Chapter 154 - 120: Zhong Kui Slays Ghosts, Awaiting Return

Chapter 154: Chapter 120: Zhong Kui Slays Ghosts, Awaiting Return

Faces, contorted in agony, malice, and torment, materialized all over his body, endlessly surfacing to bite and gnaw at him!

This was the burning of Karmic Fire.

In that instant, the madness and triumph in the Withered and Flourishing Daoist’s eyes were replaced by boundless terror.

Amidst the searing Karmic Fire, he witnessed his entire sinful life. He saw the spirits of all those he had brutalized, their arms outstretched to drag him down into Eternal Hell!

The black Karmic Fire solidified from its ethereal form. Before the terrified eyes of every survivor, the Withered and Flourishing Daoist, along with all the Ghost Qi he had just absorbed, was incinerated.

Not even a speck of ash remained.

With the arch-culprit vanquished, the resentful energy between heaven and earth cleared.

On the opera stage, the majestic Dharma Aspect of Zhong Kui gave Chen Ye a deep look and a slight nod before transforming into a thousand points of light and slowly dissipating.

The Divine Power receded. The immense strength that was not his own ebbed away like a tide.

Chen Ye’s vision went black. His legs gave out, no longer able to support him, and he fell to one knee upon the cold stage.

Then, a wave of extreme exhaustion and weakness crashed over him like a collapsing mountain, a sweeping tsunami.

But heavier than his physical weakness was the heart-wrenching grief from the sacrifice of his master, Tie Dan, and all his fellow performers.

He lifted his head, his gaze falling upon Guan Sihai’s cold, stiff body nearby. His throat bobbed, but he couldn’t utter a single word. Only silent tears streamed down his face.

The square before the temple was deathly silent.

All the survivors watched this scene in silence.

Lu Jinghong and Qi Nana were already sobbing uncontrollably. Even Mr. Lu and Qi Shihao, both strapping men, couldn’t help but raise their hands to wipe at their reddened eyes.

Amidst this sorrowful silence, the fog that had shrouded Sea Guardian Guard for the entire night began to rapidly dissipate.

The first ray of New Year’s sunlight pierced through the thick clouds, spilling onto the opera stage.

Daybreak!

At the same time, everyone lifted their heads, staring blankly at the warm morning sun. Though only a single night had passed, it felt as long as a century.

A moment later, the gates of the General Temple slowly opened. The surviving townsfolk emerged, supporting one another. They instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes from the harsh light, their faces filled with the dazed look of those who had escaped a catastrophe.

After a brief silence as they took in the sight before them, low sobs began to break out.

Houses had collapsed, leaving a scene of utter devastation. The streets were a tapestry of bloodstains and scorch marks, like a scroll painting of Hell on earth.

But when Chen Ye was helped out, all the surviving townsfolk in the temple square, men and women, young and old, spontaneously stopped crying and silently cleared a path for him.

Their gazes were incredibly complex, filled with sorrow and gratitude, but dominated by an awe typically reserved for a deity.

Qi Shihao’s eyes were red as he fought back his grief. He immediately began organizing his government officials and the surviving martial arts masters to rescue the injured and tally the casualties.

After this battle, the population of Sea Guardian Guard had been reduced by a tenth.

Behind this cold statistic were tens of thousands of shattered families.

The Peach Garden Lineage, in particular, had suffered a devastating blow; the leaders of nearly every opera troupe had been wiped out.

In a corner of the crowd, Chunyan did not cry.

Her eyes were red as she found a relatively clean cloth in the ruins, dampened it with some water, and silently began to clean the faces of her fallen comrades from the Qingchun Troupe.

When she reached Tie Dan’s side, her movements became even more gentle.

She carefully wiped the dried blood and opera paint from Tie Dan’s face, as if he weren’t dead, but simply exhausted and asleep after a performance.

Her composure and strength, which seemed beyond her years, made Lu Jinghong’s heart ache as she watched.

Just as the entire city was sinking into despair, Mr. Lu stepped forward.

He announced publicly that all pharmacies under the Lu Family’s name would treat the injured for free, and that every afflicted family could receive a month’s worth of rations from his grain stores, also for free.

At the same time, Mr. Lu promised that as long as the Lu Family stood, they would fund the complete rebuilding of Sea Guardian Guard.

His words were like a shot in the arm, giving a sliver of hope to countless people on the verge of collapse.

Soon, some of the city’s surviving wealthy merchants and gentry also answered the call, contributing money if they had it and labor if they didn’t, all to overcome the crisis together.

In the days that followed, there was no longer any festive spirit in Sea Guardian Guard.

The sounds filling the city were not firecrackers, but the incessant hammering of nails into coffins and heart-wrenching wails of grief.

With financial support from Mr. Lu and under Qi Shihao’s organization, all the able-bodied young adults in the city began to clear the streets, bury the dead, and set up temporary soup kitchens and shelters.

Everyone wore a numb expression, mechanically performing their tasks. Their immense grief was forcibly suppressed, channeled instead into the strength to rebuild their homes.

Inside the General Temple, the survivors spontaneously erected memorial tablets for all the fallen members of the opera world, placing them beside the shrine of General Qin Lie.

Before the tablets of Guan Sihai, Tie Dan, and the others, incense burned day and night without cease.

And on the other side of the General Temple, someone had secretly drawn a portrait of Chen Ye and enshrined it.

The common folk dared not speak his name directly, referring to him in private as the Lingxian Bodhisattva.

They firmly believed it was this Lingxian Bodhisattva who had summoned a god to save the entire city’s populace.

Chen Family.

Chen Ye’s body had mostly recovered. After all, he hadn’t suffered any real injuries, just a severe depletion of his qi and blood.

However, a pall of gloom always hung over Chen Ye’s heart. The final smile on Guan Sihai’s face, the resolute sight of Tie Dan’s back as he walked away—these images constantly replayed in his mind, impossible to dismiss.

Finally, he let out a long sigh and shook his head, forcefully dispelling these thoughts.

Then, Chen Ye immersed his awareness in his Heart Spirit and began to take stock of his gains from this ordeal.