Chapter 409: Xiao Ai Will Be With the Wolf God Forever
After the departure of the Wind Strike Department, Hanyu Mountain once again fell into tranquility.
Ever since Sun Yan devoted himself to rigorous cultivation, Gu Yan, in turn, also started to cultivate with unwavering perseverance.
After all, the only one who used to play pranks with it, Sun Yan, has stopped slacking off. It is left to be lazy alone without a playmate.
However, Xiao Ai's desire to recruit disciples has never ceased.
Not only has it not ceased, but it has even made a promising start.
After Xiao Ai's return to the mountains last year, she carefully selected from Shuisheng Village and identified over thirty talented villagers. Through a rigorous selection process, Xiao Ai chose three individuals to impart Lu Heng's "Divine Skill" to.
As always, Gongshu Jie sent people every year to offer gifts. Upon hearing of Xiao Ai's discipleship, the Fire Pass Country promptly sent batches of young individuals, all of whom possessed promising talents and were deemed worthy of cultivation.
While Xiao Ai sat motionless in the mountains, there was an incessant stream of newcomers being sent to her for selection.
However, there were very few individuals who could pass through Xiao Ai's rigorous tests.
In Shuisheng Village, where over thirty individuals were subjected to tests, only three of them qualified for entry. However, throughout the year, the Fire Pass Country continuously sent tens of thousands of young people, but only a little over seventy individuals were accepted by Xiao Ai.
In order to prevent these younger generations from disturbing Lu Heng, who was focusing on his cultivation in the mountains, Xiao Ai settled these disciples by the lakeside of a large lake in the back mountains. She taught them cultivation there.
When Sun Yan and Gu Yan came over to assist, they discovered that they had suddenly become senior disciples. Gu Yan immediately burst into laughter and remained joyous for several days.
Although Sun Yan has matured significantly, his mischievous nature as a naughty monkey remains unchanged. Suddenly having so many disciples, he couldn't contain his happiness.
The arrival of these disciples made Hanyu Mountain less desolate than before.
Shortly after the departure of the Wind Strike Department, the weather became increasingly colder, entering the depths of winter. As the heavy snowflakes fell from the sky, guests from the north once again arrived at Hanyu Mountain.
Ying Nv, who identified herself as an envoy from Skyark Palace, appeared in front of the mountain gate, bringing New Year's gifts, just as she did last year.
Ying Nv, although an evil cultivator, lacks a sinister aura. She can be considered an eccentric figure within the demonic path. Unlike other cultivators, her cultivation of sinister techniques doesn't rely on bloodshed but rather on consuming people's "dreams" for cultivation purposes.
Hence, on both occasions she visited, she didn't draw the imminent wrath of heavenly thunder.
Xiao Ai also accepted the gifts she brought each time, but never extended an invitation for her to stay as a guest.
However, Ying Nv also dared not overstay her welcome. After delivering the gifts and observing proper etiquette, she would respectfully take her leave, fearing that if she were too polite, Xiao Ai might insist on keeping her there.
Shortly after Ying Nv's departure, the envoy from the Human Emperor Palace arrived. Once again, the Human Emperor extended an invitation to Lu Heng for the New Year's Eve banquet.
However, Xiao Ai mentioned that Lu Heng had descended from the mountain for a leisurely journey and had not yet returned. Therefore, the representatives from the Human Emperor Palace were unable to meet Lu Heng.
As for the invitation from the Human Emperor Palace, Lu Heng has no intention of attending.
The infamous reputation of the World-ending Nine Cauldrons in the Celestial Desolation Realm is not to be underestimated. Ordinary individuals may be unaware of the significance encapsulated by these two cauldrons, but such knowledge is undeniable within the depths of the Human Emperor Palace.
If Lu Heng were to attend the banquet as a guest, and if those two uncontrollable bronze cauldrons were to fall out, catching the attention of the Human Emperor…
The scene, just the mere imagination of it, gave Lu Heng a headache.
In the vast world outside Hanyu Mountain, the construction of the reincarnation system has also entered the right track.
With the appearance of the perfect instruments, Wuyou and Wuyu siblings, You Yue finally had enough manpower to accomplish various ideas previously shared with her by Lu Heng.
During this year-long period, You Yue brought a large number of departed souls from the mortal realm by utilizing the incarnations of Wuyou and Wuyu siblings. Although most of these departed souls were ordinary mortals, the current netherworld doesn't require highly cultivated cultivators, but rather an abundance of souls capable of fulfilling the duties of the grim reapers.
Under the guidance of the ghost cultivators in the Chakravartin Palace, these deceased souls who are willing to join the ranks of the netherworld have commenced their cultivation. Once they have fully transformed into grim reapers, they will be able to contribute to the development of the netherworld.
The City God system in the mortal realm has also started to be established.
The wizards of the Fire Pass Country don't mind the addition of a new netherworld belief within their borders. After all, the previous fire deity belief only offered protection to the citizens during their lifetime, while in death, their remains were cremated and scattered in rivers and seas.
Moreover, the belief of this group of wizards is not fervent. They are indifferent even towards the wild tribes who refuse to worship the fire deity and live outside the boundary stone. It can be said that they have a rather Zen-like attitude.
They couldn't care less about erecting a City God temple in their territory.
As for the Youxiong Country, they are even less concerned. They don't even have any deity beliefs over there.
Building a City God temple in the Youxiong Country is greatly welcomed. After all, once the City God system is established, the accompanying sun-wandering and moon-wandering gods will patrol the mortal realm, effectively searching for malicious spirits and preventing attacks by evil demons on villages. It serves as a perfect tool for maintaining public security.
Moreover, compared to the cultivators in the Youxiong Country, the ghost cultivators within the City God temple are actually quite fragile. The two sides are not even remotely comparable in terms of strength, so the Youxiong Country is not at all concerned about these troublesome ghost cultivators causing any disturbance.
In this harmonious coexistence, the construction of the City God system is progressing at an astonishing pace.
The ghost cultivators from the Youxiong Country have already selected and constructed new City God temples in major cities throughout the country, while the ghost cultivators from the Underworld side are still in the process of cultivation. They are only awaiting the arrival of You Yue's ghost cultivators to occupy the temples.
However, the number of ghost cultivators on You Yue's side is still insufficient. It will likely take a long time to fill the multitude of City God temples with ghost personnel. Many of the newly constructed temples may remain vacant.
Regarding this matter, the Youxiong Country remains calm and composed, saying that there is no hurry. If the temples remain vacant for a long time or if the buildings become dilapidated, they can simply demolish them and rebuild anew.
In this world, abundant with cultivators and astonishing productivity, demolishing and rebuilding a City God temple would not take much time.
Thus, while the disciples of Hanyu Mountain diligently cultivate within, the people in the mortal realm outside are busy with the matters of constructing the Underworld.
Another year's New Year's Eve has passed.
However, Lu Heng, who was amidst the calamitous clouds, didn't appear, nor did he go to the mountains to celebrate New Year's Eve with his disciples and descendants.
He sat in meditation amidst the endless calamitous clouds, silently absorbing the heavenly thunder within. He waited for the arrival of the ten-year period in anticipation.
After New Year's Eve, the heavy snow in the mountains and fields began to melt.
After the vernal equinox, the villagers of Shuisheng Village started to appear in the fields, busying themselves.
Subsequently, there would be the summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and so on.
When the tree leaves turned yellow all over the mountains, and the desolate wind swept through once again during the autumnal equinox, the figure of Lu Heng finally emerged in front of Hanyu Mountain. He encountered Xiao Ai, who was returning to the mountain gate all by herself.
Although she has already taken in nearly a hundred disciples and gained great renown as a cultivator, Xiao Ai still comes to sweep the dust in front of the Wolf God Temple and replaces the offering incense in the shrine before Lu Heng's statue every day.
Upon catching sight of the figure of Lu Heng, Xiao Ai, who had just crossed the bridge, was momentarily taken aback before a smile appeared on her face.
"The Wolf God," a young girl with silver hair and beastly ears, gracefully performed a bow, radiating a combination of gentleness and joy.
Lu Heng, with a smile, said, "The awaited decade has come; shall I take you for a stroll beyond the mountains… if you have the time?"
The young girl's eyes narrowed as she smiled, nodding and saying, "Xiao Ai will always be by the side of the Wolf God, never wishing to be apart."
With a hearty laugh, Lu Heng said, "Then let us go, to meet our dear old friend."
