If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1263 Hongjun is no longer human
"What good is having merit? For those who are crazy and rebellious during the great calamity, such as the Five Sacred Mountains Gods and the Five Ancestors of Zhuling, can merit make them wary?"
They dared to destroy Hengshan, and they didn't care about the calamity of Tianchong. What have they ever been afraid of?
"Once the enemy in the midst of the great calamity goes mad and wants to kill, no amount of merit can compare to the power of supernatural abilities," said Grand Master Yu.

—That's as if the Five Sacred Mountains Gods and the Five Ancestors of Zhuling were all peerless demons.

But they are convinced that you are the mad, rebellious, and lawless demon king in the great calamity.

The Celestial Masters inwardly complained, but their outward expressions of confusion and regret lessened somewhat.

Despite their complaints, they all understood Grand Tutor Yu's current state.

So many immortals died and so many Xuanmen sects were destroyed in Zhuling Grotto Heaven, how could they easily let go of their grudges? How could their teachers, elders, relatives and friends not resent Grand Tutor Yu?
Good deeds are a reward from God, and they cannot change people's hearts.

Merit can only avert calamity, but if one has already committed calamity and is caught in a great calamity, merit is often not as effective as supernatural powers.

In this upheaval at Hengshan, wasn't it Grand Tutor Yu who, through his great supernatural powers, transformed into Hengshan and incubated a new pillar of the Five Sacred Mountains?

Although the collapse of Mount Heng frightened many great immortals and gods, karma does not disappear because of fear.

In the Hengshan incident, Grand Tutor Yu gained merit, but he also incurred immeasurable karmic consequences.

It can only be said that using the merits of heaven and earth to enhance supernatural powers is a loss, but not a waste.

They felt relieved.

Taibai Xingjun no longer dwelled on the matter.

He coughed twice and said, "Yuanjun, I have come down to the mortal realm to see you on the orders of the Heavenly Emperor, precisely because of the case of the Five Sacred Mountains."

Lord Chong Heihu of Nanyue Prefecture had already been executed according to the law.

Emperor Huang Feihu of Mount Tai, Golden Heavenly King of Mount Hua, Central Heavenly King of Mount Zhong, and An Heavenly King of Mount Bei have all been reprimanded by His Majesty.

His Majesty also commended Yuanjun for her unparalleled achievement in nurturing Hengshan and restoring the pillar of the Southern Mountain.

Xiao Yu asked calmly, "Hasn't Chong Heihu already suffered divine punishment, his divine status shattered, and his soul weakened by the five signs of decay? What else is the Heavenly Court punishing him for?"

Taibai Xingjun said, "The Heavenly Court publicly deposed him from his divine position, completely severing the incense connection between him and the 'Lord of the Southern Mountain'."

Although his divine status was broken and he suffered the five signs of decay, he was still able to barely maintain himself by absorbing the incense offerings and prayers of all living beings.

If left unchecked, he might be able to prolong his life for many years.

Without the support of incense offerings and prayers, it immediately succumbed to the decaying power of the five signs of decay and died a miserable death, its soul completely scattered.

"Hiss, his soul was completely annihilated?" The faces of the several Taoist masters turned pale.

To be honest, Grand Tutor Yu also felt that the Heavenly Emperor's act of sending him scum and kicking him when he was down was extremely heartless and ungrateful.

She now knows that when the earthquake occurred, Chong Heihu was meeting with the Heavenly Emperor in the Heavenly Court.

With the other person not present, the divine palace lacked its leader, and its power was reduced to less than 30% of its usual strength, which is why it was destroyed by the "earthquake hammer".

Others may criticize Black Tiger for not staying at his post and for lacking awareness of the crisis. Even with a major earthquake looming, he didn't have a sudden burst of composure or sense of danger.

The Jade Emperor could not blame the Black Tiger, because he was also a party involved and had not suddenly become aware of the crisis in Hengshan Divine Palace.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "I heard that when the earthquake occurred, the Five Sacred Mountains Gods met with the Jade Emperor in Heaven and complained to His Majesty about me?"

Taibai Xingjun immediately defended his eldest son, saying, "They did indeed intend to file a false accusation against the Grand Tutor. His Majesty not only refused to accept it, but also reprimanded them for their reckless behavior and disregard for discipline because they were involved in the case of the treacherous Celestial Master."

After being repeatedly contradicted by them, His Majesty, filled with anger, left Lingxu Palace before the earthquake occurred.

First of all, the Jade Emperor didn't help the Five Sacred Mountains Gods to get back at you; secondly, the Jade Emperor didn't act on a whim when the earthquake happened, so you can't blame him at all.

The old man wasn't exactly lying.

Currently, the Heavenly Court's ruling structure is somewhat similar to the "Zhou Dynasty's enfeoffment system" before the Qin Dynasty.

When the Five Sacred Mountains Emperors faced the Jade Emperor, it was as if feudal lords were paying homage to the Zhou Emperor.

Their attitude also reveals that they are far less apprehensive and fearful than the celestial beings in heaven when they meet the Jade Emperor.

The Five Sacred Mountains Gods even privately despised and complained about the Jade Emperor.

This is the first time they've followed the example of the Four Dragon Kings and gone to Heaven to cry to the Heavenly Court. In the past, when the Five Sacred Mountains encountered trouble, they never even bothered to seek help from the Heavenly Court.

The "Heavenly Reforms" spearheaded by the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother did indeed resemble the Qin Dynasty's implementation of the prefecture-county system.

The Heavenly Court strengthens its direct control over the gods through strict heavenly rules and laws.

Since the Jade Emperor cannot directly interfere in the internal affairs of the Five Sacred Mountains, it is quite normal that he does not act on a whim.

Moreover, the Jade Emperor did indeed leave before the earthquake occurred. When the Jade Emperor left, it was still some time before the earthquake (human time).

Taibai Xingjun sighed again: "During the great calamity of heaven and earth, even the gods who could predict the future have become mortals."

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau of the Qin Dynasty notified the Hengshan Divine Palace of the earthquake several days in advance, even clearly marking the magnitude of the earthquake.

As it happened, they encountered the Five Sacred Mountains Gods going to the Heavenly Court to file a complaint.

They remained stubborn and unyielding. His Majesty made it clear that they would neither listen nor return, and continued to cause trouble in Lingxu Palace.

His Majesty has left, but they're still bothering me and making a fuss.

"To have squandered the last chance of life—isn't that fate?"

“If that’s the case, why not just abolish all the Five Mountain Gods? They’re completely incompetent as mountain gods, and their character is also lacking. Their overall quality is far inferior to that of modern immortals,” Xiaoyu said.

Taibai Xingjun asked in surprise, "There are no 'modern Five Sacred Mountains' for comparison at all, so on what basis does the Grand Tutor say that they are far inferior to modern immortals?"

It should be noted that all five of them once possessed destiny.

His destiny aligned with the Five Sacred Mountains, which is why he was deified.

In fact, in terms of virtue and merit, Chong Heihu is far from qualified to be the god of Hengshan.

When he was still a mortal military general, he stabbed his elder brother in the back in order to seize his title and territory as the Marquis of the North, causing the entire family of his brothers to be killed.

Even King Wen of Zhou, Ji Chang, condemned him as "unrighteous, unjust, and rebellious," and the Jade Emperor himself was also displeased.

Unfortunately, the divine way was weak back then, and even the 365 righteous gods in the Heavenly Court could not be fully staffed.

There was no room for selection; meeting the required ability was enough to be deified.

Unlike today, every deity must undergo numerous trials to test their virtue and integrity.

In terms of ability alone, Chong Heihu is indeed qualified.

His destiny is aligned with that of Mount Heng, making him the most suitable person to take charge of the Mount Heng Divine Palace.

Xiaoyu said, "What era are we living in? Why do we still care about 'fate'? No matter how good your fate is, it's not as good as cultivating well."

Modern cultivators can directly comprehend the Great Dao of the Five Sacred Mountains through immortal techniques and secret manuals. Aren't they better than the five ancient people who relied on their destiny for survival?

Besides, the Pangu world lacks everything except talent.

Finding a powerful immortal who possesses both a stronger destiny and cultivates the Five Sacred Mountains is a piece of cake.

If the Jade Emperor has any doubts, I can guarantee that he will depose the other four useless people and I will help the Heavenly Court cultivate new gods of the Five Sacred Mountains.

The new Five Sacred Mountains Gods can increase the power of the Divine Palace and the strength of the Five Sacred Mountains' Heavenly Pillars by at least ten times.

"A tenfold increase?" Taibai Xingjun was both surprised and suspicious. "The Grand Tutor has already found new Five Sacred Mountains Gods? Who are they, and what are their abilities?"

"There is no need to specifically seek out people with unusual destinies; as long as their cultivation talent is sufficient, that will suffice."

I can teach them the 'Five Sacred Mountains Great Method' so that they can master stronger divine power through cultivation.

"The reason they can be enhanced tenfold is purely because Huang Feihu and the others who became the Five Sacred Mountains Gods by fate are too useless," Xiaoyu said confidently.

In fact, Huang Feihu was quite talented; it was just that his four brothers were rather incompetent.

"The Great Law of the Five Sacred Mountains," Taibai Xingjun said thoughtfully.

Wasn't it precisely through the "Five Sacred Mountains Chapter" of "Huifeng Mixed with Mountains and Rivers to Refine the Spirit" that she was able to incubate Hengshan?

"The Five Sacred Mountains Gods cannot be abolished so easily, such as the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak."

He himself hadn't committed any major offenses, but what about his son, his sister, his wife, his brothers, his retainers—the Huang family's twelve star deities and officials!

Huang Feihu's direct relatives included twelve people who were deified, and all of them were great gods.

In addition, there are relatives, friends, teachers, and fellow disciples. Most of the immortals in the Three Realms are related to the Huang family.

There is an even more important point that Taibai Xingjun didn't say, but Yu Taishi should understand: the Five Sacred Mountains Divine Palaces, especially the Taishan Divine Palace, are the highest government offices in the Netherworld, involving the interests of all parties, and even the Jade Emperor cannot interfere.

Just like the Ten Kings of Hell, although the last incident in the underworld resulted in the dismissal of five Kings of Hell, the newly appointed Kings of Hell were not directly selected by the Jade Emperor.

It was Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva who submitted a list containing only five names, asking the Jade Emperor to choose five from it.
Take, for example, the Emperor of Fengdu. If the Jade Emperor were to issue an edict to depose the Emperor of Fengdu, the Emperor of Fengdu would dare to send 100,000 banners to storm the Heavenly Court.

The Yama Palace and Fengdu Underworld are merely subordinate units of the Taishan Underworld!
"What reward did the Heavenly Emperor give me?" Grand Tutor Yu asked.

Taibai Xingjun perked up and waved towards the door, saying, "Quickly bring in the reward His Majesty gave to 'Qiushan Yuanjun'."

There were four pairs of young boys and girls, all dressed as palace maids and servants, each with a beautiful appearance and flawless white skin.

Some of them carried trays, some held huge wine jars, and others carried wooden boxes.

The eight people entered one by one, bowed and said "Greetings, Lady Yuanjun," and placed the imperial gifts in front of Grand Tutor Yu.

Each time an item is placed, its name is announced aloud.

"Nine Qionghua flowers bestowed by the Emperor!"

"A pot of the Everlasting Immortal Spring in Changchun".

"A purple jade and gold plaque."

"A vat of golden wine brewed from a hundred flowers."

"Two bottles of the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir from the Celestial Palace."

"Two bolts of Nine-Colored Fairy Cloud Satin".

"A dragon bone hibiscus cane."

"The Golden Book of the Divine Palace contains three parts: 'Heaven, Earth, and Man'."

After they put their things down and left one by one, Taibai Xingjun, still smiling, introduced them to Yu Taishi one by one.

"The Heavenly Flower is a gift that never fades, forever vibrant and beautiful. In the past, only immortals who had accumulated great merit and ascended to heaven had the opportunity to be bestowed with one."

At most three flowers.

The effects of the Fountain of Youth are like those of a peach, which can prolong life and maintain youth forever.

Jinbo Brew is brewed by the fairy of Yaochi, who collected 999 kinds of rare flowers and herbs that were 100,000 years old. If a mortal drinks a cup, he may ascend directly to become an immortal!
The Nine-Turn Golden Elixir of the Celestial Palace is certainly not as good as that of Laozi, but it was still made by great immortals in the Heavenly Court who were skilled in alchemy, such as Ge Xianweng and Donghua Dijun.

Its effect is almost equivalent to the Seven-Turn Golden Elixir from the Tushita Palace.

Xiaoyu had a hard time holding back, which prevented her from pouting.

Taibai Xingjun continued to explain that the Nine-Colored Celestial Cloud Satin was woven by the Seven Fairy Maidens from collected clouds over several years.

The Dragon Bone Fusang Crutch is a dragon-headed walking stick, crafted from dead branches taken from the innate spiritual root Fusang wood. It is an acquired spiritual treasure and belongs exclusively to the "Primordial Sovereign".

This made Grand Tutor Yu's eyes light up.

The Divine Palace Golden Book is a divine register specifically for registering immortals.

After Qiushan Yuanjun established her palace in the west, she could use the three books of "Heaven, Earth, and Man" to register gods, immortals, and ghost messengers.

Overall, these items are quite practical, which shows that the Jade Emperor put a lot of thought into them.

However, this could not significantly improve Grand Tutor Yu's strength at this time, and could not even be considered as adding icing on the cake.

"Star Lord, I will write a memorial in a moment to thank the Heavenly Emperor for his generous gift."

Besides these, is there anything else Your Majesty has instructed you to do?

Xiaoyu didn't believe that the Heavenly Emperor would simply give her benefits.

Taibai Xingjun glanced at the celestial masters in the hall, said nothing, but gestured to them with his eyes to behave themselves.

Master Guan and Master Grey Crane, being sensible, voluntarily withdrew.

Then the old man whispered, "Hengshan cannot be without a master for even a day, and the Hengshan Divine Palace must be rebuilt immediately. What does the Primordial Lord think?"

Xiao Yu thought for a moment, then asked curiously, "Could it be that you are unable to condense the divine talisman of the Heavenly King of Hengshan?"

Although the old man looked somewhat embarrassed, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Yuanjun is straightforward! I won't beat around the bush either."

Chong Heihu is dead, but the divine talismans on his body, along with the Divine Palace and Hengshan, shattered and disappeared.

The Heavenly Court now wants to reassemble the divine talismans, but it is unable to do so.

Because at this time, Mount Heng was entirely incubated by Yuanjun. The celestial dome above Mount Heng was also repaired by Yuanjun.

Xiao Yu said, "At this moment, I do have very special authority over Hengshan, but I did not deliberately hinder the formation of the new Hengshan Divine Register."

In the past, the Hengshan Divine Register was bestowed by the Dao Ancestor; today, we will go to the Dao Ancestor again.

"I don't believe the Dao Ancestor can't re-form the Divine Talisman. Do you intend to bypass the Dao Ancestor and form the Divine Talisman yourselves?"

She spoke so directly that even Venus didn't try to hide anything from her.

He switched to a secret telepathic communication, saying, "Yuanjun guessed correctly, His Majesty wants to condense the Hengshan Divine Talisman himself."

"We don't need to trouble the Dao Ancestor with everything. Our Heavenly Court needs to stand up and be able to take responsibility."

Xiao Yu frowned and said, "Ordinary divine positions are one thing, but the Five Sacred Mountains Divine Register can surpass the Dao Ancestor?"

The powerful backer behind the Five Sacred Mountains must be Yuanshi Tianzun, right?

Taibai Xingjun was somewhat surprised, "Yuanjun, who told you that?"

Xiao Yu shook his head and said, "Just guessing. I read in 'The Investiture of the Gods' that King Wen greatly despised Chong Heihu's act of betraying his brother for personal gain."

However, Yuanshi Tianzun appreciated his compliance with the will of Heaven and publicly praised him.

His abilities were indeed insufficient to serve as the God of Hengshan. As everyone knows, the Investiture of the Gods was in the hands of Jiang Ziya.

Chong Heihu was a disciple of the Jie Sect, but he sided with Xiqi from the very beginning. Even though his character was flawed, he had a good ending because he chose the right side.

“Times have changed!” Taibai Xingjun said meaningfully, “Yuanjun also knows the fate of the Five Ancestors of Zhuling, right?”
In fact, only three of them were killed by the 'Heavenly Dao' at that time.

The other one was blasted into dust by the Primordial Celestial Lord.

Why did the Dao Ancestor want to kill him? What taboo did he break? Does the Yuanjun know?
In the past, such things were not taboo; now, however, they have become a taboo in the Three Realms.

Xiaoyu really didn't want to talk to him about this topic.

Some things don't need to be explained too clearly, and they're not hard to understand.

During the Investiture of the Gods period, the Grandmaster Hongjun gave three red pills to the Three Pure Ones. How could the Three Pure Ones be happy?

Ask those Qin "sinners" who swallowed the Ancestral Dragon Qi Pill. Which one didn't want to break free from control? Which one didn't hate Grand Tutor Yu to death?
Given the Dao Ancestor's temperament and abilities, he would definitely find a way to counterattack given the opportunity.

It's highly likely that the Three Pure Ones joined forces and did something to Hongjun Laozu.

The struggle between Dao Ancestor and Hongjun Ancestor must be the greatest secret in the Three Realms.

But knowing such a secret would only bring trouble and wouldn't do her any good!

All she wants now is to successfully navigate the "Qin-Han Calamity." She only needs a superficial understanding of the struggle between the Dao Ancestor and Hongjun, and to know the taboos; she has no desire to participate in the power struggle between the Heavenly Court and the Dao Ancestor.

Seeing that Grand Tutor Yu was reluctant to discuss the topic, Taibai Xingjun explained in a low voice, "Yuanjun, I didn't mean anything by it."

I just want to say that times have changed.

In the past, the Taoist patriarch had a sky above his head; now they have become that sky.

The governor of a prefecture in the Qin Dynasty is in charge of managing the county magistrates within the prefecture; this is his duty, and he must be diligent and conscientious in his work.

Once the prefect enters Xianyang and becomes the prime minister, will he still need to keep an eye on every county magistrate in the Qin Dynasty?
He only needs to oversee the prefect.

“But God is still here!” Xiaoyu said.

Taibai Xingjun corrected him, saying, "The Heavenly Emperor is the Heavenly Lord, and that one is the 'Heavenly Dao'."

Heaven is ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs.

The 'Way of Heaven' can both exist and be ignored.

Because it is merely the Great Way, the rules, and no longer 'human'.

You are an immortal, I am a god, the Heavenly Emperor is the 'God of Heaven', and the Dao Ancestor is a sage.

We are all 'human beings'.

(End of this chapter)