However, the thunder Fire Talisman she unleashed had no real destructive power; they only served to boost morale and manifest spiritual effects. Or rather, this was the intended function of such talismans.
It's all bark and no bite; it sounds impressive, but it doesn't actually kill anyone.
It would be incredibly difficult for a group of starving, emaciated rebels to succeed in their uprising, so she needed something far more lethal, like... a high-tech weapon that could go "bang bang bang".
A Daoist priest who can't make gunpowder isn't a time traveler.
As the system said, out of a hundred time travelers, eighty like to make gunpowder and play with high technology, while the remaining twenty either don't know how to make it or don't have the means to.
Bai Lan deeply understood this. After all, while the tribulation forbade the use of immortal techniques, it didn't prohibit the use of gunpowder and firearms, right? She just happened to have the means to manufacture them, and could even mass-produce them!
"Host, are you here to undergo tribulation, or to play a simulated rebellion game...?" The system looked at Bai Lan, who was carefully adjusting the gunpowder ratio, with a complicated expression. "Is this really still a cultivation drama?"
Bai Lan didn't even raise her head, only speaking calmly, "Since we are mortals living in this world, we should do as we please and act according to our own thoughts."
System: "... To be honest, you've always been very capricious, which doesn't seem to have anything to do with being a mortal."
"You can't be chasing someone while you're undergoing tribulation, can you? I've been unlucky enough in the cultivation world. It would be so embarrassing to be chased around by government soldiers here. Besides, the government issued a warrant for my arrest first. I was just acting in self-defense."
Well, the host has always been this free; as long as she's happy.
" Ascend to Immortality or unifying the world—these two words seem unrelated, but they have a unique appeal to a certain type of person, like me." After saying this, Bai Lan suddenly raised the black fire stick in his hand.
Then raise it, face the system, and aim.
"Eh! Eh! Eh!!" The system was startled and flashed behind Bai Lan: "Don't point this thing at True Lord Er, it's kind of scary."
"From now on, you are no longer True Lord Cannon Fodder. You are my advisor." Bai Lan put down the fire poker in his hand, looked at the system, and said firmly, "If I cannot unify the world during this tribulation, my Dao heart will not be stable."
The continuous drought caused the people to lose their crops, yet the imperial court still insisted on levying taxes. With both natural disasters and man-made calamities occurring, the famine triggered numerous riots in various regions, and the people's dissatisfaction with the imperial court had reached its peak.
In this time of great chaos, Bai Lan only needs to present himself as a person chosen by heaven and favored by immortals, to attract a large number of believers, cultivate his reputation, and then gather a wide range of followers to build an army.
Of course, there were difficulties along the way, but for Bai Lan, no difficulty was insurmountable if it could be resolved with force. So, in less than a few months, the first rebel army led by Bai Lan successfully started an uprising in a small county.
Led by Bai Lan, the hungry rebels, desperate for a full meal, slaughtered the corrupt officials hiding in the county government office, causing them to flee in panic. Thus, they achieved an initial victory.
After occupying cities and expanding their territory, the rebel army's power spread rapidly like wildfire, attracting many talented individuals to join the rebels and work together to achieve great things.
Bai Lan only needed to wave the talisman in front of the two armies and then shout, "Thunder God, help me!"
The moment the talisman was ignited by the fire, a deafening roar erupted in the sky. Although the thunderous sound lasted only a moment, it greatly boosted the morale of the rebelling soldiers.
For ordinary people, this technique of making thunderclaps by hand is already considered a divine skill.
Bai Lan was in charge of leading troops in a chaotic battle at the front, while the system acted as her advisor, handling internal affairs from the rear.
One is a ruthless man who can charge into the enemy army alone with a horse and a gun and take the head of a general; the other is a robot who can work tirelessly for a month without sleep. They have become the soul of the rebel army.
With General Bai Lan, who was always victorious, the rebel army was invincible in battle. In less than a month, the rebel army captured more than ten cities of the imperial court, which shocked the world.
Bai Lan was gradually given the titles of "Ever-Victorious General" and "Lightning Summoning General." Rumors circulated that she was a rebel leader who could take the head of a general from among ten thousand soldiers, and who was eight feet tall and as sturdy as Mount Tai. Some even said that she could eat several pounds of meat in one meal. The rumors became more and more outrageous.
The imperial court panicked and launched a military campaign against them, but they suffered repeated defeats and lost the will to fight again.
Lightning Summoning General's reputation gradually overshadowed the imperial court's influence, and even the wanted notice issued to Bai Lan stated. "Take her head and you will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households."
At this point, the situation had overwhelmingly turned in favor of the rebels, who were only a short time away from defeating Sheng Yang.
On the first day of his tribulation, Bai Lan led his troops to fight battles everywhere, conquering cities and seizing territories to expand his power. As the cities under Bai Lan's rule gradually became well-fed under the system's governance, Bai Lan's reputation among the people grew higher and higher. Many people even hoped that the rebel army would come to attack as soon as possible, and some even brought their families to join him.
On the third day of her tribulation, one of her trusted generals, bribed by the imperial court, attempted to assassinate her, intending to destroy the spiritual pillar of the rebel army. However, the assassination failed, and he was killed by Bai Lan instead. Bai Lan, who was skilled at binding her subordinates with Heart Demon Vow, had always known that human nature could not withstand the test. However, after she was truly betrayed once, her heart still ached for a second.
On the first day of the tribulation, the imperial court was unable to win the long war, and the people in the court were in a state of panic. The emperor had no choice but to send someone to negotiate peace, intending to win the world with Bai Lan, and even willing to submit to her. However, Bai Lan refused.
On the tenth day of the tribulation, Bai Lan led his troops to attack the capital in one fell swoop. The emperor surrendered, the old dynasty was destroyed, and the world was unified.
From the day Bai Lan raised her army, it took 11 months and three months to finally achieve her initial wish of unifying the world. Her mission was accomplished, and her Dao heart was stabilized.
By this time, Bai Lan's ambitions were no longer limited to being a rebel leader; she had already reached the highest position among mortals and was not afraid to take another step forward.
She held military power over the entire country, and her ministers and generals were all loyal followers who had fought alongside her in battles across the land. They were all her confidants, and the people also supported her. She was the rightful successor.
No one questioned her possibility of ascending the throne anymore. Even if some people questioned that there had never been a precedent of a woman becoming emperor, their voices were gradually drowned out by the wave of the establishment of the new dynasty, and no one cared.
Based on Bai Lan's prestige, even if she were to turn into a tortoise right now, they would still treat tortoises as sacred beasts.
Thus, overnight, Bai Lan was adorned in a yellow robe and sat high on the dragon throne, and the people's title for her changed from Lightning Summoning General to Your Majesty.