Yinshan Record

Chapter 110 Following Heaven and Responding to the People
Outside Shanyin County, corpses lay strewn across the fields, and the fertile land was littered with the bodies of soldiers and monsters.

The Lion-Blue Lotus, possessing all the qualities of the Tathagata, transformed into the Black Mountain Monster, corrupting countless demons within the Xuan Mountain and driving them to attack Shanyin County.

This was originally a deliberate, misleading move by the old lion to distract others.

But when this seemingly insignificant game of chess is played in the human world, it becomes a fierce battle.

Yu Ze, the Imperial Censor of Daliang, Feng Xingbu, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration, and Shi Chibao, the Commander of the Cizhou Criminal Investigation Bureau, each led their respective armies to intercept the enemy.

The demon army corrupted by the demons clashed fiercely with the Liang army at the foot of Shanyin City, fighting until the sun and moon were obscured. The demons corrupted by the demons were fearless and the Liang army had no choice but to fight to the death.

The demon army approached the city gates several times, about to rush into the city and massacre its inhabitants, but was repeatedly driven back by the Liang army.

Fortunately, with two fifth-rank experts, Feng Buxing and Yu Ze, in charge, and the Wuyun Iron Cavalry, the two sides managed to maintain a balance of power until the water department under Lady Xue, the Water Goddess of Canglang, joined the Liang side, which turned the tide.

When Yu Lizi attained immortality and the old lion tragically perished, and Zhong Yuan finally made his move, the situation had already reversed. Most of the demons corrupted by the demons scattered and fled towards Xuanshan, while Wu Yundu pursued them relentlessly.

By the time Su Che returned to Shanyin County, the great battle had come to an end. Everywhere there were Liang soldiers collecting corpses, as well as imperial guards supervising and guiding the burning of demon corpses.

Such a fierce battleground, where blood and evil spirits condense and yin energy covers everything, will become a place overrun by ghosts and monsters if left untreated. Shanyin will become the next Guobei.

Meanwhile, Wu Yundu followed Feng Xingbu deep into Xuanshan, searching for the traces of the great demon corrupted by evil, and wiping out all the demons.

In Shanyin City now, there are disaster victims everywhere waiting to return home, sitting numbly in the streets and alleys, holding their bowls and waiting for the soup kitchen to serve them porridge.

County Magistrate Jiang made his final contribution to the people of his hometown. The Imperial Censor Yu Ze ordered the Jiang family to be raided and exterminated. Not only were all the fields confiscated by the government, but his family's wealth and stored grain were also used to provide relief to disaster victims.

This served as a warning to others, and with Tian, ​​the registrar, leading the other prominent families in the county, they also offered a considerable portion of their stored grain to Vice Minister Yu in exchange for peace of mind.

With the imperial army at their side, no one dared to be sloppy in front of Vice Minister Yu, after all, everyone had witnessed his ruthlessness.

It can be said that misfortune and fortune are intertwined. Because of the ravages of monsters and powerful clans, the population of Shanyin County was already small, and the few powerful clans and the imperial court were able to support them.

When Su Che returned to Shanyin County, although there was chaos, there was still order.

Su Che felt that this was a good thing for the people of Shanyin County. The Xuan Mountain had been harboring problems for a long time, and no one knew when something might happen.

Now that the festering wound has finally been punctured, and with the Jiang family gone, the burden on the people can be lightened considerably.

Inside the county government office, Yu Lizi sat at the head of the table, gently turning the pages of a book called "Xuanzhong Ji" and examining it carefully.

Madam Xue stood cautiously not far away.

Yu Ze and Shi Chibao stood cautiously on either side.

"Master, I have already sent someone to find Su Lixing..."

Shi Chibao tentatively asked.

They had already witnessed the unparalleled charm of the person before them.

A True Person of the Third Rank in Taoism has an immeasurable lifespan and is known as "one who reigns with the world." There is a saying: "A field lasts a thousand years, has eight hundred owners; every three hundred years, a true king will surely emerge."

No matter how the world changes, they are already high in the sky, watching the rise and fall of human affairs.

"Let's bring it back, he'll be fine."

Yu Lizi put the copy of "Xuanzhong Ji" aside.

"With the Xuan Mountain shattered, the geological formations of this place have changed. There will be no more great demons causing trouble for the next hundred years. Now that the natural disaster is over, the future depends on the leadership of the people."

"Yes. Your humble servant will certainly..." "I will remember Madam's actions today. The path to divinity is long and arduous. Please take good care of yourself."

"It is already a great honor to have witnessed your magnificence today, but now I have a matter I wish to ask for your help with. If I could receive your guidance, I would be eternally grateful..."

Yu Ze looked at this Madam Xue and said that Master Wei was just being polite and told her to remember it well when she got back. He really thought too highly of himself.

Madam Xue treated Yu Ze as if he were air, completely unaware of his question, and asked rather persistently.

“I have heard that this Lion-Lotus Tathagata obtained a Primordial Divine Talisman from the secret treasury of the previous dynasty. Since I began cultivating the divine path, I have been refining incense day and night. I believe that since the divine talisman was formed from incense, it must be the result of my acquired cultivation and practice.”

"However, the theory of innate divine registers has always been presented with absolute certainty. This disciple is foolish and ignorant, so please enlighten me, Master, is it true that innate divine registers exist in this world? If innate divine registers do exist, can we, as practitioners of the divine path, use acquired methods to transform our own divine registers into innate ones...?"

Since this concerns the very foundation of one's enlightenment, Madam Xue will surely seize this opportunity.

If I miss Yu Lizi today, who knows when I'll meet another wise person willing to guide me on my path?

Yu Lizi glanced at Yu Ze beside him; the Imperial Censor kept his head down and remained silent.

"The essence of cultivation lies in the struggle between heaven and man. The art of the divine way, however, is about conforming to heaven and responding to man within the struggle between heaven and man. Condensing divine talismans is an inescapable hurdle in cultivating the divine way, and it is also the key to experiencing the method of conforming to heaven and responding to man. There is no such thing as a 'pre-heaven' divine talisman in this world."

Yu Lizi directly addresses the crux of the problem.

Cultivators are not subject to the laws of heaven and earth. Regardless of their path, it all boils down to the struggle between heaven and man, which is a kind of reaction against heaven and earth.

The so-called innate divine talisman is like an innate elixir, which means that heaven and earth have prepared the results of your cultivation in advance. So what exactly is cultivation?
Madam Xue showed a relieved expression.

Indeed, losing this innate divine talisman will make my cultivation much more difficult, but ultimately, it is a good thing for me.

The divine talisman that is gradually condensed in this way is the best proof of one's cultivation.

"There are no innate divine talismans in this world. However, there are quite a few innate divine talismans that people call them. These were made by people in the Xuanmen sect in ancient times using the method of talismans, and they do have the effect of enabling people to ascend to the status of gods on the spot."

Lady Xue's eyes lit up. A divine deity—wasn't that exactly what she had been seeking?

“It is not appropriate to call it the Primordial Divine Talisman, but it is fine to call it the Conferred Divine Talisman. It is said that in ancient times, the people of the Xuanmen sect used the essence of heaven and earth as the foundation, divided it into different categories, and cultivated a total of 365 such Conferred Divine Talismans.”

Yu Lizi looked at Madam Xue: "You understand well. The Tathagata with the Lion-Green Lotus also has a talisman for bestowing gods. It should have been obtained from the secret treasury of the previous dynasty. It can be considered as one of the backup plans he left for himself."

"I am deeply grateful for your guidance, Master. I will never forget it."

Lady Xue, having resolved the doubts, bowed again.

She doesn't need an innate divine talisman to ascend to godhood; what she needs is someone to answer the questions in her heart.

What is God?
If innate divine talismans truly exist, then what is the meaning of the divine talismans one cultivates oneself? What is the significance of one's own path of cultivation?
After Yu Lizi's explanation, Madam Xue understood that the so-called innate divine talisman was nothing more than something made by people in the Xuanmen sect back then, and was an evolution of the Xuanmen's laws and regulations.

Both the innate divine talisman and one's own divine talisman are the result of cultivation. However, the former is a derivative of the supreme supernatural power of a great master in the Xuanmen sect, while the latter is the foundation of one's own years of cultivation.

Follow the will of Heaven and the will of the people.

Yu Ze pondered these four words repeatedly.

"My lords, Su Lixing has returned."

One of the sergeants was outside preaching the gospel.

(End of this chapter)