Shannan Xidao, Lizhou.
At this moment, the sky was shrouded in endless black qi. The fierce and terrifying cold wind was particularly harsh in the winter, making it even more formidable.
The earth seemed to be scorched black by the eerie winds, with all sorts of plants withering and dying. The common people in the state were suffering greatly, which was a testament to the formidable might of the ghost general.
In the state government, Yang Shilì, the Jiannan Dongchuan Military Governor, Tian Hui, a eunuch in charge of military affairs in Jiannan Dongchuan, Luo Yuanhao, the Military Governor of Shannan Xidao, and Wang Jian, the Governor of Lishi, gathered together.
Wang Jian was later known as the founding emperor of the former Shu Dynasty.
There were also many minor officials and many unusual and eccentric individuals.
For example, Wu Koujiu, who called himself the "Monk of the Bright Treasure" or "Mohi"; Kang Yuan, a remnant of the Fire Worshippers; and Qin Ming, a remaining descendant of Nestorianism.
There were also seventeen or eight medium-level wizards, as well as thirty or forty low-level wizards. These cultivators were invited by Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, and Qin Ming. They were either from the unorthodox schools of cultivation that are not considered mainstream, or they were directly from evil and external teachings.
During the Huichang Law Extinguishing era, most of the Mogao, Fire Worship, and Nestorian traditions were extinguished.
These remnants secretly propagated their teachings, and they dared not come out to be brazen in their everyday lives.
Now that they know Yang Shilì is plotting to rebel, these remnants want to help him succeed in order to propagate their teachings, so they all come out to assist him.
Especially Wu Koujiu, who went all out to recruit a large group of leftist demons and evil spirits for Yang Shilì, was undoubtedly putting his best effort forward.
However, the rise and fall were all due to Wu Koujiu.
When Wu Koujiu led a group of cultivators to the BaoFeng Mountain to retrieve an ancient artifact, they encountered the Ghost General, which led to the calamity of Lizi.
The Military Governor of Shannan Xidao, Luo Yuanhao, glared at Yang Shilì angrily. "Lord Zhongshan, your actions this time have brought disasters to my Shannan Xidao. The Ghost General also stole the Imperial Secretary of Tian Lìnzhī. What should be your punishment?"
Tian Hui and Wang Jian also looked at Yang Shilì with unfriendly eyes.
Yang Shilì hoped that Tian Lìnzhī would die.
Although he would have liked it to happen, he couldn't let it be his fault.
Now that the Ghost General and his ghost soldiers are causing trouble, it was all his doing, so he can't just act indifferent in public.
He furrowed his brow and said, "I will let people take care of this matter."
Luo Yuanhao sneered coldly and looked at the various demons and evil spirits who were all bruised, including Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, and Qin Ming. "Although the leaders of your sects have great and marvelous powers, even when combined, you can't beat the Ghost General. How will you solve this problem?"
Upon hearing this statement, Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the other evil spirits secretly seethed with anger. However, since they wanted to use the government to propagate their teachings and did not want to alienate them, they suppressed their resentment and were seething with fury in their hearts, thinking of an opportunity to use some dark arts on Luo Yuanhao to let him know the consequences of speaking without restraint.
Inside the state government, they were arguing and disputing.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the door.
Everyone furrowed their brows and looked out, wondering who was making the noise.
Unexpectedly, when everyone entered their eyes, they saw a colorful tiger and a one-story-tall, human-faced long-armed, black-bodied-haired, rear-footed mountain demon descend from the sky.
This colorful tiger, about the size of a calf, coupled with the terrifying and disgusting mountain demon, caused the faces of Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, Tian Hui, and other ordinary people to turn pale, and they couldn't stop trembling over there.
Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, and Qin Ming, as well as dozens of other demons and evil spirits with bruises, all turned pale instantly.
Their cultivation levels were very high, and they naturally sensed an unimaginable extreme danger from the mountain demon.
At this moment, the conference hall was filled with people who were all frightened.
A tall and imposing young Taoist jumped down from the back of the colorful tiger.
Only to see this young Taoist bow and greet, saying, "I am Chen Pu, a disciple of the Zongshan Mountain Chengyang Cave Zhangyang Immortal. I have the honor to meet you all."
"Chen Pu?"
"He is the Chen Pu who cut down the senior apprentice of the Yin Mountain sect, Yin Wuji?"
"He seems too young, can he really be as formidable as the rumors?"
"I have some doubts too."
"Perhaps he's just a name without substance?"
A group of demons and evil spirits whispered to each other.
Clearly, they had heard of Chen Yun's illustrious name long before.
Now that they had seen Chen Yun himself appearing here, Wu Koujiu and the others were somewhat taken aback while also showing considerable skepticism about how much substance there was to the rumors of Chen Yun killing Yin Wuji.
Of course, Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui knew that Chen Xianzhang, who had gained prominence in the Battle of Liuxi City some time ago, would come here. After all, it was they who had sent people to invite Chen Yun over to exorcise demons.
However, after seeing Chen Yun in person, these officials exchanged glances, all with a look of doubt in their eyes as if questioning whether the Taoist before them was imitating the revered Chen Xianzhang.
Why?
Because the Taoist in front of them appeared too young.
However, since the other party had descended from the sky on a colorful tiger, Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, despite their doubts about Chen Yun's identity, all took no chances and rushed to the door to welcome Chen Yun into the house. They then invited him to sit in the main seat.
During this time, both parties briefly introduced themselves to each other.
Chen Yun was not polite at all. He sat in the main seat and looked around, examining everyone present.
When he was most frightened, Gong Ji was standing behind the chair to his left, eyes downcast, also sizing up the demons and evil spirits.
Of course, Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the dozens of other demons and evil spirits were also looking at Chen Yun and the mountain demon.
And the officials, such as Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, were also observing them with interest.
After the maid finished serving tea.
Luo Yuanhao smiled and asked, "Master Chen, thank you very much for coming to subdue the Ghost General. I am extremely grateful."
Yang Shilì, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, among others, were all expressing their gratitude in similar ways.
Chen Yun took a sip of the tea, courteously replying, "The Ghost General has caused chaos and suffering to the living beings, seized the emissary, and was summoned by Luo Jiezhen. Chen cannot but respond to this invitation. Therefore, he brought his disciples here to slay demons and eliminate evil."
"Your compassion is boundless," Luo Yuanhao said first, then furrowed his brow and said, "But the Ghost General is formidable, with tens of thousands of ghost soldiers under his command. The able men and strange scholars brought by Lord Zhongshan were no match for him. Master Chen, you came all this way, presumably not at your peak condition. Why not rest for a night before attempting to subdue the Ghost King? It's also a good opportunity for Mr. Wu and them to recover from their injuries, so that they can lend you a hand tomorrow."
He spoke quite courteously and modestly, as if he was concerned about Chen Yun's fatigue from his journey, but in reality, he was worried that Chen Yun and Gong Jujin might not be able to defeat the Ghost General. He was hoping that Wu Koujiu and the others could recover some before they all joined forces to fight the evil spirits.
Yang Shilì, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, among other officials, all had the same thought.
Including Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the dozens of other demons and evil spirits, their thoughts were also similar to those of the officials.
The dozens of cultivators before them had fought against the Ghost General and his ghost soldiers before.
The Ghost General himself was already extremely powerful, and he had four fierce ghost generals under his command, as well as over ten thousand ghost soldiers to aid him. They were driven to flee in panic, with several lower-level wizards losing their lives in the process.
Now, Chen Yun seems very young and his cultivation level does not appear to be very high.
The mountain demon also seems quite formidable.
Yet, Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the dozens of other demons and evil spirits still didn't think the two could exorcise ghosts.
After all, the Ghost General had too many ghost soldiers and generals under his command.
As the crowd thought this way, Chen Yun glanced at Wu Koujiu and the others with a touch of disdain, and then said unceremoniously, "I am a Taoist of the orthodox Daoist school. Traveling thousands of miles is not much. Moreover, how can I work together with these demons and evil spirits? If it gets out, people might think my sect has fallen into decadence. Without any need for rest, Master Chen and his disciples will immediately go to subdue the Ghost General."
He wouldn't have been so impolite if it were a matter involving ordinary outsiders or irregular practices.
However, a term like "outsider" is still associated with these practices, indicating that they are not part of the mainstream Daoist tradition. They are only tolerated because they can be considered a branch of the Daoist system, albeit an irregular one.
What's going on with these demons and evil spirits?
They are all from religions of barbaric lands, and now they also want to come to the Central Plains to share their faith and partake in the delicious soup of belief?
The most important thing is that these demons and evil spirits directly released the suppressed Ghost General, causing him to cause trouble here.
To be frank, today these demons and evil spirits were just unlucky enough to encounter Chen Yun, a Taoist with a good temper.
If it were another prestigious sect, they would have likely attacked these demons and evil spirits long ago if they knew that their actions had caused this disaster in the first place. They wouldn't have wasted even a single word with these demons and evil spirits.
Chen Yun, without proper preparation, might not be able to hold his own against any one of the three self-styled masters among these demons and evil spirits.
But he has several thousand divine soldiers and generals, as well as shadow soldiers and generals, and he can also set up the Green Dragon Red Blood formation.
If it really came to a fight, they would be able to clean these demons and evil spirits up thoroughly.
To say nothing of Chen Yun's right-hand man, Cui Ming, who is on par with an upper-level mage, and Gong Jujin, who is equivalent to a high-level mage.
Of course, he doesn't give a fig about this group of demons and evil spirits that have caused the trouble with the Ghost General.
The orthodox Daoist school treats ordinary people equally, but when it comes to those who steal our faith, well, I'm just a nice person, so I didn't move to stop them.
"You!"
"Rude words!"
"We haven't offended you, is there any need for such disdain?"
Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the dozens of other demons and evil spirits all glared with anger, expressing their dissatisfaction. Some even showed a hint of menace in their eyes, as if they were ready to fight Chen Yun.
Chen Yun didn't even glance at them. He said to Luo Yuanhao, "If it weren't for the Ghost General here, and these demons and evil spirits appearing at this place, I would certainly be the first to suppress them."
As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and looked at this group of demons and evil spirits, "I advise you to be wise and don't cross the boundary here. The Central Plains are the territory of my orthodox Daoist school. If you dare to propagate your beliefs here, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Bang!
Wu Koujiu slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and with his hair and beard standing on end, said, "Chen, are you looking for a fight?"
Kang Yuan and Qin Ming, as well as the other demons and evil spirits, all stood up and looked at Chen Yun with unfriendly gazes.
Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, the officials present, wanted to intervene and mediate but they all knew that these demons and evil spirits were endowed with magical powers. Chen Xianzhang was also renowned for his prowess. They didn't want to offend either party, so they refrained from speaking.
Moreover, they also felt that Chen Yun was a bit too "arrogant." He started by showing disdain for Wu Koujiu and the others, which is something no one could tolerate.
Chen Yun didn't say anything.
Gong Jujin took a step forward, his tone menacing, "You dare to fight with my master?"
In his words, his powerful aura was released.
Instantly, the entire hall was filled with a terrifying pressure, suppressing the demons and evil spirits as well as the officials, who couldn't breathe.
Everyone felt their feet and hands numbingly cold, as if they had just slipped naked into a winter ice cave.
Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the other demons and evil spirits, seeing this, all widened their pupils abruptly, each one deeply shaken and standing there without daring to move.
Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, the officials present, felt even more difficulty breathing and were on the verge of suffocation.
Fortunately, Chen Yun spoke up at this moment, "Gong Jujin, don't scare them. It's fine if these demons and evil spirits want to challenge me. I'll subdue the Ghost General and save the angels first, then we can fight them."
Gong Jujin only removed the aura after hearing Chen Yun's words, "We will follow your teacher's orders."
As soon as the aura was withdrawn, Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, and Qin Ming, as well as the other demons and evil spirits, took deep breaths. It was clear that the pressure Gong Jujin had put on them was terrifying.
Yang Shilì, Luo Yuanhao, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, the officials, were the same.
At this time, no one dared to question Chen Yun any longer.
Chen Yun did not waste words with them. Instead, he said to Luo Yuanhao, "Luo Jiezhen, send someone to take me to Baofeng Mountain to subdue the Ghost General."
Luo Yuanhao quickly stood up and said, "We will follow the orders of Chen Xianzhang."
Yang Shilì, Wang Jian, Tian Hui, and the other officials also dared not sit there anymore. They all stood up with looks of reverence in their eyes.
Chen Yun said no more than a single word and walked straight out.
Gong Jujin quickly followed behind.
As for Wu Koujiu, Kang Yuan, Qin Ming, and the other demons and evil spirits who were full of hatred towards Chen Yun, they were momentarily silent out of fear of Gong Jujin's terrifying power.
Until Luo Yuanhao, Yang Shilì, Wang Jian, and Tian Hui, among other officials, followed Chen Yun out, leaving only the group of demons and evil spirits in the room. It was then that they began to whisper among themselves.
Kang Yuan turned to Wu Koujiu and asked, "Wu Master, do you really think Chen Pu can truly subdue the Ghost General?"
Qin Ming and the other dozens of demons and evil spirits all looked over.
"Hmph!" Wu Koujiu snorted coldly, "This man is arrogant and thinks we're easy to bully? Whether or not he can subdue the Ghost General, we should fight with him later to show him how formidable we are!"
Kang Yuan and Qin Ming, as well as the other dozens of demons and evil spirits, all held their breaths. Upon hearing Wu Koujiu's words, they all expressed their support for his opinion, wanting to fight with Chen Yun after the event.
Of course, supporting Wu Koujiu's opinion was one thing, but these people were not fools. They were just verbally brave. In reality, they were thinking about seeing Chen Yun's moves first and then deciding whether to fight or not.
If Chen Yun's methods for subduing the Ghost King turn out to be rather ordinary later on, sorry, but then they will have to fight.
If Chen Yun's methods are ruthless, these demons and evil spirits won't be foolish enough to really throw themselves into a fight.
In fact, some demons and evil spirits were still pondering whether to try to curry favor with the orthodox Daoist school by this time.
The premise is that Chen Yun is indeed very powerful. Otherwise, they wouldn't just let it go.
For a moment, these demons and evil spirits all wished they could see Chen Yun's actual abilities, whether he was just a man who had earned his reputation or if he truly lived up to it.
(The end of this chapter)
