Chapter 81: Old Man Crane! I'm going to work at 8 AM!

Lu Yuan's voice was like a red-hot iron awl, brutally piercing through the noisy clamor above the Luotian Grand Offering altar site.

Dead silence.

The place was now packed with Daoist disciples from various temples.

The Biyu Temple, which had a reigning Celestial Master, had sent them invitations, so they had all gathered here.

Of course, it wasn't that Biyu Temple had the power to command everyone with a single call, that receiving an invitation meant they had to come.

It was simply that everyone lived right next to the Luotian Grand Offering altar site.

They had finished breakfast and their morning cultivation, and just happened to be strolling by.

They were originally wondering what was going on.

Then, as soon as they arrived, they saw this absolutely explosive scene: a young Taoist priest, around eighteen or nineteen years old, pointing at the nose of the reigning Celestial Master and cursing him.

They focused on Lu Yuan, standing at the edge of the clearing, his robes slightly disheveled yet his aura soaring like a rainbow.

Lu Yuan, currently gripping the charred Yellow Immortal Tribulation Knot tightly in his hand, cursed angrily again:

"Apologize my fucking ass!!!"

"Give my immortal friend back!!!"

Yellow Braised Chicken wasn't dead.

Back at that dilapidated Mountain God Temple, when Lu Yuan used his techniques, he had already seen it.

Not that he saw Yellow Braised Chicken alive, but that the vicious formation he saw was designed for capturing something alive.

Of course, if Yellow Braised Chicken had resisted frantically, refusing to surrender, that formation could indeed have killed it.

But firstly, Lu Yuan didn't believe Yellow Braised Chicken was the kind of reckless fool who didn't understand the principle of 'as long as the green hills remain, there'll be no shortage of firewood'.

It was cunning as hell!

Besides, and most importantly, Lu Yuan hadn't sensed Yellow Braised Chicken's departed soul from it.

So, Yellow Braised Chicken had been captured.

It was still alive!

If this had been done by another temple, there might have been room for negotiation. Lu Yuan could have visited privately to ask for some face.

Generally, within the Daoist community, they would give some face.

Of course, if they just refused, then that would be a different matter, requiring other methods.

But it just had to be Biyu Temple.

After last night, the grudge was already formed, with absolutely zero possibility of a peaceful resolution.

Since it couldn't be handled quietly, then let's make it big!

If Yellow Braised Chicken hadn't undergone the tribulation, it would be a spirit creature. Regardless of whether it had done bad things, your Biyu Temple would have justification for capturing it.

But Yellow Braised Chicken *had* undergone the tribulation, making it an Immortal!

Even if it hadn't yet had time to receive worship and incense, it still counted as an Immortal!

Your Biyu Temple, claiming to be an orthodox, reputable school, with a reigning Celestial Master presiding, went to capture an Immortal?!

There's no justification for that!

Lu Yuan had just returned from outside the city and was still thinking of asking Aunt Qin and Aunt Qiao'er for help.

To have the official authorities step in and gather all the Daoist temples currently in Fengtian City.

As luck would have it, just as Lu Yuan entered Fengtian City, he saw people from Biyu Temple handing out invitations everywhere, looking for him regarding this matter.

After arriving, Lu Yuan was truly about to laugh from anger at Biyu Temple.

Forget about the Yellow Braised Chicken incident for a moment, just talking about last night's incident, an apology??

What a fucking joke!!

This Biyu Temple across from him was just bullying him for being from a small, obscure temple!!

If his side in this matter were replaced by Wuqing Temple or Tianlong Temple, right now it would be the other side scrambling over to apologize!!

As soon as he arrived, that old bastard He Zhen still insisted on putting on an act of magnanimity.

Saying something about Lu Yuan just giving a casual apology so Biyu Temple could save face, and they would let the matter drop.

A joke!!

If he apologized here today.

Then he could forget about ever facing the Patriarch Ancestors again!!

At this moment, the group from Biyu Temple across from him was also completely dumbfounded.

They had imagined Lu Yuan might deny it, might try to explain.

But truly, no one had expected Lu Yuan to just start cursing!

And...

He was directly pointing at Celestial Master He Zhen's nose and cursing, and cursing so filthily at that!!

The key point was, this guy Lu Yuan wasn't just pointing at the Celestial Master's nose and cursing about this matter; he suddenly threw out this line about returning his immortal friend?

This is too much!!

This is absolutely too much!!!

Celestial Master He Zhen's Daoist robe fluttered without any wind, not because of any Daoist magic, but because extreme rage was causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.

His face, usually carrying an immortal-like grace, had turned the color of pig liver. Pointing at Lu Yuan, his voice seemed squeezed from between his teeth:

"You impudent brat! Truly the epitome of rudeness!!!"

"I considered that you, at eighteen or nineteen, attaining the rank of Celestial Master is truly rare, which is why I showed leniency!"

"Not only do you not feel gratitude for my Biyu Temple's mercy in not pursuing the matter, you dare to slander me and tarnish my reputation?!"

At this point, Celestial Master He Zhen fiercely flicked his horsetail whisk, gnashing his teeth in furious roar.

"Fine!"

"Very well!"

"Since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, then my Biyu Temple need show no more mercy!"

"Today, I shall first, in the name of Celestial Master, strip you of your Taoist name and expel you from the Daoist community!"

"Then, for your crime of committing violence in the streets and harboring malicious intent, I shall sentence you to soul dispersion, to be executed on the spot before the statues of the Three Pure Ones here!!"

Celestial Master He Zhen was thoroughly enraged.

How dare such a mere junior be so insolent?!

Pointing at his nose and insulting him before all the fellow practitioners under heaven!

Yes, an eighteen or nineteen-year-old Celestial Master, unprecedented since ancient times, is a peerless genius!

But a genius must first live long enough to live up to that name!

His Biyu Temple has operated beyond the Great Wall for two generations, with Celestial Masters as numerous as clouds under its roof, and he, He Zhen, is a reigning Celestial Master!

A top-tier Daoist temple, can it not suppress a mere wet-behind-the-ears youngster?!

In response to Celestial Master He Zhen's words, Lu Yuan laughed in extreme anger:

"A joke!!"

"My Taoist name was personally bestowed by my master, holding a vermilion brush, before the statues of the Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones!"

"My Daoist arts are the orthodox true teachings passed down by the Patriarch Ancestors!"

"The path beneath my feet is built upon the affection and faith of the common people beyond the Great Wall, offered with a bowl of water and a stick of incense!"

Lu Yuan took a fierce step forward, the blue stone slab under his foot emitting a dull thud. His voice rang out sharp as a blade, each word hacking toward Celestial Master He Zhen.

"He Zhen! You old bastard! Listen clearly!"

"I, Lu Yuan, am the second-generation direct disciple of Zhenlong Temple, and also the re-transmitted bloodline under Patriarch Ancestor Zhang Jiuting!"

"My lineage succession ascends to receive from the Dao Ancestors of the Three Pure Ones, continues through the grace of successive generations of Patriarch Ancestors, and descends to connect with the faith power of the common people of this land!"

"You, a so-called 'reigning Celestial Master', by what authority dare you overstep your bounds, usurping my Patriarch Ancestors' role to strip me of my Daoist registry?!"

"And by what right dare you, on behalf of the Dao Ancestors of the Three Pure Ones, deprive me of my ordained name?!"

Lu Yuan's gaze was like a torch, sweeping over the completely dumbstruck Daoist practitioners present, finally piercing back toward Celestial Master He Zhen like a sharp sword:

"In Daoist tradition, the foremost importance lies in the lineage of methods!"

"The orthodoxy of the method lineage lies in the direct transmission from the Patriarch Ancestors, in the recognition of the common people, and in the witness of Heaven and Earth!"

"How can it be decided by the mere title of a so-called 'reigning Celestial Master'?!"

"I, Lu Yuan, stand here today, relying on the orthodox seal of thunder methods passed down by the Patriarch Ancestors!"

"Relying on my master's painstaking teaching, offered with heart and blood!"

"Relying on the affection and faith of the elders beyond the Great Wall!"

"By which of these do you claim the right to remove my name, to strip my title?"

"Just because your Biyu Temple is powerful?!"

"Just because your Celestial Master rank is high?!"

Before his words faded, Lu Yuan suddenly turned, bowed deeply toward the massive, unfinished statue of the Three Pure Ones at the center of the altar site, his voice like a great bell!

"The Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones above, the clear blue sky below!"

"This altar ground of the Luotian Grand Offering is a place for discussing the Dao and demonstrating methods, not your Biyu Temple's private courtroom for pressuring others with power!"

Having said that, he whirled back around, his eyes bloodshot, glaring furiously at Celestial Master He Zhen.

"You want to strip my Taoist name, remove my registry?!"

"You fucking think you're worthy?!"

The last five words rolled through like thunderclaps, their echoes stirring the air, making the entire altar site tremble.

The surroundings fell into deathly silence, only the sound of wind whipping through the banners.

Countless Daoist disciples felt their scalps go numb.

No one had expected Lu Yuan to be so eloquent!!

An eighteen or nineteen-year-old Daoist disciple, who could still be called a kid, could actually bring forth such reasoning!

This wasn't something achieved without having read who knows how many true scriptures!

However, this was only the beginning.

Before Celestial Master He Zhen could react from that heart-piercing statement, Lu Yuan fiercely raised the charred tribulation knot high in his hand.

As if raising a declaration of war!

"Biyu Temple! What a fine 'orthodox, reputable school'! What a fine 'Celestial Master presiding'!"

"You pay lip service to respecting the Three Pure Ones, following the Heavenly Dao, yet what filthy, despicable, heaven-defying acts are you committing?!"

His gaze was like lightning, sweeping across the entire scene, finally nailing itself to Celestial Master He Zhen's face, which had turned from red to blue, from blue to white.

"This Yellow Immortal friend of mine endured three disasters and nine hardships, weathered wind, fire, and thunder tribulations, surviving against all odds, only then achieving complete success!"

"It carries upon itself merits and virtues recognized by the Heavenly Dao! The path beneath its feet is the upright and honorable path of an Immortal!"

"Yet your Biyu Temple actually took advantage of its recent tribulation success, before its vitality had recovered, to set up a 'Spirit-Sealing Soul-Locking' and 'Six Harmonies Immortal-Trapping Formation' in the birch forest!"

"Using reversed-inscription demon-suppressing chains! Planting thunder-struck immortal-trapping flags!"

Lu Yuan's voice suddenly rose sharply, filled with extreme fury and contempt, each word like a resounding slap.

"This is intercepting heavenly grace! This is forcibly seizing creation!"

"How is this behavior any different from those heretical demons that everyone has the right to slay?!"

"He Zhen! The Daoist community under heaven respects your cultivation and honors your age, which is why they bestowed upon you the title of 'Celestial Master'!"

"But where is your virtue?!"

Lu Yuan took a heavy step forward, pointing accusingly at He Zhen, spittle practically spraying onto the other's face.

"Your disciple, kicking over another temple's Patriarch Ancestor spirit tablet in the streets, shows disrespect for past sages, arrogance and rudeness!"

"After the incident occurred, instead of thinking to severely punish your own fault, you instead use power to pressure others, forcing me to apologize, showing favoritism, tyranny, and inability to distinguish right from wrong!"

"And now, I've even caught you secretly surrounding and capturing a newly ascended Immortal, intending to seize its Dao attainment, showing greed-blinded hearts, disregarding heavenly law!"

Lu Yuan's voice, like furious thunder rolling down from the highest heavens, reverberated explosively over the deathly silent altar ground.

"The beam above is not straight, so the beams below are crooked!"

"Disciples arrogant and vicious like jackals and wolves, elders hypocritical and sinister like snakes and scorpions!"

"With you like this, He Zhen, are you even worthy of sitting in this 'Celestial Master' position?!"

"Today, I, Lu Yuan, stand here not for personal vengeance!"

"Only to seek justice for my immortal friend who suffered wrongful calamity!"

"To seek justice for this Heavenly Dao and righteous path that you have trampled upon at will!"

"To demand an explanation from you, this Celestial Master in name only, and from your Biyu Temple, gold and jade on the outside but rotten wood and cotton wadding inside!!!"

The entire scene: "..."

The entire scene was dead silent, not a sound.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

He...

He really knows how to curse...

Too good at cursing, too good at piling accusations on someone's head!

For a moment, everyone felt that even breathing was a sin.

They slightly opened their mouths, eyes glazed over.

Staring blankly at that young Taoist priest standing at the center of the altar site, whose physique wasn't particularly burly, yet whose aura seemed about to pierce through this blue sky.

Everyone was completely stunned.

Especially Celestial Master He Zhen, who was utterly, completely stunned.

He never could have imagined that this kid called Lu Yuan not only knew how to curse with the vulgar language of street ruffians.

He was even better at doctrinal debate!

Every word and phrase, citing classics and canons, striking directly at the Daoist heart!

Celestial Master He Zhen felt that during this period just now, Lu Yuan seemed to have cursed his ancestors for eighteen generations.

For a fleeting moment in the middle, Celestial Master He Zhen's expression truly became somewhat dazed.

Could it be that his Biyu Temple actually...

Was really some heretical, crooked path??

Could he actually be a fucking evil cultivator?!?

This kid is just too fucking eloquent!!!

As for the matter of the Yellow Immortal that Lu Yuan mentioned, Celestial Master He Zhen could swear to the Patriarchs of the Three Pure Ones that he absolutely knew nothing about it!

Before this, he definitely didn't have the slightest clue.

Including right now!

His Biyu Temple, as a top-tier Daoist temple beyond the Great Wall, values its reputation above all else!

How could it permit its disciples to engage in such filthy acts of intercepting heavenly opportunities and undermining its own foundation!

Then, could it be that some disciple...

Or to put it bluntly, could it be that the already thoroughly dead idiot, Zhao Bing, did it privately?

Celestial Master He Zhen's eyelids twitched violently.

This...

Hard to say!

After all, that dog-shit thing dared to kick and stomp on another family's Patriarch Ancestor spirit tablet; what else wouldn't that dog-shit dare to do?!

Then...

Send someone to investigate now?

No!

The daze in Celestial Master He Zhen's eyes was instantly replaced by ruthlessness.

The current situation was no longer about a spirit tablet or a yellow weasel.

Right now, for Biyu Temple, only one thing lay before them.

Make Lu Yuan shut up immediately!

Right and wrong, truth and falsehood, would be verified afterwards!

But if they let Lu Yuan keep talking like this, then Biyu Temple would be finished.

The sixty-seven-year reputation of Biyu Temple would collapse today under the weight of his words!

No!

To be accurate, it was already somewhat finished!!

The only remedy was to take down Lu Yuan with overwhelming force!

They couldn't let this guy continue speaking so recklessly!!

Murderous intent flashed in Celestial Master He Zhen's eyes. He suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the group of shocked and angry senior Daoist priests of Biyu Temple behind him.

One look.

Everyone understood.

In an instant, dozens of icy, piercing gazes, like chains, simultaneously locked onto Lu Yuan.

But also at this moment of erupting murderous intent.

BANG!!!

A crisp, ear-piercing gunshot, without any warning, tore through the solidified air!

Immediately after came the roar of engines.

Two deep green military trucks, like two steel behemoths, rudely plowed through the crowd, roaring as they charged into the Luotian Grand Offering altar site.

Screech—

Amidst the sharp sound of tires scraping the ground, the trucks came to an abrupt halt.

The truck bed tailgates slammed down!

Two truckloads of Fengtian City Security Regiment soldiers in khaki military uniforms, shouldering old bolt-action rifles, poured out one after another like dumplings dropping into water!

Their movements were swift, well-trained. They quickly dispersed, seizing the high ground around the altar site.

Cold gun muzzles, dark and gaping, aimed at all the Daoist practitioners within the grounds.

The driver's door of the first truck opened.

Song Zonghu jumped down with a look of utter resignation, glanced left and right, and lit a cigarette.

Come on, sis!!!

I'm very busy!!!

I said let someone else lead the team here!!

Why did it have to be me?!

Immediately after, the driver's and passenger's doors of the second truck opened. Aunt Qin jumped down from the driver's side.

Aunt Qiao'er from the passenger side, because of her tall stature, merely took an elegant step, and her astonishingly long legs were already firmly on the ground.

Lu Yuan wasn't a reckless fool.

He had anticipated the other side might become ashamed into anger and flip the table, resorting to force.

So when Lu Yuan came to the Luotian Grand Offering altar site, he told Xu Erxiao and Wang Cheng'an to go straight home and find the two beautiful aunts!

At this moment, the sudden appearance of the Fengtian Security Regiment brought the tension on-site to its peak.

Simultaneously.

A roar carrying boundless fury and the imposing pressure of a Celestial Master exploded from the altar site entrance, like a true thunderclap from the highest heavens, crashing down upon them!

"He Zhen, you old bastard!"

At this moment, Celestial Master He Xun, his eyes bloodshot, stood at the entrance to the altar site, glaring furiously at Lu Yuan and the Biyu Temple side.

The fear and anxiety bottled up all night, the anger burning all morning, at this moment, all transformed into one earth-shattering, heaven-rending curse!

"I'll fuck your mother!!!!"