Chapter 106: I Need Your Help in My Cultivation 44 |
"We mobilized all the Godmothers, spirits, and the Fox Clan near Qianyang Mountain, contributing the energy of incense offerings. The extraordinary power formed should be enough to revive the Qianyang Mountain Lord, right?"
Granny Sha, Blue Goat, and the Bearded Man hurried excitedly to Huangpo Village. Chen Shi wasn''t in the village. Blue Goat said suspiciously, "Could Little Ten have taken the Mountain Lord out again? If he causes trouble this time, I''m afraid he won''t be as lucky as last time!"
"As long as he doesn''t leave Qianyang Mountain, the energy of incense offerings will catch up to him."
Granny Sha was calm and collected. She took out a Soul-Summoning Talisman and said, "This old woman will find him through this talisman!"
She activated the Soul-Summoning Talisman. After a moment, her expression turned strange. She looked up at the sky. "The talisman shows he''s currently in the sky."
Blue Goat and the Bearded Man were dumbfounded.
Granny Sha added, "He''s moving... very fast. He''s already three hundred miles away now!"
Blue Goat and the Bearded Man were shocked. Even if they rode clouds and mists, they couldn''t achieve such speed. When did Chen Shi become so powerful?
"Could it be he used his small temple to control the Mountain Lord, treating the Mountain Lord as a Divine Embryo?"
The spirits and Divine Manifestations all over the mountains and plains would likely become Chen Shi''s enemies. Perhaps even the great snake Xuan Shan would have to take action against Chen Shi!
They were anxious to have the Mountain Lord condense a Divine Manifestation and invite him to the new temple precisely because they were worried Chen Shi would invoke the Mountain Lord''s Divine Manifestation and become a target for all.
"He''s stopped moving three hundred miles away." Granny Sha continued sensing and said.
"Three hundred miles away is most likely Xinxiang provincial city."
The Bearded Man realized, "He must have gone to the provincial capital! Let''s go there. No matter what, we can''t let him act recklessly!"
The three of them, not caring about shocking the world, were about to use their divine movement techniques. Unexpectedly, after covering only half the distance, Granny Sha said, "Little Ten has left the provincial city. He''s coming this way! His speed is incredible! He''s rushing toward Qianyang Mountain!"
The three hurriedly turned around and rushed back.
Granny Sha constantly adjusted their direction. When they reached the mountains, she couldn''t help but pause. "The place Little Ten is heading to seems to be the new Mountain Lord Temple. But I never told him where this temple is located. How did he know the location?"
The three were puzzled and alarmed. When they arrived at the new Mountain Lord Temple at Tiger Head Ridge, they happened to see the Mountain Lord leaving Chen Shi''s body and entering the stone statue.
The three entered the temple and saw Chen Shi offering the first stick of incense to the Mountain Lord statue.
"Granny, you''re here too. Perfect timing to offer incense to the Mountain Lord." Chen Shi saw them and smiled.
Now that the Mountain Lord''s Divine Manifestation had entered the stone statue, without the Divine Embryo, his heart felt empty, unsure whether to be happy or sad.
He originally thought the Mountain Lord''s Divine Manifestation and Yellow Tiger could stay in his small temple forever, protecting him, assisting his cultivation. Now that had become an illusory bubble.
However, he held no resentment. Keeping the Mountain Lord''s Divine Manifestation in his small temple was indeed extremely dangerous. The slightest mistake could lead to discovery by the Celestial True God, bringing destruction that would surely annihilate the Mountain Lord''s Divine Manifestation.
Even if it didn''t destroy the Divine Manifestation, it would likely implicate the surrounding common people.
Although he clearly understood the reasoning, he still couldn''t help feeling somewhat disappointed.
He still didn''t have a Divine Embryo.
Granny Sha and the other two didn''t know the youth''s thoughts. They exchanged glances, walked forward, offered incense to the Mountain Lord, then each stepped back and walked out of the Mountain Lord Temple.
"Little Ten, why are you here?" Granny Sha inquired.
Chen Shi pulled himself together and explained how the Mountain Lord had occupied his body and carried him flying. The three listened, each filled with doubt and surprise.
"He went to see your Godmother? What did your Godmother say to him?"
Blue Goat asked urgently, "He must have said something to your Godmother, which is why he made an inspection tour and then entered the stone statue to sleep!"
The Bearded Man praised, "Lamb skewer got smart this time. Little Ten, just who exactly is your Godmother? What on earth did she say to the Mountain Lord?"
The three stared intently at Chen Shi, their eyes shining, faces full of expectation.
Chen Shi shook his head. "I don''t know either. I was squeezed inside the temple at the time and didn''t hear anything. The Mountain Lord is right in the temple. Why don''t you go ask him?"
Granny Sha immediately entered the Mountain Lord Temple again, holding incense and asking questions.
Blue Goat and the Bearded Man also went in. Chen Shi hesitated for a moment, didn''t follow them in, but instead looked up at the sky.
In the sky, the two suns'' rays were scorching hot, burning the skin with a stinging sensation.
"The scene I saw of Ming Dynasty soldiers landing in Xinxiang Province must have been the Mountain Lord recalling past events. But from these memories, we can still find some clues."
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze and walked down the mountain with Black Pot, as if talking to himself, and also as if speaking to Black Pot. "Back then, there was light on the Western Ox New Continent. Two suns in the sky indicate that before the Ming soldiers landed, the Celestial True God was already suspended beyond the heavens, watching the world."
Black Pot was somewhat confused. At that time, it had been invaded by Yellow Tiger, which squeezed its soul aside, so it hadn''t seen that memory.
That memory belonged to the Mountain Lord, not Yellow Tiger.
"The Celestial True God is far more ancient than I imagined. The Divine Embryo method was probably passed down later. The True God bestowed Divine Embryos upon the cultivators on this continent, assisting their cultivation, helping them gain a foothold on the dangerous new continent. That was truly a meritorious deed of boundless virtue."
He grew even more puzzled, murmuring, "But what happened later that caused the True King era to decline? And what caused the New Continent to lose contact with China, the Divine Continent?"
He sighed, worry filling his heart. "Without the Mountain Lord''s Divine Manifestation, what should I do now? Will the ancestral land sunlight in my small temple disappear? Will my cultivation speed slow down?"
Chen Shi''s gaze turned distant, and he glanced at Black Pot.
Black Pot had originally been worrying on his behalf, hanging its head thinking about how to help its little master. Sensing its little master''s gaze, it immediately pricked up its ears, looking at him warily, ready to bolt at any moment.
"Black Pot, how about you become my Divine Embryo?"
Chen Shi showed an expectant expression, persuading patiently, "I''ll put you in the temple, you sit on the shrine, I''ll activate my cultivation technique to invoke you... Don''t run, Black Pot! Aren''t we brothers? Brother Dog, wait for me, Brother Dog! Let me try it, just once, I''m not lying to you!"
One dog, one human, one running ahead, one chasing behind.
They ran for who knows how far. Suddenly, a sinister wind blew past. The human and dog quickly stopped and looked up at the sky together.
In front of the two suns, a crescent moon had appeared.
The moonlight emitted by the crescent caused some evil spirits in the mountains and wilderness to awaken and start moving around.
That sinister wind just now gave them a very familiar feeling.
Evil spirit, Neck-Snapping Ghost.
Chen Shi smiled and slowly turned his head.
A pair of invisible hands immediately grabbed his neck, lifted him up, and twisted his neck like twisting a hemp rope.
This evil spirit was very excited.
It recognized this brat. It had caught him many times before. Every time it tried to twist his neck off, he would always surge his blood and qi, making his neck thicker than his waist, preventing it from breaking!
This time, it seized the opportunity perfectly. The brat didn''t have time to surge his blood and qi before it gripped him tightly.
This time, it was sure it could twist his neck off!
It was exerting force when suddenly its hands felt empty. The next moment, a sinister wind rushed left and right inside a small temple.
The Neck-Snapping Ghost was panicked, feeling it had fallen into a trap. It tried to rush out of this small temple, but just as it reached the outside, it was bounced back.
At that moment, a righteous energy charged straight in, controlling it. The sinister wind whooshed onto the shrine. The Neck-Snapping Ghost was terrified, feeling as if it had become someone else''s plaything.
Chen Shi excitedly activated the Three Lights Righteousness Technique, stepped in the Big Dipper pattern, extended both hands, and made a grasping motion toward the distance!
"Whoosh—"
Sinister winds surged and howled out from the small temple behind his head. A large tree about a hundred zhang away seemed to be grabbed by a pair of invisible giant hands, twisted into several loops like twisting hemp rope, until finally it couldn''t withstand it. The tree trunk exploded with a crack, wood chips and leaves flying everywhere!
Chen Shi stopped activating his technique, staring dumbfounded at this scene. Suddenly he let out a loud shout, jumped up, did several somersaults in the air, landed with his hands on his hips, and laughed heartily.
"Pot, I don''t need you anymore! I can catch evil spirits to cultivate with!"
He looked smug, walking back and forth in front of Black Pot with his hands on his hips. "Pot, from now on I can strut sideways across Qianyang Mountain!"
Black Pot looked at him with admiration.
Chen Shi activated the Neck-Snapping Ghost to move stones. A thousand-catty boulder floated into the air.
He activated it to squeeze water out of the stone.
He controlled it to lift the dog up, raising it into the air. Chen Shi ran wildly ahead. The dog stood in the air, carried forward by a sinister wind, looking jubilant, its tongue blown to one side.
"Can I use the Neck-Snapping Ghost to lift myself up?" Chen Shi suddenly wondered.
"Just try it and see?"
He excitedly activated the Neck-Snapping Ghost. The next moment, he saw himself also floating in the air, only about ten feet off the ground, but still floating.
One human and one dog, wrapped in sinister wind, excitedly rushed down the mountain.
At the foot of the mountain, a merchant caravan was transporting goods through the mountains. Although evil spirits existed nowadays, their strength wasn''t high. As long as Peach Wood Charms were hung on the carts, they could travel safely.
Moreover, merchant caravans always hired a few Xiucai to escort the carts.
Although Xiucai had earned their degree, the number of Xiucai each year was as numerous as carp crossing a river. As long as you paid some money, Xiucai were willing to do any job.
And Xiucai were famously easy to use, working more than oxen but eating less. If you hired a provincial graduate, not only was the price higher, but they were also picky.
For this business trip, they had hired two Xiucai to escort the carts all the way, enduring wind and dew, without complaint.
"Everyone be careful! The moon has opened its eye. Beware of evil spirits!"
One Xiucai loudly reminded, "Check the Peach Wood Charms on each cart. Don''t let them fall off or get smudged. If a charm glows, report it immediately!"
Before his words faded, suddenly a fleshy tentacle descended from the cliffside. It was red on the outside, white underneath, covered with many sucker-like mouths. Inside the mouths were bird-beak-like teeth. The front end had a large mouth with a bag-like snout. It whooshed down and covered a merchant''s head, pulling him into the tentacle.
The merchant screamed but had his mouth and nose covered, only able to make muffled sounds.
Everyone hurriedly looked up and saw fleshy tentacles emerging from a cave on the cliff, dancing in the air, grabbing people from the caravan. The mouths bit into them, coiled around them, and dragged them toward the cave!
The two Xiucai quickly activated their Ziwu Evil-Slaying Swords, cutting off tentacle after tentacle.
But immediately two more tentacles flew over, covering the two men and dragging them toward the cave too!
Evil spirit, Cave Serpent!
This was an evil spirit that grew in dark, damp mountain caves. Originally a mass of flesh and blood, nourished by evil energy and illuminated by moonlight, over time it transformed into an evil creature.
This type of evil spirit was the most elusive. The cave would disappear, then appear in another place. It would also set traps to catch prey, making it impossible to guard against.
The Cave Serpent had just captured these merchants and Xiucai and was about to drag them into the cave to enjoy when suddenly it saw a human and a dog floating toward it. The human was a youth, about eleven or twelve years old, with a small temple floating behind his head.
The next moment, the cave and the Cave Serpent vanished together, leaving only over a dozen people floating in the air. Then they fell with thuds.
The merchants and two Xiucai were shocked and puzzled. At that moment, another sinister wind howled past, blowing the mountain forest trees east and west, fleeing in a panic.
It seemed to be another evil creature, fleeing so frantically for some unknown reason.
Chen Shi, seeing them in danger, had mobilized his small temple to absorb the Cave Serpent. However, the small temple seemed only able to contain one spirit. When another spirit entered, the original spirit would be released.
That sinister wind fleeing in panic just now was precisely the Neck-Snapping Ghost he had captured earlier.
"It seems the Cave Serpent is stronger. I wonder if it can help my cultivation?"
Chen Shi thought and acted. Activating the Three Lights Righteousness Technique, the Cave Serpent inside the small temple was rushing around, trying to escape this mysterious place. Suddenly an irresistible force attacked, sucking it onto the shrine, where it became docile. Then the righteous energy of heaven and earth surged, pouring through its entire body.
Chen Shi felt his true energy circulating faster and faster, feeling joy in his heart. He immediately pointed a finger. Dozens of fleshy tentacles whooshed out from the small temple behind his head, over ten zhang long, flying and flipping in the air, thick and enormous, crunching and biting everywhere.
"Black Pot, this is fun!" Chen Shi said excitedly.
Black Pot looked at him in terror, barking wildly at him, telling him this really wasn''t fun.
That night, the moon was full, deep in the quiet night.
Suddenly, from who knows where under the moonlight, a group of foxes emerged. They stood up like humans, wearing red wedding clothes, playing trumpets and suonas, creating a festive, celebratory atmosphere.
Behind the fox wedding procession, within a sinister wind, a large red sedan chair floated in the air, dancing along with the music.
The ghost bride inside the sedan was traveling, seeking lone individuals in the dark night to marry.
Just then, suddenly a scholar appeared ahead within their sight, seemingly traveling at night.
The ghost bride was overjoyed. The ghost foxes played even more vigorously, approaching the scholar.
When they reached about two zhang away, the sinister wind blew the sedan curtain. The next moment, the scholar fell into the sedan.
The ghost bride was ecstatic, about to make her move, when suddenly the world spun. The next moment, she found herself in a small temple, landing on a shrine.
The ghost bride was terrified, wanting to escape but unable to get out.
"This is fun!"
Inside the large red sedan, Chen Shi sat in the sedan, activating the ghost bride while swaying along with the sedan. Ahead, the ghost foxes played music, carrying him floating and drifting amidst the sinister winds and ghostly energy, drifting away.
"Chen Shi, has he been corrupted by evil spirits?"
In the distance, Granny Sha, Blue Goat, and the Bearded Man watched this scene. Granny Sha murmured, "Why do I feel that, compared to other evil spirits, Chen Shi seems more like an evil spirit himself?"
