Day and night tour

Chapter 467 The Showdown Begins

"Is this your stage?"

A sense of unease rose in the heart of the gourd-wielding Taoist priest.

This sense of unease stems from the "unfamiliarity." In the traditional struggles of the Jing Kingdom, besides competing on the "level of incense offerings," there is another very important factor: "like brine curdling tofu, one thing subdues another."

Restraint in tactics has always been one of the core principles when dealing with a target.

For example, the "Dragon Seeking" sect is the nemesis of the painter's "spatial laws," which can traverse thousands of miles with a single step.
However, the master sage who sought the dragon attached a dragon's aura to the painter, and no matter where the painter went, the dragon's aura would follow him.

For example, the dream of a storyteller can almost run rampant in the country, and everyone who sees him will be intimidated and tremble with fear. However, the musician's "laws of rhythm" are the key to breaking the storyteller's dream.

Besides the special restraint between these sects, there is another kind of restraint—the stranger restrains the familiar.

For everyone in the Jing Kingdom, Zhou Xuan's techniques as a magician were completely unfamiliar. They knew nothing about the intricacies of his moves, nor what his follow-up methods or variations would be.
In short, it can be summed up in one word—unfamiliar!
To engage in a duel with such an "unfamiliar" establishment is like a highly skilled swimmer venturing into unfamiliar waters to brave the winds and waves.

At first glance, the water may appear no different from normal water, but hidden within it are countless undercurrents and whirlpools that no one can see. If you venture into the water rashly, even if you are a "white streak in the waves," you are very likely to be pressed down on the riverbed by those undercurrents and unable to turn over.

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest feared Zhou Xuan precisely because of this unfamiliarity.

“Ancestor, there are many of us here, so we shouldn’t be afraid of Zhou Xuan.”

Zhao Longhu stepped forward and whispered to the gourd-wielding Taoist.

Before entering the stage, Zhao Longhu called for help from the gourd-wielding Taoist priest, but the First Supreme Being ignored him and showed no intention of helping him. This made Zhao Longhu have some "opinions" about his ancestors.

Opinions may vary, but if Zhao Longhu wants to leave this stage and be reborn, he still needs to rely on the extraordinary abilities of the Calabash Taoist.

Forced by circumstances, Zhao Longhu had no choice but to yield and could only offer advice to the gourd-wielding Taoist priest with resentment.

"Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle. We don't understand the tricks of these magicians, and we've already put ourselves at a great disadvantage. We must not underestimate our enemy just because we have more people."

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest winked at the other elders.

These six masters had all cultivated in the caves of Dunjia Mountain for many years, and their respective Daoist names were mostly derived from spiritual plants and famous flowers.
After removing the Calabash Taoist, the second-ranking Supreme Ancestor was called "Alfalfa Taoist".

His Taoist robe had alfalfa cloud patterns on it.

At this moment, the Alfalfa Taoist stepped forward and said to the Gourd Taoist, "Senior brother, I will lead the charge. You all use the Dragon Turtle Formation to protect me."

“Junior brother is brave, and as your senior brother, I am very pleased. However, I must make it clear to you first: the butcher has already gone to our mountain gate.”

"Huh?!" Daoist Muxu was immediately dumbfounded and asked, "Did the butcher really go to the mountain gate?"

"Before I was pulled into this spiritual realm by Zhou Xuan, I received a secret letter from Zhao Zibi. The letter contained only a few words: 'The butcher pays homage to the mountain, ancestors return quickly.'"

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest continued, "The mountain gate is where our remnant souls reside. If it is severed, our souls will have nowhere to go. If we die in this spiritual realm, we will truly die. Second junior brother, you must be careful during the battle later."

"Of course we need to be careful."

Clover Daoist immediately turned to the youngest of the six Supreme Elders, "Purple Ox Daoist," and said, "Purple Ox, you are the youngest here, and your bones and muscles are the strongest, unlike us old folks. You are the most suitable to lead the charge."

"..." Purple Ox Taoist, Gourd Taoist.

After instructing his sixth junior brother, the Clover Taoist said to the Gourd Taoist, "Senior brother, I will listen to you. In this spiritual realm, you must be extremely careful and make sure you are safe."

"..." The gourd-shaped Taoist priest.

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest was about to hit someone. "I told you to be careful in everything, but you're being too cautious. You're dragging your sixth junior brother down with you."
"Second Brother is right."

"I agree with what my second senior brother said."

"Sixth Junior Brother has the best footwork, so I think he's the best choice to lead the charge."

The other fellow disciples chimed in, leaving the gourd-wielding Taoist no opportunity to reprimand the alfalfa-wielding Taoist.

At this critical juncture, harmony is of paramount importance. If internal strife breaks out, it will only demoralize the team.

Since everyone had shifted the blame onto Sixth Brother, the Calabash Taoist couldn't say anything more. He simply said coldly, "Purple Ox, don't be afraid. Our senior brothers are behind you, protecting you."

"I'll protect your mother's asshole!"

Purple Cow cursed under his breath, but had no choice but to grit his teeth and stride forward.
Just before going into battle, he glared venomously at the Clover Taoist.

The alfalfa Taoist looked up at the sky, not daring to look directly at his sixth junior brother.

"Enough of the small talk, gentlemen, let's reveal the tortoise shell."

At the call of the gourd-wielding Taoist priest, the six Supreme Beings simultaneously revealed their tortoise shells and began to shake them continuously.

The tortoise shell artifact used in the art of divination is quite mysterious; it can be used for both divination and forming formations.

At this moment, accompanied by the shaking of the tortoise shell, several sounds of tortoise shells colliding together occurred.

With each collision, the sound grew a little louder.
After being struck dozens of times in succession, the sound became as loud as a mythical beast roaring.

"Roar! Roar!"

The voice was fierce and deep, and behind the Purple Ox Taoist, an extremely powerful aura condensed.

This force, in its subtle form, even resembled that of a "dragon turtle".

As the Purple Ox Taoist slowly moved forward, the dragon turtle's momentum actually increased by half a point.

Its imposing presence captivated the Purple Ox Taoist.

This is the Dragon Turtle Formation Diagram of the Dunjia (遁甲) system.

The Dragon Turtle is the most defensive mythical beast in the world; its shell is as solid as a rock and can withstand the sharpest attacks in the world.

The Purple Ox Taoist used the Dragon Turtle to protect himself, relying on this unparalleled defense to probe Zhou Xuan's true strength. From a tactical point of view, it was indeed the best choice.

However, the Purple Ox Taoist first walked slowly, and then sped up. But after traveling several hundred feet, when he was only a few dozen feet away from Zhou Xuan, he seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall of energy.

Just listen to a "dong" sound.

The air in front of the Purple Ox Taoist seemed to be distorted by his powerful impact, and then the force of the impact rebounded back onto him.
The immense force sent the Purple Ox Taoist sprawling backwards.

Li Changxun was overjoyed and said with a smile, "This dragon turtle has a very fierce impact force, but unfortunately, it's not very smart and can't make sharp turns."

Zhou Xuan smiled broadly, waving his fan, and said lightly, "I've already told you, I'm the boss here in this arena."

"Your boss Zhou hasn't even given the order yet, and you're already launching an offensive?"

"Only when I say 'start' will this battle truly begin."

Zhou Xuan closed his fan, pointed the tip at the gourd-shaped Taoist priest, and said, "Elders of the Escape Technique, the show hasn't started yet, so you should all stay put."

"When will the fight begin? Don't tell me that Zhou Xuan is afraid of us and doesn't dare to start the battle."

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest sneered coldly.

Zhao Longhu also spoke up for the Supreme Elder, saying, "Zhou Xuan, are you perhaps knowing you can't win and are afraid, so you're using this stage to buy time?"

If it really comes down to stalling, you can't outlast us.

Zhao Luosheng also stepped forward and said, "The elders of our Dunjia Sect all cultivate the Longevity Dao. We dare not say their lifespan is equal to that of heaven and earth, but living for over a thousand years is not a problem."

If you drag it out, wasting your lifespan, even if you grow old and your hair turns white, you still won't survive.

"I, Zhou Xuan, have never liked dragging things out. The reason why the arena has not yet opened is because—the audience has not yet arrived."

Zhou Xuan lightly tapped his left palm with his folding fan and said leisurely, "A good show is never the sole domain of actors."
No matter how well the actors perform, if there's only a small audience, it's all for naught.
A great show is always a masterpiece created by excellent actors and enthusiastic audiences.

"This play needs an audience."

At this point, Zhou Xuan abruptly closed his eyes, releasing his full sensory power...

……

In Mingjiang Mansion and Xiejia'ao,
Zhou Xuan's storytelling voice still rang out, but the audience's desire to "slay the Grand Master of Escape and avenge the dead people of Mingjiang Prefecture" grew ever stronger.
This desire for revenge prevented them from fully immersing themselves in the storytelling; even if the story was quite captivating, they listened with little interest.

Just as their mood was becoming increasingly uneasy,

suddenly,

Every audience member heard a familiar voice—a slightly hoarse but powerful and penetrating voice, the kind of voice most beloved in the world of opera and storytelling.

"It's Mr. Da's voice."

A commotion arose among the audience.
Everyone turned around to try and find where Zhou Xuan's voice had come from.

But what they couldn't find was the whisper that reached everyone's ears; it was Zhou Xuan's perception that flowed into everyone's heart, creating the sound that resonated within them.

"Gentlemen, the appearance of the Dunjia sect members today has disturbed your enjoyment of listening to the story. However, it is fine if you don't listen to the story. I, Zhou Xuan, have prepared a good show for you. I wonder if you would do me the honor of coming to watch."

Upon hearing that Zhou Xuan had prepared a good show, everyone nodded in agreement without caring what the show was about.

Whether it's lecturing or rebuilding Mingjiang Prefecture, when has the Master ever disappointed anyone?

Because he had never disappointed, Zhou Xuan's promise became something to look forward to. "This performance is about me killing all those Dunjia disciples in front of all of you, including their high and mighty ancestors who regarded our Mingjiang as nothing."

"If it's a show like this, then I'll have to lend my support, sir, I want to watch."

"I want to see too."

"Besides killing the members of the Dunjia Sect, there is also a group of Buddhists who need to be eliminated as well. The fire disaster in Mingjiang Prefecture was largely caused by the Buddhists stirring up trouble."

"Then we should definitely take a look."

"Sir, I want to sign up. I want to watch the play."

Immediately, public sentiment surged.

Zhou Xuan continued to boost the morale of the audience in Mingjiang Prefecture. The higher the morale of these spectators, the greater the boost they would have on Zhou Xuan once they entered the arena.

"Ladies and gentlemen, come and watch the show. You are not merely spectators; in this performance, I need your support. In other words, the more you support me, the greater my power will become."
Only when my power reaches the pinnacle of heaven and earth can I slay those Taoist priests and Buddhist monks as easily as slaughtering chickens and dogs.

Every one of you is a warrior of Mingjiang Prefecture tonight; every one of you is avenging Mingjiang Prefecture.

"Come, accept my invitation from the bottom of your heart. Tonight, we will fight for Mingjiang."

Zhou Xuan's encouragement stirred the passion of every Mingjiang Prefecture man who still possessed a fighting spirit. They all closed their eyes and answered Zhou Xuan's call in their hearts.

Even Zhao Youting, the poor disciple of the Taoist priest who was nailed to the carriage by the gourd-shaped Taoist priest with a Taoist nail, had an urge to go and "watch the show".

But he suppressed his impulses; he was more concerned about his wife and children far away in the capital, and what their fate would be...

……

The capital city and the Dunjia Mountain,
The butcher fought his way from the mountain gate to the highest peak of the Dunjia – Jade Mountain Peak.

The rooms in the Taoist temple on Jade Mountain Peak were occupied by people who held high positions within the sect.

This is the highest peak; you can enjoy spectacular views just by opening the doors and windows.

In spring, one can see all things in the mountains bursting with life.

In summer, one can see clear springs flowing and clouds and mist swirling around the mountains.
In autumn, the mountains are ablaze with red leaves, a tapestry of vibrant hues.
In winter, the mountains are covered in a blanket of white snow, with silver leaves and icy needles everywhere.

At this moment, Yu Shanfeng pushed open the door and window, and could only see blood, layer upon layer of thick blood, and the butcher covered in blood.

"Someone."

The butcher sensed the presence of a "person" again, and walked towards a side room. After entering, he lifted the bed board.
A woman dressed simply, holding a son and a daughter, was trembling.

Seeing the bed board being overturned, the woman suddenly became brave, shielding her children behind her, and said to the butcher, "You can kill me, but my children... are innocent."

"what's your name?"

"The butcher asked."

"My... name is... Yunniang." Yunniang swallowed hard, trying to calm herself down.

"I know your name."

A glimmer of humanity flashed in the butcher's red eyes, and he asked again, "Why don't you leave?"

“My Huan’er has had a fever these past few days. When the mountain bell tolls at the gate, I’m taking care of him and can’t leave. I want to go…”

"Then you can leave."

The butcher pulled out more than a dozen letters folded from paper cranes from his long robe with his right hand and handed them to Yunniang: "Your husband misses you very much. He is a capable man."

After leaving the letter, the butcher turned and left, continuing his journey up the mountain.

He talked to himself as he walked.

"Even though I've fallen into demonic ways, I still have more principles than that gourd-headed Taoist."

"I fought my way up here, and at least I didn't kill any of those dolls."

“Zhao Youting, you are a smart man. If the gourd-wielding Taoist priest had listened to you, how could I have destroyed the gates of Dunjia Mountain?”

The butcher was possessed by a demon, but he wasn't a demon without any reason.

He felt that he had shot down more than a dozen paper crane letters from Zhao Youting today, and that a certain bond had formed between them. Therefore, he also reached out and drew a blood talisman in the air, then casually waved it and said...
"May this blood talisman convey the message that your family is safe and sound, Zhao Youting. When you die tonight in Mingjiang Prefecture, you can rest in peace."
Of course, this is all predicated on the condition that you haven't been killed by the Grand Master before my blood talisman arrives in Mingjiang Prefecture.

After sending the blood talisman, he walked up Jade Mountain Peak again. Reaching the highest point marked the beginning of his severing of the Dunjia Mountain Gate...

……

A talisman made of blood flew to Zhao Youting's front and suddenly exploded.

In the air, a line of blood-red words appeared: Your wife and children are safe and sound, do not worry.

Zhao Youting's heart was in his throat, but finally he relaxed and tears streamed down his face.

"Thank you, butcher. Thank you, God. There is still mercy in this world."

During the calamity at Wuwen Mountain, all the swordsmen and their families died at the hands of the Master of Dunjia.

This act of revenge was the butcher's plan to slaughter every last member of Dunjia Mountain.

Zhao Youting had long been prepared for the certain death of his wife and children—this is how revenge in the martial world works: you kill me an inch, I'll kill you ten feet.
If you wipe out my entire family, I will slaughter your entire family in return. This is a perfectly just and natural thing to do.

However, without much thought, the butcher still held back.
"In this world, there are always some people who are compassionate enough, but there are always some people who deserve to die."

At this moment, white hair had already grown on Zhao Youting's forehead, and his energy and lifespan were being absorbed in large quantities by that Dao nail.

"I'm afraid I won't live past tonight. Before I die, I just want to see how those six sages died."

Having thought of this, Zhao Youting had no more worries, closed his eyes, and entered Zhou Xuan's arena stage.

……

Around the arena stage, countless eyes appeared out of nowhere.

Every pair of eyes represents an audience member.

Almost everyone in Mingjiang Prefecture went on stage.

Despite their intense gazes on the stage, they are fast asleep in the real world.

Therefore, an extremely strange scene appeared in Xiejia'ao, Mingjiang Prefecture—the entire audience of storytellers, all of them, fell into a deep sleep.

Countless people were asleep, without making a sound.

The once bustling Xiejia'ao is now as silent as a dead city.

……

The invited audience included not only ordinary people who listened to audiobooks.

There were also painters, musicians, Li Chengfeng, Peng Sheng, Xishan Wang, and other deities participating in the procession.

There were also Zhou Lingyi, Yuan Buyu, Yu Zhengyuan, and even the entire Zhou family troupe.

Zhou Xuan's invitation was relayed back to the Zhou family troupe via the Zhou family's ancestral tree.

In the Zhou Family Troupe today, the name Zhou Xuan carries immense weight, even more so than the troupe leader Zhou Lingyi.

Everyone in the troupe, whether they were Zhou Xuan's old acquaintances or the newly joined apprentices and masters, came one by one to act as spectators and support their young troupe leader.

“The young master said that the more people there are, the stronger he becomes. The Zhou family has been good to me, so I must help this place.”

Aside from the storytelling troupe, the Zhou family troupe, and the audience listening to the storytelling,
Two other celestial deities also joined the spectacle, acting as spectators—the Master of Longevity and the Crippled Monk.

They simply wanted to see what mysterious secrets were hidden inside the stage of the magician.

……

Zhou Xuan gazed at the countless eyes around him. Some of these eyes were familiar to him, while others were ones he would never forget in his lifetime.

But most of the eyes felt unfamiliar to him, yet the murderous intent in them was familiar.

"The Great Master is mighty! He must avenge our Mingjiang Prefecture!"

"Sir, I will always support you."

"Tonight, the Grand Master will fight for our Mingjiang Prefecture."

Zhou Xuan sensed the intense affection in those eyes, and clasped his fists, as if making a promise, saying, "I, Zhou Xuan, will not fail in my mission to slay the Dunjia and the Buddhist Kingdom's pigs and dogs."

With this promise, the audience became even more excited.

Countless expectant gazes converged into a single sheet of paper, which slowly drifted toward Zhou Xuan...

(End of this chapter)