Divine Lord Giant Wood had drawn every departed soul and spirit in the world to Mount Tai, led them to worship Taiyi Heavenly Venerable Who Rescues the Suffering, and delivered them to the Azure Flower Realm of Eternal Bliss.
This had already earned immense merit, but it was still not enough for the Azure Emperor.
The Azure Emperor's Ten Celestial Venerable Incarnations had manifested throughout the myriad heavens and worlds for countless years. The beings they had delivered were so numerous that they simply could not be counted.
Divine Lord Giant Wood wanted to go further. He had delivered almost all the dead. Though many people and animals died each day, they still were not enough.
Next, he would deliver the living!
Among living beings, humans came first.
The Daoist School held that humans were the noblest and most exalted of all beings, the best suited to cultivation, and of the highest quality.
Divine Lord Giant Wood therefore sent his subordinates into the mortal world to preach.
Yet the prevailing faith in the mortal world was now the "state religion" centered on Imperial Preceptor Shi Feiyang, which the reigning emperor promoted with all his might. Some Buddhist and traditional Daoist beliefs remained, but both were rapidly dwindling. Everywhere beneath heaven, Celestial Venerable Primordial Yang reigned supreme. Whether Buddhist temples or Daoist monasteries—even nunneries and City God temples—the rule was the same: with the Imperial Preceptor present, all other gods yielded their thrones. The largest courtyard, the grandest hall, and the central seat of the chief deity had to enshrine Shi Feiyang. Otherwise, they violated imperial law and would have their altars razed and temples destroyed.
His people first preached around Shandong, Henan, and Jiang-Zhe, only to encounter tremendous resistance at once.
First, they were forbidden to build temples anywhere. The