Wielding the Thunders Across Two Worlds

Back at Daluo Palace, the autumn wind was growing more desolate.

Not knowing when Yun Fei’ang would arrive, Gu Zhao couldn’t just stay at Daluo Palace waiting for him, nor could he have all the senior Taoists return for an ambush.

So he traveled to the Otherworld with Taoist Yan Song, swapping him out for Taoist Gao Yue, who had already been putting in extra days.

"Any recent news?" Gu Zhao asked, looking at the documents on the table in the lobby of the Taoist Research Institute.

"Not much. It seems everyone has gotten used to our existence," Taoist Gao Yue said with a smile.

When the four senior Taoists appeared to stop the rain, the entire nation was in utter shock. Even with the groundwork that had been laid and the various rumors circulating, it was still their first official appearance, so it sent tremors throughout the country.

But as time went on, aside from Taoist Shen Hao bringing back the Eight Vast Universe Tower, the other senior Taoists never appeared in public again. People’s lives went on, no different than before.

There was no Spiritual Qi Revival, nor any Magical Combat between Cultivators. Judging from international news, aside from Sakura Paste protesting from time to time and the Huaqi Extraordinary Beings continuing their tour, no other country had suddenly produced a flying Superman.

So aside from people reading more Tao Scriptures and Cultivation Novels, everything else returned to normal.

Of course, there’s a world of difference between having a weapon and not using it versus not having one at all. The morale of Celestial Xia’s citizens was in a completely different state, and foreigners now treated them with a completely different attitude.

Broadly speaking, the role of this group of Taoists was similar to that of military assets like sixth-generation jets, the Dongfeng Express missiles, or the Type 003 aircraft carrier.

Since technology like robotic wolves, laser cannons, and microwave weapons had already appeared, making everyone feel like they were entering a sci-fi age, it wasn’t too much of a stretch for a group of Taoists to show up and pull the world into a cultivation era.

Humanity’s greatest weakness is its failure to learn from its lessons, but its greatest strength is its adaptability.

Gu Zhao: (◔◡◔)

"Getting used to it is good," Gu Zhao said with a hearty laugh. He then took Taoist Gao Yue back to the Otherworld, leaving Taoist Yan Song to hold down the fort at the Research Institute. As for himself, he flew home and drove to pick up Xiao Ya and Jiang Shishi from work.

...

An hour later, Gu Zhao picked up Xiao Ya, Jiang Shishi, and Erin at the entrance of the folk music orchestra. The four of them then went out for one last hot pot meal before the end of autumn.

After they finished eating, Erin watched as Gu Zhao drove away happily with the two women, leaving her to pilot her Porsche supercar home all alone, kicking up a swirl of fallen leaves.

...

「The next morning」

Gu Zhao opened his eyes and sensed the steady, deep breathing to his left and right.

He had been away for half a month, and the two women had been especially clingy last night. He had also exerted himself a bit. Luckily, it was Saturday, or they would have definitely been late for work.

Gu Zhao opened his phone and started scrolling idly to pass the time.

[The Superpower Special Service Bureau’s Most Beautiful Witch Can Show You Your Future!]

[Master Hai Taoist of Zhenwu Mountain Demonstrates Tai Chi Internal Strength]

[Taoist Xian Yuan of West Mountain Temple Ascends Mountains as if Walking on Level Ground]

[Sakura Paste Yin-Yang Master Tsuchimikado Hoshina Summons a Shikigami, Invokes a God for Possession to Complete an Ancient Ritual]

[Riots in Little Seal, Black Magic Master Commits Public Murder!]

Although the events of the past few months had proven that the Extraordinary had little to do with the lives of ordinary people, it didn’t stop netizens from being fascinated. To this day, topics about the Extraordinary remained some of the hottest on the internet, guaranteed to generate clicks.

Take the first headline, for example. Gu Zhao opened the article and saw a beautiful woman with brown hair and snow-white skin. She was fiddling with a crystal ball, muttering an incantation, and casting a spell on the person across from her.

The man’s clear eyes then grew hazy. His pupils dilated and constricted before he fixed his gaze on the crystal ball, his expression shifting between joy and pain, intermingled with regret and sorrow.

A moment later, the man shuddered back to his senses. He took several deep breaths before exclaiming in amazement.

"She’s so beautiful!"

"She’s as beautiful as she is kind, helping people see their futures so they can change things for the better."

"Extraordinary Beings from different countries specialize in different fields. Flying and fighting is just brute force. Seeing the future involves fundamental principles. It’s obvious at a glance who is truly stronger."

"Yeah, right. We’ll see who’s stronger after a fight."

"Get lost, you barbarians!"

"The Beacon is the one that represents the future!"

"Who knows if it’s real? It might just be Hypnosis."

"There are follow-ups on international sites—it’s real! The guy saved his wife from a car accident she was about to have. He changed the future!"

Gu Zhao shrugged. ’The acting is pretty convincing.’

’What a joke. Projecting one’s consciousness into the river of time to see the past and future in a single glance? That’s a realm only the most powerful masters can achieve. If she really had that kind of ability, would she still be stuck performing for the Superpower Special Service Bureau?’

’She would’ve completed her Ascension to the Celestial Realm long ago!’

Gu Zhao quickly scrolled through the rest of the videos. He checked on the recent activities of Master Hai Taoist of Zhenwu Mountain and Taoist Xian Yuan of West Mountain, wondering when he should bring them into the fold.

[New Species Discovered During Construction of Yajiang Power Station]

[New Film "Supernova" Earns One Billion in Ten Days, Poised to Break Genre Records]

[Two Men from Sakura Paste Cause a Scene at Mo Chou Lake, Stopped by Onlookers]

[Latest Long March Series Rocket Successfully Launched; Celestial Palace Space Station Crew Rotates, New Lab Module to be Added by Year’s End]

[Wildfires Erupt Again in Australian Bag, Severe Smog in Sydney]

[Number of Strikers in Gaul Hits New High; Paris Streets Resemble a War Zone]

There was no shortage of current events, either. It was the same old story: peace and prosperity at home, while the rest of the world was in turmoil.

Gu Zhao had been abroad himself. While the general trend was indeed the rise of the East and the decline of the West, the speed wasn’t quite this dramatic. Barring an unexpected major war, their decline would be a slow one.

However, the last news headline caught his interest. He still remembered the excitement and exhilaration he felt as a child watching Celestial Xia’s first manned spaceflight.

In the blink of an eye, he had grown up, and Celestial Xia was now steadily operating its own space station.

Gu Zhao stroked his chin. ’Should I just take the new lab module up there myself? It would be simple, convenient, and fast—a half-hour job at most.’

’But after a moment’s thought, he decided against it.’

’It was just like the Yajiang Power Station project. These things weren’t just about money and time. They were about using the project to drive progress in related systems like scientific research, industry, and public welfare.’

’It would certainly be convenient for me to do it, but those skipped steps would have to be accounted for sooner or later.’

As his Dao Practice increased, Gu Zhao could faintly perceive the so-called laws of karma and causality—concepts that seemed ethereal and profound, yet were entirely real.

’Instead of helping them take shortcuts, it would be better to do things that boost morale or strengthen their foundations.’

’For example...’

[International Gold Prices Hit a New High]

Gu Zhao recalled the massive, high-purity gold mine that Taoist Yan Qi had discovered in the Otherworld a few days ago while traveling via Earth Escape.

’If I were to refine tens of thousands of tons of gold from the Otherworld and bring it back, would I be boosting the national gold reserve, or would I crash the price of gold and trigger a financial tsunami?’