Yinshan Record

Chapter 198 Sometimes Poor
Although Zhongyuan spoke lightly, Su Che could sense the helplessness in the words of this powerful figure who had come from the ancient primordial era.

Human strength has its limits, but what about the world's top-tier immortals? Do their powers also have an end?

Are there also long-cherished wishes that even supernatural powers cannot fulfill?
"The ancient Heavenly Court later collapsed, and the Five Emperors of the Five Directions fell one after another. The founding patriarch of the Divine Firmament Path and the leader of your Yellow Heaven Path each established their own sects and became the mainstay of the Xuanmen today. I, on the other hand, came to this Arctic region alone."

"Dongwanggong, as someone who came after you, what is your opinion? Was it right or wrong for us to establish the ancient Heavenly Court back then?"

Su Che understood that ancient immortals like Zhong Yuan, who had come all the way from the primordial era, had such firm Dao hearts and resolute wills that they didn't need anyone else to evaluate their achievements.

"Countless heads and countless drops of blood, all for the sake of the common people." Su Che said sincerely, "Many things in this world are not meaningful just because they ultimately achieve the desired result."

"Of all those who wanted to establish the ancient Heavenly Court back then, I was the most eccentric and stubborn." Zhongyuan looked at Su Che and said, "Those who shared the same ideals back then either perished in that great calamity, or left for other worlds in despair, and of course, some even started their own faction."

"My heart remains unchanged. Whether it's the Zhongshan Meeting or any other arrangements, the goal is to restore this ancient Heavenly Court to the world."

"However, times have changed, and it is much more complicated to accomplish this now than it was back then."

Even though Zhongyuan didn't name names, Su Che could tell how troublesome this matter was.

When the ancient Heavenly Court was established, the first priority was to ensure its legitimacy.

Which of the top figures in ancient times didn't come from that turbulent and chaotic primordial era?
They all had personal experience of the pain and had a certain understanding of the necessity of establishing the Heavenly Court. Otherwise, Zhongyuan and others would not have raised their arms and called for action, thus enabling the ancient Heavenly Court and the Five Emperors of the Five Directions to govern the four directions in their respective grandeur.

However, the mainstream of cultivators today is no longer the same as that of the past. For cultivators in the world today, rebuilding the Heavenly Court would undoubtedly add another shackle to their heads. How many people would truly agree to that?

The second issue is limited strength.

Leaving aside others, the Five Emperors of the Five Directions, who were elected as leaders in the ancient Heavenly Court, although they perished, still demonstrate their extraordinary magical power that has stood the test of time, as seen in the relics they left behind, such as the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden.

How many people like that can Zhongyuan find now?

Su Che was also making plans in his mind.

Including his own unseen grandmaster, Huang Tiandao, and the founder of the Shenxiao Dao sect whose name he had just heard today, there were only three of them in total.

Putting aside everything else, the lineup back then included the Five Emperors and Five Directions on top of these three.

If it weren't for his status, Su Che would really like to ask this ancient powerhouse in front of him a question.

Just how many immortals and long-lived beings do you have in your purse, sir?

The last point, and also the most important one.

The situation has really changed.

Leaving aside the distant past, in ancient times, the path of sword cultivation did not even exist. Yet now, the East Sea Sword Palace boasts over a dozen top-tier sword immortals. What will their attitude be towards the establishment of a Heavenly Court?

And then there's Buddhism. Back then, Buddhism was busy shutting itself away and tinkering with its own cycle of reincarnation. But now, Buddhism has not only completed the cycle of reincarnation, but each of these cycles also has three ancient Buddhas presiding over it.

With the shattering of the Yin-Yang boundary, Buddhism has shown a proactive attitude, which is completely different from the situation in ancient times.

Finally, there is the Demonic Sect. In ancient times, the Demonic Sect was not yet a force to be reckoned with, but now it dominates both the north and south. Although the names of the Northern Demonic Sect and the Southern Wilderness Demonic Sect are not known to the people of the Central Plains, which cultivator has not heard of them?

At that time, the Ghost Ancestor Palace of Beiman sent Huang Kou south, and Yan Bixing of the Cangtian Sect accompanied him.

The demonic sects have already reached out without anyone noticing. The extraterrestrial demon Lord of the End of Dharma is, needless to say, a sworn enemy of cultivators; how will these demonic sects react?
Of course, there's also the Xuandu Palace, which we can't ignore.

Zhongyuan dismissed the disaster of that year with a blunder, but would Xuandu Palace, which upholds the highest morality, sit idly by and watch such a terrible calamity happen again?

In Su Che's view, when Zhong Yuan and others established the Ancient Heavenly Court, the Xuandu Palace's attitude of not taking any stance was actually a tacit expression of support for the lineage of the Five Emperors of the Five Directions.

Because if they simply express their opposition, this ancient heavenly court should never be established.

But if we were to start all over again, would Xuandu Palace still have the same attitude as before?
Su Che truly felt that rebuilding the ancient Heavenly Court in Zhongyuan now would be many times more difficult than creating it back then.

It's no wonder that Huangtian Dao and Shenxiao Dao haven't shown any intention to re-establish the Heavenly Court; the circumstances are simply different.

Su Che felt that if he and Huang Tiandao were in each other's shoes, he would not participate in the plan to rebuild the Heavenly Court during the Zhongyuan era.

Even if they were determined to rebuild the Heavenly Court, they would need to cultivate at least a dozen first-rate Earth Immortals before they would reconsider these matters.

"Lord Dongwang, you have personally witnessed the displacement of the people under the walls of Cizhou City, and you have also felt the inhumanity of the current rulers of the Southern Dynasty."

"You personally experienced the calamity of Xuanshan. The grand ambitions that lion made to prove its Dao should still be ringing in your ears. Whether it succeeds or fails, it will bring disaster to the common people."

"When the Yin-Yang boundary shattered, you were right there. The struggle for the Great Dao was to expound the Dharma. The North and South fought to unify the universe. These were their proud achievements and grand schemes, but when they fell on the shoulders of the common people, they became mountains that crushed life into dust."

Zhongyuan looked at Su Che and said, "Don't you think we need to change this world and make them more cautious when they do these things? Although inaction is good, someone has to take action."

"After cultivating for ten thousand years, one achieves the Dao fruit. One becomes an immortal who lives as long as heaven and earth, capable of moving mountains and filling seas, plucking stars and seizing the moon, possessing the most extraordinary supernatural powers in the world. But what if one forgets one's original origin?"

Zhongyuan turned around and looked at the giant bronze tree behind him.

"Is the one who lives here merely a puppet under the laws of the Great Dao, or a true deity?"

"Although I am incompetent, I am willing to do my part."

Having said that, Su Che naturally knew how to respond.

The grand undertaking of rebuilding the ancient Heavenly Court wouldn't be much different with one more sixth-rank cultivator like myself, nor would losing one of them be a big deal.

If I were to adopt a rational, restrained, and neutral attitude at this time, I fear Zhongyuan would be ready to expel me from the family.

"I'll introduce you to a friend later."

Zhongyuan looked at Su Che and said, "Actually, you two have met once before."

Could it be that old ghost, the Ghost Ancestor of Beimang?

With a wave of his long sleeves, Zhongyuan silently conjured a figure on the long table.

He wore a mask that looked like a serpent, and his eyes held countless thoughts.

“This is Xiang Liu,” Zhong Yuan said. “Of course, you should be more familiar with the name Yin Yang Dharma King.”

(End of this chapter)