After a long while, the Primordial Celestial Venerable said fiercely, "Eldest Brother, I will make it up to Junior Brother Tongtian later."
Lao Tzu sighed deeply and said, "Very well, since that's how it is, don't worry, I will take action when necessary."
Upon hearing the Taoist's words, Emperor Xin murmured, "To abandon the country and the people is not my wish."
Upon hearing Di Xin's words, the Taoist suddenly burst into laughter. After a long while, the Taoist solemnly said, "Zixin, if I could save your people, what would you do?"
Upon hearing the Taoist's words, Emperor Xin's imperial aura suddenly burst forth, and he roared, "If you return my country, I will treat my people well, expand our territory, and demonstrate the might of my divine land."
The Taoist laughed loudly after hearing this, "Good, good, remember this: show the might of my Divine Land, spread the vastness of my Divine Land, and the Shang Dynasty will still be yours." After saying this, his figure faded and disappeared.
In a moment of clarity, Di Xin felt a sense of relief. Although he didn't know who this Taoist was, his intuition told him that he should trust him and that the Shang Dynasty was still his.
Chaos reigns once more; at Zixiao Palace, the three giants reunite for the second time.
Hongjun Daozun looked at the cold-faced Tianzui and the majestic Shengyi, and said calmly, "A great calamity has appeared. This calamity will end with the Investiture of the Gods. During the Investiture of the Gods, anyone who has not severed their corpse may be listed. Saints can cause the heavens and earth to collapse at will. Therefore, saints must not intervene in this great calamity. Is that acceptable?"
Tianzui Daozun smiled coldly, acting as if it were none of his business, and vanished in a flash of light.
Saint One called himself "Good" and then vanished into the light.
A majestic and vast voice resounded simultaneously in the hearts of all the saints and realm lords throughout the chaos and the world: "Imperial decree: The great calamity of heaven and earth is approaching. The Investiture of the Gods will be issued. Those who have not severed their corpses may be listed and conferred titles. During the Investiture of the Gods, saints and realm lords must not act rashly. Otherwise, when the heavenly punishment comes, they will be reduced to ashes. I hope you will remember this."
Time passed, and the world changed. In the blink of an eye, the land of China was now under the reign of Prince Xin, the 31st emperor of the Shang Dynasty. The time to worship the Holy Mother of Humanity, Nuwa, had come again. Everything was so coincidental.
In the spring of the seventh year of King Zhou's reign, a report suddenly came that Yuan Futong of Beihai had rebelled. King Zhou was furious and ordered Grand Tutor Wen Zhong to raise an army to attack the rebel in the north. Wen Zhong accepted the order, mustered his troops, and led his generals northward. Little did he know that without him in charge of Chaoge, chaos would ensue!
One day, King Zhou ascended the throne, and Prime Minister Shang Rong prostrated himself on the golden steps, held his ivory tablet high, and proclaimed himself a subject, saying, "Your Majesty, tomorrow, the fifteenth of the third month, is the birthday of the Goddess Nuwa. I request Your Majesty to come to the Palace of the Mother Goddess to offer incense!"
King Zhou asked, "What merits does the Goddess Nuwa possess that would make me, a king of ten thousand chariots, so deign to offer incense to her?"
Shang Rong replied, “Your Majesty is unaware that the Goddess Nuwa is an ancient deity, possessing sacred virtues. Millions of years ago, she created humans on Mount Buzhou, and is the Holy Mother of our human race! In ancient times, the great gods Gonggong and Zhurong fought atop Mount Buzhou, causing the sky to tilt to the northwest and the earth to sink to the southeast. The Holy Mother Nuwa gathered five-colored divine stones from beyond the heavens to mend the sky; thus, she has rendered meritorious service to the people, and the common folk have established sacrifices to repay her. If Chaoge now worships this goddess of fortune, then the four seasons will be peaceful, the nation's reign long, the weather favorable, and disasters will disappear. This is a righteous deity who blesses the country and protects the people; Your Majesty should go and offer incense!”
King Zhou nodded and said, "Your suggestion is approved!"
On the second day, led by King Wu Cheng (Huang Feihu) and accompanied by other civil and military officials, the imperial carriage arrived at the temple. King Zhou entered the temple surrounded by his ministers. Upon entering, he saw five statues of the goddess Nuwa enshrined inside, with three statues to her left and three more to her right. Therefore, King Zhou asked in confusion, "Why are there seven statues?"
Shang Rong bowed to the seven holy statues, then stood up and reported, "Your Majesty, the one in the center is the Holy Mother of Humanity, Nuwa. The three on the left are the three saints who are the leaders of the Human Sect: the Supreme Heavenly Venerable, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, and the Tongtian Sect Master. The three on the right are the three saints who are the leaders of the Heavenly Mandate Divine Sect: the Heavenly Venerable Kong Xuan, the Heavenly Venerable Zhen Yuan, and the Heavenly Venerable Zhen Yun."
King Zhou pointed to the smaller statue next to the seven holy statues and asked, "Who is this person, and why is he ranked alongside the other saints?"
Shang Rong said, "Your Majesty, this is the great god Zhao Gongming, the holy teacher of the human race. He has protected our human race for thousands of years in times of crisis, and therefore he deserves this position."
Upon hearing this, King Zhou respectfully replied, "In that case, we must pay our respects!" He then took the incense stick, which emitted an alluring fragrance, from Shang Rong's hand and led the civil and military officials to solemnly kneel and bow before the sacred image above.
After the three kneelings and nine kowtows, King Zhou was about to lead his ministers away when a gentle breeze suddenly blew, lifting the curtain and revealing the face of the goddess Nuwa. King Zhou's body trembled, and his head spun. Seeing Nuwa's unparalleled beauty, whether bewitched or suddenly emboldened, he actually shouted in a deep voice, "Bring me pen and ink!"
The attendant handed over a brush and ink, and King Zhou wrote a poem on the wall. When the ministers saw it, they were so frightened that their souls almost left their bodies. The poem read: "The phoenix and luan jeweled tent is an extraordinary sight, adorned with exquisite gold decorations. The distant mountains are emerald green, and the dancing sleeves reflect the rosy clouds."
Pear blossoms, glistening with rain, vie in their beauty; peonies, shrouded in mist, display their alluring charm. If only they could be so captivating and graceful, they would be brought back to Chang Le Palace to serve the emperor.
This poem is actually a poem, a poem that blasphemes the goddess Nuwa.
The civil and military officials were shocked to see the mad King Zhou. They were all still in shock. In a moment, King Zhou seemed to have gone mad and rushed towards the seven sacred statues, smashing them to the ground. King Zhou's madness was so great that the officials did not even have time to stop him. They could only watch as the eight sacred statues were smashed to pieces.
Prime Minister Shang Rong immediately fell to the ground, crying out in anguish, "Holy beings and sages above, holy teachers above, please forgive my king's mistake. Your subject is willing to take the punishment on behalf of the king. I hope that you holy beings will be magnanimous and not hold my king against you. We will offer sacrifices and prayers every night from now on. I hope you will forgive us." As he spoke, he knelt down and began kowtowing repeatedly until his head bled profusely.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
