Chapter 262: Chapter 251: Imperial Soldiers
With Xuan Ping Master’s "golden words" setting the tone,
and combined with Yun Zhongzi’s own display of exquisite Talisman Skills, outstanding combat prowess, and his public-spirited and righteous demeanor,
Qi Yun integrated into the circle of the righteous northern expedition at an unimaginable speed.
He was no longer just "the suspicious Loose Cultivator vouched for by an Elder of Nine Kings Mountain."
Instead, he gradually became a member whose opinions the Masters of the various sects were willing to listen to during their discussions.
To the Low Tier Disciples, he became a senior with Mighty Divine Power who was also easy to approach.
Xuan Ping Master consistently maintained just the right amount of distance and the proper demeanor—he acknowledged Yun Zhongzi’s talent and his status within the Righteous Dao, occasionally discussing matters of the Talisman Dao with him and offering support.
But he never became overly familiar, maintaining the reserve and objectivity befitting an Elder of Nine Kings Mountain.
This detached attitude, paradoxically, further solidified the reliability of Yun Zhongzi’s identity.
Trust was like a tower built of fine sand.
It was quietly accumulated, deed by deed, battle by battle, as they stood shoulder to shoulder.
On this day, the group retreated to a leeward mountain hollow they had found to rest and recuperate.
Master Hu Chan dismissed his disciples and, carrying a massive Crimson Copper Wine Gourd, he plopped down on a rock beside Qi Yun.
He first took a huge swig himself, let out a breath fragrant with the aroma of Spirit Grass, and casually passed the gourd to Qi Yun.
"Brother Yun Zhongzi, care for a drink?" Master Hu Chan’s voice was sonorous, filled with the relaxed cheerfulness that comes after a battle.
Qi Yun accepted it with a smile, not refusing. He took a small sip. A gentle yet lasting warmth flowed from his throat into his stomach, truly possessing the effect of washing away fatigue and stabilizing one’s Heart and Spirit.
"Good wine. You have fine taste, Fellow Daoist Hu Chan."
"Hahaha, it’s just some crude stuff brewed from the Spirit Grain we grow on the mountain. Nothing fancy, just does the trick!" Master Hu Chan wiped the wine from his wiry beard, his gaze turning toward the distant, dim horizon, where the unbroken line of campfires from the Nanyin World-Suppressing Army’s encampment was faintly visible.
He suddenly lowered his voice, a hint of mystery and sentiment in his tone.
"Tell me, my young brother, you’re well-traveled and your Cultivation is high. Have you ever heard... the term ’Imperial Soldiers’?"
"Imperial Soldiers?" Qi Yun’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. He set down the wine gourd, his face showing just the right amount of confusion. He scoured his memories but could find no clear information directly related to the term.
He shook his head, his tone frank:
"Forgive my ignorance. Though I’ve traveled widely, it was mostly through mountains and rivers.
"As for such ancient and esoteric names, I have truly never heard of them."
"Heh, I don’t blame you." Master Hu Chan had an ’I knew it’ expression on his face. He took another swig of wine, and a trace of reminiscence and gravity appeared on his rugged features.
"This matter goes way back. Not many people know about it, and even those who do are mostly tight-lipped.
"Only sects like ours, with long histories whose ancestors dealt with such behemoths, still have some clues buried in our old records."
He paused briefly, his voice dropping even lower, almost to a whisper:
"In the last Yuanhui... or perhaps even earlier, an incredible Human Dao Dynasty once stood upon this land. It was called—the Golden Tang Dynasty."
"Golden Tang Dynasty?" A flicker of recognition stirred in Qi Yun’s heart. He had a vague impression of the name; it seemed to have been mentioned in some extremely ancient and fragmented Jade Scrolls.
But the mentions were vague, only stating that it was incomparably powerful and later collapsed for reasons unknown.
"That’s right, the Golden Tang Dynasty!" A complex light, mixed with an indescribable tremor of excitement, flashed in Master Hu Chan’s eyes.
"That was the true peak of the Human Dao Dynasty!
"Its territory spanned countless great domains. Its Destiny Golden Dragon manifested in the heavens, suppressing the Eight Desolates and Six Harmonies, and both immortals and demons fled before it.
"Legend says that at its zenith, when the Emperor gave a command, even True Monarchs had to bow their heads!"
"And at the very height of the Golden Tang Dynasty’s power and fortune, that brilliant and ambitious Emperor marshaled the strength of the entire nation. He gathered countless Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and fused them with an unimaginable amount of the Dynasty’s National Fortune and the people’s Wish Power. After an unknown number of ages, he finally forged... twenty-four Ultimate Treasures."
"They were called: the National Guardian Imperial Soldiers!"
"It is said that every one of these Imperial Soldiers contains a portion of the Golden Tang Dynasty’s Laws and authority. Their power is immeasurable, capable of moving stars, shifting constellations, and resetting the very elements of earth, water, fire, and wind!
"They were the fundamental treasures the Golden Tang Dynasty used to secure its National Fortune and rule over all directions!"
Qi Yun listened quietly, but his heart was a rising storm of waves.
’Ultimate Treasures forged with the full might of a peak Dynasty?’
’Twenty-four of them?’
’Such an undertaking! Such artifacts! It’s unheard of!’
"After the Golden Tang Dynasty collapsed, the twenty-four Imperial Soldiers vanished without a trace, becoming a legend sought after by countless dynasties and great powers throughout history."
Master Hu Chan sighed.
"Ever since, anyone with the ambition to unify the human domain and restore the glory of a dynasty has considered finding the Imperial Soldiers to be their top priority.
"Unfortunately, in this vast world, there’s been not a single trace of them.
"Countless brilliant and stunning talents have spent their entire lives searching without finding even a single concrete clue."
His tone shifted, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he looked at Qi Yun:
"But this time, it’s different.
"According to my Sect’s secret channels, the Nanyin Dynasty has somehow obtained... a concrete clue about the whereabouts of an Imperial Soldier!
"And it points to a very specific place—"
Master Hu Chan raised his hand and pointed to the demon-shrouded Northwest Land beneath their feet.
"Right here!
"Here in the Northwest Land, which we’ve always regarded as a barbaric Demon Cave.
"It’s highly likely that one of the... National Guardian Imperial Soldiers lies dormant here!"
He tilted his head back, drained the remaining wine from the gourd in one gulp, and set it down heavily.
"So, you see now, don’t you? All this talk of ’Subduing Demons and protecting the Dao,’ of the ’chaos of the Four Imperial Heavens’—it’s all just a pretext, a public facade!
"This northern expedition, with Nanyin joining forces with my Vast Sacred Land and numerous other Righteous Sects...
"Its true purpose was never to sweep away the Demon Caves or purify the Northwest at all!"
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