Divine & Bizarre: Increasing Points to Invincibility-Chapter 132 - 98: Driven to Desperation by Evil Tricks! With Daoist Priest Fan’s arrival, there is hope in the sky! (Please subscribe)_3

Chapter 132: Chapter 98: Driven to Desperation by Evil Tricks! With Daoist Priest Fan’s arrival, there is hope in the sky! (Please subscribe)_3

"Even though I, as a disciple of the Buddhist Sect, have encountered such bizarre and evil ways, I too shall not hold back."

"Because I understand, if one hesitates, they may seize the opportunity to flee. By then, they would harm even more innocent civilians."

"Rather than let them continue their wicked deeds, it’s better to eradicate them completely and be done with the trouble!"

"It’s not that..." Yun Jiuqing hurriedly shook her head, "I’m not feeling pity for those evil cultists, why should I sympathize with such scum?"

She wanted to explain why she was so absent-minded.

But before the words could leave her mouth, she choked them back.

Because she didn’t know how to say it!

Just moments ago, in the ancestral hall of Dawu Village, she had watched Daoist Priest Fan pouring water into an Earth Deity statue!

This was too far beyond her comprehension!

This... this...

Although that wasn’t a true statue of the Earth Deity and was very likely to have been masqueraded by that Witch Immortal.

But wouldn’t Daoist Priest Fan’s actions thoroughly provoke the Witch Immortal?

What if, in a fit of rage, the Witch Immortal assembled hundreds of evil cultists seeking to besiege them...

That thought.

Just the mere idea of it sent chills down Yun Jiuqing’s spine when it crossed her mind!

Fan Wu, Yun Jiuqing, Monk Zhi Kong, Wu Heishan, Old Blue Ox.

A group of people and an ox, each with their own thoughts,

were heading straight for the government office of Shuize County!

Along the way.

To divert her attention, to erase the shocking image from her mind, Yun Jiuqing’s gaze wandered restlessly around her surroundings.

She noticed that Shuize County was desolate.

Even the path beneath their feet was overgrown with weeds, untended by anyone. The nearby fields were similarly uncultivated, giving a sense of desolation and bleakness.

Even if the population of Shuize County was only a few tens of thousands, it shouldn’t be this deserted, right?

Unless...

The citizens here had either desperately fled from the area or had become piles of bones in some chaotic burial mound.

Common domesticated animals that should have been a frequent sight, Yun Jiuqing saw none. Not even people... she saw no one.

Until, evening began to set in.

The setting sun was about to descend.

Guided by Wu Heishan and Old Blue Ox, Yun Jiuqing faintly heard some noises coming from ahead.

"Daoist Priest Fan!" Yun Jiuqing instantly perked up, tiptoed to get a better view in the distance, and hurriedly spoke, "There seems to be someone ahead!"

In fact, she didn’t need to remind him.

Fan Wu already knew.

He had long heard the noise of people from the path ahead, along with the wailing of livestock. The stench of blood drifted on the wind to his nostrils and was accompanied by the scent of burning incense candles.

"Taoist Priest, the town lies ahead."

Just at that moment, Wu Heishan spoke with great respect.

The town of Shuize County.

They had arrived.

After advancing a hundred steps further, they indeed saw a cluster of houses ahead, and the muddy dirt road under their feet had turned into a path paved with bluestone slabs.

In this desolate and bleak Shuize County, they had at last come upon a trace of human habitation.

Monk Zhi Kong chanted a Buddhist mantra, "Amitabha, Donor Yun is correct, there are indeed people ahead. They appear to be slaughtering livestock, it seems to be a pig."

"I really didn’t hear wrong!" Yun Jiuqing had barely taken pride in her observation for a split second when she suddenly noticed something amiss.

Her brows furrowed, "Hold on!"

"Those people from Shuize County slaughtering livestock over there, I presume they’re not celebrating some important festival, are they? They are using that livestock as an offering for the ’Earth Deity’, aren’t they?"

She articulated the truth with a single sentence.

"In Wu Heishan, it’s so bitter," said the villager. "Miss Yun, you’re right. Lately, what good festival do we have? The only special day that’s approaching is the offering day for the Earth Deity!"

"Those who live in the county town are a bit richer than us who live in the village. We can no longer afford to sacrifice any livestock, yet they still clench their teeth and butcher pigs and sheep."

As Wu Heishan spoke and explained, his tone carried a hint of envy.

After all, who would willingly leave their home behind?

The people living in the county town, even if their lives are also hard,

They can, at least, keep going.

Unlike us in Dawu Village, we don’t know how many people have starved to death for the sake of offering sacrifices to that Earth Deity!

...

"Please, most compassionate Earth Deity, bless our Shuize County with good weather for the crops; please, most compassionate Earth Deity, protect the people of Shuize County from all illnesses; please, most compassionate Earth Deity..."

A pale-faced elder held three sticks of incense in hand, mumbling these seemingly nonsensical words,

While silently watching the family pig in front of him, convulsing from too much blood loss.

When the pig ceased its convulsions and struggles,

And the light had gone out from its eyes,

The elder violently thrust the three incense sticks into the giant pig’s head, the ends of which were intentionally sharpened to a point.

They penetrated very easily.

"Hoo," the elder exhaled slowly and addressed the surrounding villagers of Shuize County, "This is the second animal slaughtered today, and we have already prayed and made wishes to the Earth Deity."

"In a moment, the cook will prepare both animals. Tomorrow, they will be used as offerings to the Earth Deity. By doing this...we can ensure ten days of peace and safety."

"Alas..."

The elder sighed with an air of indecision, as if he had something to say, but he dared not speak it out loud.

Fearing the potential curse of a curse!

"Sir," a villager from Shuize County couldn’t contain himself, his face full of worry as he asked, "How long must we continue like this? Slaughtering two animals every ten days only ensures a few dozen households avoid calamity."

"I’ve done some calculations, and our Shuize County has, at the very least, several thousand households, right? Let’s not even take into account other food. Just the few dozen households that contribute silver to slaughter two animals every ten days."

"A county as big as Shuize will have to slaughter thousands of animals a month! That’s tens of thousands in a year!"

"If we keep this up for another year, I’m afraid..."

"I’m afraid our rice bins at home will all be empty!"

The moment this person expressed his complaints and discontent, the rest of the unusually silent crowd began to speak up as if a floodgate had opened.

Voices intermingled.

Filled with resentment.

"Exactly! Alas... I have three sons at home, none over the age of ten. It’s hard enough to raise them, and now we must gather silver to offer tributes as well. This will be the end of my whole family!"

"Take that Shopkeeper Li from the next street over; he used to have a modest fortune, but after being harassed for more than two years, he dares not eat meat every day."

"And those Government Officials are so ruthless! They don’t reason at all! They also beat people, beat them to death!"

"Just a few days ago, some people wanted to seek a statement of justice from the county government. They went there as lively individuals but were returned wrapped in straw mats, carried back!"

"What can we possibly do?!"

"Alas!!"

The elder, listening to these words, didn’t know what to say. He, too, was out of options! He was just an old scholarly teacher, what could he do in the face of such matters?

Just then, the teacher suddenly noticed that someone appeared not far ahead.

He saw that the person leading the group...

Was dressed in a Daoist robe!

It was a Taoist Priest! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

...

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