As Reverence for the Gods

Granny Sha stared blankly at the scene. The series of changes had been too rapid, leaving her unable to keep up.

Chen Shi let out a long sigh, took the Ram Horn Copper Lamp from his back, and smiled, "Granny, I've brought back the copper lamp you lost!"

Suddenly, the old woman trembled and rushed over, pulling him into her embrace. Her body shook, her voice choked with sobs, and she held him tightly, tears streaming down her face like rain.

"Child, my good child, Granny will never let you take risks again!"

The old woman wept sorrowfully, completely ignoring the copper lamp she had longed for, which made Chen Shi feel a bit uneasy.

Granny Sha held him as if he were her own flesh and blood, unwilling to let go.

After a long while, Granny Sha finally released him. She wiped the tears from her face and repeatedly checked Chen Shi for any injuries. Finding him unharmed, she finally relaxed.

"Granny, are you alright?" Chen Shi asked tentatively.

Hearing his voice, Granny Sha couldn't help but think of her own child, and tears immediately began to fall again.

"My son, Tianyu, was as clever and adorable as he is. If he were still alive, he would probably be married and established by now, and I would be holding my grandchild. My grandson would probably be about Little Ten's age."

Seeing Chen Shi escape from the Underworld in a situation where he was certain to die, the old woman was overcome with emotion and thought of her son, Xiang Tianyu.

Xiang Tianyu was exceptionally clever and adorable, with high comprehension. He was about ten years old back then.

Boys are always mischievous, but they are also sensible. Xiang Tianyu was just like that.

When he was mischievous, she wanted to grab him and give him a good beating. But there were also times when he was sensible, especially thoughtful, and would ask about her well-being, even massaging her shoulders and back.

She doted on her son immensely, but at that time, she also had her own ambitions. Her attainments in the soul were extremely high, and she wanted to go further, but for some reason, she couldn't break through. So, she conceived a bold idea.

That was to sneak into the Underworld to find a rare stone that only existed there: the Three Lives Stone.

If she could refine medicine with the Three Lives Stone and consume it, she would awaken her past life's memories and convert her past life's cultivation into her current life's cultivation, allowing her to break through to the next realm.

However, the Underworld was not a place anyone could enter. Those who went were either virgin boy essence souls or virgin girl essence souls.

Virgin boy essence souls, with their pure yang energy, could resist the Yin energy of the Underworld, preventing their souls from scattering.

Virgin girl essence souls, with their pure Yin energy, would not be damaged too quickly in the Underworld.

She didn't trust outsiders, as the Three Lives Stone was extremely precious. Therefore, she planned to have her son, Xiang Tianyu, secretly enter the Underworld to steal the Three Lives Stone for her.

For Xiang Tianyu's safety, she made multiple preparations: various life-saving talismans, treasure seals, and magic spells, precious blood. She armed him extremely thoroughly before letting his soul leave his body and enter the Underworld.

Xiang Tianyu was a very sensible child. He didn't complain or refuse to do such a dangerous thing for her. He entered the Underworld just like that.

But Xiang Tianyu never returned.

She waited for seven days, but Xiang Tianyu never came back.

Seven days was a critical juncture. For a cultivator's soul to leave their body, the physical body could remain alive for seven days. After seven days, the physical body would die and decay.

Her son was dead.

That mischievous yet sensible little boy was dead.

His soul was lost in the Underworld, unable to find its way home.

Her son's death was a devastating blow to her. Furthermore, because of this incident, her husband broke ties with her, and they became strangers. Because of this incident, she spent her entire life in self-blame and regret.

Back then, Chen Shi's grandfather, Chen Yindu, found her and asked for her help. She initially refused, but upon seeing Chen Shi's face, she was reminded of her son. Only then did she agree, risking her life to traverse the realms of Yin and Yang to summon Chen Shi's soul.

It was also at that time that she offended powerful figures in the Underworld and made many enemies. She could no longer set foot in the Underworld, or she would surely be besieged.

Granny Sha sighed softly and stroked Chen Shi's head.

"Granny will no longer let you do anything dangerous," she said in a low voice.

Chen Shi held up the Ram Horn Copper Lamp and smiled, "Granny, is this the lamp you were looking for?"

Granny Sha's spirits lifted, and she nodded. "For this darn lamp, you almost lost your life. Does Little Ten hate Granny?"

Chen Shi shook his head. "Grandpa said that Granny did many things for me back then, and he told me to repay Granny's kindness."

Granny Sha's heart warmed, and she felt tears welling up again. She quickly said, "It's getting dark. Let's go back first."

The two headed back.

"This lamp is a treasure possessed by Ghost Kings among the Yin soldiers. It's called the Ram Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp. It can illuminate both the Yin and Yang realms, perceive the netherworld, and possesses incredibly formidable power."

Granny Sha spoke of the Ram Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp's origin. "Back then, I joined forces with a few old fellows to withstand the power of the Ram Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp and severely wounded the Horse Face Ghost King. The Horse Face Ghost King fell into the River of Forgetfulness with the lamp. I knew it was certain to die, but I didn't expect it to survive by utilizing the special properties of the River of Forgetfulness and to be alive even now."

She couldn't help but feel a sense of lingering fear.

If the Horse Face Ghost King still had a bit of strength, a wisp of its true qi could have shattered Chen Shi into pieces.

"Granny will keep this lamp for you for now. You can take it whenever you wish in the future," Granny Sha said.

The two returned to Gangzi Village as dusk approached. At the village entrance, a large black dog was already waiting.

Chen Shi hurried forward. "Black Pot, Grandpa sent you to tell me to come home for dinner?"

Black Pot wagged its tail.

Granny Sha said, "Little Ten, you go home with the dog first. Come back tomorrow, and I'll take you to find that ancient temple."

Chen Shi repeatedly expressed his thanks.

Granny Sha watched the person and the dog leave, her heart filled with a thousand emotions.

"Just like when Tianyu was little. He was just as smart, just as lively, and just as stubborn. When he promised something, he would definitely do it."

She returned to her dwelling and placed the Ram Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp on the table, which creaked under the weight.

Although the copper lamp didn't seem heavy when Chen Shi carried it, it still weighed over three hundred jin.

Granny Sha took out a silver hairpin and lengthened the wick.

The wick was inserted into the copper figure's celestial skull, which was mounted on a ram's back. The copper figure was filled with lamp oil, and despite the many years that had passed, the oil was still abundant.

As a portion of the wick was pulled out, the copper figure's expression turned strange, and it let out a piercing scream that was quite jarring in the room.

Once the flame stabilized, as if accustomed to the pain, it stopped screaming and instead showed a smile on its face.

Granny Sha activated the Ram Horn Heavenly Spirit Lamp, and suddenly the flame's radiance surged. The next moment, her house, the street, Gangzi Village, and even Ganyang Mountain seemed to vanish!

The light that pierced through everything illuminated houses, streets, villages, and mountains, reaching directly into the dark Underworld!

Granny Sha strained her eyes, looking into the endless darkness with the lamp's light, passing through mist and wastelands, death and desolation, sweeping over countless ghosts, searching for that small figure.

"Tianyu, where are you? Are you lost? Mother is coming to find you..."

When Chen Shi returned home, Grandpa had already prepared the meal and was waiting for him. Chen Shi quickly washed his hands and face before sitting down.

"You went to see Granny Sha. She didn't ask you to do anything dangerous, did she?" Grandpa asked casually.

Chen Shi shook his head and smiled, "No. Grandpa, Granny Sha is a very kind person. She's very good to me."

"That's good."

Grandpa, with his back to Chen Shi, slowly ate his meal and said, "Although Granny Sha is a good person, she is also deeply attached to her obsessions and can easily do things out of line. If she asks you to go to the Underworld, don't agree."

Chen Shi's heart grew cold. It's too late, I've already been there, he thought.

He didn't tell his Grandpa about it, so as not to prevent him from going to see Granny Sha.

The night passed without incident.

In the early morning, after breakfast, Chen Shi paid his respects to his Godmother, informed his Grandpa, and then excitedly went out, heading straight for Gangzi Village.

"Woof!"

At the village entrance, Black Pot sat under a tree and barked at Chen Shi's retreating back.

"I know he lied."

Grandpa stood behind Black Pot, his expression grim. "When he came back yesterday, he was soaked and carried the aura of the Underworld. It's obvious Granny Sha sent him there. And he's covering for the old woman."

Black Pot tilted its head and looked at Grandpa. "Woof woof!"

Grandpa's face darkened. "You're right. The brat needs a lesson. He's learned to lie. And Granny Sha needs to be taught a lesson too, so she doesn't put my grandson in danger! What's even more infuriating is that she wants to snatch my grandson!"

Black Pot tilted its head suspiciously. That wasn't what it meant.

If Grandpa wanted to beat up Chen Shi, he could do it himself. Why would he say it was Black Pot's idea?

But this blame, it had to bear.

When Chen Shi arrived at Gangzi Village, Granny Sha had already prepared breakfast and was waiting for him, having not eaten yet.

"Chen Yindu's cooking is so bad even dogs wouldn't eat it! It's a wonder you've eaten it for so many years."

Granny Sha took a few bites of food, then put down her chopsticks and watched Chen Shi devour his meal with a smile.

There was no choice. Grandpa's medicinal meals were truly terrible.

"Eat slowly, eat slowly, don't choke,"

Granny Sha said with a smile. "There's more in the pot, I'll serve you some more."

Chen Shi ate until his stomach was round. It was the first time in two years he had eaten so much. He quickly got up to help Granny Sha wash the pot and dishes.

Granny Sha quickly said, "Put it there, I'll clean it myself! This child..."

After Chen Shi finished cleaning, he helped her tidy the yard, then looked expectantly at Granny Sha.

Granny Sha, dressed neatly, slung a small basket over her arm. The basket was covered with a floral cloth. She smiled and said, "I know you've been waiting impatiently. Let's go."

An old woman and a young man set out into the mountains.

The path into the mountains from Gangzi Village was different from the one from Huangpo Village. The path from Huangpo Village was gentler, while this one was much steeper.

The mountain path was carved into the cliff face, a narrow trail barely wide enough for a large man to pass. If two people met head-on, it would be very dangerous, and a slight misstep could send one tumbling down the cliff.

Granny Sha, though elderly, walked with steady steps and showed no fear of the precipice. Chen Shi, on the other hand, felt his heart pounding.

"Sister-in-law, Little Ten and I are passing through. We'd like to borrow your path." Granny Sha stopped and smiled at a large tree with gnarled roots.

She approached the tree and took out several incense sticks from her basket, lit them, and placed them at the base of the tree.

Chen Shi looked on curiously. The ancient tree, which had lived for thousands of years, had roots that intertwined and covered the cliff face. The exposed roots alone covered an area of one to two mu!

However, the main trunk of this ancient tree had been struck by lightning, leaving traces of fire and lightning burns on the stump. The current visible trunk had grown from beside the main trunk.

Even though it was a new growth, it looked thousands of years old.

The spirit of this ancient tree was an old woman living in a tree hollow. She was very short, even shorter than Chen Shi. Her hair was gray and coiled, and she leaned on a walking stick. With kind eyes and a smiling face, she looked at Chen Shi and Granny Sha.

Her mouth was shriveled, with only a few teeth remaining. When she smiled, two or three teeth were barely visible.

"Little Ten, come and greet Granny Zhuang!" Granny Sha handed Chen Shi a few sticks of incense.

Chen Shi quickly stepped forward, offered the incense, and bowed, saying, "Chen Shi greets Granny Zhuang!"

"Good child, good child," Granny Zhuang said with a smile, looking at him.

The two passed through a tree hollow.

"Mountains are awe-inspiring. One must revere the mountains as one reveres deities. Ganyang Mountain is filled with spirits – spirits in the grass and trees, spirits in the rocks, spirits in the crawling insects and beasts. Even the mountain streams and brooks have spirits dwelling within them."

Granny Sha walked on, instructing Chen Shi, "With reverence in your heart, every path will open. Without reverence, even a path to life can become a path to death."

They arrived at an even steeper place. The mountain path ahead suddenly disappeared, blocked by a pile of black rocks.

Granny Sha stepped forward, offered incense, and said, "Daoist Brother, Little Ten and I are just passing through. Please grant us passage."

Chen Shi's eyes widened. The black rocks began to move in an orderly fashion, climbing the steep cliff face and gradually moving away.

Only after the black rocks had moved far away could Chen Shi get a clear look at them. They were actually the scales of an incredibly massive black snake. They were just so huge that they looked like piles of black mountain rocks!

Chen Shi followed Granny Sha along the mountain path. After walking for about two to two and a half miles, they finally saw the great black snake.

The black snake was coiled around the mountain peak where they stood. It raised its head in solitude, exhaling clouds and inhaling wind. With each breath, the wind and clouds in the valley shifted and changed, creating a wondrous spectacle.

The great black snake was a beast spirit of the mountain. It had long since passed the age of feeding on blood to sustain itself. It consumed the wind and dew, slept among the clouds, like a hermit in the great mountains, living in peace and detachment from the world.