100: God of All Things

Lin Chuping, at this moment, still didn't know that Granny Chen and the others had brought him a large number of potential believers from Yan Province. Lin Chuping, who now had the entire Qing Province under his sway, was like a pauper who had suddenly struck it rich.

During breaks from Cultivating, he always wanted to go out for a stroll.

Males all have the habit of patrolling their territory, and Lin Chuping felt much the same about the area under his jurisdiction.

Fortunately, after his jurisdiction upgraded, the entire Qing Province appeared in Lin Chuping's consciousness like a map. With just a thought, he could appear anywhere in Qing Province.

“It’s still best to be a deity!”

All that talk about only envying mandarin ducks and not deities is utter nonsense!

Can falling in love be this exhilarating? This is what a man should be doing!

Lin Chuping felt a surge of elation, and with a thought, he appeared in a lush, green mountain forest.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow.

He stood with his hands behind his back, feeling the gentle breeze on his face, enjoying the comfort of controlling everything.

The clouds were light, the wind gentle, near noon; beside flowers and along willows, he crossed the former stream.

Suddenly, a faint sound of crying broke the tranquility of the mountain forest.

Lin Chuping frowned, his Divine Sense instantly spreading out, quickly pinpointing the source of the sound.

His figure flickered, and he shot towards the direction of the sound.

When he arrived, the scene before him filled him with rage.

A huge tiger was lying on the ground, a child still clutched in its mouth. The child’s legs were still twitching faintly, and blood stained the surrounding grass.

Beside it, a woman was collapsed on the ground, weeping heartbrokenly, her hands weakly reaching out towards the child who had stopped moving.

“Beast!”

Lin Chuping roared in anger, spiritual energy surging around him. A heavenly thunderbolt struck towards the tiger, carrying immense power and a sizzling electric sound, like an enraged Dragon pouncing on the tiger.

However, to his shock, when the heavenly thunderbolt hit the tiger, it only splashed a dazzling electric light on its body. The tiger merely trembled slightly, completely unharmed.

Lin Chuping was dumbfounded.

“Why?”

Does a tiger eating a Human not count as committing evil?

Nonsense!

Lin Chuping barely managed to calm down, examining the tiger that had made him look foolish. Oh, white Luck.

“System, explain!”

“Host, this is a normal biological instinct. Hunting is just for survival, and how can survival be considered evil?!”

Yes, how can survival be considered evil?

These words instantly calmed Lin Chuping down.

If even survival is evil, then what race’s evil could surpass the greed of humanity?

Lin Chuping, because of his experience as a Human in his previous life, was a bit unable to accept such a bloody scene at first glance. But ultimately, he was someone who had seen much of the world, and Lin Chuping quickly understood.

In this world, all living things have an instinct for survival and cannot be simply judged by good or evil.

Just like this tiger, it hunts to fill its stomach. Regardless of whether its prey is an antelope or a child, this is its nature, not an intentional act of evil.

And as a deity, he should discern right from wrong and not rashly kill based on a momentary impulse.

“Host, it is excellent that you have this understanding. The Karma of the world is complex; the most important thing for becoming a deity is not cultivation, but one's state of mind.”

Lin Chuping nodded.

He agreed with that. An immature deity, like a child with a nuclear missile launcher, is more destructive than a demon and quite frightening.

“System, if it’s a demon with an Awakening consciousness, wantonly slaughtering living beings to improve its cultivation, would that count as evil?”

“Of course.”

“Then I have no more questions.”

This was the outcome Lin Chuping could accept. His position determined his perspective; he was destined to become the God of all things, not just the God of the Human Race.

This was decided from the moment he accepted the Little Green Snake’s incense offerings.

Perhaps even earlier.

“System, do you know about my identity as an animal lover in my previous life?”

“...I know.”

Alright, then it was even earlier.

Because Lin Chuping did not show himself, after the tiger had eaten its fill, it seemed startled by the heavenly thunderbolt and fled without a trace, leaving behind only a weeping woman.

Lin Chuping flicked his finger, and a golden light transformed into an Amulet, falling into the woman’s palm.

He then sighed and also left.

Alas, alas, it is difficult to have the best of both worlds in this world.

* * *

Lin Chuping returned to the temple and began to Cultivate his state of mind in seclusion.

He closed his eyes and concentrated, allowing his mind to immerse itself in tranquility, sensing every subtle change around him.

Time quietly flowed by during his Cultivation. After an unknown period, Lin Chuping finally awoke from his Cultivation.

He felt that his state of mind had significantly improved, and his perspective on things had become more open and inclusive.

* * *

On the other side, as Granny Chen led the more than two hundred people, a sudden change occurred just as they were about to approach Qing Province.

The previously clear sky suddenly darkened, and a thick, heavy gloom, like a giant curtain, rapidly enveloped the land.

The surrounding air became cold and damp, as if summer had instantly plunged into winter.

Chen Dashan, walking at the front of the group, suddenly stopped, his brows deeply furrowed as he vigilantly scanned his surroundings.

He felt a strange aura stealthily approaching, an aura that made the hairs on his body stand on end.

“Everyone, be careful, something’s happening!” Chen Dashan shouted loudly.

No sooner had he spoken than a sharp, ear-piercing shriek came from deep within the forest, a sound like fingernails scraping a blackboard, making one’s scalp tingle.

Immediately after, a huge dark shadow slowly emerged from the forest—it was a Ghost Child.

“Jie jie jie jie jie jie~”

The Ghost Child let out a series of sinister cackles, its voice seemingly carrying some kind of magic that made everyone’s heartbeats involuntarily quicken, and a chill ran straight up their spines.

Its figure was elusive, surrounded by a layer of eerie green ghost fire, appearing particularly bizarre in the darkness.

The people in the group began to panic. Some shrieked in terror, while others’ legs went weak, almost collapsing to the ground.

Chen Dashan took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.

“Don’t panic! Everyone, grab your weapons and prepare to fight!”

Only then did everyone awaken as if from a dream, gripping their crude weapons—some with wooden sticks, some with stones. Although they seemed insignificant compared to the terrifying appearance of the Ghost Child, at this moment, they were their only reliance.

The Ghost Child suddenly pounced on the group with incredible speed, bringing with it a gust of cold wind.

Chen Dashan bore the brunt of the attack. He sidestepped, narrowly dodging the Ghost Child’s first strike.

The Ghost Child’s claws grazed Chen Dashan’s clothes, and the force of the wind stung his cheek.

“Everyone, attack together!”

Mustering their courage, everyone surrounded the Ghost Child.

A young man named A-Yong swung the wooden stick in his hand, striking fiercely at the Ghost Child’s leg.

The wooden stick hit the Ghost Child’s body as if it had struck cotton, having no effect whatsoever. Instead, with a backhand swipe from the Ghost Child, A-Yong was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“This ghostly thing is too powerful!” someone cried out in despair.

“Move aside, let me handle it!”