I changed the world.

“The Great Mandala Protection Technique is not the fundamental technique of the Heavenly Demon Path. To a certain extent, it borrows the characteristics of the evil god's kin…” Faji then explained this secret technique to Zhang Jing in detail.

Through continuous practice and reading of Buddhist scriptures, Zhang Jing now has a considerable understanding of various techniques and quickly comprehended the technique described by Faji.

In short, regardless of the type of Dharma protector technique, the purpose is to obtain Dharma protectors that can be used by practitioners. These Dharma protectors vary in form, ability, and autonomy.

The Great Mandala Protector Technique employs a method that appears quite bizarre to mainstream practitioners. It uses a high-level power as a foundation, from which a "power seed" is born. To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, the relationship between this power seed and the foundation is somewhat similar to that between a deity and an "anchor point." Therefore, Faji speculates that it borrows characteristics from the followers of evil gods.

What was particularly unacceptable to the prevailing social norms at the time was that the growth of these "seeds of power" required a more complex ritual to cultivate. The ritual process was filled with a strange and evil atmosphere, so it is inconvenient to describe it in detail. This method was absolutely not only crossing the line at the time, but also trampling on the feet of more than ten thousand people.

I wonder how this document that Faji saw managed to survive through so many hardships to reach the present day... It really wasn't easy.

On its own, this spell, viewed directly, is clearly a malevolent art; it doesn't seem like a good thing at all. Of course, Faji didn't bring it up to have Zhang Jing practice it; rather, he extracted its core elements and combined them with the realities of contemporary society for Zhang Jing's reference.

This brings us to a crucial point: a significant difference between ancient times and the present day. That difference lies in the development of religion.

In ancient times, the war between humans and evil gods began with faith, but also ended with faith.

That was the early stage of faith. From Zhang Jing's current perspective, faith at that time was far from developing into a religion. There were only primitive sacrifices, and most of these sacrifices were inseparable from blood sacrifices.

In order to please the gods, early sacrifices were extremely bloody and cruel, which is why humans began to resist in ancient times.

Due to the long struggle, bloodshed, and sacrifice, there was no possibility of compromise between humanity and the evil gods. Therefore, in that social environment, any action related to "sacrifice" would not be allowed. It can basically be seen as the same outcome as selling drugs in Zhang Jing's previous life's country...

This also shows that the Great Mandala Protection Technique that used this method must have been something that couldn't be seen in the light of day at the time.

Today, humanity has long lost its memories of ancient times. New myths have gradually developed and evolved, evolving with the development of human society to the present day, becoming systematic religions and an integral part of the cultures of many peoples. It can be said that in today's society, it is virtually impossible to ban religion. Unless, like in ancient times, there has been an extremely painful lesson, one that has been deeply ingrained in everyone's memory.

The country Zhang Jing came from in his previous life was, strictly speaking, one of the few secular countries in the world. Even so, during festivals, the country's palaces, temples, and monasteries were still packed with people. The society he came from in this life was even more so.

This gave Zhang Jing more opportunities to observe religious systems compared to his predecessors in ancient times.

Chapter 617 Xuanmen Imperial Conferment

In Zhang Jing's view, setting aside the seemingly bizarre and evil details and operations, and after re-examining this spell and extracting its true core, Zhang Jing had to admit that this spell actually looked somewhat familiar.

Because its core logic is somewhat similar to the divine conferment system of the Xuanmen and Futu sects in this world.

The Great Zhao of this world is a polytheistic nation. Both the Buddhist religion and the Xuanmen (Taoist sect) possess extremely complex systems of deities. Taking the Xuanmen as an example, besides the few Grand Celestial Venerables at the very top of the system, there are numerous other systems of deities below them. These systems even mimic the official system of the mortal realm, forming a unique system of Yin deities (these Yin deities are not those used in cultivation, but rather refer to deities of the underworld). For instance, major cities have city gods of different ranks, villages have land gods, famous mountains and rivers have mountain gods, and bodies of water have water gods, lake gods, and so on…

Some scholars believe that this is because the earliest origin of Xuanmen (the Taoist school of thought) was derived from the shamanistic culture of the southern region and the shamanistic culture of the northern region, which evolved from the primitive worship of animism. The early Xuanmen incorporated these local primitive worship practices, but also became a naturally polytheistic religion.

As Xuanmen (the school of Taoism) developed, it gradually formed a systematic doctrine, organizing these deities into a self-consistent system. Similarly, Futu religion, which also practiced polytheism, merged with Xuanmen after entering Dazhao, and many of its deity systems naturally formed a strange yet stable and self-consistent structure.

However, this is also where the indigenous religion of the Great Zhao has been criticized by many scholars, who believe that polytheism is too backward and not as advanced as monotheism, especially when it comes to proselytizing, monotheism has a clear advantage...

Whether this is true or not, from Zhang Jing's perspective, the Xuanmen sect in this world is indeed trying to unify the complex system of gods into a more competitive whole.

Looking at the span of a thousand years, we can see that many ancient local deities have long been marginalized or lost within the Xuanmen system due to the decrease in the number of worshippers or the changes of the times. Overall, with the development of the times, the number of deities within the Xuanmen system has gradually decreased, and the system structure has gradually become more formalized and the organization has become more and more rigorous.

Due to the unique characteristics of the Da Zhao state and centralized culture, the pantheon system within the Da Zhao or the Eastern cultural sphere differs from the polytheistic systems in other regions that are also polytheistic and animistic. Its organizational structure is extremely sophisticated, with the Xuanmen imperial conferment system being a typical example.

The traditional deities of Dazhao are not like those in many other regions, where anyone who worships them can be called a deity. In Dazhao, such "deities" can only be called "hairy gods," "grass gods," or even regarded as "evil gods and licentious worship." Throughout history, and even within the Xuanmen (Taoist) community, they were always destroyed and their temples were demolished. The first Celestial Master Zhang established his authority in this way.

The truly recognized deities of the Xuanmen (mystical sect) form a hierarchical system from top to bottom. The initial formation of this system can be traced back to the historical figure "Tongyuan Miaoyou Yandao Zhenjun, Tianshi Song Shouxuan".

As one of the four great celestial masters in the history of Taoism, Song Shouxuan created the extraordinary book "Genealogy of the Ten Directions of Immortals of the Supreme Truth", which divided the previously complex and diverse local deity worship into nine levels, thus unifying them into a single system.

These deities of different ranks were distinguished by imperial decrees from the Xuanmen (mystical sect) to define their identities, ranks, and authority.

Later, the pantheon of the Xuanmen sect incorporated some deities from the Futu sect. Although there were occasional revisions, it remained largely unchanged overall.

Of course, in later periods, successive dynasties also intervened in this system of imperial decrees, and many important deities not only received imperial decrees from the Taoist sects, but also from the imperial court.

Thus, the world of the living and the world of the dead, the world before and after death of the Chinese people, formed a tightly structured organic whole.

Of course, before Zhang Jing arrived, this imperial decree system, no matter how sophisticated, was still a pipe dream, belonging to the realm of Taoist priests and monks' fantasies. All the folk sacrifices and beliefs based on it could only be said to be a cultural phenomenon.

However, even within the realm of culture, it does not prevent many believers from displaying considerable devotion to the deities they worship.

Furthermore, Zhang Jing noted that in modern society, a considerable number of believers are able to maintain a remarkably pure level of faith.

This is quite different from the state described in some of the materials he observed about ancient times. In ancient times, a significant part of the reason why humans worshipped gods was due to "fear" and "awe," which was a forced act based on frequent disasters and inescapable suffering.

This is also related to the fact that many of the gods at that time were unspeakable real beings. They were incredibly powerful but frequently brought suffering upon humanity, treating them as pastures to be tamed.

It is very difficult to have a truly pure faith in such gods or evil gods.

According to Zhang Jing, from a purely cultural perspective, this represents an era before primitive, bloody sacrifices transformed into a true religion. And once the war began, this possibility was also extinguished.

This means that Zhang Jing has not gained much experience in dealing with religious issues from the ancient times, because at that time, most of the experience was based on suppression.

Zhang Jing had indeed had some concerns, and had been thinking about how to adjust and guide the current religious system of mankind.

Because if no changes are made, given the current state of the supernatural world and the rampant yet disorderly religious activities, it may become a paradise for evil gods and demons in the future.

Of course, if humanity can survive the disaster, it will learn from the experience and form a new social system. However, this will come at the cost of hundreds of millions, or even billions, of lives.

Returning to the Great Mandala Protector Technique, its core is based on a certain high-level power, from which a "power seed" is born. The relationship between this power seed and the foundation can be somewhat analogous to the relationship between the gods in Zhang Jing's previous life's Investiture of the Gods.

This is, in a sense, a product of the same logic as the Taoist conferment of titles upon deities in this world.

Furthermore, the cultivation of the power seed cannot naturally be accomplished through various complex and bizarre rituals. However, there are alternatives; whether it can be replaced by simple faith is also a question Zhang Jing needs to consider.

Chapter 618 The Observer Effect

Having considered this, Zhang Jing understood why Faji suddenly brought up this secret technique. In fact, Faji was implying that he could consider using the inherent divine system in the mythology of the Chinese people to bring it to life in some form.

Then, by using real deities as a link, temples and palaces are connected, ultimately integrating the entire system into one.

Of course, this god is not that god. In Zhang Jing's understanding, even if such a system can be realized in the future, with his current abilities, for a considerable period of time, such a "god" will only be a kind of false god.

“I roughly understand what the master means, but if this matter is to be realized, it will not be accomplished overnight. There are still many key points that need to be considered and thought out.” Zhang Jing pondered for a long time before slowly speaking.

“Of course, this is a momentous matter. This old monk is merely offering a preliminary suggestion; young master, you must consider it carefully.” Faji clasped his hands in agreement again, and after a moment’s thought, he continued:

"The ancient sages established temples with the intention of widely opening the Dharma gates and saving people from suffering. There are two core aspects to this: first, to select the good and pass it on; and second, to help those in distress. In either case, monks do not seek personal glory and wealth. Therefore, the current superficiality of Buddhism needs to be reformed."

"However, it is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. Reforming social customs is easier said than done. If this matter can be accomplished, the gods will be watching, and it may produce miraculous results."

“Master is right. The world is now extravagant. Although it is a prosperous age, there are hidden worries…” Zhang Jing sighed, then looked at Faji: “I will consider this matter carefully. Besides, how are the preparations for taking on disciples, Master?”

“We already have a candidate, but they may differ somewhat from what you initially envisioned, young master…”

"Oh?"

....................................

The two chatted for a while longer before Faji got up to leave. Zhang Jing knew he was busy, so he didn't try to stop him. Soon, he was the only one left in the room.

Zhang Jing picked up his teacup, finished the remaining tea, glanced at the television, and saw that the stock market program had ended and an advertisement was playing for a beverage marketed as a next-generation space drink…

Lowering his head, Zhang Jing saw another old-fashioned notebook in his hand—his wish book. He turned to the latest page:

I wish that I would soon find a trustworthy financial expert who has extensive experience in global stock and futures investments and can keep clients' secrets confidential.

That wish has been fulfilled.

3000 wish points have been deducted.

I make a vow: I am exploring the feasibility of establishing a hierarchical polytheistic system. Taking the Xuanmen "Genealogy of the Ten Directions of Gods and Immortals" as an example, the pantheon has a relatively clear hierarchical system.

The power of this system may originate from some kind of imperial decree, law, power division, or other such concept; the source of the foundation of power can be controlled by me.

This system can exploit the faith of believers...

…………

……

Definition: The "god" in this wish does not refer to a deity in the true sense, but rather to "gods," "earth spirits," "ghosts," and similar concepts in traditional Eastern mythology. These can be understood as false gods or individuals with extraordinary abilities, and similar concepts.

Considering all of the above desires, I need some inspiration.

That wish has been fulfilled.

50000 wish points have been deducted.

Zhang Jing's gaze lingered on the last wish for a moment before he exhaled. Yes, his conversation with Faji had just taken place shortly after he made his new wish at noon.

This wish was not a whim for Zhang Jing, but rather something he had been contemplating for a long time. To some extent, for Zhang Jing, this wish represented a shift in his mindset from "excavating history" to "partially creating" history.

Prior to this, Zhang Jing had been systematically collecting cultural relics, organizing Buddhist collections, and cleaning up historical sites. As time went by, some secrets from ancient times gradually emerged before his eyes and were connected from the dots to form a line.

During this process, his exploration of the wishing book was also ongoing. In some of his wishes, he would consciously test the boundaries and behavioral logic of the wishing book.

As he gathered more and more information, he began to realize that there seemed to be a situation similar to the "observer effect" in his previous life between this world and the wishing book.

The so-called "observer effect" refers to the fact that in quantum physics, the state of microscopic particles is fuzzy; they are not definite particles but rather exhibit wave-particle duality. This uncertainty can be eliminated by measuring the particles. When we measure a particle, its state collapses into a definite state.

This phenomenon can be extended to mean that the act of "observation" itself influences the outcome of the observed object.

Zhang Jing is now increasingly convinced that this "observer effect" seems to be real. For example, two desires, if their purpose is the same—to shape a specific period of history—differ in that they are:

Wish 1: He is not aware of this period of history.

Second wish: He is clear, or very clear, about this part of history, but wants to forcibly change it.

Without a doubt, the number of wish points required for the second wish will be much greater, and based on Zhang Jing's experience, it will be by no means a small amount.

This led to a situation that was both extremely interesting and awkward for him.

From the perspective of information gathering and control, he was certainly willing to learn more about the extraordinary, cultivation, paths, and ancient history. In particular, the fact that he ultimately did not know the real reason why such a glorious ancient civilization ultimately chose to leave Earth was undoubtedly a Damocles' sword hanging over his head.

However, from another perspective, for him who possesses the wishing book, based on the seemingly existing observer effect, once he truly knows the truth of a certain history or piece of knowledge, it also means that this history or knowledge has been "observed" and thus "confirmed."