I wield power with my innate talents, and forge the Heavenly Court.

Chapter 489 Dream, Land Destroys Ghosts
Just as the old village chief was preparing to commit suicide.

In another room in the courtyard, a couple were looking at their sleeping child, both with equally worried and sorrowful expressions.

They were the old village chief's son and daughter-in-law, and naturally they were aware of the village's situation and the old village chief's thoughts.

But what can they do?
If they try to stop their father, the entire village will be slaughtered by the demons.

If we don't stop them, that's their father.

The grief and sorrow they felt watching their father commit suicide is unimaginable.

On the other side, the old villager had already gripped the kitchen knife and was slowly moving it toward his neck.

The old village chief did not want to die.

However, given the current situation of their village, this is the only road they can take.

As for joining other villages or migrating to towns.
That's something you shouldn't even think about.

Even if ancestral spirits still exist in other villages, the situation is not much better now.

As for joining the town, is that something that poor people like them can even dream of?

Just as he gripped the cleaver tightly, his eyes gradually hardening with determination, preparing to turn and chop down, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, and a strong sense of drowsiness washed over him.

"Hmm~!"

The old village chief shook his head blankly, but ultimately couldn't resist the drowsiness and drifted off to sleep, the kitchen knife clattering to the ground.

In fact, not only the old village chief, but everyone in the entire village was fast asleep at this time.

In a daze, the old village chief felt as if he were floating on air, walking in a village that was similar to, yet different from, his own.

The people here were all wearing strange gray cloth short shirts, and they walked towards the village entrance with smiles on their faces.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the old village chief glanced around and figured that the village must be a large one with at least several hundred people.

However, no one within a hundred miles of their village had ever heard of such a village.

I don't know how he suddenly got here.

However, seeing everyone's carefree and smiling faces, the old village chief secretly guessed that there must be a powerful ancestral spirit here, or even a guardian deity.

Unbeknownst to them, the old village chief seemed to be influenced by the emotions of the crowd. His worries gradually dissipated, and a smile appeared on his face. He walked towards the village entrance with the others.

As he walked, he gradually learned what the others were going to do.

Sacrificing to the village land
land??
The old village chief was puzzled. What was "land"? Was it the name of an ancestral spirit? Or the name of a guardian deity?
Without thinking, the old village chief opened his mouth, preparing to ask the person next to him.

However, seeing how familiar everyone looked, the old village chief hesitated again.

It's something everyone is familiar with, so wouldn't it seem too abrupt for him to suddenly ask about it?
What he feared most was being killed as a demon.

Since he died outside, he couldn't become an ancestral spirit in the village.

In the end, the old village chief could only suppress his doubts, listen to the cacophony of voices around him, and follow the crowd out of the village.

"Haha, today we're worshipping the Earth God, I must pray for his blessing so my whole family can have happiness."

"My son got married a few days ago. Today I'm praying to the local earth god to help my daughter-in-law get pregnant soon and give me a big, healthy grandson."

"I hope my child will pass the imperial examination and become a scholar this autumn."

"May the Earth God bestow blessings upon us, and may our harvests be bountiful."

Along the way, listening to the discussions of the people around him, the old village chief gained a better understanding of what kind of land it was.

This is probably similar to a guardian deity, capable of protecting neighbors, safeguarding homes, enriching the land, and even suppressing demons and evil spirits.

Judging from the expressions of the surrounding villagers, this land must be very effective.

At least, there were no evil spirits or demons harming the area.

Amidst laughter and chatter, the group arrived at the village's earth god temple.

Looking at the small earth god temple and the clay sculpture of an old man inside, the old village chief was slightly surprised.

It should be noted that although their ancestral spirit worship does not involve clay statues, the altar occupies a considerable area, and there are ever-burning bonfires all around.

Even if it goes out temporarily, it will be rekindled immediately.

Of course, under normal circumstances, with the protection of the ancestral spirits, the campfire will not go out even in wind and rain, and the burning firelight can illuminate the entire village and its surroundings.

The local earth god temple in front of them was far inferior to their altar, consisting of only a small building, a clay statue, and an incense burner in front of it.

After everyone arrived, the noise gradually subsided, and the atmosphere became solemn.

Shortly after, the village chief stepped forward and began to burn incense and recite sacrificial verses.

Then, everyone knelt down and prayed to the gods. All sorts of prayers and supplications reached our ears.

Upon seeing this, the old village chief couldn't help but kneel down, silently praying in his heart.

If the Earth God truly has a spirit, I hope he can protect our village and help us get through this difficult time, and bless me so that I can successfully become an ancestral spirit.
Well, regardless of the actual condition of this land, it's always good to offer prayers and prayers.

As everyone finished their rituals and looked up, the old village chief saw the earth god temple in front of him, with wisps of smoke rising and making the earth god statue appear and disappear, like a deity sitting upright.

In a daze, he seemed to see the land smiling at him.

Without thinking, the old village chief blinked hard and rubbed his eyes vigorously. Then, when he looked again, he found that the earth god statue still looked like a clay sculpture.

"Hey~, maybe the old man's eyes are playing tricks on him, he's just seeing things."

The old village chief murmured something and then stood up with everyone.

Just then, a black mist suddenly rose outside the village, and eerie, terrifying sounds emanated from it.

Hehe. Haha

"People, many people"
Haha, so much blood food!

"Hehe, die, die, die! They all have to die!"

Everyone was stunned by what they saw.

"Ghost, ghost!"

It wasn't until someone shouted that everyone snapped out of their daze and instantly fell into chaos.

Some people ran towards the village, some fell to the ground, and some clever ones knelt down in front of the local earth god statue.

As soon as the group moved, the eerie ghosts outside the village seemed to be awakened and rushed forward.

"Hoo~!"

In an instant, dark clouds covered the sky, and even the midday sun could not reduce them by the slightest. Within them, it seemed as if ten thousand ghosts were surging, and eerie ghost cries echoed endlessly.

In an instant, everyone felt an overwhelming chill seep into their bones, and a deep fear rose from the bottom of their hearts, making them stiff and unable to move an inch.

Mingming was screaming in terror, wanting to escape this ghostly realm as quickly as possible, but he couldn't move an inch.

Seeing this, the old village chief felt a sudden sense of despair.

Possessing a chilling power that is almost like solidified blood, these ghosts are not afraid of the midday sun. Even when the ancestral spirits of their village were still alive, they were destined to be slaughtered as a whole village.

However, what happened next left him dumbfounded, completely stunned on the spot.

As the eerie mist approached the village, the small statue of the local earth god suddenly emitted a faint, bright yellow divine light, instantly enveloping the entire village.

As the divine light enveloped them, the bone-chilling cold instantly vanished, and the fear in their hearts also quickly disappeared.

Within the range of divine light, everyone felt an immense sense of security, as if the ghosts still lingering outside were no longer a threat.

The stiff bodies of everyone gradually recovered.

The bright yellow light was not particularly dazzling; it seemed to be just a thin layer.

However, no matter how the eerie ghost charged, it could not stop it in the slightest, nor even cause it to fluctuate in the slightest. Everyone breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Immediately afterwards, under the watchful eyes of the old village chief and everyone else, the statue of the land god suddenly came to life and stepped out of the small land god temple.

In an instant, his body swelled and grew larger, transforming into a kind-faced earth god who radiated divine light and held a dragon-headed staff.

After the Earth God revealed himself, he immediately looked at the ghosts outside the village.

"You audacious wretch, how dare you harm and kill!"

Before he finished speaking, the Earth God suddenly waved his dragon-headed staff, and a dazzling golden light shot out instantly.

The moment it came into contact with the boundless dark and ghostly aura, the golden light suddenly exploded, instantly transforming into thousands of golden rays that shattered the boundless dark and ghostly aura into pieces.

Immediately afterwards, golden light spread out, quickly engulfing and enveloping the dark, ghostly aura.

In an instant, a series of shrill screams rang out from within the golden light.

"Ah~!"

"No!"

"I don't want to die."

"Help me, I know I was wrong."

Seeing this sudden reversal, even though their bodies had recovered, the old village chief and everyone else were all stiff and unable to move, staring dumbfounded at the land god who destroyed the ghost.

After an unknown amount of time, the wailing of the ghostly creature within the golden light gradually subsided, and the dazzling golden light also slowly dissipated.

Finally, the golden light dissipated, and the boundless dark clouds, ghostly aura, vengeful spirits, and other evil spirits all vanished.

"hehe."

After eliminating all the ghosts, the Earth God turned to look at everyone, smiled gently, and took a step back to the Earth Temple.

The laughter still lingered in their ears when the Earth God had already transformed back into a clay statue. The bright yellow divine light that had enveloped the entire village began to dim and eventually dissipated completely.

At this point, the old village chief finally came to his senses, somewhat dazed.

Looking around, if it weren't for the mess and the many people lying on the ground reminding him, he would have thought it was all a dream.

At this moment, the people around seemed to come to their senses and immediately knelt down, praying for the protection of the Earth God.

The old village chief was also among those kneeling in worship, his heart filled with countless sighs and longings.

If their village also had such a local deity, wouldn't they no longer have to worry about being harmed by ghosts?

(End of this chapter)