543.Immortal Gods, Source of All Laws

Ma Xiaoling scratched her head, puzzled, and said, "Wait, Uncle Qiu, are you sure you're not still half asleep, or maybe you're drunk? The ancient purple moon appeared in the world, and a god descended from the sky!? Could it be that Uncle Qiu thought the purple moon a few days ago was because another god descended from the sky?"

Uncle Qiu shook his head and said, "I don't know."

Ma Xiaoling rolled her eyes.

I didn't know; I thought you did.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief.

If a so-called divine being were to descend from the sky, Ma Xiaoling would have to wonder if the end of the world was about to arrive.

Uncle Qiu said, "This matter is too ancient. I can't remember the specific description of the ancient cultivator's tomb, but I do remember this passage. That's why I called you here. I want you to accompany me on a trip to the Mainland. The things we took out of the ancient cultivator's Ancient Tomb back then are all stored with a friend in the Mainland. After all these years, I don't know if those things are still there."

Ma Xiaoling frowned and said, "Uncle Qiu, I'm afraid I don't have time."

Uncle Qiu waved his hand and said, "Alright, I know you're busy, but this matter is also closely related to your great-aunt. Without your Ma Family, I wouldn't have been able to get these things. If the problem weren't so serious, I wouldn't want to go back to the Mainland again. Never mind, if you have any doubts, you can go back and ask your great-aunt."

Ma Xiaoling looked completely surprised.

Is it related to my great-aunt?

Ma Xiaoling remained silent for a moment, and did not continue speaking.

The Ma Family.

Although Ma Xiaoling's home is not very large, only about 100 square meters, it is quite exquisitely furnished. The most eye-catching item is the altar in the living room, on which are enshrined the ancestral tablets of many of the Ma Family's ancestors.

"Ma Xiaoling, a descendant of the Ma Family, respectfully requests her great-aunt to appear."

Holding three lit incense sticks, Ma Xiaoling bowed three times to the ancestral tablets and said respectfully.

Incense burned, and wisps of smoke curled upwards.

A hazy figure emerged from the blue smoke, bearing a striking resemblance to Ma Xiaoling.

She floated in mid-air, her body seemingly both real and ethereal, yawned, and said lazily, "Xiao Ling, do you need something from your aunt?"

Ma Xiaoling said directly, "Auntie, here's what happened."

Ma Xiaoling briefly recounted the recent events involving Ziyue and Uncle Qiu.

At the same time, she kept a close eye on Ma Danna's expression.

But Ma Danna's expression gradually changed from indifference and languor to seriousness, revealing a mixture of surprise, complexity, fear, and many other indescribable emotions.

Ma Xiaoling had never witnessed such complex emotions in her great-aunt before, and her curiosity and doubts grew even stronger.

What secrets is Ziyue hiding? Why did Uncle Qiu say that the things they discovered back then could not be obtained without the Ma Family? And how much does Auntie know about Ziyue?

After Ma Xiaoling finished speaking, she said coquettishly, "Auntie, tell me quickly, what does the purple moon symbolize?"

Ma Danna's expression shifted, and after a few seconds of silence, she sighed helplessly.

With a complicated expression, she said, "I originally thought I would never see Ziyue appear in this world in my lifetime, but I never expected this."

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaoling became even more curious.

There's a secret, a big secret.

As if sensing Ma Xiaoling's doubt, Ma Danna looked at Ma Xiaoling with a complicated expression and said in a deep voice, "Xiaoling, promise your aunt something."

Ma Xiaoling was completely taken aback and asked in confusion, "Auntie, what's wrong?"

Ma Danna shouted, "Don't worry about anything else, just promise your aunt, you absolutely must promise your aunt!"

Ma Xiaoling's face twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Auntie, are you kidding me?

Why should I agree to something if you don't even tell me what it is?

Ma Xiaoling was speechless with frustration, but seeing Ma Danna's anxious expression, she said helplessly, "Okay, okay, I'll agree to anything you ask, alright?"

Ma Danna smiled upon hearing this.

She said slowly, "It's good that you agreed, it's good that you agreed. This matter has been buried in my heart for decades. I originally wanted it to disappear completely with me, but I didn't expect... Never mind, let's not talk about this anymore. From now on, you must remember every word your great-aunt says, and you absolutely cannot remember it wrong."

Ma Xiaoling's eyes shone brightly, burning with the fire of gossip.

There's definitely a story behind it!

Ma Danna's eyes were unfocused as she slowly said, "This happened about forty years ago in the Mainland. At that time, my great-aunt and some friends discovered an ancient Ancient Tomb from the pre-Qin period. This Ancient Tomb was no ordinary one; it wasn't just anyone's burial."

As Ma Danna finished speaking, her eyes were fixed on Ma Xiaoling's beautiful face, and she said, word by word, "That is the Tomb of Peng Zu."

Ma Xiaoling was stunned for a moment, then stared blankly and said, "Peng Zu, the legendary Peng Zu lived for eight hundred years."

Ma Danna shook her head slightly. "Peng Zu didn't live for eight hundred years."

Ma Xiaoling rolled her eyes and said weakly, "Of course I know he couldn't have lived for eight hundred years. How could a person live that long? He'd become a monster."

Ma Danna rolled her eyes at Ma Xiaoling, then tapped her on the forehead. "Go away, what do kids know? You can't just slander ancient sages like that."

As Ma Danna spoke, she cupped her hands in a respectful bow to the four directions and said, "Children speak without thinking; please forgive my sins, sages."

Then she said irritably, "Peng Zu lived for two thousand years, not eight hundred."

Ma Xiaoling blinked blankly.

Two thousand years!

Peng Zu lived for two thousand years.

Can a human live for two thousand years?

Ma Xiaoling laughed awkwardly, "Grandma, don't tease me. How could a person live for two thousand years?"

Ma Danna said earnestly, "This is the story I want to tell you, an ancient legend that has been lost to history. Peng Zu was one of the people chosen by Shennong to serve the gods, and also one of the legendary forty-nine great shamans!"

Ma Xiaoling's pupils constricted as she suddenly understood something.

In ancient times, a divine being descended from the sky, immortal and eternal.

Shennong selected forty-nine shamans to serve the gods. These shamans accompanied the gods year-round, gaining insights into the secrets of longevity.

Immortality!

Peng Zu two thousand years!

Ma Xiaoling said in a trembling voice, "Auntie, are you saying that in ancient times, there really were gods who descended from the sky?"

Ma Danna took a deep breath and said seriously, "Yes, according to the records left by Peng Zu, there were indeed divine beings who descended from the sky in ancient times. No, to be precise, they should be divine corpses."

God Corpse?

Ma Xiaoling was completely bewildered.

Wait, wasn't he supposed to be a god-like being? How did he turn into a god-like corpse?

Ma Danna: "That divine being descended from the heavens, ageless, immortal, and indestructible, but he has never awakened."

Ma Xiaoling felt a slight pain in her forehead.

Immortal and eternal, yet it has never awakened.

She asked doubtfully, "Wait, Auntie, I'm a little dizzy, could you say it again?"

Ma Danna rolled her eyes and said irritably, "Simply put, it's true that a divine being descended from the heavens when the purple moon rose in ancient times, but this person has never awakened, nor aged, nor decayed. He's like, it's like, how should I put it, fallen into a deep sleep, or perhaps he's already dead."

Ma Danna waved her hand casually and said, "Alright, let's continue our previous topic. Because the divine being has fallen into a deep sleep, Shennong sent forty-nine shamans to take care of him day and night, hoping to wait for the day the divine being awakens. These forty-nine shamans are men and women, old and young, and their only task is to take care of the deity."

If it were just that, it wouldn't have been so bad. But these forty-nine shamans, having spent years with the gods, gradually awakened special powers, or rather, grasped the secrets of immortality. They developed supernatural abilities, capable of moving mountains and unloading ridges, controlling water and fire, mastering heaven and earth, and summoning wind and rain."

Ma Xiaoling said blankly, "Wait a minute, does Aunt mean that these witches comprehended the legendary methods of cultivating immortality because they spent their days with the gods?"

Ma Danna said, "Back then, there was no such thing as cultivating immortality, but what you said isn't entirely wrong. The forty-nine witches awakened their supernatural powers, gaining strength beyond that of mortals, and naturally they also understood the nobility and value of the gods."

She paused slightly as she spoke, her expression becoming complicated.

Ma Danna paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "After gaining extraordinary power, the witches' hearts also changed. Some became more devout, believing it to be a gift from the gods, while others became greedy for the gods' power and wanted to steal it."

Some people believed that they were no longer mortals and should be treated like gods. These forty-nine shamans, who were supposed to take care of the gods, quarreled because they had gained divine power. And because they had gained supernatural powers, they had power that mortals could not resist.

A war broke out, a war that mortals could not stop.

Forty-nine great shamans divided into several factions to vie for divine power and to solidify their legitimacy. The war lasted for countless years, during which the forty-nine great shamans either died, grew old, or their sentiments gradually changed.

During the era of the Five Emperors, Peng Zu and several surviving great shamans believed that humans should no longer quarrel over the gods, so they hid the gods in a place where no one could find them.

Ma Xiaoling asked doubtfully, "Isn't that a good thing?"

Ma Danna sighed, "Alas, the human heart is always greedy. Back then, the forty-nine great shamans were just ordinary people, but they gained extraordinary power by serving the gods. What we now call cultivation of immortality actually evolved from the ancient Qi refining techniques. Do you know what this means?"

Ma Danna looked at Ma Xiaoling with a half-smile.

Ma Xiaoling's expression changed drastically; she immediately understood what was meant.

Cultivation of immortality originated from the ancient Qi refining technique, which in turn originated from forty-nine great shamans. And the power of these forty-nine great shamans came from the gods.

If we could find the legendary gods, wouldn't that be amazing!

Ma Xiaoling gasped, vaguely understanding Ma Danna's meaning and what she wanted to say.

Ma Danna said, "Ever since the gods were hidden by Peng Zu and others, all the major powers in the world have never given up searching for them. Not only are people searching, but the Heavenly Court, the Underworld, and even the Buddha himself are all searching for the gods' whereabouts, and everyone wants to obtain their power. Do you now understand what the Purple Moon represents?"

A tribute to a friend's novel, <Martial Suppression Bureau>

The story of a government office that suppresses and manages those with supernatural powers.