National Division

Chapter 147 Shen Xian: The Right Path of Humanity is Full of Vicissitudes!

Heshan
From all sides of Heshan, one can see the severed limbs and clumps of blood from yesterday. In the distance, the forests are lush and green, and yellow and red flowers can be seen blooming in the mountains and fields, looking romantic and lovely.

Summer rains poured down, washing away the grime from the rocks and grass, leaving the forests lush and green.

Shen Xian stood on the cliff, unconcerned about the wind and rain, but his protective aura automatically formed a shield, and not a single drop of rain fell on him. Looking down at the increasingly lush and verdant forest, he said, "It's been two days, and there's still no movement. It seems that the Corpse Yin Sect has given up."

Xue Zhihua walked closer and said, "The Valley River has also stopped making any moves. It seems that something has happened to the Corpse Yin Sect."

In the past two days, the Corpse Yin Sect has not launched any further attacks, and Guhe County has been able to catch its breath.

Shen Xian said, "There is danger hidden beneath the calm."

As he spoke, he looked at the tent not far away, which was the place of Daoist He Shou, and the disciples of Qingyang Temple around it were guarding him with vigilant expressions.

Yesterday, Master Heshou said that he was going into seclusion to break through to a higher level.

Clearly, this battle to defend Heshan has completely loosened the bottleneck of his Divine Illumination Realm. After being stuck in the fourth realm for many years, he has finally unleashed his full potential.

The eldest princess said softly, "The army from Weizhou is already on its way. Commander An Shouxin is traveling day and night and should arrive in Anzhou tomorrow."

Shen Xian said, "It's hard to say. I'm afraid there might be some unforeseen changes at the Corpse Yin Sect."

Just then, Shen Bin arrived in a hurry, holding an umbrella, and said, "Mu Zhi, an imperial envoy."

Shen Xian asked, "Oh, what happened?"

Shen Bin, his thick eyebrows furrowed, looked at him with a complex expression. He said, "I hereby appoint you as General Zhuangwu, Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Weapon Path Army, to lead the troops in suppressing the evil Corpse Yin Sect."

He hardly recognizes this son anymore.

He's only been in office for a short time, yet his official rank is rising higher and higher.

I'm afraid that after this matter with the corpse demon is resolved, he'll be promoted again.

Shen Xian's expression turned solemn, and he said, "Since it is an imperial decree, I will go and receive it."

As he spoke, accompanied by the Princess and Xue Zhihua, he quickly entered the tent and met the imperial envoy who had delivered the decree.

Shen Xian accepted the imperial edict, looked at the eldest princess beside him, and said, "The imperial army will arrive at Heshan tomorrow."

The eldest princess asked, "What are your plans next?"

Shen Xianxiang walked to a landscape screen, looked at the map hanging on it, and said, "The Corpse Yin Sect's decision to stop attacking this time is somewhat unusual. Guhe County was the focus of their initial strategy, and they were determined to take it, but now it seems they are giving up."

The eldest princess nodded her head, which was covered in cascading black hair, and parted her pink lips slightly, saying, "Yes, I also feel that something is unusual."

Shen Xian looked thoughtful and asked, "What did the Shangqing Sect say?"

The eldest princess shook her head and said, "There's no news yet, but they should have found out what the Corpse Yin Sect is up to."

Shen Xian said, "In my opinion, the Corpse Yin Sect is probably trying to use a diversionary tactic to gather more corpse energy for their immortal corpse refining. There are still changes in Weizhou."

This was also his previous speculation. In fact, even though this world is teeming with immortals, they still cannot see through the fog of war to a great extent.

Especially after a great calamity, all divination methods become ineffective.

The eldest princess asked, "Then what are our plans?"

"Have the Vermilion Bird Division closely monitor the situation in Weizhou and provide timely assistance," Shen Xian said.

He hasn't been idle these past few days. First, he's been thoroughly consolidating his Grandmaster martial arts realm, and second, he's been cultivating the immortal path. At this point, he has reached the seventh level of the Qi Sea Realm.

Two more heavens and we can open the Heavenly Gate.

Shen Xian looked at the Princess and said softly, "Your Highness, where is that Fellow Daoist Dongyang?"

"He went to Linchuan County to set up an array to stop the Corpse Demons of the Corpse Yin Sect from advancing into Guhe County," the Princess said softly.

Shen Xian asked, "Are there any other experts working at the state academy?"

As the commander-in-chief, he must fully assess the balance of power between the enemy and himself in order to make the necessary deployments to achieve the greatest effect.

"Before the Jade Purity Talisman was issued, the people sent by the Jade Purity side were only doing so out of consideration for my feelings," the Princess said.

Shen Xian nodded, then suddenly had a thought. He stepped out of the tent and looked at the tent where Crane Guardian was. He said, "Teacher, it seems like he's about to break through."

A violent fluctuation of spiritual energy appeared from the tent where Crane Guardian was located. Immediately, the vortex of spiritual energy grew larger and larger, directly reaching the sky, and even the wind and rain were stirred up.

Then, a hearty, unrestrained laugh came from inside the tent.

"That's it, that's it."

The disciples of Qingyang Temple outside the tent all had joy on their faces and congratulated each other in unison: "Congratulations, Master (Abbot) on breaking through to the Divine Illumination Realm."

A moment later, the tent flap was lifted, and Crane Guardian, dressed in a dark blue Taoist robe, stepped out of the tent. He walked with a carefree demeanor, his sleeves fluttering, and the worry between his brows vanished, replaced by a faint joy on his ancient face.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Crane Guardian." Princess Yongli smiled gently as she spoke.

Crane Guardian bowed and returned the greeting, then called out with a complicated expression, "Fellow Daoist Shen."

A single word, "fellow Daoist," evokes a myriad of emotions.

As Shen Xian once said, change is the essence of change. If he continues to try to take his own heart as the heart of heaven, he may never be able to break through the Divine Illumination in his lifetime.

"Congratulations, teacher," Shen Xian said.

Upon seeing this, Xue Zhihua chuckled and asked, "Scholar Shen, do you have a poem to offer?"

Upon hearing this, the princess's heart stirred slightly, and her beautiful eyes sparkled with admiration.

The princess later learned about the poem Shen Xian wrote that satirized He Shou Dao Ren.

Crane Guardian looked at Shen Xian expectantly, his feelings quite different from the previous two times.

This is the third of two consecutive poems on Taoism.

Under the expectant or appreciative gazes of the group, Shen Xian pondered for a moment and then said loudly, "I have only four lines to offer to my teacher."

Crane Guardian bowed respectfully, his expression solemn, and said, "I would like to hear the details."

The eldest princess cast her bright, beautiful eyes at the handsome, exceptionally charming young man, awaiting his words. Xue Zhihua also looked at the young man with her clear eyes, a sense of anticipation rising in her heart.

Shen Xian pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on the ravaged battlefield below. At this moment, the rain and mist were thick, and the world was shrouded in a vast expanse of white.

The young man turned around and said in a deep voice: "The wind and rain rise over Crane Mountain, turning it yellow and desolate. Ten thousand corpse demons act like jackals and wolves. The tiger crouches and the dragon coils, surpassing the past. The world has been turned upside down, and we should pursue the fleeing enemy with our remaining courage. We must not hesitate to learn from the tyrant Xiang Yu. If Heaven had feelings, it too would grow old. The vicissitudes of life are the true path of humanity!"

He made slight modifications to express his feelings at this moment, and there was also a person like Xiang Yu in this world.

Upon hearing this, the eldest princess felt as if struck by lightning, her cheeks flushed, and she said, "What a wonderful saying: 'If Heaven had feelings, it too would grow old; the vicissitudes of life are the true path of humanity!'"

It can be said that one sentence struck a chord with the beauty's heart, and she expressed her deep agreement.

Or rather, the three poems exchanged form a closed loop.

Crane Guardian Daoist stared blankly at the young man, captivated by his charm. His gaze was complex as he bowed deeply and solemnly said, "Fellow Daoist's guidance is a kindness akin to being reborn."

Shen Xian shook his head and smiled, "It was also my teacher's destined time to follow the Dao. I was just there by chance, or rather, a sliver of a variable in the forty-ninth of the Heavenly Evolution."

As a time traveler, he is indeed a variable in the secrets of heaven.

Upon hearing this, Crane Guardian's eyes flashed with contemplation, yet his heart remained somewhat unsettled.

Xue Zhihua gazed intently at the young man in a blue robe, calm and composed amidst the raging wind and rain, and for a moment she was captivated.

The princess, her beautiful eyes sparkling, looked at the young man, her heart fluttering with emotion. She thought to herself, "He truly possesses the bearing of a national hero, with unparalleled elegance and demeanor. He is truly captivating."

Shen Xian said loudly, "Now that you have broken through to the Divine Illumination Realm, please consolidate your realm in the next few days."

"It's alright." Beneath the gnarled brows of Crane Guardian Daoist, a resolute look appeared in his aged eyes as he declared firmly, "This is the place where I attained enlightenment, and I will not yield an inch!"

Shen Xian nodded and smiled, "Let's wait for the imperial army to arrive first, and we'll talk about the rest later."

Then, as they talked, they went into the tent to discuss the next steps.

……

……

Linchuan County, County Government Office
Protector Qin and Protector Yu sat down on chairs on either side of the main hall of the county government office, while the members of the Corpse Yin Sect stood to their left and right.

Protector Yu asked with concern, "What did the sect leader say?"

"The sect leader said that no matter what, we must delay for three days." Protector Qin put away the communication jade slip, a look of worry appearing in his eyes.

After pondering for a moment, Protector Yu said, "Three days is not that difficult."

Protector Qin picked up a blue-and-white porcelain teacup from the side, took a sip of tea, and said, "Guhe County is not a safe place to go. We are trapped here and can hardly accomplish anything."

Protector Yu said, "But we cannot easily withdraw our troops. We must still fight the Great Jing Dynasty to at least buy time for our sect leader."

Qin Hu said with a worried tone, "The troops of the Great Jing Dynasty must already be on their way."

Since the two were Daoists at the Void Realm, and had reached a consensus, their next step was to immediately send out troops.

Before Protector Yu could speak, a hall master behind him shouted, "Protector Qin, we still have tens of thousands of corpse demons. Are we afraid of them?"

"Whether I'm afraid or not is another matter, but I'm afraid of ruining the sect leader's plans," Qin Guang said.

At this moment, Nie Huai, a disciple of the Yellow Springs Sect sitting to the side, had a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Tang Huiyu, the Holy Maiden of the Youluo Divine Cult, was also pondering the intentions of the Corpse Yin Sect.

Why the delay?

What other arrangements are there?
Ying Wuming, the disciple of the Heavenly Punishment Sect, smiled faintly, but in his heart he was thinking about that Scholar Shen.

If the invincible grandmaster during the day is indeed Shen Xian, for whom the Cui and Lu clans have offered a hefty bounty, then it is indeed a very troublesome situation.

I'm afraid we'll need to add more spirit stones!

Just as the Corpse Yin Sect members in Linchuan County were preparing for the approaching imperial army, on the official road only thirty miles away from Guhe County, An Shouxin, the military governor of Weibo, led 20,000 Weibo troops in a grand procession toward Guhe County.

Beneath a central military banner fluttering in the wind—

An Shouxin, fully armored and riding a fine horse, was a burly man with a dignified face. Beneath his thick eyebrows, his tiger-like eyes shone like lightning. A long sword hung on his chestnut saddle. He rode with a whip in hand, looking around with a fierce and imposing air.

Sun Qi, the deputy general who was half a horse's length behind, pointed to the faint outline of a village in the distance with his whip in his hand and said in a deep voice, "General, the Valley River is just ahead."

Lieutenant Hong Yuan complained, "I don't know what the Empress was thinking, making us obey the orders of a mere brat. If the General had been in charge of the army, those demons and monsters would have been utterly defeated long ago!"

Liu Miao, a military officer standing nearby, chimed in, "Indeed, Commander, when have we, the soldiers of Weibo, ever allowed a mere brat to ride roughshod over us!"

"They're not even fully grown yet, and they dare to give orders to us?" The other officers and soldiers around them also said indignantly.

An Shouxin spoke in a deep, booming voice, "I've never heard of this Scholar Shen before. It seems he's only recently appeared. I wonder what abilities he has that have earned him such favor from the Empress?"

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Mei, the army's chief clerk, and asked, "Yuan Shan, have you ever heard of this Scholar Shen?"

Zhou Mei smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "Reporting to the General, I do know quite a bit about this Scholar Shen. He presented the Empress Dowager with his 'Policy on Governance,' and from then on, he rose rapidly in rank. Later, he had a falling out with the Cui family of Boling and the Lu family of Fanyang. The two sides had a gambling match in the capital, and this Scholar Shen denounced the Cui and Lu families as traitors to the country."

"Well said!" An Shouxin's eyes lit up. "These scions of noble families are so arrogant, they think they're above everyone else. They just eat all day and do nothing. What else could they be but traitors to the country?"

Zhou Mei smiled and said, "General, this Scholar Shen seems to have some ability."

"Now that you mention it, Scholar Shen seems like a good man. I, Old An, must get to know him better." An Shouxin smiled and said, "I thought it was just another scion of a noble family who had risen to a high position, leaving such important military and national affairs to be handled haphazardly by a mere youth. I knew it! How could the Empress Dowager be so wise as to be careless about such important military and national affairs?"

Seeing this, Zhou Mei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Their military commander was used to guarding a region and issuing orders in Anzhou, so he was worried that if he went to Anzhou, he would clash with that scholar Shen.

Then I'll offend that favored minister of the Empress.

However, we cannot say that we are completely at ease now.

Hopefully, no discord will arise between the generals and commanders.

Zhang He, the military commander standing to the side, smiled slightly and looked at An Shouxin, thinking to himself that the military commander seemed reckless, but in fact he was very meticulous. He probably also realized that this Scholar Shen was a close minister of the Empress and not to be trifled with. He deliberately did this in front of the generals to signal them to obey military orders.

(End of this chapter)