Chapter 61: The Gods Confused the Heart
The faithful poured into the circle like a tide, complaining that the circle wouldn't teleport any faster, sending Wu Lu and Xi Sheng reeling. Wu Lu tried to stop them with his cane, but it was nearly snatched away, and he erupted in fury and cursed.
Silver-white gulls continued to circle around Cang Ming, dispersing the chaotic crowd and creating a clear space for him. Wei Ci glanced around with annoyance and whispered, "Greedy."
Cang Ming's head was still ringing wildly, and she felt groggy, as if she'd been punched. She could only barely maintain consciousness. She stared at Li Xianzhen, exhaled a long breath, and still asked, not giving up, "What do you mean by the God of Heaven?"
Li Xianzhen said weakly, "You'll know if you go and see him."
Cang Ming raised his hand and pointed at the people around him, saying, "Let them go, and I will go see this god myself."
Li Xianzhen was exhausted and shook his head, saying, "They can't escape. Today's grand ceremony of paying tribute to the gods doesn't have a magic formation to send them down the mountain."
Cang Ming said sullenly, "Then tell them they can't go to the inner hall yet, but must stay here and dance and pray."
Li Xianzhen waved his hand to call over Old Ghost Lotus, and it took some effort for him to understand the command. Old Ghost Lotus staggered on the spot, dragging his tongue and shouting: "Silence - silence -"
The commotion finally died down. Li Xianzhen said hoarsely, "The king has ordered that it is not yet the auspicious time for an audience. He orders everyone to dance and pray to the gods."
When the group of believers heard this, they immediately burst into praise: "Your Majesty is indeed elegant, this thanksgiving ceremony is well-deserved!"
Someone else said loudly, "Just imagine, amidst the singing and dancing, the king slowly appears. What a beautiful thing it would be!"
…
Wei Ci snorted coldly. Those who had just been fighting, bloodied and bruised, were now arm-in-arm, shouting blessings and dancing around the golden circle. In the pale dojo, robes fluttered in a riot of colour.
Wu Lu and Xi Sheng squeezed out of the crowd and came to Cang Ming. Wu Lu gave a thumbs up and praised: "That was your trick, right? I admire you!"
Cang Ming grabbed the two of them and said solemnly: "The master of the dojo is a god, and... maybe..." Her tongue was tied and she couldn't say the name of her master.
Xisheng's eyes suddenly widened. Wu Lu asked in disbelief, "What kind of words are you talking about? God... God... but the God in heaven!"
Wei Ci stuck close behind Cang Ming and said sarcastically, "Exactly. He is the priest in the Heavenly Palace who is revered by everyone."
Li Xianzhen was already approaching, staring intently at Cangming. Cangming said hurriedly, "Singing and dancing won't last long. Who knows, these people might be captured soon. Xishengwulu, send a signal to ask for help from the Taoist priests nearby. The more people who come, the better. Wei Ci and I are going to meet the god."
Wu Lu said, "Call people? That's easy. I can even call my disciples, as well as the little demons and ghosts who owe me money..."
Cang Ming took Wei Ci's hand, and the two of them looked at each other before stepping into the golden circle. A golden light, too bright to look directly at, rose from the ground like a fountain, reaching the sky and enveloping the two of them.
Wei Ci squeezed her hand comfortingly and said softly, "The general seems to no longer be performing solo shows. Instead, he likes to find more Taoist priests to catch ghosts together."
Cang Ming looked up at his gentle eyes and smiled, "Yes, I understand now. How long can a one-man show last? Besides, there are always people better than you. All cultivators are unwilling to be mediocre. Perhaps the supporting role should also have its own singing, reciting, acting and fighting, and should not just revolve around me..."
Wei Ci hummed. Cang Ming continued, "I'm afraid, if it really is Master..."
The golden light faded, and the surroundings became deserted. The Buddha's Palm was empty. Wei Ci's brows furrowed, and Cang Ming surveyed his surroundings warily. "We haven't been teleported to the temple. This still seems to be the Buddha's Palm. Where are the people from earlier? Where are Xisheng and Wulu? Could this be another Buddha's Hand?"
Wei Ci said softly, "Be careful."
The intuition developed over the years made Cang Ming feel a chill on his back. He turned around suddenly and saw a tall man in black standing not far away. He was standing on auspicious clouds and was surrounded by golden light. He was looking at the two of them quietly.
Cang Ming's heart beat violently. She grasped Wei Ci's hand tightly and said through gritted teeth, "It's him! The one I mentioned... the guardian deity!"
The god calmly approached Cang Ming, his features strong and round, his mouth half-turned, a look of compassion. Although he had never met him, his image was exactly the same as that recorded in the murals and ancient books.
In the past, there was a God of War, unrivaled in the world. He raised his hand to destroy evil spirits and lowered his eyes to show pity to the world.
Wei Ci whispered in her ear, "At least, it's not her." Cang Ming couldn't tell whether he felt comforted or ironic. The god he had admired for years, the supreme being that all martial monks and Taoists aspired to become, turned out to be the true culprit behind the chaos plaguing the world.
Cang Ming met his gaze and stared back: "Where are the people around here?"
The Guardian God smiled amiably, and when he spoke, his voice echoed with the sound of weapons clashing: "Respect Cang Ming, respect Cang Ming. We meet again."
Wei Ci said contemptuously, "What are you trying to do to get close to me?"
The guardian deity gently grasped the sword at his side and said, "Hey, I met you that day when I was attached to the giant Buddha. I even looked down at you for a long time. How could you have forgotten?"
Wei Ci sneered, "So the guardian god's unique skill is to take advantage of others' misfortune and trigger an avalanche."
Cang Ming added: "Do the embroidered shoes fit you well? It turns out the guardian deity has a habit of wearing red shoes."
The corners of the guardian god's mouth rose and fell a few times, and suddenly he waved his hand, and a noisy crowd appeared around him. They were the believers from before, all of them dancing wildly, and wanted to pull Xisheng to join in, which annoyed Xisheng so much that he started to beat him up.
The Guardian smiled and said, "You see, they have been here all along. It is us who have been hiding."
The believers froze in their tracks as three figures suddenly appeared in the center of the magic circle. Their hands and feet, raised high above their heads, hovered in the air.
Li Xianzhen threw herself at the feet of the guardian deity, kowtowed profusely, "I have fulfilled your command. Please bring Yi'er back, please..." The guardian deity waved his hand, and Old Ghost Lian pulled her away. As soon as the rag doll's hand touched her, she screamed heartbreakingly.
The crowd of believers around them were confused and kept asking each other: "Who is this man in black? What are those two masked men doing?"
The guardian deity said in a voice only audible to a few people: "If you surrender and serve me, we can unify the three realms. Isn't that great?"
Cang Ming suddenly recalled the crow spirits in that dilapidated courtyard, discussing the mortal emperor's collusion with demons and ghosts, even brazenly claiming that the demons and ghosts were sworn brothers with the gods. Only now did the truth become clear: not only were humans and ghosts colluding, but the gods were also secretly connected. The three realms were intertwined, working in cahoots, treating the people like dirt. Wei Ci, understanding the situation, chuckled softly, "So that's how it is, sworn brothers."
"If you insist on defying the will of the gods," the Guardian God waved his hand and said calmly, "these people, along with your two friends and the swarm of soldiers and generals on their way here, will all vanish in the blink of an eye."
Everything in the Buddha's hand was as clear as a glimpse into the eyes of the guardian deity. Every word, action, and movement of Cang Ming and the others was in the palm of their hands, visible to them all.
Xisheng had already reached Cang Ming and was looking at the god sharply. She said to Cang Ming, "Don't listen to him. Do what you should do."
Cang Ming quietly shook her hand, then said to the Guardian God: "There are too many people here, let's go somewhere else. I'm just your subordinate, what's there to discuss?"
The Guardian said playfully, "Excellent. But to show you that tricks are not a permanent pass, I'm going to show you something real."
With a swish, an invisible blade flew past, and the people closest to the magic circle fell to the ground, reduced to empty skin. The heavy sword had no edge, and the sword was drawn without a trace. No one noticed when he struck. Life and death were separated by a single moment.
"Stop!" Cang Ming was shocked and angry. He drew his sword and swung it. Wei Ci, unarmed, attacked the Guardian God together with her. The Guardian God dodged easily, and the two of them attacked again from the left and right. The three of them were entangled in a fight.
The believers who witnessed the massacre were already terrified by the sudden loss of life and fled for their lives. The believers on the periphery were unaware of what was happening and continued to squeeze in.
Cang Ming danced with his long sword in a dazzling display, never forgetting to listen to the movements behind him. Xi Sheng seemed to be checking the empty skins one by one, warning everyone to hurry up. The people rushing up from the outer circle were still praising him, "Look, there's a performance to pay tribute to the gods today! This skill is really beautiful..."
The guardian deity wasn't in a hurry to kill Cang Ming. He simply flew back and forth, dodging attacks and saying in a voice that sounded almost like a chant, "Are people really that worth saving? My dear girl, don't you want to see your parents again?"
Cang Ming's heart felt like it was falling from the sky, slamming down heavily. Wei Ci slashed with his palm and shouted softly, "General, be careful of his mind-enchanting spell!"
Indeed, the Guardian's chant echoed the Embroidered Shoe Fairy's, the Old Ghost Lotus's ditty, and even the low humming that suddenly appeared and disappeared in the Tianxin Shu Underground Palace. Though the Guardian was the mastermind behind the scenes, he also took action personally and was omnipresent.
Cang Ming gritted his teeth, and with one sword he broke through the north wind, stabbing like a meteor: "Do you think I can be defeated by those little tunes?"
As the wind blew back into the snow, Wei Ci's sword-like brows and star-like eyes sparkled. He coordinated perfectly with Cang Ming's attack while speaking loudly, "General, you will never be defeated by those things again. From now on, I will be with you."
The Guardian barely dodged Wei Ci's punch, only to be nearly pierced by Cang Ming's sword. Having dodged Cang Ming's sword tip, only to be swept by Wei Ci's kick, he immediately became furious. But he still spoke, half-sung, in that warm and ambiguous voice: "My parents' souls have scattered, only their spirits hang by a thread. Wandering all day in agony, only exchanging my life can change the fate."
Cang Ming did a side flip to avoid his smiling face, hooked his hand back, and stabbed out with a sword neatly: "What the hell are you yelling about!"
"I'm telling you," the Guardian God used the golden light around him to block Cang Ming's ice blade, "In exchange for your life, your deceased parents can return to you."
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