I changed the world.

As he spoke, he deliberately took a bottle and walked over to a middle-aged man beside him, saying solicitously, "Mr. Zhao, here, quench your thirst..."

He had already figured it out: this "Mr. Zhao," who refused to disclose his title and only said he came from Beijing, was probably the superior of many of the security personnel here.

"Then thank you very much, young master." Zhao Yuanxiu smiled and took the bottle of mineral water. He looked it over and saw that it was the common "Quark Mountain Spring Water" on the market. He then twisted it open, took a sip, and called his subordinates over to fetch more water.

Wang Huizhong was right. Zhao Yuanxiu came from the Imperial Palace's Ceremonial Department and came directly from the capital. He was the head of the security personnel present today.

At this moment, the area in front of the mountain gate was quiet, and nothing unexpected happened. In fact, there were at least two layers of security between here and the foot of the mountain, and ordinary people could not get up here at all. These people were just here as a precaution, and no one thought that anything would really happen.

The group of people got water at the door and drank it. Zhao Yuanxiu took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Wang Huizhong. The two chatted casually, and Zhao Yuanxiu didn't ask anything else. He just casually talked to Wang Huizhong about the daily life in the temple, what the Taoist priests usually did, and other seemingly ordinary topics.

However, Wang Huizhong had been instructed by her master Xu Dequan beforehand, and she was very careful in her speech. Although she seemed to be chatting and laughing with Zhao Yuanxiu, she did not discuss many topics in detail.

Zhao Yuanxiu didn't hold back, lighting a cigarette and chatting casually with him.

As the group drank water and chatted at the mountain gate, the surrounding fog gradually thickened, obscuring the distant mountain gate archway. At this moment, Zhao Yuanxiu stopped talking, stepped aside, frowned as he observed the fog, and pressed the earpiece hanging on his ear while giving instructions to his subordinates...

Wang Huizhong finished his bottle of mineral water and held the empty bottle in his hand. He felt that everything around him was gray and hazy, and even the guards a little further away were barely visible. He looked up at the sky and saw only a blur, and he couldn't even tell where the sun was.

"Senior brother, why is there such a thick fog?" Wang Huizhong heard Li Huifeng, who was standing not far away, casually ask him.

"I don't know... Maybe it's because of the big temperature difference on the mountain today?" Wang Huizhong shook her head.

Then Li Huifeng stretched and said, "Speaking of which, the food delivery guy should be here by now. I've been standing here all morning, I'm really hungry..."

Just as he finished speaking, a faint, heavy panting sound came from afar, along with the tinkling of bells and the rolling of wheels...

Wang Huizhong didn't notice at first, but as the sound grew louder and louder, clearly coming from his direction, he subconsciously turned his head to observe, only to find that outside the square outside the mountain gate, everything was shrouded in a thick fog and he couldn't see anything clearly at the moment...

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter 1041 The City God's Congratulations

At that moment, Zhao Yuanxiu suddenly heard a subordinate's terrified and suppressed voice in his earpiece: "Sir...Sir...Sir, there's a monster...a monster..."

"Explain clearly, where is the monster?" Zhao Yuanxiu frowned and scolded, taking steps down the steps outside the mountain gate while shouting into his headset. However, he hadn't gone far when he froze, falling silent, because even he had seen it...

Within the mist ahead, some shadowy figures were vaguely emerging.

Even more bizarrely, the shadow didn't walk towards them, but seemed to slowly descend from mid-air...

In just a few breaths, the shadow gradually became clearer, and as the shadow became clearer, the eyes of many nearby guards widened!

“That…that is…” Standing on the steps, Zhao Yuanxiu’s cigarette fell to the ground.

At this moment, no one noticed that Li Huifeng, who was standing in front of the mountain gate, took two steps back, almost falling on his backside...

Just a dozen meters away in the square, a group of eight muscular, over three-meter-tall, blue-faced, fanged demons came first, holding up banners.

However, the two flags in front of them read "Silence" and "Avoidance".

Behind these two chess pieces, two more, even taller flags were being held up, bearing the inscriptions "May the Spirit Bless All Living Beings" and "Lord of the Realm, Venerable God."

Following these eight flag-bearing demons were four even taller demons clad in armor, each wielding a whip, mace, hammer, and claw, exuding an imposing aura.

Behind these four armed demons were two strange beasts, each nearly three meters tall, resembling lions but not quite, dragging a huge carriage. The beasts had eyes like copper bells, necks covered in red manes, and bulging muscles all over their bodies. They spewed out trails of white breath from their nostrils. The heavy panting that Wang Huizhong and the others had just heard was the breathing of these two beasts.

Around and behind the carriage were tall, shadowy figures of ghosts and deities, their numbers unknown and hidden in the mist behind. These ghosts and deities, holding banners and umbrellas, served as attendants, following the carriage.

In the mist, the suddenly appearing carriage looked both magnificent and eerie.

Wang Huizhong watched the carriage approach the mountain gate, her lips trembling. She almost turned around and ran away...

However, as he looked closely at the words written on the flag ahead, a thought suddenly struck him, and he had a vague idea...

You must understand that he was, after all, a disciple of the Xuanmen sect, having entered the sect at a young age, and was naturally knowledgeable about ghosts and gods.

"Senior...Senior brother...Let's run..." Li Huifeng, whose legs were cramping, whispered with a sob in his voice.

"Why are you running... Look at what's written on that flag ahead..." Wang Huizhong suppressed the urge to agree and scolded in a low voice.

Strangely enough, Li Huifeng felt less panicked after being scolded like that. In certain times of crisis, people need a pillar of support to bolster their courage, and Wang Huizhong became that pillar of support for him at this moment.

He subconsciously followed Wang Huizhong's words and carefully examined the characters on the flag. Although the characters were in seal script, they were not difficult to recognize.

After a moment's thought, Li Huifeng took a deep breath, widened his eyes, and said, "Senior brother...you mean...this is the City God?"

"It must be the City God arriving..." Wang Huizhong turned her head and whispered, "Gather your breath, don't tremble. If you embarrass Yunxiao Temple, you'll be punished by Master later..."

“But…but Master didn’t say anything…” Li Huifeng muttered, but his voice no longer sounded like he was about to cry.

The two men's judgment at this moment was not without reason, based on the two banners at the forefront of the procession that read "Spirit Protects All Living Beings" and "Lord of the Realm, Venerable God".

In the traditional worship of city gods in various regions during the Great Zhao Dynasty, the Yin official system and the Yang official system corresponded one-to-one. In particular, after the founding emperor of this dynasty gained power, he further standardized this system. Therefore, the city gods of different cities actually had titles. And their titles varied according to the level of their jurisdiction.

Therefore, traditionally, the City God of the capital was regarded as a "King" and called "Fuming Lingwang", the City God of each prefecture was a "Duke" and called "Weiling Gong", the City God of each state was a "Marquis" and called "Lingyou Hou", and the City God of each county was an "Earl" and called "Xianyou Bo".

At this moment, the phrase "Lingyou Cangsheng" on the two flags corresponds to the title of "Lingyou Hou". Dinghai City is now a city, but according to ancient system, Dinghai was a prefecture city, which is the title of the City God of Dinghai.

As for the "Lord of the Realm" on the other flag, it is even more explicit. In the traditions of some areas of Dazhao, local deities such as the City God and the Earth God are called "Lord of the Realm," because these deities have their own regional divisions and protect a certain area.

Just as the two disciples were lost in thought, the carriage came to a complete stop. The entire procession was orderly and silent, with only the faint sound of the beast's heavy breathing.

"Attention everyone, calm down!! Do not make any hostile moves!! I repeat, do not make any hostile moves!!! Calm down!!!" Zhao Yuanxiu repeatedly emphasized in his earpiece while quickly retreating back to the front of the mountain gate. His face pale, he grabbed Wang Huizhong at the door and whispered, "Little Master... do you know... who... who... who is this person?" In his haste, he even stammered...

"This...this might be...the City God has arrived..." Seeing Zhao Yuanxiu, who had previously appeared calm and composed with the demeanor of a professional, in such a state, Wang Huizhong felt a faint sense of superiority rising within him. He tried his best to maintain his composure, coughed lightly, and said.

"The City God?!" Zhao Yuanxiu was stunned for a moment, clearly not quite understanding.

However, he quickly fell silent. As the carriage stopped in front of the mountain gate, a gigantic demon, clad in armor and holding two thick steel whips in its right palm, emerged from the crowd and strode heavily toward Wang Huizhong and Li Huifeng. This enormous demon, easily four or five meters tall, seemed to have come to life like a clay statue of a celestial king from a temple. Everyone in front of the mountain gate subconsciously swallowed hard. Li Huifeng had already quietly retreated a few steps, leaning against the mountain gate, his face filled with fear, and he was about to urinate…

Fortunately, the ghost did not do anything impolite when it reached the mountain gate. Seemingly feeling that the people in front of it were too short, the ghost squatted down, examined them, and completely ignored Zhao Yuanxiu beside it. Its huge eyes stared at Wang Huizhong, who was wearing a Taoist robe and standing at the front. It cupped its hands and said in a booming voice, "Please announce that the City God has come to offer his congratulations."

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter 1042 No Jokes

"Alright...alright, please convey my regards, General. I will go and inform them immediately..." Wang Huizhong looked up at the enormous face of the ghostly being approaching overhead. He had to admit, from his angle, it was extremely striking. The ghostly being before him had a blue face, fangs, red hair, and a bushy beard; it was exactly like a celestial king from a temple stepping into reality. However, after hearing the other party's words, he felt much more at ease, thinking to himself that it was indeed true. He swallowed hard, tried his best to adopt a worldly-wise demeanor, and bowed in agreement.

Then the ghost nodded, stood up, and held two steel whips that were thicker than a person's waist. He stood quietly in front of the temple gate.

Wang Huizhong winked at her junior brother Li Huifeng, then ignored Zhao Yuanxiu beside her and turned to enter the mountain gate through the side door.

After entering the mountain gate, which blocked the view of the outside world, Wang Huifang finally let out a breath, panting heavily, with beads of sweat on her forehead, as if she had just run two kilometers.

He was just stubbornly clinging to his pride; to say he wasn't flustered would be a lie! That kind of situation wasn't like those fantasy movies online; it was a real confrontation with unknown ghosts and spirits. If it were anyone else, they might have wet their pants on the spot…

He composed himself, quickly rummaged through his pocket, and pulled out a cell phone.

This is modern society after all. The mountain gate is so far from the summit; how could they possibly make it in time to run and send a message?

He quickly found his master Xu Dequan's number and dialed it...

The call connected quickly, and it was Xu Dequan's voice on the other end...

"Hey, Master, it's me...yes...I want to tell you, at the gate...at the gate...the City God is at our gate!!!"

"No... I'm not kidding, it's true, the City God is here... really here... really..."

"It's real... not a clay sculpture... it's real! It came to offer its congratulations..."

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

In the Ancestral Hall, Li Jingxin, whose senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people, suddenly stopped his conversation with Rong Yu and listened to the conversation between Xu Dequan and Wang Huizhong in the corner.

In the Ancestral Hall, Xu Dequan, as the head of the Guest Hall, was qualified to enter and participate in the ceremony. However, he was only qualified to enter and his position was near the gate. At this moment, he was talking to his disciple on the phone in a low voice with an incredulous expression.

Li Jingxin cupped his hands in farewell to Rong Yu and said, "Please wait a moment." He then walked quickly to Xu Dequan's side and extended his hand directly to him, saying, "I'll talk to him."

"Ah...yes, Master...Grand Master Uncle..." Xu Dequan almost blurted out "Master Uncle," but then remembered that his Grand Master Uncle had just abdicated, so he quickly corrected himself and respectfully handed over the phone.

"Hello, this is Li Jingxin. What's going on at the door?" Li Jingxin took the phone and asked directly.

"The City God has arrived? Not a clay sculpture?"

Listening to the urgent voice on the phone, Li Jingxin could almost picture the gatekeeper disciple gesturing wildly on the other end.

"Please ask them to wait a moment, I'll be right there," Li Jingxin said directly.

Li Jingxin turned his head and saw that everyone in the Ancestral Hall was looking at him. Clearly, his sudden action had aroused everyone's curiosity.

Li Jingxin glanced at the thick fog outside the window, and without saying a word, looked directly at Zhou Jingyuan beside him: "Junior brother, we have distinguished guests here. They are at the mountain gate now. We should go and greet them."

"Distinguished guest?" Zhou Jingyuan subconsciously glanced at the Eldest Princess and Rong Yu beside her, and couldn't help but wonder. The Eldest Princess and the royal representative were both here, so who else needed to be greeted at this time?

Li Jingxin understood what Zhou Jingyuan was thinking as soon as he saw his expression, so he said it more bluntly: "It is the City God who has come to visit."

“The City God Temple? Yes! Qi” Zhou Jingyuan was stunned when he heard this. In his mind, he subconsciously thought of the solemn but rigid clay sculpture in the City God Temple.

However, he quickly recalled the secrets his senior brother had previously revealed to him, and couldn't help but feel a little excited... Knowing his senior brother's temperament well, he immediately realized that this time it definitely wasn't some clay sculpture, otherwise his senior brother wouldn't be reacting like this...

Is this the beginning of encountering... the true nature of this world?

We can't show any weakness; there are members of the royal family present...

A series of thoughts flashed through Zhou Jingyuan's mind. In the blink of an eye, what appeared to be only a moment to those around him, Zhou Jingyuan coughed lightly and immediately instructed, "Dequan, quickly arrange for the disciples to invite the remaining guests in the temple to have their vegetarian meal first."

Upon hearing this, Xu Dequan immediately nodded. He understood that this was an attempt to send the other guests away from the temple, since matters of ghosts and spirits were not suitable for being discussed in a grand manner.

“Master Li, Abbot Zhou, may we also go and take a look?” The eldest princess suddenly spoke up, her face filled with undisguised curiosity.

After all, as the eldest princess, she could say she had seen all sorts of things, even the warships in space, but she had never seen living ghosts or gods...

Zhou Jingyuan was slightly taken aback and subconsciously looked at his senior brother. The princess quickly added, "We certainly won't say anything, we'll just watch from the sidelines."

Li Jingxin, standing to the side, gave Zhou Jingyuan a subtle nod, and Zhou Jingyuan immediately smiled and said, "If Your Highness wishes to go, then please come along..."

The gates of the Ancestral Hall opened wide, and everyone hurried toward the mountain gate.