In the blink of an eye, evening arrived. The sun had already sunk halfway below the horizon, and the sunset glow painted the vast blue sky red.
The warriors who had gone out hunting had returned to the village. The boys who were learning alongside them showed one another the game they had caught, earning envious looks from the younger children who were not yet old enough to join them.
Just as the sun was about to set completely, the village's three strongest hunting warriors returned, accompanied by a group of young men who had helped clear the battlefield. They carried dozens of silver wolves.
Men and women, young and old, welcomed them warmly. The women waited at the village entrance for their men to return safely from a day of hunting, took the game from them, and hurried to the largest wooden house in the village—the ancestral hall—to butcher and store it.
The three men, meanwhile, led the Silver Wolf King straight through the village to where Qi Tian was. They placed the Silver Wolf King in front of the human-shaped boulder Qi Tian had become, then knelt and prayed in worship.
"Jin Shi thanks the Giant Stone God for protection."
"Iron Hand thanks the Giant Stone God for protection."
"Mulberry Leaf thanks the Giant Stone God for protection."
The three spoke at once. Only then did Qi Tian learn that the man he had saved earlier was called Jin Shi, that the one wielding the Ox Skull Gauntlet was called Iron Hand, and that the one wielding the shinbone claws was called Mulberry Leaf.
As the three men knelt, the men who had followed them also dropped to their knees, crying out, "We thank the Giant Stone God for protection!"
When Qi Tian saw the crowd kneeling before him, he felt his consciousness grow ever so slightly.
After a peaceful, uninterrupted sleep, Qi Tian's consciousness had grown much stronger, and his perception had improved considerably. This time, he clearly sensed the faint growth brought on by their worship.
At the same time, as they knelt in prayer, the golden Lotus Throne Buddha Statue in his sea of consciousness once again radiated beams of golden light, and the Sanskrit Phantom solidified a little faster.
"Their prayers and worship can strengthen my consciousness, and they can also speed up the solidification of the Sanskrit Phantom in my sea of consciousness."
This discovery surprised Qi Tian and lifted his spirits.
He guessed that once the Sanskrit Phantom had fully solidified, it would mean he had completed his cultivation of Buddha Karma Twin Bodies. He might then be able to escape his stone body and return to a human form he could move freely.
In his good mood, Qi Tian suddenly thought of the pool of liquefied Golden Liquid beneath the Sanskrit Phantom. Even a single drop contained tremendous energy.
"The people in this village have probably been praying to and worshipping me for quite some time. Perhaps I can bestow some of this Golden Liquid on them. According to what I can sense, it should improve their physical abilities."
"I'll give it a try. If it works, I'm sure they'll pray to me with even greater devotion."
He sent out a tendril of consciousness. The peach, as large as a human head, that the child who had come to pray earlier had left behind slowly floated into the air, stopping two meters above the ground.
"Look, look! The peach is flying!"
"It's the Giant Stone God! The Giant Stone God has shown a sign!"
"May the Giant Stone God protect us!"
Jin Shi, who stood closest, was overjoyed. He was the only person in the whole village who had ever witnessed the Giant Stone God manifesting. Now that he had seen another divine sign, he hurriedly continued kowtowing and praying.
The other villagers had never witnessed such a thing, but the area around the Giant Stone God truly kept even the once-ferocious beasts away. It protected their tribe and eased their worries when they went out to hunt.
At once, the hunting warriors behind him began kneeling and praying, their cries of "We thank the Giant Stone God for protection!" gradually spreading throughout the village.
The women and elders processing the game in the village heard the prayers and couldn't help wondering what was happening. The hunting party knelt before the Giant Stone God every day, but they had never sounded so fervent.
A few elders called on the other women and children to stop what they were doing, then hurried toward the back of the village, where the Giant Stone God stood.
At that moment, Qi Tian guided a drop of Golden Liquid out of his sea of consciousness. It floated above the kneeling crowd, and golden light immediately shone from it, leaving all the hunting warriors staring in amazement.
The elderly, women, and children who had hurried over saw the scene. Before even crossing the river to reach the human-shaped boulder, they knelt at the edge of the village, repeatedly murmuring, "May the Giant Stone God protect us."
As the Golden Liquid appeared, Qi Tian sensed its energy slowly dissipating. He quickly guided it into the large peach, then floated the peach down onto Jin Shi's hands.
"I saw the battle between the three of you and the wolf pack. Your courage and strength have earned my approval. This peach is my reward to you."
This time, Qi Tian's voice was not directed at just one person. It rang throughout the village so that everyone kneeling before him could hear it.
In the crowd not far away, the child who had prayed to Qi Tian at noon felt a sense of familiarity when he saw the floating peach.
There was a peach grove near the village. Though all the peaches looked much the same, he had picked that one himself, and it was the only peach in the grove that had ripened early.
Now that he saw the peach being bestowed on his father, the scrawny child couldn't help tugging at his mother, who was kneeling beside him.
"Mother, isn't that the peach I offered to the Giant Stone God at noon?"
Hearing her son, the woman hurriedly told him to be quiet and continued saying, "We thank the Giant Stone God for protection."
Seeing his mother's reaction, the scrawny child couldn't help pouting.
The three men kneeling before Qi Tian saw the large peach shining with golden light in Jin Shi's hands and knew it had surely been blessed by the Giant Stone God. It was no ordinary peach.
"We thank the Giant Stone God for this gift."
The three men bowed to the Giant Stone God again. Then Jin Shi used a little force to divide the peach into three somewhat uneven portions, giving the two smaller pieces to Iron Hand and Mulberry Leaf.
Neither of them complained. This was a blessing from the Giant Stone God, and they were already more than satisfied to receive it.
The three men each swallowed their share of the tender, golden-glowing peach flesh in two bites. The others behind them watched with envy: that was a blessing from the Giant Stone God who protected them.
As soon as the peach flesh reached their stomachs, the three men felt their bodies slowly heating up. A tremendous energy began coursing through their flesh and organs.
The terrifying energy was like a mass of cancer cells gone wild, devouring every cell in their bodies. A pain like a thousand cuts surged into their minds.
"Ugh—ah!" The sudden, immense pain forced the three men to groan.
But all three were men of remarkable willpower. Apart from those first groans, they kept forcing themselves to endure it.
Those behind them had watched enviously as the three ate the peach flesh. Now they were curled up in agony on the grass, their teeth clenched so tightly they ground against each other. Blood seeped from their gums and ran from the corners of their mouths.
Seeing this strange sight, everyone felt worried, but no one dared to do anything.
Second by second, time passed. The three could no longer bear the pain and let out agonized howls, startling everyone into wanting to rush forward and check on them.
At the back of the crowd, the scrawny child saw his father writhing and howling in agony on the grass and couldn't help trying to rush over.
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