Chapter 114: Conquering the Mountain, Breaking the Temple (Combined Part)

This time I specially obtained an imperial edict for you, Elder Brother Xue, from His Majesty; with the edict's backing, it can maximally reduce the harm caused by observing qi.

Upon hearing this, the wealthy-looking clerk nodded and smiled.

"Thank you, Brother Cai, for your support; I, your brother, will do my best to try, and this time I must clarify loyalty and treachery for His Majesty!"

These several figures were no strangers, but rather the imperial envoy team sent by the Great Qian court, whom the many officials of Fengyang Prefecture had been anxiously awaiting.

The stern-faced middle-aged man was called Cai Hengxing.

He was a supervising imperial censor dispatched from the Censorate, concurrently holding the titles of Commander-in-Chief of Southeastern Military Affairs and Overseer of Grain Provisions, Junior Protector of the Heir Apparent, Left Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, and so on.

He was also this imperial envoy.

Fengyang Prefecture Governor Yu Tongguang died an unnatural death while in office, which drew the attention of the Great Qian court, prompting them to specially dispatch a senior minister to investigate.

In fact, it was also to investigate the local aristocratic clans.

The Great Qian court has always shared power with the Qian gentry; while relying on the great clans, it has also remained extremely vigilant, constantly seeking to suppress these great clans and eliminate these hidden dangers.

The other is an official dispatched from the Bureau of Astronomy.

This Xue Dongming, Xue Daoist, is himself an orthodox cultivator practicing in the Dongshen Observatory, with profound magical power, especially having undergone specialized training by the Dongshen Sect, making him skilled in the art of observing qi.

Observing qi is one of the most mysterious abilities in geomancy and divination, allowing one to directly perceive the essence through things and observe the most fundamental changes in fate.

However, the art of observing qi has always had limitations since ancient times.

A moment's carelessness can easily lead to backlash.

Observing the qi of a weak existence may incur little cost, but if one encounters those with strong qi, it is like secretly spying on ferocious beings such as dragons and tigers; one careless moment, and one will suffer backlash.

But being born into the Dongshen Observatory still grants one special secret methods to avoid part of the backlash, such as borrowing power to strengthen oneself; if one possesses the legitimate status of the court, naturally one can proceed without hindrance.

"Open the eyes!"

In a secluded place, only seen was Xue Dongming channeling magical power into his eyes, faintly visible purple qi and golden light shimmering deep within his pupils, like the fierce sun in heaven.

Where his gaze fell, instantly the various qi currents swirling above the Qi mansion were drawn into his eyes.

At a glance, red light intertwined above the Qi mansion, wealth and honor filled the gate, flowers bloomed in brocade clusters, and moreover several straight streams of qi and blood shot straight into the heavens, faintly resonating with the various celestial phenomena above the firmament.

"The general star shines upon the mansion, wealth and honor continuous—no wonder it is a general's lineage, with enduring inheritance!"

Seeing this, a hint of a smile appeared in Xue Dongming's eyes.

Roar! Roar! Roar!

At this moment, the cluster of qi above the Qi mansion, resembling flowers and brocade, seemed to sense his gaze; that invisible qi trembled, as if about to roar forth, while at this moment a surge of imperial qi boiled up from his whole body, relying on his superior status, he forcibly suppressed that cluster of qi light about to pounce upon him.

Like a dragon's head subduing myriad beasts!

Xue Dongming gradually withdrew his gaze.

Cai Hengxing's eyes flickered at this moment as he said: "It seems the Qi family has no problem!"

Xue Dongming nodded and said: "For now, I have not seen any omens of the hidden dragon rising."

Cai Hengxing coldly snorted.

"But we cannot rule out suspicion on the Qi family; many hidden dragons, before taking form, are equally skilled at disguise, making them hard to see through!"

He appeared to harbor hostility toward the Qi mansion.

Xue Dongming took this in, gave a slight nod, though his eyes held a faint smile; he had heard that Cai Hengxing's second son had recently quarreled with the palace guard general Qi Yuanwu over romantic jealousy, so it seems he will inevitably make things difficult for the Qi family this time.

"Besides the Qi family, there are also two other great families: the Gu family, and another newly risen Zhang family; should we investigate each one by one to eliminate suspicion?"

Xue Dongming's expression turned solemn.

Cai Hengxing pondered briefly, then still shook his head: "No need to trouble ourselves; if they are truly rebels, they will surely be skilled at disguise; our investigation mainly aims to eliminate the few most suspicious targets!"

"Originally, Fengyang Prefecture's power was strongest between the Yu and Qi families; now that Yu, acting as prefect, has also fallen, and as the Qi family closely followed, they benefited most from the two upheavals; following the principle that whoever benefits most bears the greatest suspicion, the Qi family cannot escape responsibility!"

"As for the Gu and Zhang families, one has lost its patriarch and is greatly weakened; the other's influence in official circles is far inferior to that of the Qi family; such great clans have nothing particularly remarkable!"

"But the Qi family is different!"

"The Qi family has people, has power and influence, and still commands troops; if there is a problem, it must be the Qi family!"

This official spoke with absolute certainty.

Seeing Cai Hengxing insist, Xue Dongming naturally would not refute!

After a brief pause, he then proposed: "Otherwise, let us first go see the local Dongshen Observatory's abbot; perhaps we can obtain clues from this deputy abbot's mouth!"

Cai Hengxing nodded.

……

But while the party was observing qi, they startled awake two other figures deep within the Qi mansion.

Deep in the Qi mansion, in the watery abyss, the White Water Dragon King Bai Nu was teaching Bai Liying the Way of the Gods, and simultaneously how to circulate divine arts, using divine office to nourish his own bloodline, completing the cultivation of dragon transformation.

Bai Liying listened extremely attentively, but when Xue Dongming's party peered into the Qi mansion's qi, he was immediately noticed by the White Water Dragon King Bai Nu.

That act of observing qi was undoubtedly a blatant provocation.

Fortunately, upon realizing that the observer of qi was targeting the Qi family, Bai Nu restrained his anger and suppressed the power of the abyss divine realm.

He still felt some displeasure, coldly snorting: "Nowadays cultivators, relying on a little background, recklessly use magical arts; unaware that this will bring disaster upon themselves, sooner or later they will suffer backlash!"

Bai Liying, seeing this, had a slightly surprised expression.

But after a moment, upon receiving news from Bai Nu's mouth, her expression became thoughtful.

……

Suburbs, before the Red Flower Lady's Temple

A troop of cavalry came galloping from afar, dust rising, horse hooves thundering!

This sight immediately made the many believers before the Red Flower Lady's Temple tense; under the lead of several Scarlet Lotus Dao believers, many commoners were also gathered together, quickly forming several walls of people.

The party approached from afar to near.

Zhang Jian led the way, behind him were several hundred prefectural soldiers, each holding iron shields and swords, their leader being none other than Fengyang Prefecture's suburban defense camp's newly appointed one of the five commanders, namely Zhang Kui.

Fengyang Prefecture's suburban defense camp in total stations nearly eight thousand elite troops, currently all under the command of this Inspector of Patrols Qi Yuan Si, under whom are five commanders, each commanding one thousand elite troops.

Zhang Jian intended to sweep away the Red Lotus Sect, so he personally went to see Qi Yuansi, who waved his hand and ordered Zhang Kui to lead a thousand elite troops along.

Actually, dealing with the affairs of the Red Lotus Sect does not require bringing garrison troops.

But since he has special authority, Zhang Jian naturally welcomes fewer troubles.

"Make way!"

At this moment, seeing this scene, Zhang Kui immediately shouted loudly.

The leading red-clad cultists did not dodge at all, but instead stood low-voiced in the middle of the road.

"This sir, loud noises and disturbing the deity are forbidden before the goddess's temple; if the goddess blames you, it will surely harm your family's blessings!"

Zhang Kui, hearing this, flew into a rage. "Heretical words deceiving the masses!"

He swung his whip, and in an instant lashed it at the cultist blocking the road.

Knocking him to the ground.

This whip strike was strong, instantly causing the cultist to fall to the ground and groan aloud.

Seeing this, many cultists nearby had unpleasant expressions and began to clamor.

"These foot soldiers have struck someone; they intend to disrespect the goddess—we must stop them!"

"Stop them!"

Immediately below, cultists began to shout and stir up trouble.

Originally, many civilians gathered around became restless, gazing at the numerous foot soldiers, their eyes also showing ill will.

The Red Flower Goddess's temple is truly efficacious.

Over these years, it has gathered many believers.

Not lacking in die-hard followers!

Zhang Kui swept his gaze over the many civilians gathering around, furious to the point of laughing bitterly; as the county magistrate of Fengxi County, no one had dared to behave rudely before the great army.

Now these cultists truly have the courage of a bear and leopard, daring to block the march.

His eyes filled with a fierce light, he slightly raised his hand, about to give these cultists a harsh lesson.

Zhang Jian, seeing this, waved his hand and said.

"Fourth Uncle, no need to get angry—just disperse them!"

"We only execute the chief culprits!"

Zhang Jian observed this scene and paid no attention.

This is merely some minor tactic.

Most civilians were merely deceived by these cultists.

Zhang Kui, hearing this, furrowed his brows slightly, but still chose to suppress the anger in his heart.

For this nephew, he places extraordinary trust in him.

Slightly waving his hand, he saw a portion of the iron-armored elite troops holding spears and advancing in formation.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

The mighty shouts echoed along the long street, accompanied by a portion of the iron-armored elite troops advancing, carrying a chilling, soul-shaking killing aura.

These are elite troops whose hands are stained with blood, not ordinary commoners who can face them head-on.

Not to mention the long spears with cold light exposed.

Hundreds of elite troops merely advancing in unison in one wave instantly divided the many cultists into over a dozen segments.

Moreover, frenzied cultists attempted to advance and resist; a portion of soldiers simultaneously raised their shields and charged forward, instantly smashing these frenzied cultists to the ground and bringing them under control.

At this moment, Zhang Jian gazed toward the Red Flower Goddess's temple; in his sensitive spiritual sense, the divine power belonging to the Red Flower Goddess was violently fluctuating—originally seeming to become extremely weak, but in an instant suddenly burst forth, the divine domain sweeping outward.

That formless divine domain flowed and met the formation of hundreds of elite troops, instantly pierced through by a layer of formless, vast tiger and dragon aura.

These battle-hardened elites, capable of breaking mountains and destroying temples, are invincible wherever they go.

Although deities can suppress wild monsters and cultivators in the mountains and wilderness, they are specifically restrained by the imperial tripods of the court.

Of course, if an evil god were fully unleashed, it would still have some resistance, but if facing the court's garrison troops head-on, the chances of victory are not high; the best outcome would be abandoning the temple, with its foundation becoming wandering evil spirits.

Once such evil spirits appear, they will immediately become targets of attack by local deities.

Zhang Jian coldly watched this scene, yet did not let Zhang Kui directly strike to smash through the Red Flower Goddess's temple and exterminate this wild god, but instead waited.

Inside the temple

At this moment, the Red Flower Goddess had already taken over the body of the chief priestess; the beautiful woman opened her eyes, her body faintly surrounded by rolling boundless flames, threads of divine power merging into the chief priestess's surrounding spiritual mechanism, causing the spiritual power on her body's surface to approach the threshold of Foundation Establishment.

Actually, to some extent, the chief priestess's wish has also been fulfilled; she has already incorporated the power of the 'deity' into her flesh and blood, and successfully condensed the deity-driving destiny pattern.

This is the foundation of Foundation Establishment.

But having received half an incense stick's worth of nourishment from Zhang Jian, the Red Flower Goddess's divine power recovered, yet completely overturned this spell formation, causing her to fall short—all her preparations were fulfilled for the Red Flower Goddess.

Not only breaking the seal, but also taking the opportunity to enter the chief priestess's body, truly transforming her into a cauldron.

Suppressing the chief priestess's consciousness gradually, the Red Flower Goddess also felt the limitations this body imposed on her, but for her, this limitation was extremely precious.

Over these years, the chief priestess has continuously stolen her divine power to temper her foundation; this body is inherently extremely compatible with her; after she took it over, the compatibility surged, now equivalent to possessing a flesh-and-blood body.

This is an experience countless deities would die for.

Moreover, the chief priestess's own identity is also of considerable origin; if utilized well, it would greatly aid her path of divinity.

At this moment, she also sensed the changes outside; deep in her eyes, red light flickered slightly, perceiving the outside scene, she immediately stepped forward and walked out of the main hall.

"Madam!"

Seeing the Red Flower Goddess emerge from the great hall, several women holding long swords on both sides hurriedly bowed low in salute.

The Red Flower Goddess, seeing this, slightly nodded; at this moment, her expression and demeanor were indistinguishable from those of the chief priestess—whether in expression, temperament, or tone of speech, not a single subordinate around her harbored any doubt.

When the Red Flower Goddess stepped out of the temple gates, she happened to see some left-path cultivators, nurtured in secret by the high abbots, already stirring restlessly, preparing to clash head-on with the garrison troops of the city defense camp before her, and she immediately called out.

"Stop!"

"High abbot!"

Hearing her words, the many devotees around the temple were shaken in spirit, many even involuntarily and devoutly bowing down, almost treating her as a deity manifest in the mortal realm.

Seeing this, Zhang Kui's expression brightened; he could not help but glance at Zhang Jian, about to order the capture of this beautiful woman, but in the next instant he saw Zhang Jian gazing at the beautiful woman, a strange flicker in his eyes.

"It seems you have already succeeded?"

The 'high abbot' had also long since recognized Zhang Jian; her beautiful jade-like countenance was entirely dignified and pure: "I was just about to thank you, my lord, for your kind assistance!"

After a slight pause, she looked toward the surrounding soldiers and said: "It is only that this small temple is humble and crude; I do not know if my lord would be willing to enter for a brief conversation?"

Zhang Jian's gaze lingered for a moment on the deep brow of the high abbot, where the vivid red mark stood lifelike, and he then nodded: "That will do just fine!"

Zhang Kui, beside him, was about to persuade, but Zhang Jian waved his hand and smiled: "Fourth uncle, I observe that the Red Flower Goddess's temple is pure and tranquil, with no evil aura; it should be safe, and you need not worry about accompanying me—just maintain order outside!"

Seeing this, Zhang Kui could only relent.

Yet in his heart, he still harbored some doubts, suspecting whether Zhang Jian had not fallen for the beauty trap of this high abbot before him.

The high abbot before him was indeed extraordinarily beautiful, especially bearing that special maturity and allure, truly beyond comparison with any ordinary young girl who had not yet blossomed.

But Zhang Jian had previously heard no rumors or gossip circulating from his quarters.

Perhaps it was precisely because he had never tasted meat, making him all the more susceptible to the temptation of this mature woman?

The fires of gossip burned fiercely in Zhang Kui's heart.