I'm here in the martial arts world just to find love.

Faced with Jiang Chao's threat, the little stone man Shi Gandang shamelessly backed down on the spot.

It dares not gamble.

Seeing that the other party was so sensible, Jiang Chao changed his fist into a slap.

A soft slap landed on the little stone man's head.

"Weren't you so tough before? Why are you backing down now? Where's your guts?"

Jiang Chao laughed, his tone slightly teasing.

The stone spirit had given him quite a fright, making him think that his journey through the martial world was about to end there.

Unexpectedly, the opponent was so incompetent. It's fortunate that the opponent was so inept; otherwise, the consequences would have been truly unimaginable.

The little stone man shrank his neck and said aggrievedly:

"I finally regained my intelligence, I don't want to die, and I finally broke through the seal, so I don't want to be trapped again, which is why..."

Shi Gandang recounted his experiences.

It turns out that the great formation wasn't actually set up by the stone spirit. Instead, it was a restrictive barrier set up by someone to trap it, or rather, to refine it using the formation.

Malevolent energy is one of the most ominous energies in the world.

Although it sounds terrifying, it is not unusable. If controlled properly, this malevolent energy can also be used to cultivate oneself.

"You mean, you've been trapped here for a thousand years?"

Jiang Chao asked in surprise.

The little stone figure nodded and said, "That's right. A thousand years ago, I had already developed sentience. At that time, I was still very weak and could not leave this place. A Taoist priest passed by and found me, intending to refine me..."

A thousand years ago, a Taoist sorcerer passed through this place, discovered the existence of the stone spirit, and planned to take it into his possession and refine it for his own use.

After realizing the other party's intentions, Shi Ling instinctively resisted desperately, preferring to self-destruct rather than be refined by the other party.

Stone spirits are born from the heavens and earth, and once they develop a strong desire to rebel, they will inevitably attract the attention of the Heavenly Dao.

The sorcerer seemed to be wary of the watchful eye of Heaven, and thus gave up refining the stone spirit.

But they didn't give up completely, so they set up a formation on the mountaintop.

This was used to imprison the stone spirit, and incidentally, the formation also forcibly altered the surrounding mountains and terrain.

It gathers yin energy to form evil, and transforms yang energy into yin energy, which is used to nourish the growth of the stone spirit.

In the hope that one day, when the Daoist arts are perfected, I will return and refine the stone spirit into a weapon.

A thousand years is but a fleeting moment in the face of a being like the Stone Spirit, whose lifespan is almost equal to that of heaven and earth.

As time went by, the Stone Spirit grew by absorbing the essence of the earth's veins, its intelligence became clearer, and it gradually developed self-awareness.

In addition, although the nearby mountains are barren, there are still many woodcutters, hunters and merchants who come and go. Some of these people are devout and often bring offerings to worship the mountain god when they pass by, praying for peace.

Over time, the stone spirit, nurtured by the incense offerings, condensed a golden body on its own and proclaimed itself the mountain god.

A certain contract has been signed with the mountains, rivers, plants and trees of this place.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The great formation began to show some strange phenomena. The power of the stone spirit's golden body was gradually devoured by the formation. The stronger it became, the more terrifying the great formation that shrouded its head became.

Until a group of bandits passed by, they found that the mountainous terrain was treacherous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and that Yongka was the most suitable place to set up camp.

After the stronghold was built, the nearby residents and passersby all suffered.

Outlaws and bandits are known for their ruthlessness and mercilessness, killing without hesitation. These bandits, influenced by the malevolent energy contained within the invisible formation, became even more ruthless.

That's how things unfolded later.

The bandits who leave this village are often more ferocious, and they carry with them a fierce and malevolent aura.

It's easy to break through to the seventh rank and become a sixth-rank martial artist.

"Alright, since you're innocent, I can let bygones be bygones for your past actions. But don't be too happy yet. From now on, you'll not only have to follow us, but you'll also have to do things for us."

Jiang Chao said calmly:

"If you want to become a true mountain god who can protect the land, you must make sacrifices instead of reaping the benefits without effort."

The little stone man nodded emphatically.

"I understand, Immortal. Rest assured, I will do my utmost to serve you and will never let you down!"

Jiang Chao shook his head.

"I am not some kind of immortal. There are no immortals in this world so far. Apart from mountain gods and local deities, I have never seen any other gods."

I have seen several City God Temples, but those clay sculptures are all empty. Despite receiving incense offerings, they still cannot cultivate divine power.

This is the limitation of heaven and earth, and even though heaven and earth have changed drastically, it remains the same.

Of course, who knows what will happen in the future.

Years or even decades later, those deities who were worshipped may actually be born and manifest themselves before people, protecting the local people.

After Jiang Chao and the others rested for several hours, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from afar.

Bi Sheng and his group arrived on horseback.

From afar, one could hear Bi Sheng shouting loudly:

"Brother Jiang, Brother Jiang, something terrible has happened! We're in deep trouble!"

Jiang Chao had almost fully recovered. Upon hearing this, he suddenly stood up and headed towards the direction from which Bi Sheng and the others were coming.

Bi Sheng and his group were travel-worn and each of them carried injuries of varying degrees.

Xiao Qiushui was the most seriously injured; the strong smell of blood emanating from him could be smelled from a great distance.

But the injury looked like a superficial wound. Apart from the dark bloodstains on his clothes, this elegant young man was even able to ride on horseback with his back straight.

What happened to you?

When the group approached, Jiang Chao asked.

Bi Sheng briefly recounted what they had experienced.

After listening, Jiang Chao nodded and said:

"I'll go with you to check things out later. What can a bunch of bandits do to cause trouble?"

After Jiang Chao agreed to go and subdue the bandits, Bi Sheng and the others noticed the three-foot-tall stone figure that was jumping around the boy's feet and attracted a lot of attention.

"What... what is this?"

Bi Sheng asked in surprise.

Jiang Chao laughed and said, "You might not believe it, but this gentleman is the mountain god of this place, the Martial Saint Heavenly Venerable Shi Gandang."

Bi Sheng was taken aback. "Mountain God? Martial Saint Heavenly Venerable?"

The title sounded quite imposing, leaving Bi Sheng and his four companions stunned.

After Jiang Chao gave a brief explanation, everyone's gaze towards the stone man changed.

Stone Spirit!

A spiritual creature born of heaven and earth!

Such a thing really exists in the world!

Amazing!

Dong Jiajia couldn't resist leaning forward, cautiously reaching out her hand, wanting to touch the little stone figure's head:

"I've heard from my elders that some mountains and lakes give birth to spiritual beings. These beings are often born with intelligence and extraordinary talents. Some of them will even become local mountain gods or earth gods, protecting the area and accumulating merit..."

However, before the woman's hand could even touch the little stone man's head, the little stone man lifted her up and dodged her.

"What are you doing, you ill-mannered little girl? Stay away from me!"