Nine Cauldrons City.
As the imperial capital of Great Xia, this city had once been trampled into ruin, ravaged by smoke and flames, broken and withered.
Yet now, in less than a year, the city had been restored and had become prosperous and bustling once more.
And at the center of Nine Cauldrons City, a new stone statue had been erected.
The statue stood ninety-nine zhang tall, its figure lofty and straight, hands clasped behind its back. It stood there in a relaxed manner, like an unfettered immortal deity overlooking the myriad fathoms of the mortal world and taking in all phenomena beneath the heavens.
"That is the god statue the Great Xia Imperial Family built for Su the Immortal. I heard they invited more than a thousand skilled craftsmen, who, under the guidance of dozens of artifact-refining grandmasters, spent nearly a month forging it. It is lifelike, with both form and spirit!"
"I heard so too. This ninety-nine-zhang-tall statue was refined from a segment of the rarest spirit vein. Moreover, the current Emperor Xia issued an Imperial Decree: every Mid-Autumn Festival, he will personally lead the entire imperial family in paying respects to Su the Immortal's god statue, to express their gratitude to Su the Immortal."
"Su the Immortal is the living legend of the Azure Green Continent. He truly deserves such treatment!"
...Near the statue, many cultivators from every corner of the world had come drawn by its fame. Gazing at it from afar, reverence and worship welled up in their hearts.
Even their voices had become subdued and solemn.
"Heh. Erecting a statue for a living man—how is that any different from building a shrine for some demon? How absurd!"
Suddenly, a cold laugh rang out.
The crowd erupted in commotion, and everyone looked up.
It was