All I can say is that the Overlord is simply too strong! He's so strong that he has no friends left. But thankfully, despite all this, he still doesn't dare to cause trouble in Luoyang.
Otherwise, Emperor Ling could easily suppress him if he so desired. Of course, outside of Luoyang, Emperor Ling would be powerless against him.
"Tsk tsk tsk, such a formidable figure, just wreaking havoc in Jiangdong. I'd better stay in my cave for a while longer. Hmm, that's right, for safety's sake, I'll wait until things calm down before going out," Lin Yang muttered to himself. Then, he continued refining the token in his hand.
After a long while, and who knows how much time had passed, the token had been mostly refined. He had also consumed one fasting pill after another.
Even within the cave, more than 80% of the scattered chaotic energy had been refined, revealing its true form.
However, at that moment, a notification sound suddenly rang in his ears. After a moment of surprise, Lin Yang said, "So, without realizing it, three months have already passed!"
The appropriate permissions of the chosen one were detected, and the task was deliberately released three days in advance.
Please note: This is an optional task; you may choose one of the two tasks.
Mission One: Suppress Buddhism! Suppress Buddhism! Suppress Buddhism! If possible, establish a Taoist kingdom on Earth. Even if that's not possible, make it the greatest religion in the world.
Task Description: This task was issued by Zhang Lu. The following is Zhang Lu's description of this task.
The Taoist sects in this world are quite powerful, but they are all cowards! The Buddhist sects, on the other hand, are incredibly audacious. There is even a sect called Cihang Jingzhai that openly chooses an emperor under the guise of "choosing an emperor on behalf of Heaven."
Oh, by the way, this world is currently in chaos. And...
Mission requirements: Suppress Buddhism, not necessarily to completely eradicate it, but at least to severely weaken it. Also, help me establish a Taoist kingdom on Earth.
Task Rewards: The Zhang family's treasury in Hanzhong, containing items of rank four and below—choose whatever you like! Additionally, if the Earthly Dao Kingdom is successfully established, there will still be a position for a National Preceptor.
Looking at these descriptions, Lin Yang knew that this world was most likely the Tang Dynasty. Looking at Zhang Lu's mission requirements, Lin Yang could only say, "If you walk the dark path too often, you're bound to encounter a ghost eventually."
Those fake nuns at Cihang Jingzhai have finally met their match! If they hadn't shouted such an arrogant slogan as "Choose an Emperor on Behalf of Heaven," perhaps Zhang Lu wouldn't have even noticed them. But now? One can only say, Heaven's sins may be forgiven, but self-inflicted sins are unforgivable!
In a sense, this can be considered a case of "no zuo no die" (meaning someone who courts disaster).
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Chapter 71: The High-Class Emperor Chosen by Heaven
"Suppressing Buddhism, promoting Taoism, and establishing a Taoist kingdom on Earth, especially in a world like the Tang Dynasty—this is truly an interesting affair. None of these three things are simple. But that's precisely what makes it so fascinating," Lin Yang said with a smile as he read the description.
To be honest, he also felt that Cihang Jingzhai's actions were too arrogant. The banner of "choosing an emperor on behalf of Heaven" was far too reactionary and too likely to provoke hatred.
If it were just a slogan, that would be one thing, but these fake nuns actually did it. And, in the original story, they actually succeeded.
Unfortunately, now that they've encountered the chosen ones of the main world, especially a true direct descendant of the Daoist sect like Zhang Lu, they can only laugh it off.
"Then, what's the other option?" Lin Yang said calmly.
The second option: The Great Song Dynasty!
World Description: The imperial court in this world is called the Great Song Dynasty. The current emperor is named Zhao Ji. He calls himself the Daoist Emperor and is hopelessly addicted to Taoism.
Later, this person had a sudden inspiration and promoted his ancestor Zhao Xuanlang as the Jade Emperor, intending to replace the Jade Emperor and thus ensure the dynasty's eternal rule and stability.
Therefore, this action enraged the Jade Emperor, who unleashed a calamity, which was divided into three tribulations: Heaven, Earth, and Man!
Among them, the Heavenly Tribulation corresponds to the 108 constellations in the sky, namely the 36 Heavenly Generals and the 72 Earthly Fiends. Now, these constellations have descended to earth and been reincarnated. For various reasons, they have gathered together and are known as the Heroes of Liangshan, who have started a rebellion.
Afterwards, in order to deal with this calamity, the Dao Emperor offered sacrifices to Heaven, seeking divine assistance.
Mission objective: Eliminate the Liangshan bandits while minimizing losses and preserving the imperial court's strength.
Task rewards: The title of Imperial Preceptor, or even the title of Dao Lord. As long as the Emperor is satisfied with the title of Dao Lord, none of these are a problem.
"Heh heh, if the Liangshan bandits are a calamity of heaven, then the Jurchen cavalry must be a calamity of man, right? In other words, the end of this series of missions must be the Jingkang Incident, right?" Lin Yang muttered to himself.
Since that's the case, let's go in during the Jingkang Incident. For now, let's enter the Tang Dynasty world. After all, the Tang Dynasty knows the plot and has a lot of information about it. But this Song Dynasty is utterly hopeless.
It's worth noting that Taoism experienced an unprecedented surge of power and influence during the Song Dynasty. A remarkable number of highly skilled Taoist priests emerged.
What about the Northern School and the Southern School, and Wang Chongyang (who might still be a teenager at this time), Zhang Ziyang, Chen Tuan, and so on, and even Lin Lingsu, the most capable and treacherous Taoist priest in thousands of years of Taoist history.
None of these Taoist priests were simple. Each and every one of them possessed formidable combat abilities. Lin Yang refused to believe that these Taoist priests hadn't contributed to the matter of the Taoist Emperor.
Furthermore, the matter involves the transformation between the Jade Emperor and the Supreme Deity of Heaven. This means that this world contains at least a considerable number of fourth-tier immortal-level experts. What am I, a mere third-tier nobody, supposed to do in there? Just stand around and watch?
Therefore, in Lin Yang's view, there was no need for him to enter this world since he was not yet at the fourth level. Even if he did enter, it might not be of any use.
Afterwards, Lin Yang told Shi A and Cai Yan about his decision, since they were teammates. Sure enough, as expected, they both agreed with Lin Yang's choice.
That so-called Great Song Dynasty world is really too fantastical; even the Jade Emperor and the Supreme Emperor of Heaven appear. It's clearly a world with a strong Xianxia (fantasy martial arts) feel. It's really unsuitable for a team like Lin Yang's two companions, who don't have any Qi cultivators.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. During that time, they prepared some more things. For example, they bought up a large quantity of spirit rice, spirit dew, and various medicines to stimulate potential.
After all, the process of establishing a terrestrial kingdom will inevitably involve a lot of fighting and bloodshed. These things will certainly come in handy then.
Accompanied by a burst of light, Lin Yang and his two companions returned to the Tang Dynasty world once again.
Opening his eyes, Lin Yang found himself inside a house. The furnishings were simple, but also clean and tidy. A large character for "Tao" hung above the main hall.
As for Lin Yang, he was dressed in a Taoist robe, looking every bit the Taoist priest. He was even sitting on an exquisitely crafted futon.
Beside him was an incense burner. Inside, some unknown materials were burning, and upon closer inspection, Lin Yang discovered dozens of different Chinese herbs.
Although none of them are particularly valuable, the total cost alone is estimated to be several taels of silver.
Considering the cost of living in this world, and taking into account the recipes and other ingredients, this is practically a VIP treatment.
Then, Lin Yang noticed that Cai Yan and Shi A were also dressed in Taoist robes, one on the left and the other on the right. They were meditating, just like him.