Chapter 127: Chapter 124: Chaos in the Late Eastern Han Dynasty Chapter 127: Chapter 124: Chaos in the Late Eastern Han Dynasty The Daoist Equal to Heaven, having received the third Swallowing Dragon Stele sent by Wusheng, ordered the five ghosts to promptly repair the collapsed statue.

In his heart, the Daoist Equal to Heaven thought, “It seems that elder sister has not yet broken through to the realm of the creator; otherwise, she could have restored it directly with a wave of divine skills. The Heavenly Illuminating Holy King said she was at the realm of Law, but who knows how difficult it is to advance further from such a state?”

The Daoist Equal to Heaven was Wukong’s second incarnation, with no difference in thought from the original, except for a slightly more somber temperament. Essentially, he was a second Sun Wukong. Wukong had sparred with Tathagata and endured refinement in the Bagua Oven for a long time, comprehending many truths and nearly touching the realm of the Second Heaven of Da Luo Golden Immortal.

In fact, he was just one step away from crossing into it. Meanwhile, his third incarnation, the Enlightenment Dao, was cultivating both the physical body and the Primordial Spirit within Flower-Fruit Mountain, while also consuming Peaches of Immortality to amass True Qi. To divide the True Qi into three parts required an immense number of peaches. He ate one after another, but fortunately, he had plenty. He had swept away all the peaches from an entire Peach Garden, it was just a pity that the Queen Mother had not planted the mother tree there; otherwise, he would have taken that as well and would be truly content.

In his heart, the Daoist Equal to Heaven thought, “Another year has passed, I wonder how Tao Yao is faring. When I have the time, I must visit her.”

Tao Yao had shown him great kindness; that little fairy had truly been a good friend and nearly lost her life for him. He certainly needed to repay her.

“During this period, I shall fervently refine my sharira. Before entering seclusion, Yang Jian said that the incense offerings inside the Temple of the True Monarch are at my disposal. This incense power is indeed a fantastic thing; no wonder Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Buddhas all vie for incense power, supporting one small nation after another in West Cow He State.” Once the Daoist Equal to Heaven saw the deity statue repaired, he dismissed the five little demons, opened the temple gates, and leaped into the statue to continue his cultivation.

The sun rose in the east, and streaks of sunlight fell. The number of people coming to offer incense at the True Monarch’s temple gradually increased.

Streams of incense power and wishes entered the statue, with many mundane thoughts intermixed: people sought peace, wealth, marriage, and official positions. There were hardly any devout believers, unlike in Buddhism’s Vedha Continent. There, the entire Vedha Continent worshiped Tathagata, and daily incense offerings to him had become routine—thanking the Buddha Ancestor for food and happiness before meals. Such pure incense power and wishes were the most potent.

The Daoist Equal to Heaven swiftly cleared these miscellaneous thoughts from the incense power before infusing them into the sharira for refinement. Thankfully, the Sutra of the Other Shore was quite marvelous, and he removed these thoughts much faster than the Buddhas of the Buddhist sect. Of course, he also occasionally granted these people’s wishes, which made them believe in the divine manifestation of the True Lord, and thus the incense offerings increased even more.

For Yang Jian, comprehending the complete Method of the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends Transformations was not an easy task either. True Man of the Jade Tripod had been irresponsible to pass down such incomplete teachings, hindering his progress in cultivation since the end of Ancient Times. If not for Wukong acquiring the legacy of Fuxi in the Bagua World and imparting the method to Yang Jian, he might have been stuck there for life.

Nine is odd, and eight is even. According to the principles of the Taoist Sect, the integration of eight and nine represents infinity, not just limited to the Seventy-Two Transformations.

While Yang Jian was in seclusion, and the Daoist Equal to Heaven enjoyed refining his sharira with incense, Wukong was being suppressed beneath the Five Elements Mountain, and Enlightenment Dao was enduring harsh cultivation in the Water Curtain Cave. All of this was rather dry and dull. Without further ado, let’s not dwell on this.

Rumor had it that with one sword strike, the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch severed the last vestiges of destiny for the Han Dynasty. Emperor Ming of Han, Liu Zhuang, deteriorated in health daily and ultimately passed away in the 18th year of Yongping at the age of forty-eight, posthumously known as Emperor Xiaoming.

Following Liu Zhuang’s death, his fifth son, Liu Zhao, inherited the throne as Emperor Zhang of Han; he invigorated the empire with his vigorous reforms, particularly with water conservancy projects that allowed the people to rest and recuperate. Thus, he extended the Han Dynasty’s golden era that began under Emperor Ming. However, Liu Zhao was also short-lived, dying in the 2nd year of Zhanghe, at the young age of thirty-one, posthumously named Emperor Xiaozhang.

After Emperor Zhang’s imperial ascension to the heavens, his fourth son, Liu Zhao, succeeded to the throne as Emperor He of Han. During his early years, Empress Dowager Dou held the reins of power until the fourth year of Yongyuan, when Liu Zhao, together with eunuchs, eliminated the entire Dou clan, reclaiming imperial authority and setting a precedent for the subsequent eunuch dominance in the Han Dynasty. Empress Dowager Dou, a willful and self-reliant woman, albeit of the fairer sex, had no understanding of how to govern the nation, falling short even of Empress Lü Zhi, wife of Emperor Gaozu of Han. Her misrule squandered the efforts of the past three emperors; the court descended into chaos until Liu Zhao regained control over the fate of the nation, restoring some degree of order, though it was already inferior to previous times.

Emperor He, Liu Zhao, perhaps afflicted by the waning dynastic fate, fell seriously ill and died at the age of twenty-seven, in the first year of Yuanxing.

The next emperor, Liu Long, was a particularly tragic figure, having ascended to the throne as an infant before even reaching one hundred days old, and died a year later, with nothing left but the posthumous title of Emperor Shang of Han.

With no direct heirs of his own, Liu Zhao’s legacy passed to the grandson of the former Crown Prince Liu Qing, the son of Liu Zhao, Emperor Liu Hong. By the time Emperor Liu Hong ascended the throne, the Han Dynasty was riddled with crises, with a powerful eunuch faction, internal turmoil in the palace, regency by the empress dowager, and repeated natural disasters such as floods and hailstorms, making life unbearable for the people of the Great Han. He ruled for approximately nineteen years, passing away at just thirty-two years of age.

His son, Emperor Shun of Han, Liu Bao, ascended the throne, dying at the age of thirty. His reign was secured with the help of a cohort of eunuchs, to whom he was excessively indulgent, allowing them to conspire with the in-laws from the Liang family, thus further weakening an already fragile Han Dynasty.

After Liu Bao’s death, Liu Bing succeeded to the throne as Emperor Chong of Han, only to die at the age of two, passing away in the first year of Yongxi. This was a testament to the extent of the Han Dynasty’s decline.

With infant emperors at the helm and eunuchs grasping the reins of government, coupled with brief and successive reigns, the Great Han Dynasty fell deeper into chaos, rendering its people miserable—a once glorious empire now lost its luster.

Then came Liu Zuan, inheriting the great rule, yet he too was young, only seven years old. Liu Bao’s eunuch allies during his time were ridiculed by Liu Zuan, who scornfully called Liang Ji a “domineering general.” Enraged, Liang Ji had the eunuch poison Liu Zuan’s food, leading to his demise. Liu Zuan died in the first year of Benchu, at a mere nine years old.

Following Zuan’s death, Emperor Huan of Han, Liu Zhi, ascended the throne. Despite his name, he had little to no grand ambition and was known for his extravagant lifestyle, devotion to Buddhism, and reliance on eunuchs, contributing to rapid growth of Buddhism and even greater empowerment of eunuchs during his reign. They went as far as to sell offices and titles, allowing fools to govern the state, marking the approaching end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

There is a poem by later generations as evidence, which goes:

To decry a domineering general slaying Liang Wang, would it be right to trust in prosperity and decline to belief in Duan and Zhang?

Xiang Kai’s loyal words, who is misled by flatterers, enduring the treacherous disaster arising from amidst the desolate walls

Emperor Huan of Han passed away, and Emperor Ling of Han ascended the throne.

At this time, Emperor Ling of Han was still young, so he was assisted by two pillars of the state, Great General Dou Wu and Grand Tutor Chen Fan. The two wished to eliminate the influence of the eunuchs, but instead lost their lives trying, and the eunuchs’ power grew even more unchecked and formidable.

In the 2nd year of Jianning, on the day of the full moon in April,

a giant green serpent emerged from the Dragon’s Eye within Luoyang City. This snake was a spiritual being, transformed from the scarce remnants of Dragon Qi in the Dragon’s Eye. It entered the Imperial Palace and slithered into the great hall exactly when the court was in session during the early morning.

“If these people knew my origins, and did not draw their swords to cut me down, they might still preserve some of their fortune. If they try to kill me, their luck is truly at an end,” thought the giant serpent as it entered the great hall, coiling atop a beam and hissing, watching the officials below and the young Emperor Ling of Han.

Suddenly, a strong wind blew in from outside, and the serpent took the opportunity to slide down from the beam and coil onto a seat.

Emperor Ling of Han was terrified, his face turned pale as he cried out, “Quick, protect me! Quick, protect me!”

The General Who Guards the Palace hastily drew his treasured sword and swung it towards the giant serpent. The officials, finding the serpent formidable, panicked and scrambled chaotically.

Just as the General’s treasured sword was about to strike, the giant serpent suddenly vanished, turning into a wisp of clean air that drifted out of the great hall. The General was secretly shocked, thinking, “This serpent must have become a refined demon. It just disappeared so suddenly, truly frightening!”

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau thought to himself, “Dragon and Snake, Dragon and Snake. Now that the Great Han’s destiny is collapsing, and a green python has appeared… I fear that the Great Han is on the brink of destruction!”

Emperor Ling of Han exclaimed, “That was terrifying!”

The giant serpent then returned to the Dragon Vein, and the Hundred Sage Scholars hidden within the Dragon’s Eye exchanged glances before departing Luoyang, heading towards Chang’an.

Since the death of Emperor Ming of Han, the Dragon Qi of the capital Luoyang had been shifting toward Chang’an. These sages, hidden inside the Dragon’s Eye, were able to obscure the workings of fate and suppress the destiny of The Eastern Land, preventing it from shattering like West Cow He State and splitting into countless smaller nations.

After the green serpent left, that night came with thunderstorms and a deluge of huge hailstones mixed in, which did not cease until midnight, damaging countless houses.

In the following year, Luoyang was troubled by the upheaval of earth dragons, resulting in countless deaths and injuries and great loss.

There were also tsunamis at the seaside, where coastal residents suffered heavy casualties, and the number of people fleeing their homes was countless.

In the 1st year of Guanghe, various ominous omens descended one after another. Emperor Ling of Han ascended the altar to pray and make sacrifices, but the statues of former emperors all cracked, and even the altar was gnawed to ruin by an unknown type of ant the next day. These ants were as big as thumbs with a pair of sharp fangs that could tear off a chunk of flesh upon biting a hand and a saliva that could corrode metal.

The government was unstable, the people struggled to survive. In such chaotic times, naturally, many harbored thoughts of rebellion.

Confucius stood atop a high tower, looking out over Luoyang City, and sighed, “In times of rise and fall, it is the common people who suffer! With the Great Han about to fall, I do not know how many will be displaced.”

Appearing at his side, Mencius bowed and said, “Teacher, your concern for the country and the people is truly exemplary. However, the changing of dynasties in the Human Path is a natural decree of the Heavenly Dao. Celestial Venerable Spiritual Treasure severed the destiny of Great Han with a sword stroke, and naturally, there’s a reason for it: Better to suffer briefly than to suffer for a lifetime.”

After hearing his student’s words, Confucius couldn’t help but sigh deeply before nodding and saying, “Mencius, your words are true. The world is in chaos, and who knows when it will stabilize!”

Mencius looked at the refugees outside the city, feeling a sour pain in his heart, and said to Confucius, “Teacher, the other scholars have already set out for Chang’an. Let’s join them.”

Confucius said, “I fear that Chang’an too will not be a lasting haven for the Dragon Vein. Eventually, it may have to move back to Luoyang.”

Mencius replied, “Times change, and when that time comes, we’ll address it then. We, the Hundred Sage Scholars, will suppress the Dragon Vein to prevent the destiny from dissipating and stop the ambitions of those wild schemers from West Cow He State.”

Confucius nodded, and he left with Mencius.

That Black Coffin was already hidden within the Dragon Vein of Chang’an, harboring no concerns, for in this age of chaos, Dragon Veins were impermanent anyway—no matter how much was absorbed, there was no need for fear.

If you want to know what happens next, please listen to the next part.