Chapter 62: The Three Realms of Martial Dao

County Commandant Chen said to Criminal Official Zhang: "The Longevity Sect are rebels for whom the imperial court has issued arrest warrants. This sect has poisoned Nansheng extensively, with countless wealthy and influential gentry joining them, and they have even established an independent Changsheng Dao Kingdom on overseas islands."

"If they can be captured, it will surely be a great merit!"

County Commandant Chen narrowed his eyes: "Can this matter be confirmed? How many of them are there? Are they ringleaders or chiefs?"

County Commandant Chen had been in Yushan County so long he was bored to death, with no opportunity for promotion.

Military officials must earn merit; otherwise, staying in one place as a County Commandant only to be transferred to another as a County Commandant? That makes no sense. Now that this Evil Sect has arrived, it is instead a chance for promotion and wealth.

County Commandant Chen asked Criminal Official Zhang, and Criminal Official Zhang did not push Niu Congcong forward, but just spoke nonsense: "About twenty or thirty people, all of them commoners who have been bewitched. There is one called Liu Wenpo who is their organizer; they intend to sacrifice young boys and girls as an offering."

"My informant also found a secret society altar; it must be a high-level figure. By following the vine to find the melon, it will surely be a major case! That is why I came to inform the County Commandant."

County Commandant Chen's bear-like eyes shone. He stood up with his two-hundred-plus-pound body and slapped the table, leaving a palm print on it: "Good! Mobilize the township scouts, the clerks, the Yamen Runners, the Kuaikuai, and recruit some men from the martial arts circles to go and capture these evildoers."

"Should we report this to the County Magistrate?" Criminal Official Zhang asked softly: "These evil followers, I fear they have some sorcery..."

"No matter. Even if evil followers cannot scale walls or vault over roofs, they will still be shot dead. Bring me my strong bow."

Someone immediately appeared by County Commandant Chen's side and took down the bow hanging on the wall. This bow was a family heirloom, passed down through the Chen family.

Ordinary archers in the army use a Five-Strength Bow as the standard, which qualifies one as a strong archer; the bow of Chen, a Provincial Graduate, reaches nine strengths.

Just like the realms of Buddha, Dao, and Confucianism, which are all divided into three stages, the Martial Dao is passed down from the military arts of slaughter and also has three great realms.

The first realm is "Outer Strengthening of Tendons, Bones, and Skin," specifically divided into Copper Skin, Iron Bone, Golden Muscle, and Jade Sinew.

Such people are called "Martial Philosophers."

The second realm is "Inner Refining of Viscera, Bowels, and Marrow."

Specifically divided into Tiger-Leopard Thunder Sound, Mercury Blood, and Lead Marrow.

Such people are called "Martial Sect Masters."

The third realm is "Seeing God Without Destruction."

Specifically divided into: Tuan Gang Holding Power and Internal and External Integration.

Such people are called "Martial Sages."

Chen, the Provincial Graduate, was shaped like a bear. He had practiced the "Copper Skin" and "Golden Muscle" of the Martial Philosopher realm to a minor success, and coupled with his naturally large frame, he could barely be considered "Iron Bone." His meridians were relatively inferior, but he was still a good seedling for practicing martial arts.

He was over eight and a half feet tall and weighed a full two hundred-plus pounds. Although he had accumulated a layer of fat from wine and meat and his physical strength had declined, his foundation remained. When he had nothing to do, he would still train a little, and he most enjoyed finding people to wrestle and sumo wrestle in the office for amusement.

Standing up at this moment, he truly gave the feeling of a fierce bear standing on its hind legs, making Niu Congcong, a novice Shamanism wizard, feel a powerful sense of oppression.

His "Spirit Communication" ability could only detect a surge of blood-Qi and baleful-Qi. Even from a distance of ten feet, there was a heat coming from his breathing, like a burning water boiler. County Commandant Chen took out the bowstring he maintained by wiping it with deer oil from time to time, looped it onto the bow, pulled it with force, and listened slightly to the sound.

It was indeed crisp, and he laughed loudly: "Wait until I shoot the evil follower dead, cut off the head on his shoulders, and use it to accompany my wine!"

He immediately strode away, slung his bow and took his quiver, mounted a tall horse, and galloped out to gather his men.

After his horse galloped away, Criminal Official Zhang sneered: "A martial man is just a martial man." He said to Niu Congcong: "This matter has nothing to do with you anymore. Do not go around recklessly doing dangerous things again. Now that you can coax this Chen Pizi to block the front, next time it will be you blocking the front for someone else."

Niu Congcong did not expect his great-uncle to provoke the County Commandant into exterminating the Evil Sect just like that.

On the other side, Zhang Zhenji also arrived at the City God Temple and took out a stick of precious Jiangzhen Incense. This incense is a secretly crafted Dao Incense; when practitioners burn it to worship gods, it becomes "Dao Incense." It is what deities love.

Most practitioners do not have worldly desires; praying to gods for wishes is instead much cleaner, being nothing more than hoping for the Immortal Dao to advance further—even a little bit is progress—so it does not convert into "Wish Power Dharma Coin," but instead converts into something more useful: insights into the Great Dao and wisdom.

Once the Dao Incense was lit, within the City God's divine realm, the Yushan City God, the "Majestic Manifestation Earl who Protects the People of Yushan," felt the summons.

He immediately pulled Zhang Zhenji's consciousness into his majestic Dharma Realm divine domain Daochang. This place was like the county government office, but superior to the government office in the world of the living, resembling an emperor's traveling palace, with twenty-four departments, over three hundred Ghost Gods and their multitudes, and three or four thousand Underworld soldiers and Ghost Soldiers.

"Zhang Zhenji, who practices in the temple in the mortal world, for what reason do you summon this Earl?"

Zhang Zhenji asked for help: "City God Earl, has something happened to Yushan? My Shanju Guan has worshipped the Mountain God for generations; the Mountain God clears away baleful-Qi and constructs a Blessed Land as a pure place to protect the mountain residence. Now I see a stretch of Evil Aura. As a junior studying immortality and seeking to divine the heavenly secrets, I discovered that my sect has encountered danger. I fear that entering alone will be of no avail, so I dare not act rashly. I can only report this to the Earl, begging the Earl to pity my sincere heart and intention, and the offerings made throughout the four seasons, to extend a helping hand!"

The Yushan City God heard his pedantic speech and shouted directly: "What are you afraid of? Yushan is a pure holy land of this county; how could it be bewitched by mere evil spirits? Your family's Mountain God is a True God who has been enfeoffed since the Da Wu dynasty; how could he be confused by an evil god? Wait for me to check the Earth Veins and order the Day and Night Yeyou to patrol the Yushan Dharma Realm."

The subordinates of the City God belong to the Underworld system; they are not "Heavenly Gods," nor can they be counted as "Earth Deities." They can tentatively be counted among the "Demon Gods," cannot see and know everything, and are busy with official business.

The land of Yushan is nearly a hundred miles away from the county seat, and Yushan is also adjacent to Dexing. The Mountain God of this realm likes to associate with people who practice in the mountains and wilderness; they are not very close to the City God. Moreover, the City God controls the affairs of human ghosts and gods, and also dislikes practitioners interfering with Daoism at will.

Therefore, practitioners entering the territory must go to the City God Temple to report. If there is no report, the soldiers and horses refined by the practitioner will be detained, or various Daoist arts that reach the heavens and connect to the earth will be cut off and become ineffective.

Unless one has achieved success in internal refining, but the City God would not dare to offend such people either. Who knows what rank of Register you hold, or if you have people in heaven or people in the underworld?

While the City God was performing rituals to check the Earth Veins, Liu Wenpo, having received Xu Jia's spell, came to the City God Temple to file a complaint in the Underworld! But the City God Temple is, after all, a deity's Daochang; whether it was Xu Jia's spell or the evil Daoist's spell, it lost its effect once it entered here.

Liu Wenpo immediately sobered up. Seeing the majestic and spiritual image of the City God, and looking at the Judges, Ghost Soldiers, Niutou Mian, and Yakshas and Asuras on both sides—all terrifying and gloomy—it seemed as if she were being interrogated.

She immediately fell into a terrifying fantasy of an endless Hell and screamed: "Underworld Official! It wasn't me who harmed the people! It wasn't me who harmed the people! Don't split me in two..."

With her causing such a scene, the City God immediately sensed it. Seeing her acting crazy and possessed, covered in evil energy, with a baleful aura between her brows,

he immediately ordered the Soul-Hooking Envoy and the Judge's clerks: "First detain her soul, tell her to calm down, and interrogate her!"

(End of chapter)