I alone have my own laws; I start by fabricating myths and legends of mountains and seas.

Chapter 140 A Warning About the Ghostly Path

"Pfft!" The old Taoist carrying the long sword spat out another mouthful of blood. This time, the blood was faintly gray. The last glimmer of light in his eyes dimmed, and he looked as if he had aged twenty years in an instant. He staggered backward and was hurriedly supported by his disciples behind him. He had lost all his spirit.

Many older Buddhist and Taoist practitioners looked pale and swayed precariously. They had been devout believers all their lives, and in their later years they had experienced some miraculous events, which they believed to be proof of their arduous practice and divine favor, and the ultimate realization of the value of their lives.

But at this moment, they were told that this was only because they were old and useless, and that they were being discarded like scraps by a higher being! Their lifelong perseverance and beliefs were perhaps just a pathetic joke in the eyes of a higher being!

Despair, utter despair, like the deepest ice, froze the hearts of many.

The younger practitioners, though less affected, were still pale-faced, their gazes toward their teachers filled with complex emotions: sympathy, lingering fear, and an indescribable sense of relief that they still had time.

The others were astonished. So this is how ancient mythology works. Emperor Zhuanxu stood at the pinnacle of all those who tried to make a living through faith!

But is this the kind of news they can listen to?

Within the altar, the aura of the faith faction had almost plummeted to its lowest point. Even the elders who had maintained their composure until now had somber expressions, their eyes filled with heavy contemplation and a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.

Xia Jie watched the scene before him with satisfaction, seeing the faith of those believers crumble and their beliefs waver.

But he didn't press further; instead, he withdrew his imposing manner, his tone returning to its initial calmness, even carrying a hint of...

With a strange sincerity, he asked, "Now, do you understand?"

"The path you rely on, the path you pray for, has from the very beginning been a dead end, a path with locked limits, one that demands sustenance from others, and one that requires dependence on them. Your power is nothing more than sand slipping through the fingers of a higher being; your piety is nothing more than an insignificant decoration on the throne of another. Do you intend to use this to save others and yourselves?"

He glanced one last time at the distraught believers, his eyes no longer filled with mockery, but with pure indifference.

"What His Majesty the Xia King said," surprisingly, was spoken by the unassuming Kong Shizhang. "It is not without reason."

Xia Jie continued, "Based on faith and relying on the power of gods, there are indeed limitations and risks. Relying on external gods is ultimately not the ultimate solution. If power comes from external gifts, the mind is difficult to control; if the path is tied to other thoughts, one's nature is easily lost. If one is attached to gods and idols, eagerly seeking divine power externally, and forgetting to seek proof of one's own heart internally, one has indeed fallen into a lower path and gone astray."

Kong Shizhang acknowledged the drawbacks pointed out by Xia Jie, but did not negate everything because of it.

"However, Your Majesty the Xia King only sees the function of faith, not its essence. You only see the reliance of believers, not the true practice." The old monk changed his tone, his gaze clear as he looked at Xia Jie. "The Buddhist school has 84,000 methods, and the Taoist school has 3,600 paths. Are they merely about relying on faith? Reciting scriptures, observing precepts, meditation, contemplation, asceticism, accumulating good deeds—all these methods, at their core, lie in cultivating the mind and refining one's nature!"

"The grace and mercy of the gods can serve as a stepping stone to enlightenment, an external support, a mirror for verification, and a touchstone for tempering one's Dao heart!" His voice gradually rose, carrying a resolute determination that seemed to have pierced through the fog. "If knowing the true nature of the gods causes one to be filled with anxiety and even to the point of collapsing one's Dao heart, then that is precisely because one's cultivation is not firm, and one is deluded by appearances! A true cultivator should use the illusory to cultivate the true! Use the image of the gods to cultivate a compassionate heart, use the words of the scriptures to open the wisdom of Prajna, and use the power of faith to refine an unyielding nature! The ultimate goal is to transcend all external dependence and thoroughly see one's original nature! If faith cannot bring extraordinary power, does that mean one has truly gained nothing?!"

Kong Shizhang turned to look at the withered old Taoist priest, his voice gentle yet powerful: "I observe that when you worship the gods, you are also worshipping the righteousness and integrity in your heart. Whether the gods exist or how they exist is important, yet also unimportant. What is the purpose of the righteousness in your heart?"

If this desire is to protect all living beings, is this heart and will yours, or a gift from the gods? If this will remains unwavering, even without divine intervention, it is still yours!

The old Taoist priest shuddered, and a faint glimmer of light gradually appeared in his bewildered eyes.

Kong Shizhang then looked at the other Buddhist and Taoist practitioners: "King Xia has truly given us a wake-up call today! This is not a calamity, but a great opportunity! It allows us to reflect: What are we cultivating? What are we seeking?"

Kong Shizhang faced Xia Jie again, put his hands together, and bowed deeply: "I thank King Xia for enlightening me and telling me this secret."

From this day forward, in Buddhist and Taoist practice, we must always be vigilant, never forgetting our true nature, and never being misled by outward appearances. Faith can endure; deities can be a raft, not a destination. Deities are worthy of respect, protecting our minds; they can be a mirror, not our ruler.

Xia Jie quietly looked at Kong Shizhang. This guy was indeed a madman like Chen Yang. He saw that the eyes of those who were originally desperate and wavering in the Buddhist and Taoist camp were rekindled with the light of thought and determination because of Kong Shizhang's words.

His face, shrouded in shadow, was expressionless; only in the depths of his dark red eyes seemed there were subtle ripples.

"Boy!" After a long silence, Xia Jie slowly spoke, his tone no longer full of sarcasm, but carrying a complex, almost scrutinizing quality. "You're quite good, but this path is wrong, and you're not worthy to discuss the Dao with me!"

"Wrong? Unworthy?" Kong Shizhang repeated softly, a faint, almost ethereal smile playing on his lips, carrying the sharpness unique to youth and a touch of scholarly arrogance. "The Xia king viewed the Dao through force, discussed the Dao through survival, and considered dependence as a lowly position. Yet, dare you..."

"King Xia, isn't your path of demonic possession also dependent on the stream of vengeful spirits? If borrowing power from Buddha and Tao is begging, then King Xia, by commanding vengeful spirits and devouring other paths to strengthen yourself, isn't that another form of plunder and dependence?"

These words shocked not only the Buddhist and Taoist camps, but also martial artists like Chen Yang, and even Jiang Wenbai and others on the stands. Kong Shizhang really dared to speak so boldly! Did he really think this person was someone easy to deal with? You dare to cause trouble when we're discussing Dao? Are you out of your mind?!

A glint of malice flashed in Xia Jie's dark red eyes! It wasn't anger, but a sharp scrutiny as if a sensitive nerve had been touched. The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, and the pervasive malevolent energy in the air stirred restlessly.

"Boy," Xia Jie's voice deepened, each word seemingly laced with ice, "do you know what you're saying?"

The invisible pressure gathered again, this time more concentrated and chilling than before, almost entirely pressing down on Kong Shizhang, who stood alone in the arena!

"Am I wrong, junior?" Kong Shizhang's voice trembled slightly under the pressure, yet remained clear. "King Xia mocked believers as firewood, saying their power came from external gifts and their path was tied to other people's thoughts. However, the power of the Ghost Path originates from resentment and death energy—isn't this an inherent external force in the world? The path of the Ghost Path requires constant devouring and plundering to grow stronger—isn't this dependent on external negative energy and the existence of living souls? Millions of people in Japan have already died on this path!"

He took a deep breath, as if using all his strength, and continued, "The Way has no high or low, and the methods are myriad. Faith can bewitch the mind, or it can refine it; the Way of the Ghosts can devour souls, or it can—"

Kong Shizhang paused, seemingly searching for the right word. "Um, a warning? The key lies in the cultivator's true nature. Is it using the Dao to control power, or being controlled by power, sinking into the illusions brought by power, losing oneself without realizing it!"