The Empress's First Running Dog

Chapter 674 Open the door

On the same night, just as Zhao Du'an and his entourage were opening the coffin in the Northern Mausoleum.

Far away in the central military camp of the imperial court in Xiping Road, the lights were on full display.

The true form of the Empress of Yu was dressed in a dragon robe, sitting upright at her desk, reviewing the thick military reports from various parties and detailed information about Xiping Road.

The Empress was alone in the tent. In one corner of the table, the Tai'a sword, sheathed, lay horizontally on the table, and the candlelight in the lamp flickered brightly.

Xu Zhenguan stared intently at the document, her eyes shining brightly. After using the Soul Splitting Technique, she split herself in two and was able to move around in two places at the same time.

"Your Majesty." At that moment, a figure was reflected outside the tent.

The Empress, without even looking up, said, "Enter."

Then, the curtain was lifted, and a female official accompanying the Empress entered carrying a prepared supper. She gently placed the food beside the Empress and couldn't help but say:

"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance; there are always too many documents to read."

Xu Zhenguan raised his head, smiled, and casually asked:
"How is the situation in the army?"

The female official reported with a smile:
"Everything is going very well. News of His Majesty's arrival at the front has now spread throughout Xiping. The imperial army is in high spirits and has swept away its previous setbacks. Even the bandits in the Western Regions have retreated and turned to defense after learning the news."

"The Duke of Zhenguo and the Privy Councilor Xue are currently discussing how to take advantage of the soldiers' high morale and launch a counterattack."

Xu Zhenguan listened and nodded slightly. Just as he was about to speak, the Empress's expression suddenly changed. She looked sharply towards the outside of the tent, her eyes flashing with dazzling golden light.

Inside the army.

It was already late at night, and most of the soldiers were asleep, but a considerable number were still patrolling and on guard duty.

At that moment, the soldiers on guard duty were suddenly astonished to discover that in the pitch-black night sky above the entire camp, golden ripples suddenly spread out in circles.

Then, a blurry, illusory figure, like a god, slowly emerged.

What could be vaguely seen was a Buddha statue, sitting cross-legged. Behind it, the space opened up, as if a Buddhist kingdom was appearing and disappearing, with the Buddha's light shining on the earth, awakening countless people.

"Ah... Enemy attack!" someone shouted instinctively.

The entire camp erupted in chaos, and many soldiers were jolted awake, their clothes disheveled, as they rushed out of their tents, bewildered as to how an enemy could have silently crossed the front line and reached this place.

"It's you! Monk Xuanyin!"

From the crowd, a jet-black halberd tore through the night wind and roared out.

Xue Shence was not yet asleep and was still wearing his soft armor. He looked up and stared in shock.

How could he not recognize that in the center of that statue was clearly an old bald monk in a brown robe sitting cross-legged?
Xuan Yin launched a surprise attack on the camp? How dare he?
Enraged, Xue Shence was about to thrust his halberd into the air.

At this moment, a loud chanting sound arose from within the Buddha's light, rolling across the land for ten miles around like thunder.

The monk Xuanyin had a solemn and dignified appearance, with his hands clasped together in prayer:
"Amitabha!"

He looked down with a compassionate expression, like a god showing mercy to all living beings. He didn't do anything, but suddenly a prayer wheel appeared in front of him and started spinning wildly. The cloth inside the prayer wheel, filled with scriptures, spread in the sky.

In an instant, the sound of Buddhist chants filled the ears of everyone within a radius of dozens of miles, inspiring an impulse to take refuge in Buddhism.

Aside from generals with cultivation, ordinary soldiers could only resist the Buddhist chants for a few breaths before they began to kneel and kowtow to the gods.

"That wicked monk is courting death!"

Just at the critical moment, a clear dragon's roar resounded through the night sky, and at the same time, the Tai'a sword was drawn from its sheath and rose into the air like a meteor.

Xu Zhenguan, dressed in a dragon robe and holding the Tai'a sword, stood in mid-air, protecting the army below behind him to block the chaos caused by the Buddhist chants.

The jade seal mark between the empress's brows flickered like starlight. Her eyebrows furrowed, her jade-like face turned frosty, and her gaze was icy as she stared at the Xuan Seal.

"How dare you use magic to sow discord among the troops! You deserve to die!"

The Empress pointed her fingers like a sword towards the sky, and the Tai'a sword in her hand burst with brilliant golden light, slashing towards Xuan Yin in mid-air!
When this sword was drawn, the pitch-black night was suddenly illuminated, and the boundless sword light tore the night sky in two.

It swallowed everything.

The Buddha's kingdom was instantly shattered like a bubble, and the Buddha's illusory image also cracked in the center, disintegrating into countless sparks.

The monk Xuan Yin let out a painful groan, forcefully picked up the prayer wheel to withstand the blow from Tai'a's sword, and then decisively retreated:

"Your Majesty, we will meet again."

The sound was faint and quickly disappeared. Xuan Yin's people also vanished into the shattered Buddhist kingdom, leaving no trace. Even the Empress could not find them.

The Tai'a sword circled twice in the air but returned empty-handed.

The empress frowned and slowly floated down.

Xue Shence strode over, his face grim.
"Your Majesty, that bald monk is not here to start a war."

Xu Zhen nodded and said calmly:
"Indeed, he must have known of my arrival, which is why he launched this attack tonight. His purpose is not to fight me, but to demoralize my troops."

Xue Shence was taken aback. He looked around and found that although the soldiers around him were not seriously injured, they seemed quite disappointed after this ordeal.

The Empress calmly said:

"In the eyes of the soldiers, the Buddhist master was able to launch a surprise attack on our camp, but I failed to capture him. As a result, the morale that had been boosted will naturally drop a lot."

Xue Shence hurriedly said:
"But this bald monk is a Celestial Realm cultivator. He deliberately only showed his face and did not linger in battle. No one could stop him. It's not that Your Majesty's sword was not sharp enough."

The Empress glanced at him and calmly said:

"Unfortunately, morale is a tricky thing. Alright, disperse. Xuan Yin's troubles have come at a price. Heh, he took a hit from my sword, he must be feeling terrible, he won't come again."

Generals Xue Shence and others remained silent, and could only clasp their hands in greeting and retreat, pondering how to appease the morale of their troops.

The empress turned around and walked back to her own tent, which was embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon. Then her face turned pale and her breath became weak.

Xu Zhenguan's eyes dimmed, and he said self-deprecatingly:
"Did it aggravate the injury...? I wonder how things are in the capital. We can only wait for the divided soul to return..."

At the same time, her eyes held worry:

Through the exchange just now, she realized that Xuan Yin's access to the World Honored One's power within Xiping Dao was increasing.

"Is it because his own cultivation has improved, or is it because, with the war, Xiping Dao has gradually been enveloped in the light of Buddha? Is the faith in the World Honored One growing stronger in this land?"

"This is...not good."

……

……

Beiling.

Outside the empty and quiet mausoleum, a phantom full moon appeared, and then Zhao Du'an and his entourage walked out.

A night breeze caressed my face.

The surroundings remained quiet, but the five tomb raiders all looked rather grim.

Not to mention that the Great Ancestor of the Great Yu Dynasty had extraordinary cultivation back then, even if he were just a mortal, after only six hundred years, his remains would not have rotted away.

There were no signs of theft in the tomb.

Even after several people checked repeatedly, there wasn't a trace of stench in the coffin.

This result left Xu Zhenguan both terrified and bewildered.

As for surprises... to be honest, there weren't any.

After all, they are ancestors from six hundred years ago, so if you're talking about respect, then of course there is.

But to say how close they were... that's a bit of a stretch... The key question is... "Where was Chairman Mao back then?"

Zhao Du'an was the first to break the silence:
"Judging from the scene, there is reason to speculate that Emperor Taizu faked his death, entered the mausoleum and then left... or even never entered the mausoleum at all. So his final whereabouts are very important."

Zhang Yanyi stroked his beard beside him and tentatively asked:

"Now it seems that the biggest suspect is still behind that golden gate. However, since the founding ancestor of the Xu royal family did leave behind his life's cultivation, it at least shows that he did not live for long."

Having lost his cultivation, given Old Xu's age back then, it was indeed impossible for him to live for long.

Of course, it's hard to say what would happen if she also ended up in a similar state to Pei Niannu.

In short, all the mysteries point to the Mubei Forest.

"Please keep today's events a secret," Xu Zhen said, glancing earnestly at the three masters and disciples from the Celestial Master's Mansion.

"Let's pretend we never came today."

Zhang Yan nodded: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand."

Then, he glared at his two disciples. Gongshu Tianyuan snapped out of his daze and hurriedly patted his chest to express his support. Jin Jian, on the other hand, was still somewhat dazed. She was a little disappointed that she hadn't been able to bring any burial items with her.

"This old man will take his leave now." Zhang Yan grabbed one disciple in each hand and soared into the air.

After everyone else disappeared, only the emperor and his minister remained. Zhao Du'an looked at the empress with concern:

"His Majesty……"

Xu Zhenguan smiled at him, shook his head, and said with a sigh:

"It's alright. It seems your previous concerns were indeed justified. Now it seems even more necessary for me to go to the Golden Gate with you. I have a feeling that everything will be answered."

Zhao Du'an nodded. Just then, he suddenly saw the Empress's expression change drastically, and her body sway.

He quickly helped her up, asking worriedly, "What happened?"

The Empress's lips turned pale, and her eyes became grave as she said:

"It seems that my physical body has aggravated my injuries... Could it be that the Mysterious Seal has come knocking on my door?"

Looking across Xiping, the only one who could make her use her full strength was Xuan Yin.

"I must return to the palace immediately and revert to my original state to understand the situation," she said.

Zhao Du'an said, "I'll take you."

Xu Zhenguan shook his head, smiled, and refused:
"Don't forget, I came here disguised as you tonight, so I can't give myself away. Alright, go back and rest. I'll contact you if anything comes up. Focus on recuperating these next few days. Once Zhang Tianshi has recovered from his injuries, we'll set off immediately."

Zhao Du'an could only nod, turn around and leap onto the roof. He then watched as Xu Zhenguan put his cloak back on, summoned back the female officials waiting outside, and then boarded the carriage again to return to the palace.

……

……

In the following days, everything calmed down.

The next day, Zhao Du'an went to the palace and learned from the Empress about Xuan Yin's antics. Fortunately, Xuan Yin clearly did not want to start a war prematurely, so he only made a feint and did not appear again.

On the same day, Li Wushang, a Taoist priest from the Celestial Master's Mansion, arrived at Xiping Road on a crane, where he met the Empress's true form and presented her with the Divine Dragon Grass.

The Empress took the Divine Dragon Grass that night and healed her wounds overnight. The next morning, her injuries were miraculously healed, and she returned to her peak condition. Even the "wound" that had separated a wisp of her soul was repaired.

He's in surprisingly good condition.

This made Zhao Du'an even more impressed by the miraculous properties of the Divine Dragon Grass.

With the Empress at her peak stationed there, it seems that the war in Xiping will not worsen before Xuan Yin attempts to become a Human Immortal.

A day or two later.

Zhang Yanyi has finally finished recovering from his injuries.

This day, morning.

After having breakfast, Zhao Du'an once again left the residence under the pretext of a business trip. He then went to the yamen (government office) and took Tuoba Weizhi with him.

I did not bring Jiyue this time.

After that, he went to the Celestial Master's Mansion and invited Zhang Yanyi.

Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan were absent this time because the Mubei Forest was too dangerous, so they were ordered to stay behind and guard the house.

Finally, Zhao Du'an, along with the old celestial master and the female priestess, entered the palace to meet the Empress. The four of them then arrived at the depths of the Imperial Ancestral Temple once again.

They stood before that golden gate.

"let's start."

Xu Zhenguan changed into a more neutral white outfit that allowed for easy movement, with a warm jade pendant hanging from her waist, and made a solemn announcement, like a female knight-errant.

Zhao Du'an nodded and looked at Tuoba Weizhi: "You go first."

"Yes, Master."

The dark-skinned priestess did not hesitate, as if the moment to fulfill her mission had finally arrived.

She walked step by step toward the golden gate, then suddenly stopped, her eyes gleaming with darkness.

Immediately, wisps of black lines emerged from between her brows, frantically filling one of the grooves on the golden gate.

At the same time, Tuoba Weizhi's body also became motionless, like a robot whose power had been turned off.

Next was Zhao Du'an. He also walked to the door, thought for a moment, raised his right hand and pressed it onto another groove. The dragon soul within his body was awakened on its own and flowed into the groove along his arm.

Finally, under the watchful eye of the old celestial master, the empress stepped forward and began to manipulate a mysterious turntable in the center of the golden gate, surrounded by strange symbols. She carefully adjusted it to the correct position according to the code she had obtained from "The Human World".

"Boom!"

When the password was correct, the long-sealed golden door resounded with a vibration similar to a machine opening.

Then, it was finally Zhang Yan's turn to appear. This golden gate also required a Celestial Realm expert to open.

"Zha zha zha—"

As Zhang Yan exerted force little by little, Zhao Du'an and the Empress clearly saw the crack in the door gradually widen, and wind and light began to enter from behind the door.

The wind seemed to be blocked, but the pale light shone clearly on the faces of the three people.

Little by little, in the darkness of the underground, their faces were illuminated.

Finally, when the golden gate was about one-third open, an invisible membrane disappeared, and a cold wind blew in.

Zhao Du'an shuddered, then was surprised to see the light behind the door gradually fade, and then an ice field appeared before his eyes.

This time, their door seemed to open directly in another location.

Within the groove of the golden gate, Tuoba Weizhi's black light returned to her body, and the dragon soul also returned to Zhao Du'an's body.

Zhao Du'an stepped out of the gate first, standing in the biting cold wind, with thick ice and snow under his feet, and a lush, endless forest faintly visible ahead.

Behind him, the Empress, Zhang Tianshi, and Tuoba Weizhi also emerged one after another.

They finally arrived at the Northern Forest, a forbidden land.

……

Correct typos first, then edit.
(End of this chapter)