The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"? That's because of divine power..."

“Yes, it’s because of divine power,” Lü Wenjun said. “Then why would a god whose power is waning and who desperately needs faith specifically share his power with the cicada?”

"That's because, if we don't differentiate between strengths..."

Then the cicadas stopped chirping.

The cicada's lifespan had long since come to an end. Without divine intervention, these insignificant insects would already be dead.

Linggong also sensed that sense of unease.

"Yes, why..." she murmured to herself, "why deliberately hinder the changing of leaves... to prevent autumn from arriving..."

"Why did the intruders turn into trees?"

The sense of unease grew stronger, like a fishbone stuck in my throat.

If the sole purpose is to gather faith, there's absolutely no need to go to this lengths. The tree god has far better ways to demonstrate its authority and gain gratitude; both the petrification and the cicada's song are utterly superfluous actions from a third-party perspective.

Incomprehensible. Illogical. That's why it's called a "god beyond the realm." But Bill said that gods beyond the realm are driven by obsession.

What drives the Wood God's obsession, and what motivates these actions?

“Wenjun, I think further investigation is necessary.”

“Agreed.” Lü Wenjun said thoughtfully, “Leave this to me this time.”

Linggong was taken aback: "Are you going to use a family secret technique?"

"There's no better way in the short term... I think it's best to find out the truth about this as soon as possible."

After the two battles at the ball and the lakeside to exorcise the vengeful spirits, the number of Divine Tears has returned to two. Although it would be a bit wasteful to consume Divine Tears just to verify the hypothesis... this mission itself comes with limitations.

Time is limited.

Both the intelligence organization and Professor Ji emphasized that the extermination must be completed within 14 days. Is this simply because the destruction would increase after 14 days? Or is it because the Wood God itself changes over time?

There were no clues, only guesses. Lü Wenjun pressed his hand to the back of his hand, trying to say in his mind: (I want to trace the cause and effect of the otherworldly god.)

Approaching the Realm of Gods

So they set off again toward the Four Seasons Forest, crossing its outer edge and cautiously stopping at the "boundary" of the perfectly circular divine realm. Lü Wenjun bent down and touched the earth with his right hand.

He saw the familiar notification.

[Whether to trace back (cost 1)]

Fortunately, it only requires one drop of divine tear, which he can still afford.

Yes.

[Causal tracing, memory regression]

A single drop of divine tear vanished instantly, followed by a powerful attraction emanating from the earth. Lu Wenjun felt a sharp pain in his head; this ability to trace back not only consumed the divine tear but also required the use of his magic power!

He instinctively realized that his magic reserves were low and hurriedly shouted, "Ling Gong, magic support!"

"Ok!"

Linggong grasped his shoulders, and a cool, magical power flowed in like water. The pain lessened, and the magic spun into a veil leading to illusion. Two indistinct birds, one above the other, soared through the veil, guided by it…

Flying into the depths of distant memories.

The next moment, they saw a lonely island in the azure sea.

At the end of the island stands an ancient tree.

Chapter 60 Lush Ancient Trees and the Passing of Time (6K)

There is a small island to the east of the sea, where people live in seclusion.

To the east of the island are ancient trees, with lush branches and leaves.

Because of its thick trunk and large canopy, it became home to many animals. Because of its age, seemingly existing before the island appeared, it was called a deity.

We offer prayers, asking for peace. We pray for blessings and prosperity. And so, the island prospers—

That happened a long time ago.

"Honestly, this year's festival was such a dismal failure!"

It was the height of summer, and the cicadas were chirping incessantly.

The 138th priestess angrily brandished her broom, her movements resembling more of a smear than a sweep of fallen leaves. She spoke rapidly and urgently: "No one's contributing manpower, no one's participating in fundraising! Even those setting up stalls won't leave the city. Who would want to come to this empty festival?!"

The young priestess had a difficult situation: her father had unfortunately broken his spine and was unable to walk. As his only daughter, she had to take over the shrine hastily, and was far from able to organize the shrine's festivals.

Tree was a little worried after hearing this: "Will the income be enough to support the family? If the shrine isn't enough, why don't you go and do some small business?"

The junior priest looked speechless: "Your Majesty... the Kukumu family switched to craftsmanship as early as my great-grandfather's generation..."

"Oh, yes."

"It's more accurate to say that priests are part-time. Where can you find purely clergy these days?"

"I forgot..."

The tree remembered the 123rd generation priest. That generation's priest was an introverted, wooden man, not good at speaking at all, so he couldn't raise much money even after trying for a long time. The tree was quite worried about this, so it suggested that the priest become a carpenter or a farmer, prioritizing the support of his family.

The 123rd generation priests were terrified.

"How can a divine being be engaged in menial tasks! This is a grave disrespect to you!!"

He was terrified and wished he could commit seppuku to atone for his sins. The tree had no choice but to have birds and beasts occasionally deliver some fruits and vegetables to it, which helped it survive those bleak winters.

Only 15 generations later, the reactions are completely different. Humans always change so quickly; the priests who were once so respectful now dare to complain about the gods.

“My Lord God, if this continues, you’ll become just another local folk deity,” the junior priest said with a worried expression. “Aren’t you an ancient deity? One who’s quite high up in the pantheon of gods.”

"Hmm, I guess so?"

"Can't we ask those famous brothers and sisters for help? They all have shrines in Kyoto, and I've heard they're very popular."

"No, because they've all left."

"gone?"

"They've gone to heaven."

Why don't you go?

The tree thought for a moment, then slowly chuckled and said, "Well... because I'm a tree."

The little priest laughed too. Trees have no legs or wings. Trees can't fly.

·

Even so, the Wood God can actually fly. With enough faith, a god can accomplish most things. Therefore, as times change, the gods themselves are among the quickest to make decisions.

"My lord, Takamagahara is about to close!"

At that time, the messenger of the god who came to deliver the message was so distressed that he wanted to jump into the river.

"While you still have the strength, I implore you to set off quickly. If your faith weakens later, you won't be able to leave!"

"You guys go ahead, I'm not leaving," Shu said softly.

"My lord, why are you doing this to yourself?!"

The divine messenger was so distressed that he jumped into the river. The tree used its leaves to break off a small boat and sent it back to the large island. The priest at that time was the 78th generation, a beautiful woman. She lowered her head and looked down, her eyes filled with joy.

His expression was quite similar to that of the first priest.

·

The first tree priestess was a girl skilled in gardening. Because she knew best how to care for plants, she was chosen by the people to communicate with the tree. She ran to the tree wearing a white linen robe, trembling, and said, "My lord, I am afraid of troubling you. I am a mortal who will serve you from this day forward!"

The tree said, "Hello, human."

The first priest was taken aback, saying he hadn't expected the god to be so kind. Later, he realized the tree should have acted more aloof; otherwise, the priest would have respected it more, and their relationship wouldn't have been so good.

But since it was the tree's first time being a god, and the girl's first time being a priestess, everyone just made do and believed in it for the time being.

When the first priestess grew into a young woman, the tree shrine was completed. She designed festivals and led the people from the surrounding area to sing and dance under the tree. In this way, the tree acquired rituals, which became a part of people's lives, and faith continued to grow.

Thank you. Person. Do you have a name?

The first priest lowered his head shyly and said that he had no name. Names were rare at that time; only the first things born into the world had names.

The tree named her after something it was most familiar with.

"Can I call you Jiu Jiu Mu?"

The first priestess was overjoyed and held her child in gratitude. Because a name is a meaning that can be passed down, she had a name, and her child also had a name.

Jiujiumu's child was a robust young man with a voice much louder than his mother's. This was why Jiujiumu was worried; like any older woman, she would grumble and complain that such a voice was disrespectful to God.

Jiu Jiu Mu's grandson was a clever child, with a round face. She whispered to Shu, "Let's make our grandson the second-generation priest?"

Why change the person?

The tree was quite confused at the time. It had only exchanged a few words with people before it became familiar with them. Besides, the old tree was still a young girl…

At that time, Jiujiu Mu was leaning on a cane; she was already an elderly woman with white hair.

"..."

For the first time in her life, Tree felt deeply saddened. Jiujiu Tree, however, was content, for she had outlived her husband, even her son. Those of her generation had long since passed away.

The era that humans perceive is but a fleeting moment for God.

“Pray to me,” said the tree, “and you will live longer.”

Jiujiu Mu was very surprised and asked, "Can people live even longer?"

"Humans can't. Trees can. If you become a tree, you can live for many more centuries and continue to talk to me."

But Jiu Jiu Mu didn't want to become a tree. Because once she became a tree, she would no longer be able to communicate with people and would gradually forget her experiences as a human. Jiu Jiu Mu felt that her life had been very fulfilling and there was no need to delay any longer.

In her alternative, she prayed to the tree.

Please take care of this land.

To ensure that vulnerable people are not defeated by the wrath of heaven. To ensure that life on small islands can endure.

This was Kukugi's last wish in his life.

The tree agreed.

·

“Our ancestor made a wise choice,” said the 138th priest.

"Wouldn't it be better to become a tree?" the tree seemed to harbor some resentment.

“No… Trees don’t have legs, so they can’t go anywhere else; they don’t have hands, so they can’t learn any other skills.” The little priest nodded repeatedly. “What’s the point of just standing still? It’s better to be a human.”

"How disrespectful."

"I was wrong! I didn't mean to!"

“In the past, you would have been scolded by the people around you.”

The junior priest seized the opportunity to ask, "Your Excellency, what was life like in the past?"

“There are many, many gods like me,” the tree said. “What happens naturally now used to require the power of gods. If you wanted rain, you had to find the rain god; if you wanted a good harvest, you had to find me. If you have a good relationship with the gods, life will become easier.”

"Do things like tsunamis and earthquakes count?" the junior priest asked.

“That’s quite complicated. Take earthquakes, for example. Under the witness of the great gods, the earth god, the volcano god, and the sea god would hold a meeting to discuss it. The scrolls recording the agenda would be as high as half my height. Only after careful deliberation would they inform the earth dragon beneath the land, and let its rolling cause the earthquake to begin.”

"Why would a god do evil?" the priest asked.

"Hmm, why are my leaves falling?" the tree asked.

The young priest looked bewildered: "The leaves on a tree just fall...it's natural."

“Just as leaves fall, the earth always needs to move. That’s how the world works. God can interfere with the process, but He cannot defy the direction of the world,” the tree said. “So after the meeting, the Earth God will inform everyone of the impending earthquake so that everyone can prepare in advance.”

"Will there be a God who doesn't speak up?"

"Yes, it will exist, and that will be an evil god. It deserves to be despised by people."

"I understand," the young priest nodded repeatedly. "Even gods aren't omnipotent!"

In reality, gods are always more powerful than humans.