The Empress's No.1 Lackey
Chapter 583 - 583: 424, Breaking the Formation

On the broad and gently sloping platform at the mountainside, the crimson glow of the sunset filtered through the pines and cypresses along the path, casting a light on everyone's face.

On one side was the iron cavalry of the Yu Country, led by Zhao Douan dressed as a noble gentleman, a torrent of steel.

On the other, the disciples of the Zixiao Palace, dressed in white and purple Taoist robes, stood in a strict formation, ready for battle.

The winter chill swept through the mountain path, and the atmosphere became increasingly tense and murderous.

"The Zixiao Palace has closed its doors to visitors. If you, the devotees, wish to go up the mountain, please come back tomorrow," the Taoist holding a horsetail whisk said calmly.

Zhao Douan, still on horseback, said with interest: "Do you know who I am?"

The leading Taoist had quite a position in the Zixiao Palace, seemingly the leader among the disciples, the direct disciple of the "Palace Master" Lu Zhengchun, and was well-acquainted with nobility over the years, with countless dignitaries frequenting the coastal regions and Linfeng, coming to offer incense without end.

Because of the natural awe and respect that worldly powers have towards "cultivators," even kings and nobles treat the mountain with courtesy and rarely intrude upon it without reason.

The leading Taoist truly did not know the identity of the newcomer, only that he had come to intercept upon his master's orders.

He glanced briefly at Zhao Douan and the cavalry behind him, and said:

"Beyond the secular world, we do not concern ourselves with mundane status and authority. Whether this gentleman is a general's son or some noble scion, he must know that the Zixiao Palace is a land granted honor by the late Emperor, our temple's Palace Master's status is transcendent, and magistrates and prefects show great respect to our Palace Master. The Buddhist Tao of Qingshan and the three sects' cultivators treat our Palace as fellow Taoists... If the gentleman wishes to ascend the mountain, he should state his purpose and follow the rules by leaving his men and horses at the foot of the mountain, in accordance with the customary practice."

As he spoke, his demeanor was arrogant, and the hundreds of Taoists all wore expressions of "as it should be," looking down their noses.

Zhao Douan saw this and couldn't help but marvel, clearly seeing that in this Feng City territory, Lu Zhengchun acted like a Wild God accustomed to such ways.

This undisguised obstructive stance was also unusual, reminding him of Duke Cao of Jubei City—are all these regional overlords, who held power in their hands, this arrogant?

Well then, he specialized in handling arrogance.

"Haha, this young master has heard that the night scene at Zixiao Palace is incomparably beautiful, and the Purple Rob Taoist excels at refining flying swords with pill furnaces. I came specifically to marvel at this. Now that it is late, go quickly and tell Lu Zhengchun to prepare a clean place for me. This young master can overlook your minor breach of etiquette in blocking my way."

Zhao Douan spoke with a condescending tone, as if looking down on ants from a throne.

Certainly, there was something peculiar about this Zixiao Palace.

As he finished speaking, the hundreds of Taoists looked angry, and the leading Senior Brother's expression chilled as he snorted with a flick of his sleeve: "The temple has closed its doors. Can't the gentleman understand? Or must we escort the gentleman down the mountain?"

Zhao Douan, unwilling to waste words with these small fry, squinted and said calmly, "Yuan Ji, attack the mountain."

"Yes!"

In the rear of the team, the deputy general, a mountain of a man wielding a warhammer, had received the Empress's orders days ago, taking Zhao Junior Guardian's lead. For a long time, he had been fed up with the Zixiao Palace's arrogance, and today, given the opportunity to fight, he looked excited.

With a wave of his hand, the cavalry dismounted in unison, pivoting to proceed on foot, and simultaneously removed spears and shields from the side of their saddles.

Like black water, they bypassed Zhao Douan and the group of experts and Jinyi officials including Gongshu Tianyuan, setting their shields before them with the clatter of armor, forming a dark and cold iron shield wall, spears protruding through the gaps.

Then this human-shaped fortress of war began advancing step by step in an attack wedge, as if ready to flatten the mountain with force.

The leading Taoist's face changed, and he whispered, "Form the array!"

In an instant, the well-prepared hundred Taoists stood in a square formation, each simultaneously chanting and forming seals.

Manna swirled around them, and from the sword scabbards on their backs, the sword hilts began to tremble with a "clatter," then, with a "swish," nearly a hundred longswords unsheathed themselves, seemingly guided by an invisible hand, hovering above the Taoists, tips pointing at the infantry array.

"Is this the flying sword?" Zhao Douan observed from the rear, quite surprised.

Gongshu Tianyuan looked disdainful; though the fifth disciple of the Artisan God path, he was not skilled in this art, yet his knowledge surpassed ninety percent of Daoist cultivators nationwide. He sneered:

"What kind of flying sword is this? It's merely Sword Summoning Technique. Real Daoist flying swords are as thin as a cicada's wings, flying without a trace, extremely dangerous, whether in crafting or controlling, hence rare, almost exclusively a swordsman's killing move, apart from our Daoist inheritance outside the Divine.

In earlier years, when the various Divine paths were not clear, the earliest Daoists also learned martial arts for self-defense, particularly swordsmanship, gradually developing flying swords...

In our Heavenly Master Mansion, every priest, regardless of which Divine they primarily cultivate, can also cultivate Sword Control Technique...

However, as it is so difficult, and unlike Divine magic which is self-contained, few practice it now, only these Wild Taoists treasure it."

After a moment, the chubby priest reluctantly added:

"But the positioning of these Taoists is clearly a sword array, like the military formations on the battlefield. Though it is Sword Control Technique, far inferior to real flying swords, once this sword array is activated, it is indeed formidable. Ordinary Divine Chapter Realm cultivators would undoubtedly die. Even if encountered by a Worldly Realm alone, they must avoid its edge."

Is it that formidable? No wonder these Taoists are so confident, unafraid even when facing soldiers.

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