Chapter 191

Chapter 191

"Hey, wait! Slow down!" the System Cat yowled in Chen Ji's mind. "Shouldn't this place belong to Xiangxiang now? Are you planning to burn it down?"

"Probably." Chen Ji answered without hesitation as he splashed the lamp oil all over the main hall. "I'm not entirely sure, but Huang Mao definitely has a share in it."

The words from that day, and the dream from that night, kept echoing in Chen Ji's mind—the divine statue was an avatar of the deity, their anchor in the mortal realm. Huang Mao had nearly half its spiritual power absorbed by the gourd, then its physical body was severely injured by the explosion, and later, Xiangxiang split from it. So where was it anchored?

He had been at the Mountain Lord Temple for so long, practically turning the place upside down physically, yet he had never seen Huang Mao's true form... but he had seen Xiangxiang's true form many times.

Xiangxiang's true form was a white tiger, and Huang Mao's was too. Xiangxiang always preferred to appear in its white tiger true form, but except in dreams, he had never seen Huang Mao's true form—that ghostly, shadowy mass, could that be considered its true form? It was more like a Dharma Form.

It was alive. It should have a physical, observable, living, breathing body like Second Master Huang, Little Red, and Xiangxiang.

But he hadn't seen it.

So he could boldly speculate that Huang Mao's true form had also been taken by Xiangxiang.

Therefore, it was likely they split things evenly back then: Xiangxiang received the remaining small portion of spiritual power and the true form, while Huang Mao received the majority of the spiritual power and the Dharma Form. That's why Xiangxiang, relying on its true form, could move freely within Little Green Mountain and even leave its range, while Huang Mao could only anchor itself to the divine statue, guarding this tiny Mountain Lord Temple, struggling to even step outside.

Chen Ji didn't deny there were still holes in this logic, but when a program's logical chain could be established, no matter how many bugs it contained, you could always try running it once first.

As for this current divine statue... Xiangxiang had never resided in it for a single day, so how could it be considered Xiangxiang's? The people had acknowledged Xiangxiang as the Mountain Lord. This heretical statue... should have been destroyed from the start. If Xiangxiang survived, they could just make a new one for him. If Xiangxiang didn't survive... well, if they all died together, then the statue wouldn't matter anymore.

As for whether destroying the statue would hurt Xiangxiang... he'd bet his life on it. If Xiangxiang could be injured by this, then Huang Mao, who had been anchored to the statue all along, would only be hurt far more severely.

Chen Ji seemed to think of something, a flicker of somewhat mocking amusement passing through his eyes before vanishing just as quickly.

Outside the main hall, the scene was already one of utter devastation. The Mountain Lord Temple, which Chen Ji had painstakingly restored to a state of serene elegance, was thoroughly ruined. Only the main hall remained relatively intact for now.

In mid-air, Huang Mao's eyes were filled with rage and killing intent. Disregarding the golden light's repulsion, it poured all its strength into tearing at Chang Xu.

It was a beast, an ancient beast. Unlike Second Master Huang or Eldest Madam Sang, who tried to integrate into the modern era, even after becoming a spirit, it remained merely a spiritual beast with magical power, relying on instinct to seize what it wanted, kill anything that stood in its way, simplifying everything to the extreme.

Even faced with the current situation, its thoughts were simple: kill Chang Xu, kill Chen Ji.

Chang Xu had betrayed it. Chen Ji had betrayed it too.

These things it had nurtured could no longer bring it joy, nor could they provide it with sustenance. Therefore, there was no need to keep them.

Besides, only by devouring them did it have a chance to survive.

It was that simple.

They suddenly separated. Blood rained down from the sky like a warm shower.

Chang Xu landed in front of the main hall entrance. Before he could steady himself, he abruptly spun and leaped, sharp claws fully extended with a shriek that tore the air. With extreme violence, he kicked Huang Mao away. At the critical moment, Huang Mao, who had been pouncing towards the main hall, sharply changed direction, its front paws landing on the wall, perfectly avoiding this strike.

But precisely because of this evasion, it had to abandon its plan to enter the main hall and devour Chen Ji.

The white tiger panted heavily, a deep growl rumbling in its throat, its gaze fixed dead on Huang Mao.

Its once pristine fur had become disheveled in an extremely short time. Exposed wounds were smeared with blood and dirt, clumping the snow-white, smooth fur into messy tufts here and there. Huang Mao wasn't faring much better; its body was covered in wounds large and small, some inflicted by Chang Xu, others by the golden light.

But today was destined to end with one of them dead.

The black-and-yellow ringed tail thrashed anxiously against the ground, whipping long marks into the earth, while the white tiger's long tail hung calmly down.

In an instant, Huang Mao's massive body, carrying a wind reeking of blood, pounced at Chang Xu. Its huge paw swept mercilessly towards Chang Xu's head. Chang Xu dodged with an incredibly tricky angle, the sharp claws grazing over his head and embedding into the thick, solid bluestone behind him.

That incredibly hard bluestone was like tofu under Huang Mao's claws, easily shattered into pieces.

Chang Xu twisted his body, lightning-fast, and bit towards Huang Mao's soft throat! Sharp teeth sank into the other's fur in a flash. Chang Xu already tasted warm blood in his mouth. But in the next moment, Chang Xu released his bite—yet it was too late. Several vine-like meridians sprouted from Huang Mao's chest and abdomen.

With a tearing sound, the meridians were yanked out.

A spray of blood splattered onto the ground, only to be greedily lapped up by the meridians.

Huang Mao gave Chang Xu no chance to catch his breath. Seizing the momentum, it opened its bloody maw wide, aiming to bite Chang Xu's spine. Simultaneously, its paw landed on Chang Xu's body. Chang Xu took the hit head-on, but his long tail, which had been hanging obediently behind him, suddenly rose like a steel whip and lashed across Huang Mao's spine!

Huang Mao was sent flying sideways in that instant. Excruciating pain made it shriek. When it stood up again, its once smooth spine now had a noticeable dent. Black blood spilled from its mouth, dripping onto the ground, corroding one small round pit after another.

Chang Xu wasn't in much better shape. Three deep, bone-revealing gashes now marred his neck. Dark, baleful energy spread from the wounds, and fresh red blood continuously welled forth, staining his fur crimson.

After the brief clash, only the sound of two heavy, labored breaths remained.

Suddenly, Huang Mao let out a furious roar. Strands of baleful energy drilled into its body. Its bloodshot eyes turned completely crimson in that moment. Within a few breaths, its body swelled in size once more. Muscles bulged in chunks, veins stood out prominently, and dark red bloody vapor spewed forth with each exhalation.

The next moment, the two giant beasts were locked in combat once more!

Chang Xu had initially possessed some ability to resist, but his foundation was inherently weak. Moreover, Huang Mao was now drawing upon the baleful energy that had accumulated in the entire mountain for centuries.

A tremendous crash echoed. The already precarious main hall collapsed under this blow. Chang Xu's expression changed drastically, but it was too late to rescue anyone. Amidst the billowing dust, Chen Ji was revealed, standing before the divine statue.

He raised one hand.

"Click."

A lighter fell to the ground.