Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 857 Calculated
After learning the earth-shattering secret, Chen Yun did not linger in the underworld any longer.

He even abandoned his original plan to go to the sacred mountain in the secret realm to collect spiritual roots of heaven and earth.

He has come to understand why he came into this world, and the mysteries of this world.

From that moment on, Chen Yun had a profound understanding of one thing: how he should act from now on.

Or perhaps, he has already mastered the secret to attaining the Great Immortal Realm.

However, he found it difficult to accept this method of proving himself a Great Immortal.

As for whether the "Great Luo Spirit Soup" could enable him to attain the Great Luo Immortal realm, to be honest, he really didn't know.

Yes, even after understanding the mystery of why he appeared in this world, Chen Yun still didn't know if the "Great Luo Spirit Soup" could help him attain the Great Luo realm.

Because he learned from a secret he had accidentally discovered that the Great Luo Spirit Soup should not have existed in this world.

However, whether the Great Luo Spirit Soup can enable him to attain the Great Luo Immortal realm is no longer important.

After all, Chen Yun had already mastered a secret to truly attaining the Great Immortal Realm.

However, this method of enlightenment may involve some pain.

"Regardless of whether it is painful or not, I will definitely attain the Great Immortal Realm."

Chen Yun put his hands behind his back and slowly walked towards the mountain gate.

At this moment, Zhang Qian and Lin Chen were walking towards him, chatting and laughing.

"Huh?" Zhang Qian saw Chen Yun and immediately smiled with delight. "Senior Brother Chen, when did you get back?"

Chen Yun looked over expressionlessly. "Just got back."

Lin Chen blinked and said, "These past few years, you've only come back for holidays and festivals. We haven't seen you on ordinary days. Senior Brother Zhang and I have been missing you quite a bit."

Chen Yun glanced coldly at Zhang Qian and Lin Chen, gave a soft "hmm," and then walked straight inside.

Zhang Qian and Lin Chen could naturally sense each other's indifference.

The two looked at each other, completely bewildered, not knowing what they had done wrong.

Chen Yun has known Zhang Qian and Lin Chen for sixty or seventy years and they have a particularly good relationship. Logically, he shouldn't be so indifferent, but he has no other choice now. If he doesn't do this, it will not only affect his chances of becoming the Great Luo, but it will also hurt these two people.

He continued walking inside and saw Lin Lingsu, Chen Lizhi, Mei Junyan, and other disciples discussing cultivation techniques in the plaza of the outer courtyard hall.

"Teacher."

"teacher."

"Grandmaster."

When the disciples saw Chen Yun, they quickly bowed and greeted him.

Chen Yun nodded indifferently, paying him little attention.

Before long, he arrived at the inner courtyard.

Just then, Wang Siyan was pruning the flower branches with scissors.

Although she has already attained the Celestial Realm, she still prefers to solve many problems in the old way rather than using magic.

The moment Chen Yun saw her, he frowned slightly, instinctively wanting to remain indifferent.

Wang Siyan turned her head and saw Chen Yun. She immediately put down the scissors in her hand, walked forward with a smile, and said, "Husband, you're back?"

Although she was only smiling, she gave off a very warm feeling.

How to describe the feeling? It's like ice would melt instantly in her smile.

Chen Yun's previously indifferent face inexplicably broke into a smile. "Yes, I came back to see...you."

Wang Siyan smiled gently, "Why do I feel like Brother Yun is speaking hesitantly today? Hmm, is something bothering you? If so, you can tell me."

Chen Yun looked at her with tender eyes, then shook his head with a smile and said, "No, I feel at ease seeing you."

"Really?"

Wang Siyan opened her eyes wide and looked over.

Chen Yun reached out and stroked her face, saying very seriously, "Really."

Wang Siyan seemed very happy and reached out to grab his hand. "While you were away, I made you some clothes. Come on, let's go back to the room and try them on to see if they fit."

Chen Yun gave a soft "hmm," and said, "The clothes you made will definitely fit perfectly."

The two held hands, just like when they first decided to be together.

Looking at Wang Siyan, who still seemed like a young girl, Chen Yun felt a mix of emotions.

He was momentarily dazed, unsure whether his decision to attain the Great Immortal status in this way was the right one.

Although Chen Yun became somewhat hesitant, he was very clear about one thing in his heart.

Only by attaining the Great Luo Realm can one possibly break the current situation.

Therefore, his originally gentle gaze toward Wang Siyan gradually turned cold.

No matter how cold he was, he had been married to Wang Siyan for decades, and he could never be as cold as he was to others.

A short while later, they returned to the bedroom.

Wang Siyan took out several newly made garments, including underwear, a Taoist robe, and casual robes.

She thoughtfully helped Chen Yun take off his clothes, and then tried them on one by one to see if they fit.

Feeling the other person's concern, Chen Yun couldn't help but sigh heavily in his heart.

Having cultivated to such a level, he should theoretically be able to withstand any upheaval even if the heavens and earth were to collapse. However, when facing people he cares about, such as Zhang Qian, Lin Chen, Wang Siyan, and his mentor, he still cannot truly remain indifferent.

……

Nighttime, atop the mountain.

Chen Yun sat alone on the rock, gazing up at the starry sky.

He was holding a tree branch in his hand, seemingly scribbling it on the ground.

Gradually, strange patterns appeared on the ground, resembling maps.

If someone familiar with later history were to see these patterns, they would surely discover that these maps correspond to the later Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

After these patterns appeared, Chen Yun withdrew his gaze from the sky, lowered his head, and frowned in thought for a moment.

Immediately, he used a twig to erase the maps of the Qing and Ming dynasties, leaving only the Song and Yuan dynasties.

Chen Yun muttered to himself, "I will attain enlightenment when one of these two dynasties is established."

It's unclear whether he was truly talking to himself or speaking to someone else.

After finishing his self-talk, Chen Yun slowly stood up, and the two maps on the ground disappeared.

At the same time, Chen Yun's temperament underwent a slight change. He no longer gave people the feeling of being integrated into the group as before, but became "independent".

It was as if at this moment, he was no longer a part of this world, but had become a new individual.

Others certainly wouldn't understand this change.

Only Chen Yun himself could sense that the True Qi within his body was undergoing a dramatic change.

His aura was constantly rising, as if he were breaking free from something.

Suddenly, the path of the Golden Core that Chen Yun had previously entrusted with his life shook violently.

The next moment, the life he had entrusted to it appeared, then vanished without a trace, as if it had been annihilated, but Chen Yun was unharmed.

This kind of thing is absolutely unbelievable to other half-step Grand Luo cultivators.

Because life itself is precious; once it's extinguished, even a half-step Great Luo Immortal will vanish into nothingness. Moreover, Chen Yun also saw the Great Dao he had first observed.

Before this, he had sensed it countless times, but he had never sensed this Great Dao again.

Now, Chen Yun can sense it easily whenever he wants.

In the past, he would have explored this mysterious path just as he had explored the Path of Equality.

However, Chen Yun had no desire to explore at all at this moment. He even reached out and grabbed at the air, seemingly severing the weak connection between himself and this mysterious road.

After doing all this, Chen Yun sensed the Great Dao of Equality once again, and then, in the same manner, severed all connections with it.

Finally, Chen Yun sighed deeply, his body radiating seventy-two colors of divine light and thirty-six streams of Qi rising.

He waved his sleeve, and the divine light and energy vanished completely.

Chen Yun slowly turned around. His appearance was still like that of a young man in his twenties, but the look in his eyes was incredibly weathered, as if he had seen the world change and the seas dry up and the rocks crumble.

Nobody knows why he did it.

No one knew what Chen Yun was going to do next.

Only he understood all of this.

Chen Yun had already laid out all the traps.

Once he completes this, he will attain the status of a Great Immortal.

Now, he is just waiting for the pre-designed pieces to fall into the trap, and then he can achieve his goal.

This pawn is not just someone else, but also Chen Yun himself.

If you put yourself in the game, you will win half the battle!
……

Time keeps passing.

The Battle of Gaoping consolidated Chai Rong's position.

After the war, in order to enforce military discipline, he executed more than seventy soldiers, including Fan Aineng and He Hui, who had deserted during the battle. At the same time, he rewarded Li Chongjin, Zhang Yongde, Zhao Kuangyin and others who had made meritorious contributions in the battle.

In May, Chai Rong pressed his advantage and besieged Taiyuan, the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty. However, due to insufficient food and supplies, coupled with continuous rain and the exhaustion of his soldiers, he was unable to capture the city.

Meanwhile, the troops blocking the Liao army at Xinkou suffered setbacks, and General Shi Yanchao died in battle, greatly demoralizing the troops.

In June, Chai Rong issued an edict ordering the troops to return to base.

Following his meritorious service in the Battle of Gaoping, Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to Commander of the Palace Guards and Governor of Yanzhou three months after returning to the capital. Although it was an honorary title, it already placed him among the mid-to-high-ranking generals.

In October, Zhao Kuangyin was promoted to the position of Defense Commissioner of Yongzhou.

After the Battle of Gaoping, Chai Rong decided to reorganize the corrupt Imperial Guard and expand the "Palace Guards" into the Palace Guard Army.

Following Chai Rong's instructions, Zhao Kuangyin first carried out the work of weeding out the old and weak and selecting the elite in the Imperial Guards.

Secondly, he participated in Chai Rong's expansion of the Palace Guard, forming the new Palace Guard's various guards and the Imperial Guards such as the Dragon Cavalry, Tiger Cavalry, Iron Cavalry, and Crane Control.

With the increase in the strength of the Palace Guard, its subordinate imperial guards became the most elite army in the Later Zhou Dynasty, and were described in history as "unparalleled in military prowess in modern times".

Although the Palace Guard Command was of a lower rank than the Imperial Guard Command, which commanded most of the imperial guards, the imperial guards under its command were the emperor's personal guards. Zhao Kuangyin became one of Chai Rong's trusted generals.

Zhao Kuangyin also took advantage of this opportunity to reorganize the Imperial Guards to make extensive contact with generals at all levels.

In addition, Zhao Kuangyin formed a sworn brotherhood with Yang Guangyi, Shi Shouxin, Li Jixun, Wang Shenqi and other "Ten Brothers of the Righteous Society" in the army. He also cultivated a large number of confidants such as Yang Xin, Cui Han, Tian Chongjin and Zhang Qiong by selecting imperial guards and recruiting palace guards, thus building his own power in the palace guard.

At this point, Zhao Kuangyin's power had greatly increased.

Although Zhao Kuangyin's power increased significantly, he still relied heavily on imperial authority.

To be precise, his power stemmed entirely from Chai Rong's favor.

If Zhao Kuangyin falls out of favor, then his current power will vanish.

Therefore, if Zhao Kuangyin wanted to firmly establish himself in the Later Zhou Dynasty, or even launch the "Chenqiao Mutiny" later, his current prestige alone would not be enough.

He must establish his own prestige, rather than relying on the prestige gained through Chai Rong's favor.

In May of the second year of Xiande, Chai Rong sent troops to capture the four prefectures of Qin, Jie, Cheng, and Feng, which had been occupied by Later Shu when Later Jin was destroyed.

In the early stages of the war, the Later Zhou army made slow progress, and some court officials insisted on withdrawing their troops.

In July of the same year, Chai Rong ordered Zhao Kuangyin to go to the front line to observe the battle situation.

After Zhao Kuangyin returned to the capital, he suggested continuing the military campaign, which strengthened Chai Rong's resolve.

Ultimately, the Later Zhou army successfully recovered the four prefectures.

At this time, Zhao Kuangyin displayed military talent and was very impressive, but he still had no outstanding achievements to show for himself.

This kept the ambitious Zhao Kuangyin in a state of constant contemplation. He certainly knew that he needed to establish a very large prestige in order to maintain his current power and gain more support.

In this way, he was able to firmly establish himself in the Later Zhou court.

Zhao Kuangyin pondered this matter from July to August, but still couldn't come up with a solution.

Because he couldn't come up with a solution for a long time, he gradually gave up thinking about it and prepared to wait for an opportunity to act.

Early that morning, Zhao Kuangyin was preparing to attend court.

He had just stepped out of the inner courtyard and was preparing to head to the stables to ride a horse.

Suddenly, a figure appeared at the gate of the Zhao residence.

Zhao Kuangyin looked closely and quickly stepped forward to greet him, saying, "Scholar, it's been a year or two since we last met. How have you been?"

The person who arrived was Chen Yun.

Since returning to Qingcheng Mountain from the underworld, Chen Yun has spent the past year or two using the secrets he has gleaned to improve his own strength every day.

Although he severed his connection with all the Great Daos and their trajectories, his strength still greatly improved thanks to his mastery of the mysteries and his ability to condense the True Qi.

Chen Yun's current cultivation level and realm are no less than those of Vishnu, whom he fought back then.

It's fair to say that with such formidable strength, he's considered quite powerful even among those at the half-step Great Luo level.

Most importantly, Chen Yun did not rely on the power of simulating the Great Dao like other half-step Great Luo Immortals.

He had already condensed his own True Qi, which allowed him to unleash power far exceeding his own realm.

Chen Yun appeared calm and said, "I am well. Are you going to court now?"

Zhao Kuangyin laughed and said, "That's right. If the scholar doesn't want his students to go, I can pretend to be sick and ask for leave."

Chen Yun smiled and said, "No need. Go to court as usual, but remember one thing."

Zhao Kuangyin hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

Chen Yun said slowly, "Chai Rong will definitely discuss attacking the Southern Tang at the court meeting today. You... must find a reason to refuse to go. Do you remember what I said?"

Although Zhao Kuangyin did not understand why Chen Yun asked him to do this, he had never made a mistake in listening to this scholar Chen before, so he naturally trusted him very much.

He hurriedly replied, "The student will certainly act according to what the scholar says."

Chen Yun waved his hand and said, "Alright, go to court. I have some matters to attend to. I will meet you again next spring."

After he finished speaking, his figure vanished.

Zhao Kuangyin stared at the spot where Chen Yun had disappeared, a puzzled expression on his face.

He didn't understand why Chen Yun wouldn't let him participate in the attack on the Southern Tang, when it was such a good opportunity to establish prestige.

Of course, Chen Yun wouldn't tell Zhao Kuangyin that his plan to attain the Great Luo Realm had already begun, and that Zhao Kuangyin... or rather, the changes in this Investiture of the Gods war, were all within his calculations!

(End of this chapter)