go? They have long held the seat of power; if they step down suddenly, it is hard to guarantee they won't cling to authority. If they interfere with new policies, they will inevitably cause many problems for the new emperor."
"This..."
Bai Yuqiong found it difficult to answer and looked toward Yan Yunxi, who also did not know how to respond.
Power is the most tempting thing. The Grand Emperor was like this, Taichu was like this, and the Ten Heavenly Venerables were like this.
If the old emperor, after stepping down, still clung to power and controlled the new emperor, then the world would still be ruled by the Ten Heavenly Venerables!
Just then, Granny Si, the Village Chief, and others returned from the Ancestral Court to pay respects to the emperor. Emperor Yanfeng was both surprised and delighted and quickly invited them in. Granny Si told Emperor Yanfeng about the battle in the Ancestral Court, saying, "Celestial Venerable Mu sent us back to tell the emperor that the Ancestral Court has been sealed, but he left a passage. Any being in Yankang with the combat power of a Celestial Venerable can enter the Ancestral Court for training, seeking to break through to the Dao realm and achieve enlightenment."
Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily upon hearing this and said to Bai Yuqiong and Yan Yunxi, "Now we have a place for the old emperors to go."
He had made up his mind and said solemnly, "Summon the ministers, announce to the world that Yankang will establish the Heavenly Court, and I will humbly serve as the first generation Heavenly Emperor. All of you, help me establish the Daoist system and guiding principles!"
Yankang established the Heavenly Court, and any realm that did not submit could be legitimately attacked. The chaos among the myriad heavens and realms gradually subsided.
On this day, Emperor Yanfeng ascended the throne, proclaiming himself the Heavenly Emperor. Envoys came from all the myriad heavens and realms, paying homage—a truly magnificent sight.
In Yankang's Upper and Lower Capitals, divine light filled the skies, shining into the heavens.
Outside the heavens, black and white lights stirred, disrupting the stars. This strange phenomenon appeared just as Emperor Yanfeng ascended the throne, causing unease among the people, who thought Emperor Yanfeng lacked the virtue and talent of a Heavenly Emperor.
Suddenly, the black and white energies broke through the world barrier of the Primordial Realm, descending from the heavens like a rotating Taiji diagram, falling into Yankang. Both the Upper and Lower Capitals were enveloped by that Taiji diagram!
"Taiji Ancient Gods!"
The court officials were startled and were about to intervene, but Gongsun Yan said, "Your Majesty, this is an omen of the Taiji Ancient Gods' fall. No need to worry."
The Vermilion Bird, Southern Emperor, Wei Suifeng, the First Ancestor Human Sovereign, and other powerful figures also saw the truth and immediately ordered the gods to stand down.
Everyone looked and saw the black and white energies descending from the heavens like two black and white dragons, but they were immensely vast, stretching endlessly for who knows how many thousands of miles, nearly spanning the entire Primordial Realm from north to south!
These two black and white dragons fell, lying prostrate together, head to tail, causing the earth to rise and form two connected magnificent mountain ranges. The mountains stretched on, with Taiji primordial energy overflowing everywhere, and the great Dao of heaven and earth nearly boiling!
Emperor Yanfeng gave orders, and the gods quickly flew toward the Taiji mineral veins to protect the residents along the way.
Just then, dragon roars echoed endlessly. The nine dragon veins of Yankang's Lower Capital were nourished by the Taiji Dao and Taiji energy, quickly maturing. Nine dragons rose from the mountains, transforming into nine ancient gods, flying around the Upper Capital!
The creatures on either side of the Taiji mineral veins—whether demons, demigods, humans, birds, beasts, fish, or insects—saw their cultivation and power rapidly increase. Bathed in the Taiji Dao, they competed to enter the Dao!
At this moment, the great Dao of heaven and earth in Yankang nearly boiled, with Dao sounds ringing loudly and continuously. Even many gods entered the Dao!
In the capital, Emperor Yanfeng and others were astonished and uncertain. This could almost certainly be confirmed as the two Taiji Ancient Gods falling, their companion treasure, the Taiji Sand Table, descending into Yankang and forming this phenomenon!
These two ancient gods possessed power equivalent to half of an enlightened being, and the Taiji Dao was one of the Five Primordial Daos that evolved the myriad things and Daos of heaven and earth, turning this place into a supreme sacred land!
But why did the Taiji Ancient Gods suddenly die?
These two ancient gods had fought with Taishi for a long time, and they could be said to be the hardest ancient gods to kill. Any attack could be easily neutralized and broken by them.
When Emperor Yanfeng and others led the Yankang divine and demon army back to the Primordial Realm, the battle between Taishi and the Taiji Ancient Gods was still ongoing. Emperor Yanfeng and other powerful figures had personally gone to the heavens to assist Taishi, but were horrified to find that their presence or absence made no difference.
None of their attacks could harm the Taiji Ancient Gods. Even terrifying beings like Qin Fengqing, wielding the Six Paths of Reincarnation Wheel, could not harm the two Taiji Ancient Gods in the slightest!
Even the Dao Ancestor had been mobilized this time, but he suffered a great defeat in the art of numerology, vomiting three pints of blood and becoming listless.
The enlightened Heavenly Lord had also come from the Xuan Capital to help, but after entering the formation, he was injured by the Taiji Ancient Gods and had to retreat.
He was an enlightened being of the Heavenly Dao, yet he could do nothing to the Taiji Ancient Gods.
When Emperor Yanfeng and others joined the battle, they not only failed to help but instead caused trouble for Taishi. Taishi grew furious and threw them out one by one. Having lost face, they had no choice but to retreat.
After that, the battle outside the heavens continued for several years without stopping.
Calculating the time, the battle between Taishi and the Taiji Ancient Gods had already lasted more than twenty years!
Could it be that Taishi had killed the two Taiji Ancient Gods?
Emperor Yanfeng and others looked up and saw that outside the Primordial Realm, the heavens shimmered like a blue lake floating beyond the sky. That blue lake was like a mirror, reflecting the myriad forms of life in the Primordial Realm.
When they looked closely, they could not see clearly, only the constant interweaving of azure energy.
"Taishi is about to achieve enlightenment."
The face of the Heavenly Lord appeared in the sky of the Primordial Realm, also gazing at the heavens, showing envy, and praised, "The Five Primordials, ancestors of all Daos, now finally have two enlightened beings!"
Emperor Yanfeng knew the reason and shook his head, saying, "Among the Five Primordials, there is only one enlightened being. Taiyi doesn't count; Taishi is the only enlightened one among the Five Primordials."
Outside the heavens, the azure energy surged, and the blue lake transformed into a Grand Celestial Heaven.
On that Grand Celestial Heaven, a Dao tree stood tall. Taishi, now a young Daoist, sat beneath the tree, looking at the rising Taiji Sacred Land in the Primordial Realm, tears falling.
The young Taishi, after this battle, had finally grown into a youth.
Several dozen days later, his realm stabilized, and he rose to go to the Yankang capital to pay respects to the Heavenly Emperor. Then he took his leave, preparing to leave the Primordial Realm for the Ancestral Court.
With this, Emperor Yanfeng's claim to the title of Heavenly Emperor quelled any rebellious thoughts among the myriad heavens and realms.
On the other side, the Dao Ancestor and Gongsun Yan caught up with Taishi, bowing and saying, "Dao brother, Celestial Venerable Mu has ordered that beings at the Celestial Venerable level go to the Ancestral Court for training. Since you have achieved enlightenment, you can travel with us."
The young Taishi said, "That is excellent. Qin Fengqing and the Heavenly Lord also have Celestial Venerable-level combat power. Why haven't they come?"
"They are responsible for the Netherworld and the Xuan Capital, maintaining the operation of the myriad heavens and realms, and cannot leave."
The Dao Ancestor smiled, "In another thousand or hundred years, Yankang will have another batch of Celestial Venerable-level beings going to the Ancestral Court for training. By then, the Ancestral Court will surely be lively..."
They passed by the Great Sumeru Mountain. The Dao Ancestor's smile faded as his gaze fell upon this sacred mountain of the Buddhist realm. He saw that Buddhism was thriving again, and the Buddhist realm had expanded from the original twenty heavenly realms to twenty-eight heavenly realms.
On the twenty-eighth heavenly realm, a great Buddha slept soundly, producing thunderous sounds that turned into dew falling from the sky.
Gongsun Yan knew his thoughts and asked, "Dao Ancestor, have you not found Mahabrahma?"
The Dao Ancestor shook his head, saying, "I found his physical body, but his primordial spirit is missing. My old friend cultivates the Infinite Kalpa Sutra, dreaming through the myriad worlds. I do not believe he has simply dissolved into the Dao."
Gongsun Yan asked, "Has the Dao Ancestor asked the Earth Lord to search for him?"
"No need. I am certain he is still alive."
The Dao Ancestor smiled, "He has shed the identity of Mahabrahma Heavenly King Buddha and become a true Buddha, free and unrestrained. If I go to find him, it would only lower his Dao realm. Since he has found freedom, let him be forgotten in the rivers and lakes. That is actually fulfilling him."
With a carefree air, he laughed heartily and left the Buddhist realm with Taishi and Gongsun Yan.
At the foot of the Great Sumeru Mountain, an old monk looked up, watching the divine light left by their departure, and smiled.
The old monk closed his eyes and fell asleep. The moment he entered his dream, his entire form transformed into a fish, leaping into the river in front of the temple, swimming freely with the other fish, utterly at ease.
In the Ancestral Court, Jade Capital City, on the first Chaotic Long River.
The Ferry World Golden Ship suddenly paused gently, stopping on the river. Around it, waves surged, the wind high and the waves fierce. Cold and hot winds rolled with chaotic waves, crashing against the golden ship—a perilous scene!
Qin Mu smiled leisurely, "Third Brother, have you grown your hand back yet?"
Behind him, the Chaos Hall flew out, suppressing the Chaotic Long River, and the waves immediately calmed.
"Would you like me to return it to you?" Qin Mu laughed.
The figure of Third Young Master Lingxiao rose slowly from the river, the Lingxiao Hall standing behind him, shining brightly.
Nanxiang Yuanjun shuddered and whispered to Ling Yuxiu, "Young Madam, is there a place on this ship to hide?"
Ling Yuxiu understood and went with her into the golden hall on the ship.