Changing Tides III

"In this world, which is Like Wind, Like Wave, Like Sea, Like Abyss, everyone uses all sorts of tricks. Until the very end, no one knows who the winner will be."

Dongfang Mu stood on the top floor of his Earthen Fort, gazing at the distant scenery.

The rising sun resembles Tong Tong red egg yolk—tender, round, and yellow. Anyone who sees it would want to take a bite.

But none of those who dare to bite are simpletons.

"Teacher, is it inappropriate for us to rashly associate with the Human Immortal Temple now?"

Behind Dongfang Mu stood a row of male and female disciples dressed in various styles.

These disciples were dressed in various ways, including as old farmers, wealthy merchants, and ordinary courtesans. There were about ten of them in total, representing all walks of life.

But everyone looked at Dongfang Mu with sincerity and worry in their eyes at this moment.

The concern is whether the teacher can recover from the injury.

"The Human Immortal Temple is bound to be targeted by Gods and Buddhas, and by all religions. They are our natural allies. Moreover, their abbot saved my life, so both morally and logically, we must treat them with courtesy and sincerity." Dongfang Mu coughed a few times, turned around and sighed.

"Now that things have come to this, it is time for the Confucian Sect to reappear in the world."

"Now that the Red Scarf Rebellion and the people are suffering, with all kinds of evil rising up everywhere, it is the time for us to save the people from their misery and win their hearts. The Human Immortal Temple can also serve as a focal point to attract the attention of the Gods and Buddhas, thus concealing our true intentions," Dongfang Mu said in a deep voice.

"Is the Human Immortal Temple really that strong?" a disciple asked, frowning in disbelief.

"No," Dongfang Mu said with a smile, "But there is someone behind the Abbot of the Human Immortal Temple."

Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly, and he waved his hand.

"Alright, everyone, you can all leave now."

"Yes." The disciples bowed to Dongfang Mu and then left.

Shortly after the group left, a strong and tall figure slowly entered from outside the door. It was Zhang Rongfang, dressed in a black brocade robe.

Having worn Daoist robes for so long, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to suddenly being changed into ordinary clothes.

Knock, knock, knock. Zhang Rongfang stood at the door and knocked.

"Please come in." Dongfang Mu smiled gently.

"Master Dongfang, the other day you spoke about the Confucian Sect martial arts, but you only covered half of it and didn't explain the rest. I have many questions in my mind, and I wonder if you could answer some of them?"

Zhang Rongfang himself came from Confucian Household and had some understanding of the Confucian Sect.

Now, the Confucian school, which was thought to have been abandoned, has suddenly produced a hidden Great Grandmaster.

That's a bit of an exaggeration.

He suddenly wanted to find out just how much strength the Confucian school was still hiding.

Moreover, he wanted to figure out the relationship between Confucian martial arts and the Extreme Realm.

"I have some idea of why you've come, Abbot," Dongfang Mu said with a smile. "However, the two members of the Reverse Time Society were present yesterday, so they deliberately changed the subject. Now, it's just the two of us, both of us on the same side. So there's not much to hold back."

"Sir, you also know about Zhang's background?" Zhang Rongfang in surprise.

"The abbot does not conceal his appearance, and he frequently visits various Mansion in the city, so it would be difficult not to know him," Dongfang Mu replied.

"That's true." Zhang Rongfang nodded. "Now that my master has entered Great Capital, I wonder what the situation is like? And what are the plans of the Confucian Sect?"

"When you are successful, you should help others; when you are unsuccessful, you should cultivate your own virtue. Now, all the people in the world are suffering, so let us do what we can." Dongfang Mu seemed to be answering, but there was nothing more to it.

Zhang Rongfang continued, "Since you are unwilling to discuss this, then let's talk about the Confucian Sect martial arts and the Extreme Realm. I am curious, you mentioned before that the Extreme Realm seems to originate from Confucianism? What is your explanation?"

"The Extreme Realm is a model of taking different paths to their extremes," Dongfang Mu sighed. "But the most fundamental source of it is still the core of my Confucian Sect — Pure Heart Exchange Jade."

"How so?" Zhang Rongfang was quite interested in things that involved the principles of martial arts.

The prerequisite for Enemy Anticipation is to first understand the opponent's martial arts principles, then observe the opponent's mindset and muscle memory, so as to achieve an immediate and absolute predictive effect.

He now understands this deeply.

Therefore, the more he learns about unknown and novel martial arts, the greater the advantage he can have in Enemy Anticipation.

"The abbot is one of our own, so I won't hide anything." Dongfang Mu smiled slightly. "The key to Pure Heart Exchange Jade is that one must first be pure of heart in order to exchange jade. A gentleman wears jade, nurtures jade, and obtains jade, and only then can his heart and jade become one, and his sincerity be consistent."

"As for how to purify one's heart, Confucian Sect has its own complete set of methods for cultivating the mind. Benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness are the Five Constants virtues of Confucianism, which originated from Confucius and were extended to Dong Zhongshu and Mencius. And nowadays, they refer to the Five Veins of the Confucian Sect."

The principles for each lineage are quite different.

And we, who are sincere to ourselves and to others, adhere to seemingly numerous principles, all for one purpose: sincerity of heart.

"Then what is jade? Why exchange it for jade?" Zhang Rongfang asked again. "And what is the connection between pure heart and Extreme Realm?"

"Jade is what you want to obtain. Anything beautiful in your heart, anything you desire, or any person you wish to possess can be regarded as jade."

In the long river of life, many people manage to leap out of the water, look ahead, and reflect on what lies behind. "Jade may be in front of you, or it may be behind you," Dongfang Mu replied.

"To Pure Heart Exchange Jade, if successful, leads to the state of perfection. If unsuccessful, one can still walk firmly and step onto the Path of Utmost Sincerity. The Extreme Realm is just like that: to pursue the infinitely unattainable jade with a pure heart, but this is not the righteous path. It is the evil path that primarily involves overdrawing one's own resources."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Rongfang seemed to understand something.

He hadn't expected that this world also had Confucius and Mencius. By this time, he viewed the development of the Great Ling more as another branch of history from his previous life.

"And what is Master Dongfang's jade? Could you please tell me?" he suddenly asked again.

"My jade is for the re-establishment of Confucian School," Dongfang Mu replied earnestly. "Young friend, you may not yet have realized that your jade has already taken shape."

"My jade," Zhang Rongfang pondered.

Even now, if there is one thing he still wants to obtain but cannot reach, it is still something he desires.

That leaves only one path—to achieve the complete form of a human immortal!

Now, he has opened two Blood Lotus and condensed the Three Flowers twice. He only needs one more flower to achieve the Three Flowers Gather on Crown.

Child Wish's talent can now be put to use. If Master Yue succeeds in what he is doing now, he will surely rise to the top in one step.

Even if he loses, he must be prepared for it.

*** Great Capital.

A massive army, like a dark cloud, besieged the capital.

The entire Great Capital was surrounded by two huge, round blocks, one black and one red, with no city walls for protection. The troops from both sides gathered together, their banners obscuring the sky.

Black on the outside and red on the inside.

Yuchi Hongshan stood in the center of the army formation, alongside Spirit General such as Yue Dewen and Kexiwo, gazing at the capital.

Up until now, his mind is still a complete blank.

What happened before? Why did the million-strong army suddenly give up resistance?

Why was King Mu Li standing beside them, chatting and laughing?

Kexiwo is a formidable enemy, so why is he currently having such a pleasant conversation with Yue Dewen?

Fortunately, the others didn't want him as a person, but rather his reputation. So nobody cared what he was thinking at that moment.

"Those who are resisting in the city are nothing more than those dozen or so noble Noble of the Spirit Person People. The Offering Spirit Army and the Weaving Elephant Army are still halfway there. Now it is too late."

Yue Dewen stroked his beard and gazed into the distance.

"We must press on without delay."

"How is the situation at the Imperial Palace? What's the response?" Kexiwo asked.

"Not a single one of them has come out; they are still waiting." Yue Dewen said calmly. "They are calculating, we are calculating, and everyone in the world is calculating. Who will win and who will lose will not be decided in a moment."

He sighed, turned around, and looked at the many Spirit General behind him who were on horseback, ready for battle.

The Spirit General of various sects, including the Great Dao Sect, the True One Sect, the Thousand Sect Alliance, the Teaching Alliance, the Heaven Lock Sect, Black Ten Sect, gathered together, their combined power amplified by the army's momentum, and the aura of Gods and Buddhas was faintly visible.

At this moment, an invisible current of air was faintly swirling and circling above the area where the commander was located, reaching straight through the clouds.

It was a cloudy day, but there was a small hole in the sky above the army.

"Gentlemen, success or failure hinges on this one move."

Yue Dewen slowly raised his hand, clenching his fist and then opening it.

"War!!!"

He suddenly roared.

"Fight!!" shouted the nearby troops.

"Fight!!" The distant military formations rose in layers, their soldiers roaring in fury.

"War!!!!"

All the generals roared in unison.

As the war drums sounded, the sound waves spread rapidly in all directions, as if contagious.

Circles of soldiers shouted in unison.

Waves of sound, like tsunamis, crashed into the remnants of the defending army in Great Capital.

The garrison was simply a force cobbled together by more than ten Great Ling Noble who had plundered their private soldiers and retainers.

At this moment, everyone was hit by the huge sound wave, their faces turned pale, and their bodies felt numb.

Some people didn't even notice when their weapons and shields fell to the ground.

Some people squatted down and wept bitterly, while others closed their eyes and bowed their heads to recite scriptures of Gods and Buddhas.

Patches of formation began to crumble and collapse, revealing gaps in the red patches.

"I am Yue Dewen, the Great Way Yue Dewen! Today, I shall uphold the Way of Heaven, rectify the court, protect the new emperor, and quell the chaos in the world!!"

Yue Dewen roared, and his voice, mixed with the other sounds, was clearly audible.

In an instant, the war drums sounded rapidly, and the military formations moved in perfect unison toward the Great Capital city.

The siege engines were preparing to release their ropes and drop boulders.

Tens of thousands of archers began to nock their bows, raise them, and point them towards the sky.

"Kill!!!"

As if by an explosion, countless black clouds surged toward all directions of the capital.

"Why must it be like this? Why can't everyone in this world sit down and have a proper, serious talk? Why must we fight?"

In the distance of the battlefield, a force of elite Black Armor Army stood guard in the center.

A gentle-looking young man with delicate features sat in the carriage.

His position was a high vantage point overlooking the battlefield.

Gazing at the chaotic and terrifying battle in the distance, a blush unconsciously crept onto his fair cheeks.

"If sitting down and talking could restore order to the world, why would there be so many sacrifices?" A Golden Armor Guard stood to the side, his face obscured by his Helmet and armor.

"Your Prince should understand the good intentions of Yue Sect Leader and the others," the guard replied calmly.

"What about my brother and the others? If we capture Great Capital, how will they be dealt with?" the gentle man asked.

He was one of the Five Kings supported by the Great Dao Sect and the Sensing Gate — the East Peace King.

The guard did not answer, but remained silent.

But silence is the best answer.

The East Peace King sighed, his face showing reluctance. "If possible... could you abdicate the throne to Master Yue?"

"The throne cannot be held by anyone but Spirit Person, Your Prince, please be careful with your words." The surrounding guards were all startled and quickly advised him.

"From the very beginning, I never wanted to be some kind of Ling Emperor." East Peace King shook his head helplessly.

He didn't say anything more after "but," but everyone guessed what he meant.

He has said this countless times.