The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 294 Biyou Palace (Seeking monthly votes)
Upon hearing this, the barbarian soldiers below raised their crossbows and unleashed a volley of arrows.

This crossbow bolt has extremely high speed and power at short range, and it is easy to operate. As long as it is loaded in advance, it can be fired directly without drawing the bow or string.

Then came a series of loud bangs, followed immediately by screams from ahead.

The crossbow bolts came unexpectedly and in great density. The eight men were caught off guard and had no time to react. They hadn't expected such a thing to exist and were unable to dodge in time. Several of them were shot down to the ground.

The leader of the eight men was extremely skilled in martial arts. He wielded a narrow, emerald-green sword with such skill that it resembled a full moon, deflecting all the crossbow bolts that were fired at him.

He glanced back at his companions, his eyes widening with rage, and roared, "What kind of skill is using hidden weapons? Do you dare to come out and fight one-on-one?"

"Going it alone?" Zhao Ti shook his head: "Do we really need to go it alone to deal with bandits of unknown origin?"

"What kind of bandits are you?" the leader shouted angrily. "You are the bandits! Kidnapping and raiding people, what kind of heroes are you?"

"Heroes and heroines?" Zhao Ti smiled. "Since you want to be heroes and heroines, I'll grant your wish."

He lowered his hand, and the barbarian soldiers unleashed another volley of arrows, their cold light gleaming like rain, even more powerful than before.

Only three people remained standing on the other side. Of the other five, some had fallen to the ground dead, while others lay groaning in pain. The remaining three were prepared and leaped into the air to avoid the crossbow bolts.

Their lightness skills were quite good, even Tong Guan might not be able to match them. Their figures were like large birds, swooping down from above into the group, all heading towards Zhao Ti's direction.

Zhao Ti smiled slightly, and the barbarian general behind him immediately drew his bow and shot an arrow.

These barbarian generals did not carry crossbows, but rather hard bows, which were most suitable for shooting into the air.

Three men rushed at them, brandishing their weapons, but they could not maintain their strength in mid-air, and two of them were forced to scream and stagger down.

Only the leading man's green blade rippled like water, creating a mirror-like vortex in front of him, forcefully blocking all the arrows. Then, with a strange, green moon-like light, he struck down without even arriving.

His blade was still a short distance from Zhao Ti, but the blade energy shot out, a dark, eerie green, making a hissing sound, as if it could melt metal and turn it into stone, and in the blink of an eye it was right in front of Zhao Ti.

At this moment, Tong Guan and his followers from the Thirty-Six Caves and Seventy-Two Islands let out long howls and stood in front of them. Even if their individual martial arts were no match for the leading man, they could not withstand the sheer number of people. They threw out various techniques, and even the most bizarre and sharp sword light was destroyed and disappeared.

Then these people swarmed forward, taking advantage of the fact that the leader was still in mid-air and had not yet landed, they unleashed a variety of martial arts moves, the energy swirling and creating a terrifying and frightening spectacle in the air.

The leader was shocked to see this and cursed him as shameless, but he had nowhere to put his footing and was about to be beaten to a pulp when suddenly something sprang out from under his shoulders.

It turned out to be a pair of wooden wings, emitting a strange "whooshing" sound, like an ink bird, pushing the leading man forward, still heading towards Zhao Ti.

"Fancy!" Zhao Ti frowned, flicked his finger, and a burst of energy shot out, hitting the man's wooden wing and shattering it.

The man immediately lost his balance in mid-air and fell down with a cry of "Ouch!" Before he could react and get up, he was immediately cornered by the crowd around him with swords and knives.

The two people who had fallen earlier tried to come up to rescue them, but they were quickly swallowed up by the crowd.

Their martial arts skills were inferior to the leader's, but they were fearless and their angry shouts rang out one after another, but each one was weaker than the last.

At this moment, not only did the barbarian soldiers fire arrows, but the people from the thirty-six caves and seventy-two islands also unleashed all sorts of hidden weapons, poisons, and powders, leaving the two inside completely disoriented. In just a moment, they fell silent.

Zhao Ti ordered an inspection of the survivors. Besides the leader, there was another person who had been shot down by crossbow bolts earlier and was still alive. He ordered the two of them to be brought forward.

At this point, both men were bound tightly with iron chains and cow tendons, and the man in the lead had half a wooden wing protruding from one side of his body, making him look quite comical.

Zhao Ti sized the man up and down, then asked indifferently, "Which palace in Kunlun did you come from?"

The man in the lead looked shocked upon hearing this: "Who exactly are you people? Are you the evil monk? When did the evil monk grow his hair?"

Tong Guan shouted, "Open your dog eyes! How do we look like monks?"

The leading man said arrogantly, "You must be demonic monks who have painstakingly disguised yourselves, otherwise how could you possibly know our origins?"

Zhao Ti frowned as he looked at the man. The people of Kunlun were not only out of touch with reality, but they also had absolutely no experience in dealing with the world. Living in one place for countless years without interacting with the outside world, they had developed an arrogant and self-righteous stupidity.

He said calmly, "Do you want to live or die?"

The man in the lead was stunned, seemingly completely unfamiliar with these words, and didn't react for a moment.

Tong Guan shouted from the side, "My young master is asking you whether you want to live or die. If you want to die, you'll be torn to pieces immediately. If you want to live, hurry up and kneel down and kowtow!"

The leader of the men shouted angrily, "How can a real man grovel? If you're going to die, so be it! Why should you beg for mercy!"

Zhao Ti glanced again at the man next to him who had been shot by an arrow. The arrow was still embedded in his body, and although it was not a vital spot, he was grimacing in pain.

"Do you want to live or die?"

The man who had been shot turned pale upon hearing this: "I..."

Seeing his hesitation, the leading man shouted, "Junior brother, how can you show weakness in front of this demonic monk!"

Upon hearing this, Tong Guan rushed forward and slapped the man twice, saying, "You demonic monk, you're blind! Where do you see us as demonic monks?"

The leading man glared at him, gritting his teeth, and proudly raised his head: "If not a demonic monk, then who else could it be?"

The voice beside him, wounded by an arrow, was weak: "Senior brother, they... they don't seem like monks..."

The leader of the men retorted angrily, “Junior brother, what do you mean by this? We Kunlun and the evil monk are sworn enemies. Once the evil monk descends and seizes this land, Kunlun will surely perish. Even if we survive, we will be converted into monks and lose our sense of self!”

The one who had been shot by an arrow said, "Senior brother is right. We are Kunlun people, and we will inevitably be forcibly converted, but they certainly don't seem like demonic monks..."

The leading man looked resentful and was about to speak again when Zhao Ti said calmly, "Kill him."

As soon as he finished speaking, a barbarian general stepped forward and swiftly beheaded the leader, causing blood to spurt out and splatter all over the face and head of the man who had been shot by an arrow.

The man who was hit by the arrow cried out in fright, his body swayed, and he almost collapsed.

Zhao Ti said, "You're the only one left. If you want to die, I'll grant your wish now. If you want to live, answer my questions."

The man struck by the arrow trembled and said, "If you are truly not demonic monks, I am willing to beg for my life..."

Zhao Ti said indifferently, "What kind of demonic monk are you? I don't have time to waste with you. Since you're begging to live, I'll ask you now: what's your name, and which palace in Kunlun do you come from?"

"I am from Kunlun Bihan Palace, and my name is Qingyangzi," said the man who had been shot with an arrow.

“Bihan Palace?” Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows. This was a palace name he had never heard of before.

"It is indeed the Bihan Palace," Qingyangzi said cautiously.

Although he was already over thirty, this was his first time leaving Kunlun Mountain. In the past, the palace had taught that although Kunlun was a secluded place, it was a cut above the mortal world, and apart from those strange and wicked monks, there were no other rivals. But he never expected to encounter these vicious people on his first trip out of the palace. "How many palaces are there in Kunlun, and which one is the main one?" Zhao Ti continued.

Qingyangzi read out the names one by one, totaling more than a dozen. Zhao Ti frowned after listening: "Why isn't the Ice Silkworm Palace mentioned?"

Qingyangzi was stunned for a moment and said, "The Ice Silkworm Palace was destroyed more than a thousand years ago."

"Why was it destroyed?" Zhao Ti asked.

"It seems to have been destroyed after a great battle with the demon monk." Qingyangzi wondered. Many of the young disciples of Kunlun in the Ice Silkworm Palace did not know this. How did the other party find out?

"With so many palaces, which one is the head? Or are they each independent?" Zhao Ti asked.

This was something he was quite concerned about. In the letter Zhao Xu wrote to him, he mentioned that Emperor Taizu had obtained the Thirty-Three Fists of Creation in Kunlun. Although he also mentioned many palaces, he did not say which one was the most important.

"This..." Qingyangzi seemed relieved upon hearing this, but then hesitated.

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti's face immediately turned cold.

"It seems you are indeed neither the demonic monk nor his followers," Qingyangzi stammered. "How could the demonic monk not know of this..."

"Heh." Zhao Ti sneered, "Then hurry up and tell us, or are you still trying to hide it?"

“Yes, yes…” Qingyangzi’s face twitched as he said, “The one in charge of the palaces is not these dozen or so palaces, but the one above… Biyou Palace.”

"What?" Zhao Ti's expression changed slightly. "Say it again, what palace?"

“Bi, Biyou Palace…” Qingyangzi murmured, “That’s the name.”

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes: "The Biyou Palace above? What do you mean? Does this palace not exist in Kunlun, nor on earth?"

Qingyangzi nodded vigorously: "It is said that Biyou Palace is hidden in the void. All the palaces in Kunlun were originally created by Biyou Palace, and they must act in accordance with the decrees of Biyou Palace."

"Acting under the decree of Biyou Palace?" Zhao Ti felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and a sense of unease crept into his mind. A hint of doubt then appeared on his face.

Biyou Palace was the Daoist temple of the Tongtian Sect Leader, as seen in the Investiture of the Gods. However, he searched through all his memories, books, and folk tales, but found not a single rumor about the Investiture of the Gods.

However, the Investiture of the Gods was compiled by people in the Ming Dynasty, so it seems normal that there are no legends about it now, but that is not actually the case.

The Investiture of the Gods in the Ming Dynasty was a further refinement and addition to the story of King Wu's conquest of Zhou, which was told in the entertainment districts of the late Song Dynasty. The story of King Wu's conquest of Zhou was the basis for the Investiture of the Gods.

The story tells of how King Zhou of Shang was licentious and tyrannical, favoring Daji and persecuting loyal officials, leading to widespread suffering among the people.

After studying Taoism on Kunlun Mountain, Jiang Ziya descended the mountain and assisted King Wu of Zhou, Ji Fa, in uniting various feudal lords to launch a military campaign against King Zhou of Shang.

Ultimately, King Wu of Zhou led a righteous army to overthrow the Shang Dynasty and establish the Zhou Dynasty.

Interspersed within are many supernatural and strange events. Daji is the incarnation of a nine-tailed fox who can use sorcery to bewitch King Zhou, and Jiang Ziya can summon wind and rain and predict good and bad fortune.

Pinghua (a type of storytelling performance) was compiled from various folk tales and stories told by storytellers in theaters and entertainment venues. It would be unusual to say that there were no legends about it outside.

But there is none; not a single legend or anecdote about King Wu's conquest of King Zhou exists.

Something didn't seem right. Zhao Ti touched his chin and quickly recalled other legends and rumors in his mind, but they all had everything he needed to know, without missing a single detail.

Is this Biyou Palace unrelated to the Biyou Palace in the Investiture of the Gods? Thinking of this, Zhao Ti asked, "You said you would act according to the decree of Biyou Palace. Since that palace is a mythical place, how can one receive the decree?"

Qingyangzi hurriedly said, "When Biyou Palace closed and went into hiding countless years ago, it left behind a decree for the next few years. We can act according to this decree, and if we hold a ceremony, we can also ask the palace to send down a decree from the void."

"A decree issued from nowhere?" Zhao Ti sneered. "Which decree? And who is this Palace Master Biyou?"

Upon hearing this, Qingyangzi said, "It was a decree from the Yuanjun that the Palace Master should only be called the Heavenly Venerable Palace Master. He is a mysterious being, the creator and builder of the Kunlun Palaces, and countless years ago, he was also the ruler of this world. The demon monk is the invader, and the Palace Master has been leading Kunlun to fight against the demon monk..."

“Some of this is just empty talk,” Zhao Ti shook his head.

“I dare not lie. This matter has been passed down orally through the palaces for thousands of years, and we will not forget it. The sun and moon have taught us this,” Qingyangzi said cautiously.

"Then let me ask you, you say that the Palace Master of Biyou Palace is a mysterious existence, only referred to as the Heavenly Venerable Palace Master, then does the Yuanjun who issued the decree have a Dharma name?" Zhao Ti asked.

“That is true…” Qingyangzi said.

"Oh?" Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows slightly: "Is it He Yuanjun?"

Qingyangzi said, "Yes, it is Wudang Yuanjun."

"Wudang Yuanjun?" Zhao Ti took a deep breath upon hearing this.

Something's not right, something's definitely not right. This Yuanjun doesn't exist in the pantheon of Taoist deities, nor is she mentioned in the folk tales of various gods. Instead…

On the contrary, one of the four direct disciples of the Tongtian Sect Leader was the Holy Mother Wudang.

Of the four direct disciples and four outer disciples of the Tongtian Sect Leader, only the Wudang Holy Mother was neither dead nor captured.

During the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, seeing that the battle was unsustainable, the Holy Mother of Wudang obeyed the orders of the Tongtian Sect Leader and withdrew first, thus escaping the Investiture of the Gods and becoming the only direct disciple of the Jie Sect to survive the Battle of the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation. However…

Zhao Ti frowned: "Does this Wudang Yuanjun really issue a decree as soon as she asks for permission?"

Qingyangzi said, "That's what they say, but I'm young and didn't witness the scene of receiving the decree before. This time, I left Kunlun to search the snow mountain and performed a ceremony to request the decree, but I don't know why no decree came down."

"No imperial decree has been issued this time?" Zhao Ti asked. "Why is Kunlun traveling around the snow-capped mountains outside the palace?"

Upon hearing this, Qingyangzi was taken aback and asked, "Don't you know about this? Didn't you come here for this very reason?"

Tong Guan, standing nearby, shouted, "Enough with the nonsense! Just answer the young master's question. How dare you question him in return!"

Qingyangzi immediately nodded obsequiously, "Yes, yes..."

He then began to speak, and Zhao Ti's expression changed more and more as he listened. It turned out that he was not going to destroy the projection of the Shambhala Buddhist Kingdom, but rather to enter it and seize its inheritance.

What can be seized are the vacant divine king lineages within the Buddhist realm. If it is impossible to seize a divine king lineage, one can carefully try to find a bodhisattva lineage with an empty slot.

As for the wondrous enlightenment of Buddhahood, the Buddha's lineage, even if one has free time, advises against trying it, not even stepping into its temple, and preferably not even getting close.

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment and said, "If we enter the Buddhist Kingdom and find that there is indeed a place there, how can we obtain the inheritance?"

(End of this chapter)