Five Gods Cult

Under the bonfire's glow, the crowd surrounded Shiqiao Village's Ancestral Hall three layers deep within and three layers deep without.

The people from River God Temple had all been bound tight and forced to kneel before the Ancestral Hall. Every gaze fixed on them burned like kindled flames, awaiting only a single command to reduce them to ashes.

Among the crowd were those whose family members had died at their hands, those whose children had been taken by them, and those who had been stripped and oppressed until they had no choice but to sell their land and daughters.

Had the immortal not given the order, the people from villages across ten miles would have dearly loved to skin them, pull out their bones, and eat their flesh raw.

As everyone waited, the Ancestral Hall doors burst open, revealing a Daoist seated with his back to them.

"Reporting to Great Immortal, General Donkey has returned victorious. Not one of those demonic scoundrels from River God Temple escaped; every last one has been captured." Donkey Guardian General shamelessly stepped forward to claim credit.

Only then did the Daoist turn around and look outside.

"Well done. You have indeed not disappointed this Great Immortal." The Daoist unusually reached out to pat the donkey's head, nodding in satisfaction.

The donkey reveled in it immensely, lifting his head as though announcing that he was the foremost Guardian Deity under the Great Immortal.

The Daoist stepped out through the doorway and stood before the flames, facing the River God Temple disciples and temple keepers kneeling in neat rows before him.

Everyone lowered their heads. Those in front could see only the Daoist's boots and his shadow rippling with the firelight from the corners of their eyes.

Those in the back could vaguely make out a somewhat slender Daoist beneath the blazing bonfire, yet no one dared entertain the slightest stray thought.

At the sight of this Daoist emerging, the dozens of burly men, along with the temple keepers and servants who had once run roughshod over everyone, trembled even harder.

That donkey demon, whose ferocious might had seemed to tower to the heavens moments ago, behaved like a lackey beneath this Daoist. One could imagine just how terrifying the Daoist was.

With a wave of his hand, he collected the several ledgers placed before the River God Temple keeper. He casually flipped through them and found that they truly contained the secret method for spiritually sacrificing children to the River Demon.

After reading them, Gao Xian shook his head, his expression cold and indifferent, as though he disdained them utterly. "Nothing but crooked paths and wicked ways. They can never amount to anything."

After saying this, he clasped his hands behind his back and quietly slipped the ledgers into his sleeve.

"Who stands behind you? On whose orders did you use boys and girls as spiritual sacrifices for this River Demon?" Gao Xian directly questioned the elderly River God Temple keeper. Of everyone present, this man appeared to hold the highest status and should know the most.

Only upon hearing the Daoist's question did the old man dare speak. He kowtowed repeatedly in agitation.

"Great Immortal, spare my life! We are disciples of the River God Altar of the Five Gods Cult. We were sent here from above to the villages along the Linjiang riverbanks."

"All those things we did in the past were ordered by that Altar Master shamaness. We are innocent!"

The old man wailed to heaven and earth, tears streaming down his weathered face. Had others not known what he had done, they might well have felt pity and sympathy for him at that moment.

But the Daoist ignored the old man's excuses altogether and seized upon the crucial point.

"A martial sect? Aside from the River God Altar, how many other altars do you have?"

The elderly temple keeper shook his head repeatedly. "No. We rarely deal with martial sects. Instead, we specialize in dealing with nobles and dignitaries in River Prefecture, transporting goods by boat and gathering believers."

"Besides the River God Altar, there are also the Mountain God Altar, Poison God Altar, Gu God Altar, and the main altar. Each has different duties. Our River God Altar oversees river transport, the Mountain God Altar handles merchants and trade, the Poison God Altar handles intelligence, the Gu God Altar deals with nobles and dignitaries, while the main altar directs everything."

"As for the finer details, I do not know them either."

After a thorough round of questioning, Gao Xian had learned what he wanted to know and lost interest in the people before him.

Gao Xian raised his hand and summoned the village elders from every settlement. "I leave these people to your disposal. Anyone who knows they have blood on their hands or have wrought havoc upon the villages may step forward and accuse them. Judge them here. Do not say this poor Daoist kills the innocent."

"Those who killed or harmed others shall pay with their lives. Those who aided tyrants in their evil shall be severely punished and have their legs broken. Coerced accomplices shall have their martial arts crippled and receive thirty lashes."

None of the village elders dared disobey. One young and strong man after another stepped forward, dragging away the River God Altar disciples bound like rice dumplings.

The crowd surged forward, cheering in unison.

Those people wept, howled, and begged for mercy, their voices gradually fading into the distance. What awaited them was retribution for all their past deeds.

Gao Xian looked at the giant snake piled into a small mountain. It was already useless to him, and leaving it here would only be a waste.

The Azure Dragon Sword flew from his sleeve, and with a sweep of his sword, he cut it into several pieces.

"Everyone has worked hard tonight. Share this River Demon's flesh among yourselves."

"Eating it will bring benefits as well. It can neutralize poison, brighten the eyes, and strengthen the body."

Upon hearing that the snake meat had such effects, the villagers from across ten miles rejoiced and immediately shouted, "Many thanks for the immortal's gift!"

One after another, they crowded around the giant snake as though they had seen some priceless treasure.

Several village elders even began arguing over who should receive more and who should receive less, fighting until neither side would yield.

No one slept that night. Lights in Shiqiao Village of Linjiang Village burned without rest, and fragrance drifted for ten miles.

The people from villages across ten miles held feasts through the night, singing and dancing in celebration before Shiqiao Village's Ancestral Hall.

From that day onward, this date became an important festival for the villages across ten miles.

Jiangting Commandery.

The great river ran through the city. The entertainment districts along both banks were also among the most prosperous places in Great Zhou.

Golden Pearl Tower was the most famous pleasure house on both banks. Yet unlike ordinary dens of song and wine, the singing girls and performers of Golden Pearl Tower were almost all well-read and accomplished in the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

During the annual examinations, these singing girls and performers even served as tutors to the examinees, teaching them how to study and take the examinations.

Thus, the singing girls and performers within Golden Pearl Tower held quite high status in River Court. Unlike ordinary women of the flower streets, they were not looked down upon. Most guests who came here also composed poems and matched couplets in a proper manner, not daring to overstep the bounds.

Golden Pearl Tower was a splendid seven-story Flower Pavilion. At its summit stood a massive golden spider statue, gleaming under the sunlight. It looked extravagantly noble and luxurious; ordinary people would not even dare enter at the sight of such grandeur.

Those who came here were either powerful nobles and wealthy merchants, or scholars and examination candidates.

On the top floor, an extravagantly dressed madam knelt before a door painted with mountains and rivers.

"Cult Master, the River God has been slain, and the shamaness is dead. She was killed by a Young Daoist riding a donkey."

"Everyone from the River God Altar along the Linjiang riverbanks, all the forces we cultivated, have been wiped out."

Behind the door, a figure in opera costume danced and sang softly, as though he had heard nothing.

Yet the madam did not dare stop and continued, "This old servant has investigated it. I heard that a Sword Immortal from the previous dynasty descended the mountain in Gongzhou. Rumor says that Sword Immortal looks like a youth and rides a donkey as well. The one who killed the River God must have been him."

"The Silver Flower Palace Master, Deputy Palace Master, elders, and more than half their experts all died at his hands. Even more frightening, it is said that he is skilled in the Sword-flying Technique and can take a man's head from a thousand miles away."

The figure, whose face was painted so heavily that one could not tell whether he was male or female, finally stopped moving and turned to look beyond the screen.

Two delicate young maidens kneeling respectively to the left and right before the door pulled open the exquisite wooden doors, revealing the magnificent scene beyond.

Only then did the madam inch forward on her knees, treading carefully as though the ground were a mountain of blades. After a long while, she raised a portrait before the Cult Master of the Five Gods Cult.

If one raised one's head and looked closely, one could faintly see transparent threads extending from the Cult Master's figure to the ceiling. The two delicate young maidens guarding the door were the same.

Throughout the luxurious upper chamber, threads invisible to the naked eye hung down from the ceiling, concealing profound mysteries.

That was why the madam was so terrified and cautious.

This was the latest portrait on this month's Heavenly Secrets Ranking. It was marked: Kongchenzi of Cloud Heaven Monastery of Mount Lao, the number one immortal under heaven.

The portrait showed Gao Xian's appearance, even capturing that carefree air of someone who did not belong to this world with lifelike precision.

At the sight of the youth in the portrait, the Cult Master of the Five Gods Cult suddenly burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha... ha ha ha ha!"

He spun around the hall again and again, his long sleeves like clouds sweeping across the sky, only stopping after a long while.

The laughter finally ceased.

"Gao Shi, you finally could not resist descending the mountain after all?"

"Didn't you say there were no immortals in this world, only ghosts and demons, and that you would no longer set foot among mortals?"

"Or have you already become an immortal?"

After muttering to himself for a long while, the Cult Master of the Five Gods Cult finally looked at the madam.

"Leave him alone. He will come to Jiangting Commandery sooner or later. Just have the Poison God keep an eye on him."