Mortals who cultivate the Dao either draw upon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth or borrow power from deities.
It’s not surprising that the Longevity Island enshrines an evil deity in the Ling Palace, but the fact that this evil deity has personally descended is completely unexpected.
Did it come in response to Zhao Xiwen’s sacrificial ritual?
Or has it been in the Ling Palace all along, silently watching them?
They have no idea, and there’s no time for them to ponder it now.
The statue of the evil deity was originally carved directly into the mountain, its back still connected to the rock wall.
As it stood up, the over twenty-meter-tall statue slowly tore itself away from the mountain.
The mountain trembled, and chunks of mud and rocks cascaded down with a deafening roar.
“You’re quite impressive. Even Zhao Xiwen wielding the Zigan Sword couldn’t defeat you,” the evil deity said with a sinister smile, its clay- carved eyes slowly turning as it gazed at Shi Pengpeng with a hint of admiration.
As it spoke, the Zigan Sword rose into the air and flew into its hand.
“Since that’s the case, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”
With a casual gesture of its massive clay hand, the Zigan Sword let out a sharp hum, and a surge of immense power erupted, crashing down like a tidal wave.
Shi Pengpeng and her companions shuddered, their legs nearly buckling under the pressure.
In just a second, they realized they were no match for this evil deity.
“Ahhh, what do we do?” Bai Wanmu screamed.
“It seems like we’re really done for.”
“Amitabha,” Shan Ren clasped his hands together, maintaining the composure of a monk.
“It seems we are doomed this time. If that’s the case, let us face death with dignity. To die for righteousness is to achieve the path of Buddha.”
“Wahhh, Master, you’re so calm, but I can’t reach your level,” Bai Wanmu cried, tears streaming down her face.
“And if we had died right from the start, fine. But after fighting so hard for so long, we’re still going to die? What was all that effort for? Am I just a clown?”
Shan Ren: “…”
Shi Pengpeng’s expression remained unchanged as she stared directly into the eyes of the evil deity and asked, “Which department of the underworld are you from?”
At her words, both Bai Wanmu and Shan Ren were stunned.
Bai Wanmu even forgot to wail for a moment.
“Pengpeng, what are you talking about?”
The evil deity’s movements also paused slightly and said, “Oh, you’ve figured it out?”
Shi Pengpeng said, “An evil deity from illicit worship wouldn’t have such immense power. You’re a legitimate deity, and not a low-ranking one at that.”
Her words made the others realize the truth.
Times have changed, and the age of Dharma has ended.
In this era of science, even officially recognized deities receive limited worship, let alone privately enshrined evil spirits.
The evil arts of Longevity Island are indeed cruel and sinister, but a mere scam operation couldn’t sustain such a powerful deity.
This deity statue is neither Buddhist nor Taoist, its origins unclear.
Or perhaps, it was deliberately crafted to be ambiguous, to avoid being recognized.
Zhao Xiwen’s sins were immense in life, and even in death, he would face punishment in the underworld.
Yet, Longevity Island managed to evade the underworld’s oversight, secretly smuggling his soul out of the country, even giving him a new identity and a second life.
How did they do it?
Zhong Ziqing had previously hinted that the higher-ups suspected Longevity Island’s connections weren’t limited to the mortal world— they seemed to have ties to the underworld as well.
All the clues pieced together made it easy to deduce the true background of the evil deity statue before them.
“Hahaha, this is quite interesting.” The evil deity’s broad clay lips split wider, its laughter causing their blood to churn.
“Shi Pengpeng, you’re much smarter than that useless Zhao Xiwen. How about considering joining my ranks? With me as your backer, you’ll surely rise swiftly in the mystical sects of the mortal world.”
Shi Pengpeng nodded vigorously, “Sure, sure!”
The evil deity didn’t expect her to agree so readily: “…D?”
Shan Ren and Bai Wanmu were also stunned.
Shan Ren looked at Shi Pengpeng in confusion, “Shi Pengpeng, you…?”
“Those who recognize the times are the true heroes,” Shi Pengpeng clapped her hands, excitedly envisioning the future.
“You should also be sensible and follow me in serving our big brother. Once we return, big brother will help Shan Ren become the abbot of Buddhism, and sister will become an elder of the Gu Sect. I’ll take charge of the mystical sects, and we’ll form a tripartite alliance, sharing the sect’s power!”
After a moment’s thought, she took Yan Jing’s hand, “And my brother, the CEO of Cat Paw Technology, do you know the weight of this title? In the future, he’ll be our financier, providing us with funds and promotional support!”
Yan Jing: “……”
Yan Jing lowered his gaze, glanced at the hand she was holding, and calmly replied, “Alright.”
Bai Wanmu and Shan Ren: “…….”
They had it all figured out?
The evil deity narrowed its eyes, “Shi Pengpeng, do you think I’d believe you?”
Shi Pengpeng scoffed, “If you use someone, don’t doubt them. If you doubt them, don’t use them, big brother.”
The evil deity laughed, “Hahaha, fine. Then I’ll kill you first and give you a new identity. Only then will I believe you’re truly mine to use.”
Shi Pengpeng was furious, “How can you be like this? You’re too paranoid! You don’t have the magnanimity of a big brother. I won’t follow you anymore.”
“Hmph, smooth talker.” The evil deity stopped wasting words with her and bent down, its massive hand like a wall reaching out to grab them.
Shi Pengpeng quickly shook Yan Jing’s hand, “Brother!”
Yan Jing: “Hmm.”
The hand marked with the Qilin talisman pushed forward in tacit understanding.
Shi Pengpeng’s finger technique immediately tapped the back of his hand, using his palm as the talisman, “Qilin, come!”
Yan Jing’s unyielding bones could amplify the power of the talisman.
But she was the true master of talisman techniques.
The roar of a fierce beast erupted, and a chilling gale surged forward, clashing with the giant clay hand.
With a “hum,” the clay hand actually paused for a moment.
Bai Wanmu was delighted, “Pengpeng, you’re so strong!”
“Quick, quick, quick!!!” Shi Pengpeng didn’t linger in the fight.
Seizing the brief opportunity, she grabbed Yan Jing’s hand and turned to run, “Follow me!”
The gap in strength between the two sides was too vast; there was no chance of winning in a real fight.
Shi Pengpeng had secretly observed the escape route during the banter earlier.
The combination of unwithering bones and the Qilin talisman could only have a momentary effect, barely buying them some time to flee.
“Oh, oh.” Bai Wanmu and Shan Ren snapped out of it and hurriedly followed.
The group quickly ran out of the mausoleum, only to be stunned once again.
It had started raining outside the mausoleum.
The sky was darker, with thick ink-like clouds blotting out the moon.
Flickers of lightning could be seen within the clouds, accompanied by the rumble of thunder.
Ahead, a forbidden river lay across their path.
The water’s surface was shrouded in a dense, almost tangible resentment, with ghostly projectiles ready to strike, making it impossible to cross.
Looking around, the world was a chaotic blur, with only the distant Elephant Stone Mountain faintly visible.
Trapped between dead ends, they found themselves in a dire situation.
“This is within my barrier; there’s no escape for you,” the evil deity statue said leisurely, its mud hand clenching and dissolving the Qilin’s power before slowly rising and walking towards them step by step.
“Thud, thud, thud—” Each massive mud footstep caused the ground to tremble slightly.
Bai Wanmu, too despondent to even cry out, lamented, “After a lifetime of battles as the Southern Gu King, I end up like this. Heaven is truly unjust.”
“Your Majesty, stay calm. It’s not yet time to sacrifice ourselves,” Shi Pengpeng said, pulling out a black stone from her pocket.
The evil deity’s words reminded her that they were in a massive magical array, and both she and Yan Jing had arrived here through the Thousand-Mile Stone.
“Brother, try using your Unwithering Bone,” Shi Pengpeng placed the Thousand-Mile Stone in Yan Jing’s hand and urged the others, “Quick, gather around my brother.”
Bai Wanmu and Shan Ren, both skilled cultivators, immediately sensed the extraordinary power emanating from the stone and quickly moved closer.
Suddenly, a slender figure darted out from a corner, “Master, Your Majesty, please take me with you, or they’ll kill me.”
It was the wooden man.
The wooden man had been hiding in the corner since Shi Pengpeng and Zhao Xiwen began their fight, not daring to move.
Seeing Shi Pengpeng finally defeat Zhao Xiwen, only for the evil deity statue to come back to life, it knew it couldn’t stay.
As a product of the Longevity Island, it was well aware of the island’s methods for dealing with traitors.
Moreover, it had a gu worm in its heart’s blood.
Seeing Shi Pengpeng seemingly having a way to escape, it rushed out.
Given the wooden man’s past contributions and the urgency of the situation, Shi Pengpeng didn’t argue, leaning close to Yan Jing’s ear, “Brother, do as I say.”
Yan Jing turned his head to look at her, “Alright.”
The wind howled around them as they felt themselves enveloped in a mist, speeding through the void.
Soon, the mist dispersed, and their vision gradually cleared, though it was still pitch dark.
Rain drizzled, and the wind roared, the thunderclouds above pressing lower, the faint flashes of lightning seemingly about to strike them directly.
Bai Wanmu looked bewildered, “Where are we?”
The wooden man was on the verge of tears, “Yikes, we’re still on Elephant Stone Mountain, still trapped…”
“Hahaha, the Thousand-Mile Stone is part of my array. Thinking you could use it to escape is pure fantasy,” the evil deity’s voice, as if from the heavens, rumbled down with the thunder.
At the same time, a bolt of lightning split the sky, its white light tearing through the darkness and illuminating the scene before them.
They could now see that they were indeed on Elephant Stone Mountain, standing atop the elephant’s head.
Looking down, they could see the massive stone pillar resembling an elephant’s trunk extending from the mountain, slanting into the Forbidden Water.
The trunk pointed towards the direction of the mausoleum, which, from afar, appeared grand and ablaze with light.
The colossal evil deity had emerged from the mausoleum, slowly raising its head to gaze at them from afar.
In the flash of lightning, a confident smile could be seen on its lips.
“The Thousand-Mile Stone has shattered,” Yan Jing said, opening his palm to reveal the black stone that had brought them here, now broken into pieces, its mystical inscriptions completely faded.
Shan Ren clasped his hands together: “Then let us bury our bones in these green mountains. It’s just a pity that we never found out where this place truly is…”
“Ah, I know where we are!” Bai Wanmu suddenly exclaimed, pointing towards the direction of the stone elephant’s trunk.
“Look, do you see those red marks?”
The others turned to look and, illuminated by the lightning, they indeed saw several red marks crisscrossing the long stone trunk of the elephant.
“This Elephant Stone Mountain must be the divine elephant from the ancient Pu Kingdom’s legend,” Bai Wanmu explained.
“We’ve been on the Meng River all along, never leaving it.”
The ancient kingdom of Pu, later known as Mian, had always adhered to Theravada Buddhism, venerating it as the state religion, with many of its kings also serving as monk-kings.
It is said that over a thousand years ago, there was a king in ancient Pu who was deeply versed in Buddhist teachings and kept a highly spiritual white elephant.
This king, ambitious and eager to annex the then frontier state of Biannan, finally found his opportunity and personally led his troops northward riding the white elephant.
However, as they crossed the Meng River, the white elephant sensed the impending disaster that would bring great suffering to the living beings.
It stopped in the middle of the river and refused to move further.
Enraged, the king ordered his men to whip the elephant.
Tears rolled down the elephant’s face, and finally, it plunged its trunk into the water, transforming into a stone mountain.
The soldiers present were deeply moved by this sight, and the king, feeling a sense of remorse, ordered a retreat, thus averting a great calamity.
The red marks on the stone trunk are the scars left by the whipping of the white elephant.
Of course, this is just a legend, a story concocted by the people living by the river based on this elephant stone, but it was enough for Bai Wanmu to identify their current location.
The Elephant Stone is located on the Meng River, precisely at the border between Mian and Biannan.
The place where the stone stands is Mian, and the direction the trunk points to is Biannan.
“So that’s how it is…” Shi Pengpeng pondered thoughtfully, then clenched her right fist and struck it into her left palm and said:
“I think we can still salvage this situation!”
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