52 The Ming Cults Last Leader (1/2)

The handwritten article was written in ancient writing, and although it was not thick, it still took Mo Wen about half an hour to finish reading it.

To his shocking discovery, the secret chamber's master was the Ming Cult's last leader, Chang Qingfeng, the strongest late stage Golden Elixir realm ancient martial arts practitioner.

The Ming Cult originated from Persia, and was also known as Manichaeism, or the cult of Ming Zun. It entered the central plains of China during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang emperor built Dayun Xingming temples all around it as monasteries for the Ming Cult. The Ming Cult teachings taught doing good and foregoing wrongdoing, and that all life was equal. If wealth was obtained, it should be used to help the poor. They abstained from eating meat and drinking alcohol, and worshipped Ming Zun.

However, the Ming Cult that had expanded for thousands of years had long branched off into its own sect. Although it had originated from Persian Manichaeism, they essentially had no relation now.

Speaking of the Ming Cult, it was known far and wide. Its followers worshipped Ming Zun, who was the God of Fire and the God of Goodness. Therefore, the Ming Cult always made sure to do good and rid of evil. They hated evil with a vengeance.

For dynasties and generations, if the emperor was fatuous and the ministers corrupt, oppressing the people and resulting in the people unable to make a living, the Ming Cult would always rise up to challenge the government and overthrow the emperor.

As such, the Ming Cult constantly faced crackdown from the government and ended up being labelled as an evil cult. The government strictly prohibited them, and called other righteous sects to prosecute them.

But the Ming Cult had been around for thousands of years. Whether it was its underlying foundation or its influence, both should not be underestimated. Although historically, the government had always set mandates to eradicate the Ming Cult, they had never once succeeded in doing so.

The Golden Age of the Ming Cult was when they overthrew the once glorious Yuan Dynasty, taking over the lands and establishing the Ming Dynasty, which would prosper for hundreds of years. The Ming Cult was then established as the national religion, achieving the pinnacle in its thousand years of existence.

Chang Qingfeng was the cult leader when the Ming Cult was most prosperous, but he was also the last cult leader of the Ming Cult.

According to him, around three to four hundred years ago, the martial arts circles in the central plains of China faced an unprecedented catastrophe. The balance of the world changed, and many martial arts sects were eradicated. Even though it had remained steadfast for thousands of years, the Ming Cult was not spared even as a national religion.

After the catastrophe, the once prosperous Ming Cult fell apart, fragmented. Cult leader Chang Qingfeng was severely wounded until he was on the brink of death. In order to preserve the legacy of the Ming Cult, he desperately fought and escaped entrapment, hiding himself in the mountains.

Due to the fall of the Ming Cult, the Ming Dynasty suffered a heavy blow and was overthrown; the Manchurians seized the opportunity and conquered the central plains of China.

Although the handwritten article did not clearly state what the catastrophe was, to be able to topple dynasties, thousand year old cults, and kill off a later stage Golden Elixir realm ancient martial arts practitioner, it was no trifle matter.

Mo Wen was intrigued as to what world-changing catastrophe happened three hundred years ago; what secrets did it hide for the cult leader, Chang Qingfeng, to be so secretive and avoid talking about it in his handwritten article.

Luckily, before the catastrophe befell, Chang Qingfeng had already prepared for the worst, providing the Ming Cult with an escape route. Although the Ming Cult was fragmented, it was not entirely eradicated, and there still existed many hidden forms of the Ming Cult's influence in the world. However, after hundreds of years, whether or not these remnants of the Ming Cult survived was hard to say.

This cave abode was one of the last cards in Chang Qingfeng's hand. Almost all of the Ming Cult's most complete archive and the most prized treasures were stored here in this cave abode.

However, to keep it a secret, and to avoid incident, Chang Qingfeng did not inform the others of the Ming Cult at the time, wanting to wait till they had truly been backed into a corner and were at the end of their rope before confiding in his close aides.

But the ferocity of the catastrophe was far beyond his expectations. Before he knew it, the Ming Cult was fragmented; there were those who died, those who were wounded, and those who fled. His series of arrangements all turned to ash. Finally, he, himself, was gravely wounded and escaped into the secret cave abode, passing on not long after.

From the handwritten article, Chang Qingfeng's resentment and regret could clearly be seen; with his death, the position of cult leader was not passed on, implying that the Ming Cult would be forever fragmented, each division being their own master. Without its complete heritage, the Ming Cult was no longer the Ming Cult of Old.