Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

Chapter 429 At that time, a master was by his side, observing fate and controlling fortune.

The royal palace is deep and quiet, with its winding corridors deserted.

The four armored soldiers had only taken a few steps when a cloud of mist drifted silently towards them.

Immediately, a figure slowly emerged from the pure energy, revealing himself to be an old Taoist priest.

He stood tall and elegant in the Dao, clad in wide sleeves and robes, wearing cloud-patterned shoes, with a youthful face and white hair, surrounded by a pure aura, untouched by worldly dust.

Poems as proof:

His spirit is clear and his eyes are bright as stars; his bones are elegant and his spirit is clear, his path is majestic. Auspicious clouds gather above his head, and he walks on straw sandals, treading the path of mystery.

Embroidered ribbons flutter soar to the heavens, feathered robes scatter rainbows. Vast mountains and rivers provide sustenance, the very essence of the nation is a wondrous sight.

He was a revered immortal master in the country, whose Taoist name was "Shenfu Guangyun Zhenren".

The four armored soldiers dared not be negligent and immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "We, your humble servants, pay our respects to the Immortal Master. The jade slip is intact and we were just about to present it to you."

This immortal master possessed profound Taoist magic. Several years ago, he single-handedly destroyed an immortal sect with a Golden Core Immortal in charge. He was renowned and revered as the number one immortal within a vast territory.

How could ordinary soldiers like them dare to be the slightest bit negligent?

It is rumored that he has reached the Nascent Soul Saint Realm and may one day achieve the Dao Fruit of Immortality, ascend to heaven, and enter the Mysterious Upper Realm!

The old Taoist seemed not to hear the four people's words, but stood quietly with his eyes closed, his breathing long and deep, as if he were one with the surrounding world.

The four armored soldiers could only maintain their bowed posture, not daring to move an inch, their hearts filled with trepidation.

After a long while, the old Taoist slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. His gaze was clear and bright. He first scanned the area around his head as if observing something invisible, before lowering his eyes to look at the four generals before him and asking calmly, "Do you know why I stopped you from committing murder on the long street just now?"

The leading soldier trembled, lowered his head even further, and said in a trembling voice, "This humble general is foolish and ignorant, and truly does not understand the profound meaning of the immortal master. I hope the immortal master will enlighten me."

The old Taoist priest gently waved his whisk and said in a leisurely tone, "I was previously preoccupied with other matters and was unable to retrieve the jade talisman myself, so I sent you all instead."

Since you entered the city, the old Taoist priest has been keeping a close watch on you, thinking that there is no chance of anything going wrong.

Unexpectedly, the fog rose abruptly, obscuring all five senses. Before I knew it, you were about to trample me with your iron hooves, nearly committing a massacre—”

Upon hearing this, the leading soldier turned pale, knelt down with a thud, and cried out urgently, "Immortal Master, please understand! This humble general was truly blinded by the thick fog, his horse was startled, and he feared that he would delay the Immortal Master's important matter. In a moment of panic, he lost his composure and had absolutely no intention of harming the people!"

"Oh?"

The old Taoist's gaze fell on his trembling back, a faint smile playing on his lips. He said, "So, it's your fault for sending you all in such a hurry?"

"This humble general had no such intention! Immortal Master, please forgive me!" The soldier kowtowed repeatedly, tears streaming down his face.

"That's enough."

The old Taoist priest did not look at him again. He looked up at the long street outside the palace walls and sighed softly: "Even if I trample a few mortals to death and get tainted with some karma, it is not something that cannot be resolved for me."

"But—" He changed the subject slightly, his tone becoming more serious and difficult to decipher.

All four armored soldiers held their breath and concentrated.

"The fog came strangely and dissipated abruptly. And the sudden gust of wind that rose from the ground was even less like a natural wind."

The old Taoist slowly stroked his beard, a clear light flickering in his eyes.

"At that time, there was probably a master on the side of the long street, watching coldly."

The old Taoist priest spoke vaguely, then his gaze returned to the kneeling armored soldier, and he said indifferently, "You have done a good job retrieving the jade talisman for me."

But you acted carelessly, were arrogant and reckless, displayed your ferocity in public, and nearly committed murder right under the nose of a mastermind.

This has inadvertently created an enemy for me, adding endless variables. Tell me, what should I do?

Upon hearing this, the soldier felt as if struck by lightning, his whole body trembling violently, and a foul, fishy odor immediately emanated from his groin.

His lips moved, but before he could beg for mercy, he saw the old Taoist priest spread his five fingers wide and make a vague grabbing motion toward his head.

"laugh----"

Amidst the faint, almost imperceptible sound, a hundred or so thin, grayish-brown threads of energy slowly drifted out from the armored warrior's seven orifices and the top of his head, gracefully disappearing into the old Taoist's palm.

As the energy detached from his body, the armored warrior's burly frame suddenly stiffened, his eyes lost all light, and he collapsed limply to the ground, foaming at the corners of his mouth, his limbs twitching slightly, barely breathing, clearly beyond saving.

In the old Taoist's palm, the hundred gray-white energy lines had condensed into a bead the size of a longan, with a dull color, which spun around.

"A person of lowly birth and shallow fortune."

He didn't even glance at the crippled man on the ground, casually tucking the bead into his sleeve as if he were merely brushing away a speck of dust.

The remaining three armored soldiers were terrified and knelt on the ground, not daring to raise their heads or breathe, only hearing their own heart pounding like drums and the sound of the wind outside the corridor.

The old Taoist priest then raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over them before turning back to the long street beyond the palace walls. A clear light flickered in his eyes as he murmured to himself, as if asking the unseen: "Mist shrouds the long street, the wind stirs the duckweed—who is this deity who has arrived? Is he just passing by, or is it intentional?"

He stood still for a moment, then said calmly to the three armored soldiers, "Since the jade talisman is here, hand it over to this old Taoist. You three, drag him away and find a secluded place to finish him off. Don't defile the tranquility of the palace."

"Yes—yes! I will obey the Immortal Master's decree!"

The three men, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, trembled as they presented the jade token. They then hurriedly lifted their colleague, who was now like a rag doll, and retreated in a panic, disappearing into the deep corridors of the palace in the blink of an eye.

Only the old Taoist priest stood alone under the corridor, his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, his youthful face showing neither sorrow nor joy.

Only his eyes, deep as an ancient well, reflected the palace walls and green tiles, seemed to be pondering some mysterious secret.

Above the azure sky, the clouds were silent.

Chen Jiao's black cloak fluttered as he lowered his gaze, taking in the entire scene below—the deep courtyard of the royal palace, the conversation in the corridors, and even the old Taoist's act of conjuring beads of qi.

"Truly a small world in itself—"

With a slight thought, Chen Jiao's divine sense, like invisible water, slowly swept across this world.

Mountains and rivers, cities and living beings, the flow of energy, the connection of cause and effect—none of these are illusions.

In the realm of cultivation, those who attain the Nascent Soul stage are revered.

There are dynasties, worshippers, mortal joys and sorrows, and monks wielding power.

The orthodox path of Taoism, whether it is alchemy, breath cultivation, or meditation, all emphasizes resonating with heaven and earth, taking advantage of the power of creation to make up for one's own deficiencies, and all follow the Tao and nature.

Although the old Taoist possessed the cultivation of a Nascent Soul cultivator, his foundation was weak and he showed signs of unorthodox cultivation methods, which were definitely not the orthodox path of the Xuanmen sect.

It resembles the sorcery and witchcraft of unorthodox sects that steal heavenly secrets and usurp creation.

His methods seemed unpredictable, but in Chen Jiao's eyes, they were as clear as the lines on his palm, revealing every detail.

"Observe a person's fate and grasp their fortune—" A cold glint flashed in Chen Jiao's eyes.

He could see clearly that the thin, grayish-white lines floating above the armored soldier's head, though dim and sparse, were precisely the traces of his essence, spirit, fate, and destiny.

Even if one survives being forcibly removed like this, one's spirit will be severed.

This method does not harm flesh and blood, but only seizes the ethereal yet crucial destiny, making it even more insidious and vicious.