Five Gods Cult

Chapter 26: Five Gods Cult

Beneath the bonfire, the crowd, three layers deep and then some, surrounded the ancestral hall of Shiqiao Village.

The people from the River God Temple were all thoroughly trapped, kneeling before the ancestral hall. The gazes directed at them were like ignited flames, waiting only for a command to be reduced to ashes.

Among these people were those who had lost family members to them, whose children had been taken, or who had been extorted and oppressed to the point of selling their land and daughters.

If not for the Immortal's command, the people from the surrounding ten villages would have gladly flayed them, stripped their bones, and eaten their flesh right then and there.

As the crowd waited, the doors of the ancestral hall boomed open, revealing a Daoist priest with his back to them.

"Reporting to the Great Immortal, General Donkey has returned victorious. Not a single one of those fiends from the River God Temple escaped; they've all been captured," the Donkey Guardian General said, stepping forward with a fawning smile to claim credit.

Only then did the Daoist priest turn around, his gaze falling upon the crowd outside.

"Well done. You have indeed lived up to my expectations, Great Immortal," the Daoist priest said, unusually patting the donkey's head and nodding in satisfaction.

The donkey basked in the praise, holding its head high as if proclaiming itself the foremost Guardian Deity under the Great Immortal.

The Daoist priest stepped out of the doorway, standing before the flames, facing the disciples and temple caretakers of the River God Temple who were kneeling in neat rows.

The crowd lowered their heads. Those in front could only see the Daoist priest's boots and his shadow, which flickered with the firelight.

Those behind could vaguely make out a somewhat slender Daoist priest beneath the blazing bonfire, yet no one dared to harbor any untoward thoughts.

Seeing the Daoist priest emerge, the dozens of burly men, along with the usually overbearing temple caretakers and servants, trembled even more.

The fearsome Demon Lord donkey from before was like a lackey to this Daoist priest, making one wonder just how terrifying the priest himself must be.

With a wave of his hand, he collected several booklets placed before the River God Temple's caretakers. After a brief perusal, he confirmed they were indeed secret techniques for performing spiritual sacrifices to the River Demon.

Gao Xian shook his head after finishing, his expression indifferent, as if dismissive. "All mere unorthodox and evil ways, incapable of achieving greatness."

After speaking, he clasped his hands behind his back and subtly tucked the booklets into his sleeve.

"Who are the people behind you? Who commanded you to perform spiritual sacrifices of young boys and girls to this River Demon?" Gao Xian directly asked the elderly caretaker of the River God Temple. This person appeared to have the highest status among those present and should know the most.

Upon hearing the Daoist priest's question, the old man finally dared to speak, repeatedly kowtowing with emotion.

"Great Immortal, spare us! We are disciples of the River God Altar of the Five Gods Cult. We were dispatched from above to this area along the Linjiang River."

"All those past incidents were instigated by the Spirit Medium, the Altar Master. We are innocent!"

The old man wailed and cried, tears streaming down his face. If others didn't know of his actions, they might have felt pity and sympathy at this moment.

However, the Daoist priest completely ignored the old man's attempts to absolve himself, directly seizing on the key points.

"Jianghu factions? Besides the River God Altar, how many other altars do you have?"

The old caretaker repeatedly shook his head. "No, we rarely interact with Jianghu factions. Instead, we operate in Jiangzhou, specifically dealing with high officials and nobles, transporting goods by boat, and developing followers."

"Besides the River God Altar, there are the Mountain God Altar, the Poison God Altar, and the Gu God Altar, as well as the main altar. Each has different responsibilities. Our River God Altar is responsible for river operations, the Mountain God Altar for merchant trade, the Poison God Altar for intelligence, the Gu God Altar for dealing with officials and nobles, and the main altar coordinates everything."

"As for the specifics, I do not know."

After a thorough interrogation, Gao Xian had obtained the information he desired and lost interest in the people before him.

Gao Xian beckoned the village elders from each township. "These people are yours to deal with. Anyone who knows of their involvement in killings or their harm to the villages can come forward to testify. Judgment will be passed here. Do not say I did not give you the authority to execute them."

"Those who have killed or harmed others will pay with their lives. Those who aided and abetted will be severely punished with broken legs. Those who were coerced will have their martial arts crippled and receive thirty lashes."

The village elders dared not disobey. Young men stepped forward and dragged away the River God Altar disciples, who were bound like zongzi.

The crowd surged forward, cheering in unison.

The cries and pleas of the captives gradually faded into the distance, awaiting the retribution for their past deeds.

Gao Xian looked at the giant snake piled up like a small mountain. This creature was of no further use to him and would be a waste if left there.

He drew the Azure Dragon Sword from his sleeve and, with a swing, chopped it into several pieces.

"Everyone is tired tonight. You can all share this River Demon's meat."

"Eating it has benefits: it can detoxify, improve eyesight, and strengthen the body."

Upon hearing that the snake meat had such effects, the villagers from the surrounding ten villages rejoiced and immediately shouted, "Thank you for your benevolent gift, Immortal."

They swarmed around the giant snake as if it were a rare treasure.

Several village elders even began to quarrel over who would get more and who would get less, arguing incessantly.

There was no sleep that night. The entire Shiqiao Village in Linjiang Township was brightly lit, and the scent of incense wafted for miles.

People from the surrounding ten villages held a non-stop feast, singing and dancing in celebration before the ancestral hall of Shiqiao Village.

From then on, this day became an important festival for the ten surrounding villages.

Jiangting Commandery.

The great river flowed through the city, with pleasure districts on both banks, making it the most prosperous place in the Great Zhou.

The Golden Pearl Tower was the most famous brothel on both banks. However, unlike ordinary pleasure quarters, the singers and courtesans at the Golden Pearl Tower were almost all well-read and proficient in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

In past years, these courtesans would even serve as tutors for scholars participating in the imperial examinations, teaching them how to read and prepare for the tests.

Therefore, the status of the singers and courtesans in the Golden Pearl Tower was quite high in Jiangting. They were not looked down upon like ordinary women of the pleasure streets. Most guests who came here were well-behaved, reciting poetry and engaging in witty banter, not daring to overstep.

The Golden Pearl Tower was a magnificent seven-story building, topped with a colossal golden spider statue that gleamed in the sunlight. It exuded an aura of extreme opulence, so grand that ordinary people would be too intimidated to even enter.

Its visitors were exclusively the wealthy and powerful, or scholars and officials.

On the top floor, a madam, dressed in luxurious attire, knelt before a door painted with mountains and rivers.

"Cult Leader, the River God has been slain, and the Spirit Medium is dead. They were killed by a young Daoist riding a donkey."

"The River God Altar and all our influence within ten miles of the riverbanks in the surrounding villages are gone. Everything we've built is finished."

Behind the door, a figure clad in theatrical costume was dancing and singing, seemingly unfazed.

The madam dared not stop. "This old servant has investigated. I heard a Sword Immortal from the previous dynasty has descended from Mount Gongzhou. Rumor has it this Sword Immortal is young and also rides a donkey. It must be him who killed the River God."

"He killed the Palace Mistress, Vice Palace Mistress, elders, and most of the experts from the Silver Flower Palace. Even more terrifying, they say he's skilled in flying sword techniques, capable of beheading someone from a thousand miles away."

The figure, whose face was painted, obscuring their gender, finally stopped dancing and turned towards the screen behind them.

Two demure young girls, kneeling on either side of the door, pulled open the intricately carved wooden doors, revealing a lavish and magnificent interior.

The madam, still kneeling, cautiously advanced, as if treading on a path of knives. After a long moment, she presented a portrait to the Cult Leader of the Five Gods Cult.

If one looked very, very closely, faint transparent threads could be seen connecting the Cult Leader's figure to the ceiling. The two demure girls guarding the door were similarly connected.

Throughout the opulent top-floor chamber, invisible threads hung from the ceiling, concealing a deeper mechanism.

This was the reason for the madam's extreme fear and caution.

This was the latest portrait from this month's Heavenly Secrets Ranking, identifying the subject as Kongchenzi of the Cloud Heaven Monastery of Mount Lao, bearing the title "Number One Immortal Under Heaven."

The portrait depicted Gao Xian, capturing his likeness so perfectly that even his otherworldly, carefree demeanor was rendered with uncanny accuracy.

Upon seeing the young man in the portrait, the Cult Leader of the Five Gods Cult couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... Hahahaha!"

He spun around the hall repeatedly, his long sleeves swirling like clouds across the sky, before finally coming to a stop.

As his laughter subsided, he spoke, "Gao Shi, you've finally couldn't resist descending the mountain, have you?"

"Didn't you say there were no Immortals in the mortal world, only demons and spirits, and that you would no longer meddle in human affairs?"

"Or have you already become an Immortal?"

After a long period of self-muttering, the Cult Leader of the Five Gods Cult finally turned to the madam.

"Don't worry about him. He'll come to Jiangting Commandery sooner or later. Just have the Poison God keep an eye on him."