Atlas of Heaven and Man

In the mountains, Chen Chuan held a machete in his hand, with the Snow Sovereign Saber and a bulging bag on his back, climbing the mountain alone.

It was almost July, and the mountains were full of poisonous snakes, insects, and ants. However, he had made ample preparations, bringing a lot of insect repellent and applying ointment. He also wore a scratch-resistant jacket, providing full-body protection.

Even if a second 'me' has to endure harm, I should still do as much protection as possible myself. After all, the second 'me' needs to be used in the most suitable and critical situations.

The paths in the mountains had not been traveled for many years and were no longer discernible.

Fortunately, after walking for half an hour, he discovered some dilapidated mountain paths paved with stone steps. Judging by their style, they were left over from the old era, likely from the same era as the mountain god temple. This made the search easier. On the way, he used the machete to cut through thorns and bushes, opening up a path, which would also make it easier for him to descend from the mountain later.

The mountain was not high, only five or six hundred meters, but some places had relatively steep slopes. However, this was no obstacle for him. After finding the path, he climbed up in one breath, without even changing his breathing.

Although it was June or July, the mountain forest was very shady. At this moment, upon reaching the summit, the temperature dropped abnormally, making him feel like he had returned to winter.

However, he did not feel cold; on the contrary, he felt very comfortable.

At this moment, he finally saw the mountain god temple. In front of the temple were two stone lantern bases with bulging eyes and pointed cheeks, their edges worn away by wind and rain, barely recognizable as their original ferocious appearance.

In front of the mountain god temple was a mountain gate. The walls on both sides had already collapsed, leaving only half of the front wall, covered with various grasses and vines amidst scattered rubble.

Passing through the mountain gate, a clearing appeared in front, along with a winding mountain path leading upwards. From here, he could already see the eaves of the temple above.

Because according to the previous information, the range of this 'Weird Tale' had expanded to several nearby mountains. To see it in the temple, a sacrifice would be needed.

He put down the bag behind him, first taking out a bamboo basket containing a pre-prepared, unconscious large white goose, and then successively taking out an incense burner, a thick cushion, and a can of old tea.

Some of these things came from Cheng Zitong, and some were collected by Ren Shu from various people based on the descriptions in the files.

To solve this 'Weird Tale,' he had put in a lot of effort. No 'Weird Tale' before had such thorough preparations.

He first took some tea leaves from the old tea can, poured them into a transparent glass he had brought, and then brewed them with water from a thermos. However, he did not drink it but placed it aside.

Then, he lit the incense burner. After the fragrance filled the hall, he picked up the bamboo basket, came to the altar, and directly killed the large white goose, offering it on the altar.

Afterward, he walked back, placed the saber across his lap, and sat there cross-legged.

Based on the previous situation, this type of 'Weird Tale' required sacrifices and repeatedly demanded them, indicating that its activity was related to the sacrifices. This was very similar to the Flying Head monster, so it was highly likely that the same method could be used to weaken and eliminate it.

However, this was just a hypothesis. The situation of this 'Weird Tale' was somewhat complicated, making it difficult to investigate clearly beforehand. It was still uncertain what it actually was. Therefore, this time, his plan was that if he could handle it himself, he would handle it. If he couldn't, he would retreat first and then find a solution with Cheng Zitong, rather than forcing himself.

He waited there slowly, but there was no movement around him. He did not waste time, guiding his own breathing and silently guiding the growth of the mutated tissue, occasionally adding new incense to the incense burner.

The sky outside gradually darkened. Seeing this, he lit several torches and stuck them around, then returned to his original position and sat down.

After a long time, he seemed to hear some kind of chewing sound in his ear. His heart stirred, and he looked up, only to see that the large white goose on the altar was gone.

The sound was not coming from the front, but from behind.

His eyes flickered slightly. He exerted slight force with his legs, keeping his upper body still, and slowly stood up from the spot, turning around. Just as he turned around, the chewing sound disappeared, and it seemed like a dark mass had appeared outside the temple door.

He picked up a flashlight from his side, picked up the Snow Sovereign Saber, and walked outside. Reaching the door, he shone the light and saw that a hunched statue had appeared there at some point, but it was facing away from him.

However, rather than calling it a god statue, it would be more appropriate to call it a ghost statue. The statue's hands almost reached the ground, its upper body was large, and its lower body was thin and long, its posture seeming to be squatting there.

He slowly walked around to the front, and when he saw it clearly, his expression froze.

He suddenly discovered that this was actually a headless mountain ghost statue!

Thoughts raced through his mind. He did not know about this situation beforehand, which meant that the previously conceived method of solving the 'Weird Tale' was completely mismatched and might all have to be overturned and restarted.

Because usually, when facing a fragmented ghost story that was once complete, the correct approach is to find the missing part.

In that case, the Mountain Spirit isn't after offerings at all, but is simply trying to find its lost head! Otherwise, there's no way to solve it.

This isn't something that can be found hastily, so he immediately decided to retreat from here. He didn't even take anything from the temple, and retreated without hesitation.

But after only taking a few steps back, there was movement behind him, and at the same time, his Second Self showed signs of liquefaction like waves, and his footsteps faltered slightly.

Looking up, he saw that the Mountain Spirit statue was actually moving, and paint and mud were falling from it with rustling sounds.

After a moment's thought, he stood still.

Because while it would be easy for him to leave, if the Mountain Spirit wasn't satisfied with this offering, it would definitely go to the nearby villagers. Although the villagers have experience in dealing with it, he couldn't just let it go; that's not how things are done.

He looked at the Mountain Spirit statue, and gripped the Snow Sovereign Blade in his hand. Since he couldn't leave for the time being, he wouldn't leave.

The Mountain Spirit statue was now standing upright, about two meters to almost three meters tall. Facing Chen Chuan, it jumped straight towards him.

Chen Chuan moved his feet, and dodged to the side. The statue slammed onto the ground with a thud, and a large pile of dust fell from its body, and smoke filled the surroundings.

However, after missing the first strike, it paused for a moment, and then immediately came for the second, third…

Chen Chuan kept dodging. At this moment, he was certain that the Mountain Spirit statue wasn't too exaggerated in terms of speed, and he could easily deal with it.

But this was only because it was him standing here, because the invasion of ghost stories is mainly not in this kind of direct attack, but in that kind of invisible invasion.

At this moment, it could be seen that his Second Self was showing very strong signs of liquefaction, and the alienated tissue in his body was also subjected to extremely strong stimulation. This was no less than fighting the Flying Head in the later stage, and he had to dodge while using the short gaps to guide it with breathing.

However, in the process of dodging, he found that the invasion of the Second Self was gradually intensifying, and the process of improvement was very fast. He originally wanted to hold on until dawn in one breath, because this ghost story generally doesn't come out during the day, but if this continues, he probably won't be able to reach that time until the Second Self disappears.

In that case, he had to find a solution.

After dodging again, he retreated into the temple. As he entered, he reached the place shrouded in incense, and the liquefaction on his body also weakened slightly.

He then picked up a machete, waited for a moment, and saw the statue jumping down from above. He flashed to the side, raised the knife and knocked on the statue, and a large piece of it shattered immediately.

But the liquefaction on his body suddenly intensified, and the broken place disappeared after a few breaths, as if the blow just now had not been suffered at all.

Seeing this, he judged that as long as he came into contact with it, it would definitely intensify the invasion, even if it was contact through something, and it couldn't be broken or delayed by violence.

He was also wondering in his heart, where is this thing's head?

He suspected that it might be the work of the Flying Head Cult, because in the past, the Flying Head Cult knocked off the heads of the statues of gods enshrined in various places. If so, then it has already been destroyed, and there is no way to get it back, which has become a dead end.

But at this moment, he suddenly thought of a detail. The Legend of the Three Mountains says that this Mountain Spirit "eats with its belly, chewing it like candy."

That's right, eats with its belly!

He suddenly thought of a possibility, and suddenly looked at the abdomen of the statue. Could it be what he thought?

He quickly turned his thoughts around and decided to take a risk.

After dodging another attack, he picked up the thermos cup, drank all the water inside in one breath, and then he took a deep breath, and the alienated tissue in his body was mobilized.

At the same time, he picked up the cup of tea. At this moment, there were no tea leaves in it, but wriggling black worms. He waited for the statue to jump up again and fall to the ground, and then splashed it on it, all sprinkled on the Mountain Spirit statue.

As soon as those worms came into contact with it, they burrowed into the statue's body, corroding small holes on the surface of the body, and the Mountain Spirit's movements slowed down as a result.

At this moment, Chen Chuan took advantage of this moment, stepped on the ground with both feet, and rushed forward suddenly. One hand was inserted directly into the abdomen of the statue, and it felt like breaking through a layer of tough cowhide.

And with this contact, the liquefaction on his Second Self suddenly deepened, becoming unstable, as if it was about to disperse.

But he was unmoved, reached in and groped for a while, and suddenly grabbed something. His eyes narrowed, and he yanked hard, taking out a blue-faced, fanged head from inside. It was not a statue, but a pure, shriveled head!

"It really is here!"

This head was not taken away by someone, but was in the belly of this Mountain Spirit!

At this time, he no longer hesitated. Seeing that the statue was about to resume action, he placed the head on the severed neck and pressed it hard. The statue suddenly trembled and struggled for a while, and finally calmed down.

Chen Chuan saw that a trace of blood seeped out from the broken place of the statue's neck, and then slowly flowed down. After a while, he heard a cracking sound in his ear. Cracks appeared all over the statue's body, and it began to shatter into pieces, and finally turned into countless gray soil, all scattered on the ground.

……

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