The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 680 He Came From Earth (5k)

Using divine souls to block up a human world...

Inside the courtyard, Zhao Du'an and his companions were filled with longing and were deeply impressed by the grandeur of the Maya Pilgrim.

One can only imagine the immense pressure Maya Walker endured a thousand years ago to bear all of this alone, and the enormous sacrifices he made for the peace and stability of the human world.

It's no wonder that this figure, who didn't actually accomplish much in history, is remembered by so many people.

However, after a brief moment of distraction, the doubts in their hearts only increased, clearly indicating that the story was not yet over.

"And then?" Xu Zhenguan couldn't help but ask, and the Empress asked curiously:

"Is Maya the Walker still alive? And, Ancestor, you just said that the way to heal that rift seems to require the stability of the external world's order?"

Emperor Taizu of Xu glanced at his descendant and first shook his head:

"The Maya Walker is no longer here."

Then he nodded again:
“That’s right. Maya Walker alone can only stop the rift from expanding by blocking it, but he alone is not enough to heal it before the second 'calamity' arrives.”

Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, and he said:
"So before he left, he left clues that he had been to the Mubei Forest? Was it intentional?"

“Yes,” Xu Taizu gave him a deep look and said meaningfully:

"In Maya's view, the so-called order of heaven and earth encompasses both the order of the gods and the order of the human world, which is closely related to cultivators."

The existence of cultivators is what influences the stability of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. At that time, the cultivation world under the rule of Qi Kingdom lacked order.

He paused, then continued:

"So, before Maya the Walker left, he deliberately left clues. And what happened afterward proceeded just as he had predicted."

This matter quickly attracted the attention of the entire Qi Kingdom, and in an instant, countless powerful cultivators, including members of the royal family, were eager to make their move. "If Maya can enter and leave safely, then others should be able to as well."

"Thus began a decades-long exploration of the Mubei Forest, but to everyone's disappointment, no matter how they tried, no one who entered could come out."

The Qi Kingdom's royal family even dispatched an entire army, but it was swallowed up as if it had been swallowed up and could not escape.

This harsh outcome poured cold water on everyone's hopes, and some began to doubt whether Maya's account of his experiences was fabricated, or simply an extremely rare stroke of luck...

Even Maya herself couldn't replicate it.

"Therefore, this craze has subsided."

However, what no one knew was that among the many explorers, a young sorcerer, after venturing into the forest, survived the monsters and endured numerous hardships, eventually reaching the central region of the forest. Just as he was about to be killed by a powerful monster in the central region, he was rescued by the Maya Walker.

"The Maya Pilgrimage healed his wounds, allowed him to stay for a while, and taught him about spiritual practice, bestowing upon him great blessings..."

At that time, the Maya Walker was almost a god within the Mubei Senli, possessing blessing powers similar to those of a deity...

In return, the young sorcerer swore a great oath to his inner demons, granting Maya Walker one condition. Afterward, he safely left the forbidden area and returned to the Kingdom of Qi.

"Because of the oath of inner demons, he never mentioned anything about the forbidden zone to outsiders. He only cultivated in silence, and decades later, he entered the realm of celestial beings and unified the chaotic Taoist system in the martial arts world."

At this point, Emperor Taizu looked at Zhang Yanyi.

The old Celestial Master was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and blurted out:
"Could it be... that this sorcerer is from my Celestial Master's Mansion...?"

“That’s right,” Xu Taizu nodded.

"He was the first Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion."

Right!
Zhao Du'an and the Empress exchanged a glance, both startled.

According to the timeline, Maya was the first to enter the forest, followed by the first Celestial Master.

Later generations only know that when the first Celestial Master was young, he had the good fortune to enter the Mubei Forest and obtain a great opportunity, but they did not know the inside story, let alone that it was bestowed by Maya the Pilgrim.

Zhang Yanyi was quite excited at this moment. He seemed to understand something and murmured:
"Could it be that what I, the First Celestial Master, promised Maya the Pilgrim was to unify the Taoist sects and establish the Celestial Master's Mansion?"

Emperor Taizu of Xu nodded:
“That’s right. The Maya Walkers cannot leave, but they can use the Mubei Forest to select those with great talent and perseverance, and help them create order.”

Zhang Yan, in a daze, said:
"The first Celestial Master unified the Taoist sects, bestowed titles upon the gods, and divided the gods in the world into good and evil... also for the sake of order?"
Yes, all subsequent Celestial Masters were required to cultivate only the "Heavenly Way," a rule established by the First Celestial Master. Could it be because... the Heavenly Way itself is order?
Those who cultivate the Heavenly Dao must maintain the order of the gods…is this beneficial for healing spatial rifts?

Understood!
At that moment, many of my questions became clear.

Zhao Du'an was shocked. He never expected that even the deities cultivated by the Celestial Master's Mansion had profound meanings.

Emperor Taizu of Xu continued:
"It was only after the First Celestial Master reached the peak of his cultivation and power in his later years and was no longer afraid of the Qi Kingdom's royal family that he publicly revealed that he had stepped into the Mubei Forest when he was young, and confirmed that Maya Walker was the first to enter it."

However, he did not reveal the whereabouts of Maya the Pilgrim, remaining vague in his words, and shortly after leaving this message, he passed away.

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and said:
"That Patriarch Qingshan... was also..."

Emperor Taizu of Xu nodded:
"That's right. Master Qingshan was the third martial artist to enter the depths of the Mubei Forest. He was also rescued and blessed by Maya Xingzhe, and gained a great opportunity."

After leaving the forbidden area, he unified the martial arts world decades later, establishing the Green Mountains of the East Sea. This, too, was for the sake of order.

Thus, the common people returned to the royal family, sorcerers to the celestial masters, and warriors to the green hills… and the rift began to heal at an accelerated pace.

It's so...it's really like this...

Inside the courtyard, several people were filled with emotion, having only just learned the whole story.

Zhao Du'an frowned and said:

"But as far as I know, a similar calamity occurred 600 years ago."

This fact is recorded in the Imperial Observatory of the State of Yu, and also in the records of the royal family.

Emperor Taizu nodded and sighed softly:

"Yes, in his later years, Maya the Traveler predicted that the calamity would descend for the second time four hundred years later."

And this prediction came true. In the blink of an eye, four hundred years passed, and the year of Tian Shou arrived. The royal family of Qi Kingdom was corrupt and decadent, and there were many internal conflicts within the dynasty. The crimson calamity star descended once again, and the entire world was burned by war.

The crack, which was almost healed, was struck again, and thus, the crack burst open once more.

Xu Zhenguan couldn't help but interrupt:
"Ancestor, since Maya the Pilgrim predicted this long ago, didn't he make any arrangements in advance?"

Emperor Taizu said in a deep voice:

"Nature made the arrangements. In fact, decades before the calamity struck, Maya Walker had chosen another person, who later became the Dharma King of the Western Regions."

Ksitigarbha… In history, the ambitious man who attempted to replace the Buddha and led to the Tian Shou's persecution of Buddhism… Zhao Du'an's heart stirred.

Zhang Yanyi had told him this story a long time ago.

However, it is obvious that what Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva did later did not seem to be about maintaining "order"...

Emperor Taizu of Xu explained:

Back then, Maya Xingzhe believed that the decline of the Qi Kingdom's royal family was irreversible, but with the Celestial Master's Mansion and Green Mountain as the two pillars of stability, there would be no major problems with order.

However, while in the forest, he observed that the deities of the Western Buddhist sect were gradually expanding and had become a powerful force.

Therefore, they thought of arranging for Ksitigarbha to stabilize the situation. But... this time, a major problem arose.

His gaze suddenly turned deep, and his tone carried a hint of anger:

"At that time, Maya Walker suppressed the rift for four hundred years and tried to find a way to free himself from being imprisoned here. So he devoted himself to thinking and drew inspiration from gods such as Death God and Raging God, and came up with a method of 'soul splitting', but it was not perfect."

And when teaching Ksitigarbha, he also taught him this method.

Intending to facilitate communication between the inside and outside, Ksitigarbha, seeing Maya as comparable to a 'deity,' harbored ambitions. After leaving the North and returning to the Western Regions, he received blessings from Maya, his cultivation soared, and he eventually became the Dharma King.

"However, Ksitigarbha was unwilling to maintain order, because in his view, the foundation of Buddhism was the believers, and the more the people were in years of disaster and turmoil, the more devout their faith became."

Therefore, he saw the arrival of the calamity as an opportunity.

However, he had made a solemn vow before Maya, vowing against his inner demons, and dared not easily break his promise.

Although Ksitigarbha is despicable, he is truly a peerless genius, one in a thousand years. Even without Maya's help, he would have no problem advancing to the level of a celestial being.

After years of dedicated study, Ksitigarbha finally perfected the method of 'soul division,' and through this, he broke free from the restrictions of the great oath of inner demons.

Such a thing has happened... Zhao Du'an and the Empress were deeply moved upon hearing this!
Not only because of this past event, but also because the Empress has arrived here using the method of "soul splitting".

Unexpectedly, this Dharma method was perfected by Ksitigarbha.

Zhang Yan's face turned grim as he said:
"So, Ksitigarbha was planning this all along? His aim was to use the chaos brought by the calamity to challenge the gods? And the hunt for Taoist sorcerers was part of that plan?" Xu Taizu nodded.
"Indeed. After the arrival of the calamity star, the human world was thrown into chaos. When Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva saw that the time was ripe, he took advantage of the chaos to strike, which angered the martial arts world of Qi Kingdom at that time."

That generation of Celestial Masters led Pei Niannu and other powerful figures from the Central Plains to launch a joint attack on the Western Regions. This was the cause and effect of the 'Heavenly Hunt to Destroy Buddhism'.

Although Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had been planning for many years, he ultimately overlooked one thing.

"What is it?" Zhao Du'an pressed.

"Maya Walker!"

A light gleamed in Xu Taizu's eyes:
"He was unaware that Maya the Pilgrim had not only arranged for him, but had also chosen another warrior after teaching Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

At that moment, everyone realized the identity of this martial artist.

"It's you, my ancestor!?" Xu Zhenguan's heart was filled with excitement.

“That’s right,” Xu Taizu also showed a nostalgic expression:
"That year, I was still a young man, and it happened to be the end of the Qi Kingdom. The world was in turmoil. I traveled around to hone my martial arts skills. One of my stops was the Mubei Forest."

At the time, I wasn't very confident; I only dared to venture in out of courage. Unexpectedly, it went smoothly, and I met Maya the Ascetic. However, Maya the Ascetic was already nearing the end of his life.

"Ah, I know you are wondering, Maya Walker is almost a god, why is he suddenly on the verge of death?"
Ultimately, it was caused by that calamity star. When the calamity star reappeared, the rift had not yet fully healed. Maya Walker blocked it with his body, and thus suffered the trauma of the collision between the two worlds, and his divine body was broken.

Therefore, I became his last student.

Emperor Taizu's eyes were filled with nostalgia:

"The reason why Maya the Pilgrim chose me was twofold: first, because he needed someone to restore order to the world and quickly bring order back to the war-torn human realm; second, because he sensed that the Great Vow of the Heart Demon had been broken and realized that Ksitigarbha harbored evil intentions, but was powerless to stop him because he could not leave."

Therefore, Maya the Practitioner taught me the practice without reservation, and even taught me the method to defeat Ksitigarbha...

"Ah, Ksitigarbha thinks himself so clever, but he doesn't consider that Maya would not be unprepared. When he taught Ksitigarbha, he left himself a backup plan."

He snorted coldly, his eyes filled with disdain and contempt.

Immediately, he looked at the faces of Zhao Du'an and the others, and said calmly:

"You'll find out what happens next."

I participated in the uprising and overthrew the Qi Kingdom. I also personally participated in the "Heavenly Hunt to Suppress Buddhism". It was during that time that I met Pei Niannu. Unfortunately, Niannu was ambushed and killed midway. She had no choice but to reveal her identity and fight to the death, and she perished in that war.

Fortunately, I had learned some methods of nourishing the soul from the Maya Walker, which allowed me to preserve her spirit.

Under the fiery red banyan tree.

Pei Niannu, arms crossed and wearing a silver mask, snorted coldly and sneered:
"Xu Manzi! You clearly wanted to refine me into a weapon spirit back then. Don't think I don't know what you were planning!"

Emperor Taizu of Xu was momentarily speechless, then said helplessly:
"That doesn't matter, as long as you survived."

Pei Niannu burst out laughing, her mockery evident.

Zhao Du'an and the others looked at each other, sweating profusely, and dared not participate in the bickering of such senior figures.

In the end, it was Xu Zhenguan who tried to smooth things over:

"Ahem, ancestor, so it was you who later killed Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

“Indeed,” Xu Taizu nodded, somewhat proudly.
“Ksitigarbha died at my hands. Moreover, after I killed him, I also seized the perfected Soul Splitting Technique from him, which ended the Heavenly Hunt’s persecution of Buddhism.”

You know what happened next: the Qi Kingdom was destroyed and the Yu Kingdom was established. However…

"But what?" Zhao Du'an pressed.

Emperor Taizu of Xu hesitated for a moment, then said:

"Later, Maya and I studied this spell together. It was indeed exquisite and unparalleled. It had even transcended the realm of separating the soul and gone a step further, touching upon reincarnation..."

However, we all agreed at the time that if Ksitigarbha had truly mastered this method, he might not have been truly killed by me back then, but rather might have been reincarnated.

Reincarnation?

Is it possible that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is not dead?

At this moment, the group was truly shocked.

And then, an even more terrifying thought suddenly and uncontrollably surfaced in my mind:

If Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva hadn't died, who would he have been reincarnated as? Could it be...?

"Mysterious Seal?"

This name appeared simultaneously in the minds of Zhao Du'an, the Empress, and the Celestial Master.

However, there is no evidence.

But what they really wanted to hear was the ending of the story.

Zhao Du'an suppressed his speculations about the Mysterious Seal and stared at Old Xu:

"and after?"

He knew that what followed was the most important part, the truth about his origins.

"And then..." Xu Taizu picked up the teacup on the table, took a slow sip, and then, under the anxious gazes of the others, said calmly:

"After I ascended the throne, the capital was burned down by the Qi Kingdom royal family, so it was natural to rebuild it. During this process, I also received many legacies left by the Qi Kingdom royal family, including the three gates you came from."

"Hehe, that's right. This was actually secretly manufactured by the Qi Kingdom, but it wasn't completely finished at the time and had some flaws. Otherwise, the remnants of the Qi Kingdom wouldn't have chosen to fight to the death; they would have simply escaped through the tunnels."

Ah this...

Zhao Du'an glanced at Tuoba Weizhi subconsciously and found that the dark-skinned girl was completely calm and didn't seem to care at all.

Emperor Taizu of Xu continued:

"When I saw it, I thought it was a good thing, so I finished fixing it."

It is precisely because of this door that I have been able to travel frequently and easily between the Northern Forest and the capital city to meet with Maya the Traveler.

"At that time, the world had been stabilized, order had been restored, and people began to recuperate and rebuild."

However, Maya Walker was also nearing his end, but the most critical thing was that the rift in the forest was still there and was showing signs of widening again.

"If, after Maya the Pilgrim's death, no powerful enough person succeeds him and continues to guard the realm, then the world will be in grave danger!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhenguan suddenly understood:
"So, Ancestor, you succeeded Maya the Wanderer?"

At this point, the matter is quite clear.

Emperor Taizu of Xu did not keep them in suspense, and nodded in a low voice:
"Yes. At that time, the world belonged to the Xu family. After the matter of Ksitigarbha, we could not trust anyone else. So, in the last days, Maya the Pilgrim told me everything, including the secret of that cave."

Later, after the dynasty stabilized, I faked my death to escape and came here.

Zhao Du'an stared at him:
"So, you saw the world behind that rift, and that's why you painted it in the mural? But I still don't understand why you arranged so much, and... how did you know about me..."

At this moment, facing Zhao Du'an's piercing gaze, Xu Taizu fell silent, a rare occurrence.

He met his gaze with a complex expression, as if looking at an old friend, and finally, he slowly said:
"With your intelligence, you should have already guessed. I did indeed succeed Maya. Maya the Pilgrim should have died back then, but I said..."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva perfected the method of dividing the soul, so... before Maya died, I conducted an experiment with him...

One attempt was to send the Maya Walker into reincarnation, allowing him to return to the human world.

The sun slowly set.

On the fiery red banyan tree.

The golden dragon soul wailed and swirled.

Xu Taizu and Zhao Du'an locked eyes, Xu Taizu's pupils reflecting Zhao Du'an's face. He calmly said:

"And before Maya died, he told me his greatest secret. That was... he came from the world in the crevices."

-

P.S.: Finally, I've finally written the complete closed loop. Well, actually, I foreshadowed this earlier...

(End of this chapter)