A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 274 The Law Should Not Be Lightly Passed On

Blue Scorpion shook his head and said, "We hadn't thought of this before."

The three of them were practically being hunted down, so the fact that they had time to pay attention to the local background and observe important figures like the Lord of Yutan City was already quite an achievement.

When you're struggling to take care of yourself, how can you possibly have the energy to worry about strangers far away?

jingle!!

Just then, the jade bell under the eaves of the courtyard rang, signifying the arrival of guests.

Jin Congyun's voice rang out: "Fellow Daoist Guan, Fairy Lan, I have already informed the City Lord about the arrival of our distinguished guests. The City Lord wishes to invite Daoist Guan for a chat."

This golden-armored general may look burly, but he is actually quite shrewd. He noticed that Guan Luoyang and Blue Scorpion seemed to be old acquaintances, so he quietly stepped aside and let them catch up first, giving them some time to inform the city lord himself.

The timing of this invitation is perfect.

Blue Scorpion nodded and said, "Since it's just an invitation, you should go first. The issue you mentioned earlier would be more effectively addressed by speaking directly with the city lord."

Guan Luoyang casually said goodbye to them, and then, led by Jin Congyun, walked out of the side courtyard and turned towards the main gate of the city lord's mansion.

The city lord's mansion covers hundreds of acres and has a side courtyard with a separate entrance, which is specially used for the rest of distinguished guests. It is not only separated from the main courtyard of the city lord's mansion by a high wall, but also by spells that isolate light, sound, smell, and temperature, which are engraved on the brick walls. There are no small doors connecting them.

To enter the city lord's mansion, one must first walk out of the side courtyard, follow the main street for several hundred steps to the main gate, and then enter the mansion.

The streets were bustling with traffic and people, with hundreds of vendors hawking their wares and countless tourists moving about, laughing, joking, chasing, and playing, all exuding the vibrant atmosphere that only a prosperous city could have.

A child ran with a windmill in his hand, bumping into the scholar's chest. A young woman in a green silk dress held a round fan and picked out a sachet.

The restaurant owner moved the steamer aside, revealing freshly steamed shumai underneath, steaming hot and fragrant.

With white beards and children in their tresses, all industries were thriving, and no one sensed any signs of the monsters causing trouble.

Outside the main gate of the city lord's mansion, a wall with eight-character-shaped walls faces the street, where two white jade lions crouch.

Nine white marble steps lead from the street to the main gate, where two deep red doors with bronze animal head rings and faint Taotie patterns are visible. On the left and right are pictures of bizarre-looking deities riding clouds and wearing ancient armor to guard the house.

Jin Congyun led Guan Luoyang to the door. As soon as they stepped onto the first step, the two jade lions tilted their heads and looked over, their eyes darting around with curiosity.

The two large doors opened by themselves, and the copper rings in the mouths of the Taotie beasts jingled without any wind. The beast heads were silent, but their eyebrows danced with joy, as if they were playing a welcoming tune.

Guan Luoyang stepped across the threshold, and inside the door was a screen wall.

Above the screen wall, there was originally a scene of nine dragons vying for a pearl. The four stone dragons looked older and were lazily coiled in the four corners, grooming their manes.

The five young dragons in the middle were whispering to each other, twirling their whiskers with their claws, chatting and laughing. When they saw a distinguished guest arrive, they quickly pretended to fight for the dragon pearl, with each dragon's head pointing upwards in turn, causing the dragon pearl to fly upwards from time to time.

As Guan Luoyang was about to round the screen wall, he glanced back and saw that the five dragons had slowly lowered their bodies and were resting among the clouds and lotus leaves.

After passing the screen wall, one sees tea trees planted throughout the courtyard, birds flying about, and a main road leading straight to the hall.

Above the roof of the hall, glazed tiles gleamed with a clear, golden sheen, and perched several small, golden beasts called Chaofeng.

These adventurous and far-sighted beasts, living on the roof of the city lord's mansion, have developed round little bellies, and waddle around with their short legs.

When Guan Luoyang was talking with Blue Scorpion and the others, he felt that the atmosphere was tense, as if a great battle against the demon race could break out at any moment. When he came out, he also saw that there were spiritual lights of vigilance and protection around the city, which were faintly visible.

However, within the hundreds of steps that led through the main street to the city lord's mansion, a peaceful and languid atmosphere prevailed.

When Edward introduced the background, he mentioned "a hundred years of peace in Juku Island." This short sentence may represent a long period of time when the people of the local city had long forgotten the crisis.

It wasn't until they stepped into the hall and saw the city lord sitting high in the main seat behind the towering golden pillars that they regained a sense of solemnity.

This city lord, with her jet-black hair and dark eyebrows, was indeed stunningly beautiful. She was tall and slender with skin as white as snow. At first glance, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

The flower ornament on the city lord's forehead was even more vibrant red, like the setting sun. He was looking at himself in the mirror, but his brows were tightly furrowed, revealing a hint of grimness.

"I heard that an old friend of the Blue Fairy has come from afar."

The Lord of Yutan City rose to greet him, still holding the mirror with eight bronze beasts engraved on the back and divided into eight corners and eight edges. He cupped his hands and said, "Ao Bohuan has not been able to greet you properly. I apologize for my rudeness."

Guan Luoyang returned the greeting, and they introduced themselves.

Ao Bohuan sighed softly, "My Jade Pool City is the most beautiful place within a radius of three thousand miles, and it has some rare and beautiful scenery that I can be proud of. It's a pity that you've come at the wrong time. Recently, demonic energy has been rising in the ripples, and I'm afraid you won't be able to enjoy your visit and rest in peace."

He bowed again, saying, "I apologize in advance!"

Guan Luoyang quickly replied, "Lord, you are too kind. Miss Lan is an old friend of mine, and we share similar interests. She has already told me about the signs of demons wreaking havoc in Jukuzhou. Since I have encountered this, it must be fate. How can I stand idly by?"

"Fellow Taoist Gao Yi."

Ao Bohuan said, "I am sending people to warn various factions, ostensibly to invite them to my son's birthday banquet, hoping they can take precautions early and come to discuss countermeasures as soon as possible."

Guan Luoyang said, "I've heard that within Juku Continent, only three forces, including the city lord, are truly powerful. Other sects are of varying quality, and if they were targeted by some powerful demons, they might be in danger. City lord, have you prepared any contingency plans for inviting them to this meeting?"

Ao Bohuan shook his head: "We can only let them support each other and be as careful as possible. If a group of monsters launches a surprise attack on a small number of sects, we'll see if they can hold out until reinforcements arrive."

Guan Luoyang said, "I wonder if the city lord sent more people who are skilled in flying cranes and divine speed magic to accompany him when he sent people to invite him. Perhaps we could ask them to set up a communication point every hundred or eighty miles."

"If you encounter a monster that you cannot defeat, use magic to warn others and relay the warning message to other sects as quickly as possible so they can come to your aid."

Ao Bohuan paused for a moment, then shook his head: "This method is not bad, but unfortunately, the hundred or so sects are scattered all over the place, thousands of miles apart, and my city does not have that many people."

As Guan Luoyang walked along, he sensed at least thirty four-star and five-star auras, which are what this world calls loose immortals, both inside and outside the city lord's mansion.

This number doesn't even include those who might have deliberately hidden themselves.

Looking across the entire magnificent city, to maintain the scene of magical light and protective defenses everywhere, the number of scattered immortals would need to be at least doubled.

Based on the ratio of cultivators above and below four stars in the Water Margin world, there are probably tens of thousands of sorcerers in this Jade Pool City who are not at the Loose Immortal realm.

He had been secretly marveling at how prosperous the world was, but how could this city lord say that there weren't enough people?

Guan Luoyang cupped his hands and said, "If I may be so bold as to ask, how many sorcerers and soldiers are there in the city?"

Ao Bohuan said, "Among the soldiers and officers in my city, there are more than 8,000 people of human origin, and more than 3,000 spirits, monsters and demons."

Jin Congyun added from the side, "The eight thousand soldiers in our city are all as powerful as furnaces, their speed comparable to that of ordinary Leiyin warriors. However, they are focused on martial arts and killing, and only three hundred messengers are skilled in using magic such as flying cranes to transmit sound."

"With just these three hundred messengers, even if we add some of the spirits who are good at delivering messages, it would be absolutely impossible to set up a network of messenger points between Jade Pool City and various sects, as Fellow Daoist Guan has said."

Guan Luoyang was stunned: "Why are there only so few people?"

Although it sounds like the city's elite troops are at least three-star level, their numbers are still too small.

He frowned and thought for a moment, then asked, "How many people are under the jurisdiction of Yutan City?"

Jin Congyun said, "There are about a million people residing in the city. If we include all the towns and settlements in various places, the population is at least fifteen million."

The Taoist arts are flourishing, there are many masters, and the area under its jurisdiction is three thousand miles in radius, with a population of ten million. There are hidden dangers of demons and monsters outside, but there are less than ten thousand human soldiers on standby. What a joke!

Guan Luoyang had a sudden inspiration and clapped his hands, saying, "That's right. Although there aren't many officially appointed soldiers, there should be many experts in the civilian population who are no less skilled than them. After all, I think the Taoist arts are flourishing in Jukuzhou. If a few methods are passed down, it seems that some outstanding talents will emerge."

Ao Bohuan and Jin Congyun exchanged a glance, then asked in surprise, "Where do you come from, fellow Daoist? Could it be that your hometown allows you to easily impart your teachings?"

Ao Bohuan shook his head repeatedly: "As the saying goes, the Dharma should not be lightly transmitted. All the immortals, Buddhas and righteous paths in the world must test their disciples, examine their character, perseverance, aptitude and comprehension, in order to avoid them from failing to obtain the Dharma, wasting their lives, and becoming obsessed and demonic. It is also to prevent people with impure minds from learning the true Dharma."

"Even so, there are still many rumors of traitors and demons who have turned against their masters in the ten continents of the East Sea, which is truly regrettable."

"If your hometown has such a custom of easily transmitting the Dao, it must be a blessed land. The teachers there are selfless and fearless, which is admirable. But, after all, it is only a small minority who live in peace in a corner."

Jin Congyun continued, "The technique cannot be easily passed on. There is another consideration: to prevent enemies, demons, and the like from easily stealing the technique, deciphering its structure, and studying its counter-techniques. When teaching the technique, keeping the number of disciples within a certain limit is acceptable. A master can also guide the disciples and use a sealing technique in their minds to prevent the technique from being leaked. However, if too many disciples are taught, there will inevitably be more flaws."

Guan Luoyang frowned and said, "Even so, those who achieve mastery in cultivation naturally have extraordinary lifespans. Over generations, the number shouldn't be limited to only a few thousand."

Ao Bohuan said, "We cultivators seek nothing more than a carefree life. Those who serve in the city, whether human or demon, will be given spiritual grain talismans after years of hardship and toil, allowing them to resign and explore the mountains and rivers of the ten continents, enjoying their later years."

Guan Luoyang recalled the protective aura that was flashing everywhere in the city.

With only a few thousand people, even if some wandering immortals take the lead, it's still exhausting for the rest of them to maintain such a thorough level of protection and vigilance. It's perfectly normal for them to want to escape and enjoy the beauty of nature.

However, if the restrictions were relaxed a little and the teachings were spread more widely, they wouldn't have had to work so hard in the first place...

Ugh!

Guan Luoyang sighed.

In this world after ascension, there are indeed more experts, the grains are wondrous, and the people have no worries about food and clothing. However, other places are very different from what one would imagine.

But now is not the time to dwell on such things. After all, many things have both advantages and disadvantages, and it's not something that can be explained in a few words.

Given the current situation, we can only try to find solutions based on this premise.

"Fellow Daoist is truly kind-hearted. Having just arrived here, you are already concerned about the safety of many sects."

Ao Bohuan said, "However, fellow Daoist, there is no need to worry too much. There is only one demon king at the Earth Immortal level left in Jukuzhou. For many years, he has been jointly guarded by my Jade Pool City, Giant Spirit Cave, and Yuan Gong Mountain."

He flipped the bronze mirror in his hand, and on the mirror surface appeared a smoky island. In the center of the island, there seemed to be an active volcano, with flashes of fire and billowing smoke from time to time.

"That old demon is a tiger spirit, fierce and cunning. More than a hundred years ago, many demons were driven out and killed, but he found an opportunity to connect his cave to the volcanic veins of Thousand Poison Island."

"If he were to risk his life by exposing himself and damaging the earth's veins, the entire Juku Continent would be plunged into years of natural disasters. He used this move to make us hesitant to act. However, with the combined efforts of the three parties, we set up a monitoring array, and Master Yuan of Yuangong Mountain even brought out a golden talisman left by a celestial being."

Ao Bohuan's expression softened slightly. "Although he is still in his own cave, he is essentially imprisoned by us, all alone. Even if other demons want to cause trouble, they can only endanger a few sects at most."

"The only thing to worry about is the water demon at the Earth Immortal Realm that Fairy Lan mentioned, but I've heard that the demon immortal also cultivates evil spells, so it would never dare to easily touch the Golden Light Divine Talisman."

Guan Luoyang's expression suddenly turned strange.

Normally, if someone is so confident in praising an ancient seal before a major battle, then the seal is very likely to malfunction in the next moment.

"Ahem, Lord City Lord, where is this island? Could you please find me someone to guide me?"

"I want to go see it right away."

Ao Bohuan said happily, "Ever since I received the warning from Fairy Lan and investigated the signs of demons in the surrounding area, I have been quite uneasy these past two days. However, the message to Lord Yuan and the Giant Spirit Cave has not yet been delivered, and I cannot leave lightly. It would be wonderful if you would like to go and take a look."

(End of this chapter)