What did this mean?
It meant the other party had already mastered his every move.
They knew where his base was and who was by his side.
Despite having Cloud Sea Resplendence to help shroud the heavenly secrets.
Despite the fact that his and all his believers' destinies and fortunes had been obscured, making it impossible for outside divination to lock onto them.
The other party couldn't personally come to the outer provinces to investigate either. There was a realm barrier between Central Province and the outer provinces; the more powerful an entity was, the harder it was to cross.
Back then, even Zhu Pan and Qing Lu could only descend with their divine sense; their true bodies couldn't cross over at all.
So how exactly did this Xuan Cai calculate his location?
And how did he manage to deliver this green deer so precisely to the City of the Wrongfully Dead?
In an instant, Chen Zhou's mind raced.
Death qi instinctively condensed in his palm as grayish-white mist swirled, radiating a cold killing intent.
The green deer seemed to sense the killing intent Chen Zhou was releasing and froze for a moment.
Then, it began to struggle frantically.
It twisted its body desperately, trying to break free from the unaging pine's bindings.
Its four hooves kicked wildly and its antlers thrashed about. Its gentle deer eyes were now filled with pure terror.
It opened its mouth and let out a series of urgent cries.
“Yoo—yoo-yoo—”
The sound was sharp and hurried, as if it were desperately trying to explain something.
But the unaging pine bound it tightly, its branches tightening further and giving it no chance to escape.
The tree even shook its crown smugly, its needles rustling as if it were claiming credit.
The Wanshou Tortoise lay on a rock and opened one eye to glance at the commotion before closing it again.
It wasn't its concern, so it stayed out of it; the old tortoise wasn't going to get involved in this mess.
The Nine-Age Crane stood atop the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, poking its head down to watch while letting out raucous laughs, clearly enjoying itself.
Just as Chen Zhou's killing intent was intensifying, the Golden Dragon lunged out from behind him.
The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon circled behind Chen Zhou, its golden scales shimmering in the spiritual mist and its whiskers fluttering gently, appearing majestic and divine.
“My Lord, wait.”
The Golden Dragon's voice echoed in Chen Zhou's sea of consciousness.
“I know this old fellow.”
Chen Zhou's movements paused, and he turned to look at the Golden Dragon.
“You know it?”
The Golden Dragon nodded, its gaze falling upon the green deer with a hint of reminiscence.
“The Longevity Deer, a descendant of an ancient auspicious beast.”
“It possesses a trace of the Nine-Colored Deer's bloodline. Although it has become very thin, it is definitely there.”
“The Nine-Colored Deer is an ancient divine beast. It is gentle by nature, befriending the good and shunning the evil.”
“Its antlers can communicate with spirits, its blood can heal, and its tears can neutralize poison.”
“It is one of the purest auspicious beings between heaven and earth, and it never associates with evil spirits or demons.”
“The Longevity Deer inherited the Nine-Colored Deer's bloodline, and naturally, it inherited this disposition as well.”
“Its kin have always only drawn close to those with pure hearts and profound merit, while avoiding evil spirits and demons at all costs.”
“If they encounter someone with wicked intentions, they would rather die than submit.”
As the Golden Dragon spoke, its gaze remained on the green deer.
“My Lord, though I am not well-acquainted with this Old Deer, I trust the bloodline within it. It shouldn't have fallen so low as to become a lapdog of Central Province. Perhaps there is some hidden reason behind this.”
After listening, Chen Zhou fell silent for a moment before nodding slowly. He then said to the unaging pine, “Release it.”
The unaging pine immediately loosened its branches, which retracted with a whoosh.
The tree took another half-step back, its trunk leaning even further as if to say, “I'm just an innocent little sapling.”
Having regained its freedom, the green deer's legs gave way, and it collapsed onto the ground.
It curled into a ball, shivering and looking at Chen Zhou in terror, tears welling in its eyes.
In all its long life, this was the closest it had ever been to death.
This new god seems to have quite a temper...
Atop the Gathering Fortune Pavilion, the Nine-Age Crane laughed so hard it flapped its wings, nearly falling off the roof in its glee.
The Golden Dragon glided out from behind Chen Zhou and landed before the green deer. Its dragon might radiated naturally, causing the green deer to tremble even more.
“Old Deer, do not be afraid.”
The Golden Dragon's voice softened slightly.
“My Lord has withdrawn his killing intent and will not strike you again.”
“Now tell us, what is the deal with this black plate?”
“Why did you and the Qianqiu Locust come here from Qingzhou? And why are you involved with the Four-Direction Envoy of Central Province?”
It took a good while for the green deer to recover from the shock.
It stole a cautious glance at Chen Zhou, and seeing that he had indeed withdrawn his killing intent and the death qi in his palm had dissipated, it felt slightly more at ease.
It opened its mouth and let out a series of low cries.
The Golden Dragon acted as a translator.
“Old Deer says that it and Old Locust were both invited from Qingzhou by Old Pine and Old Crane.”
Chen Zhou raised an eyebrow and looked at the unaging pine and the Nine-Age Crane.
Old Crane's laughter froze. It immediately flapped its wings and flew far away, landing on the roof at the other end of the Gathering Fortune Pavilion and huddling with its wings wrapped around itself, shivering.
The unaging pine pulled up its roots and retreated sheepishly for a few steps, trying its best to minimize its presence.
The Golden Dragon continued to translate.
“Old Deer says that they, these old-timers, have lived for a very, very long time.”
“Although auspicious beasts can bring blessings and nourish the spiritual rhythm of a region, their flesh and blood are also a great tonic for demons and evil spirits.”
“In such a difficult world, it is even harder for them to survive than ordinary creatures.”
“Many years ago, they lived together for a long period under the protection of a great figure.”
“But later, that lord also unfortunately perished, leaving them to wander on their own, scattered to the corners of the earth.”
“Over the years, they have occasionally stayed in touch and exchanged news.”
Chen Zhou looked at the unaging pine and the Nine-Age Crane with an unfriendly expression.
“Oh?”
“So you guys even have a group chat?”
“So you two were the ones who led the enemy to our doorstep?”
Old Crane pulled in its neck and curled into a ball, wrapping itself tightly with its wings.
You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me...
The unaging pine's crown shook, and its needles rustled loudly.
It took another half-step back, its trunk bending as if it were bowing in apology.
“Old Deer says, please be merciful, My Lord.”
“It and Old Locust have been wandering the outer provinces for many years, with no fixed home, exposed to the elements.”
“It wasn't until over a thousand years ago in Qingzhou that they found the protection of another great figure, so they no longer had to hide.”
“That lord was a creation of Lord Xuan Cai.”
“Old Deer says it had also contacted Old Crane and Old Tortoise before, wanting to invite them to Qingzhou as well.”
“But Old Crane had joined Zhenlong Mountain, where it enjoyed good food and drink and didn't want to move.”
“Old Tortoise was being worshiped in Lantao City and was too lazy to move. Besides, Gloomlight Province and Qingzhou are too far apart; Old Tortoise moves slowly, so by the time it reached Qingzhou, centuries would have probably passed.”
“So none of them went.”
“This time, Old Pine gave its word, saying it had found an excellent nursing home—safe, comfortable, and where no one would dare bully them. Aside from the rent being a bit expensive, it had no drawbacks at all.”
“It and Old Locust discussed it for a long time before deciding to come.”
Chen Zhou asked, “Is that creation that protected you still in Qingzhou?”
The green deer nodded, then shook its head.
It cried out a few times, and the Golden Dragon translated.
“Old Deer says that the creation has been silent for a long time.”
“About several hundred years ago, Lord Xuan Cai suddenly withdrew his consciousness from the creation. The creation then fell into a deep slumber and has never woken up since.”
“It, Old Locust, and a host of other protected beings stayed by the creation's side and waited for a very long time, but Lord Xuan Cai never descended again.”
“They thought Lord Xuan Cai had abandoned them.”
“That was why they decided to come and seek refuge with Old Pine. Unexpectedly, just as they were preparing to leave, the creation woke up.”
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