In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 209 Fire Beast
Lin Zhiyan immediately hung up the phone.

Lu Zhao didn't pay any attention and put his phone back in his pocket. On his way back to the dormitory, the phone rang again.

Lin Zhiyan said, "Take a day off tomorrow and come home with me to meet my uncle from a collateral branch of the family."

"it is good."

Lu Zhao agreed without much thought.

There haven't been any urgent missions lately, and he had promised Lin Zhiyan that he would act as a shield for her.

Back in his dorm, Lu Zhao ate something simple and took a low-level life supplement to maintain his metabolism, then glanced at the date.

It's been over a month since I last entered Hunyuan.

"It's time to go find my master."

Even if there's nothing much going on, Lu Zhao would still go to Hunyuan every month to pay his respects to the old Taoist priest and inquire about some trivial matters related to cultivation.

For example, I recently opened up the twelfth meridian of the Hundred Meridians. Now that it is open, I still feel a blockage every time I pass through a certain node.

As long as Lu Zhao persists in his cultivation, he will gradually improve even minor problems like these.

But just like doing problems in school, it's better to ask the teacher directly than to figure it out on your own; it saves time and effort.

Entering the Primordial Chaos.

As Lu Zhao passed by the stone pond, he glanced at the goldfish in the water and found that it was on its last legs, weakly wagging its tail.

Is this the start of mastery?
He withdrew his gaze, trying not to get too close or linger. He had been tricked by a water monster once before, and if his teacher hadn't noticed, his soul would have been corrupted after he left, and he might have become the monster's puppet.

Even a mindless behemoth is not something one can contend with.

Upon entering the Taoist temple, an elderly Taoist priest, exuding an ethereal aura, sat cross-legged beneath the divination symbols of heaven and earth, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting.

Lu Zhao stood outside the door waiting. After about ten minutes, the old Taoist slowly opened his eyes and saw that Lu Zhao's brows were slightly furrowed.

It revealed a clear sense of confusion and vigilance.

Such an obvious change was noticed by Lu Zhao, and this was the first time he had seen his master show a wary expression.

He entered the Taoist temple, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Master."

The old Taoist priest nodded slightly and asked, "Have you been in contact with anything unclean recently?"

Lu Zhao looked puzzled and said, "I spent most of my time in the camp. I went to two places in between, but they were both government departments."

"As for desolate wilderness or cemeteries, I have never been there. What problem did Master see?"

The old Taoist priest's eyes were like ancient wells. In his eyes, Lu Zhao's soul was tainted with some subtle aura, and a wisp of scarlet energy was floating around.

Just like the human body gets dirty in daily life, the soul will inevitably be tainted by unclean things to some extent. Even fluctuations in one's own emotions can affect the state of the soul.

These things were harmless in themselves, but the aura emanating from Lu Zhao was extraordinary.

The old Taoist priest replied, "You have the aura of a giant beast on you."

Lu Zhao guessed, "Is it the fish at the door that's behind this?"

He simply couldn't understand how he had come into contact with the giant beast recently.

"No, the aura is strong, much stronger than that of the Water Beast Cave."

The old Taoist priest shook his head and asked, "Tell me about recent events so I can give you some clues and then I can do a divination for you."

Lu Zhao then sat down and began to recount the recent events in detail.

Upon hearing about the black market supplement case, it was discovered that a batch of high-end life supplements had an unknown origin.

On a whim, the old Taoist priest immediately did some calculations with his fingers, and some scattered information emerged.

It is not of this world, but of one's own memories.

An image comes to mind: Ding Rukui, the Minister of War, kneels in the hall, surrounded by people shouting that the Tartars have invaded.

The art of fortune telling may seem to arise from nothing, but in reality, everything is traceable. The methods he uses do not directly provide any specific information, but rather reveal similar insights within oneself.

This method is called fortune telling.

Seeing the old Taoist priest release his thumb and forefinger and reopen his eyes, Lu Zhao couldn't help but ask, "How are you, Master?"

"In the 29th year of the Jiajing reign, Altan Khan of the Mongols led his army to break through the Great Wall defense line, directly threatening the heart of the capital."

The old Taoist priest did not answer, but instead began to talk about history.

Lu Zhao understood immediately; the teacher was about to start the riddle game again.

Generally, unless it involves power struggles, teachers often prefer to be roundabout. Perhaps they want the student to understand, or perhaps they enjoy the process of the student seeking their help.

"Who do you think was stronger, the Ming Dynasty or the Tatars, at that time?"

Lu Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "If we only consider national strength, the Tatar tribe could not possibly contend with the Central Plains dynasty."

Even without superhuman strength, nomadic peoples were almost always no match for agricultural peoples. It's just that the Central Plains (Shenzhou) held grudges; they would only remember a single word about someone they destroyed, but would write extensively about someone they attacked, ensuring future generations would remember them.

The Jiajing era was no longer the most prosperous period of the Ming Dynasty, but it wasn't too bad either.

The old Taoist priest asked, "Do you know why the Ming Dynasty lost to the Tatars?"

Lu Zhao shook his head and said, "This disciple has a rather shallow understanding of this period of history, and asks Master for guidance."

The old Taoist priest explained, "On a smaller scale, it's because General Qiu Luan misled the army, the Ming Dynasty's military equipment became lax, and its military talent dwindled. On a larger scale, it's because of land annexation, the court had less and less grain to control, and supernatural powers kept flowing into powerful families."

"This has always been the case in every dynasty; land and supernatural powers will not remain in the hands of the court forever. But even though the Ming Dynasty was weak at that time, it was not so weak that it could not defeat the Tatars."

"At that time, the Tatars were evenly matched with the Ming Dynasty. The barbarians, who couldn't even get enough to eat, supported a large group of cultivators."

Lu Zhao guessed, "Is someone supplying grain to the Tatars?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "After the battle with the Tatars, the imperial spies went to the grasslands and discovered that Ganoderma lucidum was growing in the grasslands. Those barbarians didn't need to do anything, and the cattle, sheep and grass grew wildly."

Reishi mushroom? Are cattle, sheep, and vegetation prices skyrocketing?
After a moment's thought, Lu Zhao offered an answer.

"You mean, the ancient god circle of the Mongol Yuan dynasty has appeared?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "The ancient gods of the Mongol Yuan Dynasty had already appeared during the reign of Emperor Taizu. Although this was indeed the work of the Eternal Heaven, what I want to talk about is one of the reasons for the demise of dynasties throughout history."

"Whenever chaos is about to break out, evil spirits will appear, and these evil spirits can be anything."

Lu Zhao recalled Han Xueshi's confusion from yesterday.

The Federal Scholar didn't provide detailed instructions on identifying advanced life-sustaining supplements, but Lu Zhao could sense from the scholar's demeanor and request to contact the Daoist Bureau that these supplements were highly unusual. He asked, "Master, do you mean the winery is using the power of the Ancient God Circle to evade oversight?"

"Pfft hahahaha."

The old Taoist priest couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter, mocking, "Disciple, you probably think that emperors used golden hoes to till the land, right?"

Lu Zhao realized what was happening and a slightly embarrassed expression appeared on his face.

If they can wield the power of the ancient gods, how could it be just to evade supervision?

He asked, "Teacher, what exactly is inside that distillery? Surely there isn't a giant beast hiding there?"

The winery's production workshops are all located in the core area of ​​China. If a giant beast were to be hiding there, the consequences of its eruption would be unimaginable.

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "I am not omniscient and omnipotent. I can only help you calculate the surface phenomena. You still need to see for yourself to see the specifics."

"Throughout history, dynastic changes have always begun with the use of the power of ancient gods. They may be born in a thousand different ways, but they all die in the same way."

His voice was distant and lonely, with a hint of self-satisfaction.

The Ming Dynasty also perished, but not in a helpless way.

At least it made him successful, achieving something that no one in history has ever accomplished.

Lu Zhao felt quite heavy-hearted.

Even assuming there's a giant beast hiding in the distillery, he seems unable to uncover it because there's no evidence.

It's unlikely that they would force their way into the production workshop; the Daoist Bureau wouldn't allow it, and the factory that produces life-sustaining supplements would certainly be guarded by powerful figures.

The old Taoist priest said, "We have something more important to do than this."

Lu Zhao looked up, his gaze searching.

Suddenly, the old Taoist priest held a talisman in his hand, a wisp of spiritual light hovering in mid-air.

The imperial edict was written on the paper.

"This talisman can command giant beasts to bring fire-elemental behemoths ashore."

Lu Zhao looked at the old Taoist priest, his eyes filled with doubt.

If one can command fire-elemental beasts, then one can command water-elemental beasts as well.

Imperial edicts refer specifically to decrees issued by emperors that have legal force.

He said softly, "Master, I will not harm the Federation or the people."

The old Taoist priest had anticipated this, and said with a smile, "So, I'll leave the decision of when to let the fire-elemental beast land to you. You can make all the necessary preparations before igniting the decree."

The imperial edict fell into Lu Zhao's hands, so light that he could hardly feel its weight.

He said, "Master, I am just a minor official, how can I make preparations?"

The old Taoist priest shook his head and said, "No need to prepare. With the Federation's resources, you can just go out and light it."

"You will be safe as long as you stay away from the water beast's lair."

Lu Zhao also shook his head and said, "People will die, many people might die. The water monster killed my brothers back then."

"But you need the Five Elements Pill."

The old Taoist priest remained noncommittal, offering no direct answer to the question and ignoring his disciple's slightly cold gaze.

"Even if you don't take action, the behemoth will still kill many people every year. If you do take action, you can solve the problem once and for all."

“My disciple, this is the third lesson I’m teaching you: learn to let others die and accept it with a clear conscience. Whether you do it for the public good or for personal gain, you must decide that some people must die.”

He slowly opened his arms, his blue Taoist robe seemingly extending infinitely and encompassing everything, and a faint, indifferent smile curved his lips.

"The prosperity of this South China Sea region rests entirely on your shoulders. When you begin to enjoy this feeling, it means you are ready to graduate."
-
March 21st, 5 AM.

Lu Zhao slowly opened his eyes, his phoenix eyes filled with solemnity.

Looking down, he noticed a yellow talisman had appeared in his hand.

The external forces need to attract giant beasts, while inside the distillery, a group of people are using the power of the ancient gods, and I cannot report this to my superiors.

Regardless of how to convince Liu Hanwen, how will we explain things after the matter is resolved?

This is a very real problem. If the country finds out that it has been in contact with a being that is suspected to be an ancient god, the outcome will generally not be good.

Lu Zhao recalled a casual conversation he had with a friend who also worked in the system in his previous life. They talked about what it would be like to become a superman in three days, but the whole world would know in advance. How would they survive?
His friend suggested seeking state protection, but Lu Zhao felt that he would most likely be executed.

It would be fine if a group of superheroes appeared, but one superhero is too uncontrollable.

Regardless of their 'physical constitution,' rulers would never allow a completely uncontrollable entity to exist.

The same applies to the Federation.

Lu Zhao hopes to change the Federation and is fighting for it.

But he also knew that the Federation was not a specific person or thing, and that there was no absolutely unified will.

Protect yourself first, then you can change the Federation.

"When I led the team to the outpost, I also chose to let some of them die. The situation should be much better now, and the choice is in my hands."

Lu Zhao calmed himself down a bit, but after thinking it over and over, he still couldn't come up with a solution.

How can we raise awareness in the Nankaido region?

The front line of the Water Beast Cave is Tuen Mun Island. As long as Tuen Mun Island remains vigilant, there shouldn't be any major problems.

By the way, Xiaoxue is now a front-line commander on Tuen Mun Island.

Lu Zhao immediately got up, took out his phone, and dialed Li Dongxue's number.

The call was answered quickly.

At five in the morning, Li Dongxue seemed to be awake; her clear, cold voice showed no sign of drowsiness.

"Zhao, is something the matter?"

"Are you free today? Come out for a bit."

"You may have."

(End of this chapter)