"Of course! The Golden Book and Jade Scroll has three categories: top, middle, and bottom. The difference between these Golden Book and Jade Scrolls also represents the hierarchy of the Divine Dynasty, and the level of the Divine Dynasty in turn denotes the difference in power of the Gods that can be enfeoffed." Mr. Wu explained eloquently, revealing a lesser-known fact. "Furthermore, the Golden Book and Jade Scroll is actually the core of the earthly Divine Dynasty. It is fair to say that the entirety of the earthly Divine Dynasty is built upon the Golden Book and Jade Scroll. Should the Golden Book and Jade Scroll be destroyed, the Divine Dynasty would naturally collapse."
At present, the Ancestral Land has not yet fully revived, so a specific judgment is not feasible, but if we wait for the revival of Heaven and Earth, then the power of the Gods that can be enfeoffed by Golden Book and Jade Scroll of different levels will be starkly different.
Based on their inference, if the Ancestral Land restores the glory of the Tang Dynasty that lasted thousands of years, even the Gods enfeoffed by the lowest-ranked Divine Dynasty could wield power not inferior to the Seventh Level of the Spiritual Realm. The strongest enfeoffed by the mid-ranked Divine Dynasty can reach the Eighth Level, while the highest-ranked Divine Dynasty can enfeoff a being capable of achieving the Ninth Level of the Spirit Realm.
Moreover, as the ruler of the Divine Dynasty, in the capital where one's Qi Luck is at its peak, thanks to the blessings of the Qi Luck Divine Dragon and the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, one can display paramount strength. Even several top individuals at the Ninth Level of the Spirit Realm working together would not be able to withstand such force."
"The Golden Book and Jade Scroll are so powerful!" Pei Xuanjing was slightly moved.
After listening to Mr. Wu's explanation, he gained a clearer understanding of the earthly Divine Dynasty.
He had not paid much attention to the Golden Book and Jade Scroll before and had not expected them to be the crux of the earthly Divine Dynasty.
"This information is certainly critical, but it is still somewhat insufficient," Pei Xuanjing recovered and shook his head.
"Of course, there is another reason that numberless forces and strong individuals pursue the Golden Book and Jade Scroll, and it is more significant," Mr. Wu said mysteriously.
Pei Xuanjing's interest grew, "I would like to hear more."
He became more and more curious about the earthly Divine Dynasty and did not expect the roots of this plan to be so deep.
"Rumor has it, the Golden Book and Jade Scroll are not the limit of the Divine Dynasty. If we can take it a step further, it could transform into the 'Gods Sealing List,' transforming the Divine Dynasty into the Heavenly Court, and even enfeoff True Gods," Mr. Wu revealed the greatest secret of the earthly Divine Dynasty.
"Heavenly Court, Gods Sealing List!" Pei Xuanjing was astonished.
Keep in mind that even after hearing that the highest-ranked Divine Dynasty can enfeoff individuals from the Ninth Realms of Spirit, he wasn't as shocked as he was now. Upon hearing this news, he was deeply moved.
He recalled a tale that was widely circulated in his past life and couldn't help asking, "I've heard that before the founding of Heavenly Zhou, there was a world-shaking war that swept the Divine Continent, seemingly related to the Enthroning Gods?"
In his past life, the story of the war during the transitional period of the late Shang and early Zhou Dynasties was widely known and has been passed down by countless people. One point of the legend is about the 'Theory of Enthroning Gods'. So when he heard the terms "Heavenly Court" and "Gods Sealing List", he couldn't help asking, wanting to know if it was true.
"Hmm?" Mr. Wu looked at Pei Xuanjing in slight surprise, was silent for a while, then nodded, "Yes, the uprising of Heavenly Zhou was due to the strength of the Shang Dynasty, who aspired to become the Heavenly Court. They were deterred, leading to a war that swept the Divine Continent. Nearly all cultivators were drawn into it." At this point, it was Mr. Wu's turn to be curious about the secret news that Pei Xuanjing had obtained.
According to his understanding of Pei Xuanjing and the Shenxiao Sect, the Shenxiao Sect, separated from the Dragon Tiger Mountain lineage, only obtained information about the earthly Divine Dynasty from some books and notes they left. Therefore, they did not truly understand all the information about the earthly Divine Dynasty.
But now Pei Xuanjing suddenly mentioned the war between Heavenly Zhou and the late Shang Dynasty, which made him wonder where he had gotten the news.
Keep in mind, even the origin of the Dragon Tiger Mountain lineage, which is the root of the Shenxiao Sect, can only be traced back to the Ancestor Celestial Master lineage of the Divine Han period. After the great war of the Late Pre-Qin Period, not to mention the secrets before Heavenly Zhou, even some news from the Spring and Autumn period before the Pre-Qin was deliberately hidden and difficult for people to understand.
It can be said that in today's era, even the great forces in the Sky Wasteland, who have lasted for countless years, do not know much about this war. Even the Da Xue ancient country, one of the Heavenly Zhou's enfeoffed nations, does not have much information preserved about it. Even if they know something, it will be regarded as a taboo. Only a few people know.
"Now I am a bit curious about where the real person got this information," Mr. Wu looked at Pei Xuanjing and asked.
Pei Xuanjing gave a mysterious smile and remained silent.
He could not explain this issue, after all, he could not tell Mr. Wu he came up with it based on the mythological stories passed down from his past life. This would be too unbelievable.
However, his mysterious smile, in Mr. Wu's eyes, made it seem like Pei Xuanjing held the keys to wisdom and understood everything clearly.
"Since the real person knows about this matter, then I will not keep it hidden anymore," Mr. Wu sighed lightly, and slowly began.
Given that the other party already knew about this, and even took the initiative to ask questions, if he remains silent, it may be challenging for the other party to trust and accept him, and it may disrupt his plans for future cooperation.
Although Pei Xuanjing was all smiles, he was taken aback in his heart. He knew that Mr. Wu was probably misunderstanding his question. However, if Mr. Wu is bringing up such secrets on his own, Pei Xuanjing naturally would not be the one to stop him from talking.
"I believe you are already aware of the origins of the Witch Deity Teaching," Mr. Wu asked.
Pei Xuanjing nodded and said, "I have heard that the Witch Deity Teaching originated from ancient times and has existed since the tribal times of the human race."
"Precisely!" Pride filled Mr. Wu's face as he said, "The Witch Deity Teaching is of long-standing lineage. In the Sky Wasteland, there are only a handful of forces whose heritage can match ours."
There was no hiding his pride. Many tens of thousands of years have passed since the ancient times, and many forces have disappeared in the river of time. Only a few, including the Witch Deity Teaching, have survived till today. It's impossible not to be proud.
The real war you speak of between the Shang Dynasty and Heavenly Zhou was indeed a war of Enthroning Gods of the earthly Divine Dynasty…" he revealed a shocking secret, a fact unknown to many major forces in the Sky Wasteland.
As I mentioned earlier, the method of the earthly Divine Dynasty was worked out jointly by the Ruler of humans of the Ancient times and countless ancient powers. Although it was not successful at the time, the method of the Divine Dynasty was handed down.
The Divine Dynasty Method was not a complete failure in kingdoms and empires. In fact, it had been successfully established in the first real imperial dynasty – the Da Xia Dynasty.
However, the price the Da Xia Dynasty was forced to pay to realize the Divine Dynasty was overwhelmingly high. So high, in fact, that the dynasty they had constructed couldn't withstand the strain. With their foundation left heavily damaged, countless formidable figures were sacrificed and the Divine Dynasty was on the verge of collapsing.
To make the Da Xia Dynasty eternal, the last ruler of the dynasty chose to resort to sacrificial methods, mercilessly spilling the blood of foreign tribes and even of the human race.
Such brutal methods were essentially a violation of norms, thus triggering a resistance from countless forces who naturally did not wish to end up as sacrificial lambs.
During this time, Shang Country, which originally had the support of all forces, annihilated the Da Xia Divine Dynasty, establishing a new unified imperial court.
However, as time passed, the Great Shang, upon inheriting many of the Da Xia Dynasty's assets, inevitably tread the same path, establishing the Great Shang Divine Dynasty at an enormous cost.
Even though the establishment of the Great Shang Divine Dynasty was costly, it outperformed the Da Xia Divine Dynasty, having fewer imperfections. After generations of commitment and sacrifice, the last emperor of the Great Shang almost fully restored it.
It's important to remember that the establishment of the Great Shang Divine Dynasty was supported by all forces. Its perfection was thus a good thing for them all.
However, at this point, the last emperor of the Great Shang went back on his word. He was unwilling to honor the promise made by the Great Shang's founding father. Instead, he was averse to the conservative views held by those forces. He wanted to enfeoff his divine being, aiming to become the king of all gods and rule eternally.
This betrayal naturally angered those forces. As a result, a rebellion, like the one that had brought down the Great Shang, was sparked again. They overthrew the Great Shang Divine Dynasty and replaced it with the Heavenly Zhou.
Of course, Mr. Wu changed his story a bit. In his version, it wasn't the emperor of the Great Shang who broke his word. Instead, it was the shameless treachery and greed of those forces that led to the downfall of the Great Shang.
"Those shameless people have decayed. All they want is to keep themselves alive. They regard the human race as mere scraps and food for dogs," Mr. Wu said coldly.
Pei Xuanjing found the things Mr. Wu said to be partly credible and maintained his skepticism.
Since he understood that the person telling these stories must have put in his subjective color, everything he said could not be fully trusted.
After all, the Witch Deity Teaching, prior to the Heavenly Zhou, was considered long-established sacrificial wisdom of the human race. They held a highly respected position and controlled immense power, receiving the reverence of countless members of the human race.
However, as a result of this war, they lost everything. They went from mainstream to marginal. After the downfall of the Great Shang, they were eschewed by the Heavenly Zhou, losing all their rights and power and being completely abandoned.
Even if Mr. Wu needed to win Pei Xuanjing's trust, he would not speak of the unfavorable truths concerning him, as that is the human nature.
"It's a pity. If things hadn't been so, there might have been a chance in that era to pave the way for immortals and possible ascend to True Immortality," Pei Xuanjing lamented.
Mr. Wu had said too much today, each part of which would shock countless people if leaked.
Mr. Wu took a deep breath, calming his emotions, and said, "In addition to the information I just shared, I have two items that I can give to the Grandmaster as part of our exchange."
Though the information was sensational, he knew it wasn't worth Pei Xuanjing's protection against the strongest opponents in the future.
Hence, he had prepared two items. The worth of these two items was undoubtedly considerable.
These two items were useless to him, but for Pei Xuanjing, they were irresistible.
Mr. Wu flicked his sleeve and two items appeared before his eyes, floating in front of Pei Xuanjing.
Pei Xuanjing's eyes lit up and a smile crossed his face when he saw these two things: an imprint on a jade slip and an ore-like object that gleamed with a purple-blue light, akin to refined gold.
Pei Xuanjing recognized the jade slip as a receptacle for recording skills, and from the ore that resembled refined gold, he could clearly feel the aura of thunder.
"This ore is Purple Thunder Immortal Gold, a high-grade material for refining. I've heard that after the destruction of the Grandmaster's Divine Weapon, he has yet to forge a new one. This Purple Thunder Immortal Gold can help Grandmaster create a new Divine Weapon," Mr. Wu said, pointing to the ore.
Purple Thunder Immortal Gold is a high-grade Divine Material for forging Divine Weapons. If used in the process, it can improve the quality of the Divine Weapon and, owing to its lightning attribute, enhance the abilities of those cultivating the Thunder Method.
He had heard that despite being recognised as the best cultivator in the world, Grandmaster Pei had only managed to restore his functions after his Divine Weapon was destroyed and lacked a Divine Weapon ever since. Therefore, Mr. Wu presented him with the Purple Thunder Immortal Gold.
"It appears you are bent on ensuring the success of this transaction!" Pei Xuanjing said with a laugh.
After the destruction of his Shenxiao Sword, a Thousand Refinement Divine Weapon, he never had a Divine Weapon and always wanted to reforge a usable one.
However, with the growth in his strength, he feared that not only the Thousand Refinement Divine Weapon but even the common Ten Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon would not allow him to exert his full power. Only a top-level Ten Thousand-Forged Divine Weapon like the Yin-Yang Evil-Slaying Treasure Sword or an even more potent Divine Weapon would truly enable him to bring forth his powers.
Unfortunately, it was tremendously arduous to forge a Divine Weapon as potent as the Yin-Yang Evil-Slaying Treasure Sword. Even Dragon Tiger Mountain had exhausted countless resources and had only managed to secure a pair after many years, which demonstrated the difficulty in forging such a Divine Weapon.
Even now, as the heaven and earth rejuvenate with countless spiritual materials and rare treasures re-emerging, finding suitable Divine Materials for forging Divine Weapons remains a challenging task. That's why the project has been delayed.
His opponent's knowledge of this fact and the production of such precious Divine Materials indicated the importance of this deal to him.
"A good sword is worthy of a hero; such fairy gold is most suitable for the Grandmaster. It won't be wasted on him," said Mr. Wu with a laugh.
This high-grade Divine Material was incredibly scarce, one could seldom see it even in the Sky Wasteland. However, it had little use to Mr. Wu, hence he brought it out as a kind of favor and presented it to Pei Xuanjing.
Next, he pointed to the other jade slip and said, "Having observed that the Grandmaster is cultivating in Three Ways Simultaneously, it must be known that the method of Refining Spirit has always been a mystery. I presume that this Ancestral Land does not provide too many skills for the Refining Spirit Way. This jade slip contains a cultivation method for the Refining Spirit, reaching up to the Sixth Level of the Spirit Realm, which should be helpful to the Grandmaster."
It was widely known that Pei Xuanjing, the world's number one cultivator, had a fondness for perusing Cultivation Method Manuals. Hence, he catered to Pei's interest by presenting a god refining skill that could be cultivated up to the sixth level of the Spirit Realm.
This method was something he stumbled upon unintentionally. Although it was among the top-tier for god refining skills, it only covered the initial levels, and was sufficient to cultivate up to the sixth level of the Spirit Realm.
After all, in the Sky Wasteland, only those who truly stepped into the seventh level of the Spirit Realm were considered strong. Therefore, to Mr. Wu, even a god refining skill of the sixth level of the Spirit Realm was valuable but not precious.
If it had been a skill that could be cultivated to the seventh level of the Spirit Realm, he wouldn't have given it up easily.
Nevertheless, when Pei Xuanjing heard that this skill could be cultivated to the sixth level of the Spirit Realm, he was genuinely impressed.
The Daming world held countless cultivation methods, most of which were for refining Qi and essence; god refining skills were extremely rare, so rare that even Pei had struggled to find them.
Given the circumstances, he can easily speculate about the skills of refining essence and Qi by referencing the methods in the Daming world, but god refining is not so straightforward.
Even though he had deduced some methods for gathering a divine soul before the Spirit Realm based on his experience, he didn't have many ways to accelerate cultivation after the Yin Spirit molted. Everything depended entirely on the slow grind of time for improvement.
As such, at present, the Dao of Qi refinement had reached the fourth level of the Spirit Realm, while the refining foundation was at the sixth level. However, the god refining skill of his Yin Spirit equivalent to the second layer of the Spirit Realm.
Therefore, he was always eager to improve his god refining skill, particularly after Pei Xuanjing had glimpsed the way to the Golden Core Dao in his battles with the Howling Moon Gray Wolf. It had become even more urgent to enhance the strength of his Yin Spirit.
After all, in his calculations, even if he used his incarnation to condense the golden core, it still required a balance of essence, Qi, and spirit for a truly successful fusion.
But the strength of his own incarnation, as well as the abilities of refining foundation and Dao of Qi Refining were at least at the third level of the Spirit Realm, it was impossible to lower it. Facing the refinement of the Spirit in the second layer, it stopped him from moving forward.
Therefore, when Mr. Wu presented this method, it solved his immediate problem, resolving his biggest predicament.
Moreover, refining such a method would undoubtedly yield substantial gains.
"However, being able to present such an object readily enough to prove that the background of this man is absolutely extraordinary," Pei Xuanjing thought.
Even if he had never been to the Sky Wasteland, Pei Xuanjing had a rough understanding of the situation in the Sky Wasteland, thanks to the information from Xue Hanyi and his sister.
As far as he knew, without considering the secrets Mr. Wu had just mentioned, the two items brought out were of great value. They were absolutely precious and could incite countless people to compete for them if placed in the Sky Wasteland.
There must be some motive behind the gifts given.
The more valuable the things Mr. Wu presented, the greater the plot he had in mind.
But the great value of this jade booklet, coupled with the fairy gold, made Pei Xuanjing realize that it would be difficult for him to refuse this deal.
"Since you have made your intentions clear, I will naturally not refuse your goodwill," Pei Xuanjing said, after a moment's silence.
No matter what, increasing his own strength was the most critical; these two things alone would enhance his capabilities.
As long as he had absolute strength, no matter what plot the other party had, he could face it calmly.
If he were to be apprehensive, he would have no reason to plan so much. Instead, he could take his time cultivating and accumulating Taoyun for a life simulation in a safe place. Why bother to fret over it here?
Upon hearing Pei Xuanjing's consent, a smile crept upon Mr. Wu's face.
Their conversation lasted until midnight. Pei Xuanjing left with the two items, while Mr. Wu temporarily stayed at Shenxiao Mountain.
That evening, in a guest room at Shenxiao Sect, Mr. Wu sat in front of the window, gently stroking a small snake about three inches long.
The tiny snake was black with glossy scales that shimmered under the light. It coiled obediently on his hand, lightly flicking out its tongue.
"Time has passed by unnoticed. Indeed, nothing can wear you out like time does. Thousands of years have passed, and many have not much time left. Their ambitions can't be suppressed any longer," Mr. Wu thought, scoffing inside.
No agreement is ever eternally unchanging; the end result will always be torn apart.
In the past, the mighty ones who ventured to the Sky Wasteland maybe did so because they were long-lived, or they believed they could find other ways to achieve immortality aside from the Divine Dynasty's plan, or they needed time to recover from injuries. For various reasons, they temporarily gave up on this method and endured peacefully for thousands of years.
But now, thousands of years have passed, and even the lives of many strong individuals are coming to an end. If they can't become immortals, they will fall, their Dao will dissolve, and they will disappear in the world.
But are they willing to accept that fate?
No, they definitely will not!
Mr. Wu understood. Those who were strong enough to peep into the Immortal Realm from the Nine Realms of Spirit might have various flaws, but one thing was certain—they held absolute pride and confidence. They would never accept such a fate without putting up a fight.
In addition to the resurrection of the ancestral land, it undoubtedly verified some circulated rumors, which would make many more people take action.
"However, I guess you wouldn't have thought that someone in the ancestral land has taken the final step!" A gleeful expression crossed his face. "When you return, you may see a powerful Great Ming Divine Dynasty. I wonder if you would still have the original resolution and be willing to pay a high price to destroy it?"
The timing of their choice couldn't be better. Now the world has just been resurrected, which can support the establishment of the Divine Dynasty, but also, because the old forces haven't returned, it's hard to encounter someone who can truly stop them. They got the right moment, the right location, and the right people.
As long as the Divine Dynasty is successfully established, with the continued resurrection of the world, this Divine Dynasty can also slowly strengthen with the resurrection, buying time for them.