The righteous path punishes Heaven

Chapter 100 The Banner of Faith

"Senior brother, what should we do?" asked a somewhat overweight Wudang Mountain disciple.

Chen Tianfan's expression was serious as he stared at the waterfall in front of him, lost in thought.

At this time, the people of Wudang Mountain had been fighting with the Quanzhen Sect for a long time and were no longer able to compete with other sects for opportunities, so they had to find another way out.

Gu Changpeng was also seriously injured in the previous battle with the Old Monster of the Underworld. Now, the leader of Wudang Mountain in search of new opportunities is Chen Tianfan, the eldest disciple of the inner sect.

The location they discovered was the entrance Zhang Yunling had used to enter the secret realm, which was the waterfall.

Even though Zhang Yunling was blessed with good fortune, he still needed the wine gourd to enter. Dong Wan's accidental entry was also due to her own good luck.

Wudang Mountain, which was the first to discover the Immortal Ruins, has now become the last to seize the opportunity. This reversal of fortune has plunged everyone into deep regret.

"It's truly unexpected... Since the Third Calamity descended, the entire Five Domains have been overturned, yet the three great Daoist sects of yesteryear have still managed to develop such a profound foundation..."

Chen Tianfan gripped the spear tightly and said with some reluctance.

......

The Imperial Palace, a side hall of the inner palace.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, was already seated in the main seat, with three ministers sitting on either side of him. However, one seat was empty, which was reserved for Li Linfu.

"Didn't I ask you to deliver a secret edict to Li Linfu? Why haven't you shown up yet?" Li Longji asked the eunuch Gao Lishi with a displeased expression.

At this moment, Minister of Culture Yang Guozhong said, "Li Linfu has been frequently going in and out of the Hanlin Academy recently. I saw him going out alone at noon today. I wonder what he's doing..."

Princess Yuzhen, Li Xuanxuan, who was sitting to Li Longji's right, already knew that Yang Guozhong and Li Linfu were at odds and often had secret infighting. She immediately said, "Why don't we wait a little longer? Prime Minister Li is always cautious in his actions. There must be a reason why he is so late. What do you think, Your Majesty?"

Before Li Longji could answer, he noticed a fluctuation in the jade slip at his waist. This jade slip was only activated when the guards outside the door had an emergency to report.

Li Longji waved his left hand, and the divine power covering the entire hall instantly dissipated. He said in a deep voice, "What is it?"

The guards opened the palace doors and rushed in, kneeling on one knee and shouting, "Your Majesty! Hanlin Academician Li Changgeng requests an audience!"

Li Longji was already in a bad mood because Li Linfu was late, and when he heard that Li Changgeng was not staying properly and had come to the inner palace, he asked with some anger:

"Li Changgeng? What's he doing here?"

At this moment, a figure in a green robe appeared; it was Zhang Yunling. He did not speak, but instead walked slowly toward Li Longji.

The guard kneeling on the ground dared not act rashly, because the dozen or so guards outside had already been dealt with by this man. All he could do was smash the jade slip and report to Li Longji.

Li Xuanxuan's red lips parted slightly. She had already noticed something amiss. The great poet who spent his days eating, drinking, and having fun at the inn actually had obvious spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from him.

Gao Lishi, who was standing nearby, also noticed something was wrong and rebuked, "Li Changgeng, do you know where you are? How dare you trespass into the inner palace and offend His Majesty!"

Zhang Yunling then took out the imperial edict that was supposed to be given to Li Linfu from his storage bag and said to Gao Lishi, "What are you all saying? Can't you see this imperial edict? This is a personal order from His Majesty."

"you!..."

Li Longji suddenly laughed, raised his hand to interrupt Gao Lishi, and beckoned to Zhang Yunling: "Chang Geng, come, sit over here."

Zhang Yunling smiled and walked naturally toward the seat to Li Longji's left.

"You can go out now. Here's a jade slip for you. If anything happens, just smash it." Li Longji tossed a jade slip out, and the guard caught it with both hands. After agreeing, he hurriedly ran out and closed the palace door tightly.

Seeing the Emperor's actions, the other three dared not say a word, and instead stole glances at Zhang Yunling, while remaining silent on the surface, waiting for Li Longji's next instructions.

Zhang Yunling's divine sense once again enveloped the entire hall, and he narrowed his eyes, secretly observing the reactions of Yang Guozhong and the others.

Just as he had expected, the court had more than just Li Linfu as a cultivator. From Emperor Xuanzong of Tang to his trusted ministers, they were all cultivators. Yet Zhang Yunling, who had been in the court for three whole years, had not noticed anything amiss. Now that he thought about it, it was truly terrifying.

Li Longji was also observing Zhang Yunling's condition. The secret meeting held in this side hall of the inner palace today was actually for something related to him.

Li Longji slowly turned the gold ring on the ring finger of his left hand, and a golden light emanated from the ring. An item flew out from the ring and appeared in the open space in the center of the hall.

Upon seeing this item, the ministers sitting around all became serious, and Zhang Yunling also turned his attention to it.

It was a yellow rectangular flag with a red dragon embroidered on it. The flag was three meters high and one meter wide. When it was released, it was not planted directly on the ground, but a golden light appeared at the junction of the flagpole and the ground, which was very strange.

Yang Guozhong, Gao Lishi, and Li Xuanxuan were all shocked, as was Zhang Yunling. Although the first three had seen it a few times before, this flag represented supreme imperial power and the faith of all people. Its mere presence in the world would bring a sense of exhilaration and excitement to people's hearts.

Zhang Yunling, on the other hand, was different. When he was an official, he was just a low-ranking official of the eighth grade. He had no right to go to the imperial court and naturally could not see any imperial banners.

More importantly, he had never seen this flag before, but the spiritual energy emanating from it made him feel extremely uneasy.

"What's going on?...Why do I feel a sense of fear..." Zhang Yunling cautiously used his divine sense to explore the area, trying to figure out what the power contained in the flag was.

At this moment, Li Longji spoke up: "Chang Geng, this must be your first time meeting him. Let me introduce you."

These words startled Zhang Yunling, who was secretly releasing his divine sense. Fortunately, he had good self-control and did not give himself away. He quickly put on a smiling face and gestured to Li Longji.

"This treasure has been passed down since the Shang and Zhou dynasties. It was created by the Great Emperor, the son of King Zhou of Shang. After ascending to immortality, he poured all his cultivation into this banner, so that it could transform the people's respect for the court and their support for the emperor into the power of faith and store it in this banner."

Li Longji stepped down from his seat and walked step by step toward the flag.

"Ultimately, this power of faith will be used by the imperial court. Whether it is to fight against foreign enemies or to resist natural disasters, the imperial court will have a powerful trump card. Later generations, in order to commemorate the great feats of King Zhou of Shang, called him the ancestor of the human race, and this banner is called the Human Emperor Banner."

Gao Lishi, Li Xuanxuan, and the others all showed expressions of admiration, expressing their respect for the huge banner that radiated brilliant golden light without reservation.

Li Longji suddenly turned around and stared at Zhang Yunling. He spoke again, "Three years ago, the Emperor's Banner suddenly showed a strong reaction that had not appeared in the past few decades."

"But since the source is unknown, I have temporarily put the matter aside until I have a clue before dealing with it. During this period, the fluctuations generated by the Emperor's Banner have been so strong that I have had to take them seriously, which is why this secret meeting was convened."

Zhang Yunling stood there, stared directly at by Li Longji. Although his expression remained calm, his mind was in turmoil. The thought of Xuanzong, who hadn't even known if Zhang Yunling was a cultivator, yet still told him everything... sent chills down Zhang Yunling's spine and chilled him to the bone.

Gao Lishi already had a problem with Zhang Yunling, and seeing Emperor Xuanzong's attitude, he also turned his suspicious gaze to Zhang Yunling's face.

"Since ancient times, cultivators have ruled dynasties in the mortal realm, but for various reasons, we have chosen to conceal our identities. But you, Chang Geng... to have such an impact on the imperial banner, you must be no ordinary person..."

With each word Li Longji spoke, he took a step toward Zhang Yunling, and the gazes of the other three ministers also turned toward him. What he initially thought was an advantageous situation was actually in Li Longji's hands from beginning to end.

"Tell me... who exactly are you?"