A man among dragons, building a mysterious ancient church.

Chapter 123 The Whole Country Recites the Name of the Heavenly Venerable

You don't need to see it; just listen to the dragon's roar. The fear of dragons hidden deep in human genes will tell everyone who hears it that it really is a dragon!
Xia Zhenghong was no exception; he also felt weak in the legs and his heart was racing. A large amount of cold sweat suddenly poured out, and he even felt weak due to insufficient blood and qi.

'Boom. '

'Boom! '

The ground was trembling.

Many villagers looked on in terror, even though they tried to convince themselves they had misheard and forced themselves not to look. In the end, many of them saw the huge dark shadow approaching.

Thus, a horrifying cry was uttered. Xia Zhenghong also looked over and saw a dragon approaching from afar, with a massive body, clearly reflective scales, huge claws and teeth, and a ferocious dragon head.

You read that right, it's definitely a dragon!
Xia Zhenghong's legs trembled, and his upper and lower teeth couldn't help but chatter, making a 'crackling' sound inside his skull.

It’s coming, it’s really coming!
Just as that villager said, it was incomparable to pythons or crocodiles. That creature, covered in jet-black scales and with claws and teeth so sharp they were terrifying to look at, must be a dragon!
That was a dragon that any ordinary person could see at a glance, and the difference between them was enormous!

The dragon, several stories high, strolled around like it was taking a walk, and with each step it took, one could faintly feel the ground tremble.

They headed straight for Xiajiawan, as if they were hungry and wanted to attack the town, capture people, and devour them to fill their stomachs.

"The world...is it the end of the world?" Xia Zhenghong was so stunned that he forgot to run away, standing there dumbfounded, pondering this question.

If the world isn't heading towards destruction, how could a creature like a dragon possibly exist in reality? Or is he dreaming?
"Jade Emperor, Buddha, please bless us, let the dragon go, let the dragon leave."

"God, open your eyes! I've never done anything wrong in my life! Help!"

"Someone, someone please save us! Gods! I'm in so much pain!"

Xia Zhenghong suddenly realized what was happening and looked around. The villagers were in despair. Even those who had grabbed their children and run home earlier had stopped fleeing.

No one feels safe just by going home.

A dragon several stories high, if you push it lightly, the house will probably collapse. Who would dare to run home in that situation?

The surrounding villagers were either completely dumbfounded, standing there in a daze, or they knelt or lay down in various positions, praying to the gods and Buddhas to save their lives.

Xia Zhenghong recalled the thought in his mind that the world was about to enter the end of the world, and then he heard someone praying to the gods and Buddhas in the sky for help. A flash of inspiration struck him!
The old religion, the old temple, could it be? Could it be that the old temple administrator was telling the whole truth?
The end of the world? Was the end of the world brought by dragons?!
Xia Zhenghong's heart rate surged! It was as if he had finally seen through the surface of the world and was able to glimpse the truth within it!

His heart rate suddenly increased, pumping blood frantically to every part of his body, making Xia Zhenghong's forehead and cheeks flushed red, and he was panting heavily: "It's true, it should be true."

"Nothing happened before the old temple was built, but now that the old temple is built, dragons have appeared."

"More than thirty old temples—no, that's only what I know. What about the ones I don't know about? What about the ones in other provinces? There must be far more than thirty temples!"

"In other words, the Old Days Cult is very powerful. Such a power would never, ever simply distribute eggs to benefit the masses. What they want is..."

"Yes, faith!"

"The end of the world, faith in the past, and safely surviving the end of the world—it's all true!"

Xia Zhenghong, blushing more and more, was having a brainstorming session. His thoughts were mixed together and he had to think and process them quickly. His temples were throbbing, but he made a bold guess about something!

Everything from the old religion is true!

Based on this, isn't this the only way to save lives and all the villagers?
"Fellow villagers!!" Xia Zhenghong shouted quickly, "Pray, may the Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang grant you blessings! May the Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang grant you blessings!"

Xia Zhenghong ran frantically, urging his fellow villagers to pray together: "May the Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang grant us blessings!"

"Quickly pray with me! Only then can we receive blessings and drive away the evil dragon! May the Heavenly Venerable of Xuanhuang grant us blessings!"

Parents and children standing frozen on the street, Uncle Li and Li Xuan peeking out of the barbershop, and villagers kneeling on the ground who had already begun to pray, all turned to Xia Zhenghong.

I don't understand how Teacher Xia Zhenghong, who has always been a staunch advocate against superstition, suddenly became a fanatical believer in the old religion.

Without much thought, the simple folks instinctively followed Xia Zhenghong's appeal.

In another place, almost no one would trust a young man like Xia Zhenghong.

Unfortunately, everyone in Xiajiawan Township knows Xia Zhenghong; many people have watched him grow up.

Xia Zhenghong was willing to return to teaching and mentor more children, which won him many hearts. Many villagers immediately followed suit, chanting, "May the Heavenly Venerable of Blessing and Prosperity be with you!"

One leads ten, ten leads a hundred, and in less than a minute, the entire Xiajiawan area is already an ocean of "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun".

The resulting roar carried far and wide, as if this divine name truly possessed divine power. The evil dragon, which had been slowly approaching from afar, began to shake its head and sway, but finally, seemingly unable to bear it any longer, it turned and quickly departed. "Gone...gone? Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun, huh...?"

His heart rate suddenly dropped, making Xia Zhenghong feel dizzy and weak, and he fell to the ground.

He's not the only one like this.

The villagers who survived the disaster either lay helplessly on the ground, not caring about the dirt, or repeatedly knelt and bowed their heads, continuing to chant the name of the Heavenly Venerable of Blessing and Prosperity.

Some women held their children and began to sob and weep, while others joyfully embraced their loved ones.

It took a while before Xia Zhenghong was noticed and helped up by bystanders: "Zhenghong, Zhenghong!"

"We survived! We really survived!"

"May the Heavenly Venerable of Fortune and Prosperity protect us!"

"Thanks to you, Zheng Hong, for remembering the Blessed and Mysterious Heavenly Venerable of the Old Days Sect. Otherwise... we might all have died in this calamity!"

"Yes, it's too dangerous! What kind of dragon is that? It's terrifying!"

"Come on, come on, take these chickens and ducks from my house to offer as sacrifices at the old temple!"

Faced with the sudden disaster, the eventual safety was all the more precious, and everyone was eager to go back to the old temple to fulfill their vows.

In the only hotel in Xiajiawan, Old Tang opened the window on the third floor and looked outside with a look of amazement: "Brother Huang, your terrible idea is surprisingly effective!"

Xu Lie's clone didn't go to the window. Instead, he sat in the room, grabbing some sashimi from Kitamura Tomoo: "Samson did all the work. I didn't do anything."

"Does Samson want any reward? He's been working so hard putting on this show, how about we give him a couple more cows?"

Kitamura Tomoo's expression was complicated. As one of the parishioners in the Tokyo Diocese who was relatively proficient in Chinese, he was sent by Bishop Aso to expand the faith of the old church.

According to the plan, he was supposed to serve as the administrator of the old temple in Xiajiawan in Bishop Huang Tao's plan, and then guide the villagers to gain their trust and expand their faith after Samson appeared.

Before he could even step forward and urge the villagers to chant the name of the Heavenly Venerable, local resident Xia Zhenghong inexplicably beat him to it, leading the villagers to defeat Samson and stealing his job. Well, he came all for nothing.

Upon hearing this, Old Tang rubbed his hands together like a fly: "Hey, Samson doesn't like to eat that stuff. He's content with catching fish in the river. Brother Huang, why don't you just give me the two cows in cash at the market price?"

"???" Xu Lie's clone finally stopped being obsessed with snatching food from his subordinates, raised his eyes with a strange expression, and looked down on Old Tang.

Samson was truly unlucky to have a king like you.

Old Tang, shameless and completely unconcerned, even winked at the food in front of Xu Lie, saying, "Big brother, let alone second brother, how much better are you, kid?"

Your subordinate, Tomoo Kitamura, is quite unlucky to have a bishop as his boss who steals sashimi.

We're in the same boat, so let's not laugh at each other!
Kitamura Tomoo sighed and, taking advantage of the moment when the two looked at each other, quickly picked up the last piece of sashimi.

He dipped the fish in the wasabi, swallowed it with satisfaction, and savored the slight spiciness of the wasabi and the fresh taste of the fish on his lips and teeth. Feeling very satisfied, he got up to say goodbye: "Your Excellency, Bishop, Lord Tang."

"I'm going back first. The villagers need to perform a memorial service for the past. If I'm not there, things might go wrong."

Xu Lie turned his clone around, no longer silently criticizing Lao Tang: "I've seen all your efforts this time."

"I'll invite Xia Zhenghong later, and he should agree to take on the responsibility of this old temple."

"If it's Kitamura you want, why don't you go to the old temple at the district level?"

This can be considered a promotion for him. Over the past few days, Tomoo Kitamura has been very dedicated to his duties.

Kitamura Tomoo was secretly pleased and accepted on the spot: "Yes, Mr. Xia's faith in the old days is already evident, so there is naturally no problem."

"I will go wherever the church needs me."

"Your Excellency, before you leave, please allow me to order you one more plate of sashimi."

Xu Lie's clone smacked his lips: "Forget it, it's no fun eating alone."

"What are you saying?" Old Tang closed the window: "Order, order without worry! Brother Huang and I will fight over the food!"

(End of this chapter)