Chapter 63: Exploring the Tiger’s Den! Chong Ghost
Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Exploring the Tiger’s Den! Chong Ghost
Since he was facing a Third Realm entity, he couldn’t afford to be careless.
No matter how much he schemed and strategized, his own strength was also crucial.
Therefore, Zhu Ge had to become stronger and stronger.
"HISSS!!!!"
A giant python shot out and instantly coiled around Zhu Ge’s body, but he grabbed its upper and lower jaws and ripped it in two.
’Strange, where did Mr. Chong go?’ Zhu Ge looked around, a little confused.
He wanted to find Mr. Chong to spar with.
Although Mr. Chong’s true form was a cricket, he was a demon, so his combat prowess was likely impressive.
But he had been searching and calling for a long time now, and Mr. Chong hadn’t answered.
Instead, he’d attracted quite a few fierce beasts—enough meat to feed the entire village.
’Mr. Chong and the Tiger God couldn’t really be dead, could they?’
Zhu Ge felt a little helpless.
The last time the Raincoat Fisherman had gone out, it seemed he had beaten the Tiger God so badly that it had fled.
There was no word from Mr. Chong, and Zhu Ge feared he might have been crushed to death so quickly he couldn’t even make a sound.
After all, Zhu Ge had witnessed for himself just how formidable the Raincoat Fisherman was on their journey.
Forget First Realm experts; even those in the Second Realm could be easily killed by the Raincoat Fisherman.
"RUSTLE—"
Zhu Ge, who was moving through the leafy bushes, rounded a bend and headed for what was supposedly the Tiger God’s territory.
’If I can’t find Mr. Chong, I’ll go find the Tiger God!’
Just then, however, a faint, fragmented chirping sound reached his ears.
The faint, fragmented sounds combined to form a sentence—
"Kid, what do you want with me? Haven’t you already thrown in your lot with that good-for-nothing Raincoat Fisherman?"
’Mr. Chong!’
Zhu Ge was inwardly delighted but remained outwardly impassive.
He stopped in his tracks, got his bearings, and then continued running forward.
And in the spot where he had just been standing, a wisp of red energy, invisible to the naked eye, seeped into the ground.
Zhu Ge didn’t linger and soon arrived in the Tiger God’s territory.
’This place is so gloomy...’
Zhu Ge scanned the area. The three nearby mountains were shrouded in a noxious miasma. Even under the bright sun, the forest was as dim as if it were dusk.
He could only imagine how pitch-black it would be at night.
As he entered, Zhu Ge could sense a weak yet powerful aura. It was the Tiger God!
"Hua Xiaomei, the Tiger God is not as formidable as Mr. Chong; you don’t need to go and converse with it." Zhu Ge stared at the region, conversing with Hua Xiaomei in his mind.
"According to the strategy we laid out, all we need to do is make the Tiger God work for me."
He didn’t need to reveal his entire hand to every "thread of the web."
What he had to do was ensure that every thread played its part when it came time to ensnare the prey.
As for whether these threads bore him, Zhu Ge, goodwill or malice?
That didn’t matter.
"Tiger God! Come out and be my sparring partner!"
Zhu Ge shouted toward the miasma-shrouded mountain forest, "I am now the Raincoat Fisherman’s Quanya! Don’t worry, I won’t kill you! You just need to spar with me!"
However, Zhu Ge’s words failed to elicit the slightest response.
The boundless mountain forest remained as tranquil as ever. Not even the roar of a beast could be heard; it was eerily silent.
"Since you’re ignoring me, I’ll just have to start causing some trouble!" Zhu Ge stroked his chin. "I’ve been looking to find something good to eat, and I’ll be helping myself to the bear hearts and leopard galls in this forest of yours!"
With that, Zhu Ge plunged headfirst into the miasma.
Blood Qi coursed through his veins. The moment the miasma entered his body, it was consumed by his Blood Qi, leaving him completely unaffected.
For an ordinary member of the Human Race, the miasma was a poison that worked both inside and out. A single breath would be enough to make their body fester and rot, leading to death.
But for a Cultivator, the miasma had never been an obstacle to entering these mountain woods.
"Hm?"
Just as Zhu Ge entered, he saw several sika deer prostrated on the ground, all facing a certain direction.
The sika deer had vacant eyes. Their hind legs were held stiff and straight while their forelegs were bent, kneeling toward something in front of them. They let out a low, humming cry.
’Are they... worshiping?’
Zhu Ge narrowed his eyes.
And as he ventured deeper, he saw more of the animals within the three mountains.
Every single animal—whether jackal or wild rabbit, badger or green snake—was prostrated toward the center of the three mountains.
It was bizarre, chilling, vacant, and terrifying.
A strange silence blanketed the area, enough to make one’s blood run cold.
"Brother, I can sense the Tiger God’s aura!" Hua Xiaomei reminded him. "But I don’t know where it’s coming from."
"I’ll go take a look." Zhu Ge didn’t need to get his bearings; he just had to walk in the direction all the animals were prostrated.
And when he arrived, he finally saw what the animals were worshiping.
It was a clay statue depicting a tiger sitting cross-legged with its eyes closed. In front of the clay figure lay a tiger skin.
And around the clay statue, all manner of predators were arranged in a circle, prostrated in its direction.
"You’ve come..." The clay statue’s eyes suddenly snapped open. They were empty, hollow sockets, and the Tiger God’s voice emanated from within the statue.
"Tiger God, it looks like you’re seriously injured." Zhu Ge arched an eyebrow. "Good for you. You weren’t beaten to death."
"Did you come here just to cause trouble?" The Tiger God’s voice was weak, yet tinged with disdain. "Jingzhe has arrived. If I die, your Jianshan Village won’t survive either."
"That’s assuming we’re still in Jianshan Village," Zhu Ge chuckled.
"It seems you didn’t hear me clearly. I’ve already pledged my allegiance to the Raincoat Fisherman. Our entire village is moving to Yuan Yang City!"
"I only came on this trip to see an old friend and, while I’m at it, practice my Martial Arts Techniques."
As his voice fell, the surrounding miasma suddenly pulsed.
"Martial Arts Techniques?"
The Tiger God sneered. "You’re a mere First Realm Martial Artist, and you dare provoke me in my Divine Kingdom? Since that Raincoat Fisherman isn’t here, you can stay behind for good!"
As it finished speaking, the large circle of predators straightened their bodies in unison and opened their eyes.
"ROAR!!!"
"ROAR!!!"
"AWOOO!!"
The eyes of these animals were all scarlet red. Their sanity was completely gone, and they looked like rabid dogs.
"Brother! These animals have had their spirits stolen!" Hua Xiaomei said inside Zhu Ge’s mind. "Every single one has become one of the Tiger God’s Chong Ghosts!"
"First Chong Ghosts, now fungal parasites..." Zhu Ge frowned. "The special abilities of you so-called Fungus Gods and Tiger Gods are truly tiresome."
Normally, a creature whose spirit had been stolen would just lie there like a person in a vegetative state, slowly waiting for death.
But the previous Fungus God could use spores for parasitic infection and a certain degree of control.
The Tiger God, on the other hand, could use the bodies of these spirit-stolen creatures as incubators for its Chong Ghosts.
Both were methods of continuously supplying themselves with the Power of Faith.
But looking at the surrounding zombie-like walking corpses, Zhu Ge still felt this ability was simply overpowered.
"BANG!!!"
Zhu Ge slammed his palm into a jackal’s forehead, knocking it unconscious.
But seeing this, Zhu Ge’s brow furrowed deeply.
If it had been an ordinary jackal, that last palm strike would have absolutely splattered its brains.
The problem was, he’d only managed to knock this one unconscious?
Glancing at the dense horde of Chong Ghost animals swarming toward him, Zhu Ge turned tail and fled.
"Haha, since the Tiger God is recuperating, I’ll come back to pay my respects another day!"