https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-712-The-Second-Master-Beats-the-Calamity/12919896/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-714-Unable-to-Contain-the-Calamity/12919898/
Chapter 713: The New Deity
Chapter 713: The New Deity
In the Northern Territory, at the site of the former Ancestral Altar, now occupied by the Ten Surnames Ancestral Hall, as dark clouds gathered and rolled towards Old Yin Mountain, a long sigh echoed from the place where the Hu Clan, a branch of the Evil Suppressing Hu Family, resided.
It was the voice of Grandma, who also sensed that the last of Hu Ma's bloodline was affected, and the soul lantern lit up.
The old guardian of the Ancestral Hall, at some point, appeared outside the Hu Clan's hall, but did not step over the threshold.
He merely gazed at the soul lantern and sighed softly, "After all, he's just a child. Abandoned in Old Yin Mountain, without guidance, he'll cause trouble without knowing its consequences. Will you shield him?"
From the black smoke rising from the soul lantern, an elderly woman's figure emerged. She didn't hesitate and even glared angrily at the talkative old man.
Amidst the surrounding wind, her voice seemed to blend in, "That's our Hu Clan's child. It's only right for our ancestors to protect him. He's done extremely well, better than any other clan..."
"It's just a pity that when he came to the Ancestral Hall to burn incense, I couldn't see him..."
"..."
"..."
This wisp of a soul flew out of the Ancestral Hall, determined to protect the Hu Clan's sole incense flame.
However, a scene that neither the soul nor the old man outside the hall could have imagined suddenly unfolded.
From the direction of Old Yin Mountain, as the Ghost Walkers performed their rituals, the mountain became shrouded in mist, attracting countless incense flames. This made the Old Yin Mountain appear radiant in the eyes of those in certain sects, like an oil lamp glowing in its final moments before extinguishing...
But no one expected that this seemingly fleeting glow, in its last breath, would suddenly intensify, even surpassing its limits, and in an instant, a million-mile divine light would burst forth.
Within Old Yin Mountain, the Second Master, holding a willow branch, was beating the malicious deity with a whip, having already gone through four or five of them. Hu Ma's wet nurse was about to lose her hair again.
However, no matter how they beat them, the two scarecrows wouldn't disperse, and the Second Master was growing anxious, gritting his teeth.
But at this moment, he felt that the malevolent wind, which had weakened, was about to blow him out of Old Yin Mountain. Suddenly, it intensified, becoming even more ferocious than before, and rushed towards the Second Master's back.
Due to the strange wind, the swirling incense flames around them suddenly converged, forming a massive cloud of smoke. Within it, a tall figure could vaguely be discerned.
"Mountain Lord..."
Countless people witnessed this and shouted in awe, "The Mountain Lord has manifested again..."
"Eh?"
The Second Master was startled and quickly turned around, catching sight of the shadow within the swirling incense flames.
In that instant, as if in a stare-down with the shadow, he felt the incense flames surging from all directions.
Not far away, the members of the Robber Disaster Sect stood in shock.
Hu Ma slowly lowered the hand that covered his right eyebrow, thinking to himself, "The Non-Ox Disciples must have started by now..."
...
...
"Why perform the mountain sacrifice?"
"It's for us commoners to find a patron deity..."
"You ask if the mountain sacrifice is effective? Haha, it's ten times more powerful than that Lantern Festival in Stone Horse Town!"
"What if we can't afford the offerings?"
"Easy!"
"If you can't offer sacrifices, just burn incense. If you can't afford incense, burn firewood. Even a single stick of firewood is enough if the heart is sincere. If you can't afford firewood or can't find any, just knead a handful of soil by your side. True deities don't actually care about these formalities."
"In a thousand sacrifices and a hundred offerings, sincerity comes first!"
"..."
In just a few short days, the Non-Ox Disciples had spread the word of the mountain sacrifice to countless households.
If we're being honest, the Non-Ox Disciples' primary task was to incite rebellion, but they weren't very successful in that regard. However, after twenty years of hard work, they had won the hearts of countless people.
Now, they sought neither wealth nor gain, nor did they expect these people to follow them into battle. They only wanted them to perform the mountain sacrifice, and they didn't even require offerings. This single act had an impact far beyond anyone's imagination.
Even Hu Ma was surprised.
Hu Ma had only thought, "I've rarely heard of the Non-Ox Disciples inciting rebellion, but if they ask people to burn incense, surely someone will give them face?" Now, the response was overwhelming.
After two days of preparation, the Non-Ox Disciples' followers, under the pretext of ancestral worship, distributed porridge and released grain, attracting people from far and wide. Some claimed to dispel calamities and bring blessings, rallying the entire city's populace.
Additionally, countless others scattered throughout the realm, at this very moment, were lighting candles, burning firewood, or simply kneeling by the roadside. Even those taking a break in the fields held a few stalks of straw in their hands.
The common folk had long lost faith in deities, with malevolent spirits rampant everywhere. They were used to being neglected, but when someone promised to summon a guardian, whether they believed it or not, a yearning arose.
Driven by this yearning, a vast wave of incense flames surged forth, engulfing the realm like a sea or a tide.
...
...
In Old Yin Mountain, the Mountain Lord had long prepared to reveal himself. From the moment Hu Ma promised him that the people of the realm would perform the mountain sacrifice, he had been waiting for this moment.
However, at that time, he only knew about the Ghost Walkers and that this "realm" was merely a vague concept.
No sect could represent the entire realm, not even the Ghost Walkers.
He would go to ward off disaster, not because he was born to do so, but because he couldn't allow those things to wreak havoc in the mortal realm.
Even so, just as he revealed himself and prepared for a full-force strike, he suddenly froze in place, dazed.
He turned his head and gazed upon the countless worshippers in the world. For a moment, he felt like a human, immersed in ancient memories, as if witnessing the ancestral altar from the past, with countless millions of devout prayers from the people.
Then, he felt his eyes well up, and he sighed, "I am a sinner, how can I bear this?"
Once standing before millions, now a solitary soul, hiding in the mountains, witnessing the malevolent aura spreading, and the people struggling to survive.
At this moment, feeling the fervent incense offerings, his first thought was one of guilt.
Then, he sensed the incense offerings pouring in without end, continuously expanding. Amidst the incense, he heard a voice more powerful and pure than those helping to ward off disaster from Old Yin Mountain.
Standing amidst the incense, he looked up and gazed into the distance, his heart growing more resolute. He looked towards the deep forest and saw Hu Ma, nodding slowly towards him.
He also saw outside Old Yin Mountain, an old farmer leading eight incense burners approaching. The farmer's eyes were gentle.
"It's time!"
"Return the deity to the people!"
"..."
"Return the deity to the people?"
The impact of these four words on the Mountain Lord's heart was indescribable, but just as he would unhesitatingly ward off disaster, he had no second thoughts at this moment.
So, he merely smiled amidst the incense, and with a gentle wave of his wide sleeves, the music began.
The suona horn sounded!
The cowhide drum beat!
The copper gong rang!
This was the incense gathering of the Non-Ox Disciples from various places. When the countless worshippers murmured the name of Old Yin Mountain, the musicians beside them puffed out their cheeks and played the suona with all their might.
The high-pitched sound soared into the clouds, as if sweeping away all the gloom in the world.
Amidst the music, the worshippers' voices grew louder, transforming from soft prayers to loud shouts and dances.
Roars erupted from their chests, turning into mighty yells, as if awakening something.
The endless incense offerings surged forward, instantly making the Mountain Lord's figure more distinct and majestic, like a true deity overlooking the world. But this was not the end; more incense offerings followed, flowing in the direction he pointed, towards other places.
The closest, and the most affected by the incense, was the Great Sheep Village, where countless ancient fire pits had been worshipped.
Then, from the ancient fire pits, countless shadows of the deceased ancestors from the village emerged from the ashes. They were dense and somewhat eerie.
Wrapped in the incense, these shadows underwent a mysterious and strange transformation. They merged, grew, and combined into a single body.
In an instant, they became a person wearing coarse cloth, mysterious and majestic, but with a blurred face.
The blurred face meant he could become anyone, even their own ancestors.
And it wasn't just the Great Sheep Village; in the various villages within Old Yin Mountain that preserved the ancient tradition of the fire pits, similar changes occurred. Figures emerged from the pits.
Or rather, they awoke!
Baptized by the incense, they were reborn from the fire pits, becoming new deities.
By the mountain sacrifice altar, including Hu Ma's wet nurse, countless evil spirits from the mountains that had been influenced by the Mountain Lord were also affected by the incense at this moment, undergoing various transformations.
Some grew more substantial, while others formed wisps of shadows, surrounding the Mountain Lord or the fire pit figures, gazing at themselves in wonder.
The mountain spirits shed their malevolent bones, giving birth to deities, and were named as attendant deities!
"So that's how it is..."
In the mountains, Hu Ma stood up abruptly, witnessing the scene he had hoped to see, and a genuine joy filled his heart.
At the same time, far away from the mountains, the eleven disaster deliverers from the Meng family had already brewed a dark wind, but at the moment when the divine light of Old Yin Mountain shone brightly, they were suppressed by an invisible force, their steps seemingly nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch.
...
...
"Senior Brother, what is that...?"
The eight leaders of the Non-Ox Disciples, who were rushing towards Old Yin Mountain, also sensed this astonishing change and were shocked.
"New deity!"
The senior brother, disguised as an old farmer, spoke softly, his voice filled with long-lost excitement, "The demon dragon has been slain, and the heavenly mandate is unrestrained."
"These villagers, who offer sacrifices at the ancient fire pits, don't know the origin of the tradition they follow. This is because they have forgotten, or rather, someone has made them forget."
"This is our most ancient tradition and the most primitive form of prayer. All the deities in our world were born from within the ancient fire pits."
"The fire pits bury the ancestors, and from them, deities are born."
"People die, and deities are born."
(End of Chapter)
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