Xia Xu, Zhong Xu. A tower with most of it collapsed stood quietly in the center of the market city. It can be called the landmark building of Xia Xu, and its remaining height is much higher than the city wall. Therefore it can be seen from a long distance. After hundreds of thousands of years of wind, frost, rain and snow, the surface of the ruined tower is covered with traces of erosion by natural forces. But its frame remains strong and stable. The Palace of the Heavenly King of Yuanshi is inside this tower! When Zhang Yuan came over, there was already a sea of people around the tower. Countless people held incense and knelt before the head of the Heavenly King's Hall, praying for the protection of the gods. After the ceremony, the incense letter is inserted into the copper stove.
Surrounding the tower, there are more than a dozen large copper furnaces specially used for worshiping incense. Wisps of green smoke curled up, gathering into billowing smoke. Soaring straight into the sky! But it is normal for such a grand occasion to occur before the rainy season arrives. In fact, many of the farmers who come here to kneel down and pray for blessings are farmers from other places. They sold the food they had worked so hard to grow in the market city, and then used the few scattered copper coins they saved between their teeth to buy incense from the Taoist boys who served the Heavenly King. And the town talisman. Finally left satisfied. Zhang Yuan mingled in the crowd and observed, and then took out some silver to buy the incense charm. In fact, for him, the suppressing talisman should not be of much use. Zhang Yuan can deal with low-level weirdness by himself. Advanced, there is no difference between a town talisman and a piece of waste paper. But it would be a bit strange not to buy it, and the price is not expensive. So he bought two from Tao Tong. This talisman is about the size of a palm, and is made of jute paper, with runes like flying dragons and phoenixes drawn on it with cinnabar. It looks like there's a bit of Taoism in it. "Infinite Heavenly Lord!" The boy in charge said: "This layman, please invite five talismans together to enter the main hall to offer incense!" Zhang Yuan laughed dumbly.
He is quite familiar with this kind of sales routine. The Taoist boy obviously had a look, and he could see that Zhang Yuan could afford the money, so he said a few more words. "good!" Zhang Yuan simply bought three more Zhen Fu. Then he was introduced into the main hall of the Yuanshi Heavenly King. There are not many believers in this hall, and smoke is lingering inside, shrouding the towering statues of gods. But the people here are obviously different from the people outside, no matter how they dress or how they talk. Zhang Yuan did not compete with others for position, but found a corner to light the incense. Bowed three times to the statue of the Heavenly King in the center of the hall. Zhang Yuan knew it very well. Regardless of whether it is the First Heavenly King, the Dragon God, the Earthly God, the City God or the Earth God. None of them are real gods. They are the gathering of all faiths and the spiritual sustenance of all people. Over time, spirituality is derived. And then has a powerful ability to fight against weirdness. Protect the people of one place. Taoists and heavenly masters, on the other hand, can borrow the power of faith to draw talismans and cast spells to activate various spells. Zhang Yuan straightened up and looked at the statue of the King of Heaven. This statue is more than ten feet tall. It is wearing Yunlong gold armor. It holds a hammer in its left hand and a mace in its right hand. It looks extremely powerful in terms of body shape, appearance and posture. The Yuanshi Heavenly King also had vertical pupils in his eyebrows. Zhang Yuan was standing on the right side of the statue, not facing the Yuanshi Heavenly King. But when Zhang Yuan stared at the statue, the vertical pupils of the Yuanshi Heavenly King seemed to suddenly "come alive" and turned to look at him! Zhang Yuan was shocked. The next moment, a strange force suddenly surged towards him. Before Zhang Yuan could react, he suddenly disappeared again. It's like a breeze blowing on your face, leaving no trace. But a faint golden light suddenly appeared on his chest! The incense in Zhang Yuan's hand burned out at an alarming speed. There was a soft cry all around.
Many people noticed something strange happening to Zhang Yuan, and they all stared at him with their eyes wide open. His eyes showed excitement and desire. There are even jealous ones. Zhang Yuan didn't know why, but he felt something was wrong. Such attention is definitely not what he, a man with a reward of five thousand taels on his back, needs! "Infinite Heavenly Lord!" Fortunately, a Taoist priest appeared in time and blocked Zhang Yuan from many coveting eyes. This Taoist priest has an upright posture, a handsome face, and narrow eyes with a feminine temperament. He smiled and bowed his head to Zhang Yuan and said: "This layman, who is poor and sincere, can you lend me a moment to speak?" Zhang Yuan nodded: "Okay." Although you are wary, rejecting the other party is obviously not a wise choice. So Taoist Xuancheng took Zhang Yuan to the side hall. After the two of them sat down, Taoist Xuancheng said, "May I ask the layman's surname?" Zhang Yuan answered calmly: "Zhao Yun." This Taoist probably didn't have any ill intentions - at least he couldn't sense it. "It turns out to be Jushi Zhao." Taoist Xuancheng nodded and asked, "I would like to ask, I wonder if a layman would be willing to protect the Dharma outside this temple?" External protector? Zhang Yuan was stunned. He does know what the outer protector means. The so-called external protector is equivalent to the guest minister in the gang. His status is quite noble and not just anyone can take the role. However, Zhang Yuan came to Tianwang Palace for the first time today and had nothing to do with the latter, except... He took out the talisman hidden in his arms with enlightenment. The cinnabar runes on the five talismans suddenly turned into a golden color. The grade suddenly improved a lot! "I think the layman also understands." Taoist Xuancheng smiled and said: "The blessing of the Heavenly King is an opportunity that can't be sought. The layman and this temple are destined to be together!" Zhang Yuan never thought that he would come here to buy two talismans and see the Heavenly King Temple by the way.
Unexpectedly, it actually triggered the spirit of the statue. Good things must be good things. However, Zhang Yuan thought about the proposal of Taoist Xuancheng and declined politely: "Thank you for the invitation, but I don't like constraints, please forgive me." He has a huge secret on him, and even has a magic weapon. What's more, Zhang Yuan is an enemy of Qingyun Temple. As the saying goes, the Taoist veins in the world are one family. Once his secret or identity is exposed, the consequences will be disastrous! Although the power and responsibility of the external protector are not heavy, it is not so convenient to act with this layer of involvement and bondage. Zhang Yuan came all the way to Xiaxu, not to show off. "What a pity." Taoist Xuancheng was not surprised, but a little regretful: "Since the layman is unwilling, I can't force him." After a pause, the Taoist said: "If the layman thinks it through one day, you can come at any time!" Zhang Yuan nodded: "Okay." This face must be given, so that the other party can step down. Taoist Xuancheng has a refined temperament and is definitely not an ordinary person. Even if such a person cannot be a friend, there is no need to offend him. Taoist Xuancheng personally sent Zhang Yuan out of the hall. When they parted, he said meaningfully: "Layman, the heavy rain is coming, be careful in everything."
