The capital of Cai Country.
"Cough, cough..." Zhang Feng spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his face deathly pale.
A burly man stood before him clad in iron armor, which was etched with intricate patterns depicting dense crowds of figures.
Looking at Zhang Feng, he furrowed his brows. "How are your injuries?"
The burly man was a captain from the evil god military encampment who had arrived recently, possessing the strength of Step Three Sky Treading.
"I estimate I will need to recuperate for several decades before I can fight again," Zhang Feng said, his gaze tinged with apparent sorrow. "During this time, I fear I won't be able to serve you, my lord."
"You were far too careless, actually getting hurt by an assassin. The assassin has already been executed, but your wounds..." The burly man's brow tightened, his expression shifting unpredictably.
The encampment master had always thought highly of Zhang Feng, assigning him all kinds of dirty and exhausting tasks.
After all, Zhang Feng was an Ancient God, so naturally he was to be worked to the bone.
"Alas, the assassin was also a Step Three Sky Treading expert. Because of my loyalty to the encampment master, I've offended far too many Ancient Gods and frequently face assassination attempts," Zhang Feng said with a look of helplessness.
The burly man looked at the injuries on Zhang Feng's body. "Rest and recover first. I will report this matter faithfully to the encampment master."
With that, the burly man led three New Gods out of the palace.
Narrowing his eyes, the burly man seemed lost in thought.
One of the New Gods couldn't help but sneer, "This Zhang Feng must be faking his injury!"
"Right! He just doesn't want to work for the encampment master anymore!"
"His brother-in-law died, yet instead of taking revenge himself, does he expect us to do it for him?!"
These New Gods voiced their malicious speculations one after another.
"He claims he was assassinated by an Ancient God at Step Three Sky Treading, but in the end, he can't even produce the Ancient God's corpse!"
Last night, upon receiving the news that Zhang Feng had been attacked, they had hurried to Cai Country to provide reinforcement according to their orders.
Instead, they were shut out and made to wait until dawn just to see the injured Zhang Feng.
The burly man glanced at his subordinates and sighed. "His injuries didn't look fake. Regardless of whether he directed and staged this whole thing himself, it seems our encampment master really won't be able to mobilize him for these next few decades."
"Hmph, this is all our territory. With the encampment master overseeing the region, where would an Ancient God at Step Three Sky Treading dare make a move? An assassin? It's nothing more than a joke!"
"For an assassin to appear here is truly the greatest absurdity under heaven!"
It was not without reason that these New Gods were so confident.
The Ancient Gods in the occupied zone were in precarious straits; they were already lucky if they hadn't been purged yet, and almost no Ancient God would act as an assassin.
Those who could run had fled long ago.
Just then, however, a terrifying voice suddenly erupted like a thunderclap.
"Execute the traitor Zhang Feng! Whoever stands in the way will be shown no mercy!"
Hearing this voice, the four New Gods present froze for a moment.
There really was an assassin?
Inside the palace, Zhang Feng was stunned as well.
There really was an assassin!
"Audacious!" the burly man roared. "Your grandfather is right here! Who dares run rampant?!"
Furious, the burly man saw this as proof that Zhang Feng's assassination had indeed been real.
It would have been one thing if it had happened previously.
Now that people from their encampment were present, someone still blatantly charged in—this was a direct slap to his face.
How could he not be enraged?
He soared into the air.
Immediately, seven other New Gods by his side also flew into the sky.
Formidable evil god spiritual power spread out, engulfing the entire capital of Cai Country.
All the common folk trembled in terror.
At that moment, the figures of Qi Yuan and his followers halted in the sky above Cai Country.
Qi Yuan looked at the burly man and narrowed his eyes. "Are you Zhang Feng?"
Wang Wenqi hastily said from beside him, "My lord, he isn't Zhang Feng!"
The burly man was also looking at Qi Yuan, a look of surprise surfacing in his eyes. "No wonder you dared come to the capital of Cai Country—over twenty True Gods!"
It had to be said that Qi Yuan and his entourage cut quite an imposing figure.
Over twenty True Gods, and the vast majority were at Step Two Sky Treading.
Across the neighboring countries, this was undeniably a powerful force.
Yet the burly man was not afraid in the slightest.
Those from their military encampment who had come to Cai Country's capital were all elites.
Among the eight True Gods, four were at Step Three Sky Treading, and four were at Step Two Sky Treading.
In terms of numbers, they were fewer than Qi Yuan's group, but in terms of strength, they vastly surpassed them.
Moreover, he himself was at the peak of Step Three Sky Treading, on the verge of condensing a rudimentary Divine Domain.
He alone was actually enough to suppress these Ancient Gods.
"So many heads—all military merit!" the burly man said, his voice tinged with excitement.
"If you're not Zhang Feng, why are you blocking the way? Looking to die?" Qi Yuan asked, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.
Just then, a remorseful voice sounded as a pale-faced Zhang Feng flew into the air. "Wenqi, I am deeply sorry about what happened to your great-grandfather. Who knew he would be so stubborn? If he had pledged loyalty to the New Gods alongside me, how could he have provoked the New Gods' wrath? When the New Gods are enraged, no one can bear the consequences. It was bad enough that your great-grandfather died, but he also dragged down the innocent citizens of the entire city. It is truly... sigh. Therefore, for the greater good and for the common people, it is better not to resist the New Gods."
Wang Wenqi looked at Zhang Feng, her eyes instantly turning crimson.
Qi Yuan narrowed his eyes at Zhang Feng and immediately changed the subject, disdaining to listen to Zhang Feng's hypocritical speech. "Why are you faking an injury? Do you think I'll spare your life just because you pretend to be hurt?"
Qi Yuan observed Zhang Feng and saw plenty of useful information with his eyes.
For example, while Zhang Feng looked frail and severely injured right now, he was actually not wounded at all.
Hearing this, the burly man beside him was taken aback.
Zhang Feng coughed again, hacking up more blood.
The burly man looked at Qi Yuan. "It seems the assassin who attacked Brother Zhang Feng yesterday was your accomplice. We truly misjudged Brother Zhang Feng."
The other New Gods also felt a pang of guilt for having doubted Zhang Feng.
"Assassin? How is he?" Qi Yuan asked at once.
He was reminded of Great Venerable Shenlei.
"Naturally, he has already been executed!" the burly man said smugly. "Next up is you lot!"
Executed?
Qi Yuan was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.
Then he laughed. "Is Zhang Feng even worthy?"
Even if Great Venerable Shenlei was heavily injured, he was still a Great Venerable.
How could he possibly end up dead against a mere Zhang Feng without even killing his target?
If Great Venerable Shenlei had performed that poorly, Qi Yuan would laugh at him for three years.
Thus, Qi Yuan understood that Great Venerable Shenlei probably had not arrived yet.
This was only normal.
If Great Venerable Shenlei wanted to hunt down Zhang Feng, he certainly wouldn't charge straight through like Qi Yuan; he would advance cautiously and bypass all the major cities.
Along the way, running into some unexpected incidents and getting delayed was perfectly ordinary.
The stone in Qi Yuan's heart dropped, and his sense of urgency faded.
Looking at the evil gods before him, a greedy expression surfaced in his eyes.
"So much evil god spiritual power."
He could probably visualize quite a few powerful deities from this.
The burly man felt uncomfortable under Qi Yuan's gaze. "I don't like your eyes!"
After all, he was the predator, while Qi Yuan and the others were the prey, the rewards, the military merit.
"Who cares whether you like them or not." Qi Yuan couldn't be bothered to waste any more words. "Except for Zhang Feng, capture all the rest dead!"
Qi Yuan gave the order directly.
His words left both the Ancient Gods and New Gods present somewhat dumbfounded.
Shouldn't it be capturing them alive? How did one capture someone dead?
Nevertheless, with Qi Yuan's order given, all the Ancient Gods fanned out without the slightest hesitation, surrounding the eight evil gods and Zhang Feng.
The smile on the burly man's face froze. "Am I still dreaming? A bunch of Step Two Sky Treading weaklings dare to surround us?"
He was utterly baffled.
Had these Ancient Gods lost their minds?
Yet when he remembered that they had come to assassinate Zhang Feng in such a high-profile manner, everything made sense.
"Do it. After killing them, we still have to find someone. Old geezer Shenlei is way too unreliable," Qi Yuan said with a look of disgust.
Sure enough, when people got old, they just couldn't keep up.
He even wondered if old geezer Shenlei had developed dementia and lost his way.
Hearing Qi Yuan's command, the other Ancient Gods struck immediately.
"Kill!"
Facing powerful evil gods, they held nothing back and directly unleashed their rudimentary Divine Domains.
In an instant, nearly twenty rudimentary Divine Domains unfurled simultaneously.
The space above Cai Country's capital froze at this very moment.
The smile on Zhang Feng's face finally stiffened.
A look of terror appeared on the burly man's face.
"Rudimentary Divine Domains..."
"How is this possible?!"
They were bewildered, unable to comprehend it.
How could they encounter such Ancient Gods—and not just one?
Within the rudimentary Divine Domains, these evil gods, whether at Step Two or Step Three Sky Treading, found themselves entirely immobilized.
The dozens of divine apertures within their bodies also turned sluggish at this moment.
The difference between a Venerable and a Great Venerable lay in the Divine Domain.
The number of divine apertures determined the quantity and circulation speed of divine spiritual power.
And when a Great Venerable's rudimentary Divine Domain unfolded, it could directly obstruct a Venerable's divine apertures.
The Step Three Sky Treading experts present were now as fragile as those at Step One Sky Treading.
"Let me do the killing! It's been so long since I chopped off a head, I've been dying of boredom!"
Qi Yuan's voice rang out.
Due to the world's restrictions, Qi Yuan had previously been stuck at the peak of the Purple Mansion realm.
Later, when battling gods, his subjects were the ones who killed the enemies.
Every time, his hands had itched to join the fray, but he was unable to participate.
Last time, Great Venerable Shenlei had subdued an evil god and handed it over for Qi Yuan to kill, yet Qi Yuan hadn't even been able to pierce it.
It had been utterly frustrating.
Now, with so many heads available, he was naturally filled with anticipation.
"Sword, come!" Qi Yuan called out, and a blood-colored longsword instantly materialized, weaving through the air like a swimming dragon.
The longsword entered the rudimentary Divine Domains as though strolling through an empty courtyard.
Sword light flashed across the eight powerful evil gods.
One terrifying evil god fell after another.
Their heads tumbled down, their bodies pulverized into minced meat by Qi Yuan's sword.
They could not have been deader.
"This time, I can finally attend a funeral feast with a clear conscience."
Having slain the eight evil gods, Qi Yuan obtained a generous amount of evil god spiritual power, and his experience points surged considerably.
His gaze finally shifted toward Zhang Feng.
At this moment, Zhang Feng was like a dead dog, pinned beneath the rudimentary Divine Domains and manifold divine spiritual powers, entirely unable to budge.
Qi Yuan let out a breath. "Throwing my weight around really feels great!"
Previously he had always been forced to play it safe, but this time he could finally strike with full force.
He looked down at Zhang Feng, his gaze sharpening. "I have wanted to kill you for a long time."
Suppressed by the gods, Zhang Feng wore a face of sheer horror. "Did I... offend you, my lord?"
He racked his brain, yet couldn't recall anything.
However, hearing Qi Yuan say it had been a long time, could it have been ten thousand years ago?
"Yes," Qi Yuan said. "Before I kill you, I will perform... a soul search on you!"
Qi Yuan rarely searched souls.
Toward enemies, he had always killed them directly.
Terror twisted Zhang Feng's face. "How did this humble one offend you, my lord? Please enlighten me, so I can at least die knowing why!"
Zhang Feng had always scrambled to survive at all costs; whenever there was a glimmer of hope to stay alive, he would desperately grasp for it.
"Venerable Tianbao was an elder worthy of my respect, yet I never met him in person. You were closest to Venerable Tianbao, and I want to see what he actually looked like."
Without waiting for Zhang Feng's bewildered reaction, Qi Yuan's divine sense stabbed brutally into Zhang Feng's sea of consciousness.
Tearing, piercing through.
In an instant, an endless flood of memories surged into Qi Yuan's mind.
Within Zhang Feng's memories, Qi Yuan finally caught sight of that kind, amiable old man.
He had often worn hemp clothes, sitting peacefully by the lake and fishing.
Having obtained all the memories, Qi Yuan looked at the dazed Zhang Feng.
"Venerable Tianbao, this time, I will remember you."
This time, he had seen Venerable Tianbao and learned of many of his deeds.
Toward those who had shown him kindness, Qi Yuan always remembered them.
To be remembered was to never truly perish.
That way, when he stepped into the Mythological Daluo realm one day, perhaps those old friends would reappear.
With that, he swung his sword and ended Zhang Feng's life.
Wang Wenqi, who had merely been emotional a moment ago, now let a tear slip from her eye.
The older twin sister said at this point, "My lord, we must leave quickly. People from the evil god military encampment will likely arrive soon. The next one to strike will probably be a Great Venerable!"
Qi Yuan nodded in agreement. Suddenly thinking of something, he shouted loudly, "Good morning, people of Cai Country's capital! I can't host a feast this time, but next time I come, I'll treat you all to one!"
Qi Yuan was a bit disappointed that he couldn't enjoy a funeral feast at the deceased's home.
Still, there would be opportunities in the future.
Down below, the common folk of Cai Country's capital looked at one another in utter bewilderment.
"Let's go!"
Qi Yuan knew it was time to depart.
While their group was formidable, they still fell far short of facing the entire evil god military encampment.
If all the evil gods in that encampment threw away their lives like automatons, they might genuinely manage to pin his group down.
The group instantly transformed into streaks of light and fled at top speed.
Fleeing right after killing someone was wildly thrilling.
Qi Yuan was very used to this feeling.
The only flaw was not getting to attend a funeral feast at the victim's house.
Just then, a booming, resonant voice abruptly echoed.
"Since you've come, stay behind!"
Hearing this voice, all the Ancient Gods present turned pale with fright.
"A Great Venerable!"
A Great Venerable was making a move!
From the distant north, a colossal pillar of light surged toward everyone present with unreasonable, terrifying speed.
This pillar of light radiated an aura of total destruction, as though it could obliterate everything in the world.
This was a Great Venerable launching a full-power strike from several thousand li away.
The difference between a Great Venerable and a regular Venerable was like the gap between a Yin God and a Purple Mansion cultivator.
Even though those present had consumed the Divine Domain Celestial Liquid and could deploy rudimentary Divine Domains, their rudimentary Divine Domains lagged far behind a Great Venerable's complete Divine Domain.
Against a full-power strike from thousands of li away, the Ancient Gods present felt an overwhelming sense of doom and helplessness.
The older twin sister's eyes grew grim. "Let us strike together to help the lord block this blow!"
She called out to the other seven Ancient Gods.
Those seven were all veteran Ancient Gods of formidable power.
If the eight of them joined forces, they might be able to hold off this strike.
Of course, even then, the casualties would be catastrophic.
If two of the eight survived, it would be a stroke of tremendous fortune.
Such was the disparity between a Great Venerable and ordinary Venerables.
"Why would we need you to step in?!"
Just then, Zhu Zhuangshi stepped forward.
Chen Xifan, Shi Chongshan, and Mu Tong stepped forward alongside him.
The older twin sister froze.
Hadn't these four only just broken through to the True God realm?
For them to try intercepting this blow was pure suicide!
Qi Yuan, however, nodded. "Four Northern Saints, do not disappoint me."
Indeed, these four had practiced the God Visualization Art of the Four Northern Saints.
Zhu Zhuangshi was Marshal Tianpeng; Shi Chongshan was the Dark Heavenly Emperor, who later became Emperor Zhenwu; Chen Xifan was Marshal Tianyou; and Mu Tong was Marshal Yisheng.
"Even if it's Mythological, the current gap is still too vast..." The older twin sister grew anxious.
Those four had visualized Mythological-grade God Visualization Arts; if they died here before they could even mature, it would be far too great a waste.
Yet none of them dared contradict Qi Yuan's words.
They could only watch with deep dread.
The four villagers flew into the sky, meeting that colossal pillar of light head-on.
Gazing upon the Great Venerable's full-power strike, they showed not a shred of fear.
"Today, this Old Zhu will show you what true power looks like!"
Zhu Zhuangshi bellowed.
The three behind him roared in unison as well.
In an instant, time seemed to grind to a halt.
With their roars, the appearances of the four villagers transformed drastically, and a sacred aura permeated the air.
Terrifying phantom silhouettes materialized behind them.
Behind Zhu Zhuangshi, a terrifying heavenly god with four heads and eight arms appeared, wielding eight distinct weapons and towering over four hundred feet tall.
The Milky Way flowed across his palms, and terrifying heavenly lightning danced between the strands of his hair like tiny serpents.
The phantom avatar of Tianpeng manifested.
The other three villagers were the same.
Behind each of them, a terrifying phantom avatar arose.
The phantoms were like descending heavenly gods, defying direct gaze.
A single glance struck dread into the depths of one's heart.
At that moment, the roar of an endless galactic river seemed to surge.
The clamor of armored steeds and clashing weapons rang out.
All the Ancient Gods couldn't help but look behind the phantoms, where an army of thousands of troops seemed to stretch into eternity.
"Is this... Mythological?"
"Why is it thousands, tens of thousands of times more terrifying than any Mythological figure I ever imagined?!"
The Ancient Gods watched, trembling.
A purple lightning bolt flashed, and the Milky Way surged.
Countless sounds of armored cavalry charged forward. Behind the phantoms, they seemed to see innumerable deities clad in golden armor, brandishing spears and halberds like ordinary soldiers.
Every single soldier was a deity!
These deities formed a dense, endless legion, numbering far beyond a hundred thousand at a single glance!
Chants also echoed across the heavens at this very instant:
"Tianpeng, Tianpeng, Nine-Origin Fiend Child!
Heavenly Ding Strongmen, awe the south to ward off evil!
Heavenly Zou swift and fierce, awe the north to deflect the edge!
Three hundred thousand troops, defend my Ninefold Heavens!"
All the Ancient Gods were dumbfounded.
Mythological?
What kind of myth was this?!
Where in the Mortal Heart Realm was there a myth that commanded three hundred thousand True Gods?!
Three hundred thousand True Gods as mere soldiers!
Even the Hongtang Great War wouldn't dare make up such a tale!
"I am the head of the Four Northern Saints, Grand Marshal Tianpeng!"
"How are you worthy of harming me?!"
Zhu Zhuangshi roared once more.
The terrifying phantom behind him opened its eyes.
The other three Grand Marshals opened their eyes as well.
An overwhelming aura of supremacy instantly swept across everything.
Under such a sight, even describing it as heavenly gods descending to the mortal realm fell woefully short!
At this moment, the phantoms of the Four Northern Saints reached out their hands, seizing directly toward that terrifying pillar of light that threatened to destroy all creation.
"Aaaah!" Zhu Zhuangshi roared.
The other three subjects looked equally majestic!
With the mortal forms of Venerables and rudimentary Divine Domain seeds, they clashed head-on against the full-power strike of a Great Venerable.
*Boom!*
The pillar of light shattered into nothingness!
Chapter 210