Taoist priests in the supernatural world

Within Dixian Village, the buildings are arranged in the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) orientation.

The wooden buildings, stone houses, alchemy rooms, and medicinal gardens are connected to each other. Although they have long lost their former glory, one can still vaguely see the order and grandeur of the past.

All the houses were covered with a thick layer of moss.

Colorful flowers bloom on the moss.

Not just architecture.

Even the ground was covered with a thick layer of moss.

Huang Bai stepped onto it and felt that his feet were damp and soft, as if he were stepping on a living thing.

Deep within the moss, there is an extremely subtle pulse.

With each breath, it felt as if the entire Immortal Village was still alive.

This is Pangu Corpse Moss.

Huang Bai's gaze swept around and quickly landed in the center of the Earth Immortal Village.

There were now rows of wooden statues there.

He fixed his eyes.

Among those statues were Song Wuji, Gao Yao, Zheng Bao'er, and some alchemists he didn't recognize.

They must have been disciples of the Immortal Kingdom who were later recruited.

Some people are completely transformed into statues.

Some people have become plants that are half human and half tree.

Their legs transformed into roots, sinking into the ground, their faces still bearing the expression of their final moments.

These people have become one with this Pangu corpse vein.

In the very center of Dixian Village stands a mulberry tree.

The tree is ten meters tall with lush branches and leaves.

The tree canopies, like umbrellas, shaded most of the village.

The tree trunk was covered with Pangu's essence, which had a mica-like texture and shimmered with a faint white light in the spiritual mist.

Huang Bai looked at the mulberry tree and quickly understood what was going on.

"It turns out that if the corpse moss completely takes over consciousness after taking the Pangu Immortal Pill, it will eventually turn into a plant."

"Instead of becoming a corpse immortal like in the Ghost Blows Out the Light world."

Only now did Huang Bai truly see the limitations of the elixirs he had refined back then.

Pangu Corpse Moss can indeed prolong lifespan, and may even allow the physical body to approach immortality.

The longer the physical body lives, the deeper the cadaveric erosion becomes.

Once consciousness is completely overwhelmed, the so-called earth immortal will gradually lose himself and eventually transform into the half-human, half-tree existence before us.

Huang Bai approached the mulberry tree.

Soon, he saw an old man's face growing in the center of the tree trunk.

The face was deeply wrinkled, with drooping eyelids, as if it had been asleep for a long time.

This person was Zheng Anqi.

This refers to An Qisheng, whom people call the Thousand-Year-Old Man.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As if sensing the arrival of outsiders, the mulberry tree emitted a sound of wood rubbing together.

The human face on the tree trunk slowly opened its eyes.

Those eyes were cloudy and slow, and it took a long time before they finally managed to focus on Huang Bai.

"The... Immortal..."

An Qisheng's voice was very slow and intermittent, and he was clearly no longer fully conscious.

Huang Bai stepped forward and said softly:

Take your time, there's no rush.

As he spoke, he raised his hand and touched the trunk of the mulberry tree.

The profound energy of the Alchemy technique slowly flowed into the tree trunk, slightly stabilizing An Qisheng's condition.

The mulberry tree branches and leaves swayed slightly.

After a long while, An Qisheng's eyes cleared up a little.

After some questioning, An Qisheng finally revealed the reason for what happened back then, albeit haltingly.

A major battle did indeed take place back then.

A woman named Xuan Nu was sent from the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West.

The Mysterious Maiden descended from a meteorite in outer space, bringing with her various strange beasts that attacked the immortal kingdom of Penglai.

There were also some extraordinary individuals who had ingested the Queen Mother of the West's elixir of immortality and possessed all sorts of strange and supernatural abilities.

The Earth Immortal Kingdom suffered heavy losses in that battle.

Many Earth Immortals perished in the battle.

Many others were also poisoned by the corpse moth and prematurely turned into grass and trees.

Ultimately, the Penglai Immortal Kingdom could only hide in this sea area using mirages, completely avoiding the mortal world.

Meanwhile, those people from back then gradually had their consciousness completely taken over by corpse lichen over the long years.

Song Wuji, Gao Yao, Zheng Bao'er, and many other sorcerers have all transformed into their current forms.

An Qisheng's consciousness was preserved because he practiced the Everlasting Spring Dharma.

But it was barely preserved.

I'm awake less often and asleep more often.

After saying this, the human face on the mulberry tree slowly closed its eyes again.

An Qisheng fell into a deep sleep once again.

Huang Bai remained silent for a moment.

Zuo Ci stood to the side and said in a low voice:

"Immortal Elder, I was one of the three disciples that Immortal Elder Anqi took in back then."

"The other two are Fei Changfang and Yu Ji."

"In the mortal realm, I used the alias Nan Hua Lao Xian and once took on a disciple named Zhang Jiao."

Huang Bai looked at Zuo Ci.

"No wonder the Yellow Turban Army used the name of Yellow Heaven; now I know the reason."

At this point, Huang Bai asked again:

"How can you freely enter and leave Penglai?"

Zuo Ci replied:

"Our lifespan has not yet ended, and we have never consumed the elixir of immortality, which is what the immortal called corpse moss, so we can still come and go freely."

Huang Bai nodded slightly.

"The elixir of immortality... that's a good nickname."

However, this elixir is not without its flaws.

Huang Bai continued walking around the Pangu Corpse Vein.

The Corpse Vein is much weaker than it was at its peak.

The vibrant energy that once filled the land, almost enough to sustain a nation's longevity, has faded considerably.

This is likely due to the large number of users and the heavy losses incurred during the great war.

The fact that so many cultivators turned into plants in the past may also be related to the decline of the corpse vein.

The corpse veins were insufficient to keep them conscious.

Therefore, the only option was to use the most brutal method to drag them all into slumber, turning them into part of this immortal kingdom.

As Huang Bai gazed at the central mulberry tree, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Why not let An Qisheng ascend to heaven in broad daylight and transform this place into the Dharma realm?"

Simply put, it means making An Qisheng the incarnation of Pangu's corpse vein.

Then transform this immortal kingdom into a hidden realm of Dharma in the mortal world.

The combination of the Earthly Immortal Kingdom, the Dharma Realm, and the system of borrowing Dharma through faith seems to have some potential.

If successful, the Penglai Immortal Kingdom may no longer need to rely solely on the Pangu Corpse Moss to maintain its existence.

Instead, it can become a Buddhist temple in the Dharma realm, like Maoshan or Longhushan.

However, this method is not easy.

"Given An Qisheng's current state, he probably won't be able to survive the Heavenly Tribulation and complete the Dharma Realm Transformation."

"However, if we rely on the faith of the masses, we might be able to help resist the heavenly calamity."

Thinking of this, Huang Bai suddenly remembered Zhang Jiao from the mortal realm.

The number of followers of the Taiping Dao is more than several hundred thousand, and its influence extends to eight provinces.

Isn't this the perfect candidate to absorb a large amount of faith?

Thinking of this, Huang Bai turned and walked towards the Tiandao Temple behind the mulberry tree.

The temple is not large.

Some of them are even worn out.

The memorial tablets on the shrine still gleam with golden light.

Huang Bai stepped forward and took down the memorial tablet.

"Let's go, let's go to the human world."

Zuo Ci's expression changed drastically.

"Yes."

Huang Bai took Zuo Ci with him, and the two boarded a paper crane and crossed the vast East China Sea.

A fierce wind howled, and white cranes soared.

The sea receded rapidly below, while clouds swept past on both sides.

Zuo Ci stood on the back of the paper crane, squinting as he surveyed the scene below.

Although he can also use origami magic to conjure white cranes soaring into the sky.

The paper cranes he conjured were far less agile and stable than the one made by Huang Bai.

It's even more impossible to cross the ocean and fly freely like that.

The patriarch's mastery of Taoist magic was indeed divine.

Zuo Ci couldn't help but ask:

"Old Immortal, where are we going?"

Huang Bai stood atop the paper crane, facing the sea breeze, and said without turning his head:

"Embrace all faiths and rebuild the immortal kingdom."

Zuo Ci immediately said:

"If the immortal wishes to have faith, he can go to Zhang Jiao."

"His followers are now spread across eight states, and with just a word of command, countless people will worship the Immortal of Penglai."

Huang Bai calmly said:

"No rush, let's take a look first."

Zhang Jiao is currently enjoying great influence.

If you rush there now, it might make the other person think that you are destined for greatness.

Only when you've reached the end of your rope will the other person truly understand where everything they possess comes from.

It's better to offer help in times of need than to add flowers to brocade.

The two landed on the shore of the East China Sea, in front of a dilapidated temple.

The temple is half-collapsed, and weeds grow rampant in front of the gate.

The temple houses a broken statue.

The statue is faded and worn, but one can still vaguely make out that it is a kind-faced old man.

The statue has blurry inscriptions carved on its left and right sides.

The Immortal of Penglai, the King of the East.

Huang Bai looked at those words with a subtle expression.

"This Eastern King Duke...is he referring to me?"

Zuo Ci lowered his head and said:

"Indeed, after Emperor Guangwu, the worship of the Queen Mother of the West became popular."

"In order to create a parallel structure, the people called the immortal the Eastern King Duke."

"Over time, we started calling it that internally as well."

The title "Dongwanggong" combines elements from the Chu mythology of the sun god Dongjun, the Earth Immortal Ancestor of the Earth Immortal Kingdom, and the legend of the Penglai Immortal.

Huang Bai couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.

"That's an interesting title."

The Queen Mother of the West, the King Father of the East.

Two completely different and hostile forces were actually paired up by the people.

When Huang Bai created the Penglai Immortal Kingdom, he did indeed intend to imitate the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West.

However, the Kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West is located outside the heavens.

The immortal kingdom of Penglai is located in the East Sea of ​​the human world.

Huang Bai gazed at the broken statue and thought to himself:

"I hope that one day, the fairyland of Penglai will be comparable to the kingdom of the Queen Mother of the West."

Having said that, the two disappeared into the dust and smoke.

……

In October of the first year of the Zhongping era, the autumn wind was bleak, and the vegetation in Hebei withered.

The Han army camp stretched for more than ten miles.

Banners blotted out the sun, drums and horns resounded, and torches blared like dragons between the camps.

Squads of soldiers patrolled back and forth, the clanging of armor echoing incessantly.

Inside the tent beneath the central army banner, Left General Huangfu Song stood with his hand on his sword.

He replaced the framed former commander Lu Zhi and witnessed firsthand the humiliating defeat of his successor Dong Zhuo.

At that moment, he knew that he carried the last hope of the Han Dynasty on his shoulders.

The Yellow Turban army was strong and well-equipped, and Zhang Jiao was also proficient in talismans and thunder magic.

In this battle, the Han Dynasty gathered almost all of its elite troops that it could mobilize.

Huangfu Song himself came from a family of extraordinary people.

He possessed immense strength, like that of a dragon and an elephant, and his vital energy was abundant.

Several extraordinary individuals from prominent families also accompanied the army to fight against the Yellow Turban Army.

The elite troops in the camp were the renowned Fifth Battalion of the Northern Army, with long spears like a forest, halberds and spears reflecting the sun, and swords and armor covered in frost.

Huangfu Song looked outside the tent and said in a deep voice:

"Summon all commanders to the central camp for a meeting."

The main force of the Yellow Turbans was stationed in the formidable city ahead.

On the city wall, the banner proclaiming "The Blue Heaven is dead, the Yellow Heaven shall rise" still fluttered in the wind.

More than 100,000 believers, their heads wrapped in yellow turbans and carrying hoes, sickles, bamboo spears, and ring-pommel swords, stared intently at the dark mass of government troops outside the city.

Inside the central command tent of the Han army.

Elite troops and capable generals gathered together.

A man with large ears sat at a table in the corner.

Behind the man stood two burly men, one with a red face and the other with a dark face.

It was none other than the three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei.

Looking at his generals in the tent, Liu Bei could not hide his excitement.

"Second brother, third brother, the commander-in-chief is about to launch a general offensive. We must fight to the death and make great achievements."

He had been unsuccessful for half his life, but now that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was raging, Liu Bei saw it as an opportunity for his three brothers to make a name for themselves.

Zhang Fei grinned, his voice rough and bold, and said, "Brother, rest assured, I will definitely cut off the head of that moth thief!"

Guan Yu stood stroking his beard, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed.

Although he didn't say much, his fighting spirit was gradually rising.

After days of provocation and siege, the army has gradually figured out the true strength and weaknesses of the Yellow Turban Army.

Although Zhang Jiao possessed magical abilities, the Yellow Turban army was eventually exhausted.

This is the perfect opportunity to breach the city.

That night, at midnight.

Torches suddenly lit up the camp.

Huangfu Song stood beneath the central army banner and gave the order.

"Midnight."

"All three armies march simultaneously!"

boom!

The war drums thundered.

The five battalions of cavalry, like arrows released from a bow, were the first to tear through the outer defenses of the Yellow Turban camp.

The Han army archers and crossbowmen stepped forward simultaneously.

Thousands of rockets, soaked in grease, were launched simultaneously at the Yellow Turban army camp.

next moment.

Flames shot into the sky.

The wind fanned the flames, and the fire, aided by the wind, caused tents, wooden palisades, haystacks, and grain carts to catch fire one after another.

The fire spread rapidly in the darkness, turning half the sky red.

The Han army launched a full-scale attack.

The three brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, along with Cao Cao, Sun Jian, and others, all led their troops in a charge amidst the flames.

The extraordinary generals moved through the chaotic army like ghosts.

They are either incredibly strong, invulnerable to swords and spears, can breathe fire and smoke, have keen night vision, and are as muscular as apes.

Two hundred years ago, the Mysterious Maiden descended to earth, bringing with her the elixir of immortality from the Queen Mother of the West.

Those who ingest the elixir of immortality acquire supernatural powers.

These extraordinary skills can be broadly categorized into three types: "essence," "qi," and "spirit."

The essence strengthens the physical body, making one strong enough to lift a tripod and impervious to swords and spears.

Qi can inhale and exhale strange fire, control wind and thunder, and manipulate poisonous smoke.

The divine, on the other hand, involves mysterious supernatural powers such as illusion, dreams, and curses.

As the supernatural beings multiplied over generations, the power of the elixir of immortality within them had become diluted.

Even so, they are still far beyond ordinary people.

Inside Guangzong City.

A nine-zhang-high altar stood in the city.

Zhang Jiao, clad in a ceremonial robe and holding a staff, helplessly watched the armies surging in from all directions.

Once upon a time, he mastered the Thunder Technique and was full of vigor.

He thought he could become the next Huang Tian.

They believed that as long as they raised the banner of the Way of Peace, the people of the world could overthrow the powerful families and usher in peace.

But now he understands.

"Magic power has its limits."

"Human power is limitless."

His magic power has been exhausted.

No matter how powerful Lei Fa was, he couldn't withstand the continuous siege of 100,000 troops.

After being besieged for many days, the morale of the Yellow Turban army had collapsed.

Now that the fire has started, it is even more vulnerable.

In order to stabilize the morale of his troops, Zhang Jiao could only force himself to maintain the posture of offering sacrifices to the Yellow Heaven.

But he knew in his heart that it was all in vain.

There is no longer a Yellow Heaven in the world.

The people's heroic act of rebelling against powerful families was ultimately just a flash in the pan.

Zhang Jiao closed his eyes, forcibly suppressing the surging blood in his chest.

He then rallied his spirits and performed a final sacrificial ceremony.

He raised his staff high and muttered incantations.

"The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise."

"In the year of Jiazi, great fortune will befall the world."

"The Supreme One bestows its light, the Purple Star initiates its fortune, the Earth Virtue receives its mandate, and the Central Yellow Emperor governs the celestial sphere."

"Peace has arrived, and it will last forever..."

The sounds echoed amidst the flames and shouts of battle.

Countless Yellow Turban believers in the city looked toward the altar.

Their faces were covered in soot, but a faint hope rekindled in their eyes.

Even now, they still believe that the Great Teacher can invoke the protection of Heaven.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sudden gust of wind arose.

In the pitch-black midnight, a myriad of rays of light appeared.

Golden light broke through the clouds on the eastern horizon, tearing away layers of darkness.

On this day, the sky rose again.

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