Controlling the Five Thunders and the Two Worlds

Chapter 544 The Western Kingdom of Aconite

Leaving Master Qingye on a business trip at the Taoist Research Institute, Gu Zhao led the rest of the group back to the Daluo Palace.

Then he saw Changyi and Yangshuo returning to the palace. Yangshuo was still injured and his soul was weak, obviously because his consciousness had been damaged by a mental attack.

"What's going on?" Gu Zhao's eyes narrowed.

Although this world is full of experts and extremely dangerous, with an extraterrestrial demon eyeing it covetously, the Daoist sects are cautious in their actions, their true qi can fight against opponents of higher levels, and they can also call for support through the thunder seed, so there are not many cases of Daoists getting injured.

Especially since Yang Shuo had only recently broken through five hundred years of cultivation and had Chang Yi by his side, who could possibly injure him?
“It’s a ghost or deity from Shanzhou,” Changyi replied. “However, this ghost or deity is not from Shanzhou, but comes from the Western Divine Kingdom. It is a divine king of a country and the lover of that Illusionary Lady.”

After listening to Changyi and Yangshuo's explanation, Gu Zhao finally understood the origin of these ghosts and spirits.

To the west of the Central Plains, there are numerous plains of varying sizes separated by rivers and mountains. Their terrain is no less than that of the Central Plains, but they have not formed a unified political system and have instead been divided up by multiple countries.

Moreover, the rulers of this kingdom are not human, but are directly ruled by gods, and it is called the Western Divine Kingdom.

In contrast to the unified forces in the Central Plains, as well as the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Lingfa Court, the Western Divine Kingdom was divided into many countries, each with its own national protectorate.

These divine kingdoms and religions vary in size and morality, and they cooperate and compete with each other, engaging in intrigue and backstabbing. Although they are generally very powerful, they are unable to unleash their full potential.

The Western Divine Kingdom has many gods who need incense offerings and human souls, so the relationship between the Western Divine Kingdom and the Central Plains court has always been tense, at least much more so than the relationship between the Southern Mountains and the Central Plains court.

Therefore, the power of the Central Plains court on the western border far exceeded that on the southern border.

That's why after Master Jingfeng discovered the demon's trail in Lezhou on the border, he was able to quickly find the target and, with the help of the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Lingfa Court, swiftly eliminate it.

In other words, Shanzhou is located south of Wanling River. If it were north of Wanling River, the gods of this Western Divine Kingdom might not dare to enter the Central Plains, since the prestige of the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Lingfa Academy still exists.

The deity who entered Shanzhou was the god-king of a not-so-large god kingdom in the west. He had a relationship with Lady Huanhua of the Huanhua Palace in Shanzhou. After learning that Lady Huanhua had died at the hands of the Daluo Palace, he had been at odds with Shanzhou and the Daluo Palace ever since.

He suffered a loss at the hands of Master Gao Yue and his group last time and fled back to the West. No one knows when he returned, and he continued to attack the disciples of the Daluo Palace.

After Changyi and Yangshuo broke through, they went to Shanzhou to help. However, because they were young, they were mistaken for young disciples of the Daluo Palace and happened to be targeted by him.

This ghost has no martial ethics and launched a surprise attack. Yang Shuo was caught off guard and was injured. He then joined forces with Chang Yi to try to hold off the ghost while waiting for Master Gao Yue to come to his rescue, but unfortunately they failed.

"The Kingdom of Aconite, the Cult of Aconite Gods, the King of Aconite." Gu Zhao was speechless. "What kind of names are these?"

"Because he really does have a black head, isn't that aconite?" Changyi complained. "Moreover, that black head contains countless resentments that can affect the soul. Yang Shuo and I almost couldn't withstand it."

Yang Shuo nodded and said in a deep voice, "That King of Aconite has harmed countless innocent people. His murderous aura is impossible to conceal."

Gu Zhao thought for a moment, "If the Western divine kingdoms are full of such demons and ghosts, then we should go and fight them. What does Uncle-Master Gao Yue say?"

“Uncle-Master, you’re fast-paced,” Changyi said. “Before, Shanzhou was unstable. There were many demons and monsters that plagued the people in the dangerous mountains and rivers. Although they were not powerful and their evil aura was not as strong as that of the Black-Headed King, they were extremely harmful to the people.”

Now that we have entered Shanzhou and established a branch temple of the Daluo Palace here, we must punish evil and promote good, subdue demons and eliminate evil spirits, and create a safe environment for the local people. Therefore, Uncle-Master Gao Yue and his group decided to stabilize Shanzhou first before attacking the West. Moreover, although the eighty-eight divine kingdoms in the West are rife with infighting, they often unite when faced with an invasion from the Central Plains.

Once we pacify Shanzhou, not only will our rear be stabilized, but we can also accumulate malevolent energy, enhance our cultivation, and increase our chances of victory when facing those demons and monsters from the West.”

“That’s right, Uncle-Master Gao Yue and the others are speaking with maturity and prudence.” Gu Zhao nodded. “It seems that the Great Mountain Dharma King of Shanzhou and the Iron King Mountain Lord have not taken any action.”

“Yes.” Changyi nodded. “We’ve become friends with the Red Lantern Cult, and Uncle Gaoyue even visited Lord Cangyue.”

The Red Lantern Cult Leader and the Hidden Moon Lord are two other ghosts and gods in Shanzhou, along with Yun Feiang, Lady Huanhua, and others.

"So how many experts do we have in Shanzhou right now?" Gu Zhao asked.

Now he has attracted more and more Taoist priests, and unless there are special circumstances or important matters, they will not frequently communicate with him through the Thunder Seed, so as not to disturb his cultivation.

“Uncle-Master Gao Yue and Uncle-Master Xu Xing from Zhenwu Mountain, and the four uncles from Laoshan Mountain,” Changyi replied.

“Before, Uncle Jingchun and Uncle Yanqi were traveling in Yuezhou. After I was injured, they also went north to Shanzhou,” Yang Shuo said.

Gu Zhao understood, and then calculated the number of experts in the Great Luo Palace.

Daoist Yansong and Daoist Yihong, along with eight others, went north to the north of Wanling River, while Daoist Yanling and Daoist Yuzhang, along with eight others, went south to the mountains of southern Xinjiang. Now, there are also eight people stationed in Shanzhou.

The remaining experts include Master Mingchong, who spends his days traversing towering mountains; Yunyang, who has just returned; Master Lingya, Master Yuhua, and Master Chongxuan from Feiyun Mountain; and Master Xining and Master Miaozhen from Xiyue.

Of course, there are also Daoist Qingye, Daoist Fangde, and Daoist Wuzhi, who have recently made breakthroughs, as well as Changyi and Yangshuo in front of us.

Good heavens! Gu Zhao counted, and there are already thirty-six Taoists in the Great Luo Palace who have broken through five hundred years of cultivation!

Another number of the Heavenly Gang has been reached?
That's good. At least we can finally gather the people to guard Shanzhou and those to attack the Western Divine Kingdom.

That aconite king is highly skilled; even Gao Yue and the others are no match for him in a one-on-one fight. If they join forces, he will learn his lesson after suffering a minor injury and will not confront them head-on.

So Gu Zhao then summoned three old Taoist priests from Feiyun Mountain, two old Taoist priests from Xiyue Mountain, and Taoist priests Fang De and Wuzhi, a total of seven people, to go to Shanzhou with him.

"First, eliminate that King of Aconite, then occupy the Aconite Kingdom and establish a branch of the Great Luo Palace," Gu Zhao transmitted telepathically.

The five old Taoist priests from Feiyun Mountain and Xiyue Mountain, who had previously been traveling in Yongzhou and Yazhou, immediately returned to Cuiluo Mountain after hearing Gu Zhao's order.

Half a day later, everyone gathered together.

Gu Zhao was not in a hurry, but simply asked them to first guide the newly arrived Taoist priests and Zhang Chengguang and his grandson.

"Everyone, get some rest for the night, have a welcome dinner for our new senior uncles, and then we'll set off for Shanzhou early tomorrow morning!"

(End of this chapter)