Chapter 674 Open the Door
On the same night, when Zhao Duan and his group were opening the coffin in the Northern Mausoleum.
Far away in Xiping Road, the imperial army camp was brightly lit.
The real body of the Queen of Yu was wearing a dragon robe, sitting at the desk and reading the thick military reports sent by various parties, as well as the detailed situation of Xiping Road.
The empress was the only one in the big tent. In a corner of the table, the Taia sword was placed horizontally in its sheath, and the candlelight in the lamp was flickering brightly.
Xu Zhenguan stared at the document intently, her eyes sparkling. After using the soul-splitting technique, she split herself into two and was able to move in two places at the same time.
"Your Majesty." At this time, a figure was reflected outside the tent.
The empress said without looking up: "Come in."
Then, the curtain was lifted, and an accompanying female official came in with a cooked midnight snack. She placed the food next to the empress and could not help but say:
"Your Majesty's health is paramount. You will never be able to finish reading all these documents."
Xu Zhenguan raised his head, smiled, and asked casually:
"How is the army?"
The female officer smiled and reported:
"Everything is going well. The news of His Majesty's arrival at the front has now spread throughout Xiping. The imperial army is full of momentum, sweeping away the decline. Even the bandits in the Western Regions retreated and adopted a defensive strategy after hearing the news.
Right now, the Duke of Zhenguo and Privy Councilor Xue are discussing a plan to take advantage of the soldiers' high morale and launch a decisive battle."
Xu Zhenguan listened, nodded slightly, and was about to speak when suddenly, the empress's face changed slightly. She looked suddenly outside the tent, and a bright golden light flashed in her eyes.
Inside the army.
It was already late at night, and most of the soldiers had already gone to sleep, but quite a few were still patrolling and standing guard.
At this moment, the soldiers on guard were suddenly surprised to find that in the sky above the huge camp, in the dark night, the air suddenly spread out circles of golden ripples.
Then, a vague shadow like an illusory god slowly emerged.
What can be vaguely seen is a Buddha statue, which is sitting cross-legged. Behind it, the space is open, as if there is a Buddhist kingdom appearing and disappearing from time to time. The Buddha's light shines on the earth, waking up countless people.
"Ah...enemy attack!" someone shouted subconsciously.
The entire camp was in turmoil, and many soldiers woke up with sleepy eyes and ran out of the tents with their clothes not properly tidied. They couldn't understand how the enemy could have silently crossed the front line and arrived here.
"It's you! Monk Xuanyin!"
From the crowd, a pitch-black halberd tore through the night wind and whistled out.
Xue Shence had not fallen asleep yet and was still wearing soft armor. He raised his eyes and looked carefully, his face horrified.
How could he not recognize it? In the center of the statue, there was clearly an old bald man in a brown monk's robe sitting cross-legged.
Xuan Yin surprise attack on the camp? How dare he?
Xue Shence was shocked and angry, and was about to stab the halberd in the air.
But at this moment, the sound of chanting was heard loudly in the Buddha's light, like thunder rolling across the land within a radius of ten miles.
Monk Xuanyin has a solemn appearance, with his hands folded together:
"Amitabha!"
He looked down with compassion, like a god with mercy on all living beings. He did not move at all, but a prayer wheel suddenly appeared in front of him and started spinning wildly. The cloth filled with scriptures inside the prayer wheel spread across the sky.
In an instant, the Buddhist chanting rang in the ears of everyone within a radius of dozens of miles, making people want to convert.
Except for the generals with cultivation, the ordinary soldiers could only withstand the Buddhist sounds for a few breaths before they were about to kneel on the ground and kowtow to the gods.
"The evil monk is seeking death!"
At the critical moment, a clear dragon roar resounded through the night sky. At the same time, the Taia sword was unsheathed and rose from the ground like a meteor.
Xu Zhenguan, dressed in a dragon robe and holding the Tai'a sword, stood in the air, protecting the army below behind him to isolate him from the disaster of Foyin.
The jade seal mark on the empress's forehead flickered like a spark. Her eyebrows were raised, her face was frosty, and her eyes stared at the mysterious seal coldly:
"You who dare to use magic to disrupt the morale of the army shall be killed!"
The empress put her fingers together like a sword, pointed towards the sky, and the Taia sword in her hand burst out with brilliant golden light, slashing towards Xuan Yin in mid-air!
When this sword came out, the dark night was suddenly lit up, and the infinite and vast sword light tore the night into two halves.
Swallowed everything.
The Buddha's kingdom was instantly shattered like a bubble, and the Buddha's shadow also split in the middle and disintegrated into stars in the sky.
Monk Xuanyin groaned in pain, forcibly picked up the prayer wheel and took Taia's sword, then retreated decisively:
"Your Majesty, we will meet again."
The voice was ethereal and disappeared quickly. Xuan Yin's people also disappeared in the broken Buddhist kingdom. They were nowhere to be found, and even the empress could not find them.
The Taia Sword circled twice in the air but returned empty-handed.
The empress frowned and slowly floated down.
Xue Shence walked over quickly, his face grim:
"Your Majesty, that bald donkey is not here to start a war."
Xu Zhen nodded and said calmly:
"Indeed, he must have known of my arrival, and therefore attacked me tonight. His purpose was not to fight me, but to disrupt the morale of my army."
Xue Shence was startled and looked around. Sure enough, he found that although the soldiers around him were not seriously injured, they seemed a little disappointed after this ordeal.
The Empress said calmly:
"In the eyes of the soldiers, the Buddhist master was able to launch a surprise attack on our main camp, but I failed to stop him. As a result, the morale that had been boosted will naturally plummet."
Xue Shence said hurriedly:
"But this bald donkey is at the Heavenly Man Realm. He only showed up on purpose and showed no interest in fighting. No one could stop him. It's not that Your Majesty's sword is not sharp enough."
The empress glanced at him and said calmly:
"Unfortunately, morale is a thing that doesn't make sense. Okay, let's disperse. Xuan Yin's trouble wasn't without cost. Ha, he took my sword strike head-on, so he must be feeling bad. He won't come again."
Generals Xue Shence and others remained silent and could only retreat with their fists clasped, thinking about how to appease the troops.
The empress turned around and walked back to her own tent embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon. Then her face turned visibly pale and her breath became weak.
Xu Zhenguan's eyes dimmed, and he said self-deprecatingly:
"Has your injury been affected...? I don't know how things are going in the capital. I can only wait for my soul to return..."
At the same time, there was worry in her eyes:
Through the fight just now, she realized that Xuan Yin was in Xiping Road, and the power of the Buddha that he could borrow was increasing.
"Is it his own cultivation level that's improving, or has the war gradually enveloped Xiping Dao in the Buddha's light? Is faith in the Buddha growing stronger in this land?"
"This is... not good."
…
…
Beiling.
Outside the empty and quiet mausoleum, an illusory full moon appeared, and then Zhao Duan and his group walked out.
The night breeze blows on my face.
The surroundings were still quiet, but the five tomb robbers all looked unhappy at the moment.
Not to mention that Taizu of Dayu had extremely high cultivation levels back then, even if he was just a mortal, his body would not have rotted away in just six hundred years.
There were no signs of theft in the tomb.
Even after repeated inspections by several people, there was not even the slightest smell of corpse in the coffin.
This result made Xu Zhenguan both frightened and confused.
As for surprises... honestly, there weren't any.
After all, he is our ancestor who has been with us for six hundred years. If you want to show respect to him, then of course I will.
But if you say how close they are... that's a bit of a stretch... the key point is...
"Where did Taizu go back then?"
Zhao Duan was the first to break the silence:
"Judging from the scene, there's reason to speculate that Emperor Taizu faked his own death, entered the mausoleum, and then passed away... or perhaps he never entered the mausoleum at all. His final whereabouts are therefore extremely important."
Zhang Yanyi stroked his beard and asked tentatively:
"Right now, it seems the biggest suspect is still behind the golden gate. However, since the Xu royal family's great ancestor did indeed leave behind his life's cultivation, it at least proves that he didn't live long."
Without his cultivation, it would have been impossible for Old Xu to live for long at that age.
Of course, if he becomes similar to Pei Niannu, it is hard to say.
In short, all the mysteries point to the Mubei Forest.
"Please keep today's events confidential," Xu Zhen looked at the three masters and apprentices from the Tianshi Mansion with a serious expression.
"Just pretend you haven't been here today."
Zhang Yan nodded: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I understand."
Then, he glared at the two disciples again. Gongshu Tianyuan was startled and hurriedly patted his chest to express his opinion. Jin Jian was still a little confused. She was somewhat disappointed that she could not bring out the burial objects.
"I'll leave first." Zhang Yan grabbed a disciple one by one and flew away.
After everyone disappeared, only the emperor and his minister were left. Zhao Duan looked at the empress worriedly:
"His Majesty……"
Xu Zhenguan smiled at him, shook his head, and said with emotion:
"It's alright. It seems your previous worries were indeed justified. Now that I'm going to the Golden Gate with you, it seems even more necessary. I have a feeling that everything will have an answer."
Zhao Duan nodded. At this moment, he suddenly saw the empress's face suddenly changed and her body shook.
He hurriedly supported her and asked worriedly, "What's wrong?"
The empress's lips turned pale and her eyes were serious as she said:
"My main body seems to be injured... Could it be that the Mysterious Seal has come to me?"
Looking across Xiping, the only one who can make her original body use its full strength is Xuan Yin.
"I have to go back to the palace immediately and find out what's going on," she said.
Zhao Duan said, "I'll take you there."
Xu Zhenguan shook his head, smiled, and refused:
"Don't forget, I'm here tonight pretending to be you. I can't let you get away with it. Okay, go back and rest. I'll find you if anything happens. Focus on recuperating for the next few days. Once Zhang Tianshi recovers from his injuries, we'll set off immediately."
Zhao Duan had no choice but to nod, turned around and jumped onto the roof, then watched Xu Zhenguan put on his cloak again, summoned the female officials waiting outside, and then got on the carriage again and returned to the palace.
…
…
Over the next few days, everything calmed down.
Zhao Duan went to the palace the next day and learned about Xuan Yin's troubles from the empress. Fortunately, Xuan Yin obviously did not want to start a war in advance, so he just made a feint and never appeared again.
On the same day, Li Wushangdao from the Tianshi Mansion arrived at Xipingdao on a crane, reunited with the empress's real body, and presented the Shenlong Grass.
The empress took the magic dragon grass that night to heal her wounds. The next morning, her injuries were miraculously healed and she returned to her peak condition. Even the "injury" that separated a wisp of her soul was repaired.
The condition is surprisingly good.
This made Zhao Duan even more impressed by the magic of the Shenlong Grass.
And with the Empress in her prime stationed there, it seems that the war in Xiping will not get worse before Xuanyin attacks the human immortal.
Another day or two passed.
Zhang Yanyi finally recovered from his injuries.
This day, morning.
After breakfast, Zhao Duan left the house again on the pretext of a business trip. He then went to the yamen and took Tuoba Weizhi with him.
I didn’t bring Ji Yue with me this time.
Afterwards, he went to the Tianshi Mansion and called Zhang Yanyi.
Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan were absent this time because the Mubei Forest was too dangerous, so they were ordered to stay behind to look after the house.
Finally, Zhao Duan brought the old Taoist priest and the priestess into the palace to reunite with the empress. The four of them once again arrived deep in the Taimiao.
Standing in front of the golden gate.
"Let's get started."
This time, Xu Zhenguan changed into a neutral white outfit that was convenient for movement, with a warm jade hanging from her waist. She made the announcement with a solemn expression, like a female knight.
Zhao Duan nodded and looked at Tuoba Weizhi: "You go first."
"Yes, Master."
The dark-skinned priestess did not hesitate, as if the time had finally come to fulfill her mission.
She walked towards the golden gate step by step, and suddenly stopped, her eyes filled with darkness.
Immediately, thin black threads emerged from between her eyebrows and frantically filled one of the grooves on the golden gate.
At the same time, Tuoba Weizhi's body became motionless, like a robot with the power turned off.
Next was Zhao Duan. He also walked to the door, thought for a moment, raised his right hand and pressed it on another groove. The dragon soul in his body was awakened automatically and flowed into the groove along his arm.
Finally, under the gaze of the old Taoist priest, the empress stepped forward and began to turn a mysterious dial in the center of the golden gate with her hands. The dial was surrounded by strange symbols, and she adjusted it to the correct position little by little according to the code obtained from "The World".
"Bang!"
When the password was completely correct, the dusty golden door made a vibration sound similar to a machine opening.
Then, it was finally Zhang Yan's turn to appear. This golden gate also required a person at the celestial realm to push open.
“Zazaza—”
As Zhang Yan exerted more force bit by bit, Zhao Duan and the empress clearly saw the gap in the door gradually widen, and wind and light began to come in from behind the door.
The wind seemed to be blocked, but the pale light clearly hit the faces of the three people.
Little by little, in the darkness underground, their faces are illuminated.
Finally, when the golden gate was about one-third open, an invisible film disappeared and a cold wind blew towards them.
Zhao Duan shuddered, and then was surprised to see that the light behind the door faded little by little, and then an ice field appeared before his eyes.
This time, their door seemed to open directly in another place.
In the groove of the golden gate, Tuoba Weizhi's black light drilled back into her body, and the dragon soul also returned to Zhao Duan's body.
Zhao Duan was the first to step out of the door, finding himself in the biting cold wind, with thick ice and snow under his feet and a lush and endless forest vaguely visible in front of him.
Behind him, the empress, Zhang Tianshi, and Tuoba Weizhi also came out one after another.
They finally arrived at Mubei Forest, a forbidden place.
…
Typos should be corrected first and then replaced
(End of this chapter)
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