The New Power's Hegemon, the Ancient Gentleman's Ways
Upon hearing Chu Tianshu's words, Tang Rongfa's face showed a hint of apprehension.
Anthony, however, made no attempt to hide his actions. He immediately shook his walking stick, and with a whoosh, pulled out a blue flag with white stars.
"Haha, Divine Doctor Chu, your insight is truly remarkable."
Anthony twirled the staff, rested the flag head on his elbow as if wielding a whisk, made a hand seal with his left hand, pressed it against the flag, and pulled it outward.
A plume of blue smoke shot out, expanding in the distance to form a 1.9-meter-tall blue humanoid phantom.
This man wore a special forces helmet, had a typical Great Han face, was dressed in a bulletproof vest, had bullet chains around his waist, wore thick-soled steel-toed combat boots, and carried a heavy six-barreled machine gun.
The machine gun, naturally, also resembled a blue Spirit Body, but deep within its barrel, a faint, bright white light was brewing, clearly indicating that it was a truly deadly weapon capable of launching attacks.
If Spirit Body or ghost does not understand the methods of ghost cultivation, then the form it manifests is often only related to its past experiences and obsessions.
It's quite rare for someone's life experiences and obsessions to materialize into a machine gun after death, which follows them around.
"I do indeed keep many Spirit Body in this banner, but none of them are Evil Spirit; they are all genuine ghosts and spirits of the dead, or as you might call them, ghosts."
Anthony spoke eloquently, introducing, "For example, this man was a brave soldier in the Foreign Legion who suffered extensive burns all over his body in a battle and was left to die in the hospital."
"After receiving the information, I couldn't bear to do it, so I took advantage of his last moments to meet with him and sign a contract. After his death, he will naturally be taken into the banner and worshipped daily so that he won't degenerate into Evil Spirit."
"During an attack on the manor by demons from the Spirit Realm, it was he who led the charge, took up arms, and defeated the demons."
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The burly African Great Han saluted Anthony and shouted, "Thank you, Lord Anthony! Loyalty!"
Anthony smiled and nodded slightly.
Tang Rongfa, standing nearby, shook his cane and said, "My cane contains only some ghost soldiers, absolutely Evil Spirit."
He still seemed a little uncomfortable as he said this.
In Huaxia spiritual practice, both the orthodox and unorthodox paths involve methods of raising ghosts.
Sometimes, righteous people will use Soul-Summoning Banner to capture ghosts, but these are only expedient measures. If the ghost is evil afterward, it will either be killed directly as a form of deliverance, or it will definitely be raised in a ritual altar, or it will be kept in the form of jade pendants or locust wood.
Anyone who keeps ghosts inside banners is generally not a respectable person.
Tang Rongfa was quite concerned about this when facing experts from his homeland.
However, in North America, the practice of raising ghosts with banners has become incredibly sophisticated.
When Tang Rongfa first started learning, he became more and more engrossed in it. If he were to abandon the flag and switch to another medium now, many of its subtleties would be lost, and he would absolutely refuse.
"The art of banners is profound and complex, coexisting with all nations, encompassing both good and evil. As long as you, Old Tang, act with integrity, you don't need to worry too much about it."
Chu Tianshu smiled. "You should know that I Shamanic Physician Lineage, and this school doesn't have a very good reputation to begin with."
Tang Rongfa's expression relaxed slightly, and he uttered a word of agreement.
"The knowledge behind the banners is indeed vast."
There are many schools of magic in Huaxia, all of which use flags and banners. The Soul-Summoning Banner is one of the oldest and most completely preserved customs.
However, there are many other countries in the world that also have similar ancient traditions of "Soul-Summoning Banner".
Its sophistication and widespread use are not to be underestimated.
In ancient Ancient Rome, legionary banners were regarded as the embodiment of the spirits of all those who died in battle, the source of the entire legion's glory, and a symbol of inevitable victory.
The flags of the Vikings have long featured raven motifs, which were the sacred bird of Odin and messengers who guided the souls of the dead.
In many regions, including England and Germany, on May Day, people place flower pillars and wave flower flags around bonfires, which is believed to be able to communicate with spirits and the dead, drive away Evil Spirit, and pray for peace and protection.
North America national culture, though not very ancient, was severely damaged by the massacres of its native inhabitants.
However, this is a country made up of immigrants, and the practitioners among each group of immigrants brought with them the traditions of their homelands.
Coupled with the North America central government's weak control over towns and villages and inconsistent coordination among states and regions, the country seized the opportunity presented by the World War, its national strength soared, and it became a powerful force attracting foreign investment.
For various folk legal systems, this is simply the best start ever!
Such a powerful nation, such rampant diverse desires, and such widespread indulgence in contradictions—all these provide the most fertile ground for grassroots legal education.
In recent years, the Spirit Realm has reappeared, and incidents in the Overflow Zone have occurred frequently, with various spiritual materials being generated in the atmosphere between the two realms.
The folk religion should be thanking God every day for bringing these two most wonderful things together.
The number of various religious spells involving the Soul-Summoning Banner is reaching new heights here.
However, if it's simply a spell involving Soul-Summoning Banner, it's not really worth taking too seriously.
Although this kind of magic can nurture Spirit Body and bring many conveniences that a mortal body cannot achieve, the Spirit Body is still weaker than that of the master.
If the little ghost you raise is stronger than its owner, even if it hasn't yet degenerated into Evil Spirit with a cannibalistic instinct, it may still suffer a backlash.
After all, ghosts have many different senses than humans, so even with careful care and emotional communication, misunderstandings and awkwardness can still occur.
Even if the owners of the Soul-Summoning Banner are not the pure evil ones who raise Evil Spirit, they are basically people who are eager for quick success and instant benefits.
They don't have the time to understand the subtle thoughts of ghosts.
They usually control them with precepts and lure them with incense, which is already considered a benevolent way of raising ghosts.
If the ghost becomes stronger than its master and can withstand the precepts branded on its body, then even if it doesn't kill its master, it will at least become passive and turn the tables, making the banner master taste the same fate of being treated like a beast of burden.
Therefore, unless one has a strong affinity with a particular Ghost God and can achieve deep devotion, relying on one's past seniority with that Ghost God to suppress one's new seniority on the banner, one cannot succeed.
Otherwise, those who used the Soul-Summoning Banner in the past were not actually highly regarded in terms of combat strength.
Until the Americas Audit Bureau, this year they developed the "Collective Karma Spirit Body Contract".
"Collective Karma Spirit Body" is a term translated literally, referring to a mystical concept.
To put it simply, it's a major trend formed by the mutual influence between humans and the environment throughout history.
For example, living in the same city, everyone enjoys the same basic welfare benefits, sees the same sky, and endures the same air pollution and various noises and light pollution.
Each person's life is now being polluted anew, and this mutual influence creates a shared karma.
If a country is thriving and most people are hardworking, simple, diligent, and confident, they will also inspire those around them, which is a kind of collective karma.
The so-called "Collective Karma Spirit Body" in the Americas refers to an invisible force formed by the interplay between the influence of humanity across the nation and the environment.
When Chu Tianshu heard this term in China, he said to Wei Qidong, "It sounds like it's basically the same thing as what we call national Fortune?"
Wei Qidong gave an affirmative answer.
Domestically, pragmatism is the main focus now, and the cultivation world is predominantly martial arts-based, with even those who practice magic making up a relatively small proportion.
As for the ethereal Fortune, we can only find some records and usages in ancient books; there are not many concrete research results.
The folk religions and cults of the Americas that worshipped Spirit Body were rampant and provided a wealth of experimental material, leading to new breakthroughs in this area.
The Audit Bureau integrated the results from all parties and came up with this secret contract method.
It allows people and ghosts to sign a contract under the witness of the "Collective Karma Spirit Body" of the Americas.
In this way, if a ghost violates the contract and disobeys orders, the master doesn't need to do anything; the "Collective Karma Spirit Body" will punish it.
As long as the "Collective Karma Spirit Body" activated by a person is strong enough, even if their cultivation level is low and they have just entered the field, they can confidently and boldly sign hundreds or thousands of contracts for themselves, directly raising an army of ghost soldiers.
How much attention a person can attract from the "Collective Karma Spirit Body" depends on their influence in the Americas.
In other words, this secret method of contract can rapidly transform a person's wealth and status into supernatural power.
Those Americas gentlemen who were filled with anxiety after the frequent occurrences of the Spirit Realm events were overjoyed upon hearing this news, much like Fan Jin passing the imperial examination.
More than one person went crazy with joy on the spot.
The Audit Bureau originally intended to first screen and implement this law, win over allies, and steadily strengthen its own faction's foundation.
As a result, not long after the trial was implemented, those who obtained the document could not contain themselves and wanted to expand their own factions. In the end, the secret was leaked and almost every gentry in various places had a copy.
Some people in China have already obtained the contents of this secret method, but it is not suitable for local conditions; foreign secret methods cannot be directly applied.
The Special Investigation Bureau's current stance is that rather than letting some people secretly learn and improve upon it, they should first study methods of self-control themselves.
One of the important tasks Chen Taozhi and her team had this time was to observe the changes in this secret technique during actual use, and to report back as important reference material.
Chu Tianshu didn't have this task on his shoulders, but he was still quite curious about it.
The six realms of martial arts: the third realm is the Returning Light, and the fourth realm is the Earth and Heaven Tribulations.
The Earth and Heaven Tribulations are said to be related to Fortune, and that changes in Fortune are used as a trigger to bring forth calamity clouds to cleanse oneself.
"Old Tang, this gathering you invited me to—everyone here is a big shot—"
Chu Tianshu asked with a smile, "You must all understand the Collective Karma Spirit Body Contract and possess the Soul-Summoning Banner, right?"
As he spoke, he glanced at Jon.
Jon clearly follows a martial arts style and also possesses the Soul-Summoning Banner. Once he returns to Americas, he can use the Soul-Summoning Banner, and his true combat power will likely increase even further.
But Jon remained cautious; he didn't believe that taking the banner would guarantee his victory over Chu Tianshu.
"This secret technique of contracts, in essence, is the way of Fortune."
Tang Rongfa said, "The gentlemen present here either have inherited good fortune from their ancestors or started their businesses from scratch. They are all families that have accumulated good deeds and blessings, and their fortunes are naturally prosperous. It would be a pity if they did not practice this method."
Anthony clapped his hands and said, "This conference was meant to be an opportunity for everyone to share information and showcase their strengths, so that we can have a clear understanding of the situation and coordinate our efforts in the future."
"If the divine physician is interested, then he can take a look at the hundreds of banners fluttering and the myriad ghosts emerging from the formation."
"The prosperity of the great United States of America can be glimpsed even amidst all the ghosts."
Chu Tianshu was moved by what he said.
"Great! Great! I've never seen anything like this before, I really want to see it!"
Chen Taozhi's team members had already bypassed the building via the airport passageway and driven their car to the plaza in front of the building.
"Perfect timing, my car has arrived too."
Chu Tianshu waved his hand and invited, "Come on, let's get in the car and go see this conference."
The emerging overlord has his own banner of ten thousand ghosts.
Even the ancient virtuous man had his war chariot.
Everyone has a bright future ahead of them, and it's time for each of us to shine!