Chapter 115: Chapter 114: Successful Fishing

"Could it be them?" the Yellow Dog King asked in a low voice.

The Black Bear King walked over with a guileless smile. "Even if it isn’t, they’re definitely involved."

His youngest son had disappeared on Cuiluo Mountain. The White Wolf King had also disappeared on Cuiluo Mountain. Now, a Daluo Palace, founded by a Mage, had suddenly appeared on Cuiluo Mountain. The Black Bear King refused to believe the two events were unrelated.

Back when he determined that the White Wolf King was dead, the Black Bear King had also concluded that the culprit couldn’t be all that powerful.

If they were truly powerful, they would have attacked the Golden Wind Sect or Three Extremes Mountain directly, not skulked around the neighboring counties killing a few Golden Wind Sect Guardians and Divine Consorts, or shown up just as the Bian Ancestor was attempting a Realm Breakthrough.

Since his enemies weren’t strong enough to face him head-on, the Black Bear King couldn’t just stand by and do nothing after they’d killed his youngest son and the White Wolf King.

So, the Black Bear King had come.

To be safe, the Black Bear King didn’t reveal himself. Instead, after hearing about the Daluo Palace, he disguised himself as a laborer to infiltrate the enemy’s den first.

’Since you ambushed my people, I’ll ambush you right back!’

’An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth!’

The Black Bear King and the Yellow Dog King followed the group to the construction site, where they were each handed a large steamed bun and a bowl of braised pork with vegetables. "Eat up before you start working!"

’Just like that Old Ghost Golden Wind. They sure know how to win people over.’

The Black Bear King snorted and turned his head, only to see the Yellow Dog King already eating. The steamed bun was as big as his fist, but the Yellow Dog King had devoured half of it in two bites. He then picked up a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth.

The Yellow Dog King’s eyes narrowed slightly, the very picture of enjoyment.

"Is it good?"

"It’s not a question of whether it’s good or not. It’s... it’s that special flavor... AHEM!" The Yellow Dog King cleared his throat twice, then said with a straight face, "It’s terrible!"

The Black Bear King grunted. "Don’t forget, you’re not with the Spirit Court anymore!"

The Yellow Dog King sighed. "I haven’t forgotten. I’m the Third King of Three Extremes Mountain now."

The Black Bear King scanned his surroundings and saw the already completed Spirit Official Hall, along with the enshrined Wang Spirit Official inside.

"The Great Spirit Official, Corrector of Wrongs in All Heavens; the Three Realms’ Selfless Brave Officials and Generals." The Black Bear King then looked at the plaque above the Divine Statue, which bore a name. "Three-Five Train Thunder God. Who is that?"

The Black Bear King looked at the Yellow Dog King. "Is that a Spirit Monarch from the Spirit Court, or a deity from the Xuanwei Divine Sect?"

The Yellow Dog King thought for a moment before shaking his head. "I don’t know."

"You don’t know either?"

"I’ve never heard of him, at any rate." The Yellow Dog King shook his head again. "Building a temple, erecting a Divine Statue, gathering Incense... perhaps it’s a new deity from the Xuanwei Divine Sect?"

"Not necessarily." The Black Bear King’s eyes narrowed. "Maybe they’re just like that Old Ghost Golden Wind."

The Yellow Dog King’s mouth fell open. "They’re not from the Court?"

The Black Bear King sneered, "If they were from the Court, they wouldn’t be building a temple in Changping Prefecture. The Xuanwei Divine Sect was smashed to pieces, so what makes them think they’re so special?"

The Yellow Dog King was silent for a moment before asking, "Could they be from Yongzhou or Yazhou?"

The Black Bear King’s expression changed. "They dare?"

The Yellow Dog King mused, "This is Changping Prefecture, not Pingjiang Prefecture. Besides, they might not have come here willingly."

The Black Bear King snorted. "It would be one thing if they were just here to poach a little, but if they want to establish a foothold here, they’ll have to get through me and that Old Ghost Golden Wind first!"

The Yellow Dog King fell silent.

The Black Bear King looked around again and said, "I heard those mortals say there are only three Mages in the Daluo Palace: one young man and two old ones."

A flicker of light appeared in the Yellow Dog King’s eyes.

"I saw that young man earlier. He looks so frail a gust of wind could blow him over. I could crush him with one slap," the Black Bear King said coldly. "It seems the two old Mages are the powerful ones."

The Black Bear King glanced at the Yellow Dog King. "Tonight, we’ll each take one. We finish them off."

The Yellow Dog King took another bite of meat and nodded. "Alright!"

"Finished eating? Over here, over here." Seeing that they were done, Li Erping called out to them. "You two are tall and strong. We don’t need you for the side halls. Go work on this bigger one, the Four Imperial Lords Hall."

Only then did the Yellow Dog King realize he had finished his meal without even noticing. He looked back in surprise to find the Black Bear King’s hands were empty as well, with nothing but an empty bowl in front of him.

The Yellow Dog King blinked and immediately asked Li Erping, "What gods are enshrined in the side halls, and what is this Four Imperial Lords Hall?"

Li Erping looked as if someone had just scratched an itch for him, explaining with great enthusiasm, "These two side halls, one is for the God of Wealth and the other for Wenchang. One is for praying for wealth, the other for an official position."

The Black Bear King looked at the Yellow Dog King. "Did the Xuanwei Divine Sect have anything like this?"

The Yellow Dog King shook his head, stunned. "The Xuanwei Divine Sect worships two main gods, eighteen primary gods, and seventy-two secondary gods. None of them are the God of Wealth or Wenchang. And when people offered Incense and prayed for blessings, it was all about paying respects to the gods. I don’t think there was any concept of praying for wealth or official positions." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

In this world, gods were real, lofty beings. Worshipping them and praying for their protection was already a luxury. To think you could ask them to grant you riches and high office... wasn’t that a bit much?

"As for this Four Imperial Lords Hall, that’s even more incredible." Li Erping pointed to the great hall behind them. "The Four Imperial Lords are enshrined inside: the Emperor of the North Pole in the Middle Heaven, the Emperor of Longevity of the South Pole, the Emperor of the Upper Palace of Gouchen, and Houtu Huangdi Qi."

Black Bear King: ???

Yellow Dog King: ???

The two stared at each other, speechless. These names sounded ridiculously grandiose, even more impressive than the two main gods of the Xuanwei Divine Sect. What kind of sect was this, to be so audacious?

After all, the Sect Leader of the Golden Wind Divine Sect, who had unified all the Incense in Changping Prefecture, only dared to call himself the Golden Wind Divine King.

"They’re definitely not from the Court," the Black Bear King sneered. ’Wandering ghosts and heretical Evil Gods. I’ll crush them with a flick of my wrist, devour their flesh and blood, and dig up their Incense.’

Li Erping led the two whispering men to the construction site for the Four Imperial Lords Hall and cupped his hands in a salute to an old craftsman. "Master Liu, I’ll leave them with you."

...

The Black Bear King and the Yellow Dog King spent the entire day mired in the construction site, being ordered around. If not for the fact that they still hadn’t seen the two old Mages, the Black Bear King might have already made his move.

In the afternoon, as the sun began to set, work on the site came to a halt. They were led to another meal, then taken to a large, communal dormitory to rest.

"Two old men just entered the small courtyard behind the village," the Yellow Dog King, who had been observing carefully, said. "That young master went in around noon and hasn’t come out since."

The Black Bear King rolled over, got up, and silently approached the courtyard.

The Yellow Dog King followed behind him, whispering, "First, we need to ask about Second Brother and my little nephew."

The Black Bear King nodded, but just as he stepped into the courtyard, a translucent halo of light enveloped the entire area. Then, several invisible iron chains wrapped around the two of them, causing them to stumble involuntarily.

"Fish on the hook!"