After so many days in the wilderness, slogging through swamps and forests, Tang Changsheng's clothes were in tatters. He looked like a savage. Now that he had cleaned himself up, he was fit to be seen again.
He did not even need water. He merely swept Wishfire over his body, and every trace of mud and grime vanished. He even gave off a fresh, clean air.
Once he changed into a Daoist robe, he looked all the more like an otherworldly master. If only he had a white beard and white hair, anyone who saw him might have taken him for an immortal!
There was no one outside Elephantwater City. Its gates were shut tight; word of the Tribal Stockade Barbarians' advance had evidently reached it already.
Flags and armored soldiers lined the walls, keeping watch.
The soldiers were startled to see Tang Changsheng appear. With war at their doorstep and the city's guardian deity warning of danger, a carefree Daoist in spotless robes seemed almost too strange to believe. They suspected a trick!
But when they saw he was alone, they let out a collective breath. "Stop there! Identify yourself!"
Tang Changsheng could not be bothered to answer. He called forth the Primordial Yang Divine Lamp, and Wishfire flared around him, making him look like an immortal.
"An immortal..."
The sight had precisely the effect Tang Changsheng had hoped for. Chaos broke out atop the wall.
He smiled, rose smoothly into the air, and flew straight onto the gatehouse. At the sight, the defenders dropped to their knees in a wave.
Ordinary people always held those who glowed and flew through the sky in reverence, taking them for immortals.
Just as the defenders bowed their heads, a young Daoist rushed forward and pointed at Tang Changsheng. "What kind of