The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 176 Pardon and Rebirth, Purple Qi Comes from the East

Black Law?

What is the Lord of Mount Tai going to do?
Rebuild what?!

Among the seventy-two peaks, there was a demon king with dull eyes. He didn't dare to use any supernatural powers to examine it, relying only on his naked eyes to watch the banners fluttering through the clouds in the distance, his expression twisted.

The two rows of banners held high by the ceremonial guard, with their ancient characters hanging down, already possessed the grandeur of an ancient battle formation, but they were far from being able to rival the two characters "Hei Lü" (黑律).

The demon king was trembling with fear.

According to human legend, there is a Heavenly Emperor who has heavenly laws and regulations that govern the immortals and gods.

Then the Black Law is an even stricter existence above this law.

They disciplined themselves with extremely strict precepts before going out to fight evil spirits.

Deal with evil spirits with a more ruthless and decisive spirit than evil spirits themselves; eradicate demons with a more merciless style than demons themselves.

Those who enforce the Black Laws and dare to abuse their power will face the fate of having their souls scattered. This can be considered the greatest precept and the bottom line in the mythical era.

This bottom line has been reached; once someone says they will be dealt with according to the black law.

Then the actions of that being could be used by both the righteous and the evil to jointly eliminate it.

For a moment, the world seemed to become even quieter.

Zhou Yan simply wanted to see what Shi Xuanxing's 48,000 troops looked like, and to try out the methods of military strategy to improve his own cultivation.

Shi Xuanxing and Feiying felt that this was a test from the Lord!

So, taking advantage of the fact that "no one dares to spy on the Lord of Mount Tai with their Dharma Eyes," they did their best to create a great commotion. Without the Dharma Eyes, they could not see through illusions, and these two guys treated the seventy-two peaks of demons and the thirty-six cave spirits around them as mortals.

But by sheer chance, this whole affair appeared to onlookers as a collapse of order, the demise of the Lord of Mount Tai, and the rampant spread of demons. Thus, the ancient god Lord of Mount Tai reappeared in the world, sweeping away evil spirits, eliminating demons, and re-establishing the dark laws.

So, shall we guess where this Lord of Mount Tai will begin his campaign to "sweep away all demons"?
[According to the Black Law, treason will be punished.]

[Upholding a loyal heart to safeguard the Way].

What traitor was executed?
What kind of path does Wei follow?
The demons in the thirty-six caves trembled, and the spirits on the seventy-two peaks were terrified.

The Four Sacred Mountains' true rulers and their subjects were even more terrified.

The subordinates of Xiyue said, "No, that's not right, this person is going to..."

After waking up, Lord Taishan directly shattered the Taishan Fairness Fruit.

Now it is even more important to re-establish order.

This Lord of Mount Tai doesn't make many moves, but each time he does, it's earth-shattering. He feels that his True Lord has offended someone he can't afford to offend.

We must, we must go back and report to the True Lord immediately!
Lord Taishan is powerful, ancient, and immeasurable!

These 'Mount Tai Guards' stood solemnly at the foot of Mount Tai.

From a distance, it certainly looked majestic and solemn, with the aura of the ancient Xuanyuan and Chiyou. However, from Zhou Yan's position, he could easily see through the truth. The monster carrying the war drum was panting heavily, and he could barely lift the drumsticks.

The armor worn by the elite guards was formed from Yin energy and had a semi-transparent texture. Some of the shorter guards were even hidden inside. The stone spirits carrying the huge horns were also blowing them with great effort.

Zhou Yan was both amused and exasperated.

These aren't bodyguards at all; they're clearly a group of low-budget extras.

This Shi Xuanxing is really something; over the years, he's brought home all sorts of things.

Shi Xuanxing and General Flying Eagle stood solemnly to his left and right, chests out and heads held high.

Two smart ones.

Zhou Yan was helpless, but he didn't show it on his face.

He remained silent, his gaze calm and unfathomable.

Then, by activating his own Dao Foundation, Zhou Yan was indeed able to sense these soldiers and horses before him. He felt characteristics similar to those of a sixth-grade military lineage, discovering that he could connect with these soldiers and horses as if connecting with the earth's veins, and even share a wisp of his own beacon fire with them.

Let them nurture and strengthen this spark of hope in their daily lives.

This wisp of earth vein beacon fire within their bodies can help them enhance their strength. Normally, it can strengthen their physique, acting like a pseudo-beacon fire. It can also allow them to expend their qi and blood to unleash fiery energy during battle.

When Zhou Yan is in the position of commander-in-chief, he can recall these beacon fires.

Using these beacon fires, a variety of powerful techniques were unleashed.

The better the army is coordinated, the more elite and numerous the soldiers are, the stronger their battle formations and techniques will be. A combined attack of tens of thousands of soldiers, such as the Beacon Slash, would be a devastating blow even to a fourth-rank cultivator.

Military strategists are lacking in mana.

But there's nothing we can do; the military strategist has a super-combination technique.

The more people there are, the stronger they are. Therefore, in this world, leadership is a true talent for military strategists, more important than physical strength, magical power, and spiritual foundations. It determines the future and potential of a military general.

Human military strategists, top-tier existences with millions of generals.

Even if he is only a fourth-rank official, he can still slaughter and suppress all sides by gathering the power of a million.

Zhou Yan sensed the potential and domineering nature of the military lineage after reaching the sixth rank.

The more people there are, the greater the power of the military strategy.

Unfortunately, this is not a way to cultivate oneself.

It's just too complicated.

Cultivation is all about purity, about being true to oneself. Once you incorporate mixed fire energy into your body, it may seem like your magical power has increased dramatically, but your physique can't retain this surge of power in a short period of time. It will still flow out from the acupoints throughout your body.

On the other hand, the impurities produced by different individuals in their cultivation will remain, polluting their foundation. From then on, the path of cultivation will be extremely difficult.

These soldiers are utterly subservient to the Lord of Mount Tai. If Zhou Yan is willing, he can immediately try to connect the beacon tower's geomantic veins with these soldiers. Only a military strategist who possesses soldiers can be considered a complete sixth-rank official.

Flames rose in Zhou Yan's hand.

But as his gaze swept over them, looking down from the height of Mount Tai at the so-called 48,000 soldiers, he suddenly froze. He saw weak souls, bearing the marks of swords and blades, frail old men, fallen soldiers, and lost children.

There was also a little child running forward, clutching his head, his face contorted in pain.

His belly was cut open, and his intestines hung down.

They were killed by rebel troops during the previous dynasty and thrown off the city wall.

If we disregard the commotion caused by Shi Xuanxing and Feiying, and look at it purely from a theoretical perspective...

This place is clearly just a little over 40,000 refugees who died and were captured by Shi Xuanxing. Although they were spared the fate of becoming wandering ghosts, they still wander and suffer, experiencing the moment before death day by day.

Like a water ghost, forever trapped in that day, trapped in the years that killed him.

Zhou Yan thought of what Shi Xuanxing had said.

'...The remaining forty thousand or so are the souls of the dead. The souls of ordinary people disappear after death, but those who died in war have a stronger sense of resentment, so they still exist...' War...

Zhou Yan's eyes held a complex expression.

Thinking of everything I had seen and heard along the way, I thought of the Kitchen God of Ganquanyuan who would never see his family return.

He stretched out his hand.

When Shi Xuanxing saw the Lord of Mount Tai extend his hand, he shouted loudly, "Pay homage to the Lord!" Then, with a clatter, the stone spirits, monsters, and souls of the mountains—those who had died unjustly in war, whose resentment had gathered in their bodies, and the wandering souls lost on the roads of the mortal world—all knelt down.

The Lord of Mount Tai stretched out his hand, his palm shimmering with a faint light.

"Imperial Edict—"

He said that even if no decree was issued, it was still the Lord of Mount Tai speaking from within his own mountain range, and thus ripples spread outwards.

Zhou Yan gazed at those souls.

And around Mount Tai, there were also many eyes watching him.

Finally, the Lord of Mount Tai lowered his eyes and looked at those souls whose bodies were disheveled, whose clothes were stained with blood, and who displayed various signs of death. Even after death, they would continue to reappear and suffer the torment of their own way of dying.

If he were to wantonly drive these souls who died in war and suffered greatly for the sake of power, then what essential difference would there be between him and the Weaver Girl, and the Master of the Azure Netherworld?

He thought of Li Longji's words.

To maintain the dignity of the Lord of Mount Tai, one must also have the heart of a human being.

The old man has a really sharp eye.

With your experience and vision, did you foresee that I would face such difficulties and choices? The presence of the Prefect is too strong; compared to the worship of the Prefect over the long years, a person's humanity is as insignificant as dust.

Once humanity is lost, one becomes the physical body inhabited by the concept of "Lord of the Palace".

It was Zhou Yan who possessed the authority of the Lord of Mount Tai.

Absolutely not. Zhou Yan has become a servant of the power of the Lord of Mount Tai.

Everything originates from the heart.

Zhou Yan thought of that cunning old fellow. He closed his eyes, and the restlessness and arrogance that had been uncontrollably arising because of the position and foundation of the Lord of Mount Tai were swept away.

I'm not the real Lord of Mount Tai, I'm just an imposter!

Zhou Yan, a chivalrous knight-errant from Chang'an!
He opened his eyes, looked at these souls, and said, "You, go back."

The wind and clouds on Mount Tai seemed to freeze.

Zhou Yan wanted to recite the Taoist mantra for rebirth.

The scholar Yin Zichuan had taught him; it was—

"By imperial decree, your lonely soul is exorcised."

"All ghosts and demons, all living beings are blessed."

After that, there is a long string of incantations. If it is orthodox, there are various preparations to be made, such as opening the altar and performing rituals.

However, when the thought arose in his mind, the entire incantation of the Rebirth Mantra simply flowed through his heart, as if it had transformed into a talisman that existed within his thought. The moment Zhou Yan's thought touched it, the talisman shone brightly.

So he simply said:

"Pardon the sins and grant the right to be born again."

Just these four characters.

It has already become a Xuan Tan lineage!

buzzing-

As if the spiritual veins of Mount Tai suddenly resonated, a stream of light emanated from Zhou Yan's manifested body, instantly sweeping across the entire Mount Tai. In the face of this divine light, the struggles and pain on the faces of the people who had previously shown signs of death vanished.

The marks of swords and blades on his body, the broken remains of his death.

The child who was running with his head in his hands suddenly lost his head. He frantically searched for it, then touched it and cried out, "Mommy, Mommy, my head is back on my neck! Mommy, Mommy, your body has healed too!"

Shi Xuanxing stared in disbelief as he saw the massive army he had painstakingly assembled. Its aura instantly changed, losing its previous majesty. The old local earth god, meanwhile, observed the changes around him.

Finally, these souls seemed to regain their senses from when they were human, crying and laughing, their resentment dissipating. Freed from the constraints of resentment and torment, the souls were ready to return to the world.

They will soon be freed from this long suffering and return to a peaceful slumber.

The surrounding figures disappeared.

Little by little, golden rays of light rose against the current toward the sky. The strands of light gathered together to form a golden radiance that illuminated the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, only five thousand spirits remained under Shi Xuanxing's control.

The remaining 40,000-plus vengeful spirits were released through a single word.

Because of Shi Xuanxing and Feiying's previous methods, using transformation techniques to make the 48,000 troops appear as hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the commotion immediately became enormous.

In the gaze of the thirty-six caves, the seventy-two peaks, and the ministers of the Four Sacred Mountains.

The Lord of Mount Tai simply spoke calmly, issuing a single decree.

Then a warm golden light emanated from the main peak of Mount Tai, spreading outwards in all directions. As a result, the army of hundreds of thousands of vengeful spirits slowly dissipated, transforming into a warm aura that surged and flowed in all directions.

The True Lord of the Western Peak, a general of the Soul-Suppressing Camp, stretched out his hand, and a ray of light landed in his palm.

He looked up at the clearing clouds and warm sunshine, and murmured:

"Salvation..."

The Lord of Mount Tai summoned the vengeful spirits and souls around Mount Tai and performed a ritual to help them find peace.

His fingers clenched, and he fell silent for a moment, his expression complex. He didn't convert them into soldiers, nor did he subdue them to become his ghost soldiers; instead, he directly performed a ritual to guide them to the afterlife. The general of the Soul-Suppressing Camp remained silent for a long time before softly saying:

"...I truly felt it; what an extraordinary demeanor..."

"Is this... your Black Law?"

The Great General of the Soul-Suppressing Camp flicked his sleeves, cupped his hands, and bowed respectfully towards Mount Tai: "On this matter—"

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

The Earth God stared blankly at this scene. If it were the Lord of Mount Tai, he would not have done such a thing. He raised his head and looked at the Lord of Mount Tai. The Lord's eyes were not filled with divine indifference and ruthlessness, but with human compassion.

He was just like an ordinary young swordsman.

But how is that possible?
In the silence, Zhou Yan looked up.

Forty thousand souls were liberated, amidst the heavens and the sea of ​​clouds.

A wisp of purple mist drifted in.

(End of this chapter)