The rabbit head was too small and completely inconspicuous. Everyone’s attention was almost entirely on Lian Yi.
When someone saw an unidentified mass swelling and growing, extending bizarre limbs, thick evil energy rushed at them.
All the compasses spun rapidly, stopping at their most extreme positions.
“What is that…”
“No wonder it’s a ghost king?”
“No… no, that is…”
The night wind had stopped at some point, and the streetlights silently extinguished, revealing a massive figure in the darkness.
From the side and behind, Weng Ping Ran saw this scene and showed an expression of utter astonishment.
It was a giant beast, covered in various lengths of fur. Its limbs and organs are like a combination of dozens of different animals.
It finally revealed its full form, opening three scarlet giant eyes, completely blocking out the moonlight.
A shadow cast over them, and Nan Deng saw the celestial masters around them retreating in terror.
He looked up, seeing the unfamiliar giant beast protecting the two of them, roaring with a powerful aura.
Someone shouted, “It’s Hui Shou! Hui Shou…”
“Retreat quickly!” The two chief celestial masters at the front stopped their attack, “Prepare for defense!”
The giant beast swung its flexible tail and pounced at them, its sharp claws slashing down fiercely.
It was in a state of rage, swallowing several people in one go, with many defensive spells cast at it, which felt to it like mere scratches.
The thick evil energy extinguished most of the flames in the hotel, darkening the surroundings further and casting a layer of blurry red light.
Nan Deng hid in Lian Yi’s embrace. In a daze, he thought, so Xiao Tu’s name is Hui Shou.
Due to the giant beast’s sudden appearance and attack, the scene became utterly chaotic.
Both chief celestial masters were injured; they were the strongest, barely able to escape from the beast’s sharp teeth.
Weng Ping Ran, on the outer side, was both directing people to escape and setting up an array to summon magical artifacts, trying to stop the beast.
He soon realized that the giant beast didn’t seem to have any intention of pursuing them but instead remained steadfast in its initial position, not moving away.
And over there was… Lian Yi.
Including the time Gu Xu led people to the outskirts, this was the second time the Chaos God appeared by Lian Yi’s side.
Weng Ping Ran didn’t know what was going on, but it certainly wasn’t a coincidence.
In the darkness, Lian Yi seemed to be protecting another figure. But it was too far to see clearly.
And just now, the Earth Spirit Parrot had arrived in time to stop them from attacking…
A thought that seemed absolutely impossible began to form in Weng Ping Ran’s mind.
Could it be that the Chaos God has always been by Lian Yi’s side?
That mountain god…
He didn’t have time to think further, as the thick energy had already attracted a large number of resentful spirits from nearby, surrounding the group of celestial masters.
Inside was Hui Shou, outside were the frenzied resentful spirits, trapping them in the middle and putting them in an even more difficult situation.
Seeing the giant beast still in a frenzied state of attack, Weng Ping Ran used spiritual arts to enhance his voice and shouted, “We mean no offense, and humbly ask for the forgiveness of the Three Gods! Please give us a chance to make amends for our mistakes…”
In truth, he didn’t know if the mountain god was here. The underworld had appeared not long ago and might have already left. He shouted these words based purely on a thread of guesswork and hope.
His voice accurately reached further, and Nan Deng heard it.
Surrounded by resentful spirits searching for the ghost king and celestial masters unable to escape, with the hotel still burning inside, the giant beast was wildly devouring everything, even not refusing any resentful spirits that came close.
Nan Deng originally wanted to seize the opportunity to leave with Lian Yi but found himself trapped as well.
He looked up, seeing shadows moving under the pitch-black night but couldn’t identify the speaker.
Asking for forgiveness… a chance to make amends?
Nan Deng didn’t trust these celestial masters, not just because he had been a ghost and was imprisoned in the tower for a long time, but also because of Lian Yi’s ordeal.
Lian Yi had been falsely accused and attacked. If he were alone in the hotel tonight, and the restrictions on him happened to take effect, who knows what would have happened.
But Lin Jiu was also one of the celestial masters, and Nan Deng trusted him.
Before his communicator was damaged, Lin Jiu had said in a message that he would seek help from his teacher, who might be able to stop the other celestial masters.
At the far end of his vision was still a chaotic scene, accompanied by the activation of spiritual arts and the roars of resentful spirits.
Nan Deng hesitated for a moment and shouted, “Xiao Tu…”
His voice was not loud, but in the midst of all the noise, the giant beast caught it.
The giant beast immediately stopped attacking and slowly retreated to stand behind Nan Deng.
Its body began to shrink and become rounder, transforming into a semi-transparent soul form, once again covered in thick, pure white rabbit fur.
The rabbit head became a rabbit head again. Only in this form could it withdraw its evil energy and stop attracting resentful spirits.
To continue intimidating the celestial masters, it maintained a height of three meters, its two red eyes staring, and its ears standing straight up.
With the sudden disappearance of the evil energy, the surrounding resentful spirits sensed something amiss and quickly fled.
The chaos subsided, and the celestial masters on the scene finally had a chance to catch their breath.
The injured were taken away for treatment, while the remaining ones, still too afraid to get close, retreated further to wait for orders.
Weng Ping Ran hurried forward. As the streetlights on both sides of the street returned to normal, the distant figures gradually became clearer.
When he was ten meters away, Weng Ping Ran stopped in his tracks, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Lian Yi stood in the center, his expression as cold and indifferent as ever.
The previously ferocious and rampant Chaos God had now turned itself into a rabbit doll’s head, quietly standing in the back, looking somewhat eerily cute.
Beside Lian Yi was a young boy.
He had a strikingly delicate appearance, with slightly long black hair just reaching his shoulders, and looked no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.
The boy raised his hand, and a tiger parrot flew down from high above, gently landing on his wrist.
The parrot whimpered and rubbed its head against the boy’s sleeve, “Mao Dou is late. Is the Mountain God alright?”
Weng Ping Ran’s knees went weak, and he knelt down.
At this moment, Lin Jiu also arrived. Earlier, he had been scattered by the chaotic crowd and couldn’t get close to Nan Deng and Lian Yi, so he assisted Weng Ping Ran from the outside.
He took a half step back and knelt behind and to the side of Weng Ping Ran.
Weng Ping Ran, unable to conceal his excitement, loudly declared, “Greetings to the Mountain God!”
—
The celestial masters from afar slowly approached, silent.
They seemed as if awakening from a deep dream, their expressions dazed and incredulous, instinctively following Weng Ping Ran in kneeling.
The resentful spirits that had been attracted by the evil energy in search of the ghost king had all left, the fire in the hotel was completely extinguished, and on both sides of the street, many celestial masters in uniform knelt, forming a dense mass.
Nan Deng had never experienced such a scene before and inevitably felt a bit uneasy.
He leaned closer to Lian Yi, quietly holding onto his sleeve.
The parrot flew to Nan Deng’s shoulder and whispered, “It’s okay, Mountain God. If you don’t like them, just tell them to scram.”
It seemed that the ones who initially attacked Lian Yi and Nan Deng had been eaten by the rabbit head. The parrot looked around and didn’t see the two chief celestial masters.
Lian Yi looked at Nan Deng and asked in a low voice, “Do you want to leave?”
Nan Deng thought for a moment, unable to decide right away.
The restrictions on Lian Yi might still be in place. He carried several false accusations. Even if they managed to escape this time, what about the future?
Considering the current situation, the celestial masters didn’t dare act rashly.
Nan Deng wanted to clear Lian Yi’s name and demand the removal of the restrictions to ensure his safety.
As he pondered, Weng Ping Ran, kneeling on the ground, couldn’t help but look up.
The surroundings were very quiet, with all the celestial masters waiting for the Mountain God’s command.
However, during the waiting time, their hearts grew increasingly uneasy.
The Mountain God had been missing for nearly twenty years. This was the first time he had appeared in front of everyone in so long.
Behind him was the transformed Chaos God, with the Earth Spirit Parrot perched on his shoulder, affirming his identity.
But the sudden appearance of the two gods left them unprepared, feeling not only confused but also at a loss.
Some people were the first to realize something else they had never considered.
Standing next to the Mountain God was Lian Yi.
Weng Ping Ran quickly recalled everything that had happened, trying to guess the relationship between Lian Yi and the Mountain God.
How did Lian Yi come into contact with the Mountain God, and how was he able to stay by his side?
How long had he been serving the Mountain God, and why had there been no hint of this?
Even the appearance of the Chaos God earlier seemed to be for Lian Yi’s protection…
The more Weng Ping Ran thought about it, the more confused he became.
At that moment, Lin Jiu, who was behind him, moved forward.
“Teacher,” Lin Jiu whispered, “let me give it a try…”
Weng Pingran was puzzled, “You?”
Lin Jiu didn’t have time to explain. Under Weng Ping Ran’s gaze, he stood up and walked toward Nan Deng.
He encountered no obstacles and smoothly arrived at Nan Deng’s side, saying something quietly.
Nan Deng seemed to know Lin Jiu already. Seeing him approach, his guarded expression softened slightly, and they began to converse.
Watching this, Weng Ping Ran became even more bewildered.
“Would you and Chief Lian like to come back with us?” Lin Jiu said, “I will report everything to my teacher. Those involved in tonight’s actions will be suspended and interrogated.”
Regardless of their initial intentions, offending the two gods was a fact, and this could also be an opportunity to investigate Xie Yun.
Seeing Nan Deng’s attitude soften, Lin Jiu continued, “Rest assured, I will arrange everything. No one will disturb you and Chief Lian.”
If they wanted to leave, they could do so at any time.
The plague in other areas was still unresolved. The parrot’s daily water spraying alone couldn’t completely cure the patients in Changyang. Nan Deng’s assistance was still needed.
Lin Jiu said he could arrange for them to stay in a more hidden and secure place.
Nan Deng and Lian Yi had already been seen by so many celestial masters, so it might be better to stay.
Nan Deng’s divine power had significantly increased, and the Earth Spirit would guard him. He no longer needed protection and hiding as he did initially.
Moreover, as a celestial master, serving the Mountain God was a primary duty. The inner court wouldn’t dare to disobey any orders from Nan Deng.
With Lin Jiu’s persuasion and assurance, Nan Deng made a decision, “Alright.”
Lin Jiu felt relieved and returned to Weng Ping Ran.
He explained the next steps to Weng Ping Ran, telling him that this was the Mountain God’s will.
Weng Ping Ran, still somewhat dazed, listened to Lin Jiu while watching Nan Deng look at Lian Yi and quietly hold his hand.
