Chapter 109

Chapter 109

The task of overseeing the worship of the Little Immortal by the other villages was all handed over to You Nan.

The craftsmen assigned to the work were extremely curious about You Nan's identity, because not only did he come alone to supervise, he always brought along a small child and a little cat.

He didn't look anything like a temple caretaker.

They had secretly asked the craftsmen teaching them the work in private, wanting to know just what You Nan and this child's identities were. But these craftsmen all kept tight-lipped about You Nan and the little child's identities.

This was their Little Immortal and the Little Immortal's dad—how could they possibly tell others!

So they just pretended not to understand.

But if pressed for an answer, they would all push the matter onto the village chief.

They would just scratch their heads, give a sheepish grin and say, "Ah! Isn't this all arranged by our village chief? We just follow the village chief's orders, that's all, I don't know either. If you really want to know, you can go ask the village chief." This single comment silenced all the other craftsmen.

How would they dare ask the village chief? If the village chief took this to heart and thought they didn't know how to work, their minds full of random nonsense, and didn't let them work, what would they do then?

Everyone thought it over and stopped worrying about it. After a while, no one asked anymore.

You Nan said he came to supervise everyone's work, but in reality, he brought the proud child to listen to others praise him.

The craftsmen from the several villages weren't usually very familiar with each other and didn't have many topics to chat about. Now, wanting to get familiar quickly, wouldn't it be best to start by talking about the Little Immortal, who was powerful and saved people from peril. Once the conversation got going, they could then chat about the strange things they encountered while working.

The little child wasn't very old, still young, but his curiosity was even greater than 007's.

You Nan couldn't figure out why the child was so fascinated by these gossipy matters.

"You didn't see it, but as soon as the Little Immortal made his move, all those demons and monsters were blocked outside the Vajra Shield, completely unable to enter the village."

"And that Vajra Shield can even attack evil spirits!"

"Not only that! The Vajra Shield can even distinguish whether something is an animal, and can even tell the difference between plant-eaters and meat-eaters. Our home was right by the Vajra Shield at the time! I was hiding inside my house then, and I saw everything outside clearly. The wolves and tigers were on one side, and the deer, rabbits, and other animals were on the other side!"

"It's really true! Truly the methods of a deity!"

Every time the child heard this, he would secretly puff up his chest proudly, then adopt an expression of curiosity on his face like "What are they talking about, let me listen," and then steal a glance at You Nan, guiding You Nan's gaze over there, afraid that his dad hadn't heard.

The child always thought in his heart that he wished those people would praise him a little louder.

Loud enough to lift the roof off, so that everyone in the whole world could hear.

Whenever You Nan saw the child with his little tail held high like this, he couldn't help but want to laugh.

The cat's usual behavior and demeanor seemed very mature, but because of his young appearance, such an affected expression actually looked very cute on him.

It had a kind of contrast of a little adult.

Especially when he talked, the soft, cute flesh of his cheeks would tremble slightly, which directly melted You Nan's heart.

Every time You Nan thought this, he always felt like he was hopelessly smitten too.

He wasn't a child anymore, but he was still firmly wrapped around the little child's finger.

007, who came with them, had pretty much figured out the attitudes of the father and son pair.

It was too familiar with You Nan and the cat—just how many worlds had they experienced together now? These two would just lift their eyes or pout their mouths, and it would know what they were thinking.

It couldn't help but raise its paw to cover its furry little face, its expression sorrowful as it sighed.

Really, these two couldn't act dignified to save their lives! Damn it!

But since they didn't have the slightest demeanor of deities, it certainly couldn't stoop to their level! Otherwise, wouldn't the three of them be disgracing the word "deity"!

007 thought this, but its face was all furry, so others completely couldn't detect its feigned solemnity and dignity.

After the craftsmen praised the Little Immortal's merits every day, they couldn't control their mouths anymore and started discussing with each other the various things they encountered while working all over the place.

Some of these stories were suspenseful, some were thrilling, and some were told like storyteller's tales, utterly captivating.

When the child became engrossed, he would let go of You Nan's hand, drag his little stool to sit among the craftsmen, and listen to their chatting and talking.

He was so absorbed, he couldn't bear to miss a single word.

Already so absorbed he lost track of everything around him.

You Nan wasn't seeing the child like this for the first time; he was now completely accustomed to the child like this.

But the village craftsmen weren't accustomed to it yet.

The people from other villages were fine; they didn't know the Little Immortal's identity and just treated the little child as an ordinary kid.

But the people from their own village knew. As soon as they saw the Little Immortal's attention being drawn away by others, they immediately felt competitive.

They also wanted the Little Immortal to sit by their side and clap and cheer for them.

As they competed harder, the people from other villages noticed and were not to be outdone. So the people from several villages started this open and secret rivalry, causing the child to bustle around them excitedly.

You Nan saw this scene and couldn't help but shake his head in amusement.

He himself sat down in another quiet place and began cultivating.

007 would also come over at this time, curling up beside You Nan to keep him company.

That 007 could cultivate was also thanks to the little child's guidance.

This guy, after knowing that You Nan could cultivate, looked at the little child with its cat eyes that became wide and sparkling, and used its little paws to gently tread on the little child's chubby little thigh.

The little child laughed heartily; he really couldn't resist 007. With a tap of his finger on the little cat's body, 007 could also cultivate then.

007 received such a great benefit from the little child, so in terms of karma, 007 was now subordinate to the little child.

But this time, 007 willingly called the little child Big Brother.

007 thought delightedly, anyway, who knows how long it would have taken for it to enlighten itself and embark on the immortal path—might as well use connections.

It couldn't help but sigh inwardly; no wonder people in the mortal world always loved to find backdoor connections to get things done. Only when you yourself are the connected one do you realize how awesome it is!

007 couldn't help but steal a glance at You Nan beside it, feeling a surge of competitive spirit.

Strictly speaking, You Nan hadn't started cultivating much earlier than it, but he was progressing remarkably fast, as if he'd taken growth hormones.

007 had a premonition that You Nan's spiritual roots must be good.

But 007 considered itself a cat demon, so its cultivation speed should definitely be fast too.

It had an uncomfortable feeling in its heart; it felt that it certainly wasn't bad either, and maybe if it put in more effort, it could catch up with You Nan!

Of course, You Nan noticed 007's petty thoughts, but he didn't mind the cat's sly comparisons at all.

Instead, he found himself both amused and exasperated.

If he catches up, then he catches up—it’s a good thing if it motivates the little cat to cultivate.

You Nan focused his mind, slowly gathering the surrounding spiritual energy into his dantian and continuously compressing it.

His foundations weren't fully laid; besides ensuring his cultivation progress, he also had to pay attention to the strength of his physical body.

If he only cared about his cultivation level and neglected everything else, it would be like being penny wise and pound foolish.

Since beginning his path of cultivation, You Nan had never had extended secluded cultivation. Now, with time available, he could solidify his foundation, and his strength could advance further.

While everyone in the village was busy rebuilding their homes, cleaning up the battlefield outside the village, and seeking other ways to secure their survival, a group from Yan capital had quietly drawn near.

They were envoys from Yan State, accompanied by deadly escorts tasked with protecting them.

However, their numbers were now greatly reduced compared to when they had left Yan capital.

With demonic creatures emerging into the world, it wasn’t just the Great Yao from the mountains descending upon the mortal realm—many demonic creatures that had long existed in the human world also began to appear.

In the past, their strength was insufficient, and with cultivators suppressing them, they didn’t dare show themselves, fearing extermination, and could only hide.

But now, as demons broke through seals and rose, those cultivators grew fearful. Most cultivators within Yan State had returned to their sects, leaving only a few rogue cultivators traveling the world to exterminate demons and uphold righteousness.

The malevolent forces knew their opportunity for expansion had arrived.

Freed from the restraints of cultivators, these demons unleashed carnage locally, slaughtering indiscriminately.

The Yan State envoys encountered a few along their journey. However, the gap between ordinary humans and demons was simply too vast. Even though the Yan State envoy was a renowned general capable of taking on a hundred enemies, and his subordinates were all seasoned soldiers, in the eyes of these demons, they were like ants, unable to hold out for long.

Fortunately, they encountered some rogue cultivators who came to their aid, preventing total annihilation.

The Yan State envoy and the rogue cultivators with him cast their gaze toward the villages in the distance.

The Yan State envoy, who hadn’t witnessed the descent of the Great Yao, breathed a sigh of relief to see the village safe and peaceful.

The rogue cultivators, however, were profoundly shaken.

Unlike the envoy, who had stayed within Yan State, these rogue cultivators had come from Jin State.

Anyone who had seen the devastation at the foot of the Great Xing Mountains in Jin State could never forget it.

Corpses littered the ground, not a blade of grass grew, and the commoners' blood had literally flowed in rivers.

The air was thick with malicious energy.

The damned Deer Demon had slaughtered countless humans. By the time they were forced to flee, parts of Jin State's border regions had completely fallen into the Deer Demon’s control.

Yet what they saw at the foot of the Great Xing Mountains in Yan State was entirely different.

It was peaceful, serene, and they could even faintly hear the laughter of the villagers carried by the wind.

This made the rogue cultivators feel as if they had entered a Peach Blossom Spring.

At the same time, they felt both awe and caution toward the power of the Wild Deity.

I heard that baleful aura and shadowy fog had come to the border of Yan State, but they were actually dispelled by an unknown wild deity!

"That must be the village under the protection of Lord Wild Deity. I wonder if Lord Wild Deity is still there?"

The envoy of Yan State gazed anxiously toward the villages from afar, deeply worried.

They had traveled all the way from the capital to the Great Xing Mountain, and it took them quite a while on the road, hoping that the wild deity who had saved the people of Yan State was still there.

"It’s fine, let’s go now. If Lord Wild Deity isn’t there, we can ask the villagers if they have any news about the wild deity," the rogue cultivator said.

The envoy quickly nodded, "Alright, we’ll do as Immortal Elder says."

As the Yan State envoys sped toward the village on horseback, another group of people was also heading in the same direction behind them.

However, unlike the envoys’ full-speed advance, this group took their time.

"Senior Brother, do you think we’ll encounter the shadowy fog again when we reach Great Xing Mountain?"

The scouts at the front of the group couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

"Keep your voice down! Do you have a death wish, talking about it so openly? Be careful, or the senior brothers and sisters might assign you to attend to the deity!"

The most experienced among them secretly glanced behind them.

Their small team had distanced themselves from the senior brothers and sisters, so those behind wouldn't hear much of what they said.

At these words, the scouts fell silent and didn’t dare to speak further.

The deity they served was, of course, the immortal worshipped by their own sect.

It was this very deity who had protected their sect, ensuring its legacy remained unbroken for centuries. The sect had even become the foremost major sect in Yan State, subtly overshadowing the status of several sects in Jin and Qin States, with the potential to become the leading sect on the continent.

However, despite the deity’s immense power, it was supposed to be worshipped by all members of the sect. Yet, when the founding patriarch achieved Nirvana, he left behind an edict.

No disciple of the sect was permitted to enter the deity’s shrine. All offerings had to be conducted outside the hall.

Unless under special circumstances, no one was allowed to enter the deity’s shrine.

The edict applied not only to ordinary inner and outer sect disciples but also to all elders, and even the Sect Leader.

In contrast, there were no such restrictions for the royal family or common folk.

Their Sect Leader had repeatedly proposed allowing the monarch to enter the deity’s shrine to offer prayers and encouraging the general public to worship inside.

However, all statues of the deity in the shrines were covered with a spell to prevent anyone from glimpsing the deity’s true appearance.

As a result, many disciples in the sect had never seen the deity they worshipped.

But now, during a special period of sect proselytism, Outer Elder, upon discovering a deity shrine in the county of Great Xing Mountain, broke the edict and entered directly. He spent a considerable amount of time hauling the deity statue out.

The concealment spell on the deity statue was still intact. While the spell was effective against ordinary common folk and rogue cultivators, it was useless against the sect’s own disciples.

In that moment, they all clearly saw the deity statue that the elder had brought out.

It was an indescribable thing.

Covered in black, icy scales, surrounded by fearsome, writhing tentacles, every crevice on its body brimming with eyes.

Just a single glance was enough to shake one's spirit and jar one's mental realm.

Is this truly our sect's deity? How could it be so terrifying, like an evil god?

And our elder seemed like a completely different person—not only did he not explain the deity's peculiarities, but he also claimed the deity required attendants, demanding two disciples daily.

The scouts couldn't help but gulp.

It had been several days now, and the senior disciples who went to attend to the deity seemed normal on the surface, but occasionally, when their eyes met, it felt as though they were no longer the same seniors they knew.

Their senior disciples were typically proud and aloof, often looking at them with disdain—how could they possibly have such greedy, spine-chilling looks, as if sizing up prized possessions?