Great Snake Xuan Shan coiled atop a distant peak, tranquil as a stone sculpture, not stirring a thread, observing Chen Shi while allowing the green sheep and white fox to hurl insults without being moved.
He, on Qianyang Mountain, was like the True God watching over the world, everything vivid before his eyes, nothing could escape his sight.
He knew the spirit of the Mountain Lord had entered the small temple at the back of Chen Shi’s head, and he was also aware that the destruction of the Mountain Lord Temple by the Outer Heaven True God was sparked by the appearance of the Huang Hu peeking out from the temple.
The head of Huang Hu was too huge to be concealed by the apricot tree over the Mountain Lord Temple, and the Outer Heaven True God’s eyes caught a glimpse of it.
To discover was to destroy; such was the principle of the Outer Heaven True God when dealing with such matters.
Any strangeness detected led to imminent destruction.
However, fortunately, Chen Shi had already descended the mountain with the divine likeness of the Mountain Lord.
"Why does the True God from beyond the heavens destroy the existence of the Mountain Lord upon discovery?"
Great Snake Xuan Shan was quite puzzled. He too was incredibly powerful and of enormous size, coiling around the mountain peaks, so why had the Outer Heaven True God not destroyed him?
What conditions needed to be met for the True God to destroy?
He couldn’t understand.
Gradually, Chen Shi’s ears started to pick up some sounds, faint at first, then slowly becoming clear.
The spiritual beasts around him began to disperse.
Chen Shi smiled and said, "Granny Sha, Uncle Hu, Uncle Yang, I have a Divine Embryo!"
Granny Sha sighed and said, "You have a Divine Embryo? Hm, that’s good. Continue to diligently cultivate. Poor Mountain Lord, just reborn and now fallen..."
She paused, then suddenly froze, turning her head to look at Chen Shi incredulously, "You have a Divine Embryo? Can the True God really bestow another Divine Embryo after the first is taken away?"
Such a thing was unheard of to her, which explained her surprise.
Chen Shi activated the Three Light Righteous Qi Technique, and immediately True Qi condensed, forming a small temple at the back of his head.
Granny Sha looked as if she had eaten a bellyful of eggs, her eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets in disbelief as she gazed at the small temple at the back of Chen Shi’s head.
Proper cultivators all have shrines at the back of their heads, don’t they?
Little Ten must have become improper!
The little old woman was shocked beyond belief and put aside the destruction of the Mountain Lord Temple to closely examine Chen Shi’s small temple, which appeared to be a plain and simple palace.
Suddenly, a small, curious-looking Huang Hu peeked out, looking at her with great curiosity.
Granny Sha’s eyes bulged as she pointed at the Huang Hu inside the small temple and stammered, "Tiger, tiger..."
Huang Hu sat behind the temple’s gates, looking at her with eyes full of compassion, like a kind old lady.
Granny Sha extended a finger and poked the white fox who was still cursing at Great Snake Xuan Shan and whispered, "Uncle Hu, tiger! Tiger!"
The nine-tailed Heavenly Fox unenthusiastically said, "I’m right here! Xuan Shan is ungrateful, to think I once regarded him as a friend. Today, I sever ties with him... Eh, Little Ten, where did your shrine go?"
Granny Sha gave him a few fierce kicks, and the nine-tailed white fox transformed into a bearded man, puzzled, "Why kick me? Is Little Ten turning into an Evil Spirit?"
Only then did he notice the Huang Hu in the small temple behind Chen Shi’s head, his eyes widening in shock, his voice quivering, "Uncle Yang, Uncle Yang! Baa, baa, look over here! Stop cursing at Xuan Shan! Come quickly!"
Uncle Yang, upon hearing his call, moved behind them, his huge, mountain-sized head approaching Chen Shi, but his eyeballs were too large, and he quickly downsized.
The bearded man said with a trembling voice, "Uncle Yang, do you see it?"
Uncle Yang trembled, his eyes brimming with tears, his voice also shaking, "I see it... Mountain Lord!"
He knelt down with a thump, bowing to Huang Hu.
The bearded man stared intently at the small temple, patting its head firmly, "Huang Hu is not the Mountain Lord. It’s the figure in the shrine inside that’s the Mountain Lord!"
Uncle Yang froze, looked closely, and indeed saw deep in the small temple a shrine with a divine figure, horned yet human in form, sitting motionless.
"The Mountain Lord is still alive!"
Uncle Yang and the bearded man were overjoyed, but soon became wary, glancing up at the sky, not daring to be too indulgent.
"Little Ten, what’s going on with this temple of yours?" Granny Sha asked.
Chen Shi explained how he had sworn an oath to his godmother, and she had blessed him by transforming the shrine into a temple, at which Granny Sha, Uncle Yang, and the bearded man exchanged looks.
"This small temple is very peculiar; whenever it encounters a spirit, it will capture them and place them atop the shrine, unable to escape even if they wish."
Chen Shi talked about the strangeness of the small temple, "Zhu Xiucai ended up on the shrine, and so did the Mountain Lord. They can only come out if I wish it."
Granny Sha exchanged a glance with Uncle Yang and the bearded man, seeing the fear in each other’s eyes. Even a being like the Mountain Lord had no power to resist being taken into the temple and had to sit obediently in the shrine. Just who exactly was Chen Shi’s godmother?
"Little Ten, don’t let the Mountain Lord out yet. The True God is watching from beyond the heavens, and every move here is likely visible to his eyes. Wait until the Mountain Lord’s divine likeness is completely solidified before building a temple and establishing a shrine for the Mountain Lord."
After all, Granny Sha was experienced and said, "The news of the Mountain Lord’s emergence must be kept secret, not to be mentioned to outsiders. Otherwise, reaching the ears of heaven, not just the Mountain Lord, but even you yourself, might not be safe!"
Uncle Yang and the bearded man, hearing the phrase "reaching the ears of heaven," stood solemnly, their expressions grave.
Chen Shi, seeing their expressions, understood the gravity of the words "reaching the ears of heaven" and wondered, "Reaching the ears of heaven; could it be that someone can contact the Outer Heaven True God?"
"These things you need not be so curious about. Coming into contact with them too early might only lead to your early demise."