When the chaos flew lower, Jing Jiujiu quickly said to Yu Ran, "Dad, I'm going to check what's happening." Then he jumped down as well.
His landing posture was a bit awkward, and he swayed before steadying himself.
Fortunately, by this time the chaos had almost obscured the entire sky, and the reporters heard a loud "thud".
Many reporters were so frightened their legs trembled, and they asked shakily, "What was that sound?"
"What's going on?"
"Is it an eclipse? Or is it the end of the world?"
"Where did Bai Yuhuai go?"
They chattered nervously, only feeling somewhat reassured when hearing each other's voices.
Jing Jiujiu glanced at them and walked into the villa without looking back.
Bai Yuhuai had entered even earlier, of course seeing the empty table sooner. The deity statue and little ghosts were all gone...
He raised his hand, grasping at the air, and caught a trace of lingering yin energy. He lifted his other hand and drew a talisman in mid-air.
That bit of yin energy gradually transformed from inanimate to animate, trembling and looking around in confusion for a moment, before plunging headlong in one direction.
Hm? The basement?
They stole the items but dared to stay in the house?
Bai Yuhuai's face darkened as he strode towards the basement.
By this time, a fight had already broken out in the basement.
The little ghosts had shed their gentle facades.
If they hadn't been raised by Jing Jiujiu, they would have originally become fierce ghosts, ones that would eat human flesh raw. Especially in such large numbers, if they surrounded a person, they could devour them leaving nothing but bones.
Yuanyuan's throat emitted piercing shrieks continuously.
"Give... it... back!"
Only then did those people realize how formidable these little ghosts were, and they hurriedly began to take out talismans and chant spells.
The Cloud Return Sect members were also startled.
So many little ghosts? And these ghosts weren't just ordinary ones. They could kill!
They instinctively wanted to form hand seals too, but forcibly restrained themselves.
These were the Ancestor's children!
But so many little ghosts... Could they all be the Ancestor's? Looking at their faces though, they seemed a bit mixed-race... Was that ghost even a foreign ghost?
The Cloud Return Sect members' minds were in a daze, many thoughts flashing by, but it didn't hinder their actions.
They blocked the group of thieves.
For a moment, the basement was filled with clanging sounds and flying talismans.
How could the Cloud Return Sect not be formidable?
The opponents were almost bullied into submission, with little ghosts crawling all over their legs, biting whenever they got the chance.
"Ahhhh!"
"You ghostly thing!"
Bai Yuhuai had just descended into the basement when he heard this exclamation.
Ever since raising Jing Jiujiu, Bai Yuhuai couldn't stand hearing such insults.
"Move aside," Bai Yuhuai said in a deep voice.
The Cloud Return Sect members' bodies trembled, and they called out in unison, "Ancestor."
The scene was somewhat comical.
After all, which of these old men and women didn't look older than him in age and seniority?
They all made way.
Bai Yuhuai stepped forward, drawing talismans and forming hand seals in the air.
"What is he doing?"
"Don't just stand there! Quickly take out your tools! Otherwise, none of us will be able to leave here today!" the Daoist Master shouted angrily.
"He's drawing... a deity summoning talisman," someone said tremblingly.
Legend had it that the Cloud Return Sect could communicate with heaven and earth deities, could it be true?
The Daoist Master also shuddered upon hearing this.
"What hand seal is he making now?"
"The lightning-summoning seal."
"And what's that?"
"I- I don't know, I can't recognize it either. Ugh..." The speaker felt his neck tighten, as if he couldn't breathe.
Now, he knew.
That hand seal could drive yang energy.
It was originally used for refining ghosts and building tombs.
"He's not even using a talisman paper, can he really summon lightning? I don't believe it," the Daoist Master sneered, no longer trying to shake off the little ghosts on his legs, and flew straight towards Bai Yuhuai.
There was a sound in the air.
With a destructive aura, brushing past the edge of chaos, it fell from the villa's roof, landing on the Daoist Master. However, he also had protective methods, and when the thunder struck, everyone looked closely to see that the Daoist Master's hair had been blasted frizzy.
The Daoist Master touched his head and shouted angrily, "Bai Yuhuai!"
The old men and women of the Cloud Return Sect frowned at the sound. How dare he directly call out the Ancestor's full name?
No manners at all.
In the past, that would have gotten you hanged!
They also formed hand seals.
Then one bolt of lightning after another struck down, each one hitting the Daoist Master's head.
The Daoist Master stood unsteadily, his face pale, blood slowly trickling down his forehead... With a "thud", he fell to his knees.
There was a "ripping" sound from behind him, the sound of his clothes being torn by something.
The others were all stunned.
What was this called?
Was this what they meant by "don't show off, showing off gets you struck by lightning"?
Now no one dared say they didn't believe, instead they hissed, "It's a misunderstanding! There must be a misunderstanding here, why don't we sit down and talk properly?"
"Misunderstanding?" Bai Yuhuai lifted his eyelids slightly, the coldness in his eyes deepening, "Touching my things is a misunderstanding?"
"We didn't know this was your territory, we only heard someone say there were countless evil ghosts causing trouble here, we came with the intention of exorcising ghosts..."
Bai Yuhuai let out a cold laugh and formed another hand seal.
The Daoist Master, having lost all face, was even more unwilling to see others being so spineless.
It was like a slap to his face!
The Daoist Master squeezed out a voice from his throat: "You think he'll believe what you're saying?"
The Daoist Master sneered, "You've drained all the lightning in the area, how can you summon more lightning now? If you want to kill me today, I'm afraid you'll need that deity summoning talisman of yours to really summon a god!"
The young man beside him also quickly regained his previous arrogance, laughing, "That's right, the gods perished long ago, even King Yama might not exist anymore... let alone others? What god can you possibly summon?"
"You insolent youngsters, don't be so arrogant!" an old man from the Cloud Return Sect shouted sternly.
"If you want to see King Yama, that's easy enough," Bai Yuhuai said indifferently, and drew another deity summoning talisman.
The two deity summoning talismans were different from each other.
The first was respectful and reverent, the second was forceful, as if any god in the vicinity would be directly dragged over.
The talisman drawn in mid-air suddenly flashed with a golden light.
Jing Jiujiu had just walked into the living room.
He called out softly, "Bai Yuhuai?"
"..." There was no response.
However, the next moment, Jing Jiujiu felt a powerful suction force pull him over entirely.
Jing Jiujiu tensed up and shouted loudly, "System 377!"
After shouting, he remembered that the little robot was in his backpack, and the backpack was in the chaos' mouth.
Was he going to be pulled back to the ancient castle?
How could this happen?
Jing Jiujiu's vision blurred, and when it cleared again, he was floating in mid-air, staring wide-eyed at Bai Yuhuai.
Bai Yuhuai: ?
Jing Jiujiu: ???
Before the two could exchange words, the young man had already cried out in shock: "A god? There really are gods? No, that's not right! How is this possible? The gods perished long ago! Even the underworld has vanished..."
But no matter how he looked, that person's face was shrouded in light, followed by a halo of divine radiance rotating behind him. Although faint, it was undeniably the light of a god or buddha!
It instinctively gave people the urge to bow down in worship.
The Daoist Master also stared with wide eyes.
The place where his clothes had torn on his back made another ripping sound, and some unknown, shapeless monster slowly pushed through, squeezing out.
Jing Jiujiu: ?
They thought he was a god?
The Cloud Return Sect members also stared at him in surprise, but they quickly realized that the aura around him indeed didn't seem fake.
They didn't recognize who he was, only seeing the light flowing around him, seemingly with chaos energy mixed in, which really did look like a creation of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, so they all bowed respectfully.
They hadn't seen a real god or buddha in who knows how many years, and now as they bowed, they could barely contain the excitement in their bones.
Bai Yuhuai: "..."
He recognized Jing Jiujiu at a glance.
Jing Jiujiu and Bai Yuhuai exchanged a look, then slowly averted their gazes.
What should I say?
Before he could speak, Yuanyuan let out a pig-like shriek from below: "Mom!!!"
The others thought it was calling to Bai Yuhuai.
Jing Jiujiu was startled. Yuanyuan could speak now?
He hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to say, and just opened his mouth: "You all..."
The two words had barely left his mouth when all the thieves involuntarily fell to their knees. The Daoist Master even prostrated himself on the ground, his face pressed against the cold floor. His expression twisted with rage as the thing on his back struggled and pulled even more violently.
Only Bai Yuhuai remained standing tall, his head held high, his gaze fixed intently on Jing Jiujiu.
For a moment, it seemed as if they were the only two people in the world.
Jing Jiujiu felt a strange sensation, as if he might be blushing.
He lowered his eyes again before speaking: "Who are you?"
He was unaware of it himself.
But to the others, every word he uttered felt like a mountain, invisibly pressing down on them with tremendous weight. It was as if their very spines were about to snap under the pressure.
This was the power of a god... this was the might of a divine being!
They were terrified to the core, yet their faces paradoxically glowed with fanatical fervor.
Wasn't this exactly what they had been seeking?
The instant ascension and transformation into immortals from cultivation stories could finally be realized today!
At this moment, the Daoist Master could no longer hold back his agonized cries.
A massive shadow tore through his spine and flesh, fully emerging from his body.
How strange was this shadow?
It had eighteen arms, eighteen legs, and multiple heads tangled together, colliding with each other whenever it moved.
It looked like multiple souls bound together by some force.
The Daoist Master let out a final, blood-curdling scream: "Aaaah!"
The Young Man cried out hoarsely: "If you are truly a god, then you must hear the voices of your faithful... I am willing to be your devotee, but you should know that the one who summoned you here is a vicious and evil person! He keeps countless little ghosts in his home, and these ghosts are violent and uncontrollable, killing and devouring people... As a god who protects humanity, shouldn't you execute such a wicked individual?"
By this time, the little ghosts had already begun to wail piteously.
Even though Jing Jiujiu hadn't directed his aggressive intent towards them, ghosts are still ghosts - they naturally fear and suffer in the presence of gods and Buddhas.
The others heard the wailing and thought it was a good sign.
What did it matter if a god had been summoned?
Orthodox deities despise those dark and filthy things the most!
"Please, divine one, execute these great sinners who disrespect the gods and upset the balance of yin and yang!" the Young Man shouted.
Jing Jiujiu was very displeased.
He furrowed his brow, but the Young Man was forced to keep his head down and couldn't see his expression.
Bai Yuhuai, observing Jing Jiujiu's demeanor, couldn't help but chuckle softly.
The Young Man heard this and felt something was amiss. He painfully twisted his neck and said coldly: "What are you laughing at?"
Could it be that the Cloud Return Sect's ancestor was so formidable that he didn't even fear the gods?
Then he heard the deity speak again, slowly: "I'll execute you first."
Each word fell like a hammer blow, nearly causing the Young Man to cough up blood.
Now the Young Man was also prostrate on the ground.
Seeing this, Yuanyuan was no longer afraid of the divine aura. It immediately jumped onto his back, happily chittering and gnawing.
The Young Man was nearly dying from pain and anger. He squeezed out his words with difficulty: "Why? Why won't you kill him?"
Jing Jiujiu: "Because he's my boyfriend."
The Young Man: ?!
His eyes widened in shock as he died with regret.
The others were equally stunned.
Even the people from the Cloud Return Sect were dumbfounded and terrified.
How frightening our ancestor is!
Keeping a ghost lover on one side while toying with a god's affections on the other! Ancestor, such two-timing behavior could be the death of our entire sect!