Donghuang Ziji

Chapter 964 Desire to Forge Three Emperors

Above the capital of the Central Plains, in the vast and mysterious void, lie many places where the Daoist aura of the Holy Kings manifests.

In the past, many inheritors of the Holy King's Path left their Dao traces within it, demonstrating their control over the Holy King's Path.

But at this moment, the inheritors who bear the legacy of the Holy King are all filled with terror and fear.

They stared in horror at the three towering figures above them, each wielding a precious seal, a flint, and a weapon resembling a whip or a club.

A terrifying pressure enveloped the four corners of the earth, pressing everyone down as if they had fallen into a quagmire, unable to move.

The chilling aura, capable of freezing one's soul, hung like a thousand blades above their heads, making them feel as if they had thorns in their backs and tremble with fear.

"What do you three want to do?"

One of the more powerful successors, his face pale, managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth.

The master of the precious seal stepped forward, his face cold, and said, "Back then, we followed the will of our sage ancestors to protect the people of the Central Plains. But now the fate of heaven and earth is changing, the demonic atmosphere is growing stronger, and the immortal path is pressing in step by step. Without reform, it is not enough to maintain our orthodox lineage as holy kings. Therefore, the three of us today ask our fellow practitioners to consider the well-being of all people, sign a new covenant, and help the three of us to rebuild the three emperors of heaven, earth, and humanity."

His voice was like the clash of metal and stone, and his gaze was devoid of joy or sorrow, like ancient ice that chilled the heart. But none of this could compare to the document he had taken out.

The content of this document is called a new testament, but it is more like a contract of servitude, in exchange for so-called honor and sustenance by giving up all one's human destiny and the lineage of the holy king.

Upon hearing this, one of the inheritors of the Empress's magnificent attire scoffed, "Apart from disguising house arrest as a privileged upbringing, you can't even be bothered to cover up the rest."

"Very well, you and I have always known that what we call human nature and benevolence are just pretexts we use to exploit the common people. If we could do this to the grass and the barbarians in the past, we can certainly do it to us now."

At this point, the Empress's gaze turned cold, and fine mist of blood erupted from her body: "Even the smallest blade of grass, when pushed to the limit, will fight to the death! You three, in your delusion to seize my foundation of fortune, are but fools in their hearts!"

As she spoke, the blood mist gushing from her body instantly transformed into countless dazzling streams of light, crisscrossing in the void and easily outlining the majestic, continuous mountain ranges. Then, the threads straightened, depicting the perilous cliffs, before meandering like serpents, weaving back and forth to form rushing rivers, followed by cities, fields, and people...

In the blink of an eye, a magnificent landscape took shape in the void, gathering a powerful aura, and crashed towards the three people in the void.

The moment the Empress made her move, several other heirs were willing to destroy their own bodies in order to unleash their family treasures and activate their family's destiny to launch an attack.

Some intertwined energies transformed into a black bird, some connected with water vapor to form the River Chart, and some condensed into a scepter...

"Stubborn."

The person holding the treasure that resembled both a whip and a stick slightly raised his hand. He didn't even swing the treasure in his hand, but simply pressed it down.

The void woven from the Holy King's Path trembled instantly, groaning under the unbearable weight.

The magnificent land was torn apart, the black bird turned into withered bones, the water veins on the River Map were severed, and the scepter was directly swallowed up by that treasure that resembled both a whip and a stick.

Immediately afterwards, chains formed from the coalescing order snaked out from the void, like venomous snakes, binding the Holy King's Path inheritors who stood idly by.

At the same time, clusters of golden flames ignited on the ancient flint, spreading along the cold chains toward the crowd.

The flame that once symbolized the passing down of knowledge and illuminated the darkness of civilization has now become a sacrificial fire for many successors of the Great Way of the Holy Kings, mercilessly burning their essence and stripping them of their destiny and the foundation of the Great Way.

As his power rapidly dissipated, the body of the Holy King's successor, who was once surrounded by countless splendors, gradually stiffened. His flesh turned into rock, and his bones became rotten wood. Only a faint glimmer of light remained deep in his eyes, struggling to maintain the Holy King's Path that he bore.

However, these remnants were by no means a sign of the Lord of Flint's compassion, nor were they a last glimmer of hope given to them.

Essentially, it was to prevent any problems from arising during the formation of the Three Sovereigns' positions that their remains were deliberately preserved, so that they could be used as unexpected fillers or to absorb the power of many Saint King Dao Fruits when everything settled down.

As the fire burned and the chains vibrated, the principles of order and the origins of the Dao Fruits held by the successors of the Holy Kings were continuously drawn out and gathered on the three, swallowed up and replenished to their power.

Even with powerful supernatural abilities to suppress and cover it up, such plunder still caused turmoil in the Central Plains and the collapse of the laws and principles of heaven and earth.

The Demon Lord was the first to notice something was wrong. After all, a similar thing had happened when the Holy Kingdom collapsed, and countless fellow Daoists of the Holy Kingdom had their foundations plundered.

"But this time it's even more thorough and domineering. It seems that Taiyi has really pushed them to the limit!"

The Demon Lord threw a punch, aiming it at the border of the Central Plains from a distance.

Wherever the fist passed, the sound of shattering glass echoed in the sky, and countless spiderweb-like cracks appeared. Strange blood-red veins emerged from them, growing and spreading like vines, constantly widening the cracks.

Immediately, giant ships built from the bones and flesh of countless beings emerged from the gaps and rushed into the Central Plains.

A chilling wind howled, accompanied by billowing black smoke.

Like a tide of death, they swiftly engulfed countless towns, villages, and mountain strongholds.

Wherever the eerie wind passed, countless souls were forced to leave their bodies, black smoke filled the air, and flesh and blood instantly dissolved.

Strands of flesh and blood essence and terrified souls gathered into the giant ship, and after being processed by countless demonic spells and restrictions within the ship, they transformed into countless secret demons, yin demons, blood demons, demon gods, Gu worms, and evil shadows.

Driven by the demonic incantations of the demonic cultivators on the boat, and with a new wave of eerie winds and black smoke flying out, they greedily devoured the flesh, life, and order of various places, hollowing out patches of land like locusts.

In such a critical moment, many cultivators naturally stepped in to stop it.

A swordsman in green robes transformed into a beam of sword light, splitting into dozens of sword beams that successively slew several secret demons.

The next instant, a thousand-foot-long bone claw emerged from the giant ship, its knuckles wreathed in dark flames, sealing off the void.

The swordsman in green robes couldn't dodge in time, and his companions used their swords to summon lightning, but the lightning was easily crushed by the bone claws as soon as it appeared.

Another companion waved his palm-leaf fan, drawing upon the power of the mountains and earth's veins to form a barrier that blocked the attack for him. However, he himself was caught off guard by several secret demons and torn to pieces, becoming food for the swarming black Gu worms. Even his soul was unable to escape.

With his eyes wide open, the swordsman in green robes went a step further than before, even accepting the surrounding demonic ideas to a certain extent. His sword light vibrated, splitting into hundreds of different strange sword lights, crisscrossing and changing, giving rise to millions of illusions of demons and monsters.

The sword light pierced the bone claw, dismembering it. Before the swordsman in green could even breathe a sigh of relief, a secret demon emerged from his Clear Sword Heart and devoured him completely.

Like the cultivators, many officials stationed in a region also relied on the broken order to protect the people with great difficulty. One official guarding a town, with disheveled hair and tattered robes, held a jade tablet in his hand and killed his colleague who was instantly corrupted by demons while trying to escape. He looked at the tens of thousands of women and children who remained in the town.

The official, his face ashen, bowed deeply before spitting out blood, which he used to draw countless bloody characters in the air, attempting to carve out a path to survival.

But the black aura spread, the blood-red light became murky, and the protection shattered instantly.

The official's eyes widened, while he glanced at the Salesian Bureau beside him.

Inside, the scribe Bai, who was protecting hundreds of children and teenagers, looked at the officials who covered their faces with their hair to show that they were ashamed to face their ancestors. He glanced at the children behind him, then transformed into a torch, swept them up, and turned them into a long rainbow that flew outwards.

Seeing this, Shen Zhanpeng, who was guiding the way from a distance, closed his eyes, waved the military flag in his hand, creating a cloud of blood, and quickly fled.

The once bustling town vanished into countless gusts of cold wind and black smoke.

While the southern border was falling, the western border was also being permeated by an immeasurable, pure, yet strangely eerie Buddhist light.

Lotus flowers bloomed in the void, formed from pure Buddhist light and the power of vows. The petals were layered upon each other, each one like the most magnificent brocade, exuding an intoxicating fragrance that was enough to make people forget the many troubles of the mortal world.

When the number of lotus flowers increases to a certain extent, the lotus petals begin to show three colors.

The azure lotus petals are as clear as if washed, their veins resembling glass. With a gentle tremor, they can shower down a misty, sweet rain. Wherever they touch, malevolent energy dissipates, resentment subsides, the earth's veins are restored, and order is stabilized. They also cleanse the minds of all beings of impurities, making them feel as if they are reborn, untouched by the dust of the world.

Moreover, this purification reveals absolute authority and an unquestionable domineering attitude.

The white lotus petals are pure white, and thousands of Sanskrit characters rotate on their veins. When they tremble gently, it is as if hundreds of millions of monks are chanting in unison, arousing all beings' yearning for eternal joy.

While seemingly persuading lost souls to convert, the blissful scenes emerging from those white lotus petals are more akin to using beauty to bewitch sentient beings.

Finally, the red lotus petals are as scarlet as blood, with endless karmic fire flowing through their veins. They contain a terrifying aura that burns the eight wastelands and scorches all things, specifically targeting those "evil and heretical" people who cling to themselves and refuse to convert.

Wherever the flames passed, the earth's veins took on a glassy hue, and golden lotuses bloomed in the void.

Finally, on the seedpod of each lotus flower, sits a dignified and majestic image of a Bodhisattva.

Their eyes shone with boundless compassion, and their mouths uttered countless true words, which slowly flowed into people's hearts.

Countless people, inspired by them, showed great joy and liberation on their faces. Like moths to a flame, they devoutly threw themselves into the lotus flowers, transforming into every brick, tile, tree, and flower of the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli beside the Bodhisattva.

Even more terrifying is that these pristine lands are constantly expanding, gradually replacing the original earth veins and order.

Looking out, the land of the western border has turned golden, with Bodhi trees forming forests and springs gushing forth water of eight virtues, further nourishing the earth.

A wonderful fragrance that could heal flesh and bones gradually filled the air, and illusory images of flying birds began to appear, with the melodious bird flying out from among the flowers and fruits.

The many people who had originally merged into the Pure Land reappeared, but this time, each of them received blessings from the Pure Land.

Children's innocence remains forever, the old man's white hair turns black again, and in the fields beside the farmer, golden ears of grain are full and plump, falling and growing again as soon as they are harvested...

Everything seemed to have reached a state of perfect perfection.

Yet this perfection is like a fine painting. In this Pure Land, there is no change of the sun and moon, no change of the four seasons. Everything is frozen in the best future they hope to have.

It's like a statue made of gold, or an insect inside amber, with no further changes.

Such a terrifying impact naturally also affected the Holy King's Path.

The three heirs who sought to establish the status of the Three Sovereigns felt endless resentment, and the "devout" prayers of countless bewitched beings echoed in their ears.

That was the pain of countless souls being forcibly torn apart, the wailing of countless lives as their flesh and blood dissolved.

It is also the fanatical, extreme, and distorted willpower generated when hundreds of millions of beings merge into "bliss".

These things intertwined, transforming into a mottled torrent of cause and effect, penetrating through layers of protection, and like maggots clinging to bones, merging into the Three Sovereigns' Dao Fruit that they had just condensed.

"If you want to become the Three Sovereigns, then you must bear the resentment and curses of all living beings, and the backlash from the collapse of civilization..."

The Demon King made his second move, his terrifying palm pressing down from the void, attempting to retrieve something from the Holy King's Path.

Without hesitation, the three heirs threw away those pawns who were like rocks and rotten wood, enduring the backlash while blocking the Lord of the Demonic Path.

It was at this moment that the eastern border suddenly trembled, and the humanitarian order belonging to Chu Tai came into play.

Numerous cloud boats appeared throughout the Central Plains, confronting the subordinates of the Demon Lord, rescuing people while vanquishing demons.

At the same time, Chu Tai himself also summoned the Celestial Cauldron, directly connecting to the Great Dao of the Saint King, intending to usurp the fundamental Dao they controlled.

"Did I agree to your desire to create the Three Sovereigns?"

The Celestial Cauldron crashed violently into the Great Dao of the Holy King, tearing apart layers of barriers, leaving behind numerous divine concepts, and shaking the Three Sovereigns' Dao Fruits that were constantly gathering within it.

The Three Sovereigns' Dao Fruits, which were condensing, had an uncertain and flickering brilliance on their surface. Countless flowing concepts such as order, education, civilization, royal power, system, inheritance, and writing began to collapse and disperse, with some converging towards the Heavenly Cauldron.

Faced with this attempt to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, the three remained calm and composed.

The Lord of the Treasure Seal even clamored, "Taiyi, you've come at the perfect time! How could our glorious Holy Path achieve perfection without the Holy Kingdom's Dao Principles within your Heavenly Cauldron, which can harmonize Yin and Yang and run through the entirety of our path?"

With a roar, a brilliant light rose from within the Holy King's Path, and an ideal kingdom composed of pure, orderly flames gradually materialized. Everything within it was perfect and dynamic, yet it gave people a sense of ethereal beauty, as if it were real yet unreal. After taking shape, it crashed into the Celestial Cauldron, shaking its foundation.

Inside the Celestial Cauldron, the order and perfected divine path constructed by Chu Tai were all affected. With the flick of that whip-like and club-like treasure, the divine path went out of control and was quickly taken over by the opponent.

(End of this chapter)