Nine Transformations of the True Spirit.

Three days later, outside Ping Le City.

Only Zhang Xuancang and the white-haired old man saw Chen Yuan and Liu Kaiyang off. The other cultivators were unaware that the seemingly frail but exceptionally ruthless senior expert who had slain three demon generals and a Nascent Soul cultivator was about to leave Ping Le City.

This was partly because Chen Yuan preferred to keep a low profile, and partly because Zhang Xuancang wanted to use Chen Yuan's name to revitalize the city's cultivators and mortals who had experienced the beast tide.

The white-haired old man was efficient and decisive. After receiving instructions from Zhang Xuancang, he ordered his men to spread the word throughout the city.

In just three days, Master Xinghuo's name had spread throughout Ping Le City, and everyone knew him.

Even the villagers who had just moved into the city from various villages to seek refuge knew that it was Xinghuo Zhenren, a longtime friend of the city lord, who had saved Ping Le City.

Although Master Xinghuo has not shown his face, he has been cultivating in the city and no longer needs to worry about the beast tide.

The mortal cultivators of Ping Le City were all excited, unaware that soon, in order to avoid the wrath of the two royal families, they would have to leave the place where they had lived for decades or even centuries and migrate to another unfamiliar city.

Thousands of feet above the ground, with white clouds drifting lazily below, Zhang Xuancang bowed deeply to Chen Yuan: "The people of the Demon Sect are treacherous and cunning, yet loyal to the demon race and extremely hostile to our human race. Fellow Daoist, please be careful on your journey. I will be waiting for you in Xingzhu City, awaiting your good news."

Chen Yuan returned the greeting with clasped hands: "With the map provided by you, fellow Daoist, and with the help of young friend Shuo Ye, this journey should be quite smooth."

A hint of worry flashed in Zhang Xuancang's eyes: "I have met Master Yuanting and Master Jiuyuan once. If you are unable to find those three spiritual herbs while under the Demon Sect, you might as well return soon."

"We should ask these two fellow Daoists for help; perhaps they have the spiritual herbs you need."

Chen Yuan's eyes showed surprise: "Human cultivators are usually elusive, how come you know the whereabouts of these two fellow cultivators?"

He had seen these two names in the copied jade slip. They were the two strongest and most famous among the only five great cultivators of the human race.

Humans have resisted the oppression of the demon race for many years, and have also been suppressed by the demon race for many years. Nascent Soul cultivators are extremely rare, and Great cultivators are even rarer.

There are only five great cultivators known to the public today, and all of them are elusive and difficult to find.

It wasn't that they were unwilling to protect their own kind after becoming great cultivators, but rather that they wanted to escape the pursuit of the demon race.

The demon race is unwilling to go to the trouble of eradicating the cities built by ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators in barren lands, and can turn a blind eye to them.

However, once a great cultivator establishes a city, he will not show mercy and may even have several royal families join forces to besiege it.

Even if a great cultivator doesn't establish a city, just revealing his presence will attract high-ranking demon generals to surround and kill him.

The demon race is extremely wary of the appeal of great cultivators and will never allow them to build cities or recruit cultivators.

Over time, once a human Nascent Soul cultivator achieves the status of a Great Cultivator, they will become invisible and disappear, only occasionally taking action to kill demon generals and elders of the demon sect, or to save human cultivators, or to retaliate against the massacres that occurred after the beast tide breached human cities.

Among them, True Man Yuan Ting and Venerable Master Jiu Yuan have been great cultivators for over three hundred years. Their cultivation is profound, and they have repeatedly slain demon generals and even defeated high-ranking demon generals. They have saved countless humans and are highly respected by human cultivators.

Zhang Xuancang smiled and said, "Ping Le City has been established for more than three hundred years and is quite famous among the human race. The two fellow Daoists once secretly came to Ping Le City to guide my cultivation and left behind a method of communication."

"Our human race is in dire straits, and we should help and support each other even more."

"If Fellow Daoists Yuan Ting and Jiu Yuan knew that you had saved Ping Le City, they would certainly not be stingy with spiritual herbs and would definitely lend a helping hand."

"However, their whereabouts are unpredictable, and it may take several years for you to hear back from them."

Chen Yuan's heart stirred, and he said, "Fellow Daoist, you've gone to great lengths. However, my injuries cannot be delayed. I'll give it a try first. Farewell."

He clasped his hands in a bow, then separated a wisp of light, which wrapped around Liu Kaiyang and flew away into the distance. The light was ethereal and soon disappeared into the horizon.

Zhang Xuancang and the white-haired old man stood in the air, gazing at the horizon. White clouds drifted lazily, the sun shone brightly, and only the howling wind could be heard.

After a long while, Zhang Xuancang suddenly sighed, shook his head, and turned to descend with his escape light.

The white-haired old man followed closely behind, a hint of regret in his eyes.

If this senior Chen had stayed, perhaps Ping Le City wouldn't have needed to be relocated.

……

On the vast plain, a colossal gray city lies like a reclining dragon. The five-zhang-high city wall is made of rammed earth, wrapped with three-foot-square bluestone, with glutinous rice mortar poured between the stone crevices. Despite a century of wind and frost, its edges remain sharp as blades.

The city walls are lined with jagged battlements, and every hundred paces a brick-clad watchtower rises up, with a white flag with gold dragon patterns fluttering in the wind, exuding a majestic aura.

The city gate has three layers of barbicans, resembling a giant gate. The iron-clad gate is over a foot thick and requires ten armored soldiers to push it open. Three large characters are engraved on the top of the gate: Xiyang City.

The city's roads are wide and paved with neat bluestone slabs. Along the roads, ditches are filled with flowing water, and freshly picked willow branches float on the surface—this is the custom of the religion to clean the streets in the morning.

On both sides of the street, the walls are over two zhang high, with a wooden gate facing the street and watchtowers on both sides, where people dressed in leather armor hold longbows.

His sharp eyes scanned the passersby with intense vigilance, like a hawk searching for prey.

The houses in the neighborhood are lined up one after another, and the walls and tiles are all the same gray-white color, with almost no difference in shape, making it dull and oppressive.

Only at the very center of each block can one see a bright patch of blue.

It was a blue temple, covering a vast area of ​​several acres, with magnificent halls.

At the center stands a dragon statue several meters tall, its head raised to the sky, poised to take flight. It appears to be carved from spiritual materials, exuding an aura of majesty.

The neighborhood was very quiet, and pedestrians came and went in the streets and alleys, their clothes also being gray and white, the same as the walls and tiles.

Everyone remained silent, and those who did speak did so in hushed tones, as if afraid of disturbing others.

But some of them, with blue threads adorning their gray-white clothes, stood out strikingly in this gray-white world.

When others encountered these people dressed with blue lines, they immediately lowered their heads and respectfully stepped aside.

They walked without stopping for a moment, ignoring those who gave way, and walked right past them as if they were just passing a tree or a stone.

The deeper you go into the city, the more intense the colors become. The houses in the neighborhoods are no longer just gray and white, and there are more and more people wearing clothes adorned with blue threads.

Some people wore silk or brocade robes of other colors, but regardless of the color, they were all adorned with fine blue threads.

Carriages began to appear on the streets, carried by four porters. The carriages were decorated with simple dragon patterns in blue silk thread on all four sides, and servants dressed in gray-white short clothes were shouting to clear the way.

No one dared to block the way of these sedan chairs; some were too slow to move aside.

The servants immediately brandished their rattan whips and lashed them hard, causing them to stumble, tear their clothes, and leave behind bloody wounds.

But none of those being whipped dared to complain, or even utter a single scream.

They endured the excruciating pain, gritted their teeth, and scrambled to the roadside, where they knelt on the ground.

Only after the sedan chair had left did she dare to stand up, letting out a low moan, and continue on her way.

However, if they encounter a large sedan chair carried by eight porters, these soft sedan chairs must quickly give way, otherwise the servants on the other side will mercilessly wield their long whips and whip the servants who were just showing off until their skin is torn and bleeding.

But upon arriving in the center of the city, they saw no sedan chairs, nor any distinctions of rank or social status found elsewhere in the city.

In a vast square, whether it was a farmer dressed in a coarse gray-white cloth jacket with a dark complexion, or a nobleman dressed in luxurious silk, everyone walked slowly to a thirty-zhang-tall stone dragon sculpture, kneeling and kowtowing three times and nine times with devout expressions. Further away, even more people surged into the square, all quietly and orderly, requiring no intervention from others.

Behind the square, a temple a hundred times more magnificent than those in the other neighborhoods rose from the ground, covering several miles, with green walls and blue tiles, occasionally adorned with red and yellow accents.

The temple complex is filled with pavilions and towers, and at its center stands a grand hall that rivals any temple in the neighborhood, with the words "Dragon God Hall" inscribed on its plaque.

The main hall was brightly lit, and a jade dragon statue several meters tall stood deep inside the hall, exactly the same as the stone dragon sculpture in the square, only a thousand times smaller.

Moreover, if you look closely, you will find that the dragon statues in the temples are exactly the same as the dragon statues in the square, as if they were made by the same craftsman.

Below the jade dragon statue, there is a long sandalwood offering table with an incense burner on it. Three thick incense sticks burn quietly, and the smoke curls up, emitting a faint fragrance.

In front of the offering table, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his back to the jade dragon statue, his eyes slightly closed, as if he were resting.

This man was tall with thick black eyebrows, a broad face and wide mouth, a neatly trimmed short beard, and his hair was tied in a high bun. He had a dignified air and wore a deep blue robe embroidered with simple dragon patterns.

A young man walked in; he was obese and dressed in blue, but without the dragon pattern.

He walked hurriedly, his footsteps echoing in the quiet hall. He stopped in front of the middle-aged man, clasped his hands in a bow, and respectfully said, "Master, I have found out that seven families in the city are getting married today, and the portraits of their brides are all here."

As he spoke, the obese man raised his hand and flicked the storage bag at his waist, took out a jade slip, bowed slightly, and presented it with both hands.

The middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in them, and raised his hand to take the jade slip into his hand.

He probed into it with his divine sense, then withdrew it after a moment, tossed the jade slip back, and said indifferently, "Kong Liande's new bride is quite good. Tonight, I will bestow a blessing upon her."

The obese man took the jade slip with both hands, a fawning smile on his face, yet with a hint of lewdness: "This Kong Liu family is truly blessed after several lifetimes of good deeds. After receiving the blessing from Master, they will probably never forget this feeling."

The middle-aged man maintained his dignified demeanor and said calmly, "Don't waste the other brides; choose one to bestow a blessing upon."

"On the day of a bride's wedding, her heart is filled with joy, her soul is at its most vibrant, and the blessings bestowed upon her are most effective."

A hint of joy flashed in the obese man's eyes, and he clasped his hands in a fist and bowed again: "Thank you for the reward, Master!"

The middle-aged man slowly closed his eyes. The obese man dared not disturb him any longer, turned around and walked out of the hall, his steps quickening.

……

In a residential area in the northwest corner of Xiyang City, every household was quiet and somber, except for one family that was brightly decorated and bustling with activity.

Two large red lanterns with gold-painted "double happiness" characters hung in front of the gray-white wooden door, casting a warm red glow on the ground.

A new couplet sprinkled with gold was pasted on the door: "Jade mirrors reflect the union of the world, the Milky Way carries the twin stars across the heavens."

The eaves are adorned with clusters of crimson gauze, which rustle gently in the breeze.

The courtyard wasn't large, but it was bustling with activity, filled with laughter and chatter.

Suddenly, the suona horn blared outside the door, and the matchmaker called out in a drawn-out voice, "The bride is coming down from the sedan chair—"

The guests surged toward the gate. A sedan chair with intertwined floral patterns came to a stop, and as the curtain was lifted, a woman wearing an embroidered cloud-patterned robe bowed slightly and stepped out of the sedan chair, supported by two women beside her.

Everyone was stunned. The woman was dressed in a dragon and phoenix gown embroidered with gold thread. Even the phoenix coronet and wedding robe could not hide her beautiful face. Her almond-shaped eyes were full of spring, her red lips were moist, her pearly teeth were slightly exposed, and her cheeks were flushed.

The groom led the way with a red ribbon, beaming with smiles. He would occasionally turn back to look at the bride, his eyes filled with admiration. A child threw a handful of confetti at him, which caused the whole room to burst into laughter.

Everyone had a smile on their face. The religion had many rules, and there were regulations for everything from clothing and food to housing and transportation. Those who violated these rules would be severely punished. They were usually very careful and dared not overstep the bounds in the slightest.

However, there is one exception: when a couple gets married, it is a joyous occasion, and they can celebrate without having to follow the rules of the church.

Even the lowest-ranking commoners could hang big red lanterns and decorate their homes with gold paper and blue flowers. Their tables were laden with delicious food and wine, the aroma of which made their mouths water.

This is a privilege that only those blessed by the Dragon God can enjoy.

In the homes of ordinary people who have not received blessings, colors other than gray and white are strictly forbidden. They can only eat meat once a month, and can only drink alcohol during festivals.

The newlyweds, surrounded by guests, entered the main hall, where the matchmaker chanted: "First bow to Heaven and Earth—"

The two knelt on the prayer mats and kowtowed deeply towards the blue sky outside the door, amidst constant cheers and jeers from the crowd.

"Second Bow to the Dragon God—"

The laughter abruptly stopped, and the main hall fell silent. A hint of fear appeared on everyone's faces.

An old man brought out a wooden tray from the back hall. On the tray was a wooden dragon sculpture about a foot long. The material was somewhat rough, but the carving was quite exquisite. One could vaguely see that it was somewhat similar to the dragon statue in the temple in the neighborhood.

The old man placed the wooden dragon carving on the table, and the newlyweds turned around and knelt down to worship the dragon god statue.

The guests dared not be negligent and all knelt down on the ground.

Even the old man who had just brought out the dragon wood carving knelt down and kowtowed respectfully.

Only after the newlyweds stood up did the guests dare to stand up. The old man then carried the dragon wood carving back to the back hall, and the main hall became lively again.

After a while, the old man returned to the main hall and sat in the main seat.

The matchmaker had just loudly proclaimed, "Three bows to the parents—"

The newlyweds bowed to the elderly man and another elderly woman sitting in the main seat, both of whom looked pleased with themselves.

After the wedding ceremony, the matchmaker sang again: "Husband and wife, a perfect match—"

"Is this Kong Liande's home?"

Before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by a cold voice.

Everyone was startled and turned to look outside.

A man strode into the courtyard. He was obese and ugly, but he was dressed in a blue robe with simple dragon patterns on it.

Everyone quickly stepped back. The newlyweds stood up, and the old man rose from his armchair, hurried forward, and bowed deeply, his face full of flattery: "This humble one, Kong Ershun, pays respects to the Immortal Master..."

The obese man interrupted coldly, "Where is Kong Liande?"

As he spoke, he glanced at the bride, his eyes gleaming.

The groom quickly stepped forward, clasped his hands in a respectful bow, and said, "I am Kong Liande..."

"You are Kong Liu?"

Before the groom could finish speaking, he was interrupted by the obese man.

He looked the bride up and down, his gaze lingering on her full breasts, filled with greed and lust, as if he wanted to strip her wedding dress off.

The bride's delicate body trembled, and she lowered her head deeply: "This servant...this servant is Kong Liu Shi." (End of this chapter)