Chapter 17: The Mysterious Source

 Chapter 17: The Mysterious Source

Guessed right... Zhang Yuanqing felt a bit relieved. After exploring the Mountain God Temple, dealing with the zombies, the entrance to the cave would open. However, the construction team predecessors had taken the Exorcism Pestle before that.

If he couldn't figure out this detail and return the Exorcism Pestle, he might be stuck forever at this step. Zhang Yuanqing patiently waited, his nerves tense, concentrating his energy, not daring to be careless, because beneath the cave, there might exist the source of the Mountain God Temple's decline.

After a while, seeing no abnormality at the collapsed entrance, he summoned the Red Dancing Shoes again and activated the second form, letting it replace the running shoes and wrap around his feet. Then, he leaped lightly before the pitch-black and profound cave.

Thud... His feet quickly touched the ground, and the Red Dancing Shoes removed the downward force for him. Zhang Yuanqing found the Exorcism Pestle among the broken stones, bent down to pick it up, and regained control of this powerful item.

With the Red Dancing Shoes and the Exorcism Pestle, he was confident enough to face the dangers inside the cave. Candlelight seeped down from above, illuminating a limited area. Ahead lay a dark and silent corridor filled with unknown fears.

In such an environment, it would be extremely unwise to proceed blindly. Zhang Yuanqing contemplated for a moment and turned his gaze to the item in his hand.

The item's description said it contained the power of the Sun God and could obtain divine power through blood sacrifice.

Would the genuine power of the Sun God be able to dispel the darkness and bring light? Worth a try, but the "note" in the item's description is a bit unsettling... Zhang Yuanqing sighed silently and drove the sharp triangular spikes into his thigh.

The sharp pain struck, and blood gushed out, not flowing along the trousers but turning into bloodlines that poured into the brass tool.

Zhang Yuanqing felt a warm power surging from the Exorcism Pestle, entering his body through his arm. His pupils lit up with a faint golden glow, transforming into radiant golden irises.

The Exorcism Pestle didn't dispel the darkness, but it granted him the ability to see through it. At the same time, all negative states like dizziness, difficulty breathing, and chest pain disappeared, leaving only a sense of weakness from excessive blood loss. The corpse poison inside his body was cleansed.

Indeed, he exchanged his life for power, but he could accept it... He activated his eyesight and looked ahead. In front of him was a spacious corridor extending into the dark depths.

The walls of the corridor showed signs of man-made excavation, not a natural formation. Zhang Yuanqing walked steadily along the corridor, and his footsteps echoed in the silent space.

After walking for about ten seconds, the walls of the corridor started to be covered with plant roots, densely crawling all over.

"Help, help...!" Suddenly, from the darkness ahead, came a chilling cry for help, pleading and sorrowful.

Following the sound for a while, the front suddenly opened up, and a huge cave appeared before his eyes. In the center of the cave was a thick tree trunk that pierced through the top of the cave and grew into the outside world.

At the base of the sturdy tree trunk, roots intertwined and entangled around a stone coffin. What was most terrifying was that from within the thick tree trunk, pale arms protruded, and pale faces appeared, unconsciously uttering cries for help. Their arms reached out chaotically, as if searching for a lifeline.

"My trypophobia is acting up..." The candlelight and the Exorcism Pestle gave Zhang Yuanqing courage, and he felt only a slight tingling on his scalp, not too frightened.

At this moment, a hoarse and ancient voice sounded, "So many years have passed, and it's the first time a living creature has come here."

With these words, the cries for help ceased, and the seaweed-like swaying arms retreated into the trunk, concealing the terrified faces.

"Who?" Zhang Yuanqing was startled, looking around warily.

"Me? I'm just a tree..."

A hideous face emerged from the tree trunk, unlike the vengeful spirits' faces; its skin was made of tree bark, symbolizing the tree itself.

Could it be that the old banyan tree in the courtyard has become a spirit? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't believe that he encountered a communicative being in this eerie place, even though it was a tree.

He didn't dare to get too close and probed, "Did you kill the disciples in the temple?"

"It wasn't me, it was her."

The tree spirit's gaze lowered, as if it was staring at the stone coffin below, even though it couldn't see it.

"Who is she?"

"She is San Dao Mountain's Deity."

Zhang Yuanqing felt like he had been struck on the head, his mind going blank. San Dao Mountain's Deity, the powerful night-wandering goddess who should have ascended in the early Ming Dynasty?

The mysterious source was San Dao Mountain's Deity. Did she kill the disciples in the temple?

Zhang Yuanqing blurted out, "Why did she do this?"

"Because the end of the Dharma era is coming, and practitioners find it increasingly difficult to break through their bottlenecks. To seek immortality, San Dao Mountain's Deity fell into the demonic path. She sealed herself in the stone coffin, using the banyan tree to confine yin spirits, nourishing herself with yin energy to preserve her physical body and soul. She is a formidable night-wandering goddess, and night-wandering gods are born with the ability to devour souls to strengthen themselves."

The face on the tree trunk sighed, "The banyan tree has accommodated too many souls, absorbing their wills, and gradually giving birth to a consciousness, which is me. Over the years, people have inadvertently entered this place, died here, and all became her nourishment. I bear the hatred and resentment of these vengeful spirits, waiting for someone to come here and end her."

So that's how it is. Could this be considered triggering an NPC quest? Zhang Yuanqing's eyes flickered slightly, "What should I do?"

"Open the stone coffin, and use your weapon to pierce her heart. In the Exorcism Pestle, half of her Yang soul is sealed. By stabbing her heart, you can trap the remaining Yang soul in the pestle. Without the protection of her Yang soul, her physical body will immediately perish." The banyan tree spirit finished speaking slowly.

"You can leave this place if you do it," the tree spirit said.

Zhang Yuanqing didn't move, remaining silent.

The tree spirit spoke gently, "Young man, what are you hesitating about?"

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly said, "I'm thinking of a question..."

The tree spirit responded softly, "What question?"

From a distance, Zhang Yuanqing stared at the face on the tree trunk and said, word by word, "Are you the temple priest?"

The cave suddenly fell silent. After a few seconds, the tree spirit's tone became heavy, "The temple priest was the first person deceived by San Dao Mountain's Deity, becoming her puppet and eventually her nourishment. If you don't believe it, come and open the stone coffin to find out that I'm not deceiving you."

Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Then help me open it."

"I can't open it; I'm just a tree."

"Can't or won't?" Zhang Yuanqing seemed to have gotten the answer he wanted and smirked, "The person lying in the coffin is the temple priest, and you, are you his guardian or his soul?"

After saying this probing question, he entered a state of vigilance, waiting for the tree spirit's response. As someone skilled in game strategy, after experiencing so many crises, if he still couldn't figure out the secrets of the Mountain God Temple, he would feel incompetent.

First, San Dao Mountain's Deity ascended in the early Ming Dynasty, and the disciples in the temple disappeared without reason during the Yongle period, at least fifty to sixty years apart, which equates to one or two generations.

Second, the information in the main hall suggested that San Dao Mountain's Deity was a righteous figure, and the banyan tree spirit's claim of her falling into the demonic path was one-sided. Zhang Yuanqing was more inclined to believe the former.

Finally, the key point was the words written in the diary: "Don't believe the master!" The real enemy was hinted at in these details.

He just hadn't figured out why the temple priest would kill his own disciples. Now, he knew.

If he substituted the person seeking immortality and falling into the demonic path with the temple priest, all the doubts would be resolved.

The cave fell silent, and the tree spirit sighed, "Your wariness is too strong. From the beginning to the end, I meant no harm to you, nor do I wish to harm you."

"Can't harm me or won't harm me?" Zhang Yuanqing slowly stepped back a few steps and said, "Let me guess, your way of killing is by strangulation, but it should be related to illusions and psychic techniques. You tried to kill me not long ago, but unfortunately, I didn't turn back."

This time, the face of the banyan tree spirit changed abruptly. Zhang Yuanqing saw this and knew that his reasoning was completely correct.

The information in the Taiyi Sect's materials clearly stated two things: first, the banyan tree was dangerous; second, don't turn back.

So, when he explored the ancient well, he gained nothing because the well was not the problem; the tree was.

In addition, he accurately identified the "illusion" because the female ghost called him Zhang Yuanqing instead of Yuan Shi Tian Zun.

Finally, when Zhang Yuanqing discovered the ancient well, his mind recalled a famous horror film from a certain island country, which led to a psychological shadow, making him afraid to explore the bottom of the well.

Then, the female ghost emerged from the well, dressed in white with disheveled hair, and without facial features, matching the vague horror in Zhang Yuanqing's mind.

"You pretend to talk to me in a friendly manner because your illusions can no longer deceive me, especially since I now have the Deity's Exorcism Pestle, which makes me immune to illusions." Zhang Yuanqing remained calm, analyzing the truth, "You lured me over to kill me using other methods. If illusions don't work on me, then it's a physical attack, right?"

He glanced at the tree roots crawling all over the walls of the corridor and suddenly thrust the pestle down.

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