If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1291 The Arhat Who Subdues Dragons
Grand Tutor Yu reacted quickly; before the first bolt of lightning even struck the tomb, she was already getting anxious.

However, since it didn't concern her personally, she didn't feel it very strongly.

Moreover, the time was too short. By the time she subconsciously looked up at the sky, thunderclouds had already formed overhead, and lightning was already in her sight.

If it were her own tribulation, she could have blocked it in time.

But this was not her fate. Not only did she not block it, she also subconsciously suppressed all her aura, turning herself into an insignificant wooden stake.

Yes, this is not a metaphor; she really used the Earthly Fiend Transformation technique to evade the Three Calamities and Five Tribulations.

There was nothing she could do; she was too close to the grave, and she had accumulated too much karma over the years.

If one is affected by the tribulation energy in the tribulation lightning, it is very likely that the heavenly tribulation will be triggered prematurely.

Then she watched helplessly as lightning shattered Guo Weiliao's tomb, smashed the coffin to pieces, and burned his body to a crisp.

The soul of Guowei Liao, who was transforming into a primordial spirit, only had time to let out two miserable screams before vanishing into nothingness.

The heavenly tribulation came abruptly and ended quickly; in just four or five breaths, the sky returned to its clear, cloudless state.

The guests were horrified, their faces turning deathly pale.

Grand Tutor Yu felt sorrow for the Imperial Commandant, his knees buckled, and he knelt down with a thud, shouting, "Congratulations to the Imperial Commandant for surviving the Heavenly Tribulation! May the Imperial Commandant achieve immortality through the Corpse Liberation!"

"It seems the corpse dissection failed," Master Guan whispered as he leaned closer.

"Don't talk nonsense! I saw the old master's soul ascend to heaven. Quickly kneel down and kowtow to send him off!" Grand Tutor Yu shouted.

The guests immediately knelt down and kowtowed, shouting, "Respectfully sending off the venerable Grand Commandant as he ascends to heaven!"

The old grandson of Guoweiliao was in tears, sobbing and unable to speak, but still insisted on shouting, "Respectfully sending the old man off to heaven after his body has been liberated."

Qinglian Sun had lost his tongue and couldn't speak; his face was filled with twisted ecstasy and pleasure.

Grand Tutor Yu, as always, led the guests in burning a large amount of paper money, paper figures, and paper horses for the State Military Commandery—something that was really unnecessary before, but now is truly necessary.

She personally helped him repair his tomb and also improved the feng shui by harnessing the earth's veins and water veins.

It was already a place with excellent feng shui, and now the feng shui is even better.

—Sigh, you failed at the autopsy, you really can't blame me! I was completely without desire or thought throughout the entire process, really!
Grand Tutor Yu muttered to himself, but he felt a little uneasy.

Damn it, why did lightning strike right when I was offering sacrifices?
This is like mud falling into your crotch—it's inexplicable!
After all that fuss, Grand Tutor Yu finally returned to the Imperial Observatory in a sullen mood in the afternoon.

Once the gate is closed, Guan Zhenren and the others can finally tell the truth.

"Grand Tutor, did you know about the Grand Commandant's plan to disintegrate his army beforehand?" asked the Gray Crane Immortal.

"Do you know?" Grand Tutor Yu asked.

The Taoist masters shook their heads.

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, "I did indeed foresee it. His failure to dissolve his body is indeed my fault."

I shouldn't have used Yin Yinzi's head as a sacrifice to the Grand Commandant.

Yin Yinzi isn't quite dead yet.

When I took his head out, that thief must have sensed something, and then he frantically cursed the Grand Commandant, causing this accident.

"Grand Tutor, there's no need to blame yourself. Even without that head, the Grand Commandant wouldn't have been able to get through this ordeal." Master Guan comforted him, "First of all, the Grand Commandant himself didn't commit any major evil deeds. He is the 'Sage of War,' and on the contrary, he has done great service to humanity."

Unlike the heinous evil cultivators who die a dramatic death while simultaneously concealing their sins from everyone, this one doesn't need to be a secret.

Grand Tutor Yu felt that his words were not very convincing.

The Imperial Guard clearly intended to die in a dramatic and shocking manner.

How could the assassination of the three dukes of the mighty Qin Dynasty in public not be a shocking event?
Master Guan continued, "Secondly, the Grand Commandant did not just die. He had been dead for nearly nine days and had already entered the 'Taiyin Refining Form' stage."

At this stage, it doesn't matter whether it's exposed or not.

That made some sense, but Grand Tutor Yu was still sullen.

"Master, the Heavenly Court has sent an angel!" A moment later, Xiao Linzi ran in and stood at the door shouting.

Grand Tutor Yu's heart stirred, and he quickly got up and floated out of the Emperor's Palace.

“Leng Ziqi, the Embroidered-Robed Envoy of the Lingxiao Palace, pays respects to Grand Tutor Yu of the Great Qin.”

This time, it wasn't Li Changgeng who came in person. The visitor was a handsome middle-aged scholar who held a box in his hands. After bowing and paying his respects, he presented the box with both hands and said, "The Jade Emperor has decreed that Grand Tutor Yu of the Great Qin Dynasty has made great contributions to the world by incubating Hengshan. Therefore, Grand Tutor Yu should personally select the spirit to serve as the Lord of Hengshan."

Grand Tutor Yu took the jade box and opened it on the spot. Inside was a jade talisman that was both strange and familiar.

It was a divine talisman she had personally condensed, but its appearance had changed drastically.

It was about the size of her foot, and its shape was somewhat like the main peak of Hengshan Mountain today. It was bluish-green, almost transparent, and had golden runes shimmering inside. The number and complexity of the runes were like those in Xiaoyu's previous life. It was a nanometer-sized chip, but with even more dimensional structures.

"Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty! I will certainly live up to your trust and select a peerless hero who is no less than Huang Feihu," Grand Tutor Yu said with a smile.

The embroidered-robed messenger chuckled awkwardly, then bowed again, "I implore the Grand Tutor to arrange for the new Lord of Hengshan to take office as soon as possible. This humble servant will return to report the decree. Grand Tutor, please take care."

Leaving these words behind, a white cloud rose from beneath his feet and drifted away into the horizon.

Why did the Jade Emperor entrust the Hengshan Divine Register to the Grand Tutor?

Master Guan leaned closer, examining the talisman as he thoughtfully remarked, "Could it be related to the Venus deity's descent to the mortal realm last time?"

When Taibai Xingjun descended to the mortal realm last time, in addition to bestowing many "miscellaneous items" upon Yu Taishi, he also closed the door and had a private talk with her for quite some time.

Grand Tutor Yu said smugly, "Guess who created this divine talisman?"

"Aren't all the divine registers of the main gods in the Three Realms derived from the Dao Ancestor?"

Grey Crane Master subconsciously asked a question, then realized what he had done and exclaimed in horror, "Grand Tutor, you, you are too bold!"

Grand Tutor Yu laughed and said, "I have received the Jade Emperor's decree, what audacity I have?"

"It's actually the Jade Emperor!" The celestial masters looked bitter. "We shouldn't have come out to watch the show."

"Don't flatter yourself. It's just a mere divine position. The Dao Ancestor wouldn't even glance at us."

Grand Tutor Yu tucked the jade box into his sleeve and asked, "Is my old friend from the West, the old monk Chijiuluo, still at Black Ice Terrace?"

"Well, it was just that the Grand Tutor was fighting with the four great immortals, and he came out to observe for two days."

After that, he stayed at the Black Ice Terrace, meditating and expounding scriptures with several old Taoist priests who had not yet become immortals. "Master Guan said.

Grey Crane Immortal's heart stirred, and he tentatively asked, "Grand Tutor, what do you plan to do with the Hengshan Divine Talisman?"

At that very moment, the Grand Commandant's military campaign failed, and his soul, filled with sorrow, fell into the netherworld. Immediately, an angel delivered a divine register; was this not the will of Heaven?

Master Guan shook his head repeatedly, saying, "The Grand Commandant's cultivation and supernatural powers are insufficient, and the cultivation method he practices is not of the 'Mountain God' lineage. Now that his corpse liberation has failed, he truly cannot defeat Lord Hengshan."

Furthermore, the Four Sacred Mountains Gods and the Grand Protectors of the Hengshan Divine Palace would not submit to him. It would be better to ask the new Lord of Hengshan to appoint the Grand Commandant to a divine position such as the Chief Judge of the Underworld.

Grey Crane Master glared at him.

Master Guan was baffled.

Grand Tutor Yu smiled faintly and said, "The divine position already has a destined master, so please don't worry about it."

She leaped and disappeared into the Imperial Observatory.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Master Guan asked directly.

Master Grey Crane sighed and said, "As soon as the Grand Tutor received the talisman, he immediately questioned that old monk. What do you think she was planning?"

"Ah, Grand Tutor wouldn't be so foolish as to hand over the Hengshan divine position to the bald monk of Lingshan, would he?" Master Guan exclaimed in surprise.

"It's obvious that's her plan. The Grand Commandant isn't even a minor Immortal of Corpse Dissolution, so he's definitely powerless to suppress the gods and immortals within the Divine Palace."

"Even a Taoist priest with limited abilities is better than a powerful and capable Buddha," said the Gray Crane Immortal.

—If the Grand Commandant is truly unsuitable, he still has a senior figure in the family!

The senior had already arranged for him to be given the title of "Preparatory God of the Five Sacred Mountains" by Grand Tutor Yu. I wonder if Grand Tutor Yu still remembers it?

However, Master Grey Crane also understands that everything has its degrees of closeness and distance.

Before that senior could make a special contribution—helping Grand Tutor Yu gather enough incriminating evidence to convict the Five Sacred Mountains Gods—he had no right to make demands of Grand Tutor Yu.

Even if the incompetent Guowei Liao is forced into power, it is still better than allowing Western Buddhism to enter Eastern Shintoism.

Yang Li's expression changed several times, and finally he sighed and advised, "Let's forget about it. Let's not get involved in this matter, and let's not put the Grand Tutor in a difficult position."

There's a saying that Grand Tutor said very well and is very true: the great immortals of the Chan Sect all went to the Western Paradise and became Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

"We're just lowly soldiers, in such humble positions, yet we're considering the bigger picture of the struggle for orthodoxy. Aren't we just being presumptuous?"

Grey Crane Immortal was somewhat excited and said, "That is Lord Hengshan!"

Yang Li said, "Master, don't forget that the Hengshan Divine Register was created by the Grand Tutor himself."

The new Hengshan was also incubated by her.

She came to the Divine Land seeking immortality, but the Xuanmen (mysterious sect) didn't grant her the Heavenly Immortal Technique. Seeing that she could only rely on Mount Ling, what else could the Xuanmen ask of her?

To put it more bluntly, in this great calamity, even the most powerful immortals of the Xuanmen sect are on the opposite side of the Qin Dynasty.

The Grand Tutor had no proper helpers by his side, and his situation was extremely dangerous.

"If we give Mount Ling some benefits now, perhaps Mount Ling can become the Jie Sect of yesteryear?"

"You mean that back then, Grand Tutor Wen and Shen Gongbao went around looking for disciples of the Jie Sect to join the tribulation and deal with the Chan Sect of Xiqi?"

"Now that Grand Master Yu is dragging Buddhism into this calamity, opposing the entire Xuanmen sect, will he ultimately destroy the Lingshan Buddhist sect completely?" Master Guan asked with a strange expression.

If that's really the case, then giving away a divine position at Hengshan would be worthwhile.

Yang Li said irritably, "Master, we are also trying to support the Great Qin Dynasty! If it really comes to the point of the destruction of the Buddhist sect of Lingshan, do you think we will have a good outcome?"

Moreover, if we can study the "Old Tales of Investiture of the Gods," then Western monks must have had even more detailed records.

The two Western religious leaders also participated in the great battle of the Investiture of the Gods!

In "The Investiture of the Gods," the section about those two religious leaders is quite extensive.

Ugh, they do all sorts of despicable things that upright people would despise.

For example, upon encountering an Eastern monk, regardless of the monk's wishes, they would claim that the monk had a connection with the West and forcibly convert him—abducting him to the West to become a monk.

"The true significance of befriending Lingshan lies in the fact that when the great Luo besieges Xianyang, Grand Tutor Yu can flee to Lingshan, seek refuge in Buddhism, and take the Ying clan westward with him."

Now that the Qin Dynasty is over, we can all go back to our own homes. No one will be watching us or seeking revenge.

Grand Tutor Yu is different; she's all alone, without any sect or faction.

Yang Li sighed, "We have to put ourselves in her shoes and understand and support her in finding a good way out for herself."

The monks of Lingshan are from a different world than us; that is a fact.

But it is also a fact that Mount Ling truly has the ability to protect the Grand Tutor.

Grey Crane Master's expression softened somewhat, and he said, "Actually, we have no say in this matter."

The current concern is that Grand Tutor Yu's actions may have angered a powerful figure in the Xuanmen sect.

Master Guan said, "Even the Jade Emperor didn't object. The powerful figures of the Xuanmen are furious, but they can only seek help from the Jade Emperor and Mount Ling."

Yang Li said strangely, "I always thought that our Grand Tutor and the Jade Emperor were at odds, but I never expected that they would conspire to seize power from the Dao Ancestor."

"Don't talk nonsense! The fact that the divine talisman could be delivered to the Grand Tutor by an angel means that the Dao Ancestor supports, or at least does not oppose, this matter," Master Guan said solemnly.

"Hey, gentlemen, look at the sky!" One of the Taoists who was listening in suddenly pointed to the sky and exclaimed, "It seems that angels are coming out of the South Heavenly Gate and heading this way again."

The celestial masters immediately activated their spiritual eyes and looked in the direction indicated. Sure enough, a celestial cloud radiating a crystal-clear glow descended from the heavens, seemingly slowly but actually rapidly.

Before the immortals arrived, celestial light had already formed faint trails and landed above the Imperial Observatory.

This is a common technique used in "angelic descent".

Using special celestial energy, they revealed their identity and marked their path of descent, allowing those below to prepare and avoid mistaking it for an intruder.

For example, the Imperial Observatory at this time appears calm on the surface, but in fact, its internal and external defenses are extremely strict, with several layers of advanced immortal formations ready to be deployed.

If an enemy comes from the sky, it will immediately trigger the celestial array, unleashing a terrifying power that can kill people.

"Hmm, it looks like a monk." As the celestial clouds descended, the celestial masters were able to see the angel's appearance clearly.

He had a square head and large ears, deep-set features, a buzz cut, a bare upper body, a shawl draped over his shoulders, and wide trousers. He had a distinctly foreign appearance, with very obvious exotic features.

"Fellow Daoists, this humble monk is 'Kasyapa,' currently serving as a 'Guardian Deity' in the Lingxiao Palace. I have come by imperial decree to pay my respects to Grand Tutor Yu. May I ask if she is at the Imperial Observatory?" the monk asked politely.

"So it is the Arhat who subdues dragons from Mount Ling. This humble Taoist greets you!" The Celestial Masters changed their expressions and respectfully returned the greeting. Guan Zhenren stepped forward and asked, "Your Excellency is seeking Grand Master Yu because there is a heavenly decree to be issued?"

Grand Tutor Yu had just met with an embroidered-robed messenger named Leng Ziqi and had already received a divine decree.

The Dragon-Subduing Venerable hesitated for a moment and said, "It's not a decree from heaven, it's just a verbal order."

If it's convenient, this humble monk would still like to speak to Grand Tutor Yu in person.

"Grand Tutor has gone to the Qinling Mountains. If Your Excellency's matter is urgent, this humble Taoist can lead Your Excellency to the Qinling Mountains to find Grand Tutor," said Master Guan.

The Arhat Subduing Dragon bowed with his palms together, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, fellow Daoist."

(End of this chapter)