Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 179 Something Big Happened in the Underworld
Zhao Yifu watched Huigu talking and couldn't help but think that this woman was really amazing.

After such a long time, not a single important information was missed.

After listening to the message, everyone summarized the useful information again. Liang Zhongzhi said, "Let's not talk about those secret techniques, they are just minor things. The key is that there is one thing in this information that I am very concerned about. The Wanshou Sect seems to have had some contact with the Liao Kingdom court, or at least with the Eastern Protector King."

Elder Cangqiu said, "Wanshou Sect is here in the north to protect our Chunyang ancestral temple. It would be strange if we couldn't have some contact with the Liao Kingdom's court."

"We can't blame them for this. What I'm concerned about is that the original trend of reading in this northern land is gradually fading, while the custom of ancestor worship is becoming more and more popular."

"Of course, I'm not saying that ancestor worship is wrong. Even in the South, people do it every year. But the custom in the North is to worship ancestors at every season. Isn't that too much?"

Nie Hua, who had been silent the entire time, said calmly, "To serve the dead with the living is to reverse yin and yang. This is not acceptable."

Zhao Yifu pondered for a moment and said, "It's a pity that I can't go to the underworld to ask for the time being, otherwise I could ask if there is any problem in the north."

Liang Zhongzhi asked with concern: "Did you encounter any trouble in the underworld?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I have indeed encountered a tough guy. I cannot go down to the underworld in my body. I plan to cultivate into a Yang Shen before going there to take a look."

Hui Gu was speechless. How could it be so easy to cultivate into a Yang God in his words?
Elder Cangqiu said, "If that's the case, then we can only investigate from the perspective of the living world... Tonight, I'm going to use my spirit to travel out and investigate this matter. Who's willing to go with me?"

Nie Hua said calmly, "I'll just protect you."

Liang Zhongzhi paused for a moment and said, "I can go with Teacher Cangqiu. As for Junxin..."

Zhao Yifu laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "Don't forget that I still have the identity of a temporary ghost messenger. It's a good opportunity for us to go and investigate together."

Everyone made a plan.

It was still early, so they talked about something else.

Judging from some information, it seems that the Donghu Palace will also intervene in this conference. In contrast, there is no news about the Demon-Suppressing Taoist Sect, which has clearly stated that it is here to cause trouble. This group of people is very secretive and almost no one knows their current whereabouts.

There is also some news about other sects within the Chunyang Sect.

The people from Yaowang Valley had arrived a month ago and had communicated with the people from various factions who came to visit, and even sold elixirs.

There are also reports that some people from the Jingyuan Sect of the Danding Vein have seen traces of them in the northwest mountains, so they must have already set off.

The Chunyang Sword Sect is in Shu, and the Yangling Sword Sect is in the East China Sea. They probably won't set out early, but will arrive at about the same time.

By this calculation, Danqingmen arrived quite early, which was considered to be giving Wanshoumen enough face. It was a pity that Wanshoumen was still unwilling to formally receive them.

That's right, in the minds of the people in Danqing Sect, Wanshou Sect was dragging its feet and was unwilling to receive them with the etiquette of the same sect for unknown reasons.

According to their thinking, they have been hanging around in Wanshou Gate for such a long time and caused such a big commotion, there is no reason why Wanshou Gate has not reacted yet.

Then there is only one point, they did it on purpose.

The most annoying thing is this situation. He knows that the other party is doing it on purpose, but he can't expose it. If they come to him at this time... the other party can just ask generously: "Did you have fun?"

Wouldn’t the Danqing Sect be in a difficult position?

So now we can only let the people from Wanshou Gate come and ask them to return to their rightful places...at least that's what everyone from Danqing Gate thinks.

As for if they hadn't invited us... well, that shouldn't have happened, right? After all, if the Danqing Sect were still among the spectators at the convention, it would have been a disgrace to the Wanshou Sect, the organizers.

No, that would bring disgrace to the entire Chunyang Sect.

So no one ever thought in that direction, and just thought that the Wanshou Sect was still leaving them out to dry.

It was already dark at this time, which was a good time for the Yin Spirit to travel.

Zhao Yifu and Liang Zhongzhi looked at each other, and just by squinting their eyes slightly, two identical master and apprentice appeared beside them.

They have all achieved the state of 'Yang born from Yin', or the 'Shaoyang state' of the primordial spirit. In this case, they are actually able to barely make their Yin spirit leave their body when they are awake.

That is to say, one can do two things at the same time: one is to use the Yin spirit to travel between heaven and earth, and the other is to use the main body to manage worldly affairs.

When it comes to the Yang Shen, it is even more amazing. It is possible to make the Yang Shen's differentiated thoughts appear to be everywhere.

So the reason Qiu Yuzi's Yang Shen returned to his body at this time was actually because he was angry with the Wanshou Sect. He didn't want to leave his Yang Shen here to endure this kind of humiliation.

Mr. Cangqiu's soul also left his body.

As a result, when the old man's Yin Spirit left his body, the three Yin Spirits looked at each other and all showed helpless expressions.

Mr. Cangqiu said, "Well, you two boys, you sneaked into the Shaoyang state and didn't even tell me, forcing me to wait until late at night."

It turns out that Mr. Cangqiu's Yin Spirit also possesses true Yang.

It’s just that his Yin Shen state is different from that of Zhao Yifu and Liang Zhongzhi.

Although the master and disciple are young, their family is thriving and growing.

Mr. Cangqiu's Yang is strong, but it is slowly weakening...

This is the old yang state!
The so-called old yang state is the state in which true yang leaks out.

Zhao Yifu hadn't known what this state meant before, but now he understood... it meant Mr. Cangqiu's decline, it meant his lifespan...

Mr. Cangqiu laughed heartily and said, "After trying for a lifetime, I still haven't reached the Yangming state of the Yang God. It's only natural that I'm declining now."

"Don't overthink it. Let's go explore together, starting from Tianyuan Mansion."

Zhao Yifu nodded and disappeared from the spot.

The Yin Spirit's journey is just a matter of thought.

His Yin Spirit flew over the sky above Tianyuan Mansion at a rapid speed, and wherever he looked, he could see wisps of incense smoke rising up... It was incredible to say, but the Tianyuan Mansion he saw with his naked eyes was actually desolate, but when he looked at it with the vision of his Yin Spirit, he actually felt an absurd sense of prosperity!
But this prosperity does not belong to people in the world of the living.

He was walking in the most prosperous Tianyuan City. There was a most prosperous street here. Big red lanterns were hung high on both sides of the street, and the incense was burning brightly inside the door. Even though he was just an irrelevant Yin God, he could feel very comfortable.

But with his underworld vision, he could see the accumulation of sins in every house on this street.

Beneath the incense are the sins suppressed at the bottom.

If someone from such a family dies, they will undoubtedly go to hell to be judged.

This does not apply to just one individual, but to the entire clan.

Zhao Yi Fu looked around in surprise, but did not rush into any house to investigate. Instead, he came to the west end of Tianyuan City, where there were still some places with little worship.

At the same time, he saw his master and old man Cangqiu entering a house to investigate.

His idea was simple: instead of going through the trouble of investigating on his own, he might as well ask someone knowledgeable.

Tianyuan City naturally has a City God Temple, and there are still remnants of incense here.

However, there are very few incense sticks here, and you can tell at a glance that this is because there are not many believers offering sacrifices.

He arrived in front of the City God Temple and bowed, saying, "I am Fu Yinzi, a cultivator of the Danqing Sect on earth. I invite you to see the Tianyuan City God."

The golden clay statue enshrined in the temple suddenly trembled slightly, and then a person struggled to get out of the clay statue...

No, it got stuck halfway through. His upper body lost control and fell to the ground, his black hat rolling to the ground. His hair was disheveled, a bit... huh? It looked a bit like a horror movie Zhao Yifu had seen in his previous life.

But in horror movies, the characters crawled out of a well, and this one crawled out of a clay sculpture...it seems to be pretty similar.

"Does the God want help?"

As he spoke, he stepped forward to support him.

According to the classification of gods at all levels in heaven, the City God is in charge of yin and yang, and can be said to be the god with the highest authority residing in the human world.

Of course, this City God looks a bit useless.

"So it's Master Fu Yinzi who has come to visit. This truly brings honor to our humble Tianyuan City God Temple."

Considering the identity of the City God, this person behaved a little too humbly.

Zhao Yifu said, "Your Excellency is too polite. I have come here simply to inquire about the situation in Tianyuan City... Your Excellency is the City God appointed by the Heavenly Court. He is so honored to be the judge of yin and yang. How could he be so destitute?"

The Tianyuan City God said helplessly, "The City Gods of the Southern Dynasties are naturally precious, but we, the City Gods of the Northern Dynasties, are already yesterday's news."

"Master, look, in Tianyuan City, almost every household is bustling with activity. In contrast, my place is deserted..."

Then, without Zhao Yifu saying much, the Tianyuan City God began to complain uncontrollably.

It turns out that the state religion of Liao State, Shamanism, is encroaching on the powers of the city gods, land gods and other officials sent by the heaven in the traditional sense.

Those shamans unscrupulously sold talismans that could prevent people from being taken to the underworld after death. Instead, they could remain in the world for a long time through incense and sacrifices.

At the same time, because of the long-term incense and sacrifices, it can show its divine power after accumulating enough power, and can help the descendants to overcome difficulties when they encounter difficulties.

How should I put it? After listening to what Tianyuan City God said, Zhao Yifu felt that this was a really good system, except for one thing... This was a great thing for the wealthy families, but it was very unfair to ordinary people.

Because how can ordinary people afford such incense and sacrifices?

I'm afraid this sacrificial ritual will only end when the family is broken up and everyone is dead.

What’s even more terrifying is that if one is born into a wealthy family, one can stay in the world of the living for a long time by performing sacrifices. Then how can the good and evil of heaven and earth be revealed?

But there is no doubt that the person who created this system is a genius.

Zhao Yifu didn't even need to think too much to feel what a huge impact this would be on the Confucian cultural circle that advocates filial piety.

For those big tribes in the north, submitting to Liao State will become a psychological burden-free thing, and may even become a general trend driven by "filial piety".

Zhao Yifu was stunned for a moment. He suddenly understood why Da Xu failed a hundred years ago.

Even Daxu, which only controls half of the country now, may not be safe...

Zhao Yifu was feeling anxious. He asked, "Lord God, have you reported this to the Heavenly Court?"

The Tianyuan City God said, "We City Gods are under the jurisdiction of the Emperor of Dongyue. As far as I know, most of the City Gods of the North have submitted petitions to the Emperor of Dongyue, but the Emperor of Dongyue has not responded in recent years."

"If I cannot confirm the status of Emperor Dongyue, then submitting a petition to a higher authority is a serious taboo. I would rather just re-enter the cycle of reincarnation."

Zhao Yifu was stunned when he heard this. Why was there another great god involved here?
This behavior of shamanism has obviously blocked the normal operation of the underworld. This is a serious act of interfering with the operation of heaven and earth. How could the Emperor of Dongyue allow it for hundreds of years?

He was puzzled but hesitated to ask. His conversation with the Tianyuan City God had already taken up quite a bit of time. Zhao Yifu thought for a moment and said, "Well, I'll have someone light a stick of incense for you tomorrow. I'm sure it will be of great benefit to you."

The Tianyuan City God immediately expressed his gratitude... Which deity doesn't like to burn incense? Especially one as impoverished as him. Zhao Yifu then returned to his true form.

But Old Man Cangqiu and Liang Zhongzhi have already returned.

They exchanged some information with each other.

Liang Zhongzhi found the soul of a kind old man in the mansion and questioned him, and obtained a lot of information about sacrifices.

Old Man Cangqiu found the deceased ancestors worshipped by small families and learned about the situation of small families under this system.

In comparison, the intelligence Zhao Yifu obtained was more advanced, but also seemed more useless.

Because how can their sect in the lower world control the heavenly court?

His information was undoubtedly more accurate and comprehensive, but what if they knew that there was a problem with Emperor Dongyue?
After Zhao Yifu exchanged some information with everyone, he suddenly clasped his fists and said to everyone, "Sorry, I have something to do and need to go into seclusion."

Liang Zhongzhi understood and said, "Go ahead. Just tell us what to do when you get out."

Elder Cangqiu also smiled and said, "Indeed, how could you forget that you can ask that person..."

Hui Gu was confused and wanted to ask for clarification, but it seemed that Danqingmen didn't want her to know this secret.

Of course, she is also very sensible and would not do anything that would make things difficult for Danqingmen.

……

Zhao Yifu waved his sleeves and found a hole in the carvings on the square table in the hall, expanding it into a secret room.

He walked into the secret room within the carved square table, hung up the picture for inviting the gods, and then lit the incense and said respectfully, "I, Zhao Yifu, invite the two ancestors to appear."

As soon as he finished speaking, the figures of the two ancestors appeared side by side on the scroll.

"What's the matter?"

Master Wenheng was very enthusiastic and he obviously liked this young man who could inherit his sword skills.

However, Master Fuyou was relatively calm. After all, Zhao Yifu was in his "pot" and could not escape.

He said, "I understand your problem. Shamanism was originally part of the many sects under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Court. However, the Shamanism Inspiration Sect relies on the Liao Kingdom in the mortal world. I'm afraid that the immortals and gods in the upper realm cannot interfere in human affairs."

Shamanism has the doctrine of offering sacrifices to heaven and earth, so this is undoubtedly part of the jurisdiction of heaven.

The Inspirational Faction, which is now valued by Liao Guo, or supports Liao Guo, is just a rebellious faction.

Zhao Yifu understood that the master's words were actually a reminder to him not to lump all shamans to death.

He understood and said, "Master, don't worry, I understand."

"But there is one thing I don't understand. Why is it that the Northern City God is in trouble, and the souls of mortals are not entering the reincarnation cycle, but the Emperor of Dongyue turns a blind eye to this?"

Patriarch Wen Heng stroked his beard and interjected, "Is there something wrong with Dong Yue again?"

The word '又' is used very aptly!

Patriarch Fuyou shook his head and sighed, "It's only been a few years. If something happens to Dongyue again, it would be too bad."

He said it was terrible, but he didn't seem to be in a hurry.

Seeing this, Zhao Yifu simply asked curiously, "Grandmaster, does the Emperor of Dongyue often get into trouble?"

Master Fuyou said, "That's a dangerous position."

"Because the Great Emperor Dongyue sits between yin and yang, he is the supreme god between yin and yang."

"He governs the entire earth and is also a highly respected god in the underworld. His status in the underworld is second only to that of the Emperor of Fengdu."

"But similarly, all the causes and consequences of everything that happens on earth will converge upon it, and any changes in the underworld will also reflect back and affect it."

"Do you know which number the current Dongyue Emperor is?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head blankly.

Patriarch Fuyou then said, "The Great Emperor of Dongyue was originally one of the divine offices of Qing Emperor Taihao. However, Qing Emperor traveled to outer space and passed the position of the Great Emperor of Dongyue to Jinhong, a descendant of Pangu. At that time, the heaven and earth were clear and bright, and the underworld was less afflicted, so Jinhong served as the Great Emperor of Dongyue for a long time."

"Then, during the Conferred Gods Rebellion, countless causes and effects occurred between heaven and earth, and the Great Emperor Dongyue bore the brunt of the consequences..."

"After the Conferred Gods Tribulation, King Wucheng and Duke Bingling, father and son, took control of Mount Dongyue... Together they held out for six hundred years."

"Then an ancient immortal who called himself 'Young Master Shantu' took control of Mount Dongyue."

Zhao Yifu calculated the years while listening, thinking that King Wucheng and Duke Bingling, father and son, were just mortals. If mortals could last for six hundred years, then that 'Prince Shantu', who was an ancient immortal, should be able to last even longer, right?
So he asked, "Could the current Emperor Dongyue be this ancient immortal?"

Patriarch Fuyou shook his head and said, "No, Senior Shantu was unlucky. Not long after he took over Dongyue, he encountered a long period of chaos among the princes in the mortal world. He fell during that period."

"The current Emperor Dongyue is the grandson of the Heaven."

Zhao Yifu asked in surprise, "Grandson of the Emperor of Heaven?"

Emperor Fuyou smiled and said, "Indeed, but this grandson of the Heavenly Emperor was left behind in the mortal world when he was reincarnated to train. He is capable of cultivation, so he was able to ascend to heaven and be deified."

Zhao Yifu listened thoughtfully, then counted the characters that appeared above, and was shocked... Wow, this Emperor of Dongyue has been replaced again and again, and this is already the fifth emperor?

The previous two Emperors of Dongyue undoubtedly had the longest reign, especially His Majesty Taihao, the Green Emperor, who was one of the ancestors of mankind. He could definitely be considered to have had a good end.

But something is wrong with what happens next, it seems like no one has a good ending?

However, just as Zhao Yifu was lost in his thoughts, Patriarch Fuyou's eyes changed and he said, "Unfortunately, my original body just visited Dongyue Palace. He is no longer able to perform his duties as Dongyue."

Zhao Yifu's eyes widened. He didn't expect that his ancestor's ability to act was so strong.

Of course, this is the founder that all three religions have to give respect to.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the ancestor Wen Heng beside him suddenly said, "It was those people in the underworld who concealed it, otherwise the Heavenly Court would have known about it long ago."

"Strange, why would they hide it..."

“Fengdu is nowhere to be found!!”

Master Wenheng suddenly lost his composure.

It seems that His entity is also doing something.

"These bastards dared to conceal such a huge matter. Don't they think there's enough chaos in this world?"

When he was alive, Master Wenheng, who was known for his righteousness and hatred of evil, rarely lost his composure.

Master Fuyou also said in annoyance: "I thought I was just here to answer some questions from you, kid, but I didn't expect to open a huge hole in this world..."

"It's okay if something happens to Emperor Dongyue, but the disappearance of Emperor Fengdu is a serious problem... Is there really going to be a catastrophe?"

Zhao Yifu asked cautiously: "So, what should I do now?"

Patriarch Wenheng said, "Do as you wish. The Great Emperor Dongyue is no longer able to manage affairs."

Zhao Yifu understood it immediately. What it meant was that he could ask the City God to write directly to the Heavenly Court.

After a moment, he scrolled up the God Summoning Picture and sat down.

The two ancestors will be busy from now on. Since the underworld has caused such a big mess, it is estimated that the heaven will be busy for a while.

But his business was not over yet. He immediately left his body again and went to the City God Temple in broad daylight to find Tianyuan City God.

It turned out that this guy was a coward. He was filled with righteous indignation when he was complaining just now, but when it came to writing a letter to the Heavenly Court, he didn't dare to do it.

Zhao Yifu also felt tired of this kind of person and didn't want to say anything more.

He said, "Well, if you don't want to be the first to do this, then I'll just have to find someone else."

Having said that, he disappeared into the city without looking back.

Originally he had thought of not having to bother two people with the same task, but he didn't expect that the Tianyuan City God would not be helpful, so he had to ask his own people to do it.

He came to Fenglin County where he was an official, and found the Taoist monk Bai Na who served as the City God in the newly built City God Temple.

He said, "Brother Dao, I have something to ask of you."

Taoist Bai Na was still a little dull, but much better than before.

He said, "Brother, please speak freely, I will obey you."

Zhao Yifu immediately told the story of writing a letter to the Heavenly Court.

Bai Na City God agreed without hesitation.

He even wrote a memorial on his jade tablet in front of Zhao Yifu.

However, the level of this Bai Na Cheng Huang in writing memorials was limited, and even Zhao Yi Fu's polishing was not enough.

He thought about it for a while, then simply called out to the sky: "Disciple Zhao Yifu, please invite Master Qiu Yuzi!"

A moment later, Qiu Yuzi's yang spirit landed in this small city god temple.

Taoist Bai Na was extremely envious when he saw this, as this was a state that he had once dreamed of but could not reach.

"What's the matter?"

Qiu Yuzi asked.

But then he saw the patchwork city god beside Zhao Yifu and the scribbled jade scepter, and he was speechless.

My goodness, the other people in Danqingmen are still thinking about how to write memorials to the emperor on earth, but this guy is already thinking about how to write a memorial to the Heavenly Court?
It is worthy of being called the Ghost-Seeing Demon, always unpredictable.

However, Qiu Yuzi still said, "This Fenglin City God is your friend, right? I'm afraid writing to him like this isn't a good thing."

Zhao Yifu nodded immediately and said, "Disciple understands. Disciple has already asked the Grandmaster. Something has happened to the City God's superior, the Emperor of Dongyue. Now the City Gods can directly submit a petition to the Emperor of Heaven."

When Qiu Yuzi heard this, a series of "good guys" came to his mind.

Zhao Yifu is going to heaven!
Because at this moment, there is a familiar City God supporting him, which means that he can hear directly from the heaven at any time... truly hear directly from the heaven!
(End of this chapter)