CHAPTER 471: CHAPTER 465: MANDATE OF HEAVEN AND THE GREAT TREND

"Demon people, demon people..."

Meanwhile, in Shima Town, beats of drums and gongs echoed as faces were painted and monstrous masks were donned. A group of demon people appeared, and in an instant, they unleashed various means of attack, effortlessly annihilating the Evil Ghost General who had stormed into Shima Town. At that moment, the Second Young Master Meng was visibly dumbfounded.

He had used his essence blood as a medium to summon something that clearly possessed mana and had driven the Eight Cave Evil Ghosts. However, such a technique was not something ordinary people could withstand, and yet, it had failed without a splash?

Inside the town, as the wandering gods were summoned and the multitude of evil ghosts scattered away, he suddenly came to his senses. All at once, his expression turned aggrieved, his eyes bloodshot. Truly speaking, he was bewildered.

How could there be so many Beef-eating Demon People in this town?

Clearly, the roads were sealed, and messages couldn’t be sent out. How did they receive the information?

As for how these demon people entered the town, he had nothing to say. Earlier, when he saw so many townsfolk going inside, even the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer pondered whether to disperse them, yet he decided to let them in.

After all, for the thing he intended to create, the more people in Shima Town, the better. But he hadn’t anticipated it would give these demon people an advantage.

"What should I do now?"

For a moment, he couldn’t quite discern if he felt more anger or panic within himself.

The Grass Head Eight Declining Gods were brought here by me, and I took on this task willingly. But now, the unexpected treasure, Yin General, is lost, so be it. No one will question me once I return. But now, even the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods are utterly destroyed...

How can I explain this to my brother? How can I explain this to the ancestors? Is it possible, is it truly because I’m currently in a period of bad luck...

As he pondered, he inexplicably recalled the previous night when he bowed to the person who refined the Yin General.

This bow was intended to ruin the other party, but instead was accepted...

...Could it be that the very act of bowing allowed the demon people in the town to suppress his fate, leading him to a string of misfortunes?

...Could it be that the State Preceptor’s disciples were secretly calculating his fate?

He couldn’t help but suspect that something was wrong, as all of a sudden, he encountered continuous misfortune, everything going awry. Either he was too foolish, or he had fallen under a spell affecting him secretly.

At this time, as Second Young Master Meng stared wide-eyed, transitioning from his former composed demeanor to one of ashen dismay and feeling haunted and suspicious, the Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer beside him let out a low sigh. "Second Young Master Meng," he said, "there’s no need to panic like this."

"Since those demon people have appeared together, it’s only normal to suffer a few setbacks under their hands in unclear situations."

"I must admit, I underestimated the foresight of our Yangming Zhou Family’s Old Master. Initially, I thought this trip would be a waste, as the insignificant One Coin Sect wasn’t worth my intervention. But now, it’s proving beneficial..."

He exhaled slowly, gazing in the direction of Shima Town. Though twenty miles away, he seemed to hear the cacophony from there, along with the peculiar laughter. Even the skies above the town were swirling with the demonic aura of the Beef-eating Demon People, as if he was looking at a turbulent, bizarre bandit den.

"Beef-eating Demon People congregating here, seemingly for a certain demon person, if eliminated collectively, it would be a great achievement even among the Ten Surnames!"

With this thought firmly in his heart, he focused ahead. He noticed that the timing incense burning in front of him only lacked a small bit, the size of a fingernail, to burn completely. He then exhaled slowly while standing up. His breath blew on the incense, causing it to suddenly brighten and burn completely. Even the small amount of incense ash on it dispersed instantly into the night sky. "It’s time."

He slowly rose, his iron armor clinking softly. Though of a small stature, he suddenly appeared dignified.

With a sudden low shout, he commanded, "Bring my weapons, fetch my Tiger Skin Louse-headed Horse!"

At this shout, even Second Young Master Meng was slightly startled, turning to look at him. He saw that Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer was already exuding a chilling and fearsome aura.

His height was small. If Second Young Master Meng stood straight beside him, Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer would likely only reach his midriff, looking rather comical, yet his aura seemed to surpass that of Second Young Master Meng.

"Bring the blade for the Old Master..."

"Lead the horse for the Old Master..."

As Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer roared, nearby, one by one, little ghosts shrieked in response.

HEY HO, HEY HO...

Immediately, seven or eight pitch-black little ghosts, chanting laboriously, hauled a large dark blade, moving it over with great effort.

On the other side, a group of little ghosts gathered around a sedan chair. Inside the sedan was something resembling a tiger skin. Its colorful patterns looked like tiger skin, yet it seemed to have been sewn into the shape of horsehide.

SWOOSH!

Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer extended his hand, lifting the incredibly heavy blade horizontally. Due to his short stature, he could only hold it sideways or carry it on his shoulder, unable to hold it vertically.

At the same time, as he grasped the blade, the little ghosts beside him had already begun to support the tiger skin. One by one, they crawled underneath, gradually filling it out.

In the blink of an eye, the tiger skin was propped up, vividly becoming a horse. However, beneath the horse’s belly were not hooves but a dozen or so small black legs bustling back and forth. Bit by bit, it moved towards Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer, even nuzzling him.

"Pass my command!"

As Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer mounted the horse, he and the horse exuded a terrifying and sinister aura. With the blade tilting downward in his hand, he shouted fiercely, "Guard the four directions, storm into the bandit’s den, and disperse the townsfolk."

"The One Coin Sect Hierarch, Magic King, guests from the Path, capture them all. If anyone doesn’t surrender when encountered, slay them at once!"

"Beef-eating Demon People, kill without capturing, leave none alive!"

With his fierce shout, the small ghosts surrounding him screeched noisily, spreading his words out loud.

As the great hall officer of the Shousui Path, Tie Jun typically appointed eight small hall officers, each responsible for various duties. This time around, he brought along half of his small hall officers.

Typically stationed at various places, guarding rules and unable to leave without permission, these small hall officers followed the great hall officer here, expecting to easily solve the problems in the town swiftly. However, it dragged on for three days, and they were now quite impatient.

Finally, hearing the command, they leaped onto their horses, letting out sharp howls in response.

"Go!"

Tie Jun swung his great sword into the void. Beneath his mount, a dozen black legs churned, breaking into a swift run.

The heavy aura shook all around, stirring up gusts of wind that blew through the trees and withered vines, making the entire hillside tremble.

Visible to the naked eye, the intertwining branches and gnarled vines on the ground seemed to come alive as he moved forward, scurrying to either side.

"He’s coming!"

At the same time, Hu Ma suddenly felt a sense of awareness, raising his head to look around.

The Shousui man was not the most skilled in the arts of perception, nor had he learned the Earth Listening technique like Old Master Sun. Still, when Iron Steed Grand Hall Officer set out, he was suddenly startled. It was a sense akin to perceiving a lurking tiger in the woods.

A primal, heavy, and terrifying sense of danger.

"No need to argue..."

He was now on horseback, yet suddenly addressed the bickering Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples in front of him, saying calmly, "I’m just here to learn skills, not to covet anything belonging to your Not Eating Beef Sect."

"Before learning this skill, I made sure to understand. No one told me that by learning it, I would definitely become a member of your Not Eating Beef Sect. So, you do as you wish; I won’t ask further."

"But now, a formidable enemy is approaching. If you weren’t here, for the sake of the townsfolk, I would have stepped forward."

"But since you’re here, it’s not appropriate for me to handle it for you, is it?"

This speech immediately quieted the surroundings a bit. Then, among the Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples exchanging glances, someone suddenly laughed, "Our Sect Hierarch is afraid..."

"He’s hinting to us..."

Another chimed in with laughter, "Seeing through but not saying, being afraid is reasonable. It doesn’t necessarily mean our Sect Hierarch is timid. After all, he’s still immature and just learned the Great Mighty Sky General Seal. How much can he actually do?"

"If a dog is brought over, the Sect Hierarch might not even win..."

"Haha, there’s no need to put it so harshly. We just tested the Sect Hierarch earlier, and like his Master back in the day, he’s narrow-minded, so he deliberately came to test our abilities..."

"Brothers, let’s go, show the Sect Hierarch what we can do..."

Among the bizarre laughter, even Hu Ma’s face almost couldn’t hold its composure. What the hell, what kind of lunatics are in the Not Eating Beef Sect?

Despite his discontent, alongside the strange laughter, someone suddenly howled. Those Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples gathered at the town’s entrance started picking up their gear.

Some wore the masks they had donned earlier to cover their faces. Some jumped onto trees, while others took long strides, looking just like monkeys released into the woods, hooting and rushing outwards.

"Continue!"

Simultaneously, within Shima Town, in the main altar’s grand mansion, the stooped elderly man nodded and said to Immortal Miaoshan, "The Lantern Festival shall continue; there will be no further disturbances..."

"Someone diminished the blessings of the townsfolk, so we will help them restore their fortune."

"For twenty years, our Beef Avoidance Sect Disciples were hunted, slain, and pursued. We fought evil spirits, Hall Officers, and the Ten Surnames. We guarded meticulously for twenty years, finally awaiting the return of the Sect Hierarch. It’s time to stir up a grand destiny wresting movement!"

"This grand movement begins with Shima Town!"