The True Lord has arrived

Chapter 177 The Lord's Edict: Destroy the Mountain and Destroy the Temple!
These wisps of purple energy flowed and landed in Zhou Yan's palm, entwining and changing, circulating at his fingertips, layer upon layer, like waves, transmitting into his body, liberating more than 40,000 souls, allowing the souls that had been wandering in the world to return to their resting place.

This is an action that conforms to the natural order of heaven and earth.

Resonate in the name of Mount Tai.

Based on the Imperial Seal of the State, Zhou Yan simulated a virtual Dao Foundation on which purple energy was faintly intertwined. Then, it naturally began to circulate. Zhou Yan felt that the speed at which his false Dao Foundation absorbed and released primordial energy suddenly increased.

He raised his hand and felt subtle changes beginning to occur in his physical body, magical power, and soul.

Impurities in one's essence, energy, and spirit are eliminated through the flow of purple energy.

This process is very slow, extremely slow.

But it doesn't stop; it happens every moment.

This is precisely the merit, the feedback that the universe receives for its circulation. And with the status of the Lord of Mount Tai, the act of performing the salvation purely from the heart brings even purer merit and virtue.

Zhou Yan sensed the characteristics of this purple aura and understood why Li Longji had been so reluctant to part with it that day. The purple aura he now possessed was different from the one he had acquired through human cultivation. For someone with the title of "Lord of Mount Tai," the purple aura held a special...

Zhou Yan thought carefully and tried to explain it using his own logic.

That's the feeling of having increased permissions.

Or rather, this merit-based purple aura is equivalent to giving Zhou Yan a long-lasting buff.

Self-purification allows one's magical power to infinitely gravitate towards the direction of purple energy, gradually eliminating impurities from essence, energy, and spirit, making one's foundation increasingly solid, and making it easier to break through realms.

Zhou Yan suddenly had an idea.

If obtaining this little bit of purple aura has such an effect, then how strong must the foundation and spiritual attainment of the great Tang Dynasty monk Xuanzang who traversed the four directions, the great sage teacher of the late Han Dynasty who raised the flames, Laozi whose purple aura traveled 30,000 miles eastward, the ancient Ji Xuanyuan, and King Yu who was born with purple aura?

“In ancient times, at least during the time of King Yu, there was no legal lineage as we have now.”

"In other words, the reason why King Yu was so powerful was simply because he had accomplished so much and obtained so much purple energy, which caused his own essence, energy, and spirit to become extremely strong. He was so powerful that he could shatter thunder with a single slap..."

"The ancient civil officials were truly fierce."

A trace of purple aura has been added to Zhou Yan's Tai-character jade talisman.

At the same time, a new jade talisman appeared in the jade book. Zhou Yan flicked his fingers, and the talisman appeared between his fingers, radiating pure golden light.

"Hmm, let me see. It's not supernatural power, nor magic, but an imperial edict?"

"【Imperial Edict of Mount Tai - Pardon】".

"The effect is..."

Zhou Yan looked at the jade talisman that had been created because of his actions and was slightly surprised. For the first time, this jade talisman was not for his own use, but for someone else.

Based on the story of the Lord of Mount Tai saving tens of thousands of souls with a single thought, Taoist priests who cultivate magical powers set up an altar to the Lord of Mount Tai, summon the Lord's divine generals, pardon sins, and deliver resentful spirits and malevolent energy, thus pacifying the chaotic balance of Yin and Yang in the world.

It's a very basic method. When it comes to its effects, it's similar to the Taoist mantras like the "Purifying Heaven and Earth Mantra" and the "Rebirth Mantra." These are basic techniques, but the meanings they represent are completely different.

"...So, the Taishan lineage has reappeared?"

"The Taoist priests and sorcerers who lost their ability to cast spells at the altar due to the fall of the Duke of Taishan can now cast spells by using the power of this jade talisman after the altar is reopened."

Although this jade talisman is weak in power, it is of great significance.

Zhou Yan obtained a purple aura from heaven and earth. When he used the divine power to maintain the natural order of the Great Dao, he would be amplified. He could even use the purple aura to replace magic power to cast spells, causing a qualitative change in the divine power he had mastered.

Purple Qi is not primordial energy, and it is highly bound to Zhou Yan, who is the Lord of Mount Tai.

This also means that once the spell's effect ends, the purple aura will return to Zhou Yan himself, only wearing down at a very slow rate, rather than being completely exhausted.

"Indeed, a wonderful treasure."

Shi Xuanxing looked at his 'subordinates', then at the Lord of Mount Tai, his face blank with disbelief, and said, "This... Lord, you've helped them pass on to the afterlife?"

"Is this why you had me summon them?"

Shi Xuanxing was a celestial being who attained enlightenment, but he didn't really understand life and death. He just felt a little regretful that the wealth he had accumulated here and there had been taken away by the Lord of the Underworld.

It is, after all, just a stone.

General Flying Eagle, however, was different. He was, after all, a living being, aware of birth, aging, sickness, and death, and had witnessed the deaths of his friends and parents, the gathering and dispersing of souls. Seeing the Lord of Mount Tai deliver so many souls with a single thought, he was stunned and speechless for a long time before finally saying, "Lord..."

A genuine, heartfelt sense of admiration arose within him.

I just feel that only a gentleman like this has the kind of demeanor found in the myths of time.

General Flying Eagle's gaze swept across the surroundings, taking in the thirty-six caves and seventy-two peaks of Mount Tai. He vaguely guessed that after today, the Mount Tai region would be completely turned upside down.

Countless demons who drove away the Taoist priests and occupied the temples and monasteries are trying to escape Mount Tai!

Shi Xuanxing finally came to his senses and stammered, "Lord, there are only 6,072 left. Yes, it's a bit too few..."

The rest were all mountain spirits, stone monsters, and demonic spirits.

There were giants of green rock, three zhang tall, wielding a pine tree as a weapon; there were also cheetahs stretching their bodies, their eyes cold and clear, clearly possessing sentience. Among the remaining six thousand, the weakest were at the level of hungry ghosts.

There are also some who are quite formidable, with strength comparable to the butchers at the Azure Netherworld Monk's place.

The rat demon Lantern Shadow, whom Zhou Yan killed the first time, would only be considered mid-tier here. This shows the relative strength and skill of these six thousand. Faced with Shi Xuanxing's helplessness, Zhou Yan said, "It's alright..."

He stretched out his hand, and the principles of military strategy flowed and changed.

With the help of the Lord of Mount Tai, and with the help of Mount Tai's status.

The earth vein pulse of Zhou Yanbing's family lineage spread out from him. The other stone spirits and wild monsters were all obedient. They felt the pulse of the earth vein but did not change or resist. Because of the name of the Lord of Mount Tai, the cooperation of these mountain spirits and wild monsters was comparable to that of an elite human army.

Zhou Yan clenched his fists slightly.

The beacon fires rose from the earth, transforming into streaks of light.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Yan's mind stirred, and the beacon fire burned and condensed, mixing with a wisp of Taishan's earth veins, transforming into the shape of a jade talisman, which slowly rotated in front of the more than six thousand elite mountain spirits and stone monsters.

Okay, that's fine.

Traditional military strategy emphasizes resonance; only loyal soldiers who have absolute trust and obedience will absorb and nurture a wisp of their commander's power within themselves.

The voice of the Lord of Mount Tai was flat:
"Bearing this talisman makes you a guardian of Mount Tai, to patrol the Eastern Peak according to my decree." Seeing his subordinates standing there dumbfounded, neither bowing nor accepting the talisman, Shi Xuanxing felt somewhat embarrassed and urged them hastily, "Hurry up and accept the talisman from the Prefect!"

"Yes Yes!"

These mountain spirits and stone monsters quickly accepted the talisman, which transformed into a stream of fire that entered their bodies. Zhou Yan lowered his eyes, and in the darkness with his eyes closed, clusters of flames suddenly lit up and quickly spread out.

As Zhou Yan breathed, the flames also rose and fell continuously.

We resonate with each other!

Zhou Yan clenched his fist, feeling that his own beacon fire seemed to have become incredibly large, and even the flow of military strategy techniques had become faster.

Is this what it means to be a general? The profound mystery of a sixth-rank military strategist.

Zhou Yan closed his eyes and quietly comprehended the changes in his own spiritual lineage. In the eyes of the other three, these changes were even more intense. The old local landman saw that the mountain spirits and monsters were confused and knew nothing.

After all, it's just a stone that has come to life; it's stubborn and loyal, but not very bright.

However, the intelligence of the Stone Star is also quite limited.

To be honest, if it weren't for those two brilliant strategists who used illusion and transformation techniques to create such a grand spectacle, and the fog and clouds that concealed their true forms, the outsiders would have definitely seen the true appearance of these soldiers.

Perhaps he is strong enough, but his training is mediocre, and he seems lethargic all over.

An experienced person could tell at a glance that these were just ordinary demon soldiers.

If there's anything special about it, it's that the stone has become a spirit, which is quite rare. It has stronger physical defense and resistance to some spells, but that's about it.

Despite the fact that the prefect had bestowed upon these utterly untrained troops the jade token of the Taishan Guard, the old local official was both impressed by the prefect's benevolence and somewhat worried that these troops might embarrass the prefect.

These stone spirits obtained the jade talisman.

The magistrate closed his eyes.

The next moment, Old Earth, Stone Star, and Flying Eagle General all instantly felt something different. A sharp, needle-like sensation appeared between their brows, and the more than six thousand ordinary mountain spirits and stone monsters suddenly seemed to have changed their appearance.

Their energy fluctuations suddenly became uniform.

They seemed to emanate an aura of fire.

Then, in unison, they took half a step forward.

An aura of absolute discipline suddenly emanated from the area.

The old man paused, sensing that this army seemed to have changed its posture immediately, as if it had transformed from a disorganized rabble into a force with a touch of elite. He subconsciously looked at the closed-eyed prefect, his heart filled with even greater awe.

Is this the power of the Lord of the Underworld?

Zhou Yan slowly opened his eyes and sensed the advancement of the military lineage. If he wanted to continue advancing his troops, he would need to lead his army to conquer all directions. But where was there room for further conquest?
Zhou Yan seemed to be deep in thought, considering the current situation, and those six figures were Emperor Li Heng of Tang.

Should we not act rashly?

At that moment, Zhou Yan slightly raised his eyes.

He sensed a chaotic aura suddenly appearing within the sphere of influence of Mount Tai's earth veins. The newcomer was an old man dressed in brown clothes, holding a cane made of intertwined green vines, which exuded a sense of weight and importance.

This is none other than the Central Heavenly King, the True Lord of the Central Peak, who has the deepest foundation among the Five Sacred Mountains.

Zhongyue Zhenjun is closest to Dongyue. When he heard that the Lord of Taishan was summoning his subordinates and planning to re-establish the Black Law Order, Zhongyue was shocked. He still couldn't believe it. He looked old, but in fact he was the most ruthless and cunning.

He was the only one who crushed all the Taishan Gongdao Fruits he had collected.

Having heard the news from the gods, he naturally refused to believe it and decided to come and see for himself. From afar, he laughed and said, "Your Excellency has such a magnanimous spirit! Hehe, I heard that Your Excellency has displayed your great skills, so I have come today to present something to Your Excellency!"

With a sweep of his sleeve, a surge of powerful energy, carrying a massive wine jar, hurtled towards Lord Taishan. The swirling attack carried an immense, heavy force, far exceeding the value of the previous gift.

The general of the West Mountain Soul-Suppressing Camp changed his expression.

This is practically a friendly sparring match or a trial run!

It's a provocation; they have no intention of maintaining the previous peace.

At this moment, Zhou Yan's true form was only at the seventh rank. With the help of the Imperial Seal's deductive ability, he possessed a sixth-rank Dao Foundation. Zhong Yue suddenly launched an attack, ostensibly offering wine, but secretly unleashing an enormous amount of power.

Zhou Yan realized what Zhongyue meant.

'If everyone believes your pretense, then I will tear off your mask and expose your weak, new godhood!'

Zhou Yan grasped the Earthly Soul Heavenly Inclined Technique, which instantly strengthened its connection with the Taishan Earth Vein. Golden ripples appeared in his pupils, and in an instant, the strongest divine power he had mastered—[Eight-Armed Seven-Form Buddha Dharma Image]—was activated!
Daoji lit up with flowing light, revealing the eight-armed, seven-faced Buddha form. This refers to the eight great wisdoms and inconceivable supernatural powers, rather than the actual eight arms and seven faces. The divine general form evolved from Zhou Yandaoji manifested itself.

Within the Dharma Image's arm, he wielded the [Mountain Lord] jade talisman, activating the divine power of controlling the wind.

Suddenly, a fierce wind arose in Mount Tai, howling like a dragon, stripping away the immense power from the crashing wine jar. However, since the avatar of the Central Peak had personally arrived, its power was beyond the limits of the Mountain Lord Jade Talisman.

As the purple aura circulated, Zhou Yan's eight-armed, seven-form Buddha Dharma form activated the second jade talisman.

[Giant Spirit]!
Mobilize all your strength and unleash ten times the power to attack!
Riding the Wind - Tenfold.

The raging winds resisted the power of the wine jar, which then floated in the air and slowly rotated. This caused a stir in the hearts of the onlookers. They were amazed that the wine jar could withstand Zhong Yue's attack without even having to make a move, simply by using the simple supernatural power of controlling the wind.
Zhou Yan's true form had blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his chest was churning with qi and blood.

However, an even stronger sense of malice arose.

This shattered Zhou Yan's earlier thought of whether or not to suppress his ambitions and lie low. How could he lie low when he was surrounded by enemies on all sides?
The world is now like a whirlpool, and we have met on a narrow path.

His fingers brushed the blood from the corner of his mouth, while the Lord of Mount Tai lowered his eyes and said indifferently, "Quickly fetch General Shi Xuanxing and bring him forward to receive orders."

Shi Xuanxing stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Yes."

The voice of the Lord of Mount Tai was indifferent and calm:
“I offer wine at Zhongyue, and hang it here first.”

"Heaven and earth are upside down, and demons emerge from all directions."

"I hereby dispatch you, Divine Vanguard, leading six thousand Mount Tai Guards..."

Lord Taishan held the spiritual wine bestowed by Mount Tai in his palm, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings, past the True Lord of Mount Zhongyue, past the thirty-six caves and seventy-two peaks, his voice deep and indifferent as he said:
"【Crushing mountains and destroying temples】".

(End of this chapter)