Chapter 5, Warning.

Indeed, it must be the altar of sacrifice. The so-called altar is a place of worship for the earth, and it governs the yin energy. The presiding deity is precisely the god of the altar, which is the predecessor of the land that is revered and worshipped in later generations

"It is indeed a divine warning!" Wang Xiong said. Through the matter of the crystal cup, the father and son have already become loyal followers of Liu Yi.

This matter, having passed over a decade, has long been forgotten by people. This time, it has stirred memories within me, leading me to ponder whether that shrine has once again been occupied by some malevolent spirit or if that evil deity has not perished and is luring us once more

In the future, as the priesthood evolves and divides, various local deities will share their divine responsibilities over the land.

In the midst of the conversation, Wang Datan suddenly choked and began to cough violently. Wang Xiong was taken aback, recalling his father's instruction not to reveal any hints, and thus he fell silent, refraining from saying more

The other ghosts besieging the village did not anticipate this turn of events. Shaken by the thunderous drumbeats, the weaker ones immediately lost their souls, with a cloud of gray mist dissolving directly into the wind

Here, those who understand some spiritual practices have opened their eyes and observed that the divine light above the altar has dimmed to the extreme, as if it could extinguish at any moment

Not good! Liu Yi thought, quickly retreating deeper into the forest. However, the drumbeat shook again, nearly causing his soul to collapse, and the mist surrounding him showed signs of dispersing.

These common people, able to thrive and multiply in a world filled with monsters and spirits, are indeed not merely fortunate. They must possess methods to ward off evil and avoid ghosts

The villagers listened, each expressing their admiration. Originally, the Wang father and son had mentioned spending the night at the ancestral hall and waking up to eat incredibly fragrant noodles. However, no one believed it at the time, but now, upon hearing it again, they couldn't help but feel half-convinced.

In the dark of night, the resounding gongs and drums awakened all the villagers. In an instant, every household stirred, lighting candles. The entire village seemed to come to life.

In this world, there is no unified deity of the land. Each village has its own deity of the land, and in some smaller villages, several villages may even share a single deity of the land.

Suddenly taken aback, he commanded loudly: "Beat the drum!"

In the original world of Liu Yi, there were originally three deities. One of them is Houtu, known in Taoism as the Empress of the Earth, also referred to as Houtu Niangniang. She governs yin and yang, nurtures all things, and is called the Mother of the Earth. She is the earliest king of the earth.

Regardless of the circumstances, having saved so many people, Liu Yi felt a sense of peace and joy, filled with delight

Ancient people revered Heaven and cherished the Earth. The land is vast and cannot be fully honored, thus they designated the land as a community and offered sacrifices to it, in gratitude for its contributions. To repay the blessings of the Earth, they worshipped the land deity, which is the god of the Earth.

This information seemed to have appeared out of thin air in Liu Yi's consciousness, allowing him to know it instinctively

Wang Xiong proudly said: "This deity is the most benevolent and righteous. When my son and I encounter difficulties, we are sent..."

"Did you also have that dream?" Wang Da asked

A catastrophe that led to the destruction of the village unfolded in this manner

After pondering for a moment, he said: "In life, if one does not repay kindness, how can one be considered human? If it is indeed that mountain deity who saved us, we shall go tomorrow to offer incense and express our gratitude!"

Wang Da said with a proud smile: "Fortunately, it was the mountain deity from the mountain who sent a dream to warn us. Otherwise, my son and I would not have known about the danger!"

The customs of this world are simple and honest, and ultimately, grievances are settled. The enmity of a father’s murder will not be obstructed by the authorities. Similarly, one must also repay the kindness received from others with utmost sincerity.

As Wang Xiong spoke, he had just slipped on his shoes and stepped out of the room when he saw his father also emerging in the dark.

Another one is the sentence from Long, which states: "The dominance of the Gonggong clan over the Nine Provinces, their son is called Houtu, who is capable of overseeing the Nine Provinces, hence he is worshipped as the deity of the land"

The villagers all looked over with clean expressions, today was truly more dangerous than a haircut. Even the community altar has collapsed, clearly the deity of the community could no longer withstand it. If a large group of wild spirits were to invade the village, it would not be an exaggeration to say that everyone would perish, at least one-third of the people would not survive.

Liu Yi thought to himself. He originally believed that even if he informed the Wang family, they might not necessarily be able to escape the impending disaster

Liu Yi escaped back to the shrine and possessed the statue. Gradually, he began to feel at ease, and the panic that had made his heart race began to subside.

At the same time, Liu Yi took advantage of the dense forest to weaken the sound of the drums. He quickly fled towards the shrine.

The village chief felt a sense of doubt in his heart. The temple on the mountain was not originally a legitimate place of worship. It was established by a Hu monk who came to preach the Dharma, creating a shrine to honor some Vajra protectors. Later, upon hearing the news, the authorities sent people down to expel this Hu monk. They intended to burn down the shrine, but as it happened, they encountered heavy rain and were unable to set it on fire

Even the strong ones are rolling and crawling, hastily avoiding. Only that tree spirit is not greatly affected. It is not a soul body; once the wild ghosts that drive it away disperse, it hurriedly flees towards the forest

I pondered as well! Wang Da said, making a decision: "Take out the gong!"

The village head hurriedly led the people to the community altar in the village, and was taken aback.

At this moment, the village head said to Wang Da: "Thanks to your vigilance, the sound of the gong has awakened the villagers. Otherwise, all the old and young in our village would have been slaughtered in their sleep by those evil spirits"

However, without the offerings of incense, the deity's statue gradually loses its efficacy. Over time, it becomes a dilapidated temple.

There, a flash of light caught his eye, and he wondered: "Is that the temple on the mountain? I have been there as well; it has long lost its divine aura. Could it be that the deity is reviving..."

A single strike of the gong would rouse the entire village. However, at that moment, Wang Xiong showed no hesitation and took out the gong, striking it with all his might.

What is it that emits a faint light, blocking the wild spirits from entering the village?

In such an era, to become a village chief or a community leader, one must possess certain abilities that are somewhat extraordinary.

Upon seeing this, the villagers from each household took out their own small drums and joined in the response. In an instant, dozens of drumbeats resonated together, reverberating through the mountains and forests

The villagers gathered by the community platform, setting up a large cowhide drum, and were actively beating it. The booming sound resembled thunder, carrying a tone of battle.

In the three villages at the foot of the mountain, a local deity is worshipped.

Another figure is Da Yu, who is said to have worked diligently for the world. After his death, he was enshrined as a deity of the Earth. The land produces grass, trees, and grains, nurturing humanity, and thus he is regarded as a god of infinite power

Liu Yi did not go far; he is still within that grove. Startled by the sound of the drum, he felt a jolt in his heart, nearly losing his spirit, and his entire soul almost fell apart

I felt that my soul was becoming more stable; amidst the sound of drums, although there were still waves of heart palpitations, it was no longer the feeling of being on the verge of losing my soul.

Liu Yi formed a hand seal and silently recited the Heart Sutra of the Ghost Emperor, burning the last bit of his strength to visualize the manifestation of the Ghost Emperor. Such a small amount of divine power was simply insufficient to shape the manifestation; Liu Yi merely focused on the heavy, mountain-like might of the Ghost Emperor.