Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 889 The First Chaos in Luoyang

These words were spoken with extreme force, each one sharp and icy.

Pudu Cihang, standing in the shadows, stiffened slightly.

As the current imperial advisor, he happened to be hiding in the shadows during the upheaval at Luoshui last year, which has made the emperor resentful ever since.

But there was nothing I could do. Although I usually acted like I was invincible, the person who came that day was so strong it was like an enemy from outer space.

He could control everything, interfere with the dynasty's fortune and karma, and even slap the emperor... He did all the things that ordinary Arhats and wandering immortals wouldn't dare to do.

What am I supposed to do? Even if I went out with the Buddha's image on my head, it wouldn't make any difference.

But this year...

"Your Majesty, rest assured." Pudu Cihang clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, his golden silk robe rustling softly, his tone full of confidence.

"According to my calculations, that madman last year must have dared to offend the Emperor by taking advantage of the legacy of King Yu and the resentment of the Luo River. Now..."

"Enough!" Emperor Jin suddenly flew into a rage, grabbing a bronze paperweight from the table and smashing it to the ground. "I don't want to hear any of this! I just want that traitor dead!"

The head of the Pixiu on the paperweight snapped off with a crack. Pudu Cihang lowered his eyes and remained silent, but inwardly he sneered.

Fine, fine, so you take it out on me after being slapped in the face.

You, the emperor... let's see if you can survive this year.

As the appointed time approached, the defenses of Luoyang were as formidable as an iron barrel.
On the surface, the Imperial Guards, clad in armor and armed with weapons, were deployed along the Luo River; in secret, the astronomers of the Imperial Observatory were lurking in various markets and towns.

Even more hidden are Buddhist and Taoist masters lurking in civilian residences, the Arhat Formation concealed in teahouses, the Five Elements Flags hidden in taverns, and even the traditionally neutral Confucian academy has a great Confucian scholar holding the Spring and Autumn Annals sitting guard at the city gate...

"Tap, tap, tap—"

In the quiet streets, the occasional clanging of armor could be heard. A child curiously tried to peek through a crack in the window, but was immediately pulled back by an adult.

The people of the whole city tacitly kept their doors and windows tightly shut, as if they were not keeping vigil for the New Year, but rather hiding from some flood or ferocious beast.

On the banks of the Luo River, several soldiers on night patrol suddenly stopped.

"Just now...did a white shadow flash by?"

"What nonsense are you spouting! Let's go!"

"Oh, you don't know, last year a colleague just glanced at me a couple more times, and then..."

Besides the strict official security measures, another group of people were lurking in the shadows of Luoyang.

In a private teahouse, several wandering Taoist priests were using "qi observation" to spy on the imperial city; on the second floor of a tavern, itinerant sorcerers set up their Qimen Dunjia compasses; even on a painted boat on the Luo River, a scholar-like cultivator held a compass, staring intently at the water's surface...

These folk masters from all walks of life gathered in Luoyang just to catch a glimpse of the legendary "peerless shaman".

Why make such a big fuss?

It's all supposedly the fault of those who spread rumors.

Legend has it that a peerless sorcerer was born; legend has it that the Luo River shades Luoyang in winter; legend has it that the emperor was slapped hard across the face; legend has it that…

It is said that there is solid evidence, including both witness testimony and physical evidence.

Even if I didn't witness the splendor of that slap, I've seen a figure in red leading a divine dragon across the land.

"Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Twelve whips cracked as the street-cleaning whips sounded, and everyone turned to look towards the imperial city.

coming! coming!
The Nuo ritual procession came in a grand procession. At the very front, the high priest wore a golden four-eyed mask, a bearskin cloak, and a black robe with a red inner garment. This attire, which should have been imposing, now made him appear unusually trembling with fear.

"May King Yu protect us... May the Goddess of the Luo River have mercy..."

The newly appointed High Priest was filled with apprehension. His predecessor had died a gruesome death in full view of everyone.

But he could not disobey the emperor's order, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and lead 120 disciples of the imperial family forward.

Behind the procession, court officials such as the Attendant-in-Ordinary and the Minister of Personnel were all dressed in red turbans, while the Imperial Guards led the way with halberds. The ceremonial procession, which should have been solemn, now had an eerie feel to it. Each guard had a talisman hidden under his armor, and each flag was secretly embroidered with incantations to ward off evil.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The thunderous sound of the giant drum signaled the start of the Nuo dance.

The high priest brandished his peach wood sword.

"Jia eats the fierce, Wei eats the tiger, Xiongbo eats the demon, Tengjian eats the ominous, and he takes on all kinds of food..."

The deep chanting of the eunuchs echoed across the altar, and 120 nuns responded in unison. The ancient incantation seemed to open some kind of channel, and the ministers began to wail and weep according to ritual, everything was no different from the grand exorcism ceremony of previous years.

The high priest, wearing the golden four-eyed mask of Fangxiangshi, had entered a state of spiritual communication. His dance with the twelve beast shamans grew increasingly frenzied, their movements gradually exceeding human limits, revealing a wildness reminiscent of ancient rituals.

"Ha!"

The high priest suddenly leaned back, his spine curving into an unbelievable arc. His eyes rolled back beneath the mask, and fine beads of blood seeped from his pores—a sign that his spirituality had reached its peak.

The courtiers were drenched in sweat, roaring three times in rhythm. With each shout, golden rays of light emanated from their seven orifices, merging into the sea of auspicious clouds above the imperial city.

Ang~~~
In a dimension visible only to cultivators, the golden dragon of fortune that had been coiled in the capital suddenly surged!
First, the dragon's head rose higher, exceeding the height of the imperial city; then the dragon's body stretched out, covering the entire city of Luoyang; finally, the dragon's tail swayed, spreading to the surrounding counties.

The opening and closing of the golden scales seemed to reflect the mountains and rivers, and the swaying of the dragon's whiskers resembled the rushing of rivers and seas. This aura was even stronger than when he was slapped last year.

At the summit of Longhu Mountain, several silver strands suddenly broke off from the whisk in the hand of the contemporary Celestial Master.

"Strange..." he murmured to himself, gazing northwards, "The overall trend of the decline of Tao and the rise of Demons remains unchanged, so why is the foundation of humanity even more solid?" Amidst the clouds and mist of Maoshan, Wei Yuanjun frantically calculated with his fingers, yet the three copper coins before him remained upright: "This is not in accordance with the Way of Heaven..."

The most astonishing sight was that young Taoist boy named Ge Chaofu from Xuandu Temple. This child, who was usually obsessed with alchemy, was now standing on the edge of the cliff, lost in thought: "Humanity chooses its own path?"

Deep in the Yangtze River, the Dragon King glanced at it once and lost interest:

"Ah, it is the flourishing of humanity that is true, not the eternal stability of imperial rule."

"The man surnamed Xu may seem crazy, but he knows the bottom line better than anyone else."

In the small courtyard of Qiantang, Xu Xuan seemed to sense something and raised his cup to the Northern Golden Dragon in a perfunctory toast:
"You can have fun by yourself this year, I don't have time..."

But as soon as he finished speaking, he sensed something was off. On a whim, he zoomed out and saw that this guy looked a bit...

"Is something bad about to happen?"

This is a premonition from a villainous leader who is entangled with humanity, and it makes no sense whatsoever.

"Click——"

On the palace altar, the high priest wearing the Fangxiangshi mask suddenly froze. The golden mask, originally made of two halves joined together, unexpectedly shattered into four pieces, which hit the bluestone ground with a crisp sound.

The high priest's body slumped to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. The dance of the twelve beast shamans came to an abrupt halt, their pupils beneath their masks contracting sharply. Here we go again?

How familiar this scene is! Last year's grand exorcism ceremony was just like that, where twelve of my predecessor's colleagues died tragically!

"Do not!!!"

The blood mist exploded!

One by one, the twelve Beast Shamans exploded and died, except for the one wearing the Birch mask, who remained standing still. His mask was splattered with the blood of his companions, and his legs trembled like leaves, yet he miraculously survived.

hold head high--!
High above, the golden dragon of destiny, which was sweeping across the nine provinces, suddenly froze. Its majestic dragon head turned towards the capital, and a human-like confusion appeared in its golden eyes.

The next second, as if a signal had been interrupted, the golden dragon that had dominated the four seas vanished into thin air!

"what happened?!"

The hidden masters from both the righteous and demonic paths were completely dumbfounded. After a brief silence, the entire city of Luoyang erupted in chaos!

"Someone has made a move!"

"He must be an unparalleled master!"

"Find quickly!"

In an instant, countless figures darted out from the streets and alleys. An old man in a flowing Taoist robe leaped across the rooftops; a monk holding a staff leaped onto the bell tower; several monks dressed as children took to the air on kites; and a woman in red stood directly on the top of the flagpole... The best viewing spots were snapped up in the blink of an eye.

Several later cultivators nearly came to blows over a tower. Everyone stared wide-eyed, their divine senses sweeping across every corner of Luoyang like a net, trying to find the "mysterious person who interrupted the Nuo ritual."

"Boo-boo-boo-"

Countless arrows pierced the clouds like crimson fireworks, exploding in a blinding red light in the Luoyang night sky. The clanging of armor and the neighing of warhorses were deafening, and the ground trembled slightly under the stampede of thousands of troops.

At the city gates, the Xuanjia Army surged out like a tide, instantly sealing off all four gates; on the city towers, three-zhang-long crossbows were mounted on arrow platforms, their gleaming arrows aimed at the city.
On both banks of the Luo River, the court officials displayed their unique abilities: some froze the river surface with hand seals, some used magic to change the course of the water, and some even directly used the "Mountain and River Lock" formation to trap this section of the Luo River!
Meanwhile, Emperor Jin, inside the secret chamber, was suffering from an extreme headache and was furious, because this accident had nothing to do with him.

“Again!!!”

"Do you think this is a latrine?!"

"Even if it's a latrine... it's a royal latrine!"

Orders to mobilize troops flew out like snowflakes, and the sound of clashing tiger tallies echoed incessantly. In the blink of an eye, the entire city of Luoyang had been transformed into an impenetrable fortress filled with murderous intent.

Imperial Guards, armed with halberds, searched every residence; astronomers from the Imperial Observatory interrogated every practitioner; even the monks of the Great Xiangguo Temple were ordered to hand over their ordination certificates for verification…

Qiantang Courtyard

"It really wasn't me!" Xu Xuan was furious at the sight of those two beautiful eyes filled with suspicion.

He pointed to the chaotic state of the northern energy flow and explained, "Using the power of humanity to suppress evil spirits is a wonderful method to delay the decline of the righteous and the rise of demons. How could I..."

“Chinese characters…” Bai Suzhen sighed softly, “Why do you need to explain to me?”

This has further damaged the already fragile trust.

No, it's me!

"You didn't invite me to something this fun?!" Xiao Qing was direct, grabbing her best friend's collar, her golden eyes blazing.

The implication that you dare to hog everything is extremely strong.

No, I am not!

While Xu Xuan was speechless with grievances, he also thought of something that made him want to vomit blood.

Last year, my heroic deeds spread throughout Bao'an Hall, and I even wrote a few short poems to commemorate them.

So, do you all think this is another...?

Sure enough, butterflies flew in from all directions.

No one questioned the matter; they were all just curious as to why he had acted alone again.

I'm not going to act alone!
No one could ever be blamed for his misdeeds.