Otherworldly Desert Dust

Wu Hen was also taken aback.

But on second thought, the affairs of the Scroll Realm were always strange. Otherwise, why would he have felt, upon seeing Bai Ze's statue, that it was alive?

"How did you end up here?" Wu Hen asked.

"I, the immortal, have been waiting for you here a long time. You didn't offer my favorite Offering Fruits, and on top of that, you inquire so heartlessly and coldly!" Bai Ze said angrily.

"The main issue is that this dilapidated Rain Temple doesn't quite match your divine and noble temperament," Wu Hen replied.

"Of course, the Divine Officer had deduced the cause and effect and knew that you would eventually appear here!"

"So it really was mailed over, huh? And right on the path ahead of me, too. Impressive—worthy of the Scroll Realm's True God." Wu Hen couldn't help marveling at the wonders of this world.

"That's how the Divine Officer operates," said Bai Ze.

"But not many people in the world worship you guys anymore. The incense here is a bit shabby; I suspect in a few years, some merchant will take over this Rain Temple to sell maps," Wu Hen commented.

"What do you know!" Bai Ze was a bit annoyed and blushed with anger, then raised her proud chin as the snow-white tassels of his whiskers slipped down. "The true immortals have long transcended the secular world. They do not compete with Mortal Spirits for the essence of heaven and earth, do not interfere with the karmic opportunities of mortals, and certainly do not force mortals to worship them... Not disturbing them is the last bit of tenderness we immortals leave to mankind!"

That did sound somewhat reasonable.

Those truly transcendent beings no longer needed any recognition, offerings, or worship from the mortal world.

They were aloof from all things and did as they pleased, fully aware that every single word and action of theirs could have a tremendous impact on this mortal world. Therefore, they stayed as far away as possible, maintaining an elusive state...

And this distance, this elusiveness, meant that over time, there would be fewer and fewer Divine Miracles about them in the human world.

With fewer traces of the gods, belief naturally dwindled, and the vast majority of people would choose to believe in the New Gods who could still impact their lives—they were, after all, still amidst this mortal coil...

Take, for example, the Totem Sacred Sect.

"I get it; you're higher-dimensional gods who have stopped playing in this circle," Wu Hen said.

Bai Ze was very pleased with Wu Hen's somewhat flattering words.

"What were you looking for on the roof beam just now?" Bai Ze asked curiously.

"The Tianxuan Holy Decision, the most powerful tome in the Holy Sect's system. Once mastered, no one in the Four Seas and Eight Desolates can stand against me!" Wu Hen declared.

"That does sound impressive. Now that you're here, I can finally stop pretending to be the Rain God. The bits and pieces the commoners offer have left me starving!" said the Divine Beast Bai Ze.

Wu Hen was momentarily at a loss for words.

Could it be that Bai Ze had been squatting here, playing the role of the White Lion in the temple these past years?

Even beggars knew to seek out busier streets. Here in this sparsely populated and poor area, what substantial tribute could Bai Ze possibly expect?

"Let's go. Take this immortal to taste some immortal fruits and exquisite nectars," the Divine Beast Bai Ze suggested.

"So you mean to just swing your big White Lion hips and follow me out? Walking on the streets, if people see me taking away the Rain God they've worshipped for years, won't they break my legs?" Wu Hen said irritably.

"I am an immortal. You just find a gourd, I'll dive into it, and then with a simple spell, creating a life-like stone image of me is as easy as sneezing," Bai Ze proposed.

"Oh, oh, you're adept in spells; I'd forgotten. By the way, how strong are you in battle? I've run into some trouble recently, and I'd rather not have Little Dragon handle it. If I offend some big shots from the Holy Sect, can you handle them?" Wu Hen inquired.

"You want the horse to run without letting it graze?" Bai Ze said in frustration.

"We tackle challenges as big as our abilities allow. If your capabilities are substantial..." Wu Hen hinted.

"You need to gather all of my Divine Miracles for me to reach greater strength. In the Cang Chu Divine Realm, I have another Fairy Temple; if you collect and offer tributes there, I might be as mindless as you," Bai Ze replied.

Upon hearing the phrase "mindless," a Witch Dragon suddenly burst from within Wu Hen, opening its mouth wide and turning the entire Rain Temple into a void of blackness, as if dragging the surrounding space into another dimension.

"Help! It's eating people!" Bai Ze shrieked, hurriedly hiding behind Wu Hen, "How did it grow so big all of a sudden?"

Little Yi was clearly just intimidating the Divine Beast Bai Ze, seeing it shiver and shake, before proudly wagging its lengthy black body and retracting into Wu Hen.

"I haven't just been wandering these years; mainly, I've been nurturing it," Wu Hen explained.

"Hmph, I've been poorly fed these years. With better food, I'd be no worse off than it!" Bai Ze grumbled.

"You haven't been living on alms in the Rain Temple these years, have you? Haven't you hunted on your own?" Wu Hen asked.

At the mention of "alms," Bai Ze was so enraged that it instantly transformed into an Ancient Fierce Beast, ready to roar at Wu Hen...

But quickly, Little Yi turned into a Coiling Dragon, looming behind Wu Hen. Its formidable dragon shadow, like a black Divine Mountain, instantly suppressed Bai Ze's arrogance.

Bai Ze became somewhat meeker but still retorted stiffly, "Just wait. Once I've replenished my essence from heaven and earth, I will show you how formidable this immortal is!"

"I'll go buy a gourd to take you away; wait for me here," Wu Hen said.

Bai Ze was one to hold grudges, still unable to let go of the incident where Little Yi had devoured its Glazed Glass Nest. Hence, it would provoke Little Yi whenever possible. But Little Yi was no longer the broken and incomplete Black Divine Death Sword from the Scroll Realm; it had restored to its original state.

Bai Ze wasn't fussy about the gourd; even a small one used for storing wine would do.

Wu Hen went to the street, bought one, drank the wine in one gulp, and then returned to the Rain Temple.

To be honest, it was quite surprising to encounter Bai Ze on a side quest involving social customs and relationships. But now, as Wu Hen was short on manpower, Bai Ze's arrival provided an extra layer of security.

With a gourd in tow, Wu Hen was about to retrieve Bai Ze, but to his surprise, he found a large crowd surrounding the Rain Temple. The majority were local residents, pointing at the Rain Temple with looks of anger they dared not express.

Wu Hen was shocked, thinking Bai Ze had escaped and devoured the pedestrians on the road. After all, Divine Beasts were once demon beasts and only attained their divinity once they reached a certain realm.

However, upon approaching, Wu Hen saw a jade sculpture placed in front of the Rain Temple. A group of officials, dressed in their court attire, were sprawled on the ground, clutching heavy hammers as if they had been expelled by some force.

"What happened?" Wu Hen asked anxiously.

"These Earth Officials wanted to demolish the Rain Temple to worship the Qilin. But for many years, it has always been Bai Ze that was worshiped here. Even if it is to be replaced, the Rain Temple and Bai Ze's statue should be properly relocated. How can they enforce the law with such violence? Aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning?" an elderly man spoke up.

"It's bizarre. Normally, we come and go without issue. Why are we being pushed out the moment we enter the temple this time?" a ground official complained.

"You can't do this! At least relocate the temple; you can't just smash it!"

"We are merely following orders. From this day forward, Tongtian City shall only honor one Divine Beast, and that is the Holy Country Qilin. I hope everyone will take note during the holidays to avoid making it difficult for us servitors!" said the leading Earth Official.

"This is too overbearing! Does the Qilin control the weather for a good harvest, or take care of farming and animal husbandry? We common folk just hope for a better yield each year. What does cultivation or becoming a Saint have to do with us? And yet you dictate what we should worship?!" One of the elders spoke out angrily.

"What you worship is not our concern, but this land is under our jurisdiction, and the temple belongs to us. We will convert this temple into a Qilin Temple according to the will of the Holy Sect. You may choose not to believe or offer worship, but if you dare to damage, slander, or desecrate, we will arrest you in accordance with the law!" The Earth Official spoke without a trace of sympathy.

People's faith is dependent on the temples in their vicinity.

If there's a Buddhist temple, naturally they would worship there; if there's a Taoist temple, they would go to the Taoist temple!

As officials of Tongtian City, how could they not understand the disposition of the common people?

Anyway, by demolishing Bai Ze's Rain Temple and replacing it with a new Qilin Temple, there might be some dissatisfaction in the first year, but by the second or third year, these people would still dutifully buy incense and offerings...

"Alas, why even call it Tongtian City? Might as well call it Qilin City!"

"Call it Shenglan City."

"Don't speak carelessly like that!"

Mentioning "that person" made everyone tense up, including the officials, who glared at the crowd.

Qilin? Shenglan?

Could it all be referring to his cold-hearted sister Cai Lan?

In the Holy State, she was known as the Qilin Girl.

And she too, raised a Qilin Beast.

Now, all the Divine Beast Temples in Tongtian City were being transformed into Qilin Temples, with no allowance for other Divine Beasts.

This woman, how vast was the influence of her divine power on this land, ruling like an Empress, and even more so, a living Divine Emperor in heaven?

"This Bai Ze Divine Beast is highly spiritual, you should reconsider!"

"Yes, when asking for rain, as long as we present satisfactory tributes, we always receive rain. Please don't offend the divinity in the temple like this!"

The officials completely ignored the words of the populace.

"This decrepit temple, manifesting spirits?"

"Listen up, bring the Qilin Statue directly inside. Once it passes the inspection of the Holy Sect, we'll find time to smash the Bai Ze statue inside!" the dark-faced official ordered.

A group of officials immediately got under the imposing Qilin Statue and lifted it up.

The Qilin Statue was two sizes larger than Bai Ze's statue.

Once they positioned the Qilin Statue in the temple hall, Bai Ze's statue was completely obscured. From the outside looking in, it truly seemed as though the appearance had been altered — now a Qilin Temple!

"The craftsmen will come tomorrow to refurbish those dilapidated areas; it can't be left looking so old. I've heard that the Qilin Girl often descends to the Lower Realm and strolls through our Tongtian City; we can't let her see such a shabby temple!" the dark-faced official spoke.

"Alright, we'll start refurbishing first thing tomorrow morning." his subordinates responded.

The group finally accomplished their task and were about to rest.

But no sooner had they stepped out of the Rain Temple than they heard a "creak-creak" sound behind them.

Turning quickly, they found that the majestic Qilin Statue had surprisingly developed cracks. These fissures spread rapidly outward, covering the whole statue.

"Boom!!"

Suddenly, the Qilin Statue shattered, and large chunks of stone burst from within the temple, scattering onto the street.

A large crowd gathered outside the temple, their faces filled with panic. Someone led the way by kneeling on the ground, followed swiftly by others falling to their knees.

"It's manifested, truly manifested!"

"We told you this would provoke divine wrath!"

"You shouldn't have done this!"

Wu Hen looked at the rubble and dust, indistinguishable from one another, and shook his head helplessly.

Bai Ze, the Fairy, was truly angered this time!