Starting from the steel of the heart, slaying demons and monsters.

Chapter 45 Mountain God

After that, the coldness in Jiang Ning's eyes faded a bit.

What you say is not untrue.

He nodded slightly, and most of the coldness in his tone dissipated.

Zhang Ping watched from the side, finding it mysterious.

That would mean letting him off the hook, but I'm afraid that the "正" (zhèng) he just mentioned had a deeper meaning.

But he didn't know, and he didn't dare to ask.

Thinking about this, I couldn't help but sigh.

After all, with so many wild ghosts, who knows how long they can help him cultivate?

Upon hearing this, Du Kong felt as if he had been granted a pardon. His entire illusory figure went limp and he prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Thank you for your wise judgment, Immortal Master! Thank you for your wise judgment, Immortal Master!"

Jiang Ning waved his hand, his tone indifferent, "Don't rush to thank me. Tell me, how did you become a ghost cultivator?"

"As far as I know, the Vajra Buddha Temple is a well-known and famous temple in the north, with strict discipline among its disciples. How could it produce a demonic cultivator like you?"

Du Kong raised his head, his face bitter, as if he had endless bitterness to pour out. He remained silent for a moment, as if to sort out his thoughts, before slowly speaking.

"Reporting to the Immortal Master, this matter is a long story..."

Du Kong's voice lowered, as if he were caught up in a painful past.

"That was more than a decade ago."

"At that time, my Vajra Buddha Temple received news that a great demon was causing trouble in the Qinglang Mountain area in the north, and villages within a radius of a hundred miles were successively affected, with hundreds of people already dying. The abbot of the temple then sent eighteen people to exorcise the demon, and I was one of them."

"Our group of eighteen people are all elites from the temple."

"Furthermore, the abbot personally blessed us and bestowed upon us several ritual implements. Everyone believed that although the journey was dangerous, it should be successful."

"But when we got to Green Wolf Mountain, we realized that the great demon was much stronger than we had imagined. It had cultivated for at least eight hundred years, its cultivation was profound, and its demonic magic was strange and unpredictable. Even if the eighteen of us joined forces, we were no match for it."

"Of the eighteen, only I escaped. I had planned to return to the temple and send the message back, but unfortunately, my injuries were too severe, and I died in the wilderness with resentment."

Du Kong continued, his voice becoming slightly calmer, "Xing was caused by resentment. After my death, my soul lingered and wandered everywhere. I unintentionally came to this dilapidated temple and slowly cultivated myself by relying on the incense and prayers here."

"Then I met the various immortal masters."

"I didn't want to take action against you."

"Over the years, passersby have occasionally walked through here, and I have never harmed them."

"But today, the flesh and blood Buddha is only one step away from becoming a Buddha. I was momentarily blinded by evil spirits and thought of using the blood and qi of living people to nourish the evil magic and make it advance further."

Jiang Ning listened quietly, her expression remaining largely unchanged.

Zhang Ping glanced at him, then at Du Kong kneeling on the ground, and suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

Things in this world aren't always black and white.

This monk was a Buddhist disciple who exorcised demons and protected the righteous path in his lifetime, but after his death, he almost became a malevolent ghost cultivator.

If you call him a good person, he did indeed have murderous intent just now.

If it weren't for Jiang Ning's methods, there would have been a tough battle.

After a moment, Jiang Ning nodded slightly and said, "The Vajra Buddha Temple is famous for its precepts. Its disciples cultivate the Vajra Indestructible Body and follow the path of fierce power. Although you have become a ghost cultivator, your foundation is still there. If you can walk the righteous path, you may very well achieve something great."

Upon hearing this, Du Kong raised his head, his eyes shining, "Please enlighten me, Immortal Master."

Jiang Ning waved her hand, without giving a direct answer.

"I ask you, now that your demonic arts are complete, do you have nowhere to go?"

Du Kong shook his head, his expression darkening. "In this state, neither human nor ghost, where can I go? I can't return to the Vajra Buddha Temple. If my sect finds out I've become a ghost cultivator, I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Jiang Ning remained silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to look at Zhang Ping.

"Brother Zhang, what do you think?"

Zhang Ping was taken aback, not expecting Jiang Ning to ask him. However, since this matter was Jiang Ning's doing alone, it was not appropriate for him to interfere.

So he politely replied, "It's entirely up to you, senior."

Jiang Ning's lips curled slightly as she turned to look at the ghostly figure.

"In that case, I'll give you a choice."

Du Kong quickly bowed down, "Please speak, Immortal Master."

"Although you did not harm anyone, you attacked me just now. According to my rules, I should have beaten you to a pulp."

Du Kong's heart leaped into his throat upon hearing this, but Jiang Ning's next words immediately put him at ease.

"But I have heard that you are pitiful and have not committed any serious crime, so I can spare your life."

After saying this, Jiang Ning gently waved his hand, and the Mountain and River Seal reappeared.

"The mountain gods and local deities of this place have all vanished. But if you are willing, you may hand over your source, and I can appoint you as the mountain god of this place by decree of the Great Yu Dynasty, to protect the peace of this region, perform good deeds, enjoy incense offerings, and assist you in your cultivation."

What do you think?

After Jiang Ning finished speaking, she looked at Du Kong.

Du Kong was overjoyed upon hearing this; for him, it was an incredible opportunity.

To go from a wandering ghost to a legitimate mountain god is an incredible stroke of luck.

"This humble monk is willing, this humble monk is willing."

As if afraid that Jiang Ning would regret it, Du Kong immediately opened his mouth and exhaled a cloud of gray gas, which directly merged into the Mountain and River Seal.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Ning wrote another imperial edict.

The imperial edict shone with golden light and landed on Du Kong. In that instant, the gray aura on Du Kong's body disappeared, and he radiated a dazzling light.

His body was filled with true energy, and his cultivation level soared.

It was approaching the level of the Innate Realm.

"Thank you, Immortal Master. Thank you, Immortal Master."

Du Kong looked at the changes in himself and felt overjoyed.

Zhang Ping, however, gently rubbed his nose, glanced at Jiang Ning, and then at Du Kong.

Only by surrendering one's origin can one become a mountain god, which means that life and death are in the hands of the other party.

If they listen, that's fine, but if they don't listen!

Jiang Ning seemed to have noticed Zhang Ping as well, and glanced at him briefly.

"Now that you have become the mountain god of this place, we hope that you will uphold your original intention, dispel evil spirits, and protect the peace of this area."

"I understand!"

Du Kong bowed respectfully, and then retreated at Jiang Ning's wave.

"Brother Zhang, your story is not yet finished. I am truly curious."

After Jiang Ning finished everything, he concealed his aura and once again became an ordinary scholar.

"Senior, please don't laugh at me. What I just said was just nonsense. Please don't take it to heart."

I wanted to brag about how awesome it was, but what if the other person kept pressing me and made me take him to see it? How would I get back then?

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ning smiled slightly, did not ask any further questions, but simply sighed and then turned back into the dilapidated temple.

The casual conversation between Zhou Zheng and the monkey had also vanished.

Try to stay as far away from Jiang Ning as possible.

Zhang Ping didn't, and remained the same as before.

After all, this wasn't the first time he'd met such a formidable person.

"Senior Jiang, may I ask what realm you are in?"