Dead calabash, living calabash.
Priest Tong Jiong named this pair of calabashes quite simply. But indeed, ancient powerful beings preferred to handle things in natural and straightforward ways, and followed nothing but their own hearts.
While fiddling with the pair of calabashes, Ji Hao had been handing more wine and meat to Tong Jiong, who happily enjoyed this banquet. Ji Hao asked many questions, and he gave all answers that he could give. Some secret ancient stories seriously opened Ji Hao's eyes.
"I've read some records about the three 'Peng' in the Wisdom Star Palace, but the records are quite vague. I'm pretty curious about their stories. Have you ever heard of them?" When Tong Jiong had almost finished all the food and drink that Mr. Crow brought, Ji Hao finally threw this question out in a careless tone.
Tong Jiong immediately stopped gulping. He dropped the wine cup, raised his head with a weird smile, then slowly glanced at Ji Hao while saying, "The heaven has a record about the three 'Peng', which is reasonable. After all, they've left some traces back in the ancient time...But little thing, you suddenly asked about them, hah!"
Tong Jiong blinked and nodded, then continued, "Hm, have they started to take some serious actions?"
Ji Hao gave a bitter smile. As he thought, in front of an ancient powerful being like Tong Jiong, any kind of concealment would be useless. He merely mentioned the three 'Pengs', yet Tong Jiong immediately guessed out his true purpose and figured out that the three 'Pengs' had taken an action and Ji Hao was trying to do a background research about them.
"Let me see their record from the Wisdom Star Palace!" Tong Jiong reached his hand to Ji Hao.
Ji Hao threw the divine record about the three 'Pengs' into the jade board. Tong Jiong spread the scroll and laughed, "As I expected, only their names were recorded specifically. Their background is stated vaguely, and the author just guessed that they have something to do with the few great events that happened in the ancient time, hah!"
Ji Hao cupped his hands to Priest Tong Jiong and said, "Elder, please tell me what you know about them."
Tong Jiong frowned. While using the sheet of record as a hand fan, he said, "The three 'Peng', they're mysterious, brutal, but prefer to do things in a 'soft' way. They can totally be on top of your 'cannot offend' list in Pan Gu world...But, I'm not afraid of them now, as I'm sealed in Feng Dao Mount. I wouldn't fear them even if they can break this jade board.
Snorting coldly, Tong Jiong looked at Ji Hao and continued, "Do you know that the moment you mentioned their names, they've already known about it?"
"Are they really so powerful?" Ji Hao stared at Tong Jiong, stunned.
Tong Jiong nodded. He raised his head and said slowly, "Unless you're a saint, who can defeat the 'three corpses' by killing them with your primordial spirit power, burning then with essence fires, or casting them out of your body and then sealing them in the Chaos...Anyway, they can read the thoughts of all Pan Gu world creatures but saints."
"It's better that you know nothing about them. You don't mention them, don't think about them, so they can sense nothing from you. Added with your strong heart of Dao, you will be able to keep your thoughts from being read by them as long as you don't talk about your thoughts."
"But you mentioned their names to me. As you said their names, they can naturally follow your voice here. In other words, at the moment, you..." Looking at Ji Hao, Tong Jiong nodded, pointed at the Pan Gu bell, and said, "This bell is made from a part of Pan Gu's body. It can protect you, added with your great natural rewards power. Besides, Fen Dao Mount is sealed, as this place is isolated from the great Dao of nature. Therefore, you can mention them as many times as you want in here. They can't hear us."
Breathing deeply, Tong Qiong carried on with a deep voice, "But, when you return to Pan Gu world, do not mention them, and do not think about them. You shall restrain your thoughts, calm your desires and emotions, and relax your heat of Dao, making it as still as a ten-thousand years old iceberg. You cannot get angry, or be happy, or sad, or worry. All in all, you can't have any emotion. Otherwise, they will read every thought of yours."
Ji Hao felt his fine hairs stand straight up. Were the three 'Pengs' truly so powerful?
"Where exactly are they from?" Ji Hao forcibly calmed himself down and asked.
"This...You should ask Pan Gu!" Tong Jiong scratched his scalp. He picked up the cup, emptied a cup of wine with a frown, then said, "Pan Gu created this world. Back then, I stood in a distance away and watched him do that. I'm far smarter than those idiots. Pan Gu was such a powerful being, yet they attempted to seize the original Dao of Pan Gu world and occupy the entire Pan Gu world. Wasn't that suicide?"
"In that great war...Or, in that slaughter, heads rolled everywhere, and blood flowed into oceans..." Clicking his tone, Tong Jiong continued, "Only the smart ones like us survived. The ones who had the guts to make a move all died." He smiled, as if he took pleasure in others' misfortune.
"But eventually, Pan Gu failed to attain his Dao through strength and make the final step. So, he fell as well." Tong Jiong sighed and said with shock, "The three 'Pengs' are three gods who flew out of Pan Gu's body once he died."
"Gods… Gods… They're not the same kind of Gods as the Fire God, Earth God, Gold God, Water God, Green God, and other original natural gods in Pan Gu world. Those gods were generated from natural powers based on the great Dao of nature, but the three 'Pengs' weren't. Gods… They were gods. They were born before the world, with immeasurable powers...They're the real gods to 'people' like us." Tong Jiong frowned while saying, "We don't understand their relationship with Pan Gu either. After Pan Gu died, they immediately came out of Pan Gu's spirit, blood, and Qi!" While speaking, Tong Jiong pointed at his forehead, heart, and lower abdomen.
"So, they're Pan Gu's descendants as well..." He continued with a deep voice.
"Pan Gu was a troublemaker. Too many strange beings came out of his body, including Priest Jun's three disciples, that evil priest, the ancestors of the dragon-kind, phoenix-kind, and humankind, and the three 'Pengs'. So, they're all Pan Gu's descendants." Unsurely, Tong Jiong gave Ji Hao a bitter grin.
"However, the three 'Pengs' have away been so mysterious. They hardly showed up in the mortal world. No one knew what they had been thinking or doing. No one even knew where they lived.
"But, I can tell you for sure that they caused the sudden death of the four world spirits of earth, water, fire and wind." Tong Jiong clicked his tongue again. "The first generation of Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Rosefinch, Black Tortoise...They were peeled, had their blood drained, and tendons pulled out. They all died such a miserable death!"
Ji Hao knitted his brows. The three 'Pengs' were 'gods' who flew out of Pan Gu's body?
"So, they're evil, aren't they?" Ji Hao asked straightforwardly.
"Evil? Perhaps?" Tong Jiong looked at Ji Hao, shaking his head. "Who can tell? For example, I think I'm a good guy. But, am I not sealed in here?"