NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 30: Saint of Earth
Recognizing the unique coercion emanating from Zhen Yuanzi's body, undisguised shock appeared on Jieyin's and Zhunti's faces. As Saints of Heaven, they only feared other Saints. It was this confidence that allowed them to maintain their composure even when situations occurred outside of their expectations.
However, that confidence shook with the appearance of the ninth Saint of the world. The Dao Ancestor originally obtained eight strands of Grandmist Violet Qi. He used one himself and distributed the rest to Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, Nuwa, and Redcloud Ancestor. So, the two couldn't help but question where Zhen Yuanzi had obtained the last strand of Grandmist Violet Qi.
Zhunti's eyes flashed with a thought, and he directed his gaze at Redcloud Ancestor. As he expected, Redcloud Ancestor's expression showed no shock, only satisfaction. He wanted to ask how Redcloud Ancestor was able to secure the final strand of Grandmist Violet Qi despite the Way of Heaven's obstruction.
Still, that was a question for later. For now, Jieyin and Zhunti schooled their expressions until they returned to their usual compassionate smile.
The coercion emanating from Zhen Yuanzi continued to grow. Myriad phenomena sprouted from the ground around him and spread. Earth dragons burst out of the ground, roaring at the heavens; golden grass flourished, dyeing the land gold; Ginseng Trees sprouted, their fruits matured and dropped onto the ground, enriching the land.
All creatures in the Earthly Realm, be they sentient life or beasts that ran on instinct, kneeled in reverence, but only life in the Earthly Realm. The denizens of the Heavenly Realm and Nether Realm were unaffected.
During the process of becoming a Saint, Zhen Yuanzi's consciousness traveled to the core space of the Three Realms, where he chose to immediately master the Law of Earth. It was only at this moment that he truly realized why Saints were able to enter the Primordial Origin Realm immediately.
His consciousness exited from core space, having completed his consecration. The coercion and the earthly phenomenon disappeared, and Zhen Yuanzi gazed at the guests. He could see shock, reverence, envy, and much much more. He paid special attention to Kong Xuan, the Three Realm's sole Half-Saint. He could understand the incomprehension, but why could he see primal fear in those eyes?
Zhen Yuanzi turned toward Jieyin and Zhunti, who directed their compassionate smiles at him. Then, he turned to Redcloud Ancestor, who gave a proud and encouraging gaze. Turning back to his guests, Zhen Yuanzi smiled. "Alongside the creation of the Earth Celestial League, I thank you for coming to witness my consecration of ascending to a Saint of Earth. From henceforth, I shall be known as the Realm Linked King."
Most of the three thousand guests that attended the Dao Ancestor's sermon in Violet Heaven had perished, but the word of events disseminated. They all knew the existence of Saints of Heaven, but what was a Saint of Earth?
Zhen Yuanzi didn't plan on hiding it either from the moment he sensed that only life in the Earthly Realm revered him. Was this the difference between a Saint of Heaven and a Saint of Earth?
Redcloud Ancestor already knew, and Tongtian would inform the rest of the Three Purities. The only Saints that didn't know were Jieyin, Zhunti, and Nuwa. However, they would figure out the difference soon enough, so why should he hide it?
At most, it would only fool the masses. Just because the Saints knew didn't mean Zhen Yuanzi would enlighten the masses. They just needed to know that a Saint of Earth differed from a Saint of Heaven.
"As the king of the Earth Celestial League, I now divided the Earthly Realm into the Nine Provinces: the Ji Province, the Yan Province, the Qing Province, the Xu Province, the Yang Province, the Jing Province, the Yu Province, the Liang Province, and the Yong Province." Zhen Yuanzi's declaration shocked all guests. Aside from Tongtian and Nuwa, all the Saint's sects were located in the Earthly Realm. Was a Saint of Earth greater than a Saint of Heaven?
Zhen Yuanzi ignored their speculations and took out the Realmverse Atlas. The spiritual artifact lit up and projected a map of the Earthly Realm divided into nine provinces. Most noticeably, the area directly near a Saint's sect was unmarked. Moments later, the provinces were further divided into four territories. "Each province will be composed of four regions. And each region will be ruled and managed by a Suzerain to promote the stability and growth of the Earthly Realm!"
As if his declaration was not explosive enough, Zhen Yuanzi had one final bomb left. "In my Earth Celestial League, there should be two Saints of Earth."
None of the guests were stupid. Zhen Yuanzi was a Saint of Earth and the king of the Earth Celestial League. Didn't that mean Zhen Yuanzi had a method to produce a second Saint of Earth?
Upon realizing this, all their gazes turned hot. Forget the Interception Sect; forget the Liberation Sect. Who would want to become a Saint's disciple if they could become a Saint themself?
Jieyin and Zhunti both knew whatever reputation their disciples managed to accrue was destroyed by Zhen Yuanzi's words. Although they felt dismayed, their eyes also lit up.
"Daoist Zhen, I feel my disciple, Ksitigarbha, is worthy enough of sharing the burden of managing the Earthly Realm. What do you think of allowing him to become a Saint of Earth?" Jieyin asked.
Zhunti stayed silent. Due to his history with Redcloud Ancestor, to say that their relationship with Zhen Yuanzi was strained was putting it nicely. Still, even if Zhen Yuanzi disliked both of them, he disliked Jieyin marginally less. Until the end, neither of the two Saints of the West would give up hope, especially since they saw a chance at overthrowing the Three Purities' dominance over the Three Realms.
"Your disciple is filled with endless potential. Why would you want to limit him under me?" Zhen Yuanzi said. Although it sounded like he was praising Ksitigarbha, he was also rejecting Jieyin's proposal. Before Jieyin could continue, he said, "It's not that I don't want to wait, but you should know of the coming crisis. It would be best to have another Saint for the war of worlds."
Jieyin's words got caught on his tongue by Zhen Yuanzi's reply. Still, he didn't give up easily and continued to persuade Zhen Yuanzi. During this time, the Saints' conversation was hidden from the other guests, but that didn't stop their heated gazes. Their dissatisfaction at not receiving any Ginseng Fruits had all but disappeared. Even the disciples of the Liberation Sect and Interception Sect had forgotten their enmity and stared at the Saints.
All except Kong Xuan.
His gazes had turned cloudy, and he was continuously muttering under his breath. By his side, Jinchi frowned. He had never seen his brother so defeated. "Brother, what's wrong? Why are you repeating impossible over and over again? And, who is this Yu the Great?"
Jinchi's words snapped Kong Xuan out of his stupor. He turned and gazed at Jinchi, causing the latter to flinch. "Brother, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Kong Xuan said nothing, but eventually, he looked away. Although Jinchi could finally sigh in relief, an air of gloom surrounded Kong Xuan, and the aura of defeat still lingered around him. No matter what Jinchi said, Kong Xuan ignored him, seemingly lost in his thoughts.
When the banquet ended, Jieyin and Zhunti left unwillingly. Almost all the Golden Immortals, including those in the Great Unity and Great Firmament Realm, stayed, while a little less than half the Quasi-Saints, including Kong Xuan and Jinchi, left. Most of them were independent by nature. If they wanted to join a Saint's sect, they would not have waited until now.
The only reason over half the Quasi-Saint stayed was for the chance of becoming a Saint of Earth. However, Zhen Yuanzi did not immediately make his decision. He made it clear that the choice couldn't be hastily made, and he would choose the candidate to become a Saint of Earth after careful observation.
Zhen Yuanzi's words made half of the Quasi-Saints leave. The only reason they would join was to become a Saint. What if they joined and weren't chosen? Could they still leave? The answer was no unless they wanted to face a Saint's retribution.
In the end, five Quasi-Saints officially joined the Earth Celestial League. In a single day, the Earth Celestial League had become the sect with the most Quasi-Saints. Not even Heavenly Court had more Quasi-Saints than them.
As for the other Quasi-Saints that remained, although they didn't join, they didn't leave either. They've become some akin to guest elders of the Earth Celestial League. They didn't officially join the Earth Celestial League and could leave anytime.
After settling the Quasi-Saints, Zhen Yuanzi left the rest of the matter to his attendants to manage, including recruiting the Earth Immortals to the Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament.
Inside the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple, Redcloud Ancestor posed a question. "Why didn't you mention that you had two strands of Grandmist Gold Qi? What's your plan for the second one?"
"The Earth Celestial League only needs two Saints of Earth. No more, no less," Zhen Yuanzi said. "I plan to split the second Grandmist Gold Qi into thirty-six pieces and give them to the Suzerains and raise all their strength to the Quasi-Saint Realm."
"What?" Redcloud Ancestor asked in shock. He didn't question if it was possible, but the reason. "But that would be so wasteful. All under Saints are ants. As a Saint, you should know this. Thirty-six Quasi-Saints can't even compare to one Saint. Even if they could merge their might, at most, it would only reach the peak of the First Heavenly Layer. It would take a miracle for them to display the power of a Saint at the Third Heavenly Layer."
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head. "You don't understand. This is for the stability and future of the Earth Celestial League. With two other Saints, they would have the capital to test my authority, even with your aid."
Redcloud Ancestor frowned, finding some logic behind Zhen Yuanzi's words. "If you say so. You're the owner of the Grandmist Gold Qi, so you have the sole right to determine its use."
"Thank you," Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile.
What he didn't tell Redcloud Ancestor was that he didn't trust his disciples either. Daoist Duobao, Sacred Mother Jinling, Sacred Mother Wudang, Sacred Mother Guiling, Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, and Yunxiao seemed loyal, but who's to say they wouldn’t turn with enough incentive?
Zhen Yuanzi especially didn't like Redcloud Ancestor's ragtag bunch of demon disciples, who still acted like the Heavenly Court still belonged to the Demon Clan. Not only did they not accrue Karmic Merit to absolve their sins, but they continued to attract more sin.
Any one of Redcloud Ancestor's disciples could change if they became a Saint of Earth. Only Redcloud Ancestor was trustworthy with the last strand of Grandmist Gold Qi in his possession, but he was already a Saint of Heaven.
Zhen Yuanzi stared at the sky in the direction of the Heavenly Realm. He wondered if Tongtian had the same dilemma he had. Probably not. After all, Tongtian had two Saint-level bodies, not to mention her two brothers. The two Saints of Earth she created can only obediently comply with her will.
In the capital of humanity, Shennong sat in the throne hall of the palace with pursed brows.
Since Zhen Yuanzi's consecration, most of humanity had gained significant reverence and faith toward him and the other Saints, causing them to erect statues of them and other gods and immortals. Shennong had also ignored the construction of the Three Purity Temple next to Nuwa Temple due to the people's sentiment and consideration toward the Martial Ancestor.
However, that wasn't what troubled Shennong. It had been almost a hundred and eight thousand years since the start of his reign, meaning that he would have to step down soon. However, unlike Fuxi, he had yet to find a suitable successor.
Shennong searched far and wide, selecting potential humans. Some had a talent for cultivation, but they could not exceed or replicate Shennong's progress. Fewer had a talent for governance, but they didn't innovate anything and could only maintain the current state. Each one had their own talents, but none could change the current state of humanity like Fuxi's Eight Trigrams Divination or his own Myriad Herbs Canon.
He thought about having the candidates compete and selecting the final one as his successor, but his instincts warned him against it. He even attempted to have his diviners use Fuxi's Eight Trigram Divination to search for a clue about his successor, but none of them could sense anything. In fact, the backlash actually injured most of them and killed a few.
Combining all the clues, Shennong concluded that his successor had yet to be born. Although he was unwilling, Shennong stayed silent on the matter of choosing a successor despite his official's plea. He could only say, "It is up to the will of the heavens."
Soon, his reign of a hundred and eight thousand years would come to an end. Like Fuxi's abdication ceremony, Shennong would abdicate on Mount Tai.
Shennong stood in front of the altar. Not far behind him stood his teacher, Guang Chengzi. Slightly farther back were his wives, concubines, and children. After them stood his officials in an orderly manner. No one else stepped foot on Mount Tai, but the base of the mountain was filled with a sea of people.
When the sun rose slightly above the horizon, the ceremony began. "I am Shennong, the second ruler of humanity! When I was young, I searched far and wide and discovered the five grains and taught humanity to farm, bringing prosperity to all and increasing the strength of humanity."
Unlike Fuxi, Shennong's voice was loud and grand. Nevertheless, his words resonated in every human's heart, whether they were near or scattered across the Earthly Realm. The more he spoke, the louder it resonated. "Years later, I traveled the Earthly Realm and tasted all herbs and poisons, experienced all diseases to create the Myriad Herbs Canon, bringing humanity to new heights!"
Humanity's faith in Shennong grew, and he started to exude a dense violet glow. He continued to list his achievements until the sun started to set, and when his momentum had reached its peak, the heavens thundered, the earth rumbled, and all of humanity's negative emotions and calamity experienced under his reign assaulted Shennong at once.
Shennong's face paled as he faced the Way of Heaven's test. If humanity's faith in him faltered, he would fail, and all his efforts would go to waste. Not just that, but humanity's Karmic Luck would plummet and reach its lowest point.
As the test ended, over sixty percent of the violet glow covering Shennong vanished. Although not as good as Fuxi, it still meant that Shennong had succeeded.
Like with Fuxi, the Saints of Heaven descended, accompanied by immortal songs. They were Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, and Redcloud Ancestor. Conspicuously, Zhen Yuanzi was absent.
As the eldest senior brother of the Immortal Path and the founder of the Human Way, Laozi spoke first. "Everyone, do you think Shennong accomplished his duty and fulfilled his destiny?"
Every one of the Saints agreed. Along with their agreement, clouds of merit appeared in the sky and descended into Shennong's body, raising his cultivation which had been stuck at the Peak Great Firmament Realm.
Early Quasi-Saint Realm.
Intermediate Quasi-Saint Realm.
Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm.
Peak Quasi-Saint Realm.
And shockingly, Half-Saint!
Although less major powers had come to witness Shennong's ascension, those that came were even more shocked than when Fuxi ascended. They thought that Shennong would become a peak Quasi-Saint at most, but he actually became a Half-Saint.
Half-Saints were the new peak experts of the Three Realms. Many major powers wished to become a Half-Saint, yet they hadn't even reached the Advanced Quasi-Saint Realm. So far, only Kong Xuan had successfully become a Half-Saint.
If they didn't dare to trouble humanity before, now they doubly wouldn't dare with a Half-Saint present. Still, Shennong's new cultivation base made them ponder if Fuxi was stuck at the Peak Quasi-Saint Realm or if he had become a Half-Saint.
Fuxi's achievements exceeded Shennong, so it was illogical for him to be worse than Shennong. Regardless of their thoughts, they no longer had the right to care.
While everyone paid attention to Shennong's cultivation, Tongtian was closely monitoring the Six Paths of Samsara and the Kongtong Seal in her possession, waiting for Empress Pingxin to make a move. However, Empress Pingxin, for whatever reason, held her hand.
Perhaps Empress Pingxin knew she couldn't repeat the same act twice under Tongtian's supervision. Or perhaps she had already accomplished her goal after grabbing a strand of Purple Majesty Qi and no longer saw the need to test Tongtian's bottom line. Whatever the reason, Tongtian saw the Grandmist Silver Qi enter Shennong's body, successfully transforming him into an anchor of humanity's luck and a Saint of Humanity.
The whole ceremony finished just as the sun disappeared into the horizon. Shennong stayed at the Human Temple with Sovereign Fuxi and Wutian while the Saints of Heaven dispersed.
After Shennong's ascension as the earthly sovereign, each of his children claimed they were the legitimate inheritor of his legacy. Because he never named a successor, the officials began to pick sides among Shennong's children instead of managing humanity, which caused humanity to splinter into several factions, each warring for supremacy.
Until the human sovereign united them all, humanity would continue warring against each other.