Chapter 48

As he recited the mantras, Chen Hao felt that his energy was pouring out. Within a split second, it vanished completely. His head throbbed dully and his vision turned black.

Right before he felt like passing out, Chen Hao received a message that the deity figurine had been blessed.

“The deity figurine of Guan Yu has been blessed… It’s unparalleled.”

The unparalleled blessed figurine could now vanquish all the evil spirits in the world.

“I invite Lord Guan Yu to quell the evil spirit.”

Garnering all his remaining strength to conjure that thought, Chen Hao’s vision went black and he collapsed onto the ground.

As the people around him watched, they gasped in shock.

Master Long looked the most surprised. Didn’t he say that he could handle this? Was this what he meant by handling it? What a useless piece of sh*t.

Before he could move, the sound of hooves galloping towards them sounded.

Clip-clop! Clip-clop! Clip-clop!

The sounds grew louder and clearer.

It startled everyone. Even the white skeleton that had been preparing to strike retreated, appearing frightened.

“This is…” Master Long turned towards the source of the sound and stared at it with widened eyes.

It wasn’t the sounds of a horse’s hooves. The deity figurine moved on its own on the ground. As its movements grew increasingly rapid, it produced sounds that appeared like a horse galloping away.

How could the deity figurine move on its own though? It was also glowing with spirit aura.

It was… a spiritual tool!

That was impossible. The figurine looked ordinary, he couldn’t have judged it wrongly earlier. How could it have become a spiritual tool?

Master Long felt conflicted deep down and was in utter disbelief.

He had been practicing cultivation for over forty years and had experienced all sorts of strange phenomenons. Yet, this was something he had never seen before.

Master Long was also stupefied and didn’t know how to react.

The deity figurine suddenly leaped from the ground and a bright glow visible to even the naked eye emanated from it.

Amidst the glow, a large maroon horse emerged. Stepping in the air, it galloped and neighed ferociously.

Sitting atop the horse was a burly man of eight foot. His face was reddened and he had a long beard. The long sword he wielded had a green dragon engraved on it. On his head was a green mortarboard, and on his body a robe designed for battles. Beneath his green robe, he donned an armor. He looked dignified and intimidating.

Subtly, the people around started to hear a vague chanting.

“The King’s ruling begins and the country is unified…

Listen to his commands…”

“This is the ‘Spring and Autumn Annals’, written by Gongyang!”

Master Long was also extremely well-read. Upon hearing the chanting, he immediately knew what it was.

This was the spirit of Guan Yu. How could it be? His practice had already acknowledged that deities didn’t exist, so how could Guan Yu suddenly appear?

Master Long’s understanding of the world was shattered and crushed once again. He felt as though his head was swelling and it was about to burst.

Guan Yu didn’t seem like he was going to stop.

After the maroon horse stepped out, his gaze was fixed on the skeleton. The killing intent in his eyes felt so real.

Stimulated by the look in his eyes, the skeleton twisted its body and tried to escape madly into the depths of the palace.

“Vanquish all the evil spirits in the world!”

Following the command in his thick and stern voice, the maroon horse raced forward. It chased after the skeleton, as quick as lightning. Guan Yu moved his arm swiftly, and his sword glided across the skeleton’s body.

Within a split second, the skeleton was cut into half. The body fell apart and instantly disintegrated into nothingness.

Was… Was it dead?

Master Long’s mouth gaped open as he stared in shock.

So strong, so terrifying. Was it really Guan Yu?

Yes, it was!

Master Long snapped out of his shock, and just as he was about to speak, the deity figurine exploded loudly.

After an accompanying bright light, wood fragments fell all over the ground.

Master Long watched in shock. After a while, he recalled a legend recorded in one of the secret books.

A living being’s persistent thought could bring him good luck and turn an object into a spiritual one.

This wasn’t Guan Yu, but the spirit of its figurine. It had come to life after being blessed and given rise to Guan Yu’s image.

“So this wasn’t a legend, after all. It’s true. Who is this lad?”

Master Long looked at Chen Hao, who lay unconscious. His eyes were filled with curiosity, shock, and fear.

The lad didn’t seem to have attained Dao, but he could still bless a deity figurine. This wasn’t a skill that someone who was not trained or learned could do so easily.

…

Chen Hao was in a daze. His head spun and he felt weak, as though he was floating around.

Chen Hao could vaguely hear someone exclaim, “He’s awake! He’s awake! Hurry up and inform the doctor. The Master is awake.”

Where was he?

Chen Hao forced his eyes to open. Amidst his daze, all he saw was white.

His eyes darted around and he recognized that he was in a hospital ward.

Had he been hospitalized?

A thousand thoughts rushed through his head.

After a while, Chen Hao snapped out of his shock.

He had already left the ancient grave. He hadn’t died. That was great news.

“Are you okay? Do you want some water?” A voice asked by his side.

Chen Hao turned around and saw a pretty lady in her twenties. With a smile, she looked at him happily.

“Who are you?” Chen Hao asked.

The lady hurriedly answered, “Hi, Master. My name is Zhou Yuzhu. President Bai has instructed me to take care of you.”

President Bai… Was it Bai Ru?

Chen Hao stayed silent for a while before asking, “What happened at the ancient grave?”

Zhou Yuzhu smiled and replied, “Master, don’t worry. The issue has already been settled. The construction resumed operations yesterday. That ancient grave is really amazing. The entire Stone City was in shock upon hearing about it. I heard that it will be redeveloped into a tourist attraction. Oh, right. Master, do you feel unwell? You’ve been unconscious for five days.”

Five days? Had it been so long?

Chen Hao sighed quietly.

Without attaining Dao, it was really too much of a risk to bless an item purely based on his own energy.

Fortunately, the deity figurine already possessed some spiritual energy and his own energy had merely primed it. Otherwise, even if he expended all his energy, he wouldn’t have been able to bless it.

Indeed, if he truly wasn’t so skilled, he ought not to risk his life in the future. He wouldn’t be so lucky each time he went through such a big risk.

He requested Zhou Yuzhu to pour him a cup of water and then asked her about what happened after he passed out.

Zhou Yuzhu didn’t know much too, but she said that a number of people had personally witnessed the entire fantastical scene. Rumors had naturally spread already.

Although the Shuanglong Group and the officials from Stone City had banned the rumors from going around, it was impossible to contain it. With the media reporting about it and the citizens making wild guesses, all sorts of rumors had been spreading.

Zhou Yuzhu was an insider and knew a little more than the average person.

Through her, Chen Hao understood that after he passed out, the image of Guan Yu from the blessed deity figurine had emerged and sliced the skeleton in half before exploding.

With the skeleton dead, there was no more threat to the ancient grave. After Master Long checked around the place, the Shuanglong Group and officials from Stone City entered it. It was only then that they realized there was more than met the eye to the grave.

The Dragon’s Den was very small, only about a hundred feet wide. However, behind the Den was an underground cave, where the Dragon resided. It was a pity that the Dragon had been consumed by its den and its space had been taken over by the floodwater, losing its original glory. Besides a few funeral items, there was nothing else.

Chen Hao wasn’t interested in the ancient grave at all. On the other hand, he paid more attention to the Guan Yu figurine.

It was merely an image of the Saint, but it had possessed such powers. Indeed, Guan Yu lived up to his name. He was truly loyal and unparalleled.

“Killing the evil spirits while reading ‘Early History’; Controlling the Yin and Yang while containing the people.”