If my guess is correct, the reason Longyue rushed all the way here to capture this little ginseng demon was not because he was of Longyue's kind, but because he had just transformed into human form. Longyue mistakenly thought that perhaps it was a reincarnation of "Shanhai"—any demon that descended recently had this possibility, especially rare demons like ginseng. But clearly, Longyue also discerned that this little ginseng was not a reincarnation of Shanhai, and didn't even want to take him away, so he left him here. Demons are demons, without humanity. There are quite a few other demons in this underground forest. If we hadn't come, this sleeping little boy might have been eaten by other demons!
"You all step back," said the Whale God.
I picked up the little boy, and Lin Xi and the others retreated more than ten meters. The Whale God then burrowed into the small hole. A few seconds later, with a boom, all the double-layered logs covering the ruins flew into the sky, scattering like a meteor shower of giant clubs, smashing down a large number of the surrounding living trees. This power was no less than Longyue's "Rulai Shen Zhang," and what's more, the Whale God exerted force from underground upwards, which was even more remarkable—but perhaps, even with such a terrifying effect, the Whale God had not used her full strength.
I don't know if Yaoyao's wood element magic can reach this level.
Probably not. Energy is conserved. Yaoyao can control corn stalks, but controlling such heavy logs would be too draining.
With the Whale God's strike, the demons in the entire underground forest, including many birds, were alarmed and fled in all directions. We, by chance, were standing under a giant fir tree, so we were not attacked by the falling log shower.
After the leaves settled, I went to inspect. Where the logs had been covering was a very deep pit, circular, about twenty meters in diameter. In the center was a stone-built circle resembling a wishing well. Around the well stood eight statues. The material of the statues looked a bit like stone, and a bit like wood. They were eight animals, carved lifelike.
"Huh?" the Eagle Demon exclaimed, "Aren't these us eight?"
I looked closely, and indeed, the eight animals carved were snake, deer, tiger, bear, eagle, fox, sable, and weasel, corresponding one by one to the eight demons of Jiuxian Cave, even in the same order!
I walked closer and looked into the center of the well, because there was a small statue there, hidden by the giant bear demon sculpture.
It wasn't Yaoyao, but a small wild beast I had never seen before.
"Is this thing Shanhai?" I asked. Didn't Lin Xi say this was the Shanhai demon tribe's altar?
It looked like a mouse, its body covered in scales. It looked a bit like a small dinosaur, and a bit like a pangolin.
"It should be the image of the first generation Shanhai," Lin Xi said.
"What era is this from?" I asked curiously.
"About twenty thousand years ago?" Lin Xi wasn't very sure and turned to the Whale God for help.
The Whale God was gazing intently at the small pangolin in the center. Only when Lin Xi asked for the second time did the Whale God say, "About right."
"No way," Chen Ke touched the delicate fur texture on the bear statue and frowned. "The craftsmanship of these statues is quite good. Could ancient humans from twenty thousand years ago have such skilled carving?"
"Carving?" I chuckled. "In my opinion, modern people don't have this kind of carving either, unless it's 3D printing. Do you think there was 3D printing twenty thousand years ago?"
"Certainly not," Chen Ke replied.
"Then there's only one possibility," I said, poking the bear demon's eye. It was hard. "They aren't statues, but fossils, with their entire bodies preserved!"
"As expected of you!" Lin Xi clapped her hands. "You guessed that too! According to the Shanhai Tu records, these nine were the first generation leaders of the Shanhai demon tribe. They were defeated by the first generation Bai Ze, who turned the demons into stone and placed them on the Shanhai demon tribe's altar to deter other Shanhai demons. Right, Whale God?"
The Whale God shook her head slightly. "You're only half right."
"Oh? Please elaborate!" Lin Xi said respectfully.
"The first generation Shanhai demon tribe wasn't nine, but eight. Bai Ze didn't turn the demons into stone, but used its own power to petrify the eight demons. It also sacrificed itself here," the Whale God said faintly, her expression as if she had personally experienced that ancient great battle.
"In other words, this little thing is actually... the first generation Bai Ze!"