408: Chapter 408 Going Back

"Suspect what?"

"I suspect that Liu Cheng, Huang Jianshe, and Huang Jianyong are a small clique, or perhaps they belong to some organization."

"That's impossible."

"Nothing is impossible," Han Jingyang shook his head. "Individual strength, no matter how great, is limited. The energy Liu Cheng and the others have displayed doesn't look like a ragtag bunch."

"This..."

"Do you know what Liu Cheng and the others are doing?"

Monk Kongyun's expression was exceptionally grim. He looked up at the exceptionally majestic and domineering Chaotian Temple nearby and nodded slightly. "I suspect they are creating a god."

Han Jingyang nodded gently. "Yes, creating a god. Isn't that terrifying? Even if an ordinary person obtained such means, even if they didn't do evil, they would use it to change their own destiny, especially starting with improving their material life. But what about Liu Cheng and the others?"

Liu Cheng, Huang Jianyong, and Huang Jianshe—all three were locals born and raised here, and they had lived quite ordinary, even difficult lives from start to finish.

Liu Cheng was somewhat better off; he managed to become the Militia Captain and had a wife, a son, and a daughter. Although not wealthy, his life was relatively warm and stable.

But what kind of lives did the brothers Huang Jianyong and Huang Jianshe lead?

They were dirt poor.

Huang Jianshe spent his days feigning madness and playing the fool, hiding in Chaotian Temple to live out a lonely and bitter existence. He didn't even have a wife; a man in his dozens, he probably didn't even know what a woman tasted like.

Is this a normal person?

They had ability, yet they didn't use it to improve their material lives.

There are only three possibilities.

First, they didn't dare use it for fear of exposure.

Second, someone was forcibly suppressing their abilities, forcing them to huddle in the tiny Xipo Village and pretend to be ordinary people.

Third, they had a clearer, grander goal—a goal that allowed them to give up a material life within their reach, and could even make them gamble their own lives and those of their children.

The first scenario would be fine.

The second and third scenarios are extremely terrifying.

In the second scenario, these three belong to an organization that needs them to stay in Xipo Village, and this organization is powerful enough to force their submission.

The third scenario is even more frightening. If it's true, then Liu Cheng and the other two have become something akin to fanatical believers. Brainwashed by others or themselves, they have only that one goal in their eyes, and they can give up everything else to achieve it. Such people are often extremely dangerous; if things go wrong... all the villagers of Xipo Village could be in danger.

Thinking of this, Han Jingyang's expression also became solemn.

Shi Xiaoya also realized this, and her face similarly turned quite pale.

Only Monk Kongyun hadn't yet figured out the mystery within. After all, the great monk stayed in the temple every day; his experience in the martial world and life wisdom were both average.

Seeing that Han Jingyang and Shi Xiaoya's expressions weren't good, he couldn't help but say, "Every dynasty has no shortage of such people. Over twenty years ago, something like this happened in Quancheng. An old woman who practiced shamanism learned some inheritance from somewhere and began preaching her spells in the village, getting the villagers to build her a temple and set up a tablet. She was active for over a decade and had great influence, but in the end, she didn't cause much of a stir. These Illicit Sacrifices and Wild Shrines can't amount to much."

Han Jingyang sighed. "The problem is that what Liu Cheng and Huang Jianshe are doing isn't just an ordinary illicit sacrifice; it's creating a god. And from the looks of it, they already possess very skilled God-making abilities. That Chaotian Temple over there is..."

At this point, he completely realized it.

The entire Xipo Village was a God-making factory.

The core was that statue inside Chaotian Temple. Using the temple as the Formation Core to absorb the earth qi of Xipo Village, supplemented by various eerie methods, they could successfully create a god.

The Chaotian Temple beside him was very likely manufactured this way.

Li Mingjian being sealed inside the statue was also highly likely treated as some indispensable ritual or consumable for the God-making process.

If there were only one such stronghold like Chaotian Temple, it would be manageable.

But what if there's more than one?

Han Jingyang thought of Huang Jianyong's godmother.

He had thought it strange at the time. While it wasn't impossible for an old tree to become a spirit, the true form born within that old elm tree was far too perfect—it was the image of a living old woman.

If viewed as an isolated case, it wouldn't be much. After all, the world is large, and all sorts of coincidences are possible.

But with so many coincidences happening simultaneously in Xipo Village, and all of them connected to Huang Jianyong, the matter gave off a chilling feeling upon deeper reflection.

If—if we say that every god created requires the sacrifice of a living person, then...

Han Jingyang thought of that group of non-human things that had blocked them at the village entrance.

Fuck!

Animals!

Monk Kongyun, however, still hadn't caught on. "What's wrong with Chaotian Temple?"

Han Jingyang took a deep breath, stared at Monk Kongyun, and said in a heavy voice, "Stay alert. This Xipo Village is far more complex than we imagined. If you encounter an enemy, do not be soft-hearted. Strike to kill. Remember, everyone who attacks us is an enemy, regardless of whether they are man, woman, old, or young."

"Huh?" Monk Kongyun was even more shocked. "What exactly happened?"

"I can't explain it in a short time. You just need to know the situation is critical," Han Jingyang turned and walked away. "Back to Chaotian Temple."

"Why?"

"Chaotian Temple is the core of everything. It is the beginning of everything, and it is the end of everything."

Shi Xiaoya followed without hesitation, drawing her katana to guard Han Jingyang's side.

Monk Kongyun didn't understand why, but considering Han Jingyang's strength, he could only stomp his foot heavily, grab his Buddhist staff, and follow quickly.

However, after walking only a few steps, shadowy figures began to gather toward them. As they neared Chaotian Temple, a low and sinister voice echoed from all directions: "Go back..."

"Go back..."

"Go back..."

The voice was extremely low and terrifying. Unlike normal sound, it didn't travel through vibrations or enter through the ears; it seemed to appear directly in the depths of their minds.

Shi Xiaoya instinctively covered her ears, but she couldn't block anything. The voice even seemed clearer.

Monk Kongyun was no exception, yet his expression remained unchanged as he chanted a Buddhist name: "Amitabha—"

This voice actually shared the same nature as that ghostly, sinister sound. Although it wasn't loud when it left his mouth, it sounded like a great bronze bell in Shi Xiaoya and Han Jingyang's ears—resonant, distant, heavy, and extremely piercing. It also carried a warm power that instantly dispersed the previous discomforts.

Not only that, as the voice spread out, it directly forced back those shadowy figures.

Han Jingyang nodded inwardly at the sight.

This great monk really had some skills; that Lion's Roar was quite impressive.

However, while the deterrent force was sufficient, the lethality was somewhat lacking.

He wondered if the great monk had any other tricks up his sleeve.

Sure enough, within seconds of the voice fading, the forced-back figures surrounded them again. They pressed closer and closer, and the sounds they made became increasingly sharp, like demonic music pouring into the ears, carrying a cold qi that seemed capable of freezing one's soul solid.

"Die—"

"Die—"

"Die—"

Amidst the hissing roars of "Die," Han Jingyang and the other two were completely surrounded by over two hundred figures.

This time, even Han Jingyang couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart.