"What kind of divine statue are we looking for?"
Mo Hua frowned. He wasnât quite sure, and could only say, "Find one thatâs peculiar, or one that immediately stands out as different, unique..."
Xun Ziyou turned around, looking at the varied statues before him, almost all "different", and said quietly:
"Letâs search..."
And so, Mo Hua led Elder Xun, Master Gu, and Master Fan, searching among various Mountain God statues for the sole Lifebound Divine Statue.
...
At that moment, inside the Divine Temple.
Shen Shouxing and the demon possessing Mr. Tu were still locked in relentless combat.
Especially Shen Shouxing, he fought like a madman, disregarding life and death, using all lethal means at his disposal.
He was at the Golden Core Peak, and when he went berserk, like a vicious dog, Mr. Tu found it hard to defend against him.
As the battle continued, with injuries mounting, Shen Shouxingâs gaze gradually dimmed, shrouded in shadows.
At the same time, his vision became much clearer.
Vaguely, he saw another face above the head of the demon monster before him.
This face was elegant and refined, yet it exuded coldness and cruelty.
And Shen Shouxing recognized this face.
His pupils narrowed immediately, "You are... Elder Shen?"
The demonâs twisted face froze, frowning: "How did you, recognize me?"
He was the Divine Lordâs servant, his evil thoughts surpassed ordinary cultivators, existing in another dimension.
Ordinary cultivators only saw a "puppet" demon and couldnât see the blood shadow parasitizing the demon or his true appearance.
But now, he was recognized by Shen Shouxing...
Shen Shouxing found it hard to believe; he pondered for a moment, then connected everything, speaking in fury: "It was you... Itâs all you!"
His face was pale, teeth clenched, as he said:
"The matter of Solitary Mountain, it was your plan; the burial sealing method was also yours; it was you who said you could make me prosperous, my Dao limitless..."
Mr. Tu no longer pretended, his expression cold as he said:
"Did I ever say anything wrong? Over the years, havenât you soared to prosperity? Sitting as a powerful elder of the Shen Family, werenât you commanding the winds, full of spirit?"
"No, itâs not right..." Shen Shouxingâs gaze trembled, "All of this, itâs you manipulating me, I am merely... your pawn..."
He looked deeply at Mr. Tu inhabiting the demon, coldly saying:
"Youâre not a learned elder of the Qian Taoist Sect; what are you, really?"
Mr. Tu sneered silently.
Shen Shouxing felt a chill surge in his heart.
He had always thought, his Shen Family occupied Solitary Mountainâs mines and eliminated any obstructive Loose Cultivators to be the greatest beneficiary.
But now he realized, it was all wrong.
The greatest beneficiary was not his Shen Family.
In the shadows, there was something more sinister constantly watching them...
The aristocratic family, busy seeking profit and hiding filth, had failed to notice.
Shen Shouxing was full of regret.
Mr. Tu chuckled, his laughter sharp and gloomy:
"We each took what we needed, why talk of manipulation? Without my help, how would the Shen Family rise, and how would you become an elder?"
"All of this is what you wanted."
"Your glory and riches, all provided by me."
This sentence seemed to strike a chord in Shen Shouxingâs heart.
"Glory and riches?" Shen Shouxingâs eyes bled, he sneered self-deprecatingly, "What use is glory and riches?"
"My son is dead, my only son is dead."
"Iâm childless and hopeless."
"The family interests, power and status, I fought my whole life to attain, ultimately has no successor, are all illusions, anotherâs wedding clothes."
"A lifetimeâs effort, all gone down the drain..."
"This is... karma..."
In Shen Shouxingâs heart, arose an absurdity, a few strands of desolation, integrating into intense despair.
His son was dead, childless and hopeless, utterly in despair.
It was like a key that opened the heartâs lock.
In his heart, the seed finally sprouted.
In Shen Shouxingâs eyes, the color gradually turned to gray-black, his will completely extinguished, his nature completely deranged.
"Letâs die together..."
He discarded the longsword, like a mad dog, lunged at Mr. Tu, using hands and feet to tear at Mr. Tuâs body, even opening his mouth to bite Mr. Tuâs flesh.
"Gone mad?"
Mr. Tu sneered coldly.
"Those who pursue fame and profit, their Taoist Heart not firm, are ultimately nothing but playthings."
Mr. Tu manipulated the demon, beginning to fight with the deranged Shen Shouxing.
Once a cultivatorâs Taoist Heart is extinguished, only instincts remain, without exquisite Taoist Skill, instead becoming weaker.
Thus, despite Shen Shouxingâs terrifying appearance, having lost his mind, his Power of Killing was not strong, merely leaving gnawed wounds on Mr. Tu when biting.
These wounds werenât serious, especially for the "demon", whose flesh was inherently distorted and murky.
Mr. Tu wasnât concerned.
But what he didnât notice was that after being bitten by Shen Shouxing, strands of eerie grayness slowly infiltrated his flesh and then disappeared without a trace...
...
As Mo Hua searched for the Lifebound Divine Statue, his scalp suddenly tingled.
A chill surged in his heart.
But the chill came quickly and left equally fast; when Mo Hua carefully sensed it, he felt nothing at all.
"Whatâs happening..."
Mo Hua frowned deeply, wanting to perform a careful Calculation, but not knowing what to calculate; moreover, time was pressing, finding the Lifebound Divine Statue was urgent, so he temporarily suppressed this doubt.
But there was no progress in finding the Lifebound Divine Statue.
Along the massive walls outside the Divine Temple, numerous statues were placed, really like a "Divine Statue Forest", each in different postures, all very unique, making it impossible to discern which statue was the Mountain Lordâs Lifebound.