Chapter 598: Real? Fake?
The divine’s words travelled into Gao Ming’s ears. God was talking to a random stranger but Gao Ming felt like God was addressing him. “Do not be disturbed by random thoughts. The fruit of Dharma is hidden within you. Understand its needs and follow its guidance…”
His heart pounded. The connection between Gao Ming and the God of Flesh and Blood deepened. He was about to meditate when a sharp pain came from his shoulder.
“Wake up!” Fu Shu bit Gao Ming so hard that his left shoulder bled. He growled.
“What are you doing? I’m fine.” Gao Ming moved Fu Shu’s head back and stopped the bleeding. “Even my girlfriend hasn’t bitten me like that.”
“You have almost fallen into a hallucination. How are you fine?” Fu Shu shook his head. “I’ve placed everything on you! You cannot fail.”
“I merely agreed with him. There is indeed a building in my heart, but I am sure it is not a divine palace.”
“Haven’t you noticed how elated you sound now? Your hostility towards this place has lowered tremendously!” Fu Shu gritted his teeth. “Do not listen to the voice inside the temple. Do not ponder it. This place is too dangerous. The more you listen to it, the quicker you’ll die!”
With that reminder, the smile on Gao Ming’s face disappeared. He didn’t realise he had indeed put his guard down.
“Cultivation is the process of returning to the truth. During this process, we’ll be interrupted by the material world. Many things will hold you back.”
“Master, what can we do then?” It was a paper doll who posed the question.“The greatest Dao is the simplest. The path is the most common one. I do not have the shortcut to the heavenly gate. I do not have a talisman that can help you kill the enemy. I can only point a way for you.” The divine statue treated the paper doll as a normal person. His voice filled with kindness, “Keep track of your thoughts and breathing. Be mindful of your lifestyle. Always be humble and open-minded.”
“Master, I’ve seen the craftsmen in town sacrifice animals and even humans to create good tools. He has obtained great power because of it.” A white pig grunted. Once it spoke, the place smelled.
“Making sacrifices is the wrong path. Many people in town have strayed from the correct path but it is not too late.” The divine figure plucked a burning incense. “Your divine soul is complete and you are not a local citizen. You must be a visitor from the outside. This place is both real and fake. If you keep on cultivating, I’m sure you can find your true self and ascend beyond the mortal world.”
“That’s right. I am a human from beyond the dream. I was tricked and turned into this pig creature.” The white pig nodded heavily. “Master, please save me. If you can turn me back into a human, I am willing to do anything!” Gao Ming thought the white pig was very familiar. He encountered the man when he infiltrated the butcher’s home. The white pig was trapped and was waiting to be slaughtered.
“I remember his name was Li Zhu. His friend is Lee Zhu. He even tricked me that his friend was… What was it again?” Gao Ming couldn’t remember. He only remembered the name Lee Zhu. It felt like the other person had lost his original name. “Lee Zhu was practicing the Temple Construction method. His temple was behind the Tu Di temple. He has probably been swallowed by this nine-story Soul Temple already.”
The white pig wiggled his butt. If he were a dog, he would have wagged his tail already.
More followers threw out questions. The divine figure answered them patiently. Slowly, some of the followers achieved ascension. They found balance. Evil air dissipated from their bodies. They obtained the air of the divine.
“Stop watching. We need to go!” Fu Shu was anxious. The more serene the situation was, the more agitated he became.
Gao Ming noticed that Bai Feng and the two water ghost kids had started to lose themselves, so he didn’t dare to delay anymore. He dragged them towards the stairs. To go upstairs, one had to pass the altar. The blurry divine figure had already noticed Gao Ming. He didn’t stop Gao Ming. If anything, he seemed to have given Gao Ming his blessing.
“Friend, if you have any questions, feel free to ask,” The mist around the figure’s face slowly disappeared. It was as if once Gao Ming believed the other party was Zhang Mingli, it would become him. Gao Ming narrowed his eyes and said nothing. He didn’t want to fight the divine figure, but something happened.
“Kill me! Chop me up, and I can rise to immortality! Your destiny is bound to my fate!” The villager, who was kicked away by Gao Ming, ran over. The smoke circled around his wounds. He didn’t seem to feel pain. He ran so fast. The divine figure smiled. All the followers turned to look at Gao Ming. They probably didn’t know anything but heard something about becoming immortal.
“Has he been possessed?”
The villager was more than harassing Gao Ming. He really believed his words. He climbed up the stairs on all fours. The mist smoothed his wounds. When he neared Gao Ming, he grabbed Gao Ming’s neck. His eyes glowed fanatically. Gao Ming swung his fist, but he failed to knock the man down. The villager was somehow physically stronger than before.
“It’s the divine glow!” Fu Shu instantly reminded Gao Ming.
“You are my challenge. You are stopping me from entering the divine palace!” The villager’s veins burst. The divine glow entered his body. He took out a wooden blade from his chest. “Kill me! Kill me!”
The wooden knife aimed at Gao Ming’s heart. At the same time, Gao Ming drew his knife to slice the villager’s neck. Fresh blood covered his body. The man’s head rolled down the steps. The headless corpse maintained its pose. It took another step forward before collapsing.
“Such wickedness.” Bai Feng was about to move the corpse when Gao Ming stopped her. “What’s wrong?”
“Don’t move.”
The divine glow was injected into the corpse. The villager’s skin rapidly shrivelled. Its shell morphed into the divine mist. Two small, mutated arms reached out of the rolling head. Surrounded by the mist, the eyes of the decapitated head moved about. The two arms tried to pull something out of the head. Due to the mist, only Gao Ming’s group saw this.
“Is something moving inside his brain?”
A joyful laughter rang out. The mist closed in around the villager’s head. As its corpse disappeared, a new version of the villager crawled out of the head. He was as light as gauze. Distracted by something, he flew upstairs.
The mirthful laughter echoed inside the temple. Then, the villager disappeared.