The Immortal Touches My Crown

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A soft sound of footsteps echoed. Huang Tian walked toward the center of the Yellow Turban Army without haste; wherever he went, the crowd knelt and prostrated themselves.

Before long, Zhang Jiao's carriage arrived from the main camp, stopping a hundred paces from Huang Tian. Although Zhang Jiao was frail and wracked with pain, he gripped his Nine-Section Staff and forced himself off the carriage. He stumbled, moving in a near-stagger toward Huang Tian, and knelt with profound piety:

"Jiao pays respects to Holy Venerable Huang Tian!"

Beside him, Zhang Liang, wearing a yellow turban and armor, knelt as well, burying his head deep into the ground. "Liang pays respects to Holy Venerable Huang Tian!"

Watching Zhang Jiao, the leader of hundreds of thousands of Yellow Turban soldiers, prostrate before him, Huang Tian felt no sense of accomplishment, only that this was a matter of "fate."

If Zhang Jiao had not led the Yellow Turban Rebellion, their cry that "The Yellow Heaven shall stand" would never have reached his ears, and Huang Tian would have found it difficult to cross the boundaries of worlds.

This was one of the reasons Huang Tian stood on the side of the Yellow Turban Army.

Fate is truly marvelous.

He walked up to Zhang Jiao; his small, childlike stature was only slightly taller than the kneeling Zhang Jiao, which might have seemed comical, but to the countless Yellow Turban soldiers, it was a scene of utmost sanctity!

The Sovereign Yellow Absolute in the heavens and the Great Virtuous Teacher on earth—a century-defining meeting between a god and his believer!

Huang Tian looked down at Zhang Jiao, his first words exceeding everyone's expectations:

"You are dying."

Zhang Jiao's body shuddered. Naturally, he did not think Huang Tian intended to kill him; rather, he understood that the god saw his body, tormented by illness, had little time left.

He opened his mouth but could not bring himself to beg the god for his life.

A god is a god; even if this was a mortal incarnation, it was a deity that could not be profaned.

And mortals are always merely mortals; even the Great Virtuous Teacher or the Emperor of the Han Court was still just a mortal.

A thousand years from now, immortals and gods would still exist alongside heaven and earth, while mortals would have long since turned into a handful of dust, scattered by the wind.

Zhang Jiao dared not speak, and Zhang Liang dared not either, the latter still in a state of bewilderment.

He had expected a battle destined for defeat, yet the descent of Huang Tian had helped them crush the Han Army with ease—a scene he could never have dreamed of.

Even the legendary day Emperor Guangwu "summoned" a meteor paled in comparison to the miraculous and surreal events of today.

Seeing the brothers Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang fall silent, Huang Tian continued with his second sentence:

"I dreamed of the myriad worlds while in the Sovereign Yellow Primordial Realm and heard that the faithful of this world were suffering, chanting my name. Thus, I cast a sliver of my spiritual consciousness into this world to break the calamity and preach the Way."

Zhang Jiao said sincerely, "Holy Venerable, the common people are suffering, and Jiao had no choice but to raise the banner of rebellion. Alas, the Han Court is powerful, and Jiao has suffered defeat after defeat. Fortunately, the Holy Venerable has graced the earth to save our people."

Huang Tian smiled faintly and reached out a fair, small hand, gently resting it on Zhang Jiao's head.

The next moment, Zhang Jiao felt a cool, refreshing current flow from his head throughout his entire body. It was like withered grass being nourished by a heavy rain, and a sense of clarity and ease washed over his decaying frame.

"Thank you, Holy Venerable!!" Zhang Jiao buried his head even lower, his voice filled with genuine emotion.

Huang Tian maintained the posture of an immortal bestowing a blessing while silently sensing the spiritual energy of the Late Han Dynasty World.

Yes, this world possessed spiritual energy. Although Huang Tian had no cultivation base at this moment, he could absorb spiritual energy through respiration and guide a wisp of it through Zhang Jiao's body.

Spiritual energy can indeed cure illnesses...

Huang Tian thought to himself. He had healed Zhang Jiao partly because this man would be useful, and partly to test the effects of spiritual energy on ordinary people and the sick.

Now it was certain: spiritual energy could indeed cure diseases, save lives, and strengthen the body.

After a dozen breaths, Huang Tian withdrew his small hand and said calmly, "All of you, rise."

"Understood!"

Everyone rose. Zhang Jiao felt the abundant vitality surging within him and, filled with joy, became even more devout.

"Please, Holy Venerable, enter the city to rest," Zhang Jiao said with his head bowed.

"Very well."

Huang Tian took the lead, walking at the front. Zhang Jiao and Zhang Liang followed closely behind to guide him, while the various commanders followed in their wake, leaving only a few officers to deal with the surrendered Han soldiers.

There was no choice; after the Holy Venerable had descended, staying by his side was the most important thing. The mere Han Army was not worth mentioning.

Upon entering the city, the old and weak Yellow Turbans inside burst into a chaotic round of prostrations. Huang Tian ignored them to prevent them from kneeling for too long and headed straight for the county government office.

The county office of Guangzong City was not particularly grand, and Zhang Jiao had not renovated it after capturing the city. However, it occupied a large area and was planted with many flowers and trees, giving it an antique charm that was quite satisfactory.

In a bright room, Huang Tian dismissed the others, leaving only Zhang Jiao behind.

"Holy Venerable, is there anything you require? I shall have it brought to you."

Zhang Jiao spoke cautiously. He knew the Holy Child before him was merely a sliver of the "Holy Venerable Huang Tian's" spiritual consciousness and might not have transcended the mortal world to the point of needing offerings.

Huang Tian saw through his thoughts. "Fine food and beautiful people are like dust; a cultivator does not pursue them. Though this body has almost no cultivation and requires daily practice, it has no need for worldly goods. You need only provide two meals a day."

"As you command." Zhang Jiao hesitated for a moment before asking, "How does the Holy Venerable intend to deal with the Han Army and the Han Court?"

He did not doubt for a moment that Huang Tian had the power to annihilate the entire Han Dynasty; this was an immortal god reincarnate!

He was simply uncertain of Huang Tian's plans and feared doing something that ran contrary to the deity's will.

Huang Tian replied, "Hold off on further attacks. Destroying the Han Court is not a task for a single day. Focus your efforts on reorganizing the surrendered Han soldiers and building up your strength."

With over ten thousand elite Han Army soldiers defecting, the Yellow Turban Army's strength would surely surge. At that point, Guangzong alone would have over fifty thousand troops, and with Zhang Bao stationed at Xiaquyang, the Yellow Turbans in Ji Province would number a hundred thousand!

With a hundred thousand men, and a little training, the Commandery Soldiers within Ji Province would be utterly defenseless, and the Yellow Turban Army could easily conquer all of Ji Province.

"Jiao understands."

After Zhang Jiao departed, Huang Tian paced around the room with his hands behind his back, looking at this and that, satisfying his curiosity a little before returning to his seat and calming his mind.

Arriving in the Late Han Dynasty World, Huang Tian had two goals.

First, he wanted to use the time difference between the Late Han Dynasty World and Blue Star to cultivate to the sixth level of Qi Refining as quickly as possible. Then, he would "re-cultivate" on Blue Star, expecting his already rapid cultivation speed to accelerate further.

Second, he wanted to attempt to unify the realm. He had a hunch that leading the Yellow Turban Army to pacify the land would bring him considerable benefits. He didn't know what these benefits were yet, but he didn't mind receiving them.

Of course, after unifying the realm, the common people would naturally suffer less from the ravages of war; this was also one of his objectives.

"The poor mind their own virtue, the rich benefit the world. As the 'Sovereign Yellow Absolute' descended, I have the ability to bring stability to the realm and lasting peace to the people. Why wouldn't I do so?"

As this thought flashed through his mind, Huang Tian entered a state of deep meditation.