88. I Dislike, Therefore I Kill! (Third Update, 11,000 Words)

The phrase "offer tribute" carried a subtle meaning.

Chen Huangpi listened, feeling that something was off.

He looked at the mutated deity statue, which was even more powerful than before, and felt an indescribable absurdity.

The bizarre creatures were stunned.

Especially Wang Mingdao, who exclaimed in shock, "Who exactly is this Yellow-Skinned King? He is Chen Huangpi? Then why does this mutated deity statue offer tribute to him?"

It was known that the Ruyi Bodhisattva had said the mutated deity statue was the Guangmu Supreme God.

After consuming some enlightened deities, it had restored thirty percent of its power.

Even thirty percent strength was terrifying.

If it recovered fully, how powerful would it be?

Wang Mingdao even suspected that this Guangmu Supreme God might be more fearsome than calamities themselves, perhaps only the sword light of the Calamity Eye could counter it.

Yet, such a terrifying being bowed and yielded to a Yellow-Skinned King who was clearly just a standout among catastrophes.

They couldn't understand it, couldn't guess its meaning.

The bizarre creatures were simple-minded.

They didn't grasp complexities, only knowing that bowing meant defeat.

One by one, they wanted to applaud.

"The Yellow-Skinned King is truly formidable!"

"That mere Guangmu Supreme God bows down to him with a single word!"

"In the Ten Thousand Mountains, I only recognize the Yellow-Skinned King!"

No doubt, once these bizarre creatures left the Burial God Tomb, the tale of the Yellow-Skinned King overpowering a Guangmu Supreme God even more dreadful than calamities would spread.

Chen Huangpi paid no attention to them.

At that moment, his heart was filled with mixed feelings, even suppressing some of his fiery anger.

"Mutated deity statue, I’ll keep calling you that. What do you mean by saying you’re offering tribute to me?"

"Wasn’t it always me offering tribute to you?"

Chen Huangpi’s feelings toward the mutated deity statue were complicated.

As a child, he loved to steal the offerings meant for it.

There were plenty, and they tasted good.

Sometimes, after reciting scriptures in the main hall, he would lie down and nap at the statue's feet.

So when the mutated deity statue ran outside the mountain gate at night, wanting to come back, Chen Huangpi softened and agreed.

If not for his master’s prohibition.

Now, the mutated deity statue had probably returned to its original spot.

As for trying to kill him later, Chen Huangpi considered it a result of the statue’s corruption.

Therefore, he separated the matters clearly.

At this moment, the mutated deity statue sighed helplessly and urged the big-headed bizarre creature, "It was always me offering tribute to you. How could you offer tribute to me? If you hadn’t been stealing the offerings every day, I wouldn’t have been unable to provide tribute and wouldn’t have thought of fleeing."

"Now that I have restored thirty percent of my divine power, I can barely stay conscious."

"If you want, how dare I refuse you?"

The statue’s words were bitter.

The deities in the Pure Immortal Temple had all been brought from the Great Qian Immortal Dynasty by the temple master.

By agreement, as long as they stayed quietly in the temple, when Chen Huangpi grew a little older, they would offer him tribute daily, and the temple master would protect them.

But later, the temple master went mad.

Chen Huangpi didn’t know what had happened that day, just thought the master lost his mind.

Even the brass oil lamp was unaware.

But the deities saw everything clearly.

That day was just before dawn.

The temple master sat alone in the main hall, suddenly golden-black characters like birds, fish, and insects appeared all over him.

Those characters twisted and writhed as if alive.

They were shackles, torment.

The master looked pained but covered his mouth, unwilling to make a sound.

Because Chen Huangpi was sleeping then.

All the deities were terrified; some closed their eyes and covered their ears, unwilling to look.

They all knew what kind of existence the master was.

Almost divine.

The deities could not comprehend what happened and dared not guess.

Eventually, the temple master went mad.

Before madness, he said a sentence and then did something.

He said: "No matter what lies beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains, this humble Daoist does not wish to care. But since the sun and moon must be replaced, and this Yellow-Skinned boy urges me to grow, do you think I cannot handle you?"

"This humble Daoist is old! But not dead yet!"

"If you want to act wildly, wait another ten thousand years!"

"Sun and moon only; even I can change them!"

After saying this, the master made a sword gesture and slashed himself five times.

The first slash severed his primordial spirit.

The second divided the spirit into yin and yang—yin was the moon, yang the sun.

As for the last three slashes—

The mutated deity statue didn’t know exactly what happened but knew the master had gone insane afterward.

Purple, white, and cyan.

The master became three masters.

At first, he would awaken once in a few days to urge the deities to offer tribute to Chen Huangpi as agreed.

Later, he would not awaken even for many years.

Some deities started having other intentions.

Tribute was their flesh and blood.

Who wanted to keep offering tribute forever?

Moreover, after the master went mad, strange things began happening in the Pure Immortal Temple.

Every 800 years, a bizarre entity would roam the temple at night.

The entity was not the master but had extremely strange power.

The deities guessed it might be the "you" mentioned in the master's words.

In any case, the deities fled.

The mutated deity statue was the last to leave.

It originally didn’t want to flee, but when it was the only deity left offering tribute to Chen Huangpi, if it didn’t flee, it would truly be consumed alive.

Once it left the Pure Immortal Temple, it was corrupted.

At first, it could stay conscious but grew madder and madder.

It instinctively sought out enlightened deities to consume, resisting the corrupting black smoke.

The Ten Thousand Mountains didn’t have so many deities to feed on, so it eventually went completely mad.

Until last time, when Chen Huangpi absorbed most of the black smoke from it and was reprimanded by the master, it recovered some sanity.

The mutated deity statue knew the master raised Chen Huangpi like his own son.

Now meeting Chen Huangpi again, how could it not obey his demands?

At this moment, the mutated deity statue pushed the Ruyi Bodhisattva toward Chen Huangpi.

With a complex tone, it said, "This deity was enlightened later, not part of the original group. If it were, it would treat you as I do, and dare not act so arrogantly."

These words were clever.

The mutated deity statue didn’t mention the master by name.

Yet every word was related to the master.

The brass oil lamp immediately realized the mutated deity statue must be one of their own.

Its speaking skills were too sophisticated.

It didn’t even use ambiguous terms like "that one" or "that existence."

"Chen Huangpi, it seems it didn’t deceive you," said the brass oil lamp.

"But do you really want to kill the Ruyi Bodhisattva? Perhaps it still has some use."

The Ruyi Bodhisattva’s abilities were peculiar.

Killing it like this would indeed be a pity.

The Soul-Reaping Ghost also said, "Master, the Dog-Taming Scripture can control it."

However…

Chen Huangpi said resolutely, "If I don’t kill it, my heart won’t be at ease. No matter how strange or useful its abilities, if I don’t like it, I will kill it!"

With that, Chen Huangpi struck the dazed Ruyi Bodhisattva with his sword.

The Bodhisattva’s head was split in two on the spot.

"Good!"

The brass oil lamp was thrilled: "‘If I don’t like it, I kill it.’ Chen Huangpi, you truly have a third of the master’s style!"

The last time the cosmic anomaly appeared, with sun and moon in the same sky, the master had also said, "I don’t like it."

That phrase made the brass oil lamp bow deeply.

Now Chen Huangpi said the same words—how could it not be excited?

The Soul-Reaping Ghost said, "Master, as long as your heart is at ease, that is what matters!"

With the Ruyi Bodhisattva dead, Chen Huangpi’s anger immediately dissipated.

Even the vital energy growing in his liver became more refined and concentrated than before.

Chen Huangpi seemed to realize something: "This is the clarity of thought. It seems when I was refining the Kidney Temple earlier, I should have done the same."

Not only clarity of thought and changes in vital energy, he also sensed the unformed Liver Temple was subtly changing.

His whole body itched unbearably, as if something wanted to grow out.

But before he could scratch, the itch suddenly vanished as if it had never existed.

Chen Huangpi was puzzled but didn’t dwell on it now.

He looked at the mutated deity statue and said, "How should I address you, Guangmu Supreme God?"

The mutated deity statue shook its head, "Others may call me that, but before you, I dare not be arrogant. You can still call me mutated deity statue as before."

"Fine," Chen Huangpi said without formality, "Do you want to come back with me?"

He wanted to eat the offerings.

The mutated deity statue’s offerings were the best.

But the statue said helplessly, "I can’t return. I made a mistake and must be punished. Besides, that place is not my home. I will leave the Ten Thousand Mountains, head west, cross nine seas, then three mountain ranges, and go home."

"Before you go, can you do me a favor?"

"What favor?"

"I want to go to the Yin Earth and Yellow Springs to find the Resurrection Jade. That’s why I came to this Burial God Tomb."

Hearing this, the mutated deity statue suddenly understood, "Yes, there is indeed a path to the Yellow Springs below, but I cannot enter."

"Why not?"

"Because I am a deity of the mortal world, not a spirit of the Yin Earth and Yellow Springs."

"If I enter, I would instantly ignite countless karmic fires. But the enlightened deities, being made from yellow clay taken from Yin Earth, are not rejected by the Yellow Springs."

"Alright," Chen Huangpi said disappointedly.

If the mutated deity statue could accompany him to the Yellow Springs, it would be a great help.

But since it couldn’t go, how could he force it?

Seeming to perceive Chen Huangpi’s thoughts, the mutated deity statue said gently, "No need to worry. Though the Yellow Springs and Yin Earth are dangerous, for you it will be like going home. Without me, you will be fine."

Chen Huangpi didn’t know whether this was true.

Could it be that his egg had actually come from the Yellow Springs and Yin Earth?

He thought for a moment and said, "Since that’s the case, tell me where the passage is. I’ll go down myself."

The mutated deity statue said, "It’s inside the coffin on the third level."

"Third level? Can you take me in?"

"Of course!"

The mutated deity statue nodded, then spread its hands wide.

The eyes in its palms each faced a direction.

Then, the gaping blood-red mouth on its chest opened.

Black and white lights surged forth.

The twin lights, like swords, pierced through one side of the pit instantly.

The third level of the Burial God Tomb appeared before Chen Huangpi.

Unlike the first and second levels, it was a tomb chamber — a huge tomb chamber.

Inside were the Yellow Calamity, Mang Mountain Lord, other calamities, and the slender bizarre beings.

End of Chapter.