Apprenticeship at Qingcheng Mountain, Senior Brother Yu Canghai

Chapter 289: The expedition to Goryeo was not wrong, the mistake was that we didn’t conquer it!
Fang Jianding's whole body was charred, as if he had been struck by lightning.

"Two left."

He saw that two of the four major bandits had died in his hands.

Chu Yuan took a step forward, his body as fast as lightning, quickly passing through the many bandits besieging him and approaching within ten feet of Cao Yinglong and Mao Zao.

"Master Qingyang, how dare you kill my brother!"

Seeing Xiang Batian and Fang Jianding die one after another at the hands of Chu Yuan, Mao was furious and his eyes were red with anger.

"Rewind."

Instead, it was Cao Yinglong who first noticed the shocking murderous intent in Chu Yuan's calm eyes. His face changed and he said to Mao Zao beside him.

While speaking, Cao Yinglong quickly retreated.

Although the four bandits were brothers, they all fled when disaster struck. It was a blessing for them to be able to keep their lives under the hands of Qingyang Taoist Chu Yuan.

Although he was the leader of the four major bandits, when faced with a strong enemy like Chu Yuan, he could only prioritize protecting himself.

As soon as Cao Yinglong finished speaking, Chu Yuan had already walked leisurely and arrived at the mound with great momentum.

Then a dazzling silver flash of lightning lit up on the mound, accompanied by a deafening roar, like a bolt from the blue, causing the thieves around the mound to close their eyes.

When they opened their eyes again, they found that their third leader Mao Zao had turned into a dark corpse.

As Chu Yuan walked past him, looking like a scholar, the "Scorched Earth Thousand Miles" who usually killed countless people was irritable, and the bodies fell to the ground at the same time.

So far, the three major bandits among the four major bandits, "Not a blade of grass grows", "Not a chicken or dog is left alive", and "Scorched earth for a thousand miles", have all died at the hands of Chu Yuan.

Cao Yinglong, who was originally running away, suddenly stopped.

Because Chu Yuan had appeared in front of him, blocking his way to escape.

"What is your relationship with the evil king Shi Zhixuan?"

Chu Yuan put his hands behind his back and looked at Cao Yinglong in front of him.

He had seen a strange look in Cao Yinglong's eyes when he saw Shi Qingxuan before, so he guessed that the Cao Yinglong in front of him should have some relationship with the Evil King, Shi Zhixuan.

"I am the disciple of the Evil King."

Seeing that the other three of the four major bandits were dead, if Chu Yuan took action, he would no longer be their opponent. Cao Yinglong stopped struggling fearlessly and said calmly.

"You're not saying that the four bandits joined forces to deal with Duba Villa and Pegasus Ranch because of the instructions of the Evil King?"

Chu Yuan said with mockery in his eyes.

"That's not the case." Cao Yinglong shook his head: "Although I am the disciple of the Evil King, the reason why I attacked Duba Villa and Pegasus Ranch this time was because I had the joint support of Zhu Can and Xiao Xin behind me."

Chu Yuan asked, "Then what is your purpose in admitting that you are the disciple of the Evil King?"

Cao Yinglong was silent for a moment and then said, "Master Qingyang, do you know the Evil King? Do you know what kind of person he is?"

Chu Yuan was startled: "What do you mean?"

Cao Yinglong said, "When I was at Pegasus Ranch that day, I saw Miss Shi following you, and I guessed that you had a close relationship with the Evil King Shi Zhixuan, otherwise he would never have entrusted his daughter to you."

Chu Yuan frowned: "Just tell me what you mean!"

Cao Yinglong stopped beating around the bush and said bluntly: Although I was born in the Demon Sect and am a disciple of the Evil King, I do not recognize my own master and hate him to the core. Taoist priest, do you know why? "

Chu Yuan was puzzled and asked: "Why?"

Cao Yinglong's eyes were filled with hatred. "Master, you should know that there are two sects and six paths in the Demon Sect, and the Yinkui Sect is the leader of the Demon Sect. My master's sect is the Butian Pavilion. The reason why I hate my master's sect so much is that after I became an adult, I accidentally discovered that when my former master accepted me as a disciple, he murdered my parents, brothers and sisters. This was called "severing worldly ties", which filled my heart with hatred. However, I was powerless to resist, so I could only vent my hatred elsewhere, killing countless people and committing many evil deeds. Now I have finally come to my senses, but all the evil things I have done were because of the Evil King."

Chu Yuan asked, "Are you saying that it was the evil king Shi Zhixuan who killed your parents, brothers and sisters?"

Cao Yinglong looked up at Chu Yuan: "That's why I asked, Taoist priest, do you know the evil king?"

Chu Yuan frowned. In his understanding, the evil king Shi Zhixuan once transformed into Pei Ju and split the Turks into Eastern and Western Turks. He was a resourceful talent with the style of Guiguzi in the Spring and Autumn Period.

But at this time, listening to what his disciple Cao Yinglong said, the Evil King Shi Zhixuan was more like a master of the magic sect who would do anything to achieve his goals.

Chu Yuan thought for a moment, and his frowned brows gradually relaxed.

He figured it out.

These two types of people are actually the evil king Shi Zhixuan.

Perhaps because of the split between Eastern and Western Turks, he had preconceived ideas, and coupled with their last meeting, he had a good impression of the Evil King Shi Zhixuan.

But don’t forget the evil king Shi Zhixuan, a schizophrenic with a dual personality.

It's him who kills people like crazy!
He is also the one who will do anything to achieve his goal!
It's just because of his dual personality and schizophrenia that his good and evil are separated.

Cao Yinglong didn't know Chu Yuan's thoughts, he continued: "In the past hundred years, the world was in chaos, and the Demon Sect emerged with several outstanding figures. The most outstanding ones are "Queen of Yin" Zhu Yuyan, "Evil Emperor" Xiang Yutian and my master "Evil King" Shi Zhi.

Xuan, in terms of fame, Zhu Yuyan, the leader of the eight evil masters, is the most famous, but in terms of strength, the other two are not inferior to her. "

Chu Yuan's mind moved, he knew that there were eight evil masters in the martial arts world.

These eight evil masters are actually basically the famous masters of the Demon Sect in the world.

An Long, the leader of the Tianlian Sect who was once frightened by him and fled from Shu overnight, is one of the eight masters of the evil way, ranking fifth among them.

Chu Yuan continued to listen to Cao Yinglong's story, and heard Cao Yinglong say: "Xiang Yutian is dead, Shi Zhixuan married Bi Xiuxin, the previous generation of Cihang Jingzhai. After Bi Xiuxin died because of him, this aroused Shi Zhixuan's innate cruel and evil nature. He was responsible for the demise of the Sui Dynasty and the change of the world from unity to chaos."

Chu Yuan's heart moved. He knew that the Xiang Yutian mentioned by Cao Yinglong must be the Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian of the Demon Sect.

Everyone else thought that the Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian was dead, but he was the only one who knew that the Evil Emperor Xiang Yutian was faking his death. He was either still living in seclusion in the world, or he had already broken through the void and ascended to another world.

Chu Yuan asked: "What does this mean?"

Cao Yinglong said, "Master, do you know that Shi Zhixuan once used the pseudonym Pei Ju, Yang Guang's most trusted minister, to be in charge of Sino-foreign trade. It was he who instigated Yang Guang to go on an expedition to Goryeo?"

Chu Yuan frowned. He felt that if Shi Zhixuan really instigated Yang Guang to do this, then Shi Zhixuan was not wrong.

The expedition to Goryeo was not wrong, but Yang Guang was incompetent, had no famous generals under him, and overestimated himself. The three expeditions to Goryeo all ended in failure, which eventually led to the demise of the Sui Dynasty. A few decades later, the Li Tang Dynasty had many famous generals, and not only did they defeat Goryeo, but even the Turks were defeated by the Li Tang Dynasty.

Wang Xuance's feat of destroying an entire country was only possible when the Tang Dynasty was prosperous and powerful at that time. Li Shimin was called the Heavenly Khan, and the surrounding countries were proud to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty became a microcosm of the center of world civilization.

Chu Yuan said: "It was not wrong for Shi Zhixuan to instigate Yang Guang to conquer Goryeo. It was Yang Guang who was wrong. Yang Guang was not capable enough and failed to conquer Goryeo."

Hearing Chu Yuan's words, Cao Yinglong was stunned for a moment.

Cao Yinglong was not convinced and said, "But he caused the world to go from being unified to being in chaos. The rebel kings in the world attacked each other, countless people were killed and injured, and the people of China suffered terribly..."

Chu Yuan said calmly, "There is no such thing as a dynasty that lasts forever. When the emperor is incompetent, the dynasty will naturally change. Distinguishing between loyalty and treachery and selecting virtuous people are the basic abilities of an emperor. Even if there is no Shi Zhixuan by Yang Guang's side, there will be a Li Zhixuan or Wang Zhixuan. Later, Yang Guang built a temporary palace and abused the people's power... All these things were done by Yang Guang himself, and cannot be blamed on others. It is better for the dynasty to be destroyed!"

In Chu Yuan's view, the change of dynasties is the choice of people all over the world, and it is also the law of nature.

As long as the people can survive and have something to eat, the dynasty will not change.

If the people cannot survive, they will rebel, and a new dynasty will be born.

But destruction also breeds new life. The end of a corrupt dynasty will surely be accompanied by the birth of a new dynasty.

In comparison, the later Tang Dynasty was much stronger than the Sui Dynasty.

That will be one of the most powerful dynasties since the birth of civilization on this land.

People like Cao Yinglong probably couldn't even imagine how powerful the Tang Dynasty was during its heyday.

Chu Yuan's words left Cao Yinglong speechless for a moment.

He didn't know what to say to refute Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan looked at Cao Yinglong and said, "Of course, the evil king Shi Zhixuan did let you down. He was too unscrupulous in his actions. The tragedy of your life was caused by him, but this is not a reason for you to gather bandits and robbers to attack ordinary people. You can take revenge on the evil king, but you and your brothers and subordinates should not kill ordinary people to vent your anger. In fact, you are no different from the evil king Shi Zhixuan who caused your miserable life. You are even worse than the evil king Shi Zhixuan."

If Cao Yinglong dared to seek revenge on the evil king Shi Zhixuan, Chu Yuan would still respect him as a man, but the problem is that Cao Yinglong didn't do that.

Instead, he gathered a group of bandits and robbers to harm the common people.

If he hadn't known that he was no match for Chu Yuan at this moment, he would never have come to his senses.

Chu Yuan's words made Cao Yinglong look a little gloomy: "Yes, what I did before is no different from what the evil king Shi Zhixuan did!"

He knew that his three brothers had died one after another at the hands of Chu Yuan.

There was probably no way out today. I could not escape from Chu Yuan. At the end of my life, recalling the past seemed like a dream.

Cao Yinglong was silent for a while, then he looked up at Chu Yuan with sparkling eyes and said, "Master Qingyang, I know I am no match for you and I will die today, but a dying man speaks well. I have something in my heart that I cannot help but say. Whether you listen or not is entirely up to you. Yang Guang is unkind and unjust, although it is related to his nature, but if Shi Zhixuan had not fanned the flames, he would never have ruined Yang Jian's powerful family so quickly. As far as I know, the reason why Shi Zhixuan went through so much trouble was just for the dispute over the orthodoxy."

Chu Yuan asked: "What is the dispute over the orthodoxy?"

Cao Yinglong said: "Whether it was Emperor Wen or Emperor Yang, they both vigorously promoted Buddhism, built Buddhist temples all over the country, copied Buddhist scriptures, and spread Buddhism. If the power of the country is used to preach, it is completely contrary to the beliefs of the Demon Sect. How could Shi Zhixuan allow them to do whatever they want? So he transformed himself into Pei Ju and went undercover beside Yang Guang, persuading Yang Guang to fight everywhere and destroy the Sui Dynasty. In the final analysis, this is actually a dispute between Cihang Jingzhai and the Demon Sect, and even more a dispute over who will rule the Dao."

Chu Yuan suddenly realized that there was such a contest.

Cao Yinglong glanced at Chu Yuan again and said, "Although Taoism originated from Huang-Lao and flourished in the Han Dynasty, it has gradually declined since the Jin Dynasty and has gradually been unable to compete with Buddhism and Demonism for the orthodoxy. Now, Ning Daoqi, one of the three great masters in the world, is a "sanren" from Taoism, but he is very close to Buddhism. However, the sudden appearance of Taoist Master Qingyang has made Taoism eligible to participate in the next battle for the orthodoxy. You have to be careful of Shi Zhixuan. Although the Demon Sect and the Buddhist Sect are fighting fiercely, they will never let Taoism get the upper hand."

Today, Taoist Qingyang is already a master-level expert with the same strength as Zhu Yuyan and Shi Zhixuan.

He also has the Qingcheng Sect and the Shu Alliance under his command.

Li Shimin, the second son of Li Yuan, the leader of the Li clan, was his disciple and was already qualified to compete for the orthodox doctrine, and the struggle for the orthodox doctrine was the most dangerous.

Chu Yuan understood what Cao Yinglong meant: "Are you saying that Shi Zhixuan will attack me?"

Cao Yinglong said: "It's hard to say. Shi Zhixuan is crazy now. Sometimes he kills people without hesitation, and sometimes he is a scholar who talks about poetry and songs. Not to mention other people, even those of us around him are very afraid of him."

Chu Yuan thought about it and felt that this was not impossible.

The Shi Zhixuan that I met at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain before should be a relatively normal and kind-hearted Shi Zhixuan.

If he is really an evil king who has killed people without mercy, it is still unknown whether he will talk to me calmly when they meet next time.

Cao Yinglong said: "The demon sect emphasizes ruthlessness and cruelty, and practicing the highest skills will lead to the extinction of all descendants. They also regard life as a short transition, illusory and without ultimate meaning, just like the Buddha said. However, their method of breaking the delusion is not to save the world and help people, but to treat morality and etiquette as a joke. Therefore, they can use any means to achieve their goals and are not bound by any constraints. Killing is just a trivial matter for them."

Chu Yuan frowned and said, "No wonder the demon sects are all bloodthirsty and like to collude with foreign enemies, not even caring about their own relatives."

Cao Yinglong's words made Chu Yuan think of An Long, Zhu Yuyan and others.

Madam Shan Meixian of Dongming was just a victim of a miserable fate under the rules of the Demon Sect.

From this point of view, the Demon Sect is really not advisable.

Cao Yinglong continued, "Since Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty abolished all schools of thought and respected Confucianism alone, the schools of thought in the world began to fight for the orthodoxy of Taoism, and the world began to be divided into good and evil. When the demon cult came to the East and translated the Hu books into Chinese, things became more complicated. For those aristocratic families, the world is a political struggle, and for us, the world is a struggle for the orthodoxy of Taoism. Taoist Qingyang, now that you have become a force to be reckoned with, you are qualified to fight for the orthodoxy of Taoism on behalf of Taoism. From now on, both the Buddhist and the demon sects will not let you go. They will regard you as a thorn in their eyes and a thorn in their flesh, and deal with you."

Chu Yuan knew that the evil cult that Cao Yinglong mentioned should be Buddhism.

He had not expected that the Buddhist sect and the Demonic sect had already reached such a level of hatred, with the Buddhist sect denouncing the Demonic sect as heretics, while the Demonic sect called the Buddhist sect a demon cult.

If we add Taoism and the Great Ming Sect from outside the region, things will really become a mess.

Chu Yuan thought of Buddhism. Taoism had Ning Daoqi, one of the three great masters in the world. The Demonic Sect also had eight evil masters, but Taoism had a vague intention of respecting Buddhism. The Demonic Sect was beaten by Buddhism and hid in the dark, like a rat in a gutter, and dared not show up at all.

Chu Yuan asked: "Is the power of Buddhism very strong?"

Cao Yinglong said: "Very strong. The Yin Gui Sect, the leader of the two sects, has been fighting with Cihang Jingzhai, but has always been at a disadvantage. Cihang Jingzhai has surpassed ordinary religions and has become the supreme holy place of Buddhism and Taoism. If anyone openly attacks it, it will attract the intervention of people like Ning Daoqi from Taoism, or those high monks from the four sects of Buddhism who have always been indifferent to worldly affairs."

Chu Yuan asked: "What are the four sects of Buddhism?"

Cao Yinglong said: "The four sects are Tiantai Sect, Sanlun Sect, Huayan Sect and Chan Sect. The abbots are all high monks with extraordinary martial arts and profound Taoism. They never get involved in disputes between the martial arts world and the secular world. Of course, no one dares to provoke them."

Chu Yuan glanced at the sky, his eyes gradually turned cold: "Time for small talk is over, Cao Yinglong should send you on your way to meet your three brothers."

Cao Yinglong sighed and said, "Master Qingyang, I still have something to ask of you..."

Chu Yuan asked: "What's the matter?"

(End of this chapter)