Chapter 2733: Judgment Hall Divine Being
Qie Sanqian dipped his finger in tea and wrote the character "Qing" (Emotion) on the table.
"Next comes emotion. The meaning is, even if you desire three thousand wives and concubines, they must all be based on genuine feelings."
"The way of romance. At the highest level, it arises from emotion but stops at propriety."
"At the middle level, one is amazed by beauty and acts freely within propriety."
"At the lowest level... let's not speak of it. People of our caliber do not walk that path."
He continued his profound yet simple explanation: "In this world, the establishment of all relationships begins with the word 'emotion.' Familial affection, friendship, romantic love, gratitude, master-disciple bonds... A relationship built without emotion is like a handful of yellow sand—scattered by the wind at the first gust!"
"Remember, emotion can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Never toy with it, or you will suffer backlash."
Zhang Ruochen pondered, then asked, "What if two people must be together without deep feelings?"
"An excellent question."
Qie Sanqian said, "If there is no emotion, yet they must marry for various reasons, then they must uphold the word 'Yi' (Righteousness)."
He wrote the character "Yi" on the table.
Qie Sanqian continued: "If a divine venerable decrees a marriage, you have no choice but to comply and become husband and wife. Even if your heart holds no emotion, you must have righteousness toward her."
"If, by chance, she bears your child, forging a karmic bond of misfortune, even if your heart holds no emotion, you must have righteousness toward her."
"If, to protect yourself, you form marriage alliances with various powers, even if your heart holds no emotion, you must have righteousness toward them."
...
"Righteousness is heavier than emotion; it represents responsibility. It is also the bottom line that we, the romantic wanderers, must uphold."
"If she has emotion and you have righteousness, the days can last long."
"If she has both emotion and righteousness toward you, never miss such a woman—cherish her well."
Indeed, this Qie Sanqian had come prepared, knowing his affairs in great detail.
Zhang Ruochen raised his teacup with both hands and said, "Come, let's drink."
"Clink!"
The two clinked cups and drank together.
The mysterious woman sitting nearby showed disdain in her eyes.
She did not interrupt them and continued listening.
Zhang Ruochen humbly sought advice: "We've covered heart, emotion, and righteousness. But this last character, 'Fa' (Law/Method), is hard to understand."
Qie Sanqian shook his head with a smile, saying, "Fa is placed last because it is a last resort. If heart, emotion, and righteousness can solve the problem, there is naturally no need for law."
"Imagine you have three thousand wives and concubines, all centered on you, watching you, disturbing you, surrounding you at all times. Not only would you be unable to cultivate, but you wouldn't be able to do anything at all, and countless troubles would arise."
"At that point, you need Fa."
"Fa refers to both methods and household rules."
"What are methods? What are household rules?" Zhang Ruochen asked.
Qie Sanqian said, "The so-called method is to extract yourself from among them, so their gazes are no longer fixed on you but on each other."
"To achieve this, you must establish ranks for them."
"Mortals have the saying of three wives and four concubines: one principal wife, two equal wives, and four minor concubines."
"The women of an emperor are divided into: Empress, Imperial Noble Consort, Noble Consort..."
"Why establish ranks?"
"Only when they have distinctions of high and low, noble and base, large and small, will they watch each other instead of you. Let them fight and contend, and you can not only extract yourself but also gain endless benefits. Isn't that the principle?"
Zhang Ruochen found Qie Sanqian to be truly an extraordinary man and quickly asked again, "Is this your way of managing wives?"
"No, this is an unchanging great path that has existed since ancient times." Qie Sanqian said modestly.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Struggle is ultimately not a good thing. With a slight misstep, the family could be destroyed, with deaths and injuries everywhere."
Qie Sanqian said, "That is why household rules must be established."
"They can fight, but there must be a limit. Once they exceed that limit and cause too much trouble, the light punishment is sealing their cultivation for self-reflection. The heavy punishment is abolishing their cultivation and casting them into the cold palace."
"In this way, after making an example of a few, they will naturally know where your bottom line lies."
"If you are too lazy to involve yourself in their struggles, you can choose a female master to govern the harem and let her handle matters for you. This female master must have sufficiently high cultivation, enough wisdom, and an outstanding family background. Only then can she suppress them."
"Of course, the most important thing is that your own cultivation must be high enough to overpower them."
"In short, Fa is a last resort, but it is the best means of balance."
Zhang Ruochen nodded, slowly digesting what he had just heard.
The mysterious woman with the veil finally couldn't help but speak, her tone cold: "A generation's Sword God, spouting such twisted reasoning. Clearly wallowing in depravity, unfaithful and promiscuous, yet still calling yourself romantic. It seems today's trip to Tianlin Ancient City was not in vain!"
Qie Sanqian's eyes sharpened, and he lightly slapped the table, saying, "Who wasn't a pure and devoted youth when young?"
"But who gave me this peerless beauty? And this unmatched talent and boundless charm? I wish to stand aloof from the world, but the chirping orioles and swallows disturb me. I wish to walk alone, but the beauties of the world will not allow it."
"This splendid world, this brocade-like mortal realm, comes rushing at me, impossible to avoid even if I wanted to."
Zhang Ruochen quite agreed with Qie Sanqian's words, because since he began cultivation, he had rarely taken the initiative to provoke anyone.
It was always others who disturbed him, loved him, pursued him relentlessly, leaving him helpless.
Zhang Ruochen sighed, "As the ancients said, the hardest thing to bear is a beauty's kindness."
"The land of tenderness is a hero's grave." Qie Sanqian said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Since ancient times, beauties have loved heroes."
"Heroes find it hard to pass the beauty test." Qie Sanqian said.
"Clink!"
The two clinked cups again and drank it all.
There was a sense of kindred spirits hard to find.
Qie Sanqian added, "The two of us are not just heroes; we are the greatest and truest heroes. We have too many beauty tests to pass. With the slightest carelessness, we get trapped inside."
"Mediocre people seek a single beloved and still find it hard to obtain. Even if they wanted to be romantic, they wouldn't have the chance. Brother Ruochen, am I right?"
Zhang Ruochen was silent for a moment, then nodded.
Qie Sanqian sighed long:
"Within ten steps, there is bound to be a test."
"Within a hundred steps, tenderness corrodes the bones."
Zhang Ruochen lamented, "A hundred years of cultivation surely brings a love tribulation; a thousand years in the mortal world must meet a karmic bond. Cannot hide, cannot escape, emotion and righteousness are hard to refuse."
"Let's drink another cup." Qie Sanqian said.
Suddenly, a rough and heavy voice sounded from outside the tea pavilion: "Judgment Hall, Yuan Tianzhi, pays respects to Ruochen Great Saint."
The voice exploded like divine thunder beside Zhang Ruochen's ears, as if his eardrums were about to burst.
The blood in Zhang Ruochen's body trembled with it.
Zhang Ruochen looked out the window and saw a towering figure over three meters tall standing on the street, clad in silver chainmail, his whole body flowing with divine light.
His eyes, the size of fists, met Zhang Ruochen's gaze.
Those eyes were like two burning fireballs, making Zhang Ruochen feel his whole body burning, his skin scorching, and his bones seemingly about to turn to ash.
Behind Yuan Tianzhi stood nearly a hundred Judgment Hall Great Saints in sacred armor, including Zhuo Yunong.
Although they stood on the street, the passing cultivators could not see them at all and walked past as if nothing was there.
Qie Sanqian looked at Zhang Ruochen and said, "Yuan Tianzhi is a divine general of the Judgment Hall, a false god of the second rank among the lower three ranks. His strength is still considerable!"
False gods are divided into nine ranks.
Upper three ranks, middle three ranks, lower three ranks.
False gods of the upper three ranks are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.
Because to be listed in the upper three ranks, one must have refined the divine source of a divine venerable to be qualified.
Or be able to survive one Eon Calamity.
For a false god to survive an Eon Calamity is naturally as difficult as ascending to heaven, almost impossible.
However, a false god whose spiritual power reaches the seventy-fifth rank can rely on powerful spiritual power to survive an Eon Calamity.
It relies not on martial arts but on spiritual power.
Cultivators who choose to refine divine sources and become false gods inherently have some defect. Therefore, it is not easy for false gods to cultivate their spiritual power to the seventy-fifth rank.
Thus, false gods of the upper three ranks are extremely rare.
False gods of the lower three ranks are the most numerous.
Among the lower three ranks, false gods of the third rank account for over ninety percent of all false gods. For example, Mo Yunduan, Mo Hai Divine General, and the Judgment Divine Envoy are all at this level.
To become the second rank among the lower three ranks, the number is already small. The refined divine source must be left by a god who has survived one Eon Calamity.
A false god of the second rank among the lower three ranks can generally match several false gods of the third rank among the lower three ranks.
To become a false god of the middle three ranks, one's spiritual power must reach the seventieth rank, and the refined divine source must be left by a god who has survived three or more Eon Calamities.
Therefore, the number of false gods of the middle three ranks is also very scarce.
Of course, the classification of false gods mainly depends on combat power. Even if the refined divine source is of the same grade, a false god who has cultivated for a few thousand years and one who has cultivated for a hundred thousand years have vastly different combat power and cannot be generalized.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
...
Heavy sounds spread up the stairs.
Yuan Tianzhi arrived on the third floor, his figure towering and sharp. The divine qi emanating from his body condensed into the shape of chains, extending toward Zhang Ruochen, dragging a "clattering" sound through the air.
"Ruochen Great Saint, come with me to the Judgment Hall?"
His voice carried an oppressive might.
Zhang Ruochen looked at the divine qi chains around him, moving like dragons and snakes, and remained calm, saying, "As far as I know, divine beings cannot interfere in mortal affairs. Divine General, are you trying to arrest me?"
"It's not an arrest, it's an invitation." Yuan Tianzhi said.
Zhang Ruochen said, "May I know which crime of the Destiny Temple I have committed?"
"You will know when you reach Destiny Divine Mountain."
"What if I refuse to go?"
"Then this divine general can only invite you by force."
As Yuan Tianzhi said this, the entire tea pavilion, shaped like a rockery, was covered with a layer of divine light. The walls, pillars, floor, and tables and chairs turned into metallic mirrors, shaking violently.
Qie Sanqian suddenly laughed and said, "Yuan Tianzhi, look over there before you say that."
Qie Sanqian pointed to the mysterious woman wearing a veil beside him.