Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 337 Conquering the Ming Cult
The sacred flame burns.

Inside a secret hall of the Great Ming Cult, the raging flames seemed to be doused with gasoline. With the worship of the Ming Cult believers around, the flames rose directly to a height of three zhang (approximately 10 meters). From different angles, one could even see many strange illusions in the fire, as if the reflection of a pure land of light appeared in the sacred fire.

This is no longer a conventional method used in the martial arts world; it's more like a secret ritual.

"The blazing holy fire burns my broken body."

What joy is there in living, and what sorrow in dying?
To do good and eliminate evil is solely for the sake of light.

Joy and sorrow, all return to dust.

Pity us mortals, for we suffer so much!

One after another, figures knelt before the blazing sacred fire. The woman at the very front was voluptuous and alluring, with a beautiful face. Even though she was wearing an exotic robe, it could not conceal her voluptuous figure. She was surrounded by a strange charm, which was different from the sensual allure of seductive beauty. It was more like a solidified mental field that could directly penetrate the mental world of others nearby.

If we were to use professions from the Western universe as an analogy, the spiritual magic possessed by the Good Mother is somewhat like a mind sorcerer who can control the thoughts of others.

Below the Good Mother are the Five Wonderful Sons of the Great Ming Venerable Teaching.

The number five has a very special meaning in Manichaeism. The Great Bright Lord, also known as the supreme god of Manichaeism, symbolizes absolute light. He created the gods through five summonings, and his five sacred abodes are embodied in the form of a five-colored cloud palace.

This explains why, no matter how the Ming Cult evolved, it always had a membership structure including the Five Wonderful Disciples, the Five Types of Demons, the Five Elements Flags, and the Five Wanderers.

Good Mother is the chief deity summoned by the Great Bright Venerable. In mythology, she collaborates with Pure Wind to create the material world and leads the Twelve Light Kings to protect the Kingdom of Light.

Each generation of the Good Mother is powerful and possesses unique spiritual magic.

If described using the Western concept, the leader of the Great Bright Lord Cult is the Great Bright Lord's chosen people in the real world, and the Good Mother is also the Good Mother Goddess's chosen people in the real world.

Below the Good Mother is the Light Messenger, symbolizing the twelve Light Kings' guards, which later evolved into the guards of the Three Saints of Light. There are usually only two of them, but one of them died in the Western Regions a few years ago, so now there is only one Light Messenger left, and no one has taken over the position yet.

Beside the Envoy of Light are the Five Wonders of this generation, corresponding to the five gods who collaborated in creating the world: Pure Qi, Pure Wind, Bright Power, Pure Water, and Pure Fire. They evolved into five types of demons, five elements, five scattered people, etc., at different times, but they always correspond to the number 'five'.

In mythology, the five sons worked together to build the "Ten Heavens and Eight Earths" cosmic system, providing a place of redemption for human souls.

Five-pointed seeds are regarded as the origin of human spirituality.

Further down the line are the changes over different eras. The Ming Cult was introduced from Persia and evolved into the Uyghur Ming Cult in the Uyghur region. It had already spread during the Tang Dynasty and then entered the Central Plains, where it evolved into the Central Plains Ming Cult. After the Fang La Rebellion, it was severely damaged and merged into the White Lotus Cult and the Maitreya Cult, among others.

The ceremony for offering sacrifices to the sacred fire ended quickly.

The other Ming Cult members gradually left, but the Good Mother stood silently before the blazing sacred fire. Her voluptuous and beautiful figure cast a long shadow in the flames, and her eyes were fixed on the sacred fire before her. It was unclear what she saw, but her expression was hesitant and conflicted.

"Good mother."

The Bright Envoy, a middle-aged man of mixed Han and non-Han descent from the Western Regions, couldn't help but speak up. He said urgently, "The headquarters of the Ming Cult in Persia has been destroyed, and many followers from the Western Regions have been killed or wounded. What should we do next?"

After the Great Ming Zunjiao spread in the Central Plains, it had basically completed its Sinicization and also incorporated some beliefs from Buddhism and Taoism, and even a Sinicized interreligious pantheon appeared.

For example, Shakyamuni is called the Great Sage and Great Awakened World-Honored One Shakyamuni Buddha, and Jesus is called the Great Sage and Living World-Honored One Yishuhe Buddha.

However, this type of fusion monster did not become mainstream.

Upon hearing the Lightbringer's words, the voluptuous and beautiful Mother hesitated for a moment. She spread her spiritual energy field to soothe the emotions of the others, and then said in a deep voice, "We must not panic at this time."

"Now that we have established ourselves in the Central Plains, it doesn't matter if we abandon the Western Regions."

"As for the Persian headquarters of the Ming Cult."

"They've long since stopped being on our side. They're a bunch of stray dogs who've been driven to the brink of extinction, barely clinging to life."

The Persian Ming Cult suffered an even more horrible fate.

Unlike the Ming Cult headquarters in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, the Persian Ming Cult in this world was basically in a state of exile after the fall of Persia. It was suppressed by monotheistic religions to the west and by Islam to the east. It eventually took root in a small country in the Western Regions and survived only with the help of the Uyghurs. Then it entered the Central Plains, transformed into a Sinicized Ming Cult, and eventually rose again as a powerful force.

But the Persian Ming Cult was already in decline.

The Great Ming Cult, which had been a branch, became the main branch. The un-Sinicized Ming Cult that spread in the Western Regions was on the verge of extinction.

At this moment, a veiled, alluring woman spoke up, "Good Mother."

Where is the Venerable One now?

"The destruction of the Persian headquarters of the Ming Cult presents us with the best opportunity to seize the orthodoxy of the Ming Cult."

Good Mother shook her head and remained silent. First, she did not know where the Venerable One was now, and second, they had finally established themselves in the Central Plains, so why would they run back to the Western Regions?
Faced with a massive Muslim army of thousands?
The people of the Central Plains were unaware of the situation in the Western Regions and the Middle East, and thought that the Persian Ming Cult was stronger. However, after the rise of the Abbasid Caliphate, the Persian Ming Cult was already a defeated fugitive.

The speaker was Miaofeng from the Five Bright Ones. She was dressed in green and veiled. Her cultivation had reached the Innate Realm, making her no weaker than the grandmasters of the Central Plains.

"Has the Venerable One not appeared for so long?"

"But what went wrong during the training?"

Beside him stood a man who looked like a monk, dressed casually, seemingly a mix of Buddhist and Taoist practices. He observed the changes in the Good Mother's expression and his heart sank. He said, "Now that the Demonic Sect has turned against us, and the righteous people are also calling for our destruction, we should immediately invite the Venerable One back to take charge of the situation."

Within the Ming Cult, the five categories of followers each practiced different martial arts techniques. This great monk was burly and physically strong, and he practiced the "Hercules Sutra," also known as the Giant Sutra.

The kind mother's expression revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.

How could she possibly know Mingzun's whereabouts? She only knew that he had recently gone to Yunnan. Now, the Ming Cult is beset by internal and external troubles, and she can't hold it up alone. She only hopes that Mingzun can become the Grandmaster of the world as soon as possible.

"enough!"

"You have no right to inquire about the whereabouts of the Venerable One."

With a cold rebuke, the Good Mother unleashed her spiritual magic, as if a pair of invisible giant hands were directly gripping the throats of everyone present. The Five Wonderful Children and the Five Types of Demon Gods hesitated to speak, but ultimately remained silent, though a sense of unease grew in their hearts.

In the past, they were able to cooperate with the Persian Ming Cult, but now the Ming Cult is reduced to a lone survivor.

"The most urgent task is to find a way to retrieve the highest secret text of the religion, the Sabragan."

The Good Mother looked around at everyone, a solemn expression appearing on her beautiful face. She said in a deep voice, "Envoy of Light, you must immediately lead your men and find a way to retrieve the sacred objects and secret scriptures of the Persian Ming Cult."

The angel dressed as a foreigner nodded slowly, then quickly turned and left.

At this moment, one of the five Mingzi stepped forward. She was a beautiful woman in her early twenties with an exotic look. She gazed at the benevolent mother in front of her and said softly, "Benevolent Mother."

"Should we continue investigating the whereabouts of the Ming King?"

The wise king descended to earth.

The tradition of the Ming Cult's sacred fire worship has a long history, but since the divine oracle of the Ming King's descent was discovered, a subtle change has occurred within the Ming Cult. Some believe that the Ming Cult is a Sinicized lineage, and that the Ming Venerable has been passed down from generation to generation. They believe that the prophetic illusions given by the sacred fire may not be true, and that the leader of the Great Ming Venerable Cult is naturally the Ming King.

This is the right to interpret the oracle.

They believe that the Ming King is the Ming Venerable, and the current leader is a divinely ordained person who is blessed by the God of Light.

These people were mainly Han Chinese, because the Ming Emperor was Han Chinese.

The other faction consists of Mingjiao believers like Shanmu, who have Western Region Hu (non-Han) ancestry, especially those responsible for proselytizing, such as the Five Mingzi. Most of them are Hu, although there are also Han Chinese, but they believe that the Ming King is someone else, not the current leader.

This leads to a question: if the Ming King is not the leader, then what should the leader do?
Was I just abandoned like that?

Are they obeying the leader's orders, or are they searching for the Bright King from the Holy Fire Oracle?
The kind mother was caught in the middle, in a dilemma.

She was assisting the Bright Lord, and everything was going well until suddenly the God of Light sent down a divine oracle, saying that the Bright King had descended to earth. No one knew better than her how to interpret divine oracle. As a chosen one of the Good Mother Goddess, she only glanced at the image reflected in the sacred fire and knew that the Bright King was definitely not the leader of the religion.

From that moment on, the leader of the Great Ming Sect began to be wary of her, and even she no longer knew the leader's whereabouts.

Abandon a piece.

The once-powerful leader of the Ming Cult was reduced to a pawn due to the divine prophecy of the God of Light. The leader left in anger, and it is unknown whether he went to find the King of Light or had other plans.

But this was the divine decree of the God of Light. The Good Mother was inclined to support the leader, but she dared not disobey the divine decree of the Holy Fire.

For hundreds of years.

The followers of the Ming Cult had performed the sacred fire ritual countless times, but this was the first time they had witnessed such a strange phenomenon.

If it weren't for the divine decree, she would have thought that the Great Ming Venerable was like the clay statues in the temple, completely indifferent to everything in the human world.

Has the Bright King truly descended to earth?

If he were to descend to earth, would the leader of the sect submit to the Bright King?

A hint of sorrow appeared on Shanmu's beautiful face. Mingzun's whereabouts were unknown, and Mingwang's location was also unclear. She alone could not support the Ming Cult's resources unless she could completely break through to the Dao Realm. But breaking through to the Dao Realm with spiritual secret techniques was no easy task.

The Olympic flame flickered.

Originally, after the sacrificial ceremony, the blazing sacred fire gradually dimmed, but suddenly a gust of wind swept in, and the sacred fire reignited, leaping more than ten feet high. "Who goes there?" Miao Kong, dressed as a monk, suddenly turned around.

under the night sky.

A graceful figure, like a celestial being descending from the heavens, landed directly on the roof of the Ming Cult branch altar. A ray of moonlight shone down, and one could vaguely make out a handsome young man. Judging from his appearance, he was probably not yet of age, too young for his age. However, his cultivation level was so high that the Ming Cult members present couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.

Master!

A top-tier master.

The spiritual secrets of the Good Mother unfolded in an instant. Her voluptuous body stood still, but the shadow behind her suddenly expanded, as if an invisible spiritual entity had unfurled its outline and claws under the sacred fire.

"Spirituality?"

A surprised male voice rang out. The young man on the rooftop stared intently at the benevolent mother before him, as if he could see through her physical body and perceive the spiritual projection under her spiritual magic. He exclaimed with delight, "You actually know Western spiritual magic?"

The secret arts of the East and the West are different. The Good Mother learned the Medicine King Sutra and the Light Sutra, also known as the Apostle's Book, and was most skilled in proselytizing and mind control.

His primordial spirit trembled.

From a spiritual perspective invisible to the naked eye, Duncan stood still, then his spirit left his body, and a hazy phantom instantly broke through the air, colliding with the plump spiritual body condensed by the Good Mother. In an instant, her spiritual magic was broken, her opened spiritual domain was penetrated, and she let out a muffled groan as her spiritual body retreated back into her physical body.

"It's somewhat similar to the Five Immortals Sect's Soul Separation Technique."

Duncan sized up the voluptuous Good Mother not far away. This woman had a five-star gold mark and was on the threshold of the Dao Realm. Her strength was greater than that of the Jade-Faced Lady, Lord Lushan, and others. The spiritual secret technique she cultivated was a fusion of magic and martial arts. If it were an ordinary martial arts master, she could penetrate their will and interfere with their mind in an instant.

"who are you?"

Seeing that the Good Mother was at a disadvantage, the Ming Cult experts present instantly drew their swords. Their figures flew by with astonishing speed and strange movements. The two sword shadows attacked from both sides, directly stabbing towards Duncan's vitals.

The Wondrous Water and Wondrous Fire, also known as the Water Maiden and Fire Maiden, primarily practice the "Pure Life Treasure Sutra," a secret method for developing life's potential.

"interesting."

Duncan had a feeling similar to Zhang Wuji encountering the Persian Ming Cult envoys. Their martial arts moves were completely different from those in the Central Plains. However, Xiao Zhao certainly didn't need to go to the Persian Ming Cult; they had already been wiped out long ago.

An even more ruthless sect has arrived in the Middle East.

clang!
Duncan's five fingers turned a metallic color, accompanied by sparks flying. To the utter astonishment of the Water Maiden and Fire Maiden, the man before them actually caught their sword blades with just two fingers.

A master of external martial arts!

Protective True Qi!

Good Mother's expression also changed drastically. No, this is not the protective true energy, but a fierce energy generated by true essence. In this world, few people who are not experts who have entered the Dao realm can break through it. They can only try to wear down the opponent and drag him out until his true essence is exhausted.

A Grandmaster who has entered the Dao realm!
Looking across the entire world, when has there ever been such a young grandmaster?

Could it be a virgin old monster?
Duncan used both hands, pinching the blades of the Water Maiden and the Fire Maiden between two fingers. He then chuckled and flicked his fingers, unleashing a surge of powerful energy. The terrifying force was transmitted through the blades, causing their wrists to crack and bleed slightly.

With a whoosh, the two women retreated just as quickly as they had arrived.

The evil spirits invaded the body's meridians.

The Water Maiden and Fire Maiden were horrified. They immediately circulated their energy to regulate their breathing and neutralize the domineering aura. Otherwise, their energy would have been reduced by three-tenths.

Magical power!

The benevolent mother seemed to recognize something, and said with an extremely solemn expression, "Your Excellency is an expert from the Blood God Sect?"

Duncan slowly shook his head.

Beside the benevolent mother, the burly man dressed as a monk shouted, "Since you are a master, why hide your true self?"

"You exude a bloodthirsty aura; you must be practicing the Blood God Technique of the Blood Sect?"

Duncan glanced at him sideways and said calmly, "I do indeed know the Blood God Technique."

"But he is not a member of the Blood God Sect."

Beside the Good Mother, one of the five types of demons transmitted a voice: "Be careful."

"This person knows the Blood God Technique."

"Then he must have the Blood Child's immortal body, and there should be other Blood Children nearby."

"When we start, we'll all go in together."

Duncan smiled faintly and said calmly, "If you want to come at me all at once, then come now."

Transmit a message into a secret?

Since he began to explore the Dao realm, ordinary telepathic communication can no longer escape his notice.

The benevolent mother looked horrified. She stepped forward with her plump body, her expression seemingly respectful, and asked, "Since you are also a member of the Demonic Sect, what brings you here?"

"We are all from the same branch of the Demonic Sect, why fight and ruin our harmony?"

This kind mother is quite a smooth and tactful person.

Duncan remained calm, glanced around, and asked, "Where is the Venerable One?"

"Why are the Good Mother, the Envoy of Light, the Five Bright Sons, and others all here?"

"But where is the Venerable One?"

As he spoke, Duncan raised his palm, unleashing the power of his Dragon-Capturing Technique. A person who had been unconscious was captured and thrown directly to them.

It was the Lightbringer who had left earlier.

All the Ming Cult masters present were horrified. Among them, the Bright Envoy's martial arts skills were second only to the Good Mother, yet he was easily captured by this man. Several of them leaped up and caught the unconscious Bright Envoy.

"Your Excellency's visit late at night, trespassing on a branch of the Ming Cult, what exactly do you want?"

Good Mother gave a cold rebuke, and her mental magic was activated again. However, she did not confront Duncan head-on, but instead used it to bless many of the Ming Cult's experts, as if her mental magic had other uses.

The night breeze blew.

Duncan stood proudly, his gaze calm, and said indifferently, "Why have I come?"

"Naturally, it's to conquer the Ming Cult."

What a loud tone.

The Ming Cult experts present were enraged. The big monk was the first to attack, his muscular body bulging as he slammed his palms together with concentrated qi.

"That's right."

"Finish it as soon as possible, then call it a day."

Duncan's expression was stern, his domineering aura erupted, and his spiritual imprint condensed. He followed the path of a hegemon; how could he expect others to submit without first engaging in a battle?

Big clumsy hands!
boom.

With a muffled thud, a clear large handprint appeared on the sacred fire bronze cauldron. The big monk came with fierce momentum and flew swiftly and cleanly, directly crashing into the bronze cauldron, leaving a dent in his forehead, and he immediately lost consciousness.

There are few martial arts masters in the world who can go toe-to-toe with him.

The figure of the Good Mother flew by like a ghost, and the Five Bright Sons made their moves one after another, each with their own unique techniques. Five types of demons emerged from the shadows, trying to ambush Duncan from behind.

Under the bright moon.

Duncan remained motionless, his true essence surging, his protective true energy transforming into a shockwave that swept across an area of ​​several dozen feet.

The three parts return to their origin.

With his essence, energy, and spirit condensed, Duncan's head resembled three flowers gathered at the crown. His rampaging true essence transformed into a powerful force, directly blasting away and forcing back the attackers.

"Where is the Venerable One?"

Good Mother was no match for him; only a Bright Venerable who had entered the Dao realm could fight him.

………………

(End of this chapter)