447: Join our Talisman Camp! My commander is destined for greatness!

"It's not just the Great Master who has one; you all have them too. Men, equip the Daoist priests and these experts with guns as well. Everyone gets one!"

Following Deputy Officer Mo's order, the soldiers in the front row nimbly unslung their spare rifles and shoved them into the hands of the stunned Cultivators and experts.

The cold steel rifles felt heavy in their hands, and for a moment, everyone froze in place.

The Old Monk was still foolishly holding the rifle that Deputy Officer Mo had tossed to him, his face filled with bewilderment.

Daoist Priest Qingyunzi's hand, which was gripping his peachwood sword, trembled slightly, while the rifle in his other hand felt as heavy as a thousand jun.

The few Jianghu practitioners looked at each other in dismay; the exorcism secret arts they had painstakingly practiced for years were now not as simple and efficient as pulling a trigger.

Half a lifetime of cultivation and decades of hard work appeared so pale and powerless before these rifles adorned with Talismans.

"Amitabha..." the Old Monk murmured, unsure if he was performing funeral rites for the fierce ghosts or mourning his own collapsing convictions.

What kind of existence could possibly draw such evil-slaying Talismans?

Could it be that Heaven truly took pity and sent down a True Immortal to save this fallen world?

Just as the crowd had yet to recover from the shock brought by the Talisman-guns, a dull vibration suddenly came from the ground in the distance.

Deep within Linjiagang, a swarming mass of corpses surged forward like a tide.

Their bodies were stiff, yet they leaped several zhang at a time, landing with heavy thuds.

Looking out, they were all uniformly Copper Armored Hairy Zombies—their bodies covered in dull copper rust, with black hair standing upright all over like steel needles.

Even more heart-wrenching was the fact that several exceptionally tall figures were mixed into the corpse tide.

Silver light flowed around their bodies, and their leaps brought forth the sound of tearing air; wherever they passed, they left behind black footprints brimming with Evil Qi—they were indeed Silver Armored Hairy Zombies!

"Form up!" Deputy Officer Mo shouted sharply, and the soldiers quickly organized into a three-row firing formation.

The Old Monk took a deep breath and finally placed his finger on the cold trigger.

The leading Daoist priest smiled bitterly, sheathed his peachwood sword on his back, and steadily raised the rifle with both hands.

For the first time in thousands of years, monks, Daoists, and knights-errant stood shoulder-to-shoulder with soldiers, using rifles adorned with Talismans to point at the legendary copper-armored and silver-armored zombies.

At this moment, not only was there the pressure from the corpse tide, but the sky above Linjiagang also underwent another strange transformation!

Thick black mist churned in the air, and countless fierce ghosts with twisted faces and illusory forms manifested.

Their hollow eye sockets locked onto the army below in unison, emitting waves of extremely shrill shrieks.

"Ahhhhhhh—!"

This life-taking ghostly sound was sharp and piercing, causing ripples in the air. Where the sound waves passed, gravel on the ground shattered.

If there were ordinary people here, they would likely have already suffered a ruptured heart and died, bleeding from their seven orifices!

"Guard your spiritual center!" Seeing this, the Old Monk hurriedly chanted the Buddha's name loudly, and a faint golden light began to shimmer around his body.

Several Daoist priests followed by chanting the Jing Xin Mantra.

Other experts and talented individuals rang dharma bells and shook copper drums, their various spiritual lights weaving together to arduously resist the pervasive assault of the sound waves.

However, when they subconsciously looked toward Deputy Officer Mo and the army's position, they all collectively fell into a stupor.

Deputy Officer Mo and the eight hundred soldiers remained stern-faced and in neat formation, as if the life-taking ghostly sound, which could cause ordinary people to explode, was nothing more than ordinary wind to them.

Only then did everyone suddenly realize that, at some unknown point, a red Talisman had already been affixed to the chest armor of every soldier.

The red Talisman paper was emitting a gentle and stable red light, like an invisible barrier, completely blocking out the wailing ghosts filling the sky.

Deputy Officer Mo was observing the movements of the corpse tide ahead, but he heard the strained sounds of the Old Monk and the others chanting to resist the noise.

He took a look and saw that the experts were each using their own methods to counter the ghostly sounds, all of them pale-faced and appearing to struggle quite a bit.

Deputy Officer Mo was stunned for a moment, then slapped his forehead, his face showing a look of realization mixed with embarrassed apology.

"Oh! Look at my memory!" He said in a loud voice, which sounded particularly abrupt against the backdrop of the ghostly wailing, "My apologies, my apologies! I forgot to equip you Great Masters with the warding-off Talismans bestowed by the Grand Marshal!"

As Deputy Officer Mo spoke, he nonchalantly pulled a large stack of red Talismans from his bosom.

That casual action made it seem as if he were pulling out not precious divine Talismans, but ordinary scrap paper.

He casually split half from the stack and handed them toward the Old Monk and the others.

"Don't rush, everyone gets some, there's plenty!" He grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth, "Our Grand Marshal Lu has peerless Divine Ability; as for these divine Talismans, we have as many as you need!"

While he spoke, the thick stack of red Talismans, exuding an aura of pure Yang, kept swaying in Deputy Officer Mo's hand.

Seeing that every expert had received five or six red Talismans, Deputy Officer Mo seemed to remember something and enthusiastically added.

"Right, the usage is very simple! If you want to slay demons, stick one on your weapon; if you want to protect yourself, just slap one anywhere on your body."

He patted the slightly glowing Talisman on his chest and grinned.

"These spirit Talismans personally bestowed by our Grand Marshal will disperse all evil and ward off all taboos! Once you stick these on, you can all feel free to go all out—"

"The Grand Marshal also said that there are plenty of evil-slaying Talismans; he just wants the evil spirits of the world to know that this era—is due for a change in rules!"

The next moment, the number of corpses and fierce ghosts increased, all surging from Linjiagang from all directions.

Seeing this, Deputy Officer Mo's smile vanished instantly, replaced by the sternness peculiar to iron-blooded soldiers.

He raised his right hand and swung it forward violently: "All units—fire!"

The order cracked like a thunderclap.

The next instant, eight hundred rifles adorned with red Talismans collectively spat tongues of fire!

The dense gunfire was like the sound of popping beans, incessant to the ear, and the scorching barrage of bullets illuminated the dim world as bright as day.

Countless bullets trailed faint light as they tore through the sky, like a meteor shower flying in reverse, precisely sinking into the bodies of the zombies and piercing through the illusory shadows of the fierce ghosts.

"Awoo—!" "Wuaah—!"

The zombie horde and the fierce ghosts immediately let out extremely shrill wails.

The hair on the Copper Armored Hairy Zombies that were hit peeled off, and thick white smoke emerged, as if they were being scorched by an invisible, massive fire.

As for the fierce ghosts in the air, they were like ice and snow meeting the sun; under the attack of the bullet rain, they rapidly melted, turning into wisps of green smoke.

The originally eerie and terrifying ghostly wailing had now turned into the desperate cries of these ghostly entities.

Seeing the astonishing power of the rifles, the monks, Daoists, and experts who had been somewhat hesitant could no longer restrain themselves and, for the first time in their lives, tried raising the rifles in their hands.

"Mas, Master! Look!" A young monk was struggling to hold up a rifle that was taller than him.

He excitedly pointed into the distance—the Copper Armored Zombie that had just been baring its fangs and brandishing its claws was now blown back several steps by the young monk's single shot, its chest armor shattered, emitting billowing white smoke.

"Master, I hit two as well!" Another young monk, not to be outdone, clumsily pulled the bolt, fired several shots toward the corpse tide, and sure enough, two walking corpses fell to the ground in response.

The Old Monk looked at his two disciples, who usually couldn't even strike a wooden fish properly, but were now shouting and yelling while clutching rifles.

What was even more speechless was that their efficiency in eliminating zombies was higher than his own, despite his many years of arduous cultivation.

At this, the Old Monk's mouth twitched slightly.

While he felt shocked inside, his movements were very nimble.

The Old Monk looked at the zombie horde ahead, took a deep breath, and his withered left hand steadily supported the rifle body.

"Amitabha." The Old Monk murmured the Buddha's name while pulling the trigger with his right hand, "The sea of suffering is boundless; I shall use this new method to help you benefactors reach the Pure Land sooner."

The gunshot rang out, precisely and accurately.

Several Copper Armored Zombies retreated in response, their chests exploding, black blood splattering everywhere.

The few Daoist priests nearby watched with twitching eyes, their peachwood swords nearly falling to the ground.

The Jianghu experts looked at each other—this Old Monk had just been using prayer beads to subdue demons, and in the blink of an eye, he had learned to shoot a gun; it really was a real eye-opener.

However, the battle situation was urgent, leaving them no time to overthink.

"Who cares if it's a gun or a sword; if it can slay evil spirits, it's Karma!"

Don't know who shouted it, but everyone raised their guns and fired.

An hour later, the gunfire gradually subsided.

On the smoke-filled streets, there was no longer a single evil spirit capable of standing up; only charred ashes remained on the ground, drifting away in the wind.

However, the pillar of blood-red light deep within Linjiagang still shot into the sky, dyeing half the heavens black.

The churning Evil Qi not only failed to weaken but instead became increasingly thick.

"Wooo—!!"

A shrill sound of tearing air suddenly rang out, and a dark golden figure tore through the thick fog, rushing straight toward the army at a speed invisible to the naked eye!

"Golden Armored Flying Zombie... although it hasn't fully transformed, it's not far off!" The Old Monk exclaimed in shock, his rifle nearly slipping from his hands.

Several Daoist priests' voices trembled: "Half-step Golden Armored, impervious to blades and guns, resistant to Daoist arts... what are we to do!"

The dark golden zombie hovered in mid-air, its scarlet eyes like two ghostly nether-fires, locked firmly onto Deputy Officer Mo's direction.

Deputy Officer Mo did not change his expression and first whispered a few words to the guards beside him.

The soldier immediately acknowledged the order, turned, and sped toward the outskirts of the town.

Immediately after, he waved his hand and shouted sharply: "All units, concentrate fire! Shoot!"

A rainstorm of bullets poured out once again, and the scorching barrage enveloped the half-step Golden Armored Flying Zombie.

However, the effect this time was far worse than before—most bullets struck the dark golden zombie body, starting to spark brilliantly, emitting the sound of metal clashing against metal, clearly unable to penetrate it.

However, a few bullets still precisely hit weak points such as joints and eye sockets, causing the zombie to roar incessantly, black blood splattering.

Although it failed to cause a fatal wound, it successfully halted its momentum to pounce.

Just as the bullet offensive began to show signs of fatigue, a series of heavy wheel sounds came from behind.

More than ten soldiers were seen struggling to push a heavy mountain artillery piece through the town gate.

A cold arc formed on the corner of Deputy Officer Mo's mouth, while the Old Monk, Qingyunzi, and others nearby were already watching in stunned silence.

They never expected that the Dingnan Army would use such a Sharp Weapon of war to exorcise demons!

Amidst countless shocked gazes, Deputy Officer Mo unhurriedly lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

He coolly blew a smoke ring and casually slapped a red Talisman onto the cold gun carriage with a "slap."

"Damned ghost thing, taste this."

The next second, Deputy Officer Mo leaned over and used his cigarette butt to ignite the fuse; sparks hissed along the fuse, tracing a determined line of light under the blood-red sky.

The cannonball tore through the air at a speed invisible to the naked eye, precisely hitting the chest of the half-step Golden Armored Flying Zombie.

The instant it touched the target, the gunpowder and the power of some magical evil-slaying Talisman erupted, turning into a golden sun that devoured everything.

That dark golden zombie body, which had caused the Old Monk and the others to despair, didn't even manage to let out half a wail before disintegrating inch by inch in the explosion of magnificent heavenly might.

The monstrous Evil Qi melted like ice and snow, ultimately turning into flying ash scattered all over the sky.

At the same time, the black sky curtain covering Linjiagang shattered in response.

Long-lost sunlight poured down, dispelling the gloom that had lingered for many days.

Warmth returned to this land, and the suffocating stench in the air was replaced by the fresh scent of grass and trees.

Dead silence.

The Old Monk and the others were dumbfounded; the half-step Golden Armored Flying Zombie, which was nearly invincible in their understanding, was just blasted into oblivion by a single cannon shot?

This completely subverted the traditional understanding of "evil-slaying" in the cultivation world for thousands of years.

A Daoist priest couldn't help but speak up: "Deputy, Deputy Officer Mo... you... which path of immortals are you, descending to the Mortal World?"

Deputy Officer Mo stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sweeping over the dazed monks, Daoists, and experts.

"Us? We are merely an ordinary team under the Grand Marshal, specifically tasked with sweeping away demons and monsters."

Immediately after, he changed the subject, and a scorching light suddenly burst from his eyes: "Since you Great Masters have the common people at heart, why not join our Dingnan Army's Talisman Battalion?"

"In this chaotic world—demons run rampant, and the common people are forced to swap children to eat; do you still want to continue chanting the Rebirth Mantra, performing funeral rites for one person after another who died unjustly!"

"My Grand Marshal came carrying a heavenly mandate, precisely to end this Hell on earth. You have all cultivated your Divine Abilities for many years; are you not willing to use them in a more satisfying way for the sake of these suffering people?"

The Cultivators looked at this strange army, a fusion of steel and Talismans, their past worldviews completely shattered, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

In the silence, a Daoist priest took a step forward first, flicked his horsetail whisk, and his voice shook the surroundings: "Fusheng Wuliang Tianzun! My Yuhuo Temple lineage is willing to join the Grand Marshal's command, entering this Talisman Battalion!"

His gaze was like a torch, his words resonant: "The common people in this chaotic world have suffered for too long. This Daoist is willing to use this body and life to follow Grand Marshal Lu to sweep across the universe and eradicate all evil!"

"Count me in!"

"I am also willing to go!"

The crowd was instantly impassioned, and everyone responded one after another: "I will write a letter immediately to persuade my old friends to come and serve as well!"

"Subduing demons and devils is our destiny; now that we have found an enlightened Master, the time is right!"

Only the Old Monk remained with his head bowed, silent. After a long while, he lightly twirled his prayer beads and chanted at length: "Amitabha... Well done, well done."

Although not explicitly stated, his standing figure already said it all—in this turbulent Mortal World, the Old Monk had decided to walk with the Talisman Battalion.

Far away in the Marshal's mansion's quiet room in Dingnan County, Lu Xuan slowly opened his eyes, with what seemed like red flames flowing within his pupils.

With a slight movement of his mind, a mysterious light screen, visible only to himself, unfolded before his eyes.

Host: Red Dust Immortal Lu Xuan (Seventh Life)

Realm: Celestial Master (Minor Achievement)

Cultivation Technique: True Scripture of Yang Flame Talisman Fire (10/9)

Points: 897802

Looking at the 500,000 System points that had surged in the points column, a hint of a smile appeared at the corner of Lu Xuan's mouth.

These were precisely the System points obtained by Deputy Officer Mo leading one thousand Talisman Battalion personnel to sweep up the zombie tide disasters at Linjiagang and Heishui Town.