Wet viviparity

Chapter 674: Righteousness, Drought in the Mountains
Ji Ming issued an edict, and for a month or two there were no ripples on the water surface, only undercurrents surging beneath the water. After three or four months, there began to be a reaction in Liling, and the already barren land became even more difficult to support life.

The scorching sun mercilessly burned the red soil mountains of Liling. The once lush jungle lost all its greenery, leaving only large areas of withered yellow and glaring burnt brown.

The land was cracked, revealing countless bottomless black gaps that were thirsty for rain. The rushing stream was reduced to a dry riverbed covered with the remains of fish and shrimp, and the mountain springs that nourished the villages had long since ceased to exist.

The air was filled with dust, the smell of rotting leaves and a suffocating silence.

The tall trees curled up their leaves, the low shrubs fell down in patches, the noisy birds and animals of the past disappeared, and only the occasional dead bones and shriveled insect shells were left in the hot wind.

The Five Immortals Sect received the notification from the upper government a long time ago, but more than half of the disciples in the sect, including some immortals, did not take it seriously. They had never cared about the ants in the barbarian village in the mountains. They were immortals and did not need those few mouthfuls of rain water at all.

The announcement from the Taiping Mountain government instead aroused a kind of collective indignation and confrontation among them.

If it were just the three peaks and one prefecture in Taiping Mountain, it would be fine, but to force this small and large sect in the southern part of the world to submit to the decree of a mere immortal in the altar was really going too far.

In the sect, some more sober figures were quietly walking towards the barbarian village in the mountains amidst the collective indignation, contacting the disciples stationed in the village and observing the most real and severe situation in the area.

Deep in the mountains, the mountain people who relied heavily on "slash-and-burn farming" watched helplessly as the dry rice seedlings on the slopes turned into withered grass under the scorching sun.

The wild fruits and tubers that could be collected in the mountains and forests were almost extinct, and hunting became futile - the beasts and animals either died of thirst or fled away without a trace, and the livestock in captivity fell down wailing from hunger and thirst, and the important life-saving supplies disappeared.

The secret pool of water hidden deep in the mountains has become the lifeline for the last chance of survival, but it has also aroused suspicion among the villages.

The villages that used to be able to help each other under the governance of the Five Immortals Sect are now on the verge of exploding due to dry lips and rumbling stomachs, and the shadows of theft, robbery, and fighting hang over every thirsty settlement.

More and more situations were reported to the immortal elders by knowledgeable people in the sect.

Judging from the various situations in the ridge, if they do not intervene forcibly, these seemingly insignificant barbarian villages, large and small, which are the cornerstones of the Five Immortals Sect's lineage, will all be flooded with blood.

And when the barbarians are wiped out, how will the new disciples of the sect be recruited? And who will do the basic labors in the various Taoist properties?

"No poison, no husband!"

The Immortal Toad Elder, who was the most respected of the Five Immortal Sects in both the positive and side sects and who valued seclusion and hard practice the most, upon hearing about the dire situation in the ridge, could not help but make such an evaluation of the righteous immortal who had issued the decree.

Under the instruction of the Immortal Toad Elder, the Five Immortals Sect finally began to change its attitude and provided rescue services in various parts of the mountain.

In the villages in the mountains, respected chiefs and "immortal masters" from the religion who claim to have infinite magical powers preside over more grand and fanatical rain-praying ceremonies with solemn faces.

The heavy bronze drums were beaten day and night, and the sound echoed in the empty and thirsty valley, carrying a desperate prayer.

The blood of cattle, sheep and other livestock has dyed the cracked altar red. The immortal masters of the sect are all barefoot and with their hair loose, dancing wildly in the steaming hot air to summon the underground water veins, and to stir up their true qi to call for wind and rain from the sky.

However, the sky was still coldly blue, and the scorching sun remained motionless.

The repeated failure of rituals hit people's hearts like a heavy hammer. The blessing of ancestors, the majesty of mountain gods, and the kindness of immortal masters all crumbled in the silent torture. Deep panic replaced piety, fear was infinitely magnified, and any unusual sound of wind or bird could be interpreted as a sign of demise.

The immortal masters fled from the panic-stricken and silent village like lost dogs. When they returned to the sect, they were no longer the same as before and began to gather together to discuss things.

"The underground water reserves in the ridge depend on the water volume in the lower reaches of the Nanpan River. Now that the upper reaches of the river have been cut off, the underground water here cannot be gathered at all. Even if we dig a deep well, there won't be a drop of water. If this situation continues, the bandit leaders in the village may do something unpredictable."

"What could they possibly do?!"

One of them slammed the table and stood up, waving his hands in anger, saying: "This is how people have lived in the mountains for many years. Haven't there been fewer natural disasters and man-made disasters in the past years? In another thirty or fifty years, won't people grow up one after another?

Let's just ignore it and let the villages fend for themselves, and let Taiping Mountain know our bloodiness."

The others ignored him and continued their discussion, “Among the several large camps, only Master Wang Chan succeeded in causing rain.

Master Wang is in the Four Realms. Because he has the ability to initially learn the Five Elements, he has also learned the Water and Earth Escapes, which can drain the moisture from the sky and the ground to the greatest extent, gather it into clouds and rain, and alleviate the drought in the area and the people's hearts. "

"Don't worry, everyone. Lady Huansha has gone to the Thunder Department to pray for rain. There should be good news tomorrow."

Suddenly, someone told good news.

When it comes to this good news, everyone is silent.

Although no one was willing or dared to say it out loud, everyone knew that everything was caused by the feud between Fu Beigong and Ling Xuzi. As soon as these upper-class figures fought each other, thousands of innocent barbarians were the first to be affected.

Under the scorching sun, a flash of light wrapped around a silkworm-pupa-like fetal spirit, quietly escaping from the sky and disappearing into a spiritual house.

In the house, candles were emitting green flames, white flags were planted everywhere, and ropes with spells inscribed on them were used to bind the bodies of boys and girls. The ropes had already cut into their flesh, strangling the boys and girls to death in strange postures of worship.

A giant green-shelled scorpion about three meters long was lying in the house, dancing with a sword raised high and chanting incantations.

Even when the spirit of Lady Huansha returned from heaven, the giant scorpion did not stop. After a long time, it said in a muffled voice: "I told you long ago that the people in heaven are unreliable and cannot solve the drought."

Lady Huansha said worriedly, "What should we do? If something bad really happens and all the barbarians in the mountains are killed, shaking the foundation of the sect, under the huge pressure, there is no guarantee that other immortals will not attack you.

Why don't you ask your disciples to come back first, and don't contact your best friend Zizhen Sanren in the Yunyu Temple in the lake for the time being."

"Huh! Huh!"

The big scorpion made two strange sounds that sounded like hums and laughters, and said sinisterly: "This boy has already become powerful, and now he has issued a decree, hoping to force me to submit with the righteousness of Liling, but his Taoism is not even at the fifth level, and his magic power is not even a hundred years old.

Although he has just grown his wings, he still risks playing with fire and getting burned if he wants to promote justice.

I have sent letters to all directions, contacting fellow Taoists in the mountains, the demon village, the scattered streams in the southern wilderness, and the Cloud and Rain Temple, promising them benefits. Once the momentum here is established, we will fight against the criminals together. It is hard to say which is more righteous here or there. "

Lady Huansha was happy at first, then worried. She asked, "What if he is determined not to back down and is determined to make all the people in the mountains die of drought and cut off the roots of our sect?"

Mr. Fubei was stunned by the question. Looking at Lingxuzi's past, he didn't seem like someone who could be swayed by justice. During the Second World War, his deeds of killing barbarians in Lingnan are still circulating in various places in Lingnan.

"Then prepare for both situations. Immediately send a message to my disciples to kill the Heguan disciples. I want to see who dies first in Heguan or in Liling."

(End of this chapter)