Chapter 505: 504. Rising Dragon Tiger Mountain (Part 1)

Chapter 505: 504. Rising Dragon Tiger Mountain (Part 1)





"The Great Emptiness Temple lineage existed before this, but it had not yet gained significant influence."

Xu Yuanzhen casually said, "The Great Annihilation Bodhisattva appeared around the same time as the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree."

It was precisely because of this that the Demon Megaverse, which had flourished with Buddhism, entered the Age of Dharma Decline.

However, although the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree and the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva seemed to have a common enemy, they were also mortal enemies who could not coexist.

Since their existence, the two sides had fought countless large and small battles, with almost no time for peace.

For instance, in the human realm and the earth realm of that Demon World, under the respective rule of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree and the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva, a fierce war raged between demons and monsters.

Historically, even when they had brief moments of ceasefire, it wasn't due to improved relations but rather their wariness of the other Demon Megaverse's dominant ruler, the Demon Dragon Emperor, who occupied the heavenly realm.

The three sides often fought and negotiated, always at odds with each other.

"There are various legends among the locals, but overall, it seems that the Demon Dragon Emperor's appearance was slightly later than that of the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree," Xu Yuanzhen said.

And it was even more abrupt.

Before the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva, the Demon-Buddha lineage had existed for some time in that Demon Megaverse, but it hadn't gained significant influence.

The Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree originated from the Thousand Eyes Thousand Hands Great Venerable of the Buddhist Monk.

Although the origins of both sides were largely shrouded in secrecy, their overall backgrounds were clear.

However, the Demon Dragon Emperor, who now dominated the heavenly realm, was even more mysterious, as if he had appeared out of thin air, and from the moment he did, he was already a top powerhouse, eventually becoming a legendary figure alongside the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree.

Even in that world, few humans or demons knew the Demon Dragon Emperor's exact origins.

"So... is it like High Heaven Lord and Emperor Tang, as well as Kunwu Zhao and their friends?" Lei Jun asked, "Foreigners?"

Xu Yuanzhen replied, "I think so."

Her eyes shone with interest, "No, I suspect that even the two in the human and earth realms might not have originated entirely on their own but were also influenced by external forces."

Lei Jun nodded slightly, "I have the same feeling, but for now, there are too few clues, and it's best not to jump to conclusions prematurely."

Wang Guiyuan fell into deep thought, palms pressed together, silently reciting scriptures.

After a while, he sighed, "The Earth Treasury Bodhisattva is compassionate, but the world is filled with suffering."

The news from the Demon World that most caught Wang Guiyuan's attention wasn't about the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva or the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree but rather a legend that had almost faded into myth in that Demon Megaverse.

Before that Demon Megaverse turned into the current apocalyptic wasteland, it was a flourishing world for Buddhism, and the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva had once descended there.

Although the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva resided in the earth realm, his presence directly contributed to the prosperity of Buddhism in that world.

However, according to legends, the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva disappeared from that Demon Megaverse for unknown reasons and never reappeared.

After a long time, although Buddhism remained prosperous, hidden dangers began to emerge, and the Great Emptiness Temple lineage and various demons appeared one after another.

Until finally, the Great Annihilation Bodhisattva and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Tree appeared, and everything became irreversible, spiraling downward.

"Senior Brother, are you guessing that the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva came to this Nine Heavens and Ten Earths Demon Megaverse, to the Boundless, at that time?" Lei Jun asked.

Wang Guiyuan replied, "As you said, we cannot conclude anything yet. Previously, the stories about the Bodhisattva and the Boundless in our Demon Megaverse were also nearly mythical. But... I share your suspicions."

Lei Jun pondered, "After the Earth Treasury Bodhisattva left the Boundless in our world, it seems he didn't return to the Demon World either, but where did he go in the end?"

Wang Guiyuan usually wouldn't speak about matters he wasn't certain of, but this time, he sounded unsure, "That Demon World gives me a strange feeling... The Demon Dragon Emperor, Hundred-Eyes Great Sage, and Great Annihilation Bodhisattva—all three are very peculiar."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuanzhen calmly said, "Your feeling is correct. I had the same sense over there, but since I never met them face-to-face, there are still many mysteries. I'll definitely go back to investigate later."

As the three were talking, Lei Jun's top disciple, Zhuo Baojie, arrived from the human realm to report to Lei Jun, "Master, when I visited the True Martial Temple in the war-torn human realm, the Prince of the Later Han Dynasty came to see me."

Xiao Xiong explained, "He probably wanted to meet you but was afraid of being presumptuous, so he came to me first."

"What's the matter?" Lei Jun asked.

Zhuo Baojie replied, "The Prince of the Later Han Dynasty wants to relocate the capital of the Later Han Dynasty to the south, to the former Southern Wu capital, Jianye."

In the human realm of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, the Later Han Dynasty had already shown signs of unifying the entire realm. After conquering the Northern Yue, the Later Han Dynasty controlled the most important central plains and the regions north and south of the Yangtze River, gradually forming a unified empire.

Under these circumstances, Zhou Pu had the idea of relocating the capital, which surprised many within and outside the Later Han Dynasty.

However, those who understood the current human realm situation could guess Zhou Pu's intentions with a little thought.

He was preparing for the upcoming Human Convergence.

Once the human realms converged, they would directly overlap and then expand the entire world.

For example, in the case of Chang'an, the capital of the Han Dynasty in the current human realm, it would directly overlap with the old capital of the Great Tang Dynasty.

For the Later Han Dynasty, having the capital in the Central State was too close to the old capital of the Great Tang Dynasty in Luoyang, making them literal neighbors.

In this situation, Zhou Pu's decision to relocate the capital to the south was a strategic retreat.

At first glance, it seemed like a loss of momentum and might even affect the gathering of dragon veins and national fortune.

However, Emperor Tang Zhang Wantiang was not currently in the human realm, and when she would return to this Demon Megaverse was still unknown.

Due to Emperor Tang Zhang Wantiang's connection with Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Great Tang Dynasty's situation in the current human realms was always a bit special.

Even in Zhang Wantong's absence, people speculated about the stance of the Celestial Master's Mansion in Dragon Tiger Mountain.

With Zhang Wantong, the Confucian Sage, potentially returning to this Demon Megaverse at any moment, the imperial courts of the human world's dynasties all felt a deep sense of apprehension towards the Great Tang Dynasty.

"What do you think?" Lei Jun looked at his disciple.

Zhuo Baojie replied, "Reporting to Master, I believe that although Prince of Han has taken a step back, he has instead revealed his ambition to dominate and will not bow to the Great Tang Dynasty."

Avoiding the Central State and not directly confronting the Great Tang, they didn't want to gamble on the stance of the Celestial Master's Mansion in Dragon Tiger Mountain or whether Empress Zhang Wantong of Tang would return.

But by retreating to the south and building a base in Jianye, it was clear that they intended to rely on the south and secure a foothold before gradually making their move.

Regarding Empress Zhang Wantong's governance in recent years, Zhou Pu had also heard some rumors.

He had some understanding of the Celestial Master's Mansion's stance as well.

If everything truly remained unchanged, they might not care whether the Great Tang Dynasty unified the world after the Human Convergence.

And if Empress Zhang Wantong herself was uninterested, then there were no outstanding successors in the Zhang-Tang royal family.

For the ultimate outcome of the human world's power struggle, Zhou Pu still had a chance to fight for.

Aside from the exceptionally exceptional existence of Zhang Wantong, the others, although they had competitors like Emperor Xiang Sheng of the Han, were not of concern to Zhou Pu.

As for the Song, Southern and Northern Jin Emperors, there was even less to say.

The Ming court was currently struggling to maintain itself.

However, it was not only about conquering the empire but also about the various aspects of ruling it.

In that case, the attitude of the Celestial Master's Mansion in Dragon Tiger Mountain and Zhang Wantong might become extremely crucial.

The previous Ming Dynasty, especially the conduct and fate of the former Emperor Han Zhining, had provided many lessons to others, helping them understand the attitude of the Celestial Master Lei.

"Aside from the Han's relocation of its capital, I recently heard that in the human world, the envoys of the Southern Yue and Later Shu secretly went to the Great Tang's human world to seek an audience with the high officials of the Tang court," Zhuo Baojie added.

"Such matters can be decided by the human world itself; we don't need to get involved," Lei Jun said calmly.

Zhuo Baojie replied, "Yes, Master, I understand."

.................................................................

As Zhou Pu of the Later Han visited the High Arhat Elder Zhuo Baojie of the Celestial Master's Mansion, the envoy of the Southern Yue arrived in Luoyang, the imperial capital of the Great Tang's human world.

The Southern Yue had accumulated some influence in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms' human world with the support of the Ling Shan Shaman Sect.

The Ling Shan Shaman Sect was currently keeping a low profile and not returning to Ling Shan, as many shamans, including the Shaman King Huangfu Qi, often resided in the Great Rectifier and did not venture out.

This time, the Southern Yue Crown Prince Zhang Mengchen spent a lot of effort and finally obtained the help of a Ling Shan shaman to introduce him to the Great Tang Dynasty.

The Great Tang did not neglect them and provided a high level of reception.

Princess Zhang Wanying of Yuzhou and Prince Zhang Zhicong of Huaixi, two important members of the royal family, jointly received Zhang Mengchen.

After the welcoming banquet, they arranged accommodations for him, and Zhang Zhicong returned to see Zhang Wanying, "Aunt, Uncle."

Princess Zhang Wanying and her husband, Shangguan Zhe, waited together, "Has the person been settled?"

Zhang Zhicong: "Yes."

Shangguan Zhe: "Speaking of which, there is a connection, but it's a pity it might not be a good thing."

Zhang Mengchen was the Crown Prince of the Southern Yue in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms' human world.

In that human world, the dynasty before the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms was called the Great Yue.

Its royal family bore the surname Zhang.

One of its collateral branches, after many years of twists and turns, eventually regained its strength and established the Southern Yue with the support of the Ling Shan Shaman Sect.

The Zhang royal family of the Southern Yue and the Zhang-Tang royal family in the Great Tang's human world could be considered of the same clan.

Although they were in different human worlds with different historical backgrounds, the Zhang clan had successfully conquered the world in both.

After learning about the situation in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms' human world, the Tang court officials often felt that the world was unpredictable and fate was playing tricks.

Therefore, the reception of Zhang Mengchen from the Southern Yue was quite warm.

However, while the attitude was good, how to handle the subsequent matters required careful consideration.

Zhang Mengchen's intention was not hard to guess, and he had no intention of hiding it.

With the Human Convergence approaching, the Southern Yue wanted to submit to the Great Tang.

In that human world, the Han's dominance was already established.

If the Southern Yue didn't want to be completely destroyed, they could only bow in submission.

Since they were going to submit, why not submit to a powerful opponent like the Han?

Soon, voices arose in the Southern Yue court, suggesting that they should contact the Great Tang Dynasty and, with the Human Convergence, unite the Zhang clans under one lineage.

When it came to which dynasty would truly have the power to unify the human world after the Human Convergence, there was no doubt that it would be the Great Tang Dynasty.

Not to mention anything else, the existence of Empress Zhang Wantong alone was enough.

At that time, there would be no room for the Han and Zhou Pu to be arrogant.

This voice quickly gained momentum, and many agreed.

As the Crown Prince of the Southern Yue, Zhang Mengchen had mixed feelings, but after communicating with his father, the Southern Yue Emperor, he rushed to the Great Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Wanying, Zhang Zhicong, and Shangguan Zhe looked at each other, but their attitude could hardly be called enthusiastic.

There were some situations that the outsider Zhang Mengchen didn't understand, but the three of them were very clear about them.

Their Empress might still care about politics, national affairs, and the suffering of the people, but she probably didn't care at all about the longevity of the Zhang-Tang royal family.

The Great Tang's national fortune and dragon vein energy were now scattered and not supporting Empress Zhang Wantong.

A few insiders even knew that the original crown prince, Zhang Hui, was still alive and often stayed in the Great Tang's human world during Zhang Wantong's absence.

But he had no desire to step forward and even retreated more decisively than Zhang Wantong.

In this situation, although the Great Tang Dynasty seemed to be thriving, it felt somewhat hollow to the Zhang-Tang royal family.

Unfortunately, no exceptionally outstanding descendants had emerged in the Zhang-Tang royal family in nearly a hundred years since Zhang Wantong and Zhang Hui.

In terms of martial and literary prowess, there is no lack of talent.

Zhang Zhicong of Huaixi is one of the most outstanding among the younger generation.

However, compared to the overall situation in the human realm of the current Tang Dynasty, Zhang Hui's successors, Zhang Tang, seem to fall short.

Fortunately, the imperial court still has top experts like Shangguan Yunbo, Chu Yu, Xiao Xueting, and Shen Qu Bing, so the overall strength of the Tang Dynasty remains strong.

Standing at the forefront of the current era's trends, with the convergence of the human realms on the horizon, Zhou Pu, Xiang Sheng, and other experts are all eager to take action. Zhang Wanying, Zhang Zhicong, and others look at their own side, where Zhang Wantiang and Zhang Hui are like shopkeepers, and they can't help but feel perplexed.

"What's the attitude of the Later Han Dynasty in that human realm?" Zhang Wanying asked.

Zhang Zhicong replied, "I heard that they have temporarily halted their military actions and are not continuing their campaigns against Southern Yue, Southern Han, and Later Shu."

Zhang Wanying pondered, "His Majesty is not yet back, we should not make hasty decisions."

Zhang Zhicong nodded lightly.

Shangguan Zheze spoke softly, "Indeed, not making hasty decisions is the best strategy. The attitude of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion is still unclear."

Zhang Wanying and Zhang Zhicong both nodded.

The ancestral court of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion has always been closely tied to the rise and fall of the Tang Dynasty.

However, given that Emperor Tang Zhang Wantiang himself is not actively pursuing the throne, it's hard to predict the attitude of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion.

They generally interfere little in human affairs and have been more prominent as leaders of the Daoist community in recent years.

But with the True Martial Temple and the Later Han Dynasty working together, others can't help but be more cautious.

However, the Later Han Dynasty has indeed slowed down its continuous campaigns in all directions.

The matter of relocating the capital has officially been put on the agenda.

As a result, it naturally caused another wave of turmoil.

One of the important signs of the Later Han's dominance in this human realm is that their every move not only attracts the attention of local dynasties like Southern Yue, Southern Han, and Later Shu, but also the attention of other human realms and dynasties.

Especially with the announcement of the new capital in Jianye, the place most affected is actually... the Southern Jin Dynasty in the Two Jin human realms.

The capital of Southern Jin is Jianye.

As a result, the Southern Jin Great Mountain Sect was immediately visited by imperial envoys.

Even the Northern Jin Dynasty is paying close attention to this matter.

In Guizang, Chu Kun, who had just returned from the Two Jin human realms, sighed, "The convergence of the human realms affects every aspect."

Lei Jun said, "Precisely because of this, we need to prepare in advance."

Xu Yuanzhen then asked Chu Kun, "Did you gain anything from your trip?"

Chu Kun replied, "The gains are limited, but they can serve as a reference."

On this trip to the Two Jin human realms, he went to the Southern Jin Dynasty's territory and visited Suzhou.

Due to the previous disputes between the Buddhist sects of Shapo and Sumeru, followed by the Lian Shan incident, the aristocratic families have been continuously suppressed from both inside and outside.

The Suzhou Chu clan in that human realm has also dispersed.

Some went to Lian Shan, while others stayed in the human realm, gradually beginning to disperse.

The once-powerful Suzhou Chu clan, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Noble Houses, has also started to decline in the Two Jin human realms.

Chu Kun's trip was to further investigate matters related to Mr. Beichen Zheng Baiyu.

He had married into the Suzhou Chu clan during the end of the Han Dynasty and gradually rose to prominence.

The reason Chu Kun is so concerned about this matter is also because the Time Abyss is currently located in Guizang.

Upon discovering that he is more likely to be connected to the Time Abyss rather than the Great Rectifier, Chu Kun had to shift his focus to a new question:

Why is it him?

How was this connection established?

Previous signs indicated that the former Mr. Beichen, now the Ghost Emperor, has a deeper understanding of the Time Abyss, even surpassing the old leaders of the Celestial Palace.

Although Chu Kun doesn't know the full story, it's hard for him not to associate the other party with himself and the Suzhou Chu clan.

Therefore, to verify the possibilities, Chu Kun has visited all the places in various human realms that might be related to the former territories of the Suzhou Chu clan over the past two years.

Not only him, but Chu Yu has also been helping with the visits during this time.

Unfortunately, as of now, the gains are meager.

"No worries, there's no rush, let things take their natural course," Lei Jun said, "Don't neglect your cultivation, Third Senior Brother. Your accumulation of Profound Spirit Primordial Qi seems quite abundant."

Chu Kun said, "Rest assured, I have it under control.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end