Chen Shi and Chen Tang were shocked by this scene.
In the great hall, the continent amidst the rising and falling profound yellow qi, could it be the Earth Immortal Realm written on the couplet?
Could it be that what Lady Houtu governs is not the birth, reproduction, death, and reincarnation of the West Bull New Continent, but countless continents within the Sea of Darkness?
Chen Shi carefully observed and finally found the stele standing in front of the temple.
The stele was towering like the clouds, and the light flowing from it was connected to the temple behind.
The willow tree where Scholar Zhu hanged himself had transford into a giant tree linking heaven and earth, standing before the temple and guarding this ancient temple.
At this mont, Scholar Zhu flew out from the small temple behind Chen Shi's head, gazing upwards at this scene, and murmured, "Can I hang there again?"
Chen Shi shook his head and said, "Probably not. A hanged ghost outside Lady Houtu's temple is truly ominous."
Scholar Zhu earnestly corrected him, saying, "I am a Ghost Immortal."
"But still a ghost," Chen Shi replied.
Jue Yang Zi also flew out, looking at the temple that was being ford, he exclaid, "Lady Houtu! Back when the True King ca to West Bull New Continent, the Yin Yang Two Realms were not peaceful; demons and monsters could freely enter and exit, wreaking havoc in the mortal world. So the True King invited the clone of the Lady to completely separate the Yin Yang Two Realms and establish an order among humans, gods, and ghosts! It's said, this lady is a Divine from the pre-Qin era, with an ancient origin and imnse Divine Power."
Chen Tang looked at Jue Yang Zi, feeling deeply puzzled, "Who is this person? Why did he fly out from Little Ten's temple? How does he know about matters from the True King Era?"
Regarding the True King Era, many stories are legends and myths, so true and many false, but always mostly false.
Little Dun Fairy flew out from another small temple, shaking her head, she said, "The belief in Lady Houtu has existed since before the Great Shang dynasty. This Divine is much older than you think; it can be traced back to ancient tis such as Xia, Yu, Tang, Xie, and Xian. She is a Divine of imnse power. With earth, life, and the underworld, there is the belief in Lady Houtu."
Chen Shi looked at the temple, muttering, "Is godmother really this powerful?"
Little Dun Fairy said, "From the Yu Dynasty to Great Shang, and from Great Shang to Great Ming, the length of ti is nearly the sa. Not to ntion earlier ancient tis. I also heard that Lady Houtu has a monster in the underworld with a bull's head, a human body, and three eyes, called Earth Elder. The long horn on its head forms the Nine Curves Yellow Spring, which is composed of the world after death."
Chen Shi couldn't imagine how magnificent this scene could be.
Chen Tang was bewildered, thinking the daughter-in-law seed to know quite a lot.
This daughter-in-law they picked up, is she really just a few years older than Chen Shi?
Little Dun Fairy looked at Chen Shi and said seriously, "Such an existence could not possibly accept you as a godson."
Chen Shi laughed, "When we say godmother, it doesn't truly an godmother, but is a mark of respect for the Divine."
Little Dun Fairy had half-understood this custom, having seen villagers worship godmothers before, but not understanding the deeper aning.
Chen Shi explained the ins and outs of worshipping a godmother, saying, "Villagers often worship godmothers hoping the Divine in their village will protect them on their journeys, keeping them safe and out of the reach of Evil Spirits, offering incense and sacrifices. The godmother would then provide protection. The relationship between the godmother and villagers is one of exchange."
Little Dun Fairy understood, saying, "So you worship gods, asking for the gods' protection."
Chen Shi laughed, "The bond is closer. When you worship gods, they may not answer every prayer, but when you worship godmothers, they may fight Evil Spirits for you."
Little Dun Fairy shook her head, truly a peculiar tradition.
As this mont, Scholar Zhu arrived under the old willow tree, an old Daoist with a green robe walked out from under the tree, blocking him, and they spoke about sothing.
Chen Shi and Little Dun Fairy went over, Scholar Zhu was begging the green-robed old Daoist to let him hang on the tree one more ti, but the green-robed old Daoist kept shaking his head.
Scholar Zhu was furious, "I've been dead for over a thousand years, always hanging from this tree, for over a thousand years no one has bothered ! This is my ho, how can you forbid it?"
The green-robed old Daoist helplessly said, "I am the old willow tree."
Scholar Zhu stared at him in disbelief, then started to tie the noose around his neck onto him.
The green-robed old Daoist, unable to tolerate anymore, pointed a finger, and a willow branch descended from the sky, swiftly wrapping Scholar Zhu tightly and hanging him up.
Scholar Zhu struggled mightily but could not break free.
He grew rapidly, turning into a colossal figure in an instant, like a god and demon.
However, the willow branch also transford, becoming as thick as a Jiao Long, still keeping him bound tightly.
Scholar Zhu shrank quickly, and the willow branch also thinned in kind, still binding him.
Unable to struggle anymore, Scholar Zhu obediently hung from the tree.
Chen Shi looked up worriedly, the green-robed old Daoist smiled, "Mr. Chen, rest assured, I won't make things difficult for him. But him pestering to hang from really isn't very dignified. It was tolerated in the past, but now that Lady Houtu is about to awaken, his antics won't be allowed."
He did not treat Scholar Zhu well, but he treated Chen Shi with respect.
In the tree, Scholar Zhu still could not break free, but he moved his eyes, urged the noose around his neck, the rope like a spirited snake automatically coiled around that willow branch, tightening constantly.
Feeling snug from being tightened, Scholar Zhu stuck out a long tongue in satisfaction.
Chen Shi withdrew his gaze, thinking, "The teacher spent rely a few decades as a human, but for over a thousand years as a ghost. Having so ghost hobbies is normal."
"How should I address you, Daoist brother?" Chen Shi inquired.
"I couldn't dare, I take the surna Liu, and have no na, Mr. Chen may call Liu Daoist."
Chen Shi laughed, "Liu Daoist, please do not address as Mr. Chen, call by na, or Chen Zhaoyuan. Daoist brother, when will my godmother awaken?"
Liu Daoist said, "I don't know either."
Chen Shi gazed at the temple behind the stele, only to see layer upon layer of rosy clouds. The chanting from all gods and the continuous influx of extraordinary power converged here, making the temple appear increasingly real.
The structure of this temple was the sa as the initial form of the small temple behind Chen Shi's head; it had only one room, indicating that only one deity was worshipped here.
"May I go in and take a look?" Chen Shi asked.
Liu Daoist smiled and said, "Outsiders cannot, but Chen Zhaoyuan certainly can. However, since the Goddess Temple has not yet beco a real entity, going in is also useless."
Chen Shi thanked and stepped towards the temple.
Chen Tang followed behind Chen Shi, also wanting to enter the temple. Liu Daoist raised his hand and shook his head, saying, "Outsiders cannot."
Chen Tang blinked and said, "I am the father of Chen Zhaoyuan!"
Liu Daoist just shook his head, "Outsiders cannot."
Chen Tang had no choice but to stay here.
Chen Shi entered the Houtu Temple and saw dazzling rays of light surrounding him. In the rosy clouds, bird seals and insect scripts flowed continuously, and the chanting from the rosy clouds beca more grand and sonorous, making his head feel dizzy and his steps sowhat unsteady.
He walked amidst the forming light, and suddenly the temple seed vast and boundless.
Beside him, children were being born, infants crying, growing rapidly, and in an instant, becoming beautiful won. They married, conceived, gave birth, aged rapidly, and finally their souls returned to the Netherworld, and then reincarnated, beginning anew.
All around him, countless people were repeating this process!
However, in their second life, so were no longer human, but transford into other species, whether livestock, wild beasts, insects, ghosts, divine races, dragons, or phoenixes.
Countless beings surrounded him, imrsed in a vast cycle of life and death, endless and ongoing.
This scene gave Chen Shi a great shock.
"Is my life the sa? Like an ant in this cycle, living at dawn and dead by dusk, endlessly repeating. Then, how can one escape all this?"
He looked at the countless beings around him and suddenly felt a great sorrow.
Such a life, what difference does it have from insects?
He waded through the vast Reincarnation Sea, passing through the lives of countless people, moving forward, bewildered at the souls trapped in the cyclic void around him.
No matter if you are a king or noble, commanding the world, wealthy beyond asure, or wise and all-knowing, you cannot escape the suffering of this cycle.
Just as he was unable to find the aning of life, suddenly, he inadvertently saw a soul vanish from the cycle!
Chen Shi was stunned.
"Where did that struggling soul in the cycle go?"
As he was puzzled, he unintentionally saw another soul disappear!
"Ascension! They have ascended! Broken free from the cycle!"
Chen Shi was overjoyed, finally seeing a glimr of hope.
"No matter how difficult, I will beco immortal, ascend, and break free from the cycle!"
He waded through the Reincarnation Sea, not knowing how long he walked, until he finally erged from the Reincarnation Sea, coming to the front of a vast ocean ford by Profound Yellow Qi.
He gazed ahead, this ocean, with countless continents floating upon it, impossible to distinguish which was their own West Ox New Continent.
Chen Shi tried hard to discern, yet he couldn't find West Ox New Continent, nor Huaxia Divine Continent.
This ocean of Profound Yellow Qi was just a phenonon, not reality.
Chen Shi stepped on the sea surface and continued forward, passing by continents of various shapes, towards the center of the ocean.
There, grand rosy clouds descended from the heavens, forming a lotus platform-shaped divine shrine.
Presumably, Lady Houtu was reviving there.
After walking for a long ti, Chen Shi finally arrived where the rosy clouds fell, reaching the lotus platform.
On the lotus platform, amidst the light, seed to be a portal, towering as high as the heavenly do, but narrow, allowing only one person to pass through.
Chen Shi looked into the door, and in a trance, as if he saw another vast world behind it.
A palace-clad Empress, her sleeves and ribbons fluttering, walked from another world towards this side.
The path she walked on was like a bridge of light connecting this portal, and outside the bridge was twisted space-ti, with lightning and thunder, ominously dreary.
Suddenly, from the darkness, a gigantic round axe spun out, slicing with a "ka-cha" sound at the bridge of light, severing it!
Behind the portal, the bridge was continuously breaking, and the Empress swung her long sleeves, connecting the other end of the bridge, flying towards this side.
Chen Shi's heart shook greatly: "Soone is trying to prevent Lady Houtu's clone from descending on the West Ox New Continent!"
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