Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 379: Hard work
"My dear mother, everyone come and see! This Wanghai City has used us and then discarded us. Now that we are free from external threats, they want to seize our family's property by force!"

You heartless people, Twilight Society! My family has been supporting you all these years, yet now that trouble has come your way, you want to take it out on my family.

"You heartless and rotten officials of the Enforcement Hall! My family pays a hefty sum every year for supporting our sons, and yet you want to confiscate our property and destroy our businesses!"

In Wanghai City, outside a paper-making shop selling incense, candles, and paper offerings, a disheveled proprietress was throwing a tantrum, cursing loudly at the exorcism team, attracting countless onlookers.

"The Huang family are good people. My grandfather died at the hands of evil spirits. Fearing that he would not rest in peace after death and would be transformed into a wandering evil spirit, we brought his body to this Huang family shop, lit some incense and candles for him, and his soul dissipated, freeing him from the calamity of being disturbed by evil spirits!"

"That's right, their paper figures and houses are also well made. My grandfather didn't live in a spirit house when he was alive, and he couldn't bear to go to the Red Sleeve Pavilion. After he died, I insisted on burning a second-tier spirit house for him, with more than ten lotus maidens and sea maidens. Wouldn't that make my grandfather happy in the underworld!"

"What about your grandmother? Never mind, that's not important. There's only one paper-making shop in Wanghai. Although the shop owner is sinister and doesn't seem like a good person, but rather like an evil spirit, he hasn't committed any crimes in recent years. Even if he is an evil spirit, he's still a good evil spirit. Why should he be the target of the anti-evil squad?"

"They said they didn't give Master Su a gift?"

"That's incredibly insensible, they deserved to be raided!"

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and the leader of the group, Bai Wuchang, turned pale and shouted in a deep voice:

“You shrew, you were born a human being, yet you have served evil spirits for many years. Now that you have committed a crime, you want to throw a tantrum and cheat your way out of trouble.”

"Don't even think about it! Quickly bring your shop owner out here. I'll speak to him myself and make sure you're not wronged!"

The White Impermanence held a mourning staff in his hand and shook it gently. A white wind swept by, startling the woman. Some sharp-eyed people clearly saw a wisp of black smoke dissipate along with the white wind.

Evil spirit?

Is this woman tainted by evil spirits?
While everyone was wondering, paper figures suddenly emerged from the paper shop.

There were hundreds or even thousands of them.

What's truly terrifying is that these paper figures bear a striking resemblance to the fathers and grandfathers they've been sending over for decades!
"This is my second uncle? His ancestral bald patch and natural six fingers, no doubt, it must be my second uncle. Damn it, you sent my second uncle's soul away, and you even merged it into a paper doll!"

"My third sister-in-law, my poor third sister-in-law, my third brother died young, and you left me before me. I thought you would suffer in life, but I didn't want you to suffer in death. But I never thought that you would be harmed by this black shop even in your dying moments!"

"This...this is terrible! The spirits inside these paper figures are from the last few decades, but this shop has been in Wanghai for thousands of years! Where did all those spirits go? Could they have been harmed by them too?!"

"I knew Master Su wasn't that shallow. Why would he raid their shop just because they didn't give him a gift? It turns out they really are a shady business!"

"The evening glow of the setting sun, the rising sun of the east!"

Those who can be spectators in Wanghai Immortal City are all of high quality; they are at least late-stage Qi Refining cultivators. Having spent a long time in Wanghai, a major city connecting the sea and the land, their knowledge and experience far surpass those of inland cultivators.

When the paper figures from the paper shop appeared, they saw that these paper figures were radiant with spirits and looked like ancestors. How could they not know what was going on?

It turns out that this paper-making shop had taken their money in the past, but not only did it not help them, it also took the souls of their ancestors and used them as materials to make soul paper!

They are utterly despicable and deserve to be killed!

The crowd was indignant, public opinion was skewed, and Bai Wuchang's expression became even more unpleasant.

He waved to his law enforcement officers, who led the spirit dogs and drove the puppets to deal with the paper figures outside. He then strode into the paper shop, taking three steps at a time.

As he expected, the evil spirit in the paper shop had received word of it early in the morning, leaving behind only these hundred or so paper figures that couldn't be transported out of the city in time, while it itself had disappeared without a trace.

With a solemn expression, Bai Wuchang took out a communication talisman and wrote down the truth:
[Ranked 27th on the Evil-Slaying List—The Soul-Calling Evil has fled and its whereabouts are currently unknown. We urge all Rank 3 Spirit Catchers to come here immediately to search for its whereabouts!]

After sending the message, Bai Wuchang was in no hurry to destroy the black shop. He just watched with a cold face as his team members killed the paper figures and waited for the spirit catcher to arrive. He was not afraid at all that the evil spirit would actually escape from the city.

It was entirely within Master Su's expectations that these wicked spirits would flee after he announced the campaign to eliminate evil on the celebration platform.

But the True Man had long ago asked the experts of the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom to set up a fourth-order evil-locking array. Now, this Wanghai is the cage of evil spirits, and they only need to catch them like turtles in a jar!

And this scene is playing out all over Wanghai right now.

"Hu Sangua, your uncle has committed a crime. He helped the gang that robbed cultivators in the outer city. It wasn't enough that he killed the Prince of Pingxi's son; he even framed Master Su. Just ask me how many lives your uncle has to be so audacious. Even if he had many lives, it wouldn't be enough for him to atone for his sins!"

Led by the Blood Emperor, the anti-gang squad surrounded a third-tier spirit house.

This haunted house is actually inhabited by a famous wealthy man from Wanghai, who runs a top-notch shop called Wuzhibuzhi, which provides information services to help people resolve doubts, dispel confusion, and avert disasters.

In the past, the Blood Emperor had come to ask for information and learned from them about the general relationship between Su Qing and Er Qiang. Only then did he adjust his attitude in front of Su Qing before Er Qiang arrived.

Now, this shop that supposedly helps others avoid disaster has encountered its own calamity.

But no one was there to avert disaster for them.

Before the Blood Emperor could lead his men to break down the door, they saw Hu Sangua, a thin and small man, laughing loudly at the top of the spirit house before falling headfirst to the ground.

His subordinate, Xiao Xie, tried to summon a gust of evil wind to save him, but the Blood Emperor's expression darkened, and he waved his hand, telling him not to do such a futile effort.

But when he reached Hu Sangua's corpse, seeing that his body was purple and a black flower bud the size of a human head had suddenly risen from his abdomen, he gritted his teeth and said:

"The Evil Spirit Flower eats flesh and devours souls; when the flower blooms, the soul perishes. These intelligence brokers are truly ruthless; they would even harm their own nephew!"
"Let the possessing evil spirit come over. His nephew's soul is gone, but his body hasn't been completely devoured yet. Let his nephew's body go and find his good uncle!"

The Blood Emperor snorted coldly, knowing that the task Su Qing had entrusted to him was extremely important, and dared not neglect it in the slightest.

They neglected the affairs of Master Su, and Master Su actually dared to neglect the affairs of the Evil God!

·······
Cai Kingdom. A mortal kingdom sandwiched between Dizang Evil Kingdom and Wanghai Immortal City, which has been subordinate to Wanghai Immortal City for ten thousand years.

On this day, the old national advisor, who had been revered as a deity by the king and supported by the people for many years, hurriedly rolled up a soul banner and fled from the national advisor's mansion.

Only one disciple, eight feet tall and with a dignified appearance, was left in the Imperial Preceptor's residence to serve as his scapegoat.

This disciple, knowing full well that the crisis that would make his master flee in terror was beyond his ability to withstand, remained calm, standing with his arms outstretched under an old locust tree, and only sighed softly.

"got windy!"

The wind is too strong.

It was so great that Li Huai'an had never felt anything like it in over a thousand years!

Others only thought that he was Li Huai'an, who was no more than twenty years old and had been tricked into becoming the old national teacher's disciple. They thought that when the time came, he would be like the old national teacher's previous disciples, who would be taken advantage of and sent to the soul banner.

Little did they know that Li Huai'an, who attained enlightenment three thousand years ago, was a demon who became evil. He believed in the principle of becoming a saint through the Dao and hid his identity in the mortal world, commanding a group of demons and evil spirits to collect the souls of cultivators in various parts of the Western Sea.

Three thousand years have passed, and the matter has been kept secret all along. Now, he has reached the fourth level of prestige and has reached a crucial step.

It's not like Gao Erqiang, who followed the path of incense and deities that has never been verified in over a million years.

Instead, they want to be like the Earth Demon Heaven, using the Cai Kingdom and many surrounding mortal kingdoms as a base, sacrificing the living beings here to the heavens, creating a strange and evil realm, and becoming part of that evil god!
"Let's wait a bit longer. That Taoist Su is riding high. This campaign to eliminate evil has started in Wanghai and spread to many mortal kingdoms. It's a massive and extraordinary operation. If we step forward now, we'll inevitably get beaten up by him."

"We could find a way to lure him away elsewhere. After all, this is Gao Erqiang's business, not Su Qing's. Once he's gone, I can take the opportunity to establish my own kingdom and become a god. At that time, the entire Wanghai region will likely fall into my hands. Even if he returns with a puppet, it will be too late to reverse the situation!"

Li Huai'an muttered to himself, and suddenly a branch of the old locust tree spontaneously combusted without fire.

Meanwhile, on Langya Immortal Island, thousands of miles away, Hu Gua, who had been lying in wait there for a long time, suddenly became serious.

He had both discovered the death of his nephew and received a message from his lord.

“Men, we’ve got a mission! This old Taoist Tong is using the Dragon-Tiger Talisman to delay the emergence of the immortal relic. We’ll launch a hundred-deception night raid to confuse the heavens and the earth, forcing the immortal relic to retaliate and emerge today. Let’s see if the various forces in the Western Sea can still sit still!”

Hu Gua was only angry for a moment because of his nephew's death. He never thought of going to Wanghai to settle accounts with Su Qing. He only wanted to make a fuss on Langya Immortal Island to resolve the crisis for his master.

The Hu family has served the Lord for a thousand years, their lives and fortunes tied to the Lord. Even a single hair of the Lord is far more precious than the life of his own nephew!

After he shouted, strange shadows appeared on the once peaceful Langya Immortal Island, summoning countless black clouds and changing the world, filling the entire island with boundless evil energy.

While discussing with Madam Lanxiang why they had reaped no harvest after more than fifty years of cultivation, whether it was the old Taoist priest or the lady who was incompetent, Tong Laodao's expression changed drastically.

From the moment these hundred monsters appeared, the dragon and tiger talismans covering the immortal ruins were all scattered and disintegrated by the beams of immortal light. The immortal light soared into the sky, dissolving the hundred monsters and breaking through the black light.

There were also ancient characters and patterns of immortals that lingered in the air for a long time, so that the world would know about them.

The calamity begins and ends, leaving countless ages in emptiness. Even with the machinations of great beings and the intervention of ancient Buddhas, the gods cannot escape their positions, and the underworld is forced to close its gates.

I, Xu, was born a human, and I will die a human. I do not believe in great powers, nor in ancient Buddhas. With the combined strength of three fellow Daoists, I have gathered more than a hundred divine runes, hoping that future generations will not place their hopes on these runes, yet I also fear that future generations may need them.

If this divine script is seen by future generations, then those generations will need this divine inscription. You may come and take it yourselves. We only hope that once you become gods in heaven, you will not forget the affairs of the mortal world. We, the Four Celestial Masters, though dead, are still watching over you!

A beam of celestial light shot towards Penglai Immortal Island, causing the island's cultivators to weep with joy. They all said that the so-called creation of a Heavenly Court might have been greatly facilitated by these divine runes, and they sharpened their swords, gathered their forces, and headed straight for Langya Immortal Island.

A beam of immortal light rushed to Fangzhang Immortal Island. As the main base of the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom, the Nascent Soul cultivators on the island gathered together. Except for a few who had the hope of advancing to the Divine Transformation stage, they all looked towards Langya Immortal Island with bright eyes, hoping to obtain a divine rune and become a true god!

A beam of celestial light shot to the far west, reaching the Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom, the Desire Demon Immortal Kingdom, and the various martial kingdoms of the Central Plains beyond the Western Sea, as well as the various immortal kingdoms of the Eastern Wilderness.

In an instant, the entire Tianyuan Realm was moved by it, and Wanghai City was no exception.

"Is it going to be this big? I'm afraid Master Tong can't handle it, but if I go, I can handle it, right?"
"Things on Erqiang's side aren't settled yet, so maybe we shouldn't go to Laodao's side?"

Inside the puppet-making room, Su Qing looked in the direction of Langya Immortal Island, wondering how Old Daoist Tong had made such a mistake, allowing this immortal relic to be born directly!
There are relics of immortals on Langya Immortal Island. Ever since Ling Ying revealed this at the Wanghai Auction, many forces in the Western Sea have known about it.

However, due to the chaos caused by evil sea monsters in the Western Sea, and the uncertainty about the extent of the benefits within the immortal ruins, the various forces remained relatively restrained and did not rush to seize the opportunity.

This gave Master Tong time to spend money drawing talismans, Su Qing time to spend money refining puppets, and Gao Erqiang time to build a temple and become a god!
Originally, according to their discussion, they were supposed to wait until Erqiang succeeded and Su Qing obtained Shen Wuyai, and then refine a few more fourth-order puppets to help the old Taoist guard the island.

The news that there are over a hundred divine runes in this immortal ruin has spread far and wide, so they probably won't have time to develop.

"After all, this is a great opportunity for over a hundred people to become gods in the heavens. Although their path to immortality will not advance, they will enjoy eternal life. Within the scope of divine authority, they can be compared with gods."

I'm not particularly interested, since there are kids practicing, but those old Nascent Soul cultivators with bleak futures, I doubt any of them would miss out!
Given this perilous situation, it's impossible to defend the island for the old Taoist priest. However, Langya Immortal Island is related to my Nascent Soul formation, so I still have to go there.

"Not for the old Taoist priest, not for Ling Ying, but even for the sake of that Ziwei Star Infant, I must go!"

Once Su Qing made up his mind, he sent Xiong Er with Bi Lian and the two-headed mirage dragon to quickly meet up with Wei Debao and the others.

Leaving aside the matter on Langya Immortal Island for the time being, if he leaves, the affairs of these two powerful figures will still need a strong puppet to oversee them. Although Xiong Er is not yet a fourth-tier puppet, he is skilled in exorcising evil spirits and is also the underground emperor of Wanghai, with many underlings. Together with Bi Lian and the two-headed mirage dragon, they can form the Vajra Subduing Demon Formation. It would be perfectly acceptable to leave him in Wanghai to keep order for him.

"I'm the one who's scared, but Old Master Tong on the island must be scared out of his wits, right?"

Serves him right! Who told him to mess around with Lady Pinlanxiang!

(End of this chapter)