I changed the world.

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"Greetings, Immortal Chang!" A young-looking soldier bowed deeply to Zhang Jing with a nervous expression. It was clear that he was not very old.

Zhang Jingping returned the greeting politely and asked him what was the matter.

“I was ignorant before… I… I believed in the Holy Revelation Church in my hometown, and I went to church a few times with friends, but it was just for fun… I don’t know… if I can convert to Taoism?”

Zhang Jing immediately understood the man's purpose. It must be said that with the development of the times, especially with the integration of Dazhao with the international community and the general relaxation of religious policies, Western-style churches can now be seen in many large cities in China.

Although the various sectarian groups within the Holy Revelation movement have complex factions, the general public in China is unaware of this and often refers to them collectively as "Holy Revelation Church." Many do this to appear "different" or "cool." Others succumb to the allure of proselytizing or receiving gifts, being invited to church sermons and thus becoming believers.

Overall, although the proportion of believers in the Holy Revelation religions within the Great Zhao Kingdom is extremely low, the absolute number is not small. Especially in recent years, due to the promotion of some Western cultural products and the increased manpower and resources invested by the Holy Revelation religions in missionary work in the East, the number of believers is in a phase of rapid increase.

According to Zhang Jing's observation, most of the soldiers in the 206th Rapid Reaction Force were of typical East Asian descent. In terms of religious beliefs, they were either abelievers or followers of Taoism, but there were also quite a few who believed in Buddhism and even a few who believed in the Holy Revelation Sect.

“The Way is not far from man; it is man who distances himself from it.” Zhang Jing said in a calm tone, “The Taoist school is vast and will never reject a heart that aspires to goodness.”

“A petty person turns to good, a true person turns to good…” Upon hearing this, the soldier felt as if he had been granted a pardon. As he spoke, he pulled out a silver chain with a crown pendant from around his neck, ripped it off, and threw it far away like a hot potato, as if to show that he was breaking away from his former beliefs.

"Come forward." Although he wasn't particularly fond of this behavior, he figured he might as well go all the way. Looking at the curious, awe-inspiring, and admiring glances coming his way, Zhang Jing beckoned to the soldier.

Upon hearing this, the soldier hurriedly stepped forward, and Zhang Jing reached out and gently patted his forehead. He murmured, "May the Heavenly Venerable be merciful and protect you."

After making a sound, he took a cup of tea that he hadn't had time to drink yet, dipped his middle finger and thumb in the tea, and flicked it onto the soldier.

The soldier felt a warm sensation spreading from the top of his head downwards, and his awe grew even stronger. He couldn't help but kneel down with a thud: "This disciple will definitely enshrine the images of the Three Pure Ones at home and pay homage to them every day without daring to slack off!"

This action caused some officers, including Wang Hanjun, to feel instinctively uncomfortable. After all, the military camp was a place of great importance, and even the emperor himself would not perform grand salutations there. Kneeling before a religious figure at this time would inevitably conflict with their previous education.

However, the group quickly realized that the person in front of them was a true immortal, unlike those frivolous and shameless women who roamed the martial world. Moreover, their lives depended on him, so they calmed down and pretended not to see him.

On the contrary, some other soldiers, after witnessing the interaction between this soldier and Zhang Jing, even showed envy in their eyes. After all, the person before them was a true immortal! Given the pragmatic religious understanding of the Chinese people… such an opportunity to be touched on the head by a true immortal is not something easily obtained. Don't you see, in many places, people argue fiercely over who will be the first to burn incense on the first day of the Lunar New Year, with the streets practically deserted?

Zhang Jing keenly noticed this subtle atmosphere, so he didn't rush to make the soldier get up, but said slowly, "Without rules, there can be no order. Since you believe in my religion, you must strictly abide by the precepts."

"Please enlighten me, Immortal Master," the soldier said respectfully.

“The word ‘戒’ means ‘boundary,’ the boundary of the boundary. The word ‘戒’ also means ‘stop,’ knowing where to stop.” Zhang Jing said, glancing around. He was speaking to the soldiers kneeling on the ground, and also to the people around him.

“The Great Meaning of the Mysterious Gate says that it can untie the bonds of all evils, distinguish the boundaries between good and evil, and prevent all evils.” Zhang Jing continued, “The so-called precepts are to restrain desires and prevent ‘evil thoughts and desires’ and ‘perverse words and deeds’.”

“The primary precept of my Xuanmen is to have a compassionate heart, to have good intentions in all things, and to refrain from stealing, committing adultery, and lying.” Zhang Jing paused, then continued, “You soldiers may one day have to kill, but you should also know that killing is for the purpose of protecting life, and you must not kill indiscriminately.”

Chapter 586 Opening the Altar and Performing the Ritual

As he spoke, he glanced at the soldiers around him and said, "If any of you intend to follow the orthodox tradition of my Xuanmen, you may follow this precept."

Just as he finished speaking, a soldier suddenly mustered up his courage and spoke up, then bowed respectfully and said, "This humble one also wishes to convert to the Xuanmen sect. May I ask the immortal master to bless this humble one with a blessing?"

As soon as these words were spoken, more than a dozen soldiers stepped forward, all saying the same thing.

Wang Hanjun's face turned somewhat ugly. Fearing that these soldiers might offend the immortal in front of him, he quickly looked at Zhang Jing and was about to reprimand his subordinates.

He had barely opened his mouth when Zhang Jing stopped him with a gesture. In the end, it was discovered that there were more than fifty soldiers who wanted to convert. Among them were those who had previously been believers in the Buddha Sect, a very small number who were believers in the Holy Enlightenment Sect, some who claimed to have lost their faith before and wanted to convert to the Xuanmen Sect, and a few who probably wanted to get a blessing from the immortals...

In short, Zhang Jing amiably fulfilled everyone's requests, and he himself noticed that, it seemed, the soldiers became even more respectful to him afterward...

Those soldiers who previously believed in other religions also tore off and threw aside the small ornaments, amulets, and pendants they wore that had religious significance after converting, as if they could not break with the past otherwise.

....................................

Not long after, the altar was set up. There was no sandalwood incense in the incense burner, so cigarettes had to be used instead. Cigarettes were essential military supplies and there was a considerable stock of them.

"Silence, do not make a sound."

The officers and soldiers formed a loose square formation below the altar, all watching with curiosity as Zhang Jing slowly walked to the front of the altar. When Zhang Jing spoke, some of the soldiers who were still whispering among themselves quickly stood at attention.

The tabby cat was still perched on Zhang Jing's shoulder, but then he casually waved his hand, and his robe sleeve tore through the air, causing the incense burners and oil lamps on the altar to spontaneously combust without fire.

Meanwhile, about thirty paces away from the altar, some flags that had been fixed there beforehand were seen fluttering and making a loud noise without any wind.

The surrounding light began to dim rapidly. The cafeteria had been lit, but now it seemed as if those lights had been suddenly blocked by a great distance, preventing them from reaching the area. To everyone else, the lights were still on, yet the surrounding light had become dim.

"boundary!"

Blazing white lightning began to flash between the banners, quickly forming chains that linked the banners together, rapidly creating a square area that completely isolated the inner and outer areas.

In the soldiers' perception, the square area at the center of the chains was constantly expanding in all directions. What was originally a small area of ​​only a few hundred square meters had soon grown into a huge area of ​​tens of thousands of square meters. The flags that served as the boundaries were also constantly stretching and growing larger, gradually transforming into a massive presence like the great banners on an ancient battlefield.

The dining hall, walls, beacon towers, and even the universe beyond, densely covered with threads, that were originally outside the banner had all vanished. The entire altar area seemed to have been separated from the rest of the space by the banner, pulled into another world. Beyond this boundary, there was a vast expanse of thick fog, completely obscuring any view beyond.

Then Zhang Jing raised his right hand in a sword-finger gesture and said, "Go!"

The next moment, a sword's cry rang out, and an ancient longsword, suspended in mid-air, appeared behind him. It then shot up to the altar and hovered there in mid-air. Although the longsword was not large, it had a heavy feeling that could suppress everything. When it took its place, the entire space seemed to tremble.

Some soldiers instinctively shrank back, even though they knew it wouldn't happen, they were still subconsciously afraid that the longsword might slip and fall, killing several of them...

"By imperial decree, the Dharma Protector is summoned! Hurry!"

As the low, indifferent voice fell, the mist at the four corners of this square boundary began to churn violently. Soon, four enormous figures seemed to emerge from the clouds outside the boundary. Due to the dim light and the obscuration by the clouds, no one could truly see their appearance, only knowing that they were towering and majestic.

At the same time, a faint, heavy breathing sound arose, a long and deep sound that subconsciously reminded one of a whale in the deep sea...

At this moment, no one spoke; everyone looked at Zhang Jing with awe.

But Zhang Jing was seen walking with a mysterious footwork, chanting incantations. The soldiers couldn't understand what he was chanting, but they felt that the chanting was ancient and desolate, unlike the language of the Great Zhao Kingdom, yet there were some faint similarities.

As the chanting began, a talisman appeared out of thin air high above, hovering above everyone's heads, followed by a second, and a third...

Soon, a total of 108 talismans were lit up and arranged in a staggered shape. The soldiers present, as members of the Earth Defense Force stationed at Fengsui Fortress, had all studied astronomy. At this moment, some of them vaguely felt that the shape of the talismans seemed to resemble the positions of certain stars, but they couldn't figure it out for a moment.

However, they quickly stopped thinking about these questions, because Zhang Jing's tone changed, and the following words were ones they could understand...

"...The primordial energy, existing before chaos, resides within the precious pearl, mysterious beyond mystery..."

As Zhang Jing's recitation continued, its unique rhythm seemed to vibrate the surrounding space, gradually connecting the words and causing the blood, breath, and even thoughts of everyone present to resonate with this vibration...

At this moment, they clearly felt a strong sense of unease rising from the bottom of their hearts. Or rather, it wasn't that they were uneasy, but rather another part of themselves besides them was uneasy!

It was an extremely bizarre and indescribable experience, as if another version of myself existed inside my body!

These soldiers had all experienced the seemingly omnipresent whispers to varying degrees, had received warnings from their superiors, understood the extreme danger posed by these whispers, and had witnessed their comrades undergo mutations due to mental breakdowns. However, at that time, they had no choice but to use sedatives or even intense pain to stimulate their minds in order to get through those difficult times.

But now, for the first time, they felt that abnormal presence within their bodies, sensed its unease, its restlessness…

Chapter 587 The Great Being in the Dark

"...rotating through the Big Dipper and the constellation of the Five Elements, majestic and grand, the origin of all paths..."

"...emptiness and nature. The ultimate and wondrous way..."

"Homage to the Supreme Heavenly Venerable, the Great Luo Pure Ones, the Three Realms, the Three Treasures, and the Void and Natural One!"

"bye!"

As the long, drawn-out voice, seemingly both close at hand and from a distant place, faded away, the soldiers below dared not hesitate for a moment. They clasped their hands together and, following the posture Zhang Jing had previously instructed them to adopt, bowed respectfully to the ground!

As they bowed to the ground, the talismans in the sky simultaneously began to burn. At the same time, all the soldiers felt, without prior agreement, that a great consciousness, some unknown distance above, was casting a glance at them…

Yes, it was just a fleeting glance, yet it was an extremely mysterious and indescribable feeling, incredibly real. Even that single glance was enough to evoke a breathtaking sense of awe, a grandeur and vastness that defied description. If one had to describe it, in that instant of facing it, one felt the insignificance of a grain of sand compared to the ocean.

In that instant when that gaze swept across, a mournful wail resounded from the depths of everyone's soul. Afterward, everyone felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from their shoulders, and an indescribable sense of ease and joy arose from the bottom of their hearts.

"Goodbye!"

"Pfft!"

Below the stage, some soldiers knelt down and prostrated themselves in worship.

Immediately afterwards, this action seemed to be contagious; a second, a third, and soon large numbers of soldiers, either voluntarily or under the influence of others, knelt down like waves of wheat swaying in the wind.

"Three bows!"

In Zhang Jing's eyes, he used his divine sense to activate the essence of the Heavenly Punishment Sword and, with the help of religious rituals, projected it into the minds of everyone.

It must be said that the ritual's effect was even better than expected. After ample prior suggestion and preparation, coupled with the ritual's inherent power, the soldiers' minds resonated deeply with the projection, forming a specific pathway that guided the power of the Heavenly Punishment Sword downwards…

For those parasitic creatures, these demons are fundamentally far inferior to the Heavenly Punishment Sword in rank, and they are so easily annihilated that they cannot even react much!

Is this what "faith" is?

Zhang Jing pondered this thoughtfully; it was indeed an interesting point…

"prosper!"

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As the ritual ended, a clear sword cry rang out, and the surrounding light began to brighten again. The distant mist began to dissipate, and even the space that seemed to have become independent appeared to be returning. With the restoration of light, it was as if everyone had returned to the familiar cafeteria.

Although the ritual had ended, no one spoke for a moment, as if afraid that speaking would disrupt the still-lingering sacred atmosphere.

At this moment, many soldiers looked at Zhang Jing with not only awe and worship, but even fanaticism. Clearly, the sacred experience of the transcendent state during the ritual just now was more powerful than a thousand words. Almost all the soldiers clearly felt the changes in their bodies, and the whispers that had been bothering them had disappeared.

Without a doubt, the immortal before us is a true "divine being," and the Heavenly Venerable is also a real person...

Anyone who has experienced that great will will not doubt this. Many soldiers are already planning to build shrines in their homes to worship the Three Pure Ones when they return...

"Master, how did it go? Did it go smoothly?" Wang Hanjun hurriedly stepped forward and asked with his hands clasped in greeting.

"I have successfully completed my mission. The parasites on your subordinate have been removed." Zhang Jing nodded, and was about to say something more when he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the side of the cafeteria.

Zhuang Wang Hanjun looked over in confusion, but what he saw was the wall of the canteen.

"It seems it's been a bit agitated..." Zhang Jing chuckled, then suddenly took a step and vanished from the spot.