Chapter 346: Chapter 68 Heavenly Dharma
On the morning of the sixth day of September, the weather in Divine Capital was still not too good.
The sky was gloomily overcast, as if rain could fall at any moment, and the chilly breeze made one wonder if the season had returned to its rightful course, from an inverted spring back to late autumn.
Viewing the unappealing weather, the Emperor’s mood was unlikely to be good.
Ever since that day, when the Emperor flew into a rage and the Divine Capital changed drastically in the pouring rain, those in the know had learned to guess the Emperor’s mood through the weather.
Some even speculated from this uncontrollable state of mind that the Emperor might not have long to live.
While the Emperor could be said to be the easiest among all to achieve a third grade, his Mental State was definitely not lacking. Historically, Emperors were adept at not showing their emotions and maintained a lofty Mental State, and in terms of strength, they were certainly not weaker than any other third grade in existence.
In certain past eras, the Emperor could even be considered the strongest in all the lands by default.
The Emperor Dao Fruit harbored the experiences of state governance and Cultivation insights of generations of Emperors, and because the foundation of successive Emperors was the Emperor Dao Fruit, their Cultivation insights and experiences could blend perfectly. To discuss Mental State, the Emperor was second to none.
The disturbance in the strong mental state of the Emperor naturally lead people to think of the threat of death.
Given the Emperor’s strength and status, perhaps only issues of longevity could disturb his Mental State.
Meanwhile, the news of Jiang Li’s assassination had also spread.
As one of the current True Inheritors of the Dinghu Sect, the formerly peerless among his generation, Jiang Li, was attacked at the Imperial College, suspected to have been trapped by the current Zong Zheng, who now had been detained in the Imperial College and not allowed to leave.
Additionally, it was said that Jiang Li had a Ginsengfruit on him that could extend one’s life by five hundred years, which now had disappeared...
Afterwards, Elder Tianxuan of the Dinghu Sect wanted to meet the Emperor but was refused on the grounds of the Emperor’s illness.
Together, these pieces of information were hard not to inspire associations.
Moreover, many observant people suddenly realized that a faction opposing the Emperor’s quest for immortality seemed to have emerged.
Does detaining Zong Zheng in the Imperial College suggest that the Imperial College Sacrificial Officer wants to oppose the Emperor?
With the news that Jiang Li carried the Ginsengfruit, did Jiang Li’s master also not wish for the Emperor to break the limitation of immortality?
Also, the news spread too quickly.
In just one day, the relevant news had spread all over the streets and alleys, now already circulating among the common folk. Randomly grabbing a person from the streets of Divine Capital, eight out of ten would have heard of this rumor.
This phenomenon indicated that the opposing faction was not small and could even circulate rumors about the Emperor right under his feet.
It was uncertain whether this was being fueled by the Imperial College and Dinghu Sect, or if someone else was entering the scene from the shadows.
’The news spreading rapidly among the people...’
In the suburbs of Divine Capital, on Dragon Abyss Lake, Jiang Li, dressed like a common young master, was rowing a boat, clearly hearing the conversation of the fishermen on the lake.
They were discussing the death of Jiang Li and the Emperor’s desire for immortality.
The Karma Collection was flipping before Jiang Li’s eyes, listing lines of text that recorded what he had heard in the last two hours, with eighty percent of it related to these two issues.
It spread too quickly.
Jiang Li knew that neither Tianxuan nor the Imperial College had actively spread the news; they just started it and let others continue to propagate it.
If someone was willing to enter the scene, then naturally they would help fuel the situation from the shadows. The wider it spread, the more it showed how many opposed the Emperor, thus potentially attracting more to join and creating a significant momentum.
But in Jiang Li’s and Tianxuan’s estimates, it shouldn’t have penetrated the common folk just one day later.
The different parties definitely wouldn’t dare to expose themselves, surely cautious to avoid being caught, so theoretically it couldn’t spread so quickly, unless...
A thought flashed through his mind, and simultaneously, runes appeared in Jiang Li’s eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, sealing off all four perceptions while sensation and thought processing speed saw a significant increase.
Heavenly Dharma compared human perception to a lake, with the five senses acting as channels connected to this perceptual lake. If one sense was sealed, the flow of perception wouldn’t disappear but would flow towards other channels when one was blocked.
Entering Heavenly Dharma meant using the method of talismans to control one’s own perception, achieving strength from optimizing weaknesses.
If one could achieve small success, as Ji Jiji had done before, one could completely control the five senses. When a corresponding sense was blocked, the perception it represented would be completely sealed, causing the other perceptions to increase manifold.
This was the basic ability of Heavenly Dharma.
After brief deliberation, Jiang Li ultimately chose to practice the Yin Talisman Scripture. He had just entered the beginner level and could temporarily open or seal four types of perceptions to carry out basic compensations.
Now, by blocking four types of perceptions, he was able to increase his thinking and bodily sensation eightfold, which was a small success. According to the Cultivation Technique, achieving proficiency would embody the initial features of Heavenly Dharma, with each blocked perception increasing the others tenfold.
This exaggerated ability was why Jiang Li couldn’t resist practicing the Yin Talisman Scripture.
He was too eager for progress.
Moreover, achieving Heavenly Dharma would also shield one from calculations, which was incredibly tempting.
As for the risks after achieving the Yin Talisman Scripture, such as being assimilated by Heaven... it would be a matter of whether the solidified cause and effect of the Karma Collection was more dominant or if Heaven’s assimilation was stronger.
Using the ability of solidified cause and effect to cement personality and memory in order to resist external assimilation...
Karma Collection, let’s see your limits.
While his mind entertained these somewhat whimsical thoughts, Jiang Li was also sorting through the information, analyzing the possibilities. Multi-tasking did not seem strenuous at all; instead, it felt like he had ample capacity to spare.
An eightfold increase in his thinking speed made Jiang Li’s brain exceptionally nimble, his thoughts flashing through his mind like lightning, inspiring Jiang Li with a sudden realization.
[Unless the opposing faction isn’t afraid of exposure and is deeply rooted among the common folk, possessing a very broad base.]
The Karma Collection updated with Jiang Li’s thoughts, then three bold characters emerged.
[—Taiping Sect.]
There were two factions rooted among the common people, one being the Mo Family, which inherited Mo teachings, and the other, the Taiping Sect, whose followers spread across the Nine Provinces. Both could achieve extremely rapid dissemination, but the one not concerned about exposure would only be the Taiping Sect.
Because the rebellious intent of the Taiping Sect had already been clearly revealed in the previous incident in Yong Province.
Now that they’ve been branded as rebels, what more was there to fear about exposure?
Honestly, Jiang Li couldn’t understand why the Emperor still allowed the Taiping Sect to exist, even meeting Zhang Zhixuan numerous times and having delightful conversations, unless he too intended to rebel?