94: Destroy Tian Dou! Annihilate Xing Luo!

The Divine Lightning did not last for long.

But the shock and terror it left in people's hearts would likely not dissipate for a lifetime.

Almost everyone in Nuoding City fell to their knees, praying for the Azure Dragon Divine Lord to appease his anger.

The noble estates that had been struck by the Divine Lightning were in a state of utter chaos.

Many guards and maids fled from within, running frantically in all directions.

Compared to their lives, the authority and wealth of the nobility could not keep them there.

At the City Lord's Manor, everyone knelt, and some even sprawled directly on the ground.

They were terrified of incurring the Azure Dragon Divine Lord's punishment.

After a brief moment of shock, City Lord Xiao's eyes turned bloodshot.

He wasn't afraid; he was excited.

The wild thoughts in his chest made his entire body burn with heat.

He didn't bother to look at the commoners on the ground, nor did he care to find the troublemakers.

Looking around, he spotted A Rou and her daughter nearby and immediately stepped forward, inviting the mother and daughter into the manor... and into the main hall.

A Rou and Xiao Wu sat down together; Xiao Wu's face was pale, and she clung to A Rou's arm, her entire body trembling.

The fear a transformed Hundred Thousand Year Spirit Beast felt toward Heavenly Tribulation was more intense than that of any other Spirit Beast.

Xiao Wu's decision to transform and restart her cultivation was partly due to her fear of the Heavenly Tribulation.

Although those bolts of Divine Lightning hadn't been aimed at her, the thunderous explosions directly overhead still filled her with an indescribable dread.

Xiao Wu hugged A Rou tightly, burying her head in A Rou's bosom, wishing she could return to the time before she was born.

A Rou gave a helpless smile and gently patted Xiao Wu's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Xiao Wu. The Divine Lord won't punish you; that Divine Lightning only strikes the wicked..."

City Lord Xiao entered the room, and seeing the behavior of the mother and daughter, he said with a smile:

"Madam Rou, your bond with your daughter is truly deep. Unlike my own troublesome brat, who only gives me headaches." City Lord Xiao was beaming.

He dismissed the other attendants and personally poured hot tea for A Rou and her daughter.

A Rou was slightly startled and asked in confusion, "City Lord, why are you doing this?"

City Lord Xiao smiled, sat on the other side, and said sincerely, "Madam Rou, I know about you. You are also working for the High Priest, right?"

"..." Madam Rou stared at City Lord Xiao without answering.

City Lord Xiao continued, "I am as well."

"The list for the nobles that the Divine Lord struck down with Divine Lightning this time was provided by me."

City Lord Xiao's expression turned solemn as he cupped his fists toward the Azure Dragon Temple.

"I am grateful the High Priest thinks highly of me. I brought forward every noble who has committed evil or taken a life... Before this, the nobles were too powerful, and I couldn't do much, so I could only turn a blind eye. But now that the Divine Lord has gone this far, I can finally wield the butcher's knife against them!"

City Lord Xiao's eyes were red with emotion as he said, "The Heaven Dou Empire does not care for its people; anyone can bully them. Only the Divine Lord and the High Priest truly show mercy to their subjects."

"..."

A Rou's mouth twitched slightly, feeling that there was something wrong with this City Lord.

Why are you starting to cry as you talk?

A Rou asked in confusion, "City Lord Xiao, what exactly are you trying to say?"

City Lord Xiao wiped away his tears and whispered, "I want to... rebel."

"!!!"

A Rou was instantly stunned by his words.

Those two simple words were like two heavy hammers, striking her into a daze.

The Heaven Dou Empire and Star Luo Empire were ancient Empires that had endured for thousands of years on the Douluo Continent. How could City Lord Xiao have such audacity?

"They are both too decadent! In their eyes, there are only nobles and Spirit Masters, but no commoners who truly live at the bottom!"

"Ever since I witnessed the greatness of the Divine Lord, I decided to abandon my noble status and act on behalf of the people from now on!"

"If I fail, I am willing to die; on that journey, I will have enforced justice on behalf of the Divine Lord. If I succeed, the Azure Dragon will be the State Religion of the new Empire, and the High Priest will be the Imperial Preceptor!"

"The coronation of every emperor shall only be designated by the Temple!"

City Lord Xiao spoke with powerful conviction, his breathing rapid.

"!!!"

A Rou was momentarily stunned, not knowing how to respond.

City Lord Xiao's ambition... was simply too vast!

...The dark clouds above Nuoding City quickly dissipated, and sunlight bathed the earth once more as Yu Mengzhang returned to the temple and his Divine Soul returned to his body.

Along with it came a massive amount of Karma.

In an instant, the golden light of the merit golden body reached above his knees.

"!!!"

The "Green Lizard" was startled awake. It looked up at the merit golden body, feeling increasingly close to it, and rubbed against the statue with force as if asking to be petted.

Yu Mengzhang estimated his current Karma.

Although it didn't quite match the amount from summoning clouds and rain, it wasn't far off!

Punishing evil nobles could indeed generate a huge amount of Karma, far more than punishing ordinary thugs and scoundrels!

Though those thugs committed many misdeeds, their influence wasn't very large.

But for the nobles recorded by City Lord Xiao, the sins and dark futures that could be converted into Karma from each one could equal that of a hundred thugs!

If he did this a few more times, he feared the merit golden body would be completed very soon.

That way, the temple in Nuoding City would no longer need him to personally watch over it.

Knock, knock, knock...!

A series of somewhat hurried knocks sounded at the door.

When the dark clouds had filled the sky earlier, the Believers had stopped lining up to enter, instead kneeling outside to wait for the rain.

They believed that the rain appearing when the Divine Lord manifested had the miraculous effect of dispelling illness.

Now that the dark clouds had retreated and sunlight bathed the earth,

People were getting up one after another.

The one knocking was a tall, thin old man, drenched in sweat and pale-faced... Dragon Duke Meng Shu.

His lungs were wheezing like a pair of bellows.

He practically fell over himself as he dropped to his knees on the ground.

"Di... Divine Lord, I have sinned. I, I I I shouldn't have left the mountain without permission. I beg for your forgiveness..."

Dragon Duke Meng Shu lay prostrate on the ground. Because he was so nervous, his posture was wrong, and his rear end was sticking high in the air, looking quite comical.

Yu Mengzhang looked at him in confusion, remaining silent.

He had almost forgotten about this person.

Not receiving an answer from Yu Mengzhang, Dragon Duke Meng Shu grew even more terrified. It was as if the Divine Lightning were still circling above his head as he said with a trembling voice:

"I will never dare to think of escaping again. I will stay, I..."

Yu Mengzhang remembered now. "There is no need."

"!!!"

Dragon Duke Meng Shu felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar. Did that mean he was going to be killed?

Dragon Duke Meng Shu's voice was incredibly bitter as he trembled, "High Priest, I am the only one who secretly went down the mountain. My wife and granddaughter did not. I beg you to spare them..."

"What I mean is, you are free to leave at any time," Yu Mengzhang said indifferently.

He had no intention of forcibly keeping powerful experts.

In fact, even A Rou's active loyalty was something he only accepted because she had insisted and he happened to need her.

Hearing these words, Dragon Duke Meng Shu felt as if all his strength had been drained. He slumped to the ground, unable to get back up.