Eternal Immortal Dynasty: Starting as a Petty Official

Chapter 192 Huang Tian Daoist, Eighth Level of Qi Refining (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Lord Chen, the bandits of Zhuhe are elusive, cunning, and suspicious, and their hideout is well-hidden, making it quite difficult to mobilize troops for a large-scale encirclement and suppression."

After a moment's consideration, Zhao Xian bowed and spoke cautiously.

"I am aware of this matter as well," Chen Sheng nodded and said, "I will lead the men to wipe out the Zhuhe bandits. Bo Zhang, you will continue to be responsible for clearing out the remaining small groups of bandits and monsters within the county and stabilizing the rear."

At this point, he looked at Zhao Xian and asked with a smile, "Bo Zhang, would you be willing to come with me to wipe out the Zhuhe bandits?"

""

Zhao Xian's heart stirred, and he understood the unspoken meaning in Chen Sheng's words.

His soldiers continued to clear out the remaining bandits, while he alone accompanied Chen Sheng to besiege the Zhuhe bandits.

"This humble official will naturally follow Lord Chen closely and serve him with utmost loyalty!"

"Good! With Bozhang's help, the Zhuhe bandits have no way to escape!" Seeing Zhao Xian readily agree, Chen Sheng stroked his beard and laughed, looking around at everyone in the tent.

Upon hearing this, the others in the tent also smiled and echoed his sentiments.

After laughing, Chen Sheng looked at Wu Bing, who was sitting to his left, and said, "Lord Wu, please give the county magistrate's reward to Bozhang."

"Yes, Lord Chen." Wu Bing immediately stood up, took out a piece of silk from his sleeve, smiled slightly, looked at Zhao Xian, and said loudly, "Lord Zhao, I have come on the orders of the County Magistrate to comfort the soldiers of Rongtai and reward Lord Zhao for his meritorious service in suppressing the bandits."

Zhao Xian quickly stood up, left his seat, walked down to the hall, bowed to Wu Bing, and looked respectful.

Wu Bing unfolded the silk scroll and said in a loud voice, "Zhao Xian, a military officer from Rongtai, led troops to Ronghuai to suppress bandits. Within ten days, he wiped out more than a thousand bandits and pacified two major bandit strongholds. His efforts were arduous and his contributions were outstanding. Therefore, he is hereby rewarded with: a top-grade Yellow Rank spiritual item, three bottles of Bone Tempering Elixir, and three shi of Jade Pearl Rice!"

"Your humble servant Zhao Xian thanks the county magistrate for her grace!" Zhao Xian bowed deeply.

Seeing Zhao Xian's respectful manner, Wu Bing was very satisfied. He took out a storage bag from his sleeve, handed it to Zhao Xian, and said with a smile, "Lord Zhao, there is quite a lot of Three Stones Jade Pearl Rice. I specially chose a slightly larger storage bag for you."

"Many thanks to Mr. Wu for his thoughtfulness, Zhao Xian is extremely grateful."

It was already noon, so Zhao Xian invited Chen Sheng, Wu Bing, and the others to stay in the camp for a meal.

Since there was no fine kitchen in the camp, Zhao Xian immediately sent Zhang Gong on horseback to the Li family, a prominent family in the village, to prepare a fine meal.

Upon hearing that it was County Magistrate Chen Sheng who had arrived, the Li family dared not be negligent and were unwilling to miss this golden opportunity to curry favor with him. They immediately prepared fine wine and delicacies and dispatched servants and maids to send them all into the camp.

After a feast, Zhao Xian took out the spoils of war he had obtained at Feilong Mountain and gave them to Chen Sheng, Wu Bing, and others.

Led by Yun Zhong, the bandits of Feilong Mountain had been robbing and plundering wealthy households for years, and had amassed quite a few rare treasures from the mountain.

Zhao Xian gifted Chen Sheng a dust-repelling pearl, which could ward off dust and dirt and nourish the mind, making it a rare and precious item; he gifted Wu Bing a moon-bright pearl the size of a pigeon's egg, which was lustrous and bright and could illuminate a room at night, also a rare treasure.

In addition, he also asked Wu Bing to bring a piece of red jade coral from the East China Sea to County Magistrate Zhen Que. It was brightly colored, uniquely shaped, and a true treasure.

As for the attendants who came with Chen Sheng and Wu Bing, Zhao Xian treated them well, giving each of them a spirit stone.

Seeing how sensible and generous Zhao Xian was, everyone was even more satisfied and praised him highly.

After the banquet, Chen Sheng and Wu Bing, accompanied by Zhao Xian and others, led their entourage away on horseback.

Watching Chen Sheng and the others disappear into the distance, Zhao Xian turned around, looked at Song Ming, Zhang Gong, Zhao Ze and the others behind him, and said solemnly, "In a few days, if Lord Chen summons me to go and wipe out the Zhuhe bandits, all matters in the camp will be handled by Lord Song."

"We will obey the command of the military commander!" Upon hearing this, the men immediately bowed and replied.

Chen Sheng and Wu Bing tacitly pretended not to know about the bandits and their families captured by Zhao Xian.

Since none of these people were on the official register, and they were spoils of war obtained by Zhao Xian in suppressing bandits, how to deal with them was none of Ronghuai County's business, and they couldn't be bothered to ask.

In the days that followed, Zhao Xian continued to hone his martial arts skills and study military texts in the camp every day, without the slightest slackening.

After nightfall, he also refined the high-grade yellow-rank spiritual item bestowed upon him by the county magistrate, thus improving his cultivation.

This spiritual object is called the Crimson Flame Stone. It is a spiritual object of heaven and earth that spews out from the ground when a volcano erupts. It contains a trace of pure earth core fire, which is fierce and explosive, and is quite difficult to refine.

Zhao Xian was extremely careful during the refining process, but even so, his meridians were still burned several times by the scorching earth fire contained within.

However, the benefits after refining are also obvious.

His magical power and divine sense became increasingly solid and pure, and within his magical power, there was even a faint trace of explosive true flame, greatly increasing its power.

Zhao Xian secretly pondered that if he were to fight Yun Chong again now, with his current strength, it would certainly not be so difficult.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Xian and his group had been in Ronghuai County for more than a month.

Since the destruction of Flying Dragon Mountain, Zhao Xian has remained at the camp, devoting himself to rigorous training without interruption.

Meanwhile, Zhao Zheng and other members of the Zhao clan continuously transported money and grain to Rongtai County and escorted captured bandits without stopping for a moment.

The three thousand shi of millet alone was enough to make them travel back and forth five or six times.

As for Chen Yuanqing, he had already returned to Nankou Township along with the wounded Zhao Cheng, Zhao Ji, and others.

On the night of the raid on Feilong Mountain, Chen Yuanqing gave Zhao Xian a protective magic weapon. Zhao Xian intended to return it, but Chen Yuanqing politely declined, saying that it would not be too late to return it after the bandit suppression in Ronghuai County was completely resolved.

Xu Dejing, Zhao Hong and their group also returned to the camp once along the way, handing over a pile of unused weapons, armor, warhorses and other spoils of war to Zhao Xian.

Zhao Xian immediately ordered Liu Ping and Liu Sheng to register them one by one, and to reward them according to their merits after returning to Rongtai County.

On the other hand, after the destruction of Feilong Mountain, the Zhuhe bandits seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace.

Chen Sheng and his men searched everywhere for the whereabouts of the Zhuhe bandits, but they were unable to find a single useful clue.

This suited Zhao Xian perfectly, so he stayed at the camp and devoted himself to cultivation.

With most of the bandits and monsters in Ronghuai County wiped out by Zhao Xian, Xu Dejing and others, the situation in the county has become much more stable.

The number of travelers on the official road gradually increased.

However, in Zhao Xian's view, most of these pedestrians were refugees from Xiao County.

As to the current situation in Xiao County, no one could glean any crucial information from these Daoist people. They only knew that the three southern counties were still under the control of the rebels.

At noon, on the west side of the camp, it was time to distribute rice porridge again.

The captured bandits stood up and lined up to wait, but their expressions were blank and they remained silent.

The meager gruel they ate each day, barely enough to keep them alive, had long since worn away all the viciousness and murderous intent from these bandits who used to wreak havoc on the village.

Only about a hundred bandits remain in the camp.

The rest had already been escorted to Wohu Township in batches.

Following Zhao Xian's instructions, Zhao Zheng had already notified Zhao Yi, who was left behind in Wohu Township, to begin purchasing land in preparation for taking these bandits as his followers and settling them down.

Naturally, the land had to be purchased from powerful local families. Of course, what Zhao Xian wanted to buy was not fertile land, but just a large area of ​​wasteland.

These kinds of wasteland are cheap, costing only 800 coins per mu. After purchasing them, they can be handed over to these laborers to cultivate and plant on their own.

.

Now that Zhao Xian enjoys great prestige in Rongtai and Ronghuai counties, if he wants to buy land, the Xu and Cao families and other prominent clans and wealthy households in Wohu Township will naturally be willing to give him some face.

However, Zhao Xian needed a large amount of land this time, a full fifty hectares. The families were inevitably somewhat unwilling, but they dared not openly refuse.

Of course, even if he offered a 50-hectare discount based on the market price, Zhao Xian couldn't come up with that much money right now.

Upon returning to Wohu Township, I will likely have to negotiate with the local powerful clans.

But Zhao Xian was determined to take over this wasteland no matter what, so that he could properly settle his soldiers.

Breaking one's promise and getting rich has never been in Zhao Xian's nature.

While he was pondering, Zhao Xian had already arrived in front of the bandit group.

The auxiliary soldiers responsible for distributing the porridge bowed respectfully upon seeing Zhao Xian arrive.

Zhao Xian raised his hand to signal everyone to proceed as usual, while he calmly surveyed the bandits before him.

Even with Zhao Xian's presence, these bandits remained expressionless, clutching their wooden bowls tightly, clearly having been worn down and devoid of spirit.

With this situation, Zhao Xian was completely at ease. In the future, he could naturally distribute these bandits among his soldiers and use them as followers.

Suddenly, an elderly man with gray hair and beard caught Zhao Xian's eye in the group.

He was holding a wooden bowl, his hands clasped together, and he kept muttering to himself.

"Who is that old bandit?"

Zhao Xian raised his hand and summoned an auxiliary soldier, pointing at the old man and asking in a deep voice.

"Reporting to the Marquis, this old bandit seems to have fled from Xiao County. He's constantly rambling on and on, spouting nonsense like 'Heaven is dead.'"

The auxiliary soldier looked in the direction Zhao Xian pointed, thought for a moment, and then respectfully replied.

"The heavens are dead," Zhao Xian murmured, then stepped towards the old man.

As Zhao Xian approached, the surrounding bandits instinctively made way, but the old man remained standing still, unmoved.

As Zhao Xian approached, the old man still clasped his hands together and muttered incantations.

"May the Daoist Master protect me and keep me safe!"

"The heavens are dead."

After pausing to listen for a moment, Zhao Xian's expression gradually became calm and composed.

"Who is the Taoist Master?"

Zhao Xian suddenly looked at the old man and asked in a deep voice.

Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly awoke, staring at Zhao Xian in front of him with a face full of fear.

"Who exactly is the Taoist Master?" Zhao Xian asked again in a deep voice.

"The Way, the Way~" the old man stammered, his whole body trembling.

Upon seeing this, the auxiliary soldiers behind him immediately stepped forward, raised their sword sheaths, and slashed at the old man's head.

"Snapped!"

With a single blow, the old man was knocked to the ground.

"You old fool, the magistrate is asking you who the Taoist master is!" The auxiliary soldier kicked the fallen old man and shouted sternly, "If you dare to stammer again, I'll chop you up with one stroke!"

But the old man was curled up on the ground, his eyes closed, and he remained silent.

Seeing this, the auxiliary soldier raised his sword sheath again, ready to continue striking.

"Stop!" Zhao Xian stopped the auxiliary soldiers, looked around at the bandits, and said, "If any of you know the origin of the Taoist master this old bandit mentioned, tell him the truth, and I will allow him to have a good meal."

Upon hearing this, the previously expressionless bandits finally showed some signs of life on their faces.

Zhao Xian waited quietly for more than ten breaths before one of the bandits stepped forward and knelt on the ground, reporting in a hoarse voice, "Reporting to the lord, this Taoist master refers to Huang Tian Taoist Master, and the story comes from the refugees who fled from Xiao County."

"I have heard that Master Huangtian can summon wind and rain, turn beans into soldiers, and possesses boundless supernatural powers, and can even help people achieve immortality."

"Most of the rioters in the three southern counties worship this Master Huang Tian."

After saying that, the bandits said no more.

"Do you know anything else?"

"This is all I know, I have no other knowledge," the bandit replied respectfully, his forehead pressed to the ground.

"Give him a good meal," Zhao Xian instructed the auxiliary soldier beside him.

"Thank you for your kindness, General!"

Just then, the old man who was curled up on the ground suddenly sprang up!

"The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise!"

With a ferocious roar and a mad, ferocious expression, as if possessed by a demon, he charged at Zhao Xian with reckless abandon.

The sudden change in the situation left the auxiliary soldier beside him horrified. He stood frozen in place, completely forgetting that he was still holding the ring-pommel sword.

"Clang!"

The ring-pommel sword was suddenly drawn, and the bandit who had been kneeling and answering the call suddenly stood up, stepped forward, snatched the long sword from the auxiliary soldier's hand, and slashed at the mad old man with his other hand!

"Pfft!"

Fresh blood gushed out, rising several feet high and splashing all over the ground.

The grotesque, frenzied head rolled to the ground, spinning several times before finally stopping.

"Put the knife down!"

After a few breaths, the auxiliary soldier came to his senses and pointed at the bandits with knives, shouting sternly.

Upon hearing this, the bandits immediately knelt down and placed their ring-pommel swords flat in front of them.

At this moment, the auxiliary soldiers who were distributing porridge in the distance also drew their swords and rushed over to protect Zhao Xian, blocking the rest of the bandits behind them to prevent any chaos.

"My patrol was inadequate, causing this old scoundrel to disturb you, sir. I beg your forgiveness!"

Upon seeing that Zhao Xian was unharmed but had a solemn expression, the squad leader immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness in fear.

Get up.

Just as the military officer was feeling uneasy, Zhao Xian spoke up, saying indifferently.

"The heavens are dead, the yellow heavens shall rise!" Zhao Xianqiang suppressed the raging storm in his heart and sneered, "Ha, the rioters of Xiao County, their ambitions are not small."

The soldiers on either side were all from the countryside and could not understand the deeper meaning of Zhao Xian's words. They could only look at each other and warily watch the bandits around them.

"You survived on a bowl of thin porridge every day for a whole month, yet you still have the courage and strength to fight. That's quite remarkable."

Zhao Xian's gaze fell on the kneeling bandit, scrutinizing him for a moment.

"What's your name? Where are you from? And why did you become a bandit?"

"I am Zhu Ji, a native of Dongzhu Township. My family's land was forcibly seized by a wealthy household, leaving me no choice but to become a bandit."

Zhu Ji kowtowed deeply and responded in a deep voice.

Just as he was replying, Zhao Xian's mind stirred slightly, a golden glint flashed in his eyes, and he looked up at the top of everyone's heads.

Three feet above the heads of the bandits, various kinds of mixed vapors swirled.

There was a sharp, piercing light that shot straight into the sky, glowing with a crimson light; there was a thin, white mist that floated and sank; and there was a gray-black, turbid mist that wandered around aimlessly.

Above Zhu Ji's head, a straight red aura condensed and did not dissipate, making him stand out among the bandits.

"You remain calm in the face of danger and act decisively. From now on, you will stay by my side as my attendant."

"Many thanks for your guidance, General!"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Ji was overjoyed and repeatedly kowtowed to express his gratitude.

"Take him downstairs to change into a clean set of robes, and prepare some food so he can have a good meal."

After giving his instructions, Zhao Xian turned and walked straight toward the military tent.

At this moment, Song Ming and his group also heard about the riot caused by the bandits and rushed to the scene.

Seeing that Zhao Xian was safe and sound, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhang Gong and Zhao Ze, standing to the side, gripped the hilts of their swords so tightly that their knuckles turned white.

"Marshal."

Seeing Zhao Xian's somber expression as he strode over, seemingly ignoring everyone else, Song Ming couldn't help but call out softly.

"Military Commander?"

"Um?!"

Hearing Song Ming call out repeatedly, Zhao Xiancai suddenly came to his senses, a look of confusion flashing across his face before he quickly returned to normal.

"He's just a treacherous old thief with ulterior motives, attempting to harass us from the shadows. He's overestimating himself." Zhao Xian chuckled lightly, then looked around at the crowd and continued, "The remaining bandits still need to be disciplined and we must not let our guard down."

"We failed in our patrol duties and were negligent in our precautions. We hope that you will punish us, sir."

Zhao Ze and Zhang Gong both bowed and begged for forgiveness.

"It's alright. In the next few days, we can pick out those who harbor disloyal intentions and execute them on the spot."

Zhao Xian waved his hand, completely unconcerned.

Having said that, he continued walking toward his own military tent.

As everyone watched Zhao Xian leave, Zhang Gong and Zhao Ze immediately led their troops to surround the bandit group and keep a close watch on them.

Song Ming stood still, gazing thoughtfully at Zhao Xian's departing figure.

Before long, everyone knew what had happened.

"Master Huang Tian~"

Song Ming pondered in a low voice, then looked up at the military tent in the center of the camp, his brows furrowing slightly.

The night is deep, the bright moon hangs high, casting its clear light everywhere.

The camp was completely silent.

Zhao Xian sat cross-legged on the bed, his palms facing the sky.

In front of him was a palm-sized piece of reddish spirit jade. Upon closer inspection, a crimson spiritual light slowly flowed within the jade.

"Whoosh!"

Suddenly, a suction force arose out of nowhere, and then the crimson spiritual light slowly overflowed from the surface of the spirit jade and flew towards Zhao Xian's mouth!

As the crimson light completely entered Zhao Xian's mouth, the spirit jade immediately shattered into pieces with a "crack".

At this moment, Zhao Xian's face was also flushed, and a wisp of heat slowly rose from the top of his head.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, landing on his robe and leaving a faint stain.

After an unknown amount of time, a clear, unusual sound came from inside Zhao Xian's body.

In an instant, a scorching aura emanated from Zhao Xian's body, engulfing the entire military tent!

With a slight thought, a golden light quietly appeared in the sea of ​​consciousness.

The golden light intertwined rapidly, eventually transforming into a golden curtain of light.

Owner of the cauldron: Zhao Xian

[Fortune: Crimson]

[Spiritual Root: Bing (Fire Attribute)]

[Cultivation Level: Qi Refining Level 8]

[Lucky Golden Pearl: 0]

【技艺】：烈阳真法（精通：6420/10000）、穿云射术（大成：31917/100000）、松鹤养元拳（大成：16911/100000）、追风斩灵刀（大成：13920/100000）、鱼龙九变（精通：1210/10000）、基础制符（精通：2345/10000）

Zhao Xian held his breath and focused his mind, sinking his consciousness into his dantian.

A hundred or so streams of magical power condensed into a crimson fire cloud, which hovered above the dantian, constantly flowing and churning.

"After nearly two years of arduous training, I have finally broken through to the eighth level of Qi Refining!"

After a moment of reflection, Zhao Xian looked at the golden light screen before him again, his gaze unconsciously falling on the section on spiritual roots.

Originally, his fire-attribute spiritual root was only at the middle level of the Bing (丙) rank, but now it has been upgraded to the upper level of the Bing (丙) rank!

However, it was not due to Zhao Xian's breakthrough in cultivation, but entirely due to that high-grade yellow-rank Crimson Flame Stone!

As expected of a naturally formed and nurtured treasure, it can directly enhance a cultivator's spiritual root aptitude!

No wonder such rare and precious items have always been highly sought after by cultivators!

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Zhao Xian once again mobilized his magical power, circulating his Qi through specific meridians.

With such meticulous operation, Zhao Xian immediately noticed the change after his spiritual root aptitude improved.

The speed of qi circulation did not change significantly, but the amount of spiritual energy absorbed from the outside world increased by more than 20%.

This means that my cultivation speed has also increased by 20%!

After the ancestral worship ceremony this year and the acquisition of the Golden Pearl of Fortune, the speed of cultivation can be increased by another 30%!

At this rate, I might be able to reach the ninth level of Qi Refining in just a few years!

There is a good chance that I can reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage before the age of thirty!

"call!"

With a long sigh, Zhao Xian slowly opened his eyes.

In an instant, two streaks of crimson light appeared in the dark military tent, like two dazzling stars, bright and eye-catching!

With a slight thought, his divine sense roared out, instantly enveloping an area of ​​more than two zhang around him.

More precisely, it was 26 feet!

"Once I reach the ninth level of Qi Refining, the range of my divine sense should be around three zhang," Zhao Xian thought to himself.

A spiritual sense range of about three zhang (approximately 10 meters) far exceeds that of most Qi Refining Perfection cultivators.

It should be noted that even if many independent cultivators reach the Qi Refining Perfection stage, the range of their divine sense is only about 25 feet.

Of course, alchemists who hone their spiritual senses over many years may also reach the three-zhang realm.

Zhao Xian has never deliberately honed his divine sense. His profound foundation is mostly due to the opportunities he has had in his two lifetimes!

"Whoosh!"

With a flash of crimson light, a crimson short sword, over a foot long, appeared out of thin air in front of Zhao Xian.

Then, under the control of his mind, the flying sword transformed into a streak of crimson light, soaring and shifting within a radius of about ten feet!

Every move was absolutely exquisite!

After a dozen or so breaths, the flying sword returned to Zhao Xian's side and was put into his storage bag.

At this moment, a fine layer of sweat had already seeped out from Zhao Xian's forehead.

By refining the Crimson Flame Stone, a high-grade Yellow-rank spiritual object, he broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining. Both his magical power and spiritual awareness improved, and his ability to control his flying sword and perform spells and swordsmanship became increasingly refined and skillful.

However, he could only maintain sword control for about ten breaths. If it were a direct confrontation, he would still need to finish the battle quickly.

However, if his opponent is also a Qi Refining cultivator, Zhao Xian is confident that he can fight him to the death, exhaust his opponent's power, and then find an opportunity to kill him!

"I wonder how exhilarating it is for Foundation Establishment cultivators to fight each other!"

As he reflected on the events, Zhao Xian couldn't help but recall the battle with the Yan family that night, a hint of longing appearing in his eyes.

That night, four Foundation Establishment cultivators fought fiercely in mid-air, the booming sound like thunder, truly displaying their divine might!

The faint sound of roosters crowing reached Zhao Xian, who tidied himself up briefly and then went to bed fully clothed.

Let alone ordinary Qi Refining cultivators, even Foundation Establishment experts are ultimately unable to escape the desire for food and the need for rest!