"Mountain ghost…"

 

Chronicle murmured softly, raising his hand to summon the drawing pen.

 

This was a mysterious item that existed between reality and consciousness.

 

The sharp carving knife at the end, and the ability to generate drawings and text with just mental power and imagination, made it incredibly versatile and magical.

 

With this mysterious tool in hand, Chronicle propped the stone statue on his leg and carefully pondered for a while.

 

The hole in the center of the stone statue's forehead was really tricky to deal with.

 

Fortunately, although he lacked skill, he had plenty of strength.

 

Reaching over, he grabbed two pieces of the same material and, after a simple polish, inserted them into the arrow hole.

 

After "repairing" it, he picked it up and found it to be "perfect" and seamless.

 

"Not bad."

 

He nodded in satisfaction, then raised his hand to summon the Nine Songs: Mountain Ghost.

 

A deep blue light shone, and the incredibly fresh scent of plants and trees drifted into his nostrils along with the night breeze.

 

Taking a deep breath, he couldn't help but feel refreshed.

 

Following that, a clean and melodious singing voice rang out, sweeping away the negative emotions that had been building up in his heart for a long time in just an instant.

 

Although he couldn't understand what the other person was singing, the beautiful voice could always transcend language barriers and directly touch people's hearts.

 

"Hmm~"

 

Half a minute later, the singing abruptly stopped, and a girl with earrings, a cape, a waistband, and a fresh and beautiful appearance bounced out from the light.

 

Her features were delicate and beautiful, like the mountains and forests, without any makeup, pure and beautiful. The curve of her mouth and the soft lines were like the work of nature itself.

 

But the most eye-catching thing about her was her pair of eyes.

 

The flowing gaze contained a spirituality that far exceeded that of a three-star card.

 

"?"

 

Seeing Chronicle staring at her, she couldn't help but tilt her head, then walked over lightly and lightly bumped into Chronicle's shoulder.

 

When Chronicle turned to look, she smiled sweetly and extended two fair hands, slowly opening them.

 

A green light flashed, and a light blue flower slowly bloomed.

 

"Here."

 

At the mountain ghost's signal, Chronicle smiled and took the small flower, saying "Thank you."

 

Seemingly understanding, the mountain ghost hummed a song that only she could understand, looking somewhat happy.

 

Then she sat on a large bluestone nearby, using a tuft of grass as a "cat teasing stick" to play with the white-browed tiger that had appeared out of nowhere.

 

"Meow."

 

The tiger, which was as big as a pickup truck, pounced and rolled around, occasionally flipping over to show its belly and lying on its back at the mountain ghost's feet, purring.

 

Seven Brothers, who had been quietly practicing on the side, slowly opened his eyes when he heard the commotion, instantly understanding the situation with a single glance.

 

So he flicked his sleeve lightly, and the crisp and cold sound of the chain instantly quieted the big bug, preventing it from causing any more disturbances and affecting Chronicle's carving.

 

Feeling bored, the mountain ghost propped her chin and went to watch Chronicle, who was knocking and carving on the stone, humming a song with a carefree look in his eyes.

 

And so, after more than ten minutes, the stone statue was completed.

 

Chronicle had used all his knowledge and skills to successfully replicate the mountain ghost's delicate and beautiful face onto the stone statue.

 

He also made corresponding adjustments to the clothes and accessories.

 

In addition, he picked up a piece of stone from the side and, using the White-Browed Tiger as a model, made a stone tiger.

 

"It still feels like something's missing…"

 

Propping up his chin, Chronicle thought for a while, then saw a small flower swaying in the wind on the side of the dirt pile, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

 

So he picked up a piece of stone from the side and carefully carved a stone flower, placing it in the mountain ghost's hand.

 

With that, the great work was completed.

 

"The statue is finished, and the temple can continue to be used. Just need to change the name."

 

He thought to himself, then casually placed the plaque engraved with "Ci Nian Mountain Maiden Temple" to the side, found a square stone, and wrote the three characters "Mountain Ghost Temple" on it.

 

But it still felt like it was lacking something.

 

After thinking for a moment, he added the two characters "Du Ruo" in front, changing it to "Du Ruo Mountain Ghost Temple."

 

In the Nine Songs: Mountain Ghost, there was a line that went, "In the mountains, the fragrant Du Ruo, drinking from the stone spring, shaded by the pine and cypress. Do you think of me, or do you doubt me?"

 

Du Ruo referred to a kind of fragrant grass.

 

In this sentence, it meant that this person was special and beautiful.

 

"Not bad."

 

Chronicle nodded in satisfaction, then placed the mountain ghost statue and the stone tiger on the stone platform of the small temple, turned around, and hung up the stone plaque engraved with "Du Ruo Mountain Ghost Temple."

 

"Ah Gui."

 

Chronicle, who hadn't thought of a nickname for the mountain ghost yet, casually called out "Ah Gui." The girl who had been curiously tapping on the coffin of Zongzi Brother next to her turned her head in confusion, pointing to herself with her fair and slender fingers, as if to ask, "Are you calling me?"

 

"Yes." Chronicle nodded, gesturing for her to come over.

 

This serious goddess-like figure bounced over to Chronicle like a little deer in the mountains.

 

"Tap tap!"

 

Looking at the small temple in front of her, she imitated Chronicle's posture, propping up her chin with one hand, her beautiful eyebrows slightly furrowed, and struck a pensive pose like a grim reaper elementary school student.

 

In reality, she didn't understand anything.

 

It wasn't until Chronicle gestured that she, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly and clumsily released a strand of divine power onto the stone statue.

 

The originally somewhat gray and worn stone statue instantly took on a touch of spirituality, and the slightly narrowed eyes exuded a dignity that was unique to a god.

 

Even the stone tiger began to emit a stern and upright aura, extremely fierce and capable of warding off all evil.

 

With this step completed, Chronicle would be able to observe everything near the small temple at any time through the shared vision of the mountain ghost.

 

Dividing one's own strength and consciousness into one or more special items was also one of the special abilities of the god fragment.

 

It could be considered a weakened version of a material card."Finally, it's my own spiritual power."

 

Chronicle thought to himself, his gaze falling on the stone tablet.

 

After pondering for a while, he picked up the drawing pen, infused it with spiritual power, and wrote a shallow "Chronicle" next to the word "Mountain Ghost" in a flowing manner, as if stamping it.

 

"Phew."

 

The next moment, the oppressive force that had been present since entering the secret realm disappeared in an instant, and Chronicle couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

 

He never wanted to experience that feeling of being abandoned by the heavens and the earth again in his life.

 

It was a double blow, both psychologically and physically.

 

If it weren't for Seven Brothers, Eight Brothers, and Yingtai accompanying him, the malice from the world and the boundless loneliness would have gradually engulfed him like the rising tide.

 

Fortunately, it was all over now. Not only had he escaped the identity of a "black household," but because of the special nature of the ground beneath his feet, he had become a "pseudo-native" of the Great Scenery World, able to enjoy some benefits.

 

For example, before this, the speed of his spiritual power recovery in this world was as slow as a tortoise, but now it was as smooth and fast as if he had bought a membership and tied a rocket to his body.

 

"Ah, refreshing."

 

He lay back on the ground, feeling the spiritual energy between heaven and earth flowing into his body as if it were free, quickly transforming into spiritual power, and the hundreds of billions of cells throughout his body were singing with joy.

 

"No wonder those Great Scenery monsters are so powerful. With this concentration of energy, anyone would soar."

 

Chronicle said in a lazy voice.

 

According to his understanding during this period, the Great Scenery had entered the "Doomsday Era" long before the collision with the Blue Star.

 

After that, due to the excessive development of Blue Star card masters and Great Scenery monsters, it was on the verge of collapse, and the concentration of energy had decreased by more than one level.

 

But even so, it surpassed the Blue Star in many aspects.

 

"I wonder how the first group of people managed to survive…"

 

Chronicle thought to himself, then suddenly opened his eyes, propped himself up with his arms, and quickly got up.

 

After dusting himself off, he summoned the "Yuanxi Dynasty Huygus Grassland Ghost-Eating Falcon."

 

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

 

Seeing the dumbfounded bird staring at the Mountain Ghost, Chronicle couldn't help but flick its head with his finger. "Go catch me some small animals, and they have to be alive."

 

Just now, when he successfully established a spiritual coordinate, he received some additional information in his mind:

 

The more living beings or undead creatures that lived in this area, the more feedback he could receive.

 

After all, he couldn't stay in the secret realm forever.

 

This was the territory of the Great Scenery monsters and demons.

 

For Blue Star card masters, being here was like a mouse digging a hole in a cat's house.

 

If they stayed for too long, no one knew what would happen.

 

Moreover, for this world, card masters like him were like "Trojan viruses."

 

Even if they temporarily disguised themselves as harmless software through means, they might be discovered at any time.

 

By then, they would be crushed by the world's will hundreds or thousands of times over.

 

It was also for these reasons that most card masters chose to stay on the Blue Star and manipulate things from behind the scenes.

 

They used the feedback transmitted through spiritual coordinates to improve themselves, rather than diving into this dangerous world filled with monsters and demons for cultivation.

 

"Go behind the scenes, huh…"

 

Chronicle shook his head.

 

The information he had just received indicated that there was not only this one path.

 

Blue Star card masters pretending to be locals and influencing the Great Scenery world would also increase the "world's recognition."

 

In this way, the likelihood of being discovered would be greatly reduced, and the gains and feedback would gradually increase with the expanding influence.

 

"Expanding influence…"

 

Chronicle couldn't help but pat his head.

 

In his impression, in a world with such an ancient background, the only way to expand influence was through teachings, beliefs, and other means.

 

"But the problem is, isn't the Great Scenery world full of powerful monsters who can control magic and roam the wilderness?"

 

"If you try to talk to them about Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and the Dharma, your head might explode."

 

"Unless…"

 

Chronicle paused and said, "This world not only has terrifying monsters, but also some ordinary people struggling at the bottom. In that case, the so-called 'expanding influence' might have a little feasibility."

 

"But… in a world full of crises, with monsters and demons everywhere, bones littering the ground, and constant natural disasters, can ordinary people still survive?"

 

Chronicle couldn't understand.

 

He still had too little information at the moment.

 

"I'll ask the principal and Old Su about it when I get back."

 

"If all else fails, I'll just go completely behind the scenes. It may be slow, but at least it's safe."

 

He shrugged and turned around, only to see the Mountain Ghost closing its eyes, swaying its feet back and forth, humming an unknown tune.

 

Seeing this, he couldn't help but step forward and pat the creature's head.

 

Birds, beasts, fish, insects are all living beings, and so are flowers, plants, and trees.

 

He had just looked around and noticed that the mountain was a bit bare. By borrowing the Mountain Ghost's abilities, he could cultivate some flowers and plants, and maybe even attract some small animals to come over on their own.

 

"Go on."

 

After receiving Chronicle's command, the Mountain Ghost nodded earnestly and then walked lightly to the side of the Mountain Tiger, sitting on its back and heading towards the mountainside.

 

"Seven Brothers, go back to the Sea of Knowledge and practice first."

 

Seeing the Mountain Ghost's figure gradually disappearing from view, Chronicle stepped forward again and said to Seven Brothers.

 

Seven Brothers nodded slightly, and the next moment, he turned into a card and returned to the Sea of Knowledge.

 

Chronicle then summoned "General Zeng" and had Him lead the newly created "Yin Soldiers" to "sweep" the mountain.

 

All the plant spirits, mountain monsters, and demons were to be captured.

 

Those who were obedient would be scared and left to guard the mountain;

 

Those who were disobedient would be suppressed under the Mountain Ghost's temple, providing him with feedback continuously."Eh, doesn't the Mountain Ghost's [Growth] skill allow for the DIY of plant abilities and characteristics? I can totally design some plants that feed on Yin energy and resentment to guard the mountain."

 

"As for their appearance, let's reference the nighttime plants from 'Plants vs. Zombies', like the Doom-shroom, Scaredy-shroom, Hypno-shroom, and so on…"

 

"With the ghosts' resentment as their 'food', I won't need to constantly expend my mental energy to maintain them."

 

"Not only does it provide feedback, but it also supplies an energy source for the mountain-guarding plants. Killing several birds with one stone."

 

"Not bad, not bad at all."

 

Chronicle pondered to himself, the corners of his mouth curling up into a slight smile.

 

The shadow behind him stretched in the faint light, elongated like the street lamps on the roadside.

 

"I do understand the art of multipurpose."

 

Chronicle thought to himself, nodding to signal General Zeng to lead the Yin soldiers on their way.

 

With him, the "Chief of the Officials" and "Protector General of Ksitigarbha", leading the team, the Yin soldiers also gained a skill effect named [Clear the Path, Sweep Away the Demonic Miasma].

 

Their marching speed increased, and when facing the units of the four categories: demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters, their combat power would greatly enhance.

 

Most importantly, there's the word "Clear."

 

Under this effect, Chronicle could define the cleaning range, where all demons and evil spirits had nowhere to hide.

 

It was like marking red dots on the radar, catching them accurately without any mistakes or omissions, though it was quite draining on mental energy.

 

Fortunately, Chronicle had just received feedback from the Mountain Ghost's card creation, his condition was at its peak, and he could maintain it for a good while.

 

During this time, the falcon flew in and out several times, bringing back many small animals.

 

Although they were slightly different from the species on Blue Star, Chronicle could still vaguely recognize the shadows of snakes, rabbits, and other animals.

 

"You all practice well here, who knows, maybe one day you'll turn into a Rainbow-Swallowing Python or the wife of a God King."

 

Even when facing the less spiritually aware small animals, Chronicle didn't forget to entice them with grand promises.

 

Little did he know, as soon as he turned his back, the rabbit was eaten by the snake, and the path to becoming a divine consort was abruptly cut short.

 

Meanwhile, the Mountain Ghost, surrounded by a host of small animals, rode back on a fierce tiger, waving her hand, and specks of green light scattered, falling to the ground and blooming into grass, flowers, and buds.

 

Went out to buy New Year's goods during the day, got back a bit late, so here's a two-in-one update for now, and there will be another one later. As usual, eight thousand a day.

 

Sorry, sorry.