A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 58 Those Who Leave, Those Who Come

A person reaches maturity at thirty, is free from doubt at forty, knows the will of Heaven at fifty, is attuned to the truth at sixty, and is old and wise at seventy.

After eighty years old, in one's twilight years.

There are less than two months left until Huangtou Taigong's eightieth birthday.

Historically, it is extremely rare for people of this age to participate in rebellions. Even if a few can be found in the vast annals of history, it is definitely because they had unavoidable difficulties.

Huangtou Taigong was known as the number one unorthodox sorcerer among the fifteen prefectures of Jiaozhi. His reputation was so high that even the Nine Heroes and Nine Cranes of Zhenwu Temple, as well as the eminent monks of Nalanda Temple, had to show him respect and call him senior.

His direct disciples have been passed down for four generations, and the total number of his followers in various places is more than four hundred. Among them are many wealthy and noble people, as well as ordinary people who, after learning magic, relied on their own abilities and the connections of their master to make a fortune and become officials in their localities.

Such a wide network of relationships naturally included close ties with the government. When Huangtou Taigong celebrated his 70th birthday, the prefect personally visited him to offer his congratulations, demonstrating the closeness of their relationship.

With such momentum, it's clear to anyone that Huangtou Taigong's lineage is already a beneficiary of the current situation in Jiaozhi.

He risked his life to help people rebel, which inevitably caused damage and destroyed the network of relationships he had built up over the years. Even if the rebellion had succeeded in the end, the rewards he would have received might not have been as great as they are now.

No one with a clear mind would do something that involves their life and fortune and is not worth the loss.

Therefore, Qiu Shi and the others never expected that Huang Tou Tai Gong would make a move at this time.

Even Hua Mi, when she first made contact with this old guy, found it hard to believe. She wondered if the old man was trying to lure her out and use her as bait. It was only after they cooperated several times and gradually deepened their relationship that they gained each other's trust.

When he swung his axe for the first time, relying on his knowledge of house construction from the Lu Ban technique, he destroyed the entire house and the feng shui altar. With the second axe, he killed the four unsuspecting sorcerers in one fell swoop.

These four people seemed to have been suddenly filled with countless unseen, dry, rotten wood splinters, their mouths wide open, blood flowing from their eyes, noses, and ears. They made two gurgling sounds in their throats before dying.

As the four corpses fell, the old man with the desolate head became radiant, his murderous aura intensifying. He stared intently at the figures in Taoist robes and swung his axe for the third time.

Lu Ban's magic, borrowing power from the surrounding houses.

An invisible force swept across the sky, and hundreds of tiles from the dilapidated roofs, which had been neglected for years, were sent flying towards Qiu Shi and his companions with a crashing sound.

Qiu Shi and his fellow disciples worked in perfect unison. As soon as they fell into the ruins, they each swept their legs in one direction, kicking away debris and gaining room to move.

The group subtly adjusted their steps, their longswords pointing outwards in unison, their movements fluid and circular.

They shot down all the tiles that were scattered from all directions.

But at this moment, the soldiers in the northern part of the town were already showing signs of defeat, and some of the nine-foot giants were charging towards them.

Qiu Shi, Master Gao Dian, and the others, in their haste, dared not confront the giants head-on, so they had no choice but to retreat together, using the houses in the town to navigate through the streets and alleys and deal with these nine-foot giants.

Master Xu Luo continued reciting the mantra of the Medicine Buddha of the East, swaying left and right, taking a step forward and a step back, and four clouds of insects, each as large as his entire body, dispersed.

Countless insects, buzzing loudly, swept forward.

Unlike his previous duel with Guan Luoyang on the arena, this time, Master Xu Luo went all out, sending all the insects he had contained flying out.

The flying insects had little effect on the nine-foot giants. At most, they would make them close their eyes and raise their shields to protect their faces. The insect bites and toxins had virtually no effect on them.

But among these flying insects, some of the more brightly colored, deadly poisonous insects were sneaking towards the old man with the desolate head.

The colored paper on the old man's body undulated and fluttered, and red and yellow smoke spread out from between the layers of paper, killing nearby insects one after another.

He walked slowly forward among the nine-foot giants, his movements much slower and his stature much shorter than theirs.

Yet this old man, with his small axe, exuded the strongest sense of threat in the entire area.

It was as if he were the spearhead, drawing in the dozens of nine-foot giants around him, forming a shadow of death that was closing in on the mages step by step.

The two groups retreated while the other pursued, heading south from west.

After the northern defense line of the town collapsed, the remaining soldiers could only rely on the cover of various buildings to fight and flee, trying to buy time.

If you look at them from above, you'll see that their fighting path basically spreads out from the north and then gradually converges to the south.

This is just a small town, so the layout of the houses is not very elaborate, and there is no main road running from north to south through the central axis.

However, some people were fighting fiercely, leaping across rooftops of all sizes along this central axis.

"Yang Lian, you've grown quite a bit of a beard. It's amazing that you've still made progress in the past few years. It's not easy, but unfortunately, you haven't improved as much as I have."

Hua Mi's words were laced with sarcasm. The ground beneath her feet was a mix of rotten bricks and mud walls, and crumbling tiles. No matter the terrain, her steps seemed to barely touch the surface as she steadily and gracefully crossed over.

Sword shadows danced in the air, following her movements, chasing through house after house, never straying from the vital points of Grand Master Yanglian.

Once the Mantis Sect's boxing and footwork are mastered to the highest level, with two thin, lacquered wooden boards, each three feet long and four inches wide, tied to the soles of their feet, they can even run hundreds of feet across water. Such terrain is simply no match for them.

In contrast, Master Yanglian, relying on the magic of Bao Ri Bu to control the heat, had his wide monk's robe swirling with heat as he glided away.

This was an extremely skillful movement technique; only in this way could he barely maintain a distance of about two feet from Hua Mi's sword, avoiding being directly stabbed.

Hearing Hua Mi's mockery, his anger surged, and he couldn't help but curse, "That old dog Huangtou, he's gone senile in his old age, ruining his reputation in his later years. What kind of bewitching potion did you give him?"

"Even without him, your mere twenty-odd people, disturbing the Yin energy, would at most only make the Heavenly Princes and their descendants feel a little dizzy and disoriented."

Hua Mi said coldly, "Hundreds of years of attempts, the hard work of several generations, and the need to wait for the earthquake to disrupt the coastal energy before this extraordinary force was finally formed. Do you think that just because you've spotted some flaws, it's so easy to subdue them?"

Grand Master Yanglian, who had a fiery temper, was about to retort when suddenly a chill ran down her spine, alarm bells rang in her mind, and she abruptly stood firm on a roof ridge, her feet shoulder-width apart.

With all ten toes clenched and pulled downwards, the hands exerted force almost simultaneously, the ten fingers either bending or twisting, forming a mudra.

In an instant, it seemed as if eight streams of flames rose up from beneath his feet, like eight lotus petals closing together, enveloping his entire body in a dreamlike manner.

Dozens or even hundreds of hissing sounds echoed in the surrounding air, and multiple dents appeared on the protective lotus.

All sorts of strange insects, each smaller than a sesame seed, such as multi-horned worms, wingless beetles, and four-legged white spiders, were embedded in the protective lotus flower.

Most sorcerers in Southeast Asia wear loose-fitting trousers to facilitate the storage of various witchcraft items.

Hua Mi was only wearing a tight-fitting outfit that exposed her navel, with sleeves reaching her elbows and trousers reaching her knees. Yet, in the blink of an eye, she silently released more curses than many sorcerers had hidden all over their bodies.

On this lotus flower, there are five indentations that correspond exactly to the face of the Great Master Yanglian. There are no insects inside, but smoke is constantly rising from them, almost eroding and penetrating the lotus flower.

Moreover, the five traces of erosion, at first glance, resemble a grotesque smiling face that is smoking.

"His ugly face is like a wisp of smoke, yet he smiles in the netherworld!"

Without any other medium, one can cast spells using only smoke; this is a higher level of skill in black magic than the flying head spell.

Those who are under this curse will have their emotions in turmoil, their desires overwhelming them, and they will lose control over their joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.

In the early years of the Jianwu era, a sorcerer in Southeast Asia used this method to control hundreds of people at the same time. Women believed they loved him to the death, and men believed they were loyal to him, but they did not know that he was only controlling their desires with a curse.

Later, Chen Yonghua, wielding the divine weapon Juque Sword, selected a thousand elite soldiers and spent more than half a month entangled in the mountains before finally eliminating the man. Chen Yonghua, who was always elegant and skilled in both literature and martial arts, was so enraged by the man's actions that he whipped the corpse and exposed it to the sun for fifteen days, then crushed the bones and scattered them to the winds, and wrote down fifty-seven charges against him.

Grand Master Yanglian recalled some of the most terrifying aspects mentioned in the indictment, and beads of sweat the size of red beans immediately appeared on his forehead. In the blink of an eye, he exhausted his vital energy and let out a shout.

He channeled all his magical energy into the five wisps of green smoke, creating five suspended flames that killed the smoke worms. In the process, he felt his own strength suddenly diminish by nearly 70%.

With a sweep of his sword, Hua Mi cleaved the lotus flower in two and then sliced ​​open his monk's robe.

Grand Master Yanglian swung her other sleeve, deflecting the sword blade.

Hua Mi leaped forward, her knee striking Yang Lian's chest, sending the Grand Master flying off the roof.

General Yu, leading a group of defeated soldiers, was about to help the King of Yue escape when he saw Grand Master Yanglian crash down from mid-air, rolling several times.

"cough!"

Yang Lian vomited blood, pressed one hand to the ground, and barely managed to sit down on the ground.

Qiu Shi and the others also retreated to this place at this time.

In the alleyways ahead, nine-foot-tall giants, shields in hand, were chasing after them. Some were even pushing down doorframes and tearing down ruins.

The King of Yue sat on a chair by the door, with the roof leaking light behind him. In the courtyard, there were also prayer cushions and memorial tablets. The words on the wooden tablets were already blurred and the red paint was mottled. Yellow curtains hung down from the beams, covered with cobwebs.

It appears that this place was once the town's ancestral hall, but the walls and doors are now in disrepair.

"The Yao family of Jiaozhi had already dominated Chengyin Prefecture eighty years ago, and there were rumors that they aspired to become kings. However, when Grand Secretary Chen Yonghua recovered Jiaozhi, the Yao family surrendered as a whole, thus saving their lives. Later, the court reduced the Yao family's power and forced them to split up and relocate to Jiaozhou, Qinghua, and Dongning Prefectures."

"Over the years, the Yao family of Qinghua Prefecture has still harbored rebellious intentions, colluding with Ma Qiang and water bandits. I am fully aware of these matters. Do you really think you can succeed?"

The King of Yue looked up and saw that he was clearly injured and weak, and was in great pain. He even had difficulty getting up. However, in terms of his aura, he still appeared to be the one looking down on everyone.

"Hehehe!"

Hua Mi laughed and said, "If you really know everything, do you know what my background is? Do you know about the Five Hundred Heavenly Kings' descendants, or about the Desolate Old Man? Oh, that's a minor detail, not important."

The King of Yue was solemn and dignified, but the people on the rooftop were laughing in a ridiculous manner.

"Trying to stall for time, huh? Actually, I really enjoy watching powerful and capable people stubbornly refuse to admit their mistakes when they're cornered. It's a shame someone like you would look better dead."

With a smile, Hua Mi held her sword like a command flag, and with a light wave, shouted, "Attack!"

The numerous nine-foot giants charged forward, and the remaining soldiers and mages joined forces to resist, shrinking the circle of resistance.

Inside the dilapidated house next to the ancestral hall, Guan Luoyang listened to the sounds of fighting nearby, and slowly straightened his curled-up body.

Master Jiuying, however, used both hands to press down on his shoulders.

"Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression will not change; even if a deer runs past on your left, your eyes will not blink. At critical moments, any movement will damage your three jiaos (upper, middle, and lower burners), so you must not be hasty."

He could hear his disciples fighting and even crying out in pain outside, just a door away. But at this moment, the more he couldn't move, the more he needed to stay calm, the better he could salvage the situation.

Through the crack in the withered door, colorful clothes fluttered, and the old man with the desolate head swung his axe down again. Qiu Shi's long sword fell to the ground, and his right arm felt as if it had no bones. Blood splattered on the ground from between his fingers.

My friend... cannot die in my presence...

Guan Luoyang blinked slowly and heavily, a bronze halo rising from both sides of his cheeks and knotting on his forehead.

The heat surged through my body, penetrating to the deepest part of my bones, purifying my blood and marrow.

Hair is the tip of blood, and his short hair was growing at a speed visible to the naked eye, with heat swirling between the strands.

Jiu Ying's eyebrows twitched slightly, feeling as if he were touching a massive cannon weighing thousands of pounds, about to explode.

"Namo Ratna Trayaya, Namo Arya, Avalokiteshvara..."

Singing voices drifted over, instruments played, wooden fish were struck, and the melody was melodious, lofty, and lingering.

The voices of dozens of people singing this song together sounded like a ballad echoing from a deep courtyard in an ancient temple in the mountains.

Only upon closer listening can one discern that it is a mantra, a Buddhist scripture, or a koan.

"Bodhisattvaya, Mahasattvaya..."

Those outside the house heard the sound earlier than those inside.

On the street, sparsely overgrown with weeds, stood a line of forty-eight monks, all dressed in gray robes.

The older ones looked to be almost sixty or seventy, while the younger ones were at least thirty or forty. They were all striking wooden fish, playing music, and chanting incantations as they approached this side.

"People from Nalanda Monastery?!"

The movements of the many nine-foot giants became sluggish, as if their joints had suddenly stiffened, and their turning and swinging movements became as if they were deliberately doing slow motion.

Some soldiers who were already doomed were able to escape from under their shields.

Hua Mi's voice was harsh and fierce as he shouted, "Mu Jia, all forty-eight of you monks, if you leave Nalanda Monastery, you'll lose at least five or six years of your lifespan, and some will lose more than ten years. Back then you all knew to protect yourselves, are you coming out to die today?!"

"Namo Amitabha Buddha!"

Abbot Mujia's face was pale, his lips were purple and his beard was white. He clasped his hands together and slowly replied, "My old friend invited us because of the temple's life-saving grace. We, the old monks, had no choice but to come to repay this kindness."

Hua Mi exclaimed in surprise, "Impossible! Who could possibly have saved the lives of everyone at Nalanda Monastery?"

Abbot Muga stopped responding and began chanting incantations.

Several nights ago, while he was chanting the same incantation in his abbot's room, he saw a shadowy figure moving outside the window.

In addition to the moonlight, there was an extra lamplight.

A Taoist priest outside the window laughed and said, "Abbot, do you still remember three years ago when I visited your temple and discovered changes in the temple's earth veins in the well? All the high monks in the temple have been studying evil incantations for many years, and they are all in danger of being possessed by demons?"

"It was thanks to the guidance of Layman Jiuhe that all the monks in the temple were able to awaken in time. How could I forget that?"

Master Mujia smiled and said, "Since you've come to visit so late at night, why don't you come in for a while?"

"No need. This humble Taoist has returned to the mortal realm with only one request..."

It was a ghost about to depart from the mortal world, making a plea to the high monk whose face was filled with astonishment.

So the forty-eight monks left Nalanda Monastery and traveled day and night, following the river to the border of Chengyin Prefecture. Following the sound of cannons, they entered this place.

Abbot Mujia, filled with sorrow and compassion, sang aloud.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha—"

(End of this chapter)