Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 103 - 89 We Are Just Pure Fellow Daoists

Chapter 103: Chapter 89 We Are Just Pure Fellow Daoists

On the other side, Lu Chan and her party were in the midst of plundering a household.

In the city, cultivators loyal to the Zhao family’s court turned a deaf ear, while leaders from the five great families within the auxiliary troops, upon hearing their homes were being raided, came charging with their men in a fury, only to be expectedly defeated and routed.

Lu Chan did not even need to lift a finger, merely a thought could bewilder a large group of people.

Tactics involving the Divine Soul are the hardest to master and the most challenging to defend against, especially overwhelming for opponents significantly weaker than herself.

In Luo River, where no True Monarchs resided, almost no one could contend against four prodigies who ranked within the top ten in all three leaderboards, not to mention Hee Huan who was also once ranked the tenth.

Then Lu Chan acquired a large group of hard laborers, increasing the speed of the plunder.

The head office of the Luo River post station, a fast boat riding the river stream, headed straight for Bianjing, covering eight hundred miles in a single day.

At this moment, Bianjing city was steeped in an air of death, with countless people gazing towards the imperial palace direction with faint yet ominously hostile looks.

It wasn’t a prelude to civilian unrest; unrest in the Daqian has never ceased. Rather, it was because the Crown Prince had been killed in the street, and the sacredness of imperial power had completely collapsed. Now, even ordinary civilians knew that the Daqian was finished, and even if national power were to suddenly return to its heyday, the public’s heart would no longer recognize the Zhao family.

The Zhao family has poisoned the world for hundreds of years, not even the bamboo slips of Nanshan can list all their myriad crimes; the waves of the East Sea cannot wash away their boundless sins.

This saying circulated in the streets and uncontrollably spread out from Bianjing like wildfire.

Two post station officials rode fast horses, bursting from different directions towards the palace and converged at the palace gates at the same time.

The imperial guards, carrying two letters, quickly passed through several checkpoints to reach the Lord Emperor’s grand hall, where a blast of heat wafted out from inside.

"Your Majesty, here are two more feathered dispatches."

"Mhm."

The Lord Emperor beckoned, and the two feathered dispatches flew into his hands to be opened and read, his unfazed expression taking on some changes.

"A Fourth Level of Dao Foundation killing a Seventh Level True Monarch, although it actually occurred between a Seventh Level and an Eighth Level, the chasm of feeding back a Golden Core to the body is one that has seldom been bridged since ancient times. How unpredictable are the affairs of the world, how has he become so formidable? Could he be my tribulation?"

In the middle of speaking, the Lord Emperor’s intent to kill grew more pronounced; He had previously underestimated Gu Wen because he didn’t believe the latter could surpass him.

Reaching the Eighth Level of Dao Foundation for a fulfilled Ninth Level is a rarity in this world, and being able to match even half of one’s own level is already the mark of a genius.

But now he felt that Gu Wen could reach his level, and he would become an obstacle on his own path to Immortality.

The second letter contained a piece of good news from Zechuan County; Wenren Wu had quelled the rebellion, leaving only some remnants of bandits.

In doing so, the local powers of Zechuan had been swept clean, amassing nearly five million taels of silver and a countless supply of grain. Such gains were enough to revive the court; this rebellion wasn’t all bad, at least it restocked the empty treasury.

With money, he could continue Alchemy.

The Lord Emperor lifted his finger, and the still-wet ink on the table automatically dripped onto a blank paper, quickly forming an imperial decree.

"Take it to the Great General."

A guard left with the imperial decree, and immediately after, another guard came in, bringing a third letter.

The Lord Emperor glanced over it, his expression growing even more somber than before, and said, "Retrieve the decree I just dispatched."

Lin Chuan County had fallen, and the severity was such that news almost failed to get out. Yet Lin Chuan was his own medicine storehouse, far more critical to him than the prospect of Gu Wen—a genius not yet fully grown—by a hundredfold.

Gu Wen was only a potential obstacle, but the fall of Lin Chuan could immediately leave his Longevity Pills without the ingredients to be concocted.

The imperial decree he had just issued returned to his hands, he threw it into the Pill Furnace and burned it to ashes, then drafted another imperial decree.

Zechuan County, within the military encampment.

Wenren Wu received two pieces of news one after another. The first was about Gu Wen killing a True Monarch, although just a worthless fake, it scared him enough to immediately rise and muster his troops, ready to set off for the Luo River.

He did not want to be the next one, dying as pitifully as that fake in the news.

Clearly, True Monarchs out in the world could use their realm and foundation to kill what were mere ants to them with a single finger, but in the Immortal Land, through natural talent, those ants could stand on their heads and defecate. It’s always said in the Cultivation World, "Dead geniuses are like withered wood," strangling potentially great futures in their cradle.

He sneered, "I am now at the eighth level of Dao Foundation, fourth level fulfilled, and I can’t kill you with a fourth level Dao Foundation?"

Then the second message arrived: Lin Chuan County had fallen.

Wenren Wu felt a bad omen but still led his troops towards the Luo River.

Lin Chuan could be pacified at any time, but his karma with Gu Wen had to be resolved as soon as possible. He couldn’t defeat a Taoist Heavenly Girl, but Gu Wen?

It was as if heavy karma bound him; he had not yet left the Zechuan Earth Realm when an expected imperial edict halted Wenren Wu.

"Suppress the rebellion in Lin Chuan, make no mistake."

Wenren Wu’s eyes darkened with suspicion, but despite thousands of doubts, he ultimately had to accept the divine order.

"By your command."

Without the Lord Emperor’s assistance, going there would mean death, but the thought of not being able to kill Gu Wen left him restless!

The army rested and once again set off towards Lin Chuan.

With Zechuan’s supply line, the imperial army was more relaxed than before, but at this moment, a faint shadow loomed over the Daqian Dynasty.

-----------------

The next day, Gu Wen awoke naked, thankfully under a blanket, preventing an erection from saluting the morning sun.

Speaking of which, could he control his body’s natural response?

With a thought, all reactions were instantly smoothed out, the convenience of cultivation being self-control. Even for normal bodily responses, he had the right to refuse.

"I wouldn’t recommend doing that."

A clear and gentle voice came through, Yu Hua sat not far away on a chair, seriously lecturing, "The extremity of yang is not just a commonplace phrase; it’s a cycle of yin and yang in the body. Suppressing it would not cause any problems, but some men are so terrified of female charms that when they actually face temptation, they can’t hold back."

"It is said that ’a single character is a monk, two characters a friar, three characters an official in hell, and four characters a hungry ghost in lust.’ Although it’s a saying to scold the Buddhist Sect, it’s not inappropriate for the Daoist sect."

Gu Wen couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or really lecturing him. He lightly pulled up the blanket to cover himself, then felt it was too effeminate and boldly sat up, bare-chested.

He asked, "Who brought me back?"

Yu Hua replied, "It was a protector who carried you back; you should focus on recuperating and not engage in spells lightly."

"And my clothes..."

As Gu Wen inquired about his own clothes, he saw a pile of rags on the ground, which did not surprise him, only he didn’t know why his body was extremely clean.

With an unfaltering expression, Yu Hua said, "I cleaned them for you."

"Ah...." Gu Wen’s eyes widened slightly, then he remembered she was a Cultivator; there must have been some spell or something since not even a bathhouse worker could scrub so clean.

He didn’t care about cleanliness or anything, but it always felt a bit odd; they were merely pure and honest Fellow Daoists!

Yu Hua passed the freshly laundered clothes to Gu Wen, saying, "You only have one set of clothes left; I’ll go with you to buy a few more."