I changed the world.

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In addition, Zhang Sicheng also noticed that the platform must have been damaged before. The ground should have been paved with some kind of hard stone material. However, on this seemingly solid ground, there were many traces of damage. The square had obviously been repaired, but some huge wounds could still be seen, as if they had been cut by knives and axes and had sunk several meters into the ground. Some stone slabs were even rolled up. It was unknown what kind of force had done this.

The clouds drew closer, passing not far from one of the ghostly figures. Whether it was an illusion or not, Zhang Sicheng vaguely felt that the giant ghost's eyes seemed to move slightly, looking at him! This discovery startled him, but upon closer inspection, he found that the ghostly statue seemed to remain motionless!

As the clouds drew closer to the high altar, Zhang Sicheng suddenly heard a faint wail. At first, the sound was not loud, but as it approached the altar, the wail became increasingly shrill. It sent chills down Zhang Sicheng's spine, made his temples throb, and caused his heart rate to rise uncontrollably. He felt a sense of unease and knew something was wrong...

Fortunately, at that very moment, the jade pendant in his hand emitted a warm sensation. This warmth traveled up his arm and instantly spread throughout his body, making him feel as if he had been freed from a nightmare. He finally let out a long breath, only to find that his back was already soaked with cold sweat!

At this moment, the clouds had already reached the foot of the high platform. In Zhang Sicheng's ears, the mournful wails were earth-shattering, as if thousands of fierce ghosts in the eighteen levels of hell were wailing incessantly, filled with an inescapable resentment, curses, and pleas!

At this moment, however, Zhang Sicheng's mind was no longer on the wailing; his entire attention was drawn to the enormous building that stood atop the high altar!

This square altar has hundreds of stone steps leading up to it on all four sides. The huge building standing on the altar, when viewed from a distance, looked like a tall tower or something similar. But once you get here, you realize that it is actually an enormous Jingguan (a mound of skulls)!

A "jingguan" (京观) was a high mound built in ancient times to display military prowess, using the corpses of enemies. Historical records indicate that the ancient Chinese used this to intimidate their surroundings, but it gradually disappeared in modern times due to its perceived barbarity. Zhang Sicheng had only seen similar accounts in historical texts, and had only glanced at them; he never imagined he would witness it with his own eyes!

The Jingguan (a mound of skulls) in front of us is made up of layers stacked together. Upon closer inspection, each layer contains heads of different sizes arranged together. These heads all have one thing in common: they do not resemble human figures!

Chapter 544 Demons and monsters slain, forming a mound of corpses; the Xuanmen sect will protect the land for ten thousand years!

Some of these heads have protruding jaws like wild beasts, some have mouthparts, some are enormous like houses, and some have countless eyes that are terrifying to behold!

However, what they all had in common was that these heads were all in extreme pain. Some had their mouths wide open and were howling, some had their faces twisted and ferocious, and some were crying and wailing... Zhang Sicheng finally realized where those wailing sounds he had heard came from!

These heads were bound by some force and piled up like a tower, countless in number, forming a gigantic Jingguan (a mound of skulls) at the top of the altar, resembling a skyscraper!

Just one glance was enough to terrify anyone; how could one possibly count them all! Zhang Sicheng swallowed hard several times. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, he still trembled almost uncontrollably upon seeing the scene—it was simply too stimulating! Zhang Sicheng had grown up in peacetime and had never witnessed anything like it before…

He glanced at it only once, then dared not look again. He lowered his head, panting, trying to calm his heart which was pounding in his throat. The warmth emanating from the jade pendant circulated throughout his body, providing him with immense relief and preventing him from collapsing on the spot due to a sudden heart attack...

After a while, the cloud stopped moving forward and landed below the high platform. Clearly, Gu Shunzhi wanted to show him this Jingguan (a mound of stones).

Finally calming down, worried about embarrassing himself and being looked down upon by his uncle, Zhang Sicheng took a deep breath, did some mental preparation, and raised his head again.

This time he looked more carefully, and although cold sweat still streamed down his back, he forced himself not to look away again. Zhang Sicheng observed from bottom to top, and only then did he notice that among the densely packed heads, there was a huge stone tablet erected in the center. This tablet was also extremely magnificent, but he hadn't noticed it before because his mind was so focused on the heads. Now he noticed that the tablet was upright, with fourteen ancient characters engraved from top to bottom. The characters were written in crimson, and just seeing them gave one a strong sense of oppressive power and chilling menace!

The characters were not in the script commonly used in the Great Zhao Dynasty, but were carved in ancient seal script. Zhang Sicheng happened to be fond of epigraphy and could understand some seal script, so he tried to decipher them...

"Demons...slaughtered...all...become...a...mound...of...demons, the...mysterious...gate...suppresses...the...land...for...ten...thousands...years..."

"May all demons be slaughtered and their remains turned into a mound of skulls, and may the Xuanmen sect forever protect the land!"

"hiss!"

After reading it, Zhang Sicheng gasped, feeling a powerful and domineering aura wash over him...

After recognizing these large characters, Zhang Sicheng also discovered that below the fourteen large characters, on the left and right sides, there were two smaller characters carved vertically. They were called smaller only in comparison to the fourteen large characters; each of them was several times larger than Zhang Sicheng.

Zhang Sicheng also took a look and found that the two characters on the right were "Yongzhen" and the two characters on the left were "Situ".

"This is the Eternal Guardian Stele of the Xuanmen Sect." As if sensing Zhang Sicheng's shock, Gu Shunzhi sighed, "In ancient times, evil spirits ran rampant, wreaking havoc on the people, and the righteous law did not flourish. Our ancestors cut down mountains and destroyed temples to sweep away the evil influences and erected this Eternal Guardian Stele here..."

"Celestial Master, how do you feel?"

“My ancestors of the Xuanmen sect… were truly… truly…” Zhang Sicheng was overwhelmed with emotion and didn’t know how to describe it for a moment. After stammering for a long time, he finally uttered a single word: “…abundant in martial virtue!”

At this moment, Zhang Sicheng's worldview was completely shattered. Since his birth, the education he had received had been nothing but "non-action," "the sage's virtue transforms all living beings," and "water benefits all things without contention." But the huge Yongzhen Stele in front of him laid bare the true face of history!

Our ancestors certainly influenced the people with virtue, but it seems... it was martial virtue?!

He subconsciously recalled his earlier remarks: "Since childhood, my grand-nephew has read about the deeds of famous masters and Taoist immortals throughout history. I have seen those ancient Taoist priests drinking in the sunset and mist, traveling to the North Sea in the morning and Cangwu in the evening. I am not afraid of being laughed at by my uncle, but I truly yearn for it..."

Clearly, what was now unfolding before him made him realize that the ancient Taoist priests were probably not as "carefree" as he had imagined...

Zhang Sicheng subconsciously conjured up an image in his mind of a Taoist priest with three demon heads hanging from his waist, a sword in his left hand and a halberd in his right, eyes like a hawk, and armor soaked in blood. He subconsciously swallowed again...

Zhang Sicheng could even imagine that in ancient times, the ancestors of the Xia people "blazed trails through brambles and thorns to open up the mountains and forests." Behind these simple eight characters in the historical records, upon closer examination, lies a truly breathtaking story…

Even in this age of advanced technology, where humanity has become the absolute master of the world, Zhang Sicheng now recalls the horror, the strangeness, and the danger behind the "internal materials" he saw. Even for well-trained soldiers, dealing with them would be extremely perilous, and some events are even difficult to explain with common sense!

In the wild and ancient times, what our ancestors faced was probably countless times greater than what we face today!

If one were to describe that environment, it would be summed up in eight words: "Full of danger, survival of the fittest!"

It seems that only in that kind of environment, in order to protect the region and forever guard this land, a sect that can stand firm and never waver, would show such a powerful and domineering side!

Thinking of this, Zhang Sicheng couldn't help but feel a sense of longing, but also a bit ashamed. He reflected on the current state of the Xuanmen (Taoist sects), realizing that discussing scriptures and doctrines had become the mainstream, and that most Xuanmen practitioners, except for a few sects that still maintained a tradition of martial arts training, had become utterly powerless…

Zhang Sicheng even recalled a forum on Xuanmen culture where a domestic scholar criticized the Da Zhao Xuanmen system and its cultural competitiveness, saying it was far inferior to the monotheistic systems of Western religions like Shengqi. The scholar's criticism, which cited numerous scriptures, drew rebuttals from those present. One Taoist priest, indignant, retorted: "If that's the case, why is it Xuanmen, rather than Shengqi religions, that has developed in our country to this day? Is it some kind of freebie that came with a phone plan?"

Yes? Why is that?

The scholar countered that it was due to the conservative and backward cultural environment in China, and the debate was eventually interrupted by the moderator.

A disciple once sent him a video of that debate, which he dismissed with a laugh. He told his disciple, "These are just idle worries; let them be..."

However, just now, upon witnessing this scene before him, Zhang Sicheng suddenly realized the answer to the question...

Yes! Why is it that the religions of the Holy Revelation have not been spread to this day on this land? Just look at the mound of corpses before us, and you'll understand!

Chapter 545 Enemies of the Xuanmen

Just as Zhang Sicheng was lost in thought, two figures dressed in Taoist robes were silently watching him from the clouds not far away, but Zhang Sicheng seemed completely oblivious to them.

These two men were Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe.

"Could it be that we've gone too far?" Zhang Jing asked thoughtfully.

“It’s alright,” Zhang Taihe said slowly from the side. “Although Master Zhang is a very steady person, he is somewhat indecisive. This was the case with those ‘reformists’ before. He wanted to support the so-called ‘new Xuanmen’ but was also worried about going against tradition and being boycotted. In the end, he made a mess of things and it is still a half-baked mess.”

Zhang Jing thought for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded: "Therefore, we need to let him see clearly what true power is..."

"exactly."

Although Zhang Sicheng himself believed he had tried his best to appear calm, Zhang Jing could not hide the shock on his face, which was understandable.

Zhang Jing glanced once more at the enormous Jingguan surrounded by layers of spiritual light. Not to mention Zhang Sicheng, even he himself was deeply shocked when he first saw this scene.

Yes, in fact, this mound of Jingguan was not something Zhang Jing made up out of thin air!

Not long ago, when Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe discovered this building made of monster heads in that collapsing space, they found some broken oracle bone inscriptions on it, with only fragments of words left behind...

"...Demons... ...slay... ...forge... ...a warning..."

Based on the font and architectural style of the ruins, it can be inferred that the ancestors who left these ruins had a similar origin to the main culture of the later Xia people, and were most likely descendants of a sect that followed the path of a celestial being.

Because of the extensive damage, Zhang Jing could no longer reconstruct the original purpose of leaving this structure based solely on the remaining fragments of writing. However, after discussing it with Zhang Taihe, the two, based on the remaining inscriptions, tended to believe that it should be a "jingguan" (a mound of fallen heads).

Of course, the mound of corpses the two had initially encountered was quite different from the enormous structure Zhang Sicheng was seeing now. In terms of sheer size, the current mound was more than twice the size of the original. This extra portion was collected by Zhang Jing and Zhang Taihe from the demon corpses scattered throughout the other grotto-heavens; they had modified it, even adding some illusory "sound and light" effects as a last resort…

Of course, in Zhang Jing's vision, these expedient measures would eventually be completed.

Of course, all of these coincidental discoveries, in Zhang Jing's personal opinion, have a very high probability of involving "good luck," which is inextricably linked to the wishing book.

................................................

"Uncle...Xuanmen...has it always been fighting with things like this?" After staring blankly at the huge mound of skulls in front of him for a while, he slowly recovered from his shock.

At this moment, Zhang Sicheng had a feeling that the world seemed to have become completely incomprehensible to him overnight, and many common sense facts that he used to be familiar with suddenly became unfamiliar!

"It's not just the mystical sects... In fact, throughout history, humanity has been fighting against these things... not only in the past, but also in the present, and even... in the future!"

"Whether they are called immortals, cultivators, pagodas, or even mages and saints... the battle in the shadows has never ceased!"

The smile on Gu Shunzhi's face had vanished, replaced by utter solemnity: "The tragedy behind it is far more severe than you can imagine..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sicheng suddenly felt a dryness in his throat. He couldn't help but murmur, "Uncle, I've also seen these monsters in some documents, but... what exactly are these things?!"

"The dangers behind this world are far greater than you can imagine. Some of them are beyond the comprehension and defense of ordinary people... Some are treacherous and bloodthirsty, feeding on humans... Some manipulate people's hearts, incite blood sacrifices, and use fear as bait... Some even domesticate humans, treating them like poultry and livestock..."

“These beings are called evil spirits, demons… even…” Gu Shunzhi paused, then said slowly and deliberately, “Evil gods and licentious worship!”

The moment those four words left his lips, Zhang Sicheng felt a chill run down his spine. In that instant, it seemed as if all the heads on the Yongzhen Stele not far away were casting their gazes upon him! An immense fear, as if it originated from the depths of his soul and was engraved in the very foundation of his genes, rose from the depths of his heart.

The next moment, the jade pendant in his hand began to radiate warmth again. At the same time, Gu Shunzhi snorted coldly, "My Xuanmen protects this region and will never coexist with those people!"

Immediately afterward, a thunderous roar seemed to flash across the sky, and all the abnormality vanished in an instant. Zhang Sicheng subconsciously patted his rapidly beating heart, but there was nothing unusual around him anymore, as if what had just happened was merely his hallucination.

Even so, Zhang Sicheng dared not think any further, but subconsciously he raised his opinion of his senior uncle and the mysterious Penglai Immortal Sect by several orders of magnitude...

The fact that a sect can withstand or even suppress such an existence... its foundation is truly terrifying!

I dare not say anything else, but Zhang Sicheng is certain that if so many demons appear in the world right now, a global catastrophe is almost inevitable!

Undoubtedly, humanity has achieved considerable success in absolute violence. However, when faced with such bizarre, unknown, and insurmountable dangers, can mere violence still solve the problem? I doubt any politician in any country would dare to guarantee that!

In fact, during his recent communications with the Religious Affairs Bureau, he clearly sensed this concern and anxiety from the government.

As for whether Gu Shunzhi was being arrogant and threatening him, Zhang Sicheng hadn't considered it at all. In fact, even before he asked those questions, he had already completely believed Gu Shunzhi's story.

The reason is quite simple: the story of "cutting down mountains and destroying temples" refers to the deeds of his ancestor, the Celestial Master!

Legend has it that the Celestial Master received a divine decree, established the Celestial Master's Mansion, swept away evil spirits, destroyed mountains and temples, and suppressed demons! He drove away plagues and evil spirits, and protected the region, thus establishing the Celestial Master's Mansion's lineage.

Chapter 546 Demon-Suppressing Tower

Previously, this history has often been questioned by some modern scholars, who believe it was simply a case of ignorant people being fooled, and that the Celestial Master merely used magic tricks commonly used by charlatans today to bewitch believers. They argue that there were no demons or monsters, only the absurd superstitions of the ancients…

Correspondingly, there are also mysterious legends such as the Celestial Master refining elixirs at Dan Ding Mountain, and on the day the elixir was completed, the aura of dragons and tigers appeared in broad daylight, hence the name Dan Ding Mountain...

This notion even led the Celestial Master's Mansion itself to deliberately avoid this period of history. For example, Zhang Sicheng would almost always subconsciously avoid mentioning this historical legend in public, and if someone brought it up, he would laugh it off...

Previously, although he himself felt that those legends were somewhat unreliable, what religion in the world didn't have some strange and outlandish legends in its early days? For example, the Church of Revelation also claimed that the Holy Son Micah possessed various miraculous abilities and could exorcise demons. As for the rumors of severed limbs regenerating and the near-death being healed, there are countless more...