In ancient times, they secretly became gods in the deep mountains.

Chapter 57 Rescuing the People of Ping'an Town
Standing on the street, Li Danian loudly explained, "She is the mountain spirit of the Golden Saint Mountain Range, the Golden Saint Goddess, a true deity who saves all living beings. I have already seen the two celestial attendants under the Goddess's seat. The attendants invited the Golden Saint Goddess to solve our plague. Everyone, quickly kneel down and pray that the Goddess will have mercy and save us!"

"Ah! A monster—"

Everyone ignored his desperate attempts to defend himself.

They fled in panic toward home.

The people on the street were jostling each other, and before long, several thin girls were pushed to the ground, and some people even stepped on their hands.

The girls were in so much pain that tears streamed down their faces.

"Mother!" Several children's voices rang out, and the child cried loudly. Several young children were standing on the street, obviously accidentally abandoned in the chaos of the crowd.

To prevent the people from stepping on the children, Gu Yuexi used magic to freeze them in place.

The crowd was frozen in place in all sorts of bizarre poses, their faces filled with panic and fear, their eyes revealing despair.

Above, a divine and moving female voice came from all directions.

Gu Yuexi explained her identity to them.

"You don't need to be nervous. I am the mountain spirit of the Golden Saint Mountain Range. You can call me the Golden Saint Goddess. A few days ago, I saw ghostly energy rising in the sky above Ping'an Town. I suspected that ghosts were harming people, so I sent two attendants to investigate the situation."

"The two attendants bring news that you are afflicted with an epidemic. Today, I, the Empress, have come specifically to help you resolve this problem."

Gu Yuexi said gently, "Don't panic or be afraid anymore. I am not a demon and will not harm you."

Her voice was so gentle, yet it seemed to possess a unique penetrating power, echoing in everyone's ears. This Jin Sheng Niangniang, who claimed not to be a demon, said she could help them get rid of the plague? They really didn't hear wrong, did they?
The people thought that if her promise was true, they were willing to devoutly believe in her.

The people's expressions gradually relaxed.

Gu Yuexi seemed to sense something. She released the people from their restraints. The people looked at each other, as if confirming that they had not misheard. They cautiously looked up at the phantom in the sky, which was so sacred and majestic that it inspired no disrespect.

"Is she really a goddess?" someone asked with longing.

"How could there possibly be gods in this world?"

"The Golden Saint Mountain Range? Isn't that the infamous Monster Mountain Range? I've heard there are man-eating mountain monsters there. Is she really a deity and not a monster?" someone asked uncertainly.

No one has a standard answer in their heart.

After three years of drought, they went to Qingchan Temple to see the Buddha and begged him to send rain to relieve the drought, but to no avail.

When the epidemic first started, they went to Qingchan Temple again, begging Buddha to save the poor people, but Buddha just watched coldly.

Now, a "god" who appeared from the Monster Mountain says he can save them. Should they believe him?
"Your Majesty, you are merciful and compassionate! Please, Your Majesty, save this humble subject!"

Before anyone else could react, Li Danian had already prostrated himself on the ground and begged for mercy.

"Your Majesty, the people are suffering terribly from the plague. Please have mercy and save these poor people. There are not many people left in the town. If the plague continues, this place will become an empty ghost town."

Li Danian pleaded, his voice choked with sobs.

Looking at the shocked, confused, and hesitant people, he trusted the Golden Saintess more than anyone else, because he had personally witnessed the abilities of the two fairy children.

The little fairy in the light blue clothes simply pointed at his body, and he clearly felt that the pain caused by the plague had been significantly reduced.

He desperately wanted to grasp at this lifeline.

His parents were still suffering from the plague, and he longed for divine blessings. Now that the opportunity was right in front of him, how could he not be excited?

"Golden Saintess, please save us!"

Li Danian said urgently, "Listen to me, everyone. Whether you believe in the Goddess or not is not important, but don't you want to get rid of the suffering brought by the plague? What if the Goddess can really save us? Let's give it a try. After all, we have no other choice. Do you really want to watch your family members leave one by one?"

He hit the nail on the head.

They had no other way to survive.

If the epidemic doesn't end soon, they will have to watch helplessly as their loved ones die one by one. They have been feeling this powerlessness for three years, and the taste of waiting to die is not pleasant.

"Your Majesty, have mercy and save the suffering people!" An elderly woman knelt on the ground, her face full of emotion, and pleaded with tears in her eyes.

The woman was emaciated and pale; after being afflicted with the epidemic, her face turned ashen, as if she might leave this world at any moment.

"Your Majesty, please save us!"

Li Danian had hit the nail on the head, and everyone knelt down to plead with the gods in heaven.

Gu Yuexi replied, "You need not worry. You have not actually contracted the plague. It is the ghostly energy that has seeped into your bodies, causing your life force to gradually disappear, which is why you are suffering unbearable pain." The people exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? Ghostly energy?"

Gu Yuexi replied again: "To tell you the truth, the mass grave behind Qingchan Temple is an ominous place. In the past dynasty, a general buried enemy soldiers alive. Because of the manipulation by some people, the ghostly aura of the back mountain of Qingchan Temple has spread to the town, which is why you have contracted the plague."

"Qingchan Temple is not far from the town. Could it be that what Your Highness said is true?"

"The mass grave behind Qingchan Temple is said to be a battlefield left over from the previous dynasty. Many people were buried there, some of them were even buried alive."

"Oh my god!" someone exclaimed, still shaken. "I'll never go to Qingchan Temple again."

The people were on the verge of collapse, pleading fervently, "Your Majesty, save us!"

Although they didn't know what ghost energy was, the word "ghost" was considered unlucky, so ghost energy must be something bad.

No wonder they contracted the disease.

It turned out to be a setup by a villain!
"I have appeared today, naturally to save you!"

Gu Yuexi gathered spiritual power in her hands and absorbed the ghost energy from the people's bodies into her dantian. There was still unrefined evil energy in her dantian. As soon as the ghost energy entered, the two energies began to collide in her dantian.

Gu Yuexi breathed a sigh of relief.

The ghostly energy surged toward her at a visible speed.

The people stared in astonishment at the goddess performing magic in the sky, and a sense of reverence welled up in their hearts.

This move had an immediate and noticeable effect.

"I...I feel much better."

"Me too. I was unable to speak because of the disease, but now I can speak again. It's wonderful."

"The bleeding sores on my body have scabbed over!"

The people kneeling on the ground became increasingly active.

"Bang bang bang!"

The people rushed to kowtow and worship.

The ghostly energy in everyone's bodies was completely removed.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Yuexi stopped what she was doing.

"Alright!" Her two words were like a blessing to all the people present.

"Your Majesty is so merciful and compassionate! Thank you, Your Majesty! We...we have all recovered in an instant! Your Majesty is truly divine!"

"So there really are gods in this world."

The people wept bitterly.

"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!" Li Danian kowtowed repeatedly.

He could feel his body returning to health.

When I cough, I don't experience that excruciating pain that makes me feel like I'm about to rip out all my internal organs.

The people, having survived the ordeal, cried and laughed with overwhelming joy.

"We, the common people, have no way to repay Your Majesty, but we will worship you for generations to come!"

The people kowtowed excitedly, making a simple vow.

[Host has accumulated 8000 Faith Points]

Gu Yuexi returned to the Golden Saint Divine Palace, where she prepared to refine the evil energy and ghostly energy within her body.

If malevolent energy and ghostly energy accumulate in her dantian for too long, it will hinder her cultivation.

The people of Ping'an Town recovered their health and were overjoyed. After learning that the goddess was at Qihuang Mountain, they vowed to go there to worship her!

She is a great deity.

She saves people from suffering!
(End of this chapter)