Chapter 106: Capturing Evils
“We mobilized all the godmothers, spirits, and the fox clan near Qianyang Mountain, contributing our incense fire qi to form this extraordinary power. It should be enough to revive the Qianyang Mountain Lord, right?”
Granny Sha, Azure Sheep, and the bearded burly man rushed excitedly to Huangpo Village, but Chen Shi was not in the village.
Azure Sheep said suspiciously, “Little Ten wouldn’t have taken the Mountain Lord out again, would he? 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 incense fire qi will follow him.”
Granny Sha spoke calmly and confidently as she took out a soul-summoning talisman.
“This old woman will use the soul-summoning talisman to find him right now!”
She activated the soul-summoning talisman. After a moment, her expression turned strange. She looked up at the sky.
“The soul-summoning talisman shows he’s in the sky right now.”
Azure Sheep and the bearded burly man were stunned.
Granny Sha continued, “He’s moving... very fast. He’s already three hundred li away!” Azure Sheep and the bearded burly man jumped in fright. Even if they flew on clouds or mist, they couldn’t match that speed. When had Chen Shi become so powerful?
“Could he have used his little temple to control the Mountain Lord and turned the Mountain Lord into his divine embryo?”
The bearded burly man’s face turned ashen. Controlling the Mountain Lord’s mount was one thing, but controlling the Mountain Lord himself was an unforgivable crime!
The spirits and divine aspects all over the mountains and plains would become Chen Shi’s enemies. Even the great serpent Mysterious Mountain might have to step in against him!
They were so eager to have the Mountain Lord condense his divine aspect and invite him to the new temple precisely because they feared Chen Shi enshrining the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect, making him a target for all.
“He’s stopped three hundred li away,” Granny Sha continued sensing.
“Three hundred li away—it’s probably the provincial capital of Xinxiang.”
The bearded burly man came to his senses.
“He must have gone to the provincial capital! Let’s go there. No matter what, we can’t let him run wild!”
The three disregarded the shock it would cause and were about to use their divine travel arts when, halfway there, Granny Sha said, “Little Ten has left the provincial capital. He’s heading this way! He’s so fast! He’s rushing back to Qianyang Mountain!”
The three hurriedly turned back.
Granny Sha kept adjusting their direction. When they arrived in the mountains, she couldn’t help but pause in astonishment.
“Little Ten is heading to... the new Mountain Lord Temple. But I never told him where this temple is. How does he know the location?”
The three were filled with shock and doubt. When they reached 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, only to see Chen Shi lighting the first incense stick for the Mountain Lord’s stone statue.
“Granny, you’re here too. Perfect timing—come light some incense for the Mountain Lord.”
Chen Shi saw them and smiled.
Now that the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect had entered the stone statue and he no longer had a divine embryo, Chen Shi felt empty inside, unsure whether to be happy or sad.
He had originally thought the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect and Yellow Tiger could stay in his little temple forever, protecting him and aiding his cultivation. Now, that had become a pipe dream.
But he had no complaints. Keeping the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect in his little temple was indeed extremely dangerous. One misstep, and the true gods from beyond the sky would notice, bringing destruction that would surely obliterate the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect.
Even if it didn’t destroy the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect, it would likely implicate the surrounding auspicious signs.
Though he understood the reasoning, he couldn’t help feeling a bit lost.
He still had no divine embryo.
Granny Sha and the other two had no idea what the boy was thinking. They exchanged glances, stepped forward to light incense for the Mountain Lord, then each retreated and walked out of the Mountain Lord Temple.
“Little Ten, why are you here?”
Granny Sha asked.
Chen Shi pulled himself together and recounted how the Mountain Lord had taken over his body and flown him away. The three listened, each filled with shock and doubt.
“He went to see your godmother? What did your godmother say to him?”
Azure Sheep hurriedly said, “He must have said something to your godmother, which is why he patrolled once and then entered the statue to slumber!”
The bearded burly man praised, “Lamb Skewer, you got smart this time. Little Ten, just who is your godmother? What exactly did she say to the Mountain Lord?”
The three stared at Chen Shi intently, their faces full of anticipation.
Chen Shi shook his head.
“I don’t know either. I was squeezed inside the temple at the time and couldn’t hear anything. The Mountain Lord is right there in the temple—why don’t you go ask him?”
Granny Sha immediately re-entered the Mountain Lord Temple, holding incense as she inquired.
Azure Sheep and the bearded burly man also walked in. Chen Shi hesitated but didn’t follow. Instead, he looked up at the sky.
In the sky, the light from two suns blazed fiercely, scorching the skin like a burn.
“The scene I saw in Xinduo Province of Ming soldiers landing must have been the Mountain Lord recalling old events. But from those memories, I can still find some clues.”
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze and walked down the mountain with Blackie Pot, as if talking to himself or to the dog.
“At that time, there was light on Western Cattle New Continent, and two suns in the sky. That means before the Ming soldiers landed, the true gods from beyond the sky were already hanging high outside the world, watching over it.”
Blackie Pot was somewhat confused. Back then, it had been invaded by Yellow Tiger, its soul squeezed aside, so it hadn’t seen that memory.
That memory was the Mountain Lord’s, not Yellow Tiger’s.
The true gods from beyond the sky were far more ancient than he had imagined. The divine embryo method was probably passed down later. Granting divine embryos to cultivators on this continent to aid their cultivation and help them establish themselves on this dangerous new continent was truly a boundless merit.
He grew even more puzzled and murmured, “But what happened later that caused the True King era to decline? And what severed the connection between New Continent and Divine Province of China?”
He sighed, worry clouding his heart.
“Without the Mountain Lord’s divine aspect, what am I supposed to do now? Will the ancestral land sunlight in my little temple disappear? Will my cultivation speed slow down?”
Chen Shi’s gaze was distant. He glanced at Blackie Pot.
Blackie Pot had been worrying for him, head down in thought about how to help its little master, when it noticed his gaze. It immediately perked up its ears, alertly watching him, ready to bolt at any moment.
“Blackie Pot, how about you become my divine embryo?”
Chen Shi looked expectant and coaxed patiently, “I’ll take you into the temple, you sit on the divine shrine, I activate my technique to enshrine you... Don’t run, Blackie Pot! Aren’t we brothers? Dog Bro, wait for me, Dog Bro! Let me play just once, I swear, just once, I’m not lying!”
One dog and one boy—one running ahead, the other chasing behind.
After running an unknown distance, a gust of阴 wind blew over. The boy and dog stopped abruptly and looked up at the sky.
Ahead of the two suns, a crescent moon had appeared.
The moonlight from the crescent caused some evils and spirits in the mountains and wilds to awaken and start moving about.
That gust of阴 wind felt very familiar to them.
Evil—Neck-Breaking Weed.
Chen Shi smiled and slowly turned his head.
A pair of invisible hands immediately grabbed his neck, lifting him up and twisting his neck like a麻花.
This evil was extremely excited.
It recognized this stinky kid. It had grabbed him many times before. Each time it tried to twist his neck off, he would surge his qi and blood, making his neck thicker than his waist, preventing it from breaking!
This time, it had grabbed him perfectly—he hadn’t had time to surge his qi and blood before it gripped him tight.
This time, it would definitely twist his neck off!
It was exerting force when suddenly its hands emptied. The next moment, a gust of阴 wind crashed left and right inside the little temple.
The Neck-Breaking Weed was utterly panicked, feeling like it had fallen into a trap. It tried to rush out of the little temple, but as soon as it reached the entrance, it was bounced back.
At that moment, a surge of righteous qi pierced straight in, controlling it. The阴 wind whooshed onto the divine shrine. The Neck-Breaking Weed was terrified, feeling like it had become someone else’s plaything.
Chen Shi excitedly activated the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art, stepping in the Big Dipper Seven Star Steps as he reached out with both hands, grasping remotely at the front!
Whoosh—
阴 winds swirled wildly in the little temple behind his head, surging out with a howl. A large tree a hundred zhang away was like it had been seized by invisible giant hands, twisted into several loops like麻花. Finally unable to bear it, the tree trunk exploded with a crack, sending wood chips and leaves flying everywhere!
Chen Shi stopped activating the technique and stared blankly at the scene. Suddenly, he shouted, leaped into the air, flipped several somersaults, then landed with hands on hips, laughing heartily.
“Potty, I don’t need you anymore! I can catch evils for cultivation now!”
He strutted smugly back and forth in front of Blackie Pot, hands on hips.
“Potty, from now on, I can strut around Qianyang Mountain!”
Blackie Pot looked at him with utter admiration.
Chen Shi directed the Neck-Breaking Weed to lift a rock—a thousand-jin boulder floated up into the air.
He had it squeeze water from the rock.
Then he controlled the Neck-Breaking Weed to lift the dog up into the air. Chen Shi ran madly ahead while the dog stood in midair, borne by a gust of阴 wind flying forward, looking delighted, its tongue lolling crookedly to one side.
“Can I use the Neck-Breaking Weed to lift myself up?” Chen Shi suddenly wondered.
“Why not give it a try?”
He eagerly directed the Neck-Breaking Weed. The next moment, he too was floating in the air, only a zhang off the ground—but floating nonetheless.
One boy and one dog, wrapped in阴 wind, excitedly charged down the mountain.
At the mountain foot, a merchant caravan was escorting goods through the mountains. Though evils and spirits were about now, their power wasn’t too high. As long as Peach Talismans hung on the carts, they could pass safely.
Merchant caravans always hired a few scholars to guard the carts.
Scholars might have official status, but every year they were as numerous as carp crossing the river. For a bit of money, they’d do any job.
Scholars were famously useful—working harder than oxen but eating less. A juren would cost more and be pickier.
This trip, they had hired two scholars who guarded the carts without complaint, braving wind and sleeping outdoors.
“Everyone, be careful—the moon has opened its eyes. Watch out for evils and spirits!”
One scholar shouted a reminder.
“Check the Peach Talismans on each cart. Make sure none have fallen or been defaced. If a talisman glows, report it immediately!”
Before he finished, a fleshy tentacle dangled from the cliffside on one side—red on the outside, white underneath, covered in suction-cup-like mouths with beak-like teeth inside. The tip had a large bag-like maw that whooshed down over a merchant’s head, enveloping him into the tentacle.
The merchant cried out in alarm, but his mouth and nose were covered, reduced to muffled hums.
Everyone looked up hurriedly, only to see more fleshy tentacles emerging from a cave mouth on the cliff, dancing in the air. They seized the caravan members, mouths biting into them, coiling them up, and dragging them toward the cave!
The two scholars hurriedly activated their Noon-Midnight Evil-Slaying Swords, slashing the tentacles.
But then two tentacles flew over, enveloping the two and dragging them toward the cave as well!
Evil—Cave Serpent!
This was an evil that grew in dark, damp mountain caves—originally a mass of flesh nurtured by阴 qi and bathed in moonlight until it became an evil thing.
These evils were the most elusive; their caves would vanish and reappear elsewhere, and they set traps for prey, making them hard to guard against.
The Cave Serpent had just caught these merchants and scholars and was about to drag them into the cave to feast when suddenly a boy and a dog floated over from ahead. The boy looked about twelve, with a tiny temple floating behind his head.
The next moment, the cave and the Cave Serpent vanished together, leaving over a dozen people floating in the air before thudding down one after another.
The merchants and two scholars were shocked and puzzled. Then another gust of阴 wind howled by, bending the mountain forest trees this way and that as it fled in panic.
It looked like another evil, fleeing in utter狼狈 for some reason.
Chen Shi had seen them in peril and thus mobilized his little temple to take in the Cave Serpent. However, it seemed the little temple could only hold one spirit at a time—any new one entering would release the previous occupant.
That狼狈 fleeing阴 wind just now was the Neck-Breaking Weed he had caught earlier.
“The Cave Serpent seems stronger. I wonder if it can aid my cultivation?”
Chen Shi acted on the thought, activating the Three Lights Righteous Qi Art. In the little temple, the Cave Serpent was rampaging everywhere, trying to escape this mysterious place, when an irresistible force struck, sucking it onto the divine shrine and making it submit obediently. Then righteous qi of heaven and earth surged in, infusing its body.
Chen Shi felt his true qi circulating faster and faster, delight filling his heart. He pointed ahead, and dozens of fleshy tentacles whooshed out from the little temple behind his head—over ten zhang long, whipping through the air, enormously thick, snapping and biting wildly everywhere.
“Blackie Pot, this is fun!”
Chen Shi said excitedly.
Blackie Pot looked at him in terror and barked madly at him, telling him this was not fun at all.
That night, the moon was full, and all was quiet in the deep darkness.
Suddenly, a group of foxes emerged from somewhere under the moonlight, standing upright like humans in wedding red attire, blowing horns and suonas in a festive diddy-doo-doo rhythm.
Behind the fox wedding procession, amid阴 wind and ghostly qi, a big red sedan floated in the air, swaying to the music.
The ghost bride in the sedan was out on her nightly hunt, seeking lone wanderers in the dark to wed.
Just then, a scholar appeared ahead in their view—likely hurrying along a night road.
The ghost bride was overjoyed. The ghost foxes blew even more vigorously, approaching the scholar.
When they were within two zhang, the阴 wind lifted the sedan curtain. The next moment, the scholar fell into the sedan.
The ghost bride was ecstatic and about to strike when the world spun. The next instant, she found herself in a little temple, landed on a divine shrine. The ghost bride was horrified and tried to flee but couldn’t.
“This is fun!”
Inside the big red sedan, Chen Shi sat within, directing the ghost bride while rocking back and forth with the sedan. Ahead, the ghost foxes played music, carrying him drifting hazily through阴 wind and ghostly qi, floating and singing along.
“Chen Shi must have been corrupted by evils and spirits, right?”
In the distance, Granny Sha, Azure Sheep, and the bearded burly man watched the scene. Granny Sha murmured, “Why do I feel like, compared to the other evils and spirits, Chen Shi seems more like the real evil?”