Monks and Daoists from the West

"Could it be that the Empress Dowager has violated some taboo in the art of fate? She seems to be targeted wave after wave. Could it be that she has cursed His Majesty's imperial destiny?"

After riding his horse for about five or six miles and disappearing into the mountains and forests, Zhang Xuezhou finally caught a glimpse of the massive cavalry and chariot.

When marching at night, pedestrians must give way. Not to mention ordinary people, even if the prime minister of the court were standing in front of them, if there is a mistake, arrows will rain down instantly.

Zhang Xuezhou kept his distance even further.

If Li Guang, the chief guard of the Weiyang Palace, were leading the team, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could have run even further.

Five or six li may seem far, but it's too close for cavalry. A charge and a flurry of arrows can hit a distant target.

Only when he felt relatively safe did Zhang Xuezhou stand in the mountains and watch the cavalry convoy rushing past from afar.

Thinking of Shen Peigong and his men who were digging pits and building tunnels in the village, Zhang Xuezhou felt that Shen Peigong's target was most likely the Empress Dowager.

The Empress Dowager is tainted with Sha Qi and ill omen; she may very well suffer another blow from fate-altering magic.

This was a figure at the very top of the Great Han Dynasty, possessing top-tier power and strength. However, in the constant clashes, the Empress Dowager gradually declined.

As Zhang Xuezhou sighed at this predicament, he couldn't help but wonder why the other party had ended up in such a state.

This is clearly an excellent case study and can serve as a reference for Zhang Xuezhou's techniques.

Not only the Empress Dowager, but also Emperor Jing, Prince Liang, and others, all suffered tragic ends despite possessing the highest fortune in the court.

This involves conflicts among top-tier individuals, which also leads to their prosperous fortunes becoming unremarkable.

Shen Peigong was the head of the Lu School of Confucian School and was also a figure with great fortune.

This will obviously produce some kind of hedging effect.

"From now on, when performing rituals, one must not offend His Majesty!"

After making a series of judgments, Zhang Xuezhou quickly summarized his most insightful point.

However, the very idea of cultivating one's destiny is stealing the emperor's fortune. This conclusion left Zhang Xuezhou in a dilemma, feeling that the art of cultivating destiny was neither a good thing nor a bad thing.

Of course, if neither left nor right works, you can give up practicing cultivation techniques.

Zhang Xuezhou didn't have much time left to cling to life, and he felt he would inevitably become impatient and try to see if there was any way to break free from the constraints he was under.

His utilitarian influence largely stemmed from his entanglement with the extraterrestrial demons.

If his life wasn't threatened, Zhang Xuezhou felt he was living a pretty good life.

Whenever the scene of fighting Huang appeared in his mind, Zhang Xuezhou thought of the extraterrestrial demon who possessed even stronger abilities than him, and he felt an inexplicable urgency, making it difficult for him to stop his eager pursuit of quick success and profit.

Zhang Xuezhou is fairly certain that if his cultivation reaches the level of an Emperor, or even falls slightly below that level, he will likely have the ability to protect himself.

Although he hadn't even reached the Divine Ability Realm, Zhang Xuezhou had indeed entertained thoughts of standing at the Emperor level.

He took a deep breath of the cold air and realized that someone like him was suited to scheming and maneuvering.

As long as it didn't threaten his life, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could compromise on anything; but if it was something that could help him, Zhang Xuezhou felt he would definitely face the challenge head-on.

"Having devoted his entire life to the study of Huang-Lao philosophy, he's now trapped in a cycle from which he can't escape!"

Thinking of himself, Zhang Xuezhou looked even more at the Empress Dowager.

He couldn't help but wonder if the Empress Dowager could possibly break this deadlock.

"Walk!"

Once the cavalry convoy had passed, Zhang Xuezhou quickly spurred his black horse toward the civilian district Chang'an City.

This was a place that he and Rong Tianding were both very familiar with, and Wei Shao'er's thatched hut was also suitable for temporary accommodation.

Compared to a carriage, the black and white horses were undoubtedly extremely fast.

Aside from the fact that running at night left Rong Tianding and Yi Shuo with white lips from the cold and unable to speak, there were no other adverse effects.

Perhaps due to the strong deterrent effect of Wei Shao'er's establishment of authority, no one has taken advantage of this thatched house to move in to this day.

The room was rather basic, but it had everything you'd expect.

Zhang Xuezhou started a fire in the hearth and then put water in the hanging stove.

"You guys warm yourselves up by the fire and have some hot water first, I'm going to lie down!"

Zhang Xuezhou gestured to himself, whispered something to Rong Tianding, and then lay back down on the straw bed.

His vital essence flickered and then emerged from his body.

As long as it maintains an effective connection with the body, Zhang Xuezhou's Yang Soul can be intangible, or it can quickly condense into the Yang Soul body transformed by the Venerable One and manifest a form.

His spirit rose and then peeked out through the crack in the door.

After leaping into the air, he floated and drifted towards Yangling.

For travelers, a journey of dozens of miles is arduous and difficult, but for those skilled in flying and leaping, it is only a matter of moments.

Red lanterns hung high in the distance, illuminating Yangling.

When the cavalrymen, carrying torches, charged in, the Yangling Mausoleum was illuminated as if it were daytime.

Zhang Xuezhou's Yang Soul form can be detected by great cultivators, but not by ordinary cultivators.

Just like Shen Peigong boldly and confidently escaping to patrol Yangpo, Yangpo would not be killed under normal circumstances; trouble would only arise if his identity was discovered.

Zhang Xuezhou floated into the air; instead of remaining aloof as an observer, he blended into the ranks of the cavalry.

As numerous cavalrymen dismounted and walked upon entering Yangling as a sign of respect for Emperor Jing, Zhang Xuezhou followed suit, walking slowly.

His gaze was fixed ahead, on the high-standard carriage of Anle Palace, which must be carrying the mistress of Anle Palace.

"A Buddha with Divine Ability, a monk with great Divine Ability abilities?"

The carriage from Anle Palace continued its journey until it came to a slow stop in front of the imperial tomb.

The array formation in this tomb chamber went out of control, causing the chamber to be filled with Sha Qi and filling it with yellow earth. The entire imperial mausoleum has now turned into a huge mound of earth.

In front of the imperial tomb, a gaunt old monk sat cross-legged at the entrance of the tomb chamber, chanting scriptures.

The arrival of the royal convoy did not faze the old monk in the slightest. He only looked up once the Empress Dowager stepped out of the carriage.

"Have you found my disciple, the Tathagata?" the old monk asked, stopping his chanting.

"Not yet," the Empress Dowager replied with a slight bow.

"Have you found the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl that I need?" the old monk asked again.

"I have already issued orders throughout the Great Han, and it will take some time for the news to get back," said the Empress Dowager. "However, I have heard that Zhu Jiuyin seems to possess an extraordinary celestial pearl!"

"The old monk can only take from Zhu Jiuyin and never give out; there's nothing he can do about it," the old monk shook his head and said, "I can't retrieve that pearl!"

"Master Ran Deng is also the lord of a Sacred Land. Could it be that he is no match for this powerful demon?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"We could win," Master Ran Deng nodded and then shook his head, "But the losses outweigh the gains. It would be better to look for other beads. After all, there are twenty-four beads in total, so taking one less won't matter!"

The monks performing rituals in front of the imperial tombs were hairless, yet the Empress Dowager referred to them as Daoist priests, making their identities extremely contradictory and bizarre.

The other party refers to the Buddha as a disciple of my religion, which clearly indicates they belong to the Western Sect.

Perhaps the other party was a Daoist in the past, which is why the Empress Dowager, the leader of Daoism in the Great Han, was familiar with him.