At the sight of Taiyi Zhenren, Shi Ji's temper eased somewhat. She bowed with clasped hands and said, "Daoist brother."
Taiyi Zhenren returned her greeting.
Shi Ji asked, "Daoist brother, your disciple shot my Biyun Boy dead, injured Caiyun Boy, and even struck me with the Universe Ring. Have Nezha come out and offer a proper apology, and we can let everything rest. If you shield him, however, that would hardly reflect well on you."
Taiyi Zhenren fiercely protected his disciple. "Nezha is in my cave. Having him come out is easy enough. You need only go to the Jade Void Palace and see my Sect Master Teacher. If he tells me to hand Nezha over to you, I will. Nezha was born by imperial decree to support a wise ruler and fulfill the Mandate of Heaven. This is no private whim of mine."
Shi Ji frowned. How could he be so unreasonable? She could only say, "You are mistaken, Daoist brother! You let your disciple commit violence and kill mine, then use the Mandate of Heaven to browbeat me. Are you bullying me because my cultivation is inferior to yours?"
Taiyi Zhenren shook his head. "Shi Ji, you are a Jie Sect Disciple, and I am a Chan Sect Disciple. You should know that we have failed to sever the Three Corpses for fifteen hundred years and have incurred the tribulation of killing. Thus, we descend into the mortal world to wage war and slaughter, completing this destined tribulation. Such is the Mandate of Heaven now: Cheng Tang's dynasty must fall, and the House of Zhou must rise. The Jade Void Palace shall carry out the Investiture of the Gods, and those invested shall enjoy Mortal Prosperity. When the Three Teachings jointly signed the Investiture List, my master ordered the disciples of our sect to descend into the world and assist a wise ruler."
"Nezha is the reincarnation of Lingzhuzi, charged with supporting Zhou and destroying Shang. He acts under the Mandate of Heaven. That he injured your disciple was naturally the Mandate of Heaven, a predestined fate. I know you possess lofty virtue, so why insist on this? Those like you are free of cares, disgrace, and glory. You need only cultivate diligently and attain the Dao. Why must you obstruct the Mandate of Heaven?"
The Mandate of Heaven? Predestined fate?
The Mandate of Heaven demanded that my boy die?
What had he done to deserve Heaven's punishment?
He spent his days attending to me, and otherwise quietly cultivated and gathered herbs. Whose affairs had he obstructed?
At that thought, Shi Ji could no longer contain the fire in her heart. She snapped, "What sort of reasoning is that?"
Taiyi Zhenren argued stubbornly, "It is the Mandate of Heaven. It has its own reasoning."
The Mandate of Heaven? Reasoning?
Nezha had shot Biyun Boy dead, and Shi Ji had endured it.
Nezha had injured Caiyun Boy, and Shi Ji had endured it.
Taiyi Zhenren had shielded his disciple, and Shi Ji had endured it.
Taiyi Zhenren had invoked Yuanshi Tianzun, and Shi Ji had endured it.
But now?
Nezha had committed murder, and she had swallowed her humiliation and offered to let it go in exchange for an apology. Yet Taiyi used the mighty tide of the Mandate of Heaven to crush her, while Nezha would not even show his face, much less apologize.
Could the Mandate of Heaven really permit such things?
Shi Ji knew that Taiyi Zhenren was a direct disciple of the Chan Sect, while she was merely an ordinary disciple of the Interception Sect. The gulf in their standing was immense, but she could not swallow this insult.
"Then we must settle this in a fight!" Shi Ji immediately raised her sword.
Taiyi Zhenren blocked her sword and rebuked her. "You are nothing but an obstinate stone that happened to attain the Dao through earth, water, fire, and wind. Your roots are shallow, and your cultivation cannot stand firm. How dare you run wild on my Qianyuan Mountain?!"
"And what if I do?" Shi Ji was already enraged.
Knowing he was no match for her, Taiyi Zhenren immediately brought forth a treasure. Flames billowed from it, blazing light shone, and nine fire dragons coiled around it. "I have no wish to commit more slaughter. Shi Ji, do you recognize this treasure?"
Shi Ji was horrified. How could she fail to recognize the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover? It held Samadhi True Fire within, and even her profound cultivation could not withstand it.
Humiliation.
Keep fighting?
With this magic treasure, Taiyi Zhenren could finish her off in moments.
This was the difference between a direct disciple and an ordinary one.
Taiyi Zhenren was laden with treasures and could even outfit his disciple from head to toe. And Shi Ji?
The Eight Trigrams Cloud Light Scarf, the Eight Trigrams Dragon Beard Scarf, and the Tai'a Sword. Nothing else.
Two handkerchiefs and one battered sword. That was all.
Seeing Shi Ji hesitate, not daring to advance, Taiyi Zhenren relaxed as well. Fortunately, he had the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover. In terms of cultivation alone, he truly was inferior to Shi Ji.
Then, emboldened by the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover in his possession, he said, "The Mandate of Heaven cannot be defied. Leave at once."
Shi Ji was already seething. Hearing Taiyi Zhenren invoke the Mandate of Heaven again struck a painful chord in her heart.
Earlier, she had scoffed at King Zhou's declarations, "I am the Mandate of Heaven" and "Master Heaven and put it to use." But now?
If the Mandate of Heaven meant murdering without paying with one's life, if the Mandate of Heaven meant an innocent calamity falling upon her beloved boy, then she, Shi Ji, would no longer believe in the Mandate of Heaven either!
Looking at the Nine Dragon Divine Fire Cover in Taiyi Zhenren's hand, Shi Ji gritted her teeth and headed for Chaoge.
On the way, she sent a Jade Slip to Sect Master Tongtian. "I listened to the Dao under your tutelage for a thousand years, Teacher, and my gratitude moves me to tears. Yet the boy in my service died an innocent, violent death, so I shall simply defy the Mandate of Heaven. I do not wish to implicate the sect. Today, I leave the Interception Sect."
The Fire Cloud Palace.
Clouds arose in eight directions, and mist rose on all sides. Graceful cypresses stood tall, and ancient pines twisted and curled. This was the dwelling of the Three Human Saints.
Three figures sat within. The one in the center, with two horns atop his head, was Heavenly Emperor Fuxi. The one on the left, leaves draped over his shoulders and tiger and leopard skins wrapped around his waist, was Earthly Emperor Shennong. The one on the right, clad in imperial robes, was Human Emperor Xuanyuan.
"Have you heard the words of the current Human King, elder brother?" Shennong asked Fuxi.
Fuxi smiled faintly. "Do you mean that a ruler who upholds propriety and righteousness and honors the worthy shall reign over all under Heaven, while one who emphasizes law and loves the people as his own children shall hold supremacy over the Feudal Lords? I find it quite reasonable."
Xuanyuan laughed heartily. "Why be so evasive, elder brother? Rather than follow Heaven and sing its praises, master the Mandate of Heaven and put it to use! Since when has the Human Race needed to rely on the Mandate of Heaven?"
Shennong stroked his beard. "Since humanity first stood in this world, when have we ever relied on the Mandate of Heaven? We cleared fields with blades and fire, surrounded beasts and hunted them, created writing, gathered medicinal herbs, made plows, and planted the five grains. If we had relied on the Mandate of Heaven, our human race, too weak even to truss a chicken, should have perished!"
Xuanyuan agreed. "In the battle of Zhuolu, we faced nine deaths for one chance at life. Are we to say that we won only because of the Mandate of Heaven? How, then, could I answer to the soldiers of my armies? And how many departed souls remain in the North Sea to this day?"
Neither Xuanyuan nor Shennong believed in predestined fate. Moreover, the two examples King Zhou had given of defying Heaven had won their favor all the more.
Nüwa, the central figure in the tale of Jingwei filling the sea, was Shennong's youngest daughter.
Yu the Great, the central figure in the tale of Yu taming the floods, was Xuanyuan's great-great-grandson.
Hearing the other two saints speak so, Fuxi said, "To speak only of the Mandate of Heaven and discard human effort—where does that leave the Human Race's ancient sages? Very well, very well."
Fuxi was deeply moved. King Zhou had not only advanced his argument about Heaven's mandate, but also defended those clad in fur and crowned with horns, those born from dampness or hatched from eggs. His own younger sister Nuwa commanded all the world's demons with the Demon-Summoning Banner and showed the Monster Tribe some favor as well.
Heaven demanded that the Monster Tribe withdraw from the world, but who among them was willing?
It was rare to see a Human King who treated the Monster Tribe equally regardless of their origins, and Fuxi was naturally delighted.
The smile gradually faded from Xuanyuan's face. Solemnly, he said, "One day, those who bear the azure heavens on their backs, with nothing to hinder their flight, shall meet the Mandate of Heaven in battle. In the great tribulation of Heaven and Earth, the Mandate of Heaven shall be overturned."
Fuxi also said, "I have heard it said: Heaven's decree can break a man, but united, men can overcome Heaven."
The three Sage Emperors exchanged smiles and continued discussing the Dao. What power did the Mandate of Heaven hold over the Human Race?
Before half a day had passed, a boy entered the palace to announce, "My lords, the Shangqing Saint of the Biyou Palace in the East Sea is outside, seeking to discuss the Dao."
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