Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
With Gou Dan and the other demons around, Zhang Pang’s whereabouts were not hard to find. He probably never expected that the group of black market workers he had exploited would turn around and overthrow his regime. So on his way out, he did not avoid the birds and animals in the mountains and forests.
Several magic arrays were set up in the mountains, not very complete, and he must have set them up himself. Although they were enough to prevent ordinary people from entering, he had only been practicing Taoism for a short time and lacked basic knowledge. In the end, the Taoist priests present found the flaws.
The moment they stepped out of the formation, a quaint courtyard nestled among the mountains and forests came into view.
Wei Xi unconsciously glanced back at the broken and incomplete formation. He sensed a familiar aura within it, feeling that this formation was from the same source as the great formation that had once trapped him on the mountaintop of Fengyang Town.
His gaze was unusually serious, and someone next to him asked, “Fellow Daoist Wei, what are you looking at?”
Wei Xi paused for a moment, even someone with little common sense would know that he couldn’t casually reveal his past: “I just didn’t expect this formation to be broken so easily.”
“Oh, that.” The local Taoist from Xin’an smiled knowingly. “When I first started learning the profession, I was also surprised. The old books left in the temple always described the formations as very mysterious, as if they were very difficult to break. But when I actually started taking on rituals, I found that it was just that simple.”
An older Taoist priest chimed in, “Fellow Taoist, that’s not how it works. Our temple has studied the subject of Xuanmen formations and combined this with the records of our ancestors in ancient books. The formations we have now are not the same as those from hundreds of years ago. It seems that their effectiveness only began to decline a hundred years ago. Do you remember the protective formation that Abbot Luo of Changqing Temple opened to the public before? According to Abbot Luo, that protective formation used to cover the entire Changqing Mountain, but now its power is limited to a small backyard.”
The Taoist priest laughed and said, “You actually believed someone as boastful as Abbot Luo?”
Wei Xi didn’t know who they were talking about. His gaze swept over the broken formation again, still unable to shake off the slight sense of familiarity: “What kind of formation is this?”
Upon hearing this question, the two Taoist priests stopped their conversation about Abbot Luo’s boastful deeds and began to examine the object carefully: “It seems to have been modified using an ancient formation. Look at this corner; it appears to be quite old. As for the specifics…”
The Taoist priests were a little confused when a deep voice suddenly came from the side: “This is a simplified version of the Great Wilderness Sealing Array, which has been modified into a maze array.”
“Oh right, right!” The two Taoist priests who were pondering also realized, “It is indeed the Great Wilderness Sealing Array. I have seen it in the array book. Hey, I didn’t expect to see such a rare array in Yucheng Mountain. The Great Wilderness Sealing Array suppresses all demons and monsters in the world. It seems that this land in Xin’an has a long history.”
Wei Xi did not participate in the conversation. He frowned and pondered, “The Great Wilderness Sealing Array?”
Was the formation on the hilltop the same?
He looked up and saw his second apprentice staring at him with a serious expression: “Why are you asking this?”
Wei Xi looked at his apprentice, a thought flashing through his mind, but he was not good at thinking, and the thought disappeared quickly without leaving a trace.
He paused for a moment, then shook his head: “It’s nothing, let’s go.”
….
Meanwhile, the atmosphere ahead had become tense. This old house, hidden in the mountains, was probably Zhang Pang’s most secluded hideout.
Zhang Pang never expected the enemy to arrive so quickly. After returning to his lodgings, he focused and quickly set up the incense table. It was only when the chubby boy next to him saw the approaching crowd and shouted that he realized his plan had changed.
At that moment, Zhang Pang was completely incredulous— how could they have found this place so quickly?!
The Taoist priests from both places quickly approached him: “Zhang Pang! Stop resisting! Hand over Master Xu’s soul!”
Zhang Pang stared intently at the group of cautiously approaching Taoists: “How did you find me?”
As he spoke, his sharp gaze fell on the tall, thin man who was being shoved and pushed along by the crowd with his hands twisted: “It’s you?!”
The tall, thin man was both heartbroken and incredulous, almost spitting out another mouthful of blood: “Master, what are you saying?!?!”
The chubby boy, however, had sharp eyes and immediately spotted Gou Dan and the others. He awkwardly tugged at Zhang Pang’s sleeve to signal him to look: “Master, it doesn’t seem to be our senior brother. It’s the migrant workers in our sect who have revolted.”
Zhang Pang: “…”
Zhang Pang met the accusing gaze of the tall, thin man and felt a rare bit embarrassed: “…I misunderstood for a moment.”
The tall, thin man, who had appeared resolute and unyielding throughout the journey, was now so heartbroken that he could barely stand, which made the Taoist priests beside him feel a little sorry for him.
When Zhang Pang saw the group of demons, he felt nothing but regret. He should have known better than to try and make such a small fortune. If it weren’t for the rapid rise in housing prices due to tourism development in Xin’an in recent years, he wouldn’t have been driven to this point.
But no matter what, the battle was about to break out, and he absolutely could not tolerate being arrested by the police! He didn’t get caught when he was involved in pyramid schemes, how could he let himself be caught in a ditch now!
The Taoist priests at the scene were very nervous when they saw that he not only did not stop after they shouted, but also sped up the process of setting up the incense table: “What is he trying to do?”
Tuan Tuanyi also shouted, “Master Zhang, stop! Your sect’s ghost soldiers have all defected. What are you fighting for, a lone commander? Where exactly are you hiding Master Xu’s soul?”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Pang’s expression instantly turned ferocious: “Don’t even dream about it!”
At this moment, the incense table in his hand gradually took shape. Finally, someone saw what he was trying to do and shouted in alarm, “Oh no! Stop him! Stop him! He’s going to summon the messengers of the underworld!”
Wei Xi: “Huh?”
The Taoist priests from Xin’an stamped their feet: “You don’t know this, but it was because he summoned underworld messengers to steal the souls of the police officers in the special task force that the last crackdown on the cult ended inconclusively. His connections in the underworld are extraordinary!”
Fellow Daoists from the capital: “…”
Everyone silently turned their attention to Wei Xi.
The Xin’an Taoist priests: “???”
What’s going on with this group of fellow cultivators from the capital?! Why are they giving us such strange looks and expressions at such a tense time?!
….
Only then did Wei Xi recall that Hei Wuchang hadn’t appeared yet. He had said he would go through the City God Temple, but he didn’t know if he had gotten there yet.
Seeing that their comrades from the capital had no reaction, the Taoist priests of Xin’an were both anxious and angry. So they gritted their teeth and rushed forward together to stop Zhang Pang from inviting the underworld messengers.
Zhang Pang had no ghost soldiers with him at this moment and could only fight alone. Of course, he couldn’t let them get close, so he simply took out a handful of talismans and threw them at the crowd.
The scene was filled with smoke, and he quickened his pace of burning incense, but then he heard his little apprentice muttering, “Master, this underworld messenger doesn’t seem very effective. My senior brother couldn’t get him to come out last time in the capital.”
Zhang Pang had already heard the tall, thin man talk about this matter, so when he heard the chubby boy’s voice, he just sneered: “That’s because he’s not skilled enough.”
He came from a pyramid scheme background, so his thinking was different from that of ordinary monks. From the moment he joined the sect, he knew the benefits of having connections. Over the years, he had spent countless efforts to cultivate relationships with the underworld officials. Even outside of holidays, he would remember to burn paper money for the officials he was on good terms with, making their relationships as solid as an iron barrel.
As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of the newly arrived Taoist priests, who, having broken all the talismans, were closing in again. Finally, they stood the incense sticks, which were emitting thick smoke, upright in the incense burner, and their expressions became calm and composed.
The local Taoist priests in Xin’an were terrified at the sight and stamped their feet in disarray: “It’s over!”
The ceremony is complete!
Zhang Pang smiled, his robes fluttering in the mountain wind. He casually grabbed a handful of ghost money and threw it into the blazing fire. He calmly recited, “Thunderous command, swift as a shooting star, spiritual land, heed my command, arrive at full speed, report what you need, as urgent as the supreme law of the highest heavens.”
The new Taoist priests couldn’t help but show expressions of despair, staring intently at Zhang Pang, who looked confident and composed.
As expected, as soon as Zhang Pang spoke, there was a reaction on the spot. The scene was even more astonishing than when he summoned the ghost soldiers. The surrounding trees were almost bent over by the strong wind.
Zhang Pang frowned, somewhat puzzled. Was this a bit too much? In the past, when he summoned the underworld messengers, it was at most just a gust of cold wind. How could it be like a typhoon?
But before he could figure out the reason, a fleeting figure quickly appeared in the wind, holding an iron chain, wearing a black robe, and exuding a ghostly aura. It was indeed a messenger from the underworld.
Zhang Pang’s eyes lit up, and he was about to step forward when he was surprised to find that a second, a third, a fourth… many more identical figures gradually appeared in his field of vision.
After the gust of wind passed, dozens of dark, shadowy figures stood quietly before the blazing charcoal brazier.
When the newly appointed Taoist priests saw the magnificent scene before them, they were immediately struck dumb, their faces turning ashen: “Oh no, oh no!”
People had only heard that Zhang Pang could summon underworld messengers, but no one expected that he would summon them in batches.
The chubby boy muttered, “Holy crap, Master, how are you so awesome?”
Zhang Pang was also bewildered. When did he become so powerful? He just wanted to summon those few underworld messengers he had worked with before.
After a brief moment of surprise, he immediately realized, what’s wrong with more coming? The more the better! He grabbed a handful of ghost money and stuffed it into the brazier, saying with delight, “Thank you all for coming to help!”
As he spoke, his gaze met that of the group of Taoists who were approaching from afar, and he was pleased to find that his opponents indeed all looked utterly dejected.
Zhang Pang smiled slightly at them, then turned his gaze back to the underworld messengers, about to speak.
“Hey!” The leader of the underworld messengers raised his hand to stop him, and said, “You, what help do you have? Don’t talk nonsense. We are the newly established anti-gang, anti-corruption and anti-crime team of the Xin’an City God Bureau. We came here because we found that you are suspected of illegal bribery.”
Zhang Pang: “……………………Huh?”
The underworld official glanced at the crowd, saw Wei Xi, and his brows twitched immediately. He became anxious, looking eager to clear himself of suspicion, and shouted, “What are you ‘ah’ing about? Hurry up and put out the brazier! It’s because there are too many people like you that our local City God’s Office is seen as corrupt! The higher-ups have already issued instructions. Stop ‘ah’ing around and quickly confess all the people you’ve had illegal transactions with! And this incense, put it out immediately!”
Zhang Pang: “………………???”
The local Taoist priests, who had been retreating in panic, stopped in their tracks: “??? What’s going on???”
The Taoist priests from the capital met their bewildered gazes: “………………”
What could they do? They could only turn their attention to Wei Xi, just like before.
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron or access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents• Next
