Under one person: I, Zhang Zhiwei, the arrogant Zhang.

“Those demons and monsters have been invading us all the way, leaving nothing but devastation and barren land in their wake. Our altar will not be completed for a while, and we are at a critical juncture. We cannot act rashly. What do you plan to do?” Yi Qian asked hurriedly.

"He has a hundred ghosts, and I have an army!"

As a high-ranking Grand Master of the Second Rank, he has never been afraid of anyone when it comes to "manipulating soldiers and horses".

In the past, he could easily command powerful heavenly soldiers to come out and help him, let alone now that his magic has been enhanced.

Now, with his promotion to the rank of law official, he also possesses the Yangping Zhidu Merit Seal, a supreme treasure of the Zhengyi Alliance's Way.
Taking advantage of a break in the ritual, Zhang Zhiwei swiftly drew a decree on yellow paper, ordering the troops to obey his commands.

Immediately, he held the Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Swords in his right hand, drew them into the air towards the talisman, and with a change of his footwork, shouted in a deep voice: "By order of the Three Pure Ones, heed my call, descend quickly before the altar, protect the Dharma and vanquish evil! So be it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the golden talisman spontaneously combusted without wind, transforming into an even more dazzling command arrow that soared into the sky and disappeared into the depths of the clouds.

After a while.

In the sky, the faint sounds of war drums beating and horns blaring could be heard, as if thousands of troops were gathering in the clouds.

Accompanied by these sounds, beams of pure white light tore through the clouds and descended from the sky, landing precisely on the plaza in front of the altar.

Each beam of white light that landed transformed into a Heavenly Warrior over two meters tall!

These celestial soldiers were all composed of Qi, with solid forms. Each of them wore a radiant armor, lined with a black battle robe, and tied with a crimson official's sash around their waist.

They were imposing and dignified, exuding an aura of authority and a sense of menace.

In the past, Zhang Zhiwei could only command a few dozen powerful Heavenly Soldiers at most at a time, which was not enough authority.

However, after receiving the blessing of Yangping's Governing Capital Merit Seal and the Three-Five Male and Female Demon-Slaying Swords, the number of Heavenly Soldiers that Zhang Zhiwei summoned this time seemed to be endless.

One after another, streaks of white light fell from the sky, making a swishing sound. In a short while, the square was filled with imposing Heavenly Soldiers!
This scene left everyone behind speechless. They didn't know the background of these Heavenly Soldiers, but the righteous aura emanating from them made them feel incredibly safe. This must be the leader's doing!

The senior disciples were also dumbfounded. Others might not understand what these celestial soldiers meant, but they knew very well that these celestial soldiers were spirits born from the faith of all living beings within the Taoist lineage.

When they are part of the Dharma lineage, they are in a dormant state, but once they are summoned, they possess a certain level of consciousness and can meticulously carry out the Dharma Master's commands.

However, issuing these decrees is not without cost; each decree consumes the Dao Qi within the lineage, which is the power of faith within the lineage.

To avoid depleting the lineage, no matter who it is, they cannot issue too many decrees in one breath.

However, the number of imperial soldiers that Zhang Zhiwei ordered this time seems a bit too many.

As they watched in shock, the white light continued to fall from the sky.

The first group of Heavenly Soldiers to appear turned around, knelt on one knee facing Zhang Zhiwei on the altar, and shouted in unison, "Greetings, Dharma Master!"

The sound shook the heavens and the spirit soared to the heavens!
Zhang Zhiwei pointed his sword at the churning black mist ahead and coldly shouted, "I want you to sweep away the demons and cleanse the world!"

"Follow the law!"

The Heavenly Soldiers roared in unison, their voices echoing across the land.

The dozen or so Heavenly Soldiers at the head of the group were especially excited, their eyes gleaming with excitement as they muttered, "Finally, we have something worth doing! Finally, we don't have to sweep the floor anymore!"

They were the same group of "old acquaintances" that Zhang Zhiwei had frequently ordered around; they were Zhang Zhiwei's old team. In the past, when they were ordered out, they were only given trivial tasks such as sweeping, carrying bricks, and doing odd jobs. They never had the opportunity to eliminate real demons like they did today. No wonder they were so excited.

Zhang Zhiwei also noticed them. Naturally, he wouldn't mistreat these old comrades who had followed him for many years. Immediately, he repeatedly pointed his magic sword in the air, and golden light entered the bodies of those Heavenly Soldiers. He was applying a status effect to those Heavenly Soldiers to enhance their combat power.

"I bestow upon you the Wind Chaser, the Cloud Spreader, the Heaven Opener, and the Vanguard Banner."

Zhang Zhiwei is accompanied by "100,000 heavenly soldiers," and the heavenly soldiers who were just summoned are different from these "heavenly soldiers."

The former refers to the guardian troops, while the latter refers to the military measure, which is a kind of Dao Qi.

It can be bestowed upon a person to grant them corresponding abilities. If it is bestowed upon a Wind Soldier, one can control the power of wind; if it is bestowed upon a Thunder Soldier, one can possess the protection of thunder...

Essentially, these soldiers and the performers wearing masks of divine status reinforce themselves through the incense and faith inside their gloves when they are performing as gods, just like the actors in the ceremonies.

Both are forms of utilizing incense and faith, except that the former is bestowed upon you by the lineage, while the latter requires you to painstakingly collect it yourself.

With the blessing of these invisible soldiers, the leading Heavenly Soldiers were immediately enveloped in an even more dazzling divine light, and their figures grew taller, becoming even more majestic and imposing!

Having done all this, Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand and shouted in a deep voice:

"Now is the time to slay demons and vanquish evil! Go!"

"kill!!!"

Then, a group of powerful Heavenly Soldiers transformed into countless streams of light and charged towards the black mist!

Zhang Zhiwei's 100,000 troops were certainly not something that could be used up in just a few moments.

Then, he turned around and began to deploy troops to Huoyun Xieshen, A Xing, Baozugong, and others.

"I will bestow upon you three thousand thunder soldiers, and three thousand wind warriors..."

Each time he pointed his magic sword through the air, a golden light descended from the sky and clung to these people.

The moment the lightning struck, Fire Cloud Evil God and the others felt a tingling sensation all over their bodies, and fine crackling electricity emanated from their skin.

They could clearly feel that their physical strength, speed, and reaction ability were astonishingly enhanced under the blessing of this thunderous power, and they were even able to release lightning and attach it to their attacks.

As for the so-called wind soldiers, their experience was even more wondrous. They felt as if the surrounding air had become an extension of their bodies, something completely under their control.

With the help of these wind soldiers, they were all as light as swallows, and with a light leap, they could jump dozens of meters away.

In particular, Ah Xing, after being empowered by the power of wind and thunder, was pleasantly surprised to find that he did not even need the assistance of the giant eagle. He only needed to jump upwards with all his might to easily leap to an extraordinary height of tens of meters, and then calmly unleash the seventh move of the Tathagata Palm, Heavenly Buddha Descends to Earth!
Zhang Zhiwei did not intend to involve them in this direct confrontation with the Shinto Grand Priest.

He decided to send them to eliminate the Japanese pirates and other shamans who were hiding in the shadows and trying to cause trouble.

"Go! Clean up all those rats!"

"Yes!"

Fire Cloud Evil God and the others obeyed the order, each using their supernatural powers to transform into afterimages and disappear into the night.

……

Meanwhile, on the long streets of Shanghai, the "Night Parade of a Hundred Ghosts" had fully commenced. Gray ghostly mist permeated the entire block, and a chilling wind howled through the alleyways, causing the doors and windows of the buildings along the way to swing wildly, making loud "bang" noises.

The cloth awnings in front of some shops and the tiles on old houses were all blown up by the strong wind and flew around in the air.

The affected residents could only lock their doors and windows tightly and huddle inside, trembling with fear.

Outside, in the gray fog, countless shadows, some enormous, some bizarre, laughed wildly and made all sorts of chilling sounds.

The area where the Tiantong Church was located was within the International Settlement. The route taken by this army of demons not only affected countless Chinese people, but also included a large number of foreigners who usually acted arrogantly and domineeringly.

These foreigners, who were used to running rampant on the land of China, could no longer be arrogant when faced with such a supernatural and terrifying scene.

They could only cower in their rooms like frightened quails, crying, pleading, cursing, and screaming. Some of the more timid ones were so frightened that they soiled themselves, making a complete spectacle of themselves.

Within this thick, iron-clad fog, they were like livestock imprisoned by monsters and spirits, ready to be devoured at any moment.

Indeed, how could a few walls and doors possibly keep out a hungry demon?

Even though the ultimate target of this parade of a hundred demons was the Tian Tong Church, many people were still caught by the sharp claws that emerged from the mist because they couldn't dodge in time.

Most of those arrested were residents of the Japanese concession. After all, the starting point of this "Night Parade of One Hundred Demons" was the military headquarters of the Japanese pirates.

This so-called "Japanese concession" was originally an area occupied by Japanese pirates after they forcibly entered Shanghai a few years ago.

As for the fate of those who were captured by ghosts and gods and cast into the gray fog...

A series of incredibly shrill screams rang out, followed by a series of chilling chewing sounds.

A moment later, a pool of finely chewed bone fragments, along with thick, foul-smelling blood, was spat out from the ghostly mist, spreading across the entire street like tomato sauce.

Some were even vomited directly into roadside houses. Some people hiding inside were drenched in blood and gore from the falling flesh, and panic spread like wildfire among the crowd.

But just as these panics were about to spiral out of control, they stopped.

Because streaks of brilliant white light, like sharp swords, pierced through the thick gray fog!

The Heavenly Soldiers have arrived!

Each of them radiated a dazzling divine light, their armor gleaming, their crowns and ribbons fluttering. Their majestic and sacred appearance formed a stark contrast to the filthy and evil ghosts around them.

"Death!"

The Heavenly Soldiers roared and charged out of the radiance, thrusting and slashing with their weapons without mercy!
puff!

A Heavenly Soldiers wielded a halberd with lightning speed, piercing precisely through a one-legged demon covered in eyeballs.

Before the evil spirit could even scream, it was purified in the holy light and turned into a wisp of green smoke.

This sudden action instantly angered the ghosts and spirits behind him.

“Roar!!”

The gray ghostly energy churned wildly, and countless ghosts revealed their true forms from the mist.

Among them were giant kappa wielding samurai swords, rotting samurai in armor, and flying night crows carrying muskets...

They let out a series of sharp howls, like a black wave, and charged towards the hundreds of Heavenly Soldiers!

However, these so-called ghosts and gods issued by Shintoism, if placed within the Taoist system, would at best be considered as soldiers and troops sent to the altar.

How could they possibly withstand the legitimate troops sent out by Zhang Zhiwei's imperial decree?

The moment the two armies clashed, the outcome was immediately decided, resulting in a one-sided massacre.

The Heavenly Soldiers formed battle formations, and with each swing of their halberds, large numbers of demons and ghosts were slain.

In particular, the vanguard soldiers who had been given extra military strength by Zhang Zhiwei were like tigers among sheep, charging forward one after another. Wind and thunder swirled on their halberds, and each swing brought up large amounts of lightning and wind blades, like an invincible celestial official descending to earth, invincible in all directions.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Countless bizarre and grotesque monsters rushed forward one after another, only to vanish in droves like moths to a flame, reduced to ashes.

If so many ghosts and gods were to come, an extraordinary person would probably be filled with despair. But in front of the Heavenly Soldiers summoned by Zhang Zhiwei, their deaths seemed utterly meaningless.

Just as these lower-ranking demons were being slaughtered in large numbers and the front line was about to collapse.

Suddenly, from behind the army of ghostly mist, came a series of eerie and grand musical sounds.

The sound was a combination of conch shells, gongs, karuta, and taiko drums, with a solemn and austere melody, as if announcing the arrival of a truly great figure.

Accompanied by this chilling music, several enormous figures slowly emerged from the depths of the black mist.

The first thing to emerge was a huge wheel engulfed in flames, with a distorted, pained face in the center. This monstrous creature was called Wheel Descent, and wherever it passed, the houses on both sides of the street were instantly set ablaze.

Following closely behind was a bear-like general, three zhang tall, with bulging muscles, black and white fur, and wielding a huge iron staff.

In the sky, a huge monster with the head of a beautiful woman and the body of a bird let out a shriek. It was the Guhuoniao!
With a flap of its wings, countless black feathers transformed into sharp arrows, shooting towards the Heavenly Soldiers' camp!

Also appearing were the Mad Bone, whose body was composed of countless skulls; the Flying Head Barbarian, with a long neck that could spew poisonous mist; and the Bull Demon, wielding a huge iron hammer and possessing immense strength…

One after another, infamous demons and gods from Japanese legends make their appearance!

They are the true core of this parade of a hundred demons!

The moment they joined the battle, the situation instantly became tense. Although the Heavenly Soldiers were brave, they also began to suffer casualties.

At that very moment, from the deepest part of the ghostly mist, a figure slowly emerged.

It was a ghost god ten zhang tall, covered in heavy armor burning with black flames. The bull-horned helmet on its head became even more ferocious and huge. Six ferocious arms covered with black scales stretched out from its back, each holding a different weapon such as a knife, a gun, a bow, and a sword.

"I am... the Sixth Demon King!"

He let out a low growl. (End of Chapter)