Chapter 121: Burning the Pipa Spirit

The original sin of dance in Chinese civilization can be traced back to the "Hundred-Mile Dance" of King Zhou of Shang. During the crusade against King Zhou, King Wu of Zhou famously condemned the music of his ancestors as decadent, accusing it of corrupting the purity of sound and pandering to the whims of women.

Since Nüwa created the reed pipe and Fuxi plucked the strings of the zither, dance and music had been treasures of the imperial court throughout successive dynasties. Yet, they never attained the status they deserved. As the mother of all arts and the origin of civilization, the brilliance of dance had barely been explored—not even one in a billionth of its potential.

In that era, dance was primarily used to showcase feminine charm. Within the imperial system, dancers were often concubines or beautiful women. Following the disappearance of the shamanic tradition, orthodox rituals of sacrifice to Heaven were led by monarchs who styled themselves as the "Son of Heaven," centering the act upon themselves rather than the divine.

Historically, the decline of every dynasty was inextricably linked to a woman, and each of these women possessed a legend rooted in dance and music.

Take Daji, for instance. Her appearance disturbed an immortal named Yun Zhongzi, who resolved to eradicate the demon. Upon arriving at Zhaoge, Yun Zhongzi told King Zhou that the "Son of Heaven" was not the supreme power, for there existed eternal Immortals. When he spoke of the Three Teachings, emphasizing the supremacy of the Dao, King Zhou was captivated, dreaming of attaining immortality himself.

Yun Zhongzi signaled his intent, implying that the King’s soul had been damaged by his reckless association with demonic forces, and that the "Giant Fault" pine-wood sword could purge the evil aura. King Zhou took the sword back to his chambers, but Su Daji feigned illness and pleaded for mercy, causing the King to burn the blade.

Seeing the demonic aura over Zhaoge reaching the heavens, Yun Zhongzi found his excuses, wrote a poem in compliance with celestial will, and departed. King Zhou continued to watch Daji dance, indulging in wine and pleasure while ignoring the affairs of state.

As the reed pipes played again and the resonance of the flute faded, the theme of "Immortality" swelled. A close-up of Su Daji’s dance mesmerized the two billion viewers. The beauty of the dance, paired with a peerless enchantress, made every onlooker wish to be in the shoes of King Zhou.

Tragically, in the next scene, the King began constructing the "Cannon Burning" torture device, finding joy in slaughter. None of the ministers who offered counsel met a good end.

Elsewhere, Lei Zhenzi and Nezha were born, finding masters in Yun Zhongzi and the Immortal Taiyi respectively, while Jiang Ziya descended from the mountain. As the plot unfolded, more than five immortal and demonic figures emerged. To ensure the two billion viewers could follow, the film granted them a moment of memory, allowing the early characters extra screen time.

The audience began to discuss the plot.

"I have a question: why didn't the all-powerful Goddess Nüwa just crush King Zhou? With her divine power, there are over a hundred thousand ways she could have ended him. Why choose to send a nine-tailed fox spirit to bewitch him, even if Daji is beautiful?"

"You aren't paying attention. When King Zhou wrote the evil poem earlier, Nüwa was clearly furious. As for why she didn't strike Di Xin down directly, didn't you see her counting on her fingers? It’s a matter of destiny and fate."

"Haha, here I go again. This 'Investiture of the Gods,' and indeed the entire system of immortals and deities in Chinese civilization, revolves around the concept of 'Qi' (energy/fate). Di Xin possesses the imperial mandate; all is according to the will of Heaven, which cannot be defied. That is why it plays out this way."

"Exactly. Besides, this is an epic tale of Chinese mythology—it must have drama. If he were just killed instantly, how would the rest of the story be told?"

"You're all right, but in my view, the scale is much larger. Did you notice the Three Teachings mentioned by Yun Zhongzi? And Nüwa seems to be acting as the leader of the demon realm; I suspect everything will tie back to that."

"Right. You have the Chan and Jie schools, plus the Human School, the Western School, and Nüwa's sect. Jiang Ziya is the representative sent from the Chan school to the mortal realm to bestow titles upon 365 righteous gods, assisting the wise ruler. The celestial mandate is set and cannot be violated."

"The Grandmaster Yuanshi Tianzun leads the Chan school at East Kunlun, the Grandmaster Tongtian leads the Jie school at Penglai Island in the East Sea, and Grandmaster Taishang Laojun leads the Human School at Daluo Palace. These three supreme masters, whose Dao is indestructible and whose sanctity is eternal, will surely have a final showdown. Even if they don't fight themselves, their gods, demons, and immortals will."

"Alright, alright, let's watch the film. Here comes the plot—the Grand Duke is about to have a confrontation with the Jade Pipa Spirit."

As the most famous epic of immortals and demons in Chinese history, the popularity of "Investiture of the Gods" surpassed even the previous "Journey to the West"—it was even more impressive than the earth-shattering war of the three thousand chaos demons.

This was due to the order of release and the difference in presentation. The previous "Journey to the West" had only audio, the divine soundtrack "Heavenly Palace," and a mix of classical and vernacular text, with interruptions in the updates.

Therefore, it could not compare to the current "Investiture of the Gods," which was presented in holographic film! Every god and demon felt alive, the scenes were incomparably grand, and the atmosphere of immortals and demons was palpable. Every character had distinct traits, and with such a cast of handsome men and beautiful women, everyone was hooked.

Of course, many still harbored high expectations. Since this was the age of immortals, could "Journey to the West" be far behind? Surely not. It was simply following the chronological order of the Chinese mythological system. Based on historical records, the background of the "Journey to the West" was the Tang Dynasty. According to the dynastic chants, the second dynasty, Shang, and the third, Zhou, would naturally appear long before the Tang.

On screen, the audience was captivated by the ravishing Jade Pipa Spirit, yet felt a sliver of fear. After all, she had just drained the life essence of several palace maids—she was truly evil.

Now, as the Jade Pipa Spirit arrived at Jiang Ziya’s fortune-telling stall, the audience was stunned.

"No way, her expression shows a hint of disdain. Is she not afraid of Jiang Ziya?"

"Nonsense, if she were afraid, why would she approach him? But she's walking to her death."

"Exactly. Jiang Ziya is the top disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, possessing infinite power. How could she possibly win?"

"That's not necessarily true. While he is the top disciple, he is primarily the one fated to endure the tribulation. The Tianzun only took him as a disciple because of that. He has wisdom, but his combat ability is trash."

"True, that's an interesting take."

"Oh! Jiang Ziya is holding the little hand of the Jade Pipa Spirit. I want to hold it too!"

"Whoa, a sneak attack! He smashed her temple! How could he be so ruthless?"

"The crowd is angry. As expected, the eyes of the masses are sharp."

"Ah, what is that fire? Samadhi True Fire? It's over, she's finished! The Jade Pipa Spirit has revealed her true form!"

Before the pyre, Jiang Ziya stared at the Jade Pipa Spirit in silence, his face deep and inscrutable.

Meanwhile, the audience’s mood was somewhat sour. Even though they knew the Jade Pipa Spirit was a monster, many found it hard to accept that she was killed just like that.

Le Xiaotian was unaware of the audience's reaction, nor did he intend to look into it. He was only responsible for presenting these things. After all, such feelings were deeply personal—how each person chose to interpret the story was their own business.