Chapter 4: The land god's Initial Display of Power
The heavy rain poured down like a deluge. In many homes in the West City with thatched roofs, the interiors had already begun to leak.
In a household only about a hundred meters from the city gate, a faint light could be seen through the window, dimly visible through the heavy rain.
"Husband, over here... here... go slowly, be careful, don't step into a void..." A female voice carried anxiety and tension.
"It's okay, you hold the oil lamp tightly, don't spill it. We only have this much oil left, I don't know if it can last through the night. This spot is fine now."
The man stood on a long table, speaking as he stuffed thatch into the leaky spot on the roof, plugging the gap.
The man, around forty years old, wore simple hemp clothing. He jumped down from the table, took the oil lamp back from his wife's hand, and said, "You go to bed first. I'll tidy up the floor and then sleep. See if Chun'er is awake. He still has to go to the private school tomorrow. This damned heavy rain."
"This rain is too heavy. We just re-thatched the roof a few days ago, and I didn't expect it would still leak! Sigh..." The man complained.
Just then, the man's gaze fell. He saw the wooden shrine that had been protecting the land god Statue had fallen onto the table. It was likely that he had accidentally knocked it over earlier.
Directly above the land god Statue, there was a hole where rain was seeping down.
"Oh no... Wife, quickly... quickly... take out our incense sticks, hurry..." The man's voice was filled with infinite fear.
"Husband, what's wrong..." The woman was startled and saw the man's pale face.
"The land god Statue is wet from the rain. Quickly take out the incense sticks and light them as an offering. I hope it helps."
The man said, suppressing the fear in his heart.
The woman was also frightened when she saw the land god Statue. She quickly took out three incense sticks from a nearby cabinet, lit them with the oil lamp, and handed them to the man.
The man took the incense, respectfully placing it in the incense burner in front of the land god Statue.
Just then, the land god Statue suddenly cracked with a "bang..." and the earth spilled all over the table.
"Ah..."
In the Clock Tower, Wang Hao, who was called Third Uncle, suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the bronze bell hanging on the west side. "Buzz... buzz..." The bronze bell suddenly rang.
"Third Uncle, there's a situation in the West City! We haven't found anything in the East City yet, how did the West City give a warning!" Wang Jiao exclaimed.
"Hmm, a time of trouble," Wang Hao sighed.
"Third Uncle, do you want someone to go check on the West City!"
Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Let's wait and see for now. Tonight is probably not that simple!"
"Buzz... buzz... buzz..." Again, the western bronze bell buzzed continuously.
"Not good... Wang Jiao, Wang Wu, Feng Lu, the three of you take a few men and quickly go investigate the West City!"
Wang Hao suddenly stood up, his brows tightly furrowed, his eyes fixed on the direction of the West City.
"Yes, Third Uncle."
The three quickly stood up, called a few more people, and rushed out of the Clock Tower.
"Sigh, the Evil Ghosts are becoming more and more rampant lately. Tomorrow, I should discuss with Eldest Brother and Second Brother about applying for support from the county."
Wang Hao sighed and sat down cross-legged again, meditating and circulating his energy to keep himself in optimal condition at all times.
At this time, in the West City, a sedan chair and two Female Ghosts had just floated out of a household. One of the Female Ghosts seemed to still be licking her tongue.
"Miss, I feel like with the yang energy of a few more people, I can break through to become an Evil Ghost."
"Miss, I'm also close to breaking through."
"Good, Miss, I might also break through tonight. Xiao Cui, Xiao Hong, let's go to the North City, break through first, and then look for trouble with those Martial Artists. Their vitality is truly a treasure! It will definitely allow us to advance further! Hehe..."
The Female Ghost in the sedan chair let out bursts of eerie laughter.
"Miss is wise. Let those Martial Artists live a little longer. What a tempting delicacy!"
The two Female Ghosts looked towards the Clock Tower with greedy eyes.
Wang Jiao and Wang Wu put on their straw cloaks and, with a few men, left the Clock Tower. They held Peach Wood and jujube wood weapons in their hands and had metal weapons strapped to their backs.
They rushed into the rain and headed straight for the West City area.
At this time, the heavy rain had begun to gradually lessen!
"Brothers, get your willow leaves out in advance and wipe your eyes. Prepare for battle!" As they moved, Wang Jiao turned to the crowd and said.
Martial Artists who are just entering the threshold of this world cannot see Ghost-like Evil Ghosts with the naked eye. They need to rely on external objects, and willow leaves are the most common kind.
By dipping willow leaves in a little rain, dew, or even cow tears and other rootless water, one can temporarily gain the ability of a weak Yin-Yang Eye.
However, many Ghost-like Evil Ghosts will actually manifest themselves when they want to harm people so that ordinary people can see them, because only in this way can they cause great fear in people, and this fear is something that Ghosts like.
Wang Wu continued, "Brothers, later, Jiao Ge and I will be the main force. Brother Feng Lu, you will cover the rear. The other brothers will array according to the formation we usually practice. Tonight, maybe a few of us will get a taste of blood! We've been practicing for so long, whether we can survive depends on the results of our training!"
"Yes, Wu Ge!" The crowd responded, quickly forming a formation. Wang Jiao and Wang Wu, the two brothers, were at the front of the team, Feng Lu was at the rear, and the others were arranged in two rows on the left and right. Each person held a weapon, maintaining a posture ready to strike at any time.
"Brothers, don't be nervous either. As long as no Evil Ghosts appear, we are sufficient to deal with them."
Wang Jiao encouraged everyone.
"Brothers, maintain the formation!"
The group rapidly advanced towards the West City area. The splashing water showed their fast-moving footsteps.
At this time, the rain had gradually stopped!
"Xiao Hong, Xiao Cui, we're heading to the North City to complete our Breakthrough. Tonight, we'll bathe Wangjia Town in blood! ..."
"Yes, Miss!" Xiao Hong and Xiao Cui, the two Female Ghosts, excitedly carried the sedan chair and floated towards the North City.
"Demon, where do you think you're going! Brothers, swallow-wing formation, charge!"
The team led by Wang Jiao just happened to run into the three Ghosts head-on. He immediately commanded the team to change into the best attack formation to attack.
"Hehe... I originally wanted to let you live a little longer, but I didn't expect you to run into us yourselves! The vitality of you Martial Artists is much stronger than those weak ants. It's just right to use you as an appetizer first, hehe..."
The three Ghosts, with greedy, strange laughter, pounced towards the crowd. The swirling Ghost energy, accompanied by howling sounds, immediately put everyone on the defensive.
"Not good, three Evil Ghosts!" Wang Wu's face changed drastically. He turned around and pushed Wang Jiao, who was next to him, away. "Jiao Ge, hurry and go find Third Uncle for help!"
Wang Jiao was caught off guard and was pushed out of the Ghost energy's encirclement. "Wu Di, you..."
"Jiao Ge, hurry..."
Wang Jiao looked at the swirling Ghost energy in front of him, gritted his teeth, his eyes wide and bloodshot. He tightly gripped the Peach Wood Sword in his hand, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. After a moment, he turned around and ran straight towards the Clock Tower.
"Wang Wu, Feng Lu, you two hold on for me. Don't you dare die before I do!"
Wang Wu watched Wang Jiao leave, then turned his head and shouted, "Brothers, offer a blood sacrifice! It's time to fight with your lives..." As he spoke, he bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of fresh blood onto the jujube wood sword in his hand with a "puff...".
The others followed suit. For a moment, blood mist filled the air.
"Hehe... mere clowns, like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot!" The three Ghosts laughed and pounced on the crowd.
In an instant, screams rang out one after another. The Ghost mist dissipated, leaving only a ground covered in corpses. The corpses were withered, and each had a hole in the heart area. The hearts had vanished without a trace.
At this time, the three Ghosts had already arrived in the North City.
"Burp... Miss, I feel like I've reached the critical point for Breakthrough. The yang energy of one or two more strong men will be enough to break through!" Xiao Hong let out a satisfied burp, saying happily.
"I'm also almost there, Miss! You're about to break through to Red Robe, aren't you!" Xiao Cui also had a look of joy.
"Miss, we really should have gone straight to the Clock Tower just now. I heard that Old Fool Wang Hao has profound cultivation. Absorbing his yang energy would be enough for Miss to break through to Red Robe!"
"Xiao Hong, don't underestimate Wang Hao. He cultivates a pure yang cultivation method, which greatly restrains us. Going there now is too risky. However, once I break through to Red Robe, and then go and devour Old Fool Wang Hao, the Wang Family Ancestor will also be no match. At that time, no one in the entire Wangjia Town will be able to stop us!"
The Female Ghost in the sedan chair said.
"Hehe..." Xiao Hong and Xiao Cui, the two Female Ghosts, looked happily at the surrounding households, seemingly seeing them as delicious feasts.
"Eh... Lingsu Residence!"
If you were to ask what Ghosts dislike the most, besides the Ancestral Halls where they are worshipped, it would be the Lingsu Residence that provides spiritual statues. When the two Ghosts saw the sign for Lingsu Residence, they both showed expressions of extreme disgust.
"Miss, let's start with this most hateful Lingsu Residence! I want to absorb his yang energy bit by bit!" Xiao Hong, having been injured by a land god Statue a few days ago, was even more filled with hatred at this moment.
"Okay! Let's start with him!" The Female Ghost in the sedan chair agreed.
After the three Ghosts finished their discussion, they floated towards Lingsu Residence and arrived at the door in an instant. At this time, the Ghost mist was swirling, having already covered the entire area for dozens of meters around.
Inside Lingsu Residence at this time, Zhang Xuan was still snoring like thunder, sleeping exceptionally soundly, completely unaware that a great disaster was about to befall him.
However, the land god Statue on the table next to the bed began to radiate bright light. The dragon head crutch in the right hand of the land god Statue was especially dazzling, illuminating the entire bedroom.
The light of the dragon head crutch began to flicker. Suddenly, a ball of golden light flew out from the crutch, heading straight for the main door.
Just then, the three Ghosts had just arrived at the door and were about to pass through it.
The golden light suddenly struck. The alarm bells rang loudly for the three Ghosts. In front of their eyes, they only saw a ball of golden light approaching. They only felt the sensation of complete death directly hitting their hearts. Before they could react in any way, they were mercilessly devoured by the golden light.
After the golden light disappeared, the three Ghosts had vanished without a trace. On the street, there was only the sound of flowing rainwater.
At this time, a ball of golden light suddenly appeared in the bedroom, enveloping Zhang Xuan on the bed. Zhang Xuan's body began to radiate bright light, as if he had taken some tonic.
The land god Statue had returned to normal, flickering with a faint golden light.