Chapter 73 Blasphemy 22. This is what the Great Goddess Tongtian looks like.
Wangqiu Mountain is the ancestral temple of Chu Shenxiang, so he can naturally sense the intrusion of unfamiliar auras. However, if it is not unfamiliar and has already been incorporated, as long as his divine sense is not extended outward to cover it, it cannot be said that he is constantly spying on it.
Therefore, he had no idea what Shen Mingxin was doing in the back. His attention was temporarily focused on the uninvited guest who had intruded into Wangqiu Mountain.
It was dusk, and the mountains were already somewhat dark, with many shadows already appearing.
The two who arrived were an old man and a young man. The old man was wearing a Taoist robe, and the young man was wearing coarse cloth. They were clearly not from the same group, but at this moment they came together. The former was holding incense and candles, and the latter was carrying a wooden box covered with a red cloth and talismans. Both of them had their heads down and walked very quickly toward Shenxiang Temple.
Upon arriving at the temple, they did not rush inside. Instead, the old Taoist priest took out three incense sticks, lit them, and bowed deeply.
"Yuan Yidao, a disciple of Tongtian Temple, receives a decree from the Great Goddess Tongtian and requests an audience with Shenxiangjun!"
Tongtian Temple?
Chu Shenxiang's gaze sharpened.
He had assumed that the Imperial Preceptor and Lord Chunshan's men would arrive first, but unexpectedly, it was the Tongtian Temple of Xiling. It seems that this Tongtian Lady is quite concerned about Yu County.
Outside the temple gate, after Yuan Yi finished his prayers, he placed three incense sticks on the threshold of the temple gate, his eyes fixed on the rising slender column of smoke.
In just a few breaths, the column of smoke, which had been drifting with the wind, began to rise straight upwards. In the context of worshipping gods and seeking guidance, this signifies divine permission.
Upon seeing this, Yuan Yidao secretly breathed a sigh of relief, bowed again, and then led the boy into the temple.
Shenxiang Temple is very small. After entering the temple gate and walking about ten steps through the courtyard, you will reach the main hall. There is not much incense burning inside, and even the offerings are rather meager. Only the shrine and the statue of the deity are larger and look somewhat divine and majestic.
Such simplicity was exactly what Yuan Yidao had expected.
He already knew that Shenxiangjun was a minor, unknown deity with few worshippers.
Yuan Yidao was a disciple sent by the Tongtian Temple in Xiling to be stationed in Yushui. He could also be said to be in charge, managing all the incense offerings and believers belonging to the Tongtian Goddess in the four counties on both sides of the Yushui River.
For a disciple like him, who had no hope of receiving divine guidance, this was a coveted position.
With the backing of the Tongtian Temple and the real power to obtain divine pronouncements and borrow divine power from the Tongtian Goddess, he was practically a local tyrant in this small place. Even the county magistrate had to fawn over him.
For the past ten or twenty years, Yuan Yidao had indeed lived a very comfortable life. But perhaps Heaven couldn't bear to see him so carefree, and decided to send down a calamity this year to make things difficult for him.
This first tribulation was the one that happened to Master Chunshan a while ago.
When Lord Chunshan entered Yu County, he made no attempt to conceal his intentions whatsoever, openly and brazenly seizing this forbidden territory belonging to the Heavenly Goddess. With such a commotion, it was impossible for Yuan Yidao, even with his hedonistic and neglectful nature, to fail to notice.
How dare they be so arrogant as to compete with the Heavenly Goddess for incense offerings in the Xiling territory? Are they crazy? Yuan Yidao quickly informed the temple and prepared himself, ready to charge into Yu County as soon as the law came into effect, tear down the county government gate, and give the magistrate a good talking-to. He knew that it would cost several thousand or even tens of thousands of taels of silver to settle the matter.
But soon, the temple replied, telling him not to interfere.
Yuan Yidao was alarmed.
The incense offerings of an entire county were seized, yet no one seemed to care. What was Xiling, or rather, the Heavenly Goddess, thinking? Or perhaps, something had happened?
Yuan Yidao dared not think too much about it and could only do as instructed.
However, this attitude puzzled and surprised the devotees of the Great Goddess in the other three counties. Like Yuan Yidao, they began to have many uneasy speculations. As these anxieties gradually grew, their faith naturally began to waver.
Of the four counties along the Yu River, Chunshan Gongming only entered one Yu County, but the incense of Chunzhi gradually burned in the other three counties as well.
Yuan Yidao's status plummeted, his peaceful life was shattered, and he was filled with anxiety every day. The temples in Yushui County might not care for him for some reason, but if the temples in all four counties lost their incense offerings, he would definitely be in deep trouble.
He went to the temple several times, asked the head nun several times, and went to the other three counties to hold religious ceremonies several times, but to no avail.
Later, he even secretly considered whether to go and see the Spring Mountain God, who was said to appear from time to time. For the Heavenly Goddess to avoid his attacks, this was no ordinary wild god.
But before he could actually go and see, the second calamity arrived.
Early this morning, just as the breakfast was being cleared away and before he had even finished rinsing his mouth, the man he had sent to keep an eye on things in Yu County came running in, trembling with fear, reporting that Shen Xiangjun had manifested his power, punching Chunshan Gong and kicking the national teacher of Shenzhao Kingdom. When Yuan Yidao heard this, he thought he was still asleep and hadn't woken up at all.
It took him a long time to figure out the ins and outs of the matter.
"You're saying that Shenxiangjun revealed his hundred-zhang-tall Dharma form, and even Chunshan Gong and the National Preceptor of Shenzhao Kingdom were no match for him, allowing him to rescue the people?" Yuan Yidao's eyes widened.
"Yes, that's right, that's exactly it!" the visitor affirmed.
Yuan Yidao was filled with doubt and surprise.
The Great Goddess Tongtian often manifested herself in her younger days. He had witnessed her battling demons, though her divine form was only a hundred feet tall. But what kind of deity was the Great Goddess? She had occupied Xiling for decades, with an entire prefecture supporting her, and her incense burning brightly. How could she be compared to a mere wild god?
Shenxiangjun, if he weren't the one in charge of the four counties of Yushui, who had to keep a close eye on the incense offerings and the movements of the wild gods, we would never have heard of him! How could such a wild god have such power?
It's unlikely to be fake; his disciple is usually reliable and has good judgment...
"This is a big deal...this is a big deal!"
Yuan Yidao immediately sensed something extraordinary about it. After hurriedly investigating the details, he didn't bother sending anyone to Xiling to report by fast horse. Instead, he gritted his teeth and used incense and talismans to report the matter to Tongtian Temple and the Tongtian Goddess.
The report was sent at noon, and news arrived in the afternoon.
The Heavenly Goddess specifically instructed him to bring a small statue with a divided spirit to the Shenxiang Temple to meet the God of Shenxiang.
Yuan Yidao immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
Gods are often no different from demons. To rashly meet such a wild god whose nature is unknown is tantamount to suicide. Even with the small statue of the Heavenly Goddess, he was still afraid. He didn't believe the Heavenly Goddess would fight this Divine Xiang Lord for his life.
Despite their fear, the divine decree had no choice but to be fulfilled.
That is why, as dusk fell, Yuan Yidao climbed Wangqiu Mountain and appeared there.
Upon entering the temple, Yuan Yidao didn't dare to look around too much. He simply pretended to be calm and glanced around before taking out incense and lighting three more sticks.
"Your Majesty, I, the Divine Goddess of Heaven, have come to visit you and request a conversation with you."
After saying that, Yuan Yidao turned around, took the wooden box from the boy in coarse linen clothes, peeled off the talismans on it one by one, and finally tore off the red cloth, opened the wooden box, and carefully took out a small statue of a god.
The small statue depicts a graceful woman holding a ruler, with a round sun above her head, kind eyes and a colorful dress, but her feet are split into twisted intestines, giving her a somewhat sinister appearance.
This is what the Great Goddess Tongtian looks like.
After taking out the small statue, Yuan Yidao handed it to the boy, instructing him to hold it. Then, he cut his own wrist and dripped his blood onto the small statue.
The air was thick with the stench of blood.
Soaked in blood, the eyes and brows of the Heavenly Goddess gradually began to twitch, revealing fluctuations in her divine consciousness.
Upon seeing this, Yuan Yidao immediately bowed and retreated. Once outside the palace gate, he ordered the young man to remain inside.
The boy didn't say much, just lowered his head and stood obediently, like a human-shaped shrine.
Soon, another strong and foul smell of incense wafted out, and the small statue in the boy's arms trembled slightly, its eyes flashing with colorful light.
"Shen Xiangjun."
The small statue spoke, its female voice ethereal and clear, "Would you be willing to join forces with me to fight against the Heavenly Venerable Xu Tian?"
This powerful and decisive woman was truly straightforward, without beating around the bush at all.
But, how can we unite to resist the Heavenly Venerable Xu Ming?
There's no conflict between the Heavenly Goddess and the Celestial Venerable Xu, is there?
Chu Shenxiang's gaze darkened slightly. After pondering for a moment, she asked, "What do you mean by that?"
This was the first time Chu Shenxiang had met and conversed with a deity in this way since becoming a god. She felt no pressure, but she had to be cautious.
In the tall, dark shrine, the male statue's face was blurred, motionless, without any unusual phenomena. Only a low, cold, and desolate voice emanated from it, carrying divine power and incense, majestic and vast.
The sound rang out, but the young man inside the hall remained motionless, while Yuan Yidao outside the hall trembled violently.
What merit or ability does he possess to hear the secret plot of two gods!
Yuan Yidao had a bitter face, wishing he could bury his head in his waistband.
Upon hearing Chu Shenxiang's question, the Great Goddess Tongtian did not hide anything. The small statue smiled slightly and said, "The National Preceptor of Shenzhao Kingdom, Mingyin, has long been refined into a puppet and become the vessel for the spirit of Xu Mingtian Venerable. The one in Yu County now is not Mingyin, but a fragment of Xu Ming's spirit."
"His visit this time is ill-intentioned. He intends to use the pretext of slaying demons and eliminating evil spirits to cleanse the other gods who refuse to share their offerings with Him. The Northern Pearl Court has been bribed and is allowing his evil deeds to continue, but I refuse to submit. Now, Xu Ming's divided spirit has laid a trap in Xiling County, intending to kill me first and then sweep away the wild gods within the territory."
"In recent years, I have been plagued by evil forces, and my divine power is no longer what it used to be. I have no other choice but to seek allies, hoping that we can unite as one to fight against this deadly situation and find a way out."
Mingyin is Xuming, and he even wants to kill the Great Lady Tongtian?
Chu Shenxiang frowned slightly.
He had vaguely sensed the strangeness of the Divine Illumination Kingdom's Grand Preceptor during their fight, but he never expected him to be a puppet of Venerable Xu Ming. With such methods, Venerable Xu Ming was truly no good.
only--
"Why would Xu Ming want to seize offerings from the world for no apparent reason?" Chu Shenxiang asked.
"Who says there's no reason?" The little statue's smile widened, almost splitting to its ears. "Xu Ming is entangled in karmic power and is about to become a demon."
"He did not want to become a demon, so he only had two options: one was to kill himself, and the other was to absorb more incense offerings and gamble on whether the divine power or the evil power would come. In any case, it could buy him some time. However, it was just a case of drinking poison to quench his thirst."
"Does Shenxiang Jun know about the Spring Mountain Lord who entered your Yu County?" the small statue said. "He is another deity who was born with Xu Ming more than a hundred years ago, Xu Yin Tianzun."
"It is said that twelve years ago, the incense offerings of the Celestial Venerable Xu Yin were disrupted by demons and tainted with evil, forcing him to commit suicide to protect the peace of the Nine Provinces. To this day, there are still followers of Xu Yin in various parts of the Five Kingdoms, who say that his compassion surpasses that of all the gods in the world."
"But who could know that the truth was that Xu Yin was unwilling to kill himself and went mad trying to live, but Xu Ming refused and secretly attacked and killed him?"
"When it came to killing Xu Yin, the world came first. But when it came to killing himself, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He wanted to take a gamble and delay."
"This is the Celestial Venerable Xu Ming, the head of all gods in the Five Kingdoms."
The little statue smiled like a spring flower, but its colorful eyes were full of mockery and coldness.
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