Devouring Evil Martial Arts, Eliminating Demons from All Heavens

Chapter 246 Leaving a Trace, Inheritance

Cao Ying hurriedly helped Yuan Zai up, and shouted angrily.

"quick!!"

Five soldiers had already come over and surrounded Yuan Zai, opening the black cloth bags in their hands.

Within the black cloth were five large roosters, their heads and combs a vibrant red, their feathers smooth and strong, and their claws powerful and firm.

They were quite calm when they were in the black cloth, but once they were taken out, they seemed to have a bad feeling and tried desperately to flap their wings.

But the five soldiers had already grabbed their wings with their left hands and twisted the chickens' heads with their right hands.

Looo!!

The heads of the five roosters were ripped off.

The enormous figure of the Five Witch Gods watched this scene unfold.

In the eerie and indescribable atmosphere, the rooster that had lost its head became even more ferocious, broke free of its restraints, and flew into the air.

Several soldiers had their faces scratched by chicken claws, cried out in pain, and quickly retreated.

The five headless roosters lay on the ground, covered in blood, flapping and walking.

After circling Yuan Zai once, the chicken blood was splattered into a circular pattern.

The five roosters finally gave up and collapsed.

Although the Five Witches are evil gods, they initially confused the names of other gods and expanded their influence.

However, as time goes by, ordinary people inevitably hear some rumors and gossip.

Since the Ming and Qing dynasties, even opera troupes that did not understand spiritual practice would worship the Five Witch Gods on the 23rd day of the fifth lunar month every year.

They would find five chickens, remove their heads, put them in the same jar, and seal it with a red cloth.

But instead of placing the jar on the table, it was placed under the table.

The entire ceremony was based on a simple wish.

If the Five Witches don't show their faces, the world can enjoy some peace again!
During the evolution of the Five Witches Cult, some people felt that these ignorant people were indeed unreasonable. Although they were kneeling, this ritual was more like a curse than a worship or offering.

That's incredibly disrespectful to God.

However, some experienced believers who had suffered at the hands of the Five Witches secretly absorbed this custom and evolved a spell specifically used to appease the Five Witches.

Yuan Zai attempted to accomplish his task today using the "Divine Heart Borrowing the Way" technique, but suffered a major defeat, which may displease the Five Witches.

The first and most urgent thing is to appease the evil spirits.

As the five chickens fell, the blood gradually faded.

The enormous ghostly figure in the smog finally faded away.

A moment later, a mask flew back through the smog and landed on the offering table.

"Alright, alright, the Dharma Master has returned."

Cao Ying hurriedly asked, "Master, are you alright now? What's the situation in Luoyang? How is my son?"

Yuan Zai's lips trembled, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

Several clanging sounds came from not far away.

Cao Ying then realized something was wrong.

Based on past experience, even if Yuan Zai overdid the spell, he would need to appease the evil god.

As long as these five specially raised roosters are put to use, Yuanzai will be able to catch his breath.

When he flew away, he sacrificed the essence of his physical body to his soul. But after catching his breath, he was able to regain some of his vital energy and restore his physical body to 30-40%.

But today, there is no sign of his physical recovery; on the contrary, blood is still flowing from his mouth, nose, and ears.

Cao Ying glanced back.

The clanging sound just now was because the black knife, breastplate, and back armor among those magical artifacts had all shattered, and the cloak was also torn.

The officers holding the ritual implements also looked surprised and very uneasy.

"What's going on?"

Cao Ying's heart sank. She took out a qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing pill from her pocket and prepared to force it into Yuan Zai's mouth.

"Wait a minute!"

A figure rushed through the smog, right hand raised in a gesture of stopping, wearing only a white undershirt for sleeping.

Just as the soldiers were about to stop him, the man opened his mouth and blew sharply.

The two soldiers closest to him were overturned by a wisp of black smoke he exhaled.

While everyone instinctively became wary and protected themselves, the man had already slipped through the gaps in the crowd and reached the high platform.

"General Cao, we can't just give the Yuan Sect Leader these pills right now. His soul is too badly injured, but he still has the Five Wrath Army Commandery Seal in his body, which is already too much for him to handle."

"We need to take out the magic seal first."

As he spoke, the man directly smeared the blood from Yuan Zai's chest and drew a talisman on Yuan Zai's forehead.

Silkworm head and swallow tail, bright red talisman.

He then took out the black jade pendant from his chest, pressed it against Yuan Zai's forehead, and slowly pulled it outwards.

A small golden seal emerged from Yuan Zai's body and merged into the black jade pendant.

Yuan Zai's aura was indeed much calmer, but also much weaker.

Only then did the man take the medicine bottle from Cao Ying's hand, take a few pills, and give them to Yuan Zai.

Cao Ying felt this person looked familiar, and upon seeing him now, she suddenly realized, "You are... Guo Baozhi from Bashu?"

Guo Baozhi was a subordinate of the former Grand Commander of Bashu. It is said that he was originally a bandit assassin secretly raised by a local landlord. After becoming an official, his reputation was not particularly outstanding, but he was a true confidant.

More than a year ago, Liu Yanqi raised an army in Sichuan and arrested the entire family of the former Grand Commander.

Only Guo Baozhi was lucky; he escaped from Sichuan and Chongqing and eventually made his way to the capital to seek help.

Even after that war ended, the Beiyang Army never managed to defeat Cai Shanjun, Liu Yanqi, and others.

Guo Baozhi, naturally unable to return to Sichuan, settled in the capital.

Cao Ying already knew that Guo Baozhi knew some magic.

Unexpectedly, even when a great sorcerer of Yuan Zai's caliber encountered a problem, Guo Baozhi was able to intervene and handle it in an orderly and methodical manner.

"It is indeed Guo."

Guo Baozhi had just bowed when Cao Ying grabbed his wrist. "Oh dear! Brother Guo, you've finally decided to come out and help."

Cao Ying sighed, "I could tell back then that you were a dragon among men, but you kept a low profile and never left your home. As your elder brother, I didn't dare to disturb you rashly. As time went by, we became a little estranged."

“Brother, now that you have come out today, I should present you with the official position and honors that I had planned to give you in my heart.”

"It would be best to make up for everything that has happened in the past year or so."

Everyone says that Cao Bokun is talented, the fourth brother Cao Rui understands finance, and the seventh brother Cao Ying is not very useful.

This play was indeed terrible.

Guo Baozhi paused slightly, but still very supportive, and said with great enthusiasm, "How could I not do my best to earn the appreciation of the Commander-in-Chief?"

"Actually, what happened today was not due to my own abilities, but rather to the efforts of an old sage whom we invited from Sichuan..."

Cao Ying's eyes lit up: "Oh, where is this old immortal?"

Guo Baozhi laughed and said, "Since he is an old immortal, he is naturally the kind of person who is worshipped."

Cao Ying's smile faded slightly: "Oh, so it's an old god... When it comes to worshipping gods, Master Yuan is more knowledgeable. Once he wakes up, we can have a good chat."

Guo Baozhi smiled and pointed vaguely: "Look, hasn't the leader woken up yet?"

As he spoke, Yuan Zai slowly opened his eyes, and before him seemed to be the brilliance of that sword strike, as swift as the wind and as fast as lightning. He sighed in resentment.

"What a bright sword!"

He had already managed to clutch his chest, but suddenly his expression changed, and he stared at Guo Baozhi, "My seal..."

Guo Baozhi patted Yuan Zai's chest to help him catch his breath and said, "The sect leader has survived, his magical cultivation is still intact, and the Five Wrathful Gods' favor still belongs to you. What does losing just one seal matter?"

Yuanzai stared at him for several seconds.

"Good, you've managed to digest this seal. You have quite the appetite."

Cao Ying asked again, "Master, what has happened to my son?"

"The young marshal has already lost his life in Guanlin."

As soon as Yuanzai finished speaking, he saw the look of shock, anger and anxiety on Cao Ying's face and said urgently, "This grudge must be avenged, but the commander-in-chief must not act rashly."

Yuan Zai spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice low and still filled with lingering fear.

"There is a person in Luoyang..."

Guo Baozhi's expression changed upon hearing his story, but holding the jade pendant in his hand, he felt an uncontrollable surge of joy and excitement.

Having swallowed the seal of the Five Witches Army, Guo Baozhi's true and greatest backer from back in Sichuan will have a chance to be restored.

The smog in Beijing has not yet dissipated.

Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, will experience a light rain tonight.

The rain was pattering softly, but the moon was still visible when I opened the window—a truly magical sight.

Liu Yanqi was opening the window in the Political Affairs Hall to let in some fresh air when he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right eye, and his eyelid twitched noticeably.

It was getting late, and now only the two of them remained in the Hall of State Affairs.

Hearing his groan of pain, Cai Shanjun hurried over and saw that the veins around his right eye socket were dense and as fine as a spider web.

Upon closer inspection, those tiny veins seem to be still moving and deforming.

It seemed as if poisonous needles were surrounding the eyeballs, moving under the skin, causing phantom pain to onlookers.

Liu Yanqi's face was covered in a layer of white sweat, but he did not cover his face with force, but only pressed the corner of his right eye with one finger.

"It's the Ghost King!"

Liu Yanqi's jaw clenched as he said in a deep voice, "That ghost king from back then really wasn't completely dead."

"The wounds it left me with are so painful, it must have gotten some kind of opportunity and its strength is recovering."

Cai Shanjun frowned.

In the battle to restore order in Sichuan, the most dangerous enemy they encountered was not an army, but an ancient ghost king.

In order to defeat that demon king, they relied on an almost irreplaceable aid.

"I also guessed at the time that the Ghost King was not completely dead, so there were only a few possible places for it to go."

Cai Shanjun said, "I will send a telegram right away, instructing the organizations in these areas to closely monitor whether any major or strange events have occurred recently."

Liu Yanqi's pain subsided somewhat, and he gripped the windowsill with both hands, breathing softly.

"Being able to detect its abnormalities early may not necessarily be a bad thing."

Liu Yanqi said, "We shouldn't let him disrupt our pace too much."

"The men that Doctor Chu requested should be arriving in Luoyang soon. You should send a telegram to let them know."

Cai Shanjun laughed and said, "We will send troops to Shaanxi tomorrow. The time is ripe there. All that's missing is the actual display of military strength. Once Luoyang is settled, all the regions will be connected."

"At that time, I can go directly to Luoyang to see Doctor Chu."

Even so, he did decide to send a telegram later.

The light rain in Chengdu continued intermittently until dawn.

In Luoyang, when the sun rises, the whole city is dry and comfortable.

Prison buildings are mostly flat-roofed. In the past, when there were many prisoners, many guards had to stand on the rooftops to prevent anyone from escaping.

Chu Tianshu sat quietly on the rooftop for half the night, and now he stood up, facing the rising sun.

"Breakfast is ready."

Huo Ming called out from below, "Come down and eat, or should I bring it to you?"

"Not urgent."

Chu Tianshu responded, extending his palm and clenching his fist.

An unfamiliar power was flowing through his body.

"So, there really is a local original text that suits someone like me who appears and disappears like a ghost?"

Chu Tianshu was somewhat surprised.

Nanhua Old Immortal!

He is already a carefree wanderer beyond the mundane world, yet a trace of benevolence remains in the mortal realm.

He spoke of great medicine to ward off evil and expel plague, and presented three volumes of peace to the world.

(End of this chapter)