Secular world: My destiny has no taboos

Chapter 534: In the blink of an eye

Lin Beixuan placed the shrine on the table.

The shrine wasn't particularly exquisite, but it possessed a unique charm. Inside was a statue of a deity with his hands placed in front of his chest, holding a candle, his eyes gazing straight ahead with a solemn and dignified expression.

"I can guarantee it's even more effective than the Monkey King's..."

After Lin Beixuan said this, the people around him looked at each other, not knowing what to say for a moment.

The middle-aged man, in particular, stared at the shrine from left to right, glancing at Lin Beixuan every now and then. After hesitating for a long time, he finally couldn't help but ask.

"Why does the statue in this shrine look somewhat like our distinguished guest?"

These words made the old man at the tea stall realize what was happening, and he looked at Lin Beixuan in surprise, a bold guess suddenly forming in his mind.

He quickly tugged at the middle-aged man's sleeve, and the middle-aged man understood immediately, pulling his son Li Jinchao to bow respectfully to Lin Beixuan.

“We dare not refuse the gift from our distinguished guest, and will make daily offerings to it, ensuring that the shrine remains dusty.”

Lin Beixuan gave the old man at the tea stall a meaningful look, then waved his hand dismissively.

"As long as everyone trades fairly and you don't feel like you're losing out, that's fine."

After saying this, Lin Beixuan opened the courtyard gate and went outside. The eaves beast was already waiting for him there.

Inside the courtyard, the middle-aged man and the old man at the tea stall watched Lin Beixuan disappear from their sight. After a long while, they finally let out a long sigh and looked at each other.

"I never imagined that I would actually see a legendary immortal in my lifetime!" the old man at the tea stall sighed softly.

"Tea master, are you sure you're not mistaken? How could a deity descend upon a small place like ours?"

The middle-aged man still couldn't quite believe it. After hesitating for a long time, he held the shrine on the table in his arms and examined it carefully.

And you know what? The more I looked at him, the more he resembled that distinguished guest from before.

In the everyday lives of ordinary people, many only have a vague concept of what constitutes a higher realm.

For example, this old man at the tea stall might seem like an ordinary, insignificant person to Lin Beixuan now, but back when he first entered the secular world, the tea master in front of him was comparable to the old steward of the Ruan family.

Most people who make a living in the secular world have some skills; otherwise, how could they survive in a world full of evil spirits?
The old man had traveled extensively in recent years and had some experience. Upon first meeting Lin Beixuan, he knew that the other party was extraordinary.

When the other party produced a shrine similar to his own, he immediately guessed that the other party was probably a terrestrial deity.

They didn't understand what the Human Immortal Realm was; at most, they knew that above the Opening Mansion Realm was the Invitation God Realm, and those above the Invitation God Realm were collectively called Land Immortals.

Faced with the middle-aged man's questioning, the old tea craftsman smiled helplessly: "We can't fathom the right or wrong of such people. The fact that they came to take you away, Monkey King, today might actually be saving us from a disaster."

"As you can see, that monkey shrine is extraordinary. Although it saved your son once before, it wasn't entirely effective."

There's a saying, "Possessing a treasure is a crime." If we can't keep something, it's best to get rid of it as soon as possible, lest we end up losing the lives of our whole family.

"The man left his shrine behind, which is a guarantee to you. If your whole family is in a life-or-death situation, this shrine can save your lives. Isn't that better than that Monkey King, whose effectiveness is unknown?"

The old tea master's words were clear, and the middle-aged man certainly couldn't possibly not understand them.

After pondering for a while, he said, "What you said makes sense. In the current situation in Longzhou, the most important thing is to save our lives. Although that Monkey King is extraordinary, what use is he if he can't guarantee the safety of my whole family?"

At this point, the middle-aged man suddenly changed the subject.

"By the way, old tea craftsman, when do you and your granddaughter plan to leave Luyang City? I heard that Jiamen Pass might not be able to hold out for much longer."

"Sigh, let's talk about it later! It's hard to leave one's homeland, how can one give it up so easily?"

However, just as the two were talking, a sound of gongs and drums suddenly came from the street outside.

"Boom."

"Boom blah blah..."

The old tea master and the middle-aged man exchanged a glance, then sent the two children home while they went to the street to check on the situation.

At this moment, many people on the street were startled by the noise and came out of their homes.

In an instant, the once deserted streets gradually became lively.

The person banging the gong ran through the streets and alleys, sharing their joy with everyone.

"The Northern Expeditionary Army is here! Longzhou is saved!"

"The Northern Expeditionary Army is here! Longzhou is saved!"

……

Upon hearing this, Lin Beixuan turned around and looked toward the city gate of Luyang City.

There, a group of soldiers dressed as soldiers rode tall horses and slowly walked along the street.

The leading general was dressed in Qilin armor, with a tall and strong figure, exuding an aura of authority without anger.

"Northern Expeditionary Army?"

Lin Beixuan raised an eyebrow; he could see through the strength of the leading Northern Expeditionary Army general at a glance.

Immortal!

A general at the Human Immortal Realm is considered top-tier in any faction.

Human immortals are already rarer than mortal gods, and things are valued for their rarity. A general at the level of a human immortal is even rarer.

After all, not every immortal can lead an army into battle!
The prestige of a general in the Immortal Realm is almost no less than that of several mortal immortals in the same realm.

Behind the general was a group of soldiers, one of whom was holding a flag aloft.

The flag bears a large character for 'history', making its origin quite obvious.

"It seems that the young emperor is planning to draw his sword."

Lin Beixuan narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on the group of people for a moment before slowly withdrawing it.

At the same time, the immortal general on horseback belatedly sensed something, frowning as he scanned the crowd with his gaze.

However, Lin Beixuan had already disappeared by then.

……

With the statue of the Monkey King, Lin Beixuan was no longer so confused about finding Shenhou's whereabouts.

The statue of the Monkey King still retains some of the Monkey King's power, which allows him to roughly sense the direction the Monkey King is in.

To his surprise, when the guiding light shone, it was pointing in the north.

Lin Beixuan didn't delay and went straight to the north following the directions.

However, as he continued forward, the scenes he passed became increasingly shocking.

If Luyang City only gave people a sense of desolation, as Lin Beixuan walked further and further away, the scene he saw gradually became more and more cruel.

On the desolate land, a dark mass of heads formed a long dragon, walking along the winding road.

They must be people who escaped from Jiamen Pass not far ahead.

The barbarian army's passage forced them to leave the land they once lived on and migrate south. When Lin Beixuan arrived above Jiamen Pass on his eaves beast, the scene he saw from above was even more horrific.

Ruins and rubble, black smoke rising from collapsed buildings, clearly indicating that two forces are vying for a stronghold.

Bloodshed and carnage are like musical notes dancing on piano keys, each note representing a life lost.

This was the first time Lin Beixuan had ever seen barbarians.

He had assumed that the barbarians would be like the northern peoples of the present day, but he was clearly wrong.

In his field of vision, a burly barbarian soldier, three meters tall and with bulging muscles, resembling a small mountain, was fighting with the soldiers stationed at Jiamen Pass in the alleyway.

These barbarian soldiers were not only tall, but their faces were also different from those of normal people, and their roars sounded like those of wild beasts.

If I had to use one word to describe them, it would be orcs.

There were three soldiers from Jiamen Pass who were fighting against him, but they were struggling against this barbarian soldier. In just a short while, one of them was smashed to death by the barbarian soldier with a stone from the side.

The disparity in strength between the two sides was so great that even the difference in numbers was negated.

In the alley.

Seeing his companions die tragically, Li Jin roared in anger, raised his long sword, and charged forward.

"Zheng!!"

The blade, brimming with murderous intent, gleamed like frost and snow. There were no fancy moves; it simply aimed at the opponent's weak points and slashed fiercely.

"laugh!"

The long knife plunged into the flesh, but got stuck in the opponent's hard muscle, unable to advance any further.

The barbarian leader at the Kaifu realm was significantly stronger than Li Jin, who was also at the Kaifu realm.

The barbarian soldiers, who are born with the advantage of strong physique, have a unique advantage in body training. Almost everyone in the army learns a body protection technique.

Li Jin, though a secular prince, was not weak in strength, but the methods he learned were not those cunning techniques, but rather the more forceful and brutal killing techniques used in the military.

In this head-on confrontation, they appear much weaker than the barbarian soldiers.

Fortunately, Li Jin's skills and agility prevented him from being defeated quickly.

As the barbarian soldier's fist came crashing down, Li Jin simply released the long sword he was gripping tightly, dove his body to the ground and rolled away, narrowly avoiding the soldier's punch.

During the time Li Jin was leading the barbarian soldier, another soldier seized the opportunity, grabbed the iron chain with both hands, jumped onto the barbarian soldier's back, and tightly strangled the barbarian soldier's neck.

Compared to the three-meter-tall barbarian soldier, this soldier hanging on the other's back looked like a skinny monkey.

Yet, no matter how the barbarian soldiers beat him, he refused to let go.

At that moment, Li Jin stabbed the barbarian soldier in the eye with the sword at his waist, pulled out the long knife that was stuck in the soldier's muscle, and frantically slashed at the barbarian soldier's face.

With the combined efforts of the two, the barbarian soldier finally could not hold on any longer and fell heavily to the ground.

After confirming that the barbarian soldier was dead, Li Jin, covered in blood, got up and went to the soldier who had strangled the barbarian soldier's neck with an iron chain from behind.

However, when he looked over, he found that the other party had already been smashed to death by the barbarian soldiers' heavy punches. His shoulder was smashed and half of his head was caved in.

Even so, the soldier did not let go, still holding on tightly to the iron chain, giving Li Jin the opportunity to kill the enemy.

"Farewell, brother!"

Li Jin gently closed the other man's wide-open eyes with his hand. There was no sadness in his eyes for the death of his comrade. Instead, he stood up numbly, drew his long sword, and walked towards another battlefield.

After the fall of Zhenbeiguan, he and a group of Zhenbei soldiers fought and retreated, eventually reaching Jiamenguan.

This is the last line of defense for Longzhou.

If Jiamen Pass falls again, the plains will be wide open, and no city will be able to withstand the barbarian army.

He had no idea how many times he had died, only that each time he woke up, he was extremely exhausted, and the flames in the shrine at his feet were getting weaker and weaker.

It may not be long before my physical body can no longer withstand so many deaths and dies completely.

But none of that matters anymore!

Although he is a person living in the modern world, his parents died early and he has no relatives left in the world.

After joining the officialdom, he spent a lot of time in the secular world.

Gradually, the secular world became his world, and his comrades in the Zhenbei Army became his family.

As they retreated step by step to Jiamen Pass, witnessing so many of their comrades die in battle, Li Jin's mental state was also affected.

He doesn't plan to retire anymore.

Even if he were to die here, he had no intention of retreating.

War is cruel; human life in the flames of war is as fragile as a moth drawn to a flame, vanishing in an instant.

Shouts of battle and screams of agony mingled together, and the air was thick with smoke, making it almost impossible to see anything in the distance.

Following the sound, Li Jin arrived at a battlefield where a fierce battle was taking place. There were more people there; a dozen barbarian soldiers were gathered together like a high wall, and several equally large wolf beasts were lingering on the edge beside them.

The number of people fighting against these barbarian soldiers was also quite large, numbering over thirty.

But as the saying goes, the strength of the barbarian soldiers can make up for the difference in numbers. A dozen barbarian soldiers gathered together are far more intimidating than a single barbarian soldier.

As soon as Li Jin joined, he felt an overwhelming pressure.

A dozen barbarian soldiers swung their giant axes and cleaved at you. No one could withstand them. They were forced to retreat repeatedly, unable to even find a chance to find an opening in their opponent's defenses.

Soon, Li Jin's group was driven back to a collapsed ruin, with only twenty of the thirty-odd men remaining.

"Brothers, it seems we won't see the sun rise tomorrow. Let's kill as many as we can." A soldier raised his long sword, pointed it at the barbarian soldiers, and laughed loudly.

Many people echoed this sentiment, their eyes filled with a resolute determination to face death.

They knew they were in dire straits and no troops would come to their rescue.

Li Jin gritted his teeth, sweat mixed with blood sliding down his cheeks. His breathing was rapid and heavy, yet he still forced his exhausted body to persevere.

Out of the corner of his eye, a shrine appeared faintly in the ruins, the candle inside held by the statue so weak it was about to go out.

"Am I going to die again?!"

Li Jin lifted half of his eyelids and looked at the barbarian soldiers charging towards them. His belief supported him, and he followed in his companions' footsteps and charged forward again.

However, at that moment, a terrifying bolt of lightning suddenly struck down from the sky, landing directly on the group of barbarian soldiers.

In an instant, sparks flew everywhere, and the roar was deafening.

The terrifying power of the lightning instantly enveloped the barbarian soldiers. They didn't even have time to let out a scream before they were annihilated in the scattered lightning.

Upon seeing this, Li Jin, who had only raised his eyes halfway, suddenly opened them wide. He didn't know where the strength came from, but he turned his head to look in one direction.

There, a figure slowly retracted his slender fingers, annihilating the barbarian soldiers in the blink of an eye.

(End of this chapter)