"So beautiful, so beautiful."

As soon as he entered the tent, Li Daoyi couldn't wait to open the system panel.

"Holy crap, I have over 66,000 points!" Li Daoyi exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

This wave of ghostly soldiers collecting souls has given me tens of thousands of points. Sure enough, I need to use something with a mythological element to meet the system's requirements.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Daoyi immediately exchanged for five Foundation Establishment Pills and swallowed them. His internal mana instantly swelled, and he reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

"Host: Li Daoyi".

“Cultivation level: Mid-Foundation Establishment”

"Magic items: Green Steel Sword, Soul Summoning Talisman (one hundred points are deducted for each use), Ghost Seal (0 uses, can be replenished by consuming 500 points)."

"Cultivation Techniques: Minor Five Elements Spell (can be upgraded), Minor Cloud Soaring Technique (can be upgraded), Basic Sword Control Technique (can be upgraded), Basic Flying Sword Technique (can be upgraded)."

"Amazing Value / Points: "

"Should I advance my spells? Or should I learn a new cultivation technique?" Li Daoyi wondered to himself.

Li Daoyi then opened the shop and first looked at the props shop.

"Tsk tsk, summoning talismans for ghost messengers and immortal generals, really, if you have money, you can probably summon even the Jade Emperor." Li Daoyi said, looking at the items that refreshed his inventory.

"I wonder if there are any sages among them," Li Daoyi thought to himself.

"This system is not high enough." The system suddenly announced.

"Oh? You can upgrade?" Li Daoyi was taken aback.

"Whenever the host reaches a higher level or enters a new world, this system will automatically upgrade and update the store."

"I see." Li Daoyi nodded.

"What are the conditions for me to go to another world?"

"The host breaks through to the Golden Core stage or the host has accumulated 100,000 points."

"Cough cough..."

"Damn, the first half of your sentence almost scared me to death," Li Daoyi complained. Golden Core stage? He'd been working hard for so long to reach the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and he'd need at least several hundred thousand more points to reach the Golden Core stage.

"I should be close to accumulating 100,000 points. I should be almost there now." Li Daoyi secretly calculated that he had already spent nearly 70,000 points. He just needed to collect one more wave, and with what he had now, he should be almost there.

Just then, a fragrant breeze wafted in, and Dongfang Bubai lifted the tent flap and walked in.

"Is your sister settled in?"

"Yes, Lin'er is fine. She's back with her master now." Dongfang Bubai's tone was tinged with helplessness.

"After all, that's where she grew up."

"I know it's because I, as the older sister, haven't fulfilled my obligations."

Then Dongfang Bubai paused for a moment and asked.

"Taoist Master, are you really a deity? Do deities really exist in this world?"

"What? You have doubts?"

"If there are gods, why don't they come out to help people who suffer so much?" Dongfang Bubai asked rhetorically.

"Dongfang, have you ever seen an ant nest?" Li Daoyi asked.

"Of course I've seen it before," Dongfang Bubai nodded.

"Those ants are just like ordinary people. Would you care what an ant is thinking? If an ant is praying to you, would you know?"

"Perhaps for you, not stepping on them is the greatest kindness."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Bubai was taken aback at first, then a bitter smile appeared on his face. He understood that Li Daoyi was using ants as a metaphor to describe the difference between mortals and immortals.

"And what about you, Taoist priest? Why do you help mortals?"

"Me? I'm a person who's bored out of his mind. Hahahaha, how about that reason?" Li Daoyi laughed.

"Pfft..." Dongfang Bubai couldn't help but laugh.

That slightly angry smile left Li Daoyi completely stunned.

Upon seeing Li Daoyi's appearance, Dongfang Bubai couldn't help but blush.

"Ah... well, you should also treat the injured person." Li Daoyi quickly changed the subject.

"It's already being arranged. We owe you a lot this time, otherwise we would have suffered heavy losses."

"No need. As long as there is less infighting in the martial arts world and ordinary people can live in peace, that would be the best outcome." Li Daoyi shook his head.

The two seemed to run out of things to say, and the atmosphere became awkward again. Fortunately, Lu Bing walked in not long after.

"Master, we just received letters from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Fujian that Japanese pirate ships have been discovered on the surrounding islands. The exact number of pirates has not yet been determined."

"It was indeed premeditated; it seems they were waiting for news from here." Li Daoyi nodded upon hearing this.

"Tell the garrison not to alert the enemy for now. It would be best to delay them for a while longer until the emperor arrives tomorrow."

"Yes, I'll reply right away." Lu Bing hurriedly left the tent.

"Daoist Master, do you want us to atone for our sins?" Dongfang Bubai asked.

“Indeed, the Japanese pirates are not human. Heaven will not take them and the earth will not spare them. Your killing them is acting on behalf of Heaven.”

"In addition, I have already made contact with Ren Woxing."

“Ren Woxing.” Dongfang Bubai frowned slightly.

"The feud between you is nothing more than a mere sect leader. Are you perhaps still attached to it?"

"I don't care about any cult leader. If he hadn't gone berserk while practicing the Star Absorbing Technique, I wouldn't have imprisoned him for so long," Dongfang Bubai quickly said.

"That's good. From now on, you two can decide who will be the leader. He won't use the Star Absorbing Technique anymore unless he wants to die immediately."

"Well, let's talk about it when we meet."

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Dongfang Bubai woke up from his deep sleep. He found himself covered with a blanket, while Li Daoyi was meditating beside him. He didn't know when he had fallen asleep the night before, only that he had talked to Li Daoyi about many things and had fallen asleep without realizing it.

"You're awake?" Li Daoyi didn't open his eyes.

"Yes, it's been a long time since I slept this comfortably." Dongfang Bubai nodded.

At this moment, Li Daoyi opened his eyes and saw Dongfang Bubai lying lazily to the side, with a look on her face indicating that she hadn't slept enough. She looked like a lady from a noble family, and it was hard to believe that she was a domineering person like an empress.

The atmosphere instantly became ambiguous.

However, the noise outside soon broke the atmosphere.

They could hear a large group of people heading this way.

Dongfang Bubai immediately got up, straightened his clothes, and his expression returned to normal. The two exchanged a glance and walked out of the tent in tacit agreement.

"His Majesty has arrived."

Huang Jin's loud voice came from afar.

Everyone immediately knelt down.

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

It was Zhu Houcong and his men who arrived.

Soon, a group of people rode horses towards the tent, led by Lu Bing.

"Daoist Master, we've arrived!" Zhu Houcong exclaimed excitedly from horseback.

Behind the emperor were Lu Bing, Huang Jin, Master Fangzheng, and Daoist Chongxu.

"Thank you for your hard work." Li Dao nodded.

"It's not hard work, it's not hard work, Daoist Master. I heard that even the Yin soldiers from the underworld appeared yesterday?" Zhu Houcong jumped off his horse and asked hurriedly.

"Yes, I called them." Li Dao nodded.

"Did the Taoist priest summon him?" Everyone was surprised.

"It's such a pity I missed it," Zhu Houcong said with regret.

"What? Does Your Majesty also want to go to the underworld?" Li Daoyi looked at the emperor with a forced smile.

"Uh... then let's keep it." Zhu Houcong waved his hands repeatedly, joking that he hadn't lived enough yet.

"Alright, let's get down to business. The Japanese pirates have already reached the coastal islands and could invade the inland at any time."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately turned serious.

"Indeed, I have also received the news."

“I think everyone here should rush to the aid of the three locations immediately, without stopping. It should be enough time in three to four days,” Li Daoyi said.

"My Shaolin monks are now heading towards Wenzhou Prefecture," Fang Zheng said.

“My Wudang disciples also received my message and set off for Fujian last night,” Chongxu said hurriedly.

“Very good. Next, we need to integrate the martial arts practitioners here and then immediately set off for the coastal areas. Your Majesty, what you need to do now is not just send troops. I have a suggestion for you: requisition ships, the more the better, the bigger the better. This time, we must attack the lair of the Japanese pirates and completely annihilate this country.” Li Daoyi said coldly.

"What? Attack Japan? Daoist Master, the sea is vast and often stormy. If we set sail without thorough preparation, our people will be in great danger." Lu Bing, who had a wealth of military knowledge, quickly stepped forward to refute.

"This... Daoist, shouldn't we reconsider?" Zhu Houcong wasn't stupid. After hearing what Lu Bing said, he was also unsure. The Ming Dynasty had banned the sea for many years and was very unfamiliar with the ocean, let alone going out to attack other countries.

"Hahaha, it's just a mere storm. With me here, the ocean is no different from the Mongolian grasslands." Li Daoyi laughed.

Only then did everyone remember his various magical abilities. If he could ride the wind, wouldn't that mean he could control the waves of the sea?

"Very well, I will issue an edict immediately, ordering all coastal provinces to prepare ships," Zhu Houcong said, clapping his hands.

“Japan is rich in gold and silver. Taking it would be enough for the Ming Dynasty to build Zheng He’s treasure ships. At that time, the entire sea would belong to China. Why do you Jianghu people fight over mere territory? There are so many unclaimed lands overseas, and so many backward countries and barbarians. They are all waiting for the Celestial Empire to enlighten them.” Li Daoyi began to paint a grand picture.

"Amitabha Buddha, this old monk hopes that one day I can spread Buddhism overseas." Fang Zheng's face was flushed, as if he had found a goal to strive for in the second half of his life.

Zhu Houcong was also very excited, as if he could see the magnificent sight of thousands of ships setting sail.

"Alright, we'll go and tell the other sect leaders right away." Zhu Houcong immediately turned around and walked towards the martial arts figures behind him.

"Giddy up...gigdy up..."

On the official road, the people of Mount Hua were galloping at full speed.

"Master, will my parents be alright?" Lin Pingzhi asked anxiously.

"Don't worry, Xiao Linzi. Didn't Senior Brother just say that the Japanese pirates are still observing? Besides, Senior Brother has already taken Master ahead of us. With Niu Er's teachings, we should be able to reach Fuzhou tonight," Yue Lingshan comforted him.

"Shan'er is right, Pingzhi, don't worry," Ning Zhongze comforted him.

At the same time, Shaolin, Wudang, and some other sects that had not participated in the battle between good and evil received news of the Japanese pirates' invasion and rushed to various coastal areas, thus officially beginning the defense battle.