Chapter 9 – Arrogance Part Four
On the other hand, Lan SiZhui and the other disciples found nothing in the ancient tomb area and had continued their search for clues in the Goddess Temple.
On Mount Dafan, in addition to the ancestral tomb of the Buddha’s Foot, there is also a Goddess Temple. The being worshipped is neither Buddha nor Guan Yin , but rather a statue of a “dancing goddess.”
Several hundred years ago, a Buddha’s Foot hunter was exploring the mountains and discovered a remarkable stone in a cave. The stone was about three meters tall, naturally formed, and looked strangely human, with four limbs in a dancing pose. Even stranger, the statue had faint human features, resembling a smiling woman.
The people of Buddha’s Foot City were astonished and believed it to be a magical stone formed from the energies of Heaven and Earth, creating a series of legends about it. Some tell the story of an immortal who fell in love with the Nine Heavens Goddess and carved a stone statue of her to depict the suffering of love. Upon learning of this, the goddess was enraged, and the unfinished statue had to be abandoned. Others tell the story of the Jade Emperor and his beloved daughter, who died young. The emperor’s longing for his daughter, it is said, transformed into this statue.
However, there are various myths that can astonish anyone. Eventually, the townspeople themselves began to believe the legends they themselves uttered. Therefore, someone transformed the stone cave into a temple and the stone platform into a sacred place. The statue was named the “Dancing Goddess,” and many worshippers flocked to it throughout the year.
The interior of the cave was spacious, about the size of an Erjin temple , with a statue of a goddess in the center. At first glance, it did appear human—the girl’s waist could even be described as flexible and graceful. However, upon closer inspection, the statue appeared more crude. Still, the statue’s natural, lifelike appearance was enough to leave most people in awe.
Lan JingYi raised and lowered the evil compass, but the needle remained unmoved. A thick layer of incense ash covered the offering table, and a mess of candles was also placed there. A pungent, sweet aroma wafted from the fruit platters. Most of the people of the GusuLan Sect had a mild mysophobia. He fanned the air in front of his nose and said, “The locals say praying at the Goddess Shrine is quite effective, but how can it be this ruined? They should at least come and clean it once in a while.”
Lan SiZhui said, “Seven people have already lost their souls. Everyone is saying that lightning has brought out a ferocious creature from the ancient tomb of Buddha’s Foot, so who dares to go up the mountain? There’s no one to serve at the temple, so it’s natural that there’s no one to clean the place.”
A contemptuous voice was heard from outside the cave, “It’s just a stupid stone, given the title of goddess by no one, and people dare to place it here, accepting incense and worship!”
Jin Ling walked in, his hands crossed behind his back. The silence spell didn’t last long, so his mouth could already open. However, no sweet words came out of his mouth, as he stared at the goddess statue and muttered, “These villagers don’t work hard when faced with difficulties, instead praying to Buddha and other things every day. There are thousands and millions of people in the world, but the gods and Buddhas are already busy with their own affairs, so who would care about them? Especially a powerless goddess with no status, like this. If it were that effective, then I would pray for the soul-eating beast on Dafan Mountain to appear before me right now. Can the statue do it?”
Several cultivators from smaller clans came in behind him, and everyone burst out laughing upon hearing him, agreeing with his words. The previously quiet temple became bustling after the group of people rushed out, and the space also felt even more cramped. Lan SiZhui shook his head silently, turning around and glancing aimlessly. His gaze landed on the head of the goddess statue; a loving smile could be faintly seen.
However, he felt a strange familiarity towards that smile, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Where had he seen him before?
Lan SiZhui thought that this must be a very important matter, and couldn’t help but approach the statue, wanting to examine the goddess’s appearance more closely. At the same time, someone bumped into him.
A cultivator who had been standing behind him fell soundlessly. The others were alert and shocked. Jin Ling spoke in a wary tone, “What happened to him?”
Lan SiZhui held his sword and bent down to examine it. There was nothing wrong with the cultivator’s breathing, as if he had just fallen asleep. However, no matter how hard he pushed or called, he wouldn’t wake up. Lan SiZhui stood up, “It seems…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the dark cave suddenly lit up. It was suddenly enveloped in a red glow, as if a waterfall of blood were flowing from its walls. The candles on the offering platform and in the corners of the cave had lit up on their own.
With a few booms , everyone in the cave had drawn their swords or taken out their talismans. At the same time, someone suddenly rushed in from outside the temple, holding a gourd filled with medicinal alcohol. He threw it at the stone statue, and a blazing fire erupted from it, illuminating the stone cave so that it looked like daytime.
Wei WuXian finished everything he found in his Qiankun bag. He threw it away and shouted, “Everyone, get back outside! Beware of the Soul-Eating Goddess inside!”
Someone shouted in surprise, “The goddess’s pose has changed!”
Previously, the statue had clearly raised one leg and both arms, one of which pointed directly toward the sky, its form resplendent. However, amidst the crimson and yellow flames, the statue lowered both arms and legs. There was no doubt—this was no mistake!
The next moment, the statue lifted one leg again, and stepped out of the fire!
Wei WuXian shouted, “Run, run, run! Stop slashing! It won’t work!”
Most of the cultivators ignored it. The soul-devouring monster they had been searching so hard for had finally appeared, so why would they miss the opportunity? However, even with so many swords slashing and stabbing, and so many talismans and magical tools being thrown at it, the statue’s advance didn’t stop at all. It was about three meters tall, resembling a titan as it moved, exuding a powerful sense of oppression. It picked up two cultivators and held them in front of its face. The stone mouth seemed to open and close, and the swords in the cultivators’ hands fell to the ground with two clinks . Their heads drooped, their souls sucked away.
Since no other method of attack worked, the others finally listened to Wei WuXian. Everyone scattered, scattering in all directions as fast as they could. With so many people and faces, the more anxious Wei WuXian became, the longer it would take to find Jin Ling. Wei WuXian rode his donkey and ran into the bamboo forest, encountering the juniors of the Lan Clan as he turned around.
Wei WuXian called out to them, “Children!”
Lan JingYi replied, “Who are your children? Do you know which sect we come from? Do you really think you’ll be considered a senior just because you wash your face?”
Wei WuXian said, “Okay, okay, okay, gege -s. Send a signal and call your clan… HanGuang-Jun over here!”
The juniors nodded a few times, then ran around looking for a signal. Lan SiZhui said, “The signal lamps… were all used up overnight in Mo Village.”
Wei WuXian was surprised, “You didn’t replenish your stock afterward?”
The signal fire was usually only needed once every eight hundred years. Lan SiZhui replied sheepishly, “We forgot.”
Wei WuXian tried to scare them, “Is this a matter you should forget? If HanGuang-Jun finds out about this, he’ll make you regret it.”
Lan JingYi’s face was pale with fear, “It’s over. This time, we will be sentenced to death by HanGuang-Jun…”
Wei WuXian, “Indeed, he should punish you! Without punishment, you won’t remember the next time.”
Lan SiZhui, “Young Master Mo, Young Master Mo! How do you know it’s not a spirit-eating spirit or a beast, but a statue of a goddess?”
Wei WuXian searched for Jin Ling as he ran, “How should I know? I saw him.”
Lan Jingyi also followed. The two of them ran beside him, “What are you looking at? We saw a lot of things too.”
“You saw it, so what happened next? What were the objects around the ancient tomb?”
“What else could happen? There are only dead souls.”
“Yes, there are dead souls. That’s why it can’t be a spirit or a soul-eating beast. It’s simple—if it were either, with so many dead souls in the area, would it choose not to eat them? No, of course not.”
This time, there was more than one person asking, “Why?”
“What can I say about your GusuLan Sect…” Wei WuXian couldn’t stand it any longer, “Why can’t you teach more practical, less annoying things like cultivation etiquette, family tree, and history? How could this be so hard to understand? Dead souls are much easier to absorb than living souls. The physical body of a living person is like a shield, and if it wants to eat a living soul, it has to break the shield. For example…” He looked at the panting donkey as it ran, rolling his eyes, “For example, if an apple were placed in front of you, and another apple were put in a locked box, which would you choose to eat? Of course, the apple in front of you. This creature only eats living souls, and it knows how to get them. It’s both powerful and selective when it comes to food.”
Lan JingYi was stunned, “So that’s how it works? It makes perfect sense! Wait, so you’re really not crazy?”
Lan SiZhui explained as he ran, “We all thought that, since the landslide and lightning caused a series of events, it must be a spirit devouring souls.”
Wei WuXian said, “Wrong.”
“What is it?”
The order and correlation are wrong. Let me ask—for landslides and fatalities, which is first and second, the cause and the effect?”
Lan SiZhui answered without a second thought, “The landslide is the first, and the soul-sucking is the second. The former is the cause, and the latter is the effect.”
Wei WuXian said, “Totally wrong. The soul draining was first, and the landslide was second. The soul draining was the cause, and the landslide was the effect! On the night of the landslide, a sudden storm struck, and a flash of lightning broke a coffin—remember this. The first person to lose his soul, the lazy one, was trapped in the mountains overnight, and got married a few days later.”
Lan JingYi asked, “Where is the mistake?”
Wei WuXian replied, “That’s all wrong! Where could a good-for-nothing, penniless person get the money to hold such a grand wedding?”
The boys were silent. However, it couldn’t be helped, since the GusuLan Sect was a sect that didn’t need to worry about wealth. Wei WuXian spoke again, “Did you see all the spirits floating around Dafan Mountain? There was an old man who died from a blow to the head, wearing a funeral garment made with such skill and beautiful fabric. With such luxurious funeral attire, his coffin must have been empty, and there must have been some burial objects to protect it. The coffin that was shattered by lightning was most likely his coffin. However, the people who came to collect the body didn’t find any burial objects, which meant they must have been taken by the lazy man, explaining why he suddenly became rich. The lazy man suddenly decided to marry someone after the night of the landslide, so something unusual must have happened that night. That night, there was a terrible storm, and he took refuge on the mountain. Where on Dafan Mountain is there a possible place to shelter from the rain? The Goddess Temple. And, when most people go to the temple, there’s one thing they do.”
Lan SiZhui asked, “Pray?”
That’s right. For example, he prayed for good luck, wealth, enough money to get married, and so on. The goddess granted his wish by striking a lightning bolt that split the tomb open, allowing him to see the treasure inside the coffin. His prayer was answered, and as an offering, the goddess came to him on his wedding night and took his soul!
Lan JingYi, “This is all just your guess, right?”
Wei WuXian, “Yes, that’s a guess. But, following this line of logic, everything that happened afterward can be explained.”
Lan SiZhui, “How can this explain what happened to that girl, A-Yan?”
Wei WuXian, “That’s a good question. You probably wondered about it before you went up the mountain. A-Yan had just gotten engaged at the time. All newly engaged women would have the same wish.”
Lan JingYi was confused, “What wish?”
Wei WuXian replied, “Nothing more or less than something like, ‘I hope my husband will love me and care for me for his entire life, and only be interested in me’.”
The boys were confused, “Can a wish like this really be granted?”
Wei WuXian held out his palm, “It’s simple. If her husband’s ‘whole life’ were to end immediately, wouldn’t that count as ‘loving only one person for his entire life’?”
Lan JingYi finally understood and shouted in joy, “Oh, oh! So, so, so, the reason behind her husband being eaten by wolves the day after their engagement was most likely because A-Yan went to the Goddess Shrine to pray!”
Wei WuXian struck while the iron was hot , “It’s hard to say whether she was attacked by wolves or something else. There’s another factor unique to A-Yan: why, out of all the victims, was only A-Yan’s soul returned? How is he different from the others? The difference is that he had a relative who also lost his soul. Or, in other words, a relative replaced him! Blacksmith Zheng was A-Yan’s father, and he especially doted on his daughter. So, when he saw his daughter lose her soul, and there was no way to deal with it, what was the only thing he could do?”
This time, Lan SiZhui immediately replied, “She could only entrust her hopes to Heaven. Therefore, she went to the Goddess Temple to pray, hoping that ‘May the spirit of my daughter, A-Yan, be found’!”
Wei WuXian said thoughtfully, “This is why only A-Yan’s soul returned, and also the reason behind Blacksmith Zheng’s soul’s disappearance. However, even though A-Yan’s soul had returned, it was still slightly fractured. After his soul returned, he subconsciously began to imitate the goddess statue’s dance and even her smile.”
The commonality among those who lost their souls is that they all most likely prayed before a statue of a goddess. The price they paid for their wish was their soul.
The goddess statue was originally just an ordinary stone that happened to look like a human. After receiving worship for several hundred years without any reason, it gained some power. However, due to greed and a mind that strayed from the wrong path, it sought to quickly increase its power by consuming souls. These souls were obtained through the exchange of wishes, and could be considered souls voluntarily sacrificed by those praying. Both parties had a fair deal, one wish reciprocated by another, and it seemed just and moral. This was why the compass of evil didn’t move, why the spirit-attracting flag didn’t work, and why the power of swords and talismans was all negated—the being on Dafan Mountain wasn’t a fairy, a demon, a ghost, or a monster, but a goddess! This was an untitled goddess born from hundreds of years of incense. Using objects used to deal with evil spirits and beasts against her was like using fire to distinguish fire!
Lan JingYi shouted loudly, “Wait! Previously, in the temple, someone’s soul was also taken, but we didn’t hear his request!”
Wei WuXian’s heart suddenly pounded. He stopped in his tracks. “Someone’s soul was taken in the temple? Explain everything that happened earlier, without missing a single word.”
Lan SiZhui repeated the scenario clearly and quickly. When he heard Jin Ling say, “If it’s that effective, then I’ll pray for the soul-eating beast on Dafan Mountain to appear before me right now. Can the statue do it?” Wei WuXian said, “How can this not be a wish? It must be a wish!”
The others agreed with Jin Ling, so it was understandable that they all wanted the same thing. At that moment, the soul-eating goddess was right in front of them, so their wishes were granted. Then, it was time to seize the offering!
Suddenly, the donkey stopped and ran in the opposite direction. Wei WuXian was once again thrown off guard, but he still held on to the rope. However, in the bushes ahead of him, the sound of chewing could be heard, complete with crunching and slurping. A large figure was crawling through the bushes, its massive head touching the ground and moving on its belly. Hearing the sound, it immediately raised its head. Their gazes met.
Initially, the soul-devouring goddess’s figure was vague, with only her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears visible. However, after devouring the souls of several cultivators at once, she was able to form a clear image. Her face was that of a smiling woman, with blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, as she chewed on a torn arm.
Everyone, following the donkey, ran in the other direction.
Lan SiZhui sobbed, “That shouldn’t be happening! The YiLing Patriarch once said before, that higher-level creatures eat souls, and only lower-level creatures eat flesh!”
Wei WuXian couldn’t help but remark, “Why do you worship him so blindly? Even his own inventions are a mess! There’s no one-size-fits-all rule. Just think of a baby—when its teeth are gone, it can only eat porridge and soup, but when it grows up, it naturally wants to eat meat with its teeth. Its strength has just increased tremendously, so it’s natural for it to want to try something new!”
The soul-eating goddess rose from the ground. Her body was tall. She moved her arms and legs, dancing with unbridled joy, appearing overjoyed. Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past her forehead, its tip emerging from the back of her head.
Hearing the sound of the bow being released, Wei WuXian turned towards him. Jin Ling was standing on the top of a high hill not far away, and had already attached his second feathered arrow to his bow. He pulled the bow with all his might, and another arrow that pierced his head was released, its force causing the soul-eating goddess to stagger back a few steps.
Lan SiZhui shouted, “Young Master Jin! Send a signal in your direction!”
Jin Ling turned a deaf ear to her words, determined to kill the monster. With a solemn expression, he nocked three arrows at once. Despite being shot twice in the head, the soul-eating goddess remained unscathed, advancing toward Jin Ling with the same smile on her face. Although she danced as she walked, her speed was incredibly fast, halving the distance between them in just a few moments. Several cultivators appeared from the side and fought with her, blocking her advance. Jin Ling fired each arrow as the goddess took a step, probably intending to use up all the feathered arrows first, before engaging the soul-eating goddess in close combat. His arm was quite steady, and his shooting was accurate, but all magic weapons were useless against her!
Both Jiang Cheng and Lan WangJi were at Buddha’s Feet, waiting for news, so who knew how long it would be before they realized something was wrong and came here. To extinguish a fire, water was needed. So, if magical weapons weren’t effective, what about black magic?
Wei WuXian drew the sword at Lan SiZhui’s waist and cut a thin piece of bamboo, quickly making it into a flute. He raised it to his lips and took a deep breath. The high-pitched sound of the flute was like an arrow, cutting through the night sky and soaring into the clouds.
This should have been his last resort, but with the situation already like this, whatever he summoned didn’t matter. As long as his dark energy was strong enough and his killing intent sharp enough, he could tear the soul-eating goddess to shreds!
Lan SiZhui was so shocked that he couldn’t move, while Lan JingYi covered his ears, “Look at the situation we’re in, and you’re still playing the flute? It sounds terrible!”
In that battle, three or four cultivators who were fighting the Soul-Eating Goddess had lost their souls. Jin Ling drew his sword. He was already less than two zhang away from the Soul-Eating Goddess. His heart was pounding, and all the blood in his body rushed to his head. If I can’t behead her with this blow, I’ll die here—death!
At the same time, from within the forest of Mount Dafan, a jingling sound was heard.
Clink clink , clink clink . Sometimes faster, sometimes slower; sometimes stopping, sometimes continuing. The sound echoed through the silent forest, like the sound of iron chains clashing and dragging on the ground. The sound grew closer, and louder.
For some reason, the voice made everyone feel threatened. Even the soul-eating goddess stopped dancing. She raised her hands, staring blankly into the darkness where the voice came from.
Wei WuXian put away his flute and carefully looked in that direction.
The uneasy feeling he felt grew stronger and stronger, but since he had come because of a summons, at least there was someone listening to him.
Then, suddenly, the sound stopped. A figure emerged from the darkness.
After getting a clear view of the figure and face, the cultivators’ expressions changed.
Even when faced with a goddess statue that could suck their souls at any moment, the group did not flinch or show any fear, but nevertheless, the sound of their screams at this moment was filled with terror that they could not hide.
“… ‘Ghost General’, it’s ‘Ghost General’, it’s Wen Ning!”
The title “Ghost General” is as well-known as the title of YiLing Patriarch. Often, the two appear together.
The word referred to only one person—the right-hand man of the YiLing Patriarch Wei Ying, who had aided the tyrant’s evil, stirred up the winds and waves, played the wolf to the tiger, turned the world upside down with him, and most importantly was a ferocious corpse that should have turned to ashes long ago—Wen Ning!
Translator’s Notes
Guan Yin : This is the most famous goddess in traditional Chinese religion. She originated as a male Bodhisattva in Buddhism—when the religion traveled along the Silk Road, she somehow became a female goddess.
Immortal : An immortal is a celestial being or someone from heaven. They can be born immortal or become immortal through practices such as cultivation. All cultivators aim to become immortal.
Goddess of the Nine Heavens : This is the goddess of war, sexuality, and longevity (“Wikipedia”).
Jade Emperor : He is the king of all the gods in heaven, from Taoism or just Chinese folklore in general.
Erjin Temple : These temples are usually located in remote mountains or forests, inhabited by monks and few visitors. Due to their nature, Erjin temples are usually quite large.
Gege : Meaning “older brother”.
Strike while the iron is hot : This proverb means to seize a good opportunity when it comes.
Zhang : One zhang is about 3.3 meters.