Chapter 151: Chapter 148: Asura Emerges to Aid the Yellow Turbans Chapter 151: Chapter 148: Asura Emerges to Aid the Yellow Turbans The brothers three, leading troops to the foot of Daxing Mountain, encountered the vanguard of the fifty thousand Yellow Turbans.

The vanguard, commanded by Cheng Yuanzhi, was around five thousand strong, with disheveled hair and yellow turbans wrapped around their heads. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of yellow, similar to the wheat fields at harvest time. Seeing the command flags fluttering ahead, the five hundred men led by Liu Bei couldn’t help but feel a chill.

When the two armies met, they arranged their formations. The five hundred soldiers, inspired by the fearlessness of Liu-Guan-Zhang, also mustered their courage. After all, they were all from the same county, and to flee would only bring shame upon themselves. Moreover, it had been said before the battle that the Yellow Turbans were not to be feared; just slay their chief and the rest would collapse without a fight.

Zhang Fei charged ahead on his horse, cursing loudly, “You traitors against the state, why don’t you surrender early? Must your grandpa come over to beat you up?”

This enraged Cheng Yuanzhi, who turned to Deng Mao and said, “Go and behead that lowly thief for me!”

Deng Mao accepted the command and rode out, shouting, “Who approaches? State your name!”

Zhang Fei yelled back, “I am Zhang Yide, a man of Yan! Prepare to die!”

The two generals spurred their horses toward each other. Zhang Fei’s shout was like thunder, overpowering his opponent before striking first with his eighteen-foot-long serpent spear. Deng Mao, caught off guard by such swift movements, was pierced through the chest before he could even thrust his weapon, tumbling from his horse, dead on the ground.

Cheng Yuanzhi was shocked and turned to a Taoist by his side, “This lowly thief is ferocious indeed, I ask the master to lend a hand!”

And who was this person? He was none other than Indra from the Netherworld Blood Sea. Sporting a divine sword on his back and clad in a black Taoist robe, he nodded slightly at Cheng Yuanzhi and rode out from the ranks to the front of the formation.

Zhang Fei shouted, “So, a demon dares show up! Take my spear!”

No sooner had he spoken than he was already thrusting his spear forward. Such recklessness from Zhang Fei! Concerned for him, Guan Yu hastily came to his aid. Indra, however, sneered sinisterly and drew his divine sword, called Yuantu. Paired with Yuantu was the Abi Sword. These two divine swords killed without incurring karmic force, truly formidable!

“Bah! Demon of the Blood Sea, you shall not rampage here!” A ferocious roar erupted, followed by a flash of a slashing blade, aimed straight at Indra’s head.

Caught off guard, Indra hadn’t expected a Daoist master to be lying in ambush. He quickly raised his divine sword, and with a burst of sword qi, barely managed to block the blade. Looking up, he saw his attacker was a Taoist in green robes with a vertical eye on his forehead, wielding a trishula with divine edge. The force of this attack was enormous, causing Indra’s horse to neigh sharply and explode under its hooves, throwing the rider to the ground, dead.

Indra exclaimed, “Erlang Shen, Yang Jian, you dare oppose me?!”

Behind him surged a black light, which reversed to reveal a mirror. The mirror emitted a divine light that shot toward Yang Jian’s face.

Yang Jian flipped to avoid the attack, and with a slingshot in hand, he shot a silver bullet at the mirror, knocking it down with one hit.

Suddenly feeling a draft from behind, Indra saw a horsetail whisk coming down upon him. Trembling in fear and finding himself attacked from both front and back, he dared not attempt to catch it. Instead, he quickly formed a spell with his hands, directing the mirror’s light onto himself and turning into a yellow light that entered the ground. Using the Earth Escape Technique, he fled far away, disappearing without a trace.

After chasing away Indra, Yang Jian and Chen Tuan immediately returned to the clouds. Both Zhang Fei and Guan Yu were stunned for a moment before snapping to attention and charging to the front lines. Cheng Yuanzhi, still in shock from the sudden appearance of two more Daoists who drove away Indra, was caught off guard as Guan Yu and Zhang Fei killed three vanguards in a frenzy. In a panic, Cheng Yuanzhi hurriedly retreated, but Guan Yu was quicker, swiftly beheading him with one stroke, causing him to fall from his horse, his innards and blood spilling across the ground.

With this action, the two brothers established their first great merit. There are poems praising them, which go:

The heroes revealed their mettle at dawn today, one proved his spear, the other his sword sway.

From their first battle, they demonstrated their might, marking their names with every enemy’s plight.

Having killed the vanguard officer and Cheng Yuanzhi, the leaderless Yellow Turbans descended into chaos. Soldiers cried, horses neighed, and the ranks shattered, with many throwing away their weapons and armor to flee.

The three brothers pursued the retreating army, capturing numerous prisoners, thus securing a grand victory. Hearing of their leader’s fall, the remaining troops scattered in disarray, lifting the siege of Zhuo County without a fight.

Liu-Guan-Zhang led their troops back to Zhuo County to report to Liu Yan, but let’s leave that aside for now.

High above in the clouds, the Daoist Equal to Heaven and others wore grave expressions as they discussed the situation. Their solemnity was due to Indra’s extraordinary origins—he was a disciple of Ancestor Minghe from the Netherworld Blood Sea, and he had brought with him Minghe’s Innate Divine Sword, Yuantu. Minghe’s twin swords had the ability to kill without incurring any karmic force, allowing for the execution of anyone, even the Son of Heaven. With these divine swords, Minghe sought to prove the Dao through slaughter, proclaiming his ambition to kill Heaven, Earth, and all living beings! By killing every being in Heaven and Earth, he believed he could achieve Hunyuan and become a Saint.

However, it was mere talk; putting such a genocidal plan into action was no easy feat. Although he could kill without karmic repercussions and avoid the judgment of the Heavenly Dao, Saints would not stand idly by. Laozi was the Sect Hierarch of Human Teachings and governed the Human Path. If Minghe were to massacre all beings under Heaven, wouldn’t that be a strike to Laozi’s own face? How could Laozi tolerate such willful actions? To anger a Saint would likely mean obliteration, so naturally, Minghe dared not challenge a Saint.

Since the beginning of creation, the Netherworld Blood Sea had always kept a low profile. During the chaotic killings of ancient times, the Netherworld Blood Sea remained closed and did not make any moves, thus its strength remained unimpaired and was very formidable. No major massacres found their way to them, but this time, it seemed that Ancestor Minghe sensed something and actually sent his disciple Indra into the world, carrying the Yuantu Sword to aid the Yellow Turbans, seemingly also wanting to vie for a thread of destiny amidst the chaos.

“I didn’t expect Ancestor Minghe to get involved, that Taoist just now was from the Asura Clan of the Netherworld Blood Sea, named Indra. His divine sword is Ancestor Minghe’s primordial magical treasure, the Yuantu Sword. This sword kills without any karmic consequences. It is extremely terrifying!” said the Daoist Equal to Heaven.

When Wukong was captured and taken to the Underworld, the Netherworld Blood Sea had come to the Underworld to hunt for souls. It was Indra who caught Wukong with the Asura Mirror. In the end, it was only after the Ksitigarbha King sought Laojun’s intervention that Wukong was released; otherwise, he might have truly died within the Blood Sea. Daoist Equal to Heaven had a deep memory of this Indra, having even deceived him out of the “Blood God Sutra”.

Yang Jian said, “It seems the long-inactive Netherworld Blood Sea also wants to partake in the good fortune of this chaotic world, but Ancestor Minghe’s vision isn’t that impressive, actually choosing to support the Yellow Turbans.”

Chen Tuan said, “There’s no helping it. Nowadays, the ones with great destiny are being eyed by both the Buddhist Sect and the Daoist Sect, so Ancestor Minghe only has the Yellow Turbans left to choose from.”

Lu Dongbin said, “Although Zhang Jiao is fated to have a short life, destiny is unpredictable, and nothing is set in stone. Perhaps Ancestor Minghe is intending to help Zhang Jiao become emperor.”

Ancestor Minghe, relying on the Innate Blood River Great Array of the Netherworld Blood Sea, would not be meddled with by even a Saint if he chose to remain hidden, as the Great Array formed innately and was difficult to break. To act rashly against it might lead to a great setback.

If Zhang Jiao were truly able to claim the title of Emperor, he naturally wouldn’t die young. With destiny being fickle, the struggles of humanity are ultimately decided by the heroes among mankind. If Zhang Jiao has the capability to overthrow the Han Dynasty, then he deservedly should be the one to be the Emperor.

Daoist Equal to Heaven said, “In that case, we must be wary of those from the Netherworld Blood Sea. They have the Yuantu and the Abi Swords, divine swords that kill without karmic consequences. These are unique magical treasures in the world, and when they act, they certainly have no scruples! We must be careful to protect against these people, lest they harm the lives of these three brothers.”

Everyone nodded silently. These magical treasures were practically loopholes in the Heavenly Dao. Killing without any karmic consequence meant that even taking the life of a True Dragon Emperor posed no significant issue. The emergence of the Yuantu and Abi Swords clearly meant a bloody storm was brewing, and the struggles within the Dao of Immortals would become even more fierce.

Indra used Earth Escape to leave hurriedly, not daring to linger, and went back into the Blood Sea to see his ancestor.

The ancestor said, “Why have you returned again?”

Indra replied, “Your disciple was ordered to assist Cheng Yuanzhi in the attack on Zhuo County, but unexpectedly encountered Erlang Shen Yang Jian and another powerful expert, nearly getting injured. In a hurry, I used Earth Escape to flee. Cheng Yuanzhi’s forces were also defeated, the effort falling short of success.”

After listening, Ancestor Minghe couldn’t help but ponder and said, “No matter, you just do as you are told. If necessary, I will come to your aid.”

Indra said, “Yes! I will leave immediately.”

Indra came in a rush and left in a hurry, carrying the Yuantu Sword on his back. Another disciple stepped forward from beneath Ancestor Minghe’s seat and said, “Ancestor, I too wish to enter the world.”

Ancestor Minghe nodded and said, “Good! Take my Abi Sword with you. You must help the Yellow Turbans overturn the Great Han, and win fate for our Netherworld Blood Sea.”

This disciple was a great expert of the Netherworld Blood Sea, the Heavenly Demon King Poxun, whose cultivation reached the formidable level of Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal First Layer. Now that he received a divine sword from his ancestor, he was even more invincible. Even if the Great Emperor of Heavenly Court were to come, he could still hold his own in a fight!

The ancestor produced yet another divine sword in his hand, this one called Abi. The Yuantu and Abi Swords dominated the Path of Slaughter and Killing and were treasures of slaughter, only slightly inferior to the Four Swords of Celestial Slaying held by Spiritual Treasure Celestial Venerable. The most terrifying aspect was still their unique ability to kill without karmic consequences, truly fearsome.

Ancestor Minghe was the Taoist Master of the Asura Path and the ruler of the Path of Slaughter and Killing, inheriting these two innate divine swords for the purpose of dominating over slaughter!

The Four Swords of Celestial Slaying were known as the foremost weapons of killing in the Heavenly Dao, while the Yuantu and Abi Swords were hailed as the ultimate treasures of slaughter in the Heavenly Dao; their ferocity remains to be explained in subsequent texts.

Indra was also startled by the sudden attack from the newcomers, and with Ancestor Chen Tuan’s sudden assault, he nearly got injured, which is why he fled in such a panic. If he had stabilized his mind, fighting and dueling with the two might have led to an uncertain outcome.

Upon receiving Ancestor Minghe’s divine sword, Poxun swallowed it into his body and said, “I will now go to help the Yellow Turbans. Ancestor, just wait for the good news.”

Ancestor Minghe said, “Go then! These two divine swords carry the karmic force of killings from my Asura Path. Ordinary people wouldn’t dare to touch them, so you need not worry about them being seized by any Great Mystic.”

Poxun nodded, used an Escape Technique to leave the Blood Sea, and hurried towards the Southern Toad Continent.

To find out what happens next, please stay tuned for the following episode.