Chapter 491: Law and Teaching

"Hah!" Gao Zhijian, bare-chested and wielding a massive halberd, stood at the village entrance, a single man holding the pass, impossible for an army to breach.

Veins bulged across his body, and a surging aura of vital energy enveloped him like smoke and mist.

The enemies before him were a group of men, women, and children, all wearing black armbands. From their appearance alone, they seemed to be ordinary common folk.

Yet now they appeared unusually frenzied, clutching various farming tools and charging recklessly towards Gao Zhijian.

"Don't be afraid of this big fellow! Charge! We are Yu'er God's people in life, and Yu'er God's ghosts in death! Even after death, we can be reincarnated as emperors!"

With a flash of cold light, three people in front of Gao Zhijian were instantly bisected at the waist, their internal organs mixed with blood splattering onto the nearby white wall.

However, there were simply too many of them, and Gao Zhijian found himself struggling to cope.

Moreover, the sudden night attack was too hasty, leaving Gao Zhijian no time to even put on Peng Longteng's armor.

With a "whizz!", a sharp stone flew from a distance, striking Gao Zhijian's forehead and leaving a bloody gash.

"Aargh!!" Gao Zhijian arched his lower back and crouched slightly, then, with a mighty surge of strength from his hands gripping the great halberd, he hurled it in the direction the stone had come from.

The massive halberd, weighing a thousand jin, spun rapidly with a whooshing sound, tearing through the crowd like a destructive force. Flesh and bones erupted into a macabre bloom in mid-air.

Gao Zhijian trampled over the carnage, pursuing the great halberd now covered in blood.

Furthermore, these people were completely insane; despite the intimidating aura of a martial master, they were completely unfazed. Their eyes burning with fanaticism, they wildly struck at Gao Zhijian with their weapons.

In the midst of this chaos, a needle with white fur flew over, embedding itself in the face of a man holding a hoe.

Amidst his panicked cries, his facial features, like liquid, dripped off his face and into his clothes, rendering him instantly deaf and blind.

"Fool! Hold on! We're here to help you!" Gou Wa's voice made the Fa Sect followers turn their heads towards the dirt road leading to Ox Heart Village.

When they saw a ragtag group of misfits rushing towards them, they erupted in laughter.

Seeing the corpses on the ground, Chun Xiaoman's rage instantly flared beyond control. She immediately pulled out the Daoist bell Li Huowang had given her and shook it violently.

She bit a mouthful of dirt and loudly commanded the two You Laoye in mid-air: "Ràn Juē Zhǐ Chuó!"

The overlapping You Laoye in the air nodded slightly and, like phantoms, swooped towards the Fa Sect followers. Whenever they passed through a person's body, that person immediately stiffened and fell to the ground, unable to rise.

But this wasn't enough. Chun Xiaoman tucked the Daoist bell into her waist, tore off her upper garment to reveal a yellow paper belly-band underneath, then pulled out a serrated short sword, and began chanting while tapping her brow.

"Disciple looks up at the azure sky. All my masters are by my side! My body transforms into copper skin and iron bones, wearing twelve iron hats and twelve layers of iron armor. Copper skin wrapped three times. Iron skin wrapped three times..."

Behind her, five people, including Lu Xiucai, also began performing the same actions simultaneously. Their serrated short swords broke their scalps, and blood flowed from their brows, covering their entire faces, finally pooling at their chins and dripping onto the ground.

"Dragging blades turn into goose feathers. Iron rulers turn into lamp wicks. Rolling stones turn into water bubbles! All masters! Wusheng Laomu! Please assist your disciples swiftly in battle!"

As the last line of the incantation was chanted, Chun Xiaoman, Lu Xiucai, and the others instantly stared wide-eyed without blinking. Raising their serrated short swords high, they charged towards the disorganized mob before them.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!!" When they saw sickles and pitchforks strike their bodies, repeatedly making crisp, ringing sounds, Lu Xiucai, Chun Xiaoman, and the others immediately felt their confidence swell. They raised their blades and hacked at their opponents.

Their swords could pierce others' bodies, but others' weapons were powerless against them; this was a one-sided slaughter.

With these Spirit-Fighters joining, Gao Zhijian's plight was instantly alleviated. A mere handful of them began to overwhelm the large group of Fa Sect followers.

Inspired by them, the people of Ox Heart Village mustered their courage and also picked up various weapons to begin their counterattack.

In an instant, the entire village entrance of Ox Heart Village turned into a battlefield.

Just as more and more Fa Sect followers were dying, an old woman, frail as a dwarf and wearing a tattered kasaya, suddenly emerged from Gao Zhijian's shadow and plunged a black jade dagger fiercely into his waist.

Gao Zhijian, enduring the pain, looked down and immediately saw the old woman's face. It was covered by a piece of ragged black cloth, on which a large purple character "Wu" was written.

A chilling, reedy old voice came from beneath the cloth. "Hehehe, burn paper money, burn gold and silver, offer wine and incense, this year ends today, tomorrow is a new spring, ah..."

Gou Wa, who had been peering out from the side, saw this scene and pulled a decaying wooden ruyi from his bosom. He fiercely swung it at the old woman.

But her small stature allowed for exceptionally quick reactions; she swiftly pulled out her weapon and immediately retreated into the chaotic battlefield around them.

"Be... Be... Be... Careful!! There's... There's..."

Before Gao Zhijian could finish his warning, the old woman's figure reappeared behind a young girl who had performed Spirit-Fighting. With her black jade dagger, she powerfully slashed across the girl's neck.

Her supposedly invulnerable body was torn open. As she watched in disbelief, she collapsed to the ground, clutching her bleeding neck and making gurgling sounds.

"Hahaha!! With Yu'er God, all is well! Golden bricks three feet high on the ground, precious treasures hanging on the money tree!"

"Nan'er!" Chun Xiaoman cried out the girl's name in agony. But at that very moment, she suddenly felt a chill on the back of her neck—someone was behind her!

Just as Chun Xiaoman was about to suffer the same fate, one of the You Laoye in the air swiftly flew down, forcing the elusive old woman to retreat.

But this only forced her back. The situation instantly reversed, and facing the elusive old woman, Chun Xiaoman and the others immediately stood back-to-back, no longer daring to act as recklessly as before.

"This won't do!" Chun Xiaoman declared. "If this continues, Ox Heart Village will be finished. Even if the price is high, I must kill that old woman!"

Chun Xiaoman, with firm resolve, once again shook the Daoist bell. As she vigorously shook her head a few times, following Senior Brother Li's teachings, the You Laoye in the air instantly multiplied from one to ten. "Juē Zhǐ Gōng Jīng!"

At Chun Xiaoman's command, a great chilling wind immediately swept through Ox Heart Village. The You Laoye scoured the heavens and earth, searching for the hiding old woman.

The cost of Chun Xiaoman's full three years of lifespan was not wasted. Facing the You Laoye's encirclement and interception, the old woman was soon forced out from the crowd.

Just as the old woman was about to duck into the dark shadows nearby, Gou Wa once again raised the decaying wooden ruyi and swung it hard. The spiritual tongue on the ruyi lightly flicked, and her mind was instantly clouded with bewilderment.

The massive, heavy halberd, with a howling sound, plunged down from above, smashing violently onto the old woman. The thousand-jin force instantly crushed her mortal body into pulp.