Divine Tang Era

Chapter 135 The Rooster's Appearance

"Even the Star Lords of Lianfeng Town Temple, the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, and the Northern Court Army have arrived. It seems this matter is quite serious. But then again, such a severe ghost attack on the city certainly needs someone to suppress it." Xue Diao looked up at the bright sun in the sky, as well as the suddenly appearing warship and the figures jumping off the ship, and murmured to himself.

His tone was somewhat grave, clearly indicating a deep understanding of the situation at hand.

After saying that, he turned to Xu Dan and asked, "Junior brother, do you know about Fengzhen Temple?"

"I've heard people say that before."

Earlier, Xu Dan had indeed heard Wang Shouyi, nicknamed "Little Bull Nose," talk about Fengzhen Temple because of the matter of the reincarnation.

Xue Diao nodded and explained, "Fengzhen Temple was originally under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Observatory. Later, an imperial censor submitted a memorial arguing that its power was too great, so it became independent and was directly managed by successive emperors. After many years of evolution, Fengzhen Temple is now divided into five departments: the Department of Conferring Gods, which is in charge of the conferring of gods throughout the world; the Department of Subduing Demons, which is responsible for suppressing evil spirits; the Department of Catching Demons, which is in charge of all kinds of demons; the Department of Exorcising Ghosts, which is in charge of the trouble caused by ghosts and monsters; and the Department of Pacifying Monsters, which is responsible for dealing with the trouble caused by mountain spirits and water monsters and strange events."

These five departments each have their own duties and do not interfere with each other, but they will work together to handle major cases.

"There's also a North Pole Hall inside Fengzhen Temple, which is presided over by the Lord of the Big Dipper, with the Twenty-Eight Constellation Lords assisting him. You must have heard of these things, right?" Xue Diao paused and asked.

"I only know about the Big Dipper and the Twenty-Eight Mansions of Fengzhen Temple and Beiji Temple, but I don't know much about the others."

"It's already good that you know this much; some people don't even know these things."

Xue Diao said one sentence, then added, "Besides the hall masters and the star deities, Fengzhen Temple also has 108 Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, Chang'an was in chaos, so the government conscripted people with bad records as 'Bad People' to assist the government in investigations and arrests. When Fengzhen Temple was first established, it was short-handed, so it selected the elite from the Bad People in various places to form the Heavenly Spirits and Earthly Fiends."

The thirty-six Heavenly Generals are: Tiankui Star, Tiangang Star, Tianji Star, Tianxian Star, and Tianyong Star.

Tianxiong Star, Tianmeng Star, Tianwei Star, Tianying Star, Tiangui Star, Tianfu Star, Tianman Star

Heavenly Lone Star, Heavenly Wounded Star, Heavenly Mysterious Star, Heavenly Healthy Star, Heavenly Dark Star, Heavenly Blessed Star, Sky Star, Heavenly Speed ​​Star, Heavenly Strange Star, Heavenly Killer Star, Heavenly Subtle Star, Heavenly Investigation Star, Heavenly Retreat Star, Heavenly Longevity Star, Heavenly Sword Star, Heavenly Balance Star, Heavenly Sin Star, Heavenly Loss Star, Heavenly Defeat Star, Heavenly Prison Star, Heavenly Wisdom Star, Heavenly Violence Star, Heavenly Crying Star, Heavenly Skillful Star.

The seventy-two Earthly Fiends are: Earthly Kui Star, Earthly Fiend Star, Earthly Brave Star, Earthly Outstanding Star, and Earthly Hero Star.

Earthly Power Star, Earthly Heroic Star, Earthly Marvelous Star, Earthly Fierce Star, Earthly Literary Star, Earthly Righteous Star, Earthly Execution Star,

Earthly Harmony Star, Earthly Strength Star, Earthly Darkness Star, Earthly Auxiliary Star, Earthly Meeting Star, Earthly Assisting Star, Earthly Protective Star,

Earth Spirit Star, Earth Beast Star, Earth Micro Star, Earth Comet Star, Earth Violent Star, Earth Silent Star, Earth Rampant Star, Earth Mad Star, Earth Flying Star, Earth Walking Star, Earth Clever Star, Earth Bright Star, Earth Advancing Star, Earth Retreating Star, Earth Full Star, Earth Following Star, Earth Circular Star, Earth Hidden Star, Earth Strange Star, Geographical Star, Earth Handsome Star, Earth Joyful Star, Earth Swift Star, Earth Speed ​​Star, Earth Suppressing Star, Earth Chasing Star, Earth Demon Star, Earth Monster Star, Earth Ghost Star, Earth Hidden Star,

Earthly remote star, Earthly empty star, Earthly solitary star, Earthly complete star, Earthly short star, Earthly corner star, Earthly imprisoned star.

Earthly Treasury Star, Earthly Horizon Star, Earthly Damage Star, Earthly Slave Star, Earthly Observation Star, Earthly Evil Star, Earthly Soul Star

Earthly Number Star, Earthly Yin Star, Earthly Punishment Star, Earthly Strong Star, Earthly Inferior Star, Earthly Healthy Star, Earthly Thief Star, Earthly Affectionate Star, Earthly Dog Star.

These celestial and terrestrial spirits usually guard their respective regions alongside the constellations; the fact that so many of them are present today is truly a rare spectacle. As for the massive warships flying in the sky, they belong to the Vast Sea Vassal Wave Army under the jurisdiction of the Northern Court Prefecture. Due to their immense consumption, they are rarely deployed; it's quite fortunate that we can see them today.

Upon hearing Xue Diao's introduction, Xu Dan felt that he had gained a lot of useless knowledge.

He couldn't help but think to himself: As expected of a member of the Xue family, even as a collateral descendant, he knows a lot of information that others don't.

Putting everything else aside, with this knowledge alone, you won't starve anywhere.

"Ooh ooh ooh—"

High in the sky, the Pleiades Star Lord revealed his constellation form, transforming into a gigantic rooster with golden wings, a fiery crown, and radiating intense yang energy. It raised its head and let out a deafening crow even more powerful than before, the sound waves like rolling thunder, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.

As the rooster crowed, the light surrounding its image shone brightly, even more intensely than before, like a radiant sun hanging high in the sky.

At this moment, the utmost yang energy transforms into the utmost yang light, spreading throughout the world.

Wherever the light passed, the yin energy melted away like ice and snow; the filth dissipated like dust. Heaven and earth seemed to be cleansed by a righteous energy, and the gloom and ghostly aura that had shrouded the land receded under the illumination of this supreme yang light, revealing a long-lost clarity.

Those originally ferocious and menacing ghosts seemed to have encountered their natural enemy and were terrified.

They howled and screamed in agony, scrambling to escape. Some of the ghosts were even so terrified by the cries that they turned into wisps of black smoke and vanished without a trace.

The peerless king wielding the long sword no longer cared about his dignity; his feet moved like flying wheels, and he ran faster than anyone else.

Several ferocious-looking ghost generals, wielding giant hammers and taller than the city walls, were a little slower.

Under the bright sunlight, the eerie mist churned and surged violently, the ghostly figures floating and disappearing within it, appearing and disappearing in a state of utter panic. Their former arrogance had vanished, replaced by endless fear and despair. The light of the Pleiades Star Lord was like a sharp sword, piercing straight to the heart of the ghostly creatures, rendering them unable to wreak havoc in this land any longer.

Those on the city wall witnessed this scene and cheered with excitement.

The radiant light not only dispelled the ghosts but also the gloom and fear in people's hearts. At this moment, the world was clear, people's hearts were uplifted, and it seemed that all darkness had vanished in this dazzling light.

The situation reversed, and the ghosts wanted to retreat, but it was too late.

Besides, they come and go as they please, what do they take Jingning City for?

On the city wall, more than a dozen powerful figures took to the air, Xue An among them. As soon as they approached the Nine Heavens Dragon and Phoenix Profound Sky Creation Array, the jade tokens at their waists emitted a light, allowing them to pass through the city's protective array without any hindrance.

If Xu Dan still doesn't realize at this moment that it's all a scheme, then he's a fool.

He couldn't help but mutter to himself: These people are really patient. They're not even worried about so many ghosts attacking the city. Aren't they afraid that Jingning City will be breached? Sure enough, those in power are all ruthless.

Xu Dan, Xue Diao, and Xue Bao'er followed Xue Shi's figure closely.

After leaving the great formation, Xue An grabbed a longbow, nocked a black arrow engraved with runes, and drew it back like a full moon, the arrowhead pointing directly at a peerless expert he had previously memorized.

In an instant, the long arrow left the bowstring, transformed into a streak of light, and shot away through the air.

The arrow moved so fast it was almost impossible to catch. It instantly pierced the head of the peerless expert, emerged from the back of his head, and, without losing momentum, passed through the chest of another expert behind him before being shot down by a quick-reacting expert.

This scene left a man who was chasing a powerful figure dumbfounded.

His eyes widened in shock.

When he realized that the person who made the move was Xue An, he quickly bowed respectfully before turning around to continue chasing after the others.

Xue An stood at a distance, his expression cold and his gaze sharp as lightning. His longbow remained poised for firing, as if ready to strike at any moment. Sensing the fierce aura emanating from him, the surrounding experts were all filled with apprehension and quickly moved away.

Seeing Xue An kill two peerless experts with a single arrow, the king holding the long sword was so frightened that he ran forward faster.

Several tall, ghostly generals wielding giant hammers fled for their lives.

The king was both shocked and furious. He had thought he was coming to enjoy a feast of flesh and blood, but he never expected to encounter such a tough opponent.

As he ran, he roared hoarsely, "Aren't the Star Lords of Fengzhen Temple and the Northern Army always sitting high above the central government? How come they've come to this remote and impoverished place? And that 'Nine Heavens Dragon and Phoenix Profound Firmament Creation Array,' setting up such a massive array, doesn't it require a huge amount of resources? Are these people just wasting their time?"

Not only him, but also the powerful warriors who had attacked the city earlier were cursing in their hearts.

What seemed like a sure thing turned into a disaster when an unexpected obstacle appeared, ruining the plan and forcing the team to flee in disarray.

Despite their cursing, their footwork remained remarkably fast. Everyone knew that if they were caught by those murderous bastards from Fengzhen Temple, their fate would be worse than death—they would be skinned alive, their bones torn apart, their souls extracted and refined, leaving them with no chance of reincarnation.

And so, those on the city wall saw a group of once imposing and powerful warriors scattering and fleeing like stray dogs. Their figures ran under the blazing sun, as if chasing after their lost youth.

On the massive warship, the flags representing Fengzhen Temple and the Beiting Army fluttered in the wind, as if announcing the victory of this battle.

Once the ghosts left the area of ​​the great formation, the Nine Heavens Dragon and Phoenix Mystic Sky Creation Formation was closed.

The people on the city wall finally had a chance to use their skills, especially the archers, who immediately drew their bows and shot at the fleeing ghosts.

The blocked city gates were cleared, and the black-faced armored cavalry that Xu Dan had seen earlier surged towards the ghosts like an iron torrent. Behind them followed those heavily armored guards wielding sturdy shields and spears, along with members of the Mo Clan Martial Arts School and some powerful individuals, including the burly man with the long-handled hammer that Xu Dan had seen before.

The ghost ran further and further away. Xu Dan shot at it for a while but couldn't find a target. So he decided to do what the others did: go out of the city and beat the ghost when it was down in the water.

Unfortunately, Xue Diao and Xue Bao'er held him tightly.

In their eyes, Xu Dan was just a little kid, not even worth a bite from those ghosts. Besides, it was nighttime; if he went out and got eaten by ghosts, he probably wouldn't even find a bone fragment.

Xu Dan had no choice but to obediently stay on the city wall and wait for Master Xue to return.