Others follow advice and imitate celebrities, but you start by pretending to be a god?

Another minister bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, this gunpowder should have come from Taoist alchemy. Perhaps Your Majesty could summon all the Taoists in the land and have them work together to refine gunpowder, and then use it to imitate the firearms of our Great Tang."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin found the plan feasible and immediately agreed, assigning people to carry it out. Soon, a summons spread to every corner of the Tang Dynasty, calling upon Taoist priests skilled in alchemy to come and refine gunpowder for the Tang Dynasty.

However, the result was extremely disappointing. After the summons was issued, virtually no Taoist priests responded to the Tang Dynasty's call. Chang'an City, Imperial Observatory.

The Imperial Observatory was a special government department. Normally, Yuan Tiangang, as the director of the Imperial Observatory, rarely attended court and had no power to interfere in court affairs. But this time, an imperial edict from Li Shimin proactively assigned Yuan Tiangang a task.

After the eunuch who announced the decree left, Yuan Tiangang gripped the imperial edict tightly in his hand, a bitter smile on his face.

The imperial edict instructed him to find some alchemists to refine gunpowder for the Tang Dynasty.

Yuan Tiangang smiled bitterly because he knew all too well that this was a tough job.

Prior to this, the Tang Dynasty had already issued a summons order, but very few Taoist priests actually answered the call.

Those few who came in response were all charlatans with no real skills whatsoever.

The Tang Dynasty court was quite puzzled by this, but Yuan Tiangang knew the reason perfectly well. Since ancient times, there has been a tradition of Taoist alchemy.

In the process of alchemy, gunpowder, as an auxiliary ingredient, occasionally appears in the furnace.

However, most Taoists do not value it and regard it as an accidental product in the process of alchemy.

Now, the Tang Dynasty has begun to value gunpowder, but it demands the production of gunpowder with the power of the Great Harmony Society, which is easier said than done.

More importantly, many ordinary people today know that the Datong Society and the Chechi Temple are inextricably linked, with a deep historical connection; the Datong Society originated from the Chechi Temple. Therefore, the origin of gunpowder and firearms has become extremely sensitive.

Nowadays, in the Tang Dynasty, who among the various Taoist sects doesn't know that there is a Taoist master in the human realm personally appointed by the Three Pure Ones in Chechi? Such a Taoist master has extremely high prestige in the Taoist sect. It's one thing for many Taoist sects not to take the initiative to pay homage to him, but how could they possibly oppose him?

For this reason, the Tang Dynasty's summons for alchemists was completely ineffective; no Taoist sect or school would actually answer the call.

With no success in recruiting from the common people, this arduous task naturally fell to Yuan Tiangang. Yuan Tiangang was in a very difficult position.

Previously, he and Li Chunfeng worked together to handle the affairs of the Imperial Observatory. However, Li Chunfeng's interpersonal skills were superior when it came to external affairs. The best proof of this was that Li Chunfeng was able to contact many Daoist practitioners to travel together to Chechi to seek the Dao.

Now, Yuan Tiangang is all alone, rarely interacting with the outside world, spending his days observing celestial phenomena and studying star changes in the Imperial Observatory. However, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, has given him a task that puts him in a difficult position.

"What should I do?" Yuan Tiangang frowned, his heart filled with helplessness.

Social interaction was only part of his predicament, and only a small part at that. What truly troubled him was that this job was far too strenuous and thankless.

If Yuan Tiangang were to follow Li Shimin's orders and proactively contact alchemists from other lineages, it would be tantamount to uniting others against Chechi. What does this mean? It means that he has accepted Li Shimin's command to be an enemy of Chechi, and that he will also involve others in opposing Chechi.

This would put Yuan Tiangang under immense pressure from two sources.

One source of pressure comes from fellow practitioners. Within the Taoist community, everyone should support each other and cultivate together. Yuan Tiangang's actions are undoubtedly harming his fellow practitioners and will be met with their contempt and condemnation.

There is another kind of pressure, equivalent to the pressure of betraying the Daoist sect. After all, Chechi represents the Daoist leader, and the Datong Society represents Chechi. In this way, the Datong Society also represents the "Daoist sect." If Yuan Tiangang were to be an enemy of the Datong Society, it would be equivalent to being an enemy of the entire Daoist sect.

"Fellow Daoist Li Chunfeng is far more carefree," Yuan Tiangang couldn't help but envy Li Chunfeng, who had resigned from his official post without hesitation.

On that day, Li Chunfeng resolutely resigned from his official post, living a solitary and carefree life, unburdened by any ties. However, Yuan Tiangang's current situation makes resigning from his post far more complicated.

The most obvious consequence is that Yuan Tiangang will lose the dynasty's fortune and the resources for his cultivation. In the cultivation world, wealth, companions, methods, and location are all important. Those who can cultivate by leveraging the power of a dynasty are often the most outstanding cultivators. Yuan Tiangang belongs to this category.

Once he resigns from his official post, it will be tantamount to giving up these uniquely advantageous conditions for cultivation, and he will also suffer some backlash. This is undoubtedly a huge loss for a cultivator.

"Hmm..." Yuan Tiangang was still torn about this matter after nightfall on the Qintianjian Star Observatory, his mind in turmoil.

But this hesitation and reflection eventually led Yuan Tiangang to make a decision.

"Since I, Yuan Tiangang, come from the Taoist sect, how can I betray it?" Yuan Tiangang thought to himself. "In that case, I might as well give up the position of Director of the Imperial Observatory! I might as well leave Chang'an City!"

After making this decision, Yuan Tiangang suddenly felt a sense of clarity and ease, as if a huge weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

Immediately, while he had just made his decision and still retained a trace of resolve, he left a letter. Then, he leaped from the observatory and vanished into thin air.

As a true cultivator, Yuan Tiangang's cultivation, though not yet at the level of an immortal, was still among the top tier in the mortal realm. His fleeting figure, like a ghost, went unnoticed and unnoticed by anyone.

It wasn't until the next day, when a eunuch was ordered to monitor his work progress, that he discovered the Imperial Observatory was completely empty, with only a letter lying quietly on the table.

The eunuch trembled with fear, but didn't even have the courage to look up. He hurriedly handed the letter into the palace, and it eventually landed steadily on Li Shimin's desk.

"What is Yuan Tiangang up to?" Li Shimin frowned, his eyes fixed on the title of the letter. The title read, "A Speech by Yuan Tiangang."

Beside Li Shimin, a senior eunuch hurriedly stepped forward and carefully opened the letter. He first meticulously checked it for any hidden traps or poison, and only after confirming it was safe did he respectfully present the letter to Li Shimin. Li Shimin took the letter, glanced at it, and his face instantly darkened. It turned out to be Yuan Tiangang's confession, followed by his abrupt departure.

"That Yuan Tiangang is utterly despicable!" After reading the letter, Li Shimin was furious. He slammed his hand heavily on the imperial desk, causing the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone on the desk to tremble slightly.

"He resigned his post simply because the Datong Society might be related to the Chechi Kingdom, unwilling to navigate this complex situation. As the Director of the Imperial Observatory of the Tang Dynasty, he was so irresponsible!" Li Shimin became increasingly angry as he spoke, his anger not only directed at Yuan Tiangang but also spreading to the entire Taoist sect.

At this moment, Li Shimin finally understood why no Taoist priests had answered the court's call to come and develop gunpowder for the Tang Dynasty. "These Taoists have no respect for the Tang Dynasty, they are simply lawless!" Li Shimin roared angrily.

Just then, a melodious chanting of Buddhist scriptures resounded around Li Shimin, as if it came from the distant horizon. He subconsciously looked up and saw lotus flowers slowly emerging in the air, emitting a strange fragrance. In a daze, a figure vaguely appeared before his eyes.

"Guanyin Bodhisattva?" Li Shimin was startled and immediately recognized her as the Guanyin Bodhisattva he had seen at the Water and Land Assembly. He quickly straightened his clothes, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "Li Shimin greets Guanyin Bodhisattva!"

Li Shimin felt everything before him; the scene was so real, it was definitely not a dream. He waited quietly for Guanyin to speak.

Guanyin Bodhisattva remained calm and directly stated her purpose: "Emperor Tang, the Tang Dynasty is currently in chaos, which is caused by the Taoist sects interfering and disrupting the will of Heaven. You have an inescapable responsibility to restore order to the country."

Li Shimin looked troubled and said, "Great Bodhisattva Guanyin, I also want to set things right, but the firearms of the Datong Society are so powerful that I really don't know how to deal with them."

Guanyin Bodhisattva smiled slightly and said, "It's alright. You can order the conscription of soldiers, and temples in various places will send more monk soldiers to help the Tang Dynasty."

Soon after, many bald figures suddenly appeared in the Tang army. Upon closer inspection, some of them had ordination scars on their heads, a distinctive feature that made their identity immediately clear—they were monks, and at this time they could also be called "monk soldiers."

After joining the Tang army, these monks immediately rushed to the front lines to prepare for battle against the Datong Society's firearms troops. When the two sides clashed, the monks displayed astonishing and extraordinary abilities.

They were often enveloped in a golden halo, as if protected by a sacred shield; or their bodies radiated golden light, like golden Arhats descending to earth. Even more astonishing was that they seemed to possess supernatural powers of invulnerability to weapons, remaining unscathed from attacks by the Datong Society's firearms unit.

It was precisely because of the appearance of these monk soldiers that the Datong Society's firearms unit suffered its first real setback. After the news spread, discussions arose one after another in the "communication channels" of the small reincarnation marks possessed by the modern transmigrators.

"Holy crap, that's outrageous! Even the Tang Dynasty is using cheat codes!"

"The Tang Dynasty's cheat code is too much! We're using a technological cheat code, which is still within the realm of mortals, but they've directly used a superhuman cheat code!"

"The Buddhist sect is shameless! They're actually helping the Tang Dynasty so directly!"

"What was originally just a war between ordinary people has been blatantly intervened by the extraordinary power of Buddhism. Is this appropriate?"

"Damn it, isn't this bullying? With supernatural powers, do they really think they can keep a feudal dynasty like the Tang Dynasty forever?"

Without exception, all the time travelers were filled with righteous indignation. They were angry at the actions of the Tang Dynasty, and at the same time, they were full of dissatisfaction with the behavior of the Buddhist sect.

It's important to understand that prior to this, the Datong Society's development strategy had always been based on the common people and relied on its industrial foundation. Countless "seeds" from other worlds were gradually climbing the technological tree, striving to drive social progress. With the help of the Chechi Kingdom, the highly modern "guns and cannons" of today were finally born.

However, the Buddhist sect's intervention, with its monk soldiers, easily bridged the gap, destroying the technological advancements they had painstakingly achieved over the years. How could this not fill one with grief and indignation?
"Fellow comrades, don't worry. Our Datong Society isn't without backing either," Chen Maosheng said in the channel, trying to calm everyone down and also announcing some exciting news.

"Since the Tang Dynasty has sought the intervention of Buddhist supernatural forces, we can also openly seek their help."

"The Tang Dynasty can seek help from Buddhism, and our Great Harmony Society can also seek help from Taoism!"

"The Daoist Master is our backer!"

Chen Maosheng's words ignited a glimmer of hope in everyone's hearts. Fang Han, the president of the Datong Society, also spoke up: "That's right, Master Chechi is on our side, Brother Maosheng is also cultivating himself, and we also have our 'special advisor' Lü Dongbin. On the mortal level, we are not afraid of the Tang Dynasty; when it comes to the extraordinary level, we have even less to fear Buddhism!"

Fang Han's words gave everyone confidence. Although the Buddhist monks joining the Tang Dynasty caught them off guard for a while, it didn't mean they were completely powerless.

After this discussion, Fang Han decided to personally seek out Lü Dongbin. In the Tang Dynasty, Lü Dongbin represented Che Chi and was a highly respected figure in Taoism.

After Fang Han found Lü Dongbin, he told him the whole story in detail. Lü Dongbin listened and simply replied, "I understand."

Although Fang Han was somewhat apprehensive, he could only wait patiently. Before long, Lü Dongbin responded: "All the Taoist soldiers will arrive soon!"

Upon receiving this response, Fang Han was naturally overjoyed and filled with anticipation. "I wonder what kind of Dao soldier it is?"

Dao soldiers are soldiers of the Daoist school, the Daoist religion, the Daoist methods, and the Daoist arts. Many Daoist soldiers shone brightly during the ancient Investiture of the Gods period.

For example, the Fire Dragon Soldiers can control fire dragons, unleashing flames wherever they go, with astonishing power; the Flying Tiger Soldiers are agile, moving like flying tigers, and adept at capturing enemies; the Crow Soldiers can command crows to disrupt the enemy's vision. These are all Daoist soldiers, trained through unique Daoist techniques and secret methods, each possessing unique power.

Such Daoist weapons often possess the characteristics of being quick to learn and having miraculous effects. They are not difficult to master and are extremely powerful, but they also have a single drawback. While they are powerful, they are also easily countered.

Take the Flying Tiger Soldiers for example. In ancient times, a strange man would hold a demon-subduing pestle and with a gentle push, the Flying Tiger Soldiers would rush over like the wind, capture enemies with grappling hooks and lassos, and also emit yellow gas from their bellies to confuse the enemies.

Of course, the wonder of these Daoist soldiers lies mainly in their "uniqueness," but in terms of true strength, they are hardly worthy of serious consideration. (End of Chapter)