Day and night tour

Chapter 387 Battle of Two Cities
When everyone believed that the arrival of Shepherd City was real, Zhou Xuan's secret realm received incense offerings from Cai Xi.

The third level of magic tricks used by magicians is "Mirror Flower Water Moon"—the magician constructs a false scene for people to stroll through. If the tourists believe that the scene is real, then the magician can receive offerings from the temple.

However, Shepherd City was merely a projection, not a real building, and no people visited it, so the amount of offerings it received was actually not much.
Zhou Xuan's third incense stick had only burned down to one-third of its length.

"What a pity. If there were a few hundred people who went to Mount Damu for a trip, Boss Xuan's art of coloring might have been able to start learning the fourth level of techniques."

The engineer gazed at the progress of the incense offerings in Zhou Xuan's Secret Realm and said with some regret.

"Teacher Gong, one shouldn't be too greedy. I'm already very satisfied that the foreplay alone has burned a third of this incense stick."

Zhou Xuan said confidently, "The main source of income will come from the later events, so don't panic."

Speaking of the next scene, Xiaonao's voice rang out in the secret realm: "Director Xuan, how do we do the next scene, the one about the Night Parade of One Hundred Ghosts?"

"On the projection of Shepherd Soul City, open the Gate of Hell, first release the aura of the Hundred Ghosts Parade at Night, threatening the entire Mingjiang Prefecture... Only when this threat truly occurs... will the common people know the surging power of Shepherd Soul City."

When ordinary people feel that earth-shattering power, they will believe from the bottom of their hearts that Muhun City also has enough strength to bring back to life those Mingjiang people who died in the disaster!
Hearing this, the engineer chuckled knowingly, "The stronger the power that Shepherd Soul City projects, the more the people will believe that the important figure from Mingjiang Prefecture has extraordinary influence when he goes to negotiate with the will of Shepherd Soul City. This will make him even more popular in Mingjiang Prefecture..."

As she spoke, she looked at Zhou Xuan and said, "Isn't that right? The biggest person in Mingjiang Prefecture... Boss Xuan."

Zhou Xuan remained calm and composed, as if the important figure the engineer had mentioned was not him at all.

He smiled slightly and said, "Teacher Gong, you know me. I've always been indifferent to fame and fortune, and I have no interest in competing for reputation... However, I certainly won't let go of reputation that I can easily obtain. Although the Valley Scripture I cultivate contains the immeasurable methods of sages, I am not a true sage..."

"Boss Xuan is quite frank." The engineer's impression of Zhou Xuan was getting better and better, and he even liked to joke with Zhou Xuan in his conversations.

Cerebellum, however, was at a loss and said, "Director Xuan, I can open the Ghost Gate of Shepherd City on the projection, but I really can't create an aura that can threaten Mingjiang Prefecture."

"I didn't ask you to handle the matter of momentum; you just need to open the gates of hell."

Zhou Xuan waved his hand, clearly assigning the tasks, and signaled Xiaonao to carry them out.

The engineers, however, were secretly planning how Zhou Xuan would handle this devastating attack.
Is it that so-called "false reality" again, combining "sound, image, and vibration" once more?
"It's so hard to think of, I just can't figure it out."

The engineers felt a sense of frustration—the people of the Flesh and Blood Dynasty were an exceptionally intelligent race, and the engineers were among the most intelligent people in the dynasty.

Therefore, ever since the engineer was released, he has always felt a sense of intellectual superiority when facing Zhou Xuan.

But this sense of superiority was shattered during her instruction of Zhou Xuancai's opera techniques.

Zhou Xuan not only mastered the techniques of the Caixi opera with ease, but also applied his knowledge to other areas, repeatedly deceiving his teacher.

However, these things cannot bring the engineer a real sense of frustration. After all, she can still find a reason - Caixi originated from the State of Jing, and it is reasonable that Zhou Xuan of the State of Jing naturally has a higher understanding of Caixi. This does not prove that Zhou Xuan is smarter than her.

However, tonight... the artificial creation of the aura of Shepherd Soul City's arrival is something that can no longer be explained by mere entertainment; it is a complete manifestation of Zhou Xuan's extremely agile mind.

"Now, Boss Xuan is going to create an aura of world-destroying destruction. Judging from his expression and demeanor, he has obviously come up with a highly feasible plan... while I... haven't thought of anything... Is he really that much smarter than me?"

The engineer felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of melancholy.
As for Miss Wall, who also came from the Flesh and Blood Divine Dynasty, she didn't have so many schemes. She was completely like a little fan, sitting on Zhou Xuan's shoulders to see how many more tricks this "Ah Xuan" had up his sleeve.

……

The City of Shepherds stretches across Mount Da Mu, with the Nether Bridge arching like a white ribbon against the sky, beneath which flows the emerald green River of the Underworld.

On the Bridge to the Underworld, the dead constantly fall into the River Styx, where they are burned to ashes.

All the people of Mingjiang Prefecture were gazing at the bridge at this moment, and their hearts would clench every time someone fell off.

It was as if they themselves were the ones who fell.

"It will be ours...it will be ours..."

"Sooner or later, everyone in Mingjiang Prefecture will become the dead walking on that bridge..."

Pessimism became the dominant theme in Mingjiang Prefecture at this time.

Even the few optimistic people felt their spirits sink into despair after seeing the lanterns of the Yujinji Temple trembling.

"The gates of Shepherd's City have opened..."

Everyone was watching Muhun City closely; every move Muhun City made was affecting the hearts of the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.

The towering city gate of Soul City had already opened a crack. In the eight seconds after the projection ended, the cerebellum went to the donkey shed shop and projected the creaking sound of the "giant gate opening".

He also played the howling of a vengeful ghost.

"Once Shepherd City opens, the dead inside will run out."

"Yushin-ji, you guys need to think of something quickly, what should we do?"

"Day and night wandering spirits, you are the last hope of Mingjiang Prefecture..."

Fear gripped everyone's hearts, prompting them to appeal to the Imperial Guard for help.

Li Chengfeng was the one on duty for the procession of the God of War.

Li Chengfeng had received advance notice—the painter told him that whatever happened today was just a good show put on by the master, so there was no need to worry. He only needed to keep an eye on the situation and prevent the people from causing a series of stampedes due to panic.

But now Li Chengfeng was really confused—was this Shepherd Soul City really a show? What kind of methods did the Great Master use to put on such a big show?

"Master Shu, how about we go and see Master Hua?"

Gu Ling urged the lantern closer to Li Chengfeng and asked.

Li Chengfeng shook his head and said, "Let's stay put and wait. It's all the Master's doing... Don't panic."

He advised others not to panic, but he himself was already flustered. He tried his best to stay calm, kept the lantern under control, and continued to observe the situation.

"The Ghost Gate of Shepherd City is opening wider and wider, but apart from the howling of ghosts, it doesn't seem to release any eerie aura... It must be the work of the Great Master. There's no need to be afraid, no need to be afraid."

His words were not meant to warn others, but rather seemed more like a way of comforting himself.

But at that moment, he suddenly heard a sharp, ghostly cry, like the sound of an iron broom in the sky frantically scraping the earth.

This ghostly wail contained an extremely terrifying aura. Everyone who heard the sound felt as if countless invisible insects were burrowing into their bones and sucking out their marrow.

These invisible worms, if it were just one or two, the pain they caused would be bearable, but now there are thousands upon thousands of worms sucking at the bones.
Numbness, itching, pain, and unease... all sorts of unpleasant sensations clung to their bodies, and the people in the donkey shed all wore expressions of pain, some even rolling on the ground in agony.

Fortunately, the howling of the vengeful ghost was not continuous, but intermittent, occurring every seven or eight minutes.

The whistling sound lasted only a minute or two.

The people of Mingjiang Prefecture were then subjected to a strange form of torture, swinging back and forth like a pendulum between "screams of agony" and "desperate cries".

They either lie on the ground, suffering the onslaught of pain, or lament the hardships of life, feeling endless melancholy as they think about the days and years to come.

The successive wails of ghosts finally brought Li Chengfeng to his senses.

"No, this is definitely not the work of the Great Master... absolutely not... the real Shepherd Soul City has descended..."

Li Chengfeng immediately activated the lantern and flew to the top of the bell tower. After his true form descended, he immediately asked the painter, "Where is the Great Master? The arrival of Shepherd Soul City is real... A series of increasingly mournful ghostly cries are howling in Mingjiang Prefecture... We need to think of a way."

"Old Li, didn't I tell you? This is a great show put on by the Master."

The painter turned his head and said to Li Chengfeng.

"How could this be a play? A ghostly howl plunged all the people into a agonizing hell. If it wasn't the real Shepherd's City descending... then what could it be?"

Li Chengfeng argued vehemently.

"Yeah, what else could it be?"

The painter did not rush to refute Li Chengfeng, because he also could not see through him.

Not long ago, after the Ghost Gate of Shepherd City opened, Zhou Xuan only gave one instruction: "The Ghost Gate of Shepherd City is open, so we need to make a big show of it. Otherwise, we won't be able to fool the people of the city, let alone the eye in the sky."

Then, Zhou Xuan went on a day trip.

Then came the increasingly intense ghostly wails and howls that echoed throughout Mingjiang Prefecture.

If this aura wasn't created by Zhou Xuan, then it wouldn't be such a coincidence that it suddenly appeared after Zhou Xuan's daytime tour.

If this aura was indeed created by Zhou Xuan—then what methods did he use to make the aura of the gates of hell open so realistically…?

The painter couldn't understand it.

Peng Sheng, Xishan Wang, and the musicians couldn't understand it.

Because they couldn't understand it either, the painter didn't blame Li Chengfeng for "making a fuss." Just imagine, if he hadn't heard Zhou Xuan's instructions, he might have immediately gathered all the incense offerings in Mingjiang Prefecture to resist the impending "descendance of the Soul City and the opening of the gates of hell."

"Sir, how exactly did you do that?"

The painter was completely baffled...

……

"Ah Xuan, I never expected that when you said you wanted to create the atmosphere of the gates of hell being wide open, you were actually serious."

Miss Wall really didn't expect Zhou Xuan to do something so outrageous.

The engineers were equally astonished.

The engineer tried to guess in advance what method Zhou Xuan would use to create the aura of the Gates of Hell opening wide, but no matter how hard she racked her brains, she couldn't come up with a solution.

Now that she has witnessed everything Zhou Xuan has done, she understands why she couldn't have thought of it—she wasn't brave enough!
In order to create a powerful aura, Zhou Xuan actually traveled to Mount Damu in a day and released the "Mother of a Hundred Ghosts" that had been sealed in the secret realm.

This person is the Lord of the Thirty-Three Heavens of the Buddhist Kingdom.

Within the chessboard of heaven and earth, through the few words of the cliff monk, one can even draw a conclusion—this Mother of a Hundred Ghosts is not an ordinary realm lord, but a realm lord of the tenth heaven, one of the top experts in the Buddhist kingdom.

Once released from the secret realm, this Mother of a Hundred Ghosts began to revive, and those chilling ghostly howls were what she unleashed.

With each ghostly howl she let out, the head of a vengeful ghost would emerge from her body.

"Aren't you afraid you'll actually wake her up?"

The engineer asked anxiously. The extent of the Mother of a Hundred Demons' power is currently uncertain, but one thing is certain—her power is definitely above that of a god.

As for how much "up" is, it's hard to say.

Zhou Xuan, however, took out a clean piece of tar paper from under a tree not far from the corpse of the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts, spread it on the ground, sat down easily, and said, "She has been in my secret realm for so long, I know her very well... The City God Temple is her nemesis."

As long as my temple remains, she can't cause much trouble. This fierce Buddhist bodhisattva, I'll use her for a grand performance; it's a good way to make use of her."

Zhou Xuan gazed at the ghost heads that appeared one after another on the body of the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts, and said with great relaxation.

Why doesn't her seduction work on you?

Miss Wall pointed to the head and asked.

The Mother of a Hundred Demons awakens, and the howls of those evil spirits are a form of intimidation, control, and even a kind of bewitching.

Zhou Xuan was so close, yet he remained calm and unaffected.

“Miss Wall, even the ancient mind of the magician cannot bewitch me, so why should I fear a demon mother from the Buddhist kingdom?”

The Blood and Flesh Divine Dynasty excels at mind control, the Buddhist Kingdom people possess powerful golden bodies, and the Well Kingdom people have overwhelming sensory abilities.

Bewitching is not a skill that the people of the Buddhist Kingdom are good at, so what does Zhou Xuan have to fear?

"Some momentum can be faked, but some momentum must be genuine, otherwise the eyes in the sky won't believe it."

Zhou Xuan pointed to the "Heavenly Eye" hidden in the clouds.

Those were the eyes released by Bifang, specifically to observe the situation in Mingjiang Prefecture.

"Since Bifang wants to see, let him see what he wants to see..."

Zhou Xuan opened his folding fan and gently waved it.

"You're crazy, Boss Xuan!" The engineer was genuinely impressed.

The world's situation is unpredictable and extremely complex, but no matter how complex the situation is, once it falls into Zhou Xuan's hands, it seems to become his plaything. No matter how he manipulates it, the situation will follow suit.

They are knowledgeable, resourceful, intelligent, and, most importantly, courageous.

The engineer gazed at a certain point in the starry sky, the direction of the Flesh and Blood Dynasty, and sighed softly, "If the mastermind of the Flesh and Blood Dynasty back then had been as reckless as Zhou Xuan—would that powerful dynasty have been annihilated by the Buddhist Kingdom?"

……

The Heavenly Eye was observing Mingjiang Prefecture, and Bifang was overjoyed.

"What a powerful Netherworld aura! Just looking at it makes my heart tremble. With the opening of the Ghost Gate in Shepherd City, Mingjiang Prefecture is doomed."

“Zhou Xuan, is this what you call rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture… Hahaha… I think you’re going to destroy Mingjiang Prefecture.”

"Countless survivors will follow you, the foolish commander of the disaster relief, to the end of their lives in Shepherd Soul City. Mingjiang Prefecture is finished, and so are you."

Bi Fang stood up, opened his folding fan, and looked at the eight resounding golden divination sticks in the thatched hut. He said with great satisfaction, "Golden divination sticks, you truly deserve to be the magic weapon passed down from the storyteller's ancestors. You are so accurate and so effective... Zhou Xuan... will not live past tonight."

"The City of the Underworld must return to the Underworld. Yin and Yang have their boundaries; how dare you overstep them?"

A deep shout pierced the night sky of Mingjiang Prefecture and was simultaneously received by the Heavenly Eye, reaching Bi Fang's ears.

"Huh? Something's changed?"

Before Bi Fang could even feel happy, he heard a deep shout. He immediately closed his eyes, connected with his Heavenly Eye, and continued to observe the situation in Mingjiang Prefecture.

……

The people of Mingjiang Prefecture, haunted by the howling of that vengeful ghost, had almost given up hope.
Just as they were all ready to fall into eternal damnation, that familiar voice rang out once more.

The people of the entire Mingjiang Prefecture could recognize the voice—Master Zhou Xuan.

"It is Master."

“I heard it too, the eldest gentleman stepped forward.”

"During the calamity of the Zoroastrian fire, it was the eldest master who saved Mingjiang Prefecture. His skills are above those of the Wandering Gods Division."

For a time, many ordinary people, like farmers who had just received rain after a long drought, were so moved that they cried out.

“Mr. Da will not abandon us—he said it on the very first day after the disaster—not one of us can be left behind.”

When Zhou Xuan's bold words were mentioned again, coupled with his deep shout, they once again boosted the morale of the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.

"The Grand Master's words are law; his words mean that Mingjiang Prefecture is safe..."

At this moment, there were no longer any "black and white pieces" to add to the power of the chessboard of heaven and earth, but the "world-class strategy" of this great city was once again under Zhou Xuan's control.

"The netherworld arises suddenly; please grant me the Dao Ancestor's mask."

As planned, it was time for the important figure from Mingjiang to step forward and negotiate with the will of Muhun City.

And this important figure was Zhou Xuan.

The common people also believed that he was qualified to stand up and negotiate with the will of Shepherd Soul City.

Even though the ancestral worship of the King of Xishan, the musicians, and the painters was above that of Zhou Xuan...

In terms of fame, reputation, and image among the common people, they cannot compare with Zhou Xuan.

"Sages are boundless, and those who follow the Way act without action."

Zhou Xuan fastened the "Dao Ancestor Mask" at his waist, and with a gentle tug, tossed it into the sky.

Wherever the mask passed, auspicious purple energy followed. It flew to the bright moon in the night sky, where it shone with dazzling light.

"The Tao can be said, very Tao, the name can be famous, very famous..."

The Daoist Scripture of Tao resounded in the ears of every resident of Mingjiang Prefecture, suppressing the voice of the vengeful ghost.

At the same time, Zhou Xuan's right hand reached into the secret realm, grasped the City God Temple, and gently pulled it into the real world.

A small temple, no bigger than the palm of a hand, was lifted up in Zhou Xuan's palm.

"The City God Temple? Shui Yong's Dharma body."

Bi Fang never expected that Zhou Xuan would collect the entire City God Temple, which was once the number one magical artifact in Mingjiang Prefecture.

"The three City Gods, Bei Wang, Qing Feng, and Guan Zhu, have each held a part of the temple for many years. This rule has never changed. How could these three things appear in Zhou Xuan's hands at the same time?"

Bi Fang realized that he didn't know enough about Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan threw the temple in his hand into the sky. The temple kept growing bigger and bigger until it was half the size of Shepherd Soul City.

"The City God Temple, Zheng Tiangang, Ming Qingfeng... appears today. Hear my command and suppress Shepherd Soul City."

With a flick of his right hand, Zhou Xuan sent the temple heading towards Mount Damu, and right before the eyes of everyone in Mingjiang Prefecture, it began to crush towards Muhun City.

On the surface, this is the temple suppressing the Soul City, but in reality, it is the temple suppressing the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts.

At the same time, Zhou Xuan also had an eye in his hand—the eye of the former head of the City God Temple, the abbot.

Zhou Xuan kept this eye in the secret realm, solely for the sake of the promise he made back then.

“Master, I kept you here so you could open your eyes and see if I, Zhou Xuan, could wade through the muddy waters of Mingjiang Prefecture. Now, have I waded through them?”

"Humph."

The abbot responded coldly.

"Let's take one last good look at this world and say goodbye," Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

"You...you want to kill me?" The abbot asked in a panic.

"The City God Temple, borrowing the purple aura of the Dao Ancestor's mask, is suppressing Shepherd Soul City. Such a clash of titans, if it doesn't involve bloodshed—it'll seem like a fake battle… This bloodshed will be yours to shed…"

Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

"You...you motherfucker, you're so despicable, you're a fraud."

"How dare I compare myself to you, Master, in terms of deceiving the world and stealing fame?"

After Zhou Xuan finished speaking, he threw the eye towards Mount Da Mu. As a result, the people of Mingjiang Prefecture saw a huge eye rise up in Muhun City, filled with resentment, and collide with the City God Temple.

"Shepherd City has resorted to underhanded tactics. Master's temple must be held firm."

The people of Mingjiang Prefecture cried out.

Boom!

After a loud bang, the giant eye was crushed by the temple, and the stench of blood spread everywhere.

At the same time, countless clear cracks appeared on the temple's exterior.

As for the Shepherd Soul City that stretches across the sky, it is also covered with fierce patterns.

Zhou Xuan was very familiar with the fierce patterns on these two items.

The cracks in the temple are normal ruptures that occur when the Mother of a Hundred Ghosts is suppressed, while the cracks in Shepherd City are the projection of Shepherd City that has been altered by the cerebellum.

However, to the people of Mingjiang Prefecture, the rift between the two cities appeared as if they had fought a fierce battle, with neither side gaining the upper hand and both suffering heavy losses.

"Even the Great Master's temple is no match for Shepherd Soul City, Mingjiang Prefecture is probably doomed..."

The people are crying out in their hearts...

(End of this chapter)