“The matters of ghosts and deities, I know nothing of. Naturally, everything is up to you all!”
Minister Xiang opened his mouth, revealing nearly toothless gums.
He was already eighty years old. Though his spirit remained vigorous, his body was inevitably aging, which was the limitation of Confucian cultivation.
Even though his current Virtuous Qi could be said to be impervious to all laws, neither ghost nor deity could stand before him, even some Golden Edict deities would not withstand his bow. Yet his body remained mortal flesh—though free from all diseases, he could not escape the limits of Heaven and Man!
Certainly, Confucianism does not pursue immortality, but rather the Three Immortalities: Virtue, Merit, and Words.
Achieving all three immortals makes one a Perfect Sage, a Complete Man, whose name endures forever across millennia.
Even completing just one of them is sufficient for posthumous deification. With refined Virtuous Qi and a body of merit, one can instantly surpass most righteous deities.
Minister Xiang already held the esteemed position of Grand Tutor, and being at the fifth level of Confucianism, he would surely receive an imperial posthumous title. If during the peak of the dynasty’s power, he could immediately ascend to the fifth rank of the divine path through this alone!
Even now, with the Zhou dynasty’s fortune waning, though the title of Duke might be out of reach, the rank of Marquis or Count is still very promising.
With the foundation laid in the underworld, through accumulated merits, reaching the fifth rank of the divine path is merely a matter of time.
Precisely because of this, although present were the Director of the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, a Legalist leader, and a Prince, they all showed great respect to Minister Xiang.
“Just…”
A shadow passed through Minister Xiang’s eyes: “This place faces great calamity; if we delay, it will be too late!”
When a great Confucian scholar speaks of impending disaster, it is certainly so. If he says it will be too late, then it will indeed be too late!
“In that case…”
Cui Jue gritted his teeth: “Do we really have to force our way in again?”
“No!”
Yan Sheng gazed at the gathered dragon corpse with an enigmatic expression: “Let Prince Yong inherit the dragon’s fortune! Before coming, I obtained the royal family’s secret technique with the approval of the Zongzheng. It can utilize the dragon’s fortune to obscure our auras and conceal us within!”
The imperial family used dragon creatures to guard the imperial tombs, naturally having precautions, otherwise it would be creating trouble for themselves?
“What… What? Should Your Highness…”
The Prince Yong looked at the black dragon corpse on the ground, especially the black blood flowing out, transforming into black snakes of malevolent qi, poised to pounce, and immediately felt extreme aversion.
But he also knew that although he held the title of Prince, in terms of actual power, he might be the weakest among the four present, and his eyes involuntarily turned to Minister Xiang for help.
Minister Xiang, known for his upright character, hesitated briefly before speaking. Suddenly, a commander from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs rushed in, knelt, and reported: “Reporting, sir, mysterious figures have been spotted outside Shengjing. They are formidable and have already injured many of our men…”
“What?”
Yan Sheng’s face changed dramatically. He exchanged a glance with Cui Jue, both sharing the same thought: “Could the secret of the imperial tomb already be out?”
…
“I am an official of the court! Surrender immediately, or else…”
At a certain location in Shengjing, a military commander resembling a battalion leader held a single saber, retreating step by step while shouting.
Unfortunately, the only reply he received was a burst of spearlight!
This spearlight, golden-white tinged with red, moved like a dragon, swift and deadly. In just a few strikes, he had killed all the patrolmen, and now mercilessly flashed again, severing the commander’s head, leaving him dead with eyes wide open.
The martial arts’ divine ability is indeed so formidable, killing as easily as mowing grass!
“Hmph! Trying to intimidate me with the court?”
The one who struck was a young man in armor, his scales shimmering, holding a long spear stained with blood: “Hmph! I am a general of the rebel king, how could I fear the court? One day, my Dragon-Slaying Spear will surely be stained with the blood of a true dragon!”
He glanced around, puzzled: “Strange! This blood battle mission just happened to place me in Shangzhou, allowing me to arrive so quickly. This place was supposed to be barren, devoid of even insects and birds. Why are there court officials here? Could it be… some other permission holder is hiding within the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs?”
Indeed, this was a curious misunderstanding.
Wu Ming cunningly limited the scope of the blood battle to Shengjing, where Yan Sheng and his group happened to be. Any permission holder seeing this would immediately make connections.
Even more crucially, would Yan Sheng openly admit the Zhou dynasty’s plot to seize the dragon’s fortune?
More likely, he would prefer to kill to keep the secret…
This patrol group encountered the young man and immediately attacked for this very reason, but unfortunately, they kicked a steel plate…
Permission holders are not easy targets, so the two sides immediately became enemies, destined to clash fiercely, which saved Wu Ming a lot of trouble.
After all, the strength of the imperial forces this time was also formidable.
“Who!”
Suddenly, the young man’s expression changed. His Dragon-Slaying Spear erupted with a burst of bloody light, shooting forth.
Bang!
The spearlight was immensely powerful, instantly slicing through half of a nearby broken wall. From the smoke emerged a figure.
“Roar!”
This figure wore a dark blue short tunic, with leg bindings and a crimson sash around his waist, seemingly dyed with human blood. Especially on his face, five smudges of ink spread out like a demon.
If Wu Ming were here, he would certainly be interested, for this person’s attire and aura bore a striking resemblance to the shaman he encountered during his first mission!
Facing the spearlight, the shaman shook his human-skin drum, summoning a somewhat illusory image of a blue wolf that lunged forward, colliding with the spearlight and vanishing together.
“General Huang Da, I am not your enemy!”
After the strike, the shaman spoke, his tone strange but understandable.
“So it’s you, the Wolf Bone Shaman from the north…”
Huang Da clearly recognized this person. Though he did not attack again, his eyes became even more alert: “You are a shaman from a great northern tribe, here to persuade my lord. I can answer you now: the internal chaos of Zhongyuan is Zhongyuan’s own affair, and no foreign tribes are allowed to interfere!”
“My Wolf Tu Tribe has one hundred thousand archers, and the great tribe can provide many bowmen. Although your lord is confined to one area, with the help of our Khan, seizing the treasure of Zhongyuan would be easy. Then our two nations could be like brothers, avoiding border conflicts—wouldn’t that be a good thing?”
The Wolf Bone Shaman must have thought about this for a long time, speaking with both courtesy and reason. Seeing Huang Da’s silence, he smiled again: “Moreover, General Huang, you and I are of the same kind, naturally having a foundation for cooperation, such as this blood battle mission…”
“So you are indeed a permission holder!”
Huang Da involuntarily tightened his grip on the spear, his face darkening.
His mind raced: “This shaman, at the basic level, only has slight cursing and healing abilities, nothing much, but quite effective in the army, hence called a war shaman in the north. I’ve heard that after reaching the intermediate level, he gains several strange abilities and can seal beast spirits for his use, similar to a totem pole power, creating a realm like a terrestrial immortal… Of course, while this Wolf Bone Shaman can indeed command beast spirits, erecting a totem pole is absolutely impossible!”
A martial artist always considers defeat before victory!
And this mission is so strange and brutal, turning all permission holders into deadly enemies!
As a seasoned veteran of the Main God’s Hall, Huang Da didn’t believe a single word from the Wolf Bone Shaman.
He sneered coldly: “Cooperation? How? By offering my life to earn you points?”
“General Huang, you misunderstand me so deeply!”
Wolf Bone Shaman took a couple of steps forward, as if wanting to explain, but a spear of light shot down, carving a deep mark into the ground.
“If you take another step forward, don’t blame me for attacking!”
Huang Da roared.
“Ai… How deep is General Huang’s prejudice?”
Wolf Bone Shaman sighed, his murky old eyes flickering with a strange light: “What a pity…”
If he could get a bit closer, he would have the chance to ambush the general using his totem power. Alas, the general seemed extremely alert, foiling his plan.
“Jie jie! Two cowards! Hesitating like this, why not just let this True Monarch have you both!”
Wuwu!
A thick cloud of smoke surged forward, filled with ghostly flames. From within it extended two furry claws, sweeping down to seize and kill both men at once.
“Bad! It’s Tu Shan True Monarch!”
Huang Da and Wolf Bone Shaman’s expressions changed dramatically as they recognized this infamous figure from the Main God’s Hall!
“It’s said this person was originally a Taoist immortal, but in one mission, he had to abandon his body and possess a fox demon. Yet, as a non-human, he achieved the Dao, eventually cultivating to the rank of Celestial Master, known as Tu Shan True Monarch. Never thought we’d run into him!”
Their eyes met. Facing the blood-soaked claws, they instantly decided to join forces!
“Ha! Martial arts divine ability, the Dragon-Slaying Spear Light, go forth!”
“Heavenly Wolf Totem! White Tiger Totem! Rise!”
A streak of blood light, along with the wolf and tiger totems, immediately met the giant claws.
Moments ago, each harboring secret intentions, nearly coming to blows, the two now united against a common enemy, a scene quite dramatic.
But the integrity of a cycle-walker is always this flimsy. Those who can’t bend their minds quickly enough have long had their bones turned to dust in the void.
Pu! Pu!
The giant claws met resistance, revealing two narrow, elongated eyes glowing with emerald light behind the black clouds.
But now, the fox demon’s eyes gleamed with bloodlust and madness:
“It is your honor to be chosen by this True Monarch! Today, offer your flesh and blood to me… Hehe…”
With the final eerie laugh, several blood-red tails extended from the black clouds, stirring the winds and clouds, pressing down overwhelmingly.
“A nine-tailed fox! Could Tu Shan True Monarch’s true form be this savage rare species?”
Astonishing demonic power surged. The fox tails, crimson as blood, instantly overwhelmed the spear light and puppets. Huang Da coughed up blood and staggered back, his eyes brimming with disbelief.
The Classic of Mountains and Seas states: “On Qingqiu Mountain, jade is abundant on the southern slopes, while the northern slopes are rich in azurite. There dwells a beast resembling a fox but with nine tails, its cry akin to that of an infant. It devours humans, yet those who consume its flesh become immune to poison.”
(Note: “青” is translated as “azurite” here, as it commonly refers to the mineral in classical texts. Alternative interpretations could include “malachite” or simply “green minerals” depending on context.)
The Classic of Marvelous Creatures further states: “Foxes are creatures of wisdom. Upon reaching a century in age, they grow an additional tail. After nine hundred years, they transform into formidable demons! Having endured the trials of heavenly lightning, their fur turns snow-white, their tails gradually diminish until none remain, ultimately evolving into celestial foxes—beings of divine immortality, indistinguishable from mortal men!”
(Note: The translation preserves the mystical tone and cultural nuances of the original text while adapting certain terms for clarity in English. “灵狐” is rendered as “celestial foxes” to convey their transcendent nature, and the phrase “of the immortal and divine kind” explicitly links them to Chinese mythological concepts of xian (仙). The structure mirrors the original’s progression from physical transformation to spiritual ascension.)
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