Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Origin of the Divine Illumination Canon and Zhu Jinzhen’s Concerns

"Can it truly resurrect the dead?"

Not only Cao Xueyang and Zhangsun Wangqing, but even those who had been single-mindedly focused on utilizing the Gourmet's Tablecloth to manifest and refine Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom for the Tiance and Cangyun armies were stunned by this news.

Zhu Jinzhen nodded with a grave expression. "The profound wonder of this technique lies in its utilization of the natural energies of heaven and earth—the 'Mysterious Method of Nature' and the 'Universal Harmony.' As long as the body is not physically maimed, according to the true qi circulation of this art, it is indeed capable of resurrection."

The waters of this integrated martial arts world ran deep—so deep that Zhu Jinzhen sometimes wondered if an Astronomical Grandmaster might suddenly drown in a shallow creek, or if a Land Immortal might unexpectedly perish in some anonymous potter's field.

The *Shenzhao Scripture* in his hand further confirmed this suspicion. Had Zhu Jinzhen not already stepped into the realm of a Terrestrial Celestial, he might not have perceived the nuances hidden within the text.

In particular, the phrase in the *Shenzhao Scripture*—"Universal harmony, the mysterious method of nature; encompassing the myriad phenomena of the universe, and mastering the creation of all things"—could only be described as being refined to an infinitesimal degree.

It was so exquisite that it felt somewhat out of place, even bizarre.

Zhu Jinzhen’s eyes were deep and contemplative. "A master in the Profound-Pointing Realm claiming to encompass the myriad phenomena of the universe and master the creation of all things?"

In Zhu Jinzhen's eyes, the *Shenzhao Scripture* was wondrous, yet it could not be called truly profound. Mei Niansheng, its creator, had spent his entire life stuck in the Profound-Pointing Realm; could one expect him to create a technique that pointed directly to the Land Immortal realm, or even the Terrestrial Celestial realm? One would be lucky if it could even cultivate someone to the Astronomical Realm.

Yet, certain contents within the *Shenzhao Scripture* truly astonished Zhu Jinzhen. They were insights and observations that simply should not belong to someone stuck in the Profound-Pointing Realm—unless Mei Niansheng had seen them somewhere else and borrowed them.

Zhangsun Wangqing did not know what Zhu Jinzhen was thinking, but seeing him lost in thought, she smiled and said, "In that case, I can understand why Your Highness no longer cares about the treasure of Emperor Yuan of Liang."

Compared to a *Shenzhao Scripture* capable of bringing back the dead, the value of the tens of millions of taels of silver in the Emperor Yuan treasure was not worth mentioning.

Zhu Jinzhen nodded, then sighed helplessly. "It is a pity that Mei Niansheng is dead; even if I wanted to investigate, it would be difficult. Otherwise, I would dearly love to know what he referenced to create his *Shenzhao Scripture*."

The martial arts ceiling in this world was higher than that of any single martial arts world. However, the Terrestrial Celestial realm was still the pinnacle of the mortal world unless one ascended. Zhu Jinzhen had known this before he stepped into the realm, but he had never truly believed it. Whether it was the traces of the Water Moon Cave or the legends of the Four Symbols of Heaven's Will, he had uncovered many records of an ancient era of gods and demons.

The Terrestrial Celestial realm was strong, yes, but it was absolutely not the strongest. Yet in the current era, even with Zhu Jinzhen's vast influence, tracing back to the Qin and Han dynasties was difficult, let alone the ancient past.

Seeing this, Zhangsun Wangqing reached out to smooth the furrow in his brow. Living together day and night, she understood his thoughts to a degree, but she was powerless here. She changed the subject: "I heard Your Highness released Zhu Wushi?"

"Yes." Zhu Jinzhen held her, his expression perfectly calm. "I can kill Zhu Wushi whenever I wish. His Great Law of Sucking Power is indeed mysterious, but it has flaws. Without breaking through that final layer, he will never enter the Land Immortal realm in this lifetime."

"But Zhu Wushi's conjecture gave me an idea."

"To use Zhu Wushi as a pawn?"

"Wangqing, you are as clever as ever." Zhu Jinzhen chuckled, pinching her delicate cheek with a playful glint in his eyes. "If Zhu Wushi were to act under the banner of the Emperor colluding with the enemy, and with actual evidence in hand, do you think he would be even more impatient?"

"And at that moment, would I not be able to follow the trend, truly 'obeying heaven to rectify the state' and purging the court of corrupt officials?"

"Is that Your Highness's true intention?"

Zhu Jinzhen looked at her and shook his head decisively. "No."

As for his true intention? Naturally, he was playing both sides.

"After today's visit to the Tiance Mansion, I have become the number one enemy in Zhu Wushi's eyes. Even if he forces his way to the throne, he will inevitably guard against my intervention. Unless forced by the situation, he will have to take the risk."

"What does Your Highness mean?" Zhangsun Wangqing caught the subtext.

"When the time is right, I can give him a nudge."

Zhu Jinzhen knew Zhu Wushi would be wary of him, but faced with the temptation of the throne, he believed Zhu Wushi would not mind taking the gamble. He only needed to provide a slight push to the current.

"Your Highness, the Tiance Mansion and the Cangyun Army command five hundred thousand armored troops."

"The twelve guards of Shaanxi have been expanding constantly and now possess abundant strength and many capable generals."

"With our power, do we still need to be so cautious?"

Although Zhangsun Wangqing understood, she still had her doubts. As his companion and the commander of the Cangyun Army, she knew best what a terrifying force Zhu Jinzhen had amassed. It was no exaggeration to say that a Profound-Pointing master—someone who could dominate a region in the martial arts world or stand against a thousand men on the battlefield—was merely an expert in the Tiance and Cangyun armies, far from a top-tier one. The public face of the Tiance Mansion and the Cangyun Army was entirely different from the reality.

Zhangsun Wangqing glanced at the tablecloth, an object that seemed like a treasure of the immortals—no, it possessed the creative power of the goddess Nüwa or Pangu himself. She was even more puzzled. For the past four years, the Gourmet's Tablecloth had been producing various heavenly treasures day and night, causing the strength of the Cangyun and Tiance forces to grow daily. Even if they could not stand against the combined forces of all the nations, toppling the Great Ming would not be difficult.

Even if the Ming had some hidden foundation or old monsters, what of it? Could one Land Immortal stop the combined force of ten Astronomical Grandmasters? Could they stop a hundred? Could they withstand the suppression of tens of thousands of Profound-Pointing soldiers acting in military formation?

This was not only Zhangsun Wangqing’s doubt; it was the doubt of Li Cheng'en and Cao Xueyang in the Tiance Mansion as well.

"Caution is the parent of safety. This world is not as simple as you imagine."

Zhu Jinzhen did not know what others thought, but through the intelligence he had gathered and a secret record he had seen before stepping into the Terrestrial Celestial realm: 'What is a Celestial? One who connects with the energy of heaven and earth, a single move capable of toppling a city? One man against a nation? Yes, but also no! The so-called Celestial is one who snatches six hundred years of life from heaven! This is what can be called: The Great Longevity of the Celestial!'

One cycle of sixty years, ten cycles being six hundred years. To say nothing of the distant past, Zhu Jinzhen could state with certainty that the old monsters who had left behind countless legends in the martial arts world were not all dead.

A Terrestrial Celestial could live for eight hundred years. What about those above the Terrestrial Celestial realm? From ancient times to the present, in so many dynasties—to say nothing of the late Eastern Han, an era of countless star-like generals and powerful figures—could there not be a few surviving "old things," the undying ones? Were the Three Immortals of the late Han really dead?