As the sects in the world continue to complete the construction of the bloodline origin sealing array, time has slowly come to July 10th, and there are only five days left before the Ghost Festival.
Bolang City, Dingzhou, Eastern Region.
The sun sets in the west, and the gorgeous crimson glow turns the sky red. Layers of floating clouds like fish scales hang diagonally across the sky from near to far.
Bolang City is located at the southernmost tip of Dingzhou, far opposite Chiba City in Laizhou.
This is a vibrant city, very large and extremely prosperous. Even at dusk, it is still full of tourists and noisy cars and horses.
On both sides of the street, various vendors are selling goods along the street, and various avenues and paths cover every corner of the city like a spider web.
"Dong~~dong~~dong~~"
At You hour, three bells rang out from the bell tower on time.
The dull, low, and rich bells resounded through the streets and alleys of Bolang City, and huge echoes dispersed in all directions in waves.
In the past, even if they heard the bell ringing, people in the city would only glance at the bell tower and continue doing whatever they were supposed to do.
But since two days ago, the five o'clock bell has been given a different meaning.
When the bell rang, both the merchants who were doing business and the noisy and playful tourists all fell silent at the same time, and invariably stopped what they were doing.
The whole city fell silent for a moment, and there was a moment of stagnation.
After a while, the entire city returned to normal, and countless people dispersed in all directions.
Looking down from the air, one can see the flow of people on the ground spreading rapidly outward from the market like surging rivers.
‘Bang~bang~bang…’
The sound of doors and windows being locked came from every house in Bolang City.
‘Keola, kola~~keela, kola~’
‘Squeak~~Squeak~~’
‘Shua~~shua~~’
The window lattice covers fell down one after another, the door leaves were tightly closed, and the thick curtains and door curtains blocked the doors and windows.
Whether it is towering high-rise buildings or simple residences and other buildings scattered throughout the city, at this moment, the people living there are methodically carrying out the act of blocking out light that has lasted for two days.
In just a quarter of an hour, the entire noisy city fell completely silent.
Occasionally, if a baby cries or coughs, a dog barks, or a rooster crows, it will be stopped immediately and the sound will not be transmitted outside.
"Boom~boom~boom!"
Three more short bells sounded, accurately telling the time at three quarters of the hour.
The time chimes in this time period only exist in the last two days. In the past, the bells only sounded at fixed times.
"Whoosh~~whoosh~~whoosh~~"
Sounds of piercing the air sounded, and practitioners in white robes flew out from the nine tall buildings in the city that stood like sharp swords.
Each of these practitioners had tense faces and serious expressions. Their eyes were scanning around, and a vague spiritual light burst out from their eyes.
"Each ministry quickly inspects the areas under its jurisdiction and immediately issues a warning if there is any abnormality!"
A deep voice sounded from the ears of nearly a thousand people.
"clear!"
"Follow the Lord's orders and decrees!"
"Jin listens to orders!"
Thousands of white-robed practitioners each responded in agreement, and then their bodies swayed, driving the 'flying swords' under their feet to scatter throughout the city.
These white-robed practitioners are none other than disciples of the Star-Chasing Sword Sect that governs Bolang City.
The 'flying sword' under their feet is not the natal flying sword refined by orthodox sword cultivators, but a flying magic weapon specially developed by the 'Xiantian Yiqi Nanzong' one hundred and sixty years ago according to Qingmei's request.
.
Its principle is actually the same as the "One-Chi Pan", the first flying magic weapon invented by Nanzong, except that its shape has been refined into a "sword" shape.
In traditional sword cultivation, the person and the sword are integrated into one. When the person is using the sword, it can turn into a sword light and fly into the air, flying hundreds of miles in an instant.
However, even in sword cultivating sects such as the Star-Chasing Sword Sect, not every disciple who practices swordsmanship can eventually become a true sword cultivator.
Generally speaking, among a generation of disciples, if 10% of the last 10% disciples become sword cultivators, the Star-Chasing Sword Sect will open the Ancestral Master Hall and show off to the ancestors of the sect.
In the Star-Chasing Sword Sect, disciples who cannot understand the meaning of the sword cannot be included in the sect's inner disciples' wall.
They will be persuaded to switch to the art of swordsmanship and match it with the swords refined and inherited by the sect. If the two are compatible, they can master the swordsmanship.
However, since the dominance is restricted by the sword, the ability of the sword holder will be greatly restricted. In other words, the power of the sword determines the upper limit of the sword holder's ability.
The person who holds the sword throughout his life is only warming and nourishing the sword to prevent it from losing its spirituality and turning into mortal iron.
Therefore, in the Star-Chasing Sword Sect, the sword holder is also jokingly called the ‘Sword Slave’.
But even so, there are still a large number of swordsmanship practitioners who cannot get along with the sword and are not even qualified to be 'sword slaves'.
However, since the "Xiantian Yiqi Nan Sect" refined the "flying sword" shaped flying magic weapon, the swordsmanship practitioners in the swordsmanship sect who were unable to understand the meaning of the sword finally ushered in spring.
With the help of the 'flying sword' shaped flying magic weapon, they can fly quickly in the air and fight like the sword cultivator in the door.
Although they cannot combine their swords and humans to escape with light like real swordsmen, they can fight through the air in a limited space by using flying swords.
Some extremely talented swordsmanship practitioners can even fight with real swordsmanship practitioners without falling behind with the help of 'flying sword'-shaped flying instruments and sword weapons.
Due to the wind-drawing effect of the 'flying sword' shaped flying magic weapon and its special combat skills, the 'flying sword' shaped flying magic weapon has gradually spread in the spiritual world.
Vaguely, a new swordsmanship school is slowly taking shape.
Similarly, the 'Yi Chi Pan', a flying magic weapon that had been replaced by the 'Air Boat', has been revitalized in the practice world through transformation. This was something Qingmei, the initiator, did not expect.
At this time, a disciple of the Star-Chasing Sword Sect stepped on the ‘Flying Sword’ and patrolled the areas under their respective jurisdictions in small groups.
On the night of the Ghost Festival, the gate of ghosts opens wide, and the two realms of yin and yang overlap, which will inevitably have a huge impact on the 'human world'.
In order to ensure that the local people would not be harmed, the Star-Chasing Sword Sect did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
‘Whoosh whoosh~’
Three disciples of the Star-Chasing Sword Sect stepped on their 'flying swords' and flew eastward from the roof of a high-rise building where hundreds of people lived.
There are many people in this building, and it is one of the most critical places in the area patrolled by the three. There is nothing wrong here, and the three of them all look a little relaxed.
Among the three people, a young man with an immature face, who was no more than sixteen or seventeen years old, turned back and looked to the west.
There is still a ray of afterglow in the bright red sun, but it is approaching Xu hour, that is, seven o'clock in the evening, and the sky is getting dark, and night will come in at most an hour.
"Brother, will the 'Gate of Hell' really be opened on the night of the Ghost Festival?"
He had been holding this idea in his mind for two days, and now he couldn't bear it any longer, so he asked.
The person he called his senior brother was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his forties, with a stern face, a faint murderous aura coming from the corners of his eyebrows and eyes, and a faint ripple of air around his head.
The young disciples didn't care about this. This was a sign of failure in comprehending the sword's intention. Ninety percent of the disciples in the sect were like this.
The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed with aura, and he scanned back and forth below. After a few breaths, he answered the junior brother's inquiry.
"Well! This time, this world will carry out large-scale sacrifices to the creatures outside the territory, and countless creatures will perish by then.
These dead creatures have gathered endless resentment. Since they are not creatures of this world, they will not be immediately introduced into the Netherworld even if they die.
Therefore, Lord Ruyi, who is in charge of the ‘Xunjie Platform’, decided to open the ‘Ghost Gate’ during the Ghost Festival, when the barriers between the Yin and Yang realms are weakest, and introduce countless resentful spirits into the netherworld.”
When the young disciple heard this, he couldn't help but show a look of fascination on his face, and sighed:
"Yin and Yang are separated, the boundary between life and death. Unexpectedly, Taoist Ruyi can actually open the passage between the two worlds at will, allowing the living and the dead to appear in the human world at the same time.
Alas~~! No wonder Daojun is called an immortal, after all, only immortals can achieve such a level!"
The middle-aged man's lips moved slightly, but he did not say that such magical powers were beyond the reach of ordinary Taoists.
He glanced around and said casually:
"Previously, the door was notified that there are three newly built houses here that have not yet posted the 'Door God'. We will complete this matter first."
"Okay, senior brother!"
The two people beside him responded, their thoughts moved, and their feet sank. The tip of the 'Flying Sword' pointed downwards, and three figures wrapped in three glimmers of light fell downwards.
On the ground below the three people, six ordinary people of different ages stood in the courtyard, constantly looking up into the sky.
According to the notice from the Star-Chasing Sword Sect, the six of them should go into the house to avoid danger at this time. However, the new house had just been built and the gods had not been invited to enter the house yet, so the six of them waited in the courtyard.
On an offering table, water, flowers, melons, fruits, incense candles and other tributes are placed in an orderly manner, a package of incense sticks is placed horizontally beside the table, and an incense burner is placed upright in the middle of the offering table.
Among the six people, there were two young men, a man and a woman. They were dressed in bright red wedding clothes. They were obviously newlyweds. The man had a fair face and was very handsome, while the woman had a face like a silver plate, showing a bit of wealth.
There are four older people around them, the parents of a newlywed couple.
The young man raised his head and glanced at the sky for a few times, and clearly saw streams of light flying across the sky, but none of them were heading towards his location.
Seeing that the sky was getting darker, the young man shouted a little anxiously:
"Yesterday, Taoist Master Ming Jing said he would send the 'door god' today, so why haven't you seen him at this time?"
A middle-aged woman who looked slightly similar to the bride raised her head and glanced at the young man.
She was the bride's mother and she didn't like her son-in-law. If her daughter had not done something humiliating, she would not have married her daughter off.
"Hmph~, if you hadn't listened to the nonsense of the wandering Taoist priest a few days ago, saying that inviting a god into the house today would fill the house with descendants, and insisting on inviting a god into the house today, this 'door god' would have been invited back... "
Before she could finish speaking, her husband was already unhappy and said:
"What are you talking about!"
When interrupted by her husband, the woman immediately stopped talking.
She also knew that in order for her daughter to have an easier time with her husband's family in the future, she shouldn't make sarcastic remarks at will, but she just didn't like this frivolous son-in-law.
At this moment, the sound of tearing cloth suddenly came from above the heads of the six people, and at the same time they felt a strong wind rushing down from above their heads.
"Chichi!"
Three shimmering figures landed from the sky in front of the six people.
Chang Ning looked at the six people in front of him and his expression darkened.
"Why don't you take shelter in the house?"
A middle-aged man who looked similar to the groom came forward and bowed with his hands in hand.
"But Zhang Cun, the Taoist Priest of the Star-Chasing Sword Sect and Qilipo Li, has met three Taoist Priests!"
After a brief pause, he continued:
"The Star-Chasing Sword Party has done countless favors for us and our people. Now that I know that you are coming, why don't you wait outside?"
Without waiting for Chang Ning and others to speak, he said again:
"What's more, with all the fellow Taoists here, how dare some evil spirits show up at will."
Knowing that these words were compliments, Chang Ning's serious expression still softened a lot, and he said in a deep voice:
"The night is about to fall, so without further ado, hurry up and fetch the 'door god'!"
As he spoke, Chang Ning took out a scroll of pictures from the space wrist wheel on his right hand and held it horizontally in his hand.
The young man understood, raised his hands, took the scroll of portraits, and placed them gently on the altar table.
Then light three sticks of incense and insert them evenly into the incense burner containing rice grains.
Finally, the young man and his wife knelt down in front of the altar table, bowed three times and recited:
"The pestle for subduing demons! It is four feet long. One end is larger and the other is smaller. The small head is held in the hand, and the big head beats the demons!"
"The pestle for subduing demons! It is four feet long. One end is larger and the other is smaller. The small head is held in the hand, and the big head beats the demons!"
"The pestle for subduing demons! It is four feet long. One end is larger and the other is smaller. The small head is held in the hand, and the big head beats the demons!"
Not far away, a young disciple of the Star-Chasing Sword Sect could not stop smiling. No matter how many times he heard it, he still couldn't help but laugh every time he heard such a unique prayer.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Chang Ning turned his head slightly and glanced at his junior brother.
The three of them are disciples of the Star-Chasing Sword Sect, and they only bow to the elders in the sect and the ancestors of the Patriarch Hall. This 'door god' is set up by the 'Boundary Patrol Platform', so these few people will stay away from it every time when ordinary people worship.
After a few breaths, the newlyweds stood up after paying homage, both looking a little embarrassed.
This 'door god''s prayer is too outrageous!
Chang Ning waited for the two of them to stand up and said solemnly:
"Now that the 'door god' has been invited to the house, hang it up as soon as possible!"
"yes!"
One of the young couple held the picture scroll in hand, and the other applied the paste prepared in advance on the door leaf, and the two of them worked together to quickly glue the picture scroll together.
A fat, pear-shaped, white man with a braid that looks up to the sky, a pancake-like face with two small sesame-like eyes embedded in it, and a grin appears in the scroll.
He is riding a skeleton horse with black flames burning under his crotch. He is holding a short stick in his hands and lazily straddling the horse. His expression is dazed, as if he might fall out of the painting at any time.
Changning and others raised their hands and saluted the scroll, and then said to several people:
"It's getting dark. Go home quickly and take shelter. Don't go in and out of the house at will!"
"Yes, Jin listens to Taoist Priest's teachings!"
After several people agreed repeatedly, they quickly entered the house.
Chang Ning and the other three did not stay any longer, and controlled the 'flying sword' under their feet to rise into the air and explore other patrol areas.
In the air, the conversation between Chang Ning and his junior brother was faintly heard.
"Senior brother! Who is the 'door god'?"
"Hmm~! I heard from the elders in the sect that this 'door god' is named Bai Youan, and he is from Bolang City."
"Then...then what ability does this person have that he was actually granted the title of 'Door God' by the Taoist Lord Ruyi of the 'Inspection Platform'?"
"..., this person is a former friend of Lord Ruyi. I heard that he died thousands of years ago while protecting the human city, and was later named the 'Door God' by Lord Ruyi."
"..."
"Brother, I heard that the 'door gods' are a pair. Why is it that only Bai Youan has become a god now?"
"Oh~~, why do you have so many questions? I'm not Lord Ruyi, so how can I know what he thinks.
However, according to the guesses of the elders in the sect, the next human hero who makes great contributions to this world and falls is likely to become another 'door god'!"
"Oh~~! So that's it..."
"By the way, senior brother, I have another question..."
"Okay, if you have any questions, we can wait until the patrol is over. Let's do the patrol now!"
"Ah~~, okay then..."
Time passed little by little, and the three of Changning gradually completed the tasks of patrolling the area. When they arrived at the last patrol area, one of them felt something was wrong.
What was discovered was that the two of them were accompanied by a beautiful female disciple whose gift was the ‘Distance Eye’, which allowed her to see very far away places.
The female disciple's eyes narrowed, she stared at a house below for a few times, then turned around and said:
"Senior Brother Changning, there seems to be something wrong with the house below!"
As he spoke, he flicked his right hand, and a light golden sword light drew a slender golden line and fell below.
Senior Brother Changning was the middle-aged man. Looking at the ray of sword light shooting out of Junior Sister Lanhe's hand, a trace of envy flashed in his eyes.
Lan He is only twenty-six years old, but he has already grasped the rudiments of sword intent.
That is to say, now that the sect is presiding over the bloodline origin sealing circle, it will release these proud men to participate in inspections. I am afraid that I will not even have the opportunity to get to know them on weekdays.
Chang Ning's thoughts were turbulent, but he did not dare to act carelessly. He waved his left hand slightly, and the three of them immediately stopped in the air.
Following the mark marked by Junior Sister Lanhe's sword, he saw a courtyard with dozens of houses sitting alone on the ground hundreds of feet away.
Chang Ning closed and opened his eyes, and two pale golden auras burst out from his eyes. He glanced down again, but there was no guardian aura in the house at all.
Chang Ning frowned slightly and took out a set of regional maps from the space wrist wheel with his right hand.
I looked back and forth several times to make sure that all the areas that I and others needed to inspect have been inspected. Only the house below has not yet been inspected.
After pondering for a moment, Chang Ning asked with some confusion:
"Who was patrolling this place yesterday? Why didn't I see a door god guarding the aura?"
The young male disciple scratched his head and said strangely:
"It's strange. The door god that I and Brother Ming Jing posted in this residence yesterday, why doesn't it show its aura today?"
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of Chang Ning and Lan He instantly became solemn.
The two looked at each other, and Lan He hesitated and said:
"Senior Brother Changning, do you want to issue a warning?"
Chang Ning was also a little hesitant. If a warning was issued, it would be okay if there was something strange in the house below, but if not, it would be a joke.
Seeing that the last ray of afterglow in the west was about to dissipate, Chang Ning gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice:
"Junior Sister Lanhe, please wait here while Junior Brother Yaoyang and I go to investigate. Once we find that something is wrong, Junior Sister will immediately issue a warning!"
Lan He has a great possibility of comprehending the sword's intention, and Chang Ning did not want to put him in danger, so he said this.
The other two people knew Chang Ning's intention, but he was considered a sword cultivator. Even though he was not a real sword cultivator yet, the sword cultivator's behavior had already been ingrained in his heart.
Sword cultivators are never afraid of danger!
Lan He didn't show any pretense and immediately said:
"clear!"
Chang Ning and Yaoyang moved their thoughts and used their magic power to control the 'flying sword' under their feet, and quickly flew downwards.
When he got closer to the house, Chang Ning discovered that this residential complex with many houses was actually an extremely dilapidated old house.
Staring at the lintel of the house, Chang Ning softly read the two words on the plaque.