Earth Deity

On the third night of charging, all was silent. Gu Hengzhi sat alone in the dim room, as though the entire world had forgotten him. A calm yet weighty presence filled the air, like an invisible veil pressing heavily upon his heart.

Suddenly, deep within his sea of consciousness, the ancient pages of the God-Sealing Record quietly turned, as if brushed by an unseen hand. Then, a notification tore through the darkness like lightning: [God-Sealing Record charging complete. You may begin sculpting a god.]

He slowly closed his eyes, and the disastrous failure of sculpting the Jade Emperor last time resurfaced in his mind. That unattainably lofty divine statue had brought pressure as overwhelming as Mount Tai crushing an egg, far beyond what a Stone Statue could withstand. Struck by divine might, the Stone Statue had shattered in an instant and turned to dust. The taste of failure was like a cup of bitter liquor, something he still could not forget.

"The reason for that failure is obvious." Gu Hengzhi murmured, his voice echoing through the silent room. "I overestimated myself, and I overestimated the load-bearing capacity of that ordinary stone. How could a mere mortal object possibly bear the divine might of a high-ranking god like the Jade Emperor?"

He slowly rose to his feet, his steps heavy as though he bore the weight of the whole world. He paced around the room with deeply furrowed brows, his thoughts tangled in a mess. He kept searching his mind for a suitable god—one he could sustain at his current stage and one that could still prove useful. "City God? Mountain God, Zhong Kui, Bi... Bimawen? Better forget it..." Names of gods flashed through his mind one after another, only to be rejected one after another.

After a moment, a thought streaked across his mind like a meteor—the Earth Deity.

"Earth Deity—the guardian of a region's land, the protector of its people." Gu Hengzhi spoke softly, a trace of resolve in his voice...

Another sleepless night passed. Gu Hengzhi's eyes were bloodshot, and exhaustion weighed heavily upon him.

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window into the courtyard, draping the flowers and grass in a golden veil. Dew shimmered on the leaves like countless sparkling pearls. Birds sang merrily from the branches, their melodious calls echoing through the air and bringing a touch of life to the tranquil courtyard. On the stone table, the fragrance of tea curled upward like a wisp of smoke, spreading through the air with an indescribable comfort.

Gu Hengzhi sat quietly in the courtyard, his gaze fixed on the dust left behind after his failed attempt to sculpt the Jade Emperor. His fingers lightly touched the powder, as if he could still feel the power within it and the pain of defeat. Suddenly, his hands clenched tightly, and fierce determination surged within him.

"My Innate Soul Power is only level five. If I don't push myself hard, how will I ever fight Tang Buddha in the future?" Determination shone in Gu Hengzhi's eyes. He knew that he had to work even harder if he wanted to establish himself in this cruel world.

"Enough. I'll sculpt with my martial soul!" He gritted his teeth and rose, his gaze falling on his martial soul. It was a battered, unfinished ancient Stone Statue, as though it carried the vicissitudes of time and endless stories. Gu Hengzhi took a deep breath and began preparing the materials, his movements cautious, as though handling an incomparably precious treasure.

Gu Hengzhi stood before the stone platform, his eyes becoming exceptionally calm, as if the entire world had narrowed to only him and that Stone Statue. "Let's begin." He spoke softly, his voice carrying resolve and determination. As his words fell, light and shadow stirred behind him, and a blurry Stone Statue slowly emerged.

It was his martial soul, a Stone Statue not yet fully manifested. Though its outline was indistinct, it carried an ancient and heavy aura, as though it had stepped forth from primordial ages. It was solemn and dignified, its killing intent concealed, yet it possessed an innate majesty that inspired awe. Gu Hengzhi could clearly feel his soul power slowly draining away like spring water, thread by thread flowing into the Stone Statue to sustain its form.

He drew a deep breath and sat cross-legged before the stone platform. A carving blade condensed from spiritual power appeared in his hand—the Soul-Carving Blade.

As it is my soul, so too must it bear my will. His eyes were firm and resolute.

The first cut fell!

Clang— The Soul-Carving Blade dropped to the ground, then dissolved into wisps of spiritual power and returned to Gu Hengzhi's sea of consciousness.

In an instant, violent pain exploded in his mind like a thunderclap. It felt as if his soul were being torn apart. His face turned deathly pale, veins throbbed at his temples like earthworms, and his arm trembled uncontrollably. Cold sweat slid down from his sideburns, soaking his clothes.

This is... even more brutal than I imagined. He cried out bitterly in his heart, yet there was not the slightest hint of retreat in his eyes.

He clenched his teeth and once again activated his spiritual power, condensing the Soul-Carving Blade anew. He knew that this was a battle against himself. Only by overcoming the fear and pain within his heart could he achieve his goal.

The second cut, the third cut... Every stroke rapidly drained his soul power, as though he were engraving a divine statue at the cost of his life. His body grew weaker and weaker, and his consciousness gradually blurred, but he never gave up.

Every time the blade passed over the martial soul Stone Statue, he felt a fragment of memory, a trace of obsession, a wisp of emotion being scorched away. He seemed to see his mother bringing him food when he was little, and himself studying late into the night at a Blue Star library. Those images gradually blurred, turning to ashes and scattering with the wind.

It's stripping away parts of me... he thought painfully. But I can't stop. I have to become stronger!

He clenched his teeth, his eyes filled with bloodshot veins. Whenever pain struck, he endured it through that last shred of obsession in his heart: If I don't even dare touch my own soul, what right do I have to shake the destiny of a chosen son like Tang San?

The carving continued for one hour, then another.

His soul power was nearly exhausted, and his consciousness blurred several times. Even the Soul-Carving Blade had become a phantom, on the verge of collapsing. Yet he never gave up. Every carving mark sank deep into his soul, as though it were also carving his "Dao heart."

Finally, when the sun stood high at noon, the final cut slowly fell.

His body collapsed to the ground as though completely drained, sweat soaking through his

martial soul Stone Statue, which had finally taken shape.

Gu Hengzhi slumped on the ground, barely breathing, yet his eyes held an unprecedented clarity and peace.

He had succeeded. The Stone Statue stood quietly beneath the sunlight, only reaching shoulder height, yet its features were clearly carved: a round face, smiling crescent eyes, a small cap upon its head, an ancient robe over its body, and a ruyi in its hand. It looked kind and benevolent. Yet it also possessed an indescribable ancient solemnity, as though heaven and earth themselves had fallen silent in reverence at its birth.

It was the embryonic form of a god—the image of the Earth Deity.