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Chapter 716: Malevolent Spirit and Ghost Walkers
Chapter 716: Malevolent Spirit and Ghost Walkers
The sky darkened with thick, ominous clouds.
As the four great hall officials of the Malevolent Spirit emerged from the Meng Clan's ancestral home, the rapid messenger deities from the four directions also set out, carrying the Meng Clan's imperial decree to all corners of the land.
Among the ten great lineages and the founding families of the Ten Surnames, the Hu and Meng Clans were the quickest to spread news.
The Hu Clan's swift communication was due to their ritual altars, which were all connected through the Evil Suppression Bureau, allowing them to send messages by borrowing each other's altar lanterns. The Meng Clan's efficiency, on the other hand, was due to their messenger deities who traversed the realms of the living and the dead, and their rapid messenger deities who appeared and disappeared like ghosts.
When the Meng Clan's imperial decree reached every corner of the land, wherever there were ghost walkers, they would lead the common folk in setting up altars and worshipping the mountains. This was not out of their own volition but because it was an order from their founding family.
This mountain worship ceremony was particularly special, as the incense smoke drifted away, it did not benefit the wild ghosts of the four directions. Instead, the invisible thunderclaps and divine light that emerged from the altars left a profound impression on those who had set them up.
Everyone was surprised, and they couldn't help but wonder: "Ever since the hundred ghosts returned to the altar, the abilities of the ghost walkers have increased significantly."
Could it be that this time, their abilities would increase again?
Hu Ma knew that when the ghost walkers set up their altars, they would worship either gods or ghosts, and there would naturally be a difference between the two.
Those with lower abilities might not be able to see clearly, but they would certainly sense it.
This subtle feeling naturally motivated the ghost walkers in various places to work even harder. As they performed their mountain worship rituals, many passersby were attracted by the solemn atmosphere, and they could sense the blessing and evil-dispelling aura.
The common folk in the countryside rarely managed to burn incense at the same time as the ghost walkers, but when they witnessed the sincerity and joy of others, they gradually joined in.
As a result, more and more people participated in the worship, and the incense smoke grew thicker.
However, even before the Meng Clan issued their order, the widespread worship and blessing assemblies in various places had already angered some people.
There were many Blood Feast Gangs in different regions, and most of them belonged to the Malevolent Spirit lineage. They had always been at odds with the ghost walkers in the countryside.
Ghost walkers and malevolent spirits were already the most numerous groups in the world. The ghost walkers in the countryside and the evil-worshiping forces in various places, such as the Green Robed Evil Ghosts and the Red Lantern Lady, were like two distinct groups—one in the countryside and the other in the rivers and lakes—and they were the most prominent groups outside of the noble class.
These evil-worshiping forces often acted on the orders of the Malevolent Spirit hall officials, and there were countless others who had obtained the Meng Clan's incense smoke token and transformed into altar deities, enjoying the incense offerings.
They looked down on the common folk from their high positions, and now, seeing groups of people burning incense in all directions, they felt discontent.
Within these evil-worshiping Blood Feast Gangs, there were many evil ghosts being nurtured, and although most of them did not possess the incense smoke token and could not enjoy the incense offerings from the common folk, they would still be displeased if someone burned incense and made sacrifices in their territory.
In their frenzy, if the commoners in their territory wanted to burn incense and worship their ancestors, they would first have to place the spirit tablets of these evil ghosts in front of their own ancestors' spirit tablets, allowing the evil ghosts to use the incense first, and only then would they allow the commoners' ancestors to receive the remaining incense.
Of course, it was unclear if the Red Lantern Lady, who had once been one of them, had ever done such a thing.
After all, it was common knowledge that the Lady had renounced her evil ways and embraced righteousness.
Seeking her blessings for having children was highly effective!
Due to this inherent dissatisfaction, many people were already displeased with the numerous worship ceremonies, but with the current chaos in the world, everyone had the mindset of "it's better to do less than more," so they temporarily endured it.
However, when the rapid messenger deities of the Malevolent Spirit lineage delivered messages from various small hall officials, the situation changed abruptly.
"How audacious!"
"Do they dare to steal incense offerings and fame just because they're commoners?"
"Let's fight!"
"Even without the hall official's letter, we can't stand by and watch. Now that we have the support of the Meng Clan's noblemen, we must take action!"
"Burn their incense tables, smash their altars, and kill a few commoners! Let's see if they still have the guts to perform demon worship and immoral rituals!"
"..."
Thus, as the ghost walkers set up their incense tables and led the common folk in worshipping the gods and praying for blessings, a fierce and evil wind suddenly blew in, transforming the three incense sticks on the altar into a sinister and eerie sight.
The ghost walker at the altar was startled, and when he looked up, he saw the devout worshippers below suddenly falling to the ground, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth.
The rest of the worshippers were shocked and cried out, "Evil spirits are attacking people!"
At a blessing assembly in the city, which had attracted thousands of worshippers, the two thick cow-fat candles suddenly shot up flames that reached a height of about ten feet. Amidst the flames, the sound of evil laughter could be heard.
The worshippers below were startled and looked up, only to see a group of burly Blood Feast Gang members rushing over and shouting, "By the order of our master, before you hold this blessing assembly and worship the mountains, you must first allow our master to receive the incense offerings!"
"Change the offerings! We don't accept the three sacrificial animals; quickly offer three pairs of young men and women instead!"
"Otherwise, everyone will face disaster, and even if it costs us our lives, we will make sure this blessing assembly ends in disaster!"
"..."
"..."
Such incidents occurred in various places.
Additionally, there were unusual activities in the cities and prefectures throughout the land.
In countless places, the sky was clear and the sun shone brightly just a moment ago, but in the most solemn and dignified Temple of the Governor in various prefectures and cities, people who had been burning incense emerged.
Holding a huge lantern in their hands, they wore solemn expressions. In broad daylight, they hung the lantern in front of the temple and lit it.
In the middle of the day, as the lantern was lit, the sky suddenly turned dark.
Gusts of wind howled, stirring up yellow sand and paper money, creating chaos and dimness on the streets. Faintly, one could see a team of shadowy figures and banners slowly passing by in the wind, marching through the streets. Even those with weak spiritual energy could hear the sound of music and clearing the way in the wind.
The elderly, afraid, hurriedly pulled the children into the house and tightly shut the door.
"A high official is making a journey, and it's usually done at night. But now, it's happening in broad daylight. I wonder what's the matter."
"..."
"..."
However, some people who were well-informed understood that the various Governors were once members of the Duke Yi Imperial Clan. They were hastily appointed by imperial decree to replace the righteous gods and suppress malevolent spirits.
But relying solely on the 240 years of prestige and influence of the Duke Yi, it was still not enough to truly elevate the Governor to the status of a righteous god. Thus, they were considered dark deities, unseen during the day. If they needed to travel during the day, a lantern had to be lit in front of the Governor.
When the Governor lit the lantern, even in broad daylight, it turned into night.
One by one, huge white lanterns emerged from the various prefectures and cities. Wherever the lanterns passed, the world grew dim. When all thirty-six white lanterns reached the front of Old Yin Mountain, the most bizarre celestial phenomenon in the past twenty years occurred.
At that moment, it was daytime on Old Yin Mountain, with the sun high in the sky, divine light shining, and auspicious clouds gathering and dispersing.
But outside the mountain, darkness emerged in patches, gradually gathering towards the thirty-six lanterns.
Behind each enormous white lantern was a tall, imposing shadow, pressing towards the mountain.
...
...
"Daytime lantern lighting, ghostly umbrellas blocking the sky!"
Amidst the chaos and eerie atmosphere that made people lose their senses, the heads of the Zhao, Zhou, Chen, and Wang families, who had left the Meng family's ancestral home earlier, had complex and indescribable expressions on their faces.
"The rules of the past twenty years have been completely disrupted."
"The Meng family, hmph, their foundation is unstable, yet their ambitions are grand. It was only a matter of time before they caused such trouble."
"..."
After leaving the Meng family, they did not disperse but instead went to a pond, as they were old friends who hadn't seen each other in years. The winter wind blew coldly, and there was no scenery around the pond. The head of the Wang family leaned against the railing.
Suddenly, the withered lotus leaves in the pond revived, blooming across the entire pond. The head of the Zhao family borrowed a piece of yellow paper from the head of the Chen family, folded it into a small boat, and threw it into the pond. With the wind, it grew into a black canopy boat.
The four of them boarded the boat, and the head of the Chen family borrowed wine and food from the water spirits in the pond. Zhou's head took a deep breath, dispersing the leaden clouds in the sky. They sat down and drank, discussing the situation.
"That Meng family kid has gone crazy."
The head of the Zhao family, despite his age, was dressed in a flashy manner, sighed, "He shouldn't have summoned the disaster, but he did. Now, he can't undo what he's done, and he's desperately trying to get the Reasoning Master to come and see us. What's the use of that?"
The fair-skinned, beardless, and dignified head of the Wang family said, "The Meng family never intended to summon the disaster; they just wanted to scare people."
"But who would have thought that his act of feigning madness would coincide with the Hu family, making the disaster a reality."
"..."
The nearby Old Master Zhou feigned surprise, "Brother Wang, do you really believe that the Meng family's foolish young master summoned the disaster with the Hu family's help?"
"It's obvious, not just to you four."
The head of the Wang family calmly replied, "The Meng family doesn't even have a twelfth disciple to summon the disaster. Where did the twelve tribes of disaster come from?"
"Moreover, how did the incident in the City of the Unrighteous Dead go from being about a demon-revealing mirror to becoming a prelude to the Hu-Meng conflict? And how did the malevolent spirit manage to shoot down Nobleman Zhang with seven arrows right before our eyes?"
"Have you ever considered..."
"As for now, even the stones in the pond are being used as obstacles. Doesn't he know what the Hu family's ancestors did? Is he deliberately harming himself?"
"..."
The people present understood the implication of his words, and for a moment, they were all surprised, but deep down, they felt it was impossible.
"We must consider the bigger picture."
Amidst the silence, someone sighed, "The Stone Pavilion Alliance is just around the corner. Although Nobleman Zhang has lost his foundation, it's not difficult to find the Zhang family's bloodline. I've invited a few of them to stay at my home. As for the Meng family's bloodline, can it really be severed?"
"Impossible. We must leave at least one. One is for the Stone Pavilion, and the other is to keep an eye on their old ancestor."
Someone sighed, "These two families, one stubborn and the other crazy, always need us to intervene when their conflict escalates."
"Right now, I'm perplexed as to why the State Preceptor has taken such a liking to the Hu family and has been so indulgent towards them."
(End of Chapter)
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