https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-629-The-Celestial-Court-and-the-Underworld/13151603/
Chapter 630: Locust Plague
Chapter 630: Locust Plague
Yishan County.
This place was far from Fengwu State.
Deep in the mountains, Fang Xing walked barefoot, wearing animal skins, his appearance drastically different from the former Fang Yun.
Fang Yun's identity was only useful within Fengwu State.
Once he crossed state borders, inspections became stricter, making it easier to be exposed.
Even without that, as time passed, the flaws would only become more apparent.
He had used this identity to explore the customs and culture of the cities in Da Zhou, and even visited the red-light districts to understand the enemies of the Goddess of Love. Then, he discarded his identification and resumed his Druid attire, wandering amidst nature.
"The nature in different regions does indeed offer distinct scenery..."
"Although humanity is also a part of nature, I haven't reached that level of understanding yet..."
The Druid's path of nature embraces everything, but the prerequisite is strength! Strength to define these concepts!
Otherwise, it's best to start by focusing on the plant and animal domains, as they are more straightforward.
For something a little more adventurous, one could try the dark and fallen path.
However, regardless of the direction, to fully encompass 'humanity' within nature, one needs sufficient power.
Even with Fang Xing's current level, it might not be enough.
"The Druid's connection to nature has greatly influenced me..."
"Otherwise, I would have struggled to break free from the previous plan of investigating brothels and teahouses, and instead, I'd be roughing it outdoors..."
Fang Xing was deep in thought when he walked out of a mountain range and onto an official road.
On the road, he saw a group of people, their clothes tattered and bodies emaciated—they were refugees!
"What's going on?"
Fang Xing moved swiftly, blocking the refugees' path and casually asking.
Doing as he pleased and living freely was his current philosophy.
Acting with this mindset seemed to bring him closer to the heart of nature.
"Who are you?"
A man stood in front of Fang Xing.
Fang Xing looked at his frail body, then at the women, children, and elderly behind him, and nodded slightly.
"Me? I'm just a shepherd of nature."
Fang Xing replied, "Has there been a disaster in this area?"
"Yes... there's a locust plague."
The man's expression darkened as he said, "You shouldn't go any further. If you enter the disaster area, you'll be in tears, unable to find even a bite to eat..."
"So, it's a locust plague."
Fang Xing nodded. The Druid's concept was about balance, and having too much of anything was undesirable.
Since he had encountered it, he naturally wanted to resolve it.
"But with so many of you, after facing just one locust plague, you're already helpless? What about your food reserves?"
Farmers wouldn't abandon their land and flee unless they were truly desperate, which puzzled Fang Xing.
Given the wealth of Da Zhou's divine dynasty, they shouldn't have fallen into such dire straits after just one locust plague.
"Why are you asking these questions? Who are you, really?"
The robust man's face was filled with suspicion.
"I told you, I'm a shepherd of nature."
Fang Xing thought for a moment and threw out a seed.
A green light landed on the seed.
—Plant Growth!
In an instant, a massive baobab tree grew, bearing fruits the size of human heads.
Fang Xing plucked one, casually manipulated the fire element to roast it, and said, "Roasted baobab fruit, it tastes similar to bread... Well, you probably don't know what bread is, it's a type of flatbread..."
The robust man smelled the aroma of food, his throat moved, but he didn't reach for it.
After all, the scene before him was bizarre.
However, behind him, a little girl with eyes starving for food rushed forward and hugged a baobab fruit, biting into it.
"Delicious..."
As crumbs flew everywhere, the robust man couldn't help but pass her a water bag, fearing she would choke.
A moment later.
This temporary little group stopped, and each person held a baobab fruit, devouring it ravenously.
"Fortunately, your physiques are decent, but don't eat too much, or I fear some of you might choke or burst from overeating..."
Fang Xing smiled.
"At least we can die full."
The robust man rubbed his belly, his face filled with satisfaction.
At this moment, Fang Xing noticed several elders in the group taking out shrines and divine emblems from their packages with great care... and then placing the best portions of food before these emblems.
Seeing this, Fang Xing understood and didn't need to ask further.
"I've figured it out. Your demeanor suggests you're a penitent from some church, right?"
The robust man smiled bitterly, "There's nothing to hide. Our village has run out of food reserves, and all our savings have gone to those temples and churches..."
Fang Xing nodded, guessing the reason.
The numerous churches and clergy of Da Zhou's divine dynasty, not being producers themselves, naturally required sustenance from the people.
Moreover, they held absolute power!
Not to mention, it often didn't need to come to this.
In this world, there truly were eighteen hells, specifically designed to frighten non-believers.
Those foolish commoners would rather starve than eat the last of their food, choosing instead to offer it to the gods to avoid the misfortune of hell after death.
Even the enlightened would struggle to voice any opposition.
After all, according to the believers, life was but a single lifetime, while the suffering of hell and the joy of the divine kingdom lasted for eternity.
Fang Xing had nothing to say about this.
After parting ways with the refugee group, he headed towards the disaster-stricken area.
The closer he got to the disaster zone, the sparser the vegetation became, making the land seem desolate.
"The locust plague is probably caused by droughts and floods, or in other words, abnormal climate changes. It wouldn't have appeared suddenly..."
"But these refugees only mentioned the locust plague. Was the disaster resolved, or..."
Fang Xing's eyes darkened.
If there was a deity related to the disaster domain, they would probably enjoy using various natural and man-made disasters to threaten believers and gain faith.
Is there such a person in the Great Zhou pantheon?
Buzz!
After traveling a few hundred miles further, Fang Xing saw swarms of locusts resembling dark clouds.
Locusts themselves weren't much of a threat, but once their numbers grew, they covered the sky and earth, giving people a sense of being unstoppable.
Even the places they passed through became barren, as if new wounds had been inflicted on the land.
The most ⊥new ⊥small ⊥say ⊥in ⊥six ⊥9 ⊥ ⊥book ⊥ ⊥bar ⊥ ⊥head ⊥send!
"My nature's heart is stirring..."
Fang Xing muttered.
At that moment, a swarm of locusts seemed to sense his aura and flew towards him.
Amidst the locusts covering the mountains and plains, there were even wisps of demonic energy, indicating the presence of extraordinary-level demonic insects.
"In the name of nature!"
"I declare... you are the enemy of nature!"
Fang Xing raised the wooden staff in his hand.
Whoosh!
In an instant, a hundred-mile radius was covered by dark clouds, and pea-sized raindrops fell directly.
—Summon Wind and Rain!
The raindrops seemed to carry an extreme chill.
Locusts were frozen and fell to the ground, turning into corpses.
After they decayed, they would become excellent fertilizer for the land.
"Hmm?"
The druid's perception allowed Fang Xing to sense several demonic insects in the swarm attempting to escape.
But the next moment—
Puff, puff, puff!
Ice spikes fell, piercing the demonic insects.
The supernatural power they carried directly broke through the insects' spiritual light armor, pinning them to the ground.
"When a species overpopulates, destroying most of them is also a way to protect nature..."
"It's just a pity that the definition of balance is too narrow... Alas, this is the fastest way to see results."
Fang Xing calmly approached, harvesting materials from the demonic insects and expressing gratitude for nature's gift.
...
A hundred miles away.
"Hmm?"
A Temple Knight wearing bright armor and wielding a longsword was slaying demonic insects when he suddenly looked towards the distant dark clouds: "This rain is strange. Someone must be causing trouble!"
His name was Lu Zhong, a Temple Knight serving the God of Redemption.
The God of Redemption was traditionally considered a benevolent deity, known for aiding the weak and rescuing those in distress.
The Temple Knights under his command must swear a knight's oath to always uphold justice and perform good deeds.
Of course, as a special profession on the side of the deities, Temple Knights were much more powerful than other professions and possessed many signature skills.
For example—Detect Evil! However, the definition of evil was naturally determined by the God of Redemption.
Within the framework of this God of Redemption, anyone who violated the laws of the Great Zhou, possessed extraordinary power without going through the Academy or Temple system, especially the ancient Daoist traditions, was considered 'evil', regardless of whether they had committed evil deeds or not.
Lu Zhong, as a high-level Temple Knight who was close to breaking through the limit and touching the legendary realm, was extremely sensitive to the perception of evil.
He glanced at the locust swarm covering the sky and earth and the scattered white bones, then resolutely turned around.
Compared to these locusts, there was a greater evil waiting for him to punish!
...
"Hmm?"
Just as Fang Xing was summoning wind and rain to eliminate the locusts, he suddenly felt someone intruding into his natural domain.
"The overflowing supernatural light and the unpleasant aura... is that a Temple Knight?"
Fang Xing thought for a moment and wiped his face.
His appearance changed, transforming into a middle-aged scholar with a pale face, and a paper cottage realm appeared in his hand.
To blend in with the Great Zhou pantheon, he would first need to disguise himself as an evil cultivator.
If this Temple Knight could tear off his evil cultivator mask, he would truly understand the meaning of despair.
Soon, he saw an armored figure walking through the rain with an aura of holiness.
The armor was adorned with various colored spiritual lights, causing the raindrops to automatically bounce off, making it an extraordinary object immune to water and fire.
From within the armor, the voice of a Temple Knight resounded, and he cast a spell with a wave of his hand: "Detect Evil!"
A strand of spiritual light landed on Fang Xing.
In an instant!
A thick, almost black, blood-red light appeared.
"As expected, the evil doer must die!"
Upon seeing this, Lu Zhong's eyes turned bloodshot, and he swung his giant sword, causing holy light to descend.
—Holy Slash!
'I didn't check the almanac before leaving, and now I've encountered these stubborn Temple Knights...'
'According to their deity's definition of 'evil', I am indeed guilty as charged...'
Fang Xing inwardly mocked, and joss paper began to fall from the sky.
Accompanied by the neighing of warhorses, a paper soldier army emerged from the paper cottage realm in his hand.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
