Book 07 Chapter 193: Mind Control
While Gu Hai was dealing with the Bone Deity’s head, Houqing spotted the three heavenly demons. Desiring Gu Hai’s death, he took Mao Tianyun away from the battlefield.
However, Houqing did not notice fifty white-robed men standing in a distant village. Leading them was Dahong, Ji Dihong’s official.
These fifty men had so perfectly integrated into the village that they seemed to be villagers themselves, which made them inconspicuous.
After Houqing and Mao Tianyun left, Dahong squinted his eyes, remarking, “This is getting more interesting. What are Houqing and Mao Tianyun doing in this flawed immortal firmament? There’s also that Ensnaring Performance. It’s no wonder Gu Hai decided to come here.”
A subordinate laughed, “Milord, the Azalea Heavenly Demon is over there with the Silken Web Heavenly Demon. Gu Hai is definitely going to die this time!”
Nodding, Dahong said, “Let’s go and see.”
A subordinate asked, “See? What is there to see? Aren’t we killing Gu Hai?”
Dahong replied, “Wouldn’t it be ridiculous if three consummate Upper Heavenly Palace Realm cultivators couldn’t kill Gu Hai? I have a feeling there’s a huge secret in this flawed immortal firmament for them to be here. We have to follow them. Let’s go!”
“Yes!”
All fifty men quietly followed Mao Tianyun and Houqing.
The two of them remained oblivious, even as the fifty tailed them all the way to Heaven Cang Palace, where everyone stopped quietly.
“They’ve entered!” a subordinate exclaimed.
Dahong’s eyes suddenly emitted a red light, as if he saw something different.
A subordinate asked, “Milord, shall we enter too?”
“The power of faith?” Dahong exclaimed in surprise. “People of this world madly wors.h.i.+p the Six Paths Veritable Lord. Every being bows to him, producing an extremely vast power of faith. A portion of the power of faith gathers within the statues of the Six Paths Veritable Lord at the sects, but most of it…goes here? A sky full of the power of faith?”
“Oh?” The men were slightly taken aback.
Then, everyone followed Dahong’s lead, their eyes gleaming with red light as they observed the tremendous power of faith pouring in from all directions like a vast sea rus.h.i.+ng into a vortex.
A subordinate commented, “There’s so much power of faith. This far surpa.s.ses the power of faith collected by the Supreme Genesis’s angels over eight hundred thousand years!”
Dahong’s expression changed slightly. “Is someone intentionally guiding the power of faith in this flawed immortal firmament here?”
A subordinate responded, “Intentionally guided? That is possible. The beings of this flawed immortal firmament are descendants of the Six Paths Veritable Lord’s Holy Heavens Sect disciples. They inherently have faith in the Six Paths Veritable Lord. If guided, every being in the world would continue to wors.h.i.+p him. Those who don’t believe would be considered heretics and eradicated.”
Dahong agreed with a grim look, “Correct. Someone is collecting the power of faith. For eight hundred thousand years, all the power of faith generated in this flawed immortal firmament has been gathered here, with only a fraction left in the statues of the various sects for them to borrow. Most of the power of faith is being directed here.”
A subordinate asked worriedly, “Could it be the Six Paths Veritable Lord?”
“It can’t be. The people of the flawed immortal firmament are unaware of this place, meaning it’s not the Six Paths Veritable Lord,” Dahong refuted in a stern voice.
“If it’s not the Six Paths Veritable Lord, then who could it be?”
“If I am not mistaken, it should be Lady Houtu,” Dahong declared.
“Lady Houtu?”
“Yes,” Dahong confirmed. “After the Six Paths Veritable Lord opposed Heaven eight hundred thousand years ago, Houtu went into hiding in the nether realm. Although she has a few residences, she rarely stays in any of them for long. The presence of Houqing and Mao Tianyun says it all. It is Houtu. She’s here, tricking all beings into wors.h.i.+pping the Six Paths Veritable Lord, while she quietly claims all the power of faith for herself.”
“But how did she manage to do that?” a subordinate asked in surprise.
Dahong answered, “The Immortal Origin.”
“The Immortal Origin?” The men gasped, their breathing accelerating slightly.
They all knew that Heaven Cang had the Immortal Origin back then, which made her the Immortal, ruling the entire world with the world’s laws at her disposal. Later, she was deceived into leaving the world by the Six Paths Veritable Lord, who then killed her. The Six Paths Veritable Lord obtained the Immortal Origin, and he became the Immortal upon returning to the world.
Whoever obtained the Immortal Origin gained the immortal firmament. From then on, they would be the Immortal, enjoying eternal life. All beings bowed to them!
“If one possesses the flawed immortal firmament’s Immortal Origin, one indeed could collect most of the power of faith,” a subordinate commented in awe.
“But, Milord, this flawed immortal firmament should have great flaws, right? It might collapse anytime,” another subordinate said worriedly.
“Hah! What do you know? Back then, Heaven Cang deeply trusted the Six Paths Veritable Lord and helped him create a new immortal firmament. Therefore, the three thousand Great Dao of our world must also be recorded in the Immortal Origin here. That means there is a record of the three thousand Great Dao inside the Immortal Origin here; even if they are not complete, they wouldn’t be far off,” Dahong said, showing a hint of excitement.
“The record of the three thousand Great Dao? The ones Heaven Cang copied from our world’s Great Dao. If it falls into the hands of our Huang Heavenly Dynasty...!” a subordinate said in amazement.
“This will be a great contribution beyond compare. If our Huang Heavenly Dynasty obtains the record of the three thousand Great Dao, His Holy Eminence might have a great chance to replace the Six Paths Immortal,” Dahong said, a hint of excitement in his voice.
“We must obtain the flawed immortal firmament’s Immortal Origin!” the subordinates declared excitedly.
“Right, even if we don’t kill Gu Hai, we must get the Immortal Origin. Whether our Huang Heavenly Dynasty can dominate both the land of the living and the nether realm depends on this,” Dahong said, gritting his teeth.
“Yes!” the fifty men chorused in response.
Whoos.h.!.+
At that moment, Long Wanqing flew towards Gu Hai’s battlefield in the distance, accompanied by Purple Subtlety and Longevity.
“Long Wanqing? Humph! There’s no need to bother with them. Let’s move,” Dahong ordered sternly.
“Yes!” everyone replied.
The fifty men ascended to the sky, reached the white clouds in the blink of an eye, and started examining the entrance within the clouds.
------
Meanwhile, near Heaven Cang Palace, Mao Tianyun watched Mu Chenfeng lead a group of disciples from Elite Hall’s Heaven Blasting Battalion over.
“Senior, has the Hall Master really arrived? Where is he? Can you tell me?” Mu Chenfeng asked eagerly.
“Meow! I don’t know!” Mao Tianyun sulked, still in a bad mood.
“Senior, we have been obedient to you all these years,” Mu Chenfeng pleaded. “The Hall Master is coming, and we are truly excited. Please tell us!”
“Senior, please tell us!” the Elite Hall disciples also pleaded eagerly.
Mao Tianyun observed the group, feeling uncomfortable. Is Gu Hai really that impressive? Why are they all so eager to meet him?
Still, these Elite Hall disciples had indeed provided it with company over the years. Houtu, Long Wanqing, and the Unborn Man were all too serious, not the type it enjoyed hanging out with. Houqing? He was too melancholic, so it did not enjoy his company. Purple Subtlety, Longevity, and Ensnaring Performance? Who knew what went wrong in their reincarnation process? After getting embarra.s.sed by them a few times, it stopped interacting with them. Fortunately, the Elite Hall disciples were more normal. They would accompany it on fis.h.i.+ng and hunting trips, using the Heaven Blasting Cannon to a.s.sist and listening to its every demand. Mao Tianyun’s heart softened when the cat saw their eagerness.
“Gu Hai and his team are far away. It would take a long time to reach them. By the time you get there, Long Wanqing might have already brought them back!” Mao Tianyun advised.
“We will wait outside, just outside here!” Mu Chenfeng insisted.
“Yes, Senior, just give us a direction. We’ll keep a lookout!” the Elite Hall disciples exclaimed.
“All right, head a bit southeast. Wait there!” Mao Tianyun reluctantly instructed.
“Thank you, Senior!” The crowd rushed out of the independent s.p.a.ce joyfully.
Watching them leave so happily, Mao Tianyun furrowed its brows. “Was I really too much before?”
It glanced towards Houqing’s location, and its expression darkened. “It’s all that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Houqing’s fault. I knew I shouldn’t have listened to him!”
“Never mind, this cat will see this good deed to the end; I’ll take these brats to Gu Hai. Then, Ensnaring Performance, Purple Subtlety, and Longevity can’t criticize me!” Mao Tianyun quickly decided.
Mao Tianyun then soared towards the exit.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as it emerged from the clouds, a series of explosions resounded.
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
“Argh!”
The disciples who had rushed out eagerly were reduced to dust, obliterated by a group of people dressed in white.
“No!” Only Mu Chenfeng managed to escape, his face showing utter despair.
“Meow! How dare you?!” Mao Tianyun’s fur bristled.
Fury surged within it. These people are my only friends. How dare you kill them? They died?!
It instantly summoned a sea of fire, turning the landscape into a fiery-red spectacle. A dragon of fire raced towards the white-clothed individuals.
These people were none other than Dahong and his entourage. A group of people had suddenly come out, seen them, and turned back. Naturally, they could not let these people alert others. Kill!
Dahong and his companions quickly overwhelmed the Elite Hall disciples. It was then that Mao Tianyun appeared and sent a raging inferno their way.
“Kill them all. This official will handle this cat!” Dahong commanded.
Buzz!
Dahong’s red eyes caught Mao Tianyun’s gaze. As their eyes locked, Mao Tianyun suddenly felt dizzy.
Amid its confusion, the sea of fire dissipated.
“Meow! You’re trying to control my mind! Meow! This is an ancient shaman race technique…this cannot be!” Mao Tianyun’s eyes widened with shock.
Mao Tianyun’s pupils gradually lost focus, and it stopped resisting.
Buzz!
Mao Tianyun’s eyes sharpened, but it now appeared subservient to Dahong.
“Salutations, Master!” To everyone’s surprise, Mao Tianyun bowed.
“One of the ancient shaman race’s five main lines of inheritance: mind control. His Holy Eminence recently deciphered it in the Divine Dao Shaman Canon. It is powerful indeed, but you, you wretched cat, you consumed quite a bit of my Divine Energy,” Dahong scoffed.
“Don’t worry, Milord. If there are others inside, we can control their minds too!” Dahong’s subordinates chorused.
The only Elite Hall disciple alive was Mu Chenfeng, now under the control of one of Dahong’s underlings.
“Alright, Mao Tianyun, lead us inside. We will control everyone!” Dahong commanded coldly.
“Yes!” Mao Tianyun replied respectfully.