The First Lackey Under The Empress

After today, the capital will no longer have a Divine Dragon Temple.

Zhao Du'an was taken aback, his eyes flickered, he pursed his lips, and nodded, "I will take care of it."

Xu Zhenguan nodded slightly and said:

"Xuan Yin is no longer in the capital. Now, among the three great Bodhisattvas in the temple, Prajna is building the Way, Longshu is dead, and Dajing has fled to the Western Regions. The remaining experts should no longer pose a threat to you."

She made sure that there were no strong enemies in the Divine Dragon Temple who could harm Zhao Du'an before entrusting this matter to him.

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"Your subject understands." Zhao Du'an acknowledged. Suddenly, the old acquaintance Bianji came to his mind. He wondered if that fellow was still around.

"By the way, I'll bestow this Soul Suppressing Blade upon you. Now that you've entered the world, you're in need of a weapon."

Xu Zhenguan suddenly stopped him and threw him the Soul Suppressing Blade, which had been passed down in Li Yanfu's family. It was ancient and simple in shape, with gemstones inlaid in the scabbard, and of extraordinary origin.

Zhao Du'an reached out with his right hand and grabbed the scabbard in mid-air, raising his eyebrows:

"Isn't this thing for sorcerers? Can I use it too?"

Xu Zhenguan nodded and explained:

"I've examined it. This Soul Suppressing Blade is quite interesting. Both sorcerers and martial artists can use it. If a sorcerer wields the blade and activates it with magic power, it can unleash a single strike that simultaneously cleaves multiple enemies, even if they are not in the same direction. It can also repel enemies.

If a martial artist activates it with Qi, it is also indestructible. I was originally thinking of finding a sword weapon for you from the armory, but I didn't expect this one to be more suitable."

So interesting? I can now summon Pei Niannu at any time, and I am also a martial artist myself. This blade also has two modes... it is indeed quite a match...

Well, the Golden Crow Flying Knife is good, but for me now, it's not enough after all, and the Frost Sword has been eliminated... Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, his left hand held the scabbard, and his right hand gripped the hilt and pulled it out!

With a "clang" of metal friction, the bright blade was unsheathed half an inch, revealing a recessed seal character on the blade below the hilt.

It was a "Suppress" character.

It is both a Soul Suppressing object and a weapon. The name "Soul Suppressing Blade" is simple, but also descriptive.

Zhao Du'an sheathed the blade and smiled: "Perfect, I'll go to the Divine Dragon Temple to test the blade."

...

...

Leaving the palace, Zhao Du'an rode his horse straight to the Imperial Tribunal.

Riding on the familiar streets of the capital, he felt a sense of being in another world.

It was past noon, but Zhao Du'an didn't feel hungry. When he arrived at the familiar Imperial Tribunal, he saw teams of Embroidered Uniform Guards returning, escorting a large number of arrested rebels and locking them into the Imperial Prison.

"Zhao Du'an!" A clear female voice rang out. Looking in the direction of the voice, the heroic Begonia was smiling and waving at him.

The corners of Zhao Du'an's mouth turned up, revealing a smile. He dismounted and put on a stern face to his female colleague walking towards him:

"In public, call me Junior Guardian Zhao."

"Tch." Begonia rolled her eyes, not intimidated at all.

As the great-granddaughter of Eunuch Hai, she was one of the few people in the capital who still dared to call him by his name in public.

"I heard about what happened in the palace. It's definitely your style." Begonia suddenly asked seriously: "Do you know the whereabouts of... Eunuch Hai and the others?"

Zhao Du'an shook his head and briefly explained how the two sides were separated after the Feng Chan ceremony.

Begonia nodded, not anxious:

"Mo Zhaorong's team should not know that you have returned to the capital, but they should also be on their way back."

She wasn't too worried about Eunuch Hai's safety. First of all, with the combat power of Eunuch Hai and the enshrined warriors of the Martial Arts Hall, unless they encountered a Celestial being ambush or went crazy and charged into the battlefield army, it would be difficult for them to die.

Secondly, during this period, Eunuch Hai had been using Shadow Guard channels to send messages to the capital.

"By the way, are you back to find Director Du?" Begonia asked curiously.

Zhao Du'an nodded and shook his head: "His Majesty has assigned me a task. I'm back to call for some manpower."

"Is that so? Director Du is not in the yamen right now. He went to deal with the remnants of the Li faction. How many people do you need? Our Water Lily Hall has just freed up some manpower." Begonia said.

Zhao Du'an smiled: "I'm afraid the manpower of just one Water Lily Hall is not enough."

Begonia was stunned. A look of surprise appeared on her face with tear mole:

"The chaos in the city has basically been quelled. What task requires so many people?"

Zhao Du'an smiled and said: "To destroy the Divine Dragon Temple."

Begonia was stunned.

...

A moment later, on the streets of the capital, a large group of Imperial Tribunal officers were mighty and murderous, their hooves thundering, heading straight for the Divine Dragon Temple.

Zhao Du'an took the lead, followed by Begonia, Zhang Han, and another Hall Enforcer.

This time, he brought the manpower of three Halls to the Divine Dragon Temple, which can be described as a shocking force.

"Are you sure we have enough people? Why don't we wait for Director Du to come back together? And gather all nine Halls?" Begonia was on horseback, a little flustered.

Zhao Du'an smiled and glanced at her:

"Why, Enforcer Hai, you weren't usually timid. Why are you being cowardly today?"

Begonia glared:

"That's the Divine Dragon Temple! Even if the Abbot Xuan Yin is not there, as you said, and those few Bodhisattvas are not there either, it's not something we can destroy with this many people. At the very least, we have to bring one or two Worldly Realm experts, right?"

At her level, she didn't understand the whole story of the Feng Chan ceremony. She only knew that the Empress's failure was caused by the Divine Dragon Temple, and now that His Majesty has advanced to Celestial being, he wants to retaliate.

"Who said we don't have a Worldly Realm expert here?" Zhao Du'an smiled.

Begonia was stunned, and the other two Enforcers were also stunned. Their hearts were pounding wildly, and they vaguely had a guess, but they couldn't believe it.

During the palace coup, Zhao Du'an only killed Li Yinglong with a knife. Apart from that, he didn't make any other moves. At this moment, there were very few people in the capital who knew that Zhao Du'an had entered the Worldly Realm.

However, just as the three of them wanted to ask, Zhao Du'an reined in his horse, looked ahead, and said in a deep voice:

"From now on, listen to my command in everything."

The Divine Dragon Temple has arrived!

In front of them, a magnificent and solemn temple complex, covering a large area, with red walls and yellow tiles. At a glance, the glazed roof of the Buddhist hall shone brightly in the sun.

The Divine Dragon Temple used to be very prosperous, with countless pilgrims in the temple, and the rolling green smoke of incense and candles in the sky almost never disappeared.

But since the court banned Buddhism last year, the Divine Dragon Temple has also become deserted.

Now, the main gate was tightly closed, and there was no one nearby.

However, the sound of Zhao Du'an and his group's horses still alarmed the temple. Just as everyone reined in their horses, under the tall gate of the temple, next to the tightly closed temple gate, a small door opened, and several monks in robes came out.

The leader was the "Reception Hall Master" in charge of receiving pilgrims in the temple.

"Amitabha, when did Junior Guardian Zhao return to the capital? And why did you come to my Divine Dragon Temple?"

The middle-aged Reception Hall Master was uneasy. He was frightened when he saw the large group of cavalry. When he saw that the leader was Zhao Yama, who had disappeared for several months, he was even more shocked.

Zhao Du'an didn't dismount. He held the reins in one hand and the horse whip in the other, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice was gentle:

"Oh? You don't know why this official is here? Then you should know what Xuan Yin did."

The middle-aged Reception Hall Master looked blank:

"Abbot? The Abbot has been meditating in the temple. Since the beginning of spring, he has ordered all the monks in the temple to practice behind closed doors. Can Junior Guardian please explain more clearly?"

Zhao Du'an frowned:

"You don't know? Xuan Yin is no longer in the temple? Then you should know that Longshu and the others have left, right?"

The Reception Hall Master was even more confused:

"The Abbot is not in the temple? This... I don't know. As for the Longshu Bodhisattva and some monks, they did leave the temple some time ago. It was after hearing that there was unrest outside that they went out of the city to protect some monks and small temples outside..."

Zhao Du'an was expressionless. He couldn't see any signs of the Hall Master lying, so he probably guessed the reason:

Whether it was the Feng Chan battle or the assassination attempt on the Emperor in Hundred Flower Village, they were extremely secret and deadly events.

Presumably only Xuan Yin and a few senior members of the temple knew about it and participated in it.

Although this Reception Hall Master was in charge of a Hall, his status was not high enough. He was probably still unaware of what the Divine Dragon Temple had been involved in, let alone that disaster was imminent.

Not only him, but this entire Divine Dragon Temple, having been abandoned by Xuan Yin, was probably just a group of ignorant middle and lower-level monks.

But... does that matter?

"Everyone listen to my orders," Zhao Du'an ignored the Hall Master and said loudly:

"Immediately seal off the entire Divine Dragon Temple. Not even a fly is allowed to fly out!

His Majesty has decreed that the Divine Dragon Temple has committed treason and rebellion, and its crimes are unforgivable. From today onwards, destroy the Divine Dragon Temple, confiscate all the Buddhist industries and fields, and arrest all the monks in the temple to be imprisoned and await trial. Anyone who dares to resist will be executed immediately!"

A large group of Embroidered Uniform Guards drew their sabers and raised their arms high:

"Anyone who dares to resist will be executed immediately!!"

Saying that, teams of cavalry divided into two groups and rushed out from behind Zhao Du'an, surrounding the entire Divine Dragon Temple.

Zhao Du'an led the rest of the people straight towards the gate:

"Break down the gate! Arrest people!"

What? Treason?

The monks, including the Reception Hall Master, felt as if they had been struck by lightning. They wanted to ask something, but when they saw Zhao Du'an and the others drawing their sabers, they were terrified and turned to flee back into the temple.

Zhao Du'an was not in a hurry to arrest them, and ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guards to demolish the gate.

Watching his subordinates struggling, he shook his head, missing his trusted subordinate Hou Renmeng from the Pear Blossom Hall, who was with the Feng Chan team.

"If Old Hou was here, breaking down the gate wouldn't be so troublesome."

As he sighed, the gate of the Divine Dragon Temple was suddenly torn down, the middle gate was wide open, and Zhao Du'an led his people swaggeringly into the ancient temple that was nearly a thousand years old.

At this time, the entire temple was in an uproar. Monks ran out one after another, and then retreated in fear when they saw the ferocious government soldiers.

Even several martial monks, with their blood rushing to their heads, tried to stop them, but were cut down by the Embroidered Uniform Guards of the Imperial Tribunal.

"Government soldiers have broken in!"

"They're killing people!"

"Quickly, go and invite the Abbot!"

The monks fled in terror, as if it were the end of the world, not knowing what was happening.

Zhao Du'an led his men forward, unhurriedly, inch by inch. Once the group passed through the front hall and entered the courtyard, a large number of monks wearing dark yellow robes, wielding sticks, clubs, and long sabers, surged out like a tide.

They blocked the officers and soldiers.

"These are the warrior monks of the Arhat Hall, all with cultivation. If they really start fighting, casualties are inevitable," Haitang said, her embroidered eyebrows furrowed.

The Divine Dragon Temple was divided into several halls, with the Arhat Hall responsible for combat.

"Zhao Du'an!? What do you mean by this? Are you really bullying the Divine Dragon Temple for having no one?!": Suddenly, a roar as thick as a clock tower resounded.

Standing with his hands behind his back in the crowd, Zhao Du'an caught sight of a large monk in the center of a group of warrior monks. This monk had extremely large ears, a dark face, eyes like copper bells, a half-exposed chest, and was carrying an extremely heavy Zen staff adorned with a full eighteen copper rings.

His height was extraordinary, and his monk shoes made heavy thudding sounds as he stepped on the ground.

At this moment, his face was full of anger, looking just like the wrathful Vajra in legends.

"Abbot!" The other monks seemed to have found their backbone.

Zhang Han, standing beside Zhao Du'an, said in a low voice:

"This is the Abbot of the Arhat Hall, a worldly realm warrior monk. Although he can't compare to a Bodhisattva, his martial strength is definitely not weak. Even if the few of us join forces, it would be difficult to resist. Unless the Director arrives…"

Zhao Du'an, however, didn't bother to listen any further and said indifferently:

"Where is Bianji? Tell him to come out and talk. This official is too lazy to waste words with nameless small fry."

Upon hearing this, the Abbot of the Arhat Hall's face, already like the bottom of a pot, turned even darker. He had been cultivating in the temple for many years and rarely went out, so his reputation was not prominent.

But after all, he was the Abbot of a hall, a worldly warrior monk. How could he endure this? Immediately, he slammed the heavy Zen staff hard on the ground. With a crack, the bluestone tiles collapsed, spiderweb-like cracks spreading out. He roared angrily:

"Zhao Du'an! Don't push your luck! Da Jing has a grudge against you. If you have the ability, go find him. You only dare to hide behind your troops, using your power to oppress others. What kind of thing are you? The Divine Dragon Temple is an important Buddhist site. Retreat immediately, or don't blame Buddha for not giving the imperial court face!"

He was still considered calm, not daring to really attack.

Zhao Du'an frowned, as if annoyed by the noise, and finally glanced at him, shaking his head and sneering:

"You don't even know what happened, and you still say you're not small fry?"

He could see that even though this person's cultivation was not weak, he was likely just a gatekeeper brute in the temple, unable to access the high-level decisions of the Divine Dragon Temple.

Far inferior to Bianji.

"However, you have reminded me. It seems that unless I cripple you, this small fry, I won't be able to deter all the monks in the temple and make them obediently surrender. In that case, I'll just use you to test my blade."

Zhao Du'an's tone changed, and he smiled lightly, raising his right hand flat. A Jinyi immediately presented the Zhen blade, held in both hands.

This weapon was extremely exquisite in its craftsmanship. The scabbard was square and simple, inlaid with precious gems, radiating brilliance and treasure. Placed in a study, it would be a beautiful object.

Who would have thought that it was also a murderous weapon with no small origins?

"What are you going to do?" The Abbot of the Arhat Hall was stunned, surprised that Zhao Du'an, rumored to be just a Divine Chapter, actually dared to draw his blade against him.

His expression changed, and he said:

"Do you think that with your power and influence, we won't dare to fight back? Let you slaughter us? You must know that even a clay Bodhisattva has some anger. If you anger me, with just one Zen staff, I'll make you…"

Zhao Du'an's right hand gripped the hilt of the blade, his eyebrows lowered, his eyes cold:

"Noisy!"

At this moment, the official robe on his body became increasingly scarlet, and in a trance, the style seemed to have changed.

His hair was untied, and his black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. One of his eyes was still clear, while the other had turned into a strange silver color.

Deep within the silver eye, the Bride's Maid sorceress wearing a dark gold mask coldly opened her eyes.

His Qi Sea roared, and Qi and mana simultaneously poured frantically into the hilt of the blade.

A strong sense of danger enveloped everyone's hearts!

The Abbot of the Arhat Hall's face changed drastically, feeling the threat of death. Not having time to think, his thick arms held the hundreds of pounds of Zen staff in front of him, and the illusory Golden Bell Shield around his body began to condense.

But Zhao Du'an had already drawn his blade!

"Clang!"

A flash of snow-white blade light illuminated the entire courtyard. At this moment, Zhao Du'an simultaneously activated his own and Pei Niannu's two forces, converging them into this one blade.

The inner force in his Qi Sea instantly evaporated by more than half!

The blade of the Zhen blade burst out with dazzling light, and an illusory "Suppress" character faintly appeared. Then, the vast blade light was like the Milky Way collapsing a breach, descending with the momentum.

"Bang!"

The heavy Zen staff in the Abbot of the Arhat Hall's hands let out a wail of being unable to bear the weight, and was forcibly cut into two pieces by the blade light. The Golden Bell Shield that had not yet fully formed also shattered!

The crisp sound of bone cracking, mixed with screams, this exceptionally large Arhat warrior monk was actually without any power to resist, as if hit head-on by a high-speed train, flying out backwards!

With a "Boom", he smashed into a clock tower in a pavilion, spitting out blood, his whole person leaning against the clock tower, his head tilted, and he passed out. A vertical knife wound also cracked open between his eyebrows, and scarlet blood flowed out like bloody tears!

"Dang—"

The temple was silent for a while, only the roar of the clock tower echoed.

Defeated?!

The worldly mid-stage Abbot of the Arhat Hall was actually severely defeated in just one exchange?!

This result stunned everyone.

Not only the Divine Dragon Temple's side, even the officials and constables of the Imperial Tribunal were stunned.

Haitang widened her bright eyes, her lips slightly parted, staring blankly at Zhao Du'an who had suddenly drawn his blade.

Zhang Han almost couldn't hold the seven-foot sword in his hand, and it almost fell down. This former number one combat strength of the nine halls of the Imperial Tribunal was at this moment with a blank look in his eyes, as if he were dreaming.

One blade? Severely injured the Abbot of the Arhat Hall?

Has Zhao Du'an advanced to the worldly realm?

No!

Even an ordinary worldly realm could never do this. You must know that the Abbot of the Arhat Hall is a worldly mid-rank!

Even if a high rank fights a mid-rank, it wouldn't be so suspense-free, right?

So… could it be that Zhao Du'an, after not seeing him for several months, has reached the worldly perfection? Becoming a master of the same level as Senior Brother Duan Shui Liu of the Green Mountain?

A group of Jinyi in the Imperial Tribunal were buzzing in their heads, unable to believe it.

Of course, they didn't know that Zhao Du'an's true cultivation was only barely on par with the Abbot of the Arhat Hall.

If you consider that his cultivation was not achieved through solid practice, but through short-term dual cultivation, bombarding the emperor, and forced growth… In terms of cultivation, Zhao Du'an was inferior to the other party.

But what could he do? This blade of his was equivalent to two worldly realms simultaneously attacking with all their strength, coupled with this extraordinary "Zhen Blade" treasured by Li Yanfu, that was how he unleashed such power.

As the price, Zhao Du'an's Qi Sea consumed more than half, and he simply had no way to unleash such a blade again.

"A mere small fry, unable to withstand even one blade from this official, yet you dare to spout nonsense."

Zhao Du'an moved his wrist, casually pushing the Zhen Blade into its scabbard, held by that Jinyi.

His expression was indifferent, and his gaze swept over the monks in front:

"Those who don't want to die, obediently surrender."

A group of warrior monks were silent. After a moment, not knowing who took the lead, the first iron rod was thrown on the ground.

Immediately, one warrior monk after another dropped their weapons and gave up resistance.

They were very clear that even if the entire temple desperately fought, they could resist this group of officials and constables, but this was the capital city, and they ultimately only had one path: defeat and death.

"You don't appreciate a toast, you only appreciate a forfeit."

Zhao Du'an sneered, handing over the matter of arresting people to his subordinates, and instead looked at the trembling usher monk in the corner:

"Where is Bianji?"

The usher monk's face was pale, and he shook his head:

"I… I don't know… The Dharma Master hasn't appeared for several days. I only know that he was last at the Jizhao Nunnery, and his whereabouts are unknown since."

What is Bianji doing running to a nunnery? Zhao Du'an's heart stirred, and he casually called a Jinyi:

"Go to the Jizhao Nunnery across the street and find out the situation."

He highly suspected that Bianji had run away with Xuan Yin.

Compared to the monks in front of him, although Bianji was not a Bodhisattva, he was undoubtedly one of the high-level members of the Divine Dragon Temple, at least a confidant of Xuan Yin.

There was no reason not to take him away.

"You stay here and seal up the temple's property and cultivation resources. After today, everything in this temple will belong to the imperial court."

Leaving these words behind, Zhao Du'an stepped forward, deep into the Divine Dragon Temple, arriving at the deepest part, outside the Buddhist hall where Xuan Yin had been in closed-door cultivation all year round.

Without hesitation, he forcefully pushed open the door. With a creak, sunlight poured into the empty Buddhist hall from behind him.

The spacious and solemn Buddhist hall was empty, and even the incense candles on the offering table had been extinguished for many days.

"Indeed, just like Zhenbao said, the old monk has been gone for many days…"

Zhao Du'an muttered, stepping to the side of the futon in the hall, kicking the huge wooden fish on the ground with his foot, making a "Dong" sound, not like any treasure.

He raised his head, just in time to see the extremely large, gilded Buddha statue overlooking him.

That was the statue of the World Honored One, the deity.

The World Honored One's eyes were compassionate, overlooking the world. Zhao Du'an looked at this huge Buddha statue, almost reaching the ceiling of the hall, and only felt himself as small as dust.

His body and mind were completely quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, footsteps came from outside the Buddhist hall, accompanied by Haitang's call:

"Zhao Du'an, there's a situation here, I need you to come over and take a look."