Bai Ziyue lay in bed, in a daze, but he felt a calling.
He couldn’t help but open his eyes, and immediately saw, an entity emitting endless divine light, with two heads and four arms, possessing a powerful oppressive force, floating and seated in a magnificent grand hall, the floor paved with countless precious jade.
And somehow, he himself had stood in this grand hall.
Seeing this entity with two heads and four arms, radiating brilliance, seemingly endowed with numerous mighty powers, Bai Ziyue felt an inexplicable sense of insignificance, an overwhelming feeling of humility, as if in the presence of such an entity, he was naturally meant to worship, naturally meant to kneel and submit.*
*Uncontrollably, an overwhelming fervor arose from the depths of his heart.*
*It was as if this Divine Demon was the eternal existence, destined for all people, all beings, to fade into dust...*
"I am the Lord of All Eternity, Zihong, mortals below, would you serve? I shall fulfill your desires, granting endless wealth, eternal lifespans..."
Suddenly, the entity with two heads and four arms spoke, its voice like a massive bell, deafening.
"Then I don’t want wealth, nor longevity, just to achieve your Dharma Technique as the Lord of All Eternity, what would you do?"
Bai Ziyue said calmly.
That Divine Demon seemed at a loss for words, but then felt mocked, erupted in anger, and said, "Audacious! Mere mortal, how dare you seek the divine throne?"
This rebuke descended from the supreme void, exploding like thunder in Bai Ziyue’s ears, dizzying and discomforting.*
"Since you cannot, then don’t be noisy in front of me!"
Bai Ziyue’s face remained unchanged, as he shouted.
Instantly, he formed his hand into a fist, his body shot forth, and he punched fiercely at the so-called Lord of All Eternity.
Suddenly, all the scenery, like a dream and illusion, the magnificent hall, the floating Divine Demon with two heads and four arms, all tore apart, turning into nothingness.
Almost instantaneously, Bai Ziyue’s figure rebounded from the bed.
Looking at the tranquil scene in the room, it was as if nothing had changed.
No, Bai Ziyue’s gaze inadvertently turned to the dog under the table.
At this moment, the dog appeared in a kneeling posture, its tail wagging nonstop, in a state of excitement and exhilaration.
But soon, a hint of confusion flickered in the dog’s eyes, then it looked around again, somewhat perplexed, swiftly rolling over, frustration filled its dog face.
Clearly, not only was Bai Ziyue mysteriously drawn into a dream, but even the dog had been led into the dream by that mysterious entity.*
But Bai Ziyue’s Spiritual Power was strong, he discovered the anomaly immediately, knowing that all this was false, just a psychological effect conjured by the opponent’s manipulation of dreams, with intimidation and oppression as special means.*
*Actually, everything in front of him was just an Illusion Realm formed by the dream, as long as the dream shattered, naturally, everything would cease to exist.*
But the dog was different, still thinking it truly encountered divine beings and couldn’t wait to kneel and submit, dreaming of wealth and eternal life...*
Ignoring the frustrated expression on the dog’s face, Bai Ziyue got off the bed, directly opened a nearby cabinet, and pulled out a draped cloth package.
When he opened the cloth package, inside was the statue he had previously taken from Iron Maiden’s home.
Only now, the statue had cracked, and the special aura that had been endowed upon it seemed to have dissipated.
"It was indeed this statue causing trouble. Seems like I invited an Evil God in," Bai Ziyue thought with some frustration.
That night, no other anomalies occurred.
The next day, Bai Ziyue descended Chongyan Mountain, not encountering the Elder Scholar, but he knew the person lived in a secluded courtyard on Southeast Street, and went directly to find him.
"This statue is actually just some spirits, using people’s power of belief to cultivate and spread.
Among them are relatively orthodox spirits, such as the Land God, Mountain God, City God, etc., officially acknowledged by the government, enjoying incense worship naturally for cultivation.
Of course, they must ensure local peace, preventing occurrences of spiritual chaos.
And this statue is not any officially acknowledged spirit, yet seeks to cultivate through the power of belief and incense, thus has to employ certain special means to deceive the people.
What you encountered should be this kind of Evil God.
It could enter dreams and even use Wishful Size, like the trick where a fox uses a tiger as its cover, it seemingly possessed some means.
However, it could only leverage the statue’s power, limited in force.
In Qinghe Town, if its true form descended, the Land God or even City God’s minor deity would surely intervene, so there’s no need to worry about any threats."
The Elder Scholar looked at the shattered statue Bai Ziyue handed over, waved his hand, and said.
"Are there really Land God and City God-like entities?"
Upon hearing there was no major threat, Bai Ziyue let out a sigh of relief, then asked somewhat curiously.
"Naturally, there are. In our small Qinghe Town, it’s still fine, but in the County City, even County City and other places, the existence of spirits is almost widely known.*
*Even my Incense Fire Dao inheritance is actually passed down by the Divine General Hongchen among spirits, but decades ago, Divine General Hongchen vanished alongside the Sect Leader, coupled with the pressure from the State Preceptor, causing its gradual decline.*
*Of course, the spirits have little interaction with us. As long as they are not infringed upon, they will leave worldly matters alone.*"
The Elder Scholar continued to speak.
Nodding his head, Bai Ziyue then suddenly understood.
This ghostly being was essentially a ghostly entity practicing cultivation and had received official recognition to normally enjoy incense fire to enhance its cultivation. It was considered orthodox.
Correspondingly, they were responsible for overseeing the ghostly entities in their location, ensuring they did not disturb ordinary residents.
The evil god he encountered had not received official recognition, so it could only secretly develop followers through intimidation or seduction.
After leaving the Elder Scholar’s house, Bai Ziyue had just stepped over the Linhe Bridge when a figure with a slight limp greeted him with a smile, saying, "Brother Bai Ziyue, long time no see."
"Uncle Sunx, what’s this about?"
Bai Ziyue asked in confusion.
The one who approached to greet him was Sunx Neng, with whom he had some connection back at the Ming Pearl Restaurant.
"I came deliberately to wait for you."
Sunx Neng said, his face turning serious, "Mr. Hou would like to see you."
With a slight frown, Bai Ziyue nodded and said, "Then please lead the way, Uncle Sunx."
With Mr. Hou’s recommendation back then, he smoothly became an Inner Sect Disciple, leading to his later acceptance by the Sect Leader and a substantial rise in status.
Of course, Bai Ziyue understood well that it was merely a deal between the two parties.
Now, apparently, the other party was seeking repayment.
*However, this timing made him have some unpleasant speculations in his heart.*
On the way there, Sunx Neng deliberately engaged in conversation, and Bai Ziyue replied casually. It seemed enthusiastic, but in reality, their friendship had long since faded.
Three years ago, although Sunx Neng helped him to some extent, he also used Bai Ziyue to connect with Mr. Hou and obtain the wealth he desired.
Moreover, the fact that the other party fled silently during a crisis made it hard for Bai Ziyue to feel close to him.
Soon, Bai Ziyue once again arrived at Mr. Hou’s residence.
This time, however, Mr. Hou had already arranged for a steward to greet him at the door with eagerness, inviting him into the guest hall.
"Haha, Young Hero Bai, you’re here, please sit."
Hou Linkun laughed heartily, hurriedly inviting Bai Ziyue to sit down.
Naturally, maids brought hot tea and snacks, placing them on a table nearby.
"Mr. Hou is too kind. I’m not sure why you’ve invited me this time?"
Bai Ziyue didn’t want to waste time on pleasantries and asked directly.
"Young Hero Bai, I helped you back then, didn’t I?"
Hou Linkun responded by retracting his earlier enthusiasm, his face growing stern as he asked.
"Indeed, it was with Mr. Hou’s help that I became an Inner Sect Disciple, which I have not forgotten."
Bai Ziyue nodded. As for the monthly silver stipend the other party provided, ever since Bai Ziyue became a disciple of the Sect Leader, he had not collected it, so it didn’t count as a favor.
"Then, I want you to give up this time’s outstanding disciple status and lose to Li Yingru in the upcoming contest. What do you think?"
Hou Linkun’s voice suddenly became very soft, his eyes fixed intently on Bai Ziyue.
Bai Ziyue put down the teacup in his hand, his expression revealing nothing, but he replied, "It seems Mr. Hou’s tea isn’t very tasty."
"On my side, I am willing to offer you five hundred taels of silver, plus ten bottles of Bone Forging Pills."
Hou Linkun continued.
"This request, I won’t agree to. If you brought me here just for this, then there’s no need for us to continue talking."
Bai Ziyue slowly shook his head, stood up, and said.
"Haha, don’t be in a hurry.
I also know that it’s impossible for Young Hero Bai to agree to this request.
But I do business and need to leverage some of Master Li’s influence in Wujiang County, so when someone suggested it, I just asked you too. If you disagree, it’s no problem.
This time, aside from this matter, there is indeed another thing I need your help with."
Hou Linkun laughed heartily, masking the discontent on his face, and then began speaking.
Bai Ziyue said in a cold voice.
After leaving Hou Linkun’s residence, Bai Ziyue’s expression was uncertain.
*However, he quickly set the matter aside.*
*For him, the most important thing right now was the duel with Li Yingru.*
*Only by obtaining the outstanding disciple status could he smoothly leave Qinghe Town, enter the broader Jianghu, and seize more opportunities to quickly enhance his strength.*
Qinghe Town was still too small.
Soon, Bai Ziyue’s figure appeared at his mentor Liu Dong’s residence, and before long, Bai Ziyue followed Liu Dong directly to the Sunburst Gang Branch’s headquarters, arriving at the fairly spacious martial arts arena.