Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 552 Demons and Monsters Abound in Kyushu

The Great Compassionate Dharma King has quietly returned to Qiantang.

The people that Baoantang had secretly deployed found nothing.

She can be anyone, or she can be anyone. Today she's a beggar, tomorrow a wealthy merchant, and the day after a scholar.

Sitting in the courtyard, Da Ci began to enjoy the long-lost leisurely time. He had done everything he needed to do and was just waiting for the time to bear fruit.

Having lived in the North for many years, working with those insects was truly exhausting.

They dared not engage in a real battle with the Great Jin, and most of their privately organized conspiracies were too low-level to be openly discussed; at most, they would kill a few princes' sons and nephews.

And this was all done by mid-level believers. The reason those people betrayed the human system was because of deep-seated hatred, so they naturally wouldn't hold back when they attacked.

On the contrary, the higher-ups lack initiative. At most, they rush out to claim responsibility whenever something goes wrong, acting like a chamber pot.

It's clear that people's hearts are unsettled, and their faith has wavered.

The Karmapa was one of the few steadfast followers, but sadly, he died and disappeared without a trace after heading south.

This illustrates that the waters in Jiangnan are deep and dangerous.

If she hadn't been born in Dongting and obtained the protection of the Cloud Mist through her relationship with the emperor and a transaction, she wouldn't have dared to directly venture into the core area.

We've paid such a high price; we hope to succeed.

As long as the Holy Mother is found, the White Lotus Cult will remain the same White Lotus Cult that sweeps the world.

The Great Compassionate Dharma King was very confident. Ever since she sensed the Holy Mother's spirit appearing in the heavens that day, she had been looking forward to the future.

"Now, all that's missing is the right timing."

The Golden Cymbal Dharma King will lead more than a dozen transformed demons and countless spirits to attack Qiantang.

Faced with the audacious attack of the demon race, Yu Gong's attention would certainly be diverted.

The White Snake Emperor, whom the Emperor fears, may also intervene to quell the chaos, and the entire Wu County will surely be in a state of panic and chaos on that day.

By taking a little risk and slightly loosening the seal on magic, one could put the entire city under their surveillance.

If the Virgin Mary were really here, my heart would be pounding with emotion.

However, Wang Daoling remained completely silent.

The Great Compassionate Dharma King was somewhat puzzled. That demon was cunning and had no bottom line; he should know the power of the White Lotus Spell.

Could it be that they were hoping for a lucky break, or had they found a powerful backer?
After sensing it deeply, the spell was still in effect, indicating that there was no problem and no information had been leaked.

That's just passive resistance, which is really unpleasant.

If there is still no activity after the Awakening of Insects, it can be erased directly to avoid revealing information.

Then the spring breeze blew by, bringing with it a light drizzle, making the surrounding clouds and mist even more ethereal.

"Strange, why are my thoughts so complicated today?"

The raindrops falling on the earth calmed the anxious atmosphere considerably.

The Great Compassionate Dharma King sensed something was amiss. He was usually very decisive in making decisions, but today he suddenly began to feel unsettled. Was it the excitement of seeing the Holy Mother, or something else?
Crunch~~~
At that moment, a figure interrupted her thoughts.

Zhou Qingyun returned home from school.

In addition to its initial lively spirit, it now possesses a touch of heroic spirit.

The little girl was in a good mood; going to school didn't seem as difficult as everyone said.

What's even more interesting is that in addition to studying, you also have to practice some sword techniques to strengthen your body, which are not difficult to learn.

I don't know if the other kids really can't learn it or just don't want to learn it. It's just a little bit, a short while.

Her good mood vanished the moment she opened the door, her face turning deathly pale.

She saw the monster in the clouds.

The Great Compassionate Dharma King, however, did not care at all about the human child's fear.

Instead, he beckoned the little girl over so he could ask her about the situation at Dugu Garden.

"Is there anything special about the classroom?"

Zhou Qingyun honestly recounted everything, from enrollment to textbook distribution, to the learning progress, and even the character "early" carved on her desk.

He even mentioned the daily meals and the names of all the classmates he remembered.

Da Ci didn't interrupt, but listened to these trivial stories; she was a patient villain.

Many secrets are deduced from the details.

However, it was very unusual that a primary school was located inside the Dugu Garden, and it was also very unusual that the orphan students were there.

Dugu Garden was usually directly managed by local prefectures or the imperial court, and its funding came from government appropriations or social donations.

Some also received support from local gentry, wealthy merchants, or religious groups.

This includes official channels, and also private ones.

Suicide squad training camps, as well as personnel training in certain special locations, also developed from this model.

The White Lotus sect also has similar organizations, which are legitimate welfare organizations that have paid to register with the authorities.

The largest one was located in Taiyuan Prefecture, with two to three hundred people.

The church specifically adopts orphans, selecting those with exceptional talent to nurture and become the organization's fresh blood.

So she knew very well what an orphan was like.

In the desolate garden, children were poorly clothed and starving, their dilapidated houses leaking and their beds damp. A plague raged, many perished, their graves piled high, their cries incessant. The administrators neglected their duties, leaving the children destitute and alone, ignored by the world, their future bleak. In their hearts, loneliness was a constant shadow, despair an abyss; they wept day and night, unnoticed and forgotten.

It could be said that it was the closest place to hell. Moreover, the White Lotus Sect's orphanage was much better than the Dugu Garden in other parts of the Great Jin Dynasty; at least the torture before death was not much.

But this one in Qiantang is abnormal.

It reminded her of the time when the Virgin Mary was still alive, when the Orphanage, which took in orphans, was like a vacuum home, filled with joy and free from sorrow.

Such bright sunshine must mean something.

"Who are the people in charge and teachers at Dugu Garden?"

Zhou Qingyun answered this question very quickly.

The cultural studies teacher was Master Li from Jintian Academy, whose favorite stories to tell were the tale of the gentleman's transformation into a leopard and the story of the iron palm that brought peace to Qiantang.

The head of the academy was a bearded man named Yan Nantian. He would teach everyone swordsmanship during breaks.

He then recited some elementary texts in front of the Great Compassionate Dharma King and performed a swordplay demonstration.

"Yan Nantian? Just ordinary. There is a Yan Chixia in Shu Mountain who was quite famous in the past."

"The sword techniques he taught were also mediocre; it seems I was overthinking things."

"What about Xu Xuan?"

Now she's more interested in Xu Xuan behind the scenes.

The more you understand Qiantang, the more you can feel that man's omnipresent influence.

For example, he was just an ordinary scholar, yet he had a good relationship with the county magistrate and prefect, and it is said that people in the prefecture were also spreading his name.

The largest river-viewing tower in the city belongs to him, the best medical clinic belongs to him, and even the house he bought is his.

The Great Compassionate Dharma King has met many influential figures, whose power is ten or a hundred times greater than Xu Xuan's, but none of them can achieve such prestige without being conspicuous.

Is this familiar feeling something it's pretending to be?

"Go down now. In the future, go to Dugu Garden and ask more about Xu Xuan."

After Zhou Qingyun left, the Great Compassionate Dharma King had already forgotten what he had been worried about at the beginning.

On the other side, Hu Qiang was escorted all the way to the foot of Yunmeng Mountain.

Although the name of this place is very evocative, it is actually a barren mountain made of piled-up rocks, like the ruins of a once sacred mountain that was shattered and fell.

It is said that the Wu-Yue War took place during the reign of King Jing of Zhou.

In this war, the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden transformed into a virgin to help the Yue Kingdom attack the Wu Kingdom, and also took the white ape from Yunmeng Mountain as her disciple.

The Jade Emperor in Heaven appointed the White Ape to manage the Nine Heavens Secrets, but the White Ape took advantage of his position to steal the "Ruyi Book" from the Nine Heavens Secrets and even carved the Taoist magic from it on the stone wall of the White Cloud Cave.

Later, when the white ape's theft of the book was exposed, he was rescued by Mi Heng, a scholar of literature. The Jade Emperor then ordered him to guard the heavenly book in the White Cloud Cave and also gave him a "mist curtain" to protect the cave.

This place was once the immortal's abode, named Baiyun Cave.

Later, a fox spirit sneaked in and stole the secrets of heaven, which angered the Ape King. He pushed down the sacred mountain and crushed the demon, and was himself captured and brought back to the Heavenly Court to be punished.

Even though the mountain's shape is now incredibly ugly, the remaining spiritual energy still far surpasses that of other places. Countless demon kings have tried to occupy this ruin, but all have failed and perished.

The Golden Cymbal Dharma King wasn't trying to seize territory; rather, he planned to subdue the local demon king and join him in attacking Qiantang.

In order to survive the impending crisis, it doesn't care about making a fuss or not, it just does what it needs to do.

Unfortunately, the demon king in the mountains was indeed powerful, and he beat Jinbo badly.

In the mountain stream, a half-pink fox hissed, "Egg-born, egg-born."

His saliva was dripping, his fur was dull, and his eyes had lost all clarity, filled only with an intense, overwhelming resentment and madness.

This is the Mad Demon King of Yunmeng Mountain.

The casting speed is astonishing; a spell can be released simply by making a hand seal.

First came flocks of birds, then swarms of locusts, and then various wild beasts were used to make the monsters under their command suffer terribly.

They were all inspired by wild beasts, but the one who didn't care about his life was a hundred times more powerful than the one who acted recklessly.

Enraged, the several guardians who had been subdued immediately made their move, determined to storm the White Cloud Cave atop the mountain.

Unexpectedly, the mountain stream was drawn into a water dragon several tens of feet long, with whiskers, horns, scales, and armor; it was incredibly powerful.

It then summoned the air currents from the sky, which transformed into a ferocious tiger several meters long, complete with fur, claws, and teeth, extremely vicious.

They forcefully blocked the protectors' offensive.

Upon seeing this, the Golden Cymbal Dharma King was naturally enraged. He grabbed his ritual implements and rushed forward, only to be baptized by magic.

The Mad Demon King sensed the enemy's power and let out a deafening roar, its two claws trembling violently.

They could conjure soldiers from beans, transform objects, multiply one into many, and summon wind and rain—they were throwing out all 108 Taoist transformation techniques for free.

Thanks to the unique nature of this place, the pink-skinned foxes among the rocks seem to possess inexhaustible magical powers.

Finally, even being struck by lightning occurred.

This lightning technique wasn't particularly powerful, not strong enough to be unstoppable, and it lacked any Daoist characteristics, yet it was relentless and continuous, scorching its flesh and bones.

There were also hailstones, gales, and various spells cast by powerful warriors, making it difficult to charge forward even with demon soldiers.

Unless one risks their life, it's impossible to get close enough to kill them, but who knows what other powerful tricks this already crazed fox might have up its sleeve?

I never imagined that so many demons and monsters were hidden in the Nine Provinces. No wonder the Ancestor was so cautious. I underestimated the heroes of the world.

Forget it, forget it, let's change our target.

(End of this chapter)