Chapter 181: Supreme Heavenly Master, Karma and Karmic Force

This was beyond the expectations of the Head of State Zuo Guanglie and even all the ministers.

Just when they had decided to honor Lu Yuan as the Supreme Heavenly Master, and were planning to build Daoist temples, cast golden statues, and enjoy the incense offerings of the masses, Lu Yuan, who had been in seclusion, suddenly emerged and vetoed the matter.

Upon receiving the news, Zuo Guanglie and the other ministers immediately went to Qinian Hall to pay a collective visit:

"The Immortal Master is an Immortal reborn, who turned the tide, reshaped the landscape, and rebuilt Shenzhou; it is only right and proper that you receive the worship of all the people under Heaven. We do not know why you have vetoed this?"

"Could it be that you are dissatisfied with this title of Heavenly Master? We can discuss it again."

Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on a rush cushion and said indifferently:

"I have said before, the people of the world may respect me, but there is no need to kneel and worship me. Honoring me as Heavenly Master is fine, but building Daoist temples, casting golden statues, and receiving incense is entirely unnecessary."

"This..."

Zuo Guanglie and the others were confused and wanted to persuade him further, but no one could defy Lu Yuan's will on this matter. Seeing that there was no result, they could only retreat with regret.

Chen Zhantang, who had been guarding outside the hall, walked in cautiously and asked curiously:

"Immortal Master, this disciple dares to ask, the Head of State and the others all meant well, why did you...?"

Lu Yuan said meaningfully:

"The incense of the masses is faith, but it is also Karma and Red Dust Karmic Force. What the Immortal Dao cultivates is to leap out of the Three Realms and Five Elements, and to not be stained by Karma and Karmic Force."

When Zuo Guanglie and the others had just decided on this, he, who was in seclusion, had already sensed it in the dark.

Although the intuition brought by 【Spiritual Pre-sensing】 was vague, Lu Yuan quickly determined that if he were to truly build temples and cast statues for himself across the vast land of Shenzhou, and receive the incense worship of the masses, the consequences would likely be more harmful than beneficial.

The benefit, naturally, was that he could obtain more Luck Power under the incense worship of the masses;

The harm was that the Guiding Technique he cultivated was the Earth Immortal Great Dao, which emphasizes the Jade Liquid Returning Pill, Refining Form into Qi, Five Qi Towards Origin, Three Yangs Gathering at the Crown, the completion of merit and forgetting of form, the self-transformation of the fetal immortal, and not being stained by Karma.

And consuming human incense, as mentioned in the Guiding Technique, is a method for deities of the underworld or Shinto practitioners. If he, a practitioner at the mid-stage of Refining Essence into Qi, were to accept it, he feared being entangled by Red Dust Karmic Force, triggering unknowable consequences.

Because of all these reasons, Lu Yuan reacted immediately to stop this project.

"So that is how it is..."

Chen Zhantang listened, only half-understanding:

"However, it is said that many commoners among the people have already enshrined your portrait in their homes and worship it from time to time. You say this..."

Lu Yuan did not take it to heart:

"That is fine, just let them be."

Human incense cannot be generated at will; it usually only condenses into true incense when a temple is built and a statue is cast. The commoners worshipping casually at home basically will not generate it.

Thinking of this, he asked again:

"Now that the overall situation is settled, how have Zuo Guanglie and the others arranged for you all?"

Chen Zhantang hurriedly bowed and said:

"Head of State Zuo is very generous to us; he proposed establishing the Heavenly Master Mansion, with us disciples holding positions to supervise all parts of Shenzhou, punish corrupt officials, local bullies, and other injustices, and we have the authority to execute first and report later."

Lu Yuan nodded:

"This proposal is not bad. Are you all willing?"

Chen Zhantang hesitated for a moment, then immediately knelt on one knee and said respectfully:

"This disciple has thought about it; it is enough for Senior Brother Peng and the others to preside over this Mansion. But you cannot be without someone to serve you by your side, so this disciple is willing to serve by your side for life to perform the labors of a dog or horse!"

Lu Yuan looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile:

"Why would a fine, ambitious young man want to stay by my side? I remember you also have a heart full of passion and aspirations; how will you realize them if you stay here?"

Chen Zhantang scratched his head and said:

"Great Jin was corrupt and dark, which is why this disciple was previously cynical and heartbroken. Now that the world is settled, Head of State Zuo's ability and methods are plain for all to see, and with countless talented people assisting, Shenzhou will surely rise and return to the pinnacle of the world. Whether this disciple is there or not seems to be of little importance."

Lu Yuan said faintly:

"No need to be embarrassed, are you also wanting to pursue the Immortal Dao?"

Chen Zhantang immediately knelt down, kowtowed heavily, and said frankly:

"This disciple is stubborn; I have indeed had such delusions in my heart. I hope the Immortal Master will forgive me!"

Lu Yuan said dismissively:

"This cannot be called a delusion. Logically speaking, as my disciples, I should pass down the method of immortal cultivation. However, the environment of Heaven and Earth has long since changed, and the Spiritual Machine required for cultivation has become incomparably thin. It is almost impossible for ordinary people to step onto the path of immortal cultivation. Even if I pass it to you, the most likely outcome is wasting a lifetime of time without gaining anything..."

Chen Zhantang said bitterly:

"Yes, this disciple understands..."

Lu Yuan shook his head, waved his large sleeve, and a thin booklet appeared in front of Chen Zhantang:

"This is the Guiding Technique, which is also a method for Qi Refining and immortal cultivation. This is the first volume, which includes the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment and the method of Refining Grain into Essence. Today, I shall pass it to you."

The surprise came so suddenly that Chen Zhantang looked up abruptly, staring at the booklet in front of him in disbelief, and then kowtowed heavily in wild joy and excitement:

"This disciple thanks Master for passing down the Dharma!"

Lu Yuan stared intently:

"Do not be in a hurry to thank me. It is extremely difficult to cultivate this method in this world. You yourself practice Martial Arts and have the talent and aptitude to become a Grandmaster, but cultivating this method might waste your whole life.

I will only give you one year. If you cannot even complete the first step of Hundred Days Foundation Establishment after one year, you must not waste any more time on this. Do you understand?"

Chen Zhantang was moved to tears and said with the utmost solemnity:

"Yes, this disciple obeys! If I cannot even cultivate this first step, it means this disciple is simply not the material for it, and I will surely cut off all such thoughts."

Lu Yuan nodded:

"Good to know. Go."

Clutching the booklet, Chen Zhantang kowtowed heavily once more, then retreated in excitement.

Lu Yuan stared at his departing back, a look of contemplation appearing on his face.

Passing down the basic part of the Guiding Technique was not a whim, but an attempt he had long wanted to make, mainly to see if these Earthly Fiend Arts could produce any results if passed to others.

As for the rest, he did not hold much hope.

After all, the spiritual energy of the world today is thin; even someone like Xici, who controls the resources of an entire nation, cannot set foot on the path of the Immortal. No matter how much of a natural genius Chen Zhantang may be, he can at most complete the most basic stages of Hundred Days Foundation Establishment and Refining Grain into Essence, and it will be difficult for him to take the next step.

"They say that if one hears the Dao in the morning, one can die without regret in the evening; I hope this isn't harming him."

With a soft sigh, Lu Yuan slowly closed his eyes and fell back into silence. Now that the New Nation has been established and everything is on the right track, it is time for him to properly go into seclusion and charge toward the late stage of Refining Essence into Qi in one go.

In the time that followed, massive upheavals continued to take place across Shenzhou, or rather, the land of the New Nation.

Following the unanimous vote of the Council, Head of State Zuo Guanglie began signing government decrees. First, he notified the ministers of various countries, setting a one-month deadline, and then mobilized New Army units to head to major coastal cities where concessions were established, such as Jinjin, Shangdu, and Liangguang, to reclaim the concessions and expel the stationed foreign troops.

Upon receiving the news, the Great Powers were naturally furious. In particular, the nobles and wealthy merchants of various countries had many businesses and factories in the concessions; if all were reclaimed, the losses would be heavy.

They collectively cried and pressured the high-level officials of their respective countries. The ministers of the various countries were naturally extremely unwilling and began to use both soft and hard tactics, using various methods to delay negotiations.

However, the New Army units that had already taken their positions did not care about that. After the one-month period expired, the various armies, fully armed, brazenly entered the cities and surrounded the entire concessions.

On this day in Jinjin City, in front of the Shenluo Concession.

Fan Zhenxiong personally led three thousand New Army soldiers to blockade and surround the entrance to the concession, while Consul Victor personally stood at the entrance with hundreds of Shenluo soldiers, roaring with veins popping:

"Bastards, you cannot do this!"

"The entire concession was built by the Empire with a massive amount of capital. Are you trying to rob us?"

"This is the way of barbarians! Our minister has already personally gone to Tianjing to protest to your Head of State. Our fleet is currently ten miles offshore; if you dare to act rashly, don't blame us for being impolite!"

Before him, Fan Zhenxiong sat on a tall horse, his eyes filled with mockery:

"Oh? How exactly would you be impolite? Tell me about it."

"Do you dare to open fire, or do you dare to let those fleets at sea fire their cannons?"

Victor's face turned from pale to flushed, but he could not say a word.

After the destruction of the Sunlight Country fleet, the Great Powers had all listed that person as the most dangerous figure. Consequently, after the New Nation announced the abolition of all treaties and the reclamation of the concessions, the order he received was not to allow any conflict with the New Nation for the time being; even if the other side forcibly reclaimed the concession, he could only endure and avoid it.

"What, it seems you don't dare?"

Seeing the once arrogant and domineering Victor unable to speak, Fan Zhenxiong laughed loudly:

"Consul, times have changed. The current New Nation is not an incompetent regime like the Jin Dynasty. If you dare to open fire or fire cannons today and provoke the Heavenly Master's anger, your so-called invincible fleets will all sink to the bottom of the sea. Afterward, your high-level officials, or even the Pope, will all be in deep trouble!"

Victor gritted his teeth: "This is outrageous! How dare you insult His Holiness the Pope?"

"How can stating facts be called an insult?"

Fan Zhenxiong just gave a dismissive laugh, then waved his arm and shouted sternly:

"Brothers, follow me forward and reclaim the concession! If anyone dares to block or resist, there is no need to be polite!"

Having said that, he pulled the reins and, leading by example, headed straight toward the entrance blocked by the Shenluo soldiers. Behind him, the three thousand New Army soldiers also roared with excitement, stepping forward in unison with their rifles held high.

*Thump, thump, thump, thump. *

The heavy footsteps shook the street, causing it to tremble. Seeing Fan Zhenxiong leading his troops to press forward with an unstoppable momentum, Victor's expression became ugly to the extreme, and the hand holding his gun trembled continuously, showing his inner anger.

To the side, watching the army less than ten steps away, a Shenluo officer spoke up in a panic, asking:

"Consul Victor, what should we do!?"

Victor had almost ground his teeth to pieces, but in the end, he still did not dare to forcibly block them. He snarled:

"Retreat!"

Having said that, he headed toward the interior of the concession without looking back.

Since Victor had conceded, the hundreds of Shenluo soldiers present naturally did not dare to hold their ground, and they all turned around and retreated in a dejected manner.

"Roar!"

"Victory!"

Forcing the soldiers of a top power like Shenluo to flee in panic without firing a single shot or cannon—this had never happened in history. The three thousand New Army soldiers behind Fan Zhenxiong immediately let out roars, the sound waves shaking the heavens.

Even in places a bit further away, the Jinjin commoners who had come upon hearing the news were filled with shock and surging emotions:

"They retreated, they retreated! The Shenluo people really retreated!"

"Hahaha, this is the true majesty of the Han army! I said these foreign devils were all bark and no bite; they wouldn't dare to go to war with the New Nation at all!"

"To think that after living for so many years, I could still see such a sight. How fortunate we are! Every household of ours should worship and pay respects to the Immortal..."

Amidst the fervent crowd, Fan Zhenxiong suppressed his inner excitement and led his troops to advance step by step, entering the concession to begin taking inventory of the Shenluo people's properties and shops.

The outer perimeter of the concession was inhabited by ordinary Jinjin commoners, while the central area mostly contained the properties and residences of the Shenluo people. During this one-month deadline, in fact, most of the Shenluo people had already evacuated, with only a very small number of die-hards refusing to leave.

Fan Zhenxiong was naturally merciless, sending soldiers to clear them out house by house. Anyone who dared to resist was suppressed without mercy, and those who dared to draw a gun were executed on the spot.

Just like that, they spent quite some time clearing their way to the Shenluo Consulate. By this time, the consulate was already empty; whether it was officials like Victor or the garrison troops, all had evacuated and boarded merchant ships docked at the port to leave.

With this, the Jin-Jin Concession was considered completely recovered, and not a single soldier was lost.

The same scene was happening in the concessions of the Sha'e and Sunlight countries. Their consulate personnel and garrison troops had also received orders from their home countries; although unwilling, they did not dare to resist. Like the Shenluo people, they retreated from the consulates in a dejected manner and boarded the ships that had been waiting for them to leave.

Just like that.

In just a single day, the three-nation concession that had brought deep humiliation to the people of Jinjin became history. Hundreds of thousands of commoners took to the streets, beating drums, sounding gongs, and setting off firecrackers, celebrating with excitement.

Including Shangdu, Liangguang, Liangdao, Jiujiang... a total of more than ten cities with concessions were all successfully recovered within two or three days. Furthermore, the news swept through every province like a tsunami; hundreds of millions of commoners were pleasantly surprised and excited, taking to the streets to cheer and parade. The entire land of the New Nation seemed to have turned into an ocean of celebration.

Compared to the nationwide excitement of the New Nation.

The high-level officials of the Great Powers who received the news appeared gloomy and deeply aggrieved.

"The people of the New Nation are bullying us too much!"

"Hateful! How many years has it been since the Empire suffered such huge losses and humiliation? The public has already begun protesting after learning of this, protesting that we are too weak..."

"The people of the New Nation are so arrogant only because they rely on that so-called Immortal. Do they really think that we have no way to deal with this person?"

"What Immortal? That is clearly the incarnation of a demon! It must be eliminated, otherwise, we cannot answer to our citizens!"

Various discussions of impotent rage took place every day. However, no matter how much the ministers and nobles of various countries clamored, the leaders who truly held supreme power never expressed their stance, leaving the military to maintain an embarrassing silence.

Including the holy land of the Shenluo Holy See, St. Paul's Cathedral.

At this very moment, in front of a hidden stone chamber.

Amidst rippling golden light, the place was filled with a sacred and holy aura. Hellers and Abraham, whose status was only below the Pope and half a step higher than a Cardinal Archbishop, knelt on the ground, looking at an elderly man in plain white cloth before them, full of worry:

"Your Holiness the Pope, do you truly intend to do this?"

"Would this not be too risky?"