69novels Page 344
Page 344
Legend has it that whenever a new Celestial Master ascends to the throne, he would bring out these two treasures to signify legitimacy.
In fact, what outsiders don't know is that there are actually more than one "Treasure of the Celestial Master's Altar" in the Celestial Master's Mansion, but as many as four. The latter three were all re-engraved and bestowed by emperors of successive dynasties, while only the first one is the most important heirloom.
This heirloom has long been lost!
Zhang Sicheng learned of this matter when he ascended the throne. He needed to retrieve these two treasures, but they were extremely valuable and had been personally kept by successive Celestial Masters. However, due to the sudden death of the previous Celestial Master, there was no handover. Despite a thorough search, the "Celestial Master's Treasure for Guarding the Altar" could not be found.
Therefore, when Zhang Sicheng ascended to the position of Celestial Master, he actually used another imperial gift, the "Celestial Master's Altar Treasure".
Very few people in the Celestial Master's Mansion knew about this matter because it was too significant. After Zhang Sicheng ascended the throne, he issued a gag order and kept it a secret ever since. Outsiders only knew that the Celestial Master's Mansion valued the two treasures highly and kept them hidden from others, but they did not know that one of them had already been lost.
The Celestial Master's Mansion had been searching for the lost seal for some time, but to no avail. Some said that the seal might have been lost long ago, but the Celestial Masters of all generations had kept it a secret. It was only because of the special circumstances surrounding the current Celestial Master's ascension to the throne that the matter was partially made public.
Of course, many believe that the seal was placed in a hidden location by the previous Celestial Master, and its exact location has become a mystery since his death.
I never imagined that this seal would be in this underground chamber!
In fact, Zhang Jing did not do anything special. The seal was indeed placed in this secret room, and then it was lost as the existence of the secret room became a true secret.
After discovering the seal, Zhang Jing did not take it away. Although it was an extremely important artifact, and priceless to the Celestial Master's Mansion, Zhang Jing needed it to further reinforce Zhang Sicheng's understanding and ensure he had unwavering faith in everything about this place. Therefore, he made some further arrangements with the seal…
Just as Zhang Sicheng was feeling excited, the seal in his hand suddenly began to warm up. Then, the characters on the seal seemed to distort. Zhang Sicheng was getting on in years, and in the dim light, he subconsciously squinted to see it more carefully.
At that moment, he felt a sudden blur before his eyes, and then he felt his entire consciousness suddenly converge into a single point, which he then threw towards the seal in his hand...
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In a dilapidated village, what should have been lush green wheat fields were overgrown with weeds, unattended by any farmers. Green moss and vines clung to the houses, clearly neglected for a long time. A robust man dressed in hemp clothing, wearing a straw hat and carrying a satchel walked through the village. He had a thick beard and a rugged face. As he walked, he frowned, observing his surroundings. A moment later, he suddenly kicked aside a patch of overgrown grass, revealing, at its roots, a skeleton already decomposed to white bones…
After walking a while longer, they arrived at the center of the village. Suddenly, a beautiful woman came out to greet them. She was very enthusiastic and seemed to want to invite them to her courtyard. Something was cooking in the courtyard, and smoke was rising from it.
Then the man walked forward with a smile, seemingly about to follow the woman into the house. Just then, his baggage suddenly burst open, and he grabbed a long sword from the baggage and slashed at the woman with it!
The woman let out a scream that was not human, but she did not fall down. She grabbed the sword wounds on her body with both hands and tore off the human skin as if it were paper. Underneath the human skin was a twisted monster with long, thin limbs and sharp claws. It leaped nimbly toward the man on all fours.
The man, wielding a long sword, engaged the monster in combat. His movements were as agile as an ape, leaping and bounding between the houses. After a short while, he formed a hand seal, and the monster suddenly froze. Seizing the opportunity, the man stabbed the monster through the heart with his sword, and with a loud bang, it turned into dust flying everywhere...
Chapter 688 The Celestial Master Descends the Mountain
The scene then shifts multiple times, showing grotesque, twisted, and inhuman creatures in the murky river, on the deep mountain paths, and in the shadows of the city…
The man seemed to be wandering around, while also hunting down these strange creatures.
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On a massive altar, crimson blood flowed as armored soldiers dragged out those still howling and crying, beheaded them, and threw their heads onto the altar.
Judging from the clothing of the people in the picture, it should be ancient times.
But I don't know which dynasty or era it was from.
Zhang Sicheng was observing all of this from a detached perspective, only feeling that the man's appearance was rather familiar...
………傸……………………………
On a massive altar, a bloody sacrifice was underway, with heavily armored warriors hacking down kneeling men amidst the wailing and howling of the dying.
The scene changes; on the altar, ghosts howl, and cracks appear in the dim sky, like a leaky roof, with clumps of indistinct, eerie substances seeping in.
Visible to the naked eye, invisible to the naked eye, terrifying, distorted...
Countless bizarre phenomena, indescribable in words, are invading this world.
Zhang Sicheng was terrified. He subconsciously began chanting the holy name of the Heavenly Venerable to alleviate the oppression in his heart. This world… is absolutely abnormal!
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Just as Zhang Sicheng felt an almost unbearable sense of oppression in his heart, the scene changed again!
war!
On the desolate plains, two massive military formations are facing off!
Zhang Sicheng noticed that he saw two familiar banners in one of the enemy formations:
One of the inscriptions reads: "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise."
The other side reads: "The Great Teacher".
This is... the chaos of Huang Tiandao back then?!
Could it be the end of summer?
At the same time, he also saw that high above, inexplicably gloomy, in a realm invisible to ordinary people, a gigantic tentacle that could not be described in ordinary language was about to tear through the layers of clouds and invade this world.
These tentacles hold such twisted, depraved, and filthy nature! Just one glance is enough to drive one mad...
Zhang Sicheng only glanced at it before he dared not look again. Even with the protection of some kind of power, he still felt so uncomfortable that he almost vomited.
From the very beginning, the war displayed an extremely brutal side, with people falling one after another on both sides. The sounds of battle cries, the neighing of warhorses, screams of agony, the whistling of blades cutting through the air, and even the splattering of blood were all mixed together.
Zhang Sicheng observed almost the entire war from the sidelines, much like an observer with a god-like perspective.
Finally, a person dressed in a linen robe with flowing hair and holding a nine-section staff stepped into the void, step by step, into the sky.
"A great and virtuous teacher!!!"
"A great and virtuous teacher!!!"
Below, cheers rose and fell like waves, echoing across the plains like thunder...
Then he tossed the nine-section bamboo staff in his hand into the air. The staff rose with the wind and transformed into a blue dragon, growing larger and larger, climbing higher and higher, piercing into the clouds. The leaden clouds rolled, and streaks of lightning accompanied the blue dragon as it moved, meeting the tentacles...
Is this Zhang Taiping?! Could this be the true face of the Huang Tiandao Uprising back then?!
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The scene suddenly changed again, with a bright starry sky and a bright moon hanging high in the sky.
Amidst a sea of clouds, through layers of mist, a palace suddenly comes into view, with cranes flying around it, nestled among the clouds, just like the abode of immortals.
On the palace tower, an old man in feathered robes looked up at the distant starry sky, his right thumb counting back and forth between his middle, ring, and little fingers, his face filled with worry.
"Master, is the divination result...?" A voice came from behind.
"This calamity between heaven and man is fraught with danger; how can it be resolved so easily..." The old man shook his head, then turned around and looked at the bearded man standing behind him, bowing deeply: "Liangchen, are you ready?"
"Yes, disciple is ready. I have come to bid farewell to my master."
The old man stared at the man for a long time, hesitating to speak, but finally said, "After this departure, it will be difficult for us, master and disciple, to meet again. Let me ask you one more question: if you regret it now, you can still change your mind..."
"Your kindness is profound, and I have no way to repay it..." Upon hearing this, the man knelt down with a thud. "However, if I were to propose this now, for the sake of the sect... for the sake of all living beings... I should do it without hesitation..."
Upon hearing this, the old man sighed again, appearing as if he had aged several years. Finally, he nodded and said, "Very good...you are very good...it's just that I've wronged you..."
As he spoke, the old man flicked his sleeve, and the kneeling man was unconsciously lifted up by a strong force.
"In fact, the masters of the various sects understood your previous suggestion. Otherwise, even though the three sects of our Xuanmen are of one mind, Zhang Taiping has broken the great precept and caused such a commotion. How could it be so easily forgotten?"
"You mean..." The man suddenly looked up, his eyes wide as he stared at his teacher.
"In the end, Emperor Xia's perverse actions led to the alienation of the people, and the various sects were unwilling to let the evil god escape, bringing the situation to a point where it was impossible to control..."
"Furthermore, the Heavenly Tribulation looms large... All sects are seeking a way out of this predicament. If they truly had no intention of change, why would they have tacitly allowed Zhang Taiping to establish the Yunxiao Mountain branch..."
"I see... I thought..."
"What do you think? Do you think the sect is full of inflexible old fogies?"
"The disciple dare not..."
“What you said that day was right. It is human nature to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune. When people have desires but cannot obtain them, they turn to ghosts and gods. Beliefs are easier to guide than to suppress. The reason why the worship of evil gods and licentious practices cannot be eradicated is because foolish men and women have desires.”
The old man walked to the side and sat down cross-legged on a prayer mat, gesturing for the man to sit in front of him. He then continued, “Therefore, simply cutting down mountains and destroying temples is not enough to stop the rampant spread of cults. We also need to establish righteous faith. From this perspective, the Taiping Method does have its merits.”
“That is exactly what I think. We cultivators travel around and call ourselves outsiders. Some people mistakenly call us magicians or immortals. There are even cases of people privately performing sacrifices. I think that rather than letting things go unchecked, it would be better to establish a xuanmen belief on this basis, which can also educate the world.”
“Establish temples and monasteries, and accept disciples. Among them, those who are gifted and capable of great responsibilities can also bring new blood to the sect.”
"Good." The old man nodded slightly upon hearing this.
"As you depart, I have not much to instruct you on, but there is one thing you must remember: a cultivator should not interfere in worldly affairs, especially matters concerning the revival of extinct sects. This is a great precept, and even if you wish to establish a religion, you must not forget it, do you understand?"
"Disciple knows."
"Hmm, have you decided where to go?"
Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History: Chapter 689 We're People with Connections Too!!!
"When I was traveling around, I passed by Dan Ding Mountain. I plan to establish a sect here and call myself the Celestial Master. Is that alright?"
“The Celestial Master… must have the intention of enlightening the world, so let it be.”
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Another series of scene transitions followed, and Zhang Sicheng felt as if he had traveled back into the long river of history, witnessing the scenes of the establishment of the Celestial Master's Mansion like an observer.
Finally, as the last scene vanished, Zhang Sicheng returned to the underground chamber, still holding the seal in the same posture, as if everything he had just seen was merely an illusion. However, Zhang Sicheng knew that it could not be an illusion; it was what his ancestor, the Celestial Master, wanted all the Celestial Masters to see…
Thus, he realized that the waters of his Dan Ding Mountain lineage were far deeper than he had imagined, and that so many secrets were hidden within its history.
So this is the origin of the Xuanmen sect today!
It turns out that those sorcerers and immortals who appeared only vaguely in ancient records actually existed! And they are the very origin of the Xuanmen (Taoist) sect today!