Chapter 231: Renewing the Daoist Lineage

One could see Hannibal in the Hell Manor, where the many ghosts and demons in the garden were all people he had eaten, transformed into vengeful ghosts and demonic entities.

The plants in the garden were all best-selling products of the nineteenth century; drug abuse was rampant in the American world of the living, and as consciousness projected into the Dharma Realm, the infinite desires of those suffering from withdrawal transformed into these fields of poison, which harmed people in the world of the living, but in Hell, they became "media" for the demons to refresh their minds and communicate with the world of the living.

These demonic plants eroded human will while flaunting the desires of demons, which is why the demons had always pushed for their legalization.

The manor was vast within the Dharma Realm, and in the center stood a large building that looked completely out of place with its surroundings; it was tall and upright, a palace-like castle, with a "labyrinth" arranged inside.

The demons enjoyed torturing living beings, often capturing the souls of the living and placing them into the labyrinth to play hunting games.

In the center of the labyrinth was a solitary house, an old-fashioned American detached home.

Upon entering, one could see the suited and booted, human-looking Hellboy Hannibal.

Everywhere here were fresh ingredients, the most polished and bright things being the kitchen utensils, and a record player was playing classical music.

This ghost-demon looked human, swirling red wine, with a fresh human liver before him. But his eyes were entirely black, and when he opened his mouth, one could see a blood-colored tongue and blood-colored teeth, and his skin was frighteningly white, nearly transparent.

The demon's transformation was reflected more in his inner nature than his outer appearance; because he had several films and even television shows promoting his image, he had gained faith and become a "god."

The god who governs "being human" in America.

The unity of demon and god allowed him to become the Seventy-third Demon God outside the Seventy-two Pillar Demon Gods within the Hell system.

Of course, America had many talented people, and many had achieved the status of Demon God, but Hannibal was very good at being human, and his publicity was widespread, making him a household name that could stop a child from crying.

This demon had been sealed by Xu Jia for a full thirty years, until over twenty years ago, when the "Psychic Duo," entrusted by someone, came to the manor where he was sealed to exorcise demons; they stumbled upon it and uncovered the Talisman that Xu Jia had left behind, only then releasing him.

Therefore, he harbored extreme hatred for Xu Jia, yet dared not provoke him; only after he learned the news of Xu Jia's ascension and Corpse Severance did he change his "principles"—originally it was "eat while fresh," but now, encountering Xu Jia, who was over a hundred years old and dried into a Golden Body of cured meat, he wanted to eat him too.

It was just that the "Pure Altar Ritual" left behind by Xu Jia during his lifetime had turned Tongtian Temple, and even the separately established Xu Shigong Temple, into a "demon-forbidden place."

Because priests in churches were often too close to little boys, it was a breeze for these demons to enter churches; Jesus was always being hung upside down, which was not as effective as the foreign Daoist's chanting.

What holy water cannot cure, our Talisman Water can; evil spirits that cannot be chanted away by reading the Bible can be dealt with by chanting the Golden Light Incantation.

This old demon had tried to storm Tongtian Temple several times, but each time he couldn't even find the door; he had even tried possessing Xu Jia's disciples and grand-disciples, but still couldn't get in.

In the end, he could only vent his anger by coming to obstruct the path when Xu Jia's disciples were at their weakest during their breakthroughs; those disciples' cultivation failures were not entirely due to a lack of talent, but rather because many were obstructed by this old demon entering their dreams, causing them to suffer Qi deviation and perish.

This old demon killed Xu Jia's disciples and even enslaved their souls, learning the techniques they practiced.

This demon also wanted to "combine East and West," but he did not understand the Yin Yang Five Elements, so naturally, his cultivation failed.

However, eating a "Human Immortal" was a great tonic, equivalent to eating a hundred "vegetarians," which was why the old demon's realm grew increasingly profound.

Now that Xu Jia had descended, he first gave a start, recalling how he had been stuffed alive into a jar back then, sealed in darkness for thirty years, and then he grew resentful: "Damn it! I want to eat him!"

At the same time, he was also puzzled: "According to his followers, didn't he go to Tian Tang after he died? How could he still descend to the world?"

But regardless, he had to see what exactly was going on.

Once the demonic thought stirred, the old demon gathered hundreds of subordinate demons and set out together, heading toward the territory of the San Francisco Tongtian Temple.

As he moved, Xu Jia, as a True Person of Omniscience, sensed it: "How was this cannibal old demon released?"

Demon Gods in the American setting were all "undying and indestructible," but if there was a descent body in the world of the living, they could not release a second one; if this descent body were killed, he would make a comeback.

That was why Xu Jia had spent the strength of Nine Bulls and Two Tigers back then to seal this old demon into an old pickle jar he found at the home of an old overseas Chinese who had immigrated to America as a "Chinese laborer" since the Qing Dynasty and had been pickling vegetables for over a hundred years.

And following the idea that "the most dangerous place is the safest," he hid it at the main altar of the Cannibal Cult. Unexpectedly, that main altar was later abandoned and bought by someone else; because it was haunted, they invited the Psychic Duo to cleanse the room, and as a result, the Psychic Duo channeled this old demon and released him.

This was not a disaster caused by Xu Jia failing to handle the "loose ends."

But recalling the past, Xu Jia was also somewhat "itching to act."

"In my previous life, my understanding was insufficient, and I could not completely eliminate him, because god and demon are one; if there is a Tian Tang, there must be a Hell; the Heavenly Dao of monotheism is set this way. Now I will meet this old friend again, though I am not yet fully prepared."

Therefore, Xu Jia said to these Yin Master disciples: "In America, the demonic is rising and the Dao is waning, and the Six Heavens Old Qi fills the heavens and earth. You must learn to preserve yourselves. I have already sensed that the cannibal cult leader, Hannibal the Old Demon, is making a comeback and is rushing here. He likely wants to meet me. I am fine, but you cannot handle him."

"Now we can only rely on the disciples in the world of the living. After all, a single thought of mine cannot descend for long. I will startle him away this time and solve it completely next time."

Among them, the oldest Yin Master, named "Li Rentai," was a Hong Konger who had followed Xu Jia from Hong Kong to America, but he had not achieved cultivation back then, and Xu Jia did not remember him; he only achieved the rank of Yin Master later.

When Li Rentai heard "Hannibal the Old Demon," his face changed, his fear evident, and he said repeatedly: "Ancestor, this demon has been targeting us all these years. His methods are sinister, his actions ruthless, and many senior brothers fled America precisely because they feared being hunted down by him."

"Fear not!"

Seeing this Ghost Immortal Yin Master shaking like a sieve, Xu Jia roughly understood that in his absence all these years, they had lost their spiritual leader, falling apart, with some dead and some scattered, so he calmed his spirit.

"How many disciples are left in Tongtian Temple now?"

"About twenty or thirty. The third-generation disciples are in charge now; it has already weakened. The disciples are not all Chinese; there are also two Germans."

Xu Jia nodded: "Then let us start the change from them. The old methods no longer work, so we shall practice new ones. I have a method here, a newly improved Tiangang Thunder Fire Great Method, which can be used in conjunction with firearms and bullets. With my blessing, the entry is quite simple. Go and send dreams to these disciples, and make sure they all come to the altar. Then have these disciples contact the disciples who have left, and tell them I have descended to the altar to transmit the Dharma, so they do not miss this opportunity!"

The Ghost Immortal Yin Masters acted one after another. Some of them also had disciples, but they were outside, not in Tongtian Temple. After all, at the peak, Xu Jia had three or four thousand disciples and grand-disciples; scattered about, there were also some other places where Daoist halls and altars had been opened.

It was just that the Incense Fire on those altars was not flourishing, and it was not safe. In the past, when Xu Jia was away, the Golden Body and Incense Fire were scattered; they found it better to pick up their own living expenses there. Furthermore, the Feng Shui Array and spell barriers left by Xu Jia meant that as long as they did not tear down Tongtian Temple, they were all safe and did not need to go into the Dharma Realm to brave the wind and rain and be coveted by ghosts and demons.

Therefore, although Li Rentai said there were only twenty or thirty disciples, not as many as these Yin Masters and wandering masters, in just two hours, forty or fifty people had arrived one after another, and more were rushing here.

Among these people, some were old, forty or fifty years old; some were young, even with dyed yellow or red hair, tattoos on their bodies, and ear piercings, looking like "minority groups." There were also two Germans who were the most traditional, wearing Daoist robes, straw sandals, and keeping long hair and beards, breathing naturally, their expressions excited.

These people gathered at Tongtian Temple and chatted in twos and threes: "The Grand Senior Brother said the Ancestor has descended to the altar to transmit the method he newly cultivated in the Shangjie. Is it true or false?"

"It was the Grand Uncle-Master who sent the dream. Not only the Grand Uncle-Master, but also the Grand Senior Brother, quite a few of them sent dreams together. After waking up, we called each other and sent messages, and found that everyone had the same dream, so we all rushed over."

Most of these people were of mortal eyes and flesh, unable to see the scenery of the Dharma Realm, nor could they perceive the strange phenomena of divine light on the altar, but they all respectfully offered incense to Xu Jia one by one.

It was the first time Xu Jia felt what it was like to be a revered god and have people offer incense to him; moreover, these people could barely be considered "practitioners of the Dao," which counted as "Dao Incense."

It was a pity that Xu Jia's true self did not accept Incense Fire; these things were all processed by the "Body God Inner Scene Heavenly Court."

However, it did condense the fortune of the sect, making it less scattered.

Xu Jia knew they were of mortal eyes and flesh, so he did not begrudge his Dharma Power, dispatching the Dharma Power within his Golden Body into golden dots, directly entering their eye apertures, causing them to instantly enter the illusion of the Dharma Realm.

They saw their eyes spin, and suddenly they saw blue, purple, and gold triple radiance shining, and a thin figure sitting cross-legged on the altar. On the left and right were twenty or thirty attendants. They could not recognize the person on the altar for a moment, as it was across generations, but the attendants around him were all of the master and grand-master generation, and had long since passed away as Immortals. Only then did they truly believe that the Ancestor had descended to the altar to re-transmit the Great Method to them.

Especially the two German Daoists, their eyes wide open, looking incredulous, kneeling down very devoutly, and the first thing they said was: "Please, Ancestor, transmit the art of Longevity to us!"

Xu Jia looked them up and down; their aptitude for cultivation was not particularly good, and their temperament was even more ordinary; they could not even compare to those ancient people.

He secretly thought: "The toil of wine, women, wealth, and pride has already damaged their souls, and industrially processed food has already damaged their bodies. America is now a foul atmosphere, and it is truly impossible to cultivate any outstanding disciples."

(End of chapter)