Chapter 414: Stone Statue

Qin Mu was surprised. The Butcher had also returned, which meant the Village Chief and the others must know about Xing An's heavy injuries. Since the crisis with Xing An was resolved, why hadn't Old Ma stayed at Great Thunderclap Monastery? Why had he come back with the Village Chief?"Village Chief, Xing An..."

The Village Chief shook his head. "Xing An's matter is trivial. I called you back because there's something far more important. Can you contact the Founding Master of the Heavenly Devil Cult?"

Qin Mu's heart stirred slightly. "What major event has occurred? The Founding Master and the Protector Elder left together to wander the world. He said that after his death, the Protector Elder would bring back his ashes. Village Chief, what exactly is it? When Saintess Si and I were traveling just now, we also discovered something strange: a large mountain had split open, revealing stone statues. Could it be about this?"

Si Yunxiang quickly nodded. "That stone statue was terrifying, as if it had grown out of the mountain, suddenly shooting upwards!"

"It's not just one stone statue." Old Ma exuded an aura of profound, well-rounded wisdom. "Approximately a hundred stone statues have appeared all over the world, along with many strange treasures. These things just suddenly showed up; they aren't from our world. Some stone statues even drilled up from beneath Mount Meru, but they collided with the mountain and were suppressed instead of pushing it apart."

Qin Mu's expression was odd.

The Mute's face was grim. His ten fingers quickly moved, forming a series of strange gestures.

"These stone statues are a sign that gods and devils are about to descend." The Deaf Man watched his hands and said, "It's very difficult for gods and devils from other worlds to cross the world barrier. They must first petrify themselves into stone statues, devoid of power, before the statues can be sent to this world. Their primordial spirits and magic power remain in their own worlds. For these stone statues to transform back into flesh and blood, a blood sacrifice is needed to summon their primordial spirits from another world, and then the statues will awaken. The treasures we saw on the way are celestial omen weapons, meant to trigger a great catastrophe, slaughter ordinary people, and use their flesh and blood to sacrifice to these stone statues... Don't look at me, the Mute said this."

Everyone looked at the Mute. The Village Chief couldn't help but say, "Mute, how do you know so much? Even I don't know these things, but you're so clear about them."

The Mute grinned, making a gesture. The Deaf Man said, "This fellow is feigning ignorance again. I didn't understand."

"This matter is too terrifying. In my opinion, don't bother looking for the Founding Master; let's return directly to the Great Ruins!" Granny Si said, "So many stone statues have appeared in the Eternal Peace Empire. When these statues revive, they'll be gods. Who can resist them? Old Ma, you don't need to be your 'Tathagata' anymore. Whoever wants to be Tathagata can be him. I don't want this manor either. Let's go back to the Great Ruins immediately!"

The Butcher shook his head. "Granny, is it right to just leave like this? Hiding in the Great Ruins would be like a turtle retreating into its shell, wouldn't it? A true man should stand firm and fight with all his might!"

Granny Si glared at him and sneered, "Should we stay here and wait for death? Just like you, lingering on after being cut in half?"

The Butcher's face flushed with anger. "I won't stoop to your level, you woman!"

The Village Chief coughed. "Granny, the Human Emperor must bear responsibility..."

"Bear responsibility?" Granny Si laughed furiously. "Can you bear responsibility? You can't even handle things yourself, but you push Mu'er into the fire pit! If you're capable, you bear it! Now look at you, cut down like a stick, hiding in the Great Ruins, playing dead every day, and still shamelessly talking about bearing responsibility!"

The Village Chief sputtered, "You, you..."

"What 'you'?" Granny Si snapped viciously, "There are over a hundred stone statues. If you have the ability, go and level them! Otherwise, you'd better obediently go back to the Great Ruins and play dead!"

The Deaf Man coughed. "Granny, that's going too far..."

Granny Si roared, "What business is it of yours? I raised Mu'er from infancy, wiping his poop and piss, and you always had a stern face, hitting his palm! If it weren't for the fact that you're a bookworm who writes well and can teach Mu'er to read, I would have beaten you to death long ago!"

The Deaf Man became furious, stammering, "Learning requires discipline... You, you're being unreasonable and stubborn! Only villains and women..."

Granny Si threw a piece of oxhide over his head, and the Deaf Man instantly began to moo like an ox.

The Apothecary quickly said, "Granny, I think...""Get out!" Granny Si said coldly, "Go back to your room and serve your pile of women!""Alright," the Apothecary cheerfully replied, then turned and walked away.

The Mute tapped his pipe and gestured, "Ah-ah...""Shut up! You bad seed, full of wicked ideas!"The Mute lowered his head, feeling deeply wronged, and said nothing more. The Cripple opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but Granny Si turned her head to look at him. The Cripple shivered several times and chuckled dryly, "Why are you so fierce? We can discuss things, haha, discuss them well... Old Ma, Old Ma, say something! I obey Old Ma's words. If Old Ma says return to the village, I'll return to the village. If Old Ma says fight, I'll fight!"

Granny Si glanced at Old Ma. "If you don't go back to the Great Ruins, I'll go to your Great Thunderclap Monastery and see how many monks are left there!" Old Ma remained silent.

"Blind Man, say something," the Village Chief looked at the Blind Man.The Blind Man said, "If Mu'er wants to stay, then he stays. If Mu'er wants to return to the Great Ruins, then we also return to the Great Ruins."

Granny Si stared at him coldly. The Blind Man closed his eyes and said, "Granny, if you want to take Mu'er away, none of them can stop you, but I alone can. I've also taken Mu'er away before; I know his determination. We are old. If the Village Chief doesn't fully restore his divine bridge, he probably won't make it past next year's Spring Festival. Why must we create a rift? Let's just listen to what Mu'er has to say."

Granny Si's heart softened again. She looked at Qin Mu and said gently, "Mu'er, you're all grown up now. Those rascals in the village have taught you to be like this. Don't learn bad things from them. Come back with Granny. You can marry whichever girl you like, and Granny will wait to hold her grandchildren..."

Qin Mu looked around, feeling confused, then lowered his head.

Si Yunxiang stood beside him, also somewhat bewildered, not knowing what was happening. She thought, "Auntie is truly mighty and domineering, scolding these god-like beings into submission. When will I have such power..."

A moment later, Qin Mu looked up and asked doubtfully, "Are these stone statues the same as those in the Great Ruins, also transformed gods and devils? Did their sudden appearance happen because Yu Xiu and I created the Primordial Spirit Guide? Are those stone statues here to destroy Eternal Peace? So, is this calamity my fault? Are they here to kill me?"

The Village Chief said, "It might not be entirely your fault. It's more likely caused by Emperor Yanfeng's single cannon blast that killed the Jade Lord of the High Heavens. Considering the time, the High Heavens should have already reported Emperor Yanfeng's cannon shot to their masters. The Imperial Preceptor of Eternal Peace and Emperor Yanfeng's reforms would have inevitably led to such events sooner or later; it's just that it happened many years earlier than expected."

The Butcher said, "This upheaval isn't about you, but about the reforms. First, Emperor Yanfeng's cannon shot attracted the attention of the High Heavens' masters, and then you and Princess Xiu created the Primordial Spirit Guide, causing subtle changes in the Great Dao."

"So there's still a reason connected to me." Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then said to Granny Si, "Granny, I'm not going back. I have many friends here: Wei Yong, Shen Wanyun, Mu Qingdai, Yue Qinghong. I don't want to hear about their deaths in a few years. Didn't you all say that if you cause trouble, you fix it yourself?"

Granny Si was slightly stunned. "The Butcher taught you loyalty, and now you're really being loyal? What good is loyalty? Can it save your life?"

Qin Mu shook his head. "No. But it will give me peace of mind."

Granny Si was startled, then sighed. "Peace of mind? I wonder if you'll still have peace of mind when Eternal Peace is engulfed in destruction and war. You're grown up now and have your own ideas. Fine, I won't force you. You all go ahead and invite the Founding Master back."

Qin Mu blinked, asking curiously, "Why do we need to invite the Founding Master back?"

"We old bones discussed it and believe that the High Heavens are sending down a calamity, activating those treasures that have emerged from the earth to trigger natural disasters. They'll use the people who die in these disasters as sacrifices to revive the stone statues." The Village Chief said, "So, after our discussion, we decided to intercept the gods of the High Heavens and prevent them from succeeding."

Qin Mu was taken aback, then puzzled, "Since they are manifestations of gods and devils' physical bodies, why not just smash these stone statues?"

"After gods and devils petrify, they become incredibly hard and difficult to break." The Blind Man said, "Have you ever seen a broken stone statue in the Great Ruins?"

Qin Mu thought about it. That was indeed true. He had traveled through the Great Ruins many times and rarely saw broken stone statues. The last time, in the East Sea of the Great Ruins, he had seen many headless Dragon King statues. That time, it was likely the Heavenly King statue from the Heavenly King Temple, riding the Dragon Qilin, that went to quell the rebellion in the East Sea under the cover of night, beheading the Dragon King statues with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade.

"Can these stone statues be moved to the Great Ruins?" Qin Mu asked, "If we move them to the Great Ruins and place them alongside the statues already there, we won't have to worry about them reviving and causing trouble."

The Cripple laughed. "Carrying a stone statue means carrying a god. Who can carry a god for tens of thousands of miles into the Great Ruins? And it's not just one or two, but hundreds!"

Qin Mu frowned. The statues were indeed terrifyingly heavy. Even a being like Old Ma, who excelled in physical strength among the Disabled Elderly Village residents, would have to stop and rest after carrying a stone statue for merely two or three hundred yards!

"Saintess Si, does the Sacred Cult have any way to contact the Founding Master or the Protector Elder?" Qin Mu turned his head to ask.

Si Yunxiang quickly said, "My Si family possesses Heart-Viewing Mirrors. They come in pairs, and by silently reciting the other person's name and picturing their appearance in your mind, you can contact them, see each other, and hear their voices. The Founding Master and the Protector Elder both have these mirrors for easy communication. I'll go inform the Old Matron right away and have her contact the Founding Master!"

Qin Mu exclaimed in surprise, "The Sacred Cult has something like Heart-Viewing Mirrors?"

Si Yunxiang rolled her eyes at him. "You've been the Sacred Cult Master for two years now. How many times have you visited Saint Arrival Mountain? Have you visited the Si family, the Yu family, or the Shi family of the Sacred Cult? If you weren't doing a decent job as Cult Master, I would have rebelled against you long ago!"

Qin Mu laughed. "You wouldn't, you don't have the ability."

Si Yunxiang was exasperated and had no choice but to obediently go contact her Si family grandmother. She longed to be as formidable as Granny Si, but this boy just wasn't cooperative and wouldn't give her a chance to show her might.

"Grandpa Butcher, the sun, moon, and stars in the sky, the rivers of stars and constellations, they're all fake." Qin Mu went to the Butcher's side and asked, "Grandpa Butcher must know many secrets, right?"

The Butcher drew his pig-slaughtering knife, grinding its blade against another. "Speaking of this, I must mention the martial art I created: 'Across and Through the Vast Horizon, a Single Line of Sky.' Back then, I was a Grandmaster of the combat skills lineage, entirely focused on creating an unparalleled unique skill. At that time, I had a fervent confidence, feeling that I was invincible and could break any divine ability in the world with a single strike. However, I had never fought against the heavens, so I wanted to cleave the sky open, leap beyond it, and have a fight with the heavens..."