Dragon Ball, simultaneously traversing countless worlds

This prediction suggests that Zhang Xubai was either very politically astute or a truly enlightened master capable of divination.

Chapter 206 Golden Feather Retainer

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, he revered Taoism and gathered many Taoist priests under his command.

But the three people he trusted the most were Zhang Xubai, Lin Lingsu, and Wang Yuncheng.

Only these three were granted the title of Golden Feather Retainers.

However, Wang Yuncheng had long been poisoned by Lin Lingsu, and Lin Lingsu had also died in her hometown. Now, only Zhang Xubai remained of the Golden Feather Sect members.

With two competitors gone, Zhang Xubai enjoyed Emperor Huizong's favor.

Zhang Xubai's residence, Longde Terrace Taiyi Palace, was a multi-story building with carved pillars and rafters.

Four halls were added to the palace, named Hongdao, Zhenxue, Huibin, and Yinzhen.

There are also various hermitages, such as Chaoran, Zhidao, and Yunji.

The entire palace is magnificent and splendid, with horizontal plaques made of silk and ancient brocade in green, making it secluded, elegant, and the best among all palaces.

It's simply a paradise on earth.

Inside the True Learning Hall, a young Taoist boy with delicate features, around ten years old, was sitting on a futon doing his studies.

Suddenly his ears twitched slightly, as if he had sensed something, and he darted out of the hall.

He pushed open the palace door and exclaimed with delight, "Master, you're back!"

A sprightly Taoist priest, who looked like both an old man and a middle-aged man, stepped into the hall.

He wore a crane-feather cloak to pay homage to the truth, and a star-studded crown to pay homage to the Dipper. His cloud-like sleeves fluttered, and his feathered robes were carefree, giving him the appearance of a Taoist master.

The visitor was Zhang Xubai. He had been summoned by Emperor Huizong of Song to discuss Luo Yan's rebellion in Junzhou, and was only able to return now.

The old Taoist priest hurried into the main hall and said to the young Taoist boy, "Deyuan, go and invite Dong Nanyun, Wang Chongdao, and Wang Wenqing, the attendants, to come here. I have important matters to discuss with them."

The young Taoist was named Yan Deyuan, and was a direct disciple of Zhang Xubai.

Yan Deyuan was a famous Taoist priest in later generations. His greatest achievement was becoming the abbot of the Yuxu Temple in Xijing during the Jin Dynasty.

Yan Deyuan received the order, bowed and withdrew, and went to invite the other attendants.

The title of Shichen, also known as Shichen, was a Daoist official position established by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. Daoist positions were a marker of a Daoist's academic level and were modeled after the positions in the civil service.

During the reign of Emperor Huizong of Song, there were nine Daoist priests who received the title of "Attendant at the Morning." Apart from Lin Lingsu, most of these nine were Daoist masters of the Quanzhen School.

However, even among the Daoist masters, not everyone understands magic and can fight.

For example, Xu Zhichang, one of the nine attendants, was well-versed in Taoist classics but did not practice magic. He was a pure theorist, good at writing articles, skilled in reciting poems, and proficient in painting, but had no fighting ability whatsoever.

Take Zhang Xubai for example. Although he possesses the ability to communicate through magic, he only knows alchemy and the art of Liuren divination. He is not particularly proficient in combat.

After receiving the imperial decree from Emperor Huizong to deal with Luo Yan, Zhang Xubai had the idea of ​​seeking help from others, hoping to complete the task assigned by His Majesty with the help of the other attendants.

Half an hour after Yan Deyuan left, Dong Nanyun, Wang Chongdao, and Wang Wenqing arrived together.

These three individuals all possessed white hair and youthful faces, exuding an ethereal air, and their magical powers were faintly visible, making them formidable opponents.

Zhang Xubai welcomed everyone into the main hall. After they paid their respects and took their seats, he got straight to the point: "Fellow Daoists, we have received the Emperor's grace and the Emperor's favor every day. We feel ashamed that we have no way to repay the Emperor."

Today, the Emperor summoned me to discuss quelling the rebellion of Luo Yan in Junzhou, and I accepted the invitation. I have also invited you fellow Daoists today, hoping you will lend me a hand.

"Brother Dao, you are too kind. That Luo Yan of Junzhou, as a cultivator, has done things against the heavens, defied the imperial court, and brought chaos to the world. How can we, the righteous sages, ignore him?"

"Yes, Brother Xubai, please don't hesitate to ask if there's anything we can do to help you."

Zhang Xubai held a very high position among them and was the most favored by the emperor. Even though the three of them were much stronger than Zhang Xubai in combat, they still had to treat him with respect.

The world of Heavenly Book is not the kind of dog-eat-dog world of cultivation. In this world, status and power are sometimes more important than strength.

Take, for example, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons of the underworld. They are weak and no match for these Taoist priests. However, even Zhang Xubai would treat them with respect when he encountered them.

This is because Ox-Head and Horse-Face are civil servants of the underworld. Even if they are not powerful, they represent the face of the underworld and cannot be easily offended.

Furthermore, one's status and power in the mortal realm can sometimes affect the path to immortality.

The fact that the three of them are stronger than Zhang Xubai now is useless. If Zhang Xubai can perform great deeds in the mortal world and be deified by the emperor, he can go directly to the Heavenly Court's Immortal Transformation Pool after death, transforming from mortal to immortal. At that time, his strength will be able to crush the three of them in an instant.

Ancient Taoist practitioners did not cultivate techniques, but rather the Tao.

Those who achieve great things and ascend to the ranks of immortals never do so through fighting and killing. The path to immortality depends primarily on background, opportunity, and good deeds.

If you were a reincarnated deity who descended to the mortal realm for trials, then without a doubt, becoming an immortal again would be as easy as eating and drinking.

If you have a powerful background, or if your predecessors hold official positions in the Heavenly Court, becoming an immortal isn't difficult. You can even get an immortal position in the Heavenly Court by pulling some strings.

The most powerful are those who have accumulated merit and good deeds. Even if they were physically weak, illiterate, and ignorant of Taoist scriptures in their previous life, they can still become carefree immortals by virtue of their merit.

Therefore, although the three of them were all more powerful than Zhang Xubai, they were very humble towards him.

"We cultivators, who entrust ourselves to the imperial court, do we do so for the sake of wealth and glory? No, we do it for the sake of good deeds and merit. This pacification of Luo Yan in Junzhou is the best opportunity for us to gain merit."

In wars among ordinary mortals, cultivators cannot interfere. Even if the Jin army breached Kaifeng, they could only watch and could not intervene. To intervene would be to violate the laws of nature and cause and effect, and would incur karmic consequences.

However, there is no problem in attacking Luo Yan. Luo Yan is the culprit who disrupted the causal order. Killing Luo Yan would help the Heavenly Dao to sort out the cause and effect, and that would be a great merit.

Therefore, Zhang Xubai agreed to Emperor Huizong's request without hesitation.

“Brother Xu Bai, Luo Yan of Junzhou is not easy to deal with. I received news the other day that Luo Yan defeated the City God Kou Zhun. Judging from his strength, he is no weaker than an immortal.”

"In addition, he is surrounded by many soldiers wearing fine armor. If these soldiers swarm us, we dare not kill indiscriminately, and we will probably not come out unscathed."

If even the City God didn't lay a hand on the soldiers, these cultivators naturally dared not do anything more.

But if you don't attack the soldiers, they won't be so lenient with them. They'll swarm you and hack you to death, which would be a huge injustice.

"It's alright. I will have His Majesty dispatch troops to contain Luo Yan's soldiers. This time, we will go on the expedition with the army. Mortals will be dealt with by mortals. We only need to deal with Luo Yan."

Dong Nanyun's expression changed. "The imperial army is going too, this..."

Wang Chongdao also worriedly said, "We don't know what kind of army the imperial court has. If the situation turns bad, the army will collapse like a house of cards. If we are swept up by the chaotic soldiers, my old bones can't take it."

"Rest assured, I request His Majesty to promote Yue Fei to Hebei to quell the rebellion in this battle. I am sure he will live up to expectations."

In the fourth year of the Xuanhe era, Yue Fei served as the commander of a hundred cavalrymen. In the same year, Yue Fei's father passed away, and he returned home to observe mourning.

In the sixth year of the Xuanhe era, floods occurred in Hebei and other areas, making it difficult for the Yue family to make a living. In order to earn a living, Yue Fei went to the Pingding Army in Hedong Road to join the army and served as a cavalry officer. Soon after, he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.

In other words, Yue Fei had just risen to prominence at this time, and then he was promoted immediately because of Luo Yan's affair.

"Yes, with Yue Pengju around, we can rest assured."

"Yes, he is the reincarnation of the Golden-Winged Roc, and is immune to evil magic. With just his help, we are better than a million soldiers."

Yue Fei, also known as Yue Pengju, was born with superhuman strength. Before he was 20 years old, he could draw a bow weighing 300 jin (approximately 150 catties) and a crossbow weighing 8 shi (approximately 400 kg), making him an unparalleled warrior.

He has been leading troops for many years and has a powerful and imposing presence. He is also the reincarnation of the Great Roc, so most spells are ineffective against him. Spells such as immobilization, illusion, and curses cannot work on him.

Such people are natural nemesis of sorcerers. Even if Zhang Xubai and his ilk could fly and escape into the earth, living like immortals, they would still be restrained by Yue Fei's destiny, rendering all their magic ineffective, and then beheaded with a single blow.

Any Taoist priest would be terrified if he had Yue Fei as his opponent.

As a teammate, Yue Fei inspires great confidence.

At this moment, Dong Nanyun and the other two old Taoist priests were relieved to learn that Yue Fei would be the main force in suppressing the rebellion, as if victory was in their grasp.

Chapter 207 Attacking the Daming Prefecture

The Song, Jin, and Liao dynasties reacted differently to Luo Yan's rise to power.

The letter from Emperor Tianzuo of Liao was delivered to Luo Yan.

In the letter, Emperor Tianzuo went to great lengths to win over Luo Yan, promising him gold and silver treasures, high-ranking official positions, royal titles, and beautiful women.

Emperor Tianzuo even said that if Luo Yan could help him restore his country, he would be willing to give Luo Yan half of the country and let him manage all the Han people in his Liao Kingdom.

Luo Yan had absolutely no trust in emperors who would casually offer to give away half the country; they were utterly insincere and like they were trying to fool a three-year-old.

Before even finishing reading the letter, Luo Yan burned it to ashes.

He said to the Liao envoy, "Go and tell your emperor that he doesn't need to send half of the country back. I will restore the Han and Tang dynasties and unify this turbulent world sooner or later. Your Liao Kingdom can just wait to be destroyed!"

The envoy was furious and wanted to say something, but Luo Yan simply waved his sleeve and made him disappear instantly.

This is the "Transformation of Objects" technique from the "Wish-Fulfilling Treasure Book." This spell can not only transfer grain from afar, but also people.

However, this transfer is not a direct, instantaneous crossing of space, but rather relies on flying.

In other words, Luo Yan's magic teleported the messenger to Emperor Tianzuo's military camp, and the messenger had to fly hundreds of kilometers in the cold wind.

Whether the envoy froze to death after landing was none of Luo Yan's concern.

After dealing with the Liao envoy, Luo Yan began to examine the city walls of Daming Prefecture before him.

Daming Prefecture was a secondary capital of the Northern Song Dynasty, and its city was far more imposing than that of Junzhou.

The entire Daming Prefecture is 120 li from east to west and 360 li from north to south. It is only 280 li from south to Yifeng County of Kaifeng Prefecture.

Once Daming Prefecture is captured, we can march straight into Kaifeng Prefecture and breach the Song court.

Such an important city should have a strong defensive force.

But in reality, Daming Prefecture had a population of one million, while the army defending the city walls numbered less than twenty thousand.

There should have been a large number of local troops here, but they have disappeared without a trace.

The reason is simple: Junzhou is next to Liyangjin, and to reach Daming Prefecture, one must use this ferry crossing.

To prevent Luo Yan from crossing the river, Xu Churen dispatched He Guan to mobilize a large force to guard the ferry crossing.

Little did he know that Luo Yan's soldiers could fly and cross the Yellow River at any section of the river.

Xu Churen was still too old-fashioned; he still didn't believe Luo Yan was a deity descended from heaven, nor did he believe his subordinates could fly.

He was the kind of traditional Confucian scholar who would never speak of strange and supernatural things unless he saw Luo Yan and his army with his own eyes.

There were many officials like this in the Song Dynasty.

Even though the Golden Feather Disciples had all demonstrated their magical abilities, many court officials still believed they were just performing magic tricks.

However, it's not surprising that these officials were so stubborn; sometimes, the magic tricks performed by Zhang Xubai and his group weren't as impressive as the magic shows performed in Kaifeng Prefecture.