blueteamnovel Chapter 54: Didn't kill him!
Chapter 54: Didn't kill him!
Yin Zhizi suddenly stood up, three black talismans sliding out of his sleeve. He rapidly chanted incantations, and the eerie green light surged, illuminating his bewildered face.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the ground deep inside the cave. It wasn't a crack caused by an earthquake; the edges of the crack were as smooth as if cut by a knife, and what gushed out wasn't soil, but water so clear it was almost transparent.
The water flowed silently, leaving behind crystalline frost on the ground. Even more terrifying, a colossal phantom appeared faintly in the water, winding like a dragon. Though indistinct, it exuded a suffocating pressure.
"How is that possible?!"
Yin Zhizi fell silent, and the black talisman in his hand instantly ignited with green flames, transforming into three eerie green fire snakes that lunged at the water.
The fire serpent hissed the moment it touched the water, only to be swiftly swallowed and extinguished by the current. The water continued to spread, not fast, but with an unstoppable force.
Yin Zhizi's expression changed drastically. This was not the true form of the Jiao Shen descending, but rather a projection of some kind of will that transcended space, using the water veins as a medium to project a portion of its power here.
Such methods far exceeded expectations.
Yin Zhizi suddenly bit his tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the black cloth. The twisted runes on the black cloth instantly came to life, transforming into dozens of black chains that rustled and wrapped around the phantom in the water.
The moment the chains touched the phantom, a deep dragon roar echoed within the cave, directly shaking the soul, shattering inch by inch, and dissipating into black smoke.
Yin Zhizi groaned, black blood seeping from his seven orifices. Water flowed to his feet, frost climbed up his feet, and the biting cold instantly penetrated his flesh, reaching his bone marrow. Yin Zhizi knew he could not stay any longer; the power of this dragon god far exceeded his expectations. If he did not escape today, he would surely die.
A ruthless glint flashed in Yin Zhizi's eyes. He plunged his right hand into his chest and pulled out a small pouch close to his body. This was his most treasured life-saving item: a substitute bone talisman made from the skulls of ninety-nine stillborn infants. He crushed it with force.
"Today's wounds will be repaid a hundredfold in the future!"
Yin Zhizi exerted his power, the bone talisman shattered, and his figure suddenly blurred, turning into a swirling cloud of black smoke. As soon as he finished speaking, the black smoke exploded, transforming into countless tiny black insects that burrowed into the crevices of the cave.
The phantom in the water trembled slightly, and a more refined purifying power erupted.
The cave was filled with the faint crackling sound of countless insects being crushed. Most of the black smoke dissipated, but a small number of black insects still burrowed into the depths of the rock crevices and disappeared.
The water receded slowly, the cracks in the ground closed on their own, and the frost melted away. The cave returned to its original state, with only the newly appeared water stains on the stone walls and the faint scent of purification and blood remaining in the air.
At the bottom of the emerald pool.
The dragon slowly withdrew its will, a hint of coldness flashing in its golden vertical pupils.
Lin Shi opened his eyes.
The dragon was his own clone; their thoughts had just merged, and he could see the whole process clearly.
"What a pity!"
Lin Shi sighed.
The dragon's purifying power was quite strong, but it only severely injured the victim. The wild Taoist's last means of escape was extremely insidious.
Lin Shi stood up, walked to the window, and looked towards the mountains and forests in the northwest.
The night was deep, and the mountains were as dark as ink.
"Injured but not dead!"
"It's not a bad thing!"
Lin Shi muttered to himself, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.
Having suffered such a great loss, the unorthodox Taoist priest would never let it go. After being severely wounded, he became even more frenzied and ruthless. Next time he comes, it won't be this kind of petty harassment.
At first glance it seems like a bad thing, but upon closer examination it turns out to be a good thing.
Rather than letting a venomous snake lurk in the shadows and bite you at any moment, it's better to provoke it out of its hole and strike it dead on the battlefield you've prepared.
The dragon had just left a very subtle water spirit mark on the wild Taoist. As long as that thing is still active within this area of water, he and the dragon will immediately sense it.
The silent village slept in the deepest darkness before dawn, unaware that a life-or-death struggle had already occurred and ended, and an even greater storm was brewing deep in the distant mountains and forests.
The next time will be a life-or-death struggle.
Winter goes and spring comes.
Winter melts away.
The Qinghe River has thawed.
As the spring breeze blows, shouts of tilling the land begin to echo in the fields of Shixi Village and Shanghe Village. The soil, frozen all winter, is turned over, revealing a deep brown color. Earthworms wriggle among the clods of earth, and flocks of sparrows land on the newly turned ridges to peck at insect eggs.
Spring plowing has begun.
The year's harvest, the family's food and clothing, the payment of taxes, and the marriage of their children all depend on this land that is about to be sown. In previous years, at this time, the two villages would each worship at the local earth god temple, offering some coarse cakes and burning some incense, praying for good weather and a bountiful harvest.
The atmosphere along the banks of the Qinghe River this year is different from previous years; there's something more to it.
In the fields of Shixi Village and Shanghe Village, farmers still call out to their cattle and swing their hoes as usual. But when they take a break, they no longer talk about what to plant in the fields. More often than not, their eyes will unconsciously glance in the direction of the village ancestral hall.
After news of the ghostly disturbances and the severe injury inflicted on Xie Xian by the Jiao Shen spread, not only in Shixi and Shanghe, but also in Wangjiazhuang downstream and Lijiawa upstream, some families began to quietly set up Jiao Shen tablets handwritten on yellow paper next to their stoves and in the corners of their main rooms.
The tenth day of the first lunar month.
The spring sun is warm
Lin Shi gathered more than 20 core believers from Shixi and Shanghe villages in a side hall of the ancestral hall and sat them around the table. In the middle of the table, a sketch was spread out.
"This scale rivals the grand ceremony held a few years ago when the two villages jointly worshipped the river god."
Sun Ming squinted at it for a long time, his finger hovering over the sketch.
"more than."
Lin Shi shook his head.
"This is an unprecedented prayer ceremony for a good harvest. It is not just a sacrificial ceremony, but a declaration to this land and to all people that from now on, spring planting and autumn harvest will be protected by the gods."
Lin Shi had inquired about the joint river god worship ceremony that Sun Ming had mentioned, and found it to be much smaller in scale than the one he was about to attend.
Lin Shi pointed to the sketch and explained it in detail.
The altar is located directly east of the square in front of the ancestral hall, facing away from the direction of the rising sun. The worship area is divided by village, with enough open space reserved to accommodate hundreds of people standing.
The viewing areas are set up on both sides, where people from other villages and the elderly and infirm from the village can sit.
The entrance and exit routes and emergency evacuation routes are all clearly marked and very detailed.
"If there are 500 people, the square in front of the ancestral hall will be so crowded that 300 people will not be able to turn around."
Yang Qianchui rubbed his rough palms together, the calluses on his hands making a rustling sound.
"Expansion".
"Tear down these old woodsheds and level the land. The work will take fifteen days, which is enough time."
Lin Shi points to the edge of the sketch.
"The sacrifice for five hundred people requires money for offerings, incense, candles, ceremonial guards, master of ceremonies, and a band of musicians. The meager savings in the shrine's accounts are probably not enough."
Xu Zhong shook his head.
"The villagers donated voluntarily."
"Those with money should contribute money, and those with strength should contribute strength!"
"We won't force you, and we don't care how much. The ancestral hall has some savings from previous years. I've done the math. It's enough!"
"If it's really not enough, we should cut back on everything we can, such as the ceremonial guard, the master of ceremonies, and the band."
"The Dragon God wants sincerity, not villagers going bankrupt!"
Lin Shi waved his hand.
Sacrifices, especially large-scale sacrifices, require a great deal of manpower, material resources, and financial resources.
Shixi Village and Shanghe Village are not wealthy enough to spend a lot of money on this, but they can save money wherever possible, and the sacrificial rites absolutely cannot be omitted.
This is not just a ritual, but also a gathering. Through the upcoming ritual, everyone can see and feel for themselves that as long as they pray sincerely, the dragon god will surely respond.
Lin Shi was very clear that if this grand ceremony was successful, the foundation of the Jiao Shen faith would be as solid as a rock, and no matter how great the storms were, it would not be shaken. Moreover, it might even be able to expand to several villages upstream and downstream through this opportunity.
Sun Ming, Liu Laosi, Xu Zhong, and the others thought for a moment, then nodded, and no one objected anymore.