The winter snow in the Central Plains has begun to fall, and the land outside the Guanwai, two thousand miles away, has long been covered in silver and dripping into ice.

The black soil, dense primeval forests, and even the wide and mighty Liaohe River in eastern Liaodong are all covered with thick white snow cover. The vast snowfields and thousands of miles of heaven and earth are silent, as if time has frozen here.

However, in the ice and snow like this forbidden area of life, a loud trumpet suddenly broke the silence that seemed to be eternal. It was a group of men dressed in thick leather jackets sewn from the whole animal skin and wearing fur hats that covered their ears, and they worked together to cut down the towering trees one by one amid the sound of a fiery trumpet.

The tree crashed to the ground, splashing snow droplets in all directions. The loggers swarmed up, wielding axes and saws in their hands, breaking them up into sections and transporting them to the rudimentary charcoal kilns outside the forest. There, old people, women and children relay the timber into the kiln, then load the burned charcoal into a bamboo basket, carry it to the Liao River a few miles away, and finally carry it to Taiping City on a sleigh along the frozen river, where it can be used by hundreds of thousands of believers in the city to protect themselves from the cold.

The congregants in Taiping City could not be idle, men, women, young and old, were assigned heavy labor. In this harsh environment that the people of the Central Plains can't imagine, everyone must do their best to barely survive.

And Taiping Dao and its hundreds of thousands of sect members, in this kind of Jedi, have taken root here for a hundred years, and have tenaciously multiplied for several generations!

"It's too bitter, it's too bitter......"

Standing in the center of Taiping City, in the black Taoist temple that is as grand as a palace but full of rough and simple people, overlooking the busy sect members like ant colonies, the left protector of the Dharma who temporarily took charge of the teaching affairs sighed sadly. "How long has it been since they have been busy from morning to night, but they can only eat one meal a day?"

Gongye Tianfu, the right protector who was standing on the side, heard this, nodded thoughtfully: "Yes, it's okay to say in other seasons, the sect members are scattered in various places to fish, hunt and farm, and they can finally survive." At this time, hundreds of thousands of believers have gathered back into the city, and it is a miracle that people will not starve to death in such a long winter...... This is also thanks to the wisdom of the sect leader, marrying Goryeo, and making peace with Pei Valve, otherwise it would be like in previous years at this moment. ”

"Then it is not advisable to stay here for a long time, we still have to return south as soon as possible, and go back to Youyan to have a good life!" Zuo Protector was ordered to garrison Youyan that year, but was attacked by Daxuan, and in less than two months, he lost the sixteen states of Yanyun. If Sun Yuanlang hadn't led his troops back in time and escorted the sect members back to Taiping City, the incense of Taiping Road might have been cut off seventeen years ago.

This has become the demon of the left protector, and he has been thinking about it all these years, that is, to kill Youyan and take revenge......

"This time, the Dao Sect got an opportunity in Luodu, defeated Xu Xuanji with one palm, and greatly increased the prestige of my Taiping Dao." The right Dharma Protector and Yourong said: "If this Dao Sect retreat can be successfully successful, if you ask the innate words, it will be easy to counterattack Youyan." ”

"I hope so." Zuo Protector showed a sad expression and said: "But what even the old teacher and Zhang Xuanyi can't do, can the Dao Sect do it in such a short time?" ”

"I can't say, at that point, it's not impossible to realize the Tao in an instant." The Right Protector said with a smile.

While the two were talking without saying a word, Long'er, who was wearing a purple and gold crown and an ochre yellow robe, walked over quickly, nodded at the two Dharma protectors, and hissed: "Two Dharma protectors, the master is about to go out." ”

"Oh?" The two hurriedly stopped talking and asked in unison, "Is it done?" ”

"I don't know, I just heard the grass house bell ringing, and I haven't seen the master yet." Long Er shook his head.

"Okay, let's go and catch it!" The two Dharma protectors lifted their spirits and hurriedly followed Long Er out of the Sanqing Temple and came to a lake behind the view.

The lake is smoky, the water is rippling and unfrozen, and there is a hot spring under the lake that gushes boiling water all year round.

There is a winding bamboo bridge around the lake that leads to a small island in the middle of the lake. On the small island is where Sun Yuenlong's retreat is located. At this moment, the island, the grass house and most of the bamboo bridge are shrouded in smoke, and the shadows are so full that you can't really see it.

The left and right protectors and dragons stood at the head of the lakeside bridge, and without blinking their eyes, they watched in the thick water vapor like smoke and mist, a tall Taoist leader, slowly stepping out.

The three of them were busy to the end, and said in unison: "Welcome to the Taoist Sect!" ”

"Let's be flat." The Taoist leader was naturally Sun Yuenlong, the head of the Taiping Dao, and after returning from Luodu, he went into retreat for a whole month. At this moment, the internal injuries have healed, and the spirit is complete. He stood at the head of the smoky bridge with a whisk in his hand, and his rag robe was windless and automatic, and he felt like a fairy.

"Congratulations to the Dao Sect!" The right protector Gongye Tianfu is also a great master who has been famous for a long time, but at this moment, he can't see the level of Sun Yuanlang's realm clearly, and he has a sense of separation between immortals and mortals, and he can't help but be overjoyed and exclaimed.

"Alas, it's easy to get shortcuts!" Sun Yuanlang shook his head regretfully, and as soon as he shook off the dust, the fog around everyone suddenly dissipated.

"I already know that this is right in front of me, but I can't take this last step."

With Sun Yuanlang's words, the white mist that had been temporarily dispersed quietly shrouded back, once again covering everyone's surroundings.

The left and right Dharma protectors were thoughtful when they heard this, and they fell silent for a while.

However, Long'er's realm was not enough, so he was not disturbed by Sun Yuanlang's feelings, and asked ignorantly: "What kind of realm is the master?" ”

"What realm? Not up or down the half-center. Sun Yuanlang slowly walked off the bridge, and his figure became real again. As the name suggests, it can be regarded as a half-step innate. ”

"Half-step innate?" Long Er was overjoyed when he heard this: "That's far better than the average great master, can the master defeat Zhang Xuanyi's family?" ”

"That's going to have to be better than that." Sun Yuanlang's clear face rarely showed a look of eagerness, and he said in a lazy tone: "It is estimated that the old king was already a half-step congenital more than eight years ago, but as long as the realm is the same, this seat is afraid of him!" ”

"Daozong, don't be impulsive!" Only then did the right protector wake up from his momentary distraction and hurriedly persuaded him.

"Yes, Daozong, we must focus on the great cause, and we can't abolish the public because of private interests!" The left protector also persuaded him, but he didn't like it very well.

"What are these words?" Sun Yuanlang walked slowly in the direction of the Sanqing Palace, and said coldly as he walked: "This seat goes south this time, and there is no need to go up to Taimur Mountain at all, as long as that thing comes out, it will inevitably attract Zhang Xuanyi." This battle is inevitable! ”

"Yes." Zuo Protector hurriedly shrank his head and said apologetically: "It's the subordinates who are obsessed." ”

"Is that thing ready?" Sun Yuanlang didn't have the same knowledge as him, and asked in a deep voice.

"Hui Dao Sect, it has been done, and it will be kept in the Sanqing Palace." The Right Protector hurriedly reported.

"Let's go, we'll see." Sun Yuanlang was interested, and his pace quickened a little.