Chapter 39: Emergence of New Gods from Old

“Remember to keep the talisman I gave you close and try not to make any noise.”

Duan Wenxuan had no objections; naturally, one should always follow the advice of professionals in such situations.

Time slowly passed. At some point, the bonfire outside Ranruo Temple had burned out, leaving behind only faint embers emitting sparse glimmers of light.

The moonlight tonight was exceptionally beautiful. Amidst the dilapidated state of Ranruo Temple, Duan Wenxuan quietly sat in a corner, gazing upward. Through the worn-out window screen, he saw the pristine moonlight, with no signs of any spectral apparitions. Meanwhile, Yan Chixia sat cross-legged on the ground, arms folded, his eyes tightly closed and breathing steady—whether resting or dozing lightly, it was unclear.

After about another hour, Duan Wenxuan suddenly heard a soft creaking sound.

He remained motionless.

Yan Chixia’s eyes snapped open instantly. Only then did Duan Wenxuan cautiously follow Yan Chixia towards the door, peering out carefully. They witnessed Ning Caichen stealthily stepping outside. Near the entrance, Ning Caichen observed three or four fireflies dancing around him, a look of delight on his face. “Did Xiaoqian send you for me? Quickly, lead me to her.”

As if understanding his words, the fireflies darted up and down before flying ahead. Ning Caichen eagerly followed, delighted.

Yan Chixia intended for Duan Wenxuan to stay behind, fearing other lurking ghosts might harm him while Yan Chixia was away searching for Ning Caichen. However, with no choice, he signaled for Duan Wenxuan to accompany them discreetly.

Duan Wenxuan suppressed his breathing, trailing at a distance alongside Yan Chixia, keeping close to Ning Caichen.

After walking for an indeterminate time, they unexpectedly stumbled upon a dilapidated village. Duan Wenxuan had suspected this possibility earlier; upon seeing the abandoned fields, he had surmised there might be a forsaken village nearby. He didn’t expect Ning Caichen to actually find it.

A typical village must have a water source nearby. Indeed, just beyond the ruined settlement flowed a small creek. Amidst the desolation, surprisingly, a pavilion stood by its banks.

“Xiaoqian, I’m here,” Ning Caichen called out cheerfully from afar, running towards it.

The night breeze gently stirred layers of gauzy curtains inside the pavilion. There, Duan Wenxuan spotted an exquisite woman dressed in white garments, seated amidst the fluttering veils. It suddenly became clear why Ning Caichen harbored not even a hint of suspicion.

To be honest, Duan Wenxuan had seen many modern beauties with their flawless makeup, but compared to this apparition, they all fell short. The woman in white needed no cosmetics; her striking features alone captivated at first glance. Moreover, the delicate vulnerability, subtle allure, and hint of melancholy etched on her brow were truly irresistible.

“Hmph.” While Duan Wenxuan silently marveled at the ghost’s beauty, Yan Chixia only scoffed, “Beneath that fair facade lies a mere skeleton.”

Duan Wenxuan chose not to engage with Yan Chixia’s cynicism.

Soon, Ning Caichen began conversing animatedly with Xiaoqian inside the pavilion. After a while, in a romantic gesture, they shared a toast by intertwining their arms. Though the wine itself didn’t intoxicate, their emotions did, leading them swiftly to collapse onto the cushions laid within the pavilion.

Duan Wenxuan felt torn, unsure whether to stay put and munch on melon seeds or move closer to do so.

Before he could decide, Yan Chixia suddenly drew his copper coin sword from his waist. With a flick of his wrist, the sword flew straight towards the pavilion at high speed.

“Scholar, don’t let your eyes deceive you!”

On the other side, sensing something amiss, the white-clothed woman abruptly turned to flee. Unexpectedly, the copper sword altered its trajectory as if guided by eyes, swiftly pursuing her.

The white-clad maiden was no match for Yan Chixia; with one swift move, the copper sword pinned her arm, causing her to crumple helplessly onto the ground. Despite her disheveled state, her beauty remained undiminished.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Yan Chixia bit his finger and drew a talisman in mid-air, intending to instantly slay the white-clothed woman.

Just then, Ning Caichen rushed forward and unexpectedly wrenched out the copper sword. “Xiaoqian, hurry, escape!”

The white-clothed woman glanced at him, seemingly surprised but instinctively fled swiftly away. As Yan Chixia moved to chase after her, Ning Caichen threw himself around Yan Chixia’s waist, refusing to let go under any circumstances.

This brief delay allowed the white-clothed woman to vanish without a trace.

Yan Chixia erupted in furious curses.

Ning Caichen, however, explained, “In this desolate wilderness, Xiaoqian claimed she was from a nearby village, having mistakenly entered the Lanruo Temple last night. Considering her delicate appearance, devoid of dirt or disorder, I knew at once that she was lying.”

“She may not be human, but I firmly believe she is genuinely kind-hearted. Great Hero Yan, as you traverse this world, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed evil spirits committing harm. Yet amidst such chaotic times, aren’t there plenty of wicked humans too?! Since she is truly good-natured, I won’t allow you to hurt her.”

Yan Chi Xia let out a harsh sigh, “Encountering ghosts who do no harm is far from easy.”

“Xiaoqian is one such ghost,” Ning Caichen asserted confidently.

Duan Wenxuan leisurely approached, feeling like a mere spectator. He couldn’t determine if the white-clothed woman was inherently good or evil, but he knew that if she were unattractive, Ning Caichen wouldn’t have defended her so vehemently.

Following this incident, the rest of the night passed without further disturbance.

However, Ning Caichen had caught a slight chill due to the cold, yet surprisingly, it seemed better after the eventful night. He attributed his recovery to Xiaoqian’s healing efforts, believing the special wine she prepared for him, which she claimed could dispel the cold, had worked wonders.

Yan Chi Xia shook his head and sighed, remaining silent.

Originally, Ning Caichen should have embarked on his journey today, but he insisted on staying to see Xiaoqian again. Concerned for his safety, Yan Chi Xia decided not to leave either.

As for Duan Wenxuan, he didn’t mind at all.

However, that night passed uneventfully. Ning Caichen’s solitary trip to the riverside proved futile, as even the pavilion had vanished. For two consecutive days, Xiaoqian did not appear.

On the third evening, another woman dressed in green hurriedly arrived, informing them that Grandma Tree Spirit planned to give Nie Xiaoqian to an entity called Black Mountain Demon Lord as his seventeenth wife. Knowing this would mean certain death, Xiaoqian entrusted her friend to bring Ning Caichen for one final meeting.

Deep within Ning Caichen lay a romantic scholar’s sentiment. In truth, he and Nie Xiaoqian shared only a single night together, and over these past two days, his emotions gradually settled. Duan Wenxuan anticipated convincing him to leave within another day or two. But with this new development, Ning Caichen became reinvigorated, almost frenzied.

This tragic love story ignited Ning Caichen’s scholarly passions, making it seem as if he and Nie Xiaoqian had been deeply in love for ages, ready to defy heaven and earth just to save her.

Yan Chixia, being truly kind-hearted, accompanied Ning Caichen on this perilous journey.

Duan Wenxuan continued to play his minor role, but this time it was genuinely dangerous. Yan Chixia and Tree Demon Granny fought fiercely, causing chaos all around. Later, Black Mountain Old Monster emerged as well. Sensing the situation turning dire, Duan Wenxuan opened a portal and swiftly left.

He stayed home for some hours before cautiously returning, only to find that everything had settled down.

The Black Mountain Old Monster lay dead, while Tree Demon Granny’s cultivation had been mostly dissipated by Yan Chixia. With her remaining strength, she fled into the mountains, unlikely to pose any significant threat again.

In the aftermath of the intense battle, after Tree Demon Granny escaped, all the ghostly women previously under her control faced imminent soul dispersal. These women, controlled by the demon, had each accumulated dozens of human lives on their hands, making them irredeemably wicked and unable to reincarnate.

Among them, only Nie Xiaoqian was spared. Using the authentic Xuanmen technique, “Qi Transformation to Dissipate Evil,” Yan Chixia dispelled the malevolent aura from her spirit. He then protected her soul with a talisman from the same tradition, allowing her to be reborn. However, Yan Chixia was not invincible; having reached his limit during these consecutive battles, he succumbed to severe injuries shortly after ensuring Xiaoqian’s safety.

”…Great Hero Yan told me we’ll meet again in sixteen years; you must wait for me.” Ning Caichen buried Yan Chixia at Ranuo Temple, interring all his belongings alongside him. After paying his final respects with a bow, he departed from the temple.

On a distant hilltop, Duan Wenxuan watched unseen by Ning Caichen. From his vantage point, he observed Ning Caichen’s figure gradually vanish along the wilderness path.

Duan Wenxuan had no intention of meeting Ning Caichen again. Their abrupt separation was due to his solitary escape, making any reunion awkward. Moreover, there seemed no real need for them to cross paths once more. After some time, Duan Wenxuan slowly descended the mountain and approached Yan Chixia’s grave, pouring out cups of wine as a gesture of respect.

Moments later, Duan Wenxuan dug up where Ning Caichen had buried Yan Chixia’s copper coin sword and cultivation manual. He took the copper coin sword, while copying the cultivation manual before reburialing the original.

With one last respectful bow, Duan Wenxuan decided not to linger further and swiftly headed towards the dense mountains behind Lanruo Temple. Feeling it necessary to finish off the weakened tree demon, he believed in striking hard when the enemy is vulnerable.

Amidst the dense vegetation of the mountain, Duan Wenxuan couldn’t discern which tree was the Tree Demon on his own. However, with the copper sword, everything changed. As he held it out, the Copper Sword began to hum.

Duan Wenxuan sensed that the Copper Sword possessed some spiritual intelligence; although unwilling to fully serve him, it seemed aware that he intended to resolve the threat posed by the Tree Demon completely. This could be considered as repaying Yan Chixia’s efforts, and thus, the Copper Sword no longer suppressed its aura but actively revealed its spiritual energy.

Using the Copper Sword as a locator, Duan Wenxuan followed wherever the buzzing sound intensified. Surprisingly, before afternoon arrived, he found the Tree Demon Matriarch. Now reduced to its true form, all that remained was a black tree about twice a man’s height, its branches withered and near death.

Duan Wenxuan raised the Copper Sword and directly impaled the Tree Demon. The tree shuddered violently, then unexpectedly burst into flames. Startled, Duan Wenxuan watched as within four or five minutes, the eerie tree burned down completely, yet remarkably, the surrounding normal flora remained unaffected.

“What is happening?” Duan Wenxuan looked utterly bewildered.

Amidst the pile of ashes, Duan Wenxuan puzzled over retrieving his copper coin sword. As he approached, he noticed a small bulge beneath the ash, as if something was hidden there.

Curious, Duan Wenxuan dug through and discovered a roughly fifteen-centimeter-long infant lying underneath. However, this infant’s body was entirely pitch-black, with human limbs but devoid of any gender features. Its eyes were open, yet lifeless, lacking pupils and displaying a hauntingly serene green hue—extremely eerie. When Duan Wenxuan gently lifted the infant, it remained completely motionless, without even a hint of warmth in its body.

“What exactly is this? Seems I still don’t fully understand this world. Later, I should visit crowded areas and buy more books to gain some insights.” Having made up his mind, Duan Wenxuan hesitated briefly before deciding to bring the infant back to the real world.

In the real world, with Silence prevailing, the danger posed by such entities would significantly decrease.

After temporarily settling the creature, Duan Wenxuan affectionately patted the Terror Slime’s head, flattening it momentarily, before leisurely heading off to prepare himself some food. With each passing day, Duan Wenxuan found himself increasingly accustomed to the growing number of peculiarities in his home.

However, when Duan Wenxuan returned to his bedroom, he nearly had a heart attack. The vine had extended its roots, with countless thin tendrils wildly writhing like myriad tiny teeth, causing his hair to stand on end. That wasn’t the main issue; the problem arose when the vine wrapped around something resembling an ‘infant’ and stuffed it beneath its roots. Those tendrils swiftly crushed and devoured it, leaving Duan Wenxuan too late to intervene.

Just as he was about to lose his temper, the symbol on his hand warmed slightly, indicating that he unexpectedly gained another teleportation gate. This suggested that the gate had somehow been partially restored.

Gradually, Duan Wenxuan realized he seemed to have developed some connection with the vine.

It was quite peculiar because the vine’s presence near him was initially due to the white deer. This connection resembled how Tang Tianlu and others became linked to him when he brought them into the Silence state.

“Is this because it consumed the tree spirit?” Duan Wenxuan could only surmise that as the reason.

The vine underwent rapid changes after devouring the entire tree spirit. It shrunk considerably, appearing like a green cocoon roughly the size of a fist. Soon after, Duan Wenxuan sensed a blank consciousness, temporarily confined within the vine. He realized he could freely imprint upon this consciousness, guiding its growth according to his own thoughts.

“In that case…” Duan Wenxuan fell silent for a moment before inscribing ‘Jianxiang Ping’ onto this consciousness, along with a description of Jianxiang Ping’s appearance as he had disguised himself earlier.

‘The ancient Mountain God was born from human belief and perished due to their abandonment. With the resurgence of mysteries, by a fortunate coincidence, you have emerged as the new god from the remnants of the old deity. Although you chose the same visage and name as the former god, you understand that while you were once Him, you are not entirely the same.’

Duan Wenxuan closed his eyes, diligently imprinting these thoughts onto the blank consciousness. Once satisfied, he carefully lifted the green sphere. He needed to find an opportunity to toss it towards Mount Xiangping, allowing it to grow properly—hopefully without any deviations.