Cursed Mountains and Seas

Chapter 366 A Celestial's Talent, A Class of Three's Home

Whoosh!
Jiang Jichun, a living ghost god of the upper third rank, also heard the alarm bell and flashed to the deck. He immediately noticed the burly stone man waving.

A look of disbelief first appeared on his face, followed by an uncontrollable surge of ecstasy:
"This is the relic of the First Emperor's search for medicine - [Walking through mountains and rivers, with stone figures pointing the way]?"
This means that someone in our fleet possesses the potential to become an immortal!

It waved towards us. Could it be that I am the one with the potential to become an immortal?

"That must be it, after all, I am the only living deity of the highest rank among the fleet."

Wang Cheng and Shen Yueye had already put away the Zheng He treasure map they had snatched from Guishan Bookstore, as well as the white bone shrine they had planned to use to destroy him.

Pretending to know nothing, I asked proactively:
"Does Vice Envoy Jiang know what this is?"

Hearing Wang Cheng's question and seeing the fleet's officers gathered around them, Jiang Jichun gradually came to his senses.

He was filled with excitement but had nowhere to vent it, and could hardly resist the urge to show off in front of others. With a smug look on his face, he said to the crowd:
The Tang Dynasty text *Youyang Zazu* records: "In the sea off the coast of Laizi Kingdom, there is a stone man, 15 feet tall and 10 circumferences in circumference."

Legend has it that after Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, he made several eastern tours along the coast and sent many alchemists, including Xu Fu, to the sea to search for the three immortal mountains of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou in order to obtain the elixir of immortality.

Laoshan Mountain has stood by the sea since ancient times, shrouded in clouds and mist, and was regarded by alchemists as a fairyland, part of the legendary Penglai fairy mountain.

Back then, the mountain god of Laoshan was so intimidated by the might of the First Emperor that he fled into the East Sea. The First Emperor sent a sorcerer to chase after the mountain, but he failed.

But the First Emperor's words carried the mandate of Heaven, and his decrees became the eternal law of the world.

Unable to catch up with Laoshan, the alchemist eventually turned into a stone man, gaining the ability to "travel through mountains and waters," and traveled between mountains and seas, guiding all those qualified to become immortals.

Lead them to the Celestial Realm!!

Yu Zigao, Li Jingjiang, and others who had gathered around exclaimed in shock:
"Is this stone figure the key to immortality?"

Jiang Jichun's face revealed an undisguised longing:

"That's right, it's indeed becoming an immortal! Achieving the status of a feathered immortal, possessing both form and spirit!"
Do you know that the "Female Qingtian Law" did not exist in ancient times before the establishment of the Three Officials Alliance?

At that time, the law of the jungle prevailed, and immortals and ghosts were on equal footing. Even those ghosts and gods who had died could wantonly harm mortals, and no one could stop them or control them.

At that time, ghosts and gods were indeed dead but not truly gone; they simply took on a different form of life, eating and drinking as usual.

That is the true confusion of Yin and Yang, where heaven and earth are without light.

It wasn't until the great changes in the world and the emergence of the "Nüqing Tianlu" (Female Celestial Law) during the Han Dynasty that the separation of Yin and Yang was achieved to some extent, allowing the people to live in peace and prosperity during the dynasty's golden age.

However, this also meant that regardless of their spiritual cultivation, the officials of the three ranks could no longer interfere in the human world after death; they could only bestow blessings, not calamities, making their deaths almost equivalent to being dead.

Zhang San, aboard the Danyang ship opposite, also pricked up his ears, noticing that this Guishan rebel seemed to be answering his earlier question about the whereabouts of the "Old Man God."

"If a person cultivates to the highest level of the Divine Path and is fortunate enough to 'not perish' after death and enjoy sacrifices, they will return to the mausoleum they have built in advance and become a local deity guarding a place."

From then on, they would be unable to leave their mausoleums and temples. Once the army attacked and destroyed the mountains and temples, they would almost certainly die. If they held on for too long, they would lose, and no matter how strong they were, there would be no way to stop them.

However, there are two ways to advance to the upper three ranks:
To make significant contributions to one's official career, ideally influencing a country or even the world; or to obtain an official position and attract a large number of believers to offer their worship, using the power of incense offerings as fuel for advancement.

Some made great contributions and guided believers to goodness; others spread cults, killed countless people, and ultimately became a great scourge to the region, which is what is known as cult worship.

Therefore, even ghosts and gods can be divided into good and evil!
When a nation is strong, there are female guardian deities who suppress licentious worship and evil spirits, preventing them from causing harm.

However, when dynasties change and seven or eight out of ten people die, the Twenty-Four Solar Terms and the Female Celestial Law will also decline to the extreme.

Those fierce and malevolent spirits and all sorts of evil beings will then begin to wreak havoc again.

Those deities who ascended to godhood due to the nation's fortune and became bound to the dynasty, especially the "Lord of the State," would be the first to be affected and would have no way to escape.

Every dynastic change not only brought suffering to the common people, but was also a catastrophe for the divine.

Others were unaware of his identity and failed to grasp the underlying meaning.

Wang Cheng was different. When he heard this, he suddenly realized that the Guishan Academy was fighting desperately against the imperial power not only for their descendants, but also for their own future.

Most of them were high-ranking officials appointed by the imperial court. They were promoted by taking advantage of the dynasty's fortune. If the dynasty were to fall after their deaths, many of them would also be buried with the dynasty in the divine catastrophe.

It seems that only by dismantling imperial power and establishing local separatist regimes can the problem be solved.

Even as dynasties rise and fall, I remain steadfast and unmoved.

At this point, Jiang Jichun finally got to the point:
"The Law of the Heavenly Woman" does not allow interference in the human world, but it does not say that interference with evil spirits and scum in the 'celestial realm' is prohibited.

Therefore, in times of chaos throughout history, many people have ventured beyond the walls in search of true immortality.

Even the celestial and terrestrial spirits that died, except for the earth deities who were confined to the temple like earthbound spirits, mostly went outside the walls.

Because the variables of ghosts and gods are determined by faith, while the variables of the living are determined by themselves.

As long as they can replenish their life essence and relinquish their physical body to gain a free and unfettered form, they may be able to ascend to the path of immortality and truly achieve longevity!

This stone figure of Qin Shi Huang is the guide; those who aspire to immortality will naturally see it as they venture deep into the East Sea, while those without hope of immortality will never find it no matter how hard they search. As the only living deity among the fleet, this stone figure must be targeting me!
There's no need to go to Southeast Asia to find that cursed rift; just follow it to the outside of the wall, and you'll definitely get the elixir.

At this point, he turned and looked intently at Wang Cheng:
"Your Excellency, what do you say?"

Wang Cheng remained silent, thinking to himself:
"You're just being presumptuous."

Even if it were a guide, it should be guiding me and Old Wu, the two patriarchs of alchemy, not you, a mere Nestorian Christian who worships a heretical god as his master.

She didn't directly refute him, but simply asked:
"Those celestial and terrestrial spirits who followed the stone man may have truly attained immortality and are now enjoying themselves in the celestial realm outside the wall."

But have you ever seen anyone return to China?

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jichun, who thought he had received a divine favor, froze, but still stubbornly argued:

"Perhaps the celestial realm is beautiful, while the mortal world is filthy, and those who have become immortals no longer wish to return to the mortal realm."

Wang Cheng was waiting for these words.

She looked him up and down with a half-smile, until he felt uneasy, before slowly and deliberately saying:

"Unfortunately, our mission is not to obtain the elixir for our own immortality, but to bring back the elixir so that His Majesty may achieve immortality."

Vice Envoy Jiang seems to have completely disregarded His Majesty's decree.

Wow!

As soon as he uttered those words, all the officers and generals on the ship immediately avoided Jiang Jichun as if he were a snake or a scorpion.

Lore!

An official can be bad or stupid, but if he becomes so blinded by greed that he is politically incorrect, then he is already courting death.

When the latter suddenly realized something was wrong and saw the ship's historian recording the conversation between the chief and deputy envoys in the logbook, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

His back was soaked with cold sweat, and he quickly apologized:
"How dare I? How dare I? Although this immortal opportunity belongs to me, I have absolutely no intention of disregarding the imperial decree."

He verbally yielded, but secretly harbored a fierce determination:
"Even if I get to Southeast Asia, the destiny of immortality will still be mine. Let's see how you die then!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at Shen Yueye, who was wearing a veil, and then his gaze fell on his master's wife, Cassandra.

"I heard that this is the wife of Elder Shen, the [Director of the Imperial Household]?"

"At that time, such a unique Western beauty should also belong to me, helping our Jiang family to improve our lowly Da Zhao bloodline and get closer to the supreme true god!"

Wang Cheng didn't look at him again.

The General's Order harmonized the fleet's morale, and the yang energy in the furnace became more vigorous than ever before, while red-written golden talismans hung high above their heads.

A brilliant golden sun suddenly shone brightly over the deep night of the East China Sea.

He mentally commanded, "Wang Xiaoqi, accelerate! Crash through them!"

"okay!"

next moment.

The Five Peaks Banner led the fleet without flinching or dodging, accelerating collectively and charging head-on at the evil spirits blocking their path.

Bang!Bang!Bang!
Whether you are an ordinary water ghost or a natural phenomenon-like evil spirit or a great evil spirit, they will all treat you as a speed bump and run you over with a single step on the gas.

"Go tell everything to the insurance policy personally written for me by the Heavenly Princess, with its crimson inscription and golden talisman!"

With the fleet already exerting so much effort, they were naturally beyond saving.

The entire fleet was completely unharmed from top to bottom, and could not stop their exploration of Southeast Asia at all.

For a period of time afterward, under the protection of the golden talisman, they traveled smoothly and arrived at their destination in just ten days.

Naval Fire Chief Shen Yueye gave one last order:
"The destination is the North Star, which is seven and a half fingers away (approximately 14.25°), and the Lantern Bone Star, which is ten and a half fingers away (approximately 19.95°).

The North Star is low in the sky, while the Lantern Star hangs high; we will arrive in Manila, Luzon tomorrow.

Wang Cheng put down his monocular telescope:
"From the Crusades to the Age of Exploration, the countries of the Western continent have essentially been dancing to our trade dictates."

The armed maritime merchants of the Great Zhao are the true chosen ones of this world!

Then he issued a general order to the entire army:

"To some extent, we should thank the Westerners from the Western countries for taking the initiative to invade Southeast Asia and using their powerful ships and cannons to wake everyone up."

Tomorrow, we will invite Young Master Ou to have some cakes!

(End of this chapter)