Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 958 Exploring the Path to the Holy Kingdom

With this understanding, many things Chu Tai did afterward could proceed quickly.

Especially after the battle between the Demon King and the Demon Buddha ended, and the Demon King ceded part of the southern border territory to the Demon Buddha to spread his faith, Chu Tai immediately began to rapidly promote the many systems under his control.

The entire Eastern Land had already completed its early restoration thanks to the governance of the six previous incarnations. With the cooperation of the gods, Chu Tai's rapid advancement in various industries did not cause much of an impact.

However, most cultivators who were used to a slow pace could not accept such rapid changes.

Even some of the Taiyi Immortal Sect cultivators who are clearly at the forefront will show up with a country bumpkin look when entering some cities.

For example, Xin Yang, the former leader of the Taiyi Jinhua Sect and now a disciple of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, entered a town under the jurisdiction of the Taiyi Jinhua Sect under the guidance of Shi Huajin.

As the former sect of Chu Tai, many of its policies were first implemented in the Taiyi Jinhua Sect, and only after initial success were they extended to other sects.

Therefore, the towns under the jurisdiction of the Taiyi Jinhua Sect can be considered the region with the most perfect human order under the Dongyue Dharma Realm.

The city's land was created out of thin air by Chu Tai, and the buildings on it were constructed using various mechanical techniques. As for the residents, most of them were benevolent people invited from various places under the jurisdiction of the Taiyi Jinhua Sect.

"Gathering virtuous people in one place? Can such an artificially created superior moral environment truly symbolize the goodness of the entire human order? This seems no different from the capital of the Central Plains, which appears glorious and dazzling, but is actually an illusory place supported by resources from all over the world."

Xin Yang, who had regained some of her memories, did not approve of Chu Tai's approach. Upon hearing this, Shi Huajin smiled and explained.

"According to the sect leader, this place will be built first as a benchmark, and then the people here will be sent to support other places. In addition, the birth of newborns here will also be subject to certain screening. Most of them are good people who enjoyed blessings in their previous lives, or good people who died in their previous lives because of doing good deeds and saving people. In any case, we will not allow souls with evil roots to be transferred to this place."

"Shi Huajin, what you're saying is utter nonsense! In our Eastern Yue Underworld, there is no such thing as a hierarchy of good and evil souls. The virtuous enjoy blessings in life and after death, while the wicked are punished in the underworld. Evil souls who are willing to repent can still be reincarnated here, and virtuous souls who accumulate good deeds may also go elsewhere. This pure land built by His Majesty only rejects those who take pride in evil and whose evil roots are deep!"

Suddenly, a crow opened its mouth, flapped its wings, and dropped two sets of judging criteria in front of Shi Huajin and Xinyang.

"This is something that most souls need to be confirmed before reincarnation. To put it bluntly, this batch of newborns are all the subjects of the experiment, in order to create a paradise as quickly as possible, and then let the virtuous people who grow up in the paradise go out to support various places and drive the prosperity of those places."

"But this approach may not be effective. Pioneers may not be willing to lead those who follow. You should have seen more of this kind of thing, Fellow Daoist Wu Chaoxi."

Shi Huajin pointed out the core issue, and Wu Chaoxi, who was attached to the crow, laughed and said, "What you're talking about is that those who take the benefits first are unwilling to give them to those who come later. But we are now the ones who are good first and lead those who are good later. If we don't have the heart to lead those who are good later, can we still be called good?"

"Not to mention anything far away, even in the pretentious capital of the Central Plains, doesn't a large number of scholars go to various places to provide support every year? Do they really not know that there are many evil people in the capital?"

"Those who are able to appear here are at least willing to share their wealth with others."

Suddenly, a jade stone on Wu Chaoxi's body burst into light, and he spread his wings and took off: "Alright, I have things to do here, so I won't chat with you anymore. I hope you have a good time here."

Watching Wu Chaoxi leave, Shi Huajin asked Xinyang where she was going next.

"Let's go over there. I smell a strong fragrance of elixir, and I'm curious what they're doing there?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Huajin led Xinyang toward Yugui Street. Before even entering, they saw rows of wooden and bamboo kites waiting to take flight perched on the eaves and wooden frames at the alley entrance. Every now and then, a kite would take off, enter a shop, grab a letter or a small package, and fly off to other places.

There are also many mechanical servants shaped like cats and dogs, as well as human-shaped wooden figures, who move among the shops, using precise techniques to take away the required ingredients and then gently delivering them to the customers who need them.

The shops lining both sides of the street are filled with all sorts of mechanical contraptions.

Inside the medicinal cuisine shop, numerous brass mechanical arms were skillfully stirring a huge black iron pot, while below, spiritual fire fueled by talismans rapidly cooked a hundred-treasure rice dish with fine rice, spiritual spring water, and more than ten kinds of warming and nourishing medicinal ingredients.

Inside the porridge shop next door, several women were operating another set of equipment to cook nourishing porridge, sweet dew porridge, seven-treasure poria cocos porridge, and so on.

The pastry shop sells snacks with medicinal properties, such as herbal honey, fruit-flavored cakes, flower cakes, and flowing cloud cups.

Between the shops, there are also some small stalls, using small heaters and ice crystal pots to hold various hot and cold drinks.

Next to each shop hangs a huge white cloth, upon which many dark, shimmering lights intertwine, writing down the ingredients and effects of the food sold that day.

The same information will also appear on the jade pendants in the palms of many guests. They only need to operate them according to their needs, and cat and dog mechanical servants or humanoid wooden figures will come to fetch their meals.

It can be said that this small Jade Gui Street is a microcosm of the perfect combination of an incredibly sophisticated immortal mechanism and the daily life of ordinary people.

"What are these things?"

Xin Yang looked at everything in front of him, somewhat unable to understand. He also saw more than a dozen children chasing after several shimmering, colorful sparrows as they ran through the crowd.

He could tell that these mechanical sparrows were essentially a special kind of mechanical creation. The power that powered them was likely the internal runes and some kind of energy crystals, while the flowing light on their surfaces was the product of a combination of some low-level magic and some special materials.

If studied in depth, some techniques for invisibility and stealth could be derived.

Now, it is also a special teaching tool suitable for children to train their eyesight.

Shi Huajin glanced at it and laughed, "So this is it. This is the Type A Renyi No. Flowing Light Sparrow, which is the most common toy in this area now. It is produced in Yanshi Alley next door."

"What about the things those children are holding?"

Xinyang pointed to the small toys in the children's hands. Some were palm-leaf fans, some were rattles, and some were windmills. Although each one was crudely made, they were all unique. With the waving and shaking movements, they could produce different sounds and light effects.

"The pitch is off and the light and shadow are not solid, but the technique is very basic. It is one of the things that can be taught at their age. It should be made by these children using the scraps from their parents' weapon-making."

"You just spread so many cultivation methods to the common people like this?" Xin Yang seemed a little worried. Suddenly, a cat ran over from the side, glanced at him, and laughed, "You don't need to worry about that. The people here have all been tested, and the content they learn has also been reviewed at every level to ensure that it will not cause too much of an impact. The really dangerous parts are in specific areas."

Halfway through the conversation, many people nearby noticed the cat and started greeting it.

This cat was quite bold, running from house to house, sometimes acting cute, sometimes doing somersaults, attracting customers to many shops, and then getting the food it wanted from the shop owners.

"If I'm not mistaken, this cat seems to bear traces of cultivation from my Jinhua Sect."

"This cat followed the sect leader to cultivate for a period of time in its early years, and is now one of the guardians of this town. Although its salary is not low, it is greedy and always runs out of food at the end of each month. Over time, it has even developed the skill of street performance."

After saying that, Shi Huajin led Xinyang through many streets and alleys.

They saw a shop that made Ling Shu Tong Sensing Jade Talismans for communication, a master who "set bones" for delivering wooden spirits, a weapon shop that forged standardized magical artifacts, a cloud boat that transported many large goods, a mechanical tortoise that was good at moving things in gaps, a hollow mechanical turtle that could carry a large amount of goods, and a mechanical warrior that imitated a human figure.

Every now and then, some activity signs would appear from some corners, birds would fly out shouting loudly, and some strange phenomena would suddenly appear due to alchemy and weapon making.

If a problem occurs or someone is injured, servants from the relevant agencies will immediately run out to provide first aid and clean up the wound, while also calling on the resident doctors from the surrounding pharmacies and clinics to come and help.

It can be said that along the way, what we saw were all kinds of talismans and mechanisms integrated into daily life, as well as alchemy and weapon crafting that were combined with clothing, food, housing and transportation; what we heard were the precise meshing sounds of various mechanisms in operation; what we smelled were the fragrance of food and medicine and the faint burnt smell and woody aroma of weapon crafting.

As we passed under a shady tree, an elderly man with white hair suddenly shouted angrily, "You old Liu, once you've made a move, you can't take it back! Now you're backing down again? This time, it's not going to work!"

Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that he was using the Ling Shu Tong Sensing Jade Tablet to guide him in playing chess on a virtual chessboard with another friend.

This technology broadened Xin Yang's horizons. He could tell at a glance that this remote chess game was the highest product of the town's civilization.

His gaze pierced through the many illusions and saw the core of the spiritual hub hidden deep within the town.

It was a massive machine containing millions of runes, capable of easily processing the information generated by the entire city every moment.

However, the instant he saw the device, Chu Tai's phantom also appeared in his pupils.

"I thought it was someone so bold as to secretly spy on the secrets of this place, but I never expected it to be you, Xinyang."

Chu Tai looked at his former senior and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "What do you think of the town I've built?"

"It is extremely ingenious, closely integrating the immortal path, mechanical arts, and people's lives, and can be considered to have opened up a brand-new immortal and human civilization system. Some of the concepts look familiar to me, and seem to be the inheritance of the Holy King Great Dao Kingdom's capital."

"The lineage of the Holy King's Great Way capital?"

Chu Tai was somewhat surprised. He was also curious about the legendary paradise of humanity, but he had not gone to see it in his early years. Later, he was at odds with the Holy King's Great Dao, so he could not possibly know the details.

He had heard many similar statements from Xinyang, but he was still curious about the similarities and differences between the two, according to his senior.

Faced with Chu Tai's doubts, Xin Yang did not hide anything.

"Although the Holy King's Great Kingdom also has similar rune technology and mechanical arts, they haven't integrated it into every aspect of life like you have. To put it simply, the feeling they give me is that we know what to do, so we just follow our ideas to deduce and design."

"But the layout and design of many parts of your town give me the impression that it's the result of their own continuous optimization of their daily lives. Or perhaps they offered suggestions and you made the changes?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Tai smiled and said, "Both are true. The layout of the town before us is largely based on my own memories. Of course, I also have the option to leave my opinions in the talisman, allowing the people to make some suggestions. As long as they are reasonable, I will make corrections to improve their living environment as much as possible and guide their spiritual cultivation."

"Try to make morality and law as common sense as possible, so that they become as natural as breathing, rather than something that needs to be deliberately followed."

"This is somewhat similar to the lineage of the Holy King's Great Dao Kingdom."

Xin Yang talked with Chu Tai for a long time, and finally asked out of curiosity, "Speaking of which, you claim that your lineage comes from the lineage of the Holy Kingdom that was destroyed in the past, but I don't seem to see any core concepts."

"What core concept? Haven't I been promoting it all along?"

Chu Tai paused for a moment, then asked in return, "Set a goal, and then put it into practice in that direction."

"All other aspects of guiding people's character, improving systems, enhancing the living environment of residents, and building a harmonious and virtuous society are essentially processes of practice, which can be modified as needed at any time. As long as the goal and the core remain unchanged, the rest are not major problems."

"Theoretically speaking, once everything has reached its peak, I will also step down and give way to a more capable person."

Chu Tai's answer surprised Xin Yang, who couldn't help but ask, "Wait, is this the inheritance of the Holy Kingdom?"

"The core idea is that I've also incorporated some of my own thoughts, and the ultimate goal is similar. To put it bluntly, if ordinary people really reach that point, with a sufficiently high moral standard and enough resources, what difference is there between them and us?"

Xin Yang shook his head and said, "No wonder the Holy Kingdom lineage was destroyed back then. I suppose there were quite a few people within the Holy King's Path who secretly gave it a push."

"It should be said that the Holy King's Path played a significant role in the destruction of the Holy Kingdom lineage. It is because of this that I was able to inherit this power and drive my own progress."

After speaking, a phantom Dao Fruit containing concepts such as humanity, order, and civilization appeared in Chu Tai's palm, constantly stimulating and perfecting his [Heavenly Inheritance] Dao Fruit.

Suddenly, he sensed something and looked towards the direction of the Holy King Avenue.

(End of this chapter)