Chapter 524 There Can Only Be One Heavenly Master in This World

There can only be one Heavenly Master in this world, and that is Master Xu, the leader of our Natural Religion.
When Zhang Lu thought about the Yellow Turban envoy Xun Chen who rushed to Hanzhong half a month ago and said these words in front of him with a bit of arrogance and coldness, he felt complicated.

Until now, he still felt reluctant to submit to Xuan Xia, but more of it was helplessness.

As the tenth-generation grandson of Zhang Liang and the grandson of Zhang Daoling, Zhang Lu was proud.

Even though he knew that the so-called Zhang Liang was just an ancestor that his grandfather brought up to expand his reputation and gain connections, this did not make Zhang Lu feel ashamed, because his grandfather's later reputation no longer needed to be highlighted by borrowing Zhang Liang.

As the founder of Tianshi Taoism, Zhang Daoling himself is the most famous signboard.

To the extent that, when Zhang Jiao started the Yellow Turban Rebellion, he also borrowed the name of Zhang. Zhang Daoling used his own power to give the surname Zhang the meaning of Taoist orthodoxy. If nothing unexpected happened, most of the Taoist masters in the future would also follow the surname Zhang.

As the leader of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, an orthodox Taoist faction, and the direct descendant of Zhang Daoling, Zhang Lu would naturally be proud of it.

Unfortunately, the appearance of one person changed everything.

Who could have thought that after Zhang Jue fell, a man named Xu Chen suddenly appeared, took the title of Yellow Turban leader and took over the Yellow Turban flag. If this was just for his own amusement, it would be fine, but he actually made a great career.

Even the so-called "Natural Way", which he considered to be a completely unorthodox way, has now become a behemoth that far surpasses the Tianshi Way and the Taiping Way.

Nowadays, it is no longer the orthodox Taoist factions such as Tianshi Dao that are gradually controlling the right to speak, but the natural Dao that has emerged halfway. Zhang Tianshi himself is no longer very popular, and Xu Tianshi is the one who is respected by the world.

Zhang Lu had extremely complicated feelings about this. It was impossible to say that he was not jealous, but deep down he was also full of admiration.

Regardless of how much connection Xu Chen's Natural Taoism has with orthodox Taoism, the Natural Taoism is ultimately inherited from the Taiping Taoism. It is undoubtedly a Taoist sect in name, but the sect philosophy of the Natural Taoism has been completely distorted. It does not believe in specific Taoist gods at all, but only respects the abstract concept of the Tao. The method of practice is also completely different.

In Zhang Lu's eyes, this kind of sect is nothing but a heresy, but if he is asked to break away from the Natural Way now, he is really unwilling to do so, so much so that he is eager to establish a relationship with the Natural Way.

Since Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, Confucianism has been the only official doctrine. Taoists were jealous. They also wanted to be respected as the state religion like Confucianism.

To some extent, the Yellow Turban Rebellion launched by Zhang Jue can be seen as an attempt by Taoism. If Zhang Jue succeeded, the land of China would have established a Taoist country and even the first Taoist emperor would have appeared. At that time, the entire Taoist system would have risen to power.

However, the result of this attempt was not ideal. Zhang Jue ultimately did not have the ability, and the Taoist's efforts were in vain.

Although Zhang Lu was also the local emperor of Hanzhong, he did not think he had the ability to accomplish such a feat. After Zhang Jue's death, he had already prepared to live a peaceful life in a remote corner.

However, the ashes of Taoism had not yet been extinguished, and Xu Chen emerged under the banner of the Natural Way, making a sound that shook the whole world. Now, that man has reached the end of success, and Taoism will usher in the most glorious time in history. No matter how much Taoist essence the Natural Way still has, it is still Taoism.

If there is anything to be regretted, it is that the one who ultimately accomplished this great feat was not Zhang Tianshi himself, but Xu Tianshi.

Of course, Zhang Lu was not the only one who was unwilling to accept this. His younger brother Zhang Wei, who was sitting next to him in the tent, was also indignant.

Although half a month had passed since the incident, Zhang Wei still found it difficult to accept Zhang Lu's decision when no one was around.

"Brother, I still don't understand why you have to submit to Xuan Xia. It is obvious that we are the orthodox Taoist sect. Even if Xuan Xia takes over the world, he should regard you as the orthodox sect. Then Xu Chen should also step down and let the wise take over. In Taoism, only you are qualified to be in the upper position!" While Zhang Wei was speaking, he slammed the table repeatedly. His flushed face showed his jealousy.

But Zhang Lu was speechless and didn't know how to answer. He suddenly began to doubt Zhang Wei's IQ. To say such words could not be explained by arrogance, but only by ignorance.

He sighed in his heart. It seemed that he had been a local emperor in Hanzhong for too long, so much so that Zhang Wei lost himself in the shouts of "Heavenly Master" by the people of Hanzhong. He even deceived himself and actually believed that people from the Taoist sect would kowtow and kneel when they saw the Zhang family.

"Second brother, you are too naive. In this world, strength is the key. Now that the natural religion is in power, we have no choice but to accept it. I am just making a decent choice. And this may not be a bad thing for you, me and the Taoist sect." Zhang Lu sighed and shook his head in response.

Zhang Wei frowned, obviously not convinced by Zhang Lu.

In his heart, Zhang Lu is similar to Liu Xie in the world. No matter how powerful the princes are, they have to bow down and respect Liu Xie as the emperor. The same is true for Taoism now. You, Xu Chen, have completed your mission by building the Xuanxia Divine Kingdom. You should abdicate and respect Zhang Lu as the Heavenly Master!

"Hmph, Taoism originated from my grandfather Zhang Daoling. No matter if he is Zhang Jiao or Xu Chen, he should respect my teachings. Now only my brother is qualified to represent Taoism, and it is definitely not him, Xu Chen!" Zhang Wei was still indignant.

Zhang Lu suddenly felt a headache: "Shut up and stop talking nonsense to attract trouble. The Taiping Dao has already had a distant relationship with my sect, not to mention that its doctrines are very different and it is a later-emerging Natural Dao. Do you really think I can control the Yellow Turbans?"

Zhang Wei fell silent immediately. He was actually just unwilling to accept the result, so he shouted happily, but he understood in his heart.

After a long while, Zhang Wei said in a deep voice: "In fact, I am not unreasonable, but I am unwilling to give Hanzhong away in vain. Not only that, you and I will become the Yellow Turbans' thugs to attack Shuzhong. Even if we succeed, it will not end well, but we will have to condescend to the way of nature. How can you bear this? Isn't it better for us to continue to be happy in Hanzhong?"

Zhang Lu's face darkened when he heard this, but then he sighed: "I know I feel aggrieved, but do you think I have a choice?"

Zhang Wei disagreed and said, "Why don't we have a choice? The Yellow Turbans are plotting to invade Shu. If we don't help them, they won't be able to do it. Without our help, they can't win this battle. Let's see what they can do. They should be the ones asking you and me for help. Why are we the ones being wronged?"

Zhang Lu said in a deep voice: "Do you really think that without me, Zhang Lu, to help him fight in Shuzhong, Xuanxia will not be able to defeat Wu and Shu?"

(End of this chapter)