Chapter 566: One Decree, Seven Slaughter
Chapter 566: One Decree, Seven Slaughter
It was evident that when the Hungry Ghosts launched their simultaneous attacks across Mingzhou, some had anticipated that Mingzhou would be in for a stir. Whether it was the one in Lao Yin Mountain or the Hu family, they could no longer remain hidden.
However, no one expected the commotion to be this grand.
With one decree and seven slaughters, Mingzhou trembled.
Countless spirits hiding in the shadows heard the clear and distinct Exorcist Decree ringing in their ears, and they couldn't believe their own ears. But immediately after, they were plunged into a state of invisible euphoria. In the night, countless voices shouted:
"A grand feast, indeed a grand feast! The Seventh Aunt of Greenstone Town did not deceive us. Even we, the Nobles, are invited to a grand feast..."
"..."
The Ghost Walkers scattered throughout Mingzhou, whether skilled in raising altars or merely knowing how to set up an incense table as a gesture, were stunned upon hearing the Exorcist Decree:
"The Exorcist Decree, the Exorcist Decree, the long-lost Exorcist Decree has reappeared after twenty years..."
"Damn it! After enduring for twenty years, it's finally our turn for the Ghost Walker Ways to not give a damn about others?"
"..."
The skilled Ghost Walkers knew that for twenty years, without the Pacifying Evil Office, the Ghost Walker Ways had lost a significant foundation. After all, half of the Ghost Walkers' abilities came from the accumulation of various methods for exorcising ghosts, pacifying malevolent spirits, inviting gods, and driving away demons.
The other half of their power came from rules and regulations. With these rules, the Ghost Walkers gained confidence and stood firm at the boundary between life and death, possessing the courage to communicate with ghosts, gods, and malevolent spirits.
As the villagers were well aware, if one were to spend the night in the wilderness or on a barren mountain, they could create a circle with tree branches and place a stalk of straw horizontally across it. This would serve as a threshold, allowing them to stay within and avoid the intrusion of evil spirits and malevolent entities. It wasn't that the branches had magical powers, but by placing the straw horizontally, it was as if they had erected a threshold.
With this threshold, the space they occupied became a Yang house, and malevolent entities could not intrude.
However, the rules had long been in disarray, and many of the Ghost Walkers' methods sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. Aside from the methods of inviting gods and ghosts, almost none of their other abilities were considered genuine skills.
This situation had persisted for twenty years, gradually leading to the decline of the Ghost Walkers. But now, upon hearing the Exorcist Decree, their spirits were instantly lifted, and countless individuals accepted the decree without hesitation.
Sitting high on the altar, facing the dark and windy night sky, they chanted: "Souls return to their abode, and people to theirs. Clarify the human realm, and let all follow their paths!"
Holding wooden swords, small flags, or a bowl of water, they pointed, tapped, and sprinkled forward. This was the decree, the law—communicating with ghosts and gods, and connecting with heaven and earth. This was the essence of being a Ghost Walker!
If it were just one altar or a weak display of power, it wouldn't be worth mentioning.
But with countless altars simultaneously unleashing their power, it was as if a vast gale had woven through the state, causing the land of Mingzhou to stir with wind and clouds.
"Hehe, haha..."
In the dark and windy night sky, figures in long white robes with blurred faces held three incense sticks in their hands, guiding the Hungry Ghosts under the cover of darkness to various destinations.
The Hungry Ghosts were oblivious, and these Guide Spirits holding the three incense sticks merely followed orders. When living people saw them, they would lose their souls, and even the dead would have to kneel by the roadside. But on their journey, they suddenly heard strange laughter.
Even their blood-red eyes became momentarily dazed, as if seeing countless candles across the mountains and fields. Their ears picked up vague muttering, and an inexplicable sense of discomfort arose within them. Then, laughter reached their ears.
The laughter was abrupt, and they suddenly stopped, straining to look. To their surprise, the source of the laughter was the village shrine at the entrance.
The darkness within the shrine revealed nothing, but the laughter grew wilder and more bizarre. Gradually, more and more voices joined in—from the surrounding graves, ancestral tablets in houses, wells in the village, and even some old fire pits in the village.
They feared not the cries of ghosts but their laughter.
The Guide Spirit holding the three incense sticks halted, its body trembling slightly. The three incense sticks in its hands, quietly burning, were rapidly changing shape, transforming into an ominous form.
Even the majestic Guide Spirit felt a sense of terror. Amidst the endless laughter, they discarded the three incense sticks and attempted to escape through the underworld.
But they couldn't escape. Laws, decrees, and altars appeared before them, restraining their movements. Loud shouts rang in their ears: "Disregarding Yin and Yang, using the underworld for military purposes, by the authority of the Pacifying Evil Office, kill!"
Countless iron chains clattered through the night sky, capturing the Guide Spirits. Their light figures, forcibly restrained by the altars, seemed to be torn into pieces, directly dragged before the various altars.
The Hungry Ghosts, left stranded midway, stared blankly at their unfamiliar surroundings. They were supposed to be delivered to the various Demonic Generals, but now, they became lost lambs. All around them, strange eyes appeared in pairs.
The Hungry Ghosts were laden with sins, their Cause and Effect Souls having left their bodies. If gathered in large numbers and led by a Demonic General, they would bring disaster and calamity, even gods and ghosts would dare not provoke them. But scattered, they became helpless victims, filled with misery and fear, trembling as they looked around.
The desire to eat and the fear of being eaten had always coexisted within them, but now, it was the latter that was provoked.
"Whoosh..."
In the area around Niu Family Bay, hungry ghosts had seized grain and were eager to cross the river to the richer lands on the other side.
Suddenly, a calm river surged with waves several zhang high, engulfing the hungry ghosts, along with their boats, into the river. The ghosts struggled to swim, trying to surface for air, but their legs were all caught by the pale, lifeless arms at the bottom of the river. No matter how they struggled, they were drowning.
"What spirit dares to harm my troops?"
The Demonic General on the shore was furious. He clenched a sharp blade in his teeth and leaped into the water to kill the mischievous spirit.
But he only heard a burst of wild laughter. An old turtle, as large as a millstone, rose from the river, laughing as it fled through the water, stirring up dark currents. The Demonic General chased after it desperately but couldn't catch up. He could only watch as his men drowned.
"Oh no..."
The villagers hiding on both banks witnessed this scene and rushed out, both shocked and delighted, crying out:
"The River God has changed! He's really changed! Not only does he no longer demand offerings from us, but he's even learned to protect us common folk..."
"We must build a temple for the River God this time..."
"..."
The sound startled the old turtle in the river, causing it to shudder. Several zhang of river water splashed onto the shore, carrying with it curses of anger:
"Who dares to build a temple? Who dares?"
"Before, I extorted blood and food from you, and now you want to trap me with a temple? I'm serving the Pacifying Evil Office's decree, helping you protect your grain, and yet you want to harm me?"
"..."
"..."
Deep in the mountains, villagers were lighting torches, piling up boulders and logs at the village entrance to prevent hungry ghosts from rushing in to seize their grain.
But they witnessed the hungry ghosts, though slow, were unstoppable, and their numbers seemed endless. As they were about to charge into the village, a sudden howl of a fox and wail of a ghost echoed from the mountain. Boulders tumbled down the cliffs, causing a landslide that crushed countless hungry ghosts.
In the chaotic scene, some even vaguely saw the trees coming to life, sprouting branches that penetrated the hungry ghosts through their wounds.
The branches sucked greedily at the blood and flesh, trembling with satisfaction.
Amidst these drastic changes, the common folk were at a loss, but in their dreams, in the darkness of night, behind doors and beneath stoves, they suddenly heard the scolding voices of their deceased fathers, mothers, and great-grandfathers: "Good-for-nothing descendants, you can't even protect your food supply."
"Today, a noble is taking charge, and the Grain Protection General has arrived. Even the dead among us are protecting the grain, yet you only know how to hide in your homes and cry?"
Scolded by their ancestors, the living woke up and organized the young and strong, all under the name of the Grain Protection General, to hunt down the hungry ghosts. Wherever they went, they were blessed by the protection of the spirits, and their momentum was unstoppable.
The Grain Protection General's forces grew rapidly, and in just half a month, his army had swelled to over fifteen thousand.
At first glance, this seemed like a substantial number.
But compared to the entire Mingzhou Province, it was still pitifully small. After all, despite the Grain Protection General's renowned name, his troops only consisted of those from the mountains who knew him, ambitious bandits seeking a better future, and private soldiers employed by the noble lords of the city.
Asking ordinary farmers to put down their hoes and pick up weapons was as good as asking for their lives. However, being scolded by their ancestors made a difference. The number of those who took up shovels and pitchforks increased several times over.
The Grain Protection Army had more fighting spirit than the average folk, but these hungry ghosts were exceptionally fierce.
Who could have guessed that it was precisely those who had food in their mouths who wouldn't leave their meager fields, that once they threw down their hoes and picked up weapons, their vital energy surged, suppressing these hungry ghosts...
"Sigh..."
As countless changes unfolded in Mingzhou, even the Mountain Lord in Old Yin Mountain was caught off guard. He sighed helplessly, "I asked you to help Mingzhou avoid this disaster, but you've involved everyone in Mingzhou..."
"..."
"You're right. By resolving it all at once, you've truly helped the people of Mingzhou avoid calamity."
"..."
His voice seemed to carry a hint of complaint, but a smile tugged at his lips. He witnessed Mingzhou becoming an altar, with spirits and ghosts as soldiers, and a surging wave of humanity already enveloping the entire province.
After a brief moment of contemplation, he lightly flicked his wide sleeves and turned his gaze to several dark and terrifying places in Old Yin Mountain. With a smile, he said, "The Pacifying Evil Decree originates from Mingzhou, and everyone can carry out its orders."
"Since it's like this, you might as well join in the excitement!"
"After all, you are also spirits of Mingzhou, right? Now, you can have a good background, and in the future, you won't be implicated by me."
"..."
At this moment, as the entire Mingzhou was already in a state of upheaval, with its destiny bubbling, several gusts of evil wind suddenly blew out of Old Yin Mountain, sweeping across Mingzhou. In an instant, the already boiling situation intensified further, adding more fuel to the fire.
(End of Chapter)
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