Chapter 722: Primitive Worship

Zhang Xiaojiang pleaded earnestly. This little girl was too hard to deal with. ‘Sigh, it’s all Hu Jing’s fault,’ he thought. ‘All those years of suppression have made it impossible for me to get rough with girls.’

‘I’m completely different from Mingren,’ the fatty mused. ‘I don’t have any masochistic tendencies. I was supposed to rush straight to the Divine Realm and enjoy the feeling of being a god. I’d have a huge palace full of flowers and plants, and then I’d raise a flock of beautiful young fairies. How wonderful that would have been!’

‘But what happened instead? Just as I was about to step into the light, I tripped and fell. And I ended up in this bullshit Grand Thousand Realm. Damn it, this place is full of lunatics! They either want to kill me or force me to join them. And each one is more of a pain than the last. This little girl in front of me is the most terrifying of them all.’

“It seems I’ll have to do this myself,” the ghostly little girl said faintly.

The fatty hurriedly waved his hands. “Don’t, don’t! Answer a question for me: how many mules do you get if you add fifteen pigs and sixteen sheep?”

The ghostly little girl froze. She held out her small, fair hands and began to count on her fingers.

Then the fatty vanished into the sand, gone in a flash. ‘Sigh, poor kid,’ he thought. ‘Her math must have been taught by her history teacher.’

The ghostly little girl calculated with great concentration for a while, then slowly raised her head. “What’s the answer supposed to be?”

With a flicker, she vanished as well. But her afterimage faced the same direction Zhang Xiaopang had fled.

The final stop on the path to godhood had its last barrier broken by Wangtian and Moo Shan, turning it into the cruelest of planes. It was difficult for Loose Cultivators to survive unless they were powerful to a certain degree. Even the Demigods knew that the stronger one was, the more beneficial it would be after ascension.

By contrast, Master Wang’s days were much more leisurely. It was just that he had to face a different kind of rhythm and control.

Upon entering the twenty-first layer of the Divine Sealing Tower, Wang Meng immediately released Big Mouth. It was the perfect time to train the little ones while also brewing some wine.

Big Mouth was very excited, sniffing the Water Element Power in the air. This environment was very suitable for it.

The sound of waves crashing against reefs came in a steady rhythm. Wang Meng’s Divine Sense swept out briefly. This was an ocean world, and they were currently on an island.

And on this island, there was actually a primitive human tribe.

This tribe practiced a form of primitive worship. To Wang Meng’s surprise, the totem the tribe worshipped was about eighty percent similar to a Water Spirit Beast.

Just then, Big Mouth suddenly let out a warning roar. Someone was coming.

“ROAR!” A group of primitives wearing only leaves rushed out, holding spears coated with potent poison. They crouched low, ready for battle.

Although these people’s civilization was primitive, every one of them possessed immense strength. With bodies like steel, they were no weaker than Exotic Beasts.

Big Mouth let out a great roar. ‘Perfect timing! I was just worried I wouldn’t have an enemy to fight!’

However, just as Big Mouth was about to pounce, the tribespeople, who had been brimming with fighting spirit, suddenly let out a terrified cry and dropped to their knees in unison, kowtowing toward Big Mouth.

“Wulahulaga…”

An ancient voice rose from among the tribespeople, seeming to express reverence toward Big Mouth.

Big Mouth was dumbfounded. ‘What’s going on? Is this a trick? Or are they begging for mercy? Should I still attack?’ Big Mouth looked to Wang Meng for help, requesting instructions.

Wang Meng didn’t interfere with the little ones’ trials.

Big Mouth froze, looking at the tribespeople in confusion…

Big Mouth’s confusion seemed to have been misinterpreted by the tribespeople. A cheer erupted from them. With a great cry, they all threw down their spears and surrounded Big Mouth, escorting it toward their settlement in the center of the island.

Surrounded, Big Mouth felt a little like attacking. However, it glanced at Wang Meng and still saw no instructions. So, Big Mouth restrained itself. It didn’t sense any hostility from these primitive tribespeople and went along with them.

The tribespeople grew visibly more excited. Following an ancient-sounding call, a simple, rhythmic chant began. Faint fluctuations of Water Elemental Power formed a strange resonance. As this resonant Water Elemental Power passed through each person, it grew a little stronger. Then it would pass through another, strengthening again. This cycle repeated, and gradually, the power grew stronger and stronger, until even Big Mouth couldn’t help but be drawn into it.

Wang Meng followed behind, observing this resonant power with a look of dawning realization. ‘This isn’t any kind of Magic. It’s a form of primitive worship, a natural resonance—a completely different kind of power.’

‘Although Big Mouth was transformed into a True Essence Beast by Magic, its original form was also a kind of primitive Exotic Beast. Being exposed to the resonance of this primitive Water Power might be a good influence on its growth. However, there’s danger in it as well. But this is a trial Big Mouth must overcome with its own will. Some things can’t be done with a helping hand.’

Big Mouth could feel the power stirring within its body. Under this strange resonance, its own power was continuously growing stronger.

The chanting stopped abruptly as they arrived at the tribe’s settlement in the island’s interior.

Big Mouth immediately felt a sense of loss. The pleasant sensation of its power constantly increasing vanished along with the chanting.

Wang Meng also received a warm welcome from the tribe. However, the primitive tribespeople clearly regarded him as some kind of attendant for Big Mouth and quickly began to ignore his presence.

Big Mouth, on the other hand, was enshrined in the most sacred and comfortable place in the settlement.

The entire tribe fell into a rhythm of frenzied celebration, treating Big Mouth as their Guardian Divine Beast.

As night fell, the primitives danced around a bonfire, singing their rhythmic chants. The THUMP-THUMP of drums sounded lively in the night sky.

Just then, Big Mouth once again felt that pleasant sensation of its power steadily growing. This time, Big Mouth quickly immersed itself in it.

Wang Meng frowned. ‘There’s nothing inherently wrong with this, but… this is the Divine Sealing Tower. Things are never this simple. A group of humans living as a primitive tribe here is bizarre enough. The fact that their guardian totem just happens to look like Big Mouth is a bit too coincidental. It doesn’t quite fit the rules of the Divine Sealing Tower.’

Just then, a sudden thunderclap exploded in the distance. Amidst the RUMBLE, a terrifying roar pierced through the air.

In an instant, the entire tribe fell silent. Nearly everyone was trembling in fear at the sound of that roar.

Wang Meng’s eyes lit up. He sensed an extremely powerful surge of Water Elemental Power—in terms of sheer power, it was more than ten times greater than Big Mouth’s. And that was just the power contained within a single roar. ‘Interesting.’ Wang Meng looked at the tribe, then at Big Mouth. ‘Let’s see how Big Mouth passes this test. There are countless possibilities.’

However, to Wang Meng’s surprise, nothing happened that night…

Big Mouth was a little dejected too. It had spent the whole night waiting for that roaring fellow, but it had waited for nothing. Big Mouth found Wang Meng, unsure of what to do next. Subconsciously, it wanted a hint from him.

Wang Meng smiled and patted Big Mouth’s head. “This is your test. You can only overcome it by relying on your own strength.”

At that moment, the tribe’s breakfast offering for Big Mouth was brought over. They handed a large bucket of roasted fish to Wang Meng. Feeding the Guardian Divine Beast was the job of an attendant, and only at times like this did the tribespeople seem to notice Wang Meng’s existence.

Big Mouth loved fish. After breakfast, it made its first decision: it would go find the creature that was roaring wildly last night. Big Mouth wasn’t stupid; it could tell that the tribespeople were terrified of that creature. Nine Discount had taught it that there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Big Mouth’s mouth might be big, but it certainly wasn’t going to eat for free.

However, to Big Mouth’s disappointment, it searched the entire island and found nothing.

Back at the settlement, Big Mouth was about to go find Wang Meng again… but halfway there, it stopped in its tracks. ‘I can’t rely on Master for everything. This is his test for me.’

Inside the primitive thatched hut, Wang Meng smiled. Compared to the increase in its power, this change in Big Mouth’s attitude was far more gratifying to him. It was like seeing his own child finally grow up.

Wang Meng wasn’t idle either. In this Water Realm, the flow of time was very interesting. There were faint fluctuations of a certain law, yet it was completely different. It had the flavor of a “Mirror Flower Water Moon” of a law. What Wang Meng found most interesting was that to these primitive tribespeople, his existence only seemed to be noticed when he was being given food to offer to Big Mouth. At all other times, he was like an invisible man to them.

In the evening, bonfires were lit in the settlement again. This time, however, there was no singing and dancing. The tribespeople gathered at a stream behind the settlement to wash themselves. The aged tribal chief occasionally let out strange, song-like but not-quite-song cadences.

Just then, Big Mouth spoke to Wang Meng through their mental link. “Master… I think I can understand them now.”

Wang Meng smiled faintly. He could feel a primitive power connecting Big Mouth to the tribe. ‘If this continues,’ he thought, ‘Big Mouth will truly become this tribe’s guardian god. But this “god” is fundamentally different from the Divine Dao I pursue. Still, before Cultivators came into being, the first gods were likely born from this kind of worship and faith. But after Human Cultivators appeared, after humans proved their Dao and became gods through sheer power… where did those ancient gods go?’

“Master, it seems something has been bullying them. Tonight, they’re supposed to make a sacrifice to ensure a year of peace, but this time they’re planning to fight.” Big Mouth didn’t quite understand this sort of thing. “Should I help them?”

Big Mouth still couldn’t help asking for Wang Meng’s instructions.

“Haven’t you already made your choice? Trust your instincts,” Wang Meng said with a smile.

Big Mouth subconsciously nodded and looked into the distance. A heavy, dense Water Elemental Power was pressing in from that direction, wave after wave.

“ROAR…”

An angry roar came through the air. The Water Monster, not having received its tribute on time, stirred up a black cloud and charged straight for the settlement.