On the Avenue.

Chapter 274 Zhong Kui
Outside the city of Xijing, as the sunset rose, a white elephant came into view.

The giant elephant was snow-white all over, as if it was carved from white jade, but it was extremely large, taller than the city walls of Xijing. There was fluff growing upward on the elephant's head, forming the shape of a fountain. Someone had built wooden boards on the fluff and laid golden blankets on it.

Several burly strong men, about 18 feet tall, stood shirtless at the four corners, looking around vigilantly.

On the elephant's back is a three-story wooden building with terraces on all four sides. On each terrace there is a person standing, wearing golden armor, with a several-meter-tall Yuanshen standing behind him.

In the wooden building on the third floor, several people who looked like scholars stood by the windowsill, looking out, talking and laughing.

"Which one is the young master?" Everyone looked up and someone asked loudly.

At this time, another giant elephant came into view and walked towards Xijing City.

There was also a strong man guarding the head of the giant elephant. The strong man with yellow turban was shining with golden light and had infinite strength. He roared suddenly, which was comparable to the roar of a tiger or a dragon, and the sound was as loud as thunder.

On the elephant's back is a lotus platform, four or five meters in radius. The most eye-catching thing is a six-meter-tall golden statue of a monk. There is Buddha's light behind his head, presenting an image of a pure land.

This pure land is called the Western Paradise.

The monk stood on the lotus platform, overlooking the people on both sides of the streets and on the buildings of Xijing City, just like Buddha overlooking all living beings.

"You are a monk?"

Someone shook his head and said, "That's not the young master! That monk is the Holy Son of the Great Baoguo Temple, Wuxiang."

There is also a woman on the lotus platform, with a dignified appearance, holding a pure bottle in her hand, and an appearance of great compassion. She is the Saint Xuan of the Bodhi Dharma Field, and her secular name is Ji Xuanxuan.

The other person was also a young man who looked elegant and romantic, but Chen Shi heard from people around him that this person was a disciple of Fankongliu from Shuiyue Shengjing, another major Buddhist holy place. He practiced Buddhism with his hair uncut, but was a playboy and had affairs with many women.

Chen Shi's eyes fell on them, and he thought, "These people are all masters! But Saint Xuan is among them, is she just filling in the numbers?"

He glanced at the crowd and felt that although these people were also extremely outstanding, they should not be young masters.

Two white elephants entered the city one after another. They were too big to pass through the city gate, but all kinds of talismans lit up on the four legs of the two white elephants. There were hundreds of talismans on each of the thick elephant legs, allowing the giant elephants to step on the blue clouds, rise up slowly, walk in the void above the city gate, and walk into the city.

When everyone looked up, they saw two white islands floating and moving in the air.

Suddenly, a giant sika deer came over, with branched antlers on its head. There were people standing on the branches of the antlers, with their legs crossed, bows and arrows on their backs, and looking around vigilantly.

The skills of these sharpshooters are all very strong. There are souls floating behind them, which are several times larger than their bodies.

Their souls have three heads and six arms, each of them draws a bow and draws an arrow, ready to shoot. They must have practiced some strange and mysterious skills, which caused their souls to show such a strange phenomenon.

On the back of the sika deer was a cloud of auspiciousness, with rays of rosy light and auspicious aura. On the cloud stood several young Taoists, each of them with a distinguished appearance.

"A young Taoist priest holding a whisk with a Ruyi figure visible behind him, his Taoist name is Yu Lingzi. He is a Taoist from the Taoist holy land, Taihua Qing Palace." Someone next to Chen Shi said excitedly.

Chen Shi looked towards Yu Lingzi, and saw that his aura was overwhelming, his blood was extremely vigorous, and the faintly visible Jade Ruyi behind him concealed an extraordinary magic. The aura he exuded was still extremely powerful even with so many people around him, and it even made him feel pressured.

"It's really extraordinary!" Chen Shi praised.

"The Taoist monk Jin Lu, who carries a sword on his back, is a Taoist from the holy land of Taoism, the Supreme Haoyuan Palace!"

Chen Shi's eyes fell on Jin Lu, but he could not sense Jin Lu's aura. He could not help but say in awe: "This man has real skills."

The third Taoist was sitting in the Qingyun, with a white jade hairpin on his head. Chen Shi looked at the person next to him, but that person did not speak, obviously not recognizing this Taoist.

"I thought he knew everyone." Chen Shi thought to himself.

After the sika deer passed by, three more deer came over. The passerby next to Chen Shi was still very excited, and kept introducing the people on the backs of the deer. They were all outstanding children from major families.

After the white elephant and the sika deer passed by, the atmosphere became extremely lively and noisy. The people on the white elephant and the sika deer seemed to be the foreshadowing before the young master's arrival, and the highlight was about to begin.

Even Chen Shi was infected by this atmosphere and looked forward to it.

But outside the city, brilliant light overshadowed the sunset glow, and a rainbow light rose up, transforming into many large and small Taoist temples, coming towards Xijing.

"It's the master of Fuzheng Pavilion!" Cheers came from the crowd.

There are quite a lot of Yuanshen Taoist temples, which contain different Taoist mysteries. From the temples, there may be Sanskrit sounds or chants of gods, which are grand and mysterious.

Strange beasts of various shapes walked towards this side, stepping on the rosy glow. Standing or sitting on the backs of the beasts were the masters of the Fuzheng Pavilion, with dignified looks and solemn expressions.

Behind these temples is a dazzling realm of space, which is boundless and without boundaries. The sun and the moon are floating in the sky. Although the sunset has risen and the bright moon has appeared, the sun and the moon in the sky still illuminate the world and it is as bright as day.

At this moment, a fire unicorn walked out from the void with flames under its feet.

"Young Master!" someone called out.

"Young Master!" "Young Master!" "Young Master!"

The atmosphere inside and outside Xijing City was extremely heated, with people waving their arms and cheering with fanatical expressions.

Suddenly, a masculine voice was heard, overpowering the shouts of the crowd and clearly reaching everyone's ears: "Zhenzhou Judicial Officer Du Wanshu, you are an official in Zhenzhou, but you raise evil spirits, feed them with the common people, and refine elixirs to seek immortality. I have been investigating your crimes for a long time, and caught you red-handed, but you escaped. Now you are in Xijing, what way do you have to retreat?"

The Fire Kirin’s head is like a small mountain, with blazing flames on top that look like hair growing upwards.

A young man appeared in the flames. He looked down from above, his face could not be seen clearly. He said in a loud voice: "Even if someone in the court protects you today, I will kill you and seek justice for the people of Zhenzhou! Du Wanshu, please accept death!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a white-haired old man in Xijing City soared into the sky and fled towards the inner city, shouting angrily: "Young Master, what grudge do I have against you? Why do you insist on taking my life? I'm going to file a complaint with the emperor!"

"I have no personal grudge against you, but I will kill you for the people of Zhenzhou!"

In the flames above the Fire Kirin's head, the young man spoke righteously, then leaped away and caught up with the white-haired old man in an instant.

The white-haired old man should be Du Wanshu, the chief judge of Zhenzhou. Seeing that he could not escape, he immediately turned around, urged his soul, and fought desperately with the young man.

But as they met, there was a flash of sword, and Du Wanshu was beheaded. In an instant, blood fell from the air and poured on the heads and faces of the people below.

Du Wanshu's head and body fell to the ground from the sky.

The young man then turned into a ray of light and returned to the top of the Fire Kirin, still standing in the raging flames, with thousands of rays of light.

"Master——"

Chen Shi was startled by a sudden scream beside him. The man's voice was a little hoarse and trembling.

"Master! Master!"

People all around raised their arms and shouted as if they had seen a savior; the shouts were deafening, and countless voices gathered together and turned into a raging torrent, with one wave after another covering the other.

Amid the cheers of the crowd, the young master stood on the head of the Fire Kirin, and the Fire Kirin took a step and walked into Xijing.

Seeing this, Chen Shi let out a breath of foul air.

He had heard the young master's voice before. In Taiping Gate, after he killed Taiping Gate leader Peng Wanshan, he heard the young master's voice from the burning Thousand Miles Sound talisman.

At this time, a voice came from behind Chen Shi: "This man is a saint in disguise, but he is a great traitor and a great evil."

Chen Shi turned around and saw Chen Tang coming to look for him. Chen Tang was holding a lantern and looking at the young man standing on top of the Fire Kirin. He suddenly handed the lantern to Chen Shi and said, "Go home, it's time to eat."

Chen Shi responded.

The sun has closed and the moonlight is shining.

But the moonlight was not as bright as the sun and the moon in the void realm of the Chief Secretary of the Fu Zheng Pavilion. The two suns and the moon entered the city, illuminating half of Xijing as bright as day, and there was no need for lanterns at all.

"Don't turn off the lights."

Chen Tang said, "I don't want to borrow his light."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shi did not extinguish the lantern and looked at Chen Tang.

The father and son walked towards the inner city, gradually away from the hustle and bustle.

Chen Tang was silent for a long time, and then said, "The young master is building up momentum and has great ambitions. Since you don't get along with him, you must be careful in the future. I see that he looks like a saint, but he is ambitious inside. He is not someone who can be easily dealt with."

Chen Shi asked in confusion: "Why do you say that?"

Chen Tang said, "I know Du Wanshu. I met him when he came to Beijing to report on his work three years ago. His last name is Du, and he is not from the Thirteenth Aristocratic Family. He is very old. If he used evil spirits to prolong his life, why would he be so old? He wanted to go back to Zhenzhou after reporting on his work, and he didn't have enough money, so I raised a few taels of silver for him."

Chen Shi asked, "Did Du Wanshu raise evil spirits to make elixirs for immortality?"

Chen Tang said, "If raising evil spirits can make an elixir of immortality and can lead to longevity, then the first person to make the elixir must be the Thirteenth Family, not him. Du Wanshu must have died in vain."

He paused and said, "Du Wanshu has no powerful background. Young Master borrowed his head to build momentum for himself and would not offend any noble family. This person is extremely cunning and is definitely not a blessing to the world!"

Chen Shi looked at Chen Tang deeply and almost asked, "Brother, do you want to join the Heavenly Court?" but fortunately he held back.

Chen Tang has always enforced the law impartially. If he said this, Chen Tang might sacrifice his own family for the sake of justice and send him to the yamen.

The father and son returned home and extinguished the lanterns. During dinner, Chen Shi said, "I'm going out for a few days and may not be back for three or four days."

Chen Tang asked, "Where are you going? What are you doing? Who is with you? Tell me clearly before you leave."

Chen Shi said calmly: "I am informing you, not asking for your approval."

Chen Tang clenched his fists.

Chen Shi put down his chopsticks.

The two looked at each other.

Chen Tang snorted, unfurled his fists, and continued to eat, saying calmly, "Don't get too close to people of questionable character. It's easy to break the law."

Chen Shi picked up the chopsticks and sneered, "My friends are not good people? Chen Tang, you don't even have good friends."

Chen Tang's forehead was throbbing with veins, and he suppressed his anger and said, "If you continue to behave recklessly, you will be on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner sooner or later!"

Chen Shi bit the end of his chopsticks, gnashing his teeth, and said, "It's still uncertain who will get on the Ten Thousand Souls Banner first!"

Hei Guo sighed, picked up the bowl, ordered some dishes, and went out to eat.

After a while, Chen Shi's voice came from the main hall: "The people who went with me were not bad people, but Granny Sha, Uncle Qingyang, and Uncle Hu. You don't have to worry."

Chen Tang said angrily, "They are just bad people! They have corrupted your grandfather!"

"Chen Tang, have you ever thought that it was Grandpa who led them astray?"

"He's my father, you are not allowed to say that about him!"

The two had a quarrel, and Heiguo was glad that he had foresight and came out early.

The next day, Chen Shi took the black pot, the wooden cart, and four days' worth of food, left the city, and met up with Granny Sha, Qing Yang, and Hu Xiaoliang, and they all headed toward Du County.

Xijing City is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea. It is a place where dragons rise and is extremely prosperous.

But a hundred miles out of Xijing, the surrounding area becomes desolate, and the villages, towns, and county towns all appear dilapidated and old.

When they passed a town, many talisman masters were dealing with a tree ghost that was active during the day. The tree ghost uprooted the branches and grabbed swords. Thousands of swords flew along the branches, killing the talisman masters and making them sweat profusely.

Chen Shi observed that these talisman masters should be from Hongshan Hall. Although it was dangerous to fight against the tree ghost, they could still handle it, so he did not help.

Moreover, there is a Nascent Soul Realm talisman master sitting nearby, probably to train these talisman masters' skills.

"Hongshan Hall is indeed much bigger than before." Chen Shi thought to himself.

The wooden cart was moving very fast and arrived at Du County in the evening.

Du County is located deep in the Huangyan Mountains. The geography is dangerous, with snakes and insects everywhere, and evil spirits occupying the mountains and ruling the area.

On the outskirts of Du County is the famous Death Valley. It is said that a demonic change once broke out there that lasted for a hundred days and no one could resolve it, causing the demon to mature.

On the hundredth day, the True God from outer space focused his eyesight and evaporated the mature demon along with everything within a hundred miles, leaving only a big pit.

The remaining evil spirit in the pit is still very heavy, and evil spirits like to run here, so it is called Death Valley.

Zhuge Jian found them quickly, greeted them and said, "Fortunately, I have fulfilled my mission. I have found a reincarnated ghost messenger, but I am not sure if it is the ghost messenger Zhong Kui. This person was born nineteen years ago. His parents are from Shennan Village. Shennan Village is in the Death Valley, where evil spirits are everywhere. It is said that the godmother is a vine that grew out of no man's land after being transformed by a demon. It was stained with demon blood and became spiritual."

The group walked and talked as they headed toward Death Valley.

Zhuge Jian told the story, "On the night he was born, many evil spirits came to Shennan Village and surrounded the village, attacking Shennan Village. The godmother of Shennan Village could not resist them. Seeing that the evil spirits were about to rush into the village, this person was born and cried loudly. It is said that the evil spirits exploded and died one by one. His parents thought he was a bit supernatural, so they asked a witch to see him. The witch said that she saw the child eating ghosts, one at a time, so she named him Tiechi. His family name is Tie."

Death Valley is a desolate place, and the woods are haunted by evil spirits, more than anywhere else.

There is a strong demonic energy here, which is very popular with evil spirits. However, even in such a dangerous place, there are still villages and towns.

The villagers reclaimed farmland, planted crops, and lived happily together.

"The government officials of Du County don't dare to enter the Death Valley to collect taxes, so many people live here. Apart from being a little dangerous, life here is more comfortable than outside," Zhuge Jian said with a smile.

They passed through a town and heard the sound of reading. Chen Shi looked inside and saw a private school where a teacher was teaching some children.

The private school teacher was born with a strange appearance, with a leopard head, round eyes, an iron face and curly beard. He looked strong and powerful, but he was holding a book and teaching the children to read and write.

Chen Shi retracted his gaze, and Zhuge Jian said, "Tie Chi was born with a strange appearance. He has a burly body and a high forehead, as if he was about to grow horns. After he was born, there were rumors in the area that he turned into a strange man with a bull's head and a human body at night, eating evil spirits everywhere."

Chen Shi looked at the private school teacher with a leopard head and round eyes and said, "Could it be this person?"

Zhuge Jian shook his head and said, "It's not this person. This gentleman is from the town, his name is Yongnan, although he looks old, he is less than 20 years old. I also suspected him and investigated him, but his family background is clean and he is good at studying, but he didn't pass the imperial examination."

He walked out of the town and said, "Let's go out of the town and walk a few miles to Shennan Village. By the way, Yongnan has a younger sister who was born a few hours later than him. She is very delicate and pretty."

(End of this chapter)