Heaven of Inheriting Sagehood

Nanzhao City, the city where the Nanzhao Royal Family, the king, and the priests resided, was backed by Cang Mountain and faced Erhai Lake.

The Cang Mountain rise high into the clouds. It is late spring, and the snow on the mountaintop has not yet melted, gleaming white under the bright moonlight.

A bright moon is reflected on Erhai Lake, and the spring breeze comes from Xiaguan, passing through Shangguan, with flowers blooming everywhere along the way.

At this moment, the four scenic wonders of Nanzhao —wind, flowers, snow, and moon—are all within sight.

In the Nanzhao City, the lights were dim. On the highest God-Worshipping Pagoda in the city, the priest Meng Shixi leaned on the railing and looked out of the city. He had no heart to appreciate the scenery and his face was full of sorrow.

Suddenly, a clear and melodious sound rang out:

"Shi tide, it's late spring, a time to enjoy the scenery. Why are you all sitting here looking so gloomy?"

Meng Shixi turned around and saw Xue Min, who had changed into a scarlet brocade dress, standing behind her at some point, smiling at her.

Meng Shixi's eyes stung, and a few tears fell as she whispered:

"The mountain god has... reached perfection?"

Xue Min nodded gently:

"My connection with the Mountain God's talisman has deepened, and I've finally recovered my Five Laws cultivation levels from before I switched to the Divine Dao."

Meng Shixi forced a smile:

"Then congratulations in advance, Divine Lord. If you achieve the Divine Core Perfected One in the future, please reserve a position for me among the officials of the Mountain God."

Xue Min frowned, puzzled, and asked:

What happened to make you so depressed?

Meng Shixi first shook her head, but when she met Xue Min's gaze, she knew she couldn't hide it from him after all, so she sighed and said:

"I have requested an audience with the king, but he has yet to respond."

Xue Min was even more puzzled upon hearing this. "What exactly happened during my seclusion these past few years that has caused you to panic like this?" He paused, as if he had thought of something, and his tone suddenly turned cold, "Could it be that the reincarnation of that True Lord has already emerged from Longchuan Heaven?"

Meng Shixi shook her head and said, "No, it's just that Qixia Daozi emerged from seclusion a few days ago and has already achieved the Purple Mansion. Two groups of people from the Heavenly Court came one after another to appoint him as the temporary Qixia Temple; Jade Void Palace also sent people to bestow upon him the Daoist name ' Qingyan '. He will be holding Purple Mansion Dharma Banquet at Golden Ao Mountain five months from now for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Xue Min frowned slightly and remained silent, while Meng Shixi continued speaking.

"When he broke through to the Purple Mansion realm, I sent a congratulatory gift on behalf of the King to the two mountains of Draped Bones and White Stone on the east side of Cibi Lake, but he politely declined. He also said..." Meng Shixi paused, "'Please ask the priest to convey to the King that he will personally go to the royal court on the Sunday to pay homage to the descendant of the Orthodox God...'"

After he finished speaking, there was a long silence.

After Xue Min came to her senses, she murmured:

"What a fine 'paying homage to the descendant of the Orthodox God '!" Then, his tone suddenly rose, and he roared, "My Nanzhao has not yet been abolished! He comes to pay homage, not to the king, but only to the descendant of the Orthodox God!"

He suppressed his anger and said again:

"I remember Su Yao only entered seclusion a year before I did. I spent eight years in seclusion before I could basically master the Cang Mountain Talisman, which can be considered one of the five Divine Ability of the Immortal Dao, the Purple Mansion. I only need to refine that Golden Nature to achieve the Divine Core. So, he only took nine years to achieve the Purple Mansion?"

Meng Shixi nodded, then closed her eyes and said no more.

Xue Min sneered:

"He must know something to be so certain that Nanzhao is going to be eliminated." He then asked, "Has the king responded?"

Meng Shixi shook her head.

Where is the old priest?

Meng Shixi then said, "The old priest went to the West Sea and has not yet returned; we cannot contact him."

Xue Min paced back and forth a few times, then asked:

"How long has the princess been in seclusion?"

Seven years.

Xue Min sneered:

"Su Yao is too fast, so fast that no one even has time to react. I imagine the officials are quite troubled right now; the stage hasn't even been set up, and the actors have already taken the stage."

Before the words were finished, a gray light suddenly appeared above the divine tower.

Immediately afterwards, a staircase of light descended and landed on the top of the tower.

Sensing the commotion, the two quickly flew forward to meet it. A smile finally broke out on Meng Shixi's face:

"The king has finally agreed to see us."

At this moment, a mysterious voice came down:

"Come up here."

After saying this, the two bowed and began to ascend the light staircase.

It felt like only a moment had passed, yet it also felt like an eternity, when a large gate enveloped in a five-colored halo appeared before the two of them.

The lintel is engraved with three ancient Cloud Seal Script: "Heaven of Inheriting Sagehood" (承圣天). The strokes are vigorous and powerful, each one exuding an ancient aura that is as old as heaven and earth.

Although it wasn't their first time here, the two couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

The two bowed again and said respectfully:

"The Mountain God of Cang Mountain Xue Min Meng Shixi and the Priest Meng Nanzhao request an audience with the True Lord Cangyuan Runze Subterranean Water Fushui and the King of the Nanzhao Kingdom."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened silently.

A halo of light emanating from inside the door enveloped them, and once the light and shadow settled, the two found themselves in a completely different world.

Looking out, the dark gray Subterranean Water, like an ancient, unchanging abyss, silently surged from the void at the edge of the cave, encircling the entire world.

The water surface remained calm, with only a very fine and faint ripple spreading around the island's shore. It was the unique stillness of Subterranean Water, calm yet teeming with life, as if the oldest bloodline deep within the earth had found its only outlet here.

On the water, hundreds of islands are Subterranean Water like stars, each shrouded in a very faint yellowish-brown halo.

The Womb Earth is the source of fields and plots, nurturing all things and representing the most primordial birth of the earth; the Sacrificial Earth is the source of life and resources, gathering all spirits and serving as the foundation for the mountain gods and land gods to maintain peace and stability in their respective regions.

These two channels combine with the Subterranean Water, the soil is moistened by the water, and the water is stopped by the soil. It is this power of life, storage and accumulation that transforms the underground currents that should have been hidden deep underground into a fertile land suitable for habitation and cultivation.

On the island, wisps of smoke rise from chimneys, and neat farmhouses stand side by side. Occasionally, a farmer leads a water buffalo slowly across the field ridges. For a moment, it doesn't seem like a hidden paradise, but rather like a peaceful mountain village in the heart of the Nanzhao Kingdom.

The two continued forward.

Arriving at the very center of the thousands of islands, a large island, far larger than the others, stands majestically.

High in the heart of the island, amidst towering ancient trees, a corner of dark blue-green eaves peeks out.

It was the Nüwa Temple. The two walked forward and arrived at the temple. In the center of the plaque were four ancient Cloud Seal Script:

The character "Mother of the Earth" is written in a powerful and vigorous seal script.

The incense burner in front of the temple emits wisps of smoke that never cease throughout the year.

The wind rustles the eaves bells, making them tinkle and ring, their sound clear and melodious, like an ancient sacrificial song that has never ceased for thousands of years.

The two landed in front of the island and bowed deeply. This was a tradition of Nanzhao. After all, the first king of Nanzhao was born from a Subterranean Water Golden Nature that fell from the body of Nuwa, the Nüwa of the Orthodox God of Soil and Grain, after she was ambushed by the ancestral witch in Nanzhao. Then, the Orthodox God nurtured the former king with the Womb Earth and taught him through Sacrificial Earth.

After the late king attained enlightenment, he resided in Subterranean Obedience and Womb Surplus, and with the help of the Orthodox God and the Heavenly Sovereign, he indirectly controlled a Sacrificial Earth Moisture.

Later, all the kings of Nanzhao followed one of these three paths to achieve their spiritual goals.

The current ruler of the Nanzhao Kingdom has taken the path of Subterranean Water.