Dimension Paradise, I am a summoning apostle

Chapter 342 Xiangzhou, Taiyi Sect
Without the demon navy blocking their way, the group quickly reached the shore and properly settled the various celestial crafts ships.

Because Hong Shixun had a well-thought-out plan, everyone headed straight for the planned location as soon as they landed.

The main reason is that they did not delay in the process, and the Mountain Lord and the Bone-Destroying Star perished too quickly one after the other. The Chongde Dynasty has not yet received news of the deaths of these two demonic calamities.

So the group quickly occupied an area with an excellent geographical location.

Whether it's agriculture, industry, or defense, it's an extremely suitable city for development.

It just looked very dilapidated and desolate.

The original inhabitants of this city had been dead for who knows how long, and there were no remains of them.

As for why such a good city ended up like this, it's naturally because it was emptied out by taxes levied on people in order to destroy the great powers.

The area has a large population, making it easy to manage, and the surrounding area is convenient for transportation.

Perfect, we can slaughter them and then transport them away.

When all the people die, the city is abandoned.

This wasn't just a case in this city; similar situations were common throughout the Chongde reign.

As for its later development? After his victory, Emperor Chongde no longer regarded the people as human beings, but as mere material.

This directly ushered in the era of large-scale farming.

"Are there any demonic calamities like the Mountain Lord in Xiangzhou? I'll take some time to deal with them," Chu Danqing said.

Upon arriving in the city three days ago, Chu Danqing's first task was to eliminate the surrounding demons to prevent them from harming ordinary people.

However, no treasure chests dropped, because they were all low-level demons.

Even the excellent grade items weren't dropped.

Hong Shixun was also helpless when he heard this.

They were eager to avoid demons so they could develop their power as quickly as possible. But after Chu Danqing killed them all, it wasn't enough for him. He asked Chu Danqing if there were any stronger ones.

"There was one before. There was a beehive in Xiangzhou, which was a giant bee with evil energy and was transformed by the great powers as its queen."

"Its size was no less than that of a mountain king, and it was later transferred to the powerful Mary Kingdom as a garrison."

“Xiangzhou is now abandoned and there are no such natural disasters,” Hong Shixun explained.

Demonic calamities like the Mountain King and the Bone-Destroying Demon were indeed numerous during the Chongde reign.

But compared to the whole world, it's not much.

Within the original territory of the Chongde Dynasty, which was under relatively strict control, the number of demons and natural disasters was relatively limited.

Most of them were sent abroad to suppress those former powers' territories that were far from the emperor's reach.

If it weren't for the Yonghua Society's research into the divine artifact, the Summoning Technique, Shan Jun and Mo Gu Hao would never have come to these desolate prefectures, including Xiangzhou, Xunzhou, and several surrounding prefectures.

For demons, whether the land is fertile or not is not important; what they need is people.

Places with few people are barren.

As for the rest, it doesn't matter; we can take it from the former territories of the great powers.

"Alright then." Chu Danqing sighed. Since there were no natural disasters or demonic calamities, then it must be accumulating.

It's probably an accumulation-type treasure chest; the reward won't be given until this trial mission is completed.

"By the way, Fellow Daoist Chu, this is the result of my silent creation."

"I wanted to give it to you, Fellow Daoist Chu, but you've been leaving early and returning late these past few days, so I couldn't find a suitable opportunity."

“It just so happens that Fellow Daoist Chu came looking for me, so I’ll give it to you.” Hong Shixun took out a sealed book and handed it to Chu Danqing.

Chu Danqing took it and saw that there was a panel.

It's just a simple skill book; it has no durability and disappears once it's used up.

The quality is also top-notch, so there's no worry about selling it.

"Alright, I'll accept it." After accepting it, Chu Danqing asked, "How's the god-making process going?"

"Quite effective." Hong Shixun felt relieved when he saw Chu Danqing accept the gift: "The Taiyi Heavenly King has begun to absorb faith and grow."

"However, most people are still skeptical, and their faith remains insufficient."

"As for the fellow Daoists of the Heavenly Craftsman, they don't believe it at all."

"After all, they knew some aspects of the summoning spell, but they didn't stop me. Instead, they helped me push things along."

"In another seven or eight days at most, all the people should believe in the Heavenly King Taiyi and recognize me as the Holy Son of the Heavenly King."

Hong Shixun did not hide anything from Chu Danqing and told her about the situation.

"So fast? How did you do that?" Chu Danqing was a little confused.

“I also have to thank the other fellow Daoists for their help, otherwise I certainly wouldn’t have been able to do it.” Hong Shixun paused for a moment, then said, “Next, I want to establish a sect.”

"The name will be Taiyi Sect. What do you think of this name, Fellow Daoist Chu?"

Faced with Hong Shixun's attempt to change the subject, Chu Danqing did not delve into it, but simply used some methods that were not easy to say openly.

“This is your sect, you can decide for yourself. I can’t give you any good advice.” Chu Danqing took the opportunity to back down.

“Fellow Daoist Chu, you are still the same as always.” Hong Shixun couldn’t help but smile wryly, and then took out a book: “This is the doctrine I wrote, which I call the Taiyi Salvation Song.”

"Its content is simple and easy to understand, and it is also catchy."

"Even if you can't read, you can memorize it by humming it a few times."

Chu Danqing took it and read it through. Hong Shixun was right; it was indeed so.

As for the content, it is to promote Taiyi Tianwang and his holy son.

However, it is covered with a layer of positive energy content, such as encouraging people to be kind, being optimistic, and fighting demons.

If you don't look closely, you might not be able to discover their true missionary purpose.

But after hearing about it many times, you might develop a liking for it or become curious about it.

Then it's simple: just learn about it and get proselytized.

"Very good." Chu Danqing closed the book and handed it back to the other person, saying, "But I have to remind you of something."

“Fellow Daoist Chu, please speak,” Hong Shixun said after withdrawing his weapon. “You should know your own level before,” Chu Danqing said. “You probably don’t know your level now.”

"You are completely different now than you were in the past."

"As for the reason, I don't know, but you have to be careful not to be affected by the invocation spell."

Chu Danqing's memories of his identity only included the most basic use of Qi in the Heavenly Crafting Instrument.

Such a high-level divine achievement as the Summoning Technique is far beyond what Chu Danqing's limited knowledge of Qi can learn.

It's like he's just learned the first three characters, and now he's expected to understand "The Yueyang Tower".

A genius might have been able to do it, but unfortunately Chu Danqing isn't.

After hearing this, Hong Shixun pondered for a moment.

He himself hadn't noticed anything unusual, but after Chu Danqing reminded him, he finally realized it.

As for the others, they must have discovered it, but because they hadn't had much contact with him, they naturally didn't know about his abilities.

His sister, Hong Xuanjiao, has also been extremely busy lately.

Despite the large number of ordinary people, the main force in the construction and restoration of the city is actually the Celestial Craftsmen.

With the help of the Tiangongqi (a type of ancient Chinese crafting tool), both repairs and planting/breeding become extremely convenient.

On the contrary, ordinary people, unable to fully unleash the power of the Heavenly Crafting Tool, are mostly relegated to a supporting role.

However, once the city is almost fully repaired, some subsequent tasks can be handed over to ordinary people, freeing up the celestial craftsmen to do other things.

"Fellow Daoist Chu's words have awakened me from my reverie." After recovering, Hong Shixun cupped his hands and asked, "I wonder if Fellow Daoist Chu has any suggestions?"

This is because I sought advice from Chu Danqing.

However, Chu Danqing spread his hands and said, "I don't know."

All I can do is remind you; there's nothing else I can do.

Upon hearing this, Hong Shixun could only nod and say, "Thank you for the reminder, Fellow Daoist Chu. I will be careful."

Since we don't know the cause and effect and there's no solution, we should just let things take their course and be more careful.

As the two were chatting, Hong Xuanjiao walked in carrying a pile of official documents and placed them on Hong Shixun's desk.

"Elder brother, Fellow Daoist Chu, something has happened." Hong Xuanjiao's first words were bad news.

"What is it?" Hong Shixun asked immediately.

"Previously, the fellow Daoists in Xunzhou failed to break through the demonic lines; some died, and others were captured."

"We were able to escape only with Fellow Daoist Chu's help." Hong Xuanjiao's expression wasn't very pleasant.

"That shouldn't be the case. Shan Jun is dead, and the Mo Gu Hao is also on our line. How could they have been completely wiped out?" Hong Shixun's expression turned extremely ugly.

"According to intelligence, the waterway was blocked by the 'Dead Bone' ship, and the one that entered the area to ambush and kill was the Mountain King."

"The one defending the front line is Cheng Disheng, the First-Class Marquis of Yiyong, and the Paoxiao Beasts he leads." Hong Xuanjiao's body trembled involuntarily when she said the words "Paoxiao Fierce General".

Clearly, it was Cheng Disheng who left her with an indelible fear.

Hong Shixun couldn't help but swallow.

"You don't mind talking about it, do you?" Chu Danqing said.

When Chu Danqing asked them this question, the two of them looked at each other with a strange expression.

Surprisingly, some people didn't know Cheng Disheng, but Hong Shixun still spoke up.

"This demon was once the most powerful general of the Chongde Dynasty. Cheng Disheng was the one who led a group of ambitious people to repel the invasion of foreign powers."

He was later granted the title of First-Class Marquis of Yiyong by the Chongde Emperor.

"But after that battle, he exhausted himself and aggravated his old illness, which led to his death."

"During the Chongde reign, evil qi was vigorously developed. They dug out the already rotten bones of the corpses and transplanted them with the bones of the ancient roe deer and owls, adding evil qi to resurrect demons."

“The Roe Owl General, the Locust Immortal, the Dragon Division's Aguda, the Great Snow Mountain Bodhisattva, and the Fiery Fox.”

"Their status and evil aura are second only to the terrifying demons of Emperor Chongde."

"During the Chongde reign, they were known as the Five Pillars of the Nation."

"Even the Mountain Lord and the Dead Bone Demon would have to bow down and give way in front of these five demons."

"I never imagined that Emperor Chongde would value this divine summoning technique so much, actually sending General Paoxiao in person." Hong Shixun was at a loss for what to do.

Chu Danqing stroked his chin, pondering why the side quest hadn't been triggered.

Could it be because the timing was wrong?

"It seems we can't stay here any longer. Once the grain is harvested tomorrow, we need to leave Xiangzhou as soon as possible, otherwise the Paoxiao General will definitely not mind taking a detour to wipe us out," Hong Shixun said helplessly.

They had finally started to see some improvement, but now they have to slink away again.

As for the possibility that he might not come? Hong Shixun must be insane to gamble with his own life and the lives of everyone else.

"Don't worry, I'll hold the sky up even if it falls," Chu Danqing said with a smile. "You still don't trust my abilities?"

"It's not that I don't believe in Fellow Daoist Chu, but the three thousand Paoxiao beasts under General Paoxiao's command are all great demons no weaker than Ban Nu."

"Not to mention the army of demons that followed."

“They don’t even need to attack. With such a huge number, they can easily raze the entire city by simply going around them.” Hong Shixun didn’t distrust Chu Danqing, but the enemy was simply too strong.

“The Paoxiao is strong, but I’m not weak either.” How could Chu Danqing let them leave? After all, the trial mission was to have them establish a safe zone in Xiangzhou.

"Xiangzhou has such a strategic location; if we give it up, will we ever have a chance to rise again?"

When Chu Danqing asked this question, Hong Shixun fell silent.

He couldn't answer the question Chu Danqing asked.

"Fellow Daoist Chu, how confident are you?" Hong Shixun finally acknowledged Chu Danqing's assessment.

"I wouldn't dare say I'm 100% sure, but I'm about 80% sure," Chu Danqing said confidently.

(End of this chapter)