Chapter 5, Memory, Supernatural Powers

In order to ensure the long-term survival of the Yin spirits in the mortal realm, the Heavenly Court crafted hundreds of thousands of magical treasures and divine seals, akin to the official insignia of bureaucrats. These serve two primary purposes: first, to verify the identity of the Yin spirits, and second, to provide them with a place of refuge. For the hundreds of thousands of Yin spirits in the mortal realm, the divine seals are fundamental, followed by the divine statues. However, later on, the Yin spirits in the human world discovered that they could enhance their strength and divine powers through a substantial amount of incense offerings and wishes. Compared to cultivating in the Yin realm, utilizing the incense offerings and wishes from the mortal realm allowed for much faster cultivation. Consequently, conflicts erupted among the Yin spirits.

This is also why, after a person dies, the underworld generally maintains an extremely detailed record of every individual's life. Due to the existence of these shadowy spirits, your every action cannot possibly escape scrutiny. The saying "There are deities three feet above your head" embodies this principle

The primary purpose of the celestial realm establishing the Yin spirits in the mortal world is to monitor the affairs of the world, reporting any disturbances in the mortal realm to the underworld or the celestial realm, with the land being the most basic form of this.

The land functions similarly to a minor official in the human realm, with each piece of land being overseen by an individual responsible for a specific area. Every month, they report in detail all occurrences within their jurisdiction to the City God, who then relays the information to the Underworld. Naturally, in the event of an urgent matter, reporting would not be limited to once a month.

Order is difficult to establish, yet easy to overturn

In this way, not only are the ancestral spirits competing with the deities for faith, but even some cultivators, especially those from the demon race, have begun to clash with the deities, exterminating local deities, seizing divine seals, exercising divine authority, and taking over offerings. Such situations are rampant, and the conflict between the shadow spirits and the Buddhist cultivators is intensifying.

Qigong is a practice in which practitioners utilize special breathing techniques to draw the essence of heaven and earth into their bodies, merging it into their own strength, thereby forming internal energy and knowledge; this is the essence of Qigong

Therefore, for a long period of time, the deities and ancestral spirits were in mutual confrontation, which was the mainstream.

On that day, he was defeated by the City God of Dengzhou and lost the golden seal. However, he did not lose all hope; the last remnant of his soul clung to an old locust tree, drawing nourishment from the yin energy absorbed by the tree's roots to sustain his spirit in a desperate struggle for survival. Unfortunately, he encountered a swordsman with an exceptionally keen sensitivity to the yin spirits of Deng, who discerned the anomaly of the old locust tree. Without hesitation, the swordsman struck down the tree with a single sword, causing him to lose his refuge. Coincidentally, Tie Jun fainted beneath the tree, and in a twist of fate, a wisp of his remnant soul scattered into Tie Jun's spirit.

In the beginning, humanity did not believe in deities; they believed in their ancestors. In fact, even now, humanity primarily believes in their ancestors, and only secondarily in various deities. Whenever faced with any situation, the first thought is to seek the protection of ancestors, followed by turning to the deities.

Ancestral spirits are also a type of ghost, but they are quite special. In addition to their own will, they also benefit from the will of their family members. If a person had a very good relationship with their family during their lifetime, they can provide significant assistance to their family. If the family does not wish for their death, or hopes that they can continue to protect the family after death, they can easily break through the devouring of the Yin Mountain and remain in the human realm. These are the ancestral spirits

However, it is unfortunate that, as a shadow deity, he lacks a physical form and is fundamentally unable to cultivate this divine ability, leaving him only to watch in frustration.

In order to compete for the power of incense, in addition to the conflicts among the Yin gods, they must also strive for the hearts of the people, seeking their devotion. Only in this way can they obtain the wishes associated with incense. Otherwise, no matter how vast the territory occupied by a Yin god, it is futile if no one worships them. The method to win the hearts of the people is to fulfill their wishes. For densely populated areas, this means ensuring favorable weather and the well-being of families. Therefore, regardless of the moral character of the Yin god, they must find ways to gain the people's devotion, which necessitates performing many good deeds. In this regard, even if a Yin god occupies a large territory, it is still futile without followers. The approach to winning the hearts of the people remains the same: fulfilling their wishes, particularly in populous regions, which involves ensuring good weather and family health. Thus, regardless of the Yin god's virtues, they must strive to gain the people's faith, leading them to perform numerous good deeds. In this respect, they are far better than the so-called public servants in the dream world.

The chaotic and complex memories made Tie Jun's head feel as heavy as a bucket, but after clarifying his thoughts, he discovered that he seemed to have inadvertently unearthed a great treasure

This mainstream underwent a change three thousand years ago

However, knowing does not equate to being able to cultivate

The formation of Yin-Yang separation and killing energy is not an easy task; it cannot be generated simply by finding a place with heavy Yin energy. To generate Yin-Yang separation killing energy, many stringent conditions must be met, and there are not many places that meet such criteria. The chaotic burial ground in Dongling has one such location, which was beyond Chen Jiu's expectations. Originally, Chen Jiu had some ideas and plans regarding this Yin-Yang separation killing energy, but unfortunately, all his thoughts and calculations turned to nothing with a single strike from that swordsman.

In comparison to deities, ancestral spirits can only obtain the incense and wishes of their own family, which is somewhat less, but it is more stable. Moreover, if a family has a sufficient number of members and is prosperous enough, the power of incense they receive can surpass that of ordinary deities. Additionally, since they are family, the wishes received by the ancestral spirits are exceptionally pure, and their divine abilities are relatively strong. When the ancestral spirits discover the secret of the power of incense, they will entice their kin to no longer worship the deities.

Shen Tong and Qi Gong are not the same

The underworld and the world of the living are adjacent to each other, and the place where they meet is called Yin Mountain

The tomb of King Yue, I never expected that such a significant figure would be buried here in Dongling

The teachings of Buddhism are transmitted

What is the ancestral spirit of humanity

The result, akin to that of a book, is that Tie Jun inexplicably acquired Chen Jiu's memories. These memories and knowledge did not significantly impact him; they neither enhanced his soul nor harmed his body. They merely provided him with some knowledge, along with a lingering obsession—an obsession for revenge. This obsession will only dissipate after Tie Jun eliminates the current City God of Dongling; otherwise, it will remain entwined within his soul. Currently, Tie Jun's cultivation is shallow, so it is not a major issue. However, as his cultivation deepens in the future, it may transform into a heart demon, gnawing at his spirit. Unless he can fulfill this obsession, it may very well be the price Tie Jun pays for acquiring all of this.

However, divine abilities are very similar to qigong, but they require the assistance of certain spiritual materials from heaven and earth in order to be cultivated. This is the most fundamental difference between qigong and divine abilities.

The location of Tie Jun is in the eastern region of the Southern Zhanzhou, one of the four great continents, known as the Eastern Tang. Originally, Buddhism was only prevalent in the Western Niuhezhou. However, everything changed after the Tripitaka Master traveled westward eight hundred years ago, bringing Buddhism eastward. The Eastern Tang saw a flourishing of Buddhism, and the teachings became widespread. The Buddhist sect is one that embraces all without discrimination, leading many demon clans to study the Buddhist teachings. They acquired the methods of cultivating their physical bodies through the power of incense and vows, subsequently killing the local Yin gods, seizing their divine seals, and claiming their own divine positions. In regard to such clearly irregular actions, both the Heavenly Court and the Underworld have remained silent. No matter who you are, as long as you exercise the authority of the Yin gods and refine the divine seals, both the Heavenly Court and the Underworld will acknowledge you.

As a result, a large number of shadowy figures fell into misfortune, and old landowners like Chen Jiu, who were not adept at management, were further eliminated

The emergence of Buddhism fundamentally altered the structure of the world, as it contains the methods that enable individuals to attain sanctity in their physical form. What does it mean to attain sanctity in the physical form? Along with books.

Apart from these special places, there are also some individuals whose willpower is particularly strong just before death. This may be a form of resentment or perhaps an obsession. Such resentment and obsession help them resist the devouring power from the underworld, allowing them to remain in the human realm. These are what we refer to as ghosts

The monitoring of the heavens and the earth, mutual slaughter, and the competition for incense offerings constitute the predominant theme of the order of the universe following the establishment of the deities. As for the mutual struggles among the shadow deities, neither the underworld nor the heavenly court pays much attention. In their view, as long as these shadow deities can effectively assist in monitoring the heavens and the earth, that is sufficient. As for who wins or loses among you, what concern is it of mine?

Even ordinary individuals can utilize the methods of incense offerings and aspirations for cultivation

Because that yellow aura is a form of supernatural power

The more densely populated the area, the more intense the competition for this spiritual power becomes. The larger the territory occupied by the deities, the more followers they have, and consequently, their strength increases.

However, ordinary souls do not possess divine seals and are unable to cultivate. Even if they remain in the mortal realm, they exist in a state of confusion, unaware of the world around them, and will soon dissipate into the cosmos.

Originally, he could barely get by relying on his divine status. However, six hundred years ago, a demon who had attained Buddhist teachings destroyed his statue, took the divine seal for himself, first becoming the local deity, and then achieving victory in the nearby battle of gods. He exterminated the city god, Xiao Jiuqian, consolidated the divine seal, and became the new city god of Dengzhou Prefecture. This demon was also clever; after killing Xiao Jiuqian, he even usurped his name, enjoying everything that originally belonged to Xiao Jiuqian. As for Chen Jiu, he had probably long been forgotten.

The Yin spirits are not without competitors; for the Yin spirits, three thousand years ago, their greatest rival was the ancestral spirits of humanity

Chen Jiu is a personal guard of Chen Qi, having served him since childhood, akin to a companion reader. Chen Qi has not been unkind to him; he possesses considerable strength and practices the same martial arts as Chen Qi. He is even familiar with the cultivation method of the renowned yellow aura that brought Chen Qi fame.

The yellow energy within Chen Qi is known as the "Separation of Soul and Mysterious Light." When it strikes a person, it temporarily scatters their soul. Although Chen Jiu understood the method of the Separation of Soul and Mysterious Light, he was unable to cultivate it at that time because this divine ability requires a certain spiritual material from heaven and earth for cultivation. This spiritual material is known as the "Yin-Yang Separation and Combination Evil," which only exists in the mortal realm and can only be found in places dense with Yin evil. During Chen Jiu's lifetime, in the era of King Wu's campaign against Zhou, Chen Qi, with the help of his family, cultivated this Separation of Soul and Mysterious Light from the Yin-Yang Separation and Combination Evil of an ancient tomb. However, Chen Jiu, as a personal guard, was not so fortunate. The Yin-Yang Separation and Combination Evil is a rare treasure of heaven and earth, not easily found. Chen Qi found it and achieved unparalleled fame as a general in the battle of sealing the gods. Chen Jiu also found it, but only after his death, when he became a land deity. After experiencing thousands of years of vicissitudes, he found it in a mass grave. He has been the land deity here in the Eastern Tomb for so many years, and one could say he is the local tiger of the land. This particular Yin-Yang Separation and Combination Evil is something he witnessed coalescing.

In the realm of the living, no one can find the Yin Mountain; however, once a person dies, they are able to see this Yin Mountain and simultaneously feel the immense attraction emanating from it, drawing the deceased souls into the realm behind the Yin Mountain, which is the underworld. The vast majority of souls cannot escape the pull of the Yin Mountain, but there are exceptions.

The mortal realm is vast, and there are certain special places where the influence of the underworld cannot reach. In these places, death does not necessarily result in being drawn into the underworld

These are the ancestral spirits, the ethereal forms of human ancestors after their death