Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 957 The Poison of the Ideal State

"Too deceiving!"

As the Taiyi Immortal Sect gradually prospered, the successors within the Holy King Path also sensed some subtle changes.

They saw battle flags rising in the Eastern Lands, especially on some mountains near the Central Plains. The black and red aura of malevolence and the iron-blooded spirit of the army were intertwined. As streams of humanistic energy circulated, they drew upon some of the power of the Humanistic Emperor's Luck Network. Then, based on this, a portion of the power of the Saint King's Great Dao was drawn into the mountains.

At the same time, the power of many stars within the Starry Sky Layer, along with the boundless starlight cast by the rituals performed by the cultivators surrounding the battle flags, caused the battle flags to sway continuously, allowing the power of Heaven, Earth, and Man to condense and take shape within these mountains.

This is a power system unique to the Holy King's Path, and it is also one of the most powerful powers originally belonging to the successors of the Holy King's Path.

But now, Chu Tai has broken down this part of the power and integrated it into the Taiyi Immortal Sect's system.

This was something that many inheritors of the Holy King's Path could not accept, and many clamored to teach Chu Tai a lesson.

In response, the three rulers who held most of the power of the Holy King's Path fell silent, for the first time they deeply felt the greatest danger.

The three of them completely disregarded the thoughts of the other successors to the Holy King's Path. To them, those who were making a fuss were nothing more than disposable pawns, who might even serve as a foundation for their further advancement if necessary.

The only thing they found hard to accept was that Chu Tai seemed to have inherited the legacy of that holy kingdom.

"That shouldn't be the case. We already cleared out the inheritance inside the Celestial Cauldron once, and we even let Junmo take a portion of it back then. How did this guy obtain this part of the inheritance?"

The person holding the stone seal had a somewhat low voice, and his appearance was somewhat distorted.

His companion, wielding flint, was no better off. Within the flames around him, countless phantoms of civilizations were collapsing and reforming. He continuously drew power from them, while sending slivers of hope to some sacred place.

“What’s so strange about it? We’ve forgotten about it in the past and we don’t know it now. When we were plotting against that guy, this Taiyi Daoist was there and even had some interaction with him. It’s not surprising that we received his inheritance.”

"The only problem is, who should we use this mark we've prepared for so long to deal with?"

As he said this, the Lord of Flint looked toward the place where a portion of his power was gathered.

That was the core of the Central Plains built by many inheritors of the Great Dao of the Holy Kings, a place that originally could only exist in theory.

On this land, we have truly achieved the goals of providing early childhood education, schooling, employment, medical care, and elderly care.

From the moment of birth, everyone has a house of their own and a piece of land of their own, and everyone can learn and work according to their own preferences.

At the same time, all sorts of extraordinary creations permeated every aspect of people's lives.

In the fields, countless sophisticated mechanical creations, under human control, swiftly complete the sowing process.

When traveling together, they are accompanied by intricate runes that penetrate deep into the earth. Most remarkably, everyone has dense, mysterious patterns on their bodies, which play a significant role in repairing equipment, seeking help, or searching for information.

Furthermore, these patterns can help people quickly learn certain skills, enabling everyone to achieve a good quality of life.

This extraordinary learning ability, coupled with the pervasive positive moral influence in all aspects of society, allows those who have been instilled with numerous virtues from childhood to possess extremely high moral character in adulthood. They radiate an almost tangible inner light, and their actions require no legal constraints.

On this land, everyone is equal, and everyone can contribute to the building of society, making society a better place in a tangible way.

A pure and ultimate radiance of order and humanity has gathered on this land, heavily covering every corner.

These radiances are not bubbles that burst easily, nor are they illusory shadows, but rather like the sun that exists in the world day and night, nourishing all living beings.

The hearts and morals of all people together compose a perfect symphony.

Or rather, on this land, kindness and morality have shed their deliberate shells and become as natural as breathing, deeply ingrained in everyone's very being.

But undeniably, in the deepest recesses of this order, morality, and humanity—which rises silently like the sun in the east, simple yet profound—there still exists a void of illusion.

This is because the essence of this land and this order is built on the deliberate indulgence of the three Holy Kings' heirs. This was originally just an extreme evolution of the Holy Kingdom's Great Dao by the three of them, and it was also a poisonous blade they built specifically for the inheritance within the Monarch Demon and the Celestial Cauldron.

"A genuine and undeniable humanistic order, a genuine and undeniable moral society, a genuine and undeniable utopian world, where all natural resources are utilized to the fullest extent, and various mechanical techniques have completed the reconstruction of natural resources, so that even without external supplies, it can still slowly improve."

"Everything is so beautiful, yet so fragile. The so-called ever-running order and the stable circulation of resources are nothing but a mirage under our glorious protection."

The man holding what looked like a stick or a whip looked at the land that seemed to embody all of humanity's truth, goodness, and beauty, but his eyes clearly showed rejection.

“I still remember that a hundred years ago, this land would occasionally breed some evil thoughts of humanity, which I had to correct and erase in order to maintain its brilliance and sanctity.”

"But now, they don't need my help at all. In fact, the radiance they've emanated has made the grottoes of many of our companions more docile. Also, it seems that the capital of the dynasty is undergoing a similar change."

The inheritor, who had just finished speaking, gently waved the weapon in his hand that resembled both a whip and a stick, but the Lord of Flint seemed somewhat disgusted.

"Although in a sense, this false paradise has provided us with considerable help in mastering the Path of the Holy King, its corrosive power is not weak either. The flint in my hand seems to have been interfered with to some extent over the years. I think it's better to use it up as soon as possible. Whether it's severely injuring the Demon King or destroying the Celestial Cauldron, it will have some benefits."

"From what you're saying, it seems there's really something wrong with your flint? It looks like the Heavenly Demon and the Qiankun Bow did quite a bit to you last time."

The Lord of Seals sounded curious, while the Lord of Flint said coldly, "It's better than you. The concept of one-third of the imperial power was absorbed by the East. Without that, the Holy Kingdom system could not have been established so easily by that guy Taiyi."

"Alright, that battle back then was entirely within our expectations. It was all to force out the Qiankun Bow lineage, and those sacrifices were worthwhile. By absorbing the inheritance of those people, our power can be further consolidated. The only thing that didn't expect us was that that guy only just obtained the inheritance of the Celestial Cauldron now..."

The Lord of Seals suddenly spoke up: "If you ask me, the Holy King's Path only needs the three of us. We can form the Three Sovereigns system and completely devour the Holy King's Path. At that time, neither the True Monarchs of the Immortal Path nor the Dao Lords of the Demonic Path will be a problem." "Reconstructing the Three Sovereigns, who will be the Human Sovereign?"

The Lord of Flint coldly retorted, but to his surprise, the Lord of Seals calmly replied, "I can give up the position of Human Emperor and choose Heavenly Emperor or Earthly Emperor. I can even let the two of you choose first, and I will accept the last one."

“Interesting. Logically, after we absorbed the Qiankun Bow faction, your losses should have been recovered, but it seems you've suffered very serious damage…”

Faced with the Lord of Flint's question, the Lord of Seals simply said coldly, "I just have some bad premonitions that if we continue to delay like this, we will all die. And compared to death, I can also give up the position of the Human Emperor. After all, my corresponding Dao Fruit, plus my relationship with the Eastern Peak Divine Court, it is not difficult to rebuild our own divine path, which is enough to support my status and power."

"I see. You want a portion of Shinto's power? But it shouldn't be difficult for the three of us to absorb and reconstruct that power."

Upon hearing this, the one wielding the treasure that resembled both a whip and a club interrupted the Lord of Flint, saying, "Then divide the Divine Path into three parts again, with each person taking a portion, and finally handing it over to him as the commander. Or divide the power of the Divine Path into five parts, so that the one who does not inherit the title of Human Emperor receives the larger share of the Divine Path's power."

"Judging from this, it seems you also intend to give up the position of Emperor?"

After the Lord of Flint finished speaking, the other party said, "If you are willing to oversee the final forging of this poisoned blade, I don't mind giving up the position of Human Emperor."

As they spoke, the man holding the treasure that resembled both a whip and a stick pointed to the radiant capital city.

"Me, refine it? You must be joking. Refining this thing will inevitably lead to the backlash of the Saint King's Path. How can I inherit the name of the Human Emperor then? If we're going to do it, the three of us have to do it together..."

Upon hearing this, the other two fell silent.

Meanwhile, the debates within the Holy King's Path continued unabated, while Chu Tai steadily revived the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

The Demon King and the Demon Buddha also clashed fiercely.

Their paths constantly collided on the border between the Western Regions and the Southern Frontier, each attempting to erode the other's power and interfere with the other's foundation.

Interestingly, many times it was the Buddhist and demonic lineage that started things, but in the end it was also the Buddhist and demonic lineage cultivators who expressed their willingness to communicate.

What's even more ridiculous is that the people of the Buddha-Demon lineage are trying to exchange benefits from the Demon King under the pretext of peace.

In his words, only if the Demon King relinquishes some of his interests can peace be restored between the two sides.

As for who broke the peace first, that's not important.

Clearly, Buddha and Demon knew that Monarch Demon wanted to deal with the Holy King's Path first. They wanted to use the void to create pressure and force Monarch Demon to give up some of his interests. They even hoped to use this opportunity to learn some secrets from Monarch Demon.

After all, Buddha and Demon weren't fools. With the exposure of Chu Tai's return to the past, Buddha and Demon also realized that there was a problem with their memories and knew that others must have been hiding some things from them.

Adding to the fear he felt when Chu Tai attained enlightenment, he had reason to suspect that Chu Tai might have left behind something that could threaten his essence after returning to the past.

However, he cannot obtain this information from Chu Tai, so he can only try to reclaim some of the power that Jun Mo had taken from him in the past, hoping to gain more power in the process.

Unfortunately, the Demon King clearly didn't give the Demon Buddha any face.

After learning of the Buddha and Demon's intentions, the Monarch Demon rushed into the Western Regions and fought with the Buddha and Demon. The power of the two sides caused the heavens and earth to tremble. Even Chu Tai, who was in the Eastern Land, felt the changes in the laws and principles of heaven and earth and felt that some of the underlying concepts of the operation of all things were slightly shaken.

In the past, Chu Tai might have been amazed by the power of a first-grade cultivator.

But after he himself reached the first rank, Chu Tai clearly understood the difference between the first and second ranks.

Unless it involves fluctuations in destiny or rejection by heaven and earth, it cannot be considered a true first-rank existence.

Chu Tai even suspects that the reason some second-grade cultivators are able to protect themselves in front of first-grade beings is because first-grade cultivators would face rejection from heaven and earth if they actually made a move, as well as the blessing that heaven and earth bestow upon the second-grade cultivator.

'However, the Demon King will probably choose to back down in the end.'

Chu Tai pondered silently, also wanting to see what the Celestial Cauldron and the secrets of the former Holy Kingdom held in the heart of the Demon King.

Finally, Chu Tai couldn't help but look at the Celestial Cauldron. Ever since he brought the mark back from the past to the present, he could feel that some kind of power was being nurtured inside the cauldron. Especially as some of the Taiyi Immortal Sects began to absorb the power of the Holy Kingdom system and build a human order system belonging to the Taiyi lineage, which could slightly trigger the Holy King's Great Dao, this change became even stronger.

Along with this force came a feeling, a feeling that seemed to be joyful, sighing, and also threatened.

'It's as if there's some kind of poison inside the Holy King's Path that targets the Celestial Cauldron.'

Chu Tai walked to the edge of the treasure cauldron and carefully sensed the power within it. He even mobilized the power of the Eastern Emperor Bell to observe and explore, but in the end, he was suppressed by the power of the Holy King's Great Dao and the three supreme treasures.

But through this observation, Chu Tai also discerned something.

The essence of the three first-grade treasures of the Holy King's Path has actually been largely combined with the Holy King's Path, or rather, the three first-grade treasures themselves should be a part of the Holy King's Path. The fact that they were able to separate earlier may actually be the result of the manifestation of the Dao Fruits of the three successors.

From this perspective, the essence of the Eastern King Yuanyang Seal cannot fully represent the position of one of the three supreme treasures on the other side.

The existence of the Eastern King's Yuan Yang Seal even created a close connection between the Eastern Mountain Divine Court and the other side.

In the future, either the Eastern Peak Divine Court will completely replace the Precious Seal, or the Precious Seal will gradually encroach upon the divine order restored by the Eastern Peak Divine Court.

'However, this influence is necessarily relative. Many cultivation systems that would normally require the power of the Holy King's Great Dao to function will be implemented more rapidly under the Eastern Peak Dharma Realm.'

(End of this chapter)