Demon Lord Tang Dynasty

The saying goes, "The world, after a long period of division, will inevitably unite."

From the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, during the Three Kingdoms period, after the Jin Dynasty came under the rule of the Sima, the War of the Eight Princes soon broke out.

After that, the Five Barbarian Invasions and the invasion of foreign tribes plunged the Central Plains into nearly three hundred years of war and chaos.

For three hundred years, war raged across the land, and blood rained down.

It wasn't until Yang Jian usurped power, seized the Northern Zhou dynasty, and then annexed the Southern Chen dynasty, unifying the country, that this period of chaos lasted for three hundred years.

While battles raged across the Central Plains to determine the ultimate victor, the northern frontier, the Central Plains' archenemy, was also undergoing a process of integration and transformation.

Since the Xiongnu, the dominant power that once swept across the north, over the centuries, various races and tribes have been playing out their own games in this endless desert.

Until the emergence of another overlord.

The Turks, a small tribe that originated in the Altai Mountains, gradually conquered and annexed other tribes, becoming a dominant force in the desert and spanning east and west, following in the footsteps of the Xiongnu.

They defeated the Tiele and annexed the Rouran. Their territory stretched from the Liaodong Peninsula in the east to the Lihai Sea in the west. They commanded over a million archers and subdued the various states beyond the Great Wall. History records that the Northern Barbarians had never been so powerful.

However, like their elder brother hundreds of years ago, the Turks were not exactly lucky.

At the height of their power, the Xiongnu encountered the Qin and Han dynasties at their peak, and were utterly defeated after several generations of succession.

The Turks rose to prominence at the end of the chaotic period between the North and South, and reached their peak just as the Sui and Tang dynasties unified China. Naturally, they followed the same path as their elder brother, the Xiongnu, and even suffered a more tragic fate than the Xiongnu.

Of course, the Turks at present have not yet reached their end.

Although the vast Turkic Khaganate was split into the Eastern and Western Turkic Khaganates due to the schemes of Changsun Sheng, Pei Ju, and others during the Sui Dynasty.

However, with the gradual decline of the Western Turks in recent years, the DTZ has become increasingly prosperous under the rule of the new Khan Shibi. The surrounding tribal states such as Shiwei, Gaochang, and Khitan have successively submitted to the DTZ. Even the Sui Dynasty in the south did not dare to confront the Turks head-on and could only deal with them by means of appeasement and sowing discord.

North of the Yin Mountains, after crossing the continuous mountain ranges, the towering mountains that were once ubiquitous in the Central Plains are rarely seen anymore.

As far as the eye can see, there is only boundless desert and grassland.

There are grasslands in the desert, and beyond the grasslands are yellow sands.

Stretching for thousands of miles, it's difficult to find any other scenery besides grass and sand.

Of course, on that lush green grassland, you can also see herds of cattle and horses and countless tents.

On the grassland, cattle and sheep circled around the village, making joyful noises as they ate. Meanwhile, in the center of the tribe in the distance, inside an imposing tent, a man kept sighing.

The tent was very large, with a brazier in the middle. The intense heat from the burning charcoal in the brazier filled the entire tent.

Further inside was a luxurious bed, and sitting on it was the man who had sighed earlier.

The man was dressed in a magnificent golden robe and wore a golden gauze hat. At first glance, it looked like a monk's robe, but it was quite different from ordinary monk's robes. It looked more noble and more eerie.

"well……"

Gao Yi shook his head and slowly put down the book he was holding.

After the book was closed, five large characters, as if dancing like immortals, slowly appeared on the cover—"The Sutra of Maitreya's Descent."

Gao Yi lowered his head and looked at the scriptures in his hand, a bitter expression appearing on his face once again.

"Mile..."

Gao Yi sighed softly.

The Maitreya Descent Sutra is one of the three sutras related to the Maitreya faith in Buddhism. From this perspective, there is nothing particularly special about it, after all, the Buddhist scriptures and classics are vast and numerous.

The most special thing about the Maitreya's Descent Sutra in Gao Yi's hands is that it is the core text and fundamental doctrine of the famous Maitreya sect.

Yes, the Maitreya sect, that infamous shoe sect.

Gao Yi is now a follower of Maitreya, or more precisely, he is not only a follower but also the leader of Maitreya Buddhism, the reincarnation of Maitreya, and the future World Honored One.

Yes, Gao Yi transmigrated, but after receiving the blow of the Great Fortune, he didn't seem to receive the real Great Fortune. After transmigrating, he fell from the sky and landed right on the altar of the Maitreya Sect, thus fulfilling a miracle of Maitreya's descent into the world.

If that were all, Gao Yi certainly wouldn't have gone to such lengths.

As a 21st-century youth with no car, no house, and no money, Gao Yi also has no moral fastidiousness. In other words, his bottom line and principles can be very flexible, especially in this strange world.

From a poor, destitute person to the leader of a religion, especially a sect like the Maitreya Sect with impure motives and no strict rules, it must have been a wonderful thing.

As for the Buddhist sect, Gao Yi does dislike Buddhism, but how should I put it, as long as the benefits are great enough, whether it's Amitabha or other slogans, Gao Yi can guarantee that his slogans will be louder and more devout than anyone else's.

If it were only these things, Gao Yi wouldn't be so troubled.

The important point is that his title of leader is merely an empty one, without any real power.

Although he is known as the reincarnation of Maitreya, Gao Yi is merely a symbol for the Maitreya sect today.

Since his transmigration, he has spent most of his time trapped in this tent. Even when he occasionally needs to appear in his capacity as Maitreya Buddha, he is under strict surveillance and has no chance to speak to outsiders.

"We need to break this deadlock..."

Gao Yi let out a soft breath. As the nominal leader of the sect, even if he was just a puppet, his current life was very comfortable.

The supply of everything—clothing, food, housing, and transportation—was not only plentiful, but had even reached a point of luxury.

But Gao Yi was very clear about the danger of his current situation.

Being a puppet is never easy; one must bear all the consequences that come with the title and rank.

In particular, he holds the position of "Shoe Guru".

No one knows when a cataclysmic disaster will strike.

Moreover, even without external threats, the Maitreya Sect is not necessarily safe within its own borders.

His current stability depends on his reputation to appease and even attract followers, but it's easy to see that no one wants a retired emperor sitting above them.

Once his usefulness disappears, his life will be over.

Therefore, Gao Yi must find a way to save himself before that day arrives.

But achieving this step is clearly not so easy.

First of all, he is currently in the heart of the enemy's territory, and can be said to be completely surrounded.

Most importantly, the world he lives in now is not a simple one.

Although restricted, Gao Yi has difficulty contacting outsiders, but he can still obtain some basic information.

It is now the Daye era of the Sui Dynasty. The Maitreya sect he belongs to is located in the territory of the Turks. Beside the Turkic Shibi Khan is a national teacher, who is also the number one expert in the Turks. His name is Bi Xuan.