Happy Little Farmer
Chapter 731

Chapter 731: Chapter 731

The commotion on the ground had subsided, but the turmoil in the sky remained.

Countless locust tree branches and leaves swirled like frantic, rolling storm clouds, pressing heavily downward over Siwa Cave.

The already cramped and dark Siwa Cave suddenly felt as though it was crushed to the depths of the earth, the suffocating weight making Yang Fan’s breathing difficult.

Amid the harsh creaking and scraping sounds, there seemed to be a ferocious, grotesque roar, madly bellowing.

Mr. Fan leapt into the stone cave, turned around, and mocked, shouting outside, "Cultivation is not easy. I advise you not to go astray. Using your own body as a temple to try to absorb incense, aiming to ascend as a deity may sound good, but heaven and earth will never tolerate such actions. You’re merely a tree—how could you harbor such immense evil thoughts? Even if you somehow succeed, do you think heaven and earth would accept you?"

The old locust tree wholly ignored Mr. Fan’s nagging, as its branches pressed heavily downward, already mere inches from the ground.

The indistinct roar, seemingly drifting in the void, grew even more frenzied.

Though Yang Fan couldn’t discern exactly what the thing was cursing about, judging by its demeanor, it was likely spewing some pretty vile words.

"Wise counsel is wasted on damned ghosts," Mr. Fan lamented with a shake of his head, then turned to Yang Fan and said, "Don’t be nervous. That thing can’t get into this cave. Just stay safe and sound in here."

"But it seems like we can’t get out either," Yang Fan replied.

Outside, the old locust tree had stuffed every opening tight, leaving not even the smallest crack.

"Wait until tomorrow, or until this thing dies. Then we’ll naturally be able to leave," Mr. Fan said calmly.

Yang Fan froze in disbelief.

He really didn’t enjoy playing the ’stranded in the wilderness’ scenario with Mr. Fan.

Thankfully, it was only half a night—daybreak was almost upon them.

"Don’t worry about these things. The spiritual energy is so dense here; just focus on cultivating. I happened to be curious to see how fast you’ll progress with spiritual power," Mr. Fan remarked. "A predecessor who once established a Dong Mansion here was truly a master. This Dong Mansion naturally channels the spiritual power of heaven and earth. Even after so many years, it has remained remarkably intact—something rare indeed."

"The stone walls, nourished by spiritual energy over time, have already crystallized into such luminous Spirit Jade. Even if there were no spiritual energy left in this cave, the Spirit Jade alone would be more than sufficient for you and me to cultivate for a long period," he continued.

"This crystallization is the result of spiritual energy nourishment? I figured it was naturally formed!" Yang Fan exclaimed in surprise.

Mr. Fan shook his head, explaining, "This stone cave’s original appearance must have been the same as the outer rock walls. Only through the nourishment of spiritual energy did it transform into such pristine translucency and shimmering brilliance. Natural Spirit Jade does exist in the world, but it would never form such a complete stone cave."

Yang Fan nodded in understanding, then asked, "Old Master, did you finish the task you came here to do?"

Mr. Fan leaned in, carefully examining the stone wall, replying nonchalantly, "Yes, it’s done—luck wasn’t too bad this time."

"What exactly is the old locust tree trying to do?" Yang Fan asked.

He hadn’t understood a thing about what Mr. Fan had just accomplished.

Mr. Fan chuckled derisively, "That damned creature wants to become a deity. Here, in the mountainous bowels, its roots have grown all over the mountain and formed a temple. Its ambition isn’t small—it actually wants to replace the South Mountain True God. Utter delusion."

"If heaven and earth’s gods were that easily toppled, this world would have been reshaped long ago. Those ghostly entities rallying to Li Mountain at the old locust tree’s summons are likely trying to gather the power of incense offerings to feed its ambitions," Mr. Fan continued.

"These beings may use favorable circumstances to grow and cultivate forms, but none of them seem particularly bright. Those ghosts exist because of incense offerings from the human world, yet here it is, wanting these ghosts to consolidate those offerings for its own use," he spat.

Yang Fan asked, "Old Master, does it have any chance of succeeding?"

"Yes!" Mr. Fan affirmed.

"The old locust tree is taking shortcuts. By using these ghosts to consolidate the power of incense offerings, it’s allowing its temple to take shape. Once this temple rises from subsurface terrain into the open, and if it suppresses some humans, using their Soul Bone as the temple’s foundation, it can succeed. But, this brazen act of challenging the forces of heaven and earth means its success would likely be its undoing," Mr. Fan explained.

Yang Fan understood and chuckled, saying, "Old Master, they say good people don’t live long, but the wicked endure for a millennium. Waiting for retribution doesn’t always come easily—it might still require human intervention to ensure justice is delivered."

"If the old locust tree’s plan succeeds, haven’t you considered that it might anticipate this point and employ various means to conceal its actions, hiding them within the mysteries of fate, free and unchecked?" Yang Fan speculated.

Mr. Fan laughed softly, "Which is why I say this guy is dumb!"

"I’m sure it has devised some sort of concealment method—I don’t doubt that. But it’s attempting to overthrow one of the Five Mountains Main Gods. No matter the strategy it employs, its actions are as obvious as a dog sneaking offerings from under an altar table—it thinks it’s being stealthy, but to humans, its moves are crystal clear," Mr. Fan explained further.

"If it had merely created a temple to draw on the power of incense offerings, self-declaring itself the mountain god of Li Mountain, and complemented this ambition with concealment techniques, then, over time, as long as it managed to fool humans into offering genuine incense, it indeed might have succeeded," he acknowledged.

"Turns out the creature’s ambition was simply too grand," Yang Fan remarked.

Mr. Fan nodded slightly, "That’s exactly it—its ambition is too great. If it had scaled down its aspirations, I wouldn’t have dared mock it like this; the situation would have become a highly troublesome matter."

"This damned thing has already gathered momentum. Its roots stretch across several nearby villages. Had its ambitions been more modest, once its temple was raised, it could sever ties from the outside world, transforming this area into another realm centered on it, with villagers and ghosts serving as its slaves and puppets. Such a scenario would be incredibly difficult to detect," Mr. Fan elaborated further.

"Still, debating these hypotheticals is pointless. What matters most is that we happened to arrive and uncover its goal—these possibilities won’t exist now. Pondering too deeply on these what-ifs is exhausting; just take it all in as surface knowledge," he concluded.

Yang Fan nodded, handing the Compass to Mr. Fan with a grin, "Old Master, for holding this Compass briefly tonight, I’ll take twenty thousand—it feels a tad heavy, doesn’t it?"

He had done almost nothing tonight, just helped Mr. Fan hold the Compass for a moment.

"Then don’t take it, how about that?" Mr. Fan retorted grumpily.

Yang Fan chuckled, "Your principles are upright and unyielding, Old Master—I trust you wouldn’t go back on your word or break a promise."

"I would!" Mr. Fan scoffed, rolling his eyes, then glanced at the locust branches now completely clogging the cave entrance, and said blandly, "Stay put and relax. These things won’t harm you. I need to send out news about this, urging others to brainstorm solutions as soon as possible."

"If this damned thing isn’t afraid of sunlight, then our situation might genuinely take a turn for the worse—we need to broaden our backup plans first," Mr. Fan remarked thoughtfully.