The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 141 I Will Return

The Four Mountain Gods' eyes blazed with fury as they looked at Zhou Yan.

They suppressed their hostility in the standoff.

Seeing Zhou Yan dressed in such attire and exuding an aura of immortality, even if they had countless disbeliefs and doubts, they had no choice but to endure it for the time being.

They greeted each other with polite formalities, exchanged pleasantries for a while with a hint of displeasure in their hearts, and then said that they had matters to attend to in the mountains and left. After leaving the cave of the Lord of Mount Tai, the four mountain gods looked at each other, and the dissatisfaction and turmoil in their eyes had already subsided and dissipated like ripples.

"Then, using this precious treasure to congratulate the birth of the Lord of Mount Tai is not a loss."

"Fellow Daoists, see you another day."

The Four Mountains departed.

Before leaving, the Central Peak Heavenly King looked back at Mount Tai, which still stood majestically. The old man in the brown robe had dark clouds and turbulent thoughts in his eyes. This time, none of the four peaks broke off relations or took action, but they all got the conclusion they wanted.

Lord Taishan has truly passed away.

Whether the Lord of Mount Tai before us is a true ancient god or a fabricated lie, it makes no difference in nature. In the eyes of the Four Sacred Mountains Gods of this generation, the one who has gained the approval of the Mount Tai earth veins, wields a divine weapon, and appears here is the new generation of Mount Tai God.

If someone were to say that the young Taoist priest standing on the earth's veins of Mount Tai is a fraud.

It was merely a false title bestowed by the emperor in collaboration with the Tang Dynasty sage.

Then the Four Peaks Mountain Lord would simply laugh out loud.

Regardless of its origin or reason, if its existence has been recognized by Mount Tai and it can control the power of the earth's veins, then what else could it be but the God of Mount Tai? The Emperor's decree merely makes this identity more substantial.

However, this Taishan God is unprecedented. He is a living person who wields the title of an ancient deity. In terms of both interest and divine level, he is different from the previous Taishan Gods.

But, in any case.

"The Lord of Mount Tai is ultimately the embodiment of the Dao fruit of Mount Tai."

"Now that the Dao Fruit of Mount Tai has collapsed and scattered throughout the mortal world, Mount Tai's status as the most revered of the Five Sacred Mountains and the leader of all mountains is teetering on the brink of collapse. Even if he were to exert the power of the upper three ranks in the Mount Tai Dao Temple at this moment, he would only be on par with us."

"This is an opportunity for all the mountains and rivers in the world, and it is also an opportunity for us."

The Central Heavenly King of Mount Song spread his palm and looked at the fragment of the Dao Fruit in his palm. The traces of the Dao Fruit of the Duke of Mount Tai flowed within it. As one of the Five Sacred Mountains Gods, the Central Heavenly King could not and disdained to use this power.

Zhongyue is the central of the Five Sacred Mountains, with the strongest foundation. Located in the center of heaven and earth, it is the central hub of the earth's veins. Its path differs from that of Mount Tai. Forcibly incorporating it would only complicate one's own path and negatively impact oneself.

Just like human clans, they choose different combinations of Dharma lineages to form a path, allowing the clan's disciples to improve quickly, but it is difficult for them to defeat those of the same realm who have steadily advanced through Dharma lineages, and their upper limit is also limited.

The eyes of the Zhongyue Mountain God were calm.

He possessed the pride of the Five Sacred Mountains and the steadfastness of a cultivator.

"We each have our own paths."

"The position of the head of the Five Sacred Mountains and the most revered of all mountains has always belonged to Mount Tai. Now that the Lord of Mount Tai has passed away, this position is vacant. There is no need to encroach on Mount Tai's Dao Fruit. We will take this position ourselves."

"All that's needed is for Mount Tai to no longer be the Mount Tai of yesteryear..."

The Central Peak Heavenly King reached out and grasped the Dao Fruit of the Duke of Mount Tai.

He suddenly clenched his fist.

His own powerful and profound aura flowed, accompanied by a crisp cracking sound. All the Taishan Gongdao Fruits that had fallen near Mount Song in the Central Plains were crushed by his palm. He spread his arm, and wisps of light spread out from between his fingers, and the Taishan Gongdao Fruits were annihilated and disappeared.

And so, it is no longer complete!
Not only will the Taishan Gongdao Fruit never be perfect, but the Taishan Fujun (Lord of Taishan) will also never be perfect.

"May you remain forever incomplete, Lord Taishan."

"Even the so-called Lord of Mount Tai will forever retain the realm within Mount Tai."

“When all the mountains under heaven no longer revere Mount Tai, and its status declines, how much power will the Lord of Mount Tai still have? I will leave my treasure with you for now, and we will retrieve it when we have time.”

"Don't worry, we've known each other for a while now."

"You will still retain the names of the Five Sacred Mountains."

After the Four Sacred Mountains departed, they all acknowledged the current status of the Lord of Mount Tai and realized that Mount Tai's position as the supreme of all mountains was unstable. Thus, the Great Dao unfolded before them, and all the heroes were present. Apart from the Central Sacred Mountain, the other three Sacred Mountains dealt with the fragments of the Mount Tai Gongdao Fruit.

Zhou Yan breathed a long sigh of relief.

With the blessing of the Taishan earth veins, Xuan Guan's perception spread to a very far place, sensing the departure of the Four Sacred Mountains, the annihilation of the Taishan Gongdao Fruit, and the sorrow of Taishan itself.

Zhou Yan whispered, "You summoned me here to stop those four, didn't you?"

His soul can now depart.

Zhou Yan looked at the mountain spirit stone hanging over there, then at the old earth god, sighed, stood up, and his soul slowly dissipated in exhaustion. The four treasures separated from his soul; each of them was at the fourth rank, just one step away from the realm of immortals and gods.

Furthermore, because it was forged by the gods of the Five Sacred Mountains, it possesses the rank of immortals and gods.

However, Zhou Yan's true cultivation level was only at the eighth rank. Without the support of the earth's energy from the Taishan Mountains, he could not bear these four treasures. It was unclear why the Earth Soul Heaven-Shattering Blade forged by King Yu did not have such a limitation.

As Zhou Yan's figure vanished, the old local landman said, "Lord, you..."

He felt sadness and confusion.

Lord Fushan bowed his head obediently.

Zhou Yan wanted to say that he was not the Lord of the Land, but coming from that era and that world, he at least knew to 'go all the way' when putting on an act, so he smiled and said, "Land, I will have you stay here for the time being and guard my cave."

"I will return."

The old man said sir: "Yes..."

Zhou Yan glanced at the shifty-eyed, untrustworthy Fu Shan Jun and thought of the Four Mountain Gods, each a fourth-rank cultivator, who must possess various mysterious abilities within their respective dojos. He couldn't guarantee that his acting skills could deceive those beings.

Lord Taishan.

The only remaining first-grade immortal in the world, the last spirit in history to have seen the Qin Emperor before his ascension to immortality, the head of the Five Sacred Mountains, the most revered of all mountains—only now does Zhou Yan vaguely understand the immense turmoil that the demise of this being and the shattering of his Dao Fruit would cause.

The Four Sacred Mountains, the Six Paths, Humans, Demons, Immortals, and Buddhas.

The calamity at the Reclining Buddha Temple is probably just the beginning.

Come then!
The young Taoist priest calmly stood up and said, "I'm leaving."

With a carefree and composed air, he turned around, flicked his sleeve, and his divine soul transformed into wisps of light, disappearing without a trace. The Earth God and the Mountain Lord both bowed their heads, and the radiance dimmed. The Earth God and the Mountain Lord saw that on the shrine of the God of Mount Tai, a set of immortal robes exuding the aura of the Five Sacred Mountains lay quietly.

It is unknown when its master will return.

Lord Fushan let out a breath, finally able to straighten his hunched body. The local earth god, his face full of vigilance, asked, "What are you going to do!?"

"Relax, relax, old man."

Lord Fushan still glanced longingly at the robes placed on the altar.

I feel a little itchy inside.

I really wish I could get one!

However, he also knew very well that the commotion caused by leaving this thing there meant he might not be able to put it on, and even if he did put on this armor, he would most likely be killed by the Four Mountain Gods when he went out.

He clearly saw the hostility in the confrontation just now.

Although he's made of stone, he's anything but dull-witted!
This must be a rebirth of an ancient legend. The Lord of Mount Tai descended to the mortal realm, and the other four sacred mountains, unwilling to be overshadowed by Mount Tai again, came here to cause trouble. He is an ancient great being and the great mountain god who was with the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors of the human race.

We have to cling to this powerful figure!

Shi Xuanxing scratched his head and laughed heartily, "Old local, old local."

"Look, I've kowtowed three thousand times already, and the Lord of the Underworld didn't kill me, which is equivalent to him forgiving me, isn't it? Haha, I see this cave is so big, and when the Lord of the Underworld left, he didn't say how he would deal with me."

"I wonder if they need any more guards or something."

"If we don't need more guards, how about I stay here and clean up the place?"

"Serving tea and water is fine too, I'm quick and efficient!"

"Lord Earth God, please listen to me!"

The deepest part of the Taishan mountain range, at the core of the earth's veins.

There is a stone tablet covered with a dense array of names.

At this moment, these names finally dimmed and then slowly disappeared. On the crystal stone tablet representing the core of the Taishan mountain range, a line of ancient characters slowly appeared.

[Lord of Mount Tai].

[Approval]

The Emperor bestowed this title upon him.

The earth's veins are recognized.

………………

Zhou Yan opened his eyes and felt a stinging pain in his body.

His soul recovered from its fatigue under the nurturing care of the Mount Tai mountains, but the damage to his body and physique from the previous intense battles could not be recovered immediately, and he was in so much pain that his face twitched.

"Oh, you're awake."

An old, familiar voice sounded from the side. Zhou Yan saw Li Sanlang sitting in a chair next to him, leisurely watching him. When Zhou Yan looked over, Li Sanlang smiled slightly and said, "A good dream, wasn't it?"

Zhou Yan said, "Seeing an annoying face as soon as you open your eyes is hardly a good dream."

Li Longji's lips twitched, ignoring the knife in Zhou Daoye's mouth who was exhausted at the moment, and said, "However, it's best to stay sober."

“You are not the Lord of Mount Tai, you are Zhou Yan, a wandering knight from Chang’an.”

Zhou Yan propped himself up to sit up and found that the muscles in his arms were a little sore. He asked, "What do you mean?"

There was hardly anyone in the room. Gao Lishi had been sent out by Li Longji to brew tea. Li Longji personally closed the door, then sat back down in his chair, holding a large ceramic bowl, drinking tea. He chewed up the tea leaves and spat them out, leisurely saying:
"Although my purple energy is exhausted, I still have some foundation."

"Your spirit just left your body. I don't know where you went, but how could an eighth-rank Xuan official like you have such an ability? Hmph, it must be Mount Tai calling you. Let me guess, is it the other four mountains or the three mountains that went to cause trouble?"

"Judging from your expression, you guessed right."

Li Sanlang smiled.

The feeling that everything was still under control after going through so much made Zhou Yan very unhappy.

What the hell are you so great about?
The Taoist priest really wanted to punch this guy in the face.

Then he took immediate action.

One of the wounded soldiers sprang up from his bed and punched Li Longji in the face. Li Longji couldn't dodge in time and landed a punch on the boy, wincing and knocking over his teacup. He laughed angrily and said, "What a grumpy little Taoist priest."

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth: "If it weren't for your mess, the An Lushan Rebellion wouldn't have happened, the Duke of Taishan wouldn't have collapsed, and this mess at the Reclining Buddha Temple wouldn't have exploded. I wouldn't be in this state. And you still want to absolve yourself of responsibility?"

The old emperor and the young Taoist priest glared at each other.

The old emperor forced a smile and said, "It's not entirely my fault..."

The Taoist priest asked, "Were the Four Mountain Gods appointed by you?!"

Li Longji said, "Only three..."

The Taoist priest's eyes blazed with anger: "Huh? You appointed three of them by your own decree?"

Mr. Zhou almost rolled up his sleeves and started fighting those guys.

Finally, Li Longji retreated, saying, "Alright, alright, consider it my fault."

Zhou Yan said, "That's your fault."

Li Longji casually handed over the medicine bowl beside him, saying:
"I'm just telling you a piece of advice: keep your title of 'Lord of Mount Tai' well hidden from now on. I won't even mention how much the Three Mountains and Five Sacred Mountains care about the title of the head of Mount Tai; even ancient demons like the Lord of the Azure Netherworld would have designs on you."

Zhou Yan asked, "Why?"

Li Longji said, "Why? A mountain god with an extremely high status but weak true cultivation, unable to freely activate the form of a prefectural lord, is, to those ancient evil spirits and demons, a dangerous humanoid [great medicine]."

"Man-eating monsters, ancient evil spirits that devour gods."

"You are truly a great tonic for them, an extremely beneficial one."

Zhou Yan thought of the Four Sacred Mountains, and his expression darkened slightly.

Li Longji said, "Your foundation is still uncertain. Fortunately, your Dao Fruit has shattered and transformed into a force to protect the human world. You yourself no longer have any residual Dao Fruit, so you are not so easily seen by others."

“Your body was seriously damaged in the previous battle. Find a place to recuperate and improve your skills. I asked you before where you became a Taoist priest, but you didn’t answer me. It seems you really are a wild Taoist priest.”

Li Longji's eyes were narrow-minded.

Zhou Yan was enraged and embarrassed.

Li Sanlang burst into laughter and casually tossed something to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan grabbed it and asked, "What is this?"

Li Sanlang said leisurely, "A farewell gift."

"The document concerning Louguandao, I'm giving you a document. You should go to Zhongnan Mountain for the time being and lay low in Louguandao. Heh, I've hidden a good gift for you." Zhou Yan subconsciously asked, "And you?"

Li Longji looked at Chang'an City.

It was as if he saw that figure, his own son, the so-called benevolent and filial crown prince, the emperor who, in order to subdue the two capitals, agreed to allow the foreign tribes to plunder Chang'an and Luoyang for three days, the owner of the seal among the six figures.

His son, Li Heng.

His eyes held a sharp, cold, and murderous intent. The Li Sanlang of yesteryear, fueled by the flames of the Reclining Buddha Calamity, had been resurrected at the end of his life. That terrifying killing intent, born of knowing everything, was surging within his aged body.

"I?"

"I still have a debt to settle."

"There is still one last battle to fight."

On the day of the capture of the city, the land and its people returned to the Tang Dynasty, while gold, silk, and women all went to the Uyghurs.

[The Uyghurs entered Luoyang, committing massacres and plunder, killing tens of thousands; the fire burned for days on end.] — Zizhi Tongjian

(End of this chapter)