The Villain's Counterattack

On the last day of the Buddha's call for help during the Chang'an Dharma Assembly, he was promoted to Grandmaster during the battle with Dugu Feng. The evil king Shi Zhixuan of the Demon Sect blocked his way but was destroyed by the Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun. The Turkic national teacher Zhao Deyan wanted to take action but was injured by the four holy monks and fled.

After Yin Zhao summoned the Buddhist disciple to become a grand master, he suddenly saw a golden light in the south, which immediately designated Mount Emei as a holy place for Buddhism. The evil king Shi Zhixuan gritted his teeth and said three good words in a row, and then waited for the Buddhist disciple to arrive in Sichuan.

Upon seeing this, Emperor Li Yuan of the Tang Dynasty was secretly delighted and tried his best to invite Yin Zhao Buddhist to be the imperial teacher of Li Tang. After being rejected by Yin Zhao, he did not get angry, but took the initiative to show goodwill and said that if Buddhist was willing, he would fully support him in establishing a Buddhist holy place in Mount Emei.

Mount Emei is great, Sichuan is great, this is the place I have been longing for but cannot get, and it is also the base of the evil king Shi Zhixuan. If Li Tang wants to take over Sichuan, he must first suppress the evil king.

But how could a great master be suppressed so easily? The Demon Sect has never been weak, it’s just not united enough. However, the Evil King Shi Zhixuan has a loyal younger brother, An Long, the leader of the Tianlian Sect, who helps Shi Zhixuan to build Sichuan and Shu into an iron bucket, making it extremely difficult for outsiders to interfere.

Is Buddhism powerful?

Is Cihang Jingzhai tough?

But even Buddhism is not the largest force in Sichuan, and it is extremely difficult for Cihang Jingzhai to interfere in the affairs of Sichuan.

The situation of Li Tang is not good now. To the north, there is the Turkic people who are hard to shake. To the west, there is the alien plateau that is difficult to climb. The northeastern nest was cut off by Dou Jiande. The Tongguan Road leading to the Central Plains is controlled by Luoyang. The south to Sichuan and Shu is controlled by the evil king Shi Zhixuan.

The best way to break the situation of being surrounded by enemies is to take over Sichuan. If Guanzhong and Sichuan can be connected, it will be possible to achieve the hegemony of the ancient Qin and Han dynasties, and be able to attack when advancing and defend when retreating.

You mean to attack the weakest Dou Jiande and recapture his old nest Taiyuan?

Haha, Dou Jiande is indeed the weakest one around, but if you look closely, who are the people around Taiyuan?

There is Luoyang in the south, Duke of Liao in the east, and Mayi in the north has also been occupied by Duke of Liao. Further northwest is Liang Shidu. Liang Shidu is nothing, but behind them are the Turks, who are like running dogs that can give way to the Turkish army at any time.

Li Yuan was certain that if he recaptured Taiyuan, he would be met with a devastating attack from Liaodong and Luoyang within a month. The losses would be enormous, and even if he wasn't seriously injured, he would definitely suffer. Rather than that, it would be better to allow Dou Jiande to stay for a while; he could easily be dealt with.

To go east, he must pass Tongguan, but the supporter behind Tongguan is the Sui Dynasty royal family in Luoyang. He knows clearly that his cousin Yang Guang is not dead and has even regained his strength. How powerful is this cousin? Taking the initiative to provoke such a Yang Guang is tantamount to seeking death.

As for heading west, he is currently doing it, and his second son Li Shimin is doing a really good job. Li Gui of Xiliang is a thing of the past and no longer exists, but what next?

Continue westward?

Continuing westward would inevitably lead to fighting with foreign races. The current Li Tang did not have such confidence and strength. He knew better than anyone how powerful the foreign races were. After all, he was a veteran who had guarded Taiyuan for many years. How could he not know how powerful the grassland cavalry was? Only Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty and Duke Yang Xuyan of Liao could treat the grassland cavalry as nothing. The current Li Tang was still a little short of the mark.

Moreover, Tuyuhun also has a branch of the Sui Dynasty royal family, which has close ties with Liaodong. Even King Tuyuhun can do nothing about it. This force seems to have some connections with his elder brother Yueshan, but he does not know the details.

Going east, west, or north is not feasible, so the last and best option is to go south to Sichuan. However, Sichuan is not only difficult to attack, but there is also a great master there, which makes Li Yuan dare not go deep.

Now, a genuine grandmaster has appeared in Buddhism, with tens of millions of monks from the Central Plains and the four great holy monks supporting him. No matter whether it was premeditated or he said it out loud in anger after the evil king Shi Zhixuan's sneak attack, since he said that Mount Emei is a holy place of Buddhism, he will definitely not go back on his word.

The evil king, Shi Zhixuan, has deemed Sichuan and Shu his own territory, forbidding any interference. Now that the Buddhist disciple, Yin Zhao, wants to intervene, the situation is bound to be difficult. Given the size of the Buddhist sect, Shi Zhixuan will be unable to resist. His defeat is inevitable, and the Li Tang will then seize the opportunity to move in...

No, no, I can't keep thinking about it. I must let Erlang reorganize the troops and make all preparations as soon as possible.

After Buddhist disciple Yin Zhao achieved the Grand Mastership, he preached for three days. The martial spirit in Chang'an City was intense. Dugu Feng was exhausted and unconscious, and was taken away by the Gentleman Sword Yue Buqun. No one in Chang'an City stood up to stop him. The Evil King Shi Zhixuan had no choice but to retreat in the face of the joint siege of Buddhist disciple Yin Zhao and the four great holy monks.

Just as the morale of the Buddhist sect was boosted and they were preparing to return to the Central Plains to prepare for entry into Sichuan, news suddenly came that the Yingui Sect's Holy Maiden, Kankan, intercepted the young marshals Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling who were transporting Yang Gong's treasure on the river. After a great battle, she was promoted to Grand Master, becoming the third Grand Master of the Demon Sect in the contemporary era, and also the second Grand Master of the Yingui Sect, a true Grand Master of the eighteenth level of the Heavenly Demonic Law.

For a time, the whole world was in an uproar. Everyone in the Buddhist and Buddhist sects felt insecure, and even discordant voices appeared within the Demon Sect. Originally, the two great masters of the Demon Sect, the Evil King and the Yin Queen, were not in harmony, but the Evil King was more powerful. Now, Kankan has become a grandmaster with the eighteenth level of the Heavenly Demonic Law. If she joins forces with the Yin Queen Zhu Yuyan, the Evil King may not be able to defeat her.

Shi Feixuan was initially skeptical upon hearing the news, but once she learned it originated from the wandering scholar Ning Daoqi, her doubts faded, and she was left with more self-doubt. Kankan was a Saint of the Yin Gui Sect, and she was a Saint of the Jing Zhai Sect, a peer of her generation. They should be equally matched, but why was there such a huge gap? And when did this gap begin to widen?

Shi Feixuan did not think that she was worse than Kankan, whether in terms of resources or qualifications. It could even be said that as the leader of the righteous path, Cihang Jingzhai, she should have more abundant resources.

Li Yuan summoned Yin Zhao Buddhist disciples, the four great monks, Master Feixuan and others overnight. They first confirmed the accuracy of the news, and then discussed the feasibility of bringing Buddhism into Sichuan and establishing the holy land of Mount Emei.

"The enchantress Kankan has had a unique adventure. Feixuan is not as good as her, but she was able to ask Ning Sanren to help her contain some of the evil forces. Moreover, the Yin Queen Zhu Yuyan has a deep hatred for the Evil King. It is impossible for her to help him defend Sichuan and Shu. She is more likely to plot against the Evil King behind his back. The only thing to worry about is the local martial arts forces in Sichuan and Shu." Shi Feixuan stated her conditions and concerns one by one.

Buddhist disciple Yin Zhao shook his head slightly and said, "The Demon Sect has been at odds for a long time, but facing the powerful suppression of the Buddhist Sect, it is possible that they will temporarily unite to resist. Sichuan and Shu are remote and face a lot of resistance from the outside. If our Buddhist Sect invades in large numbers, we may not only encounter the Demon Sect, but also the local martial arts forces, which will also target our Buddhist Sect, either openly or covertly."

Li Yuan was very displeased when he heard this, "What does the Buddhist disciple mean?"

"The troops will be divided into three groups. I will be the vanguard, ascending Emei alone to preach the Dharma on the Golden Summit. The Four Great Saints will follow closely behind, forming the backbone. Once the momentum builds, I will defeat all the Sichuan and Shu masters except the Evil King. Then, the three thousand monks will rush forward, establish a foothold in Emei with a mighty force, and create a sacred place for Buddhism!"

Yin Zhao Fozi turned to Shi Feixuan and said, "To ensure that everything is safe, please ask Jingzhai to coordinate with Ning Sanren to secretly protect the Dharma and prevent the Evil King and the Yin Queen from joining forces."

"Don't be arrogant or impatient, proceed step by step, good!" Li Yuan knew that this might be the best way. He would not attract attention in the early stage, but would be unstoppable in the later stage. This Buddhist disciple Yin Zhao really had great wisdom. No wonder he could become the first great master of contemporary Buddhism.

"My master sent me a message saying there seems to be a disturbance on the grasslands, possibly targeting the Duke of Liao, and ordered me to go investigate." Shi Feixuan apologized, "I would personally go to Mr. Ning to invite him, but with the founding of the Emei Holy Land, I'm afraid I won't be able to participate in time."

Li Yuan and others looked at each other, their expressions were different, but they all sighed that the power of the Duke of Liao was so terrifying that the foreigners were so afraid and wary.

In the young marshal's army, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling spent 100,000 taels of gold, and the morale was boosted for a while. Even when they heard that they were going south to Yangzhou and abandoning their existing territory, no one objected. At this time, a letter was delivered to Kou Zhong.

"Miss Zhai was betrayed by the grassland tribe?" Kou Zhong wanted to conquer the world, and he needed a source of wealth. Yang Gong's treasure was like water without a source; no matter how much it was, it would eventually run out. However, Zhai Jiaojiao's support was undoubtedly very important. Moreover, Zhai Jiaojiao had Susu and Chuchu by her side, two women who made the two brothers worry about each other.

This might be a good opportunity, a good opportunity to obtain war horses and form a cavalry! Kou Zhong cast his gaze towards Xu Ziling, who nodded slightly, indicating that there was no way he could be left out of such a matter, after all, Susu was still waiting there.