Chapter 661
Ao Tai Mansion
In the Taibai Mountain God's Palace, the Taibai Mountain God looked at the four thousand ghost soldiers before him, a smile on his face, and nodded in satisfaction.
These four thousand ghost soldiers were a force he had carefully cultivated over the years, especially the four leading ghost immortals, who were his trusted confidants whom he had personally trained.
"These four thousand ghost soldiers are my means of survival," the God of Mount Taibai said to his son, Zhong Lian.
Zhong Lian said, "Father, I heard that the Divine Emperor is currently purging the divine path, and the mountain god of Yunluo Mountain has been beheaded."
The God of Mount Taibai remained expressionless, though a hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes. After a moment, he said, "The God of Mount Yunluo, although a seventh-rank celestial official, is not a wise man."
"Oh?" Zhong Lian asked in surprise, "Why does Father say that?"
The God of Mount Taibai said, "I told him to take out some purple coins to recruit soldiers and generals a long time ago, but he is a miser and only recruited three mountain generals. Humph, what use are they? They were still captured and beheaded by a few god generals. If he had raised five or six hundred people, he wouldn't have been left without a chance to escape."
Zhong Lian said, "Yunluo Mountain only has a few auspicious sites, which can't fetch a good price. I don't think he has that much capital."
At this moment, the four thousand ghost soldiers in front, led by four ghost immortals, bowed to the deity of Mount Taibai and said, "We have finished collecting the rent as ordered and have come to report back to the Mountain Lord."
After saying this, four ghost immortals stepped forward and each took out a mustard seed bag and presented it to the God of Mount Taibai. Zhong Lian, who was standing to the side, took the four mustard seed bags and then examined them one by one.
"Father, 136,200 purple coins." After checking, Zhong Lian put the 130,000 purple coins into his mustard seed bag and then returned the remaining mustard seed bag to the four ghost immortals.
The God of Mount Taibai nodded in satisfaction once again. He could earn so many purple coins every month, simply because Mount Taibai was a blessed land, and naturally many immortal cultivators came here to establish their caves.
The God of Mount Taibai doesn't do one-off business. He rents out the caves within the blessed land of Mount Taibai to those immortal cultivators, collecting rent on time every month, thus making a fortune.
The God of Mount Taibai said to the four thousand ghost soldiers in front of him, "You have all worked hard during this period. When you return, each of you will be rewarded with one hundred purple coins, and the four ghost immortals will each receive one thousand purple coins."
Everyone was overjoyed and bowed deeply in gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your generous gift, Lord Shan!"
"Everyone, go back now," the God of Mount Taibai said with a smile and a wave of his hand.
The ghost soldiers immediately retreated. At this moment, Zhong Lian asked, "Father, you just gave away 400,000 coins in one go."
The God of Mount Taibai said with his hands behind his back, "For us, it's just four months' income, but for them, it's money earned by risking their lives."
At this point, the God of Mount Taibai looked at his son and said earnestly, "When it's time to be generous, you must be generous. Don't worry about such petty gains."
"Yes." Zhong Lian cupped his hands and said, "I will follow Father's teachings."
The God of Mount Taibai nodded, then asked, "How is your relationship with Ming'er going? Your father and the God of Mount Aoshan have no objections to this matter; it's up to you two now."
Zhong Lian's face lit up when the topic was brought up, and he said, "I was just about to tell Father that Mingmei has agreed to our marriage."
"Oh?" Zhong Lian laughed upon hearing this. "Good, good, very good. The power of Aoshan Divine Palace is no weaker than that of my Taibai Divine Palace. As long as our two families form a marriage alliance, even Nanyue Divine Palace will have to give us some consideration."
"Yes." Zhong Lian nodded and said, "Then why should we go and present the betrothal gifts?"
"The sooner the better," said the God of Mount Taibai. "Recently, the campaign by the Southern Mountain God Palace to purge the divine path has intensified. We must establish a marriage alliance with the Aoshan God Palace as soon as possible."
"Yes," Zhong Lian replied, bowing.
Zhong Lian, the son of the Taibai Mountain God, and Du Ming, the daughter of the Aoshan Mountain God, were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little, all thanks to the location of their respective divine abodes.
Mount Ao is in the west, and Mount Taibai is in the east. These two sacred sites, one in the east and one in the west, jointly govern the vast Qinling Mountains.
Previously, the Taibai Mountain God and the Aoshan Mountain God had both adopted a policy of non-interference and refraining from asking questions about the affairs between the two young people, allowing them to develop freely.
But that won't work now. Zhuang Yan has taken over the Southern Mountain Divine Palace and launched a massive purge of the divine path in the Southern Continent. Under this pressure, the God of Mount Tai and the God of Mount Ao have a motive to unite.
The best cooperation would be a marriage alliance, so both of them were doing their best to make it happen.
The Taibai Mountain God and his wife personally brought generous gifts to the Zhongnan Mountain God's Mansion, requesting an audience with the Zhongnan Mountain God Kou Qianzhi, asking him to act as matchmaker and represent the Taibai Mountain God's Mansion to present betrothal gifts to the Aoshan Mountain God's Mansion.
Kou Qianzhi naturally wouldn't refuse such a good opportunity, so he personally acted as matchmaker, proposing a marriage between the Taibai Mountain God Palace and the Aoshan God Palace.
Although both are mountain gods, Kou Qianzhi is of a much higher rank and status than the Taibai Mountain God and the Aoshan Mountain God, so asking Kou Qianzhi to be the matchmaker is a great honor.
Soon the two families officially agreed to the marriage and set the wedding date for a month later.
Time flies, and a month has passed quickly. Both Taibai Divine Palace and Aoshan Divine Palace held grand banquets. Gods, cultivators, and demons from all around came to attend the wedding banquets. It can be said that the venue was packed with distinguished guests.
When Zhong Lian brought Du Ming to the Taibai Divine Palace, the place was even more grand and bustling.
Kou Qianzhi, who acted as matchmaker for the two families, naturally sat in the most prestigious and prominent position, receiving thanks from the Taibai Mountain God family.
Just as the wedding banquet was in full swing, a group of fifty divine generals, fully armored and riding on clouds, arrived and landed directly outside the Taibai Mountain Divine Palace.
At this moment, several teams of ghost soldiers were patrolling and guarding outside the Taibai Mountain God Palace. Upon seeing this team of divine generals arrive, they immediately stepped forward to stop them.
"Today is the wedding day of the young master of Mount Taibai and the daughter of the mountain god of Mount Ao, therefore the mountain god of Mount Taibai will not receive any guests," a ghost general said.
The leading general, named Xu Zeng, first looked at the ghost general in front of him, and then at the ghost soldiers behind and around him.
The next moment, Xu Zeng understood. These ghost soldiers in front of him were only in the form of spirits. Although they looked frightening, all fifty of them were immortals who had achieved sainthood in their physical bodies. They could dissipate the spirits of these ghost soldiers with just a breath.
Xu Zeng took out an imperial edict and said, "By order of the Divine Emperor Shenxiao, I have come to cleanse the Taibai Mountain God's Palace. Quickly go and call your mountain god to come out and receive the edict."
The ghost general's expression changed, and he asked, "Are you divine generals from the Zhechong Prefecture?"
For more than a month, the Human Remnants Branch has published a gazette almost every three days, containing nothing but important news about the purge of the gods in Jambudvipa.
In just over a month, 1,600 mountain god palaces, water god palaces, and land god palaces throughout the entire Southern Continent were purged. More than 900 mountain gods, water gods, and land gods were beheaded, and the rest were either stripped of their official ranks or imprisoned in the Southern Mountain prison.
Therefore, the title "General of Deflection" also gained him fame, and he is now a fearsome figure in the Southern Continent.
The ghost general dared not delay, and only said, "Please wait a moment, everyone." Then he turned around and went into the divine palace to report.
Xu Zeng turned around and selected thirty of the divine generals behind him, dividing them into groups of ten, and sent them to guard the west, north, and south sides of the Taibai Mountain Divine Palace, while he himself led the remaining nineteen to wait on the east side.
As the gods split up, some ghost generals in the divine palace noticed something was wrong and hurried to find the four ghost immortals.
Upon receiving the news, the four ghost immortals who were attending the banquet quickly put down their wine cups and came out.
When they saw the Divine Generals outside the Divine Palace, they immediately realized something. "Oh no, it seems that the Divine Emperor is going to make a move against the Mountain Lord," said Ghost Immortal Armor.
Ghost Immortal B said, "Then what should we do? These generals who can quell rebellions are not easy to deal with."
“What’s there to be afraid of!” Ghost Immortal Bing said, “We have four thousand men, while they only have fifty. Besides, given the current situation, they might not dare to make a move.”
Ghost Immortal Ding said, "Immediately send someone to inform the Mountain God of Aoshan."
Upon hearing Ghost Immortal Ding's words, the other three Ghost Immortals realized that they should quickly notify the Mountain God of Aoshan.
As long as the Mountain God of Aoshan arrives with his five thousand ghost soldiers, the two divine palaces will unite their forces, and even the Great Emperor Shenxiao will have to think twice. "This matter is extremely important. Who is willing to go to the Aoshan Divine Palace?" Ghost Immortal A asked.
Ghost Immortal Ding said, "I'll go. I have the Yin Wind Escape technique, it's fast."
"Alright," said Ghost Immortal A. "Then hurry back and be careful on your journey."
Ghost Immortal Ding nodded, then turned and left. Soon after, the God of Mount Taibai, having received the news, arrived outside the God's Palace. Ghost Immortals A, B, and C immediately went to greet him.
"What's the situation now?" the God of Mount Taibai asked.
Ghost Immortal A said, "The divine general leading the team clearly stated that he was ordered to cleanse the Taibai Mountain Divine Palace, which seems to be a threat to you, Mountain Lord."
"Oh." The God of Mount Taibai nodded slightly, then glanced at the three ghost immortals and suddenly asked, "Where is the other person?"
Ghost Immortal B said, "Go to the Aoshan God's Palace and inform the Aoshan Mountain God."
The God of Mount Taibai laughed and said, "Well done. You all stay here and guard the place. I'll go and say hello to them."
"Mountain God, you mustn't!" The three ghost immortals stopped the God of Mount Taibai, saying, "If you go now, they will attack you."
The God of Mount Taibai said, "I know what I'm doing." After saying that, he walked straight towards the gate of the divine palace. When he arrived at the gate, Xu Zeng and the others immediately stepped forward and asked, "Are you the God of Mount Taibai?"
The God of Mount Taibai said, "It is I. All you gods have come from afar and have had a long journey."
Xu Zeng said, "Since the Taibai Mountain God is so considerate of us, there's no need to say more. Have your subordinates leave the Divine Palace, and we'll go in to investigate the Taibai Divine Palace."
The God of Mount Taibai said, "Today is my son's wedding day, could we talk about it tomorrow?"
"With the imperial edict here, I dare not be negligent," Xu Zeng said.
The God of Mount Taibai said, "Since that's the case, I have a memorial here. Could you please deliver it to the Divine Emperor of Shenxiao for me?"
Xu Zeng said, "Come with us to the Southern Mountain Divine Palace, and you can present it to the Divine Firmament Emperor yourself."
"No, thank you." The God of Mount Taibai laughed, "I have my own destination, but it is definitely not the Southern Peak God's Palace."
After saying that, the God of Mount Taibai raised his hand and threw something over. The object was shining with spiritual light and flew straight to Xu Zeng's eyes.
Xu Zeng grabbed the object; it was indeed a memorial to the throne, and one without an official seal.
Xu Zeng glanced at the God of Mount Taibai, then opened the memorial and read it carefully. His expression changed immediately, and he sneered, "God of Mount Taibai, you have done so many evils and amassed so much wealth. Do you think you can just run away with a simple resignation?"
"What?" the God of Mount Taibai retorted. "Can't I resign? I've served as a celestial official for 100,000 years, and I've done so much for the Heavenly Court. All these rewards are rightfully mine! I don't care if Zhuang Yan wants to purge the gods of the Southern Continent, but you can't stop me from resigning, can you?"
Xu Zeng tossed the memorial aside and said, "Since the God of Mount Taibai wants to resign, then he should go before His Majesty to ask for his resignation."
Having said that, Xu Zeng waved his hand and said, "All generals, listen to my command! Seize the God of Mount Taibai!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xu Zeng and more than a dozen divine generals drew their Fiery Thunder Blades and rushed forward with lightning speed.
The God of Mount Taibai waved his hands, ordering the ghost soldiers to stop Xu Zeng, while he himself advanced into the divine palace.
Hundreds of ghost soldiers charged forward with screams, but Xu Zeng simply used his magic to blow out a gust of wind carrying masculine energy, which instantly dispersed the ghosts' spirits.
Upon seeing this, the God of Mount Taibai's expression changed drastically. He immediately ordered the three ghost immortals, "Stop them!" After saying this, he quickly entered the divine palace.
The three ghost immortals led more than a thousand ghost soldiers forward and surrounded Xu Zeng and the others, but Xu Zeng and the others remained calm.
They simultaneously unleashed a fierce gust of wind, scattering the more than a thousand ghost soldiers, then wielded their swords forward, hacking the three ghost immortals to death.
The three ghost immortals couldn't even withstand a single blow before their immortal bodies were shattered. After their bodies died and their souls dissipated, they left their bodies and transformed into wandering ghosts that flew into the mountains.
Xu Zeng ignored the three wandering ghosts and led the group into the Taibai Mountain Divine Palace.
The grand banquet inside the divine palace was still ongoing, but the Taibai Mountain God and his wife, along with the newlywed couple, had disappeared without a trace.
When Xu Zeng and his group rushed into the brightly lit and festive hall, all the gods, cultivators, and demons inside were astonished and looked over.
Kou Qianzhi, the god of Zhongnan Mountain, who was sitting at the top, immediately stood up and shouted, "Who are you people?"
Xu Zeng stepped forward, knife in hand, and stared at Kou Qianzhi above, asking, "And who are you?"
Kou Qianzhi, with his hands behind his back, said, "I am Kou Qianzhi, the mountain god of Zhongnan Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zeng immediately took out the list from his sleeve, glanced at it, and then said to Kou Qianzhi, "Your name is not on the list. Please leave on your own, Lord Shan."
"Huh?" Kou Qianzhi was taken aback for a moment, then continued to ask, "Who exactly are you?"
Xu Zeng took out a golden talisman and said, "We are the divine generals of Zhechong Prefecture, here to purify the Taibai Mountain Divine Palace by order of the Divine Emperor Shenxiao."
Upon hearing this, the gods, cultivators, and demons in the entire hall were all shocked and their expressions changed. Even Kou Qianzhi himself was taken aback and, abandoning all his airs, quickly stepped down from the hall.
But Xu Zeng ignored them and simply divided the divine generals around him into two groups, saying, "Search the divine palace immediately and be sure to capture the God of Mount Taibai."
"Yes, sir!" the crowd replied.
Then Xu Zeng led his men to begin a brutal search for the Taibai Mountain Divine Palace, killing anyone who dared to obstruct them.
Finally, the Taibai Mountain God and his family of four were surrounded on the Crescent Moon Tower by fifty divine generals who had rushed from all directions. At this moment, a divine general brought the head of the Ghost Immortal Ding to Xu Zeng and reported. After listening, Xu Zeng immediately said to the Taibai Mountain God, "Taibai Mountain God, are you still unwilling to surrender? The Ghost Immortal you sent to the Aoshan God's Mansion to report the news has been killed."
With that, Xu Zeng threw the head of the ghost immortal directly onto the Crescent Moon Tower.
On the upper floor of the Crescent Moon Pavilion, the wife of the God of Mount Taibai and Du Ming, dressed in wedding attire, exclaimed in surprise. Zhong Lian quickly embraced his wife.
At this moment, the God of Mount Taibai looked at the head of the Ghost Immortal Ding, and then at the Generals of the Vanguard who were constantly surrounding him below, and shouted loudly, "Zhuang Yan, you have gone too far!"
"How dare you address the Divine Firmament Emperor by his name! All gods, heed my command! Charge forward immediately and capture the entire Taibai Mountain God's family. Not a single one may escape!" Xu Zeng ordered.
So the gods began their attack on the Crescent Moon Tower, but at that moment, a white pillar of light appeared in the direction of the Divine Palace of Mount Ao in the west. The pillar of light shot straight into the sky, illuminating most of the sky.
Upon seeing this, the God of Mount Taibai was first taken aback, then overjoyed, and then burst into laughter, saying, "Heaven has truly spared me!"
After speaking, the Taibai Mountain deity formed a hand seal, and a dazzling divine light shone from his body. Immediately afterwards, everyone felt the Taibai Mountain beneath their feet begin to tremble violently.
The next moment, the Taibai Mountain God unleashed his divine seal, divine light entered the earth, and he shouted loudly, "The earth's veins are steaming, the five elements are in disarray!"
In an instant, a majestic dragon's roar resounded in Mount Taibai. Then, a beam of white light appeared from Mount Taibai in the east and Mount Ao in the west. The two beams of white light then spread rapidly along the mountain range and connected.
In an instant, the world changed color, the sun and moon lost their light, wind and snow howled, water and fire boiled, directions were disordered, and the earth's veins were disrupted.
Xu Zeng and the others were astonished to discover that the Taibai Mountain God's family had vanished, and Taibai Mountain and its divine palace had instantly descended into a chaotic world of ice and snow, howling winds, and boiling water and fire. (End of Chapter)