Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 944 I've Come to Descend Upon Calamity
The sea of ​​flowers surged violently, each poppy seeming like a soul awakening from a thousand-year slumber, swaying wildly.

The petals are no longer soft silk, but have become pulsating blood vessels, expanding and contracting in a rhythm visible to the naked eye.

An immense and unparalleled life force was forcibly extracted and gathered from the deepest part of this land, causing the color of each flower to change at an eerie speed.

The vibrant crimson precipitated into a dark red, then transformed into a purplish-black resembling congealed blood, and finally subtly revealed a dark brown color like old, dried blood scabs.

A strong, nauseating stench of blood rose up from the blooming sea of ​​flowers without warning.

This is not a garden, but a battlefield where a massacre has just taken place.

The aura did not come alone; it was accompanied by a tidal wave of resentment and malevolence, formless and intangible, yet almost overwhelming one's mind.

The ear-piercing sounds of countless clashing weapons and the dull rumble of iron hooves trampling the earth clearly came from deep beneath our feet.

Interspersed among them were indistinct roars and shouts, as if countless buried souls were trying to break through the soil.

“What a big noise!”

Xu Xuan couldn't help but gasp in surprise. Even though it was the first time he had witnessed a demon taking human form, he knew that this strange and terrifying omen was extremely unusual.

This is by no means the gentle process by which ordinary spirits absorb the essence of the sun and moon.

A moment later, the celestial phenomena suddenly changed.

The once clear sky was quickly swallowed up by dark clouds that appeared out of nowhere. The heavy, dark clouds hung low, as if pressing down on people's heads and hearts, making it hard to breathe.

Within the thick clouds, a muffled rumble of thunder began to roll, unlike the usual vibrant spring thunder, which instead carried a sense of oppressive and warning, as if the wrath of heaven were in full swing.

"Hiss—" Xu Xuan couldn't help but gasp.

"In a climate where the righteous are declining and the demonic are rising, this girl has actually chosen the right path..."

He sighed a second time, wondering whether this poppy was lucky, or unlucky, destined to walk this perilous path that was intolerable to the ways of heaven.

Seeing a woman who was similar to him but not as demonic resolutely embark on this path of no return, Xu Xuan felt a strange sense of pleasure.

Demons are good, this kind of demon is just right.

The prelude is finally over, and the main feature begins.

The wind, originating from an unknown source, suddenly swept across the sea of ​​flowers.

It doesn't bring the fresh scent of grass and trees, but rather a cold, stale smell, carrying the odor of rust and decay.

The lingering resentment, grief, and fear of countless Jiangdong youths, mixed with the stench of decaying bones deep in the soil, spread across the land like a viscous swamp.

This land seemed to have turned into a filthy swamp, where countless heroic souls and regrets lingered.

Within this foundation, countless dark, blood-red petals swirled wildly upwards!

Poppies, with an almost insane obsession and a destructive resolve, surged and converged toward the very center of the storm.

Petals fluttered and intertwined, vaguely outlining the silhouette of a woman.

Within that outline, a pair of eyes were the first to take shape.

In the filthy mire filled with endless negative emotions, it is impossible for any clarity to emerge; these eyes indeed contained only boundless hatred.

I hate the injustice of fate and my bad luck!

I hate that Heaven and Earth are so heartless, treating all things like straw dogs!

I hate my own powerlessness, my beautiful face and tragic fate!

The desire for destruction boiled violently within her still-forming soul, almost breaking through all constraints.

Then... those eyes, filled purely with hatred, suddenly locked onto Xu Xuan, who stood not far away, seemingly out of place, with a cheerful smile on his face.

kill!

Her thoughts, like cold, poisonous thorns, pierced Xu Xuan's sea of ​​consciousness even before her physical form had fully solidified.

The ground beneath their feet groaned under the unbearable weight, suddenly becoming riddled with holes!
One after another, jet-black, arrow-shaped streams of air, imbued with the killing intent of the battlefield, burst forth from the earth as if archers who had been buried for a thousand years had been given a command once more!

In an instant, thousands upon thousands of jet-black arrows, formed from pure malevolent energy, blotted out the sky and rained down like a torrential downpour, hurtling towards Xu Xuan!

This was more concentrated and more ruthless than any army's volley, completely setting the stage for this unequal "war".

His killing intent was ruthless, regardless of reason, solely for the destruction of those living before him!
Xu Xuan: "...?"

He was taken aback by the sudden and overwhelming attack, and looked down at himself in confusion.

The appearance is normal, the demeanor is upright, there's nothing wrong with it.

“I just helped you chase away two bad monks, and they didn’t mean you any harm.”

"I'm a well-regarded, good person."

"Do you know how difficult it is for me to do a good deed, girl?"

A surge of anger welled up inside me. I thought to myself, "It's just a little monster. How dare it hurt my kind heart? I should just kill it."

Just then, a cool aura descended from the Dharma image, awakening a sense of vigilance.

As a master of manipulating people's minds, the White Lotus Demon King sensed something was wrong.

He then thoughtfully raised his head, gazing at the dark, stormy sky where lightning flickered, a flash of understanding appearing in his eyes.

"I see…."

"Without any intelligence, merely acting on instinct to vent hatred... and yet actively forging this bloody karmic bond with me?"

He shook his head slightly, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "Is this Heaven using her to bring calamity upon me? Or... using me to bring calamity upon her?"

Even a seasoned driver can crash when blinded by greed; one really has to be careful at all times.

Xu Xuan slightly raised his hand, signaling to the restless Stone King beside him that he did not need to step forward to stop him.

He dispersed the spiritual light flowing around him, completely abandoning his defenses, allowing the overwhelming barrage of malevolent arrows to strike him.

Dang Dang Dang——!
A sudden burst of intense impacts erupted!

The ferocious aura, powerful enough to tear metal apart, struck Xu Xuan, causing it to shatter like a torrential downpour striking ancient iron, scattering countless tiny black fragments and producing a sharp, piercing metallic clang.

As for the fierce, bloody aura contained within the arrows…

Xu Xuan savored it carefully and felt that the aura was ancient and pure, with a kind of desperate sharpness, and the taste... was alright.

Seeing that the malevolent arrows had failed to achieve their goal, the entire poppy field exploded and boiled in chaos!

An even more powerful and resentful aura soared into the sky, and the intense obsession distorted the space-time of this place, briefly bringing this world back to the bloody and fiery night of Gaixia hundreds of years ago!
The roars of thousands, the mournful neighing of warhorses, the clash of weapons, the thunder of war drums...

Countless sounds intertwined, and the terrifying aura of the military formation spread out like a tangible wave.

In the dim light, it seemed as if within each swaying poppy flower, stood the phantom of a Chu soldier with crimson eyes and tattered armor!
They roared, determined to drag all living beings they saw into that desperate final battle and bury them there!

"It's actually the battle spirit that hasn't dissipated?" A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Xuan's eyes, then he understood.

The figure that was coalescing was Yu Ji, but not entirely Yu Ji.

It is also the collective body of countless restless souls of Chu soldiers on this land, whose resentment and lingering grief are intertwined and merged with the lingering resentment of Yu Ji!

She is a symbol of their resentment and a vessel for their hatred.

Xu Xuan sighed softly, his voice piercing through the deafening shouts of battle, carrying a hint of compassion born from a deep understanding of history.

"When Liu Bang offered a tearful sacrifice to Xiang Yu with the rites due to the Duke of Lu and buried him in Gucheng, he never mentioned how to settle you, the Jiangdong youths who followed him to the death."

"After that, he ascended the throne and ruled the world, granting amnesty to all, but he never remembered to pardon you 'souls of enemy countries'."

His gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing corners unrecorded in history books. "And so, you became forgotten, ownerless wandering souls, trapped in this blood-stained land, your hatred accumulating year after year, unable to be reborn."

"Is this the reason why the Heavenly Dao guided me to become one of you who 'bring down the tribulation'?"

Xu Xuan muttered to himself, already understanding the cause and effect of his situation.

Xu Xuan, the foremost figure in the Pure Land School of Buddhism to guide a large number of people to enlightenment, is here at just the right time.

With a slight thought, a long-forgotten historical record naturally surfaced in my mind: The Records of the Grand Historian, Annals of Emperor Gaozu, states: "When Xiang Yu heard the Chu songs of the Han army, he thought that the Han had conquered all of Chu. Xiang Yu was defeated and fled, and his army suffered a great defeat. He sent the cavalry general Guan Ying to pursue and kill Xiang Yu at Dongcheng, beheading 80,000 men, and then pacified the Chu territory."

Eighty thousand were beheaded!

Beneath this land, what is soaked is more than just the blood of Yu Ji.

They're all... a bunch of pitiful people.

The last ripple in his eyes subsided into calm, replaced by a resolute expression of compassion.

He slowly clasped his hands together, and a gentle yet incredibly resolute light began to emanate from his body, different from the murderous aura of the battlefield.

The world remembers the tragic beauty of Farewell My Concubine, but often forgets that in that great war that determined the fate of the world, besides the heroes and beauties who are remembered in history, countless nameless soldiers fell like weeds.

Their blood soaked this land, but their resentment and obsession sank into the shadows of history, forgotten by all.

Ancient battlefields have always been ominous places where many people die violently. The souls of the dead, due to their intense obsession, resentment, and anger, are prone to lingering in the same place. Over the years, they condense into an inescapable yin and malevolent aura that is difficult to dissipate with ordinary wind and sun.

The spirit left behind at the ancient battlefield of Gaixia is even more tragic and resolute, as if cast from iron and stone. Ordinary chanting of sutras and prayers cannot shake it even a fraction.

The reason this place has not suffered any earth-shattering disasters in recent years is probably because this exotic poppy flower can naturally connect with the evil energy of the earth's veins, using it as nourishment to take root and grow. This can be considered a kind of suppression and absorption, maintaining a dangerous balance.

Unfortunately, this demon is about to take human form today, completely disrupting the balance.

To seize all the malevolent energy and resentment accumulated here over hundreds of years for one's own use is an act against the will of Heaven, and such a calamity is inevitable.

"Amitabha."

Xu Xuan chanted a Buddhist mantra in a low voice, his professional demeanor perfectly at ease. "I am a high-ranking monk from the Pure Land School. It is my old profession to guide wronged souls and dispel evil spirits."

The entire rigorous ritual of Buddhist deliverance ceremonies flashed through my mind instantly:

First, a "Flaming Mouth Platform" must be set up, and the "Mengshan Food Offering Sutra" must be recited to sprinkle rice and sweet dew on the hungry ghosts who are staying here, so that they can be temporarily satiated, their resentment can be appeased, and the evil aura can be reduced.

Then, a "decree" is written, detailing the deceased's place of origin and name—although most of the souls in this area are nameless, the ritual cannot be abandoned. It symbolically "migrates" them from the world of the living to the realm of the dead, guiding them to come and hear the Dharma. If there is a stone pagoda or ritual implement, it can be used to transport the souls, making it even more efficient.

The core element is "breaking through hell," which requires the presiding monk to chant secret incantations while wielding a staff, using supreme power to forcibly open the passage to the underworld, allowing the imprisoned souls to escape. Afterwards, the souls must be guided "across a bridge," driving away malevolent spirits along the way to ensure a smooth and undisturbed journey.

Finally, if a large-scale water and land ritual can be held again, gathering monks to chant sutras here for forty-nine days, it may be possible to gradually change the yin and evil magnetic field of this place, and then set up a transformation array to slowly eliminate and transform the evil energy.

but……

Xu Xuan glanced at the increasingly violent, almost solidified, military formation's malevolent aura and the thousands of howling soul shadows around him, and shook his head.

"Too slow, and the effect... is probably mediocre."

How can such stubborn obsessions, accumulated over hundreds of years, be easily dismissed by a mere forty-nine days of scripture reading? It's probably just a drop in the ocean.

His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings, confirming that it was a desolate wilderness with no ordinary people watching.

Therefore, Xu Xuan made a decision.

Since the conventional process is too inefficient, then... let's take a shortcut.

(End of this chapter)