Tap, tap...
Soft footsteps sounded as Huang Tian walked unhurriedly toward the Yellow Turban Army's central camp. Wherever he went, the crowd knelt.
Soon, Zhang Jiao's carriage came from the center of the camp and stopped a hundred paces from Huang Tian. Though Zhang Jiao was terribly weak and wracked with pain, he still gripped the Nine-Section Staff and struggled down from the carriage. He staggered forward, nearly stumbling, then knelt before Huang Tian with utmost reverence:
"Jiao pays his respects to the Holy Venerable Huang Tian!"
At his side, Zhang Liang, his head wrapped in a yellow turban and clad in armor, knelt as well. He bowed his head deep to the ground. "Liang pays his respects to the Holy Venerable Huang Tian!"
Watching Zhang Jiao, the leader of hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turbans across the land, kneel before him, Huang Tian felt no sense of accomplishment. He only felt that they were bound by a remarkable yuan.
If Zhang Jiao had not led the Yellow Turban uprising, the cry "The Yellow Heaven shall rise" might never have reached Huang Tian's ears. And without that, Huang Tian would have found it difficult to cross between worlds.
That was one of the reasons Huang Tian stood with the Yellow Turban Army.
Fate was a wondrous thing.
He walked up beside Zhang Jiao. His small, childish figure stood only slightly taller than Zhang Jiao, who was kneeling on the ground. It looked rather comical, but to the countless Yellow Turban soldiers, this was a scene of supreme holiness!
The Sovereign Yellow Absolute in the heavens, the Great Virtuous Teacher on earth—a god meeting his followers across the ages!
Huang Tian looked down at Zhang Jiao. His first words were beyond anyone's expectations:
"You're going to die soon."
Zhang Jiao's body shuddered. Of course, he didn't think Huang Tian meant to kill him. He thought the God Huang Tian had seen that he was being tormented by illness and had little time left.
He opened his mouth, but did not ask the God Huang Tian to save him.
A god was a god. Even as a reincarnation of a god who had descended to earth, he remained a divine being not to be profaned.
Mortals, by contrast, would always be mortals. Even the Great Virtuous Teacher and the emperor of the Han Court were still mortal.
Thousands of years later, Immortal Gods would remain alongside heaven and earth, while mortals would have long since turned to a mound of yellow earth and scattered on the wind.
Zhang Jiao did not wish to speak, and Zhang Liang did not dare. The latter was still in a daze.
They had thought they were facing a battle they could only lose, yet the Yellow Heaven had descended and helped them defeat the Han Army with ease. It was a scene he could never have dreamed up.
Even the sight of Emperor Guangwu "summoning" a meteor in days past was nowhere near as wondrous and absurd as what had happened today.
Seeing the brothers Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang fall silent, Huang Tian continued with his second statement:
"In the Sovereign Yellow Primordial Realm, I dreamed my way into the myriad worlds. I heard that believers in this world were suffering calamity and chanting my name, so I sent down a fragment of my divine consciousness to break their tribulation and spread the Dao."
Zhang Jiao replied sincerely, "Holy Venerable, the common people have suffered grievously. Jiao had no choice but to rise in rebellion. But the Han Court was too powerful, and Jiao lost battle after battle. Thankfully, the Holy Venerable has graced the mortal world and saved us all."
Huang Tian smiled faintly and reached out his small, fair hand, gently resting it on Zhang Jiao's head.
In the next moment, Zhang Jiao felt a cool current flow from his head through his entire body. It was like rain soaking a withered patch of grass. His ruined body filled with a sense of relief and ease.
"Thank you, Holy Venerable!" Zhang Jiao bowed his head even lower, his gratitude heartfelt.
While maintaining the pose of an immortal gently laying a hand on his crown, Huang Tian silently sensed the spiritual energy of the Late Han Dynasty World.
Yes, this world had spiritual energy, too. Though Huang Tian had no cultivation at the moment, he could absorb spiritual energy through breathing exercises, then guide a thread of it through Zhang Jiao's body.
Spiritual energy really can cure illness...
Huang Tian had two reasons for healing Zhang Jiao. First, he would be useful going forward. Second, Huang Tian wanted to test the effects of spiritual energy on ordinary people, especially the sick.
He could now confirm that spiritual energy could indeed cure the sick, save lives, and strengthen the body.
A dozen or so breaths later, Huang Tian withdrew his small hand and said calmly, "Rise."
"Yes!"
Everyone stood. Feeling the abundant vitality within him, Zhang Jiao was overjoyed and grew even more devout.
"Please enter the city and rest, Holy Venerable," Zhang Jiao said with his head bowed.
"Very well."
Huang Tian strode ahead, with Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang close behind to guide him. The other commanders followed as well, leaving only a few officers to deal with the surrendering Han troops.
There was no helping it. Now that the Holy Venerable Huang Tian had descended to the mortal world, accompanying him was the most important thing. The mere Han Army was of little consequence.
Once they entered the city, the old and weak Yellow Turbans inside broke into another chaotic flurry of prostrations. Huang Tian paid them no mind, lest they remain kneeling too long, and headed straight for the county offices.
The county offices of Guangzong City were not especially grand. Zhang Jiao had neither rebuilt nor renovated them after taking the city. Still, the grounds were spacious and filled with flowering plants and trees. The place had an old-fashioned charm that made it quite agreeable.
In a bright room, Huang Tian dismissed everyone else and kept Zhang Jiao alone.
"Holy Venerable, is there anything you need? I'll have someone bring it to you."
Zhang Jiao spoke cautiously. He knew the Holy Child before him was only a fragment of the "Holy Venerable Huang Tian's" divine consciousness sent into the mortal world. Perhaps he had not transcended the mundane and still needed mortal offerings.
Seeing through his thoughts, Huang Tian said, "Fine food and beautiful women are dust to cultivators; they do not pursue such things. Though this body has almost no cultivation and must practice diligently each day, it has no need for worldly possessions. Just bring me two meals a day."
"Yes." Zhang Jiao hesitated, then asked, "How does the Holy Venerable wish to deal with the Han Army and the Han Court?"
He had no doubt Huang Tian could destroy the entire Great Han. After all, he was the reincarnation of an Immortal God!
He simply wasn't sure what Huang Tian intended to do, and feared that he might act against the Holy Venerable's wishes.
Huang Tian replied, "Hold off on sending out troops. Destroying the Han Court won't happen overnight. Put your heart into reorganizing the Han troops who surrendered today and build up your strength."
With more than ten thousand seasoned Han troops joining them, the Yellow Turban Army's strength would surely increase greatly. By then, Guangzong alone would have an army of more than fifty thousand. Add Zhang Bao, stationed at Xiaquyang, and the Yellow Turbans of Ji Province would number a hundred thousand!
With a hundred thousand men, even a little training would leave the Commandery Soldiers in Ji Province powerless to resist. The Yellow Turban Army could take the whole province with ease.
"Jiao understands."
After Zhang Jiao left, Huang Tian wandered around the room with his hands behind his back, looking at this and that. Once his curiosity was somewhat satisfied, he returned to his seat and gathered his thoughts.
Huang Tian had two goals in the Late Han Dynasty World.
First, he would use the time difference between the Late Han Dynasty World and Blue Star to reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining here as quickly as possible. Then, he would "cultivate anew" on Blue Star. Since his cultivation speed was already astonishingly fast, it would surely become faster still.
Second, he would try to unify the realm. He had a feeling that leading the Yellow Turban Army to pacify the land would bring him considerable benefits. He didn't yet know what those benefits would be, but he didn't mind receiving them.
Of course, unifying the realm would also spare the people the suffering of war. That was one of his goals, too.
"When poor, one cultivates virtue in oneself; when prosperous, one extends it to all under heaven. As the Sovereign Yellow Absolute descended to the mortal world, I have the ability to bring order to the realm and lasting peace to its people. Why wouldn't I?"
As the thought passed through his mind, Huang Tian sank into a state of empty stillness.
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