Chapter 331: Unwilling to Witness the Suffering of the Mortal People

The Heavenly Court's Dharma Assembly continues.

The divine maidens and celestial consorts performing dances were replaced again and again; all manner of rare delicacies and divine fruits were brought forth time and again.

The gods offered treasures and demonstrated their arts, vying for supremacy, summoning countless auspicious omens—how carefree and blissful it was.

Yet they remained utterly unaware that chaos in the mortal realm had already begun to show its first signs.

Even if they had known, they likely wouldn't have cared much.

The deities who had entered the hall were mostly of the "Great God" rank, wielding immense authority over critical domains, governing yin-yang, fortune and misfortune; as long as mortal life persisted in cycles of birth and death, fortune and misfortune shifting like morning and night, their divine positions remained untouched.

Or they were "Zhenjun"-rank deities who, before ascending to divinity, had already cultivated considerable attainments, seeking only the immortality and eternal longevity granted by the divine position.

Thus, only a very few deities, such as the Moon Star Lord, had left the Hall of Supreme Heaven.

And the Heavenly Sovereign remained as before, eyes lowered in thought, silent.

The Jin Wu avatar who had come to the banquet had not departed either; after the Moon Star Lord left, he occasionally glanced toward the upper dais, his expression inscrutable.

"When it comes to enjoyment, the Divine Path truly leads the way," Hong Zun sighed.

The Divine Path is hard to enter, bound by many restrictions, so its practitioners naturally focus more on pleasure.

After observing for a while, the pleasures of this Dharma Assembly were endless, and even the most trivial of them could be called brilliantly novel.

"If you're willing, it's not impossible," Xu Xing said coolly.

"Then forget it. Seeing too much becomes dull," Hong Zun shook his head slightly and tossed the glass tray back into his hand, "The mortal realm should be about ready by now—shall we go down and take a look?"

"Alright."

This Heavenly Court Dharma Assembly was indeed interesting, but now everything worth seeing had been seen.

Huh~

As the two rose and departed, the plain dais dissolved into clear qi.

The gods remained immersed in the atmosphere of the assembly—some drank and laughed, others argued fiercely over the profundity and superiority of the magical arts and treasures they had demonstrated.

The golden-scaled Sun-Reflecting True Dragon coiled around the pillars devoured countless spiritual items and now swallowed and exhaled radiant light even more vigorously, making the dancing divine maidens and fairy maids within the hall appear even more alluring.

The Heavenly Sovereign was still pondering.

Should he stop here, or increase his investment further to delay the arrival of the Immortal Age?

The Supreme Authority had some effect on Xuan-level cultivation, but just how much he should invest remained uncertain.

If he crossed the line and drew the attention of those old bastards, it would be a net loss…

Outside the hall.

Xu Xing and Hong Zun walked slowly, passing through layer upon layer of Heavenly Palaces.

Each layer contained thirty-six palaces and seventy-two halls, totaling the number of the celestial spheres; golden light rolled in crimson rainbows, auspicious qi spewed purple mists, and within them countless golden-armored divine warriors stood, each holding halberds, whips, swords, and blades, radiating majestic authority.

"The decorations of this Tiangong could serve as inspiration for the Ascension Platform's reception rituals," Xu Xing said.

Though he hated to admit it, the ascension phenomena he and Ning Ruo had designed paled slightly in comparison to the splendor of this Tiangong.

If the future Ascension Plan expanded to this realm, the cultivators here might…

"A modest improvement suffices; excess is worse than deficiency," Hong Zun said.

External appearances are merely tools for motivation, a minor part; what truly matters to those qualified for ascension is the possibility of further advancement.

"That's true."

In the midst of their conversation, the two had passed through the final layer of Tiangong's court assembly and the two Reception Halls, arriving before the Tianmen.

The Tianmen was a deep green, as if forged from colored glaze, adorned with glittering jewels; several imposing guardian generals leaned against pillars, holding halberds and standards.

One of them, a four-armed golden-armored deity, wielded a six-faceted Demon-Sweeping Golden Club, his eyes blazing gold, his waist bound with the forms of dragon and tiger, his divine aura vast and overwhelming—

It was none other than Tongli Shenjun, enslaved by the old Taoist Jiang Lin.

Originally, his divine office was not sufficient to qualify him as a guardian of the Tianmen; it was only because Jiang Lin the old Taoist sought more intelligence that he commanded his other enslaved deities to assist him.

Only then did Tongli Shenjun ascend to his divine rank and assume the post of "Guardian of the Tianmen."

Now, with the authority of his office enhancing him, his divine power had transformed; even a newly broken-through Nascent Soul cultivator might not be his match.

Yet…

He himself felt not the slightest joy.

No matter how high his divine rank, he remained a dog or horse beneath another's command, his life and death hanging on another's whim, his body and mind not his own.

How could he possibly be happy?

Sigh~

If only he hadn't been deceived by Tongwei…

His heart grew ever more bitter, yet his expression remained eerily calm.

In the end, it was his own fault; his master enslaves only the unworthy deities—if he had merely upheld his duties, protected his domain and ensured the people's peace, he would never have suffered this fate.

"That young upstart has good taste."

Above the guardian generals, Xu Xing and Hong Zun paused beside the Tianmen.

Jiang Lin the old Taoist, after all, was a legitimate disciple of the 【Qiling Dao】, deeply familiar with the Tiangong and its divine offices.

Now that the Tiangong was powerful, and he led a large group of disciples, he could not confront it directly—he could only secretly accumulate strength and wait for the right moment.

The post of "Guardian of the Tianmen" was the one he had meticulously chosen as the most suitable for his current circumstances.

Higher-ranking divine offices might grant more information, but the problem was that the deities he enslaved simply couldn't reach that level!

Moreover, Jiang Lin the old Taoist now wished to avoid any contact whatsoever with "Zhenjun" or "Great God"-rank deities.

Hong Zun glanced toward the mortal realm: "Let's go."

He had casually transmitted teachings long ago, and this young upstart had done quite well.

Xu Xing said nothing more, nodded, and walked out through the Tianmen with him.

………

The gods feasted, unaware of years or months.

When they returned to the mortal world, the cold wind had already draped the mountains and rivers of humanity in silver, the heavens and earth blanketed in boundless white.

In the capital, high officials and nobles recited poetry and composed verses, reveling in wind, flowers, snow, and moonlight, lamenting the beauty of the season.

Yet the people suffered greatly; it was already a year of poor harvests, and the imperial court not only did not reduce taxes, but made them heavier still—now, with the cold wind's arrival, it extinguished the last hope of survival for most.

To survive, righteous armies rose up across the land, and demons and monsters seized the chance to wreak havoc, yet the current Emperor remained indulgent and decadent, neglecting state affairs.

The Da Tong Dynasty teetered on the brink of collapse.

As the age of immortals and gods shifted, so too did the mountains and rivers of the mortal world.

Yet even in this year of calamity, some could not bear to witness the people's suffering and did all they could.

Near a hastily erected, humble porridge stall, several large pots burned with Xiong Xiong flames, steam rising from the porridge within.

It was neither very thick nor very thin; in two of the pots, finely minced meat could even be seen.

A long line stretched before the stall, filled with swallowing sounds and hushed whispers; every person was gaunt, lips cracked, yet their eyes fixed desperately ahead.

Inside the stall, five Daoists of varying heights held spoons, serving porridge to the crowd.

An invisible force blocked the cold wind and snow, a strange power of calm and tranquility drifting through the air.

Behind the stall stood a small house, not large but meticulously clean.

Upon mats sat four figures clad in Daoist robes.

The youngest was a girl, about five or six years old, with auroras surging from her nose and mouth; beside her was a boy no older, and beside the boy stood a tall, muscular, imposing Daoist.

Before them sat a Daoist with hair streaked black and white, his face ruddy—it was Jiang Lin, the old Daoist who had received the Four Methods of Hong Zun, along with his three disciples.

Having consumed several divine essences, his cultivation had advanced, showing signs of reversing aging—even his black hair had regrown.

"Huh~"

Jiang Lin exhaled softly and slowly opened his eyes. "Master," the muscular Daoist asked anxiously, "would you like to rest? Let me take over for a while?"

The master had maintained this magical domain for a long time.

"No, this consumes much magic power—you have not yet reached Jin Dan; do not damage your foundation." Jiang Lin said slowly.

Having obtained the essences of four divine beings, he was no longer the same.

His cultivation had risen from early Jin Dan to full completion, just one step away from achieving Nascent Soul.

"Do we still have enough grain?"

Jiang Cai, Jiang Lin's second disciple—the muscular Daoist—paused, then replied honestly: "After seizing grain from those few households who raised prices, we've distributed much these past days. We now have fifty-two thousand one hundred shi of various grains, four thousand two hundred jin of meat, and some medicinal herbs and miscellaneous items."

"For the people here now, this will last a while, but refugees from all over have heard of this place and are rushing here."

"At that point, this grain won't last long."

Jiang Lin nodded slightly.

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"Send word to your elder brother—he must escort the refugees here."

"But remember: do your best. Anyone causing trouble is to be killed outright; if faced with insurmountable danger, prioritize your own survival."

"I will solve the grain problem."

He spoke briefly and decisively, making arrangements swiftly.

Jiang Cai opened his mouth, then merely nodded.

"Yes, Master."

At that moment, the boy, who had been meditating, opened his eyes—a flash of spiritual light vanished within them.

He had, by means of the divine essence Jiang Lin had implanted and refined within him, entered the path of cultivation and attained Qi Condensation Level One.

After a moment of bewilderment: "Master!"

"Good."

Jiang Lin smiled warmly, glanced at the girl who still needed time, and patted the boy's head.

"Come with me for a walk."

The boy did not understand, but obediently rose and followed his master.

Creak~

The door, aged beyond measure, emitted a grating screech.

Hu~

Far off, the snowstorm raged; the boy instinctively shivered, but soon realized it was not cold outside.

Snowflakes drifted down, yet were halted two zhang above their heads.

It was the magical domain Jiang Lin had sustained with his magic power.

The boy glanced at the nearby stall and saw the gaunt figures lining up for porridge.

"Master, will many people starve to death?"

Jiang Lin was surprised, but after thought, he nodded.

"Mm."

"Every year at this time, Father and Mother used to say this—we often went hungry too."

"Every year at this time, many do starve, many do go hungry," Jiang Lin looked at him. "Little Yun, do you know why?"

"… " The boy thought hard for a long while. "There isn't enough food!"

In his simple understanding, that was the only reason.

Jiang Lin smiled and looked up at the nearby stall: "No, there is enough."

Logically, he should not be doing this—it was far too conspicuous.

Having received the Four Methods, what he ought to have done was hide quietly, accumulate strength, and wait for the right moment…

But when he saw those gaunt figures falling like wild grass by the roadside, starving to death…

In the end, he couldn't hold back.

After all, hadn't he once been no different?

If not for his master's rescue and the cultivation he gained in this life, wouldn't he have been one of them?

His master perished, his soul obliterated in slaying demons and evils; he himself had spent his life chasing his master's shadow—if he remained unmoved before such a scene…

So he acted.

At first, he used silver to buy grain and distribute porridge.

But grain prices rose daily, and his silver was soon spent.

To earn silver, he took up the government's bounty and slew a demon that had been wreaking havoc.

But the promised two hundred taels of silver, when it reached him, had been reduced to only twenty.

It was the grain merchants who had raised prices, colluding with the government to force people into slavery.

Jiang Lin the old Taoist had been baffled then: he could slay demons—why weren't they afraid?

But after investigating, he learned there was a deity's protection, and a Foundation Establishment cultivator involved.

So he directly summoned that deity and devoured it, killed the Foundation Establishment cultivator, and seized the stored grain of several major grain merchants.

Unfortunately, much of it was still burned.

They would rather burn it than give it…

That very night, Jiang Lin the old Taoist stood before the blazing fire and understood many things.

"Enough to eat? They simply refuse to give it—so I take it myself."

To do what you wish, you must use different methods with different people.

After living so many years, he only now understood some things.

"…" The boy scratched his head, puzzled.

"Don't think so hard—you'll understand later."

He stepped forward; the boy hurried to follow.

The master and disciple walked one behind the other, leaving footprints on the melting snow, arriving at an unnoticed corner.

A voice of heavenly authority rang out, yet was tightly confined within a limited range.

"Qing Mian, the unworthy deity—summon yourself at once!"

A wisp of green light came from afar, hidden within heaven and earth, its form so faint it was nearly imperceptible.

It drifted down before Jiang Lin the old Taoist, taking shape as a deity kneeling, holding a jade scroll, clad in a green robe, his eyes strikingly bright.

It was the Inspection Deity.

The boy was unfazed—he had seen such things many times these past days.

"Within three days, take ten thousand shi of grain from the storages of grain merchants who have inflated prices," Jiang Lin the old Taoist said bluntly.

Qing Mian panicked: "My Lord! All grain in the realm is under the control of Emperor Sui Zu—those merchants must have enshrined Sui Zu Di Jun…"

"Can't you do it?"

A light, casual question—yet it froze Qing Mian's words, leaving him trembling like a leaf in a storm. He cried out urgently:

"I can! I can! Your servant will gather ten thousand shi of grain within three days!"

"Then go."

"Yes!"

Qing Mian vanished in a streak of green light.

Jiang Lin the old Taoist watched Qing Mian's departing direction, narrowing his eyes.

"Sui Zu…" (End of Chapter)