The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 143 Rising to Fame, Renowned Far and Wide

The three thousand Phoenix Cavalry were all elite warriors who charged into battle in armor. Among them were more than one hundred Xuan Officials, each with different levels of strength. The strong ones had reached the sixth rank, while the weak ones were still at the ninth rank. They had all fought in the great war of the past two years.

Accompanied by the brightness, the weapons were vaguely pointed at Zhou Yan.

Even without a horse galloping towards them, that murderous aura instantly turned the atmosphere in the courtyard grim. Xuan Zhuzi froze for a moment, then rolled away and used a large pot lid to block the way.

He possesses a combination of Taoist and non-Taoist lineages, and is skilled in acupuncture, elixirs, and health cultivation techniques. In a real fight, he would be inferior to orthodox Xuantan Taoist priests.

They are not on the same side as these soldiers at all.

These soldiers didn't possess the same ferocity as Shen Cangming.

However, the sheer number of people meant that even Shen Cangming, clad in armor, could only manage a safe retreat. This turn of events exceeded everyone's expectations.

Zhou Yan raised his hand and grabbed the Earth Soul Sky-Shattering Sword at his waist.

Following closely behind was the continuous sound of bows being drawn, with countless arrows pointed at them.

Li Fuguo stared at Zhou Yan with his narrow eyes and said, "Daoist, don't make a mistake. The Sage has personally named you and wants you to enter the palace..." Zhou Yan realized that the current emperor, Li Heng, the son of Li Longji, had sent someone here so quickly.

He even ordered that he be allowed to enter Chang'an City as well.

It should be noted that the Fengshan ceremony and the conquest of the Taishan Prefecture were all performed at extremely high altitudes, surrounded by the suppression of the purple aura. Neither mortals nor these Xuan officials were able to witness the most crucial part. In their eyes, Zhou Yan should have been a Taoist who soared like a dragon.

Li Longji had previously explained to the people that Zhou Yan was not the Duke of Taishan. He had only said that in a moment of desperation to boost morale. Under such circumstances, the only thing he could think of when he directly targeted Zhou Yan was those six figures.

One of them possessed a strong aura of humanity and used a seal as his weapon. Zhou Yan had previously had some guesses about this person's identity, but now he could say that he was absolutely certain who was the one radiating aura of humanity and holding the seal.

One of the Six Paths is the Lord of the Azure Netherworld; the second is Emperor Li Heng of Tang.

These six figures naturally wanted to 'invite the Lord of Mount Tai' back.

Li Fuguo looked at Zhou Yan. At this moment, the others in the courtyard reacted. Shen Cangming raised his Mo Dao. Li Zhenyue was silent for a moment, then picked up his sword and shield, stood up, and slowly stepped forward. The aura of a seventh-grade Zhanglei flowed and connected with the earth.

Pei Xuan Niao raised his spear and suddenly cursed, "A mere eunuch!"

"How dare you spout such nonsense!"

This immediately broke the atmosphere.

Li Fuguo's eyes flashed with hostility as he said, "Who dares to speak such nonsense!"

Pei Xuan Niao pointed his spear and said coldly, "Pei Xuan Niao of the Pei family of Hedong, you eunuch, what else do you want? Are you not convinced?!"

"If you're not satisfied, show me your bird and let's compare sizes."

Pei Xuan Niao's arrogance is very egalitarian.

No matter who you are.

He was arrogant towards the common people, arrogant towards the eunuchs, and even arrogant towards the sons of noble families whose family backgrounds were inferior to his own.

Li Fuguo's eyes were filled with a murderous aura.

Pei Xuan Niao said, "Daoist Master, you have done a great deal of work to defeat the demons at the Reclining Buddha Temple. The Emperor Emeritus has personally pardoned you. What are you going to do?"

Zhou Yan drew his sword: "Thank you all."

The blades were pointed directly forward. On the left were Shen Cangming and Li Zhenyue, and on the right were Pei Xuanniao and Bihen. Each of them held a weapon. Although there were only five people, the elite level they displayed was incomparable to that of ordinary cavalry.

Zhou Yan knew that even if they were stronger than those cavalrymen.

But there were too many people on the other side.

At this moment, Ao Xuantao, along with the monk Kongkong and Yuan Danqiu, went to deal with the problems at the Wofo Temple.

Even with Ao Xuantao present, the dragons outside the Jinghe Dojo would find it difficult to gain the upper hand against a well-organized human army. The atmosphere was tense and cold as they faced each other. Just then, Li Longji, who was sitting there, suddenly tapped his finger on the table.

A crisp tapping sound.

It spread out in a continuous stream, then gradually dissipated.

Suddenly, a bowstring snapped and exploded, and Li Fuguo's expression changed. A rain of arrows fell, shooting out from between them and Zhou Yan. The largest arrow almost grazed Li Fuguo's ear.

"what!!!"

Li Fuguo screamed and covered his ears as blood gushed out.

I saw that the arrow had the character "高" (Gao) engraved on it.

Li Fuguo was both frightened and furious, a fierce hatred gleaming in his eyes. He turned his head and saw a general not far away, dressed in armor and battle robes, with completely white temples, holding a war bow. Gao Shi put down the war bow and said loudly, "Your Majesty, I, Gao Shi, am late! Please forgive me!"

The more than 1,000 archer cavalry he led were the vanguard.

On the other side, dark clouds churned in the sky, with a faint demonic aura emanating from them. A black bear tumbled down from the clouds, wearing a purple Taoist robe, a jade crown on its head, and holding a bronze mace. It said, "Taoist, you've been sleeping for so long. I think it's about time I came to see you and have a drink with you!"

"I never expected you to be bullied like this?"

"Hahaha, Wugong Town Hedong Beach Association is quite famous. You helped us break through the calamity and disaster, so we are not the kind of people who would be ungrateful."

"Men, don't you agree?"

The black bear spirit raised its arm and shouted, and the shouts of the surrounding monsters echoed. Li Fuguo's eyes flickered slightly, sensing that there were enemies all around. If the monsters were still manageable, the elite cavalry under the command of Gao Shi, the military governor of Huainan, were a different story.

Li Longji looked ahead and tapped the table.

Gao Lishi then stepped forward and sternly rebuked, "Li Fuguo, the emperor of fifty years of peace, you are a former subject of mine, how can you be so disrespectful?!"

The expression in Li Fuguo's eyes changed several times.

Li Longji calmly said, "May all soldiers live well and lay down their weapons."

The Fengxiang cavalrymen looked at each other, then sheathed their weapons, blades sheathed, and dismounted in unison, shouting, "Long live the Emperor Emeritus!" Their voices were loud and resounding.

Gao Shi held his bow and watched this scene.

Even at this time, the sage Li Sanlang still enjoyed such prestige in his Tang Dynasty. But with such a great reputation, would His Majesty be able to grant his request?
Gao Shi dismounted and bowed, saying, "Long live the Sage!"

The tense situation changed in an instant, and the murderous aura was no longer so overwhelming. Soldiers from both sides shouted and saluted. Under such circumstances, Li Fuguo knew that even if he received the imperial edict from the current emperor, it would be useless.

Even the black bear spirit was amazed.

Good heavens, bamboo!

This human saint is truly terrifying.

Zhou Yan still held his weapon. Li Longji raised his hand and placed it on the young Taoist's hand, his lips moving slightly: "You fight here, Zhou Yan, do you still want to flee with your Uncle Shen?" "The spirits of the Hedong Beach in Wugong Town will stand up for you."

"The matter ends here. Knowing my son as I do, he won't take action against the Hedongtan Society just because of Li Fuguo. But if we fight to the death here, you might escape, but Shen Cangming's severed arm will be difficult to regenerate, the monsters of the Hedongtan Society will scatter, and the people of Wugong Town will be affected."

"And these cavalrymen who are about to fight you are your comrades-in-arms from the Reclining Buddha Temple. At this moment, it is merely a standoff between high-ranking officials. What have they done wrong?"

Zhou Yan slowly sheathed his Earthly Soul Heavenly Collapse sword.

He stared at Li Fuguo, suppressing his emotions.

If it were Zhou Yan himself, he would be carefree and unrestrained, but when his unrestrainedness would implicate the friends who had helped him, he would restrain himself.

Strength, oh strength...

Zhou Yan clenched his fist, and the power of an eighth-rank Xuan official surged forth.

Eighth-rank Zhenrong, a secret realm passed down through Wang Zhongsi's lineage. Flames can entwine on the blade, and with a flick of the wrist, the blade energy transforms into beams of light that spin and fly out, further enhanced by three hundred years of cultivation.

Zhou Yan was already a master among mortals, at least a brave captain in the army. Ordinary monsters were no match for him, and even a seventh-rank Xuan official might not be able to stop his sharp edge.

Those who could surpass him would at least be high-ranking Taoist masters, military generals, or eminent Buddhist monks.

However, compared to the surging tides of this era, and the demons, monsters, and spirits of the past millennia, an eighth-rank official is ultimately not qualified, while three thousand elite soldiers are already capable of conquering mountains and destroying temples.

With the sword sheathed, Li Longji chuckled heartily and patted Zhou Yan on the shoulder.

He then ordered the officials of Wugong Town to present wine and meat so that the elite soldiers there could eat and drink to their hearts' content. Li Fuguo and the others withdrew, while Zhou Yan, with his hand on his sword, looked in the distance toward Chang'an City.

After encountering the powerful demon Qingming Fangzhu whose origins were unknown, the Weaver Girl who was once an incarnation of Manjushri Bodhisattva, and the Four Sacred Mountains True Lord, who was absolutely superior among the mountain gods, Zhou Yan realized that what was watching him was the pinnacle of worldly power, the Great Tang Sage, the wielder of human destiny.

Moreover, this great Tang emperor already knew that he was equivalent to the Lord of Mount Tai.

Zhou Yan didn't accept this; he felt that the Lord of Mount Tai was just a piece of clothing for him.

But the sage of the Tang Dynasty didn't seem to think so.

The power and authority of the Tang Dynasty's sage meant that he could quickly find Zhou Yan, which made Zhou Yan feel melancholy. Li Fuguo and the others had been gone for a long time, and Zhou Yan was still lost in thought, lacking that sharpness, arrogance, and youthful vigor.

"What a hellish start! Can I restart?"

He looked at his palm.

"Power, realm..."

He had to find a way to break through. Zhou Yan thought of the armor he wore in the Taishan cave. Although it was incredibly heavy, he could feel an extremely powerful boost when he wore it.

Those combat boots can walk on water without drowning and tread on ice; the battle robe is surrounded by Southern Ming flames, the shoulder armor has the souls of dragons and tigers, and the breastplate of the armor strengthens the connection with the earth's veins and mountains. Any cultivator wearing this set of armor can greatly enhance their strength.

Zhou Yan clenched his fist.

Once you've advanced to the sixth rank of the Immortal God-grade armor, try wearing this armor again.

The earth's spirit rises and the sky tilts.

By then, in the vortex of this era, at least one can protect oneself.

"Sixth rank."

Zhou Yan clenched his fist, setting a goal for himself. Suddenly, a large, hairy hand slapped down on Zhou Yan's shoulder with such force that it made his shoulder and half of his body go numb.

"What's wrong, Taoist priest!"

The black bear sat there cross-legged, its fur shiny and its nose moist.

"We agreed to drink, let's go!"

He had previously thought that Zhou Yan was the celestial ruler, but upon closer inspection, he found that Zhou Yan had a very human touch, unlike the one in heaven. However, regardless of the circumstances, this Taoist priest was a great contributor to the major events in Wugong Town and Wofo Temple.

The black bear demon felt that they had become friends after their fight, so he dragged Zhou Yan to drink. Zhou Yan told Shen Cangming, who was also going to collect Su Hexuan's remains, so they split into two groups. Those demons had an excellent capacity for alcohol.

Even the fruit wines and rice wines of this era have low alcohol content.

But these guys added all sorts of spiritual fruits to it. After getting drunk, the monsters of the Hedongtan Association in Wugong Town shouted in unison, "Big brother, after you destroy that demon, why don't you also register your name in the Hedongtan Association of Wugong Town?"

"Then he shall be called Master Zhou, a master of both swords and sabers."

"So literary, so literary!"

"Then tell me, tell me!"

A scholar dressed as a literati called out:
"Slaying Buddha Sword Master, Heavenly Punishment Calamity Slays True Monarch!"

"Wow!! This is awesome, this is great!"

"Good good!"

"Bull and force it!"

Zhou Yan was thoroughly drunk by the spirit fruit and agreed in a drunken stupor. By the time he slowly sobered up, the moon was already high in the sky, and the earth was bathed in silver light. He only remembered that yesterday the big black bear had put his arm around his shoulder and said that all kinds of spirits and monsters within hundreds or thousands of miles would know this name!
Brother, when it comes to business, I'm well-informed!
Many demonic veins!
He ensures that all spirits and monsters, wherever they are, treat him with utmost respect.

You can get a 20% discount when you buy things.

"Another 20% discount... This big black bear is quite the businessman."

"This spirit fruit wine is really strong."

Zhou Yan sat there, thinking about how the big black bear had pulled out the wine bag as if it were a handbag. He hadn't expected it to be so strong. He felt the big black bear open the wine bag with a wicked grin in the blink of an eye.

The next second, they were already here.

His gaze fell, and he looked around, only to find himself drunkenly sitting at the exit of the riverbank meeting place. Next to him was a large stone platform, extremely ancient, which was the "Teaching Platform of Agriculture" of Houji, the god of agriculture.

Zhou Yan obtained the God of Agriculture's ears of grain here.

Today, however, he came here again. The moonlight shone on the [Teaching Platform], and the moonlight reflected off the [Teaching Platform], but almost immediately, Zhou Yan's smell of alcohol and drunkenness disappeared.

This is not reflected moonlight.

The [Teaching Platform] lit up again in front of Zhou Yan.

A gentle, soft voice sounded:
“My friend, come to me, I have something for you.”

"Come on..."

(End of this chapter)