210: Fourth-Rank Yin God
The reddish-orange glow grew increasingly intense as the jade pendant crumbled into dust and scattered.
Within the blinding radiance, a tall figure slowly materialized.
The figure was clad in golden armor, wore a divine crown, and was enveloped in a dense aura of Incense Offerings and Power Of Will, resembling a deity stepping out from a temple mural.
With his appearance, a suffocating sense of pressure quietly descended.
The strength of his aura was in no way inferior to the White Lotus Dharma Idol behind Su Qingqian.
The golden-armored figure raised a hand, light surging forth as he threw a punch towards the colossal hand overhead.
Boom!
Amidst the deafening roar, the giant hand could no longer advance even a fraction further.
"A Fourth-Rank Yin God!?"
Exclamations of surprise rang out; some had already recognized the origins of the golden-armored figure.
Hearing this, the great demons of the Demon Alliance like Bronze Bull and Red Maiden felt their hearts sink, a look of shock and horror flashing in their eyes.
A Fourth-Rank Cultivation Level, even outside the Demon Spirit Realm in the great mountains, was already a force powerful enough to dominate a region.
Their own King, Xu Qing, and Lady Sang Qianhua were both at the Fourth-Rank Cultivation Level, figures they considered absolutely invincible in their hearts.
But now... this human youth of unknown origin actually had a Fourth-Rank Yin God protecting him.
Just who was he?
How profound was this kid's background?
"Whew—"
Seeing this Yin God appear, Song Qingwu let out a long sigh of relief, his taut nerves relaxing somewhat.
"Given his status, having a Fourth-Rank protector is quite normal," he thought to himself.
The Da Gan Imperial Family ruled over thirteen provinces, held dominion over the world, had canonized countless Yin Gods, and possessed unfathomably deep reserves.
Several of the most esteemed princes would inevitably have guardians by their side.
This Fourth-Rank Yin God was undoubtedly Zhao Ming's life-saving trump card.
"Your subordinate arrived late to the rescue, allowing Your Highness to be frightened!"
After blocking the attack, the golden-armored Yin God turned and respectfully saluted Zhao Ming.
"You are..." Zhao Ming was also somewhat bewildered at this moment.
His jade pendant was distributed to several princes by the Court of the Imperial Clan many years earlier.
At the time, the Zongzheng only said to preserve it carefully and keep it on his person at all times; he never knew it actually concealed a Yin God within.
"Your subordinate is Chai Jun. In life, I was the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards. Currently, I serve as the Day Patrol God of the Capital's City God Temple, acting under the decree of the Court of the Imperial Clan to secretly ensure Your Highness's safety!"
Chai Jun declared in a voice as loud as thunder.
Having said that, he noticed the bloodstains on Zhao Ming's body, a flash of anger appearing in his eyes.
"Your Highness's injuries are severe and require immediate treatment!"
Without further ado, Chai Jun swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, chanting incantations under his breath.
Hum!
The dense Power Of Will from Incense Offerings surrounding him instantly boiled, transforming into a golden mist that enveloped Zhao Ming completely.
Within the mist was an unimaginable concentration of vitality and Divine Power, the essence condensed from the day and night offerings of countless commoners.
Nourished by the power of Incense Offerings, the wounds on Zhao Ming's body healed at a visible rate, his pale complexion quickly regaining its rosy hue.
In just a few breaths, injuries that would have taken Zhao Ming the better part of a year to recuperate from were already ninety-nine percent healed.
"Damn it..."
Not far away, Monk Guang Liang was so envious he was practically drooling, his eyes filled with jealousy.
"What extravagance! That one breath of Incense Offerings Qi is probably worth several years' worth of savings for some City God Temples, right? And he used it without even blinking? These royal dogs are truly, damnably rich!"
As a Chan Buddhist Cultivator, he naturally understood the preciousness of the power of Incense Offerings.
In his eyes, Chai Jun's actions just now were blatant wastefulness.
However.
For Chai Jun, this amount of Incense Offerings was nothing.
A mere bit of Power Of Will from Incense Offerings was nowhere near as important as the injuries of His Highness, the Ninth Prince.
"The power of Incense Offerings actually has such marvelous uses."
Feeling the strength refilling his body, a smile reappeared at the corner of Zhao Ming's lips.
"Allowing Your Highness to be injured is this subordinate's crime. However, the Zongzheng Lord placed a Restriction back then; unless it was a critical moment, I could not sense the situation outside, which is why Your Highness's invaluable body suffered harm."
Chai Jun stood up, his gaze settling on Su Qingqian.
Instantly.
The respect in his eyes vanished, replaced by extreme disgust and a sharp, chilling killing intent.
"Heretical deity and unorthodox path! How dare you harm a prince of Great Gan!"
Chai Jun roared angrily, the light from his golden armor blazing brilliantly, his Divine Might oppressive like a prison.
As an orthodox Divine Path Yin God, he harbored a natural hostility towards such cults that stole faith and even attempted to subvert divine authority.
In mid-air.
Su Qingqian's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
"A Fourth-Rank Yin God... As expected, a centipede dies but never falls down. The Da Gan Imperial Family does have some depth to its reserves."
Though somewhat surprised, not much panic showed on her face.
On the contrary, the corner of her mouth even curled into a strange arc.
"However, if it were a Martial Arts Grandmaster or a Confucian Great Scholar, this humble concubine might still be somewhat wary. But if it's a Divine Path Cultivator... Hehe."
Su Qingqian let out a light laugh, her voice tinged with a hint of contempt. "Don't you know that my Lifeless Mother is the Master of Ten Thousand Gods, specially designed to suppress you false gods?"
Before her words had even faded.
The White Lotus Dharma Idol behind her underwent another transformation.
From beneath the originally flawless white lotus seat, billowing black Qi surged forth, instantly dyeing the entire Dharma Form into a bizarre appearance—half holy, half evil.
"Brazen boasting! Prepare to die!"
Infuriated by her words, Chai Jun wasted no more breath.
His body instantly swelled to several dozen zhang in height, and a massive golden halberd materialized in his hand, formed from condensed Divine Power of Incense Offerings.
"Heaven-Splitting!"
With a furious roar, Chai Jun brought the halberd down upon Su Qingqian's head, carrying a terrifying forceEnough to split mountains.
This halberd strike not only contained the Divine Power of a Fourth-Rank Yin God but also carried theBlessing of Great Gan's national fortune. Its power was so great it caused the Void Realm itself to tremble.
"Fellow Daoist Song, what are you waiting for? Act now!"
While launching his halberd strike, Chai Jun also did not forget to call upon Song Qingwu beside him.
Song Qingwu's eyes sharpened, knowing the opportunity was not to be missed.
He once again activated that Sword Qi within his body, transforming himself into a stunning sword rainbow. Forming a pincer attack with Chai Jun, he aimed straight for Su Qingqian's back.
Two powerhouses possessing Fourth-Rank combat strength joined forces to besiege her!
"Hmph, mere trifling tricks!"
Facing this certain-kill situation, Su Qingqian did not retreat but instead advanced.
She formed hand seals with both hands, and the half-black, half-white Dharma Form's six arms began to move simultaneously.
The black half of the arms reached out, grasping Chai Jun's golden halberd and Song Qingwu's sword rainbow respectively.
A bizarre, defiling power instantly erupted, actually beginning to corrode the golden Divine Power and the pure Sword Intent.
Sizzle—!
A piercing corrosion sound rang out. Chai Jun felt as if the halberd in his hand had sunk into a quagmire, the flow of his Divine Power becoming incredibly sluggish.
"Is this the power of a heretical deity?" Chai Jun thought with a start.
"Break!"
Song Qingwu's Sword Intent was fierce and unyielding. Though tainted, it remained peerlessly sharp.
The Sword Qi erupted, forcibly severing one of the black arms.
Boom—!
Three combatants of Fourth-Rank level engaged in a world-shaking battle deep within the Taihang Mountains.
Divine light, Sword Qi, heretical intent... various astonishing auras rampaged and collided throughout the mountain forests.
Hills crumbled one after another; rivers evaporated and dried up.
Cracks spread across the earth like a spiderweb, extending all the way to the distant horizon.
The aftershocks of theFighting even reached the distant main peak of the Taihang Mountains.
Deep underground, the formation eye inscribed with Dao patterns shattered. The Great Spirit Gathering Array Xu Qing had previously laid down immediately collapsed, and the Spiritual Qi gathered over the Taihang Mountains surged out in all directions like water from a breached dam.