The Divine Machine Battalion Puts Efficiency First

Those gilded monks had bloodshot eyes and exaggerated, manic expressions.

It really does look like he's on some kind of poison, like he's gone mad.

However, Chu Tianshu could directly see that there were no pharmacological abnormalities in these people's bodies.

Instead, their souls, like half-melted candle figures, reside within their bodies.

The five senses of the soul have all melted and decayed, so one can imagine the drastic changes in its senses and perspectives.

But to be honest, when all the masters in the temple went mad, hundreds of fellow disciples were killed, leaving less than a handful alive.

In this predicament, having just expressed his gratitude for being saved, the monk Zuo Qiu's first reaction was to protect the temple's reputation.

This kid—he's a bit crazy, isn't he?

Chu Tianshu examined the boy carefully and confirmed that there were no signs of melting in his soul, which could only be attributed to the diversity of human species.

Zuo Qiu felt extremely uneasy under his scrutinizing gaze, fearing that this senior might not believe him.

For centuries, whether in the martial arts world or the imperial court, reputation has been the most important thing.

The martial arts sect of Laoming Temple, which has Buddhist characteristics, should pay particular attention to this point.

If a scandal were to spread in the temple that a group of high-ranking monks had gone mad because of a toxic drug, people in the martial arts world would immediately associate the toxic drug with aphrodisiacs, and the aphrodisiac with sedatives.

If this news gets out, within a month, Laoming Temple will be transformed into a den of wicked villains and lewd women, harming countless chivalrous women and noble ladies through rumors.

Anyone who learns martial arts from Laoming Temple will be implicated in the future, and will be looked down upon no matter what they do.

Seeing the monk's expression changing again and again, Chu Tianshu wondered what he was plotting. After a moment's thought, he snapped his fingers.

Snap!!

The four monks were all drawn to the sound of the snapped fingers, their gazes involuntarily drawn to his palm.

In that instant, Chu Tianshu's hands changed three or four gestures.

The four monks were instantly captivated, their faces showing a dazed yet relaxed expression.

Normally, when Chu Tianshu wants to gather information, he wouldn't resort to methods like bewitching without a reason.

However, Zuo Qiu's behavior made Chu Tianshu feel very uneasy. In addition, these four monks had obviously been tortured for a long time and were in a dazed and confused state, so it was possible to relax their minds.

"What is the Heavenly Ranking? Why does it drive your teachers mad? Don't rush to answer, answer one by one from east to west."

After Chu Tianshu raised this question, the four monks began to explain in turn.

This kind of broad question allows people to freely express themselves, so the four monks' interpretations and explanations all took different directions.

In summary, the Heavenly Ranking is a divine object, a wondrous object, a marvelous object, and a national treasure.

Two hundred and sixty years ago, the Great Immortal Zongheng the north, defeating the Demonic Sect in a complete victory. After discussing the Dao at Poyang Lake, he vanished without a trace, leaving behind countless legends.

The term "the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer" was mentioned in his manuscript.

It is said that in this world, besides the clear and bright universe where ordinary people live and which contains countless physical things, there is also a realm specifically for containing worldly thoughts and desires.

The accumulated thoughts over thousands of years, meandering and lingering like Yanxia, hence the name.

"Ha?"

Chu Tianshu scratched the side of her cheek with her fingernail.

Good heavens, so he's gone back to the Great Ming.

He brought up the token screen and checked the symbol of the Great Ming World; it was indeed lit up.

Okay, when he returned to the Republic of China era, he could recognize it at a glance, but the Great Tang and Great Ming dynasties were really hard to distinguish.

The Great Ming Dynasty was nothing compared to this; now, you can encounter a Taboo in any random temple.

Two hundred and sixty years --

Chu Tianshu did some quick calculations and realized that this world, like the Great Tang world, had been affected by the Transcendent Flowing Light, causing time within the realm to accelerate.

The monks continued their story.

After the story of the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer spread, not many people paid much attention at first, because in that era, only a very few experts could detect its Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer.

Two hundred and thirty years ago, the Great Ming Dynasty was plagued by endless factional strife, the court and the people were in decline, and wealthy merchants colluded with forces outside the Great Wall, creating chaos and war.

After the discussion at Poyang Lake, the spontaneously formed Zongheng Army felt that the time was ripe and launched a northern expedition.

Within a year, the army had pacified the north and marched beyond the Great Wall.

Two years later, the Zongheng Army had restored the territory of the Great Ming Dynasty during the Yongle era, and even surpassed it.

At this point, complacency had already set in within the Zongheng Army.

Some people produced notes from the Poyang Lake debate, mentioning a few words in them, and argued that the world should not belong to one family or clan, but should be restored to a system of enfeoffment, with various kings jointly governing the world.

The foundation of the Zongheng Army was established by the Great Immortal Zongheng, and we should inherit Great Immortal Zongheng aspirations and live up to his earnest expectations.

"Damn, is that what I meant?"

A surge of anger rose within Chu Tianshu, and his gaze turned somewhat unfriendly.

He still clearly remembers that when he was discussing philosophy at Poyang Lake, he specifically talked about how the world might evolve in a better way in the future, and he also specifically mentioned the fundamental difference between this evolution and the ancient system of enfeoffment and division.

If the manuscript of the conference exists, it should contain criticisms of the feudal system in the next paragraph after the discussion of the feudal system itself.

That fucking bastard who took things out of context.

However, the most powerful military leader in the Zongheng Army at that time, who called himself Prince Xuan, angrily rebuked all the commanders in the court, explained the Zhenyi of the Great Immortal Zongheng, and displayed his divine power, revealing his true strength and subduing the heroes.

Lu Shuangyan, the number one swordsman in the Zongheng Army, was not involved in this matter and had long intended to retire from public life.

Therefore, Prince Xuan successfully seized military power from his generals, promoted his confidants, and soon prepared to establish his capital and declare himself emperor.

At that time, the surrendered generals from outside the region mingled among the officials and joined forces with a group of ministers to offer their advice.

It is said that the Great Ming Dynasty was associated with the element of fire. Since the element of fire has been extinguished, the element of water should be used instead. Heaven and earth were formed from purity and turbidity, with purity preceding turbidity and being the head of all things. Therefore, the name of the country should be "Purity".

Prince Xuan was displeased and had the man flogged two hundred times in court, then established the state of Great Xuan.

During the reign of Prince Xuan Taizu, the country was well-governed, prosperous and the people were wealthy. Martial arts were flourishing and constantly evolving. Horses trod across the north and south, and fleets filled the four seas. It was truly a magnificent celestial empire.

Prince Xuan was pleased with himself and gathered all his officials, intending to emulate the glorious Tang Dynasty by building a Hall of Meritorious Officials, but not one in the mundane world.

A monument should be erected amidst the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer, so that future generations may admire its heroic countenance.

In that grand ceremony, led by Prince Xuan Taizu, the combined thoughts and power of hundreds of officials and tens of thousands of soldiers surged into the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer, aiming to create a monumental list.

However, at the moment the list was finalized, countless regrets from all ages converged in the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer.

Thus, the Heavenly Ranking was born.

Although the grand ceremony of Prince Xuan Taizu was the prelude to the birth of the Heavenly Ranking, the imperial court could not control the Heavenly Ranking.

Originally, the list only intended to include meritorious officials of the current dynasty, and there was no intention to mention figures like the Great Immortal Zongheng had long since disappeared or Lu Shuangyan who had lived in seclusion for many years.

However, after the Heavenly Ranking was established, many court officials failed to make the list.

Great Immortal Zongheng and Lu Shuangyan are both ranked at the top of the list, and even a few masters from the remnants of the Ming Dynasty are ranked in the middle.

Thus, people realized that those listed on the Heavenly Ranking must be experts capable of sensing the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer.

As for the rankings, they are related to both strength and the aspirations of all beings in the mortal world over the past few hundred years.

The Heavenly Ranking is divided into two lists: one for ancient times and one for modern times.

The Ancient Ranking are those of masters who died over the past few hundred years; the Present Ranking are those of masters who are still alive in the world.

The current number one on the Ancient Ranking is Prince Xuan Taizu.

The Great Immortal Zongheng ranks fifth on the Ancient Ranking.

"Telling the Zhenyi of the Great Immortal Zongheng —my Zhenyi is that Prince Xuan should become the Son of Heaven?"

Chu Tianshu shook his head and chuckled.

Okay, at least it didn't regress to the state of being sealed off.

The Heavenly Ranking is not simply a list of names to display the most influential figures of the last few centuries.

Due to a series of fortuitous changes during its creation, the current Heavenly Ranking should be considered the central hub of the entire Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer.

In the past, martial artists could only draw upon the power of the Mist and Rosy Clouds Realm Layer by using their own Divine Intent.

In most cases, it's merely a matter of using one's own Divine Intent to contend with Yanxia distractions; the scope of its application is very small, and its efficiency is also very low.

Divine Intent is a very private thing, and it is almost impossible for a second person to understand the same intention, which makes it impossible to pass on experience.

With the Heavenly Ranking, it is no longer necessary to comprehend the same Divine Intent.

As long as one cultivates the same technique as those ranked among the Heavenly Ranking, there is a chance to receive blessings.

The second-ranked person on the Ancient Heavenly Ranking is named Twenty-Eighth Venerable Sadāprarudita.

This person was also a contemporary of Prince Xuan Taizu, and was said to be the twenty-eighth generation successor of the Bodhisattva Sadāprarudita.

Buddhist scriptures record that in order to obtain the true Dharma of Prajnaparamita, the Bodhisattva Sadāprarudita did not hesitate to sell himself to support his teacher, sell his blood, practice asceticism, suffer hardships, jump off cliffs, and so on.

It can be said that this Bodhisattva is the purest representative of asceticism in Buddhism.

The Twenty-Eighth Venerable Sadāprarudita, who was said to be a successor of the Bodhisattva, also practiced asceticism throughout his life and achieved a very high level of attainment.

He once made a bet with Prince Xuan Taizu, willing to have his limbs cut off by Prince Xuan Taizu without harboring any resentment. If he could actually do this, his limbs would retract and he could move normally again.

Prince Xuan laughed at him for being a Buddhist monk and making such a cruel bet, and with a single stroke, he severed his left arm.

He indeed harbored no resentment, picked up his left arm and placed it on his shoulder, immediately regaining full freedom of movement. He exerted his strength without any difficulty, and fought Prince Xuan three more times without being at a disadvantage.

Twenty years later, when the Venerable One passed away peacefully, his left arm suddenly rolled off, the cut as smooth as a mirror.

It turns out that the Venerable One relied solely on the power of his mind; the severed body appeared as if it had not been severed at all.

Many of his deeds while traveling among the people are still told and sung today.

Though his body is dead, his name will not perish. Having ranked second on the Heavenly Ranking for so many years, the divine power represented by this Venerable One will only become more powerful.

In order to gain the blessings of the Venerable One, almost all Buddhist sects in the world now practice asceticism.

However, the blessing of the Heavenly Ranking is like a furnace fire, capable of destroying obstacles outwards, making its divine power even stronger.

Inner cultivation also tempers martial artists, subjecting them to great tests; a slight misstep can disrupt their mental discipline.

The abbot of Laoming Temple had his mind disturbed while practicing asceticism. He also practiced the Dharma Aspect as other monks of his generation, and their energy channels were connected.

This led to the tragic events at Laoming Temple.

"If one practices asceticism and goes mad, they will force themselves to repeatedly endure hardship, ignoring objectively existing limits?"

Chu Tianshu became curious.

The Great Immortal Zongheng Seals ranks fifth. What would happen if someone cultivated the Vertical and Horizontal Method Seal and went mad?

Just as he was about to ask if there were any similar cases in the martial arts world, a thought suddenly struck him. He opened his Heavenly Eye and looked into the distance.

Behind Mount Laoming.

About twenty miles away.

A military general in a red robe with a cross collar rode on horseback, leading a large contingent of elite soldiers, and slowly approached.

"This is fine."

At the general's command, the soldiers quickly unloaded the cannon barrels from the carts and began assembling them, soon producing over a hundred cannons.

An old monk came running from the crowd, startled, and exclaimed.

"General, what are you doing?"

The military officer laughed, "We razed your temple to the ground, huh? Didn't you say the abbot caused you all to go mad with demonic possession? According to tradition, such incidents must be quelled as quickly as possible."

"The primary task of our various local Divine Machine Battalion is to prevent any martial arts sects from becoming possessed by demons and causing catastrophic changes."

The old monk possessed remarkable composure. When he was drawn by the abbot's aura, he realized something was wrong and fled the mountain, but he was also seriously injured. It took him several days to report to the Divine Machine Battalion and ask for help.

"But... but we still have a large number of disciples in our temple—"

The military officer dismissed it. "Seven days have passed. How many of your disciples can still survive?"

The old monk, in a fit of anxiety, stamped his foot and said, "But how could your cannon possibly kill the abbot and head monk of the Laoming Temple? If they escape and commit evil deeds, wouldn't that ruin the reputation of my temple in the future?"

The military officer chuckled inwardly.

He knew, of course, that bombarding from twenty miles away would at most kill a small fraction of those possessed by demons.

But those possessed by demons are not clear-headed. They were so far away that after being bombarded, they scattered and could not be found.

As for what these people will do after they disperse into the martial world—that's not under the jurisdiction of the Divine Machine Battalion!

Those are all jobs handled by the Six Gates).

Hey! The Divine Machine Battalion has always been the most efficient, easily nipping major threats in the bud.

As for Liumen, they were just chasing some gangsters, but they always failed to handle the cases in time and ended up in a bloody storm.

How pleasing the sound of this news is!

This further highlights the might of the Divine Machine Battalion.