Chapter 227: Dharma Realm Recalls Soldiers and Horses

Upon learning the origin of that snake demon and realizing there was a three-lifetime karmic debt involved, Xu Jia knew that the "waters ran deep" here.

The Lishan Sect? It seemed there was also a Lishan Sect in his past life, belonging to a branch of the Hidden Immortal Sect; Zhang Sanfeng had received teachings from a master of the Hidden Immortal Sect.

Xu Jia had also researched it; the Lishan Sect consisted entirely of female cultivators who excelled in the Wind and Thunder Technique, but Xu Jia had studied this technique and found it shared the same origin as the Divine Firmament Sect, though the Lishan Sect claimed to have been passed down since the pre-Qin era.

It was, so to speak, a rather famous sect; figures like Fan Lihua and Bai Suzhen were all from the Lishan Sect, which was a very famous sect in "opera," generally producing famous female disciples.

Corresponding to it was the "Ghost Valley Sect," which produced famous male disciples; its ancestor was Wang Chan, who was also a well-known name in Taoism.

The ritual Xu Jia had previously used to set up the altar and receive the Register, apart from being derived from the Supreme Heavenly Altar Jade Text and the Yellow Register Great Offering, also originated from this sect.

It could only be said that Celestial Master Xu was also proficient in the Hundred-Family arts; although these Hundred-Family arts were mostly obtained by "looking up information," being able to look up information to this extent was already quite remarkable.

The Yushan City God wrote a letter and dispatched soldiers to be delivered to the Xi'an City God; although the Southern City God was not under the jurisdiction of the Xi'an City God—usually being under the Nanjing City God—writing a letter was still permissible.

Xu Jia also stamped it with his own seal, representing an inquiry in the capacity of a Celestial Master, so no one would treat it lightly.

"I have heard that the Celestial Master intends to build a Daochang in Yushan to govern Yushan and Dexing counties, and also manage the demon affairs of the Jiangnan West Circuit. I wonder if you are still lacking manpower under your command?"

"Why? Do you wish to make a recommendation?"

The Yushan City God nodded: "To tell you the truth, there is indeed a person—no, a god—whom I intend to vouch for, to help him find a place."

"Who?"

The Yushan City God said: "A remnant of the former Yellow Heaven Sect, originally a Canal Commander general who became a Ghost Immortal after death. He wanders in the Dharma Realm and, leading his old subordinates, occupies a mountain peak in the Dharma Realm. Under his command are five hundred soldiers, all Yin soldiers from ancient battlefields. They usually hunt creatures in the Dharma Realm for food and occasionally obtain some ownerless Incense Fire. I once tried to recruit him, but he refused."

"A few days ago, when the Celestial Master set up the altar to suppress demons, he was hunting in the distance and, despite hurrying, failed to arrive in time to join, missing the opportunity, so he begged me for help."

A Yellow Heaven Sect Canal Commander? Xu Jia had the Yellow Heaven Sect's legacy treasures here, the Heavenly Emperor Precious Jade, as well as the Raw Rice Bowl left behind by Huang Muchun, who was originally a Libationer of the Yellow Heaven Sect and also of demon origin.

Now another Canal Commander had come; what was the meaning of this? Was he to inherit the "legacy" of the Yellow Heaven Sect's rebellion? "What is his name? What skills does he have?"

"His name is Yu Yaosheng. As a former Canal Commander of the Yellow Heaven Sect, he possesses the skills of Diamond Indestructible and Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers."

"Diamond Indestructible? Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers?" Xu Jia smiled: "I have not even cultivated Diamond Indestructible or Scattering Beans to Form Soldiers myself."

The Yushan City God immediately said with fear and trepidation: "If the Celestial Master does not like him, I will turn him away."

Xu Jia waved his hand and said: "If you reject him, wouldn't it make it seem like you have no ability? Since someone begged you, they must have given you benefits. To take benefits and not do things, wouldn't that be unreasonable?"

The Yushan City God was teased into silence and hurriedly said: "I didn't take any gifts! I didn't take any gifts!"

Xu Jia did not pursue this further and only asked: "Where is he in the Dharma Realm? Shall I go and meet him?"

"In the Dharma Realm, one hundred and eighty miles outside the city of Yushan, there is a mountain. The mountain has craggy rocks and trees like iron forks. Those who have set up camp and raised yellow flags are him."

"Oh, so those are Wandering Master Soldiers, scattered road dust; not a regular army, but more like bandits and mountain thieves."

The City God wanted to sweat even more; what was said made his introduction seem even more unreliable.

Xu Jia's Altar-Protecting Marshal had only just turned to stone, so currently, the altar-protecting soldiers were not actually sufficient. Even though the various demons practiced 'Chang' using Stone-Gravel Evil Qi, their abilities were average; one demon could only refine a squad of twelve 'Chang' at the least, and no more than fifty or sixty at the most.

The Dragon Tiger Mountain Altar had billions upon billions of heavenly soldiers, even using counts like 'zhao', 'jing', 'gai', and infinite numbers; it was an altar of ten thousand gods. Yet Xu Jia's Lingbao Altar could not even scrape together three thousand soldiers.

Do not be fooled by this City God's respectful demeanor; in a single county, there were at least five thousand soldiers, and some might even have tens of thousands. Previously, during the Yushan Evil Aura incident, the Yushan City God had lent Xu Jia some City God soldiers.

It was just that other people's soldiers were, after all, other people's. If this Yu Yaosheng was truly worth molding, Xu Jia would not turn him away.

Xu Jia estimated that the altar needed at least twenty thousand soldiers to properly govern the two counties of Yushan and Dexing. Any more and the Incense Fire might not be sufficient; any less and the manpower might not be enough. Although there was that fellow Duobao, he could not force Duobao to bleed profusely while asking him to give away wealth; a clever housewife cannot cook without rice, and one cannot have it both ways.

So he asked again: "Besides this Yu Yaosheng, what other dust-like camps are there in the surrounding Dharma Realm?"

"That, this minor god is not really sure. Although since the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, there have never been a shortage of those who rebel, plot to establish themselves, or set up camps, those who do not belong to the jurisdiction of Hell but can last for a long time have never been many. Either they fall into internal chaos, or they are beaten into submission and conquered by others. Some are simply forgotten by everyone and naturally vanish in the Dharma Realm, becoming lost Dharma Realm creatures that neither enter reincarnation nor obtain clear spirit."

Xu Jia nodded: "No matter. I shall go for a stroll in the Dharma Realm and catch some to use."

Having said that, he tore open the Dharma Realm and his figure disappeared.

"Flying Sword!" The Yushan City God was shocked to see this; it was rare to see such an authentic Flying Sword Technique in the Desire Realm, as many were just "Sacrificial Sword" techniques.

What is Sacrificial Sword? Gan Jiang and Mo Ye refined famous swords and sacrificed their bodies to the furnace; that was the beginning of Sacrificial Sword. The resulting sword possessed spirituality and was extremely sharp.

Such famous swords, if worshipped piously like a god, with one's spirit merged with it, could achieve the "Hundred-Step Flying Sword," which could be controlled as easily as one's own arm within a hundred steps, being extremely flexible.

But the drawbacks were also great: the sword lived while the person lived, and the sword died while the person died. A person's spirit was seized by the sword, and a person's ambition was driven by the sword. Therefore, the Sacrificial Sword technique was only a "minor art," generally practiced by the likes of "assassins."

Such swords, once they lost their masters, would find it difficult to "ring again."

But the Flying Sword Technique was a person controlling the sword, not the sword controlling the person; this was another realm entirely.

Generally speaking, only those cultivators in the "Form Realm," that is, those who had transcended the Desire Realm, could cultivate this technique.

Of course, one point the City God got wrong was that the physical body could not enter the Dharma Realm, so Xu Jia had first returned to the Xu residence, settled his physical body, and only then, with his Primordial Spirit manifestation, exited his body and entered the Dharma Realm.

Yet he saw this True Person, with a face of about seventeen or eighteen, exceptionally handsome, wearing a Golden Purple Eight Trigrams Dharma Robe. On the robe were arrayed the constellations, providing complete protection. Behind his head were three layers of halos: one layer of gold, the Divine Path halo of his past life's Golden Body; one layer of white, the clear spirit Wisdom Light of his cultivation; and one circle of purple, representing the Lingbao Celestial Master.

Two flood dragons, one golden and one silver, circled around him, baring fangs and brandishing claws; these were the Golden Flood Dragon Sword and Silver Flood Dragon Sword. With every step he took, the gray-black, colorless Dharma Realm gained color where Xu Jia walked; the earth was no longer a withered gray-black, but revealed green, possessing vitality and Vitality.

The creatures in the Dharma Realm were all peeking in the dark. Unlike the Dharma Realm of America, which was basically all devils, the Dharma Realm here was mostly "hungry ghosts," that is, ghosts who starved to death. These hungry ghosts were not the ghosts and demons in the hungry ghost Hell suffering eternal punishment, but actual commoners from disaster years who died of famine. Because their greatest obsession before death was hunger, they could not enter reincarnation.

These hungry ghosts deformed during long periods of hunger, with large heads, large bellies, and eyes glowing with the green light of hunger.

In the Dharma Realm, they were the bottom layer, cowardly, afraid of death, and greedy. They had no aggression when alone, but when they gathered in groups, they were very terrifying.

The Dharma knowledge Xu Jia obtained stated that ghosts corresponded to insects; wandering ghosts corresponded to moths, and wasps and hornets corresponded to soldiers, while locusts corresponded to hungry ghosts.

When hungry ghosts accumulated to a certain degree, they would possess bodies and become locusts, eating everything in the mortal world, but locusts were also forever hungry... because they were transformed from hungry ghosts.

These hungry ghosts, one by one, hid in dark corners, eating the mud and branches in the Dharma Realm. Seeing someone like Xu Jia who had color, they all drooled. Even the soil Xu Jia stepped on turned into a Blessed Field, and the plants that grew on it were also targeted and swept away directly.

Wherever Xu Jia walked, these hungry ghosts followed and ate.

The Earth Immortal pressure was heavy, but as more and more hungry ghosts followed, they vaguely had the impulse to tear Xu Jia apart and eat him.

"With so many hungry ghosts, the Dharma Realm is even harder to govern than reality."

Xu Jia divided his Dharma Power and Wish Power Copper Coins, scattering them as he went; they became mountains of rice, mountains of flour, and pools of Nectar and fine wine.

These hungry ghosts gulped and slurped, but they never seemed full.

"Just giving alms of food and nectar, it seems, really cannot transcend these hungry ghosts. Only by giving alms of Dharma Treasures can they be saved. The Demon Examination I endured when receiving the Celestial Master Register was not fake after all."

The ghosts in the Demon Examination could still communicate, but although these hungry ghosts were not hungry ghosts from the hungry ghost Hell who became so due to their own sins, they had likewise suffered the hardship of boundless hunger.

Starved to death in life, hungry in death.

Xu Jia chanted, beginning to recite scriptures and bestow Dharma Treasures: "Spirit Spring merges with the Five Elements, Dharma Water flows through the hundred grains... The Heavenly Venerable establishes teachings to save the dark prison; relying on this praise, we extend offerings far and wide."

He opened his mouth, displaying a Blessed Land to those hungry ghosts; there, clear springs circled, all transformed from Dharma Water of sweet dew, with the five grains in abundance, all provided by virtuous thoughts.

These hungry ghosts, like a school of fish, swarmed one after another into Xu Jia's mouth.

To an outsider, it looked as if Xu Jia were practicing an Evil Art, swallowing ghosts and consuming baleful energy.

Once these hungry ghosts entered the Blessed Land, each and every one of them drank the Dharma Water as if they were Kua Fu, desperate to drink the spring dry, and ate the five grains until their bellies were as bloated as baskets or sacks, yet they still kept on eating.

But no sooner had they finished eating here than the items returned to their original places in the next moment, so they kept eating and kept gaining a sense of fullness.

Around the Blessed Land, Body Gods and Demon Gods chanted scriptures and mantras in unison, bestowing Dharma Treasures to convert them.

Xu Jia swallowed over three thousand hungry ghosts into his belly, and seeing more and more, he secretly thought: "If these hungry ghosts keep entering my Inner Landscape, I fear they will eat right through me; I had better wait until I have ferried this batch before doing more!"

Thus, he closed his mouth, and the Golden Flood Dragon and Silver Flood Dragon tore open the Dharma Realm to help Xu Jia escape, leaving behind only the hungry ghosts who had not entered the Blessed Land, who wailed and cursed with venomous hatred.

Yet Xu Jia did not bear such Cause and Effect at all.

Inside his belly, the Wuzang Miao, the Body Gods one by one refined these hungry ghosts, and suddenly, Lotus Platforms sprouted, lifting them to heaven to become the first batch of "Heavenly Humans" within the Inner Landscape Heaven and Earth.

These "Heavenly Humans" who had first attained liberation continued to recite scriptures and mantras, helping other hungry ghosts attain liberation, and they too obtained Lotus Platforms, ascending as "Heavenly Humans."

After these hungry ghosts became Heavenly Humans, they were assigned to the side of the Body Gods to cultivate in coordination; in the future, when Xu Jia cultivated "Reincarnation" in his small intestine, these Heavenly Humans could be sent directly by Xu Jia to reincarnate, without needing to go through the judgment process.

As Xu Jia strolled along in such a leisurely manner, he saw the stone mountain and iron-fork trees that the Yushan City God had spoken of, with a group of men and horses camping there, flying yellow flags.

He saw that this stockade was filled with drifting Ghost Fire and decorated with white bones; it had sentry posts and arrow towers, and the ghost demons above, unlike the hungry ghosts, had a modicum of intelligence, yet they had still undergone deformation—large bellies and thin limbs, yellow skin and white faces, scales on their bodies, pointed ears and fangs, wearing tattered clothes, but with yellow turbans wrapped around their heads, on which the image of a Talisman could vaguely be seen, and they held either hoes, rakes, shovels, flails, or sickles.

It was a perfect scene of a peasant uprising, cutting grass to make soldiers and cutting wood to make flags.

Xu Jia stood outside the stockade and shouted: "Where is Yu Yaosheng? Come out and see me at once!"

This immediately startled a group of Yellow Turban ghosts; one of them, who was somewhat clever, saw that Xu Jia had an extraordinary appearance, a handsome face, and light behind his head, and was no ordinary person, so he immediately went to report.

In the center of the stockade, one could see a precarious little temple; the temple originally belonged to the Yellow Heaven temple system, but it had long since fallen into ruin in the world of the living, with no one to offer sacrifices, making it a so-called "Thicket Shrine."

Inside the temple, a large ghost eight feet tall, with a black face and red teeth, wearing a yellow turban and white armor, held a pitch-black Gourd at his waist, on which secret scripts were written, and he held a bowl in his hand, which contained rice and flour.

This was none other than Yu Yaosheng, and he also heard someone calling for him outside the stockade, thinking to himself: "Could it be some great king coming to subdue me again?"

He saw a Yellow Turban ghost come to report: "Canal Commander, someone has come from outside with light behind his head; I don't know if he is a Dharma master or a deity, but he is calling you by name and ordering you, Commander, to go see him!"

Yu Yaosheng grabbed his weapon, a long-handled bone saber that one could not tell if it had been ground from the tooth of a prehistoric creature, and was about to go out, when he suddenly remembered that he had previously bribed the Yushan City God...

He put down his weapon, grabbed a "Yellow Flag" instead, left the temple gate, and arrived at the stockade entrance.

More than five hundred yellow ghosts had already gathered, staring at Xu Jia.

Yu Yaosheng saw Xu Jia and had already guessed who he was, but he still needed to confirm it: "Who is this Dharma master?"

"Since you don't know who I am, why did you beg the Yushan City God, saying you wanted to defect to me?"

(End of chapter)