The emergence of a true underworld celestial being caused Elder Huang's expression to change drastically. The younger generation around them mistook it for some great demon appearing in the distance, triggering such a celestial anomaly. Only geniuses of the younger generation like Liu Xiaoqi, along with Elder Huang, understood the situation, their faces showing concern.
"Good heavens, what kind of monster has appeared? Elder Huang, do you know?"
Shuerhaci was still bewildered, extremely vigilant of this abnormal phenomenon. The Ming army encampment in the distance had been fully mobilized, with large numbers of soldiers rushing to various parts of the city to maintain order. This sudden change had instilled fear in some of the recently recruited refugees.
"It's the Japanese gods and spirits again, the gods and spirits and demons are attacking!"
"Do not panic, there have been no reports of Japanese aggression! All refugees are to remain in their assigned shelters, do not move around freely, and do not make loud noises. Those who disobey will be killed!"
Under the stringent control measures, the refugees were crammed into dilapidated houses and tents designated for their settlement. The feudal army showed no humanitarianism. As the imperial court ordered them to station themselves in Joseon, recruiting a large population to revive the city's vitality for further development became a primary task.
Therefore, protecting the refugees was equivalent to protecting future production.
A general of the Ming army ascended the city wall to observe. No beacon fires were spotted. If the Japanese were truly to return, they could not have appeared instantly before this city located in the heart of Joseon.
Even if some secret method allowed them to infiltrate, surrounded by enemies, what would be the point of taking the city?
Elder Huang and his party also went up the wall to watch. At this moment, someone shouted, "They're here, they're here!" Elder Huang focused his gaze and saw that the underworld celestial being, whose aura could only be sensed but not its true appearance from afar, had now appeared outside the city!
"What is that thing?"
General Liu Ting, clad in iron armor and a beast-faced helmet, stood on the city wall, holding a massive bincheng iron saber, observing like a mountain of iron.
Seeing the underworld celestial being advance, he immediately shouted a warning:
"One more step forward, and I will kill you!"
Simultaneously, a divine form manifested upon him, enveloping his current human form. The image of the celestial being appeared!
The Marquis of Heaven! The Xuanji Lord of the Big Dipper, presiding over twelve thousand celestial beings in the heavens, holding the registry of human lives, dispelling the three calamities, and subduing dragons and phoenixes!
An eleventh-rank celestial position!
From its founding, the Ming Dynasty had sealed the heavens. Celestial positions above the thirteenth rank required imperial intervention to be invoked, thereby firmly suppressing worldly cultivation, preventing them from drawing upon the might of celestial beings. The imperial court, having mastered the methods to invoke numerous high-ranking divine positions, showed signs of transforming into a divine dynasty at its inception.
However, its momentum waned. After several upheavals, the imperial court was no longer able to control the divine generals across the land. Fortunately, the divine positions bestowed by the court could also be reclaimed. As long as these divine generals did not obey the celestial court, they would not be controlled, thus they all avoided the Ming court, making excuses to refuse any summons or requests.
Therefore, invoking more divine positions to strengthen the authority of the Forbidden City was one of the tasks the imperial court had been undertaking since the return of the Forbidden City Dharma Realm. They were recruiting great demons or powerful martial artists everywhere to serve as new divine generals, opening the path of deification, and intending to replace the old batch of divine generals with a new one.
When the scholar in black saw the phantom of a celestial being appear on the dilapidated city wall, he halted his steps as Liu Ting had stated.
"I am the celestial being Da Huangluo, sent by heavenly mandate to gather wandering souls, deliver all living beings, and pacify the resentment of millions."
The scholar in black spoke with a compassionate voice. He stood not far from the city, facing the divine position of the Marquis of Heaven from afar. Then, he cast a divine spell and pointed at the dilapidated city.
A rumbling sound, like thunder erupting from flat ground, rose into the sky, accompanied by countless wails and ghostly cries from within the city. This not only turned the faces of the refugees pale but also struck the Ming generals with horror. Someone cried out in disbelief:
"A demon, a demon!"
"This fellow must be a great demon left behind by the Japanese! He's not a demon of will, he must be a great yokai with a true form!"
During their campaigns, the Japanese army not only extensively deployed demons of will but also sent truly great yokai to participate, such as the Giant Skeletons and Waterfall Spirits. These were considered top-tier great yokai in their homeland, though they were not quite a match for immortals and were all slain by Ji Xiang with a sweep of his divine sword.
As for other great yokai, some were killed by the Ming army, absorbed into the battle formations and絞殺 to death. Others were killed by the lightning masters who fought in Joseon, or by cannon fire.
However, whether any other demons remained in the area was something that neither the Ming army, the Jianzhou Guard, nor the local Joseon forces had the spare capacity to search for.
"Observe further, do not panic."
Liu Ting, that mountain of iron, did not panic much. He was confident that the opponent was not his match. The Japanese generals who had defended the pass before had all been repelled by him. Although the opponent also had experts who fought him to a standstill, Joseon's national prestige had now been restored. As a vassal state, the Ming's national prestige could be utilized here to sixty percent of its capacity. Liu Ting did not believe that the scholar in black before him possessed the ability to kill him here.
"What celestial being Da Huangluo, I have never heard of it. You claim to have received heavenly mandate, but there is only one heavenly mandate in this world, and that is my Great Ming Emperor!"
"You claim to have received the mandate of the Great Ming Emperor and come here to be a god of the underworld?"
The scholar in black's voice was unperturbed: "I did not receive the mandate from the Emperor, but from Heaven."
"Audacious!"
Liu Ting's eyes widened, and a thunderous roar almost scattered the overwhelming vengeful spirits!
To claim to have received a mandate from Heaven was not something to be said lightly!
But the scholar in black showed no hesitation, merely stating calmly: "There is no audacity or lack thereof, I am merely speaking the truth."
"The Way of Heaven, the Fortune of Heaven, the Mandate of Heaven. I have received the mandate from the Lord of Demonic Heavens, and I am here in the human world solely to deliver wandering souls and establish temples to become a celestial being."
Upon hearing this, Elder Huang's expression on the city wall completely changed.
This was truly a celestial being refined!
It had only been a month, was this not too fast!
"This, this..."
"Elder Huang, why are you sweating all over?" Shuerhaci turned and looked at Elder Huang in confusion.
"It's nothing... I'm hot."
Elder Huang's mood was extremely complex, but he knew that his previous gamble had paid off!
Ji Xiang was indeed extraordinary. The immortals in this mortal realm each possessed heaven-defying abilities! At least, for a short period, they seemed to possess the means to contend with the celestial beings in the heavenly palaces!
As long as they could not descend to the mortal realm, Changbai Mountain did not have to completely obey their dictates, right?
No, no, he still had to consider the future.
While Elder Huang's thoughts were in turmoil, the overwhelming vengeful spirits, with their various sounds of sinking, had gradually begun to subside.
The scholar in black, in the presence of the city's strongmen, began to recite scriptures.
"In the past, in the Azure Sky of Beginning, in the Great Fuli Land..."
Was this a prayer or a sacrifice?
"No celestial being has ever dared to call themselves a god. Celestial beings are those who attain divine positions."
"A common person dares to impersonate a celestial being, which is itself a grave sin. If a lone soul gains a divine position and attempts to become a god, how can they be forgiven?"
Liu Ting became displeased at this point. In his view, the scholar in black's act of delivering the dead was an act of usurpation.
And just as he was about to make a move.
A heavy voice, like thunder, echoed from beneath the heavens:
"General Liu, please hold your hand. Grant me some face and allow him some incense offerings."
Ji Xiang's voice came from a distant land, striking the ears like heavy thunder!
Liu Ting's divine position immediately wavered, and his entire body went numb. His iron armor emitted a piercing scraping sound. After several breaths of silence, this mountain of iron widened its eyes. His body was immobile, and this was merely a voice!
However, he already knew who the owner of this voice was! Although they had never met, his reputation had been circulating for a long time.
"So it is the True Lord of the Arctic!"
"May I ask if you would come out for a meeting!"
Liu Ting's previously indifferent gaze now erupted with intense brilliance and desire!
"It is said that the True Lord of the Arctic is an ancient immortal reborn. I have not yet seen the demeanor of an immortal. Furthermore, the incense offerings in this city cannot be easily given today!"
"Why is that?" This time, it was the scholar in black who spoke, not Ji Xiang.
"Why?" Liu Ting let out a hearty laugh:
"Because I have already claimed all these incense offerings! If you wish to take some from me, then you must do so by your own abilities."
Beyond the divine form of the Marquis of Heaven on his person, a blazing radiance of incense offerings surged forth.
And Ji Xiang, far away on the horizon, also stopped his steps. With a long sigh, he could not help but say:
"Some covet merit, some covet fame, some covet virtue, some covet wealth."
"It is not surprising that someone today covets incense offerings."
Liu Ting was arrogant, and had even amassed wealth for his own use on multiple occasions on the battlefield, failing to submit it to the court. Such incidents had occurred multiple times, and Emperor Wanli found it difficult to restrain him. His personality was inherently like this.
To make such a person yield, one had to demonstrate true skill.