Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Chapter 516: Heaven’s Order of Troops

Above the pavilion, a mirror reflected in the sky. This was, of course, the Kunlun Mirror.

Above the Heavenly Palace, the Jade Emperor, though nominally the ruler of the Three Realms, is essentially a puppet emperor. However, his cultivation as a quasi-saint is undeniable.

The Jade Emperor was seen holding the Kunlun Mirror, determined to find out who dared to challenge the authority of the Heavenly Court.

As the Jade Emperor gradually deduced, a blurry human figure finally appeared on the Kunlun Mirror. After a while, the figure on the Kunlun Mirror became clearer.

On the very first day, it was the Seven Fairy Maidens who, under the guise of the Queen Mother of the West, secretly deceived the many heavenly soldiers and generals guarding the South Heavenly Gate.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they descended to the mortal realm, they were attacked by Li Xiuyuan. Later, the seven fairies were deflowered and had their virginity stolen on the mountaintop.

Having deduced the situation to this point, everything is clear. However, the identity of the person remains unknown. In truth, Li Xiuyuan had disguised himself, so it's understandable that the identity wasn't revealed.

However, the Jade Emperor was furious and was unwilling to let it go.

The Jade Emperor spoke, "I don't know where this thief came from, how dare he! Once I find his hiding place, I will gather all the heavenly soldiers and generals and make sure he is skinned alive! I will also let all these gods know that the might of my Heavenly Court is not something anyone can touch!"

After the Great Celestial Venerable finished speaking, he began to deduce again. Sure enough, Li Xiuyuan's traces gradually appeared on the Kunlun mirror image.

It was said that Li Xiuyuan was enjoying himself in the mortal world. Although he was a quasi-saint, he hired a carriage to travel on the road and enjoyed the scenery along the way.

At this moment, Li Xiuyuan was at the border between Dongsheng Shenzhou and Xiniu Hezhou. Li Xiuyuan had traveled from east to west, starting from the Tang Dynasty capital of Chang'an, with his destination being the Kingdom of Tianzhu (India).

Inside the carriage, Li Xiuyuan was enjoying himself with a woman from a nomadic tribe he had just taken in when he suddenly sensed something was wrong.

He immediately pushed the woman beside him away, carefully deduced the cause and effect, and figured out the reason behind it.

It makes sense, considering he had slept with seven fairies, yet the Heavenly Court still found out. Although the Jade Emperor is merely a puppet of the Three Realms, he values ​​his reputation above all else and unleashed his fury, which Li Xiuyuan had no choice but to accept.

Li Xiuyuan couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "I've long heard that the Heavenly Court has the Kunlun Mirror, and its reputation is well-deserved. But with my abilities, I'm afraid the Heavenly Court really can't defeat me."

Then, they had Lichun bring them a pot of wine, drank to their hearts' content, and dared not leave, waiting there for the Jade Emperor to come and deal with them. However, who would deal with whom remained to be seen.

Meanwhile, high above in the heavens, the Jade Emperor, after some deduction and investigation, finally deduced Li Xiuyuan's location. This place was precisely at the border between Xiniu Hezhou and Dongsheng Shenzhou!

The Jade Emperor deduced everything, but he still couldn't figure out Li Xiuyuan's background. He immediately shouted, "Guards! Open the hall!"

At the Jade Emperor's command, the many servants relayed the order down the ranks, and in an instant, many officials and generals hurriedly gathered inside the Lingxiao Palace.

Perched high above the nine heavens, overlooking all beings in the three realms, the Lingxiao Palace, renowned throughout the three realms, is a treasure trove of spiritual artifacts and rare gems.

The throne, adorned with nine golden dragons, was where the Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Venerable, sat high and majestic. Beside him sat the most revered and noble Queen Mother of the West.

Below the main hall, on one side were celestial officials, and on the other side were heavenly generals. All the gods and immortals, except for the Jade Emperor, were present today.

At this moment, many immortals were quite puzzled. In the past, whenever the Jade Emperor opened the palace, he always had a kind and benevolent face, with a smile on his face, exuding a distinct monarchical aura.

But today, the Great Celestial Venerable had a deep frown, a long face, and a clearly violent aura emanated from him. The gods then looked at the Queen Mother and noticed that she too had a deep frown and looked displeased.

At this moment, the Venerable Taibai, who was always a peacemaker, spoke up and asked, "Great Heavenly Venerable, why have you suddenly opened the palace today?"

The Jade Emperor, still with a stern face, said, "In the mortal realm, there is a demon of unknown origin who is wreaking havoc on the common people and disgracing the majesty of my Heavenly Palace! We should immediately send troops to capture him, and if they fail to capture him, execute him on the spot!"

Taibai Xingjun then said, "I wonder what this demon from the lower realm has done to provoke the Great Heavenly Venerable into unleashing the Dragon Court's fury!"

The Jade Emperor, however, avoided the topic and immediately said, "No need for further words. Could it be that I have wronged him? Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing, listen to my command!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Li Jing, the Heavenly King who was holding the pagoda, stepped forward and replied.

"I hereby appoint you as the Grand Marshal for Exterminating Demons in the Three Realms. The Heavenly Army will be at your command. Immediately proceed to the border between the Eastern and Western Continents to slay the demons! Do not fail!" The Great Heavenly Venerable Haotian issued the order, then flicked his dragon sleeve and turned to leave.

The gods were all bewildered by this Jade Emperor, but none dared to be negligent. Li Jing, having become the Grand Marshal for Exterminating Demons in the Three Realms, and able to command everyone in the Heavenly Court, was also somewhat pleased with himself.

At that moment, Li Jing gathered all twenty-eight constellations and one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, and was about to descend to the mortal realm.

Just as Li Jing was preparing to descend to the mortal realm, Taibai Xingjun caught up with him and said, "Grand Marshal, you must be careful on your journey. I have made some divinations, and although I have not foreseen any disaster, I think it is advisable to muster some troops, otherwise it would not look good if something goes wrong."

Li Jing, dressed in the Grand Marshal's blood-gold armor, looked majestic. However, after thinking carefully, he nodded to Taibai Xingjun and said, "What Xingjun says is very true. After I gather the Nine Luminaries and we go together, there should be no problem."

After some commotion, they summoned the Nine Luminaries Star Official and many other immortals to descend to the mortal realm together.

This vast army of heavenly soldiers and generals, under the command of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, marched into the realm of earthly immortals.

The place where Li Xiuyuan was located was at the border between Dongsheng Shenzhou and Xiniu Hezhou.

At the border of the two states, there are two passes on each side, which together form the passes of the two states. In the future, these two passes will also be recorded in history because of this great battle.

Li Xiuyuan had already prepared fine wine, jar after jar, and was thoroughly drunk.

Chapter 517 The Great Battle of the Two States

The two passes comprise two fortified states. The eastern pass was guarded by the Tang Dynasty, while the western pass was defended by troops sent by various kingdoms of India. On one side was the Tang Dynasty, which adopted Taoism as its state religion, and on the other side were the various kingdoms of India, which adopted Buddhism as their state religion.

Due to differing beliefs, the relationship between the two passes was quite tense. Despite being separated by vast distances of desolate mountains and wilderness, wars broke out from time to time, resulting in a long-standing hostile relationship.

On this day, the air was crisp and clear, with fluffy clouds drifting across the sky. The warm sun shone on the earth, making one unconsciously feel lazy and want to sleep in.

No one could have imagined that a world-shaking battle was about to erupt between these two seemingly peaceful passes.

Between the two prefectures lies a vast, desolate wilderness, sparsely populated. However, on this particular day, a carriage was parked there. Inside the carriage was someone—of course, Li Xiuyuan in disguise.

Li Xiuyuan was drinking alone, quite at ease. He had long since taken that girl, Lichun, into the world he called Dinghaizhu.

Li Xiuyuan was very drunk. At this moment, he looked up at the sky and said, "Hehe, it's finally here. I've been waiting for so long."

Then, the previously clear sky began to clear away, as if the day's procession of gods was clearing the way for the celestial army.

At this moment, the sky above the two passes, spanning tens of thousands of miles, was completely clear of clouds. However, a gentle breeze was still blowing. Suddenly, a divine pearl appeared, emitting a dazzling light. In the next instant, the entire sky and earth were completely still.

Li Xiuyuan smiled and shook his head, muttering to himself, "Such a grand display. Dispersing clouds and scattering dances, a wind-stabilizing pearl. Hehe."

Finally, many celestial officials and divine generals began to appear in the sky.

Li Xiuyuan looked closely and saw that the leader in the sky was none other than the majestic Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing. Behind Li Jing stood the Nine Luminaries, and behind them were the Twenty-Eight Mansions.

At the very back stood a vast array of 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, forming a formidable net.

The celestial beings all formed ranks. Having learned from his previous experiences, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King dared not be arrogant. Standing before the heavenly soldiers and generals, he proclaimed in a loud voice, "Who is below? Quickly state your name!"

Li Xiuyuan himself possessed the strength of a quasi-saint, and with his numerous methods, he could barely be considered a saint. How could he possibly take these immortals seriously? Thus, he laughed and scolded, "What kind of bird's nest have you crawled out of, little servants, daring to ask the Buddha's name?"

Li Xiuyuan used a disguise technique, one of the Seventy-Two Transformations. How could an ordinary immortal recognize him as the Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva of the Buddhist realm? However, if one could see through his Seventy-Two Transformations, it would probably only be saints whose cultivation was even higher than his.

However, Li Xiuyuan figured that the sages wouldn't need to help the Heavenly Court against him. For these sages, it would be more advantageous for them to help him fight the Heavenly Court than to help the Heavenly Court against him. After all, compared to Li Xiuyuan, the people of the Heavenly Court were just a bunch of shrimp soldiers and crab generals, not nearly as valuable as Li Xiuyuan.

Moreover, the sages wouldn't be too lazy to get involved in such matters. Even if a sage were willing to punish him, the Jade Emperor would probably be too embarrassed to reveal the whole story.

Li Xiuyuan's curse enraged Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King. However, he dared not act rashly and immediately said, "Which immortal is willing to go and subdue this unruly little thief? I will give him credit for the great deed later."

The Twenty-Eight Constellations became restless. After all, the young man below seemed harmless, and they all wanted to go and gain some advantage so that they could ask the Jade Emperor for a reward when they returned to the Heavenly Realm.

However, these star lords were all seasoned immortals who had weathered many storms. They knew that the nail that sticks out gets hammered down, and they were quite wary of taking risks. But in the blink of an eye, these star lords devised a plan.

Then, the many star lords volunteered together, shouting in unison, "We, the twenty-eight star lords, are willing to go together. We hope that the Heavenly King will support us."

Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, cursed inwardly: "How clever! Sending all twenty-eight means they can help each other if anything goes wrong. Hmph, you want me to be your backup? You just want me to provide backup."

However, Li Jing only thought these things in his heart; he didn't dare to say them aloud. He wasn't afraid of offending one star lord, but if he offended twenty-eight star lords, even he, the powerful Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, would find it difficult to cope.

After some deliberation, Li Tianwang finally spoke, saying, "My fellow star lords, please be careful. Defend against the enemy, and I, Li Tianwang, will lead the Nine Luminaries Star Officials and 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals to protect you!"

These words reassured the Twenty-Eight Constellations. The Twenty-Eight Constellations then transformed into twenty-eight streams of light and flew towards Li Xiuyuan. The leader, the Horned Dragon Constellation, said, "Considering your arduous cultivation, please return with us to Heaven to plead guilty. The Great Heavenly Venerable is benevolent and will surely punish you leniently."

Li Xiuyuan laughed and said, "What if I, Buddha, refuse?"

When the star lords, including Jiao Mujiao, heard that Li Xiuyuan still didn't take them seriously, nameless anger flared up in their hearts. These star lords were all pampered and worshipped by the people in the Heavenly Realm, and were flattered in every way. How could they have ended up like this?

All that could be heard was a furious roar from the Horned Dragon Star Lord: "Demon!! You dare to talk to me so politely! Then you shall be executed right here!"

Subsequently, many star lords behind him unleashed their immortal weapons, attempting to surround Li Xiuyuan.

Kang Jinlong, Fang Ritu, Xin Yuehu, and Jiao Mujiao Xingjun, each leading six Xingjun, surrounded Li Xiuyuan from all sides to prevent him from escaping.

At this moment, many star lords had already surrounded Li Xiuyuan. Seeing that the encirclement was complete, the Horned Wood Dragon Star Lord immediately roared, "Demon, prepare to die!"

Immediately, the magical weapons on his body slashed towards Li Xiuyuan, along with the other twenty-seven star lords. Twenty-eight star lords, with twenty-eight immortal weapons, directly attacked Li Xiuyuan from all directions.

Li Xiuyuan was clearly impatient, and fueled by alcohol, he shouted angrily, "A bunch of noisy beasts!!"

Chapter 518 Heavenly Court Reinforcements

Li Xiuyuan then let out a loud shout, and the sonic waves that erupted surged outwards in all directions!

Many immortal artifacts were shattered into dust. The sound waves contained the immense spiritual power of Li Xiuyuan, a quasi-saint, and many star lords were also affected. They all spat out mouthfuls of blood and fell from the sky, unconscious.

This scene startled Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, who hadn't expected to encounter such a formidable opponent.

Li Xiuyuan, now riding high on his advantage, staggered drunkenly towards the heavens. Li Tianwang was shocked and immediately shouted, "Ten thousand heavenly soldiers and generals, heed my command! Unleash the net of heaven and earth and bind this demon!"

The 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals were the most outstanding among the heavenly soldiers, and this Heavenly Net was a formation they practiced frequently. Therefore, they were very adept at using it.

Li Tianwang held the pagoda in his hand and greeted everyone, but he had other thoughts in his mind and was making plans.

This Heavenly Net Formation must be quite extraordinary; it should be able to trap the demon below. Once the demon is bound, he will order the Nine Luminaries Star Officials to lead the charge, while he himself will hold the pagoda behind them. When the time is right, he will unleash the exquisite pagoda in his hand and capture the demon.

Then look at this army of 100,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, who have set up a net-like formation, forming a heavenly net and weaving an earthly net.

It slowly approached Li Xiuyuan, who leisurely flew towards Li Tianwang. However, the net made of 50,000 heavenly soldiers had already quietly landed beneath him.

He flew a few more steps forward, and Li Xiuyuan, having fallen for the trap, was now blocked by the Heavenly Net. At this point, Li Xiuyuan had nowhere to go in any direction.

Seeing that the formation was complete, Li Tianwang waved his command flag and said, "Close the net!!"

As Li Tianwang issued the command flag, the heavenly soldiers from all directions received it and immediately began to form a net. In just an instant, the net tightened rapidly, determined to lock Li Xiuyuan tightly in place.

Li Xiuyuan was still swaying unsteadily, but he was as unharmed as a drunkard who had not yet woken up.