How did I, who just ascended to heaven, become an evil spirit?

"No matter what, it's good that you're alive."

Li Hu sighed, "Back then, when we were dealing with that red-haired Taoist, it was my fault for not protecting you properly."

"Enough of that, Tiger. Being a demon is really not fun. I also want to actively explore the path of returning to the void."

Hearing Li Hu's self-reproachful tone, Wu Chang waved his hand and comforted him.

"Tiger Lord, I have important matters to report to you." Wu Chang's expression hardened, and he suddenly clasped his hands in greeting.

"Quickly, what is it?" Li Hu asked.

"These past few days I've been wandering around Blackwater Mountain and have met some local mountain spirits and monsters. From them, I've heard some rather strange things."

"They said that Blackwater Mountain did not exist until half a month ago. At that time, this place was just a depression. But just half a month ago, in just one night, the mountain and the Water Curtain Cave suddenly rose from the ground and appeared out of nowhere."

"Appeared suddenly?" Li Hu was initially confused.

But if you count the time, it was probably around half a month ago, around the time when they had just left the amputation site.

"good."

Wu Chang frowned and said, "I've calculated the dates. It was exactly half a month ago, the day we were attacked at the Limb Breaker Hill and were preparing to seek refuge here."

"In other words, there was never a Blackwater Mountain here!"

"But Blackwater Mountain only appeared because we were coming here!"

The word "impermanence" sent a chill down Li Hu's spine, and the thought of it filled him with dread.

But the matter was too strange, the amount of information too great, and it was too unbelievable for Li Hu to accept the theory immediately.

"Is that really the case?" Li Hu asked hurriedly.

"This is indeed true. I have asked more than one evil spirit in the area, and their opinions corroborate each other."

Wuchang paused for a moment and then continued,

"But yesterday, I encountered an even older evil spirit, an old catfish that has lived for five hundred years in this deep pool. He told me that Blackwater Mountain did indeed exist one hundred and fifty-two years ago."

"At that time, there was a three-foot-tall white ape in the mountains. It was quite intelligent and practiced the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, intending to ascend to heaven."

"He was quite diligent in his cultivation, and in just a few decades he had one foot in the Jade Capital. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Dao is merciless; if apes want to ascend, they must suffer a heavenly tribulation."

"About 152 years ago, a bolt of lightning struck down, killing the white ape along with Blackwater Mountain. The area within a hundred miles was completely destroyed. It was the old catfish that told me these things that was hiding at the bottom of the water at the time, escaping this calamity. But it had nowhere to run, so it learned all this."

"This Blackwater Mountain used to be a place where apes lived. After the calamity, only a small, thin monkey escaped, and that was Yuan Sou."

"He just returned here yesterday, and that old catfish recognized him on the spot!"

"Over the past hundred years, life here has gradually recovered, and a depression has slowly formed."

"Just half a month ago, on the night of February 28th, there was a sudden, slight earthquake here. Blackwater Mountain and that waterfall suddenly reappeared from underground, as if we had returned to a hundred years ago. All the evil spirits around were terrified."

"However, according to that old catfish, the Blackwater Mountain of today is not quite the same as the Blackwater Mountain of 152 years ago. They are only similar in appearance and cannot be completely identical."

"The mountain has returned after I left, this matter is extremely strange. I have been busy collecting evidence these past few days, which is why it has taken so long to come and reunite with Tiger Lord."

As Wuchang spoke at length, Li Hu's brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

One hundred and fifty-two years ago, which is when Yuan Sou often talked about bidding farewell to the divination monkey from Blackwater Mountain and going out to make his way in the world.

He also said that the divination ape ascended to immortality twenty years ago, and now the divination immortal has transformed into a demon, still remaining in the cave.

Now it all seems like a lie.

According to the theory of impermanence, the divination monkey probably died a hundred years ago, and the mountain has long since collapsed.

But why did this mountain suddenly appear again? This matter is quite strange. It seems that what Yuan Sou was hiding was far beyond Li Hu's imagination.

"You can't just say things like that, Wuchang. Where did you hear that from?" Li Hu asked again, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

"Young master, there is no need to doubt. I witnessed this with my own eyes..."

Before Wuchang could answer, a slight undercurrent suddenly rippled on the surface of the deep pool, and a huge catfish slowly emerged from the water.

This catfish was entirely black and probably tens of meters long. Li Hu had never seen such a massive creature before.

"If you don't believe me, young master, we can all be your witnesses." The old catfish spoke slightly, and suddenly many mountain spirits and monsters appeared on the hilltops and in the woods around Li Hu.

All sorts of animals, reptiles, or even slimy, lumpy creatures gather here.

They were all local spirits who had lived here for many years. Li Hu asked them questions one by one and found that their answers were consistent, all confirming what Wuchang had just said.

Li Hu felt a chill run down his spine. If this was true, he would have to find Yuan Sou and get to the bottom of it.

"You've all worked hard. Let me go find that old man Yuan and get some answers," Li Hu said, bowing to those around him.

"Tiger Master, wait a minute," Wuchang suddenly said with some worry.

"Old Master Yuan's health hasn't been very good lately, and he probably has some unspeakable difficulties."

"Normally you can't enter the sinkhole in the cave, but I can peek through the water. Recently, Old Yuan has been catching up with that divination monkey, acting like a loving father and filial son."

"The ape was healthy, but Old Yuan coughed all day long. I noticed it when we came out of the limb-severing hill. His health was getting worse and worse. When I found out, he stopped me from telling anyone."

"But recently he has been coughing up a lot of blood every day. It seems that he is about to die. Tiger, please don't push him too hard."

"Okay, thank you."

Li Hu clasped his hands in a fist salute, looked around, then tucked the Three Corpses True Understanding into his arms and headed straight for the cave, intending to find Yuan Sou and get some answers.

Before long, Li Hu had reached the bottom of the sinkhole.

"Grandpa, this is top-grade bird's nest from Qingzhou, it's very nourishing!" Old Yuan said with a smile, holding a bowl of well-cooked bird's nest. He carefully blew on it and fed it to the divination monkey little by little with a spoon.

"Be careful, it's freshly cooked, it's very hot."

He saw Li Hu entering from afar, a flash of panic crossed his face, and he quickly put down his bowl and spoon, saying...

"Tiger Lord, what brings you here?"

He wiped his hands on his clothes, took two steps forward, and said apologetically, "Master Tiger, if you had something to say, you could have just sent me to inform Grandpa. Why did you have to come in yourself?"

Li Hu ignored his rambling and slowly walked up to the divination monkey, then turned to Yuan Sou and asked:

"Old Yuan, I remember you told us a few days ago that the old man who performed the divination was a divination immortal in disguise."

"Yes, yes, my grandpa is incredibly powerful!"

Yuan Sou couldn't help but smile. Among evil spirits, those who transformed from immortals often held a top-tier position, after all, they were all highly accomplished cultivators.

"But... immortals don't need to eat when they transform into spirits. Haven't you brought too much food into the cave these past few days?" Li Hu asked again.

Upon hearing this, Old Man Yuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly put on a smile and said:

"My grandfather is in poor health and has suffered in the cave all these years. It's only right that he gets some extra food."

"It seems you haven't understood what I mean yet."

Li Hu, expressionless, suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Yuan Sou by the chin, lifted him up, and with his other hand controlled Yuan Sou's right palm, pulling him close to his eyes for a closer look.

"Then what's with all this black blood on your palm?"

Old Yuan instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but unfortunately, he was no match for Li Hu's strength.

Seeing that his face was growing paler and paler, and fearing he was about to faint, Li Hu remembered Wuchang's instructions and put Yuan Sou down, saying:

"Old Yuan, whether you led the way or flattered us along the way, you have been diligent and conscientious. If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to tell us, and we will help you in any way we can."

"But you have lied to us about many things. If you don't explain yourself, you'll never leave this cave in your lifetime."

After being released, Old Man Yuan slumped in the pool, his face turning pale and then flushed. Seeing that his lie had been exposed, he became much more relaxed and weak.

He was about to explain when the fortune teller beside him suddenly frowned and interjected:

"Yes, if I were a divination immortal transforming into a demon, why would I need to eat? Why wouldn't I have the memory of ascension?"

"If I weren't a divination master transformed into a demon, how could I still be alive? My monkey descendants are all old and nearing death, what right do I have to be still alive?"

Suddenly, the divination ape's eyes turned bloodshot, its expression changed, and it stared at Li Hu with a resentful gaze, roaring,

"Please tell me, what am I?! What am I?!"

Seeing this, Yuan Sou realized what was happening, cried out in alarm, rushed to Li Hu's side, grabbed his hand, and shouted, "Tiger, hurry up and run! Grandpa's going to go crazy again!"

As if fulfilling Yuan Sou's words, the divination monkey's eyes turned red, and it slapped the ground with its hand.

"The earth's nature is receptive; a virtuous person, in accordance with this, carries the world with great virtue!"

His voice was like a booming bell, and suddenly the ground seemed to surge like ocean waves, with the divination monkey at the center, and a wave of earth suddenly appeared, throwing Li Hu and Yuan Sou away.

Seeing this, Li Hu abandoned his initial politeness and quickly drew his sword to fight.

He channeled his energy throughout his body, leaped up, and thrust his longsword straight at the divination ape's brow.

"The mountain of Gen (艮) signifies humility; a virtuous person uses this to reduce excess and increase deficiency!"

The divination ape clasped his hands together, recited the phrase, and then closed his eyes. Li Hu's longsword struck, but it seemed to have struck something metallic, failing to penetrate even a fraction of the way.

"Tiger Lord, Tiger Lord, please stop hitting him, Tiger Lord!"

Ignoring the danger, Yuan Sou rushed behind Li Hu, grabbed his sleeve, and said...

"Quick, Tiger, let's get out of here first. I'll explain everything to you outside!"

"Grandpa Gua cannot leave this sinkhole; his roots are here. As long as we run away, nothing will happen."

Seeing this, Li Hu quickly retreated, glared at Yuan Sou, then grabbed him by the neck and pulled him far away.

The two retreated back into the winding mountain cave, and as expected, the divination ape did not pursue them this time.

However, at this moment, Old Yuan suddenly started coughing violently. He no longer tried to cover his mouth, but just coughed hard, and large pools of bright red blood were coughed up onto the ground, which was particularly eye-catching.

Old Yuan slumped to the ground and rested for a long time, during which time Li Hu stood in front of him, staring coldly.

"Will you explain it yourself, or should I explain it for you?" Li Hu asked.

"Tiger, I have indeed concealed many things along the way. You are exceptionally intelligent, and I thank you for only exposing me now. I will tell you myself."

Old Yuan leaned against the stone wall, legs spread wide, completely disregarding his appearance, and continued speaking.

"I'm not actually some kind of ape cultivator. You probably already know something, so I'll keep it short."

"Let's start from 152 years ago," Li Hu suddenly interjected.

Old Yuan was slightly stunned, not expecting Li Hu to be able to pinpoint the exact time. After a long while, he suddenly realized and said...

"Back then, I was just a little monkey who had just developed intelligence, living with my grandfather in the Blackwater Mountains."

"Grandpa was a very talented spirit. He imitated human cultivators, studied Taoist magic, and dreamed of ascending to immortality one day. Unfortunately, Bai Yujing did not allow it and sent down a bolt of heavenly lightning, which destroyed this Blackwater Mountain, the place where we had lived for hundreds of years."

"All 863 white apes on the mountain, including me, were completely wiped out. Only I escaped."

As Yuan recalled the events, fear still flickered in his eyes.

"I was terrified at the time. I had only recently gained consciousness and didn't know how to survive outside of Blackwater Mountain."

"So I wandered around in remote and desolate places. I was completely lost and didn't know where to go. I would pick up some fruit that other animals didn't want to eat and lived in a daze for eight years."

"By chance, while hiding from a group of wolf demons chasing me in an ancient site, I unexpectedly obtained a cultivation manual."

"The book is called 'False Words and Lies,' and those who practice this method are called 'Kanxiu.'"

"Although it is just a heretical cultivation method, the abilities of the 'Kanxiu' are diverse. They like to boast, but as long as the lies they tell are believed, then the lies will become the truth. How exactly they change depends on what the deceived person thinks."

"When I got this manual, I was overjoyed. I thought that as long as I told a few lies and bragged a bit, one day I could restore Blackwater Mountain to its original state and return to the carefree days when I spent my days happily with my grandfather."

"So I had to practice my ability to lie and boast. After wandering for several years, I finally arrived at the Broken Limb Hill and established a stronghold with Commander Qi. I was one of the earliest heroes."

"What the commander doesn't know is that all those evil spirits at the Limb Severance Hill were just fabrications I made using this technique. All 108 were illusions; there were probably only six or seven truly original evil spirits."

"I've been telling stories and exaggerating inside for many years. Some of what I said was believed by people and became the truth. Others were not believed by them and could not be realized. I am also trying to find the limits of this skill, while waiting for the moment when everyone's defenses are broken and they are easily convinced by lies."

"Finally, on the day when the sword energy destroyed the Limb-Severing Hill, I knew the time had come, and I started to trick you into going to Blackwater Mountain."

"We encountered dangers many times along the way. I used my healing abilities to say auspicious words and try my best to protect everyone, but I don't know how effective it was."

"I will try my best to depict the original appearance of Blackwater Mountain in your minds, but you have never seen the original Blackwater Mountain. When we arrive, the mountain will appear, but it will be completely different from before."

"Grandpa Gua is different too. He doesn't remember anything. He's like an empty shell."

At this point, Old Yuan broke down in tears, sobbing uncontrollably.

"However, one can indeed see your skill in this."

"The waterfall hanging in this cave is extraordinary. It must be due to your idea, Tiger Lord. Only someone like you, who achieved fame at a young age and has a bold and generous heart, could have such a broad mind."

"Stop flattering me, continue," Li Hu said, frowning.

"I'm not flattering you, I genuinely envy you. If my grandfather had been a person like you, he wouldn't have had to endure all those hardships later on..."

Old Yuan's face was filled with injustice. He paused for a moment, then continued...

"The old fortune teller had no fighting skills, was only three feet tall, and was weak. But now, the old fortune teller is old but has extraordinary abilities and superb skills, and is more than ten feet tall."

"This must be something Commander Qi imagined. He always pursues power, and when he hears the unfathomable image I've created, he'll definitely imagine it in terms of combat strength."

"At the same time, the old man is proficient in the divination of the Book of Changes and Taoist techniques. This should be the idea of ​​Yan Yang, this young man from the Xuanmen sect. As for the winding and twisting cave, like a hole dug by a weasel, that is probably the idea of ​​Chi Yue, this Huang Xiu. The Central Plains are mostly plains, so her idea about caves is probably limited to this."

"So, you mean that the current Blackwater Mountain is a mixture of everyone's ideas?" Li Hu exclaimed in astonishment.