Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

The whole world was laughing at the Sakura People’s expense.

Unlike the Berkeley video, which was short and didn’t clearly show anyone; the Kabia incident, which didn’t spread widely; or the rainstorm crisis, which was mainly a domestic affair—this time, Taoist Shen Hao had brazenly crossed into the other nation’s borders, uprooted their stone tower, and returned in grand fashion.

His arrogance was blatant, his attitude imperious. It was a slap in the face, a direct trampling of their dignity.

How could they let that slide?

So, it wasn’t just Huaqi; South Korea, Lü Zon, Ah San, and even the more distant Mi Qi, Maple Leaf, and Kangaroo all began to egg on the Sakura People, both openly and behind the scenes.

"Don’t lose face! Toughen up!"

"Don’t be a coward! Go get ’em!"

But the Sakura People remained rational. Not only did they swallow the insult, but they even found a reason for it, creating a self-consistent logic.

"Strictly speaking, the Eight Vast Universe Tower is a religious structure. This incident is an extension of a grudge between the religious circles of our two countries."

"Shen Hao Master of Celestial Xia’s Sanmao Mountain Shangqing Sect is nearly a hundred years old; it’s understandable that he may not grasp certain modern rules. Moreover, his actions caused no casualties among the Sakura People, which shows his heart is fundamentally compassionate."

"We have always emphasized that Sakura Shintoism originates from the I Ching and shares a common source with Celestial Xia Daoism. We are separated only by a narrow strip of water. We are willing to act as intermediaries and invite both sides to sit down, talk, and resolve their grievances. We also hope Celestial Xia Daoism will come to the Sakura lands to proselytize."

"We have never promoted an education of hatred toward Celestial Xia, and we hope Celestial Xia will not implement an education of hatred toward the Sakura People."

...

"Not bad. By defining the Eight Vast Universe Tower as a religious building, they’ve extricated themselves from this mess, turned themselves into a third party, and shed all responsibility and obligation."

"They’re pretty clever over there."

Inside the Taoist Office, everyone was chatting cheerfully.

"When Shen Hao Master brought that tower back, our people were already prepared at Mo Chou Lake. Was there really no reaction from their side?"

"None. They even used their official channels to extend invitations to the three ancestral courts of Quanzhen Dao and the three famous mountains of Zhengyi Dao."

Everyone was speechless.

"When it comes to being shameless, we still can’t compare to them."

"The spirit of the ’bowing’ craftsman!"

"What about those Sakura Yin-Yang Masters who got all that massive internet traffic? Any response from them?"

"Two haven’t responded. Two said they are preparing altars and Magical Treasures. A few others admitted they are no match for Shen Hao Master and called for all Sakura Cultivators to unite."

Chen Yao was stunned. "There are still two of them preparing to strike back?"

The speaker replied, "According to our analysis, those two are likely frauds. They don’t know the ins and outs of the Cultivation Realm. They probably think the Sakura Cultivation Realm is on par with Celestial Xia’s and are planning to ride the wave and cash in after the Sakura side saves face."

"What about the other countries?" Chen Yao continued to ask.

"No reaction. Not even from Huaqi." The speaker smiled. "Because everyone is waiting for the Sakura People to make the first move."

"Honestly, I hope they make the first move too," said the middle-aged man with the ramrod-straight posture and serious expression, a rare smile appearing on his face.

"Even if they did, it wouldn’t be your turn. You’re in the Taoist Office now," a plain-looking middle-aged man said.

The first man’s smile vanished instantly.

But the others just laughed even more heartily.

...

Although Taoist Shen Hao bringing the Eight Vast Universe Tower back to Jinling caused a huge public outcry, there were simply too many events causing huge public outcries around the world. These days, there seemed to be several world-shaking incidents every month.

People were growing numb to the shock.

In a world that already knew about the Extraordinary, where self-proclaimed Extraordinary Beings were popping up everywhere and Huaqi Country even had its own organization for them, Taoist Shen Hao hadn’t killed anyone or caused any destruction. Aside from making a big scene, his actions had less staying power than those Extraordinary Beings who posted social media updates every day.

Had it not been for another special event cropping up, people would have eventually stopped talking about it.

So, apart from Celestial Xia and the Sakura People, who were most affected—or to be more precise, Jinling and Miyazaki—the attention of the rest of the world was quickly diverted by other major events.

For example: wildfires igniting once again on the West Coast of Huaqi, a wave of strikes across various industries in Gaul, the ongoing rivalry between Da Mao and Ermao, Mi Qi’s struggle for a spot in the news headlines...

Gu Zhao toured Jinling with the two women for a while, then returned to Yangcheng and crossed over to the Otherworld.

...

Returning to Daluo Palace, Gu Zhao swept the area with his Divine Sense and discovered that the few old Daoists he had recruited were all gone.

"Have Martial Uncle Qing Ye and Martial Uncle Fang De all left the mountain?" Gu Zhao asked Taoist Qingyuan, who had just returned.

Taoist Qingyuan nodded and said with an honest smile, "Everyone has learned the Golden Light Curse. With their Magical Power restored to its peak, they couldn’t bear the idleness and all went down the mountain."

Gu Zhao’s expression shifted. He looked at Taoist Qingyuan with surprise. "Martial Uncle, you’ve had another breakthrough?"

Taoist Qingyuan scratched his head and chuckled. "Just a lucky break!"

Gu Zhao chuckled. "Martial Uncle, you are devoted to the Dao with a pure heart. Your rapid progress in cultivation is truly worthy of congratulations."

Years ago, when Gu Zhao went to Zhenwu Mountain to recruit people, he searched the entire mountain but couldn’t find Taoist Qingwei, whom he had hoped to meet. Instead, on his way down, he ran into Taoist Qingyuan, who looked just like an old farmer.

This was Taoist Qingyuan’s fate, and it was Gu Zhao’s fate as well.

Taoist Qingyuan had spent his life practicing martial arts and farming. He was exceptionally talented and pure of heart. After arriving in the Otherworld, his progress, whether in Exorcising Demons and Evil Spirits or in focused cultivation, was incredibly fast.

In the end, at a relatively young age, he joined the top echelon of Daluo Palace. He was a tier stronger than his senior brother, Taoist Qingwei, and on par with Taoist Shen Hao.

But even with his current Cultivation, Taoist Qingyuan remained exceptionally low-key in his conduct, never showing off his abilities. Apart from the few times he set up the Nine Palace Eight Trigrams Array, he rarely seemed to take action.

But his Dao Practice did not lie. An aura of Yin and Yang flowed around Taoist Qingyuan, converging into Tai Chi. When he stood there, he seemed to merge with nature itself. To look directly into his eyes was like falling into a swirling vortex of black and white.

"Is everything alright over at Pingjiang Prefecture?" Gu Zhao asked.

"Everything’s fine. The Ink Flood Dragon is dead, and the demons of Mo Lake were wiped out in one battle. The few small fries left can be handled by the Daluo Palace disciples sent over. My senior brother and I often have nothing to do, so we sometimes wander up and down the Wanling River," Taoist Qingyuan said with a laugh.

Pingjiang Prefecture is situated in the middle of the Jiangzhou South Five Prefectures, surrounded by Lianshan, Qianshan, Bai Shi, and Changping Prefectures. Once its interior was cleaned out, the only way for external enemies to invade was truly from the Wanling River to the north.

However, plenty of demons still came from the Wanling River. Jiangbei was still under the Court’s rule, where the Xuanwei Divine Sect and the Spirit Court maintained basic order. Some of the most vicious demons, who could no longer survive in Jiangbei, would also head south.

Changping Prefecture’s northern border is the Wanling River. Daluo Palace often encountered demons heading south and turned them into Evil Qi to enhance their cultivation.

"No one is short on Evil Qi, so everyone is progressing quickly."

As soon as Taoist Qingyuan finished speaking, Gu Zhao sensed something. He looked up and saw three streaks of light approaching from the southeast, and two more from the southwest.

"They competed back and forth, but it ended in a draw," Gu Zhao said with a smile.