Chapter 413 - Believe My Name (1/2)
A corner of the Immortal Court was covered by a vast ocean of clouds. There were a mountain spring and a small pavilion by the pool.
Two immortals were playing chess in the pavilion. Their movements were calm and soothing, and each stroke was full of meaning. It was as though they were painting a landscape picture, giving off a pleasing look.
After a long time, the game ended. The Immortal Emperor in royal robes threw the pieces back in the chess box. He then smiled at Li Changgeng and said, “Your skills have gone backwards. The last time you played against me, you didn’t lose so fast.”
Li Changgeng replied sincerely, “Your Majesty, you’ve just advanced too much in your chess skills. So it’s logical that I lost so easily.”
The Immortal Emperor declined to comment. He seemed to be in a good mood today. He had been joyous the whole day. He did not have the sense of superiority like in the Zixiao Palace. Only ministers close to the Immortal Emperor like Li Changgeng knew that the Immortal Emperor was actually quite easy-going in private, and rarely got angry. The Immortal Emperor was only domineering in the palace because he had to hold the ministers in check.
Most of the Taoist Immortals were quite carefree and complacent. Actually the Immortal Emperor system was basically the same as the imperial court of the mortal world. Even so, the immortal officials rarely had sleepless nights worrying about the current affairs. If it weren’t for the fact the immortal realm was also currently at war, the Zixiao Palace would rarely conduct court sessions. Thus if the emperor were not strict and stern, then none of the officials would even come to the court sessions.
The attendants had already taken away the chessboard and a fairy maiden made a pot of tea. The Immortal Emperor took a sip and it looked like he felt something, he added, “There are countless springs in the immortal territory. Yet I don’t know why, the brewed tea always feels a little inferior to the tea of the mortal world.”
Li Changgeng heard the undertone, so he asked tentatively, “Your Majesty, are you concerned about the chaos in the immortal world?
The Immortal Emperor put down his tea, and there was a hint of bitterness in his smile. “Li Ye procured the Luck of heaven in the secret region and had been recognized by the Tao of Heaven. Now with the protection of the Luck of heaven, it’s very difficult to kill him, even for immortals. The mortals use the term ‘inscrutable are the ways of heave’ to describe that the immortals’ real plan is hard to figure out. But for the immortals, heaven’s intention is really hard to figure out.”
Li Changgeng was silent.
Thousands of years ago, when the Taoist sect became the masters of the Immortal Court, which was naturally the intentions of the Tao of Heaven. And as the ambassador of the Tao of Heaven, the Immortal Court was in charge of heaven and earth. However, to this day, the Luck of heaven, which represents the will of the Tao of Heaven, had landed in Li Ye’s hands and not the Immortal Court’s. This was intriguing to the curious mind.
The Immortal Emperor sat cross-legged, with his hands flat on his knees. His eyes skimmed across the pavilion and disappeared into the end of the horizon.
He then said quietly and calmly, “We’ve underestimated this Li Ye. We really didn’t expect him to attain the Luck that could overthrow the world. Previously, we thought of him as a cricket, and thought that we could just kill him if we sent some people. If it weren’t for Zhang Ji’s incompetence and the Luck of heaven recognizing a master, who knows how long we’ll remain to be wrong.”
When he finished those words, the Immortal Emperor fell silent as if he were musing over something.
Li Changgeng then added in a timely manner, “With the Luck of heaven protecting Li Ye, it’s impossible to assassinate him. For that reason, the only way for us is to support Zhu Wen and make Zhu Wen challenge him for the rule over the world. The order of the world still lies in the hands of the emperor. So as long as Zhu Wen gets the world, Li Ye will not be able to make any noise as a pauper even with the protection of the Luck of heaven.”
The Immortal Emperor nodded slightly and said, “It’s time to shift the focus from assassinating Li Ye to fight for the throne. I saw in the stars that, the chaos at present is quite different from the past. This time, both Confucianism and Militarism have a chance. If any of them ever became the orthodox ruler, then wouldn’t the world be back to the situation when Ying Zheng reigned? And that would be real chaos.”
Li Changgeng breathed a sigh of relief quietly. He was afraid that the Immortal Emperor would insist on killing Li Ye because Li Ye had caused a lot of damage to the Immortal Court. And he thought the Immortal Emperor couldn’t bare his pride taking such a hit.
Li Changgeng had to admire the fact that the Immortal Emperor could self-reflect. But then he thought it was normal because after all, that was the Immortal Emperor.
Li Changgeng said, “The demon clan has come out amid the chaos, which means Li Ye is not short of cultivators. If Zhu Wen wants to defeat Li Ye, then the Immortal Court must not be tight with sending help.”
The Immortal Emperor glanced at Li Changgeng and asked, “What do you mean, my beloved minister?”
Li Changgeng replied bluntly, “Your Majesty, you should know better than me. It’s time for the Taoist soldiers to come out.”
The Immortal Emperor was silent for a moment and his eyes changed several times.
In the end, he nodded and said, “The immortal territory is now at war, and because of this, we cannot lose control of the mortal world. I agree it is necessary to send the Taoist soldiers at this time.”
Li Changgeng got up from his seat and bowed on the ground. He then said sincerely, “Your Majesty, what a wise decision.”
The Immortal Court had immortal soldiers and immortal commanders, also known as heaven soldiers and commanders. The soldiers had all reached the cultivation of the Immortal Realm. They also had Magic Treasures and formed Military Formations. This was what the Immortal Court had relied on to guard the immortal territory. In contrast, the Taoist soldiers in the mortal world were the troops that the Taoist sect Immortal Court relied on to take over the mortal world.
Not all Taoist soldiers were of the Immortal Realm.
Apart from the difference in the battle areas, the only other difference was between the cultivation of the mortal Taoist soldiers and the immortal soldiers.
…
There was heavy rain in Taiyuan City, which lasted for three days.
After three days, the temperature rose sharply, and it was sunny for four days, and the sun was shining.
During these seven days, a white-robed swordsman had been standing motionless on the top of the North Gate tower, unaffected by the wind, sun, and rain.
The news of this swordsman had spread in Taiyuan City. He had already become the most popular scenery in Taiyuan City. Everyone, be it civilians or cultivators, rushed to the inside and outside of the North Gate, watching him and gossiping.
The whole of Taiyuan city had turned out the North Gate, the hustle and bustle of which had surpassed that of the most prosperous Eastern City. Everyone was rubbing shoulders and blocking the road.
Various vendors had also come to the Fang District near the North Gate, setting up different food stalls and doing trade. All the stalls had formed a long dragon-like line.