Several decades have passed since then.
Regardless of external circumstances, Yaocun has always enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests.
However, as times changed and years passed, people became dissatisfied with the status quo, and what they asked of the mountain god was no longer just good weather and abundant harvests.
They began to seek wealth, life, and immortality.
Unsettled ambitions and desires continue to grow and expand, while religious offerings gradually fade away.
"Aren't you a god? Why can't you do it?"
"I want to become a god, I want to live forever!"
"You are our god, so you must fulfill our wishes, otherwise why should we worship you!"
They roared and threw vegetable leaves at the mountain god statue.
The mountain god's power comes from the hearts of the villagers; if they are like this, the mountain god cannot exert his power.
The villagers grew disgusted and irritable, smashing the statues of the gods and the mountain god temple they had worshipped for so long.
Not long after, people in the village began to die one after another, and they were all young people who were no more than twenty-five years old.
While the villagers were filled with fear, a Taoist priest came and said that the village was cursed by the statue on the mountain.
It is said that once the villagers leave, no one will offer incense anymore. Some people become gods and achieve immortality, so they no longer need the mountain god. Therefore, the mountain god no longer fulfills their prayers and even begins to devour the young lives of the villagers as a form of intimidation.
The mountain god has harbored evil intentions, transformed into a mountain demon, and is now seeking revenge on the villagers.
Because this is a god they created themselves, no matter where they flee, they will be cursed and will not be spared by the mountain god.
The Taoist priest said he could resolve the situation. He carved a statue of a mountain spirit, claiming it was an evil manifestation of the mountain god. He used the blood of the villagers and the purest children as a human sacrifice to appease the mountain god and bring peace.
It was a success.
However, the mountain spirit's malevolent energy is so strong that such a sacrifice must be performed every year.
The mountain spirit will grant them any wish, good or bad.
The villagers began to worship the mountain spirit.
"The mountain spirit was also born from their initial desires and evil thoughts. The villagers' desires and evil thoughts were absorbed by the mountain spirit, which grew stronger day by day. After I lost my offerings and power, the mountain spirit broke the seal and was released. I was powerless to stop it and could only watch as it transformed into a Taoist priest to harm the villagers, cause trouble in the village, and imprison me here..."
The mountain god recounted the past to Su Deng.
However, the new situation did not last long. The Taoist priests became increasingly strange. Nearly half of the villagers died. Soul banners fluttered in the sky above the village like the River Styx. The corpses and lonely souls were imprisoned by the Taoist priests in the underground ghost cave. They used their corpses and souls to form a longevity array to imprison the mountain god.
It is the mountain spirit that wants to become a god and live forever.
Seeing the dire state of their village, the villagers resented God for not protecting them.
The stronger their resentment, the more powerful the mountain spirit becomes.
"Later it became the village you see here..."
The mountain god's voice was distant and resonant, "I seem to have repeated this many times, countless times using the players' bodies to fight the mountain spirits, like a cycle of reincarnation, I can't remember if it was a hundred or a thousand times, but I have only won once."
Su Deng pursed her lips slightly. "It's this time."
"Yes." The mountain god smiled. "In this world, good and evil are not clearly distinguished. For example, I cannot see you clearly. Thank you for coming, which has ended this painful cycle. From now on, the villagers will no longer be troubled by any curses or evil spirits."
Su Deng looked at her, "And what about you?"
"No one in the world believes in gods now, which means the villagers are self-reliant, and that's a good thing. I will also disappear completely from the world..."
The wooden sign hanging above swayed without wind, and the thorns at the foot of the mountain god statue spontaneously combusted. The flames devoured the bloodstains and grime that clung to the statue. The souls of the villagers who died because of the Taoist priest, imprisoned here, came from the four walls and merged into the statue.
The statue lowered its head and looked at them, revealing a gentle smile in the leaping crimson flames before finally disappearing.
"bite--"
After everything vanished in the flames, only a fist-sized golden ray remained in the air, which flew to Su Deng's side.
Su Deng reached out and grabbed it; golden light scattered, revealing half of a dark red heart.
The mountain god had a heart, but before it was fully formed, he was killed.
"Su Deng, Su Deng..."
Hearing shouts, Su Deng snapped back to reality and saw her own beautiful face in front of her, with an ancient well in front of her.
Su Deng breathed a sigh of relief and shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Let's go, the show is about to start."
The ghost statues were gone from the village committee service center. The villagers of Yaocun were busy preparing drums and rehearsing. Many villagers from other villages also came to watch. Some took photos with the people dressed as officials in the parade, hoping to get some of the festive cheer and benefits.
The entire village was surrounded by a huge crowd of people, making it extremely crowded.
At first glance, all you could see were black heads.
As the sun hung high in the sky, a gentle breeze rustled through the lush green wheat seedlings, firecrackers crackled and popped, followed closely by the sound of gongs and drums, and the sacrificial procession set off from the service station.
People dressed in brightly colored theatrical robes walked on high poles, twisting and turning in strange dances. People dressed as matchmakers and ghosts sat on wooden sticks and were carried forward. In the middle, on a crudely made float, seven five- or six-year-old children with painted faces stood on it, supported by adults.
Following behind were people dressed as Tang Sanzang or Sun Wukong, who hopped and skipped on high stakes to begin their procession, officially starting their ceremony amidst a dense crowd of onlookers.
Compared to Guyao Village, it was much simpler. There were no mournful banners, paper money, or mournful suona horns; only firecrackers and fireworks lit up the sky, creating a festive atmosphere.
People created their own gods, but lost themselves in the protection of these gods, believing that the gods were meant to fulfill all their desires and taking everything for granted. As their desires and evil thoughts grew, the mountain gods could not fulfill their wishes, so they stopped believing in the gods and thought they were just liars.
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