Tao and Heaven

Chapter 193: Overpowering Emperor Daojun
Mid-November, wing room.

Jun Yan lay flat on the ground, and the immortal sword inserted into his abdomen slowly disappeared. The sword intent was guided and utilized by the Heavenly Corpse to cut other demons.

The body of all demons can also be a mouthful of hot soup, in which the demons cooked can be cut into small pieces for easier consumption.

Jun Yan's soul was split into two, and one of his eyes turned permanently black, but the aura of the celestial corpse lingered at all times.

His cultivation level broke through and reached the 87th Dao Foundation, which was the same as Chiyuzi.

"ugly."

"Smelly."

Chi Yuzi and Chan Xi gave sincere and expressionless comments, then looked at each other and said in unison: "Daoyou, we have the same opinion."

Jun Yan's forehead was bulging with veins, and he said, "Hong Chen's appearance is ordinary, why haven't you commented on him? Even if I look like this, I'm still more handsome than him."

The two turned their heads and looked at Gu Wen, who was standing behind them. Gu Wen had regular facial features, and was indeed not as good-looking as Jun Yan. But cultivators not only look at appearance, but also at a person's aura.

The aura can be the result of skills, cultivation, or Tao heart.

Gu Wen has cultivated many immortal methods, and his body and soul are both perfect. If he does not conceal his aura, in the eyes of cultivators, he is the kind of person who will make people look back and watch him when he walks on the road.

Akabane stared blankly for a long time without saying anything. The lack of intelligence would cause the brain to crash.

Chanxi, using the memory of Sanqing Daozi, said honestly as always: "Junior brother, your appearance is natural. If you want to look good, it only takes a few spells. Now that you are infected with corpse qi, you are already something that God hates."

Gu Wen, who was standing aside and caught in the crossfire, remained calm. He had a natural look, and ugliness and beauty were all superficial. He did not make a living by his looks.

He asked, "If you continue like this, you will become a vassal and lose control of your body."

"Do I need to repeat it again and again?" Jun Yan rolled his eyes. "I'm not a yellow-haired girl like Akabane. I know what I'm doing. Hehe, my friend, don't worry. I won't cause any trouble for myself."

Gu Wen raised his eyebrows, and the magic sword in his hand condensed again.

"Wait a moment, my friend. I have already taken over three of your souls. It will be useless even if you chop off his head."

puff!
Before the Sky Corpse finished speaking, the Immortal Sword had already pierced into Jun Yan's kidney. Gu Wen saw that the Sky Corpse's will had not faded, and slowly pulled out the Immortal Sword. There was no blood in the finger-long wound, only a dark hole.

Jun Yan's body is no longer that of a normal person. Except for the part below his head, he can regenerate at any time, which also makes his physical strength basically equivalent to nothing.

Gu Wen judged thus: "It seems that even the Immortal Sword cannot force him to get off the plane. Laojun, are you still awake?"

"Awake" Jun Yan took a breath, his eyes full of resentment. He was very dissatisfied with Gu Wen's behavior of stabbing his waist at every turn, but he knew that he could not restrict the other party's behavior.

The devil is cunning and knows human hearts well. Every additional rule and restriction that can be identified will increase the possibility of Gu Wen being deceived.

He could die, but he could never let that old thing Tianshi live in his place.

Gu Wen asked, "This is the case with the third soul. Can you still take the initiative after the first soul?"

"I don't know, maybe he can, or maybe he will let me control the body temporarily because you are here."

Jun Yan propped himself up and stood up again. He clenched his fists, and his thin and fair body became more muscular. He smiled and said, "At least I have changed from a sickly person to a normal person. I don't know how long this normality will last."

"Before that, I will use this old guy's power to help you kill Emperor Daojun. Then, if you really become an immortal in the future, you might be able to save me from becoming a pile of impurities in my soul."

The sound of horse hooves was heard outside the house, and Jiang Ju, wearing silver armor, dismounted and entered the courtyard.

I saw everyone gathered in the side room, standing outside the door waiting.

Gu Wen turned his head and cast a look at him. Jiang Ju took two steps forward, bowed his hands and said, "Master Wen, your nephew has assembled an army and is ready to attack Luoshui Pass at any time. We are just waiting for your order."

That night, Gu Wen and his group left Jiangjia Village, and hundreds of people from the Jiang family saw them off.

Jiang Fugui, with graying hair, grabbed Gu Wen's hand and said with tears in his eyes, "Grandpa, why don't we just forget it? Didn't you say that if you take a step back, you will have a broader horizon?"

He didn't know about the gods, but Jiang Fugui knew Gu Wen's character. When Master Wen didn't kill the emperor immediately, it showed that the emperor was not simple either.

During the five years of Longqiao, Master Wen crushed any enemies he could to death.

"I'm not afraid, so why are you afraid?" Gu Wen comforted him, "When I conquer the world, I'll let you sit on that throne, and then you can pass it on to Jucai, so that your Jiang family can also be the ruler of the world."

After saying that, Gu Wen turned around, took a step forward, and soared into the clouds, with the others following closely behind him.

The sight rises rapidly into the clouds, overlooking the land of Nanshui. The morning light is just breaking and a thin mist is lingering.

A mighty team stretched for miles, like a giant dragon winding forward with no end in sight. Flags fluttered in the wind, armor reflected a cold luster, and people from all walks of life gathered to form an army.

Gu Wen stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance. A large city was located at the pass, blocking the only land route from the south to the north.

Across the layers of green mountains and rivers, you can vaguely see an old dragon lying prone, with a gaze cast from thousands of miles away.

Somehow, Gu Wen seemed to see an old Taoist in a yellow robe.

The two looked at each other for a long time, calm and cold.

The hatred of having a whole family wiped out and the revenge of being enslaved.

Gu Wen still remembered that when he was a beggar, he knelt on the ground and ate the official porridge with his hands. He still remembered the humiliation of being pressed to the ground by Jia Pu when facing Zhao Feng. He still remembered the torment of being an ordinary person in this furnace called Daqian.

When the Taoist emperor comes to power, the people are boiled in boiling water.

"We shouldn't be enemies."

Emperor Daojun sent a voice message, and said with a hint of pride in his old age: "I was born in poverty like you. I am the most talented person since the Golden Age, and the one closest to becoming an immortal."

"I can provide you with spiritual objects that can help you achieve the Nine-Nine Perfect Dao Foundation, and even share the elixir of immortality. How about that?"

Gu Wen showed the perfection of the seventh level of Taoism and said indifferently:
"Are you worthy enough to compete with me?"

In an instant, the world was silent, and there was no more sound.

He completed the seventh level of Taoism in less than a year, a height that others would find difficult to reach in their entire lives, and also something that the Emperor Daojun could not achieve.

The only way to become an immortal is to be extremely talented, and he was powerless to refute it.

The top of the Earth List, well-deserved.
-
Luoshui.

On a muddy road somewhere, laborers were pushing baggage shoulder to shoulder when they heard a commotion in the distance. A group of Daqian cavalry rushed out from the right. The general of the Nanchun Army who was in charge of the defense ordered his soldiers to intercept them and shot arrows with bows.

The arrow grazed the visor of the cavalry of the Xiang Army. When he raised his head again, it was as if he had fallen into a pack of wolves. The eyes of the armored soldiers and civilians in front of him were all glowing red.

"Anyone who kills a soldier or cavalryman will be rewarded with a title of public officer."

The general of the Nanchun Army raised his gun, and an eagle flew by in the sky, and the battlefield farther away was reflected in the eagle's eyes.

That is the junction of Nanshui and Luoshui, and also the only land route out of Nanshui.

The smoke of beacon penetrated the earth and the sky. The laborers tried their best to push the catapult stuck in the mud, and a huge fireball was thrown above their heads.

It was like a giant war beast breathing out flames, flying across the entire battlefield, passing over one military formation after another.

The soldiers wavered between the firelight and the shadows, roaring and brandishing their weapons, either being killed or killing the enemy.

Further away, the brave soldiers who climbed up the city wall first climbed up the city wall and tipped the scales.

The soldiers of the former Nanshuixiang Army, now the Nanchun Army, all shouted in accordance with the pre-made slogan: "Those who surrender will not be killed, and those who surrender will be rewarded. The Zhao family has given a few rewards, and shooting two arrows is already enough of loyalty!"

At this time, the first to climb up would often end in failure. The Xiang army still had an absolute advantage, but morale had already begun to collapse.

Shooting arrows at the city gate is different from actual fighting.

The battle lasted only half a day. Before the sun set, Jiang Jucai rode into the city on horseback. He then disciplined the soldiers, appeased the noble families, promised benefits, and reached a consensus.

These were the three strategies that Gu Wen gave him. The best one was to attack the hearts of the people and sweep the world with the news of Wen Renwu's death, the middle one was to make friends with the noble families, and the worst one was to promise them benefits.

The main partners of the Nanchun Army were the aristocratic families, the landlords and literati, and they compromised with the landlords to the greatest extent in exchange for the lowest resistance. After conquering a place, the Nanchun Army only collected less taxes than the court, and then they could continue to attack the next place.

There is basically no need for governance and conversion into production units.

Then Gu Wen said something that Jiang Jucai would never forget: "If the country is founded like this, it will be in chaos again in less than ten years."

Why is this so?
Standing on the city wall at night, looking at the aristocratic family's mansion, which was the only light of fire in the entire city, Jiang Jucai understood everything in an instant.

"What do you see?"

A familiar voice was heard, and Jiang Ju turned around, only to see a young man with auspicious features coming from the sky, slowly landing on the ground like a fairy.

Gu Wen had just killed a True Lord who was one level lower than him in his spiritual state. Gu Wen didn't even ask about the other party's family background. He just killed him when he saw that the other party tried to stop him.

The Taiyin Method and the second and fourth levels of the Dao foundation perfect the accumulation of the soul, so that the soul alone can possess invincible strength at the same level.

In the past, war was an extension of politics, but now war is an extension of the power of the great. The Nanchun Army's unstoppable momentum is also a result of Gu Wen and his team's suppression of various forces.

There are immortal forces in every place, and they control the local area to a greater or lesser extent. Daqian is the product of a compromise reached between Emperor Daojun and the immortals.

Having encountered so many enemies along the way, Gu Wen could no longer tell who was an enemy and who was a friend, and also because of the realization he gained from the Chi Ling incident.

He was thinking, it would be better if anyone who stands in my way were to die.

He needs a large number of spiritual objects for his practice, and he is determined to gain control of this immortal world.

The eighth level of Taoism requires four hundred years of Heavenly Marrow, the eighth level of perfection of the Sun Method requires nine hundred years, and even if one does not cultivate into an Immortal Method, one still needs six hundred years of Heavenly Marrow.

Jiang Jucai's eyes widened, but his good nature made him suppress his surprise. He bowed his head and bowed his hands, "My nephew has fulfilled his mission and has captured the pass where the Nanshui River flows into the Luoshui River."

"You did very well."

Gu Wen nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the few flames in the city and asked, "What did you see just now?"

"Only the rich and powerful could afford lamp oil, and they used so much that they even had to light the roads."

"and then?"

"My nephew remembered that you said that compromising with the landlords would result in less than ten years of peace in the world, so we must curb them."

"Yes, if you were the emperor, the people would be able to live in peace for a few decades, and three generations would be able to enjoy a good life."

Gu Wen looked at him approvingly. Jiang Jucai might not be good enough, but he was able to understand the sufferings of the common people and the harm done to the aristocratic families.

It has far exceeded the average level of the emperor profession.

Jiang Jucai scratched his head a little embarrassedly and asked, "Master Wen, don't you want to be the boss? What will you do if you are the boss?"

"I don't have that idea for now, as for me to come."

Gu Wen first shook his head, looking uninterested, then he looked thoughtful, and a look of spirit gradually appeared in his calm eyes.

"I should kill all the noble families."

Jiang Jucai was stunned and said, "Aren't you afraid of chaos in the world? Who will take care of the people?"

"When I become an immortal, I will naturally want to satisfy my eyes and ears, and enjoy the happiness of my mind. Why should I accommodate others?"

Gu Wen tilted his head and smiled slightly, then reached out to grab the fire from the distant mansion. In an instant, flames shot up into the sky.

When a person dies, the fire goes out, no external objects are burned, and no innocent people are harmed.

"Jucai, if I kill them now, do they still have any objections?"

Jiang Jucai froze in place, once again too frightened to move.

Seeing that he hadn't replied for a long time, Gu Wen looked back and realized that he had gone too far. He reached out and stroked the top of his head as he did before, and said gently, "Okay, now you should go and clean up the mess."

The fear that had just arisen in Jiang Jucai's heart was replaced by a feeling of speechlessness. He said with a smile, "Master Wen, so you are only responsible for killing but not burying?"

"This is why I don't want to be the emperor." Gu Wen said undeniably, "Power never lacks a master. If you don't place people there, then bandits will naturally emerge, and the people will suffer in the end."

Jiang Jucai asked: "Master Wen is an immortal, do you have a way to solve the suffering of the people?"

But Gu Wen asked back: "Can you think of a way to deal with Yintian?"

He did not mention the various problems of feudal society, and everything had to rely on reality. The emperors were a group of beasts, but compared with slavery and feudalism, they were already an extremely progressive existence.

At least they will provide disaster relief for the sake of their ruling status.

"My private school teacher once said that as long as a wise ruler is sensible, diligent in government and loves the people, he can win the hearts of the people, so there will be no more hidden fields and households."

Jiang Jucai managed to squeeze out some knowledge from his armor, but it sounded a bit sour.

Gu Wen did not laugh at him, and asked again: "What if I want to abolish the literati?"

Jiang Jucai was horrified and said, "Absolutely not. How can we govern the world without scholars?"

He is also a scholar, so naturally he would not agree.

"So we are discussing an impossible thing." Gu Wen restrained his smile and said, "Tomorrow, when you are free, go for a walk on the street. Don't bring any guards of honor when you are visiting incognito."

The next day, Jiang Jucai went out in plain clothes, walking on the street with a few Jiang family members. The stench emitted by the homeless people on the roadside made him hold his nose.

After returning to report, Jiang Jucai reported truthfully, and Gu Wen did not blame him.

Instead, he smiled and said, "Do you still want to become a saint?"

It is enough to be able to actually see the suffering of the people. Some emperors don’t even know how much an egg costs.
-
On November 20th, the Nanchun Army captured three cities in succession.

From beginning to end, Gu Wen and others did not make any move, and Emperor Daojun did not make any move either. Everyone tacitly fought against each other, soldiers against soldiers, and generals against generals.

But this situation did not last long, because Daqian was more corrupt than expected.

Almost half of the main force of the Nanchun Army were originally from the Xiang Army. They were like a piece of mud in Daqian, but the Nanchun Army, which fell into the military merit system, was like a tiger and a wolf.

The Nanchun Army could offer tangible money and land as rewards, while the Daqian court had lost control over the middle and lower classes after decades of levying heavy taxes. War was essentially a redistribution of social resources. The Nanchun Army's victory was not because they were stronger than Daqian, but because they could kill those who occupied a large amount of land.

Emperor Daojun's real advantage lies in his extraordinary level, so his action is inevitable.

At the Nanshui port where Linchuan County enters, a small boat came upstream, and two Taoists wearing Tai Chi Bagua robes and looking like celestial beings came on the boat.

Outside the Nanshui River, in the territory of the demon clan, a fox was running in the mountains. Suddenly, a ray of light fell, and in an instant the light dispersed in all directions, and a woman with an extremely beautiful appearance appeared out of thin air.

At the edge of Nanshui, the two Taoists met the fox girl.

"Fox fairy?"

"The Daozi of the Three Pure Ones."

The three men looked at each other, and a moment later, a divine light shot up into the sky. The aftermath of the fight caused mountains to collapse and rivers to flow upstream.

In the end, both sides were defeated and went their separate ways, but eventually turned around and flew towards Luo River from different locations.

(End of this chapter)