Chapter 1 Old Tree Spirits

A mu mei is a ghost-like entity born from old trees, neither entirely ghost nor demon. They exist between the two, making them more treacherous than either ghosts or demons. Rooted in the mountains and forests, they pose a great threat and are difficult to eliminate.

Hearing this, Jia An’s eyes flickered as he looked at the old monk, "Master, you mention this fiend, could it be…"

"Demons run rampant, and the world is seldom at peace."

The virtuous old monk sighed, full of compassion.

"This humble monk is willing to eliminate this scourge for An Nuo County as a congratulatory gift for the City God's birthday."

"If that's the case, then your merit would be immeasurable!"

Jia An seemed somewhat moved.

"If Master can eliminate this scourge for An Nuo County, all matters concerning the construction of the Tathagata branch temple will be borne by my Heavenly Will Sect."

"Master is truly compassionate!"

After Jia An spoke, the crowd praised in unison.

Faced with such a scene, the old monk remained calm, but Pei Yuanhua frowned almost imperceptibly. The strength of the Heavenly Will Sect was too great, causing many City Gods to struggle for breath.

"In that case, when will Master depart? I, Pei, will certainly dispatch Yin soldiers to assist."

Pei Yuanhua slowly said,

"If this matter succeeds, I will certainly find a good place for Master to establish a branch temple."

"Naturally, that would be excellent, but at this moment, this humble monk must first see the quality of that demon!"

The old monk smiled amiably and slowly extended a hand.

"How will you test it?"

Pei Yuanhua asked with interest.

Buzz~

A stream of light descended from between his eyebrows and transformed into a fist-sized incense burner in his palm.

"Natal artifact?"

An old man exclaimed.

The souls of the crowd had left their bodies, and many magical artifacts could not be carried along. Naturally, this old monk was no exception. At this moment, this incense burner must be his natal artifact.

As soon as these words fell, everyone gasped.

Nurturing Qi, Receiving the Talisman, Nourishing, Natal Artifact... This old monk was actually a cultivator of the fourth stage, and judging by the distinct patterns on the incense burner, he had obviously achieved a deep mastery over his natal artifact.

Jia An’s pupils also constricted. He had long known that this old monk had reached the Natal Artifact stage, but he hadn't expected his cultivation to be so profound. This incense burner made him somewhat wary.

This fat old monk is probably about to enter the Dao...

"Natal artifact..."

In the small courtyard in the south of the city, An Qi Sheng seemed to have also seen this scene, and a ripple arose in his heart.

In the Huang Tian Realm, the difference between each stage of cultivation was extremely large, hence the saying of multiple Heavens.

Those who nurture Qi are no different from mortals, while those who receive the Talisman are already beyond comparison to ordinary people. However, the Natal Artifact stage is another huge leap because the achievement of a natal artifact requires a full realm of ‘Nourishing’ to achieve.

Once a natal artifact is formed, one is no longer ordinary.

However, he did not make any unusual movements, simply sensing quietly.

Such a gathering, bringing together the City God, the Heavenly Will Sect, the Tathagata Temple, and rogue cultivators and wild cultivators from the entire city, could be considered a timely rain for him.

With so many methods of "Cang Tian Receives the Talisman," it would naturally be of great benefit to what he wanted to do.

"This humble monk has no possessions of note. Sixty years of cultivation have only yielded this incense burner. It is far inferior to my fellow disciples, and even more so to the ancestral master. However, to see the quality of that demon, I imagine there won't be much of a problem."

The old monk held the incense burner in one hand and slowly exhaled a wisp of green smoke from his mouth.

Chī chī~

The incense burner shook slightly, and wisps of green smoke seemed to rise from within.

The strands of green smoke writhed like living things and quickly outlined a realistic scene.

Bright moon, night, mountains and forests, night wind, the calls of crows, the howls of wolves and beasts, the chirping of insects...

Many scenes and sounds flowed out from the picture outlined by the green smoke.

"Jiao Yuan Mountain!"

Sa Wu Ling's expression changed as he recognized the scene in the picture.

It was none other than Jiao Yuan Mountain, three hundred li northwest of An Nuo County!

This Jiao Yuan Mountain was characterized by overlapping peaks and lush vegetation, making it easy to recognize because it was the only large mountain within An Nuo County.

The others also recognized the scene.

"This demon is in this mountain!"

The virtuous old monk had a calm expression and smiled slightly as he extended his other hand:

"Allow this humble monk to try him with the Demon Subduing Seal!"

Buzz~

The strands of green smoke followed his hand deep into it, rippling as if he had really reached three hundred li away with his hand.

Then, he struck heavily.

Immediately after,

The mountains collapsed and the earth split!

…

Under the night, Jiao Yuan Mountain was like a crouching beast, and beast roars and wolf howls were heard from the dark forest from time to time. The whistling wind sounded like the wails of ghosts.

"Hurry! Traveling at night is not safe. This is not a place to rest. There is a village dozens of li ahead. We can go there to rest…"

Outside Jiao Yuan Mountain, a group of merchants hurried through the night.

Everyone's expression was quite cautious as they carried knives and swords and followed carefully.

In these times, trading was profitable, but it came with great danger.

During the day, it was still manageable. Although there were many mountain bandits and brigands, they could still put up a fight with real swords and spears. But if they encountered the rumored ghosts and monsters at night, it would be a big problem.

This time, if it weren't for the lure of huge profits, they wouldn't have traveled at night at all.

Hu~

At the front of the group, an old man carrying a long staff suddenly stopped and raised his hand. Everyone immediately lowered their bodies, and all the torches were extinguished in an instant.

"Old Wang, is there something wrong?"

A young man whispered, asking the old man.

"My heart is pounding, something seems wrong... After traveling on the night road so much, I'm afraid we're going to see a ghost."

The old man clutched the fine iron staff and looked at Jiao Yuan Mountain, his heart pounding.

The throbbing was so intense that it was even more turbulent than when he had encountered a tiger as a child.

And with his skill, even if he encountered some bandits, he wouldn't feel so terrified.

"What?"

Someone exclaimed in surprise.

The old man was about to speak when he suddenly heard a loud roar from the horizon.

Rumble!

Like thunder erupting from the mountains, a huge wave of air rolled in with a sharp screech.

The trees in the forest shook, and waves of soil rose like a tide. As the earth shook and the mountains swayed, all the merchants were stunned.

At this time, the night was dark, and the moonlight was very dim, so visibility was not high.

But no matter how low it was, they saw what had happened.

Because a mountain suddenly collapsed!

A golden light flashed, and the mountain actually collapsed!

"Ah!!"

A wail like weeping and sobbing followed the turbulent airflow, and for a time, it seemed as if hundreds of ghosts were soaring into the sky.

The faces of the group were ashen, and they all fled in panic, abandoning their goods. None of them cared, each wishing their parents had given them two more legs!

"So powerful?"

In the main hall of the City God's mansion, a group of third-rate rogue cultivators were also dumbfounded.

They were so close, and with the virtuous old monk deliberately showing off, if they still couldn't see what had happened, they might as well poke their eyes out!

That old monk, in his soul form, three hundred li away, actually shattered a small mountain with a palm strike!

He forcibly beat that mu mei into a desperate escape.

Even if the mountain was only a hundred zhang high, it was still a mountain!

Where could they, these wild cultivators who usually only performed rituals, delivered the dead, and at most drove corpses, have seen such methods?

"Moving mountains and filling seas, moving mountains and filling seas..."

Sa Wu Ling's scalp was also tingling as he watched, and at the same time, his heart was burning.

Such methods could be described as earth-shattering, right?

Even Pei Yuanhua and Jia An were somewhat disturbed at this moment.

They knew that this old monk must have been brewing this move for a long time to establish his prestige. However, even if it had been brewing for a long time, this method was not ordinary.

They flattered themselves that they each had their own methods, but they didn't necessarily have the ability to strike from three hundred li away, let alone shatter a mountain.

"It's that natal artifact..."

Jia An looked at the incense burner that had dissipated into smoke and been absorbed into the old monk's abdomen, and his eyes flashed.

The Tathagata Temple was not a newly established sect. On the contrary, it was also a quite ancient sect, but it had declined for many years.

But unexpectedly, it suddenly rose and won the support of the current crown prince and princes, and even faintly had the momentum to compete with the Heavenly Will Real Person for the position of national teacher.

Pei Yuanhua stroked his long beard, and his smile was a little stiff.

He vaguely felt that the City God of the state's actions were not a good idea. To drive away a tiger only to let in a wolf. If the wolf was not driven away, and a tiger came instead, what should be done?

Hu~

The old monk slowly retracted his palm. Seeing that the scene was silent, the smile on his slightly transparent face grew even wider:

"I've made you all laugh..."

"Dare not, dare not!"

Everyone's expressions became cautious. How could they dare laugh at such methods?

At this time, seeing the faint disagreement between the three great figures, many people were already secretly regretting it.

Sa Wu Ling was one of them.

He should just wait to get the Talisman Receiving method, why get involved in these things?

Fortunately, nothing happened next.

After a moment of stagnation, the City God's mansion was filled with clinking cups and renewed merriment, restoring the previous joyful appearance.

It was just that the things hidden beneath this joy made everyone feel like they were sitting on pins and needles, feeling that the three men's words were like knives, each knife resting on their necks.

Everyone felt like they were living like years, wishing they could take their leave immediately.

…

"The Heavenly Will Sect, the Tathagata Temple, the City God Underworld, the Great Qing Dynasty..."

In the small courtyard in the south of the city, An Qi Sheng stood with his hands behind his back in the house, slowly opening his eyes, and ripples appeared in his eyes.

Faintly, several rays of light could be seen colliding, intertwining, and giving rise to clumps of spiritual imprints that only he could see.

No one knew what a huge amount of information he had obtained in just a short moment.

The Heavenly Will Sect had been entrenched in the Great Qing for a hundred years, plundering and devouring the power of incense and belief, and building branch temples on a large scale. Its power was like the sun in the sky.

On this land, it was almost invincible, and even many cultivation sects had to avoid it from afar, but it wasn't like no one was dissatisfied.

The Tathagata Temple was just one of them, and the City God Underworld and other ghosts and gods were the second.

And there was also the current crown prince, who had outlived his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, and was now in his sixties…

And behind all this, there seemed to be even deeper secrets hidden.

Things that even the City God of this county, the branch master of the Heavenly Will Sect, and the branch master of the Tathagata Temple didn't know…

"What a mess…"

Shaking his head slightly, An Qi Sheng was too lazy to pay attention to the scheming between these forces.

How could scheming when one's strength was insufficient compare to being invincible, sweeping across all directions, and defeating all the demons and monsters?

His harvest this time was great.

Faintly, he saw a glimmer of dawn. He had a vague idea of the subsequent evolution of his path.