CHAPTER 425: CHAPTER 367: PREACHING QIAN AND KUN, MYSTICAL SECT MEETING

The Twelve Talismans include twelve spells.

Originally, the Five Mountains True Form Map occupied five slots, but now it has been condensed into one, leaving four slots vacant.

This caused the Twelve Cloud Seals to become incomplete again.

Logically, new spells needed to be added. Song Lin thought it might be a good idea to incorporate spells from this world.

The magical arts of the Eastern Yi mostly came from the divine skills of Penglai Immortal Mountain. The Beidi people were largely descendants of the Yinn Shang, who often dealt with ghosts and spirits. Their arts could be considered belonging to the Netherworld’s divine skills.

In the West, there is the Kunlun Queen Mother, and in the South, there is the Fire God Zhuu Rong.

Since arriving in this world physically, it was no longer acceptable to just take memories as before.

It was imperative to learn some powerful cultivation techniques before returning.

Upon returning to Haojing, Song Lin met with the captured Thunder God and Nine-Tailed Yellow Dragon.

The Thunder God surrendered straightforwardly, but the Nine-Tailed Yellow Dragon, having loyally served the monarchs of Xu Country for generations, was unyielding and swore death before submission.

After being beaten by Song Lin, the creature finally relented and surrendered.

From then on, the Zhou Dynasty gained two more Purple Mansion-level masters.

In local terms, this referred to masters at the Ancestor Realm.

Above this was the Emperor Realm, and higher still was the God Realm.

These corresponded to Tribulation Crossing and Primordial Spirit cultivation stages.

"The God Realm from the Eastern Yi is represented by the Eastern deity Ju Mang, who has the face of a man and the body of a bird, riding two dragons. It is said he is the Eastern God and the Eastern Extreme, reigning from Jieshi eastward to where the sun rises over the Mulberry Plains," explained the Thunder God as he quickly adapted to his new role.

In the East, the regions of Qingzhou and Yanz State still remained unconquered.

Since Song Lin had chosen to march eastward, he was determined not to falter halfway.

The strategy of the eastward campaign could not waver. This time, the campaign would also require the deployment of Xu Country’s army to weaken their forces while rallying the vassals of Qi and Lu for assistance. If they refused, war would be unavoidable.

The original purpose of establishing Qi Country was to hold the Eastern Yi in check. However, since Qi had allied themselves with the Eastern Yi, they would now have to be dealt with together.

The Great Zhou typically delegated members of the imperial family, meritorious officials, and sons of former kings to guard the frontiers.

Over time, these vassals gradually aligned themselves with the barbarians to consolidate personal interests, some even becoming assimilated by the barbarians.

Whether for personal gain or for the integrity of Zhuxia, Song Lin had both emotional and rational reasons to take action against them.

"Advance eastward, defend the west, resist the north, pacify the south, and guard the center."

Such was Song Lin’s immediate plan.

The Chu Country was not as arrogant as Xu Country, as they had not yet declared kingship and still pretended to follow the Central Plains’ order on the surface. Thus, for now, they could be ignored.

Once they completely annexed the lands of Yang Yue, their ambitions would swell. It would not be too late to deal with them then.

While Chu Country waited for the right moment, so too did Song Lin.

He observed which side time would favor.

Song Lin cultivated diligently through the night.

The following day, he arrived at the Haojing Academy.

Within its grounds, the scholars were either drawing talismans, practicing breathing techniques, or refining swords.

Perhaps due to the abundant Essence and Qi, and the exposed laws of the ancient era, cultivation progressed remarkably quickly here. Within just a few years, most reached the Divine Establishment stage, and some even began advancing toward the Core Formation Realm.

Prominent Taoist Soldiers, swordsmen, Thunder Skills, and Divine Demon Magic Veins had already been successfully cultivated by some.

"Your Majesty!"

Upon seeing Song Lin arrive, everyone immediately knelt in reverence.

These individuals were genuinely devoted. Most hailed from poor families, some so impoverished they did not even have names, which Song Lin personally bestowed upon them.

"Jianchen, Lei Ji, Bing Yang, Xiang Ming, Ma Shi. Each of you will lead your disciples into battle. Once the vassal states are subdued, you will assume key positions such as the Three Supervisors and the Three Dukes, overseeing the vassals."

Song Lin issued his orders to the assembly.

Since the strategy of Zhuxia had been decided upon, letting the vassals act unchecked was not an option. It necessitated placing supervisors among them.

In the future, disciples of Haojing Academy would be dispatched to serve as officials. Those who proved meritorious could be reassigned to the Central Great Zhou.

Most of these individuals practiced Taoist Skill, making them capable of counterbalancing the vassals.

This was Song Lin’s second tactic.

The final measure was to enhance the sacred image of the Human Emperor with an added layer of humanity.

This was not about diminishing his divine stature but rather about making the Emperor more relatable, ensuring his renown reached all levels of society.

This humanity was embodied in compassion.

Why did many vassals garner such affection from the people? It was partially because they were approachable, while the Emperor was too distant, and the vassals too near.

The people had little choice but to pledge undying loyalty to them.

Song Lin sought to convey the concept of "Ruler as Father."

The Emperor’s deeds and virtues should be turned into stories to spread far and wide, serving as benchmarks for the various nations to emulate.

The Emperor was not only Heaven’s anointed ruler but also a moral saint who cared for his subjects.

This notion, although destined to reach prominence during the Han Dynasty under Emperor Wen, was now adopted and implemented directly by Song Lin.

In the thirteenth year of King Mu of Zhou’s reign,

numerous tales of the Zhou Emperor King Mu suddenly emerged, showcasing his actions in judging cases, demonstrating filial piety, upholding etiquette, valuing talent, and dealing with vassals and rebellious generals.

That same year, plagues of locusts afflicted Mao Country, Yong Country, and Zhou lands. The Zhou Emperor personally visited the affected rural areas. Witnessing the suffering of the commoners filled him with deep sorrow, leading him to eat a locust on the spot.

"People depend on grain for their livelihood, yet you devour it, bringing harm to the people. If the fault lies with me alone, and if you possess any spirit, then consume my heart instead and spare the people," he declared.

Locusts, eat my heart, but do not consume the people’s crops.

All who witnessed this, be they commoners or vassals, were utterly moved and astounded.

What magnanimity the Emperor possessed, resembling a loving father taking responsibility for the wellbeing of all under heaven.

After this incident, the locust plague ceased.

The people of this era, pure in heart, were deeply affected by this series of selfless acts, and Song Lin’s prestige soared to unprecedented heights.

To the vassals and commoners alike, the Emperor’s reputation reached its zenith.

As a ruler and as a father, he was loved by all his subjects.

News of this spread to Qi and Lu, prompting the leaders of both states to immediately send tributes and prostrate themselves in submission.

The news also reached Jingchu, where the King of Chu was speechless for a long time. Finally, he turned to his attendants and said:

"No one under heaven dares rebel now."

With Heaven’s mandate upon the Emperor, coupled with his compassionate fatherly care,

who would dare openly oppose him?

Even if the King of Chu were to blatantly rebel against the Zhou Dynasty’s authority, the commoners in his domain would likely curse him, while other members of the royal family would seize the chance to usurp his throne.

Of course, the King of Chu was not as easily subdued as the vassals of Qi and Lu.

Declaring kingship and rebellion against the Zhou had long been the dream of the Xiong family. If necessary, they would proceed secretly, and even if they rebelled one day, they could claim it was done under the pretext of purging bad advisors in the Emperor’s court, avoiding direct backlash.

Soon, the Zhou Emperor announced a campaign against the Eastern Yi.

It was time to accomplish the great task of subduing the Eastern Yi, a feat that even his ancestors had failed to complete. The so-called Eastern Yi tribes on Eastern Yi Island, such as the Lai Yi, were also descendants of Yanhuang, though they had fallen out of the Zhou Dynasty’s control.

Song Lin’s goal now was to bring them into the fold of the Zhuxia territory.

In the real world, the map was also updated to include these regions.

An imperial decree regarding the rivalry for succession was issued.

In addition to the final tournament showdown, the competition now included a comparative assessment of each prince’s governance of their fiefs.

Each prince would receive a fief of roughly equal size, with ten years to demonstrate accomplishments.

Governance would be evaluated across areas such as livelihood, economy, military strength, and culture.

With the tacit agreement of the Eighth Prince and the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master, a six-county territory was granted to Wu Yi.

In the Donghua Jungle, Song Lin said to Wu Yi:

"Congratulations, you are now ready to establish your own state."

"It is thanks to the Taoist Master’s grace that I have been able to establish my state," Wu Yi humbly replied.

After some thought, Song Lin said, "I will teach you a cultivation technique, so you can cultivate while managing state affairs."

Since Wu Yi still carried a trace of the Emperor’s aura as a descendant, he was fit to cultivate the Qiankun Treasure.

Although he lacked the Nine Tripods, this cultivation technique was most suitable for Wu Yi.

Song Lin disdained the puppet-mastering approach. Since Wu Yi was a disciple of Donghua, he resolved to make him stronger rather than being overly restrictive.

After everyone had left,

Song Lin pondered for a long time.

The Donghua Jungle’s development was progressing too rapidly.

There was also a piece of hidden territory to consider. The primary domain already included the Four Mansions and Six Forests, equivalent to two-fifths of the Holy Might Taoist School’s territory.

Currently, it was involved in the struggle for succession, and the Grandmaster position awaited contributions from scholars presenting new theories.

Overall, everything seemed to be progressing steadily.

Yet Song Lin couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss.

Everything felt too smooth, contrary to his past experiences.

"Forget it, I won’t dwell on it."

For now, he would focus on conquering the story world.

Once his cultivation reached the desired state, he could begin his Tribulation Crossing.

Upon reaching the Fire Tribulation stage, no one in the Transcendence Tribulation Stage would be able to oppose him.

By then, Song Lin would have absolute confidence in the rivalry for succession.

Several days passed in succession.

At this moment, a letter arrived in the Donghua Jungle.

Opening it, Song Lin found that the Spirit Treasure Celestial Master had convened a magic meeting under the Eighth Prince’s name within the Taoist Alliance.

The golden-embossed text on the jade scroll bore the names of the Donghua Master and Donghua Taoist, signifying the high regard with which the Taoist Alliance held him.

This event was named the Mystical Sect Assembly.

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