Chapter 66 The Way of the Stars
Gouchen the Great Emperor, also known as the Western Taiji Heavenly Emperor, is the ruler of all spirits, wielding the Myriad Gods Diagram and governing all gods, thus being the Lord of All Gods.
He is also one of the Four Emperors, assisting the Jade Emperor in managing the North and South Poles and the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and Man, overseeing human affairs of war, and commanding the cycles of the sun, moon, and stars.
When Feng Zichen established the incense and divine path in the Zichen Grotto-Heaven, the Heavenly Dao bestowed upon him the Myriad Gods Diagram to help him unify the divine path, establish order, and bestow titles upon the myriad gods.
At that time, Feng Zichen had an idea: if he failed to attain the Dao of Ziwei in the future, he could use the Myriad Gods Diagram to transform into Gouchen the Great Emperor and command all gods, which would be a viable backup plan.
However, later, as Feng Zichen's cultivation deepened, his connection with the Ziwei Star became increasingly intimate, and transforming into the Ziwei Emperor became a certainty. The matter of switching to cultivating as Gouchen the Great Emperor was gradually shelved.
Seeing the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo, Feng Zichen couldn't help but have a bold idea: he wanted the position of the Ziwei Emperor, and he also wanted the position of the Gouchen Emperor. If the Antarctic Star God hadn't already been born, he would have even wanted the position of the Antarctic Longevity Emperor.
Since receiving part of the Star Demon God's inheritance from the Innate Star Tree, Feng Zichen had comprehended the true meaning of the Way of the Stars! What he wanted to prove was the Way of the Stars, not the Way of Ziwei.
Although the Ziwei Star was the master of all stars, it was shared with the Sun and Moon, and was not under its control. Furthermore, the Gouchen and Antarctic Stars diminished the power of the Ziwei Star.
If he were to achieve the Way through the Ziwei Star, Feng Zichen's final achievement would only be the Ziwei Emperor, one of the Four Emperors of the Heavenly Court, a puppet manipulated by the sages. Nominally, the master of all stars, in reality, the stars were separate, and he could not govern the entire celestial sphere.
But to truly prove the Way of the Stars was extremely difficult. At the very least, a sage would not allow anyone to control the celestial sphere.
The fortune carried by the celestial sphere is immense! Emperor Jun, having obtained it, unified the demon race, established the Heavenly Court, and dominated the primordial world; even a sage dared not provoke him.
Given this precedent, how could a sage allow the Ziwei Emperor to command all the stars and gather the fortune of the celestial sphere? Therefore, the sage established a separate power base, appointing the Gouchen and Antarctic Emperors.
This effectively sidelined the Jade Emperor, causing him to lose power and prestige. It also diluted the fortune of the celestial sphere, preventing it from reaching its full potential and thus preventing the birth of another figure like Emperor Jun—truly a multi-pronged approach.
The appearance of the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo gave Feng Zichen hope of attaining the Dao of the Stars. If the three Star Gods were under his control, who could stop him from becoming the Lord of All Stars?
Seeing the deathly aura on the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo completely dissipate, Feng Zichen escaped with his innate primordial spirit and flew into it, intending to refine it into an avatar for future competition for the position of Gouchen.
"Buzz!"
The Myriad Gods Diagram could obliterate a deathly aura, but it couldn't obliterate the resentment of innate gods and demons. Sensing Feng Zichen's entry into the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo, the innate resentment surged and surged towards him.
"Hmph!" With a soft hum, the Myriad Gods Diagram trembled, lowering its endless divine light to meet the innate resentment, engaging it in a fierce battle. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Feng Zichen quickly merged with the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo to prevent any unforeseen changes.
With a hissing sound, the innate resentment forced back the Myriad Gods Diagram, surging into the divine embryo and coiling around Feng Zichen's primordial spirit, attempting to erode his intelligence.
In desperation, Feng Zichen hurriedly said, "After I attain enlightenment, I will fight the villain to the death to avenge the deaths of all my fellow Daoists!"
"After I attain enlightenment, I will do everything in my power to bring you back and give you a new life. I hope you will lend me a hand!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the innate resentment stopped eroding Feng Zichen's primordial spirit. It hovered in the air for a moment and then transformed into a pitch-black Dao seal, which was imprinted on Feng Zichen's primordial spirit.
Then, Feng Zichen encountered no further resistance in refining the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo. In fact, the power of Thunder Marsh spontaneously emerged, aiding him in the process. Outside the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo, countless illusory gods chanted Daoist scriptures, forming hand seals and channeling them into the embryo to assist in its refinement.
The Nine Heavens Thunder Lord had been murdered before even being born. Naturally, his heart was filled with resentment and hatred for his killer. These negative emotions, after his death, lingered as resentment.
Feng Zichen vowed that after attaining Dao, he would avenge the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord, slaying the murderer to quell his hatred and finding a way for his resurrection to dispel his grievances.
The spirit of the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord, sensing this, not only dispelled his resentment but also aided him in refining the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo, awaiting his resurrection.
Of course, to prevent Feng Zichen from changing his mind, the innate resentment was imprinted on his body, constantly urging him to fulfill his promise.
Silently, a massive spatial rift appeared, from which starlight flowed like water, falling into the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo and accelerating its evolution.
At the end of the rift, six incomparably brilliant stars hung high in the heavens, from which the endless starlight descended.
These six stars resembled Qilin, but were in fact Gouchen! These were the Six Stars of Gouchen, located in the Ziwei Palace, the symbol of the Great Emperor Gouchen.
The Nine Heavens Divine Embryo governs the power of punishment in heaven and earth, while the Great Emperor Gouchen governs the order of heaven and earth; the two complement each other perfectly. It was for this reason that Feng Zichen was willing to bear the consequences to obtain the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo.
With the help of Lei Ze, Feng Zichen quickly refined the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo. Once his innate primordial spirit condensed into a physical body, he could be born as the Innate Great God of Lei Ze to contend for the throne of the Great Emperor Gouchen.
Inside the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo, Feng Zichen waved his hand, and the Myriad Gods Diagram trembled for a moment before transforming into a beam of white light that landed in his hand. With a flick of his wrist, the Myriad Gods Diagram slowly unfolded, revealing countless gods standing upon it, chanting unknown Daoist scriptures.
With another flick, the phantoms of the gods vanished, leaving the diagram a blank canvas, devoid of any trace. With a casual toss, the Myriad Gods Diagram flew out of the Nine Heavens Divine Embryo, heading towards the Eighth Thunder Swamp.
Within the Eighth Thunder Swamp, the Myriad Gods Diagram erupted with dazzling divine light, devouring all nine Thunder Domains—Divine Firmament, Azure Firmament, Jade Firmament, Crimson Firmament, Scenery Firmament, Jade Firmament, Lang Firmament, Purple Firmament, and Supreme Firmament—before returning to Feng Zichen's hand.
Opening the Myriad Gods Diagram again, nine figures wreathed in lightning appeared on it; judging by their aura, they were indeed formed from the Nine Heavens Thunder Domains.
"Excellent. In the future, when the divine path flourishes, this mark can be used to summon back the Nine Heavens Thunder Lords!" Looking at the nine figures on the Myriad Gods Diagram, Feng Zichen nodded in satisfaction.
Although the Nine Heavens Thunder Lords were dead, the Nine Heavens Thunder Domains that nurtured them still existed, retaining their primordial energy. After the Myriad Gods Diagram devours the Nine Heavens Thunder Domain, it can be used to resurrect the Nine Heavens Thunder Lord when the divine path flourishes and all gods are appointed.
The Myriad Gods Diagram differs from the Investiture of the Gods. The Investiture of the Gods appoints 365 righteous gods of heaven and earth. The Myriad Gods Diagram, however, includes all gods in the world, categorizing them, classifying them by rank, and establishing an order.
The Myriad Gods Diagram is a treasure of divine fortune; the more prosperous the divine path, the stronger its power. Feng Zichen can freely alter the names on its list. The
Investiture of the Gods, on the other hand, is a celestial book, with no room for advancement; once the names on its list are established, they cannot be changed.
(End of Chapter)