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Chapter 553: The Governor Deity of Mingzhou Prefecture
Chapter 553: The Governor Deity of Mingzhou Prefecture
In front of Red Gate Town, the Heaven's Will General single-handedly blocked the Grain Protection Army, wielding his meteor hammer with such force that it created a fierce wind, forcing the others to retreat.
Among the Grain Protection Army were many experts, including several Cursed Spirits who had followed Yang Gong into the mountains from the start, as well as Zhou Datong, Zhou Liang, and Zhao Zhu. They had helped Yang Gong win several battles against the Truth Sect's troops using their New Year Guardian skills.
The turning point, however, was when Xu Clan Chief intervened, bringing several powerful individuals to Yang Gong's side. These were all seasoned brothers from various villages, most of whom had not entered the prefecture, but were formidable figures with refined Five Organs. When placed in the army formation, they became formidable warriors.
Seeing that the Heaven's Will General was holding his ground, they shouted and charged forward.
Some used their weapons to surround and continuously attack the Heaven's Will General, while others took up bows and arrows, shooting at him from a distance.
Zhou Datong rode his horse forward a few steps, stopping in front of Seventh Aunt. "Where are those two babies? Let me borrow them again."
Before Seventh Aunt could respond, Li Wa Zi kicked Zhou Datong in the butt, "How dare you rush at Auntie? Can't you ask nicely when borrowing something?"
"..."
Zhou Datong's face turned pale with fright. He quickly flattered and called out to the Golden Silver Babies, who were kept at a distance. With one arm under each baby, he and Zhao Zhu squeezed them until they cried, then aimed and sprayed towards the Heaven's Will General.
In an instant, two streams of Golden Silver Aura crisscrossed the battlefield, not only affecting the Heaven's Will General but also their own allies who were surrounding him. The Truth Sect's troops gained the upper hand.
The Heaven's Will General, sprayed with the Golden Silver Aura, began to wobble and seemed on the verge of collapse.
The Grain Protection Army roared in unison, ready to rush forward and capture him.
Just then, the Hu Family Elder Sister seemed to hear something, and the fine hairs on her ears stood on end. She sighed softly.
"Hmm?"
Hu Ma also realized their objective was achieved and gently raised her head.
The next moment, a sudden gust of wind blew from the direction of Mingzhou City, carrying with it a towering pillar of altar light. It suppressed the fierce killing aura rising from all directions and brought with it a gust of incense wind.
This was not the Yin Wind caused by ordinary vengeful spirits, but a fragrant wind similar to that of a Mountain Lord. It was the unique scent of a deity who had received years of incense offerings.
The wind did not seem heavy, but in an instant, it blew from Mingzhou City to the battlefield, enveloping the entire area.
Moreover, the incense aura was not pure; within it was a chillingly fierce and bloody scent. As it entered people's orifices, it seemed to pierce their Five Organs and Seven Souls, leaving them dazed and disoriented, unable to distinguish north from south.
"Ah yo..."
Countless people's hearts were filled with shock, and they turned to look towards Mingzhou City. Their hearts trembled with fear.
Mingzhou City was about ten li away from Red Gate Town, and it was night, making it hard to see clearly. However, the city's silhouette stood out in the night, allowing everyone on the battlefield to see it clearly.
Four law flags were flying at the four corners of the city, and the highest wooden building had its windows open, revealing a clay statue inside. The statue was covered in blood, but faint golden threads could be seen.
Below the clay statue was the Mingzhou Prefecture Office.
The four directions and the center formed the Six Towning Altars, which intertwined to create a massive altar formation that no one had ever seen before.
At the center of this altar, which covered the entire city, was an incense table with three sacrificial animals and six offerings. Rows of incense burners were lit, and the incense aura gathered without dispersing, creating a misty illusion that transformed into a shadow.
The shadow wore an official robe with intricate embroidery, and on its head was a tall crown adorned with pearls and jade.
Its aura was noble and mysterious, compelling anyone who saw it to bow in reverence.
The sound of gongs, drums, and cymbals, along with the melody of the opera, echoed from within the city. Countless voices shouted, "By Imperial Decree, the Governor Deity of Mingzhou Prefecture, has arrived!"
"Why don't mortals kneel before the deity?"
"..."
With that shout, a powerful gust of wind blew over, carrying the incense smoke from the city directly towards the battlefield. In an instant, everyone was enveloped in a hazy and oppressive atmosphere.
Divine might descended from the heavens.
It was as if the top of their heads was pierced, and the divine force entered their bodies. The once noisy battlefield suddenly fell silent, as if someone had grabbed everyone by the neck.
Whether they were lonely souls, vengeful spirits, spirits, or living humans, everyone was affected at this moment. Their minds wavered, and they knelt towards Mingzhou City in a daze, not knowing why.
In their hearts, a single thought remained: "The Governor Deity... The Governor Deity has manifested before us..."
Among those on the battlefield, only the Hu Family Elder Sister, Hu Ma, Zhang Agu, and Seventh Aunt, whose expression was hard to read, remained standing.
Red Lantern Lady also managed to stay upright, but she was far away and supported by many onlookers.
"So, he's finally showing his hand?"
Hu Ma faced the mysterious and substantial aura of incense, so dense it seemed tangible, and even he had to secretly employ the Heavenly General's Seal Body to protect himself from its influence.
The few people around him had also secretly protected themselves, but they could feel the weight and oppression of the object summoned to the city. He slowly adjusted himself, and with a slight sigh, he softly said, "Using an entire city as an altar and summoning the Governor Deity's golden body, no wonder he's from the Hu family..."
"But..."
He slowly adapted to the pressure and was surprised to find that this noble and mysterious shadow had festering wounds, and the incense aura was mixed with a putrid smell.
Moreover, he could see iron chains wrapped around the body, extending into the distance, with the other end disappearing into the depths of the night, as if fixed in another world.
Seeing this, he felt a sense of awe, but instead of excitement, he felt a strange sense of desolation and heaviness in his heart. After a long while, he nodded slightly towards the massive object and said, "So, what exactly is this?"
"Don't be so impolite."
The Hu family's elder sister gritted her teeth slightly and said, "You're the ghost walker's sword-holder, protected by the Pacifying Evil Office, but being disrespectful to the Governor Deity will still bring heavenly punishment. I shouldn't even be explaining this to a sword-holder like you; I should be telling him directly."
"But since he refuses to come out, I'll relay the message through you. This is the Governor Deity of Official Province, who has enjoyed the incense offerings of the entire province for two hundred years and oversees life, death, and disasters."
"And this..."
She paused slightly before continuing through gritted teeth, "This was a gift we brought."
"He, in his youthful ignorance, cut off the Five Malefic Stars in a fit of anger, causing the Ghost Summoning Path to lose its guardian deity. Such a reckless act, during these chaotic times, has led to the rise of demonic beings and unusual people. Can you imagine the danger this has put the ghost walkers in?"
"But we don't intend to blame him. Instead, we've prepared a replacement spirit tablet. If he had met us properly, he should be here with us, paying respects to the Governor Deity."
"Unfortunately, he insisted on putting on airs, forcing us to meet like this."
"..."
Listening to her words, Hu Ma nodded slightly, feeling that his earlier guess had been confirmed and wasn't unexpected.
Instead, a smile appeared on his face as he turned to the Hu family's elder sister and said, "Is that all?"
The Hu family's elder sister fell silent for a moment, gritting her teeth. She seemed to dislike Hu Ma's equal footing with her, and there was even a hint of scorn and oppression in their conversation. But then, she slowly relaxed her expression and said in a low voice, "Since you're the ghost walker's sword-holder, have you learned the Incense Observation Method?"
Hu Ma nodded.
The Hu family's elder sister then turned to the people kneeling on the ground and went back to the carriage to retrieve a bundle of incense. With a flip of her hand, she lit the incense and separated it.
She stuck one stick after another into the empty space between her and Hu Ma. Hu Ma knew that this was a method to measure the prefecture's fate by observing the incense and the blessings and fortune of the land.
The incense smoke rose in curls, slightly wavering but still mostly straight.
This indicated that Mingzhou had abundant blessings and a heavy destiny. However, they had only burned the incense for a moment when a gust of evil wind suddenly blew in from the north, instantly sweeping the incense smoke towards the south.
Even the incense sticks were affected, some going out and others breaking in the middle, leaving a chaotic and dim scene.
Hu Ma frowned slightly.
The Hu family's elder sister spoke with a hint of resentment in her voice, "Do you see it now?"
"Three hundred thousand evil ghost armies have already entered Mingzhou from the north..."
"..."
She slightly raised her head, as if speaking to the people behind Hu Ma and to the night sky, "We brought the Truth Sect to collect supplies and pacify evil, but he thinks we're harming people?"
"No, it's us who have contained the hungry ghosts of Official Province. The land of Official Province has suffered from famine for years, causing rebellion and the spread of evil energy. Wherever they pass, blessings are destroyed. Mingzhou, which borders Official Province, is a land of blessings."
"If it weren't for us blocking them, these hungry ghosts from Official Province would have already marched south for food a month ago."
"Now, we've held them off for a month. If we send these supplies back to Official Province, it might slightly alleviate their plight. But after dragging this out for so long, a million people are left with scarce food, and ten thousand hungry ghosts have emerged, devouring each other, leaving only three thousand troops."
"Just now, the Governor Deity of Official Province descended, and the three thousand hungry ghost army followed, do you really think Mingzhou can hold them off?"
"No!"
She spoke with absolute certainty, staring straight at Hu Ma, "The Governor Deity in Old Yin Mountain can't leave the mountain, so Mingzhou can't resist the descent of the Governor Deity of Official Province. Your mere few thousand grain protection troops, a haphazard mob untested in battle, are no match for the three thousand hungry ghost army."
"We... initially had good intentions. If he had just given us a proper look, it wouldn't have come to this."
"But now, the evil tide has formed, and we'll see how he protects Mingzhou!"
"..."
She paused for a moment, finally letting out a low sigh before turning around and getting into the carriage to head back to the city.
(End of Chapter)
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