Chapter 862 Returning the Gods to the People

He exhaled and spoke, but it was only one saber strike.

From the looks of it, this saber strike before King Yang Gong of Mingzhou's tent didn't even seem that impressive. His subordinates simply dismantled a temple and dragged out a mud statue of a god from inside.

After clearly seeing the words on the memorial tablet, he pointed at the nose of the statue and rebuked it. Then, with a grand wave of his hand, an old farmer, whose origins were unknown, raised a heavy, re-forged, old executioner's blade.

He then aimed at the stiff-faced statue, which only knew how to smile foolishly, and brought the blade down with a fierce chop.

"Thud!"

The heavy head of the statue fell to the ground, leaving slight marks, and a bit of accumulated snow splashed up.

There was no other sound.

The soldiers around watching this strike felt a chill run down their spines and became somewhat fearful. They had seen people worshiping gods, praying to gods, and offering sacrifices to gods, but they had never seen anyone scolding or even beheading a god.

In their minds, this would surely be punished...

"Ooh..."

And indeed, just as they thought, as soon as the mud head hit the ground, there seemed to be a moment of silence all around. Even the sound of the wind and snow seemed to subside a little.

Just when it gave people the illusion that nothing had happened, suddenly, a wild wind rose from all directions, rolling and pressing in. They felt a darkness before their eyes, as if they saw countless grotesque shadows with bared fangs and brandished claws.

Beheading a god enraged all the ghosts and deities.

Moreover, it was a mortal with a meager destiny who beheaded a god. You weren't from the Zhenchui (Suppression) Bureau...

"Not good..."

Even the surrounding soldiers, as they faced the surge of this wild wind, were instantly terrified, instinctively holding their heads and squatting on the ground.

These people, born of poor families, would dare to rob the wealthy families' grain if they were starving.

But disrespecting the gods? They wouldn't dare!

"It's time..."

But before something incomprehensible to these soldiers could happen, Miss White Wine had already prepared.

As early as when Yang Gong dragged the mud statue out, she nodded to a thin man who had come with her. The man carried a large umbrella on his back and had a serene expression. It was Diaojiu.

He also looked at Yang Gong with admiration for doing this act of beheading a god. He slowly took out his umbrella, held it in his hand, and said softly to Miss White Wine:

"You save people, I save hearts."

"If we don't first break the shackles in their hearts, and behead this demon-filled heaven and ghostly earth, how can the true god born from the depths of the people's hearts be willing to protect them from disaster?"

"..."

And at the moment when the mud head fell to the ground, the fierce wind rose all around, and everyone was terrified, he also opened his umbrella.

Facing the boundless wind and snow, he slowly raised it.

No matter how big the umbrella was, it was only about three feet in radius, but as he raised it above his head, everyone around suddenly felt a warm and fragrant aura soaring into the sky. The vast wind and snow between heaven and earth vanished without a trace in an instant.

With just an umbrella, he blocked the wind and snow for this thousand-mile land.

Not only did the wind and snow stop, but even the grotesque monsters with bared fangs and brandished claws, squeezed into the black wind, seemed to have their throats seized all at once. The coldness rolling in from all directions, the invisible and ferocious claws, all dissipated at this moment.

Looking up, one could see an invisible large umbrella, surrounded by a treasure-like light and filled with fragrance. Pairs of compassionate eyes looked down at the world.

But no longer in a condescending manner, but rather, like parents looking at their children.

Only peace and tranquility remained between heaven and earth.

And Miss White Wine, seeing the mud head fall to the ground, also slowly nodded.

She slowly walked to the carriage she had brought from Caoxintang (Herb Heart Hall) and took out a delicate jade pot, carved with phoenix and dragon patterns, from her baggage.

She removed the lid and gently blew a breath, and a wisp of purple energy instantly flew into the sky.

This wisp of purple energy was extremely thin and long, but it was continuous. The small jade pot seemed to contain an endless amount of purple energy, stretching continuously and going straight into the sky.

At the same time, in the depths of the rolling wind and snow, in all directions of this thousand-mile land, there were also people, either dressed plainly or wearing brocade clothing, slowly putting down the satchels in their hands.

Before Miss White Wine entered the Southwest, she had already issued medical heart invitations in the name of Caoxintang, saying that the Southwest was suffering from continuous natural disasters and asking doctors from all over the world to come and treat the victims.

Now that the Undead Wang family had fallen, and Miss White Wine had taken over all of their legacy, Caoxintang had become the largest of the Siming (Life Command) sects.

Although rumors spread among the capable people in the world's Siming sects that she was a being of evil, which made most of the Siming sect members disobey her orders, her medical heart invitations were naturally not as effective as those of the Undead Wang family had been.

But when this medical heart invitation was issued, many people still came. The first to answer the invitation was Miss White Wine's biological father.

As a wisp of purple energy floated into the sky, these doctors also opened their satchels, either ringing bells or chanting incantations.

The purple energy began to scatter into the clouds, merging with the treasure light on the umbrella held up by Diaojiu.

The wind and snow in the world suddenly stopped, but auspicious clouds gathered under the umbrella, weaving together and colliding in clusters, and then transforming into sweet rain, falling upon the earth.

King Yang Gong of Mingzhou's soldiers were now on the verge of collapse, suffering from frostbite and their spirits shattered, but as this sweet rain fell, it was like a spring breeze caressing their bodies. The frostbite on their bodies became lighter and even disappeared without a trace.

Even the wounds from blades and weapons that had been delayed in treatment, as well as the hidden injuries caused by long-term hunger and fatigue, seemed to be driven out of their bodies and vanished without a trace as the sweet rain fell.

Faces wrinkled with fear slowly relaxed, and even showed a hint of unbelievable joy. Miss White Wine looked at their faces, and a smile appeared on her usually indifferent face.

She liked the way people smiled after she saved them. She, who had just obtained her medical qualification in her previous life, was reaping the greatest satisfaction in this world.

It's okay, it's all the same.

"The snow disaster, the snow disaster has really stopped!"

And when this scene of an umbrella shielding the wind and snow and sweet dew saving the world appeared, the soldiers around were already in silent shock.

This switch between a nightmarish hell and a blessed realm where sweet rain fell, the impact of misery and despair and sudden enlightenment, made them feel as if they had undergone a thorough baptism from the inside out.

The invisible and oppressive shadow above their heads finally dissipated at this moment. In their hearts, it was as if countless iron chains were wrapped around a gate that had been sealed for a long time, and at this moment, it collapsed with a crash. Their hearts soared, flying higher than the sky and seeing farther than the sky.

"A miracle..."

Tie Zuizi, the strategist of the Bu Shi Niu (No Eat Beef) army next to him, was stunned for a long time by this scene, and then suddenly reacted.

Even an unusual person like him felt that the scenes before his eyes were a miracle.

So he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and bowed fiercely to the Ming King above the blue tent in front of him, shouting loudly, "The Ming King is sent by heaven, his destiny is ordained!"

Starting with him, the others also reacted one after another. Bu Shi Niu didn't like kneeling, and he also didn't like others kneeling, but sometimes when the shock in his heart reached its peak, as a poor person from the bottom, it seemed that only this kneeling could express his joy.

So the hundred thousand soldiers, from near to far, all knelt down towards the central tent, wave after wave rising and rolling up layers and layers of ice and snow on the ground:

"The Ming King is sent by heaven, his destiny is ordained!"

"..."

From this moment on, no one doubted the Ming King's intention to seek grain to relieve the people's suffering. In fact, no one even paid attention to the ghosts and gods anymore.

Only Yang Gong in the tent, looking at the middle-aged man holding up the umbrella in the depths of the crowd, and then at Miss White Wine next to the carriage, holding the jade pot, summoning this sweet rain, and then standing beside him with a smile.

His heart was shaken, and his eyes were hot: "I only said a few words, what does worldly fortune have to do with me?"

"Clearly, the gods have descended upon the world to save our lives from suffering..."

"But they, how can they be so relaxed, they did these things, but they let a dirt-legged guy like me bear it all, just watching from the side, smiling so happily..."

"Could this be... could this be the compassion and transcendence that only true immortals possess?"

"..."

"..."

One saber strike, the wind and snow suddenly stopped, and the sweet rain descended. It was already a miracle praised by everyone, but it was not limited to this.

At Menghu (Fierce Tiger) Pass, Erguotou also used Yang Gong's saber strike to release altar notices, dispatching Zhenchui Bureau's golden armored soldiers, one transforming into two, two transforming into four, a hundred and eight golden armored soldiers actually spread all over the world, taking down the mud statues, patrolling gods, altar gods, and prefectural lords in various places. Although he had tried his best to let the capable people of the Zougui (Walking Ghost) sect appease the people, it also stirred up endless panic. Of course, there were also countless gentlemen who respected gods and incense burners in temples, gathering in groups to try to stop this.

However, these things had to be done by people in the sects, and the most capable in the sects were the Ten Surnames, but the Ten Surnames were already unable to take care of themselves.

This formed the situation where the Zougui sect was now dominant.

The laws of the Zougui sect were the greatest laws in this world, and others wanted to stop them, but they couldn't.

"It's time to draw the saber!"

Erguotou sat high on the altar, roared in a deep voice, and picked up the Di Yin (Delivering Yin) notice to look at the world.

Countless golden armored soldiers traveled the world, breaking mountains and destroying temples, taking out those pseudo-god mud statues who only knew how to occupy their positions and do nothing. But Erguotou only had the Golden Armor Collection in his hands after all.

He could use the golden armored soldiers of the world to capture people, and he also had five stone Tuo (pestles) suppressing the altar, not afraid that they would overturn the heavens, but he didn't have the ability to behead gods.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate to use the Di Yin notice to tell Hu Ma about this matter.

To behead gods, he still had to rely on the Zhenchui Bureau!

"Has this moment finally arrived?"

And in the Da'ai (Great Grief) Mountain, in a deep dream, Hu Ma in the Underworld Palace heard Erguotou's words, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"What outrageous things are you doing in the human world?"

In front of Hu Ma, after the Sixth Palace was destroyed, he saw glittering golden light, dragon flags and phoenix canopies, shining with golden light. After the Sixth Palace was beheaded, the Yiguang Emperor and Yibao Emperor of the Fifth and Fourth Palaces also felt afraid.

They didn't think they had the power to suppress someone who had beheaded five palaces in a row, so they took the initiative to abandon their positions as emperors and rushed to the Third Palace to ask for help together.

And the ghost emperor of this Third Palace was the Yiming Emperor, who had been posthumously conferred as the prefectural lord patrolling god to govern the world during his lifetime.

During his lifetime, he was fond of claiming credit and made great achievements, proclaiming himself the lord of all gods. Because he happened to be in charge of conferring the prefectural lords, he waved his hand and not only those who had contributed to the court were made prefectural lords.

Even the eunuchs who served him were given the position of "Ear Reporting God," and even those Jianghu swindlers who had obtained so-called "Qilin (Kirin)" outside and presented them to him in court were given the position of "Treasure Hunting God."

Although it was like a joke, it was after all personally conferred by the emperor, and shrines were set up everywhere to receive incense offerings, so the incense was real.

And this made it so that other ghost emperors were followed by civil and military officials and palace maids who were buried with them, but the Yiming Emperor was surrounded by gods all over the sky.

Incense all over his body, rolling golden clouds, came mightily, many times greater than the prestige of the Zhenchui Bureau in the human world.

But facing these gods all over the sky and the three ghost emperors at the very end, Hu Ma just held his saber and sneered.

Having personally experienced the events of sacrifice mountain and pond producing a god, he didn't care about these gods all over the sky at all, and only shouted: "Gods arise from the hearts of the people, what are the gods you conferred worth?"

In the angry shouts, he waved his saber straight to meet the Third Palace, and at the same time gave a response to Erguotou's Di Yin letter: "God was originally the most beautiful word, originating from the hearts of the people, but they polluted this word, cheated the incense offerings, and occupied the positions, then today..."

"...let them all give way one by one!"

"Kaka Kaka..."

When Hu Ma waved his saber to meet the gods in the palace, in the human world, two golden armored warriors were walking in the depths of the night. In their hands, they were carrying a stone box, first came to the Hu family ancestral shrine in Shangjing City.

They bowed to the old woman in the ancestral shrine and asked for instructions.

Now that Hu Ma was not in the human world, the old woman was the only one who could nod in agreement. After receiving her permission, the two golden armored warriors headed for Menghu Pass.

"What the hell?"

Erguotou was stunned when he saw the golden armored warriors send the stone box to him, open it, and reveal the Zhenchui Bureau's Jin Jian (Golden Mace) inside: "What is this kid doing?"

"Instead of rushing over to do the Zhenchui Hu family's errands, he even handed over the token of the Zhenchui Bureau?"

"..."

But since the Zhenchui Jin Jian had arrived, and things had already begun, what hesitation was there?

Immediately taking out the Hu family's style, he snorted coldly and reached out to grab it, but he saw that the Zhenchui Jin Jian was extremely heavy and couldn't be lifted.

Fortunately, when his palm touched it, the Zhenchui Jin Jian had already rattled its nine rings, vibrating, and golden light spread out. In an instant, the void was heavy, and the evil aura rolled. The huge Zhenchui Bureau had already opened on Erguotou's altar.

Rumble!

That was the sound of the night being squeezed. Golden lights appeared, and one golden armored warrior after another, dragging the prefectural lords and altar gods who had been captured from all over the world, the wandering souls and wild ghosts who had stolen the world's incense offerings, gathered from all directions and knelt in front of the altar.

Looking from afar, the mountains and plains seemed to be filled with wild gods kneeling in a thousand-mile radius.

Lady Hongdeng (Red Lantern) behind Erguotou was softened at this moment.

Those kneeling in front of the altar were all the prefectural lords and wild gods who had received incense offerings from all over the world for who knows how many years. She couldn't beat at least half of them at all.

No, at least half of them, if they came to hit her, she wouldn't even dare to fight back...

"Ooh..."

Dense whispers came over. If you didn't listen carefully, you would only feel the yin wind intertwined, as if mixed with countless voices with hundreds of times the speed superimposed. If you listened carefully, you could hear voices of injustice and wailing.

Anyone else sitting on this altar would be afraid that the altar fire would be extinguished early and they would die from backlash, but Erguotou had five stone Tuo as trấn vật (talismans), and was as stable as Mount Tai.

Reaching out, a token flew up from the Zhenchui Bureau and then flew far away.

He only shouted, "Chop!"

"Shua Shua Shua!"

Endless golden armored warriors, escorting the evil ghosts in front of them, flew into the Zhenchui Bureau, and all four guillotines in that row finally opened their blades at this moment.

Then, everyone in the world seemed to hear the sound of chopping grass in their ears. They only heard this sound continuously, extremely crisp, densely packed, mixed with countless sounds of mud and stone breaking, for a whole night.

And in this world, all kinds of shrines and ghost temples experienced various different movements on this night.

When someone went to see them the next morning, they saw that all the temple doors had been opened and the thresholds had been knocked down.

The mud statues in the temples had all fallen to the ground!

And in front of Menghu Pass, only the sounds of despair were heard from the Zhenchui Bureau, and one head after another rolled out from the Zhenchui Bureau, their faces bearing ferocity and unwillingness, but they could only turn into incense offerings, one by one, with strands of purple energy, scattered into the human world.

Every time Lady Hongdeng saw a head rolling down, her body shuddered, and she turned to look at Erguotou, who was sitting high on the altar, with inviolable majesty, and was both in awe and affection for him.

Her body had long since softened, only her eyes were as tender as water...

...

...

"The pond gods are returning to their positions, right now..."

And on this night, when the Zhenchui Bureau came into the world and beheaded all the pond ghosts, the most excited were the Bu Shi Niu disciples.

Led by the Bu Shi Niu senior brother, he held up the incense offerings, and a group of Bu Shi Niu disciples followed behind him. They walked slowly from south to north, and although their steps were slow and solemn, this world seemed to be flowing quickly around them.

They passed through various mountains, fields, prefectures, counties, and villages. Every time they reached a place, disciples would turn and enter these places.

They left the incense offerings in their hands and then returned to follow them to the next place.

The three green incense sticks in their hands floated up and gathered into clouds. In the clouds, you could vaguely see familiar figures, including mountain lords, willow gods, and the appearances of distant ancestors.

Everyone could see familiar shadows in them, because gods arose from the hearts of the people. All the gods were originally transformed from the spirits of ancestors, so that the people of this world would feel familiar and close to them when they saw them.

There were also countless people in the sects who encountered them, knew that something big had happened, didn't dare to stop them, but asked from a distance, "The prefectural lords and altar gods have all been beheaded, so who is receiving incense offerings in the halls now..."

"...who is it?"

"..."

The Bu Shi Niu senior brother would only stop slowly when he heard this question and answer with a smile:

"Ancestors!"

"Today, the Bu Shi Niu disciples, on the orders of their master Hu Ma, have beheaded all the corpses and demons occupying their positions, and have brought the incense offerings from the ponds to return the gods to the people, to pray for blessings and ward off disasters for the living people in our world!"