Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 336 Maitreya of the Ming Cult

Since the Tang Dynasty, immigrants from Fujian have become the main force in the development of Hainan.

During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, the descendants of immigrants from Putian, Fujian, had formed settlements in Haikou and Wenchang. These areas were mainly clan societies, with major surnames such as Wu, Fu, and Chen distributed along the coast of the island, while the inland mountainous areas were still mainly inhabited by the original inhabitants.

At this time, Taoism had not yet spread completely in the coastal areas, and the ancient shamanistic beliefs were still maintained here.

Duncan enjoyed a delicious seafood feast.

He originally planned to go directly into the mountainous inland areas of Hainan to find the remnants of the Red Army that had been defeated years ago. However, when he passed by a village near Haikou, he stopped and stared at a temple in the distance. His expression was very shocked, and he murmured, "Does the world still have a true god?"

He was all too familiar with the aura that enveloped the temple.

Unlike ordinary city god and earth god temples, the spiritual light of this temple was condensed and did not dissipate, as if a trace of divine will had descended, causing all evil spirits to shun it, and ordinary wandering ghosts dared not approach this place.

Duncan immediately became interested. He dressed up and headed towards the village ahead.

"Old man."

"Which deity is worshipped in this temple?"

Duncan stopped a devout worshipper kneeling in prayer. The villagers here are mostly fishermen, but there are also traces of land reclamation nearby.

The old man looked at Duncan with surprise, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Young master, are you from out of town?"

Duncan nodded slightly.

The old man pointed to the small temple behind him and explained, "Inside is the enshrined Tongxian Lingnu, also known as the Dragon Girl."

Dragon Girl?

Could there be a real dragon here?

Duncan looked increasingly surprised. After saying goodbye to the old man, he walked toward the small temple ahead. Although the temple was not large, it was very clean and tidy. The temple keeper was an old woman who seemed to be divining good or bad fortune for people, using witchcraft methods.

Although witchcraft has declined, it still wields considerable influence in coastal and southern Xinjiang regions.

The old woman looked up at Duncan, and in an instant, she trembled, dropping the tortoise shell in her hand to the ground. Ignoring the guest before her, she hurriedly got up and went to Duncan's position. She stopped at the entrance of the small temple and respectfully bowed, saying, "Honored guest, I am sorry for not welcoming you properly."

A shaman marked with four silver-gray stars.

Duncan hadn't expected that there would be a master of witchcraft in this small temple. If this were in the Western world, it would be the strength of a high-level wizard.

"Thank you for your courtesy, sir."

Duncan looked around curiously. The temple was slightly dilapidated and had little wealth. The shaman with the four-star mark was also dressed in tattered clothes, making it impossible to tell that he was a true master of witchcraft.

He took out a large pearl from his sleeve and handed it over, saying, "Do you have time to show me around?"

Since there is a true god here, we might as well take a look.

The old woman hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took the pearl, bowing respectfully and saying, "It is a gift from a noble person; I dare not refuse."

"plz follow me."

Duncan traveled the world, passing through countless Taoist and Buddhist territories, but he had never seen the divine light of a true god. Yet, unexpectedly, in such a small place, he could actually see a true god.

Although it is currently very weak, at the level of weak divine power to low-level divine power, it is still a proper god.

The temple enshrines a woman, the 'Wise and Virtuous Woman' that the old man mentioned.

Duncan was startled after just one glance.

The appearance of that deity seemed somewhat familiar to him. She appeared to be a truly remarkable deity, and a pinnacle of folk deification, no less than the Jade Emperor promoted by the Taoist sect at that time. In fact, it could be said that her incense offerings in later generations were far more abundant than those of the Jade Emperor.

"It is now the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty. If I am not mistaken, the one enshrined inside should be that person."

Even if it isn't her, it's still closely related to her.

Duncan doesn't even need to go in anymore.

He only took one closer look and knew who the temple was related to.

Mazu, the goddess.

The final work of the shamanic tradition, and the only person from a shamanic background to attain the status of a true god in hundreds of years.

The prototype of Mazu is a woman surnamed Lin, who was born on Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian Province, and was a witch in her lifetime.

There are many theories about her birth date. Some say it was during the Five Dynasties period, others say it was at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty, and later it was unified in the Qing Dynasty as 960 AD, which is March of this year.

But it is clear that her faith has already emerged in this world.

In the Central Plains and coastal areas, especially in Fujian, the belief in shamanism has a long history. Before the Qin and Han dynasties, the Minyue people believed in shamanism, and there are many records about shamans in local chronicles.

The witch in the village.

Although the shamanistic religion was suppressed by Taoism and Buddhism, it did produce a remarkable figure in the early Northern Song Dynasty.

No wonder he saw the light of the true God.

"However, at this time she had not yet been granted a title by later dynasties, and her temple worship was far less than that of the Taoist deities."

Witchcraft is no longer effective.

In the end, those that survived were all the shamanistic traditions that merged with Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.

Duncan walked around the small temple.

Although the temple is small, it is very popular and its believers are devout. It has a great influence among Fujian immigrants.

He slowly raised his palm, and the old woman beside him hurriedly handed him an incense stick, her expression seemingly somewhat frightened. She didn't know Duncan's identity, but relying on the traditions of the Witchcraft Cult, she could sense something unusual. In the parlance of later generations of martial arts practitioners, Hainan was a newly developed branch of the Witchcraft Cult, and the shamans sent there were generally quite skilled.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, a small temple would not have a four-star silver-gray shaman as its temple keeper.

Duncan neither spoke nor knelt, but reached out to take the incense, bowed three times, and casually placed it in front of the statue in front of him.

Since we've encountered a true god, let's light some incense to express our respect.

Wisps of smoke rose.

After offering incense, Duncan didn't linger. He smiled at the old woman beside him and asked, "Which direction should I take to get to Anding?"

The old woman hurriedly pointed in a direction.

After Duncan thanked him, he turned and left. The incense stick he offered burned for three days and three nights. Even as night fell, a faint, invisible light appeared on the statue, as if the gods had sensed this extraordinary incense.

Both are deities created by Taoism, but the Jade Emperor, promoted by Taoism, has a much greater influence in the current era than the Sea Goddess.

Moreover, the system of shamanism is very scattered. It is basically a spontaneous folk belief that has brought together a true god, rather than a system like Taoism, which purposefully elevates the god's status and finally completes the investiture with the help of the Central Plains dynasty.

The position of the Sea Goddess was gradually elevated over a period of more than a thousand years and through several dynasties.

The mythology of the Central Plains has a long history. Although Taoism is powerful, it is not the only one capable of creating gods.

Duncan didn't linger.

He quickly entered the inland mountains of the island and, relying on the information gathered by Yun Zhike, found the remnants of the Red Army that had been scattered back then.

The Zhang Yuxian Uprising took place about ten years ago. Most of the original dozen or so rebel armies have been wiped out. Only a small group remains in Hainan and other places. They have changed their names and hidden in the deep mountains and forests, gradually integrating with the local people and becoming no different from ordinary people.

"The remaining Red Army forces appear to be no longer of any use."

Duncan stood on a hillside, frowning as he stared at the mountain stronghold ahead. Inside, there were incense altars and hundreds of markings, each representing a different identity.

—Mountain dweller (one star).

—A follower of the Ming Cult (one-star silver-gray).

—Members of the Ming Cult (two stars).

—Maitreya follower (one star).

—The White Lotus Society (one-star). A mixed bag.

All the wise men and women have gathered here.

When Duncan first learned that Zhang Yuxian was using the Yongle reign title, he guessed that the rebels might have some connection with the Ming Cult. And today, it seems that the Ming Cult was indeed involved in the rebellion. However, their altars are quite different from those of the Great Ming Cult; they are more like the early White Lotus Cult and Maitreya Cult.

When Zhang Yuxian launched his rebellion, he appointed Jing Quan, a monk from Baiyun Cave, as his chief strategist. It is highly likely that, besides the Ming Cult, other forces were also involved in fueling the uprising.

"Now we have all of them."

"Let's take them all in one go."

"How could the Great Free Heaven Demon Lord be without such talented individuals?"

They're all talents for rebellion!

Duncan's figure soared through the air, and the sonic boom he made startled others near the incense altar. These remnants of the rebel army had turned to civilian life and were already showing signs of merging with each other and transforming into the Maitreya Sect and the White Lotus Sect of later generations.

Zhang Yuxian's uprising used red clothing as a symbol, calling it the Red Army; the uprising at the end of the Yuan Dynasty used red turbans as a symbol, calling it the Red Turban Army.

Who is this expert?

The middle-aged man in front of the incense altar changed his expression drastically. Before he could react, he saw a tall and imposing man standing on the altar, even stepping on the air with his feet, causing the green smoke to turn into clouds. This astonishing lightness skill made him freeze in place, not daring to make a move to test his strength.

Ignoring the terrified expressions of the cult members, Duncan looked down at the middle-aged man before him and said in a deep voice, "After Zhang Yuxian's death, who is your leader?"

"Take me to him."

For Duncan, the difficulty of subduing them was similar to that of the later stages of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when, after the death of the Great Teacher Zhang Jiao, other warlords wanted to subdue the remnants of the Yellow Turban army, and he alone was enough to do it.

Furthermore, after Liu Chang came to power, the entire Southern Han Dynasty was in dire straits, and even if he did not intervene, there would still be plenty of incidents of people killing officials and rebelling.

The middle-aged man looked at Duncan with fear in his eyes and asked in a trembling voice, "Who are you?"

"Why do you want to see our leader?"

Big clumsy hands.

Duncan didn't bother with any words and directly struck out with his palm, causing the gate of the mountain stronghold in front of him to collapse instantly. He said expressionlessly, "Lead the way."

More than 100,000 people were killed or wounded.

Duncan thought there would be many people here, but he didn't expect there to be so few. If they were to screen them again, they probably could only gather about 800 people.

Eight hundred it is.

Eight hundred men should be enough to wipe out the mere Southern Han.

Just one day.

Duncan then used overwhelming force to take over the remaining Red Army forces. Most of them became mountain dwellers. In the end, he counted the number of people in the various mountain strongholds and incense altars and found that there were less than 800 people with real fighting ability, only about 500 or 600.

These five or six hundred men could barely be incorporated into the regular army; they had received some military training and possessed certain martial arts skills.

Duncan stayed in Hainan for three days before heading north.

Since the Red Army was of little use, he had to find another way. In the entire Central Plains, only the Great Ming Zunjiao remained.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, Fang La launched a rebellion with followers of the Ming Cult. All religions entering the Central Plains had to be gradually Sinicized. The Great Ming Zunjiao was different from the Persian Ming Cult, and even its leader was a Han Chinese.

Jingnan.

Duncan's figure glided across the waves and landed on a merchant ship.

"Son."

Yun Zhike emerged from the cabin and respectfully said, "We have already found out about Mother Shan."

"The Bright Envoy and the Five Demon Envoys of the Great Ming Sect should also be near Jinling."

The Ming Cult's beliefs were based on the concepts of light and darkness.

It is also known as Manichaeism and is directly related to the Mithraic belief. Manichaeism (founded in the 3rd century AD) originated from the Mithraic belief system of ancient Persia. Mithra was regarded as the god of light, and his worship can be traced back to the Aryan culture of 2000 BC.

Subsequently, as religions evolved, core elements of the Mithraic faith (such as the worship of light and dualism) were absorbed and reconstructed by Manichaeism. The Mithraic faith, which served as the role of the righteous judge in Zoroastrianism, transformed into a symbol of the power of light in Manichaeism.

In the Manichaean creation myth, Mithra is depicted as the key force (the Third Envoy) against darkness, responsible for purifying the imprisoned elements of light.

Later, the Ming Cult spread to the East, and Manichaeism further integrated Mithra with Maitreya Bodhisattva of Buddhism, forming the worship system of the "Three Saints of Light".

This is one of the main reasons why the Maitreya sect likes to rebel.

In addition, the Messiah, whom everyone is familiar with, also has a very subtle relationship with Mithra. After monotheism absorbed the Mithra faith, the Messiah gradually replaced Mithra's identity as the savior.

This person can be considered a big shot hidden behind human history.

However, Mithra's divine nature evolved too much, somewhat like a divine split. The Messiah is definitely not Mithra, and Maitreya Buddha is definitely not Mithra. It can only be said that there is an extremely subtle connection between them.

On a merchant ship.

Yun Zhike looked at Duncan with a worried expression and said, "Young Master."

"The experts of the Great Ming Sect have been very active recently."

"The Lightbringer and the Five Demons are top experts in the martial arts world. If you act alone, you will be no match for them."

"Why not wait for Lu Shanjun and the others to act together?"

The ants kill the elephant.

Within the Great Ming Sect, there are not many experts at the Dao Realm, but there are quite a few at the Innate Realm. Even if Lu Shanjun were to force his way into the Ming Sect's headquarters, he might not be able to escape unscathed.

Moreover, it is said that Shanmu has comprehended the secret methods of the Sabulagan and is close to entering the Dao realm, making her a grandmaster-level figure in the entire Central Plains.

The martial arts of the Great Ming Sect are extremely powerful.

The Seven Manichaean Sutras are the fundamental scriptures of the Ming Cult. They are: the Sutra of the Wisdom of the Root of All Dharmas (also known as the Gospel of Life or the Great Gospel), the Sutra of the Treasure of Pure Life (also known as the Treasure of Life), the Sutra of the Vinaya Pitaka (also known as the Medicine King Sutra or the Apostles' Book), the Sutra of the Secret Dharma Pitaka (also known as the Secret Book), the Sutra of Proving the Past (also known as the Manichaean Treatise), the Sutra of the Mighty Ones (also known as the Book of Giants), and the Sutra of Praise and Prayer (also known as the Book of Psalms and Prayers).

These seven classic texts all contain supreme secret techniques, as well as extremely unique mental techniques that can manipulate the minds of others.

To put it simply, you can use a phrase from a game to illustrate this – praise the sun (brainwashing).

The followers of the Ming Cult have always been fearless and undaunted.

This is the function of spiritual law.

Although Yun Zhike was somewhat blindly confident in Duncan's abilities, he was also worried that Duncan would be surrounded and killed by the Ming Cult's experts.

"It doesn't matter."

Duncan's gaze was calm as he looked out at the distant river and said slowly, "I have my own plans."

His goal was neither the Ming Cult nor the Ming Zun Shan Mu.

Instead, he is one of the gods of light worshipped by the Ming Cult, an incarnation of Mithra. If he wants to subdue the Ming Cult, he can only do so from the top down. If he cannot get Mithra's support, then he can only go to the Eternal Heaven worshipped by all spirits.

If all else fails, then in the name of the Eternal Heaven, we will pacify the world.

Duncan has more than one option, and there's a long-standing legend of a divine king descending to earth, so Mitra is probably planning to bet on him.

He could be a wise and benevolent ruler.

If he is not the Ming King, then the Ming Cult has no reason to exist!

He's definitely going to pay on credit.

………………

(End of this chapter)