Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 1 Xu Boshang

"Shang'er,"

Smoke rose from the bronze tripod, bells and drums rang out, and on the high platform, there was a solemn and dignified atmosphere. Witnessed by a group of nobles who shared the country's destiny, a skinny old man held a beast-head seal button in his hand, staring intently at the young man in front of him who was about to succeed Xu Bo, claim to be the only one in power, and hold the country's most important weapon.

"Prime Minister," Lü Shang flung his wide robes aside and bowed, waiting for the late emperor to pass on his orders and hand over the seal symbolizing the sovereignty of the State of Xu. With the seal in hand, he would from then on be the legitimate ruler, inheriting the Mandate of Heaven.

The so-called country is what was called a country in ancient times. Those who hold weapons within the four directions are the country!
This seal button may seem crude, but only those who truly master it can understand the power it holds. A single thought can stir mountains and rivers, a single anger can frighten the spirits and gods. This is the world of mountains, seas, and wilderness. As the ruler of a nation, one possesses near-divine power.

Whether an octogenarian, a child, or even the most frail mortal, as long as they hold the seal and are recognized by the state, they can be blessed with divine power and, with a non-divine body, perform divine duties, calling the wind and rain, summoning dragons and phoenixes. This is the legacy of the Heavenly Emperor, close to the laws of nature.

Lu Shang's mind turned, he suppressed his burning passion, bowed his head respectfully, and said, "Shang, I have been ordered by my ancestors to inherit the Lu clan temple. However, I am young and my virtue is not deep, so I dare not hold the sacred artifact lightly. However, the country's most important artifact should not be held for a long time by anyone other than the monarch. I feel uneasy."

The so-called virtue is the achievement of both civil and military achievements, also known as literary virtue and martial virtue. This is not an empty talk. In ancient times, the great kings and sages pacified the four seas and repelled the six barbarians, which was their glorious martial virtue; they created characters and initiated civilization, which was their illustrious literary virtue. Therefore, there is a saying that only those with great virtues can possess it.

"This is the foundation of the Lu family and the country. Anyone who dares to interfere will be punished by heaven." Wu Wenhe's eyes were indifferent as he slowly swept over the nobles in the hall. Finally, he paused for a moment on the eldest son of the concubine, Lu Chong, and turned to Lu Shang, saying, "Heaven's will cannot be violated!"

Speaking of destiny, Lü Shang suddenly became solemn, bowed to the heavens, and said: "Your Majesty, Lü Shang, respectfully thanks the heavens for their grace."

boom! boom!
As soon as Lu Shang bowed, the celestial phenomena responded immediately. Although there was not the grandeur of the emperor ascending the throne, with dragons and phoenixes surrounding him and purple air boiling in the sea of ​​clouds, there were layers of golden clouds that turned into flying rain and sprinkled on the land of Xu State. A strange phenomenon also appeared on the seal button in Wu Wenhe's hand.

A deity with a human face and a snake body, with blood-red hair flying behind him, emerged from the turtle head of the seal button. The deity's face was chaotic, and around him were roaring waves and scattered bright lights, almost like a raging sea. The principles of water in heaven and earth were all reflected in it.

Co-workers!

The ancestor of the Lu family, the origin of the Jiang family, the most powerful god and demon in the mountains, seas and wilderness, known as the descendant of the Emperor of Heaven, and a person with great supernatural powers who possesses the imperial lineage.

When Lü Shang ascended the throne, a strange phenomenon occurred in the sky. The nobles of the Xu State, with serene expressions, bowed and kowtowed before the phantom of Gonggong. They did not rise until the phantom faded. The Xu State was originally a branch of the Gonggong clan, and the nobles were more or less of Gonggong's bloodline.

Facing Gonggong's phantom, everyone, with the exception of Wu Wenhe, who had reached the pinnacle of humanity, attained sainthood, and personally realized the true nature of the Supreme Being, felt like a green fly gazing at the heavens. Even if this phantom was merely a manifestation of Gonggong's divine will, it possessed a power unimaginable to ordinary mortals.

"Gonggong, ancestor god,"

Lu Shang held the seal button in his hand, and his mind seemed to be infinitely stretched at this moment. Thousands of miles of mountains and rivers, hundreds of miles of beautiful scenery, were like lines on the palm of his hand in his eyes. Until it rose to a certain height, it was truly in line with the will of heaven. The divine blood of Gonggong in his body suddenly boiled, like adding fuel to a raging fire.

boom!
The spine is like a big dragon, the divine blood is like blue clouds, with traces of fragrance scattered around, and white light appears all over the body.

"To understand the Dharma nature, understand the roots, and focus on the spiritual body,"

With the blessing of the seal, Lü Shang obtained the destiny of the Xu Kingdom and attracted the divine blood of the ancestral gods. He was able to directly complete the four stages of tendon change, bone tempering, blood exchange, and marrow training. He shed his mortal flesh and bones and entered the path of the true person who could understand the Dharma. Because of his great destiny, his strength was comparable to that of a supreme being.
As long as Lu Shang accumulates enough hard work, he will be able to achieve the root of the human body. As for infusing the divine body and seeking to achieve the ultimate way of immortality, that is not something Lu Shang can hope for at the moment.

But, even so, this kind of opportunity is enough to make too many people jealous. Dozens or hundreds of years of hard training are not as good as Lu Shang's overnight success. And this is not an isolated case. The national treasure such as the seal button in Lu Shang's hand is not unique to the Xu family.

Before Fuxi ascended to heaven in ancient times, he granted fiefdoms to various states, reportedly numbering tens of thousands. Each state was granted an imperial edict, also known as an imperial seal. Those who received an imperial seal were blessed by heaven, unmatched by ordinary men. The highest imperial edicts were said to possess powers surpassing those of gods and men.

The Xu State where Lu Shang was located was originally a branch of the Gonggong clan with the surname Jiang, and it was a relatively strong branch. Although its ancestors were not ministers of the Emperor of Heaven, they were born during the reign of a sage king and were regarded as virtuous by people of the time. After several generations, they were granted the land of Xu and ranked below the dukes of a big country.

Although it is not as powerful as the dukes and marquises of a great country, this imperial edict from the State of Xu still has the power of a supreme being, enough to frighten ghosts and gods, so that the great country cannot take it lightly.

Seeing Lü Shang steadily stepping into the path of the Immortal, Wu Wenhe smiled and said, "A new monarch has ascended the throne, and the emperor's edict has a master. Our country of Xu will have eternal prosperity, and our country will prosper for generations to come. As your old minister, Wu Wenhe, I celebrate for Xu Boshang and for the people of Xu!"

The nobles standing nearby immediately responded loudly: "Celebrate for Xu Boshang, celebrate for the people of Xu State!!"

------

Inside the palace,

Lü Shang sat alone, the cold night light slanting into the lonely palace. The Xu Boshang who had previously received the homage of the nobles seemed a different person now, cold and deep. Perhaps it was just a mask that the high-spirited Xu Boshang had displayed before the nobles. "Lü Shang?"

"Jiang Shang!"

Lü Shang chuckled coldly. This name was all too familiar to this old man, reincarnated as a human. Of course, if Lü Shang still didn't bring to mind something, then the original surname, Jiang, would sound much more appealing.

However, the world today is not the Shang Dynasty in "Investiture of the Gods", but the world of the Xia Dynasty where Emperor Yu met with the princes at Tushan. The big countries offered jade, the small countries offered silk, and all the countries held jade and silk. Of course, there is no Hongjun here, there is only Taiyi hanging high.

This world of mountains and seas began with Taiyi. It was created by Taiyi from the chaos. This is the consensus of the people of the wilderness.

Although Lu Shang did not think that he would be Jiang Shang in "Investiture of the Gods" who could only enjoy the wealth of the world but had no chance of becoming an immortal, but when Lu Shang thought about his enlightenment of past and present lives after understanding the Dharma, he felt that this name was indeed a bit unlucky.

Of course, in "Investiture of the Gods", wealth and immortality cannot be achieved at the same time, but this is completely the opposite in Mountains and Seas. In today's world, the Five Heavenly Emperors guard Saint Taiyi and rule the country with ease. The more powerful the ministers of the Five Heavenly Emperors are, the more powerful their supernatural powers are.

Just like the major princes in the world, and also like the current Emperor Zhuxia of the Xia Dynasty, in his daily life, he has the gods as his minions. When the emperor goes on tour, the god of thunder leads the way, the god of wind clears the dust, and the god of rain sprinkles the road. The pomp of the emperor of the Xia Dynasty is almost comparable to that of the emperor of heaven.

However, it is not surprising that the Emperor of the Xia Dynasty dared to use the imperial carriage of the Emperor of Heaven. After the Emperors of Heaven opened up the connection between heaven and earth, no righteous gods appeared in the nine provinces of the human world. Now the most powerful person in the world is the Emperor, who holds the Emperor's decree and has great supernatural powers comparable to those of the ancient gods.

In the human world, the Emperor of Xia was just a smaller version of the Heavenly Emperor. Unless he made a mistake and offended the Heavenly Emperor, and was personally punished by the Heavenly Emperor, ordinary righteous gods and ancient gods were no match for the Emperor of Xia who had not yet been infused with divine power.

From this we can see that the weight of the legacy left by the ancient Fuxi is greater than a hundred years of hard work.

It’s a pity that even though he has the emperor’s command and supernatural powers, his own life cultivation is insufficient and he still cannot live forever. Even if he is the strongest person in the world, he will be a handful of yellow earth after hundreds of years, and only future generations can remember the style of his ancestors.

"True man, supreme man, divine man, righteous god, ancient god,"

Lü Shang faced the moonlight with melancholy, muttering, "The path to the Great Dao is already beneath my feet, but I wonder if in this lifetime I'll have the chance to see the scenery at its end. In my last life, I struggled mightily, toiling for half my life, welcoming and seeing off guests, running around in toil, yet I never heard of the ultimate truth."

"In the end, I could only use the tricks of Wild Maoshan to make a living in the world. Although I was called a master by those foolish men and women, welcomed as a guest of honor, and revered as a god, only I knew that my little skills were like the clay bricks in a kiln, with only superficial appearance."

"But what can I do? The true scriptures and teachings have long since turned to dust, just like those sacred immortals and Buddhas. But the wild Maoshan tricks, which are not taken seriously by people, have been crowned as extraordinary arts and called them miracles, allowing a charlatan like me to have a good time playing tricks on the human world."

Thinking of the romantic pleasures of his previous life, and the pursuit of fame and fortune by those beautiful women, Lu Shang could only sigh deeply. He truly enjoyed himself, but the world of fame and fortune was full of disputes. Being tainted by too much worldly vice was not the path to becoming a true monk.

Even though Taoism had declined in his previous life, and even though Lu Shang's identity as a Taoist priest was actually self-proclaimed, and he himself was a wild Taoist who could not even enter the door of the Taoist Association, he always considered himself a Taoist seeker. In order to seek the Dharma, he even worked as a tomb raider.

Those who seek the Tao, seek the Dharma and ask for the Tao, nothing is impossible!

Just when Lu Shang was distracted, a bright light suddenly fell into the corner of his eye. The light came so suddenly that Lu Shang's heart was shocked, and then he woke up. When he looked again, there was no bright light. The palace was still cold and quiet, with only the sound of the wind.

"I read it wrong?"

Lu Shang looked around in surprise. After carefully examining his surroundings, he said firmly, "I can't be wrong."

This is the confidence of a senior tomb raider. If he did not even have this little confidence, he would have been killed by the exquisite traps in the tomb chamber that were invisible to the naked eye when he first entered the tomb industry. How could he have achieved the glory of Master Lu in the future?

"So, is that so?"

Lu Shang's expression was unpredictable, and he was in a trance for a moment. During this trance, a bright light suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, and the colors of the surrounding objects slowly faded. Everything seemed unreal. A stone gate sat in the haze, and some inexplicable Taoist rhyme was still steaming.

　To be honest, this was not the original title of my first chapter. Later, when I wrote about Xu Boshang, I thought of Ji Bochang.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)