Chapter 414: Surveying Residences to Avoid Fire, Golden Light Drives Away Evil

Ye Zhenren was gone, and naturally, Zhang Zhenren would not be spared either; the two sword lights turned, shifting from the hexagram of "Not Yet Fulfilled" to that of "Heaven and Earth Stagnation."

For a moment, they turned into black and white Qi, and both gold and silver lost their color; the traces of the Flood Dragon were nowhere to be seen, yet the killing intent remained the same, carrying the sentiment of "now I shall shatter heaven and earth, and turn back to reshape the mountains and rivers."

The black and white sword light swept across, and Zhang Zhenren was also severed into two pieces, his Pure Yang Primordial Spirit escaping.

The four corpse fragments fell, yet no blood spilled; only after being stained by the Earth Qi did they merge into the Earth Qi, dyeing the two mountains.

One mountain's trees were all dyed red, turning into red leaves, while the other mountain's trees turned entirely golden.

The Immortal Truth of Mount Luofu, who had been too late to intervene and rescue them, merely sighed; he did not show himself, nor did he blame them for their trash talk.

Only those two Primordial Spirits were unexpectedly unaffected by the guiding force of Soldier Dissolution; their hearts could not let go, and instead of being calm and peaceful, a sense of resentment welled up. Not to mention that the Primordial Spirits could not ascend, they actually began to sink slowly, heading toward the underworld.

However, the next moment, an even more overbearing suction force seized their two Primordial Spirits and headed toward Three Pure Ones Mountain.

"Fellow Daoist, since the Calamity has already been settled, why not let their Primordial Spirits go?"

The only response was a streak of Innate Killing Sword light.

The Primordial Spirits of Ye Zhenren and Zhang Zhenren landed on Three Pure Ones Mountain; before they had even recovered from the realization that they were already dead, they saw Xu Jia, and a sense of regret finally arose.

"Wasn't it said that completing the sect mission was enough? Why did you have to risk your lives?"

They also felt some resentment toward Xu Jia: Why didn't you act according to the script? Fighting back and forth, just making a show of effort for those above to see would have been enough, why the killing? Xu Jia said: "The two of you, first you obstructed my army's march south, second you refined my child, and third you attacked my mother. As the saying goes, one can be forgiven once or twice, but not a third time. Given how you two acted, you truly have no moral bottom line; what is there to regret now?"

"That was you fishing for us!"

"If you had closed your doors and sealed your mountain, how would the killing calamity have descended upon you? If you had cultivated morality, how would you have laid hands on an infant and a woman?"

"You, as practitioners of the Divine Immortal Dao, surely know the background of Fire Essence Child as a drought demon. He was an innocent infant soul who, because he was trampled upon years ago in a prayer for rain, died together with his mother, and only then became a drought demon."

"My mother, moreover, is an ordinary woman who has always eaten vegetarian food and worshipped the Buddha, making vows and performing good deeds daily, accumulating deep virtue; even Guanyin responded to her and granted her a prophecy..."

"It is nothing more than that, from you downwards, regardless of good or evil, everyone is but an ant."

"And it is nothing more than the Five Emperors Rotation, serving your high and mighty Immortal family interests, unwilling to share Quanshen with mortals..."

The two were left looking unsightly by Xu Jia's words.

"When Yunxiao took action, she valued harmony above all, and in her magic battles, she did not harm ordinary soldiers on either side. Yet you refined a Fire Fighting Cart, burning and blowing up ordinary soldiers. You do not reflect on your own karmic sins, yet you delusionally attempted to use a Buddhist treasure to refine her to death. You, who look like a demon, relying on a single treasure, sought to refine her who is single-mindedly devoted to goodness..."

Xu Jia could not be bothered to waste more words with them, but he never executes those who have not been taught.

Killing them now was merely completing a procedure, letting them know their crimes and admit their guilt.

"I now appoint you two as the General Who Avoids Fire and Guards Residences and the Golden Light General Who Guards Residences. For thousands of households, you shall guard the candle stands and lamps to prevent fires, hang mirrors at doors to suppress and drive away evil spirits. Although these two positions are low in rank, the duty is heavy. You both possess Pure Yang Primordial Spirits and can divide your thoughts into thousands; you must perform your duties cautiously, protecting the people's property from fire disasters and shielding their homes from evil spirits." These two positions were similar to the "Six Gods of Peace and Residence," but they were neither the Kitchen God nor the Door God; one avoided fire and the other drove away evil, and while they would normally be hard-pressed to receive Incense Fire, their responsibilities were very heavy.

That Suppressing Demon Pure Yang Golden Tower, without Sheng Ying'er's Fire Fighting Cart, remained their magic treasure.

Although the two were unwilling, they still accepted the divine positions.

Instantly, they scattered into thousands of points of light, going into thousands of households to watch over homes, especially focusing on the calamities of women and children.

After Xu Jia finished conferring the two gods, he turned to assist Xu Jidi in returning to report, though his expression was slightly mournful: "How could you let Mother take such a risk?"

"Some things had to be made clear," Xu Jia said. "It also resolves a knot in your heart and lets you understand that I, Xu Jia, do not live by replacing your position, but live for myself, seeking the truth."

"Indeed, indeed." Xu Jidi was speechless. If he were still alive, what would he be like? Taking the exams a few times to become a scholar, wasting time failing to become a provincial graduate, marrying a decent-looking village girl as a wife, having one child, or two children...

"Cultivate well. My original goal was to uproot my home and ascend, but now that may not necessarily be the case; perhaps it is to raise the ceiling of the entire world. A great era is coming."

Xu Jidi nodded, then said: "Just now Mother looked toward the overseas lands and refused to turn back. Since Hui Zhuo no longer presides over Luzon, and it is a Tongtian Dao Kingdom where politics and religion are one, dedicated to you, why not let me go and preside over the work and take charge of the Dao Kingdom?"

"Go," Xu Jia did not refuse. "The Guanyin looking back is sighing that all living beings refuse to turn back, but it is not necessarily that she refuses to look back at you; perhaps she is sighing that you still haven't seen clearly to this day, refusing to reveal yourself grandly. In your current state, what difference is there between life and death? You are already a guest of the Divine Path, and Mother will also be of the Bodhisattva Fruit Position in the future. Since we both cultivate Longevity, we can speak openly; why be coy? Seeking the truth is the priority, and having no regrets is the best."

"That will also have to wait until I refine an Incense Wish Golden Body, equivalent to your Pure Yang Primordial Spirit, where gathering and dispersing follow the heart, no different from a living person."

"Then you must pass the Three Tribulations of Ghost Immortal; that would be more real. You are currently walking the Divine Path, so no matter what, you will always have the scent of incense and candles about you."

"I will apply myself." Xu Jidi escaped the Dharma Realm, and the next moment, he appeared in the Lu Song Tong Tianguan, stepped onto the Altar, and merged with the divine statue on the altar. Instantly, the aura of the entire island merged with him, and the National Fortune of Luzon was integrated as one.

Xu Jia did not concern himself with him; if it were so easy to see through things and abandon so many emotions, naturally the mortal world would not have endless cycles of thousands of calamities.

On the other side, in Ganzhou City, the two Immortals were gone, yet Ganzhou City still resisted stubbornly, though neither side involved much transcendent power.

But by the second day, gunshots were heard in the city, followed by a riot; the tenant farmers in the city began to revolt, opened the gates of Ganzhou City, and welcomed the righteous army into the city.

The Ganzhou Prefect was tied up and driven out, his eyes spitting fire: "You actually gave guns to these mud-legged peasants!"

"This is the truth," Chen Gongming sneered. "The will of the people is the direction; it is not only the small landlords, big landlords, and aristocratic clans that are the people; the commoners are, too."

The Ganzhou Prefect's Equal Field policy maintained the interests of most small landlords, rich peasants, and even small citizens with assets. These people were good citizens who could generate tax revenue, read and write, and take the imperial examinations; they were the "elite class" of the agricultural era.

But this was the end of a dynasty; those without land were called "vagrants," and those without work were called "mobs." Most of them had become hired laborers, tenant farmers, or even sold themselves into slavery, unable to eat their fill or keep warm.

Did they not want to be treated as human beings? Yet the price of their lives was not even worth that of pigs or sheep. The imperial court did not care about them; their lives were truly like grass, cut down in one batch, and another would grow.

(End of this chapter)