Chapter Forty-Four: The Water and Land Dharma Assembly

In the following days, officials led by the Ministry of Works and the Ministry of Rites also finalized the relevant regulations. The court announced the recruitment of craftsmen from across the land to construct an Immortal Platform and a Dharma Arena, in preparation for a grand “Water and Land Dharma Assembly”...

At that time, Xu Boqing happened to be in the Heavenly Prison, having just finished absorbing the internal energy of several inmates.

He seemed to sense something, shuddered with a vague unease, then, with a sudden realization, activated the Heavenly Eye Technique and looked up...

Through the stone and earth of the dungeon.

He saw the purple-gold aura swirling above the capital burning fiercely, like oil set aflame, surging and trembling, as if harboring some mysterious transformation.

Even the old dragon formed by the purple-gold aura twisted and shifted restlessly, as though it had reached a critical moment of metamorphosis!

After more than half a year of exploring, he was no longer the clueless novice who had to guess at everything upon first arrival. He could now clearly discern what these changes signified.

The capital was the heart of the Great Liang—home to the imperial city.

The purple-gold aura encircling it represented the national fate of Great Liang!

The dragon formed by this aura had no physical form; rather, it was a totem, a manifestation that allowed one to directly observe the state of the nation’s destiny.

Originally, the national fate above the capital appeared as an aged dragon, signifying the waning fortunes of Great Liang—a dynasty in its twilight.

Now, this insubstantial aura was changing, burning like a raging flame. Was this not proof that Great Liang’s fate had reached a pivotal turning point, one that could alter the dynasty’s future path?

The image of the old dragon writhed and changed unpredictably—did this mean that the consequences of this “turning point” were uncertain?

It might bring renewal, transforming the “old dragon” into a “youthful dragon,” and thus bless the nation with another three or five centuries of prosperity.

Or, it might be consumed by the very flames it stoked, burning away the last reserves of Great Liang, plunging it into ruin, shattering the land, and ushering in a new dynasty!

But what was this “turning point” that could alter the fate of Great Liang?

A person?

Or an event?

Xu Boqing narrowed his eyes in thought. Unable to puzzle it out, he decided to seek out Warden Hu to see if anything significant had happened in the imperial court.

As he reached the door, he paused, as if recalling something. With a flick of his sleeve, a surge of force burst from his body, knocking the prisoners in the punishment chamber—those whose internal energy he’d already drained—unconscious.

His internal cultivation was a perfect match for his nature, allowing for rapid progress. Coupled with the Star-Absorbing Demon Art that let him quickly accumulate power, the Pure Yang constitution that made his body “like a furnace” and immune to side effects, and the fact that all the prisoners in the Heavenly Prison were martial experts sent from across the land—

With all this combined, he’d broken through to the Innate Realm a full three months ago, relying on the immense internal energy he’d amassed!

Such is the saying: when fortune comes, even Heaven and Earth lend their power.

Now, his internal energy flowed through his limbs and bones like bridges connected to a furnace, endless and inexhaustible. Even he could not say precisely what level of martial attainment he’d reached...

After all, no books recorded anything beyond the Innate Realm.

When the warden’s guards reported his exit, Warden Hu understood that Lord Xu had finished today’s practice of the Energy Transformation Method. He hurried out, bowing deeply: “This humble servant congratulates Lord Xu on the perfection of your divine skills...”

“We’re old acquaintances; there’s no need for such empty formalities.”

“Acquaintance or not, etiquette must be observed.”

Xu Boqing shook his head. Catching the aroma of wine from the warden’s quarters, he unceremoniously sat at the table, poured himself a cup, and took a sip, immediately frowning. “This Spring Breeze Drunk is not from the right vintage.”

“You may not know, Lord Xu.” Warden Hu hurried over to accompany him, explaining with a wry smile, “It’s not that I wish to deceive you. It’s just that the other day, Minister Zhang hosted a banquet and bought up all the aged reserves from Haixiang Tower—those at least twenty years old. We had no choice but to serve this younger wine.”

“Minister Zhang hosted a banquet?” Xu Boqing’s heart stirred, recalling the changes in the national fate he’d seen earlier. He asked, “Do you know what occasion prompted Minister Zhang’s feast?”

“They say it was for his eldest son’s wedding.” Warden Hu glanced at the door, then leaned in to whisper, “But in truth, it was because Minister Zhang’s political rival, Minister Gu, incurred His Majesty’s wrath and was stripped of office, thrown into prison—right here in the Heavenly Prison. Minister Zhang took the opportunity to celebrate his victory.”

“Minister Gu incurred His Majesty’s anger in court?” Xu Boqing seized upon the critical point.

Though he’d met few people in the palace over the past half year, he’d read many books and knew well enough that this Minister Gu was the same troublesome old man he’d encountered in Hongyang County while telling fortunes.

After his reinstatement, Minister Gu had ascended to the highest echelons of power as Left Chancellor. Now, to be stripped of office and imprisoned again—could it be that he was the “turning point” revealed in the shifting national fate?

Incurring the emperor’s wrath in court... Wait, in court!?

Xu Boqing’s eyes narrowed slightly. He asked, “His Majesty held court?”

Warden Hu looked surprised. “You didn’t hear?”

“I’ve long dwelled in the rear palace; how would I know?”

“That’s true...”

The Dog Emperor had become so obsessed with “cultivating immortality” in recent years that he’d hardly ever held court. Minister Gu had already been dismissed three times and only reinstated for half a year—he should have been keeping a low profile, so why would he openly anger the emperor in court?

Xu Boqing, brow furrowed, pressed, “Do you know what was discussed at court? And what caused Minister Gu to anger His Majesty so much that he was stripped of office and imprisoned?”

“It’s no secret,” Warden Hu said, sipping his wine. “His Majesty’s obsession with seeking immortality is known throughout the realm. The other day, he proposed at court to build an Immortal Platform and Dharma Arena in the capital and to host a grand ‘water-something’ Dharma Assembly.”

“‘Water-something’ Dharma Assembly?” Xu Boqing’s heart leapt. “A Water and Land Dharma Assembly?”

“Yes, yes, that’s it. They say this assembly can attract talent, drive out evil, and avert disaster. His Majesty even proposed to invite all the extraordinary individuals of the empire to the capital, where the true immortals and buddhas among them would be chosen and formally appointed as National Preceptors—bestowed with the nation’s fate and worshipped by the royal house.

“The old ministers were adamantly opposed, not wishing to exhaust the people and squander resources.

“But Minister Zhang and his faction supported it, and the two sides reached an impasse.

“In the end, His Majesty decreed that no state funds or new taxes would be used. Instead, the Ministry of Works and Ministry of Rites would divert the labor and money from constructing the imperial mausoleum to build the Immortal Platform and Dharma Arena, with the assembly to be held three years hence—a great joint undertaking.”

“...”

Xu Boqing listened, dumbstruck. At last, he’d found the source of the national fate’s ‘turning point’!

Typically, when an emperor ascended the throne, he would send people to select an auspicious site and construct his mausoleum—a project that could take decades.

It was only natural for a ruler in life to seek glory after death.

But more importantly, it was widely believed that the imperial tomb directly affected the fortune of the emperor’s descendants; the mausoleum was the very foundation of the dynasty’s fate!

Now, Emperor Yonghe, for the sake of building the Immortal Platform and Dharma Arena and holding the Water and Land Dharma Assembly, had halted construction of his own mausoleum, and would even bestow the title of “National Preceptor” on whomever was chosen—granting them the nation’s fate and royal worship...

If that wasn’t a “turning point,” then what was!?

Xu Boqing sucked in a cold breath through his teeth, his expression unreadable as he asked, “Was there really no one to oppose this?”

“There was!” Warden Hu nodded, gesturing toward the prison above. “Minister Gu was the loudest in his opposition. He even tried to declare his intention to die for his principles—threw himself against a pillar, but didn’t die, just bloodied his face, and was dismissed from office while unconscious. Now he’s here in the Heavenly Prison.”

“...”