Chapter 201: The Thousand-Autumn Prosperous Banquet, The Chang'an Knight-Errant's Journey

Sima Chengzhen told everyone everything he had tested out when assassinating An Lushan, enduring the broken meridians in his body and his somewhat disintegrating life-bound true talisman, saying: "I was caught off guard and was seriously injured by An Lushan. Now, my cultivation base is less than one-tenth of what it was, and I fear I will find it difficult to take action to contend with An Lushan again."

"But my connections and authority as a Daoist Tianshi still remain!"

His expression was solemn, and he said hoarsely: "There are a few people in Changancheng who can contend with An Lushan. Once I stabilize my injuries, I will visit them one by one to remind them to be vigilant against An Lushan. And there are even more righteous people outside Changancheng; Yan Zhenqing and his brother in Pingyuan, True Person Sun Simiao who doesn't know where he has traveled, and the Seven-Absolute Sword Guest Wang Changling—their cultivation bases are all not inferior to mine!"

"My Daoist sect also has True Persons of the Yang Spirit such as True Person Cheng Xuanying of the West Flower, True Person Li Quan of the Yin Talisman sect, and True Person Wang Yuanzhi of the Shangqing sect outside! I have already ordered my disciple Li Hanguang to send letters to all the sects, using the Tianshi's order to invite them to come out of the mountains to assist!"

"Now that the Buddhist Master Jianzhen has traveled east to Yingzhou, he understands the big picture. I will send a letter to him to explain the pros and cons, and he will certainly be able to join forces with the Buddhist sect to resist the demon calamity together!"

Qian Chen calculated the time and shook his head: "These preparations might be useful after the demon calamity breaks out."

"But they are useless now..."

Sima Chengzhen was slightly startled.

"An Lushan has not yet publicly rebelled, and most righteous cultivators will not take action against him. Now he still has the trust of the Xuan Emperor, and he is a Commandery Prince of the Great Tang; the Xuan Emperor is his best protective talisman. By the time he is fully prepared and launches the demon calamity, who knows how many people will die, and the world will have long been plunged into misery! We might be able to protect Chang'an, but what about Luoyang? What about Hebei?"

"I believe that the virtue of the Great Tang has not yet declined, and the cultivators and common people of the world still care about the orthodoxy. Sooner or later, the demon calamity can be quelled. But in this process, what a great price will have to be paid?"

"An Lushan's strongest point is that he hides very deeply. On the surface, he is a Commandery Prince of the Great Tang, with one hundred thousand demon troops under his command, and their formation can contend with the Primordial Spirit. Coupled with his powerful demonic arts, he has already achieved the Undying Divine Demon body. If he doesn't rebel, we cannot deal with him with great fanfare."

"But his weakest point is also that he cannot see the light. If he cannot severely damage the Great Tang at the beginning of the demon calamity, relying on the latent power of the Great Tang's righteous path, they could pile up and kill him."

"Now An Lushan has left the three towns that are his foundation and has come to Chang'an alone, and the power of the righteous path is also scattered in various places, unable to be gathered together in the name of righteousness. Both the righteous and demonic sides are at their weakest."

Qian Chen casually drew a spring of pure water, untied the red-skinned gourd at his waist, and several spirit pills rolled out. Qian Chen used the spiritual spring to temper them, reached into the water surface, and plucked a lotus flower from the reflection's phantom image.

The spiritual spring merged with the medicinal properties of several spirit pills, turning into nine medicinal springs that fell into the lotus flower in Qian Chen's hand.

After a while, the lotus petals fell off, revealing the lotus seed pod at the heart of the flower.

Qian Chen broke open the lotus seed pod, and inside was only a purple lotus seed as large as a chicken egg.

Sima Chengzhen opened his Wei Zifu and let Qian Chen plant that lotus seed within it. In a moment, a purple lotus flower bloomed, supporting Sima Chengzhen's Yang Spirit. The purple lotus constantly emitted spiritual light, nourishing and calming the injuries of Sima Chengzhen's Yang Spirit, and even his life-bound true talisman stabilized much more.

This technique of casually combining pills with lotus flowers, refining them into medicinal lotuses, and planting them in the Wei Zifu was as smooth as flowing water, making everyone marvel.

Sima Chengzhen's complexion had returned to normal. His previous injuries had damaged both his soul and physical body; the injuries to his physical body dragged down his soul, preventing it from being nourished, and the injuries to his soul in turn affected his physical body, making it difficult to mobilize magic power to recover.

Now, Qian Chen used the purple lotus to create a body of vital energy similar to a Nascent Soul, nourishing his soul on one hand and recovering his physical body on the other. It was equivalent to helping Sima Chengzhen refine a temporary Nascent Soul, which replaced his physical body in nourishing his Yang Spirit while also replacing his Yang Spirit in commanding his physical body.

Therefore, Sima Chengzhen's injuries were stabilized very quickly!

Sima Chengzhen bowed slightly: "Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Li..."

"How is your condition now?" Qian Chen asked routinely.

Sima Chengzhen smiled bitterly: "I can only mobilize about one-tenth of my magic power, which is only equivalent to someone who has just formed a core. I fear I cannot assist you all too much!"

Qian Chen nodded slightly upon hearing this; this was about what he had expected.

He continued the previous topic: "An Lushan and our forces are both very weak, but An Lushan's fatal point is that the orthodoxy of the Li Tang is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and it has a profound influence even within the demonic path. Secondly, the latent power of the righteous path is huge. Once the situation cannot be opened up in the initial stage, the demon calamity will be quickly extinguished."

"Therefore, this plan for the Great Calamity of the Demonic Path depends entirely on him alone!"

"Now, as long as An Lushan is removed, the demon calamity can be ended! But if we wait for the demon calamity to expand, the Yu Yu Jiuyou rifts to open, and the demons of the demonic path to be promoted one after another with the help of the Yu Yu Jiuyou rifts, while the hearts of the people in the world are corrupted and the authority of the imperial court is gone, even if An Lushan is killed, the situation will never be salvageable again!"

Sima Chengzhen said decisively: "Therefore... we can only continue to assassinate An Lushan!"

"Even if it doesn't succeed, it can force An Lushan to expose himself..." Qian Chen nodded slightly.

"But An Lushan has already entered the city. Are you planning to assassinate him in Chang'an?" Cen Can and the others had just been amazed by Qian Chen's method of planting a purple lotus in the Wei Zifu, but suddenly hearing such a shocking act, they couldn't help but ask in shock and doubt: "Even with the protection of the Chang'an Array, taking action to assassinate an Undying Divine Demon in Changancheng will result in many people dying!"

"There is one place that is as solid as a golden soup, and not too many people will die!" Qian Chen said leisurely.

Sima Chengzhen was shocked: "You want to take action at tonight's Thousand-Autumn Grand Banquet?"

Qian Chen drew the Sentient Sword at his waist and sat cross-legged on the green lotus. He scooped up a handful of meritorious pure water with his hand to wash the sword body. The blade's cold light was piercing, illuminating a patch of blood red.

At the same time, he whispered: "If I don't take action in front of the Xuan Emperor, how can I let him see An Lushan's true face clearly?"

"But An Lushan has already achieved the Undying Divine Demon body, and I am seriously injured and find it difficult to take action. Moreover, assassinating a Commandery Prince in court, I fear we won't last until An Lushan exposes his true face before being besieged by countless experts in the palace!" Sima Chengzhen was somewhat hesitant.

"Therefore, the action must be fast, accurate, and ruthless!" Qian Chen said, rubbing the sword edge: "I will be the one to take action!"

Yan Shu pondered for a moment and actually nodded in agreement: "Launching a sudden attack, the experts in the palace will certainly protect the Xuan Emperor in the first instance. And Yang Guozhong and the Crown Prince are both on bad terms with An Lushan, and there are no experts close to An Lushan in Chang'an, so the experts among the officials at the banquet will not take action either. The various princes and nobles will be too busy protecting themselves, so how could they stop us?"

"Therefore, as long as it is fast enough and the strike is ruthless!"

"There will be no obstacles!"

"As for the aftermath..." Yan Shu laughed loudly: "At worst, after the deed is done, we will wander the world and never go to Chang'an again for the rest of our lives!"

Sima Chengzhen pondered for a long time and also realized that this was the best opportunity to stop the demon calamity. In this plan, the most dangerous part, which was taking action to assassinate An Lushan, was all borne by Qian Chen and his collaborators.

Even if it failed, it could expose An Lushan's strength and make the Xuan Emperor wary. Once it succeeded, the demon calamity could be eliminated invisibly. The common people of Chang'an, Luoyang, and even the whole world would unknowingly brush past the demon calamity, and might not even realize that such a crisis had existed.

But once the action was taken, the assassins would face the full pursuit of the Great Tang imperial court.

The world would not even know who had saved Chang'an, Luoyang... the Great Tang!

Zhang Xu's expression moved, and the look in his eyes when he stared at Qian Chen and the others truly changed. Qian Chen smiled slightly: "If we succeed, we will be criminals guilty of the heavy crime of assassinating a frontier general and a Great Tang Commandery Prince. If we fail, we will be besieged and killed in the banquet hall by the experts in the palace and the Great Heavenly Demons of the demonic path!"

"Regardless of success or failure, there will be no place for us in this world..."

"Then we can successfully return to the place of reincarnation!" Qian Chen did not say the last sentence, but Yan Shu already understood.

He laughed loudly: "Although Chang'an is good, the cost of living is very expensive, and it is not a place to stay for long! To be able to wield a sword and act as a knight-errant, to cut off the head of a demon, and to express the pleasure in one's heart is a marvelous thing through the ages. Junior brother, how can you not send up wine so that we can drink to our hearts' content before assassinating the demon?"

Qian Chen secretly laughed in his heart; Yan Shu had truly racked his brains for the sake of drinking, and was setting up Wu Daozi again.

He turned his head and looked at Wu Daoxuan.

He saw that Wu Daozi was already moved to a mess, wishing he could use his brush to paint the true appearances of the heroes present and paint a few pictures of demon-assassinating swordsmen. How could he be stingy with any immortal wine? Wu Daozi reached out and plucked a lotus leaf from the water, rolling the leaf into a cup: "Wu Daoxuan, possessing meager skills, is willing to die with everyone for this matter!"

Zhang Xu also took the lotus leaf cup: "Zhang Bogao of Wu County, on behalf of He Jian, Su Jin, Zongzhi... plots the matter of assassinating the demon with everyone, willing to die!"

"Li Taibai of Jiannan!"

Qian Chen poured the immortal wine "Western Kunlun Shang" into everyone's lotus leaf cups. Even Zen Master Guangxiao asked for a cup and laughed: "This is plain wine... Haha! My Mind Cultivation lineage does not have these fussy precepts. I eat meat and drink wine, what can the Buddha do to me? This old monk, Guangxiao, is also willing to commit this killing precept! To perform this meritorious deed!"

"Pei Min from overseas!" Yan Shu finally touched the fine wine he had long admired, laughed loudly, his beard shaking, and raised his cup in response: "Willing to personally carry out the great plan of assassinating the demon!"

"Zhengyi Baiyunzi, Sima Chengzhen of Henei! Plotting with everyone!"

"Cen Can of Jiangling, also joining everyone in this head-chopping matter!" Cen Can said resolutely and heroically; he already had the determination to sacrifice his life.

The Western Kunlun Shang was divided into so many cups that it had already bottomed out. Yan Shu leaned over to the mouth of the gourd to look, and seeing that it was indeed gone, he raised his cup and laughed loudly: "Drink together!"

"Drink together!" Everyone finished a cup.

The Western Kunlun Shang went down the throat in a line, and even Zen Master Guangxiao turned red in the face, sighing repeatedly: "Just for this cup of wine, it is not a loss even if I die!"

Zhang Xu nodded repeatedly: "Not a loss, not a loss!"

Sima Chengzhen stood up and cupped his hands: "An Lushan's cultivation is powerful, and he has even achieved the Undying Divine Demon body. To assassinate him, we must have countless plans. There are still four hours until we take action. How do you all think we should plan?"

Qian Chen pondered for a moment and said: "Fellow Daoist Ziwei, you go and contact the latent forces of the Daoist sect in Chang'an and list all the manpower we can mobilize. Daoxuan, you go and paint the 'Hell Transformation Picture' first; this line of defense in Chang'an cannot be lost!"

He turned his head to Yan Shu and said: "Senior brother! You go and find the two junior sisters; this time we take action, we must use all assistance!"

Finally, he said to Zhang Xu: "Brother Bogao and I will prepare for the Hell Transformation mural. Brother Daoxuan completing this painting within half a day will certainly be full of difficulties, and we must solve them one by one!"

At this time, Qian Chen had vaguely become the leader of this matter, and everyone took their orders one by one. Soon, Zen Master Guangxiao used the excuse of inviting Wu Daozi to paint a mural to clear out a wall, ordering the monks not to approach.

Wu Daozi, riding the wine, came to the blank wall, having gathered all his spirit, swearing to paint a stunning work of art like never before. ===== CHAPTER 202 =====