abnabooks Chapter 15 Offering the Sword
Chapter 15 Offering the Sword
High above, the gale-force winds were like knives.
Since breaking through at Enzhou Post Station, Lin Yuan has stepped into the threshold of the Returning to Emptiness Realm. His physical body and soul are perfectly integrated, and every breath he takes exudes the great power of absorbing and releasing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Without pausing for a moment, he suddenly flapped his wings, transforming into a streak of dark golden light, and headed straight for Chaoge City.
In this great calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, where gods and Buddhas make their moves and sages use heaven and earth as a chessboard, seizing the initiative is everything.
Before long, the magnificent capital of the Yin-Shang Dynasty came into view.
Lin Yuan concealed his demonic aura and landed on the highest glazed tile roof next to the Longevity Immortal Palace.
Inside the Shouxian Palace at this moment, beaded curtains hung low, and a warm fragrance filled the air.
Daji was reclining on a luxurious soft couch, her figure slender and her breasts almost bursting out.
The nine-tailed fox spirit was originally one of the three demons of Xuanyuan Tomb. She was sent by the goddess Nuwa to bewitch the king's heart.
But serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; the imperial aura emanating from Emperor Xin was suffocating her.
Just then, a divine thought resounded deep within Su Daji's sea of consciousness.
"Little fox, does the riches and luxuries of this world suit your taste?"
Su Daji's delicate body trembled violently, and she almost fell off the soft couch.
Not daring to be negligent in the slightest, he immediately knelt down in his sea of consciousness.
"This humble demon greets senior!"
"Your kindness is like giving me a second life. I will remember it day and night and never forget it in the slightest."
Stop flattering me.
Lin Yuan sneered, using the wisp of the Golden Crow True Fire that remained between her brows to project his voice deep into her soul.
"I ask you now, do you know what great calamity will befall Chaoge City tomorrow?"
Su Daji felt a chill run down her spine and kowtowed repeatedly.
"This humble demon is unaware; please enlighten me, senior!"
"Tomorrow at noon, Yun Zhongzi, a Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect from Yuzhu Cave in Zhongnan Mountain, will descend upon Chaoge with a demon-slaying artifact. Your meager fox demon essence will be as glaring as a torch in the dark to him."
"If you don't want to end up being completely destroyed, you'd better suppress your demonic aura for the next few days and don't go anywhere."
Upon hearing the four words "Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect," Su Daji was terrified and turned deathly pale.
In front of a true immortal who transcends the Three Realms and is not bound by the Five Elements, her thousand years of cultivation are nothing at all.
"Senior, help me! Senior, help me!"
"What's the panic? Since I've bestowed upon you such a great fortune, I certainly won't let you die so easily."
"In a critical moment, the flame between your eyebrows will save your life."
"Remember, do your job well and don't mess up my game."
As soon as he finished speaking, that divine thought disappeared.
Su Daji collapsed to the ground, drenched in sweat, her mind blank.
……
The next day, outside Chaoge City, a purple aura appeared on the eastern horizon.
A wisp of auspicious cloud drifted down from the heavens, and above the cloud stood an old Taoist priest.
He wore his hair in two buns, a faded blue robe with a Bagua symbol, a whisk in his hand, and straw sandals on his feet.
He truly possessed an otherworldly air, untouched by the dust and grime of the mortal world.
This person was none other than Yun Zhongzi, the immortal of good fortune who remained untouched by worldly calamities and dangers.
Last night, Yun Zhongzi observed the celestial phenomena and saw a demonic aura soaring into the sky above Chaoge City. He knew that a wicked creature had infiltrated the palace, so he specially carved a pine wood sword and went down the mountain to exorcise the demon.
He descended from the clouds and went straight to the Meridian Gate, where he bowed to the gatekeeper.
"I am Yun Zhongzi, a Taoist practitioner from Zhongnan Mountain. I have come here to request an audience with Your Majesty. Please inform Your Majesty."
Not long after, Emperor Xin issued an edict in the Nine-Room Hall, summoning the Taoist priests to the hall.
Yun Zhongzi stepped into the main hall, facing the high and mighty King of Yin Shang, who commanded respect from all directions, yet he remained neither humble nor arrogant.
He simply bowed slightly, made a kowtow with one hand, and said hello.
"Your Majesty, this humble Taoist bows in reverence."
Di Xin frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure on his face.
He was the supreme ruler of the human race, the most honored among all lords. When the lords of the world saw him, they would shout "Long live the Emperor!" three times and pay their respects with great ceremony.
How dare this mere hermit Taoist priest be so arrogant?
"You Taoist priest, how rude of you!"
Di Xin said in a deep voice, "I am the ruler of the world. Now that you have seen me, why do you not bow?"
Faced with Di Xin's questioning and the immense aura of the human emperor, Yun Zhongzi remained calm and composed, gently waving his whisk as he answered.
"Your Majesty is mistaken. A monarch knows nobility, and Taoism is the most revered religion."
"Your Majesty is the ruler of the human world, governing this beautiful land and its people. I, on the other hand, am a person beyond the mundane world, cultivating immortality and the boundless Dao."
"Though Your Majesty is revered, you cannot escape birth, old age, sickness, and death, nor the cycle of reincarnation. Though I am free, I can transcend the Five Elements and roam the vast void."
"Therefore, I do not bow to Your Majesty, for this is in accordance with the will of Heaven."
These words were spoken with neither arrogance nor servility, and with an ethereal, otherworldly quality.
Although Emperor Xin was a tyrant, he was intimidated by the Taoist's extraordinary demeanor, and his anger subsided somewhat.
"What a fitting title: 'The most revered religion in Taoism'."
Di Xin looked Yun Zhongzi up and down before asking a question.
"Why aren't you cultivating your path to immortality in those deep mountains and forests? What are you doing here in my Chaoge City?"
Yun Zhongzi's expression turned solemn. He stepped forward and offered his advice frankly.
"Your Majesty, last night I was strolling in the Zhongnan Mountains when I suddenly saw a demonic aura soaring into the sky from the southeast and penetrating the palace gates."
"I know all too well that if this demon lingers in the palace, it will surely bewitch the emperor, and eventually bring disaster to the country and its people, ruining the six-hundred-year-old foundation of the Shang dynasty!"
After saying this, Yun Zhongzi sighed and recited a Taoist poem aloud as a warning.
"Beauty and allure are most seductive, secretly invading the flesh and bones and destroying the spirit."
"If this creature is allowed to dwell in a secluded courtyard, the nation and its rivers and mountains will turn to dust!"
Upon hearing this, Di Xin couldn't help but laugh.
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Master, are you seeing things? This is a secluded palace, heavily guarded. What demon could possibly be here?"
"Furthermore, my harem is filled with ladies from noble families; how could it be as bizarre as you describe?"
Yun Zhongzi shook his head slightly.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty does not recognize the demon; it is the demon that can bewitch you."
"If Your Majesty could see through its true nature at a glance, how would that demon dare to run rampant in the inner palace?"
Upon hearing this, Di Xin was still somewhat skeptical, but the Taoist priest's earnest words aroused his curiosity.
"Since you say there is a demon in my palace, what method do you suggest to subdue it?"
Yun Zhongzi slowly took something out of his wide sleeves.
It wasn't some kind of divine weapon, but a roughly carved wooden sword made from pine branches.
"Your Majesty, please take a look."
Yun Zhongzi presented the wooden sword with both hands.
"This sword is named 'Juque'. It is neither gold nor iron. It was made by me from a thousand-year-old withered pine branch on Zhongnan Mountain, using a secret method of the Xuanmen sect."
"This sword does not cut the flesh of mortals, but it is specifically designed to subdue all evil and demonic forces in the world."
"Your Majesty only needs to order someone to hang this sword in front of the palace tower."
"Within three days, the demonic aura in the palace will naturally dissipate. The evil spirits causing trouble will surely reveal their true forms and bring about their own destruction under the pressure of my demon-subduing pure energy."
Di Xin took the light pine sword and examined it.
Although I felt it was a bit far-fetched, I waved my hand, thinking it was better to believe it than not.
"Summon the official to hang this sword in front of the palace tower."
……
As night falls, the lights are on.
Lin Yuan remained hidden atop the high eaves, coldly watching the direction of the Fen Gong Tower.
In the field of vision of the "Qi Fortune Observation Technique", the pine sword was sweeping out a blue net that covered the entire harem.
"The foundation of the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect is indeed extraordinary."
"This is just a wooden sword that was casually carved, yet it contains such terrifying Jade Purity Immortal Light." Lin Yuan marveled inwardly.
Just then, the sound of tinkling jade pendants rang out.
Surrounded by several palace maids, Su Daji passed by the Fen Palace Tower.
Although she remembered Lin Yuan's warning, she deliberately concealed her aura.
But this wooden sword was a killing move that Yun Zhongzi had specially prepared to target demonic energy. How could she, a thousand-year-old fox demon, completely avoid it?
The moment Su Daji stepped one foot into the area of the Palace of Division...
"Buzz!"
The giant wooden sword hanging high above suddenly emitted a sword cry.
A pure Taoist aura crashed down!