In just a moment, apart from the children, only Old Uncle Gao was still alive in the room.
His skin tingled, and with a thud, he immediately knelt down before Fang Yuan:
"Lord of the Chongwu Guard, spare my life. I know I was wrong, please give me a chance to atone and make up for my mistakes!"
The saying that living a long life leads to loneliness and a desire for death is a lie. This Old Uncle Gao, who had lived for 130 years, cherished his life more than anyone else.
Fang Yuan did not respond, only waving his hand. Old Uncle Gao's face became confused, and his consciousness no longer belonged to him.
"Risk your life and protect these children in front of you," Fang Yuan ordered.
"Yes," Old Uncle Gao obediently nodded.
He appeared to have great influence in Ming Mountain County, and the cultists were willing to listen to him. Having him protect these children should prevent further issues.
These mortals had no resistance to his manipulation of the human mind. Extract the last bit of value from this guy and then kill him.
Once everything was done, Fang Yuan waved his hand again, and a transparent white afterimage floated out from the decapitated corpse.
The soul summoning technique from the "Yin Yang Reversal Law" allowed the soul of the recently deceased to be summoned and used.
"Tell me, where are you planning to send these children?" Fang Yuan asked.
"Xian Village..." the ghost immediately replied.
"Xian Village? Where exactly?"
"Ming Mountain Village."
"Take me there!"
"As you command!"
The next moment, Fang Yuan waved his sleeve, and the ghost was swept into the sky.
...
Ming Mountain was a grand and steep mountain surrounded by cliffs and precipices that made it intimidating to look at. There was only one place that was slightly flatter.
Ming Mountain Village was situated there, and even four hundred years ago, before Ming Mountain County even existed, this village had already received the blessings of the mountain god.
However, by now, Ming Mountain Village had essentially ceased to exist. The people living there were no longer the original villagers but fanatical followers.
Only the most loyal believers of the mountain god were allowed to live here and receive the god's favor.
This was also why the village was called "Xian Village."
The mountain god's temple was located deep in Ming Mountain Village. In the spacious, dark main hall, the most prominent feature was the vivid statue of the god.
A peaceful-looking fairy in green robes was flanked by a golden boy and a jade girl on each side. The statue's appearance was similar to the one the county magistrate's son had once held, but it was much larger and appeared even more sacred.
A plump woman in green robes was reclining beneath the statue. Her appearance resembled the statue, to some extent.
The lower half of her body wasn't human legs but a thick, powerful green tail, which nearly filled the entire temple hall.
A handsome young man was seen leaning against the tail, with an expression of almost despair.
The plump woman coiled her tail around the young man and pulled him closer, speaking softly:
"Darling, you seem to have something on your mind today..."
The young man indeed had something on his mind. The first time he saw the mountain god, the figure was slender and graceful, resembling a fairy from a dream.
But now, the fairy had become overweight, which was quite displeasing to his eyes and had soured his mood.
The young man knew it was because her diet had been too good, and the god had become round and plump.
But he couldn't say too much; after all, he was living off her. This mountain god was his big benefactor.
In modern terms, she could be considered a wealthy older woman.
The young man's name was Zhu Zhiyuan. He had once been in charge of guarding the area as part of the Chongwu Guard, and now he was the high priest under the mountain god. He also had another identity: the mountain god's lover.
When he had been sent to this place with another member of the Chongwu Guard and several subordinates, that guard had a higher cultivation level and greater strength.
Because of this, Zhu Zhiyuan used some tricks, collaborating with the people of Ming Mountain County and with the mountain god's help, he succeeded in killing that guard!
"Darling, I have good news. If all goes well, I'll break through to the fifth realm today."
At that moment, the mountain god looked at him with a flirtatious gaze and spoke:
"So, are you feeling better now?"
Zhu Zhiyuan immediately smiled with joy. This was indeed good news.
Zhu Zhiyuan didn't have much talent for cultivation, and his cultivation had reached the peak of the third realm but could not progress further.
The only thing noteworthy about him was his awakening of a fairly good martial arts talent:
Array Heart Communication.
This allowed him to be highly skilled in formations. He could learn simple formations in no time, and even more complicated ones could be understood after a few days of study.
He had already learned almost all the formations in the Jianghai Palace's collection.
But in Zhu Zhiyuan's view, this wasn't particularly useful. What good was a powerful formation? In the end, it wasn't as practical as increasing his cultivation, because that would allow him to live longer.
The Chongwu Duke had lived for hundreds of years, and Qin Hai had lived for more than a hundred. Zhu Zhiyuan didn't want to die at seventy or eighty.
Limited by his own talent, Zhu Zhiyuan could only take another path. He secretly searched for a way to achieve immortality but had found nothing until he met this mountain god.
The god possessed some divine power that could extend human life.
From that point on, Zhu Zhiyuan became a follower of the mountain god, willing to betray his comrades and deceive others.
The reason Zhu Zhiyuan was so ruthless and decisive was that he had long suspected something was wrong with the Chongwu Duke.
Despite being a local ruler, the duke spent all his time locked up in the Jianghai Palace and never showed his legendary strength.
This only fueled Zhu Zhiyuan's doubts, and during a visit to the Duke, he secretly set up a formation to test him, which gave him a huge shock.
The Chongwu Duke's strength was similar to that of a mortal! This solidified Zhu Zhiyuan's decision to betray him.
Zhu Zhiyuan began constructing cultivation arrays for the mountain god and organized monthly ceremonies to hasten the god's cultivation progress.
In return, the mountain god granted him more life and youth.
Zhu Zhiyuan had already entered middle age, but now he had regained his youthful appearance. What he had dreamed of for so long had finally come true!
Now that the mountain god's cultivation was about to reach the fifth realm, Zhu Zhiyuan could also benefit from the god's blessings and live even longer.
"There's no time to waste, my dear. Please break through quickly." Zhu Zhiyuan immediately held the mountain god's hand, urgently saying:
"That way, we can stay together forever..."
"You're right, darling..." The mountain god shyly nodded, always obedient to her human husband: "Let's do it now."