HLnovel Chapter 107 Chaos
Chapter 107 Chaos
"A cultivator... a cultivator of immortality?" Du Fu was very shocked and asked, "My benefactor, you possess powerful magic, why would you help a poor mortal like me?"
Chen Tianfan shook his head, grasped Du Fu's slightly trembling hand, and calmly said, "Not all cultivators despise mortals; in fact, we are more interested in seeking your help. Could you tell me what exactly happened at the imperial court?"
At this point, Du Fu's face darkened. "Several years ago, I failed the imperial examination, and coincidentally, treacherous officials in the court were causing trouble, which ruined my career."
"The current tragic situation is that the emperor allows treacherous officials to wield power, causing immense suffering to the people. A man named An Lushan seized the opportunity to rebel, and his army even reached the capital... The people in the city were not spared; they were indiscriminately slaughtered by the rebels. Only a handful of families, including mine, escaped... Now the world is in chaos. If the court does not send troops to suppress it, other cultivators from across the continent will also come to profit from the chaos..."
Chen Tianfan frowned. He hadn't expected that his Wudang Sect would stumble into this secret realm by accident because of a massive war that had broken out here. If they wanted to obtain any opportunities, they would have to participate in this war.
The First Elder, Gu Changpeng, also came to a conclusion. He stepped forward, patted Chen Tianfan on the shoulder, and said in a deep voice:
“Tianfan, this mortal dynasty is by no means simple. This secret realm was created by the Immortal Ruins, and every move it makes must have a corresponding reason. We have already wasted several days, and now it is time to set off.”
Chen Tianfan nodded vigorously, and the Wudang disciples began to head towards the capital city as indicated by Du Fu.
Lushan.
Zhang Yunling, Dong Wan, and the Black and White Protectors of the Qiankun Dao Sect were hiding in a small village.
At this time, the An Lushan Rebellion had been raging for half a month. Zhang Yunling took the initiative to resign from his official position as a Hanlin scholar, left the court, and escaped the pursuit of the An Lushan coalition. Now, they began to study how to break through the secret realm in this village.
“I suspect that this secret realm itself has its own consciousness. All of this happened too suddenly, and it deviates greatly from the history I know,” Zhang Yunling said with a frown.
The four of them were sitting in a thatched hut discussing matters when they heard Zhang Yunling's words. Dong Wan nodded and said, "You're right. But if that's the case, then it's more normal. This is a secret realm created by an immortal thousands of years ago using only the immortal power left on his corpse. Don't underestimate it."
"And most importantly, haven't you noticed something?" Dong Wan pressed.
"What?" Zhang Yunling was puzzled, but then he froze on the spot. He touched his face in disbelief and found a wisp of beard on his chin.
Dong Wan said with a serious expression, "Actually, I noticed it a long time ago, but the situation has become more and more obvious these past few days, and I simply couldn't bear to watch anymore. We are cultivators, and even someone at your Golden Core stage should have a lifespan of at least three hundred years. Yet, in just a few decades, you've already turned into this decrepit old man..."
After carefully touching his face and beard, Zhang Yunling's expression immediately changed from astonishment to joy. He hurriedly asked Dong Wan, "Miss Dong, do you have a mirror I can borrow?"
Dong Wan was puzzled by his inexplicable appearance. This young man had gone from a handsome young man to an old man, and not only was he not afraid, he was even so happy. Could it be that he had lost his mind after staying in this secret realm for so long?
“I don’t have a mirror,” Dong Wan shook her head.
"What? You don't have one??" Zhang Yunling asked incredulously, "You're a young girl and you don't even have a mirror? What do you use to put on makeup?"
"Who told you I was going to put on makeup? How tacky." Dong Wan rolled her eyes at him, but still raised her hand and released a spell to simulate a mirror.
"Well, this will have to do," Dong Wan said, arms crossed and pouting unhappily. She was curious to see what Zhang Yunling was up to.
"My God... I've really gotten old... Oh my god..." Zhang Yunling sighed repeatedly as she stroked her wrinkled face in front of the mirror.
Sitting to the side, Dong Wan had completely lost her patience with his foolish appearance and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense! You're just a decrepit old man now. What should we do next? Hurry up and come up with an idea!"
The black and white guardians beside them even started snoring. This whole thing was incredibly boring, and the two of them didn't even have a chance to interject. They remained silent until they both started to doze off.
Zhang Yunling suddenly burst into laughter. He had figured out how to break the deadlock. He then sat back down next to Dong Wan and picked up the teacup on the table to drink.
"...?" Dong Wan was even more convinced that this guy must have gone mad.
Before she could give Zhang Yunling another good scolding, she heard the sound of horses' hooves outside the door. The few villagers in the village were terrified by this group of people and dared not resist.
Only then did Zhang Yunling put down his teacup, step forward, and push open the door. He was greeted by a group of soldiers on horseback, fully armed, who were going from house to house asking about something.
"Hey, you guys, come here." Zhang Yunling put his hands behind his back, clearly looking like a hermit, and his tone became much colder.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers immediately ran towards him, and one of them asked, "Who are you?"
Zhang Yunling gave a light snort and spoke loudly:
"I am Li Bai, the greatest scholar of the Tang Dynasty, the immortal Venus descended to earth!"
The soldier nodded: "Our governor wants to see you. He says there's something very important to discuss."
Zhang Yunling's lips curled up as she pressed on, "What are your adults' names?"
The soldier said with a serious expression, "Prince Yong of Tang, Li Lin."