I am Guhuoniao, not an umbrella demon, please do not disturb me.

"Let's go." Roche picked up the tattered straw hat from the ground, put it on his head, and started walking westward.

Bai Qingyu said he wanted to walk back to the far west of the state, and he did not refuse. The distance was not far, and it wouldn't take too long. He was only responsible for bringing the person to the destination. No one stipulated when or how he could bring him there.

In silence, Bai Qingyu followed.

At this moment, her thoughts were quite complicated. She realized that she had relied too much on her ability to sense good and bad fortune. Before this, she had subconsciously thought that even if life was so comfortable, it didn't matter, since she could foresee danger in advance and just run away after she sensed it.

Unexpectedly, this skill didn't work this time.

It wasn't until Shuten-dōji's accident that she vaguely sensed something was wrong.

She only realized it belatedly when the enemy had already reached her doorstep.

"Has the Fate Cult always been about absorbing the power of faith for cultivation?"

Without further thought, Bai Qingyu asked.

"Exactly."

"Does the power of faith originate from the people?"

"Yes."

"Why is there what you call a divine phoenix on the totem?"

Bai Qingyu was really curious about this. The so-called Divine Phoenix was actually just the Guhuoniao. So what was the relationship between this Fate Sect and the Guhuoniao?

Without turning his head, Luo Che said, "The Fate Sect was founded by Lord Shenhuang. Lord Shenhuang led the followers of the Fate Sect to overcome natural disasters in cooperation with the people of Xizhou. Therefore, Lord Shenhuang is a totem."

Nodding thoughtfully, Bai Qingyu understood something.

So this cult of destiny was created by the previous Guhuoniao, no wonder it became a totem.

They probably never imagined that the Fate Sect would turn out like this so many years later, transforming from a sect that led the people to overcome natural disasters into a sect that exploited the people and watched them turn into walking corpses.

"Can't you see the lives of the people of Xizhou?"

"visible."

"then you......"

"What does it have to do with me? It's the path they chose themselves. They built their own faith and they kneel down to pray for blessings. To paraphrase the leader, faith creates everything and destroys everything, so a totem is needed to bring about change."

"..."

Bai Qingyu took a deep look at Luo Qie's back, feeling that this guy was not simple at all.

"Brother Shuten, what happened to Mother?" Carrying large and small bags of luggage, Xiao Yao ran up to Shuten.

She's not stupid; if her mother really wanted to leave, why wouldn't she come back to tell her?

While Shuten was lost in thought, he heard Xiaoyao's words and wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say. Bai Qingyu's departure was too sudden. Everyone knew her so well, and they knew that with her personality, no matter what happened, she would come back and tell everyone.

Just then, Zhen Tian quickly stepped forward and patted the little girl's head. "Xiao Yao, actually your mother went to save other children. There is a child like Xiao Yao who is in a very dangerous situation. He has been captured and controlled by a group of bad people. So your mother deliberately infiltrated this group of bad people to find an opportunity to rescue this child."

“She told me this last night. There’s another reason she left without saying goodbye: she wanted to see you grow up. You’re a big boy now, and you can’t rely on your mother anymore. Your mother will come back when you’re truly grown up.”

Xiao Yao's disappointed expression and eyes vanished instantly upon hearing Zhen Tian's words. "Really? Sister Zhen Tian?"

"Of course it's true. You'll see when you wait and see. But when your mother comes back, don't tell her that I told you this."

"Yes, yes, yes, Xiaoyao will never betray Sister Zhentian!"

After Zhen Tian finished speaking, he saw Xiao Yao regain her cheerful demeanor and sighed inwardly.

These words weren't her own thoughts, but rather something Bai Qingyu said to her one night a while ago, half-jokingly.

She said that if she were to disappear one day, it would definitely be to save her cubs.

Zhen turned her head to look at Zhentian, hesitating to speak.

However, Ara stepped forward, said something to Shuten, and then pulled Shuten aside.

Huang is no longer the son of the fishing village god. Bai Qingyu once said that he is starting to resemble Changsheng after obtaining the Demon Sword.

"Shuten, tell me honestly, where is your aunt now?"

Huang's usually calm face showed a rare hint of anxiety and anger.

"She...I..." Shuten's eyes were filled with regret and self-reproach. After thinking for a long time, he finally told Ara the gist of the matter.

After saying that, Huang was furious and grabbed Shuten's collar with both hands, almost punching Shuten in the face.

"So, it's all because of that banshee?"

"Yes, I acted impulsively."

"You, have you considered everyone's feelings? Knowing the opponent is powerful, you still rashly attacked. Do you know what the consequences of your rash attack will be? How could your aunt not know if you were fighting this cultivator!"

Pushing Shuten-dōji back, Ara continued, "Auntie knew she would come to save you. If the other party wasn't intentionally targeting Auntie, what would your fate be?"

"That female demon, do you know her name? Do you know where she came from? Do you know what she used to be? You dare to act so impulsively after meeting her by chance and not even being friends with her?"

Just as Bai Qingyu had guessed, Huang turned and left.

However, Shuten-dōji did not choose to leave as Bai Qingyu had instructed, but instead clenched his fists and said, "Wait."

Huang paused in his steps.

"I know this is my responsibility, and I will handle it. Tonight, I will personally enter the Gates of Hell!"

“You were also adopted by your aunt. If you leave now, what can you do on your own?”

"The Gate of Hell?" Huang turned around, his eyes filled with doubt.

"Yes, you'll find out tonight."

·

In the evening, a heavy rain began to fall.

A sudden rainstorm came, like Tongzhou bidding farewell to Bai Qingyu.

On the official road, Bai Qingyu held an oil-paper umbrella, and her cloth shoes were wrapped with demonic power to avoid getting them dirty.

Her steps were light and elegant, her movements graceful and ethereal. In contrast, Roche, whose gray robes were soaked by the rain and clung to his body without any discomfort, stepped into the mud without even glancing at it.

Bai Qingyu was also a little puzzled. Since this guy already knew she was a Divine Phoenix, he didn't let her transform into her true form and fly back himself. Instead, he kept walking like this. By the time he reached Xizhou, it would probably be another month. A month wasn't a long time, but who could predict what might happen during a journey of walking across the world?

It's like Bai Qingyu was teaching her child to read and write at home in the morning, and then being kidnapped in the afternoon.

No one can see in the front or back; every extra day we go means more uncertainty.

Bai Qingyu was naturally happy with this, hoping to delay as long as possible.

As darkness fell, Bai Qingyu ignored Luo Qie and hid in a dilapidated temple to avoid the rain.

Skillfully using the offering table as firewood, he chopped it into several pieces and lit them. The dim firelight illuminated the small, dilapidated temple. Bai Qingyu sat in front of the campfire, took out food from his storage ring, and simply roasted it over the fire before starting to eat.

Roche stood at the entrance of the dilapidated temple, his soaked gray robe dripping with rainwater. In no time, a small puddle had formed beneath him. He didn't go over to join Bai Qingyu's campfire; instead, he leaned against the threshold and took out a few cold steamed buns from his ring and began to eat them heartily.

Bai Qingyu ignored him, but when she saw him swallow the thirteenth solid, cold steamed bun, which was bigger than her fist, she felt that he had probably gone mad.

At his level, he no longer needs to eat. Even if he does eat, it's just to savor the taste. This is why the stronger a cultivator is, the more discerning their tastes become.

Since we don't need to eat anything, why bother eating those unpalatable foods? Isn't that just making ourselves suffer?

Unlike ordinary monks, who eat to savor the taste, Roche eats merely to experience the feeling of fullness.

·

Wood Mountain Ghost Gate.

Shuten arranged accommodations for Maten and the others in a clean little cave.

We'll just make do for one night, and tomorrow we can get our men to finish building the house.

Meanwhile, Shuten-dōji, Ara, and Ibaraki-dōji, the three demons, stood in front of the Gate of Hell, seemingly oblivious to the incessant rain, waiting for the Gate of Hell to slowly open.

"Shuten, this is very dangerous. No demon knows what's behind this door, and there's no guarantee we'll be able to come out alive!" Ibaraki warned again, repeating similar words five times already.

In the past, they always cultivated in front of the Gate of Hell. Even though the Gate of Hell was half open, no one dared to enter, and no one ever even considered it.

Today, Shuten-dōji is actually going to try to enter the back of the Gate of Hell.

“There is no other choice.” Shuten took a step forward, and gray power immediately enveloped him. With each step forward, Shuten’s aura grew stronger, and his figure swelled until he stood directly in front of the Gate of Hell.

In his Demon King form, Shuten-dōji slammed his hands onto the two half-open gates of the Demon Gate. He unleashed all his strength, and the two stone gates, engraved with mysterious scriptures, were actually pushed open by Shuten-dōji, slowly opening to both sides.

The gray demonic power suddenly expanded, forcing Huang to retreat more than a hundred meters.

Under the influence of this gray power, all the rainwater within the gray area was swallowed up. Shuten pushed open the gate of hell, stopping only when the gap was just big enough for him to pass through. Of course, it was also because he couldn't push it any further; the further back the gate went, the harder it became to push.

Behind the Gate of Hell was a gray, chaotic expanse.

Just as Ibaraki said, no one knows what's behind the door, or whether they can come out once they go in.

The risks of the Ghost Gate are undoubtedly great, but the benefits are equally enormous.

That is to become stronger to the greatest extent in the shortest amount of time.

It is said that Shuten-dōji acts without considering the consequences, and tonight, he will take this personality trait to the extreme.

He resolutely walked into the Gate of Hell, his body still enveloped by that gray power.

Shuten-dōji had no time to think about what lay beyond the Gate of Hell. As soon as he entered, he was lifted up by a force and floated in mid-air. His feet couldn't touch the ground, and his body felt nothing but being enveloped.

What's worse, these gray forces are omnipresent, surging into his body through every pore.

This is dangerous. If he were weaker, he might be directly blown apart by these forces.

Lost and confused, unable to find a way out, surrounded by chaos.

Shuten-dōji remained calm; panicking wouldn't help. Outside the Gate of Hell, Ibaraki-dōji gritted his teeth and stepped into it as well. This act saved Shuten-dōji's life; with Ibaraki-dōji's help in absorbing the power, Shuten-dōji wouldn't be blown away.

Time passed second by second, but the Ghost Gate did not last long.

In Huang's view, only two and a half hours had passed when two figures were suddenly thrown out of the Ghost Gate. The Ghost Gate, which had been pushed open, slowly closed and sank into the ground.

With the influence of the gray power gone, Ara hurried over to check on Shuten-dōji's condition.

The two brothers were covered in mysterious black patterns, and their aura was terrifying.

Shuten-dōji succeeded in his bet.

Having risked his life to enter the Gate of Hell, his power increased considerably.

This was only one night. If this continued for a year, Ara couldn't imagine how terrifying Shuten-dōji's power would become.