Chapter 469: Chapter 244: Preaching and Rebellion
In the dead of night, in the desolate wilderness, next to a fox hole, the eyes of the deity statue suddenly opened.
What kind of nightmare is this?
Six eyes met, Xu Qing instinctively grasped the axe handle, while Xuan Yu simultaneously tightened his grip on the longsword.
A zombie and a cat, notorious for their villainous deeds, with an air that clearly communicated to the statue: You have indeed been kind to us, but if you plan to strike after scaring us, that would be wrong!
Besides, we’ve already offered incense to you, now tell us if you are moved!
The immortal didn’t dare to move at all.
"Who are you, to awaken me?"
The statue, silent for a moment, finally spoke.
Xuan Yu was startled by the sound, his longsword drawn half out in a swift motion.
Upon hearing the statue speak, Xu Qing felt somewhat reassured.
This deity statue of Yuan Gong seemed mysterious but in reality, its incense and magical power were depleted and exhausted. Without the incense offerings from him and Xuan Yu, the statue would have been a mere lifeless object.
Xu Qing made a Taoist salute, first narrating the origins of his cultivation in divine paths, deliberately omitting the matter of zombies.
To prevent the statue from asking random questions, Xu Qing took the initiative and asked: "My Bao Sheng Temple was established by the County Magistrate and canonized by the Imperial Court, usually known for its benevolent deeds and salvation of souls, tallying now over ten thousand. Yet, may I ask if you are Yuan Gong in person? If not Yuan Gong, then which divine path do you belong to, and what merits have you achieved?"
"..."
Listening to these strange yet familiar questions, the statue thought it had returned to its early days of seeking the path and learning, when it went to apprentice, and people loved asking such questions.
But back then, it was merely a white ape, though possessing spiritual awareness, it was unable to express any merits it had achieved.
This is like apprenticing requiring merits, but without apprenticing and learning skills, how could one possess the ability to achieve those merits?
Xu Qing’s words stirred unfortunate memories within the statue, which after a brief silence, spoke with a sigh: "I am the master of White Cloud Cave in Yunmeng Mountain, once entrusted by the Celestial Emperor to guard the Celestial Scripture inside the cave. After fulfilling my merits, I returned to the upper realm, leaving only a divine statue in the Temple of Contentment; what you see now is merely a manifestation of my incense flame..."
At this point, Yuan Gong looked at the girl beside him curiously examining him, and expressed his gratitude: "You, Nine-Life Profound Cat, were born of heaven and earth’s spiritual energy, unexpected to meet again today, yet your purity is even more pristine than before, proving that you have remained loyal to truth without slack over the years."
Xuan Yu, knowing Yuan Gong had shown kindness to it, respectfully cupped his hands in salute, bowing to the statue.
Xu Qing gazed at the statue, his mind not clearer but rather growing with more questions.
Having witnessed so many things in Jin Sect, conducting transcendence rituals from north to south, he had never truly seen a divine descent, though rebellious groups often fabricated tales of divine descents to deceive people.
If Yuan Gong’s words are true, then why aren’t there other divinities with incense manifestations roaming the earth?
Moreover, if Yuan Gong is a sacred immortal, why would he sit idle while the old fox demon occupied his White Cloud Cave, causing havoc?
Xu Qing voiced his mind’s doubts, to which Yuan Gong sighed wistfully before revealing a truth unknown to the world.
"When I fulfilled my merits and returned to the upper realm, the Celestial Emperor collapsed the Taishi Peak where the White Jade Furnace was placed, thereby suppressing the wild fox within the cave to prevent future troubles."
"Ordinarily, the fox demon would find escape nearly impossible, but it coincidentally encountered the ancient catastrophe of yin-yang imbalance and the fall of Nine Netherworlds. The Celestial Emperor blocked the pathways between the Netherworld and Mortal World, severing the Heaven-Reaching Road, yet the restrictions of White Cloud Cave also lost much of their effectiveness as a result."
"Currently, we are in the Five Filthy Evil Worlds, where all earthly gods have returned to the upper realm. Knowing that other celestial beings cannot be distracted to deal with him, the fox demon seized the opportunity to plot his escape."
Xu Qing was intrigued, asking: "In the worldly practice, I’ve heard people talk about the imbalance between Netherworld and Mortal World and the severance of the Heaven-Reaching Road, but I’m unclear about the exact reasons. Could the elder kindly resolve my uncertainties..."
"This matter pertains to heavenly calamities, beyond human intervention, listening is futile." Though saying so, Yuan Gong still answered Xu Qing’s questions: "Even sacred immortals have malicious thoughts; how much filth has been concealed in the world since the creation of heaven and earth? Heaven and earth separate purity and filth, purity ascending, filth descending; the upper realm holds no filth, where do you think the filth goes?"
"Ha, precisely the Nine Netherworld, overseen by the Netherworld’s jurisdiction!"
Yuan Gong sighed: "The disaster of Nine Netherworld, Earth Store hears heaven’s commands, most Buddhas and saint immortals choose to sever the heavenly connections to block ties between Netherworld and the mortal world."
"Only some celestial beings with indomitable spirits continue to insist on clearing the disaster, purifying the universe... Yet, upon declaring his great vow, the Sect Leader of Netherworld, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, was the first to obstruct."
"Ksitigarbha says: Before the disaster arises, hell is not empty, with Nine Netherworld undergoing drastic changes now, who can purge these pollutants?"
Xu Qing detected Yuan Gong’s lamentation and disappointment, suspecting that Yuan Gong belonged to the scarce few who chose to support purging malevolent energy and reopening the Heaven-Reaching Road.
"Ksitigarbha’s obstruction, indeed unfortunate."
Hearing this, Xu Qing confirmed Yuan Gong’s chosen alliance, according to what was said, the upper realm is now divided into two factions, one conservative, supporting the severance of heavenly paths.
The other sparse in numbers, supporting the clearing of Nine Netherworld’s disaster and reopening the heavenly paths.