Chapter 316 The Initial Establishment of the Heavenly Court_2
From studying at the Daoist academy, to setting examination papers, through to ascending into the Heavenly Court and arranging official positions, even if the laws of Heaven were violated, they were all within their jurisdiction.
Zhou Yi said, "The Emperor of Heaven, although sounding supremely honored, actually governs Dongsheng Divine Continent with the bureaucrats!"
"You speak the truth."
Guang Weizi nodded slightly and then instructed, "The premise of this statement is that it has the support of the three teachings and is backed by human immortals; otherwise, one would merely be a bureaucrat."
Zhou Yi bowed and said, "Disciple will bear this in mind."
"It's a pity, such a pity..."
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The Iron Crown Immortal sighed and said, "With such karma, even immortals would frown upon it. In this life, your path is destined to be cut off; otherwise, if you were to oversee the Heavenly Court for five thousand years, Dongsheng Divine Continent would surely flourish even more!"
"Fate is such, no need to force it! Besides, the Heavenly Court is only responsible for managing the Cultivation World, and with my teachings guiding from behind the scenes, there won't be chaos."
In the end, Zhou Yi made no promises about the Heavenly Court not falling into disorder while he lived, as after all, compared to his endless lifespan, the Heavenly Court was but a single wave in the ocean.
Perhaps when the wave splashed, it affected the fates of countless beings, but that was all.
The tide of Spiritual Energy was destined to break free, and the Heavenly Court would collapse sooner or later. Texts from the Daoist tradition millions of years later would study the Heavenly Court as ancient mythology.
Zhou Yi was the creator, observer, and recorder of this ancient mythology.
When necessary, he would also be the destroyer!
After adjusting the names on the Investiture of the Gods, Zhou Yi put away the Yellow Silk into his sleeve and asked,
"Grandmaster, do the old ancestors have a way to establish the Heavenly Court?"
Guang Weizi said, "The key lies in the foundation of the Heavenly Court. However, in Dongsheng Divine Continent, all the Spiritual Mountain Blessed Lands already have owners, none of whom are willing to hand them over to the Heavenly Court."
"Even if someone were willing, it would not be suitable for establishing the Heavenly Court."
Zhou Yi said, "Disciple believes that we should select a ten thousand li territory right in the center of Dongsheng Divine Continent to be the foundation of the Heavenly Court."
Guang Weizi calculated for a moment and said, "In the center of the continent, within a radius of ten thousand li, there are no Spiritual Mountain Blessed Lands, just a few minor Spirit Veins, which are insufficient to support the cultivation of the gods of the Heavenly Court!"
After the Investiture of Incense, a batch of True Gods would appear in the Heavenly Court, and only the Spiritual Mountain Blessed Lands could provide the necessary Spiritual Energy for their cultivation.
"For this matter, we will need the Loose Cultivators' ancestors to gather these minor Spirit Veins from various places and converge them in the center of Dongsheng Divine Continent, arranging them into a Formation using these Spirit Veins."
Zhou Yi took out a set of Formation diagrams and said, "Disciple has found a Soul Binding Grand Formation in the tomb of a sage that can gather Spiritual Energy near the Spirit Veins, increasing the density of Spiritual Energy several times."
"With the combination of the two, we can artificially create a ten thousand li Spiritual Mountain Blessed Land!"
Dongsheng Divine Continent is currently at its peak, with rich Spiritual Energy in every region and numerous minor Spirit Veins spread throughout the land, which is why there has been no need for the Soul Binding Formation until now.
Guang Weizi, who was well-versed in Formation and Prohibition, glanced over the jade slip with his Divine Sense and nodded slightly, "This Formation seems simple, yet is extremely innovative; it must have been left by a master of Array Dao."
"Brother, the use of this Formation is not limited to this."
The Iron Crown Immortal said, "In the ancient texts, there are records about the exhaustion of Spiritual Energy and the decline of the ultimate Dharma. At that time, deploying this Formation would allow us to survive longer than other sects."
Guang Weizi pondered for a moment, considering whether to use a different Formation.
While the Patching Heaven Sect supported the establishment of the Heavenly Court, they would not contribute their unique inheritance lest other great sects learn and use it.
Zhou Yi said, "Master, the decline of the Dharma won't come overnight. During the process of Spiritual Energy depletion, there will surely be those who study methods similar to the Soul Binding one."
"Indeed, it is so."
Guang Weizi said, "Then let's do as you say, and establish the Heavenly Court in the center of Dongsheng Divine Continent."
Zhou Yi said, "Now that the foundation of the Heavenly Court is set, before the Investiture, we need to prepare for another matter—that is, the separation of immortals and mortals!"
With immortals and mortals living together, the gods of the Heavenly Court would have difficulty commanding respect.
Only if cultivators have less contact with the common folk can the local deities manage the people; the Heavenly Court then manages the local deities, forming a hierarchy from top to bottom.
"Worry not, the ancestors of human immortals have already decided; disciples of the sects will return to their mountains for secluded cultivation, Cultivator Emperors and officials will abdicate, transitioning to a nation of mortals."
Guang Weizi said, "Unless necessary, cultivators are forbidden from showing divinity in the mortal realm. If anyone dares to deceive for incense, or to kill, the Duty Gods, Heavenly Soldiers, and Heavenly Generals will capture and suppress them!"
Zhou Yi said, "Sects and the Imperial Court are easy to handle, but there are too many Loose Cultivators..."
"Change in the Cultivation World has never been smooth and stable; blood must be the sacrifice for reform!"
Guang Weizi said solemnly, "If Loose Cultivators defy the laws of Heaven, it would be apt to capture them and imprison them in the Heavenly Prison, sending the worst offenders to the Immortal Slaying Stage. Once Heaven's Gate is soaked with the blood of the Immortal Slaying Stage, the majesty of the Heavenly Court will be established!"
Zhou Yi was never of a kind-hearted disposition, and what's more, the one he had killed was a Loose Cultivator causing trouble. He promptly bowed and said.
"I will carefully follow the decree of the Sect Leader!"
...
Now, talking about the Ancestral Immortals of the seventy-two sects, after forging the Investiture of the Gods, they returned to their sects.
They immediately summoned their disciples and clan members, and went over each divine position and name on the list, discussing how to deal with the establishment of the Heavenly Court.
Especially anxious were the Ancestral Immortals from the various nations, who had ascended to the Void Returning stage by sheer luck, leaving behind an incomplete transmission of Immortal heritage. After ascending to the Immortal Realm, there would be no more Immortal protection for the Imperial Clan.
Even if there were True Gods who broke through with the support of incense and Investiture, their strength was inherently inferior to that of an Immortal, and they would be further restrained by the Heavenly Court.
Therefore, they had to arrange for the aftermath with clarity.
In the Imperial Court, there were cultivators well-versed in the ways of the officialdom, who quickly pointed out some seemingly inconspicuous but immensely powerful positions. They requested the Ancestors to make swaps for these positions as a reliance for the continuity of the National Dynasty.
"The Investiture of the Gods is in the hands of the Repair the Heavens Sect, and those three first disciples are famously slick, backed by the Iron Crown Immortal and others. Swapping positions will be quite troublesome!"
The Ancestral Immortal said, "But that rascal is most greedy for wealth and lustful. We should take a large amount of Spiritual Objects from the clan treasury. We don't need all the positions to our liking, but we must have our own people overseeing a few strategic locations."
"Furthermore, after the establishment of the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Emperor will be the rightful ruler. Let's also send a gift over there!"
...
One month later.
Zhou Yi returned to Qingyun Mountain from Heavenly Mountain.
As soon as his light of concealment touched down at the Mountain God Temple, his communication talismans began to buzz incessantly, receiving dozens of invitations for discussions and banquets.
Without needing to divine, he could guess their intentions and replied to the communications one by one.
Three days later.
Qingyun Mountain dazzled with lights of concealment as cultivators with profound auras flew in, exchanging cold glances and those with more temperamental and irritable personalities even taunting a few words.
If they could cause the other's Dao Heart to falter and leave, it would be one less competitor to worry about.
Eternal Prosperity Hall.
Once everyone had arrived, the host and guests took their seats.
Zhou Yi took out the Investiture of the Gods from his sleeves and slowly spread it out, saying, "The contents are surely known to all my fellow disciples, so I will not say more. Today is the last chance for adjustment, so feel free to speak your minds."
Implicit in his words was that after today, the positions listed on the Investiture of the Gods would be set in stone!
The top three ranks were decided by the Ancestral Immortals, the middle three by the disciples, and the lower three contested by countless Loose Cultivators, which seemed very reasonable.
The former emperor of Great Moon Nation immediately said, "I, your humble Daoist, do not take pleasure in warfare and am better at teaching and educating, not suited for this position of vanguard general. Perhaps I could be switched to the position of a doctoral scholar in the Daoist Academy."
"Zhao Laojiu, you dare say you don't enjoy warfare?"
The elder from Great Cloud Nation taunted, "During the two hundred years of your reign, wars never ceased, and countless lives were lost. The position of vanguard general suits you quite well!"
As the words fell, support for the statement immediately arose.
"The general possesses real power and takes the lead. In the future, if demons and devils cause trouble in Dongsheng Divine Continent, wouldn't it be glorious for you, Daoist friend, to personally lead troops to quell them?"
"Well said, well said! The donor carries the mandate of heaven's execution; this scholarly position would be better undertaken by me, a humble monk. My Buddhist disciples are the best at converting; should any junior dare not to study the scriptures earnestly, I will chant beside his ear for three years!"
"Bald donkey, dreaming big, aren't you?"
"..."
The position of doctoral scholar, ranking just below the dean of the Daoist Academy, is responsible for lecturing juniors and imparting the teachings of past sages and their Daoist scriptures.
It may seem like a mere teaching position, but after the laws of the Immortal Register were promoted, the Daoist Academy would become a place that all cultivators must pass through.
When the Heavenly Court recruited new officials, they would naturally prioritize cultivators from the Daoist Academy, as they were trained in-house. Thus, the Daoist Academy was akin to a training school for the Heavenly Court's reserve officials.
The dean is a top third-rank High Monk, with a fixed position unchangeable by anyone else.
The positions of doctoral scholars, lecturers, compilers of the teachings of past sages, and so on, which allow for interaction with juniors, must be contended for.
On the other hand, positions like vanguard general of the Heavenly Soldiers, in the eyes of large sect disciples, are akin to cheap thugs who run around enduring hardships, not to mention the risk of life and death in spell battles.
Such positions should be left to Loose Cultivators!