Chapter 109 Returning the Gods to the People

In the Northern lands, at the old site of the ancestral altar, now stands the Ten Clan Ancestral Shrine, built atop what was once the ancestral altar. As the billowing dark clouds relentlessly rolled towards Old Yin Mountain, a long sigh echoed from the Hu Family of Zhensui (Suppressing Calamities).

It was the voice of Grandmother, who sensed the influence on Hu Ma's last bloodline as the soul lamp flared.

The old man guarding the shrine appeared outside the Hu Family's ancestral hall, not stepping over the threshold.

He merely watched the soul lamp, sighing softly, "He's still just a child, after all. Thrown into Old Yin Mountain without guidance, he's bound to stir up trouble without knowing the consequences. Are you going to shield him?"

Wisps of black gas rising from the soul lamp coalesced into the shape of an old woman. Without hesitation, she glared at the meddlesome old man.

Her voice seemed to mingle with the surrounding wind, "He is a child of the Hu Family. It is the duty of the Hu Family ancestors to protect him. He has already done exceptionally well, better than any in their respective families..."

"It's just a pity, when he came to the ancestral shrine to offer incense, I couldn't see him..."

"..."

"..."

This wisp of Yin spirit flew out of the ancestral shrine, intending to protect the sole remaining lineage of the Hu Family.

But neither she nor the old man outside the ancestral shrine anticipated the scene that suddenly unfolded.

In the direction of Old Yin Mountain, as the Zou Guiren (Ghost Walkers) began the mountain sacrifice, it was already hazy, unknowingly drawing in a multitude of incense offerings. In the eyes of those who understood such matters, Old Yin Mountain shone with great divine light, like an oil lamp flickering brightly before its final extinguishing...

...But no one expected that what seemed to be the final glimmer of light before fading would suddenly blaze even brighter, even surpassing its previous limits, abruptly erupting into a radiant glow that spanned tens of thousands of miles.

Within Old Yin Mountain, Second Master held a willow branch, striking away disasters, having already replaced four or five whips. Hu Ma's godmother was about to go bald again.

However, the two straw figures remained unyielding, no matter how hard he struck them. Second Master gnashed his teeth in frustration.

But at that moment, he felt that the strange wind, which had been weakening, and was about to be driven out of Old Yin Mountain, suddenly became ferocious again, even more so than before, rushing straight at Second Master's back.

Yet, because of the strange wind, the surrounding billowing incense suddenly gathered together, forming a massive cloud of smoke, within which a tall figure could vaguely be seen.

"Mountain Lord..."

Many people saw it and shouted loudly, "The Mountain Lord has manifested again..."

"Ah?"

Second Master was shocked and quickly turned around, seeing the shadow within the billowing incense.

At that moment, he seemed to meet the shadow's gaze, instantly feeling the incense from all directions surging towards him.

Not far away, the people of the Daozai (Disaster Thief) sect were stunned.

Hu Ma slowly lowered his hand covering his right eyelid, and slowly thought, "Bu Shi Niu (Those Who Don't Eat Ox), should be starting too..."

...

...

"Why sacrifice to the mountain?"

"It's to find a backer for us common folk..."

"You ask if this mountain sacrifice is useful? Heh, it's ten times more powerful than the lantern festival in Stone Horse Town!"

"What if the family is poor and can't afford offerings?"

"Easy!"

"If you can't afford offerings, then just burn incense. If you can't afford incense, then burn firewood. A single piece of firewood, if offered with sincerity, is also a mountain sacrifice. If you can't even afford firewood, or it's not readily available, then just rub a handful of dirt together by your side; that's enough. The true gods, in fact, never care about these empty rituals."

"A thousand sacrifices, a hundred offerings, sincerity comes first!"

"..."

In just a few days, Bu Shi Niu had already spread the word of the mountain sacrifice to thousands of households.

In truth, Bu Shi Niu's primary role was to incite rebellion, but they were not very successful at it. However, twenty years of painstaking effort had earned them countless hearts.

Now, they sought neither wealth nor profit, nor did they expect them to follow them into battle. They simply asked them to sacrifice to the mountain, without even requiring offerings. As a result, the influence that arose was immense, beyond anyone's imagination.

Including Hu Ma's.

Hu Ma only thought that if Bu Shi Niu couldn't incite people to rebel, surely they would give face and burn incense, right?

Now it seemed, they were giving too much.

Bu Shi Niu's disciples, after two days of preparation, used the guise of ancestral worship to distribute porridge and grain, summoning people from miles around. Others, under the pretense of warding off disasters and seeking blessings, roused the people of the entire city.

Even more, countless others scattered throughout the world, all acted at the appointed time, either lighting candles, burning firewood, or simply kneeling by the roadside, rubbing dirt into incense. Even those resting in the fields held a few stalks of rice in their hands.

The common people had long been without gods, with only Yin Sui (Yin spirits) all over the place. The people were accustomed to being uncared for, but when someone said that they could invite one to watch over them, whether they believed it or not, they would always have some longing.

Because of this longing, a vast amount of incense came pouring in, sweeping across the land like a sea.

...

...

In Old Yin Mountain, the Mountain Lord had long been prepared to manifest. From the moment Hu Ma promised him that he would have the people of the world sacrifice to the mountain, he had been waiting for this moment.

However, at that time, he only knew the Ghost Walking ways, knowing that this "world" was only a metaphorical reference.

No sect could represent the world, not even the Ghost Walking sect.

He would block disasters, simply because he was born to block disasters, not allowing those things to run rampant in the human world.

But even so, when he had already manifested and was ready for a full-force attack, he was suddenly stunned on the spot.

Then he turned his head and looked at the countless people in the world who were making sacrifices. For a moment, he even felt like a person, lost in distant memories, as if he saw the sincere prayers of hundreds of millions of people at the ancestral altar at this moment.

Immediately afterwards, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his eyes and sighed in a low voice, "I am a sinner. How can I accept this?"

Once standing before hundreds of millions of people, but falling to a lone soul, hidden in the mountains, witnessing the rampant evil and the people's misery.

At this moment, feeling this surging incense, his first thought was a sense of guilt.

Immediately afterwards, he felt that the incense was constantly expanding, and within this incense, he heard a more immense and pure wish than just helping Old Yin Mountain block disasters.

So, he stood in the incense, looked up into the distance, and then his heart became more determined, his eyes looked into the depths of the forest, and saw Hu Ma, nodding slowly towards him.

He also saw that outside Old Yin Mountain, someone was leading eight incense holders to come, the old farmer at the head, with a gentle look in his eyes.

"It's time!"

"Return the Gods to the People!"

"..."

"Return the Gods to the People?"

Words could not describe the impact these four words had on the Mountain Lord's heart, but just as he would not hesitate to block disasters, he had no second thoughts at this time.

So, he simply smiled in the incense, and then gently swung his wide sleeves.

The sound of Suona (a Chinese wind instrument) rose!

The sound of the cowhide drum rose!

The sound of the copper gong rose!

These were the incense gatherings convened by Bu Shi Niu in various places. When the countless people uttered the name of Old Yin Mountain, the musicians in the gatherings puffed up their cheeks and used all their strength to blow the Suona.

The high-pitched sound shot straight into the clouds, wanting to sweep away the darkness of the world.

And in the blowing sound, the shouts of the tens of thousands of people in the gathering became louder and louder, from dense, low prayers to loud shouts, turning into dancing and gesturing.

The roar surged from their chests, turning into loud shouts, as if awakening something.

The endless incense poured in, instantly making the Mountain Lord's figure clearer and taller, like a true god overlooking the world, but this was not over yet, more incense surged in the direction pointed by the Mountain Lord, towards other places.

The closest, and also the most affected by this incense, was the Da Yang (Big Sheep) village, the old fire pit that had been sacrificed to countless times.

Immediately afterwards, the countless ancestral shadows of the dead within the Da Yang village emerged from the ash pit, a dense and even somewhat strange sight.

But in the embrace of this billowing incense, these shadows were also undergoing a mysterious and strange change, they were merging, growing, transforming from different souls into one.

In an instant, it had become a person wearing rough cloth clothes, mysterious and tall, but with a blurred face.

The blurred face meant that he could become anyone, your own ancestor.

And not only in Da Yang village, but also in the various villages in Old Yin Mountain that retained the ancient tradition of the old fire pit, similar changes occurred in the fire pits that were sacrificed to by later generations, and figures emerged from the pits one after another.

Or rather, awakened!

Washed by incense and reborn in the fire pit, they were New Gods.

And beside this mountain sacrifice altar, including Hu Ma's godmother, the countless Yin Sui in the mountains who had once been influenced by the Mountain Lord, were also affected by the incense at this moment, undergoing various changes.

Some had their bodies become heavier, others transformed into wisps of phantoms, clustered around the Mountain Lord or the fire pit figures, looking at themselves in surprise.

Mountain and wild spirits shed their Yin bones, accompanied by the birth of gods, bestowed with names, they became Followers!

"So that's how it is..."

In the mountains, Hu Ma had already stood up, seeing the scene he wanted to see, and suddenly felt a heartfelt surprise.

At the same time, far outside the mountains, the eleven members of the Meng family who were sending disasters had all brewed into a billowing Yin wind, but at the moment when the divine light of Old Yin Mountain was at its peak, they were suppressed by an invisible force, their steps seemingly nailed to the ground, unable to move even half a step.

...

...

"Eldest Brother, that is..."

The eight leaders of Bu Shi Niu, who were rushing to Old Yin Mountain, also noticed this astonishing change, and were shocked for a moment.

"New Gods!"

The eldest brother of Bu Shi Niu, disguised as an old farmer, spoke in a low voice, with a long-lost excitement in his voice, "The demon dragon has been slain, and the Mandate of Heaven is no longer bound."

"These villagers who offer sacrifices to the old fire pit do not know where their traditions come from. This is because they have forgotten, or rather, someone deliberately made them forget."

"This is our most ancient tradition, and also the most primitive prayer. All the gods in this world were once born from the old fire pit."

"The fire pit buries the ancestors, and gives birth to the gods."

"When people die, gods are born."

(End of this chapter)