Walking alone with a sword, slaying ghosts and gods

Chapter 21 The people’s will is as strong as fire and thunder!

After taking a short breath and waiting for the light to dim, Lu Cheng stood up and began to collect spoils. What's the difference between winning the battle and not looting the spoils and not winning the battle at all?
As for the black temple on the slope nearby, the sound of children crying could be heard from time to time... Let them cry first, I'm so tired.

Lu Cheng first came to Li Jiuyou's corpse and tore off his Qiankun bag. Among all the cultivators in Shili Po, he was the richest except Lu Cheng himself. He had two corpse puppets and two magic weapons, one was a copper bell for holding the corpse puppets, and the other was a defensive magic weapon, the ghost face shield.

Defensive magic weapons are very expensive, and even my predecessor hasn’t collected them all.

In addition, the last technique he used could absorb other people's magic power from a distance. Although Lu Cheng did not dare to let the other party suck him dry during the fight, his mind worked quickly:
"Anyone who practices this kind of power-absorbing technique must have a way to purify their power, otherwise they are courting death. I hope Li Jiuyou's collection contains what I need."

Lu Cheng picked up the Qiankun bag. He didn’t look at it much at this time, but went to collect the others. The first one was Li Jiuyou, the second one was You Pozi, and the third one was Tu Hong.

Most of the remaining Gu Masters are very poor. At least among immortal cultivators, they are so poor that they don’t even have a Qiankun bag. They are already the lowest among the lowest in the immortal cultivation world.

He killed eleven people and picked up five Qiankun bags and one Nahun bag. In addition, Lu Cheng peeled off the vine armor on Tu Hong's body. Although it was disgusting because it was soaked in blood, Lu Cheng tried to cut it with a sword. Tu Hong's vine armor was really tough. Although it was afraid of fire, after being blessed with Yin Ling magic, even this weakness was greatly compensated.

He had already offended the Gu God Cult, and this matter would not be let go so easily. Every bit of improvement in combat power would be a plus.

When touching the Yin-holding bag of Grandma You, Lu Cheng, who had a keen sense, could almost hear the faint wailing of thousands of souls in his ears.

It seems that this ghost woman has accumulated a lot of wealth in her lifetime. Although she did not dare to go to Mang Mountain to practice, she has also saved up a lot of wealth.

Lu Cheng didn't know that the bag of a hundred ghosts was a means for Grandma You to save her life. Once she was bullied by a master, she would open the bag and release the ghosts at the enemy. With thousands of souls demanding her life, ordinary Qi training cultivators would never be able to cope with it. Unfortunately, Grandma You used a nightmare on Lu Cheng, and he was restrained by her protective divine light and died in one blow. The magic that she had accumulated for many years fell into Lu Cheng's hands without even a chance to use.

After finishing these things, the young Taoist turned back to the black temple on the slope and said:
"Gousheng, Erya, take your friends and get away from the door. Your mother asked me to take you home for dinner."

After saying this, he waited for a moment.

Then Lu Cheng drew his sword and swung it, slashing open the door of the black temple in front of him.

He walked in step by step, and first saw eight little kids wearing red bellybands, with bare buttocks, whose faces were as red as cats from crying.

Then he looked around and saw that the interior of the black temple in front of him was quite simple, with only wooden boards on the ground and talismans on the four walls. In the middle of the temple, there was a wooden statue:
He was a tall old man in a gray robe with a sinister face.

The statue was carved very lifelike. When Lu Cheng first saw it, he felt the hairs on his body stand up and subconsciously clenched the hilt of the Chisong sword in his hand.

"This is the Gu God Cult leader, the legendary immortal who has achieved immortality?"

It is said that this statue must be enshrined in all black temples in southern Xinjiang. Otherwise, it will not be possible to summon the Gu King. If he is summoned, the Gu King will devour everyone present. However, if there is a black temple with the statue, the Gu King will only devour the sacrificial offerings and protect the local peace to a certain extent.

"Come on, let's go home."

Lu Cheng said this to the children surrounding him.

He originally wanted to do something drastic and set fire to the dark temple.

But when he came in and saw the statue of Gu Shen Cult Master, Lu Cheng felt that he could not afford this. Gu Shen Cult Master had been a deity in the Southern Wilderness Thousand Mountains for hundreds of years, and was at least at the same level as his master, Chi Shen Zi.

To offend him without any reason is tantamount to seeking death.

in the afternoon.

Lu Cheng brought the eight children back to Chixin Temple. From a distance, he saw Chen Qingfeng using a compass to make calculations. He then set up the formation flags and cast a spell into the ground.

"Brother Lu, you're back, ahem..."

Chen Qingfeng coughed as he spoke, and it was obvious that his internal injuries had not yet healed.

"Brother Chen, what are you doing?"

"Brother Lu is going to cut down mountains and destroy temples to exterminate the blood-eating ghosts and gods. I am injured and cannot go with you. However, the Gu God Cult has deep roots in this area and it may not be eradicated in a short time. I have set up a Yimu Xuanguan formation around this Chixin Temple. Although it is only a second-level mid-grade formation, it can absorb the wood energy of the surrounding mountains and forests to help Brother Lu guard the Chixin Temple."

"Also, this is the Fire Thunder Pearl that Master Fan gave us. We don't need it anymore, so it should be more useful if it's with Brother Lu."

As he spoke, Chen Qingfeng took out the fire thunder bead from his body and handed it to Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng took the Fire Thunder Pearl without hesitation, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: Chen Qingfeng is a man who is very meticulous in what he does, and almost nothing can go wrong. A Taoist Qigong practitioner like him who is cautious in every step will definitely not be an ordinary person if he has the opportunity.

"Brother Chen, I'll take note of your kindness. I still need to send these children back to their parents, so I'll excuse myself for now."

"Well, please help yourself, Brother Lu."

As they spoke, the two passed each other. Behind them, Chen Qingfeng coughed violently again.

Regardless of whether it is true or false, as long as Lu Cheng is not a thick-skinned and black-hearted person, how could he not remember the kindness of this Brother Chen?
On the other side, Chen Qingfeng looked at Lu Cheng's back and sighed in his heart:
"Although I guessed that he might come back alive, he didn't even get hurt. Could it be that the swordsmanship passed down by Huoyun Mansion is so much better than what Master Fan taught? I had heard before that Fellow Daoist Lu was the least talented among the twenty-four disciples under Patriarch Chi Shenzi. Now it seems that the rumor is wrong. If the rumor is true, then how advanced is Patriarch Chi Shenzi's swordsmanship?"

"Cough cough cough..."

Thinking of this, Chen Qingfeng couldn't help but coughing violently again because of his internal injuries caused by overthinking.

On the other side, Lu Cheng had already asked the maids in the temple to send the other children away, and sent Gousheng and Erya back to He Lan.

Originally, He Lan had been absent-minded since she woke up from her coma.

But when she saw her children, she broke down emotionally, fell to the ground and hugged her children.

"Gousheng, kneel down. Erya, you too, kowtow to the abbot."

As He Lan spoke, she kowtowed to Lu Cheng. Although Gousheng and Erya didn't understand what was going on, they followed suit.

"Okay, all of you get up. Manager He, from now on, just treat Chixin Temple as your new home. Raise Gousheng and Erya well and let them grow up. This will also comfort your husband's spirit in heaven."

Lu Cheng rescued people this time not to thank anyone, but to have a clear conscience. If he was facing a giant like the Gu God Cult Leader, even if the other party destroyed the whole city, Lu Cheng could only watch and would not feel guilty.

But if one can tolerate a few independent practitioners showing off their power and offering blood sacrifices to ghosts and gods at their doorsteps, then what else can't be tolerated?

"You guys should have a good rest."

After saying this to comfort them, Lu Cheng turned and left the room, leaving the space to the orphans and widows who had experienced such a great change.

"Who among you will go and clean this rattan armor?"

After arriving at the temple and summoning the servants, Lu Cheng threw the rattan armor he got from Tu Hong on the ground and asked.

Seeing the red and white soaking on the rattan armor, the maids present were a little frightened and no one dared to answer for a while.

Immortal cultivators have spells for cleaning, but Lu Cheng doesn't. He is not in a hurry and just closes his eyes and waits for a while.

"Master, I will clean it."

After a while, a strong woman came out from the crowd and picked up the rattan armor. They were just ignorant but not stupid, and knew that it was covered with human blood. So the woman who was willing to come out was quite courageous.

"Very good. After cleaning, send this item to my room. Also, from today on, you will be the deputy steward. You will get the same share as Steward He and help Steward He manage the affairs of the temple."

Lu Cheng was not surprised by this result. He gave an order and turned away.

Only the strong woman with a happy face and the maids around her who were already filled with envy and regret were left.

Lu Cheng knocked on the door of Chen Qingfeng's side room and entered.

"Brother Lu, what else?"

Chen Qingfeng was originally meditating to heal his injuries, and at this moment he asked this after calming his breath.

"Brother Chen, are you interested in accompanying me to search their houses? The four families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You have been entrenched in Shiyuan County for a long time relying on magic. You also know that although this place is poor, there are still many spiritual objects produced. If you and I don't take them now, when those monks of the Gushen Cult come in a few days, they will not let them go."

Lu Cheng has always been a person who repays kindness with kindness. The spiritual objects copied from the four families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You, if shared by the two of them, should be enough to repay Chen Qingfeng for setting up the formation and giving him the fire thunder bead.

"...Okay, in that case, I will stand with Brother Lu."

Chen Qingfeng changed his mind and agreed. He had already been involved in this matter, and his brother and sister would need a lot of cultivation resources for their future cultivation.

"With me representing Master Fan and Brother Lu representing Patriarch Chi Shen Zi, Huoyun Prefecture has completely intervened in this matter. After all, Shiyuan County is still the territory of the Tang Dynasty. If the Gu Shen Cult dares to persist, there is still a Tang Dynasty Xuanjia Army stationed in Zhennan Pass. If things really get out of hand, will the Lord of Nanjiang Prefecture help the Tang Dynasty's national religion or the Gu Shen Cult? The Xuanmen Orthodox Sect is wiping out the blood-eating ghosts and gods. Even if the matter goes to the horizon, we are still in the right."

There is a difference between independent cultivators and cultivators from well-established sects. If an independent cultivator does such a thing, the top leaders of the Gushen Cult will show up or even the ancestor will take direct action and kill him. No one will speak up for the independent cultivator.

You simply pressed the cultivator from Huoyun Mansion to death, and you have created a grudge with Huoyun Mansion.

Those who practice Taoism pursue immortality. Unless a great catastrophe strikes, and they are blinded by the evil spirit or face core interests that cannot be compromised, the more advanced the cultivator is, the less likely they are to get angry and create enmity with cultivators at the same level as themselves.

Lu Cheng had never expected that in such a short period of time, so many thoughts flashed through Chen Qingfeng's mind. He was a man of pure swordsmanship, especially now that he had a fire thunder bead in his hand. If an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator had the chance, he would dare to give it a try.

This is a thought that most of the cultivators in this world would never dare to think about lightly.

"Worshipping evil gods and plotting rebellion are crimes punishable by death and extermination of the entire clan in any dynasty. However, in order to have a legitimate reason for our actions, I would like to ask Brother Chen to write some polish for me."

"Oh?"

After hearing what Lu Cheng said, Chen Qingfeng also became interested. He took out pen, ink and paper from his Qiankun bag, waiting for Lu Cheng to accuse him.

"The members of the Li, Tu, Zou, and You families can keep their personal property, but they must free their slaves and remeasure and divide all the local land. The released slaves can go to the Chixin Temple with the selling documents and receive five taels of silver..."

Lu Cheng spoke out his thoughts bit by bit.

Chen Qingfeng held a pen at the side and wrote down everything.

Finally, the young Taoist threw down his pen and sighed:

"Brother Lu, according to your method, except for the four main branches of the Li, Tu, Zou, and You families, everyone in Shiyuan County will benefit. In this way, even if you say that these four families worship evil gods and plot rebellion, it is true because all the people who benefited will testify for you."

As he spoke, Chen Qingfeng picked up the pen again, polished and sorted out Lu Cheng's ideas, then waved his hands and cast a spell. The inkstone beside him flew up, pouring all the ink onto the paper. The ink followed the handwriting on the first sheet, seeping through layer by layer and soon turning into a stack of text notices.

"Well, this way we have a legitimate reason to act, and it won't be considered as usurping power."

All the villagers in the entire Shiyuan County have been oppressed by the four families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You for a long time. Lu Cheng did not think that there was anything wrong with what he did at this time. He even felt that he was merciful enough by not killing the lives of the main branches of these four families.

In the Black Temple blood sacrifice held every five years, the children of the four main families have never been chosen.

That afternoon, Lu Cheng cast beans to create soldiers, summoning forty-nine heavenly soldiers and generals, who followed him and Chen Qingfeng to pacify the four families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You, who had lost their heads, and seize their property.

The various spiritual objects accumulated by the four families over the years were of course used to rob the rich and help the poor, and fell into the pockets of Lu Cheng and Chen Qingfeng themselves, but as for the remaining gold, silver, valuables, rice, flour and grain, Lu Cheng only temporarily took half of them to the Chixin Temple to stabilize the order in the county, and the rest were directly distributed to the local poor people.

If the wealth of the rich is accumulated through their hard work and wisdom, then there is nothing to say, they deserve it. Unfortunately, the wealth of the vast majority of the rich is quickly accumulated through power and privilege. The common people are obviously the main creators of wealth, but they are squeezed to the point where they can hardly afford clothes and food. At least the wealth of the four families of Li, Tu, Zou, and You in Shiyuan County was accumulated based on the violence of magic power.

Well, when they met Lu Cheng, the even more violent Xuanmen sword cultivator, there was nothing to say about spitting out all the wealth they had accumulated over the years.

It is a tit for tat, so don't complain or blame.

As the four families were defeated and their wealth was distributed, the hearts of people throughout Ishihara County were burning with a fiery wish. This wish gathered in the Chixin Temple along with the Taoist priest. The people's hearts were as strong as fire and thunder!

(End of this chapter)