Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ace
Chapter:
Chapter Title: Black Mountain Granny Conquers Deer Tail Town
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There were also plenty of rural cultivators in Deer Tail Town. The town had private schools and no shortage of scholarly cultivators, all of whom rushed out onto the streets to gaze at this rare sight.
Under the bell tower in Deer Tail Town, those gray-clothed rats had already surrounded the structure, blocking every possible path. The massive flower sedan had come to a halt more than ten zhang ahead of the tower.
Atop the bell tower, the little Daoist stood beneath the bell. Several white-bearded old rats advanced, and astonishingly, Divine Shrines materialized behind their heads. Divine Embryos sat within the shrines, looking entirely lifelike.
Aside from their appearances, there was little difference between them and human cultivators.
"Please have your fellow Daoist leave Granny's sacred ground!"
One of the white-bearded old rats called out.
The little Daoist snorted coldly. He paid them no mind and instead gazed toward the black statue inside the sedan.
"Black Mountain Granny, last time I invaded your sacred ground. You held the home advantage and defeated me. But this time, you have come to my sacred ground. I hold the advantage now, and victory is far from certain."
The people of Deer Tail Town kept their distance, peering over from afar. They could hear the little Daoist's voice but saw no sign of him. They had no idea what their worshiped Godmother truly looked like.
However, seeing their Godmother driven away filled them with anger—and deep unease.
Ordinary folk could only accept such things. Resistance was impossible.
An elderly rural cultivator said to the youth beside him, "This is a case of mountain-felling and temple-breaking. It's typically a struggle between Godmothers. Mortals must not interfere. Even cultivators rarely get involved. We can only watch."
The other cultivators shared the same mindset. They spectated but did not intervene.
The elderly cultivator continued, "So-called mountain-felling and temple-breaking originated as a custom from the era of the True King. It involved the righteous attacking evil spirits, demons, and the shrines and mountain lairs of profane worship. The goal was to uproot their foundations and slay the monsters. But in these times, it has devolved into Godmothers who receive offerings battling each other for sacred grounds. Truly, the hearts of men are no longer pure."
Such incidents were common in the countryside. Godmothers from two villages might clash over territory, their divine images locked in deadly combat until one eradicated the other. The victor would then abduct the loser's villagers and turn them into her own followers.
For instance, the little Daoist of Deer Tail Town raiding Black Mountain to assault Black Mountain Granny's temple was an act of mountain-felling and temple-breaking, aimed at damaging her true form.
Black Mountain Granny crossing boundaries to kill his followers was a grave taboo.
As Deer Tail Town's Godmother, he had to seek justice for his people. It was not merely because Chen Shi had goaded him into the raid.
"Master, what's the deal with Black Mountain Granny?"
The youth beside the old Daoist temple asked.
The elderly cultivator replied, "She's the Godmother from the Black Mountain area in the neighboring county. Some call her an evil spirit. Anyone passing through Black Mountain must offer a stick of incense at her temple, or they invite disaster."
Just as he spoke, the little Daoist on the bell tower raised his hand. The thousand-jin bronze bell hanging inside detached from its hook and whistled through the air in a spin, hurtling toward the flower sedan.
The strike was grand and majestic. The watching cultivators below exchanged admiring glances. "Worthy of Deer Tail Town's Godmother. Such profound magical power."
At that moment, the several white-bearded old rats stepped forward in unison. The Divine Embryos in their shrines opened their mouths, spitting out golden cores one by one. The cores spun nimbly.
The golden cores carried dense demonic and baleful qi. The moment they appeared, the ground cracked repeatedly. Even the bell tower launched by the little Daoist collapsed with a boom under the pressure of the cores.
"Clang..."
The golden cores collided with the bronze bell. The bell glowed red-hot, and faint traces of hundreds of characters emerged beneath its wall.
The bell's toll reverberated. The white-bearded old rats each grunted in闷痛 but managed to block the bell.
Suddenly, the little Daoist soared in. He slammed his palm onto the bell. The hundreds of characters beneath the bell wall buzzed and transformed into divine light that shone outward. At a distance of about a zhang around the bell, they formed massive, golden characters the size of dou measures, branding themselves into the air like an essay.
The white-bearded old rats staggered back, shaken. Their golden cores were flung away.
This bell had endured for millennia without decay and had birthed spirituality through the villagers' worship. It was naturally extraordinary.
The little Daoist let out a great shout and charged toward the flower sedan.
His extraordinary power was immensely vigorous. These old rats practiced a scholarly cultivation method, absorbing moonlight to become evil spirits and refining evil cores.
Though formidable, they were still far inferior to him.
The bell spun. Around its exterior wall, the essay formed by the hundreds of characters rotated as well, forming a bell-shaped structure of text around the outside. Carrying immense might, it smashed toward the sedan.
This sight left several cultivators from the city staring in awe.
"The countryside truly has its treasures."
The old cultivator could not help exclaiming, "This bell is undoubtedly an artifact from ancient times, enduring without damage. Its power is extraordinary. Pity it was turned into a spirit by the ignorant villagers' worship."
The other cultivators also discerned the truth.
The bronze bell could repel those white-bearded old rats not solely due to the extraordinary power from years of worship. Another key factor was its own formidable might.
Had the bronze bell lacked a spirit and divine image, it would have been an extraordinary treasure in its own right. No wonder they felt envious.
Behind the horde of rats, the curtain of the flower sedan was flung open by the wind from the bell's charge, revealing the true form of the black statue within.
The black statue depicted a woman—seemingly a kindly old lady, amiable and smiling, with fingers pinching a flower.
But in the next instant, the statue's face caved inward, forming a bottomless black hole.
At the edge of the black hole were layer upon layer of gums, sprouting rice-grain-sized teeth that rotated inward toward the depths.
The bell smashed toward the sedan. Yet the closer the bell got to the black statue, the smaller it became—along with the little Daoist. Both were sucked into the black hole in the statue's face.
The black statue in the sedan devoured the little Daoist and the bell. Countless rotating teeth protruded outward before its features returned to normal, once more the visage of an amiable old lady.
The cultivators of Deer Tail Town stared in dumbfounded horror, their scalps prickling as a chill crawled up their spines.
This Black Mountain Granny was simply too powerful.
The gray-clothed rat folk set down the sedan. One gray-clothed rat shouted, "All of you, listen up! From this moment, day and night without stop, build a palace for Granny!"
Many gray-clothed rats wielded long whips, herding the people to construct a temple.
One gray-clothed rat bowed before the sedan. "Granny, we have already issued an ultimatum to that little brat called Chen Shi. He is to report tomorrow."
A kindly, benevolent voice came from within the temple. "A Godmother must keep her word. Since I said he dies tomorrow, die tomorrow he shall. After midnight tonight, Granny will go kill him."
Chen Shi returned to Huangpo Village as night fell.
Blackie Pot had eaten his fill. When Chen Shi got home, he saw Blackie Pot washing dishes, with embers still glowing under the pot.
Chen Shi was long accustomed to this. "Put it aside for now. I'll wash up. I still need to brew medicine later."
Blackie Pot came over to him, face grave. "Woof woof woof!"
Chen Shi set down his book and went to scrub the pot and bowls. "You cooked? And three dishes to boot... Of course I'm confident. Now that I've formed my golden core, if that Black Mountain Granny dares come, she'll never leave."
Blackie Pot said, "Woof..."
"Relax. I won't get careless."
"Woof..."
"Alright, alright. You're more like my grandpa than my actual grandpa."
That night.
Deep into the night.
Unnoticed, midnight had passed.
Under the moonlight, darkness crept in, soon reaching the outskirts of Huangpo Village.
Atop the ancient tree in the village center, the sixteen-year-old girl suddenly grew alert.
Without a word, she urged the tree's branches to lash out at the encroaching darkness.
Suddenly, branch after branch withered at high speed. In the blink of an eye, every branch on the ancient tree had dried up, rotted, and fallen.
The girl was startled. She raised her hand—her two arms had withered as well. With two snaps, they broke off at the shoulders.
She hastily leaped down from the tree and fled into Chen Shi's home for shelter.
It was force of habit.
For so long, Chen Shi's home had been a mysterious domain to her. Her power could not invade it. Now facing danger, she instinctively sought refuge there.
Blackie Pot lay in the corner, avoiding the moonlight. He quietly watched the girl pass through Chen Shi's door and slip into his room.
Chen Shi was still deep in sleep when his quilt suddenly bulged. The girl had burrowed inside.
Blackie Pot wagged his tail and pretended not to notice.
At that moment, the door bolt was shoved aside by an invisible great force. The courtyard gate swung open. A pitch-black figure slowly entered the yard, darkness trailing behind her like a long skirt.
The black shadow glanced at the dog fast asleep in the shadows, then withdrew her gaze and headed straight for the main hall and Chen Shi's room.
Blackie Pot stealthily lifted his head. Suddenly, the black shadow whipped her head back.
The dog was still fast asleep in the shadows.
The black shadow turned away. Like formless, intangible darkness, she flowed into Chen Shi's room.
Chen Shi slumbered deeply, lost in a sweet dream.
In the dream, Grandpa Chen Yindu had come back to life. King Yan said his lifespan wasn't up yet and sent him back to the mortal world to look after his grandson.
He had passed the juren exam and returned to the village. Grandma Yuzhu and Old Lady Wuzhu were terrified, rolling on the ground in fear as they kowtowed to Juren Grandpa.
Old Lady Wuzhu even proactively picked a watermelon for him to eat.
Somehow, Yuzhu had grown up, now about the same size as Jin Hongying. She coyly wriggled into Juren Grandpa's arms and said in a娇滴滴 voice, "Juren Lord, you killed my dear grandson. Midnight has passed. Now pay with your life."
Chen Shi's pleasant dream abruptly turned pitch black. In the dark dreamscape, only he stood in a pool of light, surrounded on all sides by darkness.
Yet in the darkness floated tiny glowing specks, like grains of rice.
"Black Mountain Granny?"
Chen Shi's heart jolted. He shouted, "Black Mountain Granny, your rat minions were wreaking havoc, so I killed them. That's on you, not me. You've invaded my dream, but once I wake, you'll be powerless against me."
"You won't wake!"
The rice-grain-like light specks in the darkness quivered, as if laughing.
They were rice-grain-shaped teeth, encircling Chen Shi from all sides.
Black Mountain Granny's voice brimmed with smugness. She laughed, "You've already fallen into Granny's mouth. And you think you can wake..."
"What is this? What is this thing? What do you have hidden in your dream?"
Her voice turned to utter terror, as if confronting something horrifying. Moments ago a triumphant demon god, now she sounded like a frightened little girl.
"What exactly have you hidden in your dream? Save me! Quick, save me..."
She let out a shrill scream. Then, the darkness in Chen Shi's dream rapidly receded. He could only see what looked like a figure being dragged into the depths, a slender crimson tongue coiled around its neck.
"Save me!"
A凄厉 scream echoed from the darkness. Pairs of skeletal, withered black hands reached out from the gloom, grasping wildly.
Chen Shi woke from the nightmare in shock and doubt, drenched in sweat.
He panted heavily. Only then did he sense something amiss. He hurriedly threw off the quilt and looked down. A girl was huddled in his bedding, pressed against his body, lying perfectly still and obedient.
Seeing him look, the girl blinked her jet-black eyes. She was armless—the Godmother of the village.
"How did you end up in my bedding?"
Chen Shi asked in confusion.
"Why do you sleep without clothes on?"
The girl asked.
"I always sleep naked, no pants or anything. Wait—how did you get in here? Get out! Out now!"
Chen Shi shooed the girl away and sat by the window. He was still mulling over the dream.
"Must be that I think of her by day and dream of her by night. I was just too scared of Black Mountain Granny, that's all."
Outside Huangpo Village, Granny Sha held her sheep-horned Spirit Lamp aloft, gazing from afar at Chen Shi's home in the village center.
Azure Sheep paced out from behind her and shook his head. "Old hag, it's no use. Black Mountain Granny is just a minor evil spirit. She couldn't gauge Chen Shi's level."
The dragon-bearded burly man approached from the other side. "Black Mountain Granny is already the strongest spirit around these parts. What on earth is the level of that evil inside Chen Shi?"
End of chapter.