This Is a Deity!

"High Antiquity... Devil Creature?"

The gaunt old man looked at the four characters, his expression growing increasingly solemn. Xiao Li, who also saw the four characters, focused his gaze on the two characters "High Antiquity," his heart skipped a beat, and he silently recited the Mnemonic before calming down again.

"Could this High Antiquity Devil Creature be related to the consciousness within that Ganoderma lucidum?" A thought popped into his head, and he looked at the following words.

The letter was written in a strange way, with each character floating in mid-air. Although it was different from the Great Rui script, one could understand its meaning simply by looking at it. Qiu Yan could also read it normally. Moreover, he could also make a judgment by observing Xiao Li's thoughts and emotions.

"It is said that a High Antiquity Devil Creature has reappeared, stirring up trouble in all directions, defeating several major sects in succession, causing heavy casualties, and even wiping out two sects entirely! The founder of the Three Sages Dao has received an order from the central government to go and quell the demon. Reappearing in Zhou Rao? Is this Continent called Zhou Rao?"

As Qiu Yan pondered the information in the letter, he seemed lost in thought.

"High Antiquity Devil Creature, could it be...?"

As he was thinking, the withered old man flicked his sleeve, put the letter into it, and the floating words, like weary birds returning to their nests, rushed in and disappeared without a trace.

Then, he looked up at Xiao Li and said in a deep voice, "As you can see, the situation has changed. The shaking of the Peak Palace just now was caused by the aftershocks from the battle between the Ancestor and the others and the Devil Creature!"

"The aftermath of the battle?" Xiao Li's eyelids twitched, his heart filled with shock, but with the help of the Mind Formula, he did not show it on the surface, which made the withered old man nod in agreement.

"Indeed, this demon's power is far beyond imagination. Originally, this trip into the Broken Lotus Valley was the result of the Divination Dao Sect discovering changes in the Heavenly Dao, convening a meeting of various sects to discuss the matter. They wanted to cultivate disciples and find some precious heavenly materials and earthly treasures for alchemy..."

Listening to the gaunt old man's words, Xiao Li slowly grew serious. But in his heart, he was calculating whether the words were true or false. Having been in the cultivation world for so long, he knew that everyone's words were bound to have reservations, or were simply false. He had to learn to judge for himself, find a way to gain benefits from them, and then seize the opportunity to retaliate, monopolizing all the benefits without leaving a trace.

Relying on the Heart Demon Fragment to sense Xiao Li's thoughts, Qiu Yan secretly shook his head.

"Human Path in this Continent has become distorted, completely abandoning everything. It unleashes the instincts of humanity and the human heart, without considering anything else, like a world of wild beasts—no, that's not right. In the world of wild beasts, parents still protect their cubs, but in the master-disciple tradition of this Zhou Rao Continent..."

As he pondered, he sensed the emotional fluctuations of the withered old man and Xiao Li, and felt even more keenly the coldness of Human Path in this place.

This perception caught the old man's attention, and he frowned slightly. He then said, "Since the calamity has come earlier than expected, there's no time to waste. We must set off immediately. Go out and deliver my message..."

After giving a few instructions, the man transmitted his voice, telling the disciples of the Three Sages Dao Path to prepare.

A woman in purple gathered everyone together. As for the once prominent Zhao family members, their Law Treasure and elixirs had been stolen, and they were no longer valued.

Not long after, Xiao Li emerged from the jade gate in the mountain, and was immediately surrounded.

"Senior Brother Xiao..."

"Senior Brother Xiao has come out. I wonder what Uncle-Master said? Why did you have to set off in such a hurry?"

"Senior Brother Xiao, just now a surge of Spiritual Qi roared in, blowing down several houses in the camp and even shaking this mountain. Do you know where it came from?"

These people put on ingratiating expressions and added the title "Senior Brother" after Xiao Li's name.

Qiu Yan had also heard Xiao Li say that this was a customary rule of the Daoist Sect in this continent. As long as one's cultivation was sufficient, one could disregard human relations and rules. Disciples could become junior brothers, junior brothers could become senior uncles, and senior uncles could become grandmasters.

These people utter words of respect, but the emotions they exude are filled with thoughts of wanting to take their place. They only feel revered when they hear the name, but they cannot gather the People's Prestige.

The more Qiu Yan learned, the more bizarre the Human Path here seemed. He also noticed that the people here did not easily entrust their thoughts to others, yet they were not well-mannered either, with many indulging in unrestrained and uncontrolled behavior.

In this way, it's hard to say whether it's good or bad, as it's not easily exploited by deities, but it's also detrimental to building Human Path Order.

"From this perspective, the Human Path here points directly to human nature, fully revealing the selfish desires of the human heart. In comparison, the Great Rui has been taught for thousands of years, with a well-established Order and a social structure that maintains a balance between the strong and the weak. Many essential things here require long-term exploration to discover, but here, one can obtain them simply by looking with one's eyes and feeling with a little. From this perspective, this Continent is very meaningful for exploring Human Path, and may even accelerate the process of Fleshly Body."

As Qiu Yan pondered, he realized the significance of the Zhou Rao Continent. Within the projection of mountains and rivers in the Divine Power Space, he slowly drew power from his insights, condensed his Incense Faith, and constructed a model of Human Path.

The other two bodies share the same consciousness.

On the other hand, when questioned by the crowd, Xiao Li responded in an uncharacteristic way, but without his master's permission, he naturally wouldn't reveal the truth, only answering with vague excuses.

Finally, he added, "Fellow disciples, our master asked me to inform you that we will be climbing the mountain later."

"My master is sending us to the Peak Palace? It seems this matter is indeed extraordinary, otherwise there wouldn't be such a rush." At this moment, the woman in purple walked over.

The disciples along the way made way for her, respectfully addressing her as "Senior Sister Ziyun." However, Qiu Yan could sense that their gazes toward the woman were filled with greed and longing.

"These gazes and emotions are not simply male possessiveness towards women, but also mixed with a thirst for cultivation. It seems this woman has some secrets." Qiu Yan thought to himself, while the disciples, led by Ziyun, followed the path up the mountain.

Upon reaching the mountainside, a row of pavilions and towers stood, though they appeared somewhat dilapidated.

"Just wait here." Ziyun was clearly very familiar with the place and gave instructions with ease, but she didn't give people a sense of being bossy.

Xiao Li chose a corner to sit cross-legged. This was his habit; wherever he went, he hoped not to attract attention. Unfortunately, after the events of the past few days, he had become a prominent figure, so how could he not attract attention? As soon as he sat down, gazes were cast at him from all directions.

However, these gazes did not settle for long before they were interrupted by the tremors in the mountains.

Boom!

A series of booming sounds echoed from the top and bottom of the mountain. The foot of the mountain trembled, and the vibrations spread to the mountainside, causing the ground to shake violently. Some of the Three Sages Dao disciples gathered there immediately panicked.

Some people who knew some inside information or had heard rumors were able to remain calm, but they also looked unwell. The uncertainty of entrusting their lives to others made them instinctively uneasy.

Among the crowd, only the woman named Ziyun and Xiao Li, who was sitting in the corner, were able to maintain true composure.

"This Mind-Calming Method is truly amazing. It can eliminate distracting thoughts, making me more and more composed. Even my thinking is much clearer, and I can predict what will happen next. A large part of people's fear comes from the unknown future, but once you are certain of the possible direction of development, you will not be so afraid."

Thinking this way, he naturally made another guess about the consciousness inside the Ganoderma lucidum, but to no avail. Finally, he turned his attention to Ziyun and observed her with narrowed eyes.

"This woman is so calm, does she also know something?"

Thinking this, Ziyun turned her head and looked over as well, and the two of them froze on the spot.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In the fickle hearts of people, this steep cliff swayed a few times, then rose from the dust and soared into the sky!

This flight immediately stirred the emotions of everyone on the mountain, who couldn't help but feel uneasy as they recalled the various rumors.

As soon as the mountain peaks move, strong winds come and fall on the mountain.

"Ah!!!"

A scream rang out as someone lost their balance and was blown away by the wind!

In mid-air, the man tumbled and flew through the air, releasing flying swords, but how could he possibly control them?

The Great Qi and Spiritual Qi fluctuations generated by the movement of the Law Treasure mountain peak were not easily quelled; in the raging storm, the person eventually disappeared into the horizon.

"This person has lost their chance to enter the forbidden area!"

"Having one less competitor is a good thing."

"It served as a reminder that I cannot let my guard down, or I might stumble at any moment."

No one felt sorry for the victim, and no one intended to help. Instead, they secretly rejoiced that it wasn't them. This incident also made many people restrain their thoughts.

Boom!

Suddenly, a muffled rumble of thunder echoed in the distance. At the edge of the sky, clouds churned, and from even further away, a crimson glow emanated, like the rising sun.

Suddenly, a surge of Spiritual Qi rushed in, causing the suspended mountain peak to shake, and the people on the mountain felt even more suffocated!

"What happened?"

"Again?"

This wasn't the first time they'd experienced something similar. Xiao Li had gone through something similar after entering the Jade Gate. Now, high in the sky, they dared not think too much about it and simply remained still.

In contrast, Xiao Li felt a chill run down his spine. Looking at the distant radiance, he pondered to himself, "Could this be the aftermath of the battle between the Devil Creature and the Ancestors?" As he thought about it, his gaze slowly fell on his mustard seed bag, and he thought to himself, "Could there be some consciousness related to the 'High Antiquity' inside?"

At the same time, Qiu Yan detected a certain amount of divine power from the passing Spiritual Qi.

"It seems that the Divine Path Star Lord who was brought here has caused quite a stir, and sooner or later it will attract the attention of the entire cultivation world. My time and opportunities will be reduced as a result, but this is a risk that I had anticipated. It just depends on whether there are any Daoist Sect people who have similar Karma with him, and whether he can seize on this Karma. The time difference in between is the opportunity that I can take advantage of."

In the center of the eastern part of the Zhou Rao Continent, there stands a Heavenly Mountain, with a palace atop it, where several men and women are seated.

"There's no mistake! Judging from the news that's been relayed back and the impact it's had, the person who's been committing this massacre isn't using Dao Arts or spells, but rather something far more mysterious. If I'm not mistaken, this person is the deity mentioned in those ancient texts!"

ps:

Thank you to "Warm Crystal" and "Ice and Fire Magician" for the monthly votes!