infodatos Chapter 154 A god who survives not on incense offerings, but on the power of his will!
Chapter 154 A god who survives not on incense offerings, but on the power of his will!
Chapter 154 A God Who Survives Without Incense Offerings, Only Through the Power of Vows!! (Second Update, 5000 words)
Do gods also die?
Will do.
There is a clear record of this in Lu Yuan's "Dao".
"God is something to rely on."
"Rely on things, depend on thoughts."
"When things are destroyed, the spirit is wounded; when thoughts cease, the spirit perishes."
What does this mean?
God is not born out of thin air, nor is He born with it.
It must have some "foundation".
A stone, a spring, an old tree, even a dilapidated temple, a piece of land.
This is called "relying on things".
Having things is not enough; you also need to have "thoughts".
Human thoughts.
Some people believe in it, some worship it, and some burn incense, kowtow, make vows, and fulfill their vows before it.
Those incense offerings, those vows, those accumulated thoughts.
It was through gradual nurturing of spiritual consciousness that it became a god.
This is called "relying on thought".
So what is God?
God is a combination of matter and thought.
The object is its body, the thought is its soul.
The problem is, things can break, and thoughts can fade.
Stones will weather, springs will dry up, and old trees will wither and die.
Even if these objects still exist, if no one believes in them, no one worships them, and no one burns incense, what will happen?
Then the "thought" ceased.
Once the thought is broken, God has no one to rely on.
What happens to a god who has no one to rely on?
The Tao Te Ching also clearly states: "When thoughts cease, the spirit has nothing to rely on; when the spirit has nothing to rely on, the form dissipates; when the form dissipates, the light of the spirit leaks out; when the light of the spirit is completely leaked out, the spirit perishes."
This sounds mystical, but looking at these blurry figures in front of me, I understand.
They were once tangible and real.
The Sleeping Ox Stone was originally supposed to be a giant rock lying by the field, receiving incense offerings from the villagers and ensuring good weather and abundant harvests in the area.
But now, its form has dissipated, leaving only a wisp of gray mist, barely forming a hunched human shape.
The Spring Mother was originally a deity at the source of a mountain spring, in charge of the abundance or scarcity of a water system.
But now, her form has also dissipated, and the arid air is clearly a sign that the water source has been cut off and no one is worshipping her.
The Flower Goddess was in an even worse state; her form was almost completely shattered, like a wisp of smoke that could dissipate at any moment.
Why did they become like this?
Because no one worships anymore.
Those farmers by the fields, those villagers at the foot of the mountain, those people who used to burn incense and kowtow to them, now they no longer believe, no longer worship, and no longer come.
Just like people.
Human death is divided into three stages.
The first stage is physiological death, which is when the heart stops beating.
The second stage is the social death, that is, the mourning of your family and friends.
The third stage is spiritual death, which is when the last person in the world who remembers you forgets you.
For these "deities," once the incense offerings cease and their vows are gone, the very "thought" upon which they depend for survival is severed.
Once the thought ceases, the form dissipates.
Once the physical form disperses, the divine light begins to leak out.
What is divine light?
It is God's will.
Those pale green, dark yellow, and grayish-white specks of light were their only remaining divine light.
Where there is light, there is God.
When the light goes out, God dies.
If that's the case, why don't evil spirits disappear?
Those mountain spirits and monsters, those wandering ghosts, they live just fine even though no one worships or makes offerings to them.
Some can even live for hundreds or thousands of years, much longer than these gods.
Take braised chicken, for example. It was originally a weasel, but after overcoming its tribulation, it became the guardian spirit of the Zhao family and lived a very comfortable life.
Doesn't it rely on incense offerings?
It is also worshipped, so why doesn't it suffer the same fate as these wild gods, which face death once the incense offerings cease?
Lu Yuan flipped through the book "Tao" in his mind and found a passage: "Evil spirits and monsters have their own roots."
"The root lies in essence, qi, and spirit; it does not depend on external things."
What does that mean?
Evil spirits are something that grows from within themselves.
Let's start with braised chicken. It has cultivated for a hundred years, absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, and slowly gained sentience.
This is the accumulation of "essence".
It continued its cultivation, able to breathe in and out its energy, transform into human form, and cast some minor spells.
This is the accumulation of "qi".
Going a step further, it can perceive cause and effect, communicate with people, and protect the creatures in a region.
This is the accumulation of "God".
Essence, Qi, and Spirit are all cultivated little by little by oneself; they grow within oneself and no one can take them away.
Even if no one worships it or makes offerings to it, it can still live.
At most, they might live a more stifled and impoverished life, but they won't be like gods, whose forms and light dissipate the moment their thoughts cease.
Let's talk about evil spirits.
Evil spirits are even simpler to deal with.
The vast majority of evil spirits are formed by their own resentment and evil energy!
The Tao Te Ching also says: "Immortals are both spirit and essence."
"Its roots lie within oneself, but its nourishment comes from others."
"If one's own roots are not damaged, one can survive even without human care."
"If people continue to nourish it, its roots will grow stronger."
The braised chicken itself is like a venerable immortal who has cultivated for hundreds of years; its essence, energy, and spirit reside within it.
At the same time, it also received incense offerings from the Zhao family, those vows, and those sacrifices, which were additional forms of "nourishment".
With this nourishment, it can live better, stronger, and longer.
Even if the Zhao family stops supporting it one day, it will at most return to its previous state and still be able to live, just not as well.
This is its "root," and no one can touch it.
Gu Qingwan survived in the world because she was arranged to have a ghost marriage, relying on her endless resentment and hatred!
Speaking of which, back when Lu Yuan was doing his work, slaying demons and monsters...
Why is it that when facing evil spirits, no matter how wicked they are, we must ultimately take a step to dissolve and transcend them?
This process of dissolving and transcending evil spirits involves dissolving their resentment and hostility.
Evil spirits are a combination of resentment and malevolence.
Only by eliminating resentment and hostility can this evil spirit be completely dispelled.
Therefore, the immortals formed from evil spirits and demons are different from these "gods"!
They weren't built by themselves in the first place.
What is the Sleeping Ox Stone?
It was a stone that looked like an ox by the field, which people regarded as a sacred object, and people would burn incense and kowtow to it every day.
Over time, the accumulated incense offerings and prayers nurtured a spirit within the stone.
This consciousness was "borrowed" from beginning to end—borrowed from the form of the stone and the thoughts of the incense.
It has never cultivated its essence, refined its qi, or concentrated its spirit.
Everything it has is given to it by others.
So once no one gives it anything, it has nothing left.
The stone is still there, but it's just a stone now.
When the incense is cut off, it loses its anchor.
Without something to rely on, the form falls apart.
When the form is dispersed, the light leaks out.
When the light is exhausted, it dies.
This is the biggest difference between gods and evil spirits.
Evil spirits have their own roots, but gods do not.
Evil spirits proclaim "I am because I cultivate myself," while gods proclaim "I am because people worship me."
Therefore, evil spirits can live for hundreds or even thousands of years, even if they hide in deep mountains and forests where no one knows them, they can still live well.
Gods, however, must rely on people, on incense offerings, and on the power of vows.
When man forgets, God dies.
Looking at those blurry figures, Lu Yuan suddenly recalled a line from the Daoist classic: "People all say that immortals are good, but they don't know that even immortals are afraid of getting old."
"What I fear is not the passing of time, but that people will forget."
Everything seemed to connect.
Why do ordinary families worship their ancestors?
Why do Taoist sects worship their patriarch?
Because no one wants their ancestors to actually "die".
It's just like when the old man talked about the patriarch and the patriarchs of all generations, he said that the patriarch and the patriarchs of all generations had died long ago.
The golden figures that Lu Yuan saw were nothing more than a "thought" of the patriarch and the patriarchs of all generations that continued to exist in the world!
In an instant, Lu Yuan looked at the group of wild gods in front of him and understood something.
He understood why these wild gods had gathered at the foot of Zhenlong Temple.
Why come to find the goddess of beauty?
These "gods" aren't here to seduce the goddess of beauty and do bad things.
In fact, this should have been thought of from the very beginning.
After all, if "God" truly wanted to do evil, and had already done so—
They are no longer gods, but evil gods.
As for whether they intended to lead the goddess of beauty to do evil—
Lu Yuan thought, there probably isn't any—
Because if deities want to survive, the only way is through receiving offerings of incense—
There is another way —
That means harming people, instilling fear, and turning into an evil god!
Even though they have already gone this far, they have not chosen to do so, which means that they have not fallen and their divinity is still intact!
They came to beg the goddess of beauty to take them in.
Only by following a powerful goddess like the Goddess of Beauty could one possibly receive a share of offerings and live a few more years.
Even a tiny bit can sustain them for a few more days.
Lu Yuan suddenly remembered a sentence that the old man had said when he was drinking.
"Gods, like humans, need to eat."
"Humans eat grains and cereals, while God eats incense and prayers."
"Humans will starve to death if they don't eat, and gods will starve to death if they don't receive incense offerings."
At the time, Lu Yuan laughed and said that a god would never starve to death.
Now he knows.
God really can starve.
But that's not the worst part.
The worst thing is that when a god dies, he doesn't even have the chance to be reincarnated.
Humans are reincarnated after death, while evil spirits can be liberated after death.
But God is different.
God is formed by the power of thought; when that power dissipates, God truly dissipates.
They won't become ghosts, they won't be reincarnated, and they won't leave any trace.
Like a lamp, once the oil runs out and the flame goes out, there's nothing left.
Looking at those blurry figures, Lu Yuan suddenly felt a pang of unease.
They were once gods who protected the local area.
The Sleeping Ox Stone protects that region from favorable weather and abundant harvests.
The Spring Mother protects that line of mountain spring water.
The Flower Goddess oversees the seasonal blooming of flowers on that mountain.
They have done no evil, have never harmed anyone; they simply stay quietly in their own place, receiving offerings from the villagers and protecting their land.
Now that no one worships them anymore, they must "die" —
Lu Yuan looked at them and suddenly didn't know what to say.
Because there is one most important thing right now.
that is----
The goddess of beauty receives no incense offerings or worship these days.
she----
She plays mahjong every day now and she's really into it!
She has no incense offerings whatsoever!
Lu Yuan's discussion just now about gods, evil spirits, and monsters—
That's right.
But that's not absolute!
There are no absolute truths in this world.
Just like how, even now, Lu Yuan still cannot fully comprehend Qingwan's strength.
That was a kind of power that instilled despair!
Take, for example, the goddess of beauty!
She is a deity with a true physical form!!
Didn't the old man just say it directly back then?
It is said that this goddess was the eldest daughter-in-law given to Lu Yuan by the ancestral master.
Because it has a physical form.
They can all have children for Lu Yuan!
So, where did the goddess of beauty come from?
This is such a coincidence, a coincidence within a coincidence.
The goddess of beauty was originally Liu Ruyan.
Liu Ruyan was originally a human, but she locked herself in a kiln and was fired into porcelain beauty.
This porcelain beauty is Liu Ruyan herself!
Even after Liu Ruyan became a porcelain beauty, she did not directly fall into evil spirits.
However, she was discovered by the Ghost-Controlling Liu family, who forcibly worshipped her and turned her into an evil god!
Then, it underwent further tempering by the ancestral master's thunder and fire—
In any case, the existence of the goddess of beauty is both reasonable and completely unreasonable!
The logic is that, despite the many coincidences, the series of events flowed smoothly together.
Ultimately, this made the goddess of beauty a deity with a physical form!
The unreasonable part is that————
Those coincidences were just too bizarre!
If any one link in the chain had been broken, the goddess of beauty would not be the way she is today!
This is just too much of a coincidence! It's like a coincidence opening the door for another coincidence!
Therefore, the goddess of beauty is a deity who does not need to worry about offerings or the power of wishes!
In other words, the Goddess of Beauty is somewhat similar to braised chicken.
Even without incense offerings or the power of prayer, she might live a frugal life at most, but she will never perish!
Since there is no such concern, the goddess of beauty will naturally not be in a hurry to seek any incense offerings or prayers.
Not to mention now, because of her fateful entanglement with Lu Yuan, she only wants to stay in Zhenlong Temple and play mahjong with others every day.
Even if her fateful entanglement with Lu Yuan is resolved in the future, she wants to do her own thing.
It's probably not about seeking incense offerings or prayers!
Given her personality, she would most likely travel and enjoy the sights of the world.
so----
These wild gods are searching for the goddess of beauty.
They really picked the wrong person.
Let's set aside whether the goddess of beauty would be willing to take them in.
Even if she were willing, it wouldn't make a difference.
Lu Yuan stared at the illusory shadows before him—
He felt uneasy, but there were some things he had to say.
He cleared his throat and looked at the figures that were faintly visible in the mist: "Everyone, there's something I need to make clear beforehand."
"She probably can't help you."
The voice just fell.
The points of light in the fog all began to flicker intensely.
Those ghastly green eyes, the eyes of the Crouching Ox Stone Lord, stared straight at Lu Yuan.
In his hoarse, aged voice, though filled with disbelief, he cried out, "No—it's impossible—!"
"Her aura that night—"
"We—we all sensed it—"
Lu Yuan was slightly taken aback.
That night?
He instantly understood what Woniu Shijun was referring to.
On the night the goddess of beauty officially became a goddess, the patriarch tempered her with thunder and fire, and the commotion was extraordinary!
That dried-up female voice, the Spring Mother.
At that moment, another voice rang out, tinged with urgency: "That aura—it's too powerful—"
"We—have lived for hundreds of years—and have never seen—such a powerful god—"
In a girlish voice, Lady Flower weakly replied, "They are far, far stronger than all of us combined."
"How could such a powerful god not receive offerings of incense and prayers?"
Lu Yuan opened his mouth.
For a moment, I didn't know how to explain it.
Yes, in their eyes, how could such a powerful god not have incense offerings?
What is incense?
Incense is a manifestation of vows, offerings, and the foundation for the continued existence of deities.
The stronger the deity, the more prosperous the incense offerings should be.
The more fervent the incense offerings, the stronger the deity.
For a moment, Lu Yuan could only sigh and continue explaining, "Her strength has nothing to do with incense offerings."
The points of light in the fog flickered even more intensely, clearly still disbelieving.
The hunched figure took a half step forward, its pale green eyes staring straight at Lu Yuan: "Gods—how can they not rely on incense offerings—?"
"If she doesn't rely on incense offerings—what does she rely on to survive—?"
"Her entire being radiated such divine light—it was so bright—"
"How many offerings of incense would it take to raise such a person?"
Lu Yuan: "————"
This can be explained to them; there's nothing that can't be explained.
Lu Yuan should just tell us how the goddess of beauty obtained the Dao that night.
But Lu Yuan was willing to give his guarantee.
Even if I told them, these wild gods would never believe me!
These things alone, not to mention these wild gods, even Lu Yuan himself still thinks that the Goddess of Beauty's experiences are too outrageous.
"The divine aura emanating from her wasn't nurtured by incense offerings, but rather forged by lightning and fire—"
Lu Yuan still tried his best to explain.
However----
Those pale green, dark yellow, and grayish-white specks of light all stared at him.
His eyes clearly said: You're lying.
Alright————
never mind----
Lu Yuan couldn't explain it.
Lu Yuan knew that nothing he said would make a difference.
These wild gods have lived for hundreds of years, clinging to their own rigid beliefs for just as long.
How could anyone believe, based on just a few words from him, that there are gods in the world who can live without incense offerings?
He simply stopped talking.
Lu Yuan looked towards the woods behind him and said, "Come out quickly and explain to them yourself."
The goddess of beauty naturally stayed with Lu Yuan.
It's impossible for Lu Yuan to really risk his life alone.
The words fell.
A moment of silence fell over the woods.
Then the moonlight suddenly dimmed for a moment.
It wasn't that the clouds were obscuring the moon, but rather that something invisible was causing the moonlight to dim.
The pale green, dark yellow, and grayish-white specks of light in the mist all trembled violently.
This is not fear.
It's instinct.
Just like a mountain beast sensing the presence of its predator.
Just like fish in the water sensing the approaching flood.
It's like a person walking at night suddenly being stared at by some being.
It's an instinctive reaction ingrained in our bones, something we can't suppress.
The hunched figure of the Sleeping Ox Stone Lord swayed, almost losing its human form.
The spring mother's parched breath seemed to be sucked away for a moment, and the grayish-white mist almost dissipated on the spot.
The Flower Lady was in even worse shape; her girlish features were almost completely disintegrated, leaving only two grayish-white specks of light flashing wildly in the mist.
Then, the goddess of beauty emerged from the woods.
She walked slowly, with a casual gait.
Just like when he walked out of the side hall on a normal day, he was still holding half a frozen pear in his hand.
But at this moment—
The moonlight suddenly became extremely bright.
It wasn't that the brightness was restored, but rather—all the moonlight seemed to be drawn by some force and converged upon her.
Moonlight flowed behind her, its soft glow gently swirling.
It's like the moon surrounded by stars.
It was like all sounds converging upon each other.
Finally, the moonlight fell on her face, revealing a flawless and beautiful face, but without any expression.
There was not a trace of laughter in those beautiful eyes that shone like stars.
The goddess tilted her head slightly, looking at them with a serious expression, her face showing both fear and anticipation.
"I have no descendants, so go back to where you came from."
Lu Yuan: "————"
You son of a bitch!!!
Did I call you out here just to say this?!