Chapter 162: Eliminating the Haunting Tale
Chapter 162: Eliminating the Haunting Tale
In the depths of the forest, Chen Chuan held a machete in his hand, with the Snow Lady Sword strapped to his back and a bulging backpack. He was alone, making his way up the mountain.
It was almost July, a time when the mountains were teeming with venomous snakes, insects, and ants. However, he was well-prepared, having brought plenty of insect repellent and ointments, and wearing a protective jacket to shield against scratches. He had essentially achieved full-body protection.
Even if his Second Self were to be harmed, he would try to protect himself as much as possible, especially in the most suitable and critical areas.
The mountain paths hadn't been trodden upon for many years, making them unrecognizable.
Fortunately, after walking for about half an hour, he discovered a dilapidated mountain path with stone steps. Judging by its style, it seemed to be a remnant from the old era, possibly from the same period as the Mountain God Temple, making the search easier. He hacked through the thorny bushes with his machete, clearing a path that would also facilitate his descent from the mountain later.
The mountain wasn't very tall, only about five to six hundred meters, but some areas had steeper slopes. Still, this didn't hinder him. After finding a passage, he climbed up in one go without even changing his breathing.
Despite it being June or July, the forest was cool, and the temperature dropped abnormally as he reached the summit, making him feel like he had returned to winter.
But he didn't feel cold; instead, he felt comfortable.
Finally, he spotted the Mountain God Temple. Two demon heads with bulging eyes and pointed cheeks stood in front of the temple, their sharp edges worn away by wind and rain, leaving only a vague outline of their original menacing appearance.
In front of the temple was a mountain gate, its walls on both sides had already collapsed, leaving only half of the front wall standing. Various grasses and vines grew among the scattered rubble.
Beyond the mountain gate, a clearing appeared with a winding uphill path. Here, the eaves of the upper temple were already visible.
However, after reaching this point, all the sounds of insects and birds that had been in the mountains disappeared. Everything became quiet, with only the occasional sound of the wind blowing.
Upon reaching this spot, he took out a water cup and drank a mouthful of water. Then, he followed the mountain path upwards. Soon, he arrived in front of the temple. The two large doors had long collapsed and were damaged. Stepping over the threshold, he saw that the temple's space wasn't too big, probably just about a hundred square meters. Dust, broken bricks, and fractured beams lay horizontally on the ground. The roof had already caved in for the most part, leaving only a makeshift covering over the offering platform.
He walked closer and found that the pedestal where the deity statue was supposed to be was empty, with nothing on it.
His expression didn't show any surprise.
According to previous information, this haunting tale's roaming range had expanded to nearby mountain peaks. To encounter it in the temple, one would need an offering.
He put down the backpack on his back and first took out a bamboo basket from it, containing a large white goose that had been prepared in advance to be unconscious. Then, he took out an incense burner, a thick cushion, and a can of old tea leaves.
Some of these items were obtained from Cheng Zitong, while others were collected by Ren Shu from various people based on the descriptions in the files.
To resolve this haunting tale, he had put in a lot of effort. No previous haunting tale had such thorough preparations.
He took out some tea leaves from the old tea can and poured them into a transparent glass cup he had brought. Then, he used hot water from his thermos to brew the tea, but he didn't drink it; instead, he set it aside.
Next, he lit the incense burner, and after the fragrance filled the main hall, he brought the bamboo basket to the offering platform and directly sacrificed the white goose on the altar.
He then returned, holding the knife across his knee as he sat cross-legged.
Based on previous situations, this haunting tale required offerings and repeatedly asked for them. This indicated that its activities were related to the offerings, similar to the Flying Head Monster. Therefore, it was highly likely that using the same method could also exhaust and eliminate it.
However, this was just a hypothesis. The situation with this haunting tale was complex, and it was difficult to investigate it clearly in advance. It was hard to say what it was exactly. So, his plan this time was to deal with it himself if he could; if not, he would retreat and think of another approach with Cheng Zitong instead of forcing it.
He waited patiently, but there was no movement around him. He didn't waste time, guiding his breathing and silently guiding the growth of the Alienation Organization, occasionally adding new incense to the incense burner.
The sky outside gradually darkened, and he lit a few torches, placing them around him before returning to his original position and sitting down, he noticed a chewing sound by his ear. He looked up and saw that the white goose on the offering table was gone.
The sound didn't come from the front but from behind.
His eyes flickered, and with a slight exertion of his legs, he slowly stood up from his original spot, turning around. As he turned, the chewing sound also disappeared, and a dark, amorphous object seemed to have appeared outside the temple gate.
He picked up a flashlight from his side and, holding the Snow Lady Sword, walked outside. At the gate, he shone the light and saw a statue of a deity with a hunched body, but it was facing away from him.
However, rather than a deity statue, it was more like a demon statue. The statue's fingers almost touched the ground, its upper body was large, and its lower body was slender, and its posture seemed to be squatting.
He slowly walked around to the front and then froze when he saw clearly.
He suddenly discovered that it was actually a headless mountain demon statue!
His thoughts raced, and this situation was previously unknown to him. This meant that his previous plan to resolve the haunting tale might not align at all, and he might have to start from scratch.
In the face of an incomplete haunting tale that was once whole, the proper approach is to find the missing piece.
In this case, the Mountain Ghost wasn't seeking offerings; it was searching for its lost head! Otherwise, there's no way to resolve this.
This wasn't something that could be found in haste, so he immediately decided to retreat from this place. Without hesitation, he turned to leave, not even taking anything from the temple.
But after taking only a few steps, he heard movement behind him, and at the same time, his second self displayed signs of fading like waves. He paused in his tracks.
Looking up, he saw the statue of the Mountain Ghost move, and bits of paint and dust fell off.
Changing his mind, he stood still.
While running away would be easy, if the Mountain Ghost wasn't satisfied with this offering, it might go after the nearby villagers. Although the villagers had experience dealing with this, leaving things as they were wasn't the right thing to do.
He looked at the statue of the Mountain Ghost, tightly gripping the Snow Lady Sword in his hand. Since he couldn't leave for the time being, he decided not to leave at all.
At this moment, the statue of the Mountain Ghost had straightened up, and it was about two to three meters away from Chen Chuan, facing his direction. With a straight jump, it pounced towards him.
Chen Chuan sidestepped, and the statue fell to the ground with a thud, sending up a cloud of dust.
After the first attack, there was a brief pause before the second and third attacks followed...
Chen Chuan kept dodging, and he was certain that the speed of the statue wasn't overly exaggerated, and he could easily deal with it.
But this was only because he was standing there; the main threat of haunting tales wasn't in these direct attacks, but in the invisible ones.
At this moment, he could see that his second self displayed intense fading signs, and the transformed organs in his body were also under extreme stimulation, no less than when fighting a Flying Head. He had to dodge while using his breath to guide the process during the brief intervals.
However, as he dodged, he found that the invasion of his second self was gradually intensifying, and the process was very fast. He had originally planned to hold out until dawn, as these hauntings usually didn't appear during the day. But if things continued like this, he might not even make it until his second self disappeared.
Therefore, he had to find a solution.
After dodging again, he retreated into the temple, where the scent of incense enveloped him, and the fading signs on his body slightly weakened.
He picked up a chopping knife and waited for a moment. Then, he saw the statue leap down from its head. With a swift movement, he struck the statue with the knife, shattering a large part of it.
But the fading on his body suddenly intensified, and the broken parts disappeared after a few breaths, as if they had never been struck.
From this, he deduced that any contact would intensify the invasion, even if it was through an object. It couldn't be resolved or delayed by force.
He wondered where the head of this thing was.
He suspected that it might be a Flying Head Sect ghost, as there was a period when the Flying Head Sect would break the heads of the gods worshipped in various places. If that was the case, it had already been destroyed, and there was no hope of finding it. It had become a dead end.
But at this moment, he suddenly remembered a detail from the Three Mountains Legend, which said that the Mountain Ghost "eats with its stomach, chewing like candy."
That's right, eating with its stomach!
He suddenly thought of a possibility and looked intently at the statue's abdomen. Could it be as he suspected?
He quickly changed his mind and decided to take a risk.
After dodging another attack, he picked up a thermos and drank all the water inside in one go. Then, taking a deep breath, he activated the transformed organs within his body.
At the same time, he picked up the cup of tea, which didn't contain any tea leaves but instead had wriggling black worms. As the statue jumped and landed on the ground again, he poured the contents onto the statue of the Mountain Ghost.
Upon contact, the worms crawled into the statue's body, creating small holes on its surface, slowing the Mountain Ghost's movements.
At that moment, Chen Chuan seized the opportunity and, with both feet on the ground, charged forward. He thrust one hand into the statue's abdomen, feeling as if he had broken through a layer of tough cowhide.
With this contact, the fading on his second self intensified, becoming more and more indistinct, as if about to disperse.
Unfazed, he reached into the statue and felt around. Suddenly, he grabbed something, his eyes narrowing in concentration. With a fierce tug, he pulled out a green-faced fanged head, not a statue but a completely dried-up head! "It's really here!"
This head hadn't been taken by anyone; it was inside the stomach of the Mountain Ghost!
At this point, he no longer hesitated. As he saw the statue about to regain movement, he placed the head on the broken neck stump and held it firmly, not letting go. The statue trembled violently for a while before finally calming down.
Chen Chuan saw a thin thread of blood seeping from the broken neck stump, which slowly trickled down. After a while, he heard the sound of shattering, and cracks appeared all over the statue's body, which began to crumble into countless pieces of dust, falling to the ground.
...
...
(End of Chapter)
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