Missy, she always does not seek to make progress 2

In the first day of the twelfth lunar month of the first year of the Kangping reign, the God-Slaying War took place. Because the evil demon Siluo sacrificed himself, the world was devastated and the country suffered great losses. However, at the last moment when Qin Liuxi was pulling Siluo into eternal nothingness, the vitality array contained in the god-trapping array she had refined was activated, and a mountain spirit entered the array as an array spirit, causing vitality to flourish, and spiritual rain fell from the sky to nourish the people.

Therefore, after that battle, the spiritual energy of the world revived and was more abundant than before the war, which was a blessing in disguise.

But this blessing was obtained by Qin Liuxi sacrificing everything.

The spiritual energy of the world revived, allowing all living things to quickly recover their vitality. Those who clearly felt the spiritual energy becoming more abundant were all the practitioners. From the rapid replenishment of their vital energy that was severely damaged in the god-slaying war to the subsequent improvement, they all felt that the spiritual energy had indeed revived.

The place with the most spiritual energy is the former Black Desert, also known as the Realm of Nothingness, which has attracted many practitioners to come here and become hermits.

The world has undergone tremendous changes.

Decades have passed, and the original realm of nothingness has become the best place to hide away from the world. Sects of all sizes have been established here, each occupying a mountain top and fighting each other, but strangely, they all live in peace.

The only place they dare not go to establish a sect is the real void realm, which is also the place of fallen gods.

Yes, when the evil Buddha was becoming a god, he was broken by Qin Liuxi and fell into nothingness with her. Later generations called it the Land of Fallen Gods, but who is the real god, everyone has their own definition in their hearts.

Whether they are afraid of disturbing the immortal king who dares to sacrifice his body and soul for the people of the world, or they are afraid of the void realm devouring souls, in addition to coming here honestly to pay tribute and attain enlightenment, if they want to practice cultivation here for a long time, they must be prepared to have their spiritual power devoured.

That's right, after discovering that the Land of Fallen Gods was a source of abundant spiritual energy, some people wanted to practice here, but they found that if they practiced here for more than ten days, they could no longer absorb a single bit of spiritual energy, and their spiritual power was instead devoured.

Some people thought about coming back after ten days, but it still didn't work. It was as if the Land of Fallen Angels had some memory of them and wouldn't let them in. After repeated attempts, they were finally able to come in and absorb the spirits again three years later.

This rule has also been recorded. All practitioners who come to the Land of Fallen Gods to worship can only do so once every three years, and each visit cannot exceed ten days. Anyone who exceeds this limit will have a higher level of cultivation and a higher chance of being devoured by spirits.

Some people said that it was the Immortal King who was still protecting the people. Otherwise, if everyone came to the place of origin to mark a territory and absorb spiritual energy, it would all be absorbed by you. What spiritual energy would be left in other places? What would other practitioners absorb?
Practitioners are not just humans, but also many other creatures. They can be demons, spirits, or ghosts. All living beings in the world are practitioners.

However, whether one can comprehend one's own path depends on one's own opinion.

Over time, the Land of Fallen Gods became the burial place of Qin Liuxi. It is also a pilgrimage site for many cultivators. Even if it is only for ten days, they are willing to come here once three years ago.

Because realizing the truth here will bring you greater benefits.

Fifty years passed in the blink of an eye. The Land of Fallen Gods has been called a sacred secret realm by practitioners. It used to be open to the public once every three years, but now only those with a predestined relationship can enter. Many people call it a miracle.

There is no high-level practitioner to enclose it, but that mysterious secret realm seems to have suddenly developed its own spiritual consciousness and has an invisible barrier. Only those who are truly dedicated to the Tao can enter that secret realm to comprehend it, and when the ten-day period is up, they will automatically be sent out.

After the secret realm was created, because few people came there, the rare spiritual plants inside grew rapidly. In addition to the spiritual plants, one could also find precious materials for setting up formations, such as black gold and lapis lazuli, as well as spiritual objects such as the lightning-struck wood.

Knowing this, all the monks flocked to the secret realm, but not everyone could enter. It was only for those who were destined to enter. Therefore, when the monks who were able to enter came out and got good things, they would be snatched away with huge sums of money.

As the saying goes, where there are people, there is the world of martial arts. Normal transactions are nothing, but some people dare to kill and rob. For this reason, the Jiuxuan Auction House, which has been closed for many years, suddenly reopened, providing a place for transactions for cultivators or mortals who have something to ask for.

If you want something, you can offer a reward on Jiuxuan. If you want to sell something, you can also do so on Jiuxuan. Although the commission is high, Jiuxuan will absolutely keep the information of the buyer and seller confidential.

As a result, Jiuxuan became the world's number one auction house. As long as you can afford the price or can produce treasures of equal value, you can exchange for what you need for trading.

Such an existence would naturally arouse the royal family's fear and covetousness, but Jiuxuan was just like the Changsheng Palace during the Kangwu Dynasty, mysterious and powerful. Behind it stood the mighty ones who participated in the War of Slaughtering Gods. Who dared to compete with it?
The royal nobles also knew of the existence of the Fallen God Realm, but let alone the entrance to the Fallen God Realm, even the entire realm of nothingness would be so suffocating that ordinary mortals would feel overwhelmed if they approached it, let alone force their way in.

Therefore, although that place is in the mortal world, for ordinary mortals who cannot practice cultivation, it is a paradise isolated from the world, giving people a feeling of being in two different worlds.

The same was true for the royal family. As the number of people practicing Taoism increased and they became stronger, they felt that the imperial power was in jeopardy.

The more people fear losing something, the more they will try to hold on to the power in their hands. Faced with the threat from the powerful monks, the emperor wanted to take military power back into his hands just in case.

Compared with his father Emperor Kangping, Emperor Yongyan had a famous teacher and a good character. But things change, and so do people. Emperor Yongyan, who became a saint, naturally developed the problems of an emperor, becoming suspicious and defensive.

He was a good-looking man. Unlike Emperor Kangping, who was alone, he had chosen concubines again and again, and had a lot of sons and princesses. Excluding those who died young, there were 20 surviving. With so many children, there were naturally more people fighting for power. Emperor Yongyan was only emperor for 18 years before he died because of his weak body. Moreover, the new emperor was not succeeded by the eldest son, but the third son, and changed the reign title to Qianning.

Just as Emperor Kangping Qi Qian said back then, a royal family's kingdom cannot last for thousands of years. Whether it can be maintained depends on luck. In fact, the Qi family's luck began to decline since the Yongyan Dynasty.

Emperor Kangping managed to make Da'an prosperous, but when it came to Emperor Yongyan, he had a large harem and high expenses. Later, when it came to the fight for succession and power, he was not on good terms with the Quan family, who controlled the army, and the Yue family, in order to consolidate military power. Not to mention that Emperor Yongyan was not as frugal as his father, but rather extravagant. Fortunately, spiritual energy revived, natural disasters decreased, and output in various places was good, otherwise the country would have been empty long ago.

But mountains of gold and silver are of no use if they are not used for production. When it came to Emperor Qianning, he became even more outrageous and was even more capable of doing so than his father. He was stubborn and suspicious, and he always used force to consolidate military power. He regarded the marquisates that held military power, or the real warlord families, as thorns in his eyes and in his flesh, and he would not be happy until they were removed. The relationship between them was also hostile.

"...The Qi family is about to run out of luck. But fifty years of prosperity is enough for them." Feng Xiu leaned against the stone tablet, muttering about the outside world, and stroked the empty space where the three characters Qin Liuxi were written, saying, "Even if one stroke is missing every year, it's only twenty-six years. You've been given a few more years, but you still haven't come back. Could it be that you can't climb up? Or are you lost? Do you want me to pick you up and show you the way?"

Ever since Teng Zhao brought his only disciple Changdu to pay homage to his master and said that he had seen her, the words on the tombstone had one less stroke each year. They had speculated that she would appear when her name disappeared.

But the name Qin Liuxi has disappeared from the tombstone for several years. She has never appeared, and the fire of hell has never lit up.

The world has changed dramatically. It has been fifty years since she left.

Feng Xiu didn't get a response, so he sighed, took a sip of wine, and turned into his original form, curling up in front of the tombstone.

The emergence of the secret realm is no accident.

Other monks could not stay here for long, but he could. This was definitely not a coincidence, but must be due to his selfish desire to protect his own shortcomings.

She would always find her way back, it was just a matter of time.

……

In the twelfth month of the twelfth year of Qianning, a grand temple fair was held in the City God Temple of Nan County. Because this year was the birthday of the City God, the local gentry held a grand temple fair for this occasion.

In fact, with the blessing of the City God over the years, Nan County has always had good weather, and it has also produced many outstanding people and talented scholars. The people all believe that it is the blessing of the City God of Nan, so they have great faith in him.

But when outsiders came to participate in the temple fair, they saw that not only was the City God Temple very simple and ancient, but the statue was just an ordinary bronze statue, covered with an old rune silk cloth, as if it was an old object from some corner.

I don’t understand.

It is obvious that the believers here are very pious and the incense is very popular. There have also been many noble people in Nan County. There must be people who are willing to make a golden statue for the City God in order to repay the gods, right?
Why is it still an old bronze statue, and even the shawl is an old thing?
There were many new shawls wrapped around the feet of the City God, but the one on his body was very old.

If you don't understand, just ask, are these believers all pretending to be sincere?

"You know what? It's the City God himself who doesn't want a golden statue or a new shawl. He said that the shawl was given to him by his disciples before they left. He kept the bronze statue the same because he was afraid that his disciples wouldn't recognize him when they returned, so he didn't want a golden statue." A local snorted, "Our City God will be very happy if you can offer him some good wine and roast chicken. There's no need to change the statue."

"This is a story made up by you locals. Can the City God speak?"

"Why not? I can tell from the first glance that you are not sincere in worshipping the gods. Gods can enter dreams. If one person hears this, then I will say that I made it up. But several people who wanted to donate the golden body have had dreams reporting this. How could it be false? Did you see the old temple keeper? Even though he is so old and his eyes seem half blind, he is very good at interpreting divinations. I heard that he is over 80 years old and has been guarding the temple for decades. He also does not allow people to change the golden body."

"Really? Then I'll go get a lottery ticket too."

"Go ahead, go ahead. You have to burn some incense. I heard that the City God will go on a tour this year and bless us. Have you seen those Taoists? They are here just for the City God's tour."

The stranger was dressed in scholar's clothes, and was obviously a scholar who was traveling. After hearing this, he asked with great interest, "What's the matter with the City God's patrol?"

The local looked at him and said, "You are a scholar, right? I heard that you scholars don't talk about supernatural things. You may not believe what I say."

The scholar Zhan Meng immediately said, "I am not a pedantic bookworm who only knows how to read books behind closed doors. I am committed to the idea that reading thousands of books is not as good as traveling thousands of miles. Everything I see and hear will be compiled into a book for the travel notes. I am famous."

"Oh?"

"There is a bookstore in Nan County. There is a book called Yuntai Jushi written by a monk that sells very well. I am not talented, and that Yuntai Jushi is me." Zhan Meng said with a smile, "So just tell me, I will listen and write it down in the book later."

"Oh, that's great." The local man pulled the Taoist priests who were setting up stalls closer and said, "You should know that people are divided into different classes, just like the rich and powerful and the common people. There are differences. It's the same with Taoists. There are those with high cultivation levels, and there are naturally those with low cultivation levels, right?"

"That's the truth."

"Don't disbelieve me, there are ghosts in this world. I saw with my own eyes the bull head from the City God Temple going out to catch a little ghost. Oh, there was a lotus flower as big as a bowl on the bull head. He caught the little ghost and beat him until he screamed. It was so creepy."

Zhan Meng: “…”

Haha, a cow head with a lotus hairpin, I really believe your lies!

"If there are ghosts, there must be the underworld. My mother's good sister is a lay Buddhist in a Taoist temple. I heard that if the Taoists catch a ghost, they won't just send it away..."

"If you catch a ghost, shouldn't you kill it? And you still have to send it off?" Is being a ghost so majestic?
"Young man, don't be a talker." The local man sighed and said, "Who said that Taoist priests will beat ghosts to death when they catch them? To be honest, ghosts were once human beings before they became ghosts. Human beings become ghosts only after they die. Some people do not believe that they are dead for the time being, and they wander around in the world without harming anyone. They are good ghosts. Since they are good ghosts, they should be saved, right? Only those evil ghosts will be beaten to death by Taoist priests."

"Brother, you know a lot." Zhan Meng smiled and bowed.

The local waved his hand and said, "I sometimes go to Taoist temples. Not to mention those far away, there's Qingping Temple in the next city, the largest temple in the world. They don't send ghosts to the underworld every day. They send the accumulated ghosts to the underworld every year during the Qingming Festival and the Ghost Festival. Only then will they communicate with spirits and open the ghost gates to send them away. If you're not in a hurry, you can go to Qingping Temple during the Qingming Festival. It's an annual event with many believers."

Zhan Meng mentioned Qingping Temple and said, "To be honest, I came here for Qingping Temple. I heard that it is the sect of Immortal Lord Buqiu."

"Yes, she is also a goddess. The old people often say that without those immortals and goddesses, we would not be able to be born." The local said, bowing in the direction of Qingping Temple, and said, "I have gone off topic. Before, we talked about asking the ghost gate to open and deliver ghosts. Not all Taoists have this ability. Those with low cultivation have no such ability, so they have to rely on external forces, such as when the City God is on patrol, or when other Taoist temples are used for business, they will go together and send away the ghosts they have delivered. Oh, if you ask why they go to so much trouble, it is for merit."

The locals looked at the Taoists and said, "Those who practice Taoism save others, save themselves, and save ghosts. What they practice is Taoism, and what they understand is also Taoism. Only when the heart of Taoism is right can they gain merit. What is merit? I don't need to tell you, right?" Zhan Meng nodded, full of respect, "You know a lot."

The locals smiled and said, "That's just what they heard. They come here, firstly to get the blessing of the City God, and secondly because the City God can also ferry ghosts through the gates of hell, so they come to borrow the passage. Did you see those offerings? Since they want to borrow the passage, they naturally have to have an attitude. Those are all offerings to the City God and various ghosts and gods."

Zhan Meng looked at the incense and candles, and a picture appeared in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He said, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts. I will definitely participate in such a grand event."

"Just follow me. When the City God goes out to bless people, he doesn't just bless humans, he blesses ghosts too. Don't mess around. After all, humans have their own ways and ghosts have their own paths. It would be bad if you bump into them."

Zhan Meng thanked him quickly.

As he walked with the locals, someone passed by him. He turned his head and saw a person in a fiery red dress disappeared in the blink of an eye. He couldn't help but tilt his head slightly.

……

Hell of karmic fire.

The ghost soldiers who were patrolling in hell were suddenly startled, their souls and bodies trembled, and they felt a little scared and weak.

That kind of fear was like something horrible was approaching and surrounding him, as if if he was not careful, he would be burned to death and his soul would be shattered.

My feet suddenly felt hot.

The ghost soldier froze and looked down.

A tiny spark flashed under his feet and he blinked. Am I dazzled?

There was another spark, a little bigger than the previous one.

The ghost soldier felt something was wrong and instinctively wanted to leave. A ghost saw him and immediately shouted, "That ghost, what are you doing standing there? Come back quickly. That is the center of the earth where the fire is. Do you want to die?"

"I, I..." The ghost soldier was trembling all over. I wanted to leave, but the problem was that I couldn't move.

He stared at the ground, and the sparks lit up again, and his soul almost flew away.

Help, someone save the child!
The ghost on the opposite side felt something was wrong and quickly floated over. Just in time, he saw a spark light up and was also stunned.

No way, the fire has been extinguished for fifty years, right?
He knelt down and stared at the center of the earth. If it were you, you would try harder and burn it up!

puff.

The sparks flickered on and off.

Once, twice, three times, countless times.

Until with a puff, a cluster of flames as bright as red lotus jumped out from the center of the earth.

The two ghosts screamed, but before they could react, a powerful pressure came and they were instantly at the edge of the hell of fire.

Around him, the King of Hell, Ksitigarbha, the King of Hell, the King of Biancheng and other Yama Kings from the twelve halls had all come, and everyone was staring at the small flame, extremely excited.

Fifty years have passed, and the red lotus fire that can burn all sins has been ignited again.

Under the gaze of everyone, the small flame exploded with a bang, and fire jumped up from deep inside the earth.

boom.

As the fire started, in an instant, the huge hell of karma fire burst into the scorching red lotus fire.

It is righteous and arrogant, and can burn all sins.

Someone walked out of the fire step by step, as bright as a red lotus and as hot as a raging flame.

The red lotus fire returns.

……

Extreme night.

The City God went out for a tour, and Nan County was like the New Year, with lights and decorations, and the curfew was postponed to the end of the hour of Hai.

When it comes to parade, it is actually the Taoists who invite out the City God. The statue of the god is of course not a real bronze statue, but a paper one. They burn incense and talismans to invite the paper statue of the god, and let it sit in the sedan chair, which is then carried by the Taoists in a parade. In addition to the City God, the priests under him, such as the Ox-Headed and Horse-Faced Judge, also need to be invited.

During the parade, there are incense sticks to lead the way, flowers and fruits are offered as sacrifice, and the people consciously kneel on the ground holding incense and praying for God's blessing.

And in places they cannot see, the real South City God, accompanied by the Ox-Head and Horse-Faced Gods, holding the City God Seal, blesses all the people. When he reaches the Taoist priests who open the Yin Gate, he gives all the ghosts food and wine offered by the people. After they are full and satisfied, he knocks on the Ghost Gate and sends them to the underworld.

When the ghosts entered the underworld, the Taoists felt that their good deeds had entered the gods' palace and that they had the blessings of the City God, so they chanted the scriptures with greater effort.

When the City God saw that Teng Zhao was also here with his disciples and grandchildren, he asked, "Why are you here to join in the fun?"

Teng Zhao had already established his foundation, and with the abundant spiritual energy in recent years, he had even reached the threshold of forming a golden core. Although he was nearly seventy years old, he still looked like a young man in his early twenties because he had established his foundation so early.

Therefore, based on his level of cultivation, he would definitely be able to open the Ghost Gate and send away the wild ghosts and resentful spirits by himself without relying on any force.

Teng Zhao led his disciples and grandchildren to pay their respects to him, then looked at the ginseng and the rat that were running back with the candy figures, and said, "It's a rare temple fair, they wanted to come and play, so they came."

Moreover, he himself felt very puzzled and thought that he should come here. This feeling was very strange now.

Some excitement, some anticipation.

The City God said: "Since you are here, just have fun."

He looked at his disciples and sighed.

You damn girl, you are so cruel.

He looked at the temple fair. The merchants were smiling and greeting the customers. The hawkers were shouting their wares. Everyone had a smile on their face. Children were riding on their fathers' necks, holding sugar men and windmill statues of gods to ward off evil spirits, giggling.

A peaceful and happy world.

It's something the child loves to see, so why doesn't she come back to take a look?

The Southern City God held the City God Seal and, as always, transferred the power of incense and wishes to the small statue at his feet. That was the small statue of Qin Liuxi, with a clay body and human bones. It was a small section of finger bone that she had broken off before she left that year and left here for Sha Yuanzi to sculpt into a statue.

At the gate of City God Temple, someone overturned a pot of water, and it flowed westwards.

He touched the statue and murmured, "The water in front of the gate is flowing westward, and my disciple has also arrived. How long are you waiting?"

Bang bang bang.

Fireworks were set off outside, brilliant and dazzling.

Suddenly, a dazzling spark exploded in the night sky, like a flaming red lotus, illuminating everyone's face.

Teng Zhao raised his head suddenly and ran towards the City God Temple.

The Southern City God looked at the girl in a thin green dress walking in from outside, standing in the doorway, and smiled at him: "The water in front of the door is flowing westward, and your disciple has also arrived. Master City God, I am coming westward to attend your banquet, and the jar of hundred-year-old wine can now be unsealed."

Arrived late.

Nan Cheng Huang shed tears: "Okay!"

"Master."

Qin Liuxi turned around and saw Teng Zhao standing behind her. There were many people standing beside him, including Little Ginseng, Golden Rat, and his disciples. They all looked at her with tears streaming down their faces.

A red figure appeared. Feng Xiu, who was wearing a fiery red robe and had his hair tied up with a headband, walked forward. His pair of slender but clear fox eyes were all about her. He stretched out his hand and said, "It's been a long time. Thank you for coming back!"

Qin Liuxi smiled and touched his hand: "The world is worth it!"

The long alleys of the city, when gathered together, are fireworks, and when spread out, it is the world of human beings. It is worth it!

——End of text (end of this chapter)