He became the True Lord of Ten Thousand Laws starting from Liaozhai.

The magic array of Yunji Mountain was useless to Pudu; he dispelled the hidden array that had been in operation for hundreds of years with a wave of his hand.

This formation is mainly for concealing Yunji Mountain. If an ordinary person accidentally enters it, they will be trapped in place and unable to move, or they will fall into an illusion and see different scenery.

Mortals who enter the formation will have their forms concealed. After wandering through the illusion, they may reappear from another place. Mortals who experience the illusion will not feel any discomfort.

Yunji Mountain was originally set up by a powerful cultivator. Ordinary cultivators who accidentally enter it will also experience similar illusions. Only those who have cultivated supernatural powers can see through the illusion and enter Yunji Mountain.

But where in this world do so many cultivators with supernatural powers come from, and where do so many people who have reached the Yuan level come from?

The vast majority of cultivators lead mediocre and uneventful lives. Even if they are fortunate enough to embark on the path of immortality, they will never witness true divine prowess.

After the magic array was removed, the aura of the mortal world invaded Yunji Mountain. The once ethereal mountain, shrouded in clouds and mist, now looked no different from any other mountain.

Firstly, the Pudu ceremony absorbed all the spiritual energy of the mountain; secondly, the mountain became tainted by worldly affairs, causing the sacred mountain to fall into the mundane world and thus lose its lofty grandeur.

Pudu absorbed all the earth veins that had been suppressed. Back then, Master Pudu used the power of the earth veins within a hundred miles to suppress the centipede. However, without the relic to guide the formation, and with the decline of Yunji Mountain generation after generation, no cultivator had ever reached the Chaoyuan stage or cultivated supernatural powers.

The suppression array gradually lost its original power, giving the centipede an opportunity to turn the tables. He gradually mastered the array, and the earth vein power that had once suppressed him was absorbed by him.

It became the nourishment for him to recover his strength. Although he was not fully recovered, he was already able to use some of his supernatural abilities.

The aura from afar was getting closer, but Pudu deduced that this person was just a mortal. However, the aura was very strange. Pudu was very curious about what had happened in this mortal world over the past few hundred years.

I'll definitely have to use the Soul Searching Technique later.

......

The three of them walked along the mountain path. In order to reach Fangyuan City as soon as possible, the old supervisor of the Imperial Observatory used every means at his disposal, managing to reduce the original month-long journey to just one week.

Upon receiving the urgent letter from his old friend, the old supervisor rushed to Fangyuan City without stopping.

The Imperial Observatory does not need to attend court unless there are special circumstances. For this reason, the old director of the Imperial Observatory even asked His Majesty for a month's leave.

For this trip, the old supervisor had thoroughly studied the Dao Palace's heritage and knew how to use many Daoist techniques. He could borrow the power of heaven and earth. The fact that they traveled so quickly was also thanks to a talisman recorded in the Daoist scriptures: the Swift Travel Talisman.

It is attached to the legs and can travel hundreds of miles a day by manpower, but the city is too far from the capital.

The Great Zhou Dynasty was too vast. Although the old supervisor was very skilled in using Taoist magic, he still had two disciples following behind him.

Even the most talented person needs time to comprehend this Daoist scripture. This is a limitation of the scripture; a certain amount of time is required to fully understand its contents.

Even the most talented person cannot break this rule; it is the rule of the Dao Palace, the rule of the immortals.

Therefore, even if the Imperial Observatory produced the most talented disciples, they would not be able to master all the Taoist arts in a short period of time.

The old eunuch attributed all of this to the injustice done by Heaven.

What the old supervisor didn't know was that there were true immortals living in the Dao Palace. True immortals were beings who controlled the power of heaven and earth and could act on behalf of heaven.

This is a rule set by the true immortals, and even cultivators who have achieved the Five Elements Gathering cannot escape this shackle.

"Master, how much further do we have to go?"

"Master, is a retired Left Prime Minister really worth all this trouble?"

Two young people, a man and a woman, both around twenty years old, each uttered a complaint.

"Hehe, don't worry about how far it is. This is all for training. I'll broaden your horizons. If you stay in the Imperial Observatory for too long and only learn Taoist arts but don't know how to use them, that won't do."

"Disciples of the Imperial Observatory are all sent out to other places when they reach a certain age. Although you two are my last disciples..."

Zhou Yuan's brows were furrowed, as if he were deep in thought. He was the Director of the Imperial Observatory and was nearing retirement age. These two were his youngest disciples and his only remaining disciples.

He is now old. His former disciples were sent out to subdue demons, but they died in the demons' mouths. His current disciples are the last ones he will teach and the ones he will pass on his skills to.

Such were the rules of the Imperial Observatory, and no one could escape them. However, the emperor would not interfere too much with the successors of the Imperial Observatory, as long as they were obedient.

An imperial edict can appoint you as the Director of the Imperial Observatory, and just as an imperial edict can also ruin your great fortune.

The Imperial Observatory was deeply intertwined with the Great Zhou Dynasty; without the Great Zhou Dynasty, their ability to borrow divine powers would disappear.

This is also a rule, a rule set by the True Immortals of the Dao Palace.

Learning Taoist arts does not mean that one can use them at will or borrow power from the heavens. One must have enough good fortune to sustain oneself; otherwise, one simply cannot bear the consequences.

The Imperial Observatory was renowned for its loyalty, and emperors throughout history had complete confidence in it and placed unconditional trust in it.

"Hmph, Chunyu, you're too young to understand the ins and outs. Although he's no longer in court, the Deng family is not to be underestimated, and he still wields considerable influence there."

"If you were to observe closely, you'd notice the proportion of Deng's protégés among civil officials—tsk tsk tsk, not to mention his son, who is a general with real power..."

"Even putting all that aside, Deng Che himself is a very interesting person. He has high moral character, and the longer you spend with him, the more your cultivation will naturally improve."

"In short, he's a good friend of mine, we have a very deep friendship. You wouldn't understand even if I explained more, so just come with me and broaden your horizons!"

As the three were on their way, a strange scream suddenly rang in their ears.

Although Zhou Yuan was experienced, he was caught off guard by the sudden attack and didn't react for a moment. He immediately shut off his hearing and turned to look at his two disciples.

The man was bleeding from all seven orifices and had died suddenly. The woman, called Chunyu, was rolling on the ground, clutching her head.

Zhou Yuan felt a pang of grief, but he had no time to grieve. He took out a talisman and affixed it to Chunyu's body, chanting an incantation. The talisman quickly transformed into a faint light and merged into Chunyu's body.

The strange cry came and went quickly; Chunyu only had blood flowing from her ears.

She lay on the ground, her voice weak: "Master...Master, it hurts so much, my head hurts so much."

She opened her eyes and stared blankly at Zhou Yuan. He could only see his master's mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't understand what she was saying at all.

"Master, Master, I can't hear you. Could you please speak louder?"

Zhou Yuan paused for a moment, feeling a pang of sorrow in his heart. His two disciples had been ruined after just one trip out of the gate.

Even he almost fell victim to it. Who was it?

This kind of mind-altering attack is definitely from a powerful demon.

After settling Chunyu against the tree, he wrote a few words in her palm: Temporary deafness, do not panic.

Zhou Yuan calmed himself down and went to Jingzhe's side. She was also his disciple, but she had just bled from all seven orifices and he didn't know if she could survive.

He steadied himself, stood properly, made hand seals, and softly chanted: "Gather the three souls on the left, gather the seven spirits on the right, twelve thousand essences and spirits, the twenty-four organs of the five viscera and six bowels, heed my call, quickly descend in true form..."

After Zhou Yuan recited the incantation once, Jingzhe showed no reaction. Somewhat unwilling, Zhou Yuan cast the spell again, attempting to extract Jingzhe's soul. He had used this incantation countless times before, it had always worked without fail, but now...

As Jingzhe's spirit dissipated, he sighed and said with sorrow, "I never imagined that I would suffer such a calamity today."

"The Awakening of Insects, it's Heaven's way of taking you away..."

Zhou Yuan turned around. Jingzhe was dead, but he had no time to grieve. This great demon was coming for them. Could it be a grudge they had made before? He couldn't figure it out, but the monster was coming.

The jade pendant with two fish on his waist kept flashing, emitting a faint red light, which is the Taoist scripture's perception of the strength of demonic energy.

After flashing a few times, the Pisces jade pendant suddenly shattered.

Zhou Yuan was also stunned; his Pisces jade pendant was of the highest standard.

Even powerful demons who can fly and escape into the earth might not be able to gain an advantage in his hands.

"May the ancestral master protect us..."

Zhou Yuan closed his eyes and drew the Zhenwu Sword from behind his back. This was a divine sword forged by the first director of the Imperial Observatory when it was first established. Each director would nourish the sword with his own Taoist cultivation and demon blood, just to make the sword even sharper.

But with this sword, even a demon in human form is no match for him; no matter how much it spews clouds and mist, the True Martial Sword can withstand it.

In the mountains, Zhou Yuan saw a monk in front of him wearing a magnificent robe and a pointed hat. He was chanting scriptures with his hands clasped together.

With each step Zhou Yuan took, a Buddhist chant resounded in his ears.

"Om Mani Padme Hum..."

The chanting was so captivating that Zhou Yuan felt dizzy and disoriented, as if someone was trying to open the top of his head.

The monk was rather strange. Zhou Yuan was caught off guard and fell victim to his attack. He silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra, and a chill ran straight to his head. The deadly chanting gradually dissipated.

The True Martial Sword emitted a dazzling golden light, and a strange power quickly calmed Zhou Yuan's mind.

This sword was once nourished with his life essence, giving it the power to slay demons, ward off evil, and split rocks.

Each time the sword is swung, a sharp sword aura is released, which is the result of the nourishment of the precious sword by the supervisors of successive generations.

Zhou Yuan stood with his sword in hand, constantly chanting the Heart-Cleansing Mantra in his mind. This great demon could bewitch people's minds, so he had to be careful.

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he turned around. Chunyu had already stood up, a red light flashing in her eyes.

Chunyu imitated the monk, put her hands together, and chanted: "Floating in the sea of ​​suffering, entangled in a hundred years of infatuation, Master, all fame and fortune are but a mirage."

"The mundane world is full of busyness and countless attachments; birth, old age, sickness, and death are nothing but dreams and illusions."

"Excellent, excellent! Taking refuge in the Buddha, the soul returns to the Pure Land, only then can one attain true freedom..."

"Amitabha Buddha, Master, please put down the killing and come with me to the West..."

In this light, Chunyu seems more like a monk or nun who has been practicing vegetarianism and chanting Buddhist scriptures for many years.

"You ruthless devil!"

Zhou Yuan didn't know if he could still save his little apprentice, or rather, he had no idea if his little apprentice could be saved at all.

He had seen many bewitching demons, but one of this level, so silent and subtle, that he had barely been able to resist even a few words.

To bewitch people, one must use some medium, such as signing a contract, establishing a blood curse, or amplifying a certain emotion to invade consciousness under extreme circumstances in order to successfully bewitch the mind and control the body.

But the situation now seems completely different.

"Amitabha Buddha, benefactor, lay down your butcher's knife and you will instantly become a Buddha..."

The deadly chanting came from all directions, and only with the help of the True Martial Sword was Zhou Yuan able to calm his mind.

Undeterred by the chanting, he roared and transformed into a phantom, thrusting his sword forward.

Zhou Yuan was well-versed in a wide range of knowledge, including martial arts and Taoist classics. As the Director of the Imperial Observatory, he was not only exceptionally talented, but also diligently studied and practiced.

He possesses immense destiny and wields the divine weapon, the Zhenwu Sword.

Taoist arts borrow power from the Heavenly Dao, but he had clearly made a hand seal just now. When he looked up at the sky again, it was dark and gloomy. It was clearly the overwhelming demonic energy that covered the sky and blocked out the secrets of heaven.

Then he can only use his martial arts skills and the Zhenwu Sword, which can kill demons as easily as slaughtering dogs, to confront the monsters.

The monk in the magnificent robes was the newly born Pudu. Since he had just been born, his magical power had not yet fully recovered. The only supernatural powers he could use were the life-snatching chant and the Dharma body, both of which he had comprehended from the relics.

The supernatural powers once possessed by the demon race are now unusable and have been restricted.

Pudu could see the extraordinary nature of this divine sword. It was stained with the essence and blood of supernatural demons and had the aura of the Dao Palace. Could it have been forged by someone from the Dao Palace?

He had always disliked the people of the Dao Palace, who claimed to be the righteous path of the world. Many immortal old Daoists had once hunted him down. However, in the present world, he could not sense the existence of the Dao Palace. It seemed that the calamity hundreds of years ago had truly come true.

He cultivated the Five Qi Gathering to the Origin, achieving perfect supernatural powers. He lived a long enough life to know many secrets. He had already attained supernatural powers before the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Dao Palace was indeed very domineering in the past, but after the prophecy of a demon ancestor before his death eight hundred years ago was passed down.

The Demon Ancestor is a true immortal-level figure who also holds power over the world. According to legend, the Demon Ancestor who holds power is the future.

However, these are all rumors. Pudu doesn't know the specifics. In front of such a person, even someone with the Five Qi Gathering is nothing more than an ant. Pudu doesn't even dare to think about such a person.

Fearing that people might seek revenge by following the cause and effect, one should not call out the names of true immortals or demon ancestors, nor should one think too much about them, otherwise calamities will befall one.

Even though the Demon Ancestor was dead, Pudu still followed this rule. Back then, heaven and earth were indeed filled with grief, and strange phenomena arose one after another.

But who can guarantee that the Demon Ancestor is really dead? He doesn't believe in such a person who lives as long as heaven and earth; maybe it's just a ruse.

However, the Dao Palace has indeed disappeared, and no one knows what happened to that Dao Ancestor.

Thinking about it too much is useless. Pudu felt that he had already figured out a path. As long as he absorbed the fortune of the Great Zhou, he might be able to gather the three flowers at the top and become the Demon Ancestor!