Reincarnation Girl Becomes Immortal

The reason why only a little spiritual energy was obtained in more than twenty days is naturally because there are not many bandits and thieves in this area, and the number of people in the mountain strongholds is small, at most only a few dozen or a hundred, far less than the hundreds in the south before.

"Perhaps the major bandits in this area have all stayed away from the official roads because of the government's crackdown, so the bandits who still dare to raid the official roads are just small fry, at most occupying a small hill and having a few dozen accomplices... So much so that it has taken so long to fill up a spirit stone."

Looking at the spirit stone, she suddenly remembered some things she had heard at sea.

"Speaking of which, when Chen Fenghuo was trapped in the illusion before, he said that using the Blood Sea Technique to absorb spiritual energy would attract resentment... Spiritual energy is insufficient to counteract resentment, and being affected by resentment will inevitably lead to great calamity in the future."

"Is that really true?"

Xi Heng had used the Blood Sea Technique many times, but he had never experienced the side effect called 'resentment' that the people in the illusion mentioned.

"Is it because I haven't absorbed enough spiritual energy? That's why there hasn't been a qualitative change, and this side effect is occurring?"

Having only heard the word "resentment" without a detailed explanation, Xi Heng could only make some simple guesses.

"Never mind, even if it appears, it doesn't matter. At most, it'll just be a matter of reloading the save."

She put away the blood spirit stone in her hand, lifted the curtain in front of her, and saw that the phantom of a large city was slowly appearing in the distance.

"We're almost at Pearl City," Xi Heng muttered to himself.

She wasn't the only one traveling in her carriage along the long road.

Along the surrounding roads, there were many pilgrims dressed in black robes, carrying canes and packs, making their way closer to Pearl City.

"Are there already so many believers...?"

She merely followed the instructions of the Crimson Goddess and had her subordinates spread the news of the Dark Heaven Sect's Merciful Saintess's return to all corners of the world.

In that short period of time, the rumors probably didn't even reach half of the Great Zhao.

But this mere rumor has attracted countless pilgrims.

The roads had been wide and broad all the way, but they became crowded as we approached Pearl City.

Along the road were not only religious pilgrims walking on foot in black robes with snakeskin patterns, but also people like her with horses and carriages. There were even donkeys pulling carts piled high with all sorts of strange-looking treasures or rubbish, probably offering up precious items.

Xi Heng even saw the flags of the remnants of Tianliang and Donghuangmei Mountain along the way, which seemed to indicate that they wanted to win over the Dark Heavenly Cult.

"In times of chaos, religious sects can develop at a really fast pace."

She had only taken people from the Jingming Sect to establish the Dark Heavenly Sect, then casually defeated the Jingming Sect to find a base for the Dark Heavenly Sect, and then let it develop for more than half a year... and it became such a huge entity.

"I think I've created a really big cult."

“But it’s a good thing.”

Xi Heng felt that the former leader of the evil cult, the Crimson Goddess, should have a way to firmly control the Dark Heavenly Cult. If not, he could also use force to help.

As they approached the city gate, Xi Heng ordered the carriage to stop outside and instructed the driver to return to another nearby village to wait.

She didn't queue at the crowded city gate; that queue of several hundred meters probably would take a whole day to get into the city.

Xi Heng didn't want to waste time, so he went around the city wall from the side.

First, they concealed themselves and scaled the city wall, finding the location of the Dark Heaven Sect's headquarters above. Then, they approached it by traversing the sparsely populated streets and alleys.

The martial artist with the Transformation Realm skill moves with incredible speed, able to travel from the outer perimeter of Pearl City to the center of the inner city's main altar in just a few minutes.

This place was originally the location of the Mingzhu City government office, but it was later occupied by the Crimson Goddess and used as the headquarters of the Jingming Sect.

Later, when Xi Heng arrived here, he led the Dark Heavenly Sect to retake the main altar, and the plaque with the words "Jingming" was changed to "Great Dark Heavenly Sect".

There were several guards with iron bars in front of the main gate. Xi Heng glanced at them and climbed over the courtyard wall to enter.

More than half a year later, the symbols and statues related to the Pure Fire Venerable disappeared from this altar, replaced by many twisted snake patterns and various other landscapes that symbolized the Dark Heaven Sect.

For example, the first thing you see after entering the courtyard is a huge, square courtyard wall, on which is painted a detailed picture of the Great Dark Goddess slaying the black dragon and taking its tendons to mend the sky, according to religious legend.

The enormous black dragon on the stone wall almost blotted out the sky, while the Dark Heavenly Mother, dressed in black and looking holy, holding a long sword, also occupied most of the sky.

Anyone who enters the main altar will be deeply moved by this sight.

In Xi Heng's eyes, he only felt that the so-called Great Dark Heavenly Mother on the stone wall was emitting murderous aura, and her posture of holding a sword was somewhat similar to his own.

Furthermore, the face shape and hairstyle of the Great Dark Goddess in the mural are somewhat similar to hers.

Only body shape is not.

"..."

Looking at the perfect body in the mural, and then looking down at his own, Xi Heng had a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on.

She quickly shook her head and went around the first stone wall, but there were more behind her.

For example, there are images of the Dark Heavenly Mother exhaling her breath to disperse the flames covering the earth, images of raising her hands to hang the sun and moon in the sky, images of the angels who created the Dark Heaven, images of the angels giving birth to mankind, and images of them ruling the first human kingdom long afterward...

Five enormous murals line the courtyard, each exquisitely crafted, resembling palace murals that showcase the grandeur of the Dark Heavenly Sect. One can only imagine the amount of time and effort required to create them.

"They look quite respectable," Xi Heng commented casually after looking them over.

Passing by these five wide murals, behind which are several stone pillars inscribed with scriptures:

"The Great Dark Heaven bestows its grace upon all religions and schools of thought, and extends its blessings to all beings in the four realms and six paths of existence."

"The Great Dark Mother of Huayan, with the majesty of a phoenix, embodies the two energies of Yin and Yang, and the unity of heaven and earth. She wears three dragons on her head and has two arms hanging down her body. The dragons are divided into the central and auxiliary parts, and the realm is free from desire and color."

"The Supreme Mother of Darkness of the Ten Directions and Three Worlds, the most holy among the holy beings!"

Clearly, during Xi Heng's absence, the doctrines of the Dark Heavenly Sect did not stagnate. The doctrines and the image of the Heavenly Mother were further refined and made more convincing to ordinary people.

After passing the area of ​​inscribed stone pillars, the servants' quarters, and the drill ground, Xi Heng arrived at the former office of the Crimson Goddess.

When she occupied Pearl City before, she stayed there for a few days and read many books about immortals in the study, so she knew its internal layout.

Xi Heng walked around a huge pine tree and saw that the door was open.

Among them was a priest from the church who wore a purple robe with snake patterns, a twisted crown, and a solemn yet peculiar appearance.

He held a golden wheel in his hand, knelt on a futon, and whispered to the statue of the Great Dark Goddess.

As for the appearance of the front statue, apart from its perfect figure and the surrounding serpentine decorations and precious objects, it also bears some resemblance to Xi Heng.

The statue's face is divided in two: the left cheek, with its eyes closed, appears holy and loving, while the right cheek, with its eyes open, is stern and cold.

After glancing around casually, Xi Heng stepped inside.

The footsteps made a clear sound on the indoor stone slabs, causing the person in front to turn around immediately.

He paused for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

"Your Highness... just as the rumors have said, you have returned."

The High Priest of the Dark Heaven Sect said in a calm voice, "I did not know when Your Highness would return and was unable to greet you. Please forgive me."

"The person you need to greet is not me," Xi Heng said calmly.

"In about ten days, the fleet that went to the East will return. On board is another merciful saint. You need to prepare the necessary rituals and receive her properly. In front of all the people of the sect, you should enshrine her as the head of the sect."

"Another saintess?" The priest was somewhat puzzled and only guessed:

"Could it be that Your Highness has indeed found the Great Dark Heaven at sea and brought a demon lord from there?"

“The Great Dark Heaven? You could say that.” Xi Heng shook his head. “However, this Holy Maiden is not a demon from the Great Dark Heaven, but the Crimson Goddess who once led the Pure Bright Sect… In short, she is the Holy Maiden of the Dark Heaven Sect.”

"..." The high priest, who held real power in the Dark Cult and was now like a cult leader, remained silent for a moment before finally saying, "Yes, Your Highness."

"After managing it so diligently for so long, you have no complaints about being placed under someone else's jurisdiction by my orders?" Xi Heng asked curiously.

"The development of the sect is all for Your Highness's grand ambitions," the other party said.

He understood that he was merely a servant of demons, not the true leader of the Dark Heaven.

Given Xi Heng's formidable strength, he could easily eliminate him with a single thought and replace him with someone else.

Besides, since she learned that her master was going to seize the throne and that the Great Zhao Princess had great power, she naturally had to follow him closely so that her future would be brighter.

“Not bad.” Xi Heng decided to use a combination of kindness and severity: “Give me a piece of paper, and I’ll teach you another spell.”

"Thank you, Your Highness." The high priest invited her to the long desk where he worked.

Xi Heng wrote a lengthy user guide for the Jing Gu Bian (惊骨变) and casually tossed it aside.

"Prepare a room for me to rest here for a while until the Crimson Goddess arrives..." She thought for a moment and then added, "And while you're at it, bring me a copy of the newly compiled doctrine as well."

Xi Heng planned to read through the doctrines in his spare time to see how far the Great Dark Heavenly Cult had developed in this area.

The other party complimented and agreed.

……

After a day of rest.

In the early morning, Xi Heng got up, washed, put on his coat, and sat on the long table, opening the Dark Heaven Sect's secret treasure covered with exquisite leather.

The first few pages of the doctrine still contain the same words she spoke at the very beginning, such as the Dark Heavenly Mother giving mortals both flesh and wisdom, encompassing all things and giving birth to all things, and following human nature, etc...

The following pages of scripture are mostly derived from these entries.

After recounting the various gifts bestowed upon mortals by the Dark Goddess, the story then unfolded, recounting various mythological tales related to the murals Xi Heng had previously seen.

The Dark Mother gave birth to heaven and earth, slew the Black Dragon to mend the sky, blew away the eternal fire, and moved away the raging flood.

The floodwaters turned into an ocean, revealing land for mortals to live and thrive.

When mortals formed families, they created kingdoms, and the Great Dark Heavenly Mother was the first ruler of all mortals in the world.

After a hundred years of toil for mortals, the Heavenly Mother finally returned to the Great Darkness to rest.

But during its millennia of rest, human kingdoms disintegrated, transforming from a single, world-ruling superpower into dozens of smaller nations.

Currently, among the dozens of kingdoms, there are two supreme powers: the Great Zhao and the Yanmeng Kingdom in the north.

The Heavenly Mother cast her gaze from the distant, dark heavens and saw the mortals she had created falling apart. She felt only sorrow and pity. So the Heavenly Mother sent the Merciful Holy Maiden to the Great Zhao, to end the current chaotic world of strife and to return to the unified and prosperous world of ancient times.

As Xi Heng was reading, his voice suddenly stopped, and wisps of black lines appeared on his forehead.

"Isn't this blatantly saying that the Dark Heavenly Sect will rise up in rebellion in the future?"

If she were on the throne now, upon seeing such doctrines and scriptures, she would surely send troops to eradicate the relevant sects.

But for some reason, even though the doctrines have been compiled into this form, Chu Xiao, the current emperor of the Great Zhao, still hasn't paid any attention to them.

"Perhaps it's because there are already many rebel armies in various places, and they can't afford to pay attention to the Dark Heavenly Sect, a sect that hasn't taken any real action yet..."

Xi Heng made a casual guess and continued flipping through the pages.

The following pages are filled with endless worship and praise of the Goddess, reverence for the Great Darkness, and descriptions of how believers will go to a blissful paradise after death, where they will enjoy all blessings, while heretics and those who abandon their faith will fall into the eighteen levels of hell.

The descriptions of bliss and happiness in the Pure Land are relatively few, while the environment of hell and various forms of torture are described in great detail, which made Xi Heng feel slightly uncomfortable.

If an ordinary mortal were to see this, they would probably feel a chill run down their spine and feel nauseous.

After going through all that, what is written last is the divine authority and power of the Dark Mother.

The Dark Mother has seven divine names, the first being the Great Dark Mother, whose duty is to nourish all living beings and embrace all things.

The second is the Mother of Peace and Joy, whose duties include war and conflict, as well as governing the lifespan of mortals, judging good and evil, and guiding the souls of the dead.

Thirdly, there is the Sun and Moon Mother, who governs the Yin and Yang paths, the noble and the lowly classes, and eliminates disasters and difficulties.

Then came the Jade Bowl Goddess, Indra Goddess, Life-Salvating Goddess, Treasure Treasury Goddess...

These seven titles also encompass the deities of other sects, illustrating that the true gods of other sects are merely a small part of the face of the Great Dark Mother.

Only by combining all the various deities that have been celebrated for thousands of years can the vague figure of the Great Dark Heavenly Mother be vaguely revealed.

"Is this a bit too much?" the girl muttered to herself.

"But it seems that other sects also have similar doctrines... I hope this won't lead to religious wars or anything like that?"

After reviewing the entire doctrine, Xi Heng was fairly satisfied.

The doctrine is complete and the language is not too complicated. One of the phrases, "It extends grace to all religions and schools of thought, and its blessings extend to all beings in the four realms and six paths of existence," encompasses everyone as its audience.

However... there's still one sentence missing.

Xi Heng glanced through it again casually, then held the cover with both hands and snapped it shut.

With this doctrine in hand, she circled around two or three more smooth streets and alleys before finally finding High Priest Chen Xiang, who was now the most powerful figure in the Dark Heavenly Cult.

The other party was, as usual, processing various scrolls and documents on the desk inside the main building of the headquarters.

Xi Heng approached without hesitation and slammed the doctrine directly onto the table, making a loud bang that startled the other person.

"Your Highness..." the high priest asked, trying to keep his voice steady, "But is there a problem with the doctrine that needs to be changed?"

“There’s no problem.” Xi Heng said naturally, “However, we need to add some explanations to the section about the Pure Fire Sect and their Pure Fire Venerable in the doctrine.”