Man in the heavens, wins by lying down to prove the truth

Chapter 336 A Meteor Falls into the Camp, the Han Dynasty Rises, the Ghost Festival Opens at Mount Ling
Jambudvipa, the land of humanity.

Since Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, he turned back the clock of history, recreated the Zhou rites, and acted perversely, causing uprisings by heroes from all over the world.

The leading rebel kings were the Red Eyebrows Army from the north and the Green Forest Warriors from the south.

At this time, the heroes of the Green Forest were in a critical situation. The new dynasty's army was pressing in, and 420,000 troops surrounded Kunyang City, digging tunnels, building cloud chariots, and concentrating crossbows to fire wildly into the city.

"boom!"

"Whoa!"

"Boom!"

Inside Kunyang City, in the council hall, the generals of the defending army gathered, and in the distance, one could hear the booming sounds of massive catapults striking.

The catapults in the high-martial-arts world are much larger than those in normal ancient times. They are standard three-zhang stone balls, easily weighing over a thousand tons, equivalent to the weight of an entire small apartment building in modern times. The power of their impact is such that even a sixth-realm expert cannot withstand them.

"My lord, the brothers can't hold them off!"

"Yes, Your Excellency, Wang Yi and Wang Xun are both renowned generals of our time, seventh-realm grandmasters, leading an army of 400,000 to press on our border, while in Kunyang City, we only have less than 10,000 brothers still holding the line!"

"..."

In the council hall, the commander-in-chief Wang Feng, who was honored as the Supreme Duke, sat in the main seat. To his left and right sat General Wang Chang, the Minister of Justice, and General Zong Tiao, the General of the Cavalry.

Below the three, various generals, lieutenant generals, and deputy generals took their seats in turn.

"Sir, we cannot surrender!" Among the many lieutenant generals, Liu Xiu, a member of the imperial clan and the lieutenant general of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, stood up and bowed to the commander-in-chief, Wang Chang.

Before Wang Feng could speak, Liu Xiu finished speaking and the Grand General of the Court of Justice, Wang Chang, snorted coldly: "As a member of the imperial clan, the Grand General of the Court of Justice should be careful with his words and actions and not overstep his bounds, otherwise he will implicate his brother."

Liu Xiu, who was about to say something, suddenly became indignant and sat down in his seat without saying a word.

As a member of the imperial family, he also fulfilled the prophecy in Liu Xiu's name, suffering the suspicion of the Green Forest Emperor, and there was nothing he could do about it.

Seeing that Liu Xiu remained silent, a group of generals hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, surrender. You are a veteran, and if you surrender, you will surely be granted a title of nobility."

"General Lin is absolutely right. If those two grandmasters go first, who can stop them?"

"That's right..."

Wang Feng, who was in charge of pushing the current surrender, coughed lightly and looked at the General of the Cavalry beside him: "General Zong, are you confident that you can stop those two Grandmasters?"

This General of the Cavalry was one of only four Grandmasters in the Green Forest Group, and the Grandmaster closest to the eighth realm. He was the number one Grandmaster of the time, and the closest to Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King from hundreds of years ago.

Zong Tiao sighed: "It's difficult. It's not a problem to stop one of them, but we can be sure if we can get reinforcements from Dingling and Yanxian."

“But given the current situation, how can we possibly get out?” Wang Chang sighed and looked at Duke Wang Feng: “Duke, we should surrender.”

At this moment, Liu Xiu, who had been holding back for a long time, stood up again: "Your Excellency, I am willing to lead more than ten elite cavalrymen to break through the encirclement and request reinforcements from Dingling and Yanxian."

"How dare you! The Grand General and the Duke are speaking to each other. How dare you, a mere Deputy General of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, speak to them? Guards, throw him out!"

"enough!"

Shang Gong Wang Chang spoke up, looking at the general who had spoken: "General Liu is a member of the imperial clan, how can he be so disrespectful? Since you all have requested to surrender, then send an envoy to make contact."

"Your Excellency is wise and discerning!"

"..."

On that day, the garrison of Kunyang surrendered, but the new army commander Wang Yi refused.

On the very night that the Kunyang defenders were preparing for a decisive battle, a meteor fell into the camp. Although it did not cause many casualties, it disrupted the previously intact New Army lines and even caused signs of a mutiny within the camp.

Seeing this opportunity, Liu Xiu could no longer hold back and once again requested permission to fight, saying, "My lord, please grant me a troop of elite cavalry. I am willing to break through the encirclement and contact reinforcements."

With surrender no longer an option, Wang Feng, a veteran of the Green Forest bandits, although suspicious of Liu Xiu's brother, still agreed to his decision.

"The Grand Master of Ceremonies is brave, but the two Grandmasters of the New Army will not sit idly by and watch us rush out to find reinforcements."

As soon as Wang Feng finished speaking, the silent martial artist beside him said, "I'll provide cover and draw the attention of those two grandmasters."

At this moment, another general, General Li Tie, also stood up. He was Liu Xiu's nominal superior, but in reality, he was a retainer of Liu Xiu's lineage: "I will fight my way out with General Taichang."

Seeing this, Wang Feng stopped talking and said, "Then I'll leave it to you generals."

Immediately, with Wang Feng's order, Liu Xiu selected elite troops from the entire army.

When making contact to break through the encirclement, the number of contacts should not be too large, but they must all be highly skilled.

Liu Xiu himself was a master of the sixth realm, and General Li Tie, the Five Might General, was also a master of the fifth realm.

In the short time it takes to drink a cup of tea, thirteen experts, all at least at the fifth level, gathered together. As experts at the fifth level, each of them was capable of taking on a thousand men. The leaders were none other than the Grandmaster Zong Tiao and Liu Xiu.

"General, whether we can restore the Han Dynasty depends on this day. I beg you."

Liu Xiu bowed to Na Zongtiao and said, "After I leave, Wang Feng and Wang Chang, under the influence of others, will inevitably have the intention to surrender again. At that time, I would like to ask the general to take charge of the overall situation."

Zong Tiao didn't waste any words and said, "I have received a great favor from your brother Yan Gong, and I will certainly not fail Yan Gong's trust."

Liu Xiu's elder brother, Liu Yan, was a veteran of the Green Forest faction, a member of the Han imperial family, and one of the four great masters of the Green Forest faction. His prestige was terrifying, which was also the reason for the suspicion he was suspected.

"Xiu, thank you!"

Liu Xiu bowed and knelt down. Then, taking advantage of the chaos, the thirteen riders charged into the encirclement of countless large armies.

The number of soldiers was small, the target was inconspicuous, and they took advantage of the chaos in the new army camp, with the Grandmaster Zong Tiao creating a disturbance to provide cover.

In just one night, the breakout team managed to break out very smoothly, encountering almost no significant obstacles.

……

As night fades and dawn breaks, the distant mountains are shrouded in mist.

Having broken through the encirclement, Liu Xiu finally breathed a sigh of relief. As the tension eased, he immediately felt a wave of exhaustion.

Below the Heavenly Beings, in the nine realms of mortals, before becoming a Grandmaster, one cannot abstain from grains and needs to eat a lot.

After all, at lower levels, energy is conserved.

Experts from the fourth to the sixth realm are all fierce warriors who can take on a thousand or even ten thousand men single-handedly. Their aura is terrifyingly powerful, and they all need to consume energy. Their appetites are far greater than others.

For a moment, the group of people were also extremely hungry and thirsty.

"General, look at the teahouse by the roadside at the foot of the mountain!"

Li Tie, the Five Might General who was nominally Liu Xiu's superior, looked at Liu Xiu and called out, pointing to a reed hut in the distance.

In an instant, more than ten people became alert.

"General, something's not right... Where did this reed hut come from in this desolate wilderness? Could it be a mountain spirit or monster?"

"Brother Sun is right, General, we must not be careless."

Everyone was talking at once, but General Liu Xiu remained calm.

Suddenly, the old ox outside the reed shed spoke in human language: "Generals, my master would like to invite you to have a cup of tea. Would that be convenient?"

"It really is a monster!"

"Where did this scoundrel come from? Get out of here at once!"

"..."

Old Niu was immediately displeased: "Which of you is the devil? You're spouting nonsense, you deserve to die, you deserve to die!"

"So that all of you may know that I am the Great Emperor of the Primordial Chaos, the mount of the Primordial Heavenly Venerable Who Saves the World."

After announcing his name, the old ox looked at everyone with his nose in the air and snorted, "Don't think I don't know. Even the leaders of your bandit gang have to kowtow to my master during the annual grand feast." There are quite a few legends about Zhou Cheng in this world.

After all, it has only been about two hundred years since Zhou Cheng and Taiwei Hua traveled to the Southern Continent and took in many disciples.

Many of the disciples of the Taiyi Sect were sages in the human world. When they ascended to heaven, there were all sorts of extraordinary phenomena, and naturally, countless people offered sacrifices to them.

With sacrifice comes inspiration, and the followers all know that after death they ascended to the throne of the Great Emperor of the Primordial Chaos and entered the Heavenly Treasure Seal of Immortality.

Therefore, Zhou Cheng's incense offerings in this world never cease throughout the four seasons, and he is worshipped along with other great gods.

"This bull demon is a master of boasting. He calls himself a Heavenly Venerable's mount, while I'm a Great Emperor's door god. You're not convinced?"

Li Tie, a master of the fifth realm, snorted coldly and immediately began to curse.

In this paradise of humanity, there are many experts. Even if there are one or two lesser demons, they are probably no match for cultivators of the third or fourth realm. There have been many battles and killings.

Therefore, there are very few spirits and monsters in this Southern Jambudvipa, and even fewer that dare to harm people.

"Gentlemen, my ox has been rude. I see you are all hungry and thirsty, why don't we go into the shed and have some tea and food?"

Zhou Cheng stepped out of the reed hut, dressed in a gray robe and hemp clothing, his hair casually tied up with a roadside branch. Every movement he made seemed to have a certain rhythm, which made people involuntarily convinced.

"It is our rudeness that we did not expect a wise man to appear before us. We are the ones who are rude."

Liu Xiu's expression turned solemn, and he bowed respectfully to Zhou Cheng before leading his entourage into the teahouse.

The teahouse had only three sets of tables and chairs, which was just enough for the group of four to sit down.

Liu Xiu took his seat and bowed to Zhou Cheng, asking, "May I ask your honorable name and from which region are you?"

Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "My surname is Zhou, my given name is Cheng, and my courtesy name is Chushi. As for my place of origin, I am from Changshan Zhending."

Liu Xiu nodded, exchanged a few pleasantries, and finally asked, "I wonder what important matter you have summoned us for? We are still on the important task of contacting reinforcements, and we really cannot afford to waste any more time."

"Haha, it's nothing important, just a glimpse of fate."

After Zhou Chengyan finished speaking, he pulled out the branch from his hair that he used as a hairpin and placed it in front of Liu Xiu, saying, "You are destined by Heaven. After your destiny is restored, I have come to guide you."

"This is a bushel containing tens of thousands of bushels of millet. Consider it a gift from me to you all. I hope you will spare us from war and bring blessings to the common people."

As soon as Zhou Cheng finished speaking, he got up and walked outside: "Niu'er, let's go."

"Moo..."

The old ox spat out the grass from its mouth, wagged its tail, and slowly followed Zhou Cheng to the side, disappearing into the distant mountain valley.

The whole process seemed to be slow, but Liu Xiu didn't even have time to speak until the man and the ox disappeared, as if everything happened in the blink of an eye.

This bizarre scene, as if the flow of time for the man and the ox was different from theirs, was astonishing.

"Big brother, that person... could he be a true immortal?"

"That bull demon just said that his master is the Emperor Juntian. Is that true?"

Liu Xiu looked at the bucket that Zhou Cheng had just pointed to: "That expert just said that there are tens of millions of bushels of grain in this bucket?"

If we truly had tens of millions of bushels of grain, some things would no longer be a luxury.

"This is only one peck; how can it hold ten thousand bushels of grain?"

"It's hard to say, it's hard to say. I've heard that there's a Golden Immortal Sect outside the Western Paradise. The Golden Immortal Sect is full of Great Awakened Golden Immortals who call themselves Buddhas. They have the ability to hold the entire world in their hands."

The crowd chattered amongst themselves, while Liu Xiu, holding a teacup, scooped out a bowlful of grain from the full bushel.

Then you see that the missing piece of millet has suddenly grown back and become full again.

"My two sons, follow me and quickly kowtow to the immortal. Remember, the matter of the ten thousand bushels of grain in this bucket must not be told to anyone."

Liu Xiu put down the bowl full of millet and looked at everyone.

These people were all his trusted confidants, all promoted by his elder brother Liu Yan. In this era of dual monarchy, Liu Xiu's family were their lords.

……

Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Meanwhile, Zhou Cheng was riding his ox, slowly heading west.

“Master, Liu Xiu is just a mortal. The so-called sixth realm is not bad among mortals, but he is not worthy of your treatment.”

Niu'er was puzzled, but then he saw Zhou Cheng smile and say, "I am a Han Chinese. Since I have the opportunity to meet this King who is revitalizing the Han Dynasty, I naturally intend to take care of him."

"what?"

Niu'er was dumbfounded. How long has the Han Dynasty been around? Back when the master followed Laozi westward out of Hangu Pass, he was already famous throughout the Three Realms.

Even if they were Zhou people, Niu'er could understand.

But Han people... are they joking?

Seeing that the old ox didn't understand, Zhou Cheng didn't bother to say anything and said, "Do as you please and wander around."

"I will obey Your Majesty's decree."

The old ox carried Zhou Cheng, slowly swaying across this land.

……

In the blink of an eye, decades have passed in this world.

The Later Han Dynasty was re-established, and Emperor Guangwu, who revived the Han Dynasty, was about to reach the end of his life.

On this day, Zhou Cheng rode on the back of an old ox and slowly entered the imperial city of Chang'an.

"The capital city is indeed different; there are many more taverns now."

The ox transformed into a burly man, who served as a protector of the Dharma, Zhou Cheng.

Zhou Cheng smiled and said, "We have an old friend here. Let's go to that tavern and have a seat."

Inside the tavern, there stood a monk in a white robe.

At that time, Buddhism had not yet flourished in the Central Plains, so when others saw that the monk had no hair, they all looked at him with disdain and said that he was a barbarian from beyond the borders.

"Hey you laughing monk, how dare you enter a tavern! You deserve to be punished!"

Zhou Cheng and Lao Niu entered the tavern and sat directly next to the monk.

The monk immediately laughed and said, "There's nothing we can do. We can't find any trace of the Venerable One. We've heard that the Venerable One has made a pact with the Great Emperor of the Mortal Realm, so for the past few decades, we've had no choice but to stay in the capital city of the Mortal Realm."

Zhou Cheng smiled and asked, "What does the monk think of Jambudvipa?"

The monk laughed and said, "The Celestial Empire is a land of peace and prosperity, where everything is being revitalized."

“You are more honest than your Buddha. In the mouths of the Buddha, this is a sea of ​​right and wrong, a battlefield of words.”

"Ahem, Your Excellency..."

The monk coughed twice to cover his embarrassment.

He simply couldn't respond to that.

"The Ullambana Festival is still some time away. Why don't you stay with me in this earthly capital for the rest of the days and meet the Guangwu Emperor?"

Upon receiving Zhou Cheng's invitation, the Laughing Monk clasped his hands together and said, "I dare not refuse Your Excellency's invitation."

(End of this chapter)