The great black serpent lay quietly on a distant mountain peak, as still as a stone statue, watching Chen Shi. No matter how the green sheep and white fox cursed, it remained unmoved.
In Heavenly Yang Mountain, it was like a True God observing the world, seeing everything clearly, nothing could escape its eyes.
It knew that the spirit of the Mountain Lord had entered the small temple at the back of Chen Shi's head. It also knew that the Heavenly True God destroyed the Mountain Lord Temple because the yellow tiger poked its head out of the small temple.
The yellow tiger's head was too large, and the apricot tree of the Mountain Lord Temple could not hide it, allowing the Heavenly True God's eyes to catch its trace.
Discover and destroy—that was the Heavenly True God's way of handling such matters.
Whenever something unusual was found, destruction followed.
Fortunately, Chen Shi had already taken the Mountain Lord's divine image down the mountain.
"Why does the Heavenly True God destroy beings like the Mountain Lord upon discovering them?" the great black serpent wondered. It was also very powerful and large, coiled on the mountain peak, yet the Heavenly True God hadn't destroyed it.
What conditions must be met to be destroyed by the True God?
It couldn't figure it out.
Gradually, Chen Shi's ears began to pick up some sounds, initially faint but slowly becoming clear.
The surrounding spirit beasts gradually dispersed.
Chen Shi smiled and said, "Granny, Uncle Hu, Uncle Green Sheep, I have a Divine Fetus now!"
Granny Sha sighed, "A Divine Fetus? Well, that's good. Keep working hard at your cultivation. Poor Mountain Lord, just revived and now fallen again..."
She paused, suddenly turning to look at Chen Shi in disbelief, "You have a Divine Fetus? Could it be that after losing a Divine Fetus, the True God would grant you another one?"
Such a thing was unheard of, no wonder she was surprised.
Chen Shi activated the Three Lights True Qi Technique, and immediately, True Qi gathered, forming a small temple behind his head.
Granny Sha looked like she had swallowed a whole basket of eggs, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets, staring incredulously at the small temple behind him.
A proper cultivator should have a divine altar behind their head, not a small temple!
Little Shi must have become improper!
The old granny was shocked, setting aside the destruction of the Mountain Lord Temple, and carefully examining Chen Shi's small temple. It was just an ordinary palace, very simple.
Suddenly, a small yellow tiger peeked out, looking at her with curiosity.
Granny Sha's eyes widened, pointing at the yellow tiger in the small temple, stammering, "Tiger, tiger..."
The yellow tiger sat behind the temple door, looking at her with eyes full of kindness, like a kind old lady.
Granny Sha poked the white fox, who was still cursing the great black serpent, "Uncle Hu, tiger! Tiger!"
The nine-tailed fox grumbled, "I'm here! The black serpent is ungrateful, I thought he was my confidant back then, but today I sever ties with him... Huh, Little Shi, where did your divine altar go?"
Granny Sha kicked him twice, and the nine-tailed white fox turned into a burly man, puzzled, "Why kick me? Is Little Shi turning into an evil spirit?"
Only then did he notice the yellow tiger in the small temple behind Chen Shi, his eyes widening, his body trembling, "Green Sheep, Green Sheep! Look here! Stop cursing the black serpent! Come over!"
The green sheep heard the call, came over, and its head, as big as a mountain, leaned towards Chen Shi but quickly shrank its size.
The burly man trembled, "Green Sheep, did you see?"
The green sheep's body trembled, tears welling up, its voice shaking, "I saw... the Mountain Lord!"
It knelt down with a thud, bowing to the yellow tiger.
The burly man stared at the small temple, slapped its head, "The yellow tiger isn't the Mountain Lord. The one in the divine altar is the Mountain Lord!"
The green sheep was stunned, carefully looking, and indeed saw a divine altar deep in the small temple, with a divine being with bull horns and a human body sitting still.
"The Mountain Lord is still alive!"
The green sheep and the burly man were overjoyed but quickly became cautious, glancing at the sky, not daring to be too bold.
"Little Shi, what's with this temple?" Granny Sha asked.
Chen Shi explained how he worshipped his godmother, who blessed him by transforming the divine altar into a temple. Granny Sha, the green sheep, and the burly man exchanged glances.
"This small temple is very strange. Whenever it encounters a spirit, it absorbs them into the temple, placing them on the divine altar, unable to leave."
Chen Shi spoke of the temple's oddities, "Scholar Zhu was absorbed onto the divine altar, and so was the Mountain Lord. Only if I will it, can they come out."
Granny Sha, the green sheep, and the burly man exchanged looks of fear. Even a being like the Mountain Lord was powerless, directly absorbed into the temple and sitting obediently on the divine altar. What kind of being was Chen Shi's godmother?
"Little Shi, don't release the Mountain Lord yet. The True God is watching from above, and every move here might not escape his eyes. Wait until the Mountain Lord's divine image is fully formed, then build a temple and altar for him."
Granny Sha, being experienced, advised, "The Mountain Lord's return must be kept secret, not to be mentioned to outsiders. Otherwise, if it reaches the heavens, not only the Mountain Lord but even you might not be safe!"
The green sheep and the burly man, hearing the words "reaches the heavens," became serious and worried.
Chen Shi, seeing their expressions, realized the weight of those words, "Reaches the heavens, could someone contact the Heavenly True God?"
"Don't be too curious about these things. Early contact with them might lead to an early death."
Granny Sha said, "Green Sheep, Uncle Hu, let's offer some incense to the Mountain Lord."
Each of them held incense, bowing to Chen Shi.
Chen Shi tried to dodge, but the green sheep and the burly man held him down, making him unable to move.
"We're not bowing to you, but to the Mountain Lord, so don't feel embarrassed!" Granny Sha said.
Chen Shi had to stand there obediently, waiting for them to finish. He saw the incense smoke rise and fly into the small temple, automatically inserting into the incense burner.
"Granny, you're elders, let me bow to you in return!"
Chen Shi said, intending to bow to them, but their faces changed drastically, quickly stopping him. Granny Sha sternly said, "Little Shi, we're bowing to the Mountain Lord, not you, so it doesn't violate the order of elders and juniors! If you bow to us, it would be like the Mountain Lord bowing to us, and we can't bear it, we might lose years of our lives!"
The green sheep and the burly man nodded repeatedly.
The green sheep said, "While the Mountain Lord is in your temple, you mustn't bow to anyone, understand? Just nod at most!"
Chen Shi nodded.
Granny Sha breathed a sigh of relief, examining his small temple, "Does your divine altar becoming a small temple have any other peculiarities?"
Chen Shi honestly replied, "Nothing else, just that I feel I can summon the Mountain Lord and the yellow tiger."
The three of them widened their eyes, exchanging looks.
Even the Mountain Lord could be summoned?
Did this small temple know what the Mountain Lord was? It dared to command the Mountain Lord!
The green sheep sneered, "Summon the Mountain Lord? I don't..."
Before it could finish saying "believe," the burly man covered its mouth.
Granny Sha smiled, "Little Shi, no need to test it, Granny believes you. Green Sheep, if you dare talk nonsense again, we'll cook you tonight!"
The burly man nodded repeatedly.
Chen Shi asked, "Granny, now that the Mountain Lord is in my small temple, acting as my Divine Fetus, can I still receive the True God's blessing and get a Divine Fetus at the divine descent festival the day after tomorrow?"
Granny Sha replied, "Have you ever seen someone with two Divine Fetus?"
Chen Shi shook his head.
Granny Sha laughed, "Since you already have a Divine Fetus, you won't get a second one. Little Shi, don't overthink it. Isn't the list being posted tomorrow? Go to the county town early, so you don't miss it."
Chen Shi called for Heiguo, got on the wooden cart, waved goodbye to them, and the cart headed towards the county town.
"Little Shi, it's best not to reveal your small temple to others."
Granny Sha was still uneasy, shouting, "Don't show your Divine Fetus to anyone either!"
Chen Shi responded, and the cart gradually moved away.
Once the cart disappeared from their view, Granny Sha's smile faded, and she exchanged a look with the green sheep and the burly man.
"Little Shi's stone godmother must be suspicious!"
Granny Sha said, "Old Man Chen entrusted Little Shi to us before he died, like entrusting an orphan. We must be cautious, lest any evil spirits target Little Shi!"
The green sheep said, "The stone godmother didn't bless early or late, but waited until Old Man Chen died to bless. It must be afraid of Old Man Chen discovering its secret."
The burly man laughed, "The three of us are no weaker than Old Man Chen. When Old Man Chen was alive, he could suppress the stone godmother by a notch. Together, we can suppress it by three notches!"
Having made their plan, the three immediately set off for Yellow Slope Village, heading straight for Yellow Earth Hill outside the village.
Soon, they arrived at Yellow Earth Hill, took a step forward, and suddenly the sky tilted, the yellow earth hung upside down, and beneath their feet was an endless void, a strong sense of weightlessness and falling overwhelmed them.
The burly man revealed nine tails behind him, shook them fiercely, and shouted, "Steady!"
The falling sensation immediately vanished.
The three continued forward, trying to climb the yellow sky.
However, with each step, the pressure increased greatly, as if climbing a mountain with a mountain on their back!
For six thousand years, this Yellow Earth Slope had never been destroyed, not without reason.
The three were incredibly strong, pushing against the pressure, reaching the top of the slope, and saw a scholar ghost hanging from a crooked tree.
Supporting each other, they struggled towards the old willow tree.
Scholar Zhu looked at them curiously, seeing these three strange people looking like they were on their last legs.
"Don't die at my feet, I can't bear to see it! If you're going to die, find another place!" Scholar Zhu shouted.
The three ignored him, the increasing pressure making their bodies tremble, faces flushed red.
Their legs shook, finally reaching the old willow tree.
"Thud!"
Granny Sha was forced to kneel, hands on the ground, trying not to bow, but the pressure on her neck was like Mount Tai, forcing her to bow.
"Thud!" "Thud!"
The green sheep and the burly man knelt almost simultaneously, unable to rise.
The burly man trembled, gritting his teeth, took out some incense from his pocket, lit them, and inserted them in front of the stone tablet under the willow tree.
The pressure on him immediately eased, and he lay back on the grass, gasping for breath.
Granny Sha and the green sheep, seeing this, each took out incense, lit them, and inserted them in front of the stone tablet, and the pressure indeed lessened.
After resting for a moment, they hurriedly left the slope.
Granny Sha looked back at the old willow tree, feeling uneasy, muttering, "What kind of being did Old Man Chen find as Little Shi's godmother?"
She frowned deeply. Now Chen Yin was in the underworld, blocking evil spirits from entering Chen Shi's body, unable to handle other matters. Otherwise, they could go to the underworld to ask him.
However, someone in the underworld had their eyes on Chen Yin, and if they went there, they might encounter danger.
Granny Sha looked at the stone tablet, thinking of the evil spirits in Chen Shi's body, feeling a headache.
"Old Man Chen, the burden you left is too heavy! Who can bear it?" she sighed.
When Chen Shi arrived at the county town, the sky was turning red, the sun about to set.
He drove to the Scholars Academy, where besides him were Fu Leisheng, Tian Huayi, and Shen Yusheng.
"Chen Shi, I was just about to find you."
Tian Huayi said seriously, "Shen Yusheng received a top-grade Wen Chang Divine Fetus during the literary exam, and your performance in the martial exam was outstanding, likely earning you a superior Divine Fetus. Both of you are in great danger now. Every year around this time, many students disappear, often kidnapped and their Divine Fetus taken."
He paused, "Last night, a powerful noblewoman approached me, hinting that I could sell Shen Yusheng's Wen Chang Divine Fetus to her for a high price, promising me high rank and wealth, but I refused."
Chen Shi's heart stirred, "Was it a noblewoman from the Li family?"
Tian Huayi hesitated, not answering directly, "I discussed with my mentor, and the only place that can keep Shen Yusheng safe is the county office. Tonight, I plan to take Shen Yusheng to stay under the Ten-Thousand Souls Banner. If that noblewoman sends people, seeing the banner, they won't dare to act rashly."
The Ten-Thousand Souls Banner is a powerful treasure guarding New Township County, capable of stopping experts at the Nascent Soul Stage and even the Spirit Transformation Stage!
"Chen Shi, will you come too?" Tian Huayi asked.
Chen Shi shook his head, "I don't have a Divine Fetus, I won't be in danger."
Fu Leisheng said, "Huayi, you must protect your junior brother Shen, don't let anything happen!"
Tian Huayi laughed, "Mentor, I was just a poor boy who had the fortune to become your disciple. In the countryside, I was a good-for-nothing, never knowing the ways of the world until you taught me about right and wrong, gratitude and loyalty. Later, I went to the frontier garrison, fighting evil spirits, surrounded by comrades who lived and died together, unaffected by the rules and customs of officialdom. For others, the noblewoman's promotion might be crucial, but to me, it's worthless. Rest assured, mentor!"
Fu Leisheng nodded silently, patting Shen Yusheng's head, "Yusheng, follow your senior brother to the county office, borrow its righteous aura to steady people's hearts!"
Shen Yusheng silently followed Tian Huayi.
Fu Leisheng exhaled, glanced at Chen Shi, "Though you're not targeted yet, you're still in danger. I'll stay at the academy tonight."
Chen Shi bowed in thanks.
That night was long, neither Chen Shi nor Fu Leisheng could sleep.
Fu Leisheng read by lamplight, while Chen Shi dozed off beside him. Just past midnight, a cold wind blew, turning the lamp's flame green and making it flare up over a foot high.
Heiguo immediately stood up, barking.
In the cold wind, a bloody scent filled the air.
Chen Shi awoke, quickly shielding the lamp flame, and looked back to see a blood-covered figure outside the window—it was Tian Huayi.
"Mentor, I failed to protect Junior Brother Shen."
The bloody figure knelt in the cold wind, crying, "Your grace is like a mountain, Huayi has failed you. I can only repay you in the next life."
Chapter ends.