The night was heavy. At the village entrance, beneath a tall banyan tree, stood the Xuanqing Temple, encircled by overgrown weeds.
The incense sticks from the afternoon's offerings, not yet fully burned, cast a faint, flickering glow and sent up wisps of curling smoke.
In the oppressive darkness of the night, this sight seemed exceptionally divine.
Especially after the black cat walked straight into the Xuanqing Temple, the villagers gazed at the small shrine and felt as if it was radiating a divine light!
"This... This is Xuanqing Gong manifesting his power!"
It was unknown which villager was the first to shout this.
The atmosphere was instantly ignited.
Song Mugen and his son, still shocked by the cat entering the temple, were struck by a sudden realization upon hearing those words.
Song Ming, in particular, had a look of dawning comprehension on his face!
"I knew it! I was wondering how we could be so lucky. We met a cat demon that not only chased away a wolf pack for us but also led us out of Wolf Head Mountain and back to the village! Who's ever heard of a demon helping people? And yet, it happened to Father and me!"
"This must be Xuanqing Gong manifesting his power! He must have sent Lord Black Cat into Wolf Head Mountain to save us!"
Song Xiuxiu, who was supporting Madame Song, widened her eyes in disbelief.
"Father and Brother weren't here today, so I was the one who went to offer incense to Xuanqing Gong. While I was there, I prayed for their safe return, and then..."
And then, that very evening, Song Mugen and his son had returned safely, miraculously rescued by a cat demon.
Upon its return, the cat demon had gone straight into the Xuanqing Temple.
If this wasn't Xuanqing Gong manifesting his power, what was?
After their initial shock, the villagers were utterly convinced, and they all started chanting.
"Xuanqing Gong has manifested!"
"Xuanqing Gong has manifested!"
"Blessings from Xuanqing Gong!"
As they shouted, the villagers knelt down on the spot and began to kowtow in the direction of the Xuanqing Temple.
The Song family's kowtows were especially sincere.
The other villagers were mostly filled with shock and awe at the fact that Xuanqing Gong had manifested his power.
But for the Song family, beyond the shock and awe, there was immense gratitude.
If Song Xuanqing hadn't sent the black cat to lead them out of Wolf Head Mountain, the father and son would have truly died there.
And if the two men of the house had died in the mountains, leaving only Song Xiuxiu and Madame Song, it would have been incredibly difficult for the two of them to survive in this era.
*
Although Song Xuanqing was inside the shrine, he saw everything happening outside.
He didn't make any grand gestures, however, like making the temple suddenly erupt in golden light or any other flashy displays.
There was no need. The current situation was sufficient. Anything more would be overdoing it.
As a deity, Song Xuanqing felt he should maintain a certain distance and mystique, except when absolutely necessary.
Before becoming a god, he had been human, so he understood human nature all too well.
Song Xuanqing's gaze fell upon the black cat.
It squatted obediently on the ground and began to embellish the story of how it had driven off the wolf pack and led Song Mugen and his son back.
"Meow, meow, meow!" *My Lord God, you have no idea how dangerous it was! That wolf almost bit off this little demon's tail, but I remembered your orders and dared not retreat...*
"Meow, meow, meow!" *In the end, this little demon's paws were worn raw and bleeding. It took everything I had to bring those two villagers back!*
After all that, the message could be translated into two words:
More pay!
Song Xuanqing laughed inwardly, watching the black cat chatter on.
He understood the cat's behavior. It just wanted a bigger reward.
But he remained silent and did not reveal himself, simply watching the cat's impassioned performance.
The black cat couldn't see Song Xuanqing, but it could see his statue.
It knew Song Xuanqing could hear it.
After a long, embellished speech, the black cat saw no reaction from the statue, nor any sign that the god would appear.
Its heart suddenly skipped a beat.
*This... This god isn't going to go back on his word, is he?*
*No way. Humans trick demons, demons trick other demons, and now even gods are tricking demons?*
*Fine, I won't ask for extra! My Lord God, just give me some kind of response!*
*He's not really going to renege, is he?*
*What do I do if he does?*
*I can't beat this god, either!*
The black cat grew anxious, lifting a paw to scratch its ear. "Meow~"
*Honorable Lord God, are you there?*
"Heh~"
This time, the response was not silence.
It was a clear, light chuckle.
The black cat's round eyes instantly lit up.
Just as it was about to speak again, a familiar, fragrant scent wafted to its nose.
It was the smell of incense, imbued with a divine rhythm.
It was a bit richer than the wisp it had smelled before.
A familiar coolness flooded its mind as a warm current coursed through its body.
The black cat reacted instantly, greedily inhaling the incense.
Its mind grew clearer, and it felt an impulse to run wild through the mountain forests.
But the black cat still remembered Song Xuanqing and meowed its thanks.
"Honorable Lord God, if you ever have need of this little demon in the future, just give the word! For now, I will not disturb your peace. I shall visit again another day!"
With that, the black cat shot out of the Xuanqing Temple, so fast it became a blur as it dashed into the mountain forest.
Song Xuanqing paid the black cat no mind, his gaze falling on the system panel.
The Incense Value had decreased by 1.2.
In the end, Song Xuanqing had given the black cat an extra 0.2 Incense Value.
But that wasn't important. What was important was that the novice task was complete!
The system could finally be fully unlocked for him!
【Novice Task: Though you are but a rural Wild God, as a deity worshipped by the people, you should do something for your believers to increase their faith in you.
Progress: 1/1 (Completed)
Completion Reward: Novice Gift Pack (Pending Claim)
System integrating and unlocking: 1%... 15%... 40%...】
Song Xuanqing's gaze first fell on the Novice Gift Pack, and he chose to claim it.
The next moment, three wisps of smoke appeared from the void, swirling before Song Xuanqing and coalescing into three orbs of light.
Two were white, one was pale yellow, and all of them emitted a soft, gentle glow.
Curious, Song Xuanqing reached out. The moment he touched them, information flooded his mind.
【Divine Power Mastered: Divine Might, Divine Power: Enter Dream, Divine Power: Merge with Deity】
【Divine Might: The deity emits their own aura of power, causing believers to be captivated and enemies to be terrified! (Note: The strength of Divine Might is determined by cultivation level, godhood, and worldly recognition.)】
【Enter Dream: Follow me into the dream. Allows entry into the dreams of living beings. (Note: Cannot enter the dreams of beings with a higher cultivation level than oneself, as it is easy to suffer a backlash.)】
【Merge with Deity: The deity can descend into their own statue. During this period, the statue and the deity become one, and combat power is enhanced. (Note: The degree of enhancement and the duration of the merge are determined by the deity's own cultivation level.)】
Three Divine Powers!
Song Xuanqing instantly learned all three Divine Powers!
Divine Might and Enter Dream were easy to understand, but Merge with Deity was less clear to him.
The description for the Divine Power: Merge with Deity wasn't very detailed. Song Xuanqing only knew that it was a combat method that allowed him to merge with his statue.
But how strong would his combat power be? And what would his state be after becoming one with the statue?
Song Xuanqing wasn't quite sure.
He would have to find time to test it himself.
But there was no rush.
Because the system was finally, fully unlocked!
【System integration complete. Now fully unlocked!】
Proofreader: Peter Pan