"Are you worried that I will spread the news about your reappearance?"
Outside the camp, Zhao Shui was standing on a high slope. Qian Shaobai saw him holding a jade cong and looking up at the sky. His intention was unpredictable, so he stepped forward to ask uncertainly.
Zhao Shu looked back at Qian Shaobai, put away the True Essence Lock, and said calmly: "Yes, I do have this concern."
Qian Shaobai's heart was beating fast, and he lowered his voice and explained: "You are already dead in the eyes of the world. Even if I spread the word to the outside world, others may not believe it!"
"Really?" Zhao Shuyan said: "If Taoist Qian doesn't tell others, will he also hide the elders of his sect? I'm afraid that the Four Immortals of your sect will not be able to tolerate me living in this world."
Qian Shaobai was speechless for a moment, and Zhao Shu continued: "Actually, I can't stop Taoist friend Qian from using magic to send a letter to the elders of the sect. I'm just curious as to why Taoist friend Qian didn't do this."
"I, I..." Qian Shaobai was also a little confused. How could he forget that he could still do this?
With Zhao Shu's current experience and perspective, he could see that Qian Shaobai was uneasy, and he was in a similar situation when the Xuanzhu ascended.
"Is Fellow Daoist Qian a direct disciple of the head of the Shangjing Sect?" Zhao Shu asked casually.
"No, I am a disciple of the Qianzhang Peak lineage." Qian Shaobai replied.
Zhao Shu said: "I heard that there are five peaks standing side by side in Tiancheng Mountain of Shangjing Sect. I originally thought that the inheritance of each peak was different. I think it was an outsider's misunderstanding. It is very rare for Taoist Qian to be taught in front of the leader of your sect."
Qian Shaobai nodded and said: "The master usually retreats to practice cultivation, and indeed he doesn't often support the younger ones."
Zhao Shu smiled and said: "It seems that fellow Taoist Qian is still unclear."
"What's unclear?" Qian Shaobai looked puzzled, but Zhao Shu smiled and said nothing.
At the beginning, Liang Tao once talked about the masters in the world, and Han Yuanzi, the head of the Shangjing Sect, was one of them. With Liang Tao's arrogant personality, the people he could look up to were all extraordinary.
Compared to the Four Immortals, Han Yuanzi's reputation was not prominent. Zhao Shu even once thought that Shangjing Sect had no head at all, and it was the Four Immortals who had the final say.
In the battle at Difei Mountain, an expert from the Shangjing Sect used his magic power and escaped quickly after a successful attack. This shows that he had extremely accurate timing of the battle situation and was able to restrain Liang Tao. It is thought that the leader of the Shangjing Sect could only do it himself.
.
Compared with the brave and powerful Baixiang Wang, Han Yuanzi's profound and unpredictable nature is even more difficult to deal with. Now listening to Qian Shaobai's evaluation of himself and Liang Tao, Zhao Shui felt that Han Yuanzi's realm was so high.
It is no lie that this person is close to immortality.
It would be unwise to confront such a person. Zhao Shu planned to use Qian Shaobai as an opportunity to test the opponent secretly.
"You two, the scouts have sent an urgent report that there may be a monster entrenched more than 200 miles southeast of this place." Guan Shiping interrupted the conversation between Zhao Shu and Zhao Shui.
"Monster?" Qian Shaobai asked: "Have you found out the origin of the monster?"
"The matter is still unclear, so I specially asked you two for help." Guan Shiping unfolded a map and pointed to a place where rivers and roads intersected: "This is Liaohua County. Previously we received news that the county magistrate was killed. Originally,
They thought it was an act of bandits and bandits colluding with the people to cooperate inside and outside. However, there was no news about the several troops sent to Liaohua County a few days ago. Half of the latest group of scouts managed to escape by luck. They suspected that Liaohua County was occupied by monsters."
As soon as he finished speaking, several soldiers who looked embarrassed and tired were brought in. Guan Shiping said: "It's just a few of them. You two can inquire."
Just as Qian Shaobai was about to speak, he glanced at Zhao Mi and saw that he was silent, so he asked the soldiers, "Have you ever seen clearly what that monster looks like?"
The soldiers shook their heads slowly, looking listless. Qian Shaobai saw the clues and stepped forward to take a pulse for a moment, then took a breath of cold air.
"What's wrong?" Guan Shiping asked.
"Their vitality has been captured by evil spirits." Zhao Shu said: "They should be monsters that feed on vitality."
Guan Shiping asked: "Could it be a fox demon? I heard that fox demons like to have sex with men and absorb the vitality of others to help them cultivate."
Zhao Miao smiled faintly, looked at the soldiers for a moment, shook his head and said, "I don't think so. There is no demonic aura on them."
Qian Shaobai rolled his eyes and asked, "What is the situation in Liaohua County now?"
"We haven't entered yet. There is an impenetrable fog outside. Several brothers and their horses were suddenly dragged away. We had no choice but to come back." When the soldier answered, his expression was confused.
"Not only were their vitality damaged, but their souls were also disturbed by sorcery." Qian Shaobai's expression was solemn.
Zhao Shu raised the wooden staff in his hand, and the blue light on the top was like waves. It swayed slightly, and the light like rain fell on the soldiers. Their complexions improved slightly, but the sleepiness on their faces became heavier.
"I have used magic to calm their souls. If you don't want to leave any trouble, it's best to let them sleep for three or two days first," Zhao Shu said.
Qian Shaobai nodded slightly towards Guan Shiping and immediately sent these soldiers back to the camp to rest.
"It seems that it is not an ordinary monster." Guan Shiping frowned: "All kinds of monsters have appeared these days, and if they dare to steal the city, then the people in the city will be in bad luck!"
Qian Shaobai also looked ugly, and Guan Shiping said: "Now that the Yaochi Kingdom is frequently using troops, and the ministries in the northern Xinjiang are also going south many times, the Four Immortals may not have time to take care of us."
Zhao Shu couldn't tell that these words were addressed to him, so he said: "If General Guan doesn't mind being rude and unruly, Xu is willing to go and have a look."
"Master Huaiyu is too modest!" Guan Shiping couldn't hide his excitement: "With the help of Master Huaiyu, why worry about the evil beings that will not be extinguished and the chaos will be unfair?"
Qian Shaobai said: "I will also go together. If there are unexpected changes, I can have a response."
"That's even better." Guan Shiping said: "I will give you another five hundred elite soldiers to dispatch and investigate first. If I can see success this time, I will definitely write a report!"
…
The boat headed south, splitting the turbid river water, and could vaguely see the dense polygonum flowers on both sides of the river, which were colorful and quite gorgeous.
However, despite such a beautiful scenery, there were no pedestrians coming and going on the shore, and the rolling mountains in the distance were lifeless, with no trace of the beautiful scenery of the past.
Qian Shaobai sighed: "There have been frequent disasters in the past ten years. I really don't know how many more years it will take before we can regain our vitality."
"If we can quell the bandits and evil spirits, control the floods, and repair the roads, we will be able to recover in less than ten years." Zhao Shu held the True Essence Lock and looked up at the sky, as if talking to himself.
Qian Shaobai said: "Ten years? Isn't that too light a statement?"
"Fellow Daoist Qian underestimated the people's yearning for living and working in peace and contentment." Zhao Shu said: "I have probably traveled all over Huaxu Kingdom, and I have seen many places that were devastated by the Five Kingdoms War. In Shouyang, ten soldiers were wiped out. Years later, prosperity and wealth will be restored. I imagine there are similar places in Bear Country."
Qian Shaobai also had to admit that this statement was reasonable, but he couldn't help but said: "What about the Huaxu Kingdom now?"
Zhao Shu withdrew his gaze, pondered for a moment and then said: "Idiots who act recklessly will bring disaster to the world. We should take this as a warning."
Qian Shaobai looked around, calmed down his voice, and said carefully: "What on earth were you and Liang Tao going to do back then?"
"In order to create a kingdom of Tao in the human world, we must first achieve the Tao of God and capture the energy of heaven and earth." Zhao Shu replied.
Qian Shaobai was stunned when he heard this, with a face full of disbelief: "You really planned this?"
"You don't believe it?" Zhao Shu asked.
"This is too..." Qian Shaobai said carefully, "It's too exaggerated."
"Are you saying that you are too wishful thinking?" Zhao Shu said: "Many people see it this way, and I was the same way at first. Later, I got deeper and deeper into it, even to the point of being crazy, and I gradually felt that this method was feasible."
Qian Shaobai was silent in thought, while Zhao Shu smiled and said: "Actually, looking back now, many things that happened back then seemed well prepared, but most of them were conceived out of thin air and unrealistic. The battle of Difei Mountain alone attracted all kinds of people from all over the world.
Fang Gaoren worked together to kill him, which shows that Liang Tao's plan has great flaws.
Even if he didn't want to ascend to the altar and achieve the divine way, Liang Tao's situation back then was inherently doomed. As long as he and the Chongxuan Hall were slightly weak and declining, they would immediately face siege and intrusion from all directions. Even in the city and countryside, there were grudges everywhere.
It is difficult to have enemies all over the place for a long time.
The ancients said that if a house accumulates good deeds, there will always be happiness; if a house accumulates bad deeds, there will always be disasters. This is absolutely true!"
Qian Shaobai asked: "Liang Tao was known as a living immortal family back then, so he couldn't imagine it out of thin air, right?"
"In my opinion, not to mention the living immortals, even the heavenly immortals will inevitably make this kind of mistake." Zhao Shu said bluntly: "The mortal world is not a fairyland, and it is impossible to let them control it. If you have this intention,
You will definitely bring disaster upon yourself."
When it comes to cultivation and magical power, Liang Tao is of course extremely advanced. Even if there is a real fight in the lower realms of the immortal family, he can compete with him without any inferiority.
But often it is this unparalleled power and depth that makes Liang Tao develop huge delusions, making him regard the world as something that can be manipulated and disposed of as he pleases.
The battle at Difei Mountain proved that Liang Tao could neither predict all changes nor arbitrarily determine world affairs. Such a state was not enough to become a leader of the Shinto. The best result for Liang Tao was to become the mainstay of the operation of laws and regulations.
Moreover, Zhao Shu's frenzied mood at the beginning showed that even if the ritual was successful, Zhao Shu would only become more tyrannical and arrogant than Liang Tao when he became the master of the Tao Kingdom, and would not tolerate the slightest disobedience.
In this situation, Zhao Shu felt shuddered every time he returned to the capital. He had become so terrifying. This was neither a peaceful and carefree immortal way, nor a divine way that benefited the world and benefited people. It was such a harm to the world and a huge evil in the world.
That's why Zhao Mo felt that Han Yuanzi, the head of the Shangjing Sect, was really smart. Not only did he hide himself behind the Four Immortals and his reputation was not known, it seemed that even Qian Shaobai didn't expect that his head would be able to reach the realm of immortality.
, also includes his ability to see through the biggest flaws and shortcomings of the Taoist Kingdom at a glance.
The so-called "the affairs of the world are determined by the people of the world" refers to the fact that Liang and Zhao wanted to create a Taoist state, but they did not know where the foundation was. They did not care about the people of the world, and they were arbitrary and could not help the world and benefit people.
The second point is that the immortal family in heaven does not need to interfere with the affairs of the world. Since Canghua Tianjun has achieved immortality and has a long life, he does not need to get involved in the human world. Otherwise, he will not only perish, but also affect the common people and cause great disasters.
"Han Yuanzi does have some abilities." Lingxiao suddenly reminded: "I'm afraid it's not an accident that Qian Shaobai came here."
Zhao Shu secretly asked: "Does Han Yuanzi know that I am still alive?"
"It's hard to say." Lingxiao said: "According to Liang Tao, Han Yuanzi is close to the immortal way, so he will naturally have some subtle reactions. Even if Qian Shaobai doesn't tell you, sooner or later you will be exposed to the situation when you reappear in the world.
Experts from all sides noticed."
"Everything you do will result in residual anger." Zhao Shu said.
When Qian Shaobai saw Zhao Mi suddenly saying this, he didn't know what his intention was, so he asked: "By the way, I have seen you holding a jade cong to look at the sky these days. I wonder what you are doing?"
"I'm waiting to see when the evil spirit will dissipate." Zhao Shu responded casually.
Now that the True Essence Lock is in hand, Zhao Shu begins to prepare to go to the True Essence Jade Mansion. However, this cave is not fixed in a blessed place on the top of a mountain. Its portal moves and appears with the changes of Yin and Yang in the four seasons.
One of the wonderful uses of the True Essence Lock is to deduce the changes in Qi. Because the weather in the mountains and rivers is different in ancient and modern times, even the Lingxiao cannot point out the exact location for Zhao Shu, so he can only use the True Essence Lock to start the deduction again.
"Can you see any clues?" Qian Shaobai asked curiously.
"I'm afraid it won't be that fast..." Zhao Shu suddenly felt something. He raised his head and looked into the distance, seeing heavy fog filling the river.
"Stop the ship!" Qian Shaobai also noticed that the situation was different and did not dare to let the ship continue to move forward.
"Sure enough, there is a monster causing trouble." Zhao Shu looked at the heavy fog in front of him, raised his wooden stick high, and wrote down some spells, and then the strong wind howled and blew up the thick fog.
However, the strong wind blew for a while, but the fog still did not disperse. Anyone could tell that this type of fog was unusual.
Qian Shaobai sacrificed the Rainbow Reflection Pearl and released a large rainbow light, which was able to break through the illusion. However, after shining for a long time, the thick fog still did not subside.
"It's not an illusion, but the fog seems to disturb the perception of the five senses." Qian Shaobai said.
"How far is this place from Liaohua County?" Zhao Shu asked.
"There are still about ten miles." Qian Shaobai replied.
Zhao Shuyan said: "The range of this mist is too large, and it cannot be created by ordinary magic formations. If the evil spirit rises up and spits mist, I am afraid that even the great demons of hundreds of years will not be able to do it... You have too many bears."
With such a powerful monster, didn’t the Four Immortals take precautions against it?”
Qian Shaobai glanced at Zhao Mi and said: "Since the drastic changes in Dongsheng Capital, the turbid atmosphere has filled the sky, and the number of evil spirits has increased day by day. On the way to Shiliang Village, I encountered a group of red-spotted snakeheads who were besieging me.
This situation has never happened before.”
Zhao Miao was slightly embarrassed. The death of Canghua Tianjun caused the earth's veins to vibrate and the pure and turbid to mix. This not only caused disasters, but also caused the ancient turbid air hidden deep in the ground to pour out. This is very detrimental to those who are cultivating immortals. However, for
It is a rare blessing for evil spirits who are greedy for blood and nourish the turbid Qi.
It can be said that in today's era, the pure, the weak, the turbid and the prosperous, it is destined that evil will prevail.
"It's my fault." Zhao Shu sighed. Compared with his temporary arrogance, he had never thought deeply about the disaster that might be caused by the failure of Taoist laws and regulations. It was obviously something he was most familiar with, but he committed such a crime.
It was a mistake, and Zhao Shu felt deeply responsible for it.
"I plan to go in and investigate in person." Zhao Shu made up his mind that he not only wanted to take revenge, but also to clean up the troubles he had caused.