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

Chapter 868 The Beginning of Grief
On the city floor.

When Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and a group of Southern Tang generals saw the Banana Tree Arhat standing there, they were immediately stunned by the large group of talented and extraordinary people in Zhao Kuangyin's army, and their faces showed joy.

Initially, they were very worried when they learned that the two holy monks had been defeated, fearing that the talented people in Zhao Kuangyin's army would use magic to help the Later Zhou army easily break through the city.

Seeing the imposing presence of the Banana Tree Arhat, the generals of the Southern Tang Dynasty breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help but smile.

One of the generals, aged thirty-one or thirty-two, said with obvious delight, “As expected of a Buddhist venerable one, his aura is truly overwhelming, frightening the capable and extraordinary people on the other side into not daring to move.”

Yao Feng smiled and said, "It seems that we will definitely be able to defend this city."

Huangfu Hui thought so too, “Yes, with the Venerable One here, defending the city is not a problem. As long as our morale recovers, we can completely defeat Zhao Kuangyin’s army with our massive forces.”

Suddenly, someone in the crowd said, "Just now, a celestial being from Zhao Kuangyin's army flew away on the clouds. He must have gone to fetch reinforcements. What should we do if he brings someone who can rival the Venerable One?"

Upon hearing this, the Southern Tang generals fell silent.

They were all intelligent people, and they knew very well what would happen to the city if the Banana Arhat were entangled by someone of similar strength.

The answer is simple: it will definitely be cracked.

Why did Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and other generals think this way?
Because they only have three extraordinary beings on their side, namely the Banana Tree Arhat and two other holy monks.

Previous battles have proven that the two holy monks were no match for the talented individuals in Zhao Kuangyin's army.

So, if the Banana Arhat were entangled, and the capable and extraordinary people in Zhao Kuangyin's army were able to suppress the two holy monks, wouldn't the city of Chuzhou be doomed to fall?
Because of this thought, Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and many other generals, who were originally in high spirits, all fell silent.

They couldn't imagine the consequences.

If that were to actually happen, they would most likely lose their lives far from home!

While Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and many other generals remained silent.

Suddenly, auspicious lights shone from the northwest.

Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and many other generals noticed the abnormality and all looked up.

A vast expanse of rolling clouds could be seen, and at the forefront of this cloud wave stood two people who were half Confucian scholars and half Taoists, with the older one appearing to be slightly behind the middle-aged one.

In a short while, Yunlang arrived in the sky above Chuzhou City.

Only then did everyone get a clear look at the two people in the air.

The older man was someone everyone recognized; he was the immortal who had flown away from Zhao Kuangyin's army.

On the contrary, Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng and many other generals had no recollection of the middle-aged man with his hands behind his back.

Not to mention that they didn't know him, even the generals and extraordinary people in Zhao Kuangyin's army didn't recognize this middle-aged man who was half Confucian and half Taoist, whom Chen Tuan had invited.

Just as both sides were wondering who this middle-aged man was.

Suddenly, the Banana Tree Arhat, who had been standing there like a statue, actually put his hands together in prayer and said to the sky, "Namo Amitabha Buddha. So it is Mr. Li Qi, a court official of the Great Tang Dynasty. This humble Taoist greets you."

A court official in the Tang Dynasty?
Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other Southern Tang generals were somewhat confused upon hearing this.

They thought the Banana Arhat was saying that Li Qi was a court official from the Southern Tang Dynasty.

But no matter how hard they tried to recall, they couldn't remember any official named Li Qi.

Zhao Kuangyin, Yuan Chu, and Yun Shidi, among others, initially shared the same doubts.

They were all puzzled as to why Chen Tuan had invited someone from his "rival" to help him.

Fortunately, Li Qi spoke up in time, dispelling the doubts in the minds of both sides.

He manipulated auspicious clouds to descend to the ground, stood face to face with the Banana Arhat, bowed in return, and said: "I have lived for hundreds of years and have long heard of the illustrious name of the Banana Arhat, Venerable Vanavasin. Today I am fortunate to meet him, and he is indeed extraordinary."

Well, these are all meaningless statements.

Although it lacked substance, Li Qi's words still made both the Southern Tang and Later Zhou people understand one thing.

That means Li Qi was not a court official of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but a court official of the Great Tang Dynasty.

Most importantly, it can be traced back hundreds of years.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the other party was likely a court official in the early Tang Dynasty.

Are any officials from the early Tang Dynasty still alive today?
I'm afraid his cultivation level has already reached its pinnacle!

Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, and the other Southern Tang generals immediately changed their expressions and became very uneasy.

On the contrary, Zhao Kuangyin, Yuan Chu, Mr. Geng, and others showed joy on their faces upon hearing this.

In particular, Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, and Dragon Girl Sanjiu could sense an immense and invincible power emanating from Li Qi, a feeling very similar to that of the Banana Tree Arhat.

Therefore, Yuan Chu, Mr. Geng, and others could roughly guess that Li Qi was very likely also a super expert at the peak of the Immortal Realm, on par with the Banana Arhat.

This made them secretly think, and they exchanged glances.

Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, and Dragon Girl Sanjiu, among others, all saw the intentions in each other's eyes.

They figured that regardless of whether Li Qi could defeat the Banana Tree Arhat, as long as the two super masters clashed, they could, with Chen Tuan's cooperation, suppress the two holy monks in Chuzhou City, thus giving Zhao Kuangyin an advantage in the siege.

This may seem a bit underhanded, but as an old geezer once said, "Warfare is based on deception."

If they didn't take advantage of this opportunity to break through the city, they felt they would have little chance of success.

After all, if two peak-level immortals were truly engaged in a battle, it could very well last for a very long time.

This takes a long time, often several months or even years.

Unless one of them possesses overwhelming strength, it is possible to determine a winner in a short period of time.

Take Yuan Chu for example. Before he attained immortality, he witnessed Niu Dali, a human immortal, fighting with the monk Daoyuan for a whole month in the Sun Moon Lake Cave.

If two human immortals of similar strength can fight for so long, how much more so two divine immortals?

Therefore, if Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, and Mr. Geng hadn't helped Zhao Kuangyin break through the city while the two masters were fighting, they might have truly missed their chance.

Or perhaps, Zhao Kuangyin's 12,000 troops simply didn't have enough food to last that long.

Generally speaking, troops traveling lightly can only carry enough rations for a few days at most, so let alone last until two equally matched peak-level experts of the Divine Realm decide the victor, they can't even last a few more days.

This is why Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, Mr. Geng, and others had to do this.

Those who have cultivated to such a profound level are naturally not fools. They understand when to do what, rather than necessarily adhering to so-called benevolence and morality. After all, this is a battlefield, not some other place.

Just as everyone was lost in thought, the Banana Tree Arhat spoke again, "Mr. Li, did you come here to help the Great Zhou conquer Chuzhou?"

Li Qi waved to Chen Tuan, then looked over with a smile and said, "No, I just heard that the Venerable One is here, and I specially came to learn from his skills."

Seeing Li Qi's gesture, Chen Tuan naturally used his Shrinking Earth technique, instantly returning to Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, Mr. Geng, and the others. "Hehe," the Banana Arhat chuckled, "Very well. Since Mr. Li is willing, shall we exchange a few moves?"

Li Qi reached out and summoned a calligraphy brush, a magical artifact, in his palm. "Good."

As the two were about to officially clash, everyone, including Huangfu Hui, Yao Feng, the Southern Tang generals, Zhao Kuangyin, Chen Tuan, and Yuan Chu, became completely focused.

Both sides understood deep down that the battle between Li Qi and the Banana Arhat was very likely to determine whether Chuzhou City would fall to the Southern Tang or the Later Zhou.

Of course, Chen Tuan, Yuan Chu, and Junior Brother Yun had different ideas. Besides thinking that Li Qi could entangle the Banana Arhat and break through the city, they also wanted to see how the two super masters would fare against each other and whether they could learn more from it.

All eyes are on you.

It is something that everyone is eagerly anticipating.

Finally, the two began to test each other.

With a flick of his brush, Li Qi unleashed a burst of Qi into the shape of the Chinese character "一" (one), which shot forward.

The Banana Leaf Arhat gently shook the banana leaf fan in his hand, causing ripples in the air in front of him.

The character “一” momentarily touched the ripples, but the earth-shattering scene that everyone had expected did not occur.

Instead, the character "一" instantly split into countless tiny characters the size of flies, which seeped into the ripples and crashed towards the Banana Arhat.

If someone were to look closely, they would surely discover that the characters split into this "一" (one) are actually from the first chapter of the Confucian classic "Spring and Autumn Annals".

The Banana Tree Arhat seemed surprised by the change in the character "一" and a look of delight appeared on his face.

His robe billowed, and a brilliant Buddhist light rippled out, obliterating the words.

Immediately, the Banana Tree Arhat pointed forward with his free hand, and a lotus flower composed of Buddhist light appeared.

At first glance, this lotus flower appears to be only the size of a small bowl, but it keeps growing larger as it flies through the air.

In the blink of an eye, the lotus flower grew to the size of an acre, like an inverted iron pot, and enveloped Li Qi completely.

Li Qi remained calm and unhurried, lightly tapping the lotus flower that was falling from mid-air four or five times with the brush in her hand.

Blobs of ink shot out from the tip of the pen, instantly transforming into the shapes of various wild beasts, just like the twelve zodiac animals.

As soon as the twelve zodiac animals formed from ink appeared, they immediately shone with twelve different colors of divine light, shattering the blue lotus into dust.

This is not finished.

During the burst of divine light, the twelve zodiac animals transformed from "ink painting" form into reality.

The Rat, Ox, Tiger, and Rabbit all manifested and dispersed to different locations.

Their divine light shone brightly, instantly sealing off the wilderness and forming a twelve-earth-branch formation.

This formation is particularly magical. Once it appears, Yin and Yang immediately become distinct, and the Five Elements are clearly defined. Furthermore, Yin and Yang and the Five Elements constantly alternate, unleashing unparalleled power.

Although these powers are contained within the formation, anyone can still feel their various forms of power.

Chen Tuan, Yuan Chu, and Junior Brother Yun could clearly see that under the terrifying power that erupted, even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth outside the formation was trembling violently. If it were not restrained by the formation, it would probably have the power to destroy the world.

Although the Twelve Earthly Branches Formation was already incredibly powerful, the Banana Arhat was at the pinnacle of the immortal realm and possessed a super magic weapon like the Banana Fan, so he didn't take its power seriously at all.

A huge wheel of merit rose up behind him, radiating Buddhist light. It not only blocked all the power unleashed by the Twelve Earthly Branches Formation, but also swept across the Twelve Zodiacs with Buddhist light that spun like a meat grinder.

These rays of Buddha light are particularly magical; the moment they touch the twelve zodiac animals, they immediately dissolve them completely.

In the blink of an eye, the Twelve Earthly Branches Formation, which had initially been unleashing terrifying power, was broken.

The Arhat of the Banana Tree, having gained the upper hand, pressed on relentlessly. The radiant Buddha light emanating from the Wheel of Merit transformed into countless torrents, like shooting stars streaking across the sky, swooping down on Li Qi wave after wave.

Li Qi laughed heartily, and with a flick of his sleeve, a surge of pure energy rose up, transforming into a mist that blocked all the Buddha's light.

The two continued to cast spells, fighting until the heavens and earth changed color and the sun and moon lost their light.

In a short while, Banana Arhat and Li Qi had already fought sixty or seventy rounds, and the scene looked particularly intense.

Yuan Chu glanced at Chen Tuan, "Mr. Chen, Mr. Li and Venerable Vanavasin are fighting fiercely. Could we take advantage of this opportunity...?"

Junior Brother Yun, Mr. Geng, and Dragon Girl Sanjiu, among others, all looked towards Chen Tuan.

Currently, Chen Tuan is the absolute core of their team of extraordinary individuals.

Naturally, everyone had to get Chen Tuan's approval for any decisions they made.

Chen Tuan's gaze remained fixed on the two super masters engaged in combat, but he shook his head slightly, "That's not appropriate."

"Hmm?" Yuan Chu frowned slightly and said, "Does Mr. Chen think our methods are too despicable?"

“It’s not about being despicable or not,” Chen Tuan said calmly. “There’s no such thing as being despicable or not on the battlefield. What I mean is, although Senior Li and Venerable Vanavasin are getting along very well, that’s just a facade. In reality, they haven’t really gotten serious yet. If we make a move now, I’m afraid Venerable Vanavasin will immediately take action and annihilate us all.”

what?
The two sides fought so fiercely that the heavens and earth changed color and the sun and moon lost their light, yet they still hadn't really gotten to the point?

Not to mention Zhao Kuangyin and the group of ordinary generals, who were quite surprised to hear these words, even those with high cultivation levels, such as Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, and Dragon Girl Sanjiu, were all somewhat incredulous at this moment.

In their view, although everyone was restraining their power in the battle between Li Qi and the Banana Arhat, the power that was truly unleashed was actually capable of destroying the world.

What did Chen Tuan say?
A battle capable of destroying the heavens and the earth has not yet reached its full potential?
Naturally, people will be surprised, and some may even find it hard to believe.

Suddenly, Chen Tuan's eyes widened slightly, and he said in a very serious tone, "Watch closely, Senior Li and Venerable Vanavasin may be about to use their true abilities!"

Everyone quickly put aside their distracting thoughts and stared intently at Li Qi and the Banana Arhat.

They were eager to see just how spectacular it would be if these two super experts used their true skills.

……

On the other side, Mount Qingcheng.

Chen Yun, who was meticulously unraveling the mystery, suddenly opened his eyes and looked towards Chuzhou.

Immediately, a faint sadness appeared in his eyes.

Chen Yun had a premonition and glimpsed some future scenes, already knowing that Niu Dali was about to perish.

Although Niu Dali is still alive for the time being and nothing has happened yet, he has already begun to grieve.

This grief caused Chen Yun to undergo a complete transformation, as if his strength could greatly increase if he were to grieve to the extreme.

Given his current strength, saving Niu Dali would be a piece of cake, but he couldn't do it, which made him feel even more sad.

Chen Yun couldn't help but sigh, and said softly as if talking to himself, "Niu Dali, let's meet again in the next era!"

(End of this chapter)