Chapter 328: with translation of chapter title

328. Chapter 328 Kunpeng enters the wilderness, the Heavenly Court rectifies the atmosphere

Kunpeng looked at Yu Qiang speechlessly, as if he had never imagined that, besides him, the only other Primordial Daoist in the North would actually care about such matters.

Yu Qiang's face also reddened under Kunpeng's gaze, and he forced an explanation: 'It's not that I'm too concerned with appearances; although the North is not as impoverished as the Western Continent, it is also not fertile land, and the impact of the two destructions by the ferocious beasts and the three tribes is too great.'

'Although it cannot compare to the ancient Immortal-Demon War, the foundation is too thin, living beings are few, the folkways are fierce, and the killing qi contained in the land has not yet been completely cleared to this day.'

'Under the Arctic ice plains, just how much killing qi accumulated from the past is hidden remains an incalculable figure to this day.'

'These are all factors that greatly affect spiritual opportunities; if spiritual opportunities are scarce, how could innate spiritual roots be nurtured?'

'As for the current Northern Continent, let alone spiritual roots, even divine herbs are scarce; how could it possibly support the development of the Northern Continent?'

'The Northern Continent appears prosperous, but that is only because the vast majority of living beings have gathered in a few regions, and naturally those regions flourish.'

'But you don't realize that, aside from those regions, the Northern Continent still has endless barren lands, which contain a great deal of killing qi and are fundamentally unsuitable for survival.'

'In the short term it's fine, but if they remain here long-term, the number of newborns in their tribes will inevitably dwindle, and moreover, most of those barren lands are impoverished, with little to develop.'

'After you understand, looking at my concern for this matter, what could be wrong?'

Kunpeng fell silent, and after a moment he suddenly spoke: 'Even if I told you, what good would it do? I don't believe you could endure as I do, joining the Heavenly Court, tolerating being controlled by others, and still striving wholeheartedly for the wilderness.'

'I suppose you've also heard quite a bit about my reputation in the wilderness; even if no one speaks of it, I have a rough idea in my heart—can you tolerate these things?'

Yu Qiang immediately fell silent as well, but Kunpeng did not let him go, continuing: 'Everyone envies me for having entered the Mystic Gate, hoping to become a saint in the future, yet who among outsiders understands the hardships involved?'

'Your Majesties are merciful, they have never let me down and often show me trust, yet even so, there are unspeakable sufferings.'

'But Your Majesties have already shown me benevolence and righteousness to the utmost; though I do not care about saving face, I also know gratitude and duty, and although my heart is with the North, I cannot well go against the interests of the Heavenly Court.'

'All I can do is, in policy, slightly favor and help one or two in the general direction; if I did more, it would be disadvantageous to me and inevitably invite gossip.'

'You should know that even within the Heavenly Court, factional divisions are clear; the innate gods under the Great Dao and those under the Heavenly Dao are different from each other.'

'The many star gods under the Emperor of Heaven, the water system gods and thunder division in the hands of the Qi Emperor, and the myriad elite of the wilderness tribes in the hands of the Donghuang Emperor.'

'As well as the many mountain gods under my command, the eastern sea system controlled by Bai Ze, or the fire department of the Nüwa Empress; above, the Xi Emperor oversees the overall situation, and I too find it difficult therein.'

Yu Qiang let out a long sigh, knowing that for the Northern Continent, Kunpeng had already shown benevolence and righteousness to the utmost, so he asked: 'Then was your previous low spirits also because of Heavenly Court affairs?'

Kunpeng indeed shook his head on this, with no intention of hiding it, and directly explained:

'No, it is that Your Majesties' benevolence has granted me an opportunity to attain the Dao, but I cannot fathom its profundity; I have a treasure mountain before me yet do not know how to enter.'

Yu Qiang raised his head sharply upon hearing this and exclaimed:

'An opportunity to attain the Dao?!'

Kunpeng glanced at him and said:

'As for the path of sainthood, you probably have no chance.'

Upon hearing those restrictions, Yu Qiang calmed somewhat and asked:

'Are there any taboos? If you don't mind, you could discuss it with me; at least it would give me more ideas.'

After hesitating a moment, Kunpeng finally explained:

'This matter involves the Heavenly Court, so I also ought not to speak too much, but the only thing I can reveal is that this opportunity pertains to all beings of the wilderness.'

Yu Qiang nodded to show understanding, then immediately suggested:

'We are both innate gods, yet we are far removed from the mundane beings of the wilderness; but we do differ, and I am fortunate to still dwell in the wilderness, paying attention to the affairs of the Northern beings.'

'Whereas you have always been proud, and after residing in the Heavenly Court, holding a high position, the matters you are exposed to are sufficient to observe heaven and humanity, and you are thus too far from the mundane beings of the wilderness.'

'Since this Dao opportunity concerns mundane beings, you should naturally go to the land of the wilderness, immerse yourself among the beings, and seek it there.'

'If you contemplate within the palaces of the Heavenly Court and never see the soil, how could you possibly understand what is sought there?'

'If you can still trust me, you might as well go into the wilderness, take a walk, observe the current beings of the wilderness, and then ponder its mysteries.'

Upon hearing this, Kunpeng suddenly had an epiphany, his heart stirred, as if he had already understood where the future Dao's blame lay; he immediately rose and spoke solemnly:

'Kunpeng, thank you, Dao friend, for dispelling my doubts!' Yu Qiang merely laughed in response, waving his hand to indicate that Kunpeng should not take it to heart.

Immediately afterward, the two conversed several more times, not speaking of the Dao, merely recalling the past and looking toward the future.

After such a long while, Kunpeng then bade farewell to Yu Qiang and flew toward the Heavenly Court.

'Since we wish to draw near the beings of the wilderness, the Heavenly Court's affairs naturally ought to be set aside for a while; this sudden outing is already a dereliction of duty, and if we were to reside long-term in the wilderness thereafter without reporting, would that not render the Heavenly Court's authority utterly meaningless?'

'But as soon as Kunpeng entered the heavenly realm, he heard rumors that the Nüwa Empress had already entered seclusion; at once he felt a pang of envy and silently sighed: 'Your Majesties are all outstanding figures of the age; I have already fallen far behind, and I must strive all the more henceforth.'

'Although Kunpeng felt envy, he actually harbored no ill intent, for he had far surpassed the vast majority of people; at least he could confidently assert that the Three Pure Ones and Jieyin would certainly come after him.'

'They did not have Rahu step forward to dispel their doubts and point out their future path.'

'All the way to the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, upon just entering, Kunpeng saw Di Jun already waiting; he immediately bowed and said: 'Your subject pays his respects, Your Majesty; I had not reported my earlier outing, never expecting to alarm You—this fault is mine.'

Di Jun merely waved his hand indifferently and comforted:

'It's fine; I can still understand your feelings, after all it concerns the Great Dao, a bit of urgency is also no problem, just don't be overly impatient—pursuing the Great Dao is not a matter of a day or two.'

'The Nüwa Empress and the Qi Emperor are about to become Dao partners; both are extraordinarily talented, and with Qi's assistance, you need not compare yourself to them.'

'You also know the abilities of the Qi Emperor; when combined, they cannot be matched by a single person; as long as you advance steadily without stagnation, that will suffice.'

Faced with Di Jun's advice, Kunpeng felt moved in his heart, and his words were respectful:

'Both of Your Majesties are among the few wise ones in the world; your subject naturally will not overthink, and moreover, this trip of yours has also yielded some gains.'

'Although the road ahead is still not clear, I have formed some ideas in my heart; thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern.'

Di Jun nodded upon hearing this, did not ask about his ideas, and merely said: 'That's good; concerning the Great Dao, since you have ideas, you should naturally put them into practice; if there are any difficulties, should the Heavenly Court need to lend strength, just speak plainly.'

Kunpeng then said with some difficulty:

'I report to Your Majesty, there is indeed a matter at present that requires Your permission; looking back, I find that I have already become too distant from the beings of the wilderness.'

'Since the Great Dao concerns the people, I wish to ask Your Majesty for a leave of absence, to go to the wilderness, mingle among the myriad peoples, in hopes of soon finding the opportunity of the Great Dao.'

Di Jun was momentarily startled, but since it concerned the Great Dao, though he was reluctant, he could only assent; after several hesitations, he agreed:

'If that is the case, I also ought not to keep you; after you hand over your duties in the Heavenly Court, you may then go to the wilderness; concerning the Great Dao, one must ultimately find peace of mind as soon as possible.'

'As for your current position, I will personally retain it for you; I only hope that you, my beloved official, can return soon to continue bringing blessings to the Heavenly Court and the myriad peoples of the wilderness.'

Kunpeng here again bowed and performed the salute, saying: "I obey Your Majesty's command; no matter where this humble servant goes, I am a person of the Heavenly Court."

Di Jun then nodded, letting Kunpeng depart, and moreover, most of the affairs in his hands were handed over to Bai Ze, while only a small portion of the core authority remained in the hands of his subordinates, the Ten Great Divine Generals.

Although Kunpeng pursues the Great Dao, he will certainly not lightly relinquish the favorable situation he has established; he also does not wish to delay too long, for upon his return to the Heavenly Court, the outcome would already be Bai Ze's domain.

As for Qiming Changeng, Kunpeng actually does not care; although this person holds great power in his hands, he focuses only on the Thunder Division and Emperor Qi's affairs, which is of no concern to him.

After all the affairs were handed over, Kunpeng set out lightly dressed, without a trace of cloud, and heedless of the many attempts to detain him, he cheerfully went forth into the Primordial Wilds.

At this time, Di Jun and Fuxi, in their hands, firmly held the matter that, before Emperor Qi's slumber, they had specially instructed Qiming Changeng to report.

Regarding the matter of rectifying the ethical and moral atmosphere of the Primordial Wilds, Ao Xing's reincarnation does not seek the Dao, but instead becomes immersed in ethics and love, which has greatly angered Emperor Qi.

Now, with great difficulty all matters have been completed, the Heavenly Court is idle, and Emperor Qi is about to go into slumber; how could he let such a good opportunity pass?

As for how Di Jun and Fuxi view this matter, and how the beings of the Primordial Wilds view it, that is not something Emperor Qi concerns himself with.

In any case, when Emperor Qi awakens, if he sees no effect, then let no one blame the Heavenly Court for employing thunderous measures.

Those who violate ethics have no morality in their hearts—how could they become immortals? Why would the Heavenly Court keep them? If the beings are indifferent, then Emperor Qi naturally does not mind letting the Thunder Division employ more thunder; amidst rolling heavenly thunder, after striking a few typical examples, the ethical atmosphere of the Primordial Wilds will naturally improve. (End of chapter)

At least they dare not show themselves before people anymore; and before that, the purpose of the Heavenly Court is to make the beings of the Primordial Wilds understand that the path of violating ethics ought to be shameful.

Only after such an atmosphere is formed can these matters be eradicated; otherwise, relying solely on heavenly thunder, outsiders may not know why the thunder arrives. (End of chapter)