Pulling the firewood from beneath the cauldron (I)

"This is why the Confucian Sage sealed away those of the Transcendent Rank, and it's also the source of our biggest conflict with Transcendent Rank."

The Superintendent rarely showed such a serious expression; he was extremely serious, Xu Qi'an had never seen the Superintendent so earnest.

Just like he had never met Yang Qianhuan without being pretentious.

Do you think the Heavenly Dao is ruthless or compassionate?

Xu Qi'an and the Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox exchanged a glance, remained silent for a few seconds, and then the former said:

Heaven's utmost selfishness is used with utmost impartiality.

"Heavenly Dao is ruthless; for all living beings, that is the greatest fairness."

The Silver-Haired Enchantress nodded:

I think so too.

You should say: Me too! Xu Qi'an muttered to himself.

The Superintendent said:

"But Gods and Devils and demons, or even Transcendent Rank, are all sentient beings."

He didn't continue, but Xu Qi'an and the Nine-Tailed Fox understood.

If the Transcendent Rank replaces the Heavenly Dao, then the Heavenly Dao will possess consciousness and selfish desires.

This is understandable. If replacing the Heavenly Dao were like the Dao Venerable Heaven Sect's avatar merging into the rules and losing consciousness, then the Transcendent Rank wouldn't painstakingly cultivate and go to great lengths to become the Heavenly Dao.

"The beings of this world, life after life, will be enslaved by the Transcendent Rank —no, by the Heavenly Dao!"

The Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox looked very unwell.

Rules without emotion are the best rules. If the Heavenly Dao were to develop self-awareness, thoughts, and selfish desires, it would be a very frightening thing.

Although there is no absolute freedom in this world, at least we can still shout, "Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?" If the Heavenly Dao had consciousness, living beings would become puppets and playthings. Xu Qi'an said with a heavy heart:

"It's not just about slavery."

"The progress of civilizations of all races will come to an end, and the evolution of heaven and earth will cease, or enter an extreme direction."

If we take a broader perspective, Human Race civilization could no longer grow wildly, and future generations would live under the shadow of the laws of Heavenly Dao for generations to come.

The Superintendent laughed:

"The Confucian Sage also felt that this was not good. What the future holds should be decided by future generations. The Heavenly Dao is ruthless, which is the greatest emotion. It does not need selfish desires or consciousness. Therefore, the Confucian Sage sealed all the Transcendent Rank, giving the people of the Nine Provinces more than 1,200 years of breathing room."

"This bought time for the Gatekeeper to appear."

After saying that, he looked at Xu Qi'an and said:

"Your voyage is to seek an opportunity to advance to the level of Half-Step Martial God, isn't it?"

Xu Qi'an hummed in agreement.

He failed to destroy the Jialuoshu and plunder its divine essence; his only way out was to sail the seas to find the descendants of Gods and Devils.

We can't just swallow Master Kou and Asuro, can we?

The Superintendent nodded. "Actually, in my original plan, retrieving Shenshu's head and simultaneously devouring the Jialuoshu would have been the best outcome. Unfortunately, you failed to capitalize on the opportunity."

In his plan, I should have already advanced to the Half-Step Martial God realm? No, that's not right. If I had, I wouldn't have gone to sea, and there wouldn't have been this interception. Without the interception, I wouldn't have qualified to become Gatekeeper.

Was the old silver coin trying to fool me, or did he have another plan? My appearance changed his original scheme.

Xu Qi'an couldn't tell Superintendent being maliciously mocking him or had some other ulterior motive.

"I hate old silver coins," he said, with a completely relaxed posture.

"So what should we do now?"

The best way to deal with old silver coins is to get them for free.

The Superintendent looked towards the northeast and said:

"Sailing in that direction for three days will take you to an ancient battlefield, where you'll find what you're looking for. Hmm, that wicked disciple Song Qing must have concocted a blood-collecting array, right?"

Although he asked this question, his tone and expression were full of certainty, as if he had great confidence in his wayward disciple.

Xu Qi'an followed his gaze, and a thought struck him as he remembered the information given to him by the Merfolk Queen Pearl.

"The queen of Merfolk Island told me that there is an ancient battlefield in the northeast, inhabited by a terrifying monster."

The Merfolk Queen pointed southeast, and according to the current location, the ancient battlefield was in the northeast, which was exactly the direction the Superintendent had mentioned.

It's not hard to deduce that the two places are the same.

Superintendent:

"That monster was Transcendent Rank Gods and Devils from ancient times. After its death in battle, its remaining Spiritual Essence and will merged, turning it into a soulless and spiritless monster. Compared to the Jialuoshu, it is more suitable for you."

"Because that Gods and Devils's Spiritual Essence is the symbol of 'power.' In terms of sheer strength alone, even ten Desolate beings would not be his match."

Xu Qi'an's eyes lit up.

For a warrior, the allure of strength is even stronger than that of a stunning beauty.

If you put a chance to double your strength in front of a warrior and a beautiful woman, the warrior will choose the former without hesitation.

At this moment, the Nine-Tailed Fox, who had been silent until now, suddenly frowned and asked:

How can Transcendent Rank rely on Fate to replace the Heavenly Dao?

"Having gathered the Fate of the Nine Provinces into one, then He is the Nine Provinces, He is the Heavenly Dao." The Superintendent's answer was concise and to the point.

The Nine-Tailed Fox pondered for a moment and said:

"Therefore, whether it's the Shaman God or the Buddha, they all want to spread their teachings in the Central Plains and unite the faith. As long as all the living beings in the Nine Provinces believe in Buddhist Order or the Shaman God Cult, they can replace the Heavenly Dao?"

The Superintendent sighed:

"Theoretically it's possible, but in reality it won't work. Reality is only more brutal than you think."

"The Great Feng dominates the Central Plains and has accumulated a vast amount of Fate, but this does not mean that all the Fate the Central Plains Human Race belongs to the Great Feng. From small Jianghu gangs to behemoths like the Martial Arts Alliance, as long as they reach a certain scale, they are all part of the Fate of the Human Race."

"Furthermore, the emergence of outstanding figures in both the martial arts world and the imperial court symbolizes a certain kind of Fate."

"The Great Feng simply embodies the greatest amount of Human Race Fate."

"By the same token, even if the beings of the Nine Provinces worship Buddha and Shaman God, they cannot possibly possess Fate of the Nine Provinces, so how can they claim to replace the Heavenly Dao?"

The Nine-Tailed Fox vaguely grasped something, but was not quite sure, so she tentatively asked:

"What should we do then?"

The Superintendent looked at Xu Qi'an and said:

"You once obtained a jade seal in the great tomb, which contained Fate."

Xu Qi'an nodded.

The Superintendent said:

But that dynasty has long since vanished into history.

"What does this prove?" the Nine-Tailed Fox asked, puzzled.

Xu Qi'an considered carefully and said:

"Fate by the people, or rather, by all living beings, but it does not disappear with the annihilation of these beings. As long as it is preserved through special means, it can be regarded as a force."

At this point, his expression suddenly changed.

The Nine-Tailed Fox opened its eyes wide.

Western Regions.

Mount Aranda embodies nine Dharma Idol, like deities descending from the heavens to earth, welcoming the worship of believers.

But in the shadows, where no one can see, a pair of enormous, emotionless eyes open.

Within those enormous eye sockets, the eyeballs 'rolled' once, both eyes slanting to the right, as if scrutinizing the believers behind them.

At this moment, on the mountainside of Aranda, the outer layer of rock cracked open, revealing dark red flesh and two rows of menacing white teeth.

Each tooth is as big as an adult's body.

The sides of his mouth slowly curled upwards, as if he were grinning.

Soon, it closed up again, covered by the outer layer of rocks, and became a mountain again.

The chanting continued, and no one noticed that the sacred mountain had come to life.

On the plain at the foot of the mountain, a young girl dressed in aristocratic clothes was "awakened" by a strong urge to urinate, breaking free from her state of devout prayer.

She felt as if she had just taken a nap, in a daze, not knowing where she was.

"Mother, I want it."

Her voice abruptly stopped, and her parents, cousins, and servants who had been sitting beside her were all gone. The space around her was empty and the silence was terrifying.

The little girl stood up in terror, looked around, and called out the names of her parents and brothers.

The sound echoed in the dim light, but no one responded. In the distance, the believers remained seated with their hands clasped together, absorbed in their own world, with happy smiles on their faces.

For some reason, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Tears streamed down her face in fear. She hugged her knees, crouched on the ground, staring at the ground beneath her feet, too afraid to move.

She noticed two lumps rising up under the thin layer of soil. She paused, then carefully reached out to try and remove the soil.

Just before her fingers touched the two raised lumps, the soil suddenly parted, revealing a pair of bloodshot, eyelash-less eyes.

He stared at her silently for a moment, then rolled his eyes.

The little girl's face visibly contorted, her skin twitching. She slowly opened her mouth, about to unleash a high-decibel scream, but suddenly, the ground beneath her feet cracked open and swallowed her whole.

The Bodhisattva Guangxian opened his eyes and looked down from high above, seeing that the number of believers on the plains was rapidly decreasing.

These believers, who held Buddhist Order and represented the Fate of Buddhist Order, finally merged into one with the Buddha they worshipped.

"Only by merging with the Great Dao can one attain eternal life."

With a compassionate expression, the Bodhisattva Guangxian clasped his hands together, saying, "May all beings attain enlightenment, and may every place in the Nine Provinces Buddhist Kingdom."

Beside him, the Bodhisattva Liuli lowered his head, gazing at the ground beneath his feet. His gaze pierced through the earth and rocks, reaching into the interior of the mountain, where he saw believers sitting cross-legged, merging into the Buddha's body as if ascending to paradise.

Liuli withdrew her gaze and looked down at the plain. The Buddha's will continued to expand; the plain became Him, the river became Him.

"Eat all the Fate of the Nine Provinces, and it won't matter if all living beings in the Nine Provinces become extinct. Because the Fate will not dissipate, just like the Fate stored in the jade seal."

Xu Qi'an stared intently at the Superintendent, trying to get a different answer from him and hoping that he would refute his guess.

To my disappointment, the Superintendent slowly nodded:

This is a great calamity!

"It's just a struggle for faith, spreading religion Nine Provinces —what kind of great calamity is that?"

"Of course, the more believers there are, the more vast the territory they occupy, and the greater the increase in the Transcendent Rank. At the beginning of the founding of the country, if the Shaman God Cult had succeeded, there would have been no role for Buddha and Gu God."

"If Confucian School hadn't suppressed Buddhism three hundred years ago, the Buddha would probably have already transformed into heaven and earth, taking over the Heavenly Dao from the Dao."

A shadow seemed to fall over Xu Qi'an's heart.

Replacing the Heavenly Dao was already intolerable, but the situation turned out to be even more cruel and terrible than he had imagined.

The Nine-Tailed Fox whispered:

"By the end of the year at the latest, the Gu God and the Shaman God will be able to break free of their seal."

Anxiety and a sense of crisis surged instantly.

Xu Qi'an opened his mouth, about to say something, when he suddenly saw the Superintendent's figure slowly disappearing.

The Superintendent looked at him and smiled.

"Do you know why the Confucian Sage's Carving Knife was drawn to you and chose you?"

Before he could finish speaking, his figure vanished like a dream, disappearing into nothingness.

Thirty miles from Aranda Pingkang City.

As a city-state near the holy mountain Aranda, this place is beautiful and densely populated.

The town's economy is based on operating taverns and inns, making it a must-stay for pilgrims heading to Aranda.

The large-scale population movement has also led to the development of trade.

On the city wall, a soldier on duty gazed into the distance, where barren land stretched to the horizon.

Suddenly, he saw the ground in the distance ripple like waves, as if it had come to life.

He suspected there was something wrong with his eyes, rubbed them hard, and looked into the distance again, but this time there was no sound.

Suddenly, the ground moved again. This time, it was very close to the city wall, so it was clearly visible.

"Hey, there's something on the ground."

He instinctively gripped the spear tighter and turned to his colleague beside him.

Upon hearing this, his colleague looked into the distance for a while, but saw nothing, and complained:

"We haven't seen a single ghost, don't be so alarmed."

The soldier, refusing to believe it, stared straight ahead, scrutinizing the scene intently. After a long while, he gave up in frustration and turned to his colleague beside him, saying:

"That's strange, I clearly..."

His voice stopped abruptly, and the room beside him was empty; his colleagues were nowhere to be seen.

Not only that, all the soldiers on duty atop the walls of Pingkang City have disappeared.

The whole world was silent.

The soldier looked around blankly, unable to understand the situation before him. It was only when he ran to the other side of the city wall to check the situation inside the city that he truly felt fear.

The whole city was deserted.

At that moment, a crack appeared in the parapet a few feet in front of him—an eye without eyelashes, an eye devoid of emotion.

Immediately afterwards, all the parapets opened an eye, row upon row, their pupils moving simultaneously, looking at the soldier.

The capital city.

Huaiqing, dressed in a smooth silk undergarment, suddenly awoke with a start.

The gossamer-thin silk dress clung tightly to her curvaceous and voluptuous body, soaked with sweat.

She lifted the thin blanket, and the robe hanging on the screen flew up on its own, draping over her shoulders.

Huaiqing, her bare, snow-white feet shimmering on the gleaming floor, strode towards the outer chamber of the palace, calling out:

"Someone come here!"

The palace maids serving outside, heads bowed, approached with small, quick steps, and bowed as they spoke:

"Your Majesty, this servant is here."

"Immediately send someone to invite Academician Zhao and Duke Wei. I wish to see them in a quarter of an hour." Huaiqing finished speaking rapidly, then looked around and added:

"Help me change my clothes first."

With Aranda as the origin, flesh and blood rapidly spread, the earth came alive, the rivers came alive, and the distant city-states also came alive.

Liuli's exquisitely beautiful face was like a sculpture, lacking any emotional expression; her voice was soft but without any inflection.

"If all the believers from the Western Regions can be gathered here, the Buddha will be able to subdue the Western Regions within three days."

"Since the Buddha was from the Western Regions, how could there be any talk of alchemy?"

The voice of the Jialuoshu came from behind her.

The Buddha is assimilating with the Western Regions. Buddhist Order has been operating in the Western Regions for thousands of years, and faith is everywhere. The Fate of Buddhist Order has long been integrated into the Western Regions.

Therefore, the Buddha's journey to the Western Regions proceeded without any hindrance, naturally and spontaneously.

Bodhisattva Guangxian smiled and said:

"Once the Buddha has completed his great work, he can head east to devour the destiny of the Central Plains. At this time, the Gu God and the Shaman God are still sealed."

Upon hearing this, the two Bodhisattva smiled slightly.

Guangxian looked at the Jialuoshu and said:

"Xu Qi'an's journey overseas was destined to be in vain; the descendants of gods Gods and Devils of the Third Rank and above had long been slaughtered by that ancient Gods and Devils."

"He might make a desperate gamble and target you. We can set a trap to kill him."

Jialuoshu's expression was serious, and his tone was calm:

He might not dare to come to the Western Regions.

After he finished speaking, he heard the Bodhisattva Liuli beside him frown and say:

Where is Du'e?

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.

Alliance leaders can apply for an alliance leader group with one click in the book's description. There's a lucky draw in the group to win a Qidian commemorative gift box. The deadline is the 7th of this month. The operations manager asked me to post this, but I forgot.