Li Chengfeng felt extremely aggrieved. He did not wish to kneel and worship other gods as it contradicted his own beliefs, yet the entity that possessed Zhou Xuan was not a god.
That overwhelming aura, dense to the extreme with solemn and fierce intent, made Li Chengfeng feel a bizarre sensation deep inside—
—Although he and Zhou Xuan were roughly the same height, he always felt that Zhou Xuan stood like a towering mountain. When Zhou Xuan did not look his way, he felt trembling with fear. When Zhou Xuan’s gaze fell upon him, his own form seemed to become even more diminutive, as insignificant as a grain of sand in the vast ocean.
Zhou Xuan was the endless sea beyond the horizon.
Li Chengfeng, oppressed by the Heavenly God’s aura, performed the most devout act of kneeling and worship.
Meanwhile, Zhou Xuan’s body was suffering immensely.
The ritual of Divination was originally meant to invite gods into one’s body, and Zhou Xuan indeed succeeded in summoning the "Star Lord."
But what he did not expect was that the presence of the "Star Lord" would stir the Nuo God.
Zhou Xuan was the human incarnation chosen by the Nuo God; how could he allow other gods to taint him?
The moment the Nuo God had the thought, it devoured the "Star Lord’s" consciousness and chose to possess Zhou Xuan personally to achieve the "Heavenly Official Blessing."
Yet, the Heavenly God’s presence was too overwhelming. Zhou Xuan felt as if every inch of his skeleton was like bamboo strips exposed to scorching sunlight, occasionally making "crack" and "snap" sounds as the bones violently reacted.
With each crack, Zhou Xuan’s pain deepened,
But no matter how painful, the rituals that needed to be performed had to be continued. For example, making Li Chengfeng keep his mouth shut and not ramble about having witnessed the possession of the Nuo God—keeping it a secret.
How to compel him to keep this secret, Zhou Xuan did not know, but the Nuo God knew.
Zhou Xuan raised his right hand, and from within his sleeve, a Bone Teeth flew out like a sharp knife, descending from the heavens and plummeting towards Li Chengfeng’s head.
The tiny Bone Teeth, with a momentum as vast as the heavens, caused the walls and columns of the house to tremble, resonating with this force.
Li Chengfeng was in tears, not entirely from fear, but mainly from the body’s instinctual reaction when facing imminent death.
Instead, the descending Bone Teeth sliced a shallow blood mark across both his upper and lower lips.
"Speak not of what transpired today." Li Chengfeng, coming to his senses, took blood from the cuts on his lips with each hand and drew a diagonal blood streak across his mouth, closed his eyes, and then drew a horizontal blood streak over each eye.
Seeing God and speaking not, is a "Mute Blood Curse" inscribed with the blood of the faithful. Those who break the curse suffer the affliction of resentment and are doomed to die upon speaking.
Having received the "Mute Blood Curse," Zhou Xuan pointed twice with his right hand. On the first point, the "Heavenly Official Blessing" tattoo unfurled in the air.
The Bone Teeth soared, flying like an arrow, aiming for the Heavenly Official’s "third eye" on the tattoo. The Bone Teeth did not pierce the human skin but merely left a drop of blood at the brow center.
The mastery of strength was exquisite, akin to a Feathered Arrow gliding across a Waterman from hundreds of meters away without causing any ripples on the water surface, a feat of incredible precision.
With that drop of blood, the Heavenly Official opened its eyes, the pupils reflecting the dazzling starry sky.
And because of these eyes, the tattoo gained a divine charm, and the "life being nurtured" spoke of by Li Chengfeng was successfully conceived!
It was also at this moment,
A faint blue mist emerged from Zhou Xuan’s body and was then absorbed by his right hand.
The Divination ritual was over, and the Nuo God’s consciousness left the body.
Zhou Xuan’s strength drained away; he collapsed to the ground, leaving the suspended Bone Teeth and tattoo to fall straight down to the floor.
Li Chengfeng gave Zhou Xuan three devout kowtows after looking at the tattoo.
Zhou Xuan knew that these kowtows were not meant for him.
"Mr. Li, don’t forget..." Zhou Xuan gestured to his mouth.
"The Mute Spell has been inscribed, young master can be at ease."
Li Chengfeng carefully rolled up the tattoo, which contained the genuine strokes of a Heavenly God and the laws of the Heavenly Official’s Prayer.
Whether or not he could awaken the "God of Suffering and Calamity" through the profound meanings contained within, this tattoo would remain the most precious treasure of his life, one that no amount of money could compel him to sell.
"My task is completed, and your duty has just begun, ’Little Guardian.’"
Regaining some strength, Zhou Xuan picked up the Bone Teeth, opened the shop door, and spoke to Duan Qinglan who had been guarding the door, preventing any idle people from entering: "Mrs. Duan, the tattoo is done, your teacher isn’t in great shape; go look after him."
"Thank you, young master!"
Duan Qinglan hurried inside the shop. Zhou Xuan called after her, reminding her, "Oh, and remember to lock the door on your way out."
Duan Qinglan entered the shop to see her teacher, who looked nothing like the dignified Bone Elder Scholar at the moment.
To say he was disheveled would be a compliment.
Li Chengfeng’s body was covered in blood and mud, clinging to his wrinkled, elderly skin as if he had just rolled in a muddy pit.
And with the bloodstains on his chest and lips, he looked dirty and terrifying!
Duan Qinglan, feeling sorry for her teacher, went out to buy a basin and towel, and got some hot water from the Waterman.
After she mixed the hot water to a comfortable temperature, she dipped the towel and began to wipe away the blood and mud on his upper body.
Finally, when she was about to clean his lips, Li Chengfeng grabbed her hands and said, "Don’t wipe the lips!"
The two bloodstains on his lips, left by the Nuo God, were his honor for a lifetime!
Though the cuts would heal, scab over, and eventually vanish without a trace, Li Chengfeng still hoped that day would come later.
Every day the wound remained, he could reminisce about the moment of awe when the Bone Teeth came striking down.