Chapter 123: You couldn't summon him? Let me try!

"Flap, flap, flap..."

Falcons and birds were rushing down from the sky.

Two middle-aged Daoist priests were each stirring their swords toward the sky; in their hands, the long swords truly seemed to stir into whirlwinds. Several birds collided with the sword blades, and one priest performed a series of "Plucking Stars and Probing the Moon" strikes, causing several falcons to be slashed down by the blades in succession.

The swordsmanship of these two Daoists was far better than that of Daoist Qingxuan; it was likely not inferior to that of experts in the martial arts world. In terms of swordsmanship alone, they were capable of eliminating demons, and their strength was also formidable.

Just as they had intercepted the birds and lowered their heads, they heard a series of thundering footsteps.

Following the sound, they saw two stone lions walking from one end of the road, one behind the other.

They were squeezed among the evil entities, moving slowly, but their bodies were unimaginably heavy; the bluestone floor of the village could hardly support them under their footsteps.

How could swordsmanship deal with this?

No sooner said than done, the Junior Xiao Shimei pushed out a palm of raging flames, her expression tightening, and she wanted to raise her sword and charge again.

"Come back."

The Junior Xiao Shimei stopped instantly, stabbing at a sheep nearby; her expression remained solemn, her movements naturally incomparable.

Immediately, a command token whistled through the air.

"Bang!"

The token slammed solidly onto the forehead of the front stone lion. It was unknown how heavy this token was or how great its momentum, but with this single strike, it actually smashed half of the stone lion's massive head.

With a loud boom, the stone lion fell to the ground.

The token did not fall, nor did it bounce back; instead, it flew into the sky, spinning around, and only fell again after the stone lion behind it had laboriously climbed onto the body of the front one.

Both stone lions stopped moving instantly.

They also blocked more than half of the alley on the left.

Lin Jue chanted a spell to recall the token, striking left and right along the way. He encountered countless evil entities, all of which were suppressed by the Mountain Yili Shenjun. At the same time, he pushed his palm to the left, burning out a gap, only then turning his head back, distracted.

The ancestral hall was packed with commoners who were already terrified. At this moment, they either dared not look outside, were praying to their ancestors, or were staring at them nervously.

The temporary divine altar and incense table were still there.

Daoist Jiang was still summoning the deity.

"Disciple Jiang Ning, twenty-eighth generation descendant of the Profound Heaven Sect of Mount Qiyun, student of Master Lingqing, reports to the Yili Shenjun..."

It was still almost the same sentence.

Clearly, the Yili Shenjun had still not responded.

Lin Jue furrowed his brows.

Why was this efficiency even lower than the Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan?

But it was as if all the unique death energy stored by the Demon King had dissipated, and all the evil entities within a ten-mile radius that had been tainted by this death energy were gathering here. They couldn't kill them all; the number of evil entities in the village was increasing.

At first, the alleys on both sides were sparse, but later, the evil entities were packed together. Although these evil entities had low cultivation, they had reached a point where even high-level experts would feel their scalps tingle, let alone Daoists like Lin Jue and the Junior Xiao Shimei who had only been cultivating for two or three years.

Later on, it wasn't just the streets and alleys on both sides of the ancestral hall; the entire village was likely packed with evil entities.

Both Lin Jue and the Junior Xiao Shimei had suffered some injuries.

Their magical power was also on the verge of exhaustion.

Thanks to the token bestowed by the Mountain Yili Shenjun, if not for that, they likely wouldn't have been able to hold out long ago.

At this moment, eliminating demons relied almost entirely on the power of the Mountain Yili Shenjun.

"Boom..."

Daoist Chongqing finally used the second Divine Fire Talisman of Departing Fire.

The surging divine fire, centered on the ancestral hall, spread rapidly through the village. All the evil entities were like they had been coated in fire oil; as soon as they touched it, they burned violently and were soon reduced to fly ash.

Even the black mist and death energy in the village seemed to have been washed clean in an instant, and the firelight filled the entire world.

For a brief moment, the sky light reappeared overhead.

Yet the houses in the village remained completely undamaged.

Just as Daoist Jiang Ning said, this kind of divine fire was difficult to use for fighting, and only upright deities would expend the effort to cultivate it.

However, the deity still hadn't come, the divine fire only lasted for half a quarter of an hour, and the spread was only within the village. The sky overhead was soon blocked by black mist again, and the death energy continued to create demons and evil spirits.

Lin Jue knew that this talisman had been requested in advance, and the divine power must have been prepared by the Yili Shenjun beforehand; every one used was one less.

Prayers still came from behind.

"Disciple Jiang Zhaoren, twenty-eighth generation descendant of the Profound Heaven Sect of Mount Qiyun, student of Master Lingqing, reports to the Yili Shenjun..."

Looking back, it was no surprise.

Daoist Jiang Ning was still summoning the deity.

Her expression was still calm, though it was possible that the calmness was only on the surface.

"Daoist Jiang! Change your wording, try harder! If the Yili Shenjun doesn't come, everyone will perish here! Tell the Yili Shenjun that if he doesn't come, the death energy will spread, and the commoners of Huizhou will tear down his temple!"

"..."

Daoist Jiang's prayer finally paused. She turned to look at him and explained, "The Yili Shenjun must be in battle."

"It's not just the Yili Shenjun who is in battle. The Demon King prepared four such places, and there are only three Divine Lords under the Emperor. Even if the Yili Shenjun abandons the battle, it's not certain he would come here first." Daoist Qingxuan also turned to tell him. His expression was solemn, showing some fear, but his tone was not flustered. "Moreover, Yili Shenjun Yi Li has always been upright; I'm afraid he will put us here last."

Upright? Put us here last?

Because there are Daoists here whom he values?

"Then what should we do?"

"Two fellow Daoists." Daoist Jiang Ning stopped praying and looked at them calmly. "You cultivate spiritual methods and magical arts; do you have any skills for saving your lives or escaping?"

"Naturally, we do."

"Then please go!" Daoist Jiang Ning said solemnly. At first listen, it sounded like she was using words to prod them, but seeing her expression and hearing her tone, one knew she truly thought so. "We still have one Golden Light Protection Talisman; we can hold out here for a moment and share the hardship with the commoners!"

"What do you mean?"

"The evil entities outside are increasing; they seem to know we will pray to the Yili Shenjun for help. The longer we stay here, the harder it will be to leave." Daoist Jiang Ning's voice was calm, not deliberately lowered, but amidst the gradually recovering roars of the evil entities outside, she spoke within the ceremonial gate, and the commoners behind could not easily hear. "We are deeply grateful for your help, two fellow Daoists. This is already enough; please leave as soon as possible."

She didn't say much more, but it was enough.

Lin Jue couldn't help but look back at her, forgetting to turn his head back, and met her gaze, stunned.

"And what about you?"

"As I said before, hold out with the believers until the last moment, seeking the last bit of possibility." Daoist Jiang Ning said calmly, seemingly seeing through his thoughts, and smiled rarely. "You don't need to worry about us, Daoist. We are Daoists of the Talisman Sect; it is we who receive the incense offerings, and it is we who cultivate merit. Even if it comes to the last step, we have blessings to enjoy. You should go, Daoist."

Clearly, if the deity didn't come, this place couldn't be saved.

Yet the woman was unusually calm.

Lin Jue had heard that she was favored by the Yili Shenjun, but she was so young and hadn't achieved the status of a True Master, so she probably couldn't be called "merit fulfilled." He didn't know if she could ascend to heaven after death.

But looking at Daoist Qingxuan beside him, his expression was much the same.

"Please go first, Daoist."

Daoist Qingxuan also said this to him.

"Heh..."

Lin Jue couldn't help but laugh, then said: "If all you fellow Daoists stay, and we leave so early, wouldn't that be a great loss of face for the Fuqiu Sect?"

Not to mention other great causes.

Just saying that coming down the mountain this time was considered fulfilling the Master's orders. And while cultivating on the mountain, the Master provided food and sleep, made clothes, and taught the Dao and methods, never charging a single cent. How could he casually lose the face of his sect?

"Hmm? Daoist, aren't you cultivating to be free and unfettered, seeking longevity? Don't throw your life away here."

"You misunderstand, Daoist. Seeking to be free and unfettered doesn't mean living a cowardly life, and seeking longevity doesn't mean being afraid of death." Lin Jue paused as he spoke. "Moreover, although these evil entities are numerous, they don't have much intelligence; they only know how to attack living things they see randomly. The two of us, brother and sister, have our own skills to save our lives!"

Besides the Divine Shen Xing Dan, there were also Wood Escape and Fossilization methods.

Nowadays, Lin Jue could hide his aura when escaping into wood, and the Junior Xiao Shimei could hide her aura and hold her breath for half a day when turned into a stone statue. Coupled with the Divine Shen Xing Dan, it wouldn't be difficult to escape from here.

They could hide for a good half day.

"Daoist, you should still summon the deity quickly!" Lin Jue said in a deep voice. "If the Yili Shenjun has no time, then invite Emperor Yu Jian!"

"Not to mention whether the Emperor would take action personally, I cannot reach the Emperor's ears and eyes."

"Then what is he eating incense for!"

"..."

"Wait!"

Lin Jue furrowed his brows, but a flash of inspiration struck his mind.

Seeing that the divine fire had just swept through and the evil entities outside were temporarily not numerous, and the three bean soldiers, the Junior Xiao Shimei, the fox, and the two Daoists could still handle it, he put away his sword, turned around, and strode back into the ancestral hall.

The fox looked back at him in confusion and also jumped in.

"What is Daoist Lin going to do?"

"Let me do the summoning!"

"You, Daoist? You also know how to use the deity summoning ritual? Could it be that you have a promise with some heavenly god or earthly deity?"

Although Daoist Qingxuan asked, he moved aside.

Daoist Jiang Ning also moved aside.

"No."

"You are not a Daoist of the Talisman Sect, Daoist. If there is no prior promise or registry from a deity, or if there is no connection, using the deity summoning ritual casually, if there is the slightest mistake, I fear it will lead to an unknown place nearby."

"Even if it leads to an unknown place and brings in another great demon or even a demon king, could the consequences be worse than they are now?"

"This... makes sense!"

"It's worth a try."

Lin Jue took down the golden statue of the Yili Shenjun from the altar and threw it aside casually. Daoist Qingxuan hurriedly caught it in shock.

Straightening up, he saw Daoist Lin place the token he used as a magical treasure on it.

"This is?"

"The token of the Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan."

Lin Jue answered, and had already begun.

The Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan was not a righteous god of the Nine Heavens, and even he himself was not human, so naturally there was no need to walk the Yu Steps. The incense-wishing divine spells that Daoist Jiang Ning had just chanted couldn't reach him either.

Probably use the most simple deity summoning ritual?

This place could be considered near Mount Yishan, right?

"Disciple Lin Jue of the Fuqiu Sect of Mount Yishan, a native of Shu Village in Huizhou, student of Daoist Yunhe, petitions the Mountain Yili Shenjun: the Demon King here has released death energy, causing chaos among all living things. I specially request the Mountain Yili Shenjun to descend with divine power to wash away the death energy and evil spirits here!"

"Disciple Lin Jue of the Fuqiu Sect of Mount Yishan..."

Stating one's identity, calling upon the deity, and explaining the cause of the matter were all important and basic rituals.

After saying it twice, the sounds of demons and evil spirits outside became noisy again. The matter was urgent, and Lin Jue's wording was simplified.

"If the Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan can be summoned, it can indeed open up incense for him. If the commoners here can be saved, even if the Mountain Yili Shenjun Temple is moved here, the Yili Shenjun probably wouldn't have any objections.

"However, not to mention whether the Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan would care about the affairs of this place, he is an innate Mountain Yili Shenjun, and his magical power is only within Mount Yishan. After leaving the mountain, it will plummet. The further away from the mountain, the weaker the magical power. Although this place is near Mount Yishan, there is still a straight road of a hundred miles. Even if the Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan has the heart to save, I'm afraid he is powerless to support."

Daoist Qingxuan anxiously advised, but did not interfere:

"Moreover, although you have the token of the Mountain Yili Shenjun of Mount Yishan, Daoist, when summoning the deity, you must not just call him 'Mountain Yili Shenjun'. You must know that all orthodoxly cultivated great demons and demon kings mostly cultivated in deep mountains at first, and most of them have self-proclaimed themselves as Mountain Gods. Just calling 'Mountain Yili Shenjun' is probably inappropriate..."

Only the fox was innocent and ignorant, lowering its head to lick its fur.

"Disciple of the Fuqiu Sect of Mount Yishan..."

Lin Jue heard his reminder and originally intended to modify the wording, but before the third time was finished, he felt a spiritual wind suddenly come into the ancestral hall.

This wind was strange, neither clear nor cool, yet refreshing to the heart.

Lin Jue suddenly had a wonderful feeling—

Was it really connected to the deity?

Even not just him, the summoner, the other Daoists beside him also felt it and instinctively looked up at the sky.

Even the fox stopped licking its fur and raised its head to look.

That was the pure clear energy appearing in the sky overhead, the vast yin and yang spiritual power, both pure and having a tremendous sense of oppression.

The black mist and death energy that originally filled dozens of miles and covered the sky and sun initially seemed to have this chilling and suffocating sense of oppression, but in front of this clear energy, it was nothing.

"Did the Mountain Yili Shenjun really come?"

Unfortunately, this was inside the ceremonial gate.

Everyone instinctively looked up, but overhead there were only tiles, beams, and the painted carvings above; they couldn't see the sky.

Just as they had the idea of going out to take a look and were still rationally hesitating whether this was feasible, they saw the sky overhead suddenly brighten. It wasn't parting the black mist to see the sunlight, but multicolored spiritual light filling the sky, also eliminating the black mist.

The brightness of the spiritual light initially showed five colors, but subsequently, only blinding white light remained.

As if hearing the prayer, this deity arrived without talking to anyone, nor discussing conditions, and directly took action to disperse the death energy, which seemed like the style of a righteous god.

Lin Jue's movements were a bit faster. When he stepped out of the ceremonial gate and raised his head to look, before he was blinded by the spiritual light, he saw a slender and graceful figure walking in the sky, its body huge yet light and agile.

The next instant, the spiritual light flourished, and he couldn't see clearly.

"That is..."

Like a fox yet not a fox, holy and incomparable.

It looked somewhat like his own Fuyao.

"Boom!"

As if the heaven and earth were trembling.

All things turned in the palace, rotating their positions.

Living things fainted, death energy was swept away, and even the evil entities filling the heaven and earth instantly disappeared without a trace. ===== CHAPTER 124 =====