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

Chapter 867 Fire Stick

Zhao Kuangyin had just won a great victory at Qingliu Pass against the 150,000-strong army led by Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng, and now his momentum was at its peak, with his troops at the gates of the city.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng knew that they could not engage the Later Zhou army at this time.

Otherwise, with their morale low, they would undoubtedly be defeated.

However, Zhao Kuangyin sent people to shout outside the city, as if not responding was not an option.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng were already losing face after their defeat, and now they were being insulted, which made them extremely angry.

Governor's Mansion.

Huangfu Hui was furious and said, "Zhao Kuangyin is really a scoundrel. He not only caught us off guard by coming around from behind the mountain, but now that he has the upper hand, he is acting innocent and even sending people to insult us and force us to fight."

Yao Feng said very rationally, "Commander, we must not act rashly at this time, otherwise if the city is breached, the rear will be in great danger."

"Yes."

"Zhao Kuangyin's cavalry and infantry are lightly armed and clearly do not carry any siege equipment. As long as we hold the city, he will be helpless."

"Yes, if we go out of the city to fight now, we will fall into his trap."

"We must hold back and wait until our morale recovers before engaging the enemy in a decisive battle."

The other generals all tried to persuade him.

Huangfu Hui sighed and said, "How could I not know this? It's just that Zhao Kuangyin has been sending people to insult us outside the city. Our lack of response will also affect morale. Unless someone can suppress Zhao Kuangyin's arrogance, it will be difficult for our army's morale to recover to what it was before."

Yao Feng said silently, "We just suffered a crushing defeat. How can we possibly suppress the arrogance of Zhao Kuangyin's army?"

Upon hearing this, a large group of Southern Tang generals in the council hall fell silent.

They knew that Yao Feng's words made sense.

What puzzled everyone was that there were two Buddhist monks guarding the back of the mountain, so how did Zhao Kuangyin's 12,000 troops manage to break through this defensive line?
It's not that they can't understand it, but they're unwilling to accept the facts they vaguely sense.

Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other generals could all guess that there must be an even more powerful deity in Zhao Kuangyin's army, otherwise they could not have won so easily.

Most importantly, they didn't even notice the divine battle, which is why they were attacked.

In fact, they had no idea that when Chen Tuan and Yuan Chu fought the two holy monks, they did not deliberately conceal their movements at all.

The reason they couldn't detect it was entirely because the two holy monks were too arrogant and used a spell similar to "Buddha's Kingdom in the Palm of Your Hand" to isolate all the fighting, making it difficult for others to notice.

Whether they noticed it or not, it did not prevent Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other Southern Tang generals present from knowing that there was a powerful deity in charge of the Later Zhou army.

This made them even more conflicted.

Zhao Kuangyin's unexpected military tactics had already caused them considerable suffering.

Now, with even more powerful deities than the two holy monks presiding over the army, they seem to see no hope of winning at all.

It was precisely because of this thought that Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other generals all frowned.

They knew that the strength of an army with a divine presence was completely different from that of an army without one.

For example, why did Zhao Kuangyin win the Battle of Wokou so easily?
It was only because a holy being cast a spell that the attack was concealed, causing the city's defenses to crumble in an instant.

Huangfu Hui looked worried.

Yao Feng and the other generals also sighed.

Just when everyone was in a bad mood.

An old monk holding a banana leaf fan slowly walked into the house.

Behind the old monk were two holy monks who had been defeated by Chen Tuan and Yuan Chu.

That's right, this old monk is none other than the Banana Tree Arhat, one of the Eighteen Arhats.

To be honest, Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other generals had never actually seen the Banana Tree Arhat.

The main reason is that the Banana Arhat had been hiding in the shadows, wanting to see if there were any powerful deities in the Later Zhou army, and had not shown himself to meet these mortal generals.

Banana Arhat was not a reckless person; otherwise, he would not have been able to cultivate to the level of Arhat.

He needed to ensure that Buddhism would not lose face in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and then gain the Southern Tang's complete trust, so that he would have enough room to maneuver.

It's okay for two holy monks to lose; there are too many monks of this caliber in Buddhism. Losing one or two matches won't affect the reputation of Buddhism at all.

The Eighteen Arhats are different.

This is one of the face of Buddhism.

Banana Arhat was determined to make a name for himself in this battle.

Therefore, he secretly observed for a period of time, fearing that his mission would not go well.

What made the Banana Arhat feel fortunate was that although there were geniuses like Chen Tuan in the Later Zhou army who had comprehended the Dao of Limitlessness, they were only at the Earth Immortal realm and could not possibly be a match for someone like him who was at the peak of the Divine Immortal realm.

Therefore, the Banana Arhat stepped forward, intending to establish his authority in the Southern Tang Dynasty and demonstrate the majesty of Buddhism.

Although Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other generals did not know the Banana Arhat, they did know the two holy monks.

When they saw two holy monks escorting an old monk in, they immediately realized that the man was no ordinary person and stood up to greet him.

After Huangfu Hui finished bowing, he asked with a slight hesitation, "Two holy monks, who is this?"

Yao Feng and the other generals all looked towards the two holy monks.

Before the two holy monks could even reply, the Banana Arhat blurted out arrogantly, "This humble monk has come to assist the general in sweeping away the Great Zhou!"

Thus, the scene that unfolded on the battlefield came to be.

……

In front of the battle.

Chen Tuan, Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, and Dragon Girl Sanjiu, among others, looked at the Banana Arhat standing outside the city and were truly suppressed to the extreme, even finding it difficult to breathe.

Yuan Chu said with some fear, "The aura emanating from this old monk is so terrifying that he must be at least at the Immortal Realm, or even possibly at the Celestial Immortal Realm."

Junior Brother Yun said with a very serious expression, "Even if we all attack together, I don't think we can defeat him."

Mr. Geng was so overwhelmed that he couldn't even straighten his back. She took a deep breath and said, "What should we do when we encounter such a formidable opponent? Do we really have to call for reinforcements?"

Dragon Girl Sanjiu smiled bitterly and said, "Without calling for reinforcements, we have absolutely no chance of winning."

Yes.

Anyone can understand the enormous gap between them and the Banana Tree Arhat, a gap as vast as a chasm.

Chen Tuan gave the Banana Tree Arhat a deep look, "It seems I need to invite two seniors over before I can have any hope of defeating the Banana Tree Arhat."

As they were talking, the Banana Tree Arhat seemed to have overheard their conversation. He said softly, "Go and fetch reinforcements. This humble monk will wait here." His voice was gentle, but it instantly carried throughout the entire wilderness, allowing Zhao Kuangyin and his twelve thousand soldiers to hear it clearly.

"what?"

"These extraordinary individuals haven't even tried to fight, yet they're already preparing to go and call for reinforcements?"

"So, that old monk is really powerful?"

"Nonsense, if he weren't powerful, would he have been able to make Mr. Chen, Mr. Yuan, and the others afraid to fight him?"

"If we can't bring reinforcements, and the morale of the Southern Tang army in the city recovers, we will truly have no chance of winning."

"We hope that Mr. Chen, Mr. Yuan, and others can bring reinforcements."

The twelve thousand soldiers whispered amongst themselves, their previously high morale plummeting in an instant.

Zhao Kuangyin naturally noticed the change in the army's morale, and his brows furrowed slightly involuntarily.

As a general well-versed in military strategy, he certainly knew how important morale was to an army.

If morale is low, even an army of 100,000 men will have a hard time defeating an army of 10,000 or 20,000, let alone the fact that his current number of soldiers is far less than that of the Southern Tang army in the city.

If morale continues to be low, Zhao Kuangyin has every reason to believe that they will definitely not be able to win this battle.

There is only one way to stabilize morale: defeat the old monk blocking our way as soon as possible. And to do that, we probably need to call for reinforcements.

Zhao Kuangyin was eager to know if Chen Tuan could bring in reinforcements more powerful than the old monk.

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Chen Tuan soared away on a cloud.

……

Huashan.

As soon as Chen Tuan left Chuzhou, he came here to seek help from his friends.

He found a cave dwelling, then gently knocked on the door and said, "Senior Li, Chen Tuan requests an audience."

As soon as he finished speaking, the stone door opened from the inside, and a boy who looked to be about five or six years old respectfully said, "Mr. Chen, the master invites you in."

Chen Tuan said, "Thank you for your trouble, Baiyun."

Baiyun Boy politely replied, "You're welcome."

He walked ahead, leading Chen Tuan into the cave.

Soon, a middle-aged man with a long beard, dressed in a blue robe and appearing to be both a scholar and a Taoist, appeared before them.

The man was sitting at the stone table sipping tea. When he saw Chen Tuan coming over, he smiled and pointed to the stone bench next to him, saying, "Fuyaozi, please sit down."

Chen Tuan hurriedly bowed and said, "Thank you, Senior Li."

After saying that, he sat down on the stone bench.

The boy obediently stepped forward to pour tea.

Senior Li glanced at the boy, then turned his gaze to Chen Tuan. "It's been a long time. What brings you here to see me today?"

Chen Tuan said directly, "I have come to seek your help today, senior, because I wish to ask you to come out of seclusion and lend me your assistance."

Senior Li laughed and scolded, "I knew you wouldn't come here without a reason. Tell me, who do you want me to deal with?"

Chen Tuan explained the situation: "I previously met a young friend in the mortal realm named Zhao Kuangyin. He is currently serving under the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Coincidentally, the Great Zhou Dynasty was attacking the Southern Tang Dynasty, so I went to war with the army. Originally, I thought that with my cultivation at the Earth Immortal Realm, I could help Zhao Kuangyin to directly attack Jinling without any problem. However, I did not expect to encounter a Buddhist Arhat blocking my way in Chuzhou. This Arhat was not an ordinary Arhat, but the Banana Tree Arhat, who ranked fourteenth among the Eighteen Arhats. I thought I was no match for him, so I came here to ask you to come out of the mountains and help me."

His network of connections was quite extensive, but after much thought, he could only think of two people who could defeat the Banana Tree Arhat: Lü Dongbin and the senior Li Qi standing before him.

This Li Qi is no ordinary person. He served as a court official as early as the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty. Now, so much time has passed, yet he still looks like a middle-aged man, clearly possessing great magical powers.

Indeed, although he was just a wandering immortal without any official position, his cultivation level was not low at all. He had already cultivated to the peak of the Immortal Realm and was only one step away from the Celestial Immortal Realm.

Based on their strength on paper, Li Qi has a chance to defeat the Banana Arhat.

Therefore, Chen Tuan came to his door.

In fact, he knew that if he could persuade Lü Dongbin to come out of seclusion, the Banana Tree Arhat would be no match for him.

So why did Chen Tuan not go to Lü Dongbin, but instead go to Li Qi?

The reason is simple: he knew that good steel should be used where it's needed most. Using a transcendent being like Lü Dongbin, whose strength was no less than that of the Four Saints of the North Pole, to deal with a Banana Tree Arhat was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Chen Tuan could not waste such a precious favor on dealing with the Banana Tree Arhat.

This is one of the reasons.

Another very important reason is that, as Chen Yun's senior brother, Lü Dongbin was temporarily unable to appear on the battlefield.

Chen Yun had previously explained this matter to Chen Tuan.

Not only is Lü Dongbin temporarily unsuitable to appear, but all the deities closely related to Chen Yun, such as his disciples, Guan Yu, and so on, are also unsuitable to appear on the battlefield.

Although Chen Tuan did not understand why Chen Yun gave such instructions, he knew that the Taoist Emperor would not give such instructions without a reason, and there must be a very important reason. Therefore, he did not look for Lü Dongbin, but came directly to find Li Qi.

After hearing Chen Tuan's words, Li Qi's expression changed slightly. He said, "The Banana Tree Arhat, ranked fourteenth among the Eighteen Arhats?"

Chen Tuan nodded and said, "That's right."

Li Qi remained silent, sitting there with an unpredictable expression.

Upon seeing this, Chen Tuan's heart skipped a beat.

He could tell that Li Qi seemed to be quite wary of the Banana Tree Arhat.

If even Li Qi refuses to come out of seclusion to help, Chen Tuan really can't think of anyone else to ask for help, since it's not suitable to ask Lü Dongbin for assistance at the moment.

Fortunately, Li Qi did not remain silent for too long.

He frowned and said, "I have heard of the fame of this Banana Leaf Arhat. His cultivation is about the same as mine. However, he has an extremely powerful magic weapon, namely the Banana Leaf Fan he holds. This magic weapon is incredibly powerful. As a mere wandering immortal, I don't have any powerful magic weapons. If I were to fight him, I'm afraid I might not be able to win."

Seeing that Li Qi seemed hesitant, Chen Tuan had no choice but to say helplessly, "If that's the case, then I'll go and bother someone else to see if I can get someone else to come out of the mountains and subdue the Banana Arhat."

"Wait a moment." Li Qi called out to Chen Tuan, "Although I don't have any powerful magic weapons and may not be able to defeat the Banana Tree Arhat, I have a fellow Daoist who has an extremely powerful magic weapon. Wait here for a moment, and I will go to him to borrow the magic weapon. Then I will go down the mountain with you."

Chen Tuan was surprised by the unexpected turn of events and quickly said, "Very good, thank you for your trouble, Senior Li."

Li Qi waved his hand and said, "It's alright. You and I are even good friends. Since you've come to me today, I have no reason not to help."

With that, he stood up, instructed the boy to treat Chen Tuan well, and then walked out of the cave.

Chen Tuan sat there waiting.

About half an hour later, Li Qi returned holding something that looked like a fire poker. "Let's go, take me to meet the Banana Leaf Arhat. I've borrowed a magic weapon that's very likely to break the Banana Leaf Fan!"

(End of this chapter)