Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

Three days have passed since Quan Ming offered his advice.

Within three days, the King of Chu fought another battle with the Emperor. However, after a prolonged battle, both sides had figured out each other's plans. At this moment, the stalemate became increasingly obvious. Neither side could gain a major opportunity to fight, and they could only stand facing each other at the foot of Luoshan Mountain, forming a protracted battle, while turning to look for opportunities to fight from the flanks...

Quan Ming, wielding the authority of the Dao and Tian realms, led over ten thousand Yin soldiers and heroic spirits to defeat the ruler of Yong Kingdom and seize the entire Luo River, earning him widespread fame among the feudal lords.

In particular, those feudal lords who were concerned about the war between the emperor and the State of Chu all inquired about Quan Ming's origins.

Upon learning that Quan Ming was actually the prince of the destroyed Quan Kingdom, who had been sacrificed as a war offering by his father, and who had become a protector of the Quan Kingdom after its defeat, and was now a renowned figure among the Chu clans, refusing to be a slave... everyone was utterly astonished!

For defeated tribes, enslavement and subservience were already a tradition.

But who would have thought that Quan Ming could defy fate?

Among them, the State of Song had the loudest voice. Song was descended from the Shang dynasty. Although it had little contact with other states of the same lineage in recent years, it still valued its blood ties and remained relatively close to them.

I have just heard of Quan Ming's formidable reputation.

Some clans in the State of Song, whose ancestors shared the same origin as Quan, even erected a shrine to Quan Ming for clan worship.

Clan sacrifice.

There are major and minor branches.

The main ancestral worship ceremony is to worship the gods of one's direct ancestors.

The minor ancestral deities worshipped are those who are renowned throughout the clan but are not direct descendants.

The establishment of the shrine to Quan Ming was naturally due to the Song clan's recognition of Quan Ming. They believed that Quan Ming's reputation was enough to enhance their clan's prestige, so they relied on their weak lineage to establish a shrine for future generations to worship and receive blessings.

Ancestor gods are a type of deity distinct from ordinary gods.

Because the feudal lords were mostly of the same lineage and all had the tradition of worshipping the same ancestor, but each country had its own independent Heaven, so Heaven would not grant territorial authority to this ancestral god.

In the Dao Heaven, the ancestral gods rarely participate in Dao Heaven gatherings.

After all, they are all descendants, and disputes among descendants are difficult to resolve, so they can only let it go.

Only by bestowing corresponding blessings upon descendants based on the offerings during ancestral sacrifices can the bloodline be continued. Of course, their importance lies not in external matters, but internal ones. The strength of a clan depends heavily on the ancestral gods.

Without the protection of ancestors, fortune is unstable, and the family will find it difficult to prosper.

If external gods, spirits, or strange creatures corrupt the family, and without ancestral gods, they are powerless to resist.

……

hum!

Quan Ming was at the confluence of the Luo River and the upstream Ju River when he suddenly sensed a mysterious pull coming from the distant northeast.

That's the pull of blood.

Like the power that the powerful worshipped in his sacrifice, that irreplaceable strength.

"This is……"

"The Wu family?"

Quan Ming heard the unique accent of the Shang descendants in the Song region. This accent originated from the Shang, and although the nobles of their Quan Kingdom had lived in the Jingchu region for hundreds of years, they all inherited this Shang accent. Quan Ming could naturally understand it and even felt a sense of familiarity.

All I heard was—

An old man's voice proclaimed: "He struck down the Yin emperor, and fiercely attacked Jing and Chu. He penetrated their defenses, and gathered the troops of Jing. He cut off their territory, and the descendants of Tang were on their way. You, Jing and Chu, reside in the southern part of the country."

This is a quote from the "Shang Song: Yin Wu" section of the Book of Songs!

This refers to the records of the Shang people's southern expedition to the land of Jingchu during the reign of King Wu Ding, where they defeated the Jing people and established the Shang state.

This is the origin of the concept of a powerful state.

The old man recited these words, which were the lingering charm of the Shang dynasty, transformed into a divine mandate, like a black bird riding the sun, traveling between mountains and seas, and descending upon this place.

hum!

Quan Ming's black bird seal flew out and transformed back into the bronze murals of the Quan Kingdom.

On the mural, the image of "Ziquan Establishing the Kingdom" blends with this lingering charm. In "Ziquan Establishing the Kingdom," one can see that Ziquan wears a snake mask, and his hand, which was originally holding a long halberd, is now empty...

Long spear?

Back when Quan Ming first went to the forbidden area of ​​Quan Kingdom, the fortune of Quan Kingdom was bestowed upon him in order to win him over, and now it is in the hands of the headless corpse.

After learning about the Gui Zang (Return to the Source).

Quan Ming also knew that this long halberd was made using the power of "Guicang". It was given by King Wu Ding of the Shang Dynasty as a talisman for the Quan state and was also used by the Quan people as a sacrificial ritual object.

hiss……

The long spear was gone, and the snake face, guided by the lingering energy, fell off, carrying with it a legacy that remained sealed, and fell into Quan Ming's hands.

With its bronze-like texture and intricate patterns, it exudes a wild and ancient charm!

At the same time, it contains a power!

This is……

Is the Way of Power and the Way of Heaven?

Because the Quan Kingdom was destroyed, the Dao of the Heavenly Kingdom was incomplete and its Dao was lost. Therefore, Quan Ming no longer refers to it as "the Dao of the Heavenly Kingdom" but as "the Dao of the Heavenly Kingdom".

But now, under the power of the lingering resonance, it has actually completed its path!

...This is a unique belief in the Chu state that "mountains and rivers have spirits, and the dead return!"

...This is the same Dao as the Dao of the Song Kingdom!

The State of Song was a state of remnants of the Shang dynasty. It was not a subject of the Zhou dynasty, but a guest state. Therefore, it did not need to pay tribute and could offer sacrifices to the ancestral temple with the rites of the "Son of Heaven".

Dao Tian is also extremely special.

Although the Shang dynasty was destroyed and the Mandate of Heaven was no more, the state of Song still existed as the main lineage, and its ancestral temples still remained in the world.

Although the sacrifice is performed with the rites of the "Son of Heaven", the core of Daotian is still the Shangtian that carried the orthodox mandate of heaven for hundreds of years!

It is still fundamentally the Gui Zang!

Not the Book of Changes!

Today, the Wu clan within the territory of the Song state worships Quan Ming with the ancestral roots of the same lineage. Because Quan Ming's fame has spread far and wide, the people of Song are discussing it extensively. As a result, the Dao Heaven of the Song state has also taken notice, and thus bestowed upon him the lingering charm of the Shang dynasty, which was carried by a black bird...

The purpose was to acknowledge Quanming, an ancestral deity who shared the same origin as the Shang dynasty.

This is in recognition of the Wu clan's act of granting them sacrificial authority.

Moreover, it also brought some assistance to Quan Ming, perfecting the inheritance of Quan Ren Dao Tian.

—Heavenly Mandate Sacrifice—

When it comes to sacrifices, no one can compare to the Shang people. As a remnant of the Shang dynasty, the Quan state's ruler even used his own son as a sacrifice when the state was on the verge of collapse, in order to obtain divine favor. This shows the profound influence of the sacrifices, which has continued for hundreds of years.

Of course, Quan Ming could understand.

The purpose of the Shang people's sacrifices, besides showing respect to their ancestors, gods, and heaven and earth, was primarily to use the "Guicang" (a book on divination) to glean insights into destiny from the sacrificial rituals.

Therefore, the way of merchants is to worship the Mandate of Heaven!

This tradition can be summarized as follows: by performing the ritual of "Guicang", one borrows the power of heaven and earth, obtains the omen of the mandate of heaven, and is carried down by a black bird to bestow upon future generations. This ritual is called Nuo!

Nuo masks are symbols.

Those who wear the Nuo mask of destiny can borrow the power of heaven and earth to gain incredible abilities!

Previously, Quan Ming was unable to use it due to the incomplete Quan Ren Dao Tian, ​​but now, with the afterglow replenishing it, he can now use it in a rudimentary way as he comprehends "Guicang".

At the same time, Quan Ming recalled the Nuo mask totem god summoned by the enemy during the battle with Yong Jun.

Dao Tian Second Level...

It is evident that in ancient states like Yong, which have existed for hundreds or even thousands of years since the tribal period, the unique Nuo mask tradition of the Shang dynasty still remained after the Shang and Zhou dynasties. However, as they integrated into the Zhou dynasty and believed in the Book of Changes and the Rites of Zhou under the Zhou dynasty, their national Daotian gradually abandoned the weaker Shang dynasty's Guizang, which led to the weakening of the Nuo mask totem gods.

"Offer sacrifices with purity, and inscribe the inscription on the sacrificial tablets!"

Quan Ming absorbed the inheritance...

Then, using clear water as an offering, they worshipped themselves in order to communicate with the divine and the celestial realm, to go through the process, and to control the snake-shaped Nuo mask in their hands.

A black bird carries a crouching figure!

The Black Bird represents the Dao Heaven, symbolizing the blessings bestowed by the immortals and gods within it.

At this moment, Quan Ming is both the ancestral god and the current ruler of Quan Ren Dao Tian, ​​and naturally also this 'Mysterious Bird'. He can completely mobilize any Nuo mask in Quan Ren Dao Tian and bestow it upon people or things related to his life to complete the blessing, giving them incredible abilities temporarily... until the Nuo mask is removed.

Including this Nuo mask, which was bestowed upon Ziquan during the reign of King Wu Ding!

"Come!"

With Quan Ming's will, the snake-shaped Nuo mask was slowly placed on Quan Ming's face, and a great power descended upon him under the support of Quan Ren Dao Tian.