Woo woo~
The sound of crying and the constant rummaging through rubble.
After a night of earth-shattering events at Taishan, Taian City below was not left unscathed.
The violent earth vein disturbance was not limited to the summit at the Jade Emperor Temple.
In the city, old houses, especially in the districts near Taishan, collapsed or suffered damage due to the tremors. Collapsed beams and shattered debris were scattered on the streets and alleys, raising dust that had not yet settled, mixed with the morning dew, making it all the more desolate and sorrowful.
Inside the city, the atmosphere was bleak and the sound of weeping was constant.
Residents who lost their hos gathered around the ruins, either numbly searching for remaining belongings or leaning on each other in tears, pain and anger perating the air.
Officials from the Jinan Prefecture Governor's Office and the Inspector's Office had urgently stationed themselves in Taian.
They set up porridge stalls, distributed clothing, organized soldiers to clear the rubble, and assisted the residents in rebuilding, all in a hectic state. With the supervision of the Chief Historian from the Prince De Mansion, no one dared to embezzle. However, the inefficiency in disaster relief and the uneven distribution of supplies often led to new small-scale conflicts and complaints.
The people's curses targeted not only natural disasters but also human-caused ones.
Zhao Bingzhong, Zhou Xian, dozens of officials from Taian City, as well as those who colluded within the Taian Captaincy, turned a blind eye to the blood sacrifice plan of boys and girls, neglected the anomalies in the city, derelicted their duties, and even aided and abetted, all beca the objects of the people's curses.
Xiao Chengyou from the Prince De Mansion, along with others, acted decisively, and after consolidating evidence through interrogation, shackled the major criminals, escorting them under heavy guard to Jinan Prefecture.
What awaited them was nothing short of "execution with stay" or even "imdiate execution."
When the convoy was escorted away yesterday, the curses from the people were incessant; rotten vegetable leaves and dirt clumps from the rubble hit and killed a few elderly officials directly.
anwhile, a rumor quietly spread among the common people:
"Taishan Lord…has been replaced…Immortal Master Erlang…has ascended…"
The ordinary people were skeptical about this news.
In their hearts, Taishan Lord was a deeply rooted, revered deity, the master of life and death in the Netherworld; a change in this position was nothing less than earth-shattering.
The governnt did not ntion this, and the Taoists were mostly tight-lipped.
However, perhaps it was the terrifying sight of Taishan bearing down that night and the ensuing disaster that stirred doubts in so people's minds.
So citizens began secretly offering tributes in a corner of the ruins or in hidden places of their new hos, erecting a simple plaque with crooked characters inscribed as "Saint Erlang," placing a bit of clear water or coarse grains, silently praying that this newly ascended deity, according to hearsay, could dispel the shadows over Taishan, bless their hos with safety, and prevent evil spirits from running rampant again…
......
Unlike the sorrow in the city, the top of Taishan was still shrouded in a somber atmosphere.
Though the Netherworld Passage had been closed, the aftermath was not insignificant.
The corpses of wild beasts, which had been eroded by intense Yin Sha and had beco Evil Spirits, and so garrison soldiers and nearby mountain folks whose contact with Yin Sha had turned them into Walking Corpses, hid away by daybreak.
Teams of Mystic Sect Disciples, carrying talismans and magic artifacts, under the guidance of local Taishan cultivators, delved into mountain paths, forests, ravines, and caves to eliminate the remaining Walking Corpses.
As for the beast corpses, they were mostly purified by burning with the Fire Technique.
More troubleso were the damage inflicted upon the seals.
The loss to the Taishan Mystical Sect was heavy; they could only repair talismans, re-establish magic steles, restore the earth vein energy routes, and reactivate the spiritual acupoints polluted by yin energy with the assistance of elders from other sects who ca to aid.
Particularly blood maple forest and the Wordless Stele, which were the key areas of protection.
Of course, a grand soul-calming ritual was also underway.
The disaster occurred too suddenly; while core forces of various sects at Taishan were "discussing major plans" at the Jade Emperor Temple, outer disciples were sent out for patrols, and the inner sect disciples guarded outside the Jade Emperor Temple, leaving most personnel perished and their Dao dissipated.
In the still unrepaired Jade Emperor Temple, the sound of bells was unceasing.
Under the host of Daoist Shoumingzi, elders from the Bixia Monarch Mansion, and surviving elders from various sects, a solemn and mournful soul liberation ritual was in progress.
Incense and candle smoke was curling upwards; scripture banners fluttered; the fragrance of the incense drifted in all directions.
"Fellow Daoists, please accept my condolences."
After the ritual, Xu Cangsong from the Jinan City God Temple stepped forward to offer comfort.
But after receiving gratitude from the Taishan crowd one by one, he turned the topic, asking: "The losses among the Taishan lineage are heavy, but East Mountain is a crucial place in the Divine State, concerning great matters; what plans do you all have?"
Although seemingly speaking in goodwill, the atmosphere in the hall instantly tensed.
Over the years, although the various sects at Taishan were disjointed, they united when facing outsiders.
Taishan is not an ordinary Cave Heaven Blessed Land; it has nurous spiritual acupoints and is historically linked with the Capital due to imperial sacrifices and sealings.
It would be false to say that other sects in Qi and Lu aren't envious.
Take Xu Cangsong for instance; though due to his control over the Law Enforcent Hall, he has good relations with the Taishan sects, yet coming from Penglai Pavilion, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.
"Hmph!"
The elder of the Taishan Thunder Institute, with a fiery temperant, imdiately scoffed after hearing this: "The favor of your coming to assist is noted; however, Taishan's internal matters are irrelevant to you all."
"One cannot say it like that…"
Xu Cangsong, unfazed, stroked his beard and calmly said: "The safety and security of Taishan concern the nation, and there are many troubleso entities suppressed on the mountain; should anything go wrong again, it would be our Qi and Lu Mystic Sect that suffers."
With these words, many elders from the sects that ca to assist nodded in agreent.
While the people of Taishan's sects, their expressions turned grim.
What they feared most was precisely this.
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