The hall was deep and dim, the Emperor lofty and distant. His majesty seemed intangible yet enveloped every corner, pressing heavily on Tan Ping’s heart, filling him with panic and dread.
If this were merely an imprint of the Celestial Emperor within the river of time, meant to maintain historical transitions, its actions would be rigid and mechanical. Faced with the loss of the *Fengshen Bang*, it would simply resort to direct seizure. How could it alter the heavens and earth, reshape the cosmos, and summon both me and the Water Ancestor before it with such inscrutable profundity?
Thus, this was the genuine Celestial Emperor, who for unknown reasons had not perished in the past and mysteriously returned during the Cataclysm!
The matter of the *Fengshen Bang* had finally drawn the attention of a mighty figure from the Other Shore!
What would happen next was beyond Tan Ping’s imagination. Despair seeped into his bones, and cold sweat drenched his back.
He was not alone in this. The Water Ancestor, too, was uneasy and trembling with fear. Having just met Tang, the Celestial Emperor’s ancient rival, he had been caught red-handed. Moreover, through unfathomable means, the Emperor had manipulated space-time, trapping him in a predicament where no aid could reach him.
This move surpassed the Water Ancestor’s understanding of the Celestial Emperor. A wild yet plausible thought suddenly struck him:
The young man beside him claimed to be from the future, his reincarnation to break free from the shackles of an innate deity… The Emperor’s power and realm had abruptly transcended all previous limits… If the former were true, did it mean this was the past, and the Emperor had reached the Other Shore in the “future,” thus capable of manifesting such overwhelming might at will?
If innate deities could sweat, the Water Ancestor would have been drenched. His hesitation in aligning with Tang, unwilling to offend either side, stemmed from the fact that both the current Celestial Emperor and Tang were at the pinnacle of Creation, exploring the Other Shore and accumulating insights. It had been impossible to predict who would ultimately succeed. But the present reality told him clearly: in the “future,” the Celestial Emperor would triumph, dominating an era!
With this realization, the Water Ancestor could only silently pray that the Emperor would not change his mind, sparing him as in the “past” and allowing him to live until this moment, reincarnating as the young man beside him…
The Celestial Emperor gazed silently at the Water Ancestor and Tan Ping, watching them tremble uncontrollably, on the verge of begging for mercy, before speaking indifferently: “It is best to leave the matter of the *Fengshen Bang* unchanged.”
A faint golden light flickered in His right hand, and the *Fengshen Bang* from Tan Ping’s mustard ring appeared in His palm, docile and glowing softly.
Then, the *Fengshen Bang* flew out, descending to the mortal world, where it once again unfurled atop Mount Qi.
…
At the summit of the ancient Fusang Tree, two figures from the Other Shore played a game of Go, one in azure, the other in black. Apart from their luminous halos, they appeared entirely ordinary.
Meng Qi, holding a white piece between two fingers, studied the board as he remarked leisurely, “Since the affair with Maitreya, the ‘Yellow Millet Pillow’ and Tan Ping have been fully exposed to the eyes of our fellow Other Shore peers. Sending him back to the era of the *Fengshen Bang* was meant to stir the grass and startle the snakes—to see which among them wish to seize the *Fengshen Bang* from the Golden Emperor and what schemes they harbor.”
The *Fengshen Bang* is not an artifact of the Other Shore, nor is it unique across past, present, and future. Though it currently resides with the Golden Emperor, it does not mean it belonged to Her in the past. Thus, if significant changes occur in the history involving the *Fengshen Bang*, She might lose it—meaning She would strive to maintain the original course of events.
Therefore, attempting to seize the *Fengshen Bang* in the present would require direct intervention from an Other Shore being, as it is already in the Golden Emperor’s grasp, leaving no room for indirect maneuvers. However, altering history allows for sending powerful subordinates to probe and test, providing room for retreat and avoiding unforeseen losses or weakening.
The Green Emperor, observing Meng Qi’s aggressive move, casually countered: “The Golden Emperor’s response was quite clever. Without waiting for your provocation, She proactively lent the *Fengshen Bang* to Shen Gongbao, drastically altering history and leaving our peers bewildered, unable to foresee the subsequent changes. Mutual suspicion prevented rash interference, allowing the artifact to smoothly reach the Celestial Emperor.”
After the fall of the Shang Dynasty, although the heavenly deities were predominantly those listed in the *Fengshen Bang*, the artifact itself never truly belonged to the Celestial Emperor. The divine register remained near the Zhou capital, while the *Divine Whip* was wielded by Jiang Ziya and his descendants—a deliberate arrangement by the Primordial Heavenly Lord and the Lord of Virtue to restrain the Celestial Emperor’s authority. This time, however, the *Fengshen Bang* passed through the Emperor’s hands, leaving His imprint and subtly reshaping the course of history.
Meng Qi toyed with a piece, smiling faintly. “The Celestial Emperor’s response was equally unexpected. He merely left a trace before returning the *Fengshen Bang*. Beyond confirming some tacit understanding with the Golden Emperor, the future implications remain obscure.”
Had He not kept the Other Shore beings in suspense, even if they initially refrained from interfering, they could have revisited the past to alter events.
The Green Emperor remained silent, seemingly absorbed in the game.
“Does the Golden Emperor truly have such confidence, unafraid that the Celestial Emperor might keep the *Fengshen Bang*, collapsing Her Netherworld?” Meng Qi mused aloud.
The Green Emperor let out a soft laugh. “She has always been unparalleled in strategy and planning, far surpassing me in imperial bearing. Having inherited the legacies and secrets of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable and the Numinous Treasure Heavenly Venerable, to underestimate Her would be as foolish as when Amitabha, the Ancient Bodhi, or the Demonic Buddha Ananda suffered devastating defeats.”
“Well said.” Meng Qi placed a piece and clapped his hands. “When the True Lord of Purity and Mystery, Yang Jian, retrieved my original body from the Daoist’s ark, I assumed the secret had been left by my teacher, the Primordial Celestial Master. But the Golden Emperor admitted that after the two Celestial Masters vanished, all traces of their presence were either forged or impersonated by Her. In other words, She long knew the ark’s location and could access the Daoist’s relics, yet She concealed this so thoroughly that even the Demonic Buddha was caught off guard.”
“Since my ascension, though She appears unscathed—even advancing Her ’emptiness reduction’—She has ostensibly retreated step by step: first abandoning the Vacuum Hometown in the real world, then confining Herself to the Netherworld, and now sharing the *Fengshen Bang*. The more She yields, the more wary I grow, suspecting She feigns weakness while holding the winning hand, waiting for the decisive moment.”
The Green Emperor captured several stones. “Where lies Her advantage?”
“Few things can elude us of the Other Shore. When I broke free from the sea of suffering, the Golden Emperor had already revealed much. What remains likely pertains to the secrets of my teacher and Uncle Lingbao—perhaps their methods of attaining the Dao Fruit or their current states. The variables are truly unpredictable.” Meng Qi made a sharp move. “During the *Fengshen* era, I never understood why Amitabha and the Ancient Bodhi sided with the Primordial Heavenly Lord and Uncle Daode against Uncle Lingbao, who had lost the support of the Demon Emperor. From the perspective of the Great Dao struggle, aiding the weakest—Uncle Lingbao—to stall the eldest—the Primordial Heavenly Lord—would have been their logical choice.”
“I, too, was puzzled by that turn of events,” the Green Emperor nodded.
Some truths cannot be grasped merely by reflecting on the past. Certain transactions and mysteries exist exclusively among the beings of the Other Shore, remaining unseen without the proper契机.
(Note: “契机” is retained in pinyin as it appears to be a key term in the original text, possibly referring to a specific concept or moment of opportunity. If a specific English equivalent is preferred, please provide additional context.)
“It’s a shame we don’t have the means to ‘help’ Uncle Lingbao and recreate *Fengshen*, using it as a way to uncover the ‘heavenly secrets,'” Meng Qi said with a smile, making a flying gesture.
Since the Primordial Heavenly Lord and the Lingbao Heavenly Lord are now merely remnants, reenacting *Fengshen* is no longer possible.
The Green Emperor studied the board calmly, then placed a piece to secure his advantage in this game:
“May such an opportunity arise.”
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