Taoist priests in the supernatural world

Chapter 115 The Grand Master of the World, Senior Brother of Maoshan

"Ten years have passed, but the Taoist priest still retains his charm."

Upon seeing the true face of the person before him, Hongwu's last bit of hesitation vanished completely.

It really is Master Huang who has returned, looking exactly the same as he did back then, without a trace of the passage of time.

It was as if these ten years had passed in the blink of an eye for him.

Hong Wen, who was standing next to Hong Wu, was also sizing up Huang Bai.

He had heard countless tales of Master Huang from his disciples long ago.

Young, mysterious, and possessing profound Taoist skills, he is almost like a deity.

Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it with my own eyes still left me deeply moved.

Years have passed, and ordinary people, whether old or sick, will bear the marks of time.

The Taoist priest before me was just as rumored; his appearance remained unchanged, and his demeanor was as refined as ever.

Hongwu snapped out of his daze and quickly introduced:

"Master, this is Mr. Hong Wen."

Hong Wen suppressed his surprise and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

Huang Bai looked at Hong Wen and greeted him with a smile.

"Hello, Mr. Hong."

Hong Wen dared not be negligent and returned the greeting:

"I have long admired Master Huang's reputation, and it is my great honor to meet him today."

The group exchanged pleasantries for a few moments.

Hongwu quickly summoned Taoist priests from all sides of the Huaxia Prayer Association to pay homage to Huang Bai.

The news caused an immediate stir throughout the prayer meeting.

Many Taoist priests, who were either copying talismans or preparing to go out to distribute medicine and relieve disasters, heard that the legendary president had appeared and put down their work to rush over.

Before long, the area outside the main hall was filled with people.

These people include both old and young.

There were proper Taoist priests dressed in robes, folk sorcerers in short outfits with talisman pouches hanging from their waists, and several Taoists who clearly had the air of martial artists.

They gazed at the white-haired Taoist priest inside the hall, their eyes filled with both awe and curiosity.

After all, to most people, Huang Bai is just the mysterious president of the Huaxia Blessing Association mentioned in the portrait.

Seeing him in person today, I am naturally deeply moved.

Hongwu stepped forward and announced loudly, "The Taoist priests of the Huaxia Blessing Association pay their respects to the Chairman!"

Everyone bowed deeply in unison.

"The Taoist priests of the Huaxia Blessing Association pay their respects to the Association President!"

The sound echoed inside and outside the hall.

Huang Bai gently raised his hand: "No need for formalities."

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible force emanated from his palm.

Everyone felt a lightness beneath them, as if they were being steadily supported by an invisible giant hand.

They clearly wanted to continue bowing, but their bodies involuntarily stood up.

In an instant, the expressions of the Taoist priests changed drastically.

Such effortless and seemingly floating crowds up in mid-air is a technique no one has ever seen before.

This legendary Taoist priest Huang is indeed incredibly powerful.

Huang Bai observed everyone's reactions but didn't say anything more.

With a flick of his long sleeve, golden talismans flew out.

The talismans flew across the hall like birds, landing precisely in the hands of each Taoist priest.

"Nice to meet you."

"Each person receives a talisman."

These sun talismans were all handwritten by Huang Bai, with a stable core and restrained golden light, making them several times more powerful than ordinary sun talismans.

The person who received the talisman felt a slight warmth in their palm.

The talisman seemed to contain a small, blazing sun; though not activated, it already possessed the power to ward off evil and dispel malevolent influences.

The Taoist priests were both surprised and delighted, and quickly bowed again.

"Thank you, Chairman!"

It floats in mid-air, creating something from nothing, and is further enhanced by this extraordinary solar talisman.

In a short time, everyone completely accepted this legendary president.

After everyone left, the hall fell silent again.

Hongwu couldn't help but look at Huang Bai.

"Master, is there anything you wish to instruct us upon your return?"

Huang Bai didn't beat around the bush and said directly:

"I have come here to ask for an official position."

Both Hongwu and Hongwen were taken aback.

Huang Bai continued:

"A higher status means no salary or responsibilities; it just makes things easier to navigate the world in the future."

Modern society is different from ancient society; guns and checkpoints are everywhere, and there are rules everywhere.

Huang Bai isn't afraid of trouble, but he doesn't want to waste time on these trivial matters.

Having a sufficiently high official status will save you a lot of trouble.

Hongwu immediately asked:

"Where are you going, Taoist priest? Do you need my help?"

Huang Bai waved his hand.

"Need not."

"You stay in Jinling."

Although Hongwu was somewhat disappointed, he did not say much.

Hong Wen touched his mustache and pondered for a moment.

Given Huang Bai's status, positions such as ordinary advisor, Daoist official, and association member are all too lowly.

If the amount is too small, it will be inappropriate.

After a moment, Hong Wen spoke:

"How about this, I will establish the position of President of the All-China Taoist Association, who will also serve as the President of the China Prayer Association."

"Your credentials will be issued shortly, followed by a nationwide telegram."

Huang Bai nodded.

"Can."

Hong Wen is extremely fast.

Soon, someone delivered the documents and seal.

In addition to "President of the All-China Taoist Association", the certificate also lists the identity of "President of the Huaxia Blessing Association".

This is Huang Bai's official identity in this world.

After obtaining the documents, Huang Bai did not linger.

He bid farewell to Hongwu and Hongwen, and then boarded a train to Guangzhou.

The train traveled south.

The wheels rolled over the rails, making a rhythmic sound.

Huang Bai sat by the window, gazing out the window.

Newly built railways, utility poles, and factory chimneys can be seen along the way.

Cars have already appeared on the streets of some cities.

In some places, there are still farmlands, villages, oxcarts, and people carrying loads on shoulder poles.

The old and the new are mixed together, like a painting that is changing colors.

Where skyscrapers stand tall, black smoke rises from factories.

In the countryside, one can also see modern schools and road construction workers.

Huang Bai looked at all this and felt a sense of emotion.

"Not bad, things have changed."

He had only casually mentioned the future trend at the time.

Unexpectedly, this world has undergone earth-shattering changes as a result.

Hongwu, Hongwen, and the Heavenly Dao Temple system of this world did not waste these ten years.

Soon, the train stopped in Yuezhou.

After getting off the bus, Huang Bai followed the route he remembered to head to the town where Uncle Jiu lived.

It was already late at night.

The streets were quiet, and every household had its doors and windows tightly shut.

Only a few dim lights hung at the entrance of the alley, swaying gently in the night breeze.

As soon as Huang Bai stepped outside the town, he looked up into the distance.

A chilling aura was spreading from a certain direction, gradually reaching the surrounding towns and cities.

The yin energy disperses without condensing, and is mixed with many chaotic ghostly energies.

"The gates of hell have opened already?"

According to the plot, Uncle Nine held a ritual to appease the ghosts, inviting them to watch a play.

Unexpectedly, the two good-for-nothing disciples ruined the arrangements, causing hundreds or even thousands of ghosts to flee in all directions.

Now it seems that what has happened has already occurred.

call!

A cold wind blew the fallen leaves.

A few withered leaves spun along the ground and rolled into the alley corner.

Just as Huang Bai passed a wall, two evil spirits emerged from the corner.

The two ghosts were deathly pale, their eyes were bleeding, and their tongues were stretched out long.

As soon as it appeared, a faint green mist rose around it.

Gradually, gold and silver jewels, beautiful women and delicious food appeared in the mist, along with the laughter of orioles and swallows.

One of the demons grinned and said:

"Come on, come and play!"

Another demon said in a high-pitched, sinister voice:

"Young man, come here quickly, your big sister will take good care of you."

This is an attempt to absorb the yellowish-white yang energy.

Ordinary wandering ghosts do not have the ability to kill people by force; they can mostly only lure people close by using illusions and then absorb their yang energy.

When yang energy is insufficient, a person will become listless and prone to illness.

If one is severely affected by the drug, one may fall seriously ill at best, and lose their life at worst.

Huang Bai didn't even look, and raised his hand to unleash a golden light.

"act recklessly."

The golden light instantly struck the two evil spirits.

"what!"

Two screams rang out at the same time.

The golden light entered the ghost's body, and the gray-green soul body immediately developed numerous cracks.

The next moment, the two evil spirits disintegrated and turned into ashes.

Huang Bai continued walking deeper into the town where Uncle Jiu was, without stopping.

Meanwhile, in another square.

The once neatly arranged stands are now a complete mess.

The chairs were overturned, the incense sticks were broken, and paper money, talismans, and offerings were scattered everywhere.

The curtains on the stage fluttered in the cold wind, and a few paper lanterns that hadn't been taken down yet littered the ground, their lights flickering.

Uncle Nine carried the cloth bag containing the ghost, his face ashen.

He looked at his two apprentices in front of him, his chest heaving with anger.

"waste!"

"Two good-for-nothings!"

"Look what you've done!"

Wencai and Qiusheng lowered their heads, not daring to utter a sound.

Qiu Sheng still felt somewhat guilty, knowing that he had caused a great disaster.

Wen Cai's eyes darted around, clearly letting the words go in one ear and out the other.

He even thought to himself, "My master may scold me, but he'll always find a way to clean up the mess in the end."

When Uncle Nine saw him like this, he became even angrier.

But with the ghosts scattered, it's not the time to discipline the disciple.

Just then, another gust of cold wind blew by.

Mist billowed across the square.

Two tall figures emerged from the mist.

A man with a blue face and fangs, dressed in black.

A person with a face as white as paper, dressed in white.

Both of them exuded a sinister aura and held ghostly artifacts in their hands.

"Master! There's a ghost again!"

In order to show off, Wencai and Qiusheng grabbed their weapons and were about to rush forward.

Uncle Nine's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly grabbed the two men by the collar: "Stop! You scoundrels! These are underworld ghost messengers!"

He forcibly dragged his two apprentices back.

Uncle Nine straightened his robes and hurriedly stepped forward to communicate with the two ghost messengers in a language incomprehensible to mortals.

He was more humble than ever before, even bringing up his connections in the underworld, and whispered apologies and explanations.

The black-clad ghost looked at him coldly and said, "This matter has already enraged the City God. If it weren't for the judge's sake, you and your two disciples would have been taken away for questioning tonight."

Uncle Nine quickly cupped his hands and said, "Yes, yes, this is due to my poor discipline. I will do my best to make amends."

The white-robed ghost messenger said:

"Ten days, I'll only give you ten days. Within ten days, deal with all the scattered wandering ghosts."

"Otherwise, if the underworld holds you accountable, no one can protect you."

Uncle Nine bowed deeply and said, "Thank you, messenger."

The ghostly mist dissipated, and the two ghostly messengers turned and left.

Staring at the empty void, Uncle Nine stood there, speechless for a long time.

Qiu Sheng whispered, "Master, what do we do now?"

Uncle Nine sighed deeply: "What else can we do? We can only ask our sect for help."

He took a paper crane out of his pocket, bit his fingertip, and tapped it on the crane's forehead.

Then he blew a breath of fresh air onto the paper crane.

The paper crane came to life with a flap of its wings and flew into the night sky.

……

Maoshan General Altar.

Deep in the mountains and forests, ancient trees reach for the sky.

On the ancient trees deepest inside, bright yellow prayer flags hang.

The prayer flags fluttered in the wind, and from a distance, they looked like yellow dragons winding through the forest.

Below is an ancient temple.

Surrounding the ancient temple are towering altars, eerie stilted corpse houses, and side halls where disciples practice talismans, rituals, corpse-driving, and spirit-summoning techniques.

This is the altar where Uncle Nine learned Taoist arts in his early years.

This Maoshan is not the same as the Gezao sect of Maoshan.

Instead, it is the Wild Maoshan, which is combined with folk religious traditions, also known as the Southern Maoshan.

Whoosh!

A hundred-foot waterfall plunges straight down.

The sound of water was deafening, and the mist refracted a rainbow of colors in the sunlight.

An old man sat cross-legged by the pool next to the waterfall.

The old man had his hair combed with a hairpin, his beard reached his chest, and his eyebrows were raised high like sharp swords.

He sat upright with his eyes closed and his back straight, exuding an extremely sharp aura.

Outside, the waterfall roared, and spray hit our faces.

The old man remained unmoved.

If there were any Maoshan practitioners here, they would surely recognize that this is the highest level of Maoshan meditation, "Great Stillness".

The next level up is where the legendary terrestrial immortals ascend to the unfathomable upper realm in broad daylight.

This person was none other than Shi Jian, the senior disciple of Maoshan.

The term "senior brother" is a name used by the elders of Maoshan, much like how a general is called "old squad leader" by his old subordinates.

In fact, Shi Jian is now the head of the Maoshan sect.

However, Maoshan's rules are loose, unlike other Taoist sects which have strict hierarchies, and he, as the sect leader, does not have the absolute power of life and death.

Many disciples who have completed their apprenticeships open their own schools and earn a living based on their own abilities. Whether or not they obey the sect leader's orders depends on their relationship with the sect leader and the importance of the matter.

Shi Jian suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of azure lightning in them.

boom!

He threw a punch.

Thunder erupted from the fist, falling into the pool and creating a cloud of mist.

The surface of the pool appeared as if it had been struck by a giant rock, with waves shooting skyward.

Glug glug.

Just then, a large black jar rolled over.

A head peeked out from the mouth of the jar.

The head was pale, with two patches of rosy cheeks, giving it a strange yet somewhat cute appearance.

"Congratulations, Uncle Jian, on your great success in your cultivation! Ascension is just around the corner!"

Shi Jian took a deep breath and stopped meditating.

He glanced at the black jar, his tone impatient.

"Ghost, just say what you want to say. I don't have time for idle chatter."

The altar ghost shrank its neck.

"Here's what happened."

"Uncle Nine sent a thousand paper cranes, saying that his two disciples accidentally released a horde of ghosts from the Gates of Hell, and now the underworld is holding them accountable..."

"Stop talking nonsense."

Shi Jian interrupted him directly.

"Does Lao Jiu want us to come and help?"

"Yes, or no?"

The ghost was intimidated by his aura and immediately dropped his playful smile, his voice becoming quieter.

"Yes."

Shi Jian snorted coldly: "This Ninth Brother is nothing but trouble."

The altar ghost asked cautiously, "Sect Leader, should we reply and refuse?"

Shi Jian did not answer immediately.

He turned and walked towards the ancient temple, leaving only his back to the altar ghost.

A moment later, a sentence came along with the sound of the waterfall.

"Altar Ghost, inform the Taoist priests at the temple who have already completed their apprenticeships, and then notify the fellow disciples in the vicinity who have already graduated."

"Send them to Old Nine's place."

The altar ghost immediately burst into laughter.

"Yes, Uncle Jian!"

He knew that Uncle Jian was a stubborn but soft-hearted person.

Most Taoists who practice thunder magic are upright in character; Uncle Jian is just a little short-tempered.

Shi Jian returned to the ancient temple.

The ancestral hall in the temple is deep and secluded, with rows of memorial tablets for elders standing high up.

Incense smoke curled and candlelight flickered.

The five memorial tablets at the very top are particularly eye-catching.

That is the memorial tablet of the strongest person in Maoshan throughout history.

Either ascend to heaven in broad daylight, or become a god after death.

General Heisha, who was on good terms with Huang Bai in the past, was among them.

Shi Jian stood in front of the mourning hall, looking up at the memorial tablet at the top, his eyes flashing with lightning.

"One day, I too will enjoy the highest level of incense offerings."

He never concealed his ambition.

Which cultivator doesn't want to attain immortality and become a Taoist immortal?

Who wouldn't want to be offered incense after death and wield thunder in life?

It's just that some people dare to speak out, while others don't.

Just then, footsteps could be heard outside.

"father!"

"I heard you're going out?"

A pale-faced young man with dark circles under his eyes walked in.

His steps were unsteady, clearly indicating excessive indulgence in alcohol and sex.

His features were quite handsome, but there was an undeniable air of wickedness about him.

It was Shi Shaojian.

Shi Jian's cold expression softened somewhat when he saw his son.

"right."

Shi Shaojian's eyes lit up, and he immediately stepped forward, saying, "Father, I want to go too."

"I haven't been down the mountain to see the world for half a year."

Shi Jian frowned at him and said, "Seeing the world is fine, but let me make it clear first, no troublemaking!"

"Did you hear me?"

Shi Shaojian nodded impatiently and said, "I know, I know."

He readily agreed, but his eyes were already darting outside; clearly, he hadn't really listened to a word he said.

Shi Jian felt somewhat helpless looking at him like this.

He had a son late in life and loved him dearly, even to the point of spoiling him.

He wasn't completely oblivious to many things.

But every time, in the end, he would always find an excuse for Shi Shaojian.

Young people will change in the future.

Shi Jian thought this to himself, but in the end he just shook his head.

He stepped forward and offered incense to the ancestral master.

Cigarette smoke rose and swirled around the memorial tablet.

Shi Jian bowed respectfully three times, then turned and walked out of the ancestral hall.

call!

A sudden gust of cold wind blew by.

The incense stick that Shi Jian had just stuck out went out silently.

Inside the mourning hall, the candlelight dimmed slightly.

It was as if some unseen master did not wish to receive this stick of incense.

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