I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 113 The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain and Meditates

If it were other rebel groups, or even the imperial court, the best outcome for the families of those whose homes were confiscated would be that they were not caught and lived out their lives in anonymity.

In this era, most of them would probably not have a good ending; they might die in some nameless corner at any time.

Unlike now, although they need to work.

However, the People's Salvation Army did not treat them too harshly; in fact, their lives were better than those of ordinary people in the past.

At least they all get three meals a day, and they're well-fed.

They just don't get paid like ordinary people, but at least they can live a decent life.

Thinking about it this way, the resentment in their hearts lessened considerably.

Naturally, the resentment and gloom within the territory began to gradually dissipate, and even if some remained, it was no longer of great importance.

As the people increasingly supported the People's Salvation Army and the dynasty, their enthusiasm for joining the army also grew stronger.

Even some Taoist priests in Taoist temples and monks in Buddhist monasteries couldn't help but be tempted.

They spent their whole lives cultivating Taoism and worshipping Buddha, all for the sake of achieving immortality and returning to the Western Paradise.
Previously, there were no mysterious phenomena, so they had basically dismissed them as fake.

They even treated being a monk or Taoist priest as a profession, all for the sake of three meals a day and a few coins.

Of course, compared to monks, monks are more ruthless and amass more wealth.

But now, the various strange phenomena occurring in the territory of the People's Salvation Army have shown them another possibility.

Perhaps there really are gods?
Although the gods and Buddhas still did not show their power.

But isn't this the time when the Heavenly Emperor descends to earth to save all people?
Why don't they seize the opportunity and find a way to join in?
Inside an unnamed Taoist temple, a young man in his twenties watched the endless stream of pilgrims and believers, his eyes darting around nervously.

Their small Taoist temple had only seen occasional pilgrims and believers before.

However, ever since the old abbot, who could no longer make ends meet, erected the statue of the Heavenly Emperor after much struggle and hesitation, the number of worshippers and believers in the Taoist temple has increased dramatically.

Later, the leader of the Salvation Army, Wang Chao, ordered that Taoist temples and monasteries that erected statues of the Heavenly Emperor should no longer charge excessively high incense money.

However, this may be a great loss for those large Taoist temples and monasteries.

However, for Taoist temples and monasteries that were on the verge of collapse, that was enough money to keep them afloat.

After all, even if it's just a few sticks of incense and candles, even if it's just at market price, if you sell small quantities in large quantities, it can accumulate into a considerable income.

At first, the young man was very happy.

However, as time went by, after he no longer had to worry about making a living, he inevitably had other ideas.

Especially recently, it is said that thanks to the supernatural powers of the members of the agricultural society, the crops in the entire territory have yielded a bumper harvest ahead of schedule, which has made his desire even stronger.

Finally, one night, he found the old abbot.

"Zhengyang, have you made up your mind?"

"Yes!"

Zhengyang nodded vigorously.

“Master, this is an unprecedented era. I wish to go to the People’s Salvation Army. Perhaps I can make a name for myself in the immortal realm.”
If that doesn't work, then I'll try for worldly riches and honors.
If it succeeds, I will surely come to guide my master to salvation one day.”

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest Shouxuzi couldn't help but catch his breath.

Although he knew it was well-intentioned, he still felt a little awkward. There was a feeling that he was being cursed to die.

And
Feeling the lotus flower in his spiritual center and the warm current gently swirling in his dantian, Shouxuzi couldn't help but wonder who among them, master and disciple, might need guidance and salvation.

"You need to think this through carefully. We Taoists also possess genuine abilities."

Although Zhengyang spoke with certainty, the old abbot Shouxuzi, out of deep concern, asked again.

Furthermore, he recounted to Zhengyang his discoveries over the past few days, as well as his cultivation of the legendary magical power.

After listening, Zheng Yang did hesitate for a while.

However, in the end, he still decided to join the army.

In this way, the master and his apprentice will have more options.

Early the next morning, Zhengyang packed up and left the Taoist temple.

Before leaving, Shouxuzi repeatedly instructed him that even if he joined the army, he must not neglect his Taoist cultivation.

If things don't work out, he'll have a backup plan.

After solemnly nodding in agreement, Zhengyang descended Qingyang Mountain and headed to a nearby rural community.

He had no idea where to enlist in the army.

The only people who knew about it were the militia members of the various rural farm communities.

The villagers were very welcoming to Zhengyang.

After all, they were quite familiar with the Taoist priests of Qingyang Mountain Taoist Temple.

Especially recently, after the Taoist temple erected a statue of the Heavenly Emperor, they became even more familiar with and enthusiastic towards the Taoist Master Zhengyang in front of them.

This is offered to the Heavenly Emperor, so they naturally have to show it even more respect.

Upon learning of his request, the members of the agricultural cooperative and the village chief readily agreed.

At the same time, they became even more convinced that their leader was the Heavenly Emperor.

Look, even the Taoist priests who worship the Heavenly Emperor have joined the People's Salvation Army.

Doesn't this further prove that the leader is the Heavenly Emperor?

Of course, while they were willing to help, they couldn't get involved in recruiting soldiers for the militia.

The only thing they could do was to get Zhengyang into the militia and then take him along when the Salvation Army recruited again.

In fact, he didn't wait very long.

As the dynasty and its forces occupied Jin County, Xiningwei, and other places, they naturally needed people to garrison the occupied cities as they continued to advance.

In the beginning, the dynasty naturally divided its forces to guard the areas, assigned officials at all levels, and maintained order. However, as they occupied more and more territories, the dynasty could no longer continue to divide its forces, as this would result in a dispersed military presence, making them vulnerable to attack.

Even if they all possess supernatural powers, with their current level of power, they cannot defeat a hundred enemies single-handedly or ignore ordinary armies.

In particular, the presence of muskets and cannons within the Ming army posed a significant threat to the militia.

Currently, apart from the dynasty itself, virtually no one can withstand the artillery barrage.

Therefore, even though the People's Salvation Army was an extraordinary force, the dynasty was not so careless as to constantly send troops to garrison it.

The dynasty's solution was simple: gradually convert the 50,000 new recruits into regular troops and then garrison the occupied cities.

When new recruits are drawn from the militia, they naturally need to be replaced.

It was under these circumstances that Zhengyang became a proud member of the People's Salvation Army.

After a day of intense training, the recruits in the militia camp were so exhausted that they all collapsed and fell asleep immediately.

Zheng Yang, however, did not do that. He first massaged his hands, feet and body according to the instructor's instructions, and then sat cross-legged on the bed.

Seeing his appearance, a roommate who had just finished a leg massage couldn't help but laugh and say:

"Hey Chen Zhengyang, why are you looking like a Taoist priest? Are you meditating cross-legged?"

"Hahaha"

Upon hearing this, some of the roommates who were already lying down or getting leg massages couldn't help but burst into good-natured laughter.

Immediately afterwards, someone else joked:

"Haha, I wonder if our Master Zhengyang has cultivated any magical power yet?"

"Before I joined the army, I was indeed a Taoist priest in a Taoist temple."

"But it's clear that I haven't cultivated magical power yet."

Chen Zhengyang smiled helplessly and said.

"Oh, so Zhengyang really is a Taoist priest. Then I hope you can cultivate your magical power quickly."

"Yes, now that the Heavenly Emperor has descended to earth, it's normal for you Taoists to cultivate magical power. I hope you can cultivate magical power as well."

This way, we'll have more options.

Seeing that Chen Zhengyang seemed to be a Taoist priest, the others became slightly more serious and stopped joking around. Instead, they all offered their blessings.

In fact, this is what they really think.

If Chen Zhengyang can truly cultivate magical power, then they, as roommates and comrades in the same unit, will naturally become safer.

"Hehe, thank you for your kind words. I hope I can cultivate magical power! My master, Shouxuzi, has cultivated the Daoist scriptures his whole life, and he only recently cultivated magical power."

Chen Zhengyang smiled and said.

He didn't have much hope of developing magical powers.

He didn't think he could cultivate the magical power that his master had spent decades developing in a short time.

However, you still need to keep practicing. What if you succeed someday?
Upon hearing that Chen Zhengyang's master had actually cultivated magical power, everyone's eyes lit up at first, and then they all sighed in unison.

Similarly, they did not believe that Chen Zhengyang could master it in a short period of time.

After everyone fell asleep, Chen Zhengyang gradually fell into meditation, visualizing a lotus flower swaying in his mind.

For a period of time afterward, everyone began the tedious and intense military training, memorizing military rules and regulations, and so on.

As time went by, military rules and regulations were gradually firmly ingrained in their minds, and their understanding of the army, soldiers, and the People's Salvation Army deepened.

Gradually, they began to become qualified soldiers, and their words and actions showed some of the style of the People's Salvation Army.

Even their bodies seemed to carry a hint of malevolence.

However, the malevolent aura in the recruit camp was merely spiritual energy transformed under the influence of the instructors' divine status; it lacked a strong bloodthirsty killing intent and was far from being a true iron-blooded malevolent aura.

Even so, they were still able to exert a certain degree of deterrence on ordinary people.

On April 26th, the weather was gradually getting hot.

Chen Zhengyang and his comrades took a cold shower together, and then returned to their dormitory to rest.

Of course, while everyone else was sleeping, Chen Zhengyang, as usual, would first prepare to meditate.

Lately, the area between his eyebrows has been throbbing intermittently, and one can vaguely see a bizarre and fantastical scene.

It was a dazzling brilliance amidst the dark red hue, and within it, a hazy, indistinct, illusory lotus flower, extremely mysterious and enigmatic.

Chen Zhengyang wondered if he was about to break through.

So in the last two days, he has unconsciously started to extend his meditation time.

As meditation continued, a hazy, ethereal lotus flower began to gradually materialize in the mind's eye.

As the lotus flowers swayed, they created ripples of mysterious energy.

Gradually, those mysterious fluctuations began to spread outwards, eventually breaking through some kind of constraint and extending beyond its body.

The next instant, the murderous aura of the surrounding army began to resonate faintly with it.

After all, the illusory lotus flower was a manifestation of Chen Zhengyang's spiritual meditation, representing his spiritual will.

His time in the military gradually instilled military rules and regulations, as well as other aspects of military life, into his mind.

Naturally, during his meditation, the illusory lotus flower that he conjured up carried the same will.

Therefore, the mysterious fluctuations emanating from the illusory lotus flower resonated with the malevolent energy of the surrounding army.

In that instant, Chen Zhengyang suddenly felt as if the surroundings were filled with a red divine light.

The feeling was clearer and more distinct than usual, as if I were truly there.

Like fire, like blood
(End of this chapter)