txolops Chapter 23 The Mandate of Heaven
Chapter 23 The Mandate of Heaven
A hollow sound rose from the depths of darkness, ethereal and uncertain, like a whisper in the ear, or drifting from the other side of the underworld:
"In this world, cause and effect are already fixed, and destiny is predetermined. The five-colored energy transforms into the net of human law, covering all living beings, from true cultivators to demons, none can escape... This is the law of this realm!"
The sound waves echoed in the darkness, lingering for a long time.
"Even though we have seized a piece of the land and its great fortune in recent years, giving back to the Eastern Divine Continent, and our merit will last for generations, we cannot escape our fate. This is because this act is against the will of Heaven and will inevitably backfire. Therefore, we have transferred the outstanding members of our clan to another place, and the survivors are to face the calamity."
The voice paused slightly, and the dim light rippled outwards, as if in the form of a silent sigh.
"Even though a great upheaval is imminent and the laws of destiny are changing, the vastness of the universe is insufficient to affect a single corner of the world. I have already clearly calculated the destiny of this clan in this prefecture..."
After he finished speaking, the quiet room fell into a deathly silence.
Its stillness was almost tangible, like an invisible net covering the entire field, causing the dim light to stagnate and tightening the hearts of the three elders.
After a long silence, the voice rang out again, devoid of joy or sorrow, yet it sent a chill down the spines of all three:
"But now... things have changed."
The three elders' expressions changed drastically.
Elder Xuanfeng stepped forward, his aged face now filled with a chilling killing intent:
"May I ask, Supreme Elder, what are the variables?! Will they affect our clan's grand plan? If so, even at the cost of my life, I will slay them!"
For the sake of the clan's future, the Fang family sacrificed the lives of nobles and heroes, even sacrificing their bloodline to resist calamity. After more than two hundred years of diligent work, they finally saw a glimmer of hope.
If any unforeseen circumstances were to disrupt the grand plan, the three remaining elders of the clan would risk their lives to eliminate this threat!
Elder Xuan Su's expression was equally cold:
"Elder, is this matter related to the death of the clan leader? If it is truly the work of the demonic sect, even if it costs me my Yin Spirit, I will fight them!"
The voice was firm and resonant, echoing through the darkness.
For the sake of the clan's greater cause, the three elders were clearly prepared to die!
The Supreme Elder remained silent.
In the darkness, the faint light flickered and changed, as if manipulated by an invisible hand.
The shifting light and shadow swayed slightly, as if pondering or observing.
The deathly silence around them grew even stronger, as if the underworld had descended and the netherworld had manifested, pressing down on the hearts of the three men in an invisible way.
half an hour.
The light and shadow subsided slightly before it spoke:
"Let's leave this matter for now."
"The Supreme Elder?!" The three elders' expressions changed, and they were faintly shocked.
There are obvious hidden dangers; how can we tolerate them?!
"What our clan has done is already against the will of Heaven. If we continue to follow the will of Heaven, we will surely be punished by Heaven, and defeat and destruction will be inevitable." The Supreme Elder's voice came from the depths of darkness, cold and silent, like the murmur of the dead. "This variable may not be a warning sign, but rather... a glimmer of hope."
Upon hearing this, the three elders' expressions shifted between light and dark.
I've vaguely heard about the clan's grand plan, but I know very little about it and don't understand the profound meaning behind the Supreme Elder's words.
Therefore, after thinking for a long time, he ultimately said nothing more and remained silent.
The Supreme Elder said:
"As for compensation—"
Suddenly, a box flew out from the darkness. It was made of metal and had no gaps in its entirety.
Give this to him.
The box landed in Elder Xuanfeng's palm, as light as a feather, as if there was nothing inside.
The three elders exchanged a glance, remained silent for a moment, and finally bowed and withdrew.
The three figures, like the moon's reflection in water, swayed and vanished in an instant.
Only the form of the Supreme Elder remained, standing for a long time in the darkness.
The faint, scattered light faded and disappeared without a trace, and the drifting light and shadow swayed slightly, as if gazing in the direction where the three people had left.
After an unknown amount of time, a murmur finally came from the darkness.
The voice was neither male nor female, seemingly coming from the underworld, like the whispers of a departed soul:
"This clear-cut destiny is truly unpredictable and difficult to fathom..."
At this moment, the surrounding scenery gradually comes into view.
This place seems to be a secluded underground chamber, yet it also seems to be sandwiched between yin and yang... It is clearly made of earth and stone, but it exudes a strange and unpredictable atmosphere.
The lights of hundreds of homes in all directions are lit all day long, making the surroundings as bright as day.
The terrain is extremely open, but the furnishings are simple, with only a few alchemical cauldrons and a few furnaces, with the central earth vein altar being the most prominent.
The walls were neither stone nor jade, but resembled flesh and blood, and were a dark red like stagnant blood.
It was soft and boneless to the touch, with blood vessels inside that pulsed slowly with each breath. It was filled with a sinister aura and the stench of rotting flesh, eerie and ominous, like a festering wound on the earth.
However, under the illumination of hundreds of lights, wisps of yin energy and evil spirits were forced out of the wall and flesh, merging with the incense and prayers rising from the lights, and were further nurtured and guided by the earth's vein altar.
Yin energy corrodes the soul and damages the body, while the power of will and obsession contain poison... The two actually cancel each other out and merge within this array and ritual, becoming one in yin and yang. Then, nurtured within the earth's veins, they finally transform into wisps of spiritual energy, seeping into the turbid, flesh-colored [Tai Sui].
As a result, Tai Sui gradually shed its mortal nature and revealed a hidden jade-like radiance.
This method of combining yin and yang and using the tempering of heaven and earth to generate spiritual energy is truly mysterious!
The figure of the Supreme Elder had vanished into the void at some unknown time, disappearing without a trace.
Only here, the lights remain ever-burning.
But within the flesh-and-blood walls, which shimmered with a faint jade-like light, lay dozens of naked bodies. At a glance, they were quietly embedded in the walls, like cocoons awaiting their transformation.
Above the central altar in the underground chamber, a Taoist text was inscribed in cloud-like script:
"...The cultivator chooses a place where the earth's veins are rich in fleshy fungi, removes his clothes and covers himself with the fat, allowing the turbid marrow of the Grand Duke Jupiter to permeate his entire body. The body is neither buried nor not buried, the soul is neither asleep nor not asleep. For forty-nine years, the earth's spiritual energy seeps into the decaying bones along the meridians of the fleshy fungi, and finally, he emerges from his cocoon..."
"Once, rotting flesh served as a coffin; now, the earth's lungs have been seized for breath. Though the physical form remains, the soul has already undergone reincarnation!"
Its Dharma name is—
[The Heavenly River Cave Mystery Daoist's Explanation of the General Outline of Taiyin Corpse Dissolution] Volume 137: The Chapter on Hidden Metamorphosis and Rebirth—
[The Secret Ritual for the Rebirth of Tai Sui!]
……
On the other side.
Outside the secret room, Fang Chen's expression remained unchanged, but he secretly pondered in his heart:
"With three elders all reaching the Yin Spirit realm, they are already extraordinary in this prefecture. Yet we still need to consult… the Fang family clan seems to be far more complex than it appears on the surface…"
Just as they were pondering this, the door to the secret room suddenly opened.
Elder Xuanfeng stepped forward, holding a box, and handed it to Fang Chen:
"This is compensation for the clan."
Fang Chen took it and examined it carefully.
The box is made of metal, with gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin all representing the five elements, and its textures are very distinct.
Judging from its design, this box is not something that can be obtained by ordinary spiritual objects.
Because the five metals are the essence of heaven and earth, and combine the energy of the five elements, they can suppress and seal the spiritual energy, preventing it from leaking out over time.
Anything that can be placed in this box... must be extraordinary!
Fang Chen felt a chill run down his spine, but remained stunned for a moment before covering his mouth with his sleeve, his shoulders trembling slightly, and tears welling up in his eyes.
Elder Xuanfeng was taken aback upon seeing this:
"What's wrong?"
Fang Chen's eyes were wet with tears, and his voice was choked with sobs:
"But... I can't control my emotions. Thinking of my warm adoptive father, who has now turned into a cold spirit... at this thought, I am overwhelmed with grief!"