Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

As he spoke, it was clear that he did not believe Li Xiuyuan's words.

As for why Wanwan appeared, it was only because Wu Mingkong had tipped her off. She naturally knew the relationship between the two, and based on her intuition over the years, she had someone inform the headquarters of the Demonic Sect.

It took Wanwan almost the entire day to get there.

After hearing Wanwan's tone, Li Xiuyuan shook his head helplessly. There was nothing he could do; he was just a person and couldn't run around everywhere, otherwise he would be exhausted!

Characters like Wanwan, Wu Zetian, and Nie Xiaoqian can help Li Xiuyuan collect sin points and merit points, so they must stay in the Earthly Immortal Realm.

However, for the safety of these people, Li Xiuyuan still needed to collect their souls and place them in the Black Lotus of Annihilation, so that even if they died, they could be resurrected.

Li Xiuyuan's lips curled up as he chuckled, "What are you jealous of? I'll spend more time with you this time."

As he spoke, he had already put his arm around Wanwan's slender waist.

Sure enough, when Wanwan heard this, a hint of joy flashed in her beautiful eyes, and she asked, "Really?"

As she spoke, she moved closer to him.

Li Xiuyuan nodded and replied, "Of course."

As he spoke, he had already made up his mind. For the sake of a happy sex life in the future, Li Xiuyuan needed to prepare a spatial magic treasure.

Li Xiuyuan has accumulated over 800,000 merit points, enough to exchange for a spatial magic treasure. He can take advantage of this time to properly refine the magic treasure in the Tang Dynasty.

However, Li Xiuyuan needs to return from Nanzhao Kingdom before considering the issue of spatial magic treasures.

Wanwan was overjoyed upon hearing this, and after hearing Li Xiuyuan admit it himself, she couldn't help but give him a smile.

Li Xiuyuan didn't hold back either, and the two of them clashed again like dry tinder igniting a fire.

The next day, when Wu Mingkong woke up, she wasn't too surprised to see Li Xiuyuan and the extra Wanwan. As an emperor, she was quite knowledgeable and had a basic understanding of men's preferences.

Moreover, she couldn't withstand Li Xiuyuan's advances, so having Sister Wanwan around made things much easier.

After changing her clothes, Wu Mingkong went to the imperial kitchen to prepare a meal. Unlike Li Xiuyuan, she had been through two rounds of errands, and with the morning court session approaching, she naturally needed to replenish her nutrition.

Wanwan, on the other hand, is much better. After all, she is a master of the Great Perfection of the Primordial Spirit Realm. Her talent is also not weak, even surpassing Feng Heng's. As for why her cultivation level is lower...

Without even looking at who was around Feng Heng, it's clear that with Xiao Qing's guidance for ten years, plus Li Xiuyuan's presence for two or three years, her cultivation level naturally improved.

Since Wanwan arrived, Li Xiuyuan has been staying in the palace. He enjoys plenty of food and drinks, and the meals prepared by the imperial chefs are no less delicious than Feng Heng's. Li Xiuyuan is living a carefree life.

In addition, Wanwan and Shi Qingxuan were with him. Li Xiuyuan also inquired about Shang Xiufang's whereabouts and learned that she had returned to Cihang Jingzhai.

This was not beyond Li Xiuyuan's expectations, because in his judgment, Shang Xiufang was a member of Cihang Jingzhai's staff. Otherwise, why would she have tried so hard to persuade Kou Zhong to give up the world in the original work? She was just a persuader.

Finally, Li Xiuyuan had already given instructions that Wu Zetian should do something when the envoys from Nanzhao were about to return to their country.

In Wu Zetian's study, below were envoys from the Nanzhao Kingdom, and Li Xiuyuan was also present. Everyone could see him; this time, there was no concealment.

When Wu Zetian saw the arrival of the envoys from Nanzhao, she smiled slightly and said, "Gentlemen, this is my closest minister. When you return to Nanzhao, I will send him to accompany you back."

"Very well, it will allow me to experience the customs and culture of the Nanzhao Kingdom."

As she spoke, she began to introduce Li Xiuyuan.

They simply used a random identity to get Li Xiuyuan to return to the Nanzhao Kingdom with them.

After seeing Wu Zetian's introduction, Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly and casually said a few words, which was enough to let the envoy from Nanzhao Kingdom know who he was and what his position was.

I will make up for the six missed chapters in the last three days of this month, and from tomorrow onwards, it will be seven chapters until all the missed chapters are made up. Finally, thank you to [Liu Tienan] for the donation.

Chapter 190 Shushan Qingwei

However, all of those were fake.

Several envoys from the Nanzhao Kingdom, upon seeing that Wu Zetian had sent people to the Nanzhao Kingdom, considered it an official mission.

These people were used to this situation, as it was a common occurrence. When a large country sent an envoy to a small country, even if it was the country's king, the envoy had to be received with great respect.

Because Li Xiuyuan represented the Tang Dynasty, none of them dared to be rude and were extremely humble.

Then, at Wu Zetian's instruction, Li Xiuyuan would travel with several people the next day.

The envoys from Nanzhao had no choice but to accept it, even if they were unwilling. Wu Zetian had already spoken, and they could not refuse her.

A vast country with mountains and rivers, and nine gates to the city: without witnessing the grandeur of the imperial capital, how can one know the majesty of the emperor?

A treasure trove of cultural relics, a capital city for millennia. Chang'an is located on the south bank of the Wei River in the Guanzhong Plain, known as the "Eight Hundred Li Qin Chuan".

To the south lies the Zhongnan Mountains, the central section of the Qinling Mountains. These towering peaks form a natural barrier to the south, creating a majestic landscape described as "layers of mountains overlooking the Wei River, and green peaks piercing the distant sky."

To the north, the Yaoshan, Huanglongshan, Cuo'eshan, and Liangshan mountains form the winding and continuous Beishan mountain range, which stands in stark contrast to the Qinling Mountains.

Locust trees line both sides of the avenue, but in this cold winter, their lush foliage has long been replaced by snow and icicles, giving people a sense of the majesty of deep winter.

Outside Chang'an, crowds thronged. Due to the Empress's travels, the people of the city flocked to watch, and the envoys from the Nanzhao Kingdom felt especially honored.

This was because Wu Zetian's trip was to escort Li Xiuyuan to her home country, and they also benefited from it.

However, these people knew in their hearts that Li Xiuyuan was no ordinary person who had gone to great lengths to win over the Empress, and they respected him immensely.

Seeing Wu Zetian reluctant to leave, along with Wanwan and Shi Qingxuan beside her, Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please return home soon!"

He spoke in a tone that sounded like a command, and the Empress actually obeyed.

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingkong replied, "Yes, you need to come back soon."

As she spoke, the reluctance in her eyes was obvious to everyone!

Li Xiuyuan nodded upon seeing this, then looked at the several strangely dressed envoys from the Nanzhao Kingdom beside him and chuckled, "Gentlemen, we should be going now!"

After saying this, he walked to the carriage, and the envoy from Nanzhao bid farewell to Empress Wu Zetian and then led his troops on their return journey.

With Wu Zetian's help, Li Xiuyuan was also considered an envoy of the Nanzhao Kingdom. Of course, he wouldn't be alone; otherwise, such an envoy would be a joke.

The group that came with Li Xiuyuan included a large contingent of soldiers, who were definitely in charge this time, along with people from the Xuandao Temple.

After watching Li Xiuyuan leave, Empress Wu Zetian and the others finally returned to the palace.

This time, the journey to the Nanzhao Kingdom was long, and Li Xiuyuan traveled at their pace, which naturally made him much slower.

"Your Excellency! The envoy from the Kingdom of Nanshao requests that you alight from your carriage."

Just then, a sound came from outside the carriage.

Li Xiuyuan, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and said calmly, "Hmm!"

After saying that, he walked out and saw that most of the people on the ancient road had stopped.

After seeing the envoys from the Nanzhao Kingdom, Li Xiuyuan stepped forward and said calmly, "What brings you here?"

After saying that, he looked over and saw a middle-aged Taoist priest walking out from among the Nanzhao people.

The envoy from Nanzhao Kingdom said respectfully, "My lord, it's getting late. There's a small town ahead; let's rest there!"

As he spoke, he pointed to a town in the distance. Although it wasn't very prosperous, it was already quite good for a place like this.

After all, Chang'an and Nanzhao were thousands of miles apart, and finding a place to stay for the night along the way was not easy.

Li Xiuyuan nodded upon hearing this and replied, "Yes, that's fine!"

After saying that, he agreed.

There was nothing they could do. Even if Li Xiuyuan wanted to hurry on his way, these people were too tired to walk any further. After all, not everyone was like him, able to go without needing to rest.

Li Xiuyuan's eyes gleamed, and he smiled as he asked, "May I ask if this Taoist priest is a true master of the Xuandao Temple?"

As he spoke, he looked at the Taoist priest, who had a black beard and a serious expression.

Upon seeing Li Xiuyuan, the Taoist priest nodded and replied, "I am indeed a member of the Xuandao Temple."

Having said that, he nodded slightly and continued, "This humble Taoist, Qingwei, greets Your Excellency."

Even those who cultivate Taoism have to respect the officials appointed by the imperial court. If their sect wants to develop, they must first obtain the emperor's permission or funding to make it easier.

Secondly, Qingwei is currently trying to improve his relationship with the emperor, and seeing that Li Xiuyuan and Wu Zetian have a good relationship, it would be very beneficial to the development of Xuandao Temple if they could get in touch.

Then the old Taoist priest walked over and began to introduce himself to Li Xiuyuan.

Li Xiuyuan nodded slightly. He looked at Qingwei and remembered the leader of the Shushan Sect in the Immortal Sword. In the prehistoric world, the people of the Shushan Sect also had a great background.

It is said that after the Investiture of the Gods, Laozi led this Daoist Duobao westward out of Hangu Pass and converted the barbarians into Buddhists.

Duobao Daoren transformed into Shakyamuni Buddha and was born in the central Saha world. He revered Amitabha Buddha of the Western Paradise as his teacher, expounded Hinayana Buddhism, and spread its teachings in the human world.

During the journey, Laozi preached to Duobao and accepted a disciple under his name. This disciple later founded the vast Shushan Sect.

Therefore, this sect can be considered a lineage of the sages. In Li Xiuyuan's view, the people who come to the Tang Dynasty now are just a small branch. After all, they are disciples of the sages, and their foundation is definitely extraordinary.

Famous sword cultivators in later generations started from the Shu Mountain Sect.

Finally, when Li Xiuyuan saw Qingwei arrive in the Tang Dynasty, he immediately became wary. In this country, whether it was the Buddhist sect or the demonic sect, they were all his people.

Chapter 191 Taoist Gu Liufang

Finally, when Li Xiuyuan saw Qingwei arrive in the Tang Dynasty, he immediately became wary. In this country, whether it was the Buddhist sect or the demonic sect, they were all his people.

As the saying goes: Both the palm and the back of the hand are flesh!

Under these circumstances, Li Xiuyuan would never show favoritism to anyone. But now that the Shushan Sect has arrived and wants to expand its territory, that is absolutely unacceptable.

If they were allowed to preach, Li Xiuyuan's merit points or sin points would definitely be much less in the future.

Throughout history, the struggle for orthodoxy has been fierce, with intense battles occurring between various sects, including Buddhism, Jiejiao, Chanjiao, and even the Human Sect.

Among the sages, only Nuwa is not a concern. She did not establish a sect, and as the mother of humanity, she forever enjoys one-tenth of humanity's fortune.