“Which immortal are you?”
In the center of the palace, a flash of lightning illuminated the scene as Wu Ming unceremoniously barged in, confronting the awakened Wang Zhong.
The deity still wore official robes, his face imposing and dignified. However, golden and crimson light intermingled around his body, bearing a striking resemblance to Wu Ming’s current aura. Yet, he could no longer maintain the fourth-level divine status.
Still, stabilizing his injuries was a major relief. In the future, he could gradually recover, restore his faith, and reclaim his divine position—provided he survived Wu Ming’s current tribulation.
Wang Zhong also possessed extraordinary insight and immediately recognized that Wu Ming was not someone to be trifled with.
“Which immortal are you? Indeed… you do not recognize me… However, your Wang family lacks virtue, your household conduct is improper, and your descendants have provoked this immortal. Therefore, you must bear the consequences…”
With a sweep of his dust whisk, Wu Ming’s words instantly caused Wang Zhong’s face to show a mixture of shock and anger: “You…”
“Edict! Summon thunder and fire!”
Without any intention of further conversation, Wu Ming immediately cast a magical incantation, sending a bolt of thunder and fire down: “Wang Zhong! I see that your life force and fortune are quite auspicious. How about you abandon this body to become a magical artifact for this immortal?”
Within the memories of the Great Emperor of Dongyue, there were indeed several techniques for crafting divine artifacts, requiring the use of divine power.
One such method was particularly suitable for the tortoise shell of the East Shining Avatar, and this deity would serve as excellent fuel.
Wu Ming’s eyes gleamed coldly, and the clear light radiating from his body formed a barrier, sealing the temple from all sides. The power of the divine incantation caused Wang Zhong’s expression to change repeatedly: “Divine-restraining spells—truly, you have plotted meticulously, you Taoist…”
…
“Dragon Palace soldiers, heed my command! Exterminate this spirit land and capture the city god. Those who perform great deeds shall be richly rewarded by Lord Hebo!”
At this moment, outside the city god’s spirit land, a massive dragon-shaped magical vessel descended, releasing a horde of water soldiers. Their martial aura coalesced into clouds, and leading them was none other than Ao Bai, a general of the Dragon Palace’s naval forces!
“Kill!”
The colossal dragon ship crashed through the spirit land, and the water soldiers roared as they charged in, clad in scales, some with fish whiskers, wielding iron corals, giant shells, and other underwater magical weapons. They immediately clashed with the yin soldiers.
“Die!”
Ao Bai, a giant turtle spirit, stood tall and mighty like iron, wielding two massive hammers weighing hundreds of pounds each, forged from refined gold and spiritual iron. With a single strike, the ground trembled violently, and the leading yin general was instantly reduced to dust.
“Hehe… Lord Hebo has long planned for this. He knew that these days were precisely when the city god would be suppressing his injuries and recovering, a vulnerable period. Thus, another tribulation now aligns with heavenly fate—minimizing effort while gaining assistance!”
Leading the charge, Ao Bai stormed into the city god’s palace, slightly surprised: “So someone already struck first!”
The palace, once magnificent, now lay in ruins, bearing the scorch marks of Wu Ming’s thunder techniques.
Many ghostly deities in the side halls had perished, and others, sensing danger, had fled. Only the main hall still echoed with sounds.
Boom!
Another beam of light erupted, instantly shattering the restriction, and Wang Zhong’s furious roar could still be faintly heard.
“Men, follow me!”
Unparalleled in bravery, Ao Bai charged directly into the main hall, where his eyes widened into copper coins, and his mouth gaped open at the scene before him.
“Haha… Wang Zhong, your divine power is fated to be mine—surrender it!”
In the center stood a young Taoist priest, his body radiating red energy and clear light, with five thunderbolts flashing around him, forming a massive furnace-like structure that trapped a golden-red deity in its center.
“Creative Heaven Thunder! True Samadhi Fire, refine!”
Amidst Wang Zhong’s screams, his entire divine body melted like wax, and the golden-red divine energy converged into a stream, absorbed by a dark-green tortoise shell hovering above the furnace.
As this divine energy flowed in, the tortoise shell emitted colorful radiance, with electric sparks coursing across its surface, revealing its extraordinary nature.
One after another, incantation seals were cast by the youth’s hands, vanishing into the shell and transforming into golden talisman characters engraved upon it, resembling tadpoles swimming about. As more seals were cast, the originally radiant shell grew increasingly subdued, appearing more ordinary, exuding a sense of returning to simplicity.
“Ahh… How I regret this!”
With a final scream, Wang Zhong’s divine soul dissipated, his divine energy completely absorbed by the shell, leaving no trace whatsoever.
The thunder-and-fire furnace vanished, and the shell transformed into a small black shield, landing in the Taoist’s hand.
“Directly refining the city god into a magical artifact! This is just… just… too ruthless!”
Ao Bai roared inwardly: “Even those emperor demons, or even my Dragon Lord, would not dare to be so audacious!”
“This shield, crafted through divine techniques, shall be named ‘Spiritual Turtle’!”
Wu Ming secured the small shield and turned with a smile: “An old acquaintance, we meet again!”
“You… you… you…”
Ao Bai gaped: “You’re that Taoist from the Dragon Gate Assembly… how did you become so powerful now?”
Of course, he recognized Wu Ming. Previously, when he transported Wu Ming to the Dragon Lord’s seal, it was Ao Bai who carried him.
Yet back then, although Wu Ming was extraordinary, he was merely a mage. Now, he had not only attained immortality but also reduced a city god to dust with a mere wave of his hand, extracting divine energy to forge artifacts—an act so ruthless that Ao Bai grew even more reluctant to acknowledge him.
“Indeed, it is this Taoist!”
Wu Ming performed a Taoist bow: “Since Brother Ao Nu has come, why not step forward for a moment?”
“How could my Dragon Lord…”
Ao Bai was speaking when his expression suddenly changed!
A stream of water surged from his body, materializing midair into a white crocodile, which transformed into a dragon king wearing a crown—none other than Ao Nu, the Hebo of the Angry Dragon River!
Anticipating the assault on the city god’s spirit land, this dragon king naturally would not remain idle, secretly hiding a manifestation within the naval general’s body to prevent any mishaps.
“Greetings, Dragon King!”
Wu Ming gestured, summoning a golden talisman from where Wang Zhong had perished, which instantly vanished into his sleeve, causing Ao Nu’s eyelid to twitch.
“It’s you!”
Ao Nu was clearly somewhat surprised: “You’ve attained immortality? No! This power… it seems you’re nearly a Celestial Master!”
He then turned wistful: “Never would I have thought that in just a few months, that mere mage from before would rise to this level…”
Now, even he spoke with a tone of equality, clearly acknowledging Wu Ming as someone capable of matching him in power.
“All due to fortunate circumstances!”
Wu Ming smiled faintly, observing the crumbling city god’s spirit land with collapsing buildings, and added: “This is no place for conversation. Would His Lordship Hebo be willing to relocate?”
“Exactly my thought!”
Ao Nu nodded, and the two transformed—one into a white crocodile, the other into a red light—and in an instant, flew out of the spirit land.
Boom!
After their departure, the tremors within the spirit land intensified severalfold, with the edges beginning to collapse rapidly.
“This spirit land is about to be destroyed—quickly board the ship!”
Ao Bai’s expression changed, and without further plundering, he immediately issued orders.
The great vessel sailed away, and moments later, a terrifying annihilating gale swept through, reducing the entire spirit land to ruin. Any lingering yin spirits, ghost soldiers, or even greedy water palace soldiers who had failed to escape were all destroyed without a trace.
Splash!
In the city of Chufeng, the earthly city god temple suddenly echoed with a loud noise, shaking the entire city.
“In the fifth year of Peace, an unusual event occurred in Chufeng Prefecture: At night, a tremendous sound came from the city god temple, the temple walls collapsed on all sides, and the city god statue, along with the civil and military judges and the left and right generals, all vanished, reduced to dust. Rumors say the prefect sealed the city god, and now the divine spirit has perished, leading to heavenly punishment. Afterward, chaos erupted in the city, with widespread violence, suspected to be a heavenly tribulation linked to human actions.—Prefecture Records of Chufeng.”
…
Splash!
The moonlight shimmered like water, blending seamlessly with the stream.
Under this gentle glow, two figures radiating mysterious light stood side by side, observing the commotion in Chufeng Prefecture.
“Dragon King, have you been well?”
Wu Ming was currently in his yuan shen form, yet even facing Hebo’s true body, he was unafraid. Naturally, he felt no fear toward a mere manifestation.
“Your cultivation progress exceeds my expectations…”
Ao Nu remained silent for a moment before slowly saying: “Nowadays, the world is in chaos, with wars breaking out everywhere. Even as the guardian of a river, I must follow the great human trends. Now, with war imminent in the two prefectures, I have a word to share with you… you…”
“Wait a moment… war is imminent in the two prefectures? What exactly has happened?”
Wu Ming’s heart jolted: “I was only absent for a month—how did things develop so quickly?”
“Hehe…”
Ao Nu sneered: “I oversee the Angry Dragon River, drawing upon three hundred miles of dragon energy within the water veins. Don’t you think I can sense the earth dragons? How could you possibly deceive me? That Prefect Li Yu’s origins—you still intend to hide them from me?”
Indeed, there was no hiding from Ao Nu, who was a fourth-level divine being with keen insight. Moreover, Wu Ming had previously given him a portion of dragon energy, which shared the same source as the one bestowed upon Li Yu, making it even more familiar to him.
“So that’s what you mean. What do you intend to do?”
Wu Ming’s expression turned grim, his eyes flashing with sharpness, letting Ao Nu know that this person was no longer the same as before.
After a long standoff, Ao Nu finally snorted coldly: “Within the three hundred miles of the Angry Dragon River, most of its flow lies within Chufeng and Nanfeng Prefectures… Now, the Li and Wu families have already sent envoys to court my allegiance. Which side does the immortal favor?”
“So you’re afraid I’ll ruin your plans?”
Wu Ming laughed heartily: “So the Dragon King favors the Wu family more?”
Inwardly, he was quite surprised, wondering how powerful the Wu family had become by now.
“The Wu family has deep roots, having long nurtured their influence in Nanfeng Prefecture. Recently, they even arranged for their legitimate daughter to marry the beloved son of Marquis Dinghou, securing a formidable ally. I advise the immortal not to act like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!”
Ao Nu couldn’t discern Wu Ming’s thoughts but still spoke thus.
Chufeng Prefecture belonged to Dingshou Province, and amidst the current chaos in the world, there were two regional lords within Dingshou, one of whom was Lord Dinghou, whose title “Ding” reflected his power and ambition!
“I see… This matter is of great importance. Please allow this humble Taoist to return and consider it for a few days before giving you a response, how about that?”
Clearly, the Dragon King had mistaken Wu Ming as the hidden supporter of the Li family. An immortal, perhaps even with the backing of a Taoist sect, made him quite wary.
Wu Ming understood this but chose not to clarify, maintaining an air of mystery, which only deepened Ao Nu’s uncertainty and suspicion.
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