The night was dark and heavy, with not a finger visible when stretched out.
A cat and a dog rushed out from a pile of rubble, the cat carrying the dog that was several times its size, moving as fast as flying, without any signs of slowing down.
"It wasn't easy getting out of there!" Duke exclaimed as soon as they rushed out from under the foothills behind Wude Mountain.
But before his voice faded, he had already dashed forward several steps, carrying thirteen directly over a river that was ten yards wide.
After landing from the aerial crossing, the cat put down the dog on its shoulders. Without even panting, it turned its head to look back at Wude Mountain in the night.
At this moment, golden flames had completely taken over the peak of Wude Mountain, with pillars of gold light rushing to the sky, lighting up the dark night sky brightly.
Although magnificent, Duke knew just how filthy and polluted this magnificence hid.
"It should be about time."
Duke took out a few Moon Blossom Pills from his dark cauldron space, swallowing one and stuffing the rest into the dog's mouth.
With a casual slap, he directly knocked the dog unconscious.
This was clearly abnormal. When they got back, he would definitely have to examine this and figure out what was going on.
Although Duke vaguely sensed that his changes were related to getting tempered by the black cauldron's flames, with the pressing timeline earlier, he didn't have time to inspect himself.
But now, even though he had left Wutong Temple, he still didn't have time to examine himself.
He had to hurry and send the children back!
But before that, let it rest for a bit and watch the finale of the downfall of Wutong Temple!
Just as Duke fed the dog the Moon Blossom Pills, he felt violent trembling beneath him.
As the strong tremors swept in like a tide, Duke noticed the pebbles on the riverbank jumping up.
At the same time, inside Wutong Temple.
Golden flames shot to the sky as ghosts wailed and people screamed, the sound filling up the sky.
The firelight distorted the shadows, projecting them onto the walls of Wutong Temple.
At this point, some were still killing each other for money and supplies, some were fleeing for their lives from the ghosts, some were huddled in corners chanting scriptures begging gods, and some were staring blankly murmuring to themselves.
Everything was as desperate as hell itself in a fantasy novel.
"That's mine!"
"Cut the crap, I clearly saw it first!"
"Give me that purple golden ruyi!"
"Step aside or my blade won't show mercy!"
........
"Run, the ghosts are catching up again!"
"Save me, save me!"
"Don't grab my clothes if you're dying, don't drag me down with you!"
"If I die, none of you will live either!"
"Come here, come here, there are living people here!"
.......
"Hahahaha, it's all gone, everything's gone!"
"This isn't real, this is a dream, this must be a dream!"
"Wutong Great God, heavenly gods and Buddhas, please save me, please save me! If I survive this, I will dedicate the rest of my life to repaying your grace!"
.......
"Teehee, Master why is your head on the floor, let me pick it up for you, let me pick it up for you....."
"Junior brother, say something, didn't we agree to go sightseeing when spring arrives?"
"It's all fake, this is all fake, there is no Wutong Great God, no Wutong Temple, all fake!"
"I'm enlightened, I'm enlightened, the Dao Master is enlightened! This is but a heart devil illusion, it must not shake my Dao heart. Begone, begone!"
..........
Roars, wails, pleas, mad laughter, murmurs - all kinds of sounds converged into waves of despair, spreading wildly in all directions.
Boom boom!
A strong tremor rumbled from the depths of Wude Mountain. The twelve pillars Master Wutong erected in the underground palace had all collapsed, and the surging waters also flooded the entire underground palace.
The powerful torrents raged wildly in the underground palace, destroying buildings and pillars without mercy, like thousands of charging cavalry, with unstoppable momentum.
In but a blink of an eye, the underground palace completely collapsed under the relentless blows of the water.
Because Wutong Temple's underground palace hollowed out the entire Wude Mountain, its collapse also caused large cracks on the ground of Wutong Temple above, with buildings collapsing in chunks.
Fierce gushing streams burst out from the cracks, with golden flames shooting straight to the skies. Ruthless water and fire swallowed everything in their reach.
In just a flash, large sections of Wutong Temple had collapsed.
The underground palace's treasury was smashed open by the water, and the money and treasures flushed out were burned to ashes by the golden flames before they even hit the ground.
The ghosts howled and roared inside the water and fire, while Wutong Temple's monks sank into complete madness and despair.
Far below at the foothills of Wude Mountain, Duke felt the ground thundering like war drums and his expression darkened.
"Damn, didn't expect to still be affected after escaping this far!"
"I'm gonna string up that old monk if I see him again!"
"I'll whip him for three days and nights straight, deducting every minute, or I'm not Du Ke!"
Duke didn't hesitate and ran carrying thirteen.
And he hadn't gotten far when a loud earth-shattering rumble erupted from Wude Mountain.
Duke turned and looked back, fur standing on ends across his body.
Because the mountain was collapsing!
"Damn, run, just run!"
"Facing such natural power, even rulers must kneel!"
............
Old Li stood indifferently on the clouds, peering down emotionlessly at the crumbling Wude Mountain and the raging fire and water devouring Wutong Temple.
After a long while, Old Li finally closed his eyes with a soft sigh.
"How hard it is to awake from dreams...."
"Sometimes, dreaming is so much better than waking life!"
"After all, in dreams, there are no troubles."
As his voice faded, Old Li's figure disappeared, leaving only the scarred ruins of Wutong Temple behind.
The eastern dawn arrived, bathing the mortal world in golden rays.
A new day began, everything seemingly normal, yet somehow a little different.
............
Mao City, Spirit Cat Temple.
Drums and gongs roared loudly as firecrackers popped, with colorful flags fluttering in the streets.
All of Mao City's residents had left their daily work behind, each bringing their own cats onto the streets, filled with festive joy.
In the plaza in front of Spirit Cat Temple, there was a cat dance performance.
There were eight master performers in pairs, dressed respectively as the Four Great Spirit Cats.
The performers held giant cat head pieces made of colored silk ribbons, exquisitely crafted and extremely vivid. There were also ribbon back pieces trailing from the cat heads.
The performers each wore pants matching the color of their cat heads, with special shoes resembling cat paws. The ones playing tails even dragged long tail pieces behind them.
One performer held up the cat head while the other bent over playing the body of the cat.
The two cooperated seamlessly, advancing and retreating in order, sometimes crouching on the ground and sometimes standing upright, shaking their heads this way and that, vividly imitating a cat's mannerisms.
The four great spirit cat pairs portrayed by the performers would sometimes glare and roar, seemingly trying to scare away enemies; sometimes lounge lazily on the ground like their realm was unshakable; sometimes pounce through the air as if traversing roofs and walls; sometimes sit calmly overlooking the crowds.
The encircling audience constantly cheered and applauded when the performers transitioned postures embodying the spirit cats' essence.
Some in the crowds clutched copper coins and silver pieces in their hands to toss towards the performers. Though most were copper, with silver being the minority.
As the coins and silver landed on the ground with crisp clinks, the performers grew even more spirited.
Among the crowds, a silent man and woman watched the cat dance intently.
The man's expression was indifferent as he stood protectively by the woman's side, shielding her from the jostling crowds.
The woman had an elegant and noble bearing. Although she was simply dressed in an ordinary long skirt, she possessed an air of dignity that common people could not emulate.
At this moment, the cat dance master leapt up into the air, imitating a cat pouncing on a bird, which elicited a round of cheers.
"Well done!"
"What a beautiful dance!"
"Simply wonderful!"
"Bravo, bravo!"
"Look over here, look over here!"
...
Hearing the cheers around her, Miao Yeqing, the lord of Mao City, also smiled and clapped her hands. Seeing her reaction, the steward by her side also had a smile in his eyes.
It had been a long time since he had seen a smile on the lord's face. Coming out with her today was truly delightful.
"Did you bring silver money, Chang Mo?"
Miao Yeqing softly asked the steward beside her, Chang Mo. He immediately took out a purse and handed it over.
"I brought it, my lor..." Chang Mo hastily changed his words, "Miss."
"Mm!"
Miao Yeqing nodded satisfactorily. She took the money bag from Chang Mo's hand and casually grabbed a handful to toss towards the square.
The bag contained both silver and copper coins. As Miao Yeqing randomly threw out a handful, the crisp sound of the coins also spurred the cat dance master to perform even more vigorously.
"Alright, I've seen enough of the cat dance. Let's walk around the city."
Miao Yeqing returned the purse to Chang Mo. Chang Mo also nodded, "Yes, miss, please come this way."
"Don't be so formal. The Spirit Cat Festival should be full of joy."
As Miao Yeqing spoke with a smile, she and her steward walked out from the crowd and strolled casually along the street outside the Spirit Cat Temple.
The street was filled with pedestrians. Most were local residents of Mao City, while a minority were visitors who had come specially from other places to participate in the Spirit Cat Festival and sample the local customs.
"Look at my tiger head, majestic like a real tiger!"
The loud chatter of children was heard. Following the voices, Miao Yeqing saw that a few children on the street were each hugging their own cats, competing with each other.
The cat called tiger head was indeed a tiger-striped cat. Its entire body was patterned with tiger stripes, appearing fiercer than a real tiger.
However, the cat had only just been weaned for a few months. Not showing any trace of majesty, it looked extremely cute instead.
"Nonsense, my Snow is the most beautiful!"
A little girl with lamb horn braids held up her small white cat high in the air. The little white cat wore a fitted little vest, its fur as white as snow.
"Your cat's colour is too plain. My Chestnut is better looking!"
Another little boy immediately responded and lifted his brown cat above his head as well.
In the midst of the children's playful competition, a woman with a tiger-striped raccoon cat perched on her shoulder walked up behind the first little boy who had spoken. She twisted his ear harshly.
"Wretched little brat, I took my eyes off you for one second and you stole your older sister's kitten!"
"How many times have I told you, tiger head cannot be exposed to wind! Cannot be exposed to wind! And yet you never listen!"
"Come back with me!"
The tiger-striped raccoon cat on the woman's shoulder also glared angrily at the little boy. If not for it being family, it would have scratched him already.
"Mother, I'm sorry, Mother!"
Amidst the little boy's cries, the woman dragged him off roughly. The tiger-striped raccoon cat on her shoulder seized its own kitten from the boy's hands and followed at the woman's heels. It carried its baby in its mouth, moving as quickly as its legs could carry it.
"Oh my, what a mischievous child."
As soon as Chang Mo finished speaking, Miao Yeqing's previously cheerful expression fell.
Noticing the change in Miao Yeqing's mood, Chang Mo's heart sank immediately.
"Miss, you are thinking about it again..."
"Alas, it is because I have governed poorly!"
Standing with her hands behind her back gazing at the happy mother and child, Miao Yeqing sighed softly, "If all those children were still in the city, I suppose the atmosphere would be more vibrant."
"My lady, even manpower has its limits. Please don't blame yourself too much!"
"But we in Mao City have lost more than just children. We have lost the entire future of Mao City!"