“Excuse me…”
Wu Ming bowed deeply, carefully observing Zhang Tianxiang’s face, and nodded repeatedly: “Your forehead is full, your earlobes are like pearls, and your eyes are bright and shining! Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! I never expected that today I would still see someone with such a noble and prosperous appearance! Judging from your face, the energy at the bridge of your nose is flourishing, so this time you will surely pass the highest imperial examination and become a Jinshi!”
His resolute assertion surprised the other reincarnators.
“It seems he’s indeed an extraordinary person playing hide-and-seek in the mundane world!”
Ji Fu nodded slightly, watching his subordinates eager to step forward and learn a few techniques from him, which amused him a bit: “Alright… Let them go first as scouts; perhaps they can gain some benefits…”
“Is that so? Thank you for your kind words!”
Zhang Tianxiang nodded, and immediately Xue Qing behind him handed over ten taels of silver.
But Wu Ming refused to accept it, shaking his head and saying: “However, although you are flourishing with fortune, there is still an obstacle in between that you must overcome yourself!”
“Oh? What kind of obstacle?”
“It cannot be said… It cannot be said…”
Wu Ming smiled slightly, shifting his gaze to Ji Fu and the other reincarnators: “Calamity and fortune go hand in hand. What seems like a disaster might also be an opportunity. With capable and extraordinary people protecting you, I’m sure you will always manage to turn misfortune into safety and escape danger!”
Some other candidates, envious of what they heard and saw, also wanted to have their fortunes told, but found Wu Ming just smiling without saying a word, keeping completely silent.
“Alright then… Since I’ve already accepted your hospitality with two cups of wine, I naturally have to help you with one more favor…”
He drank two more cups of wine, then pulled out two yellow papers, quickly scribbling on them like ghostly characters with his brush, and handed one each to Candidate Huang and Zhang Tianxiang: “Keep these talismans well; they will surely save you in times of peril!”
After saying this, he left immediately, laughing out loud.
“This talisman?”
Zhang Tianxiang hesitated slightly, then noticed Candidate Huang’s determined gaze as he gripped the talisman, preparing to leave, so he said: “Brother Huang, I’ll go with you…”
[Ding!]
In the next moment, a mechanical yet mighty voice rang in the ears of all the reincarnators present: [You have triggered a side mission—Demon Extermination!]
…
“A minor deity not even at level three should be enough to give those new reincarnators some initial experience, right?”
Wu Ming was in a good mood as he walked out of the city. Suddenly, his expression changed. He took a few steps and turned, arriving at a place with beautiful mountains and clear waters.
The scenery around became hazy.
As he advanced, flowers blossomed, golden flowers spread throughout the void, as if with every step, the difference between heaven and man was crossed! With a single thought, the void could be transformed into a blessed land!
Unfazed, Wu Ming radiated a purple aura, transforming into the image of the Taoist Lord Ziluo with a long flowing beard, a purple-red gourd hanging at his waist and holding a fly-whisk in hand, as he looked toward the seven-colored golden lotuses rising against the current.
The size of a house, the golden lotus bloomed open, revealing two Taoist Lords seated on the lotus pod. Their gazes met across the space.
“Taoist Lord Miaoyi! Taoist Lord Linglong!”
Wu Ming bowed in greeting, looking at these two who, like himself, were among the five ancestral masters of Taoism.
Taoist Lord Miaoyi wore flowing robes, with waves rippling across her body, forming a misty Milky Way in the sky.
Taoist Lord Linglong looked like a piece of fine jade, with seven orifices as clear as crystal, emitting multicolored radiant light, clearly no ordinary being.
“Why has the Taoist Lord descended into the mundane world and approached the area of the hidden dragon?”
The two female Taoist Lords spoke in unison, almost as if in accusation. As their words were spoken, the sky instantly became overcast with dark clouds, pressing down oppressively.
“Haha… Haven’t the two of you also laid your plans near the hidden dragon earlier? In terms of timing, you were even three years ahead of this old Taoist!”
Wu Ming waved his fly-whisk, instantly clearing the sky and bringing a gentle breeze, dispelling all the gloom in an instant.
“This old Taoist breaking through the barriers of the mundane world to personally place a piece is also due to my own opportunity! It has nothing to do with you two, right?”
Even though they were Taoist Lords, they were still under certain constraints at this time, unable to directly step into the mortal world, especially not near someone like Zhang Tianxiang, who was crucial in the great calamity. They could only act gradually and change things subtly.
It was no wonder these two Taoist Lords, seeing Wu Ming had broken through the restrictions, immediately became agitated.
Taoist Lord Miaoyi frowned immediately: “In times of great calamity, no one can remain unscathed. Even we Taoist Lords of high status must face the calamity, and must engage in a struggle. Even if there is no danger of perishing, under the decline of fortune, we will be unable to protect our disciples, who will inevitably turn to dust!”
“You, Ziluo, are the leader of the immortals of the Eastern Sea and have always been carefree. Why are you so enthusiastic today?”
Taoist Lord Linglong also cast suspicious glances at Wu Ming.
Unfortunately, even though they were Taoist Lords, they could not detect anything unusual about Taoist Lord Ziluo, nor could they discover Wu Ming’s origins. They only felt that Ziluo Taoist Lord’s cultivation had greatly improved, causing them to become even more wary.
“Haha…”
Wu Ming, having gained the upper hand, finally threw his head back and laughed heartily: “My two Taoist Lords, please rest assured. We all belong to the Daoist sect and naturally will not fight among ourselves… My actions are merely to follow the will of heaven and give it a push… In the face of a great heavenly calamity, even the immortals cannot escape, but if we can redirect the disaster outward and preserve the essence of our Daoist sect in Central Plains, it would indeed be a commendable act!”
“Redirect the disaster outward?”
“Preserve the essence of the Daoist sect?”
The two female Taoist Lords, both endowed with extraordinary talent and insight into the future, only needed a slight hint from Wu Ming before they could calculate and understand much, even discerning the pattern of the great calamity, which caused them to feel a chill in their hearts: “This Ziluo’s understanding of the heavenly Dao probably surpasses even ours!”
Of course, this point of heavenly secrets, if Wu Ming did not expose it, even ancient gods and Taoist Lords might need several more months to comprehend.
At this moment, having learned this, they gained a great advantage and couldn’t help but descend from their lotus thrones to bow: “Thank you, Taoist Brother, for enlightening us!”
Knowing Wu Ming’s intentions and that there were no conflicts of interest among them, the two female Taoist Lords naturally softened their attitudes.
“My two Taoist Lords, I have a word of advice for you—our Daoist sect has five ancestral masters, blessed with extraordinary fortune. If we can unite and work together, what do we have to fear from the great calamity that threatens to destroy heaven and earth?”
Wu Ming stroked his beard and said: “Not only do we have nothing to fear, but we can also protect our disciples and enjoy endless freedom for thousands of years… This is not a matter of personal grudges, but a struggle for the grand order of heaven and earth, which must not be overlooked!”
“We sisters naturally agree wholeheartedly with what the Taoist Lord has said!”
Miaoyi and Linglong exchanged a glance, their faces expressionless, but their eyes showed a variety of emotions: “Unfortunately, the other two Taoist brothers won’t think this way…”
Swoosh! Swoosh!
With a flash of light, the previously divine scenery suddenly transformed back into an ordinary mountainous wilderness.
The stream gurgled, a clear spring flowing slowly past Wu Ming like a jade belt, but the two Taoist Lords had already vanished without a trace.
Wu Ming stood silently in place, saying nothing.
Since he had opened this world, all living beings have relied on their own opportunities to arise, giving birth to three ancient gods and five ancestral masters who teach the great Dao and the path to transcendence.
With these opportunities, the paths of gods and immortals naturally flourished greatly in the western regions of the Great Zhou.
The ancient gods were formed from primordial spirits and did not rely much on human faith, yet they possessed boundless power. When it came to harmonizing with heaven and earth and unleashing the world’s innate abilities, they even surpassed the Taoist Lords.
Although the three gods and five ancestors all possessed the status of the world, in reality, according to the amount of innate essence they occupied, there were still differences in rank!
Of course, the five ancestral masters were all of the immortal path, and if the five were united, they could surely overpower the three ancient gods.
But the ancient gods and ancestral masters were indestructible through myriad calamities, and they were constantly at odds with each other, making it impossible to unite. Especially in ancient times, during the great deification tribulation, the most ruthless schemers were often fellow cultivators.
The Taoist Lords and ancient gods lost face, and their disciples and descendants were nearly wiped out, so naturally they were thinking of getting back at each other in the next great calamity.
True great cultivators still had their own emotions and feelings, just like ordinary people.
Otherwise, if everything were simply assimilated into the heavens and earth, even if they transcended to eternity, what pleasure would there be?
“As for the path of gods… Within the Daoist sect, Miaoyi and Linglong both attained enlightenment as female cultivators, naturally closer and supporting each other, forming one faction… The previous Taoist Lord Ziluo, isolated overseas and indifferent to everything, formed another faction. Then there were the other two Taoist Lords, who attained enlightenment through martial techniques, heavy with killing intent, and always eager to prove themselves, so there would inevitably be a confrontation in the future…”
Wu Ming pinched a mudra, and in an instant, his entire form vanished without a trace.
…
“Master, we were useless; we lost track of that Taoist priest!”
On the other side, before Zhang Tianxiang in the city, several people who looked like servants said in shame.
“Oh, it was just a casual remark, nothing serious…”
Zhang Tianxiang’s gaze was cold and distant.
These few people who seemed to be household servants had actually been extremely famous in the martial world before, each at least a local master-level martial artist. It was only by sheer coincidence that they had ended up under his command.
Such high-level experts had actually lost him completely within the city, feeling as if they had been toyed with at the palm of the other’s hand, which was quite unexpected for him.
Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but touch the talisman in his sleeve.
At this moment, he was outside the mansion of the Huang family. Just now, as soon as Candidate Huang returned, he had rushed into the inner quarters with a group of reincarnators, not knowing where his confidence came from.
Boom!
Suddenly, the entire Huang family’s residence shook, and faintly, a black aura surged into the sky.
“Heh… So it really is a demon!”
Zhang Tianxiang narrowed his eyes slightly. As long as he knew the demon’s origin, it would be easy to deal with. He could request the governor’s decree and directly suppress it with elite soldiers from the army; no demon or monster would dare to defy him.
After all, the Great Zhou’s imperial aura was at its strongest at this time!
Ordinary monsters and demons, even great demons, generally dared not challenge the majesty of the imperial aura.
Of course, there were also some insane demons, but the Great Zhou’s reverence for Taoism was very strong, and there were Taoist temples everywhere. There were also real cultivators or hermits living in seclusion, who upon hearing this news would certainly come to eliminate the demon. Even if the demon was extremely fierce and strong, how many nails could be hammered into a single piece of iron?
In the end, this world still belonged to the human race!
“Go, quickly notify the government and Master Zhenyang of the White Cloud Temple, telling them that the home of Candidate Huang has been invaded by a demon and asking for their assistance! The rest of you, follow me!”
Zhang Tianxiang flicked his sword sheath, and the three-foot-long green sword immediately sprang forth, exuding a sharp and cold edge!
Three years of sword hiding had made his swordplay more refined, and his skills had reached a deeper level!
“Yes, sir!”
The people around him all responded solemnly.
Peng!
Suddenly, from within the Huang residence, a golden light emerged and instantly transformed into a blazing sun.
The black aura, wrapped by the sunlight, melted away like snow, accompanied by a scream, and was soon reduced to ashes.
Zhang Tianxiang and the others exchanged glances, somewhat at a loss…
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