I used folk talismans to ward off the evil spirit.

Chapter 85 The Nine Saints Exchange Resources (Bonus Chapter! Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Cai Liang walked to the corner of the hall and stopped in front of a willow tree. The willow tree was about the height of a person, with green branches and leaves that shimmered with a faint light.

He sensed the aura of "Ghostly Prohibition" and felt a sense of closeness, so he involuntarily placed his hand on the tree trunk.

The willow branches swayed gently, brushing against his head, like an elder stroking a younger person.

He closed his eyes and felt his mind was clear. Many of the obstacles he had encountered in his previous cultivation were now showing signs of loosening.

Zhao Jing was drawn to a clump of gourd vines beside the palace gate.

The vines climbed up the stone pillar, winding their way up and hanging from it were seven or eight gourds of various sizes, some green, some yellow, and some half green and half yellow, all round and plump, with a pleasing appearance.

As soon as he walked over, a green gourd swayed and hit him on the head.

Instead of feeling a headache, he experienced a sudden, profound clarity, as if struck by lightning.

Zhao Jing held the gourd in his hands; its belly shimmered slightly, as if greeting him. A strange sense of intimacy naturally welled up within him.

Jiang Jun looked at them but didn't say anything.

Several more points of light floated out from the golden-patterned gate and landed in the hall. The various objects transformed from the original deity of the guardian spirit successively lowered their light, which solidified into illusory bodies for them.

The first to appear was a small, thin Kemet girl named Fatima, about seven or eight years old, with bronze skin and large, bright eyes.

She was barefoot, wearing a tattered floral dress, and her hair was braided into many small braids, the ends of which were tied with colorful ribbons.

She stood in the hall, looking around timidly. Her gaze fell on the willow tree, and her eyes suddenly lit up.

She jogged over, pressed her face against the tree trunk, and murmured something as if she had seen a long-lost relative.

Following closely behind was a tall, thin young man wearing glasses, Michelle, who was in his early twenties.

He adjusted his glasses, glanced around the hall, his face full of confusion but not panic. Seeing Cai Liang and Zhao Jing, he nodded slightly as a greeting.

Then there were three Chinese people.

The first one was an elderly woman with gray hair, around seventy years old, wearing a dark blue cotton jacket and a pair of handmade cloth shoes.

She walked steadily and entered the hall without panicking. She first bowed to Jiang Jun before standing aside and quietly observing her surroundings.

The second was a woman in her thirties, wearing a business suit, with short hair and silver-rimmed glasses; she looked like a career woman.

She was visibly nervous when she entered the hall, clutching the hem of her clothes, but she quickly regained her composure, took a deep breath, and stood next to the old lady.

The third one surprised Jiang Jun slightly; it was his college roommate, "Master Jing" Kong Lingchen.

At that moment, he was looking around, with an expression that said, "This is interesting."

Jiang Jun subtly shifted his gaze, showing no intention of acknowledging the other party. Considering the other party's extremely high compatibility with spiritual energy, it wasn't entirely unexpected that they had managed to condense the power to suppress the object.

Then, two more points of light floated out from the golden door.

One was a young man with dark skin, whose facial features combined Asian and African characteristics; he was of mixed Chinese and African descent.

He was wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants typical of the Star River Federation, with a winged eagle embroidered on his hat.

Upon seeing the people in the hall, he paused slightly, then said in accented Mandarin, "Hello everyone."

The last one was a young man with bronze skin, whose features vaguely resembled those of East Asians, and who wore a colorful striped sweater commonly seen in South America.

After entering the hall, he bowed to each of the four directions, muttered something in Portuguese, and then switched to broken Mandarin: "My name is Marcos, and my ancestors were from southern Guangdong."

The nine people gathered in the Cangtian Palace, and the atmosphere inside the palace suddenly became lively.

But no one made a fuss; everyone was observing the unfamiliar and mysterious palace, and the emperor on the main throne, his crown tassels hanging low...

A man in black robes whose face is obscured.

Jiang Jun raised his hand, and the hall fell silent.

His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly entered everyone's mind: "I am the Daoist of Juntian, the pioneer of the Dao of Suppressing Things."

He briefly introduced the origin of the art of suppressing evil spirits.

Everyone listened attentively, their eyes shining.

Then he pointed to the roof, walls, and every plant and tree inside the palace: "This palace is called the Palace of Azure Heaven, and it is the pivot of the Way of Suppressing Things at its source."

"You were able to come here because you have refined a wisp of the power to suppress things and established a connection with the Dao of Suppressing Things."

"From now on, this will be the place where you can share your knowledge and experiences in spiritual practice."

He didn't go into too much detail, speaking calmly as if he were talking about something ordinary.

But the certainty and composure that emanated from that "ordinary" appearance only made everyone feel that this great hall was truly extraordinary.

"I don't force anyone," Jiang Jun said. "Those who are willing to join my sect and cultivate the Way of Suppressing Things may stay. Those who are not, I will send you away."

No one left.

Kong Lingchen even took half a step forward, as if afraid of being left behind.

Jiang Jun nodded slightly and pointed.

A soft radiance flew from his fingertips, exploded in the hall, and turned into tiny specks of light that entered the brows of everyone present.

It was a visualization: "Lotus of Creation".

Lotus leaves and white lotus roots, red lotus like fire, slowly rotated in my sea of ​​consciousness, each petal carrying an indescribable mystery.

The old lady closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Michelle pushed up her glasses, closed her eyes, her brows furrowing and then relaxing.

The little girl Fatima had already closed her eyes, her face full of piety.

Cai Liang and Zhao Jing thought they were just listening in, but unexpectedly, Jiang Jun also transmitted a mysterious light to each of them.

Cai Liang received a brand-new "Creation Lotus" visualization diagram and a newly revised "Five-Colored Stone" visualization diagram.

Compared to the previous version, the new visualization is more rounded and smooth, but also more complex.

Zhao Jing also received these two visualization diagrams. Although his foundation was weaker than Cai Liang's, he found it surprisingly easy to comprehend them at this moment.

A moment later, Michel was the first to open his eyes, a glint of understanding in them. He muttered something in English, then said in Mandarin, "I understand."

Immediately afterwards, Fatima opened her eyes, her little face flushed with excitement.

The old lady followed closely behind, and when she opened her eyes, the light was much brighter than when she entered the hall.

The others seemed to have gained less, but they had basically grasped the basics.

Clearly, as the hub of the Way of Suppressing Things, the Azure Heaven Palace has a significant blessing effect on cultivation.

Watching this scene, Cai Liang felt both gratified and a little envious.

When he first started practicing visualization, he didn't have the assistance of the Heavenly Palace. He relied entirely on his own gradual understanding and struggled a lot to finally get the hang of it.

These days, these people can finish their meals in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, how can he not grumble about it?

Seeing that everyone had memorized the visualization diagram, Jiang Jun smiled and added, "If something happens in reality, you will sense it and be able to wake up at any time without delaying important matters. So, feel free to exchange ideas here."

Fearing that the crowd might feel uncomfortable, he rose from his seat after speaking, slowly walked out of the Cangtian Palace, and disappeared outside the palace gate.

As everyone watched him leave, the atmosphere immediately lightened considerably.

Kong Lingchen was the first to speak. After introducing himself, he said casually, "Hey, this senior looks so dignified. I don't dare to daydream when I listen to him."

Zhao Jing smiled and said, "Our teacher is a very nice person. He just looks stern, but he's actually quite kind."

"Your teachers?" Kong Lingchen asked, intrigued. "Are you disciples of Senior Juntian? His personal disciples?"

Cai Liang nodded, feeling honored.

After introducing themselves and exchanging names and basic information, the group quickly became acquainted.

Fatima was the youngest and didn't speak the language, but she knew a few simple English phrases. Cai Liang's English was also rudimentary, but the two managed to communicate through gestures and communication.

The young man from the Star River Federation was named Kevin, and the young man from South America was named Marcos. Both of them were one-quarter Chinese. Although they were not particularly fluent in speaking, they could still communicate with each other.

Needless to say, Michelle, as a "nerdy" academic, is fluent in several foreign languages, which is a basic requirement.

As they chatted, the topic naturally turned to the strange occurrences in their respective areas.

The old woman claimed her surname was Chen and that she was from Northwest China. Strange occurrences occasionally happened near her village, but the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs reacted quickly and usually dealt with them before they escalated.

Every household in the area has hung up "Guilty Prohibitions" and pasted "Divine Chicken Talismans," and some have even planted garlic. Life is relatively peaceful.

The working woman, who identified herself as Ms. Lin and from Jiangnan, described a similar situation: it was somewhat strange, but still manageable.

Kong Lingchen said, "Beijing is very strict, so I've basically never seen any ghosts or monsters with my own eyes. But I have a relative on the island who said there was a lot of trouble there a few days ago."

"The Bureau of Mysteries sent many experts to barely suppress the situation. But overall it's not bad; it's much better than what I've seen online about foreign countries."

Cai Liang and Zhao Jing also discussed the domestic situation.

They didn't go into too many details, but simply affirmed what everyone had said: Huaxia was well-controlled, the Divine Bureau was effective, the use of protective objects was widespread, and the people felt reassured.

When it was Michel's turn, his expression became serious.

He first apologized in English, then said, "Our situation is very bad. The official Bureau of Abnormal Affairs is understaffed and poorly equipped, and there are many areas they simply cannot manage."

"The city I live in is alright because it has a cathedral, and it's said that there are supernatural things under the cathedral. But it's not the same in the countryside."

"The village where my grandmother lives was attacked by a group of ghosts last year, killing seven or eight people. The police came but couldn't do anything; they could only help collect the bodies."

Speaking of talismans, he added, "I saw those posts online. After I made one and hung it up, no ghosts or monsters have ever entered my house since."

"And the garlic my grandma grows grows so lushly that ghosts and monsters usually avoid it."

"But not many people here believe in these things, the government doesn't promote them, and some even say it's a Chinese conspiracy." I've told my neighbors several times, but they don't believe me.

He also mentioned that he accidentally discovered during a dangerous encounter that salt could ward off evil spirits.

Kevin, from the Star River Federation, took over the conversation. He had a heavy accent, but his expression was fairly clear.

"The federal government's problems are worse than Europe's. The government does have a Paranormal Affairs Command," well-equipped and large, but they only protect major cities and important facilities. We ordinary people are like sitting on a volcano.

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"What's worse, cults are everywhere. Some lure people in under the guise of 'salvation,' while others openly worship strange creatures, claiming them to be ancient gods."

"In my community, because there are many Chinese people, the popularity of the product is quite good. But outside the community, nobody believes it."

"There's a group called the Blood God Church that even claims these talismans are heretical and wants to destroy them all. I've argued with them online many times."

Marcos spoke Chinese with a slight stutter: "South America—is in chaos. Many places have been taken over by monsters. The government—has no power. We can only rely on ourselves."

"The talisman—it works. But many people don't know it. I taught my neighbors how to make a 'ghostly prohibition,' and they gave me a bag of corn as a thank you." He gestured, "Corn, very delicious."

After listening, everyone remained silent for a few seconds. Kong Lingchen sighed and said nothing.

Fatima didn't understand much, but she could sense the heavy atmosphere.

She tugged at Cai Liang's sleeve and whispered in English, "In our tribe, many things are forbidden." The spirit of the willow tree taught us. Today we learned about other talismans. I'm going to go back and teach everyone."

Cai Liang ruffled her hair and said with a smile, "Good girl, teach her well when we get back."

As he spoke, he asked Michelle to help translate and convey the accurate information about the four town objects to the little girl.

Fortunately, with the blessing of the Juntian Palace, Fatima, although she could not understand it very accurately, managed to memorize it word for word.

The others also listened intently, afraid of missing a word and causing problems with the talisman they made.

After Cai Liang finished explaining in detail, he and Zhao Jing shared their experience in practicing visualization.

This is both a summary and refinement of one's own spiritual practice, and also subtly implies taking control of the situation.

Everyone listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with questions and exchanging ideas.

As the conversation progressed, the atmosphere gradually became more lively.

Kong Lingchen asked Cai Liang with a hint of gossip, "Is Senior Juntian very young? His hands don't look like those of an old man."

Others were also somewhat curious.

Cai Liang was both amused and exasperated: "I've never even seen the teacher's face, so don't go asking around." Kong Lingchen chuckled and didn't press the matter further.

After chatting for a while, Michelle had things to do in real life, and her figure gradually faded away as she took her leave first.

Kevin then stood up: "It's getting light where I am. I have to go back and line up for communion, or there won't be any left. Let's talk again next time."

Marcos waved and said goodbye in Portuguese before turning into specks of light and disappearing.

One by one, the people left.

Fatima was the last to leave.

Before she left, she ran to the willow tree, hugged the trunk and rubbed against it, then bowed in the direction where Jiang Jun had disappeared outside the palace gate before turning into a speck of light and vanishing.

The Heavenly Palace fell silent.

Cai Liang and Zhao Jing exchanged a glance, bowed in the direction of Jiang Jun, and withdrew.

Inside the Juntian Palace, Jiang Jun had been spying on the screen using magic.

Only after everyone had left did he nod in satisfaction: "It seems this mechanism is quite good. Exchanges and mutual learning, sharing resources—as it grows stronger, it will be able to help me."

"Hmm, there are still nine main halls in my palace complex, and exactly nine people have returned. Is there some kind of explanation?"

"If my method of suppressing things flourishes in the future, won't they become my nine great disciples?"

He imagined with great interest: "Or perhaps, to use a more distinctly Chinese term, the Nine True Immortals?"

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