Worried about the Black Cat's safety, Old Doctor Song and Song Bo calmed their startled family members before grabbing a chopping knife and chasing after it.
The simple-minded Old Doctor Song had no idea that the Black Cat intentionally lured Mu Tong and Mu Nan away.
In a direct confrontation, the Black Cat couldn't defeat Mu Tong and Mu Nan, but its agility allowed it to hold them off for a while.
However, this was not a long-term solution.
So, after angering Mu Tong and Mu Nan, it deliberately led them away.
The destination, naturally, was the Xuanqing Temple at the edge of the village.
The Black Cat itself couldn't defeat Mu Tong and Mu Nan, but wasn't there a deity in the Xuanqing Temple?
With that deity's power, dealing with these two evil practitioners shouldn't be a problem, right?
Mu Tong and Mu Nan didn't know the Black Cat's plan; they thought it was trying to escape out of fear.
The Black Cat had disrupted their blood refinement ritual and even scratched Mu Tong. Seeing the Black Cat trying to flee, how could they let it go?
Naturally, they pursued it relentlessly.
In the chase, the Black Cat quickly reached the vicinity of the Xuanqing Temple.
Behind it, Mu Tong and Mu Nan followed closely, filled with anger.
The Black Cat turned its head and glanced at them with a hint of schadenfreude.
The next moment, it dashed into the Xuanqing Temple right under their noses.
Mu Tong, driven by anger, was solely focused on killing the Black Cat and didn't care about anything else.
Moreover, the Xuanqing Temple didn't give him any sense of danger.
With a hot head, Mu Tong wanted to rush in and kill the Black Cat to vent his anger.
But just before stepping in, Mu Nan held him back.
Although Mu Nan also wanted to kill the Black Cat, she was more rational and cautious than Mu Tong.
Even standing in front of the Xuanqing Temple, she didn't feel any danger.
But she remained vigilant against the dark and mysterious small temple before them.
"Brother! Don't be impulsive! This little Cat Demon is quite intelligent; why would it run into a dead end? There must be something unusual inside!"
Mu Tong calmed down, squinting as he assessed the Xuanqing Temple before them.
Due to the poverty of the Song Family Village, the Xuanqing Temple was indeed small, made of ordinary pine wood.
It looked no different from the rural temples they had seen before.
Looking at the slightly blurred characters of Xuanqing Temple on the temple roof, Mu Tong squinted his eyes.
"According to that peasant, this Xuanqing Temple in their village was just a common rural temple built through crowdfunding long ago. The Xuanqing Gong it enshrines shouldn't be any kind of spirit or demon; it should be some virtuous or famous person from the village's past. Such a statue, let alone having any power, is just a lifeless object, at most capable of a Divine Statue Anomaly."
"What could be unusual about such a rural temple? Could the little Cat Demon be bluffing by running here?"
Mu Tong and Mu Nan were from the Tianshan Sect and were well-versed in such statues.
Even without seeing the statue, they could judge its nature just from descriptions.
Based on Old Doctor Song's account, they had long believed that the statue named Xuanqing Gong inside the Xuanqing Temple posed no threat.
They even had their eyes on the statue. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Yet now, the Black Cat had fled into the Xuanqing Temple while being chased.
This made them hesitate.
At least, they didn't dare to step into the Xuanqing Temple directly.
After all, they weren't at their peak state now.
Regardless of the thoughts of the two outside the temple, inside, Song Xuanqing, after hearing the Black Cat's account, decided to take action immediately.
Although based on the Black Cat's description, Song Xuanqing judged that Mu Tong and Mu Nan's current strength wasn't formidable.
He still didn't dare to be complacent and immediately activated his Divine Power: Merge with Deity.
[Divine Power: Merge with Deity
The deity can descend upon its statue, merging with it, enhancing combat power.]
The next moment, Song Xuanqing opened his eyes.
In the shrine on the high platform, the stone statue opened its eyes.
The statue, worn and blurred by the passage of time, became increasingly clear.
Even the strands of hair at the temples gradually became distinct.
Then, the stone color of the statue faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, becoming vibrant.
Black hair, a white jade hairpin, a green robe, even the skin looked indistinguishable from a real person.
Of course, Song Xuanqing understood this was just an appearance.
He was still a stone statue.
Feeling the statue's body move as if it were his own, Song Xuanqing let out a long breath and stepped out of the shrine.
By the time he reached the ground, the statue, originally only one foot tall, had expanded to nearly six feet.
Anyone unaware might mistake it for a real person.
The Black Cat was utterly dumbfounded.
My cat ancestor! The statue turned into a person!
And walked out of the shrine!
Why hadn't I heard of such a thing before?
Song Xuanqing ignored the Black Cat, focusing on his newfound power.
Compared to his state before merging with the deity, his strength was now about twice as strong.
So powerful!
This Merge with Deity divine power is so strong!
Moreover, in this state, he could fight directly with the statue's body without worrying about the statue being damaged in the shrine.
Clenching his fists, Song Xuanqing strode outside.
The time for merging with the deity was limited, and he didn't know how long he could maintain it.
He couldn't waste time; he needed to deal with those two annoying pests outside before the merge ended.
Mu Tong and Mu Nan, unaware of the situation inside, decided to enter the Xuanqing Temple after some discussion.
They just needed to be cautious. With their cultivation and strength, what danger could they encounter in such a remote mountain village?
The Black Cat had to be dealt with; otherwise, it might disrupt their blood refinement again.
They also needed to explore the reality of the Xuanqing Temple.
Moreover, they thought the Black Cat might be bluffing. According to the villagers, the Xuanqing Temple didn't seem unusual.
Prepared, they were about to enter the Xuanqing Temple when they felt something emerging from the darkness before them.
Their hearts skipped a beat, and they instinctively took a step back in unison.
The next moment, a tall figure emerged from the darkness.
Mu Tong and Mu Nan focused their gaze and saw a handsome man in a long robe.
No... not a man!
Mu Tong and Mu Nan's pupils contracted, quickly realizing that the figure was not human!
Not human... then what was it?
With their experience, they couldn't discern Song Xuanqing's true nature.
They stared at Song Xuanqing in shock and uncertainty.
Unexpectedly, the next second, Song Xuanqing attacked without a word.
In the merged state, Song Xuanqing's speed was astonishing. Before Mu Tong and Mu Nan could react, Song Xuanqing was already upon them.
He chose Mu Nan as his first target.
Seeing the enlarged palm before her and Song Xuanqing's eyes filled with killing intent, Mu Nan widened her eyes in terror, instinctively trying to dodge backward.
But Song Xuanqing was too fast.
Despite Mu Nan using all her speed to twist her body and avoid the incoming strike, she was still half a step too late.
Song Xuanqing's palm landed heavily on her head.
Song Xuanqing hadn't learned any martial arts or spells; he only knew simple hand-to-hand combat.
But his speed was too fast, and his attack power too high.
He was no ordinary person.
The seemingly ordinary palm carried immense force, unintentionally drawing upon the world's energy.
With one strike, Mu Nan, unable to dodge, had half her head smashed to pieces.
White and red splattered everywhere.
With one strike, Mu Nan was dead!