The Strongest Taoist Who Gives Up: Crushing the Kingdom of Xisang from the Start

In the bloody fog of Qingniu Ridge, a Xisang officer is mysteriously killed atop the city wall, and the armory goes up in flames. Amid the ashes, Daoist talismans and the blood-written words "Those who trespass in Dongtang will be claimed by the Celestial Master" make for a chilling sight.

The townsfolk whisper that the mountain god has manifested, but the children look toward a ruined temple outside the city. The disheveled Daoist Shanyou lives there with a feral black cat that plays with snakes. Shanyou is lazy all day long, seemingly indifferent to the world.

As the land falls to ruin, Liu Ye, the orphaned daughter of a mining magnate, arrives drenched in blood, then leaves in bitter resentment, deriding the temple as "useless." Meanwhile, tales begin to spread of the "Avenging Daoist," who punishes the enemy with mysterious methods, leaving traces of Daoist magic everywhere.

Inside the temple, Shanyou runs his fingers over an ancient mirror that conceals secrets of another world. The black cat, able to pass between yin and yang, perches on his shoulder, its golden eyes foretelling a storm: the "Star Gate" activated by the Xisang nation's Grand Preceptor is devouring Dongtang's national fortune and souls.

Darkness looms over the city, and Shanyou finally stops "slacking off." He steps out of the ruined temple, his talismans kindling the fire of technology as the mystic cat guides him along the path between life and death. A supernatural showdown erupts upon the Kunlun Dragon Vein. In the end, he burns away his own life to seal the Star Gate.

In the dawn light, a wordless monument rises. Where the lamplight fades, those mysterious eyes still watch over these shattered yet reborn mountains and rivers.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.