Above the Great Dao

"Exit the city, form the formation." The voice was terrifyingly calm.

On the walls of Qingzhou City, over two hundred Talisman Masters leapt out without hesitation, landing in front of the city gate, and in front of them were the oncoming Ghost Gods!

Chen Shi's scalp tingled; those Ghost Gods, towering several hundred feet high, had strength comparable to the Three Corpses Realm and Returning Void Realm masters!

With such a group of Ghost Gods charging in, how could these Talisman Masters survive?

He didn't care much, reached for the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, flew out, and shouted, "I'll lend you a hand!"

He felt a tragic resolve, prepared for death, thinking, "I've dared not offend the Wan Family, nor the Thirteen Families, living in frustration for decades, but today, I shall be a man!"

At this moment, a young boy flew in from the city wall, landing among the formation of Talisman Masters, the calm voice emerging from his mouth: "Governor Liu, retreat and support the formation. Everyone, the Spirit Banner Ten Absolute Formation."

Liu Dingchen was stunned, incredulous at the boy, who appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen, dressed in coarse yet elegant azure clothes, with a small courtyard floating behind his head, radiating light.

"Red Horse Bandit, Red Horse Bandit..."

A storm surged in his heart, sweeping through the province; the Red Horse Bandit had returned!

"Boom!"

The Spirit Banner Ten Absolute Formation's two hundred talismans lit up, with Li Tianqing as the formation's core, transforming over ten miles into a killing Daoist Field!

A torrent of murderous aura surged into the sky as Li Tianqing charged at the oncoming Ghost Gods, and two hundred and fifty-five Talisman Masters moved in unison with him, the formation unbreakable. Empowered by the Ten Absolute Formation talismans, they now shone with golden light, towering over ten feet, resembling Divine figures from China, filled with murderous intent, drawing the Ghost Gods into the killing formation!

In an instant, blood splattered, severed limbs and heads flew chaotically.

In the Ten Absolute Formation, the murderous intent reigned, Gods and Demons ran rampant with lightning and thunder. Suddenly, the formation stopped abruptly, transforming from extreme motion to extreme stillness.

Only the sounds of flesh being sliced into pieces, falling from the sky, could be heard.

Liu Dingchen watched in horror, speechless.

He realized that facing the first wave of these Ghost Gods' attacks, he would have died on the battlements. The power of Qingzhou's Prefecture Soldiers and the Ten Thousand Soul Banner was insufficient to withstand, not even with the Earth Book, against the onslaught of Ghost Monsters, let alone these Ghost Gods.

But in just a flash, the Ghost Monsters and Ghost Gods all perished at the city gates.

Then, from afar, a thousand-foot-tall Ghost God roared with fury, charging towards them. It had four legs, two torsos, each with two arms, linked by chains of bones, wielding a massive Divine Weapon, like a guillotine.

Liu Dingchen's face turned pale, his fighting spirit vanished.

The thousand-foot Ghost God was invincible; with a single blow, it could flatten half of Qingzhou City!

How could they resist?

Li Tianqing raised his hand: "Step back."

The Talisman Masters around him retreated, leaving only him standing at the front, facing the fiercely powerful Ghost God alone!

"Disciple Li Tianqing."

Standing with a bow, he said solemnly, "I invite Emperor Guan to descend!"

"Swish—"

The courtyard behind him emitted a brilliant Divine Light, shaking heaven and earth. The Divine steed Red Hare leapt forth, Red Hare and Yanyue Blade. Li Tianqing wielded the blade on horseback, closing his eyes.

"Thud thud thud!"

With the horse's hooves flying, one man, one horse, one blade, charged at the thousand-foot Ghost God.

Liu Dingchen and the Prefecture Soldiers on the city walls watched in stupor as the long-lost Red Horse Bandit reappeared. The Red Horse soared, turning into a beam of light. The youth on the horse's back opened his eyes, brimming with murderous intent, wielding the blade in a fierce slash!

The dazzling blade light crossed horizontally and vertically, piercing the sky, dividing the moonlit sky into four neat parts, the power traversing the Void, sweeping all!

This slash, valleys and cities!

A mesmerizing and soul-stirring sight.

Li Tianqing sheathed the blade, Red Hare halted, standing with the blade horizontally, the horse neighed.

The thousand-foot Ghost God's face showed fear, its steps unsteady like a drunkard, suddenly, the chains of bones exploded, its torso split from the midline, then a flash of blood erupted at its waist, its body cut into four pieces!

The massive corpse fell with a thunderous crash.

Behind Li Tianqing, boundless Divine Light swirled, a thousand-foot Divine figure stood high, stroking its beard while reciting the "Spring and Autumn Annals," loyal and righteousness for all eternity, shining on history.

The Guan Sheng Emperor Temple behind Li Tianqing grew larger, the temple resembled a vast Azure Sky, encompassing everything. Where it shone, sunlight was brilliant, spring blossoms bloomed.

This night, within and outside Qingzhou City, spirits soared, citizens spread the word, the incense of Guan Sheng Emperor Temple rekindled.

The Red Horse Bandit, had returned.

After the uproar, Li Tianqing settled down in Qingzhou, and after some time of battle, the situation in Qingzhou was relatively stable.

One day, he offered the Heavenly Court Token, entered the Little Heavenly Realms, came before a mural, standing there for a long time, wrote with incense ashes on the mural: "In azure clothes, unyielding to my heart. Heavenly Court Scholar Li Tianqing left a message. I am still alive!"

He brushed off the incense ashes from his palm, intending to leave, when suddenly a line of text began to form on the mural.

Li Tianqing stood in a daze, carefully inspecting the mural's surroundings, finding no one else present. Yet, the text on the mural continued to form!

"Life in Yanzhou is difficult! But I can still hold on. Heavenly Court Talisman Master Cheng Qi left a message. I am still alive!"

Li Tianqing shouted, "Cheng Qi! Is it you?"

No response came to him.

It was as though they were in the same Void Great Realm, yet each in different spaces, even if standing together, they could not see each other.

"Hold on!" he shouted.

Cheng Qi still did not respond to him.

Li Tianqing stood silently for a long time, then quietly said, "You must hold on until the True King finds you, finds all of you."

He turned and left the Little Heavenly Realms.

Chen Shi came once more to the Little Heavenly Realms, standing before the mural, which now bore many lines of writing.

"The world is difficult, but I saved a hundred people. Heavenly Court Tian Yue'e left a message. I am still alive!"

"I opened a school in Tongzhou, where many children learn Daoist Skills with me. Heavenly Court Teacher, Fu Leisheng left a message."

"If you are still alive, remember to come see me in Lingzhou. Heavenly Court Situ Wen left a message."

"I may not hold out until the day I see the sun again, but I will strive to endure. Heavenly Court Fang Wuji left a message."

"I am still alive! You must persist! Heavenly Court Fu Xiu left a message."

...

Chen Shi read line by line. Each admirable and lovely Heavenly Court member had been here, perhaps still in this Little Heavenly Realms, yet unseen. They left words to support and encourage each other, urging the brothers of the Heavenly Court to persevere, never to give up.

Where there is hope, there is a future.

As long as a sliver of hope remains, a bright future surely lies ahead!

Chen Shi left the Little Heavenly Realms, standing on a high hill, peering towards the Ten Thousand Great Mountains of the underworld, suddenly said, "Teacher, follow me!"

Scholar Zhu was taken aback, "To where?"

"Follow me to find them, find those temples rising from the earth and revive the Huaxia Gods."

Chen Shi smiled, turned to look at the Stele Lady, and solemnly said, "I want to borrow the power of the Gods to revive Stele Lady!"

Scholar Zhu's Heart Spirit was greatly shaken, then he descended from the old willow, his body growing smaller until it returned to a normal size, landing beside him gracefully: "Okay, I will go with you."

Chen Shi came to the Stele, lit three sticks of incense for Stele Lady, got up, and stored Scholar Zhu into the small temple behind his head, then gracefully departed.

Behind his head, in the middle of the small temple, his Primordial Spirit sat on the Divine Shrine, Little Dun on the left, Stone Rock Lady on the right, another small temple behind housed Scholar Zhu on the Divine Shrine.

This temple slightly trembled and began to slowly grow.

As Scholar Zhu looked, he saw an additional room appear in the small temple, and beside his Divine Shrine, another Shrine slowly formed, awaiting its occupant.

—On the first day of the New Year, asking for monthly tickets!