Within this Hall of Saints lies the most secret longevity energy collected by Hong Yi from the Nine Abyss Divine Realm, which can slow down time and prolong life.
Such a blessed and secluded place naturally made many great Confucian scholars reluctant to leave. The massive compilation work would have taken Hong Yi many years to complete by himself alone, but with the participation of great Confucian scholars from various academies across the land, and with each academy contributing its treasured classics, such as the Six Paths of Brahma from the Buddhist school, the Phoenix Nirvana Scroll from the Wang family, the Chongyang True Scripture, and the Righteous Qi Scroll, progress was rapid.
Books and ancient scrolls, studies of divination, tortoise shells, alchemical texts, astrology, the three religions and nine schools of thought, agriculture, planting, medicine, architecture, etiquette, music, medicine, geography, climate, water, secrets of the four seas, and ancient records all continuously converged into the Hall of Saints of the "Zhouyi Academy".
One by one, scriptures were copied and integrated.
Many great scholars, as well as hundreds and thousands of sages, lived peacefully in the Zhouyi Academy, spending their days studying, eating dragon tooth rice, and completely immersing themselves in the process of writing the Book of Changes.
Hong Yi was not idle either.
As the editor-in-chief and the author of the opening hexagrams Qian and Kun, he spent far more time each day studying than any of the great Confucian scholars.
The entire Great Qian Tianzhou, hundreds of great Confucian scholars, tens of thousands of sages under their command, and millions of volumes of books and secret texts were all transported here. How vast is the amount of knowledge contained within?
Hong Yi originally thought he had a wealth of knowledge, but as he read classic texts and discussed with many great scholars, he realized that what he had learned was just a drop in the ocean of knowledge in the vast world.
He kept learning, and day by day he felt his mind filled with knowledge. This knowledge kept merging and changing, converging into a kind of wisdom that was hard to explain.
As the days went by, Hong Yi completely stopped practicing his Taoist arts and immersed himself in absorbing a vast ocean of knowledge.
Everything in the vast world—humanities, history, geography, astronomy, the universe, time and space, human nature, and species—was completely contained within Hong Yi's heart.
Having read to the deepest level and absorbed countless pieces of knowledge, Hong Yi had a vague feeling that he was the universe itself, and the universe was him.
Meanwhile, those who accompanied Hong Yi along the way, including Xiao Mu, the little fox, Yuan Fei, Chi Zhuiyang, Shen Tiezhu, and Master Zhou, also fully absorbed all sorts of knowledge.
The sixty-fourth year of the Daqian era passed quickly.
Autumn passed and winter came. Finally, the year-end was over, and it was the sixty-fifth year of the Daqian era. Everything was peaceful and calm.
May the weather be favorable, and may the country be prosperous and the people at peace.
Jiang Liu possessed Emperor Qian, Yang Pan, and forged the "future master." The Creation Ship was completed, but his actions became increasingly unpredictable.
Greatly powerful beings continue to descend upon the Central World, some by seizing bodies, others by coercion, and still others by enticement. Of the eighty-one states in the world, only half are truly under Yang Pan's control, and who knows if even that half has been infiltrated by others?
Yang Pan wanted to establish an immortal dynasty and collect faith and merit in order to cross to the other side, while Jiang Liu did not need to care about the ownership of this world, thus he was free from many constraints.
So what if the Central World descends? So what if the Ancient God-King descends? So what if this world is taken away...?
Although transcending the other shore requires fulfilling a great vow, and this great vow should be found in the merits of all people in the world, which is the same as the path to sainthood through merit, Jiang Liu's path is not in this world, so naturally there is no need to gather the merits of all people in the world.
Therefore, by entrusting the affairs of the court to Yang Pan's sons and establishing the cabinet, Jiang Liu was completely freed from the constraints of the court.
This year was both peaceful and turbulent.
Every month, scholars throughout the land would know that an extra divination would be performed at the Zhouyi Academy. People from all walks of life would rush to buy the divination and read it.
Even many cultivators who are hidden in some famous mountains and rivers will come to the secular world, buy a copy of the I Ching, observe the way of Tai Chi and Bagua, and the more they read, the more they feel that the hexagrams are profound and extensive.
This book is gradually changing the world's landscape, revealing the situation of immortals and mortals in this vast world.
...
"The Spirit God is dead? When did that happen?"
In the sixty-fifth year of the Great Qian Dynasty, Hong Yi awoke from his extensive reading and listened to those around him discussing the major events that had recently occurred in the world, his brows furrowing slightly.
"It should have been three months ago, but the information was only recently leaked. No one knows when, where, or by whom the Yuanqi God was killed. It wasn't until recently, when the leader of the Yuanqi God Temple discovered a change in the Yuanqi God's faith, and after verifying from multiple sources, that this was confirmed. We only just received the latest news..."
Hong Yi frowned even more. The Primordial Spirit was a Creator who had undergone seven tribulations of lightning. It was too strange that he had died so quietly and inexplicably.
"It took three months to discover this. So, the person who killed the Primordial God is not only terrifyingly powerful, but also a master of the Way of Faith. Such a person is absolutely unique in the Great Thousand Worlds. Could it be that another great being has descended upon the Central World, or has he returned?"
Hong Yi looked through the "Hall of Saints" into the void, his eyes filled with an unusually complex expression.
Although Jiang Liu only taught him for a very short time, it laid the foundation for his growth and even bestowed upon him the Dragon Tooth Rice, which enabled him to achieve what he has today.
It can be said that for Hong Yi, all of this is almost entirely thanks to Jiang Liu.
Little did he know that all of this originally belonged to him, but Jiang Liu had stolen the opportunity that was rightfully his and then returned some of it to him.
"A being from beyond the universe... Master! What exactly do you intend to do?"
Hong Yi sighed deeply, and with a thought, he took in all the information about the Temple of Saints.
Many great Confucian scholars and their disciples were constantly thinking and writing in a unique space in the Hall of Saints. These great Confucian scholars who compiled the book together naturally benefited greatly.
Their thoughts flickered incessantly, and sparks of wisdom unconsciously emanated from their bodies, combining with the true energy of the saints within the "Hall of Saints," constantly refining them.
The Temple of Saints is becoming increasingly refined and cohesive. The operation of many great formations is becoming more tightly integrated, solid, and in harmony with nature.
"Good, good, good! I didn't expect there to be such power. Originally, after the Temple of Saints condensed the Taiji Thunder Pool, it would need to be tempered by lightning for at least several hundred years to truly become solid and eternal! But now, I didn't expect that the wisdom of these great Confucian scholars would be even more effective than lightning. One year of compiling the Book of Changes is equivalent to one hundred years of tempering by lightning."
Hong Yi carefully examined the "Hall of Saints," feeling both delighted and worried.
The mysterious death of Yuan Qi Shen will inevitably unleash a tremendous wave of chaos.
"A storm is brewing, and the wind is howling!"
With a thought, Hong Yi left the Temple of Saints and embarked on a journey to find his master.
Chapter 464 The Great Zhou Emperor
Amidst the chaotic void, streaks of magnificent golden light flashed, time and space twisted wildly, and a figure fled in despair.
The Supreme Reverse Flow Technique!
This desperate escapee was none other than the Great Zhou Emperor Taizu, who had been nearly killed by Jiang Liu and had taken Sky City from him.
Unexpectedly, many years later, he not only did not die, but his strength also advanced further, reaching the realm of a creator who has undergone seven tribulations of lightning.
Following this beam of light, a massive warship pierced through the void and arrived in quick succession, instantly suppressing the entire distorted spacetime.
The time vortex created by the Imperial Reversal Technique vanished without a trace.
The "Imperial Supreme Reversal Technique" can reverse the flow of time and spirit, allowing one to escape the constraints of time. It is truly an earth-shattering and awe-inspiring Taoist art.
But it has absolutely no effect in the face of the "Ark of Creation," just like Sun Wukong in the Buddha's palm, unable to escape his grasp.
An invisible storm swept across the entire void, and the boundless "Primordial Copper True Qi" on the body of the Great Zhou Emperor surged wildly, even causing cracks to appear on his skin.
The entire physical body seemed about to disintegrate.
"Yang Pan, don't push your luck..."
Amidst the storm stirred up by this "Ark of Creation," the Great Zhou Emperor roared, and the dark clouds around his Avici Throne surged, exuding a violent aura of slaughter.
"Battle Soul Killing Aura, Thousand Ghosts Unleashed!"
"Phantom Shuttle!"
In quick succession, the Avici Throne flew up and pressed down on Emperor Qian Yang Pan, also crashing into the Creation Ship. Its aura was fierce, and tens of thousands of ferocious battle spirits rushed in, with ghostly wails and howls everywhere, and blood raining down from the dark clouds.
Emperor Taizu of the Great Zhou actually abandoned his "Avici Throne," which he had been cultivating for three hundred years, in exchange for time to escape.
The Phantom Shuttle was activated and immediately split into many shuttles, about to enter the void.
"Heh... If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it long ago. I just asked you to lead me to the exact location of the Great Annihilation God King! Now that we've arrived at our destination, you can go see the King of Hell!" Yang Pan muttered under his breath, then sneered and waved his hand, activating the great array on the "Creation Ship".
"Netherworld Black Hole, withdraw!"
Faced with the attack of the battle spirit of the Abyssal Throne, Yang Pan, who was controlled by Jiang Liu, did not even flinch. A beam of black light shot out from the "Ark of Creation" and a vortex was created at the same time, which directly covered the Abyssal Throne and absorbed it into it.
"The Phantom Shuttle is a decent magic weapon, but it is utterly useless against the Ark of Creation."
As they spoke, many celestial screens suddenly appeared in the void, and the phantom shuttles that were about to enter were ejected one after another. These celestial screens were composed of endless Taiyin Gang Wind.
The Phantom Shuttle is neither the Ship of Creation, nor the Eternal Kingdom of the Supreme Dao, nor the Temple of Saints of Hong Yi, so it naturally cannot tear apart the shackles of the Taiyin Gang Wind above the Nine Heavens.
Crackling sounds filled the air as the phantom shuttles, which had been ejected, coalesced again, forming the horrified face of the Great Zhou Emperor. At this moment, even this peerless hero and towering giant knew that his reign was likely over!
After the initial shock, an extremely ferocious expression appeared on his face!
"Great Annihilation God King, Great Annihilation God King..." With a ferocious expression, the Great Zhou Emperor launched a frenzied counterattack.
However, just as he was gaining momentum to launch a counterattack, a vast golden light rose from within the "Ark of Creation" like rounds of golden suns, and within each of those golden suns, faint figures appeared.
The golden sun trembled, releasing a vast spiritual energy that shook the heavens and earth. Within this golden energy, a fighting spirit surged. The golden suns coalesced, transforming into a massive golden cauldron. Engraved upon the cauldron were countless figures, resembling elite armies. The cauldron hovered motionless in the sky, yet faintly, the sounds of countless battles seemed to emanate from within.
Roar, roar, roar roar roar...
The Great Zhou Emperor was suppressed by this golden cauldron and attacked by the central Wuji Hollow True Qi. He could not find his way east, west, south, or north and could only roar wildly. He could not even muster his strength.
As the calamity loomed, the "Ark of Creation" revealed a terrifying killing intent. The "Primordial Copper True Qi" surrounding the Great Ancestor of Zhou was constantly torn apart, shattered, and reduced to nothingness by the swirling air currents around his body.
The footsteps of death were closing in on the Great Zhou Emperor in an instant.
Just then, a strange sound appeared in the void, seemingly from the distant horizon yet also seemingly right beside you!
Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh...
A voice, neither bird nor chicken, carrying the aura of ancient demons, rang out.
"Is this the voice of the Great Annihilation God King?"
Jiang Liu looked into the void through the nine divine eyes of the "Lord of the Future." Hidden in the endless, layered spacetime, a bird-headed, human-bodied demon god with a huge blood-red fleshy crown on his head, flames like blood, and exuding great destruction and annihilation appeared in his mind. It was the Great Annihilation God King.
It seems that he received the divine power transmission from the Great Annihilation God King, or perhaps under the pressure of death, the Great Ancestor of Zhou broke through.
"The Great Annihilation of the Primordial Era, a single cry that astounds all!"
Ooh ooh ooh, ooh ooh ooh...
In an instant, the Great Zhou Emperor raised his head like a rooster and crowed, heralding the dawn! In the midst of this crow, he moved his fist and punched the huge golden cauldron that sealed him. Instantly, the entire space was shrouded in a violent storm, and the cauldron shattered inch by inch.
The Great Annihilation God Fist possesses a will to destroy all things!
The "Lord of the Future" stared into the void with nine divine eyes. With a slight thought, a beam of light burst forth from the Creation Ship. The three Thunder Pools within the ship unleashed their immense power, transforming into a massive pillar of light tens of thousands of feet tall that shot into the sky.
At the same time, countless divine array patterns engraved on the hull also shone brightly, and a destructive aura emanated from them.
Just as the attack appeared before the Great Zhou Emperor's eyes, the towering pillar of light, tens of thousands of feet tall, rapidly transformed, finally becoming a thousand-foot-tall Buddha statue, filled with an ancient and vast aura.
They were suppressed.
The thousand-foot-tall golden Buddha sits in the lotus position, with his left hand resting horizontally on his left foot and his right hand perpendicular to the ground, palm facing inward, the tip of his middle finger touching the ground. This is the "Earth-touching Mudra," which is said to be the impression formed when the Buddha attained enlightenment. It can subdue all demons and is therefore also known as the "Demon-Subduing Mudra."
As the middle finger touched the ground, it pressed down from above the clouds. Instantly, the sky shattered, and pieces of space collapsed into black holes. Countless fragments of space shot out, and the entire world seemed to be on the verge of destruction under that finger.
And below that middle finger is the Great Zhou Emperor.
Soul and spirit annihilated!