My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 195 - 38: Three Questions about Taiping, Behind Us is a Jade Void Immortal

'WOOOO!!!'

The horns blared. Signal smoke rose across a thousand miles, and the thunderous beat of war drums shook the very heavens!

Meanwhile, in Linzi, at the Qi Palace.

Duke Huan of Qi stepped out of his hall. He watched the pillars of signal smoke rising in the distance and listened to the far-off, thunderous war drums, trembling with rage.

"They actually dare to come?" he seethed, gripping his sword.

Just then, a soldier scrambled in, reporting in a panic:

"The one hundred thousand soldiers at the border and Supreme General Dragon Abyss... they've all... all defected to the enemy!"

"The audacity!" Duke Huan of Qi roared. With a single slash of his sword, a wave of Sword Qi erupted. It tore through the ground, burst from the Royal Palace, and surged into the bustling city streets, mincing countless innocent vendors and passersby to bits.

Guan Zhong's brow twitched violently. He moved to stop Duke Huan of Qi, who was about to strike again, and urged,

"This is our own city!"

The corner of Duke Huan of Qi's eye twitched, and he managed to rein in his anger.

He glanced sideways and said coldly,

"What if I were to go straight to the border and execute this so-called Lu Zi?"

"You must not," Guan Zhong sighed softly. "Duke Mu of Qin is by his side, and now they have Confucius as well..."

As he spoke, he gazed into the distance, his sight piercing the void to land countless miles away, only to be repelled by a sky-spanning canopy.

Guan Zhong stumbled back several steps and coughed up blood, his expression grave.

"Lu Zi himself is a Great Virtue. Now that Confucius has also become a Great Virtue, and with Duke Mu of Qin in the mix... if you leave Linzi, you will be no match for them."

He paused, then continued,

"Only here in Linzi, within the capital of the Qi Kingdom, can you be safe with the blessing of the kingdom's fortune..."

"'Can be safe'?" Duke Huan of Qi sneered. "Have you so little confidence in me?"

As he spoke, he pointed to the head hanging from the Great Banner and smiled.

"Have you forgotten how this Zhang Ling died?"

"But..."

Guan Zhong gave a bitter smile, then reminded him in a low voice,

"That Celestial Venerable... during the unwarranted disaster three months ago, he was smashed down into the Human World along with the Celestial Gate of the West Pole Celestial Court... He perished, his Dao dissipated."

Duke Huan of Qi's expression stiffened.

After a moment, he regained his composure and said,

"Hmph. Don't forget, my ancestor was Jiang Ziya, Jiang Taigong! A Disciple of Jade Void, the Lord of God-Sealing!"

Guan Zhong's expression shifted slightly.

"You intend to... invite a Jade Void Immortal to descend?"

"Precisely!"

A cryptic smile appeared on Duke Huan of Qi's face. He pointed his sword to the sky and stood proudly.

"Some days ago, I already set up the ritual altar to communicate with an old acquaintance of my ancestor, Jiang!"

"Which Immortal?" Guan Zhong asked, his heart pounding with fear.

Duke Huan of Qi chuckled. Gazing at the distant signal smoke, he said coldly,

"From the Jade Void Lineage, the Chief Disciple of the Primordial Great Celestial Venerable..."

"You've summoned Venerable Guangcheng?!" Guan Zhong cried out in shock.

"Ahem." Duke Huan of Qi lowered his sword and coughed twice. "Not quite. I've summoned the second disciple of Venerable Guangcheng, the Lord God of the Yearly Age."

Guan Zhong let out a breath, a bitter smile on his face.

"I thought you had actually summoned Venerable Guangcheng himself... But if I recall correctly, the one you speak of... isn't he a son of King Zhou of Shang?"

"Yes," Duke Huan of Qi nodded. "He is also a Celestial Venerable of the Daoist Sect... But to be safe, have our men prepare another altar and perform the rites. I intend to summon an Upper Celestial Venerable from the West Pole Celestial Court!"

Guan Zhong's expression changed drastically.

"An Upper Celestial Venerable... is that really necessary?"

"To be safe."

A dark, profound look appeared in Duke Huan of Qi's eyes.

"This is also a show of force to the world. A Celestial Venerable of the Jade Void Lineage is my elder, and now I'll summon an Upper Celestial Venerable to descend upon the world. When that time comes, my armies will sweep across the land. Who would dare to stop me? Tell me, who would dare?" 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Guan Zhong fell silent.

After a long moment, he sighed and said,

"If so, it is indeed a foolproof plan."

Duke Huan of Qi flicked his sleeve, turning away from the signal smoke. As he walked back toward the palace, he said,

"I have a Jade Void Immortal behind me, and I'm summoning an Upper Celestial Venerable from the Western Celestial Court. Forget Lu Zi—what if ten or even a hundred more Great Virtues were to appear?"

"The world, in the end, will be mine."

.....

In a certain Daoist Palace.

The middle-aged Daoist opened his eyes and glanced sideways.

"Guangcheng Zi."

"Master." Guangcheng Zi, who had been meditating, hurried forward and asked respectfully, "May I know what instructions Master has for me?"

The middle-aged Daoist looked down at Guangcheng Zi for a long moment, then said flatly,

"You've taught a fine disciple."

"What?" Guangcheng Zi was taken aback for a moment. Sensing the ill-intent in his master's tone, he said cautiously, "Master, please speak plainly."

"It's nothing, nothing," the middle-aged Daoist waved his hand lazily and yawned. "Hmm, I'm rather curious to see how you'll face your little junior brother later."

Guangcheng Zi was stunned and even more confused.

......

Day Seventy-Nine.

Lu Zi's chariot passed through the Qi Region, traveling through a hundred cities. Though signal smoke rose and war drums beat in every city, not a single soldier dared to leave the walls to stop him.

Two Great Virtues were walking the earth. Who would dare to stop them?

Besides, they were accompanied by a hundred thousand fierce border soldiers and the illustrious Supreme General Dragon Abyss!

Along the way, they encountered many disasters in the Qi Region, such as great droughts, bandits, and Fierce Demons. Lu Xuan dealt with them all, resolving each crisis.

Duke Mu of Qin asked,

"The Qi Kingdom is an enemy state. Why does Lu Zi...?"

But Lu Xuan simply smiled calmly.

"Duke Huan of Qi has lost his Virtue, but what has that to do with these common people? All they seek is Taiping, a peaceful life."

Duke Mu of Qin nodded, lost in thought.

Nearby, aboard the chariot, Confucius sighed softly.

"Indeed. When the various states are at war, why must the people suffer? The land is in turmoil, and natural disasters are frequent... When will Taiping ever come to this Human World?"

Lu Xuan, seated in his chariot, looked out at the mountains and rivers on both sides. Recalling the various natural disasters and demonic calamities he had seen on his journey, he sighed softly and murmured,

"Yes, this world... when can it ever know true Taiping?"

This question was about the Taiping of this era, but also about the Taiping of the Current World.

Sakata Heavy Industries had fallen, but the Super Conglomerates still stood tall. The Evil Cult lurked in the shadows, the intentions of the North and South Life and Death Second Floors were unknown, and above the sky, beyond the Great Wall, the Demon Race watched with predatory eyes...

"Taiping..." Lu Xuan sighed again.

Duke Mu of Qin, however, said,

"If the world were unified and the chaos of war eliminated, perhaps Taiping could be achieved."

"Unified, you say?" Lu Xuan smiled calmly and said nothing more.

But as his chariot passed through another drought-stricken area, he pointed to the parched farmland and asked,

"This is the heartland of the Qi Kingdom, untouched by war. Look here. Do you see Taiping?"

Duke Mu of Qin opened his mouth but did not answer.

Lu Xuan shook his head. Using [Reasonable Words], he summoned a great rain, causing the rice paddies to yield a bountiful harvest.

They continued onward.

Next, they saw a Fierce Demon occupying a mountain range. This Demon was cautious and rarely entered cities to slaughter. It merely demanded that the villages and towns offer up young men and women daily as food.

Lu Xuan pointed to the desolate scene in the villages, to the many hollow-eyed, grief-stricken old people who resembled walking corpses, and asked, looking to the side,

"There is no war here, but do you see Taiping?"

Duke Mu of Qin opened his mouth, but again, he was silent.

This time, it was Confucius who acted. With words of wisdom and virtue, he struck down the Fierce Demon in a single utterance.

They continued onward.

They passed by the banks of a great river. The water was calm, not turbulent, and there were no levees along the banks, suggesting it had never flooded.

However, they could see many people weeping by the riverside. There were soldiers with looks of pity on their faces and several hundred children tied to posts.

At the same time, a Witch Priest was chanting at an altar, seemingly performing a ritual sacrifice.

Confucius sighed softly.

"They are making a sacrifice to the River God, trading human lives for the river's year-round tranquility, free of disasters..."

Lu Xuan glanced over, pointing to the bewildered children tied to the posts, and to the parents nearby who had nearly fainted from weeping. He asked,

"There is no war here, no natural disasters, and no Fierce Demons. But do you see Taiping?"

Duke Mu of Qin shook his head bitterly and sighed at length.

"There is no Taiping!"

With that, he drew his sword and slashed. Amidst the cries of countless onlookers, a flash of light plunged into the great river. A moment later, the water turned red, and an Immortal Corpse floated up from the riverbed.

This River God had been pierced through and killed by the Sword Qi. As it surfaced, its left hand was still clutching the remains of half a child.

The corner of Duke Mu of Qin's eye twitched. He remained silent.

Lu Xuan, however, stopped the chariot and spoke calmly.

"This is why I have long known that if you want Taiping, simply asking everyone to be benevolent and righteous is not enough. There are natural disasters, demonic calamities, and immortal scourges."

Confucius, standing nearby, wanted to say something, but in the end, he swallowed his words.

Lu Xuan continued,

"For all people to be benevolent and righteous is only one part of it. The Immortals in the heavens who casually inflict disaster, the demons who wreak havoc across the land, and gods like this who commit evil... all must be swept away before Taiping can be seen!"

A chill went down Duke Mu of Qin's spine. Confucius's expression changed slightly.

'Sweep away Immortals, gods, and demons...?'

They both looked up at the Celestial Vault in unison, and both fell silent.

After a long pause, Confucius said softly,

"I am far inferior to Master Lu. All I seek is for people to abide by rites and Dharma, to be benevolent and righteous. I have no way to control Immortals and Buddhas, demons and ghosts..."

Lu Xuan said softly,

"No matter. I will."

He looked up at the heavens, then scanned the turbulent mountains and rivers around them, murmuring to himself,

"The heavens rule humanity, and demons terrorize humanity. This is not unacceptable in itself. But why is there no Taiping in the Human World?"

"And why must Immortal Gods reside above humanity?"

"Humanity... why can it not rule the heavens?"

At these few words, Confucius covered his face in shame. Duke Mu of Qin sucked in a breath of cold air, his spirit violently shaken!!

'Humanity... why can it not rule the heavens??'

This one sentence tumbled through his mind, over and over, until it became a great tidal wave!

Behind them, the Historian holding a carving knife and bamboo slips trembled. After hesitating for a long time, he ultimately did not dare to record that sentence. In the end, he simply wrote this:

[Lu Zi passed through the Qi Region, thrice asking of Taiping, and thrice finding no Taiping. The fault was not with man, but with the Immortals, gods, demons, and ghosts. Lu Zi sighed at length.]

As he recorded this, the chariot continued toward Linzi. And with Lu Xuan's declaration—'Humanity... why can it not rule the heavens?'—a faint Human Dao Fortune could be seen descending upon his head.

The great canopy of power that had been shielding the sky expanded once more, growing from a thousand miles to ten thousand.

Day Eighty.

Approaching Linzi, the ten-thousand-mile canopy billowed. Celestial flowers rained down, Golden Lotuses burst from the earth, auspicious Qingyun followed, Immortal Flowers bloomed alongside them, and divine music lingered, Unending throughout the day.

The people of the Qi Region along the way had all heard of Lu Zi's deeds. Disregarding laws and prohibitions, they came of their own accord to pay their respects and see Lu Zi off.

Day Eighty-One.

They reached Linzi. The ten-thousand-mile Qingyun canopy suddenly transformed, taking on the color of Slaughter, a pure, black visage.

Black clouds pressed down on the city, threatening to crush it.