...... At that time, the sky was high and the moon was clear, and the four universes were clear. In the middle of the hour, the human voice gradually subsided, and suddenly heard the thunder from Russia, and the sound broke the ear drum. Observing the loss of the Moon Palace, it gradually returned to its position. In Gu City, the dogs and dolphins rushed forward, crying everywhere, the houses were all overturned, the tile walls were broken, the beams were broken like rotten grass, and the screams of pain and injuries spread for several miles, and the number of dead and injured was unknown.

This is the text recorded in the "Xingzhou Tongzhi".

In August of the fourth year of Yongxi, in the middle of the year, this strange earthquake occurred in the territory of the Great Song Dynasty, which shocked the world.

Tokyo. At the time of the earthquake, the four gates had been closed, and half of the city's homes had already slept.

Emperor Taizong was reviewing the recital in the palace Ruisi Palace, he had just seen the Privy Council's performance, and suddenly he heard a thunderstorm explode, the earthquake came, the palace shook violently, the doors and windows shook, and the sixteen giant candles burning in the hall were also extinguished at the same time in an instant.

Taizong was shocked, threw the jade pipe in his hand to the case, stood up, but saw the opposite hall, the owl beast standing in the corner of the eaves stretched its neck to the sky, opened its mouth and howled the wind, and became as if it was alive.

"Someone!" Taizong rang the golden bell at hand, and the four eunuchs waiting outside the door bowed down and pushed the door in a panic, their footing was unstable, and they fell to the ground to listen to the order.

"What's going on out there?"

"Back to the emperor......" Before the eunuchs could answer, "Boom, boom!" Another strong earthquake came, and the glazed tiles on the palace wall outside were turned away from the wall by this shock, and they fell down and clanged. This time the shaking was much more violent than the previous one, and the entire Ruisi Hall seemed to fall to one side, and the roof beams fell with dust. Just when everyone's foothold was unstable, the four big red lacquer pillars in the hall suddenly emitted a faint golden light. Taizong and the four eunuchs faintly seemed to hear the chanting of the Buddhist scriptures by the monks on the beams painted on their heads. With the sound of chanting, the four coiled dragons carved on the lacquer pillar became like living creatures. The scales were retracted one by one, and they seemed to twist their bodies. Suddenly tightened the lacquer column.

The Temple of Wisdom settled down in an instant.

Listening to the sound of shocks outside the hall, the sound is far away, and the palaces and halls are gradually calm. The palace compound was soothed by an unknown divine power.

After all, Taizong is the emperor who has been fighting for half his life because of the military power, and he has seen many chaos. After a brief moment of shock at the first sight of the vision, he immediately regained his composure, and by this time he had a premonition that the tremor was not only a disaster in the court, but also affected the whole city of Tokyo, and beyond, reminiscent of the many national conquests in the past few days. Something is known to be happening. After thinking about it for a while, he ordered the eunuch: "Go and find me the eunuch Si Tian!"

The eunuch received the order and withdrew from the temple.

Not long after, Wei Ziping, the supervisor of Si Tian, hurried to the front of the palace to knock on him. Entering the hall with him was Master Dejie, the abbot of the White Horse Temple, who rushed to hear the news. Master Dejie is a high-ranking monk, often enter the palace to speak to Taizong, he knows the emperor's temperament, and knows that if such a big event happens, the emperor will send someone to ask him for questioning. Because of the urgency of the matter, he simply did not wait for the summons to come.

"Wei Aiqing, tell me what happened to this earthquake. Why? What is foreshadowing?"

"Your Majesty......" Wei Ziping knelt on the ground and kowtowed four times in a row, but he refused to speak. Taizong saw it. Knowing that he had something unspeakable, he said solemnly: "You can tell the truth." I forgive you for your innocence. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Wei Ziping bowed and stood up, and finished his salute. Only then did he say: "I would like to inform Your Majesty that the minister has observed the celestial phenomena recently and has noticed that the situation is different. It's just that I have hesitation in my heart, thinking that Your Majesty has always been kind to the people, and he is more virtuous than the emperors of previous dynasties, and the sky should repay him. The astrological doctrine has never been used as an auxiliary wing for governing the world, and it has only been commented on by later generations. The minister did not dare to disturb His Majesty with ethereal signs. Therefore, it has not been sparsely played so far.

"It's just that, looking at today's situation, the moon is suddenly passing through the sky, the rivers and rivers are overturning, and the phenomenon of chaos has indeed been born. At this time, if the minister still takes care of his head and tail to conceal what he knows, and delays the affairs of the state, it should not be tolerated by the people in the future. ”

Taizong said: "Say, tell me everything you know." ”

"The minister is bold. Wei Ziping said, "Since the beginning of summer, every time the minister observes the celestial phenomena, he always sees the crape myrtle dim, the glow is dazzling, the thorn of the ghost star invades the main star from time to time, and there are two demons active. ”

Taizong was taken aback, he didn't expect things to be so serious. "How can this be, you go on to elaborate. ”

"Your Majesty, please come outside with your ministers. Wei Ziping said, walked to the door of the hall first, respectfully invited Taizong to leave the hall, and then followed him. "Your Majesty, look, that star is Luminous Confusion. ”

On the celestial map, a large bright star shimmered red, much brighter than the surrounding stars. Even under the cover of the bright moon, its edge still does not reduce its sparse radiation, and it looks like nothing on the left and right stars.

"Your Majesty looks at crape myrtle again, and that circle is crape myrtle wall. Wei Ziping pointed his finger to a circle of small stars on the left side of Yingfu, which was a group of stars glowing with purple light, different from light to bright, scattered to the left of Yingfu, the starlight was warm, the main and secondary were distinct, and on the edge of the slightly brighter main stars, there were many companion stars surrounded into a ring and protected in it. However, at this time, the stars rose sharply, directly in the Ziwei Palace, and in the starry sky, I saw that the stars were arrogant and looking forward to it.

"This is the image of the demon star bullying the master. Wei Ziping said worriedly, "When the Spring and Autumn War was raging and the people of Li were lost, this was the case. The Qin and Han dynasties alternated, and when the lives were devastated, this image also appeared, and the nearest one was chased to the five dynasties and ten countries, and the princes were divided, and this image was also produced, Your Majesty ...... "Wei Ziping couldn't go on.

Emperor Taizong looked at a group of stars in the sky in a daze, thinking that he was also touched by this scene, and did not speak for a long time. After a long time, I heard him sigh and said, "The country is in turmoil and the people are in trouble...... Why is this? The people of Li have always suffered disasters, because of the king, and the changes in the business are enough to learn from it. Could it be that I am in an extremely high position because I have been widowed and have caused all sentient beings to suffer from it? Or have I made no mistakes and lost my love with God? I ask myself why such a great chaos has appeared in our court?"

Wei Ziping knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty is a virtuous monarch, once in a thousand years, but natural disasters are not done by human beings after all. He was also forced by the Tibetan sword soldiers. The minister thinks that the phenomenon of today's troubled times. It's not that Your Majesty is unethical......"

"Okay, okay, don't say any more of these nice things. Taizong waved his hand. Stopping Wei Ziping from speaking, he said: "In the current situation, no matter whether I am virtuous or unvirtuous, I must first think of a way to avoid disasters." If I know that there is a calamity to come, and I can't find a way to deal with it, no matter how many top hats you put on me, I will still be a dumb and incompetent king. ”

When Emperor Taizong was young, he followed Taizu to fight for many years and immediately settled the world. The temperament is also quite arrogant. Talking about one's own wrongs in front of the courtiers is not taken seriously. asked Wei Ziping at the moment: "Wei Aiqing, since you have calculated that the chaos is coming, do you know where this chaos started?"

Wei Ziping said: "Ghost stars appear frequently, and comets and stars overlap, which is a sign of demons and ghosts. The image appears in Xuanwu, which should be located in the north, and it must be that there are demons and ghosts in the north direction, and the disaster will extend the world. ”

"Amitabha. When the old monk recites the scriptures, there is also a hidden omen that the source of chaos does arise from the north. Gen Dejie, who had been standing aside, also said, "This is about uncleanness. Within three years, the people were afflicted. Your Majesty must take precautions as soon as possible. ”

"North direction...... Unclean things......" Emperor Taizong raised his head and looked up at the top of the hall. North. It is the sworn enemy of the Great Song Kingdom, the place where the Liao Dynasty is located.

Taizong frowned.

The conquest between Song and Liao. So far, the situation has been reversed. Last year, Qigou Pass lost the first battle, and the strength of the Great Song Dynasty was greatly damaged. Now it has been forced to switch from offensive to defensive and retreat to the home defense. The Empress Dowager Xiao of the Liao Dynasty is a powerful figure, and the court is also known as a brave general, since June last year, she has actively led the troops to invade the south and broke the Song army.

The war in the north has always been a lingering shadow in Emperor Taizong's heart.

The four prefectures of Yun, Shuo, Huan, and Ying have been conquered by the enemy one after another. Judging from the battle reports that have come from the front in recent days, the situation is extremely unfavorable. The Liao army is occupying step by step, and the vanguard has forced Xiongxiong to dominate the two states. Don't...... Will the Great Song Dynasty be destroyed by the attack of the Liao Dynasty? Taizong tapped the book case with his finger and groaned.

After a while, Taizong came up with an answer in his heart, and there was a hidden pride in his chest. Although the other party occupies the advantages of the sixteen states of Youyun, the southern part of the Great Song Dynasty is stable, and the source of grain and grass is still sufficient, so it may not be defeated by the Liao State. For more than ten years, the two countries have clashed against each other, and there have been countless wars, large and small, and he also knows a lot about the national strength and strength of the Liao Dynasty. It is known that although the Great Song Dynasty has declined due to the defeat in World War I, the Liao Dynasty did not occupy an absolute advantage at this time. They want to plant the handsome flag in Xijing City, but they can't. As long as Kyoto does not fall, the country will not be plunged into riots.

However, apart from the defeat of the two countries, what else could have caused the national turmoil and the people's disaster? Wei Ziping and the monks both said that the rebellion was caused by demons,...... Demon ...... Demon ...... That's right! Taizong suddenly thought of something, his body shook suddenly, and his two eyes instantly widened.

Not bad! Demon Rebellion! In the north, there is another huge source of demon chaos!

Fenzhou.

August 17, a quarter of the hour.

"Outside the good volunteers" Sun Tiansheng's house, the lights are bright.

Many people are reluctant to walk along the winding stone paths, or cast light spells, jump over the walls, or recite mantras in the courtyard to escape the soil and walk through the ground. Looking closely, everyone who came and went in a hurry had a solemn expression on their faces, without a trace of smile.

Now it is an extraordinary opportunity, and there are more and more beasts and monsters pouring into the demon cave from all directions, and the defensive front built by dozens of Jianghu sects is getting longer and longer day by day. All the Jianghu disciples who were guarding this place sensed the urgency of the situation from the face of the division commander and felt the heavy pressure.

When I entered the house, there were many people in the main hall. The sandalwood chair in the middle is sitting on the Central Plains hero Liu Zhenlu, and the first two rows of seats are also full of people.

“...... Liu Daxia, is the situation really as serious as you said?" The person who spoke was the leader of the "Chengmen" who had just arrived from Mizhou, "Flying Sickle Meteor" Lai Qingsheng, and there was a shocked look on his face. "I also wanted to work with all the leaders to eliminate the harm for the people and kill them inside! According to this, that won't work! I only brought forty disciples this time, but I'm afraid it won't help, there are so many monsters, and there are thousands of years of demons...... Not to mention getting in, it's a big question whether we can hold it or not!"

"The situation is really serious. Liu Zhenlu said solemnly, "With our current defense manpower, it is really difficult to break into the demon cave. Even if it only maintains the current situation, it is quite insufficient. But please rest assured, there are more and more heroes on the rivers and lakes who understand the seriousness of the situation. The number of people joining the war is increasing. Lai is in charge, and Yan is in charge. Brother Duan, Brother Xu. There is also the leader of the Gai Keqi gang, Fei Shihan Daxia...... Didn't you all come here when you heard that something was going on here? I believe that as long as everyone works together and contributes their efforts, we will be able to fill in this monster hole. As for whether or not you can hold it, you don't need me to say any more, right? Ho ho, I have good news to tell you, yesterday I heard a report from my disciples, and in recent days, many enthusiastic friends in the rivers and lakes have spontaneously formed a team to fight against monsters. It's a good thing that we've killed a lot of monsters on all defensive lines, and it's not a problem for us to consolidate our base for a while. ”

"What's the use of just consolidating the base?" said an old man sitting at the end of the door, "The gathering speed of the monsters is much faster than we imagined, if we can't rush into the inner line as soon as possible, sweep away all these demons and monsters, and wait for another three or five years for them to become the climate, then." Once the danger is endangered, no one can stop it. ”

"That's what Old Hero Fei said. Liu Zhenlu smiled, "It's just that everyone understands the current situation, and we can't act rashly because of the lack of manpower." In order to truly remove this hidden danger, I think the first is to mobilize all factions in the Central Plains as soon as possible. Send disciples to participate in the elimination of demons, second. Write to the imperial court and ask the emperor to send a large army to suppress it. This matter cannot be delayed. I am going to take a two-pronged approach, and in the next two days, I will draft a petition and report it to the imperial court together to inform the matter here. ”

"The court, let's not count on the court. A thin man on the right sneered, "Now that the war situation in Xiongzhou and Bazhou is tight, Pan Mei and Tian Chongjin's hundreds of thousands of troops are trapped there, and they are still counting on the emperor to send Su Guards to turn the tide of the war." When the Su Guards go out of Beijing, they must be transferred to the front line first, how can they take care of this?"

While he was talking, a disciple ran up to the hall and clasped his fists and said, "Master! Just now I received a message from Yunzhongtang on the Western Front, saying that more than a dozen Jianghu figures entered the defense area at dusk, and they asked us what to do. Elder Yan Taishan also sent a message to inquire if the more than 30 heroes who entered their defense area at noon today were sent by us. ”

"Someone going in again?" Liu Zhenlu's eyes flashed with a hint of doubt, he groaned slightly, and said to the disciple: "I know, you go down." In just a moment, his expression had returned to normal, and no one could see anything unusual.

"Who is going to go in at this time? Someone asked.

"Yes, a dozen people, if they meet thousands of years old goblins...... That's not good. ”

One of the people in the audience turned his gaze to Liu Zhenlu and asked, "Are these people sent by you, Liu Daxia?" His tone was quite unfriendly, and he didn't know why he was hostile to Liu Zhenlu. "There are so many powerful monsters in there, what can these dozens of people do? Wouldn't it be too rash to send them in like this?"

Liu Zhenlu smiled slightly, but did not answer directly, "No matter who goes in, there is always a reason for them to go in." Sooner or later, we'll see. Let's talk about the personnel replenishment of each line of defense for now. ”

At this moment, the footsteps in the courtyard sounded again, and a young disciple rushed up to the hall with an unconcealed excitement on his face.

"Liu Daxia, the disciples of the Shushan Sect have arrived! Forty-six people came, as well as seventy-two monks from Tianlong Temple, they were all sitting in the side hall and waiting. ”

Everyone in the hall was moved. Shushan faction and Tianlong Temple, one Buddha, both sects are in charge of the rivers and lakes Niu Er famous faction, it is usually difficult to see their disciples on the rivers and lakes, but unexpectedly, this time there are as many as one hundred and eighteen people. And Liu Zhenlu was able to transfer the disciples of these two factions to help, which was really unexpected by everyone. It can be seen that the power of the Central Plains hero's call for organization is indeed beyond the reach of others.

Liu Zhenlu was overjoyed, clapped his palms, and said in a loud voice: "Okay! Shushan and Tianlong Temple are chivalrous first, which is really admirable! Our strength has been greatly enhanced, and after the next two days, after the disciples of more than 20 sects in the south have arrived, we may be able to enter the demon cave, sweep away the demons, and relieve the worries of the people!"

"Let's go with me to the side hall and have a look. ”

Everyone moved to the west side hall, and when they went out, they saw a dozen children setting up ladders and hanging lanterns in the corridor. The courtyard was bright for a while. It turned out that the owner of the village knew that the guests were coming, and ordered the servant boy to light all the lanterns in the village.

"Sun Yuan is knowledgeable and interesting, no wonder he can earn such a big family business. The group laughed and followed out the door. Seeing the mountains and rocks in the courtyard, the flowers and trees are lush, and the wind sends the fragrance of osmanthus flowers, this scenery is more flavorful than in the daytime. A group of people were talking, and as soon as they walked into the courtyard, they heard a deafening thunderclap. Snowy flashes illuminated the courtyard.

"Boom!" This time the turmoil was really abrupt, even though everyone had profound mana. If you don't catch it, you will also be in a slight mess.

"What's wrong?"

"What's going on?"

The group of heroes looked at each other, completely unaware of the reason. Sun Yuanwai's house occupies a wide area. The courtyard was full of tall flowers and trees, and everyone was blocked by the high stone walls and flowers and leaves, and no one could see the outside situation. Just when he was in doubt, "boom rumble" and another violent thunder, as if it exploded in his ears. The ground shook violently in an instant, like quicksand, and it was unsteady to stand. Everyone panicked, and they woke up quickly and began to cast talisman spells. Swiftness, Ant Armor Spell. White and black lights lit up one after the other.

Liu Zhenlu Shi took off his feathers and jumped up, and flew to the top of a cinnamon tree to look around. Glancing around, he saw that in the front yard, dozens of pale cyan figures flew out of the side hall on the west side, and Hoshimaru jumped and scattered in all directions, quickly occupying the walls, roofs, gates, and other places. The flash of the weapon and the muffled sound of the curse rang out one after another.

"Imperial Decree: Tian Yuan's Divine Officer on Duty protects his life and is as fast as a law!"

"Imperial Decree: Diyuan is employed by the land mountain god An Palace to guard the house, and the disease is like a law!"

There was a strange vibration in the air, and the sound was like a tune. I can't hear it when I listen closely, but I can feel it in a trance, as if it rings in the blood of human skin.

Almost at the same time, everyone heard the peaceful voice of chanting the Buddha:

Nan Wu drank the Lotana. Doroyeye, there is no Ayaya Boluqi Emperor in the south, and the bowl is shining. Bodhisattva Bhavaya, Mahasattva Bharvaya. Mahagarun Nigaya......

This is the great compassion mantra chanted by Sanskrit, and the sound is coming from the side hall on the west side.

Seventy-two monks dressed in yellow looked down in unison. The movement was extremely fast, and two groups rushed out of the hall, and the sound of chanting became louder and louder, obscuring all other sounds for a while, and after a moment it seemed to reach the sky, echoing among the clouds. The turbulence of the courtyard quickly subsided to the sound of this chant.

"Ahh

In the southeast direction, in the sky, a scarlet cloud flew out at some point, slowly extending into the middle of the sky, bright as a brilliant brocade, low pressing on the junction of heaven and earth, like a delicate and fiery red flower quietly spouting. Beneath the clouds, there was a terrifying scene, thousands of bright red forked lightning bolts, flashing one after another, and constantly slashing down on the earth.

"Something's wrong!" the crowd of heroes commotioned, and as the number of people who came to their senses increased, the shouting gradually became louder.

"That's where the monsters gather! Something must have happened!"

Southeast of Fenzhou, one hundred and forty miles away in Kangning Village, the defense base where Yunzhongtang is stationed.

All the disciples came out of the collapsed house, and they gathered in the clearing, dodging the huge broken wood boulder that had been thrown by the earthquake, and staring in horror at the vision in front of them.

The sky is boiling. The sky, which should have been as dark as ink, suddenly became so bright in this night. The whole earth was shrouded in red light, and the mountains, trees, houses, and people were all wrapped in a strange red as if they had just been watered by the rain of blood. Overhead, blood-colored clouds rushed in waves after waves. The vast heavenly dome had become a fountain of blood, crimson, bright red, rusty red, these never-before-seen clouds were spreading in all directions at an astonishing speed, and at the place where the clouds met, the bright electric light was like a huge sword of gods and ghosts, piercing the heavens and the earth from time to time.

The clouds were so low that they couldn't breathe, and the shaking of the earth felt insignificant compared to the heavy clouds that were as heavy as iron wheels.

However, what caught the attention of the sixty-two Cloud Hall disciples was not these blood-colored clouds that seemed to want to devour everything from time to time. One hundred and twenty-four eyes, now looking in unison to the south, there, now unfolding, a strange sight they had never dreamed of:

In the distance, four black pillars emerged from the vast woods, piercing the sky. It was four huge columns of black smoke, like four insolent dragons, rolling, roaring, and swaying, rushing up from the ground into the boiling blood-colored clouds.

Strange images swirled in the pillars of smoke, as if it were another country, in which the forms of countless creatures were disillusioned. From the bottom to the top of the black smoke, there were terrible shapes everywhere, human faces, tiger faces, bull heads, these things that were many times larger than the originals, their lips and eyes were full, they were frantically bulging outward, as if trying to break free from the cage formed by the smoke column, they opened their mouths and shouted, their expressions were painful and hideous, their empty eye sockets, the long tongues sticking out of the huge mouths, and the sharp fangs that always stood out on the surface of the swirling smoke. There were even djinn arms with sharp nails on their palms breaking through the smoke and scratching in the air.

Smoke lines surrounded the air, and huge heads formed by thick smoke flew in all directions.

Everyone was stunned, and the horror in their hearts was indescribable. As I saw more and more strange faces break free from their restraints, they dragged long black smoke to the four directions, pounced on the beasts and monsters that were gathering in this direction......