Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 962 Brothers and Sisters in the South

His words were sharp and his metaphors were exquisite, always hitting the nail on the head, leaving everyone present stunned and broadening their horizons.

Is the world we live in really this bad?

This was followed by the classic White Lotus Religion doctrine preaching segment.

Xu Xuan combined the doctrines of "empty homeland, unborn mother" with the dissatisfaction and desires of the powerful and wealthy present, explaining them in a profound yet simple and eloquent way.

Their tone was sometimes impassioned, sometimes compassionate, and extremely inflammatory. Even those powerful figures who had initially been coerced into joining the movement couldn't help but be influenced by the atmosphere and felt that these rebels were speaking with a certain conviction...

There's actually some truth to that.
This Dharma King seems to have some real skills.

The entire process was executed with practiced ease, and that deep-seated "professional old fox" vibe was palpable.

Hou Sheng, who was standing to the side, was even more convinced and nodded secretly: "This new boss is a bit tyrannical and his methods are a bit cruel, but he does his job of preaching and bewitching people very well! It seems that the Great Wisdom Dharma King is indeed a little inferior in the area of ​​'preaching'."

The magistrate of Ji County stood in the crowd, his face plastered with the same obsequious smile as everyone else, nodding repeatedly in agreement, as if he had a profound understanding of the Dharma King's teachings.

However, his hands, hidden beneath the wide sleeves, were clenched tightly, his inner hatred and humiliation surging like boiling magma, almost uncontrollable.

Among everyone present, he had the highest status and the strongest background.

Born into a local gentry family, though not a top-tier clan, he still had a solid foundation. He was originally a legitimate candidate recommended for officialdom, and his career path was stable. If nothing unexpected happened, he might be transferred to a prefecture or county in a few years, and might even have a chance to get a glimpse into the central government.

He had absolutely no desire or disdain to have anything to do with these cult rebels!
Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on us.

Three years ago, that seemingly gentle and wise Dharma King, without using any evil magic or sorcery, but purely using human methods, meticulously set up a trap that he could not escape.

If that matter were to be exposed, not only would his official hat be ruined, but his head and even the reputation of his family would be completely destroyed. In the rage of Prince Peishun, he would be enough to kill him a dozen times over.

Left with no other choice, he gritted his teeth and accepted it, thus becoming bound by the White Lotus Sect.

Fortunately, the previous requests were relatively "restrained," merely using his authority to block the area surrounding Dazexiang, suppress some "unnecessary" rumors, and provide some convenience.

He had done these things before to cultivate relationships and manipulate others, so he just considered it as a change to a more dangerous "employer".

But to everyone's surprise, the new Dharma King seems even more insane than Dazhi!

He keeps talking about things like "vacuum homeland" and "unborn mother," and he talks a lot of nonsense about great achievements and contributions!

"Before you damned traitors, I lived a much more comfortable life in the mortal realm!"

Just as he was cursing the world in his heart, he suddenly met Xu Xuan's eyes, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.

Those eyes seemed to pierce through his carefully crafted smile, revealing the deepest resentment and fear within him.

The magistrate shuddered, all his curses choking him up instantly, his back soaked with cold sweat.

Almost instinctively, he deepened his fawning smile, bent his back even lower, and loudly echoed in an almost exaggerated tone:
"His Holiness is wise! His Holiness is absolutely right!"

"Your humble servant... no, your disciple! Your disciple has long hoped to contribute my humble efforts to the great cause of my 'hometown'! To be able to follow the Dharma King and build our hometown together is truly a blessing I have accumulated over three lifetimes!"

He was, after all, someone who had risen through the ranks through recommendation, and he was indeed quite literate. His words of loyalty were eloquent and sincere.

Not only that, but to demonstrate his "value," he even stepped forward and, in a low voice, said as if presenting a treasure: "Your Majesty, I have a close friend in the neighboring state of Liang, who holds an important position. This person has a... well, rather peculiar hobby. Perhaps I can find a way to cater to his interests and persuade him to join in this grand undertaking, thus adding another contribution to the great cause of our Holy Church!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding gentry immediately began to outwardly praise him:
"The magistrate is truly righteous!" "He has devoted himself wholeheartedly to the Holy Church!" "He is a role model for us all!"

Yet, deep within their downcast eyes, the same contempt and curse flashed across their faces: "Beast! Yet another animal that drags others down with it!"

Because many of them were dragged into this bottomless abyss step by step by these "close friends" who "catered to their preferences."

Now, seeing the magistrate so skillfully employing the same methods, all that remains besides a sense of shared sorrow is a secret smugness.

Yes, yes, bring more people.

If this blows up, we can clear our names together.

After the second "pleasant" meeting, Xu Xuan's attitude towards Hou Sheng softened considerably.

Although the local bully's cultivation level wasn't great, his efficiency and control over the local network were indeed somewhat useful.

After a short rest, Xu Xuan had Hou Sheng lead the way, and the two of them headed straight for the famous yet extremely remote Dazexiang under the cover of night.

Xu Xuan wanted to see for himself just how far the White Lotus Sect's so-called "preparations" had come.

On the journey, in order to impress his new master, Hou Sheng revealed everything he knew, detailing the cause and effect of the Dazexiang incident.

"About four or five years ago, some members of the church who were on a pilgrimage passed by this place and reported back to the main altar that they had repeatedly seen the strange phenomenon of 'ghost soldiers borrowing the way' here. At certain times, there would be howling winds, ghostly shadows, and even the faint sounds of warhorses neighing and clashing weapons. The yin energy was so thick that it was impossible to dispel it."

"After receiving the report, the headquarters sent a special person to investigate. They found that because of the uprising that year, this place carried too much of a strong sense of 'disruption' and 'resentment,' causing the boundary between the living and the dead to be much weaker than that of ordinary places."

"But... it's only a weak point; the laws of heaven and earth still firmly lock the passage between the two realms."

As Hou Sheng led the way, he gestured as he spoke: "The 'soldiers' on the other side seem extremely agitated. Unable to cross the divide between Yin and Yang, they can only linger at the weakest point, trying to project their power and figures over, hoping to attract enough attention from the mortal world."

"Experts in the sect deduced that if there were a powerful being on the mortal side who was proficient in the art of controlling ghosts and souls and was also well-versed in ancient rituals and formations, and was willing to expend a huge amount of resources and magic power as a 'guide,' perhaps a temporary portal could be forcibly torn open here."

The person who was proficient in the ways of ghosts and well-versed in rituals and formations, and who showed great interest in this matter, was naturally the Great Wisdom Dharma King.

"The specific details of the follow-up were all handled personally by His Holiness the Great Wisdom Dharma King, so I know very little about them."

Hou Sheng spoke with reverence, “All we know is that the Dharma King seems to have made contact with Chen Sheng, the King of the Underworld, through secret methods. What kind of agreement they reached is unknown to outsiders. But since then, the strange phenomenon of ‘ghost soldiers borrowing a path’ in Dazexiang has gradually decreased over the past few years, until it has completely disappeared.”

After listening to Hou Sheng's account, Xu Xuan nodded slightly, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly:

The fact that the White Lotus Sect has been able to continue for three hundred years without ceasing, repeatedly stirring up huge waves, is by no means a fluke.

The school truly has a wealth of talented individuals, each with their own strengths.

Breaking the boundary between Yin and Yang is not easy.

The Tree Demon Granny became the demon who started the calamity without even realizing it, and unintentionally connected the two realms with her locust tree body at a vulnerable point.

The reason why the Yin-Yang Dharma King is feared by both the righteous and the evil is because of his special nature. He can ignore the laws of heaven and earth and travel freely between the Yin and Yang realms.

Previously, King Helü of Wu, in order to return to the mortal world, also borrowed the six gates of ghosts and gods left over from the Yin Heaven Palace of King Zhou, using the Shengxie Sword, which had gathered countless sacrifices and resentments, as a coordinate, and cleverly took advantage of the opportune time and place when the evil sword was born, and thus succeeded by chance.

"Now it seems," Xu Xuan thought, gazing at the desolate and silent Daze Township in the distance under the night sky, "that this wise Dharma King has actually used his wisdom and methods to find another way and complete similar preparations. Indeed, we cannot underestimate the people of the world."

However, this meticulously planned arrangement has now run into the White Lotus Saint Father, who seems to have been guided by fate.

It seemed that some unexpected twists and turns were destined to occur. Under Hou Sheng's guidance, the two soon arrived at a seemingly ordinary wilderness.

Dazexiang is located in a remote area. After thousands of years, apart from weeds, mounds and occasional broken tiles, it remains desolate and rarely inhabited.

“Your Majesty, this is the place.”

Hou Sheng pointed to a seemingly unaffected open space ahead, his tone tinged with embarrassment, "The Great Wisdom Dharma King has laid down extremely powerful concealment measures here. As for the specifics, I... I have no idea. I am merely ordered to come here periodically to patrol and ensure that the outer perimeter is safe."

He did participate in many of the preliminary preparations, and even buried a lot of the array materials himself.

However, the Great Wisdom Dharma King did not reveal the key to the final step, the concealment of the core mechanism, and the triggering mechanism.

Even if they saw it, with their ordinary second-realm cultivation and knowledge, they would be completely powerless to unravel the hidden trick left behind by the Dharma King, who was known for his wisdom.

Xu Xuan nodded slightly. He sensed that Hou Sheng was not lying and that the route he led was exactly as described.

Even before getting close, their keen spiritual senses had already "seen" the traces of yin energy permeating the air.

This smell is very familiar.

It did not originate from the dojo of the Five Ghost Emperors, nor from the mixed underworld of Jambudvipa, but rather from the even more solemn aura of the Eighteen Levels of Hell.

"In this light... even if Chen Sheng enjoys some offerings in the human world in later generations, his spirit's final fate in the underworld is probably quite grim."

But that place, in a sense, might be just right for him.

After all, those who followed him in the uprising were mostly soldiers and poor people struggling at the bottom of society.

Even now, in the underworld, those who surround him are probably still the lowly ghosts filled with resentment and unwillingness.

It complements the despairing atmosphere of the eighteen levels of hell.

As for the hidden arrangements left behind by the Great Wisdom Dharma King...

Under the all-seeing eyes of the White Lotus Dharma Image, all of this was as if it were nothing.

The Holy Father didn't need to calculate the steps to solve the problem; he simply raised his hand casually, his fingers slightly spread, and gently grasped at a certain point in the void ahead.

The movements were so relaxed and effortless, as if they were casually pulling back a curtain.

"Shoot-"

A crisp sound, like the tearing of silk, rang out in the silent wilderness.

The space before them seemed to ripple like water, and then a complex and exquisite rune constructed of pure white magic suddenly appeared, only to shatter into pieces like broken glass in the next moment, turning into specks of light and disappearing without a trace.

The illusion shattered, revealing the hidden truth.

The Great Wisdom Dharma King's plan was indeed ingenious, but it couldn't withstand... the actions of the privilege-granting dog were just so unreasonable.

Xu Xuan stood at the entrance of the hidden barrier that had been forcibly torn open, his gaze sweeping into it. Even with his extensive knowledge, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes.

"What a magnificent altar!"

What lay ahead was not the gloomy cave they had imagined, but a strange space that had been forcibly created and stabilized by an invisible force.

Nine enormous, dark blue stone platforms are scattered along the unique mountain terrain and the flow of earth energy. Their shapes are grand and ancient, each nearly a hundred feet square.

Instead of soaring beams of light or swirling, rosy clouds, it was deep and restrained, exuding an almost deathly oppressive atmosphere.

Each stone platform is built from the local bluish-black mountain stones, and its surface is covered with profound and complex ancient runes. Every stroke contains a strange power that can communicate with the underworld and shake the order.

The nine array points are not arranged in ordinary geometric patterns, but rather strictly correspond to the natural nodes of the local mountains and rivers and the flow of earth's energy.

It subtly aligns with the cycle of the nine stars, corresponds to the power of the celestial constellations above, and controls the pivot of the earth's yin veins below.

The stone platforms come in various shapes, some resembling crouching tigers, others like lurking dragons, and still others like coiled turtles and snakes. Yet, they are all connected by the earth's energy and talismans, forming an incomparably profound and powerful whole.

What's even more eye-catching are the two strange objects placed on the smaller stone platforms on either side of the core of the altar.

On a stone platform to one side, a huge carp is suspended.

The carp's scales were dull, and its belly had been cut open with a sharp blade, but its internal organs had not spilled out, because inside was a simple, ancient silk scroll.

If someone were to open the silk scroll at this moment, they would surely see the three striking characters "Chen Sheng Wang" written in cinnabar on it!
What's even more chilling is that this fish was kept in a bizarre "life-or-death" state by evil magic.

The breath of life is forcibly locked in the dying body, unable to truly die and gain liberation, nor to survive, but only able to eternally endure the agonizing torment of being disemboweled.

On the other side of the stone platform, a seemingly ordinary campfire was burning.

However, lying beside the flames was a withered, ethereal fox spirit.

It too had been cruelly refined by evil magic. Its life force had not been extinguished, but its intelligence had been completely erased, leaving only a wisp of remnant soul that instinctively leaped and screamed around the campfire.

He repeatedly uttered sharp, distorted human words: "The Great Chu will rise! Chen Sheng will be king! The Great Chu will rise! Chen Sheng will be king!"

Xu Xuan immediately understood.

The famous stories of "hiding a book in the belly of a fish" and "the fox's cry by the campfire," which Chen Sheng and Wu Guang used to invoke the power of ghosts and gods to gather people's hearts during their uprising, have now been reproduced by the Great Wisdom Dharma King in such a bizarre and cruel way.

And it became one of the core components of this massive receiving ritual!

This resonates with the "first uprising" aspirations and overwhelming resentment of Chen Sheng, the King of Hell, in the underworld.

Even though Xu Xuan wasn't extremely proficient in the art of formations, he could still sense the terrifying power and ingenious design contained within the altar before him.

"Great Wisdom Dharma King, it seems you truly possess extraordinary talent in the art of array formations and rituals."

That being the case...

With a flick of his wrist, Xu Xuan sent out several Dream Butterflies that shimmered with faint phosphorescence.

Hou Sheng, who was standing to the side, was stunned and didn't understand.

Xu Xuan glanced at him and offered a brief explanation, as if it were a trivial matter:

"I plan to invite some brothers and sisters from the South to come and lend me a hand."

　There will be red envelopes in the group at 8 PM tonight.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)