Chapter 143 Divine Whip of Shaking Force

The two kept close to the base of the wall, moving quickly along the path recorded in the silk scroll, bypassing the rockery and avoiding patrols, until they finally reached the rear of the main hall.

The main hall stood imposingly, its doors tightly shut, but the rear window was left slightly ajar.

This was a detail specifically noted in Jiang Xiong's intelligence: before the City God went on patrol, the temple keeper would open the window for ventilation, closing it only after returning.

Chen Mu gently pushed open the window and leaped inside.

The space inside the hall was vast, housing a painted clay statue of the City God over a zhang tall. Its face was majestic, holding a Yin and Yang steel whip, and the altar before the golden body was filled with various offerings.

Chen Mu swept his gaze across the furnishings in the hall, quickly locking onto several potential ambush spots, then lowered his voice.

"According to the silk scroll, the City God's patrol takes about two quarter-hours; we have one quarter-hour left to set up."

Having said that, he took out phosphorus powder from his bosom, carefully sprinkling a thin layer outside the hall doors and windows, as well as on several paths that had to be crossed.

Qi Huan took out several copper coins carved with runes and embedded them into the cracks in the ground according to their positions. This object was called the Yin-Locking Array; while it could not trap the City God, it could delay the Yin soldiers under his command.

After finishing all this, the two retreated to the side of the altar, hiding in the shadows on either side.

Waiting.

Time ticked away slowly. Suddenly, the sound of orderly footsteps came from outside the hall. Qi Huan's body instantly tensed, but Chen Mu raised his hand to signal him to remain calm.

These footsteps were heavy and rhythmic; it was the sound of Yin soldiers marching in formation, not the City God returning.

Sure enough, the footsteps passed in front of the hall and gradually faded into the distance.

After another half-stick of incense, a cold wind suddenly blew outside the hall, causing the candlelight to flicker and shadows to dance wildly.

It's here!

Chen Mu and Qi Huan exchanged a glance, both holding their breath.

"Creak."

The hall door was slowly pushed open, and a tall figure stepped into the hall.

Dressed in a red robe and black gauze cap, with a face like a date, it was none other than the Yunmeng City God.

He held a Yin and Yang steel whip in his hand, with Yin and Yang Qi faintly swirling on the whip's body. Behind him followed four Yin soldiers, all dressed in black robes with blurred faces.

The City God seemed to be in a good mood, humming an out-of-tune ditty as he paced toward the altar. Just as he was three steps away from the altar...

"Do it!"

Chen Mu let out a low shout and lunged forward. The soul-slaying blade unsheathed, its black light like a viper flicking its tongue, piercing straight toward the City God's back.

This strike was without warning and fast as lightning, containing the ultimate sharpness of the Perfection stage of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique.

Before the blade arrived, the Saber Qi had already reached him.

"Audacious!"

The City God shouted sharply. Without turning back, he swept his whip horizontally with a backhand motion.

"Clang!"

The soul-slaying blade and the Yin and Yang steel whip collided violently, sparking blinding flashes and echoing throughout the hall.

Chen Mu felt a massive force transmit from the blade, numbing the web between his thumb and forefinger, forcing him to retreat three steps.

The City God's body also crouched slightly; clearly, he had not expected the attacker's strength to be so formidable. He sneered, his eyes flaring with rage.

"A mere mortal, daring to trespass into my Yin Realm stronghold!"

"Today, I will make your Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, never to be reincarnated!"

His steel whip shook, and the Yin and Yang Qi surged, manifesting as two shadowy dragons that charged straight at Chen Mu.

Chen Mu's eyes narrowed. He activated his Divine Void Step, his figure turning into several afterimages. He narrowly dodged the dragons' pounce and lunged forward again. Combined with the Divine Void Step, the soul-slaying blade transformed into a black web of blades, shrouding the City God within.

On the other side, Qi Huan had also taken action.

Seeing his palms flying, he unleashed his full power with the "Five Clouds Palm," pinning down the four Yin soldiers who wanted to step forward to assist.

After all, Qi Huan's injuries had not fully healed. Facing four Yin soldiers at the Middle Stage of the Dao Entry Realm, he immediately fell at a disadvantage. However, he gritted his teeth, holding them back firmly to deny them any chance to support the City God.

The hall was instantly plunged into a chaotic battle; blade light, whip shadows, palm winds, and ghostly howls caused the candles to flicker and offerings to fly everywhere.

The more Chen Mu fought, the more alarmed he became.

The City God's cultivation was indeed as Jiang Xiong had predicted, having reached the Late Stage of the Heart-Awakening Realm. Moreover, his divine methods were bizarre; every time the Yin and Yang steel whip swung out, it carried an eerie power. If not for the Soul-Loss Art protecting his Divine Soul, he would have already been struck.

And the City God grew angrier the more he fought.

He had presided over Yunmeng for a century; when had anyone ever dared to storm his home?

What shocked him even more was that this masked man in black clearly only had the cultivation of the Dao Entry Realm, yet his Protective Aura was solid, his blade technique sharp, and his movement technique bizarre, allowing him to hold his own without being defeated.

He roared, and seizing the moment before Chen Mu could retract his blade, he swung his steel whip, lashing down through the air!

There was no sound of wind, but Chen Mu felt an eerie force acting directly on his Divine Soul, descending like divine punishment.

This was an attack manifested from the City God's authority; there was no way to dodge it, only to endure it head-on.

Chen Mu's pupils constricted. He channeled his internal Protective Aura to the surface of his body, forming an incredibly solid defense, while simultaneously raising the soul-slaying blade to meet the whip shadow head-on.

"Boom!"

The blade wind and whip wind collided in the air. Chen Mu felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow; his body shuddered violently, and the blue bricks beneath his feet shattered inch by inch, his feet sinking half a foot into the ground.

A sweet taste rose in his throat, and a mouthful of blood surged up, which he forced himself to swallow. The web between his thumb and forefinger holding the blade finally split open, blood flowing down the handle, and his chest felt like a churning sea.

The power of the City God's whip, containing his divine authority, was terrifyingly immense.

However, Chen Mu had managed to endure it. He stood there, his body swaying slightly, but he had not fallen. The soul-slaying blade, though its black light had dimmed, had not left his hand.

The Foundation tempered by the Hunyuan Wuji Calamity Body and the Divine Soul protected by the Soul-Loss Art had shown astonishing resilience at this critical moment.

A flicker of evil fire jumped in the City God's eyes; he was very shocked that Chen Mu had taken that whip strike head-on.

His whip strike—even a typical Martial Artist at the Early Stage of the Heart-Awakening Realm would have suffered severe damage to their Divine Soul and a massive loss of combat power after receiving it, yet this kid before him...

"Tough life you have there; let's see how many whips you can take."

The City God was both shocked and furious, holding nothing back. The Yin and Yang steel whip dived down, aiming straight for Chen Mu's head; he wanted to crush Chen Mu completely with absolute power.

The pressure increased several times over. A fierce glint flashed in Chen Mu's eyes; he knew he couldn't keep being beaten passively. He stomped fiercely on the ground, gravel flying, and instead of retreating, he advanced, bypassing the whip's body and charging toward the City God himself.

Holding the soul-slaying blade tightly in his hand, he no longer stuck to the fixed Moves of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique. Instead, he fused the slashing of the Broadsword Technique, the thrusting of the Sword Drawing Technique, the agility of the Divine Void Step, the solidity of the Hunyuan Astral Qi, and the soul-destroying intent of the Soul-Loss Art into one.

"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The sounds of the blade and whip clashing were incessant.

Chen Mu pushed his movement technique to the limit, weaving, parrying, and counterattacking amidst the City God's fierce onslaught.

His outfit was already tattered, revealing shallow wounds left by the residual power of the whip, dripping with blood, but there were no fatal injuries.

His Hunyuan Astral Qi had quite a restraining and eroding effect on the City God's eerie Yin Divine Power. Although the City God's attacks were incredibly powerful, they were always mostly neutralized by Chen Mu's exquisite movement technique and formidable Physical Body.

The scene was tragic and deadlocked.

With the cultivation of the Late Stage of the Dao Entry Realm, Chen Mu was clashing head-on against the Late Stage of the Heart-Awakening Realm, and he was not falling behind against an evil god bolstered by his home field advantage, even occasionally counterattacking!

Even Nie Feng, who had been following and observing all along, could not help but sigh in wonder, grateful that he had not easily made a Move last night.

Then, he continued to lurk in the dark night, waiting quietly for the situation to develop.