Chapter 39: The Way of Prosperity Shines Brighter Each Day

"Does the altar truly possess such power, enough to annihilate the thousand-legged Gu worms hidden within the county town?" Bai Xian asked curiously.

She had witnessed rituals and altars on Earth, but most were for commemorating the dead, and never had she seen an altar intended to entertain the gods. This was entirely new to her.

When the topic turned to the altar, Zhang Xuan's interest was piqued, his plump face alight with excitement.

"Of course," he replied. "Each true deity of the Celestial Court guards a domain, suppressing all evil spirits under heaven. If one can summon a righteous deity, not to mention the thousand-legged Gu worm—even the Gu King would be powerless and captured on the spot."

Bai Xian pursed her lips, thinking, If it were truly so mighty, why do monsters still roam freely and the human race remain in decline?

Zhang Xuan seemed to sense her thoughts and explained, "Unfortunately, those in this world capable of inviting righteous deities are so few you could count them on one hand." Moreover, calling down a deity was to defy the natural order, violating the separation of earth and heaven; at best, it shortened life, and at worst, brought destruction and dissolution of the cultivator's path.

Bai Xian pressed her lips together, then asked, "If it's so serious, why do you look so full of longing?"

Zhang Xuan laughed heartily, briefly adopting a rare serious expression. "To summon the gods, cleanse the world of monsters and evil… even if it means death and the end of my path, it would be enough."

"Humanity's path is faint, the way of immortals is distant, and the ghostly path is filled with joy! This is the gate of life.

In the Northern Capital's Quanqu Mansion dwell ten thousand ghosts. Their only desire is to thwart human fate and sever the gate of life.

Those who sing the Song of the Cavern, command the northern ghosts, bind and recite to restrain demonic spirits, and cut down the six ghosts' blades.

The heavens are vast and mighty.

Our path prospers day by day!"

Bai Xian's beautiful eyes trembled slightly. "I never thought you possessed such resolve."

At her words, the fat priest Zhang Xuan immediately deflated, returning to his usual greasy and comical self, scratching his head with an embarrassed grin.

"Those weren't my words."

"I know perfectly well they weren't yours," she retorted, rolling her eyes. "You just said that with a token of heaven, you could invite a true deity?"

He nodded. "Such tokens are exceedingly rare. As far as I know, there are perhaps ten in the world. Among them, the Maoshan and Dragon-Tiger sects each possess one, Sanqing Mountain holds two, and the Buddhist order also has one…"

"Will this do?" Bai Xian interrupted, producing a talisman from her secret stash and handing it over.

Zhang Xuan's words cut off abruptly. "This... this... this is—!"

...

Time returned to the present.

"Are you sure, with this Fire and Thunder Talisman, you can summon a righteous deity of the Fire Division?"

The fat priest laughed, bowing with clasped hands to the yellow talisman affixed to the blank spirit tablet. "This is no ordinary charm. It's a divine talisman created by Patriarch Lü, and though not drawn by his own hand, the one who crafted this is no simple person. It holds at least half the original power. It's a shame, for all its merit, it still can't compare to a true token of heaven."

Ordinary talismans only summon the spiritual power of one's sect ancestors, but this "Fire and Thunder Talisman" was nearly miraculous, capable of summoning not just one but both the Thunder and Fire Division true deities—a single-use treasure of heaven's order.

So it seemed, this Elder Yuheng was far from ordinary, Bai Xian mused to herself.

As for what Inspector Gao Sheng had said about "a policeman with a handgun can take care of it," Bai Xian now found herself doubting.

Fully aware of his own limitations, Zhang Xuan dared not attempt to summon the Thunder Division's deity, settling instead for inviting the Fire Division.

When the Fire Division's true god descended, he would incinerate all evil and monsters lurking in Jinjiang County, restoring it to peace and brightness.

After placing the final ritual implement in its proper position and ensuring the altar was flawless, Zhang Xuan finally put away his smile. He adjusted his eight-trigram cap and straightened his ceremonial robe, cleared his throat, and suddenly raised his voice.

"Attendants, where are the Guardian Spirits?"

It had begun.

Bai Xian and Yue Wenying exchanged a glance and stepped forward. "Present!"

"Strike the Heavenly Gate!"

Yue Wenying seized the copper gong.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three strikes resounded, shaking open the Heavenly Gate.

The altar was open!

Zhang Xuan's face grew solemn. Grasping the peachwood sword, he stepped in the pattern of the Seven Stars, formed hand seals, and chanted the summoning incantation:

"Horns of dragons and phoenixes bristle, their might commands the ten directions. Scarlet power shines over five nights, vermillion fire blazes on three sides. The luminous talisman holds righteous force, sword and halberd wield authority. Demons must vanish, comets dare not advance..."

As Zhang Xuan formally activated the "Altar of Flame's Virtue," the ritual incense in the burners before the divine tablets of the Three Pure Ones, Four Divisions, Four Symbols, and Twenty-Eight Constellations burned rapidly. Wisps of blue smoke gathered under the eaves, coiling without dispersing.

Within the incense smoke, visions appeared: cranes, celestial maidens, green oxen, priests—strange phenomena abounded.

Seeing the moment was right, Zhang Xuan withdrew five sealed letters from his robe. Each bore, in cinnabar, the name of a Fire Division true deity:

The Sixth House of the East, Tail Fire Tiger (Zhu Zhao).
The Sixth House of the North, Room Fire Pig (Gao Zhen).
The Sixth House of the West, Beak Fire Monkey (Fang Gui).
The Sixth House of the South, Wing Fire Serpent (Wang Jiao).
And the Fire Marshal (Liu Huan).

Of course, the chief of the Fire Division, Luo Xuan—the Southern Three-Energy Fire Virtue Star Lord and a disciple of the Interception Sect—did not appear among the names. Even with the imitation "Supreme Fire and Thunder Talisman," summoning such a god would demand a price Zhang Xuan could never afford.

Laying out the five letters in succession, Zhang Xuan lifted the ritual tablet with both hands, holding it reverently before his brow.

"Disciple Chunyangzi of the Maoshan lineage respectfully requests the Fire Division true deities to descend and purge the demons!"

Chunyangzi was, it seemed, the priest’s true title—this was the first time Bai Xian and Yue Wenying had heard him mention it.

As his voice fell, Chunyangzi bowed deeply to each of the five letters from left to right. Yet, despite all his sincerity, the first four letters remained inert. The previously confident Zhang Xuan began to sweat, his voice trembling as his gaze shifted to the fifth letter. He bent so low his bulk nearly touched the floor, and his voice rose in intensity.

"Dis—disciple, Maoshan Daoist Chunyangzi, respectfully invites the true god to descend!"

Boom!

At last, the fifth letter responded. It spontaneously combusted upon the altar, revealing within it the Fire Division's command baton.

Seeing the charred baton appear, Zhang Xuan felt as if his heart, which had been lodged in his throat, finally dropped back into his chest with a thud. He steadied himself, bowed sincerely, raised the baton high, and proclaimed the deity’s name:

"God of the Celestial Court’s Twenty-Eight Constellations, Sixth of the East, Fire Division, Tail Fire Tiger—Zhu Zhao!"

No sooner had he finished than a thunderous drumming sounded from the distant void. In an instant, a wild tempest swept the altar. Incense smoke transformed into a divine bridge linking heaven and earth.

At the far end of this bridge, a hundred-foot-tall deity strode slowly toward the mortal world. With each step, the heavens changed color and the cosmos dimmed.

Bai Xian was inwardly shocked. He had truly summoned a righteous deity—but...

Now that the bridge was formed, could this celestial lord please walk a little faster?

...

"Loose arrows!"

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

Dozens of blades pierced flesh, felling more than ten of the centipede Gu-infected charging the military formation. Yet, after writhing and struggling on the ground, seven or eight of those struck somehow rose again; less than half were truly killed by the volley.

Meanwhile, in the short thirty steps from the main hall to the courtyard gate, over a hundred cannibalistic hosts of the centipede Gu had fallen.

Still, whether it was Ren Yulong, commander of the constabulary, or Cai Wei leading more than twenty yamen runners, neither showed the slightest hint of joy.

For...