Chapter 272: The Deity Reveals Himself Before the Entire County
Chapter 268 of "The Great Ming in the Box" starts the action: Captain Wolf was galloping wildly on horseback, his attention fully fixed on Fang Wushang.Suddenly he... Find out what happens!
Captain Wolf was galloping wildly on horseback, his attention fully fixed on Fang Wushang.Suddenly he heard the sound of wind rustling, and an arrow came flying straight toward himâthis startled him badly, so he hurriedly tilted his head back; the arrow narrowly skimmed past his nose tip, almost striking him squarely in the face, scaring him quite a bit.
When he lifted his head back up and straightened it, he spotted Fang Wushang already right in front of him, swinging his spearâthudâit struck Captain Wolf squarely in the chest.
The thick armor on him blocked the spear tip from causing direct harm, but the force packed in that thrust knocked him off the horse.
With a loud thump, he hit the ground, rolled over several times, and then managed to leap up.
As soon as he stood up, he saw Cheng Xu standing before him.
Captain Wolf: âFuck!â
He barely had time to say that one word before Cheng Xu twisted his neckâcrackâand it snapped.
Almost at the same instant, Fang Wushangâs spear followed through againâthudâthis time piercing through a gap in the armor plates and stabbing into Captain Wolfâs body.
Cheng Xu clapped his hands and leapt away: âDamn it, you nearly speared me!â
Fang Wushang: âI had it under control.â
The two only exchanged those words and immediately parted to go attend to their own tasks.
Cheng Xu began loudly rallying the militia again, while Fang Wushang reined in his steed and circled the rebel army once more.
With Captain Wolf dead, the rebel army lost their will to fight.
Every captain was already beginning to think of fleeing.
However, in Chengcheng Countyâs ranks, their zeal surged greatly; Fang Wushangâs hundred subordinates charged over with overwhelming momentumâthese were soldiers actually shaped by Cheng Xu, who deeply understood their old commanderâs spirit: when encountering strong foes, they turned as timid as mice; when the enemy seemed cowardly, they became as fierce as lions.
Further back, the servants, constables, and helpers under Liang Shixian, as well as the countyâs militia and refugees, felt their morale soar too, flung open the city gates, and rushed out with loud battle cries.
This charge carried truly unstoppable force.
The rebels saw thisâhow could they possibly withstand it?
No one even needed to give orders; with wild screams, they turned tail and ran.
However, this time Li Daoxuan could not let them escape.
Last time Li Yingâs troops could be allowed to flee because they were somewhat still considered officialsâthough they had bad habits like extorting the rich and robbing commoners, they at least knew restraint and wouldnât kill innocents indiscriminately; otherwise, civilian officials might impeach them.
But these men before them now were the rebelâthey no longer knew what restraint meant; having traveled here from Guyuan burning, killing, and looting all along, they had grown more brutal than bandit troops.
Li Daoxuan could not let this group scatter back into the villages again.
After a momentâs thought, he figured it was about time!
After so many foundations and hints laid in the county town, most folks living there should already have known the name of âDao Xuan Deityââif he didnât reveal himself now, then when?
With a click, he donned the âInfinity Gloves,â flicked the switch on them, and several âInfinity Stonesâ lit up right away, making his entire right hand flash with multicolored lightâŚ
He bent down to the box and said: âYiye, announce loudly that Iâm about to intervene.â
Gao Yiye, rushing with pride, loudly told the devoted followers nearby: âThe Deity is about to intervene to punish evil and uphold virtue.â
The devoted followers were overjoyed and immediately roared back: âThe Deity is about to intervene!â
By then, there were already many devoted followersâhundreds of them all chanting together in unison, shouting that one phrase simultaneously; their voices rang out for miles, and almost everyone atop the city walls, below them, and across the entire battlefield heard their outcry.
âThe Deity is about to intervene!â
Standing on the city wall, Liang Shixian exclaimed âHuh!â: âWhatâs the meaning of the Li Familyâs actions?â
Clerk shook his head: âI donât understand!â
Liang Shixian felt slightly annoyed: âWeâre at war now, such a serious moment. Playing divine being tricks under these circumstances isnât appropriate, right? Letâs not turn a decent family into something like White Lotus demonsâŚâ
Before he could finish his sentence, clouds parted in the sky. A massive golden hand split the mist, descending straight from above.
Liang Shixian: â!!!â
Clerk: â!!!â
Everyone on and below the city walls: â!!!â
The enormous golden hand shimmered with multicolored lightâthat was the âDeityâs glowâ of His revered name, exactly as folk legends describedâŚ
Devout men and women who had witnessed the Deity manifesting before shrieked hoarsely: âSee! The Deityâs hand⌠I told you long ago! I saw the Deity manifesting in the grove outside the city, yet you stubbornly refused to believe! Haha, do you believe now?â
The giant hand plunged downward!
With a thunderous boom, it slammed onto the ground terrifyingly close before the rebel troops.
The earth shook violently. The remaining several hundred rebelsâalready fleeingâsuddenly saw a giant hand blocking their path. After the deafening crash, the hand lifted, leaving behind an enormous palm imprint at least ten zhang wide and ten zhang long.
That single strike made them all soil themselves in terror.
Not being from Chengcheng County, they hadnât read Dao Xuan Deityâs Demon Elimination Tale, utterly unprepared psychologically. Witnessing such a colossal hand smash down unexpectedly, their first thought wasnât âdivine beingâ but âmonstrous demon.â Rather than simply risking cardiac arrest or pissing themselves, hundreds collapsedâlegs giving way, stumbling, crumpling, kneelingâin grotesque postures across the ground, many with pants smeared with their own filth.
Li Daoxuan slowly retracted his hand, commanding: âCapture them all. Confiscate their weapons. Send them for labor reform!â
Gao Yiye loudly relayed the divine decree, and the believers rushed toward the rebels with joyous cheers.
Meanwhile, beneath Chengcheng Countyâs walls, an eerie atmosphere settled.
Believers who had long trusted in Dao Xuan Deityâs existence and even witnessed His manifestation were undoubtedly the happiest. Instantly reversing past disbelief despite their fervent testimonies, now the entire city saw the Deity materialize. Dare they disbelieve anymore? Hahaha!
Nonbelievers, however, reeled under immense shock. Their state mirrored Bai Yuanâs upon first arriving at Gaojia Village: witnessing the Deityâs manifestation while watching surrounding devotees kneel one by one.
Seconds later, discarding all restraint, they roared alongside the faithful:
âDeity bless us! Deity bless us!â
âI saw the Deity with my own eyes!â
âO Deity, forgive this humble one! Lard had befuddled my mindâI dared question Your existence! I was wrong! From this day forth, I pledge undying loyalty to Dao Xuan Deity Teachings!â
Amidst the tumultuous cries and cheers,
Liang Shixian, Magistrate of Chengcheng County, gaped soundlessly skyward, remaining speechless for a long while: âThe Li Familyâs household deity⌠was⌠an actual god?â