The person who summoned the disciples was Taoist Elder Nie. He stood in the center of the square, his eyes lowered, and he was playing with a piece of light yellow talisman paper in his hand.
"What's going on to interrupt your studies?"
"It seems like it's no small matter..."
The disciples gathered in the square and whispered among themselves.
"Everyone..."
Elder Nie suddenly raised his eyelids and looked at everyone.
The disciples immediately stopped talking and the square became quiet.
Elder Nie raised the talisman paper in his hand and said solemnly: "I just received a message from the flying talisman that there are demonic insects intruding into Cassia Mountain."
Cassia Mountain?
Zhao Lin glanced at Zhu Cong subconsciously.
Jueming Mountain is a mortal residential area, and the families of some monks in Hanchi County are settled there.
Zhu Cong is the round-faced boy who set out from Denghai County with Zhao Lin. He is only twelve years old this year. His parents are also in Jueming Mountain.
Upon hearing the news, Zhu Cong's face instantly turned red and he blurted out: "Elder, what kind of demonic insect broke into Jueming Mountain?"
"Yeah, what kind of monster?"
Several disciples whose family members were also at Jueming Mountain followed and asked.
Elder Nie raised his eyebrows and glanced at Zhu Cong. He was not angry and said calmly: "It's a locust."
"Katypus?"
Zhu Cong was stunned for a moment, with a confused look on his face. He didn't know what kind of monster the katydid locust was.
Zhao Lin turned his head and said in a comforting tone: "Don't worry too much. The locust is a first-order low-grade monster insect with low intelligence. It feeds on various herbal crops and generally does not actively attack people."
Although he has not been in the sect for a long time, Zhao Lin did not know how many related books he read because of the spirit beast map.
Among everyone present, probably no one except Elder Nie understands monsters and insects better than him.
As for the grades of monsters, they are actually divided based on the cultivation level of the monks.
The method is simple and direct: the strength of a first-level monster is equal to that of a monk in the Qi Refining Realm, and the strength of a second-level monster is equal to that of a monk in the Foundation Establishment Realm...
Each level is divided into lower, middle, and upper grades, which are roughly equivalent to the early, middle, and late stages of each realm.
The katydid locust looks like a locust. It is good at jumping and can fly for a long time. Its attack power is average and it is the lowest level of monster insect.
As long as the monks enter the Qi Refining Realm, they can basically handle it easily, and even the brave warriors among mortals can compete with it.
But one thing Zhao Lin didn't mention was that locusts are gregarious monster insects that come and go in groups of hundreds or even thousands.
Everywhere they go, they will eat up everything they can eat, and their destructive power is even worse than that of locusts in the world. This is not something that one or two monks can deal with.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Zhao."
Zhu Cong's face looked better after hearing this, but his brows were still tightly knitted together.
Elder Nie also heard Zhao Lin's words and agreed: "That's right! Grasshoppers are low-level demonic insects. They don't need to use too much force, but they need enough manpower."
"That's why I summoned you here."
Once the locusts enter a certain area, they will fly everywhere like dandelion seeds. It is difficult to destroy them with powerful spells.
Moreover, the incident occurred in an area inhabited by mortals, and people's property must be taken into consideration, so spells cannot be released unscrupulously.
Otherwise, even if the demonic insects are cleared away, the people will be homeless. Only a certain number of monks can work together to cull them.
When the disciples heard this, they all understood that this was for them to go into battle to kill insects. They looked at each other with different expressions, some were eager to try, and some were silent.
Elder Nie didn't pay attention to everyone's expressions and continued: "You have all practiced some spells, so you can practice with these monster insects."
"Now I recruit forty disciples to go with me."
"One more thing, although the level of the locust is low, it is still a demonic insect, and this trip has certain dangers. Applicants must be over fifteen years old, and have mastered an attack spell to a basic level."
After saying this, he remained silent and let the disciples make their own decisions.
Tong Mu asked Zhao Lin in a low voice: "Brother Zhao, are you going?"
Because he is not good at speaking and is a foreigner, he doesn't get along well with other teenagers.
However, Zhao Lin didn't care about his identity, so he got closer to Zhao Lin.
Zhao Lin did not hesitate and said only one word: "Go!"
You can't practice magic behind closed doors. Of course, you can't let go of such a good opportunity to practice.
At the same time, he also wanted to see what the place where mortals lived was like, so that he could decide whether to bring his family over in the future.
Li Sancai suggested: "Then let's talk to the elders now, otherwise the quota will be taken up."
Zhao Lin thought about it, said "Okay", strode out of the queue and said, "Disciple Zhao Lin is willing to go!"
Tong Mu and Li Sancai followed closely behind, "Disciples are also willing to go."
Elder Nie showed a smile on his face, nodded and said, "Not bad, who else is there?"
Unexpectedly, Zhu Cong jumped out of the crowd and shouted: "There's me too!"
Elder Nie's face sank and he scolded: "I just said that only disciples who are fifteen years old or above are allowed to go. How old are you? And if I remember correctly, your magic has not yet reached the beginning."
Zhu Cong pursed his lips and said with a cry: "My parents are in Jueming Mountain, I want to save them!"
Elder Nie was startled, his face softened, his lips moved twice, but he didn't say anything more. It seemed that he acquiesced.
"Disciples sign up to go..."
With Zhao Lin and others taking the lead, twenty or thirty people gradually walked out of the team, most of whom were disciples who had relatives and family members in Jueming Mountain.
In contrast, more new disciples came forward, while the reaction of the old disciples was not enthusiastic.
Especially the local disciples, most of their families live in other counties, and there are even fewer candidates.
Elder Nie glanced at the faces of the disciples who had signed up, and praised: "Okay, newborn calves are not afraid of tigers."
On the surface, he was praising the new disciples, but secretly there was a hint of ridicule.
"Disciples also go to Jueming Mountain..."
Some of the old disciples couldn't help it, and seven or eight more people came forward one after another.
There are still some people who are hesitant, looking around and seeming unable to make up their minds.
However, Elder Nie didn't want to wait any longer and clapped his hands together, "Thirty-eight people, that's enough!"
"Every disciple who goes to Ju Ming Mountain this time will be rewarded with a good deed. If he performs well, there will be additional rewards!"
As soon as these words came out, there was a burst of noise from the crowd.
Many disciples who did not come forward had regrets written on their faces, and some muttered angrily, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
The Taoist elder ignored them and said, "Wei Yi, Han Kui, Zhang Gong..."
He called the names of the nine disciples who were teaching and practicing the skills in one breath, and then pointed in the direction of the mountain, "Let's go now!"
…
Jueming Mountain is only more than two hundred miles away from Hanchi County. It only takes two or three quarters of an hour for the foundation-building monks to reach it by flying with air. However, the disciples do not have this ability and still have to take a flying boat to get there.
Two acting disciples controlled two flying boats respectively, carrying a group of nearly fifty people, spiraling into the sky and flying straight to the northwest.
There is abundant spiritual energy around Hanchi County, and there is little turbulence of evil energy in the clouds. The flying boat flies very smoothly, and almost no bumps are felt.
Through the thick clouds and mist, you can overlook the winding mountains and crisscrossing rivers at your feet.
Zhao Lin suddenly felt that everyone was like the airborne troops in the movie of his previous life, riding on a flying boat to perform a mission.
In addition to the monks, there were three green wood sparrows and five long-tailed pheasants on the boat.
These spiritual birds are the natural enemies of the katydid locusts, and Elder Nie’s intention of bringing them along is self-evident.
However, Zhao Lin still felt quite happy when he saw the serious Elder Nie surrounded by these spiritual birds.
The flying boat pierced through the clouds and fog, and flew over Jueming Mountain in less than a moment.
Zhao Lin used his Qi-gazing technique to look around and saw a gentle open space in the mountains, surrounded by a mountain-protecting formation.
Spiritual veins are like mineral deposits. In addition to the main vein, there are often some branch veins and scattered veins distributed around it.
Jueming Mountain is located on a dispersion extending from Hanchi County. The spiritual energy is not enough to enter the first level, but a small mountain-protecting array can be set up.
The Mountain Guard Array can stop large, high-level monsters, but it is not so effective against low-level monsters.
It can be understood as a fishing net that can catch big fish, but small fish can slip out of the mesh.
In front of the magic circle, there were two monks wearing yellow robes with blood stains on their robes. They were waving to everyone expectantly.
Before the flying boat landed, Elder Nie jumped down, stepped forward and asked, "How is the situation inside?"
The two Fanlinggen monks hurriedly saluted, and the older, middle-aged monk replied: "Reporting to the elders, several locusts rushed into the magic circle this morning. We received the news and immediately went to the scene to kill them."
"But after killing dozens of them, I found that more and more locusts were gathering together. I had a premonition that something was not going well, so I immediately organized the people to retreat to the inner emergency array, and at the same time released the talisman to send a message."
Elder Nie nodded slightly and then asked, "Are there any casualties?"
The middle-aged monk said: "The people retreated in time, no one died."
"However, at the beginning some strong men spontaneously organized themselves and followed us to kill the locusts. Six or seven people were injured. Fortunately, their lives were not in danger."
Zhu Cong heard that someone was injured and asked anxiously: "Where are my parents?"
As soon as he said a word, his mouth was covered by a big hand.
He looked up and saw that it was Zhao Lin holding him down.
Zhao Lin raised his index finger to his mouth, shook his head and said: "At present, we are facing a powerful enemy. Please obey the elders' command. This is not your business alone. Others also have parents, do you understand?"
Zhu Cong blushed and nodded heavily.
Although Elder Nie turned his back to everyone, he was fully aware of what was happening behind him. He glanced at Zhao Lin in surprise, and then asked: "Approximately how many locusts are there? There are four guardian monks in Jueming Mountain, and the other two Where are the people?”
The middle-aged monk said: "They are guarding the emergency array inside and can't get away."
Another monk added: "There are probably thousands of locusts, but they are so black and large that it may not be accurate."
Elder Nie praised: "Handle it properly and in a clear order. After this battle, the county will reward you for your good deeds."
There was no joy on the faces of the two monks, and they said in unison: "My relatives, friends and family are also inside, and it is our duty to protect our hometown."
Elder Nie said: "Have you two used up your magic power? Rest here for a while. The rest of you, follow me into the formation!"
As he spoke, he waved the jade tablet in his hand, and the magic circle immediately opened a passage several feet wide.
The fog dispersed, and the town finally appeared in front of everyone.
(End of chapter)
