From a Zhengyi Taoist Child to a Master of All Laws

Chapter 613 The Ultimate Worm
Time flew by, and gradually many villagers in Lanling Village almost forgot about Li Yang's existence.

Li Yang was happy to have some peace and quiet. This mountain village was isolated from the world, with little interaction with the outside world, and was full of spiritual energy. He had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

Another morning dawned, and the villagers of Lanling Village began their daily farming life, working from sunrise to sunset. Wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, and a light mist enveloped the surrounding rugged mountains. As the sun slowly rose, a pale golden ray of sunlight fell from the sky, as if draping the village and the surrounding mountains in a light veil of clouds...

Although there are many mountains around Lanling Village, they are not high in altitude. They are just continuous, with layers of green mountains and quiet mountains. Li Yang guessed that this was also the reason why there were no cultivators in Lanling Village.

"Sususu!"

A dozen miles from Lanling Village, several crows suddenly took flight from the forest amidst the mist-shrouded peaks, circling and cawing in the air.

"Rumble..."

A neat, rustling sound came from afar into the forest. In the mist, hundreds of soldiers dressed in black bodysuits moved stealthily in pairs through the forest, their feet treading on the soft, decaying leaves without making a sound.

Behind them was a squad of soldiers in bright armor, with flame-shaped crimson emblems on their chests signifying their noble status. There were nearly three hundred of them, and each of them rode a snow-white cloud deer.

This is a creature with a size comparable to a warhorse and a fierce temperament. It is a ferocious beast specially tamed by the Great Li Dynasty for fighting in the high mountains. Its fur is as white as snow, and its four feet are covered with white scales, allowing it to tread on the complex mountain forests as if walking on flat ground.

Just to support such a cloud deer, the tax revenue of almost half a prefecture of the Great Li Dynasty is required.

At the forefront of the soldiers was a tall, slender woman in her early twenties, wearing black armor with cloud patterns, a high ponytail, and a cold expression.

Just one glance was enough to send shivers down one's spine. In her hand was a long spear inlaid with spirit stones, and she rode a cloud deer. Her whole being exuded the scent of battlefield blood.

"Princess, Zhaoyang County is just ahead."

A scout dressed in black night clothes stepped forward to report, kneeling before the woman in military uniform.

Have you spotted any of those giant wood beetles?

"Your Highness, based on the traces we've gathered along the way, the enemy should be located in this mountain range!"

The scout responded in a deep voice, though his voice trembled slightly.

"Investigate again! I need to know the exact location of that giant beetle!"

However, as soon as the woman in military uniform gave the order, the scout didn't move immediately, kneeling on the withered leaves, his expression one of struggle.
"Go quickly!"

As the woman grew angry, a long whip lashed out with a whooshing sound, striking the scout hard. The scout's back was instantly torn open, and he looked pained, but he still did not move.

“Princess, what we are doing is far too risky... His Majesty would certainly not approve if he knew…”

Despite his body being torn and bleeding, the scout mustered his courage and looked up to persuade him, his face full of fear and struggle.

"What? Are you scared?"

“Each of you is a battle-hardened warrior, handpicked by me from the front lines! Each of you is capable of taking on ten or even a hundred men, yet now you are so cowardly that you don’t even have the courage to draw your sword!”

The woman questioned loudly, her usually cold face now filled with anger, and lashed out at the other woman with her whip again.

"But, Princess... this time we're not fighting against humans..."

"So what?!" The woman in military uniform dismounted and kicked the scout to the ground with her boot. She then glanced around and noticed that the soldiers around her also had strange expressions on their faces, all of them lowering their heads and not daring to meet her gaze.

"These great vermin use your wives and daughters as furnaces! They use your parents and relatives as materials to refine your souls and blood, skin you and pull out your bones! Are we just going to stand by and watch all this, do nothing, and be treated like pigs and dogs for generations to come?!"

The woman in military uniform shouted, her words sharp and forceful. Some of the soldiers around her clenched their fists, their eyes bloodshot, but when they thought of the disparity between the two sides, they lowered their heads in despair.

"It's no use. Those beings could wipe us out with just a flick of their finger. There's no chance of victory whatsoever."

"The Liang Kingdom was so powerful three hundred years ago. King Liang Lie had even used the nation's entire fortune to forge the Heavenly Sword that protected the country, but it was still destroyed by the Xuanhuang Palace with a single finger from an infinite distance. Half of the Liang Kingdom's population was turned into Xuan puppets..."

A soldier muttered to himself, recounting events from three hundred years ago, his eyes filled with despair and fear.

"But King Liang Lie still used the Heavenly Sword of the Nation to kill a Celestial Immortal from the Xuanhuang Palace before he died! Wasn't that right??" The woman in military attire spoke with a firm tone, her eyes scanning the surroundings.

"They are not invincible! As long as we are willing and prepared to pay any price, even mortals can slay immortals!"

"Moreover, we are not Liang! We are Dali! Dali is even more powerful than Liang!"

"Look at what your cloud deer are carrying! That's the result of our secret research over hundreds of years. As long as we have this, and set up an array, those giant insects are nothing more than thick-skinned pigs!"

The woman in military uniform shouted, pointing her spear at a sturdy wooden box carried by the cloud deer that all the soldiers were riding.

"Today, let's use this giant vermin as a sacrifice! Let's tell those high and mighty vermin that we are no longer pigs and dogs to be slaughtered at their mercy!!"

Seeing that the morale of her subordinates was finally rising, the woman in military uniform pointed her spear forward, her eyes bloodshot.

Little brother, your sister Wang will avenge you! Don't worry, today is just a sacrifice. Sooner or later, your sister Wang will drag all the immortals off the altar and avenge you!

The woman in military uniform leaped onto the cloud deer, her eyes bloodshot, filled with overwhelming killing intent.

"Qiang!!"

Infected by the princess, hundreds of soldiers drew their swords, their eyes also bloodshot.
"Slay the immortal! Slay the immortal! Slay the immortal!!!"

First there were one or two sounds, then the sounds gradually converged and became a deep, resolute chorus.
The army continued its advance through the dense fog-shrouded mountains and forests, like a lifeless dragon, startling a few crows that fluttered and flew erratically from the ancient trees into the sky.
-
Because Li Yang kept a low profile and eventually stopped needing Erniu to deliver his meals daily, Erniu, his only contact person, experienced a significant drop in hydration levels.

Lanling Village cannot support idle people. The level of production and efficiency in the mountains means that everyone here must engage in agriculture or hunting year after year in order to survive.

So Erniu returned to her previous life of herding black oxen and cutting grass.

However, what made Erniu happy was that because Li Yang had cured her lameness, her grass-cutting efficiency was significantly faster than before. She could exchange the cut grass with the villagers for food and daily necessities, and her life had obviously improved a lot compared to before.

At midday, the sun was strong, and Erniu and several other girls who also raised black oxen drove the cattle down the mountain to the stream to help the oxen escape the heat.

"Erniu, has that fairy left already? We haven't seen him in so long..."

A herd of glossy blue gudgeon was half-submerged in the river. Bundles of freshly cut grass were piled up to the side, and several girls sat on the bank, their small, white feet splashing the clear water as they chatted.
The main character is naturally Erniu, who has been in the limelight for the past few months due to her status as the only person in charge of the gods.

"No way! The immortal went up the mountain this morning! He just got up early, so none of you saw him!" Erniu quickly retorted, recounting her encounter with Li Yang that morning.

Seeing Erniu's beaming face, the girls beside her exchanged knowing glances, their eyes gleaming like foxes, and laughed like silver bells.

"Ugh, this deity, why does he always come to you alone for everything? If only we'd gotten up earlier two months ago and picked up a deity to take home too!"

"What are you talking about..." Erniu lowered her head and slapped the river with her feet, not daring to look up. However, because of her dark skin, no one could tell the change in her expression.

"What? We're serious!"

"Even if such a deity truly wanted me to be their furnace, I would gladly accept!"

"Erniu, you must seize this opportunity. Even if you can't become a cultivation vessel, you can still learn some immortal techniques so that the rest of us can also know what it's like to cultivate immortality..."

Seeing that her sisters were talking more and more outrageously, Erniu hurriedly raised her head to cover the mouths of her outspoken sisters.

"Are you all crazy, or do you have a death wish?! You have absolutely no shame to say things like that!"

"Don't worry, this deity won't punish us for these things!"

A girl of about thirteen or fourteen waved her hand, reassuring Erniu. The other girls also started to chime in.
"That's right! This deity is completely different from what Grandpa Ting and the others said. Last month, Grandma Zhang from the village fell off a cliff while cutting pig feed. When she was found, she was barely alive. Grandma Zhang's son knelt in front of the village temple overnight, and this deity bestowed a talisman upon her. The next day, Grandma Zhang was able to get out of bed and walk!"

"Yes, and about two weeks ago I was bitten by a poisonous snake while I was on the mountain. The village headman said I was beyond saving. It was only because my family went to a hermit and got a pill that I was pulled back from the brink of death!"

"And you, Erniu, your limp was cured by a god..."

The girls chattered amongst themselves, recounting the stories of the fairy in the village over the past two months. Erniu listened without saying a word, but a sense of pride welled up inside her, which she found somewhat inexplicable.

"If all gods were like this, that would be wonderful..."

Finally, the girl who had been bitten by a venomous snake came to a conclusion, cradling her small face in her hands, looking somewhat wistful and sad.

Upon hearing this, the girls' cheerful atmosphere immediately cooled down.

"Yes, but how could that be..."

"Gods are gods, mortals are mortals, and we are destined to be ants."

"So, Erniu, hurry up and become a furnace for the immortals, then teach us how to cultivate immortality, so we can become immortals too!"

"You guys are getting more and more nonsensical, I'm ignoring you!!"

Erniu was angry; even her dark skin could feel her face burning hot.
"Time to go back to the village, I can't keep chatting with you bunch of lunatics!"

Erniu stood up, her feet sinking into the soft riverbed, and began to drive the black oxen she was responsible for out of the river.

"Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. How could such a god possibly be interested in us country bumpkins?"

The girls patted their bottoms and stood up with giggles, then went back to playing wildly with Er Ya.

After having their fun, the girls walked barefoot along the ridges of the fields, herding black oxen. The warm, scorching sun cast long shadows of everyone, reflected on the golden waves of wheat swaying in the wind.

Just then, the girl in the lead peeked through her fingers and saw a figure in a green robe flying towards them from the horizon. She cried out in delight.

"A deity! It's a deity! The deity has returned!"

Upon hearing this, several girls on the ridge of the field immediately began to wave, while Erniu sat on the black ox and waved to the green-robed figure on the horizon.

The figure in the green robe seemed to notice the commotion, and after turning a corner on the horizon, it descended towards the edge of the field.

Erniu jumped off the black ox, her bare white feet treading the ridges as she ran quickly toward the other person.

"Immortal Baiyun, why have you been gone for so long today? Is there anything you need us for, or to show you the way?"

I'm still a bit reserved, but at least I'm no longer as afraid of stuttering and incoherent as I was two months ago.

"immortal?"

"I never imagined there were other cultivators in such a remote and impoverished place?"

A somewhat unfamiliar voice, tinged with mockery, made Erniu tremble. She froze on the spot, her smile instantly gone.
Mechanically raising his head, he saw an unfamiliar face on the green robe scrutinizing him with an aggressive gaze and a chilling smile.

"I am Luo Wuji, the direct disciple of Purgatory Valley. You mortals may call me... Immortal Lord Luo."

The man in the green robe looked at the motionless Erniu, then glanced at the pale-faced girl behind Erniu, waved his folding fan, and introduced himself in a refined manner.
-
A day in the Realm of Ultimate Truth lasts two hours longer than on Earth, approximately 28 hours.

Li Yang was walking north through the hills in the morning when he saw the mountains tinged with the golden light of the setting sun, looking like burning embers. He was suddenly struck by the fact that it was already evening.

It was dusk, and twilight was falling. Li Yang stared into the distance, taking in all the mountain scenery.

"Is it still a little short?"

Li Yang muttered to himself, his expression somewhat forlorn.

He went into seclusion last night and felt a strange movement in his ancestral aperture between his eyebrows, as if something was about to leap out from his fontanelle. He knew this was a sign that his primordial spirit was about to be formed. So today he toured the mountains and rivers, hoping to take the final step and truly achieve the formation of his primordial spirit by borrowing the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth.

But after walking all day, it was still stuck at the last step. The golden light spun around, but it just wouldn't take that final leap.

"However, in the last two days, the essence of the Yang God has been completely absorbed by the nascent primordial spirit, and there will be no further problems."

Li Yang muttered to himself, quickly adjusting his mindset.

Then Li Yang leaped off the ground, transforming into a golden light and flying away in the direction he had come from.

This glimmer of gold was inconspicuous against the backdrop of the mountains bathed in the golden light of the setting sun, but several scouts in the forest below sensed it and suddenly looked up in alarm.

"Quickly, report to the princess! The target, the giant wasp, has appeared!!!"

(End of this chapter)