Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 12: Evil Bird

The reincarnated body of Jiu Tian Ying Yuan Lei Sheng Pu Hua Tian Zun is indeed extremely noble, but once he entered the cycle of reincarnation, his true spirit was covered in dust. Unless he could recover his original body after escaping the calamity, the mere reincarnation body would not be enough to make Ge Xian Weng so hesitant. Obviously, there were other factors involved.

Seeing that Ge Xianweng was still trying to evade the main point, Zhang Ziyang was naturally a little unhappy. He snorted and said, "Old Ge, you're asking for favors, but you don't look like you're asking for favors at all. You're so secretive. Is there something you can't say?"

Facing Zhang Ziyang's questioning, Ge Xianweng hesitated again and again, and sighed: "Rather than saying it can't be said, it's better to say it's a little difficult to say."

At this point, Ge Xianweng silently glanced at Zhang Ziyang and said, "Actually, I came here this time not only to entrust the reincarnation of Puhua Tianzun with the care of my disciple, but also to entrust you with the care of another disciple."

"When the Universal Transformation Celestial Venerable entered the world to meet the calamity, Heaven and Earth sensed that his destined enemy for this life would also be born. These two were destined to restrain each other, yet their fates were linked, their rise and fall intertwined, and they shared the same roots and the same flow."

Zhang Ziyang frowned and said, "Same roots, same stream?"

"What a common origin, common stream! So, not only do I want to accept the reincarnation of Puhua Tianzun as my disciple, I also want to take his mortal enemy into my fold, carefully nurture him, and meticulously cultivate him. After they both become accomplished, I will sit back and watch these two disciples kill each other, destroying both of them?"

Only at this point did Zhang Ziyang finally understand why Ge Xianweng had been vague before.

It is indeed a tricky and troublesome matter. If Zhang Ziyang really accepts these two disciples, can he really watch them kill each other?

However, if Zhang Ziyang intervenes, it will go against the will of heaven. Under the will of heaven, even the Daluo Immortal will have to surrender.

Moreover, fate had destined these two to be mortal enemies. Zhang Ziyang might be able to control them temporarily, but not forever. Fate would eventually bring them into direct conflict. But knowing that his two disciples would become mortal enemies and then doing nothing about it was simply not Zhang Ziyang's nature.

"This is destiny. Once the reincarnation of Puhua Tianzun fulfills the calamity, he will be able to return to his true form. At that time, his destined enemy will also return to his position."

Ge Xianweng advised, "Fellow Daoist, I know you cherish your disciples the most. After accepting these two into your fold, you will certainly not tolerate them killing each other. However, you and I are both Great Luo Immortals, and we should know that fate cannot be violated. Their fighting is fate, and their killing each other is also fate. Even if you are their master, you can only let it go, and it is difficult for you to change it in the slightest."

In the world of Jambu, Daluoxian is not a state of mind, but a symbol of origin. The Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors are the Daluo celestial beings above the primordial qi, the highest in the world of Jambu. As a disciple of the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors, one is a so-called Daluoxian.

Ge Xianweng was a disciple of Taishang Laojun, and was enlightened by him to become an immortal. Zhang Ziyang was a disciple of Qingcheng Zhangren, who was the incarnation of Yuanshi Jiuqi, one of the Nine Gods of Shenxiao, and the younger brother of the Emperor Changsheng of the South Pole. Therefore, Zhang Ziyang and Ge Xianweng can also be called Daluo Immortals.

Perhaps because Zhang Ziyang had this relationship with the Great Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole, Ge Xianweng entrusted the reincarnation of Puhua Tianzun to Zhang Ziyang.

"So, Mr. Ge, you really gave me a difficult problem,"

Zhang Ziyang pointed at Ge Xianweng with some anger. Although he had complaints, Zhang Ziyang also felt the divine will and knew that these two people were indeed very compatible with him and were destined to be his disciples in Ziyang Cave in this life.

At this point, even if Zhang Ziyang wanted to refuse, he couldn't.

"Since they both want to be my apprentices, and I already know the origins of one of them, why not tell me the origins of the other as well?"

Zhang Ziyang glared at Ge Xianweng and said, "I'd like to see who this person is who can be the mortal enemy of the reincarnation of Puhua Tianzun."

Ge Xianweng said quietly, "He is naturally a person of great origin. Who among us would dare to be the enemy of the reincarnation of the Universal Transformation Heavenly Venerable?"

The title of Jiu Tian Ying Yuan Lei Sheng Pu Hua Tian Zun is not only used to deter demons, but also has an even greater deterrent effect on certain gods.

"Fellow Daoist, do you know anything about the golden-winged Peng bird from the West?"

Zhang Ziyang was stunned for a moment, then asked in surprise, "He's a relative of the Western Buddha family, the younger brother of the Peacock King, the Buddha Mother?"

Immortal Ge said slowly, "Fellow Daoist, you are well-informed and have a strong memory. It is that fellow. He is ferocious and uncontrollable. Five hundred years ago, he devoured the entire nation of Lion Camel in Western Niu Hezhou. The consequences of his karma are severe. Our master, Sakyamuni, said that he was destined to face the calamity at this time, wash away the calamity, and return to his original position."

"It is also because of the karma of consuming the lives of an entire nation that after this incarnation, the light of my original spiritual wisdom will be obscured. I will live in a muddled and ignorant existence, never to regain the cunning and viciousness of my time as the Garuda in the West."

"This fellow will be born into the Li family of Taiyuan, Northern Sui Dynasty, sixteen years after the entry of Puhua Tianzun into the world, and will become the fourth son of the Li family master."

After learning about his other disciple's background, Zhang Ziyang said self-deprecatingly, "Neither of these two disciples is a worry-free person."

One is the Nine Heavens Thunder God, the incarnation of the Jade Pure True King and the Southern Pole Eternal Emperor; the other is the Western Golden-winged Peng Bird, the fake uncle of our teacher Sakyamuni. If these two reincarnations fight, it will be a complete chaos.

------

Just when Zhang Ziyang was worried about the future infighting among his fellow disciples, Lu Shang, who had been seeking the Tao in Zhongnan for more than a year, was finally going down the mountain and returning home.

At the foot of Mount Zhongnan, Lü Shang donned a brand new Taoist robe. Aside from the "Secrets of Jinhua, the Founder of Fuli," which he kept close to him, he had his steward pack up his old clothes, preparing to take them back to the Duke's residence in Daxing City. It was a strange coincidence that the steward had been unlucky. Lü Shang had ridden out of Daxing to seek the Dao in Zhongnan. The Duke of Qi, accusing him of failing to dissuade the Crown Prince, dismissed him completely and ordered him to reside permanently at the foot of Mount Zhongnan, returning whenever the Crown Prince returned home.

The Duke of Qi may not have had much talent, having only achieved his current wealth thanks to a good aunt, but he was undoubtedly a good father. Worried about Lü Shang's food, clothing, shelter, and transportation in Mount Zhongnan, he mobilized a large number of connections and manpower to build a small town at the foot of the mountain, just to meet Lü Shang's needs on the mountain.

Although Lu Shang had never left Mount Zhongnan or entered this town in the past year, let alone asked for anything, he was still recognized the moment he entered the town after coming down the mountain.

After all, this entire town was built by Duke Qi, and almost everyone in the town is from Duke Qi's mansion. If even the prince of the mansion can't recognize them, then there is no need for these people to exist.

The butler whispered beside Lu Shang, "Prince, the carriage is ready."

"Well, let's go."

Lu Shang subconsciously touched his chest, where the "Fu Li Founder Jinhua Secret" was.

Then he turned around, took a last look at Mount Zhongnan, and got into the car.

"Let's go back to Daxing,"

When the butler saw the prince get on the carriage, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He was afraid that the prince would continue to visit the Daoist temple. If the prince did not return home, he, as the butler, would have no choice but to stay by his side and take care of his daily life.

Even though he had been dismissed from his position as steward by the Duke, as an elder in the Duke's family, he didn't feel too down and out. It was simply human nature to strive for higher ground and water to flow to lower places. Given the opportunity to return to Daxing City, the steward was still willing to do so.

After a while, a convoy slowly left the town and headed towards Daxing.

------

Mount Zhongnan is adjacent to Daxing City, only thirty or forty miles away.

Lü Shang's convoy set out from a small town at the foot of Mount Zhongnan, taking the Ziwu Road to Daxing. This road, a Northern Sui Dynasty official highway, had been extensively renovated and spanned the Qinling Mountains, reaching Hanzhong. Its wide, flat surface made it easy to navigate. Traveling at a moderate speed, Lü Shang's convoy reached the city of Daxing in two hours.

In his carriage, Lu Shang slowly flipped through the court bulletin, reading about the political developments in the court and the country over the past year. The most eye-catching thing was that the Turkic Khan Shaboluo sent envoys to the Northern Sui court to seek peace. To show his obedience, he even asked Kehadun, the princess of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, to recognize Yang Jian as her father, and thus gave her the surname Yang, included her in the nationality, and changed her title to Princess Dayi.

"Princess Dayi, this title, Dayi..."

I have to say that Yang Jian was very good at disgusting people. He usurped the throne of the Northern Zhou Dynasty's Yuwen family and gave the princess of the Northern Zhou Dynasty the surname Yang. The title was actually Dayi. Whose righteousness was this?

I imagine that the Turkic Khaganaten must have been filled with sorrow and resentment when he received the imperial edict from Yang Jian.

It's worth noting that the princess's biological father, Yuwen Zhao, the Prince of Zhao of Northern Zhou, was killed by Yang Jian, along with his entire family. This led to a feud with Yang Jian, both family and national. In recent years, Shabolue's frequent invasions of northern Xinjiang were often instigated by this Turkic Khaganaten.

Now that she is forced to acknowledge the enemy as her father and is given the title of Princess Dayi, which is more humiliating than practical, one can imagine the humiliation she feels.

If Shabolue had not been gradually losing ground in recent years against the Western Turkic Khans Datou and Apo, and his followers had not gradually turned against him, forcing him to seek support from the Northern Sui, this princess would probably still be dreaming of relying on the Turkic cavalry to rebuild the Yuwen clan.

However, Shaboluo did not take it as an offense. After receiving Yang Jian's imperial edict, he immediately replied, calling Yang Jian his wife's father and himself his daughter's husband. He said that they had a relationship like that of father-in-law and son-in-law, and that he should serve Yang Jian with the respect of a father and son. He promised that from now on, for generations to come, and even for eternity, the close relationship would last forever. "This country's sheep and horses are all the emperor's livestock. Their silks and fabrics are all this country's property."

"This Shaboluo is a tyrant!"

After seeing the part of Shabolue's reply excerpted in the official newspaper, Lu Shang just smiled and shook his head.

Although he was a heroic figure, it was difficult for him to stir up trouble when he met a suspicious leader like Yang Jian.

"The Turks today no longer have the ability to threaten the northern border. As long as we can completely cripple the Western Turkic leader, the imperial court will have no worries and can focus on dealing with Chen Shubao of the Southern Dynasty."

Lu Shang's fingers gently stroked the official newspaper, and he whispered to himself, "The time for the unification of the world is not far away!"

How could Chen Shubao, who only knew that "the flowers in the back garden of the jade tree will not bloom for long", defeat Yang Jian, who was "separated by a strip of water" and had the ambition to rule the world?

(End of this chapter)