Chapter 1 The Suffocating Room

The dim, cramped room made it hard to breathe.

Even the sunlight filtering through the white paper covering the window was dull.

Tian Chenzi groggily woke up.

He circulated his energy in the dark, using his pure Yang Taoist cultivation to forcefully wear down the seals placed on him. He didn't know how long it had been, but as his magical power dwindled, he finally broke free from the last shackle.

The old Taoist exhaled deeply.

He quickly stood up, moving his hands and feet, swinging his arms vigorously, his face twitching.

"Hiss...numb, numb, it's killing the old Taoist."

He had been in one position for too long, and it had gone completely numb.

After finally recovering, and escaping, even Tian Chenzi breathed a sigh of relief.

Half a month ago, he had noticed the strange tiger roars in the mountains, and had secretly investigated. Ordinary cultivators would probably have gained little, but who was he? He had stumbled and struggled his whole life, becoming a cunning old fox. He had actually found the place, and discovered that Zhao Xiu was actually a demon in disguise.

It was a pity that the demon's cultivation was too profound. He didn't even have time to send a message before he was knocked out. He didn't know why the demon hadn't killed him, but had instead sealed him and thrown him here. The old Taoist could only barely wake up when he was fed each day.

It was only because he had lived for over a hundred years and had seen many unorthodox methods that he knew some unconventional but effective ways to break the seals.

Otherwise, a Taoist from a famous orthodox sect would have really been finished.

But even so, after being cooped up for so long, the old Taoist felt like he was about to kick the bucket right here. The old man looked at his attire, which consisted only of an inner garment, and felt stifled. That tiger demon was too unscrupulous; knocking him out was one thing, but it even stripped him of his signature patched Taoist robe.

He had never been so humiliated in his life.

If he hadn't stuck to the old ways and worn an inner garment, wouldn't he have been stark naked?

Tian Chenzi's mouth twitched.

If it really came to that, he wouldn't need anyone else to do it; he would just end his own life.

Finally, after meditating to recover his strength, the old man looked around. He saw bloodstains everywhere in the room, and the human skins wearing Taoist robes. Looking at the statues of the past patriarchs, still appearing pure and serene, his expression dimmed, especially when he saw his friend among them, his heart filled with melancholy.

This was the White Cloud Temple's Ancestral Hall.

The purest place, the most defiled place.

The old man sighed, got up, and prepared to sneak out to inform the action group of the situation.

At this moment, he felt a pang of regret.

He should have brought his phone with him.

But as he pushed the door open, he saw through the crack that the side hall, where there would normally be at least a few people coming and going, was completely deserted. Only the Taoists who had already died were still walking around. One of them was carrying a food box. The old Taoist reached out, but then remembered that he no longer had his Taoist robe, and naturally, no talismans.

His magical power was severely depleted, and he had no copper coin sword, peach wood sword, talismans, wine pot, precious jade, or Bagua mirror. In his current state, if he attracted too many *chang gui* (伥鬼, literally "tiger's servant" - ghosts of those killed by tigers) Taoists, he would probably not end well. He immediately turned around, intending to hide, but after breaking the seals, the vitality in his body was difficult to conceal.

Just as he was racking his brains, whether it was because he had used too much force when breaking the seals earlier, or because they hadn't been placed securely in the first place, as the *chang gui* Taoist pushed the door open, the Taoists sitting cross-legged and wearing Taoist robes suddenly tilted. Regardless of where they were placed, they all fell towards the old Taoist.

Caught off guard, the old man was knocked to the ground.

The foul air covered his mouth and nose, and the dense death aura concealed his vitality.

Tian Chenzi's eyes widened. He saw that the one on top of him was his good friend from his youth. He saw that it was clearly a human skin, but there were bloody tears in the corners of his eyes, his face sorrowful and hateful, as if he was looking at him, as if he was saying something. The old Taoist sighed silently, closed his eyes, and allowed these human skin Taoists to conceal his own vitality.

The one delivering the food was just an ordinary *chang gui*.

It only knew how to mechanically complete its tasks, and didn't have the ability to detect anything, nor the courage to touch anything here.

It put down the food box and left.

After the *chang gui* left, the old Taoist haphazardly pushed away the Taoists pressing down on him, gasping for breath, and sat on the ground. After a while, he straightened his friend, and saw the expressions on the faces of the dead Taoists, which had changed from forced serenity to sorrow. The old Taoist was silent for a moment, looked outside, and muttered to himself:

"Demonic aura soaring to the sky, yet solemn and vast."

"This demon is about to become a big deal."

He turned his head to look at the White Cloud Temple patriarchs, and the Taoists who had been reduced to human skins after death, and said, "In this situation, I can't just run away. There are no ordinary people outside, so it seems that the action group and the Taoist sects have discovered that this place is not right. It is possible to set up an altar and perform a ritual, let's give it a try."

"But a clever woman can't cook without rice. To perform a ritual, you need at least a Dharma altar, and you need talismans. There is no good wood to make a Dharma altar, no yellow paper, no cinnabar, and no way to make talismans. If you are truly willing, then come and help me."

The old Taoist bowed earnestly to the room full of dead Taoists.

He raised his head.

There was no response.

Just as he smiled self-deprecatingly and was about to turn around, he suddenly heard a cracking sound, like thunder roaring in anger.

The ancestral tablets, which had been neatly placed and made of high-quality sandalwood, all fell over and crashed to the ground. Although they were only a little over a meter high, the tablets were all shattered. Cracks appeared on the ancestral statues, some on the arms, some on the chest, and talismans were buried inside.

This was the foundation of the White Cloud Temple's fundamental Taoist methods, the basis for nurturing Yin spirit soldiers.

Bloody tears flowed from the eyes of the dead Taoists.

The old Taoist opened his mouth, thought of how the White Cloud Temple Taoists used to amass wealth through spells and cultivate Taoist methods, but now they had to use what they had accumulated to subdue demons. He shook his head and sighed:

"Taoists, ah."

"Do not fixate on the azure and purple embroidered clothes, do not look at the delicacies on jade platters."

"Rather, split the tablets to make a Dharma altar, and shed bloody tears to become talismans."

"And take your divine talismans as rituals."

"How can you escape when trapped in a cage? The mortal world is a net, fame and fortune are a net. You all died, but instead, you have gained a pure demon-subduing heart."

He sighed sadly, but from the bottom of his heart, a surge of heroism arose. He performed a Taoist salute and said:

"Since that's the case, then this old Taoist will use his century-old cultivation to accompany you fellow Taoists one last time, to set up the Qingwei Demon-Subduing and Saint-Descension Dharma Altar."

……………………

Wei Yuan stared at the painted skin of the *chang gui* in the form of the old Taoist, realizing that he had made a mistake.

He had only divined whether the old Taoist was safe and sound, and whether his life was in danger.

But he hadn't calculated where the old Taoist was now, and what his condition was.

This was because he already knew that the old man was in the White Cloud Temple, so a blind spot in his thinking had appeared. He didn't have time to think too much about it now. This was just a *chang gui*, but he couldn't guarantee that the Mountain Lord wouldn't know, and couldn't guarantee that the Mountain Lord wouldn't actively come to kill him.

He immediately composed himself, and the sword in his hand vibrated.

He directly slashed horizontally, cutting the painted skin *chang gui* apart. The sword energy was chilling, and the painted skin shattered into pieces of white paper, falling backward. However, Wei Yuan was surprised; the appearance was one thing, but how could the clothes of this *chang gui* be so textured, as if they were real?

He didn't have time to think too much. Wei Yuan held his sword horizontally in his right hand to protect himself.

His left hand formed a finger gesture and drew a talisman in the air.

Flames blazed, directly burning the *chang gui* old Taoist, along with his patched Taoist robe, to ashes.

Wei Yuan flew out of the window and landed on the ground.

It was silent.

Taoists wearing White Cloud Temple robes stood behind him, their arms hanging down. The wind blew past, and wrinkles appeared on their faces as they stared at Wei Yuan expressionlessly.

Wei Yuan held his sword and exhaled.

He was no longer in the initial situation, where he would be killed by multiple painted skin slaves in the Moon Dew Reflection.

One Qi flowed through his entire body.

He suddenly stepped forward, applying the essence of martial arts of a battlefield general to the Eight-Sided Han Sword in his hand. The war sword hissed, and he suddenly chopped down vertically, slashed horizontally, tearing out chilling rays of light, like a general charging into the enemy's encirclement.

A swordsmanship style of a general.

Accompanied by the free application of the Taiping Taoist spells.

In just over a dozen breaths, he had actually forced a passage out of the encirclement. Seeing that the barrier was about to be activated immediately, Wei Yuan had to retreat, albeit reluctantly, and head outwards. However, a trace of doubt flashed through his mind.

Since these Taoists were the Mountain Lord's *chang gui*, why didn't the Mountain Lord show his face? And the strength of these *chang gui* didn't match the level of the Mountain Lord's legend. That was the origin of the Mountain Lord's title.

Was it because the Mountain Lord's strength had declined sharply after abandoning his Earth Deity status?

After all, he was originally an Earth Deity of the Yan Han Dynasty, and the so-called Earth Deities were not considered orthodox.

That was why true cultivators didn't care much about these Earth Deities, who would collapse with the rise and fall of dynasties.

Or was it that story from before?

Wei Yuan thought of the Mountain Lord's past, and suspected that the Mountain Lord was still in a painful dilemma, which led to his current state. However, for some reason, a trace of strangeness that he couldn't ignore lingered in his heart. As thoughts swirled in his mind, the sword in his hand flew like the wind. He had already broken out of the encirclement, and finally stepped onto a high place, leaping dozens of meters away with the wind.

The tourists at the White Cloud Temple had already been evacuated.

The barrier was about to be fully deployed.

A True Cultivator had already taken the ancient talismans suppressed in the Yingtian Prefecture action group, and was performing the Dharma altar passed down from the past, specifically to restrain existences like Earth Deities. Wei Yuan's body was as fast as lightning. Not long after he rushed out, he turned his head and saw a stream of light, invisible to mortal eyes, sweep across.

Like a huge罩子 (zhào zi, cover/net), covering the White Cloud Temple along with half a mountain.

Those *chang gui* Taoists who had already died collided with this *zhào zi*, and scorching marks appeared on their bodies. Accompanied by green smoke, they made a sizzling sound, but they still didn't know whether they were dead or alive, and frantically attacked the sealing barrier.

Wei Yuan looked at the White Cloud Temple with complex emotions.

He didn't know if the old Taoist was okay, and he didn't know where the old Taoist was now.

Was he trapped, or was he smart enough to rely on his past experience to escape early?

Someone took Wei Yuan to a safe place. A woman with a gentle appearance and a kind expression said, "Curator Wei, thank you for your help. Huh? Are you injured?" Wei Yuan followed her gaze and saw a sword mark on his arm. Fighting against many enemies, he had forcefully broken through the formation. He wasn't a cultivator who cultivated the body like Yuanjue. Without using his trump cards, he had naturally been injured.

She said, "Come over here, I'll treat it for you."

Wei Yuan said, "Magic?"

The woman was surprised, then pursed her lips and smiled, "No."

She said seriously, "It's a first aid kit."

Wei Yuan was stunned. Then, he watched the gentle-looking woman take out a first aid kit with a cross on it, treat Wei Yuan's wound, spray some disinfectant medicine, and then wrap it with a bandage. This was a temporary frontline command center. Everyone knew that this young man had risked his life for this operation.

Wei Yuan looked at the screen in front of him and said, "What will you do next?"

A liaison officer replied, "We will use more firepower than before to carry out saturation firepower coverage on this mountain. Don't worry, the precision of our modern technology can already confirm that if we want to hit his left arm, we won't hit his right leg. We don't plan to, and it's actually very difficult to flatten this mountain."

"Even if we do, the remaining effects will make the surrounding area unsuitable for habitation."

"Then, the True Cultivators of the Tianshi Mansion have also prepared the Five Thunder Law, which will be used at the same time."

"There is a special targeting Dharma altar to weaken the Mountain Lord's strength."

"In addition, there is..."

One preparation after another was put forward. It could be felt that this time, the importance attached to the Mountain Lord had been raised to an unprecedented level. With the Mountain Lord's current state, there should be no problems, and he would be directly dealt with.

Wei Yuan saw on the display screen that after one command after another was issued, modern technology was armed, and artillery, and even special missiles, all rushed towards the mountain where the White Cloud Temple was located. The *chang gui* had already collapsed and died under the earlier wave of individual firepower.

At the foot of the mountain, members of the Special Action Group and Shenji Camp warriors formed a defense line.

To prevent any from escaping the net.

This time, there was no doubt that they were determined not to let the Mountain Lord escape.

But for some reason, Wei Yuan always had a feeling that something was wrong, a faint worry. Along with the agreement, the order to fire, his spirit shook slightly. From the screen, he saw the second round of firepower begin to pour down. The power of modern technology erupted together. This was a magnificence completely different from the Age of Gods and the cultivators.

Wei Yuan was a little absent-minded watching.

Then, a layer of flowing light rose from the White Cloud Temple. Without forcibly resisting, it swept across the sky in a special trajectory. Immediately afterwards, violent explosion sounds burst out one after another, but they did not fall on the White Cloud Temple, but exploded in the sky above the White Cloud Temple, above the mountain range.

A large amount of flames rose into the air, vast and magnificent.

The barrier became the receiving party for the greatest impact, and began to sway.

This spectacular scene was clearly displayed in everyone's eyes. A large amount of flames bloomed like flowers, and the White Cloud Temple under the firelight was shrouded in a scarlet shadow, with great tension and impact. The person delivering the orders froze. His eyes watched this scene. After a long time, someone murmured:

"Missile interception trajectory, gunpowder detonated in advance?"

"It used magic power to construct a barrier similar to a missile interception trajectory?"

"This, this, this...is this a monster?!"

This was a situation that had never been seen before.

The members of the action group, who had enough experience and enough confidence before, had dense cold sweat on their foreheads.

It was as if they had suddenly entered an unawakable nightmare.

Wei Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. He suddenly remembered what Jue had said to him with a smile when she was painting the oil painting, 'Because I have lived for a long time, I learn things very quickly'. The Mountain Lord had also lived for a long time. The magnificence of modern technology was because it was something that everyone could participate in, the power that was most closely connected to the times. And this also meant that if demons and Earth Deities were willing, they could also learn and master this power.

Missiles and rocket launchers were powerful enough.

But they were also inanimate objects. Since they could be intercepted by technological means, spells could do the same.

However, would the Mountain Lord, who was immersed in the past, have such a strong mind, learning and mastering modern knowledge in a short period of time, and know how to use magic power to construct an interception barrier?

Wei Yuan instinctively thought about what the Mountain Lord was doing, and his thoughts slightly stagnated.

Suddenly, he realized one thing. After the Mountain Lord broke free, he only did three things: break the seal, leave, and cultivate. Because of the records left by the monks in the past, the action group, and Wei Yuan himself, there was a huge ideological misunderstanding in their understanding of the Mountain Lord——

The story he knew was told by the old man.

The one who was still immersed in past grievances was the old man, not the Mountain Lord!

The one who was in pain from the choice was the past, not the present!

Step,

Step,

Step——

Quiet footsteps sounded one after another.

A man in black clothes walked slowly out of the White Cloud Temple, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes. He was wearing a modern black hoodie, with a denim jacket on the outside. He had neat short hair, and even had a pendant on his right ear. His expression was peaceful as he slowly raised his head, looking at the firepower that was being strengthened again.

His five fingers slowly clenched, and the second artillery coverage was completely intercepted before it even reached its effective range.

At this moment, the Dharma altar that had been constructed to suppress the Earth Deity directly collapsed.

Dozens of True Cultivators who presided over this Dharma altar coughed up blood.

For some reason, they encountered a huge backlash, and the ancient talismans passed down from the Han Dynasty were directly torn apart.

At this time, an indescribable, heart-palpitating pressure overflowed, and a new barrier was generated internally and spread outwards. The members of the action group who were originally at the foot of the mountain suddenly found that they could not control their bodies, and suddenly felt an instinctive panic and palpitation.

The sudden change caused everyone to briefly lose their ability to think. The enemy's change was far beyond their expectations. The woman with the gentle face looked at the ancient records passed down from generation to generation lose their light, and subconsciously murmured, "How is that possible? Isn't it an Earth Deity? An Earth Deity from the Han Dynasty, how can it not be affected?"

"He is the Mountain Lord, but he is no longer an Earth Deity..."

The woman subconsciously looked at the museum curator who was speaking.

Wei Yuan stared at the Mountain Lord on the screen.

Earth Deities were born because of the national fortune, they became stronger because of the national fortune, and they would also collapse because of the weak national fortune.

Once they were decreed to be Earth Deities.

It was like being branded.

It was impossible to change.

Unless he had completely abandoned his past.

Unless he had relied on himself to cross the shackles of the Earth Deity, and severed everything.

Unless the fortune of Yan Han was still flowing in this land, and was connected to the vertical mark on his forehead, becoming the foundation of his present self.

Unless he had directly intercepted enough of the divinity remaining in the Buddhist beads, and had completely absorbed it.

Not trapped in the heart, not confused in action, not entangled in the past, not immersed in grievances.

The fusion of Buddhism and Taoism.

Cutting off the three thousand afflictions as false, only one thought in my heart is the true spirit.

This was no longer the Earth Deity enfeoffed by the dynasty.

The Yan Han Dynasty was dead.

"This is a god, a heavenly god."

A heavenly god?!

Everyone who heard this sentence was lost in thought. The gods enfeoffed by the dynasty and the true heavenly gods were completely two different concepts. One was an existence that disappeared with the dynasty, and the other was a myth that shared the lifespan of the Divine Land. At this time, they suddenly realized one thing. People in Divine Land would have a misunderstanding.

They mistakenly believed that gods were all benevolent.

In fact, that was not the case.

The woman who bandaged Wei Yuan finally recovered and wanted to ask again.

But she didn't see the figure standing next to her.

……………………

At the foot of the mountain, the cultivators who were originally guarding against the rampage of the *chang gui* suddenly lost the ability to control themselves. They could only watch helplessly as the Mountain Lord, who looked like just a handsome man, walked step by step. They could only watch as the entire mountain range where the White Cloud Temple was located transformed into another existence along with his walking.

The divine authority of the gods opened up their own blessed land.

Finally, they despairingly saw themselves being enveloped in it.

Gods, even weak gods, were still gods.

A deathly silence. Courage briefly lost the brilliance it should have had. Unlike Earth Deities, cultivators would also encounter the backlash of heaven and earth when they attacked the gods of Divine Land, the fear, hesitation, and the natural suppression when facing the gods.

In the deathly silence, only one person still had the ability to act.

Footsteps like a low war drum suddenly exploded.

A figure lowered his body, like an arrow leaving the string, passing through the stiff bodies of the crowd, and rushing into the barrier created by the Mountain Lord himself. The liaison officer in the rear saw this scene and subconsciously said, "Curator Wei?!"

Was he crazy?!

At that moment.

The low sword cry was like a dragon's roar.

Wei Yuan swept his fingers together. Before he arrived, a scarlet stream of light tore through the air and slashed horizontally.

It was Zhang Daoling's magic sword, as if it had cut through the void.

Several monks who were suppressed by the pressure in the barrier were able to break free.

Then, Wei Yuan suddenly stepped forward, his footsteps paused slightly, his left hand grabbed the shoulder of the injured person at the very back, twisting his body and exerting force. His left arm was gentle and forceful, like holding a baby, turning the flowing wind, sending him out, and his right hand took advantage of the momentum to hold the sword, slashing out swiftly.

The sword cry was hearty and unrestrained.

The trapped people staggered out.

Unable to worry about themselves, they suddenly turned their heads, and then they were all lost in thought, seeing that the man had actually blocked the god-like and demon-like man. In an instant, two Han-made war swords collided rapidly here, bursting out with continuous, shrill sword cries.

The Mountain Lord said slowly, "It's you..."

The Water God Edict that Wei Yuan had borrowed from Wuzhiqi last night was scattered. He clearly recalled the scene that the young Taoist had shown him, cutting off the dragon veins. At this moment, perhaps he would also cut off one, cutting off the fortune bestowed upon the Mountain Lord by Liu Xiu, cutting off the divine platform built by the Mountain Lord himself...

Teacher, I hope I haven't forgotten.

Wei Yuan's palms were numb from the shock, but the long sword in his hand did not retreat at all.

His eyes, because of the sudden surge of ancient divinity, overflowed with gold. This time, as the Deputy Celestial Master of the Taiping Dao, his cultivation allowed him to control the unrestrained power that seemed like the ancient Huai River. In the end, his pupils turned golden.

In the midst of the激昂 (jī áng, excited and impassioned) sound of sword clashes, he and the Mountain Lord almost simultaneously pulled back to open the distance.

The Mountain Lord, who had finally transcended his own mythology, stared at the Crouching Tiger who had accompanied many legends.

Wei Yuan's palms trembled slightly.

At this moment, he noticed the low aura behind him. He also understood what the situation would be when modern humans first came into contact with the gods who should have disappeared from the Age of Gods. The Edict that Wuzhiqi gave him, the power was constantly flowing away. He needed the help of these people. He needed to break their fear and remind them of the things other than 'gods are not all benevolent'.

Wei Yuan was silent for a moment, and exhaled slightly.

Then, those people saw the young-looking curator hanging the roaring Crouching Tiger token around his waist.

They saw him holding the Eight-Sided Han Sword against the ground, speaking in a low voice, his voice calm and gentle, with the power to calm people's hearts, saying:

"The Mountain Lord was originally an Earth Deity, later became a Heavenly God, has tasted blood sacrifices, is arbitrary and reckless, and harms the human world."

His voice paused slightly.

Then, a calm and peaceful voice fell.

"Crouching Tiger Wei Yuan, has come to kill him."

Only Divine Land had such a misunderstanding in the world.

Gods were all benevolent.

That was because, on this ancient land, from ancient times to the present, there was Emperor Zhuanxu's separation of heaven and earth, King Yu's flood control and slaying of gods, and the First Emperor's unification of the world. That was because evil gods had all been killed!

Destroy the mountains and smash the temples!

ps: Today's update, six thousand seven hundred words, well, it can be considered a two-in-one...

It seems that I can't write about the outbreak of conflict today, rubbing my eyebrows. Every time I write about the collection and slightly larger plots, I feel like I'm a waste (smoking)

Damn it, how did those people write so well, is their growth rate unlimited? (Cat holding a car holding a wrench .jpg)