I Killed Gods and Demons in Song Dynasty

Chapter 288: The Threat of the Outer Gods and the Panic of the Human World

When the morning light first appeared, the top of Bianjing City was still shrouded in a layer of gray mist, as if the remnants of the night refused to retreat easily.

On the streets, people were walking in twos and threes, with a hint of panic on their faces.

Ever since the changes in the temple and Li Qingyun discovered the clues of the outer god "Ji", rumors about the catastrophe coming to the world have spread among the people like wildfire.

The more people come out to dispel the rumor, the more it spreads.

An old man carrying a shoulder pole just came in from outside the city, his face full of anxiety. When he saw the gatekeeper, he asked anxiously:

"But I heard that many people have gone missing in the northern counties? There are also some black mud monsters appearing, and even the government troops can't stop them?"

The gatekeeper was about to explain, but didn't know how to start.

Because these soldiers themselves heard news yesterday that scouts stationed on the border discovered a wasteland with a strange fire lit in the middle of the night and black fog rolling, as if something terrible was crawling out from the ground.

Due to various strange phenomena, the entire Bianjing is now shrouded in an irreconcilable shadow.

In the imperial city area, although it was still light in the sky, the palace gates were opened early.

The ministers filed in one after another, looking tired and whispering to each other privately, all of them were busy dealing with the recent bizarre incident.

Mu Guiying was dressed in military uniform and hurried towards the main hall.

Along the way, she saw many officials who did not have time to put on court robes, and she knew that the situation was more urgent than she had imagined.

In the main hall, Zhao Zhen had already stood still, his face full of worry. He was not sitting on a high seat, but leaning against the railing of the steps, with several loyal old ministers standing beside him.

Bao Zheng, several military generals, and civil officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel were scattered around, looking uneasy.

Seeing Mu Guiying arrive, Zhao Zhen's frown relaxed slightly and said:

"Marshal Mu, have you found out any accurate information about the northern border? The military report sent back by the scouts last night was confusing, and seemed to be overly frightened."

Mu Guiying clasped her hands and said:
"Your Majesty, I have personally sent people to investigate day and night, but the news we got was even stranger than the scouts. There is indeed a kind of black mucus in that wasteland, which can devour livestock and human traces. Some people saw bone spurs vaguely extending from the mucus, and there were strange shadows wandering around, just like..."

She paused for a moment, as if considering her words, "It's as if it doesn't belong to our world."

As soon as this statement came out, the officials were in an uproar.

Someone immediately remembered the remnants of the Bone Demon from the Spirit Realm, and couldn't help but lower his voice and said:

"Could it be that the Bone Demon is coming back again? Could it be that the remnants of the Hades General still have some secrets left?"

But some people showed doubt:

"Although the bone demon is vicious, it is still a member of the spirit world, and it seems to be different from the strange slime. If it is really a remnant of the spirit world, how could it use such a mysterious method of the 'Outer God'?"

"What is 'Outer God'?" Someone frowned in confusion.

The man said slowly:
"It's just that I was browsing ancient scrolls a few days ago and found a record that said there are some evil gods from other regions whose methods are even better than those of the prehistoric demons. They can either distort time and space or penetrate the foundation of the world. Now that I've seen this strange mucus thing, I can't help but think of the 'outer gods' in the classics."

These words caused quite a bit of surprise.

The ministers looked at each other and talked loudly.

Zhao Zhen coughed lightly, as if to quiet everyone down:
"The world has just gone through a catastrophe, and the people are weak. If the rumors of supernatural powers are not stopped quickly, they may shake the foundation of the country."

Bao Zheng continued in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty is right. This morning when I was inspecting the city defenses, I heard many people running around in panic, saying that 'foreign gods have descended'. The rumors were so bizarre that anyone who was touched by the black mud would turn into a monster."

Mu Guiying added:
"Some people secretly instigated the Dao Sect to establish a righteous sect and falsely accused Lord Li... er, they falsely accused the True God of not being powerful enough, which led to another natural disaster. This caused chaos in the streets, and disputes and fights broke out in many places."

Emperor Renzong's face became even darker and he couldn't help but sigh.

He understood Li Qingyun's difficulties very well: the true god who protected the country had been in seclusion many times recently, and it seemed that he had inner shackles that needed to be broken, but he could not care about the chaos everywhere.

But no matter how much the court trusted Li Qingyun, those folk rumors, Taoist incitement, and waves of strange events were rapidly fermenting.

"Gather troops from all directions and strengthen patrols. Issue an order to appease the people and severely punish those who spread rumors."

Zhao Zhen paused, and then said, "Make sure to let Lord Li Qingyun know about this matter and ask him to come forward as soon as possible."

The Minister of Rites beside him bowed slightly:
"I have sent someone to invite him, but I heard that Lord Li did not leave the house last night and seemed to be concentrating on practicing."

A trace of worry flashed across Mu Guiying's face.

She knew best that although Li Qingyun was already a true god, he had recently shown signs of fatigue, which was probably related to his rapid promotion.

The situation is pressing now, but I don’t know if he can split himself to deal with it.

The atmosphere in the court was still solemn.

Seeing that everyone looked worried, Emperor Renzong could only sigh, temporarily adjourn the court, and let them go about their respective tasks.

At noon, riots broke out again inside and outside the city of Bianjing.

It was heard that a group of refugees had arrived at the north gate. They all had pale faces and tattered clothes. They kept shouting about the "Black Pool Monster", which frightened the officers and soldiers so much that they didn't know what to do.

The patrol team rushed over and tried to comfort them, but they learned even more horrifying information from the refugees: they said they saw a thick fog in the nearby valley, and there were human figures twisted like crescent moons, covered in mucus, like zombies.

"Really? We saw it with our own eyes. The monster's arms were full of black thorns. It could pull people into the fog with one grab!"

The refugees looked terrified, holding their children and crying, "Everyone who saw us ran away in panic. We are lucky to have escaped to Bianjing."

The news spread widely, making the whole city more chaotic.

Some people went to the temple to burn incense and pray for divination, while others gathered together to cause trouble, saying that the temple of "Li Zhenshen" must be destroyed and the Taoist teachings must be restored.

The soldiers were exhausted from running around, and even the elite troops from Tianbo Mansion under Mu Guiying had to be transferred to maintain law and order in the city.

After noon, Li Qingyun finally appeared outside the north gate of Bianjing.

His clothes fluttered and his steps were light. He seemed untainted by the world, but in fact, there was a trace of inexplicable solemnity between his brows.

He had just left the mysterious palace last night, and was still feeling a dull pain in his body.

But the people were in a state of unrest, so he had to go out and investigate first.

When the patrol captain saw Li Qingyun, awe suddenly appeared in his eyes:
"Sir, are the black pool monsters those refugees talking about really caused by the outer gods?"

Li Qingyun said nothing, but only signaled the captain to comfort him and not to force details.

Then, he and Mu Guiying, along with several veterans, ran several miles outside the north gate, trying to look for clues in a small area.

Under the scorching sun of midsummer, the roadsides were desolate. No farmers were seen working in the fields. Occasionally, a figure could be seen flashing by and then quickly hiding in a haystack, as if afraid of seeing strangers.

When Li Qingyun was halfway through his journey, he suddenly noticed a foul smell coming from afar.

He fixed his eyes on Mu Guiying and said:
"You guys stay here and keep on guard. I'll go take a look."

After saying that, he quickly flashed over the fence in the blink of an eye and ran towards the source of the foul smell.

In a patch of weeds, there were several broken corpses with mottled skin, as if they had been burned by some black juice, revealing their horrible white bones.

Li Qingyun gently stroked the torn clothes on his shoulder. He could vaguely tell that he was a farmer, but he didn't know how he died tragically here.

He tentatively pointed his fingertips at the corpse, and a chilling feeling rushed from his fingertips straight into his mind.

The feeling was somewhat similar to the gray mist in the palace within his body, but more foreign, with a strange sense of dampness and decay.

It was as if - his heart trembled slightly - as if the breath of another evil god was permeating this land.

He waved his sleeves and brought up a trace of knife energy, clearing the surrounding grass. He could vaguely see black spots scattered on the ground, like solidified mud, with a disgusting sticky feeling. Li Qingyun took a deep breath, injected divine power into his eyes, and tried to track the flow of this energy. Sure enough, he saw a shadow track in the nearby soil layer, extending to the mountains in the north, flickering faintly, and it seemed that there were more of the same kind. He stood up, his expression solemn.

When they returned to the roadside, Mu Guiying saw that he looked troubled and could not help but ask in a low voice: "Sir, do you have any clues?"

Li Qingyun glanced at the mountains in the distance and said silently:
"This may not be the remnants of the spirit world. It may really be the sign of the power of the outer gods. You take your people to prepare for it first. I want to investigate further."

A trace of surprise flashed across Mu Guiying's eyes:
"Outer Gods? Could it be that those rumors... are true?"

Li Qingyun did not answer, but pressed her hand lightly to tell her not to ask any more questions.

He then quickly returned to Bian Jing and reported the results of his trip to Zhao Zhen.

Zhao Zhen was shocked when he heard this, and immediately summoned some scholars and librarians in the palace to search the ancient books.

After searching for a while, he finally found some scattered records in a broken book: In ancient times, there were a very small number of beings called "foreign gods". They did not belong to the primordial god system, nor were they within the laws of the Three Realms. They could often distort or pollute the foundation of the world. Once they gained power, they would cause endless disasters.

This message made everyone shudder.

If it is indeed the foreign gods that have made a comeback, they would be far more terrifying than the bone demons in the spiritual world.

After all, although the Hades are powerful, they still belong to the category of primitive order. But the outer gods are outside of chaos and have very different rules, so they can easily break the inherent defenses of the human world.

At the same time, the palace received another urgent report that dozens of people had disappeared again in several small towns outside Xiguan, and a pool of strange black liquid was left in the town, emitting a foul stench of corruption.

This scene was exactly the same as what Li Qingyun saw.

The emperor immediately ordered Mu Guiying, Xu Liang and others to dispatch troops to various places to garrison, but they were short of manpower, and these strange events often occurred in the middle of the night and disappeared without a trace during the day.

Over the next few days, more and more people with hurried looks appeared on the streets of Bianjing.

The people exaggerated the rumors to make them even more bizarre, saying that a giant eye of the alien god hung in the sky and would suck humans into a strange crack in time and space; or that someone in a certain place was swept away by transparent tentacles in the middle of the night, leaving only a pool of red liquid the next day.

No one could verify whether it was true or not, but the fear flooded the city like a tide.

In this chaotic wave, the remnants of Taoism are not idle either.

Some Taoist priests who had been hiding suddenly appeared in the market and shouted:
"Li Qingyun is just an ordinary man, how can he contend with the true Heavenly Dao? The coming of the foreign gods is a sign from Heavenly Dao, mortals must quickly come to the Daoist sect to protect themselves!"

When the people heard this incitement, they immediately became outraged.

Some people hate Taoism, believing that they have colluded with the gods and demons of the ancient times; others believe in the magical powers of Taoism and imagine that they can use them to overcome difficulties.

The two sides shouted at each other and conflicts in the streets occurred frequently.

For a time, Bianjing was like boiling water in a pot, churning and turbulent, and the government troops could not completely suppress it.

Seeing the situation escalating, Li Qingyun had to personally step in several times to maintain stability.

He repeatedly called on everyone in the court to work together and not let the internal strife continue to escalate.

However, the most terrible thing at this moment is that the human world still knows nothing about what form the "Outer Gods" take and where they are lurking.

That night, a storm is coming.

Dark clouds gathered over the sky of Bianjing, with lightning and thunder roaring like the roars of ferocious beasts.

The soldiers defending the city huddled in the arrow tower, staring nervously at the dark fields in the distance.

If the Outer Gods really want to attack, from which route will they appear? And by what means?
At midnight, a sharp and strange roar suddenly exploded in the north corner of the city.

The soldiers defending the city rushed over quickly, only to see a layer of dark swamp-like substance rising from the base of the city wall. It was shiny black and foamy, and it seemed as if it was about to swallow up the bricks.

The soldiers shouted and thrust their spears downwards, but they only stabbed into the soft and sticky dirt. The slime suddenly transformed into several wriggling tentacles that shot out from the ground, entangled the ankles of the two soldiers, and pulled them into the mud.

When the torches lit up, more people saw that the white armor was stuck in the black fog, and the soldiers screamed in fear.

The next moment, a dazzling blade light fell from the battlement and cut off the slime in mid-air. Everyone looked back and saw Li Qingyun rushing over in the night with a grim face.

He did not hold back, and mobilized the power of Hunyuan Taiyi, integrating the sword energy into the whirlwind in the air, forcibly lifting up the swamp-like mucus, which then turned into a charred foam and exploded in all directions.

After the slime was eliminated, the defending soldiers came forward and knelt down to express their gratitude.

Li Qingyun had no time to calm their frightened emotions, but just stared quietly at the black smoke that had not yet completely dissipated.

A few dark purple spots floated in the black smoke, rolling slowly for a few times, as if there was some kind of whisper in it, and it completely dissipated after a while.

The night wind blew away the lingering smell, but the warning in Li Qingyun's heart suddenly magnified.

He clearly felt that there seemed to be some kind of resonance between the dark purple aura and the gray fog in his body.

They seem to be of the same origin, yet they are hostile, with a sickening malice.

If "Silence" is also spying in secret, doesn't it mean that the so-called power of the outer gods is very likely to be inextricably linked to "Silence"?
Thinking of this, he felt two chills rising up at the same time: one was the fear of the unknown outer gods, and the other was the increasingly uneasy vibration of his own palace.

Once the internal and external forces attack at the same time, even though he is a "true god" of the ninth realm, he may not be able to protect this beautiful land.

The wind and rain roared loudly, and lightning in the night sky danced like snakes, causing the people on the city wall to panic.

Li Qingyun looked back at the frightened faces and swore in his heart: No matter how treacherous this foreign god is, he will never allow him to wreak havoc on the land of the Song Dynasty.

Tiredness does not mean retreat, and fear does not mean surrender.

Now that the power of the outer gods has begun to show, the only way for the human world to achieve peace is to face them head-on.

And deep in the palace, the whisper of "Silence" was also forcing him to make a choice.

Should we suppress it completely, or use some mysterious power to fight the new evil?
The situation is dangerous and if you are not careful you will fall into a deeper abyss.

……

Dawn was approaching, and there was no movement in the messy mud outside the north city wall except for the residue of charred slime.

Li Qingyun suddenly felt a slight pain in his chest, and the gray mist in his body surged instantly, then quietly subsided.

He looked up into the distance and saw that the dark clouds were broken by a ray of morning light, and a new day was about to come.

But the torches on the city walls still dared not be extinguished, because no one knew where the Outer Gods would open their devouring tentacles next.

The night rain had not stopped, and drops of water fell on the bricks of the city, creating countless small puddles.

Li Qingyun's silhouette was reflected in the puddle, his expression stern.

Occasionally, lightning would strike the sky, reflecting a knife-like gleam in his eyes, adding a bit of heaviness and compassion.

The panic among the people is just the beginning; the real storm has just begun.

Behind the seemingly silent city, there are still countless dark whirlpools stirring.

He sighed lightly, put away the sword, gave the injured soldier simple treatment, then walked away into the rain.

The remaining guards and civilians on the city walls looked up, feeling uneasy.

People talked privately, expressing their gratitude to Li Qingyun for helping them in times of crisis, but also feeling a lingering fear of the terrifying slime power, and even more afraid that more terrifying monsters would invade in the future.

The entire Song Dynasty is destined to struggle in this long chaotic night and seek a glimmer of hope for survival under the threat of foreign gods.

No one can predict whether it will bring dawn or destruction when the rising sun truly illuminates this land in the future.

People can only pray - pray that the God Slayer can save all living beings again.

But invisibly, Li Qingyun has also fallen into a deeper quagmire. Internal and external troubles seem to be something that cannot be easily cut off with a knife.

(End of this chapter)