Under the destruction of Jianhu Palace, Duan Yu, one of the three protagonists of Tianlong, was no different from others and died here.
...
The laws of the Immortal Emperor, even if the slightest bit of power leaked out, would far exceed the scope of Jianhu Palace and Wuliang Sword Sect.
The entire world had entered a countdown to destruction.
The sky collapsed and the earth caved in!
Humanity vanished!
Livestock perished!
In Dali's Tianlong Temple, Master Kurong looked up at the sky, his face filled with despair.
Master Kurong was a highly esteemed monk of Tianlong Temple, and his position was evident from his ability to wield the Six Meridians Divine Sword manual.
In terms of martial arts, Master Kurong had not only cultivated the One Yang Finger to an extremely profound level, making it effortless to pierce steel with his finger.
Most importantly, Master Kurong had mastered the Shaoshang meridian of the Six Meridians Divine Sword, allowing him to wield the Shaoshang sword independently.
In terms of cultivation, Master Kurong had already reached the Innate realm.
At this stage, one's Ren and Du meridians were unblocked, the Heavenly Spirit Aperture was connected, and the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was absorbed into the body, elevating the acquired true qi, which was based on blood and qi, into innate true qi that absorbed spiritual energy.
In the martial world, every Innate martial artist was renowned and a dominant force!
Whether it was the profound Innate realm, the Six Meridians Divine Sword, or the One Yang Finger, these were things that ordinary martial artists could not achieve even after a lifetime of cultivation.
Yet, Master Kurong was still filled with despair.
Because, in the face of a calamity that would destroy the entire world, the Innate realm and the Six Meridians Divine Sword were utterly useless!
"Heaven is destroying the world!"
"Who can stop it?"
The many eminent monks and ordinary monks in Tianlong Temple, in the tide of destruction, turned into dust and were then annihilated at the most fundamental particle level.
Even Innate experts were no different from ordinary people, dying at the same time.
...
In the Central Plains, at the imperial court of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Emperor Zhezong and the court officials knelt on the Altar of Heaven, performing a solemn kowtow.
Emperor Zhezong witnessed the sky collapsing, the earth caving in, humanity vanishing, and livestock perishing.
He could not help but weep, "Heaven, why are you so unjust, bringing such disaster upon my Great Song Dynasty!"
"My ancestors, your unworthy descendant, the foundation of my Great Song for centuries, is ruined! Ruined!"
Among the court officials, a Confucian scholar advised:
"Your Majesty, do you recall the 'Theory of Yin-Yang Disasters and Anomalies' and the 'Theory of Heaven-Man Correspondence' written by the Confucian sage, Sage Dong?"
"Droughts, disasters, floods, earthquakes, and other natural calamities occurring throughout the land are all signs of the Son of Heaven's lack of virtue."
"This is a test from Heaven. Your Majesty only needs to issue an edict of self-reproach to the people of the world and seek Heaven's forgiveness, and this calamity will naturally be resolved."
Emperor Zhezong, having become emperor, had naturally studied Confucian classics since childhood.
He knew that the Confucian sage Dong referred to was Dong Zhongshu of the Han Dynasty!
Dong Zhongshu's advocacy for Confucianism and suppression of other schools of thought was precisely due to his 'Theory of Yin-Yang Disasters and Anomalies' and the 'Theory of Heaven-Man Correspondence,' which greatly impressed Emperor Wu of Han!
Emperor Wu of Han deeply believed in the 'Theory of Heaven-Man Correspondence' in the 'Theory of Yin-Yang Disasters and Anomalies,' which led to Confucianism being honored in court and the influence of other philosophical schools being completely expelled from the imperial court!
The 'Theory of Yin-Yang Disasters and Anomalies' states!
The Mandate of Heaven!
The Son of Heaven, the Emperor, is Heaven's representative on Earth!
The Son of Heaven is a true dragon, and every action can affect all people under heaven and the workings of the universe!
Favorable weather and abundant harvests are all the Emperor's merits!
This is Heaven-Man Correspondence!
Then, who is responsible for droughts, floods, and earthquakes?
The great scholar explained that Heaven would judge whether the human world should experience disaster or favorable weather based on whether the Son of Heaven acted virtuously or lacked virtue, and whether he adhered to Confucian rites.
Favorable weather and abundant harvests represent the Son of Heaven's virtue and respect for Confucian rites.
Floods, earthquakes, and the displacement of celestial bodies represent the Son of Heaven's lack of virtue and disrespect for Confucian rites.
What to do in such situations? The great scholar explained that if the Son of Heaven lacked virtue, he should issue an edict of self-reproach, cultivate his character, and respect Confucian rites, which would naturally move Heaven and resolve the calamity!
The great scholar further advised, "Your Majesty! Sage Confucius spoke of benevolence, and Sage Mencius spoke of righteousness."
"All calamities and natural disasters in the world are caused by the loss of rites and the absence of benevolence and righteousness in this world."
"Rites, benevolence, and righteousness are the fundamental truths of the universe's operation. When people lose benevolence, lose righteousness, and forget Confucian rites, Heaven and Earth will naturally become angry, Heaven-Man correspondence will occur, and calamities will descend."
"Your Majesty should first issue an edict of self-reproach, and then ensure that everyone in this world... respects Confucius and Mencius, and then there will naturally be a peaceful and prosperous era, and natural disasters will never occur."
Emperor Zhezong was overjoyed upon learning the solution to the natural disasters!
The identity of this great scholar was extraordinary!
He was a direct descendant of the Kong family, a noble family for a thousand years!
He was the current Duke Yansheng!
Could the words of a descendant of Sage Confucius be false?
Descendants of Sage Confucius were all people of perfect moral character! Their words could not possibly be false!
Emperor Zhezong's face regained its smile, and as he was about to return to issue the edict of self-reproach, the imperial palace hall suddenly collapsed with a roar.
The altar shattered into pieces!
"The imperial palace has collapsed!"
"Why, why is this happening..."
"Heaven is destroying me! Heaven is destroying me!"
Countless cries of sorrow and screams echoed.
Emperor Zhezong was still contemplating the edict of self-reproach, but he no longer had the chance to issue it.
Because he was already dead.
Crushed to death by a giant pillar from the imperial palace hall.
And the great scholar, the current Duke Yansheng, a descendant of Sage Confucius, looked at the emperor crushed to death, his face almost contorted with madness.
"No... impossible! How could the Theory of Heaven-Man Correspondence be wrong!"
"If Heaven had not produced Sage Confucius, it would have been an eternal night. The moment Sage Confucius descended, it was the beginning of civilization, the dawn of light... How could the words of our Confucian sages be wrong?"
"Confucianism is the truth..."
As the great scholar muttered to himself.
Another pillar fell.
No matter how proficient this great scholar was in the Four Books and Five Classics, or what his status as a descendant of Sage Confucius was, he would still die before this pillar.
The way of Confucius and Mencius could not make his death any different from that of others.
After the imperial palace hall collapsed.
The tide of destruction rolled in, annihilating all living beings in the capital, turning them into dust.
...
In the Shaolin Temple, in the Sutra Repository.
The old monk sweeping the floor, with a three-foot qi wall, opened the ancestral aperture between his eyebrows, and his spiritual senses connected with heaven and earth, surpassing the Innate realm, making him a martial arts grandmaster.
The old monk was powerful.
The three elders of Xiaoyao, the three disciples of Xiaoyaozi, were merely juniors in martial arts in the eyes of the old monk sweeping the floor.
Even if the founder of the Xiaoyao Sect, Xiaoyaozi, and the ancestor of the Murong family, Murong Longcheng, were alive, they could only fight the old monk to a draw, unable to defeat him.
In the world of Tianlong, the ultimate of martial arts was embodied by the old monk sweeping the floor.
The withered old monk looked at the scene of world destruction and sighed, "The 'Scripture of Nirvana's Record of Dharma Abiding' states that there are the five defilements in the world, and among them, the defilement of sentient beings is the foremost."