Chapter 65 Blasphemy 14. Shen Xiangjun has appeared!

Even though it was almost dawn, Yuejia Village on the southern slope of Wangqiu Mountain was still shrouded in an extremely thick darkness. Apart from a single light in the village temple at the entrance, there was no other light to be seen, as if it had been swallowed up by some ferocious beast and no longer existed in the world.

Inside the village temple, the sound of weeping could be faintly heard.

Dozens of villagers were crammed in, adults holding children, husbands protecting their wives, shoulder to shoulder, even the corners were packed, and several toddlers sat on the lamp stands, one on top of another.

Yuejia Village is neither a poor village nor a rich village. It was only because of their reverence for the gods that they raised money to build a village temple that was larger than those in other villages. Unexpectedly, it came in handy at this time.

No matter how big it is, it is still just a village temple, which can only accommodate a few dozen people at most.

Of course, that's all there is.

The remaining nearly one hundred people were already outside the temple.

They were submerged in the dark, consuming night, like swirling shadows, avoiding the light. Together with the village chief and Yue Lin, they stared intently at the people inside the temple through the open doors, calling out to them again and again.

"Ningzi, what are you looking at? Stop looking and come out, Mom is here, come, come quickly..."

"Yaoyao, Yaoyao, you said that if you married me, you would share my joys and sorrows and grow old with me. Why are you hiding from me like this now? Come here, come here, I'm right here, I'm waiting for you!"

"Yue Datou, you heartless bastard! You left your old man out here all by yourself and hid away! Come out here, you little brat!"

"Mingshan, you left me here all alone. You've betrayed me, you've betrayed me!"

"Father, Father! Mother and I are right here, why don't you come out? The demons are inside, we are the living people!"

Voices, male and female, old and young, some gentle, some indignant, some expectant, some mournful, their tones long and drawn out, familiar yet tinged with an indescribable strangeness in the pitch-black darkness.

Some of those whose names were called turned deathly pale, some wept uncontrollably, and others trembled uncontrollably, nearly fainting. Those around them held them tightly, covering their eyes and ears.

"Don't look, don't listen! Those aren't them anymore, they're demons! If you go there, you won't come back!"

Even so, some people still fall for it, are bewitched, and no one can stop them. They break free of their restraints and rush outwards, their figures disappearing into the darkness.

A moment later, a smiling face, a pair of eyes, and a new shout appeared outside.

The villagers inside the temple had no choice but to tear off strips of cloth from their clothes and tie the hands and feet of some people to prevent them from running away.

Later, it seemed that the calls were no longer effective, and things quieted down outside.

Just when some villagers thought the demons had retreated and they had seemingly escaped, a torch suddenly flew out of the darkness and crashed into the temple, its target the white paper lotus lantern on the offering table.

The white lotus lantern flickered, and the torch instantly went out and fell to the ground, failing to touch even a corner of it.

But after this, the light of the white lotus lamp seemed to dim somewhat. It seemed that resolving this trouble was more exhausting than resisting the strange villagers and the deep darkness outside.

Perhaps seeing that this measure was effective, the shadows outside began to move even more vigorously.

More objects were smashed in: axes, kitchen knives, stones, tables and chairs.

Some villagers were also hit, their heads bleeding, but they didn't care about anything else and just shouted, "Quick! Protect the white lotus lantern!"

"Protect the White Lotus Lantern! If the lantern goes out, we'll all die!"

The villagers were terrified, but they did not back down. Instead, they all stood up and held up the offering table, prayer mats, and other items to block the altar.

Before long, the smell of blood in the temple became strong, and screams and cries of pain continued.

Even so, the light from the white lotus lamps continued to dim, and the area they illuminated began to shrink.

The night seemed to deepen in the village.

The darkness, like filth overflowing from a swamp, brushed against the edge of the light, spilled over the threshold of the village temple, and approached little by little.

The villagers, like people on an isolated island, huddled together, filled with fear and helplessness.

Suddenly, in the crowd, someone accidentally bumped into the offering table, causing it to tip over abruptly. The white lotus lamp fell to the ground and was ignited by the candle that fell with it. With a whoosh, a cluster of flames instantly destroyed all the light.

It was so unexpected and sudden that no one could react in time. By the time villagers screamed and stomped out the flames, only scattered ashes remained on the ground, and the already weakened white lotus lamp was gone forever.

"This is destiny!"

Outside the temple gate, shadows writhe wildly, their eerie laughter echoing in unison: "You can even burn your own lifeline; it's your fate. Accept it!"

The two remaining candlesticks in the temple went out silently.

Night fell, like sticky mud, like a swarm of insects, instantly enveloping the entire small temple.

The villagers were in utter despair.

They couldn't even scream anymore; all they could do was hug their child tightly, covered in blood, and close their eyes tightly.

In such a desperate and critical moment, amidst the overwhelming darkness that almost swallowed everything, a white light suddenly shone.

Immediately afterwards, countless screams rang out, but they didn't come from nearby; they came from outside.

The villagers inside the temple caught a glimpse of light and instinctively opened their eyes to look. They saw a bright white moon shining high in the sky outside the temple, its light spreading and making the entire Yuejia Village as bright as day in an instant.

No, that's not the white moon, it's a lamp, a white lotus lamp!

Just then, a desperate cry came from the sky: "It's Shenxiangjun! Shenxiangjun has appeared! Shenxiangjun has come to save us!"

It was the voice of Yue Dashan and his group.

The crowd was in a daze, almost thinking it was a hallucination before being devoured by demons.

However, the darkness that had reached their feet suddenly receded, and the villagers outside the door, who had seemed to writhe like shadows, fell to the ground, screaming and rolling, with wisps of black smoke emerging from their seven orifices.

The excessive darkness in Yuejia Village was dissipating, and a ray of dawn was breaking out on the eastern horizon.

The sky truly brightened.

"Mom, look! It's Uncle Dashan! He's flying in the sky..."

"Village chief, village chief, they're belching black smoke!"

Some young children, bewildered and curious, cried out.

The innocent, genuine voices of children awakened the villagers inside the temple. Their eyes widened, and tears streamed down their faces instantly.

"Shenxiangjun...it's Shenxiangjun!"

"The Divine Xiangjun has appeared!"

"Shenxiangjun has come to our rescue!"

"My wound...my wound is healed!"

"Mine too!"

"Thank you, Shenxiangjun! Thank you, Shenxiangjun!"

Overjoyed, all the villagers wept and knelt down, their hopeful voices momentarily drowning out the bloodshed that filled the temple.

Chu Shenxiang lifted them up with a gentle breeze, but her mind was not on them.

Ordinary people cannot see evil, but because the villagers of Yuejia Village were on the verge of life and death, and it was the time of day when Yin and Yang were separated by dawn and dusk, they could see the so-called black smoke. This was the manifestation of evil.

Now that the life-or-death crisis has passed, the black smoke in the villagers' eyes has faded. But in Chu Shenxiang's eyes, the evil has not dissipated. Instead, after being driven out of the village chief and others by the white lotus lamp, it quickly condensed and outlined the shape of a vicious dragon in the sky.

A vicious dragon?

Based on the descriptions from Da Shan and the others, Chu Shenxiang had some guesses in her mind, but none of them were evil dragons.

Would a demon like the evil dragon act in such a way?

Chu Shenxiang found it strange.

In the air, the evil dragon had already taken shape, its feet treading on thick clouds, summoning wind and thunder, its eyes like bronze bells, glaring at the white lotus lamp, baring its teeth and sneering coldly and bloodthirstyly: "What Shenxiangjun? You're just a broken rock on Wangqiu Mountain. Do you really think I don't know your origins? Judging from your divine power, you haven't been a god for long. You're just a lowly wild god. How dare you show your face here? Retreat immediately, and I'll spare your life!"

Seeing that the evil dragon was not right and that there were many mortals around, Chu Shenxiang decided that delaying would not help, so he decisively connected his physical body with the divine consciousness.

In Yuejia Village, the white lotus lantern hanging high swayed slightly, its light gathering and swiftly outlining a hand as delicate as bamboo and as beautiful as jade, along with a wide sleeve as ethereal as a blue cloud.

Holding a lantern, sleeves fluttering lightly, its dazzling brilliance fills the sky.

"court death!"

The evil dragon shuddered with black smoke, roared, and soared forward, baring its fangs and claws.

Instantly, wind and thunder gathered in the sky, dark clouds rolled in, and lightning flashed, illuminating the outline of the evil dragon, which was enormous and extremely ferocious!

On the ground, the villagers, still rejoicing, witnessed this scene and were all horrified, collapsing to their knees and trembling.

The monsters that attacked their village were such terrifying demons!

"May the Goddess of the Xiang River protect me, may the Goddess of the Xiang River protect me..."

Hearing what the evil dragon said, although some believed in Chu Shenxiang, they still couldn't help but feel uneasy and closed their eyes in fear to pray.

Over two hundred years, Chu Shenxiang encountered ghosts and gods, and saw demons and monsters. But no matter how many he encountered or saw, it was useless, because he was just a stone. He could not see divine power, could not distinguish evil, and could only have some vague senses.

After he became a god, the world gradually settled down, and he fell into a deep sleep for twelve years. He did not see anything strange, so he did not know how strong he was. He only had a vague feeling that ordinary demons should not be his match.

Even the evil dragon before him, though beyond the realm of ordinary demons and possessing filth, did not pose any danger to him.

Even so, Chu Shenxiang dared not be careless and went all out, hoping to kill the demon in one strike.

Therefore, Chu Shenxiang's hands, which had been trapped inside the statue for two hundred years, began to move.

With his right hand holding a lantern, its white light illuminating the world, and with his left hand forming a hand seal, the wind and thunder in the sky turned against him, instantly condensing into a giant sword.

The giant sword, with clouds as its body, wind as its blade, and lightning as its symbols, descended from the sky, causing awe and shock throughout the world!

The evil dragon was greatly alarmed, sensing something was wrong. It stopped running and turned to flee.

However, the greatsword is faster.

"break!"

On Wangqiu Mountain, inside the Shenxiang Temple, a blurry human figure appears as a tall stone statue.

The figure parted its lips, the voice was very soft, inaudible in the empty hall, yet the sound was heavy, transforming into wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, urgent as the law commands!

At the command, the giant sword slashed down at a speed no one could see, piercing through the evil dragon's head and pinning it to the wasteland outside the village!

"You actually possess such methods!"

A piercing roar pierced through the clouds and rain.

The earth shook violently, dust billowed everywhere, and the villagers staggered about, unable to even kneel steadily. All they could see in the distance was a long, worm-like object violently churning.

However, this tumbling only lasted for two moments.

The giant sword lightning rune flowed down like water, binding the evil dragon from head to tail. In just a moment, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and the evil dragon was reduced to dust in the blink of an eye!

With a single sword strike to slay the dragon, and with the pure Yang thunder and fire to cleanse the evil, Chu Shenxiang was finally at ease.

He dispersed the giant sword, intending to use the white lotus lamp to heal the villagers of Yuejia Village and end the tedious work here. However, when he stopped, his divine sense stirred and he vaguely sensed something familiar.

This filth...

Chu Shenxiang paused, her divine sense drawing in some of the remaining dust from the evil dragon.

I didn't recognize it before, but the lightning and fire pierced its body, removing its disguise. At the last moment, it revealed the true aura of the evil dragon. It was none other than the deity who had planted the seed of incense in Shen Mingxin and had recently become famous in Yu County, Lord Chunshan.

"It was Him."

Chu Shenxiang's eyes darkened slightly: "It's not the real person; it should just be a puppet formed using the body of a demon. Even if a god is an evil god, as long as there are still offerings, there's no need for Him to act like a demon. Why would He..."

Chu Shenxiang sensed something strange; the Spring Mountain Covenant was probably not as simple as he had imagined.

Meanwhile, behind the Yu County government office, in a three-story building, in a certain room, the movement on the bed covered by layers of gauze curtains suddenly stopped. On the round table outside the curtains, the statue of Lord Chunshan trembled and slowly opened its eyes.

"hiss……"

Who is in pain?

The next moment, a pale hand grabbed the gauze curtain, and a deep, effeminate face pressed close, its expression dark and indistinct: "Great deity, what's wrong? Are the two of us already struggling?"

A gentle face appeared on the statue, and a faint male voice rang out: "Things in Yuejia Village have changed!"

Thick, black liquid seeped down onto the bed.

A pair of long legs swept aside the gauze curtain and stepped out first: "Judging from your tone, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing?"

The voice was unfamiliar, belonging neither to Chen Chou nor to Chunshan Gong, but to a third person who had appeared on the bed.

"The Grand Preceptor of the Divine Illumination Kingdom is so indifferent, not even knowing how to help someone up?" Shen Chou scolded from behind, revealing the man's identity. He was none other than Ming Yin, the Grand Preceptor of the Divine Illumination Kingdom who was rumored to be passing through Yu County.

He had already arrived in Yu County, much earlier than outsiders had guessed!

"You're just spoiled."

Ming Yin's face was cold and stern, but his movements were gentle. Upon hearing this, he raised his hand to support Chen Chou, who swayed and fell into his arms.

"How can you say that Chou'er is spoiled? You were no less so back then," said Lord Chunshan with a smile.

Mingyin held Chenchou in his arms, and after a few more kisses, he went to the table and sat down. As he waved his hand to drape clothes over the two of them, he said, "Since we're not doing it anymore, tell me, what changes have occurred in Yuejia Village?"

"My plan to use puppets to vent my evil energy and absorb resentment in Yuejia Village has been ruined," Chunshan said fairly. "But as you predicted, Ming'er, it's not all bad. In fact, it can be considered a great thing for us!"

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Author's note: What's the relationship between the three of you? (Leans back)