Eighty-seven female guiling perished.
The figure in blood-colored armor sat suspended in the air, his expression indifferent.
Holding a long spear in his hand, he looked like a heavenly god descending to the mortal realm.
The terrifying, eerie guiling had been utterly powerless to resist him.
Witnessing this, every one of the stockade villagers and kiln workers fell to their knees in worship, shouting "Heavenly God!"
"Heavenly God!"
"This is truly a god!"
The woman dressed as a Daoist nun stood dazed, shaken to her core by the spectacle before her.
Just what kind of consummate martial skill was this?
A full eighty-seven guiling, every single one at high-tier Yellow-rank.
Their combined divine soul attacks would force even an Earth-rank weapon wielder on the Earth Ranking to tread with extreme caution.
Even a Mystic-rank weapon wielder, a minor hegemon in their own right, would face certain death against so many divine soul attacks.
Yet the blood-colored armor had somehow granted complete immunity to all of them.
Could he truly be a heavenly god?
Moreover, his fighting technique had been flawless, flowing smoothly like moving clouds and flowing water.
His strength and speed were clearly inferior to the guiling, yet he had fought eighty-seven of them single-handedly, treating them as though they were nothing.
Such skill was simply too perfect.
The woman in Daoist attire had seen Heaven-rank weapon wielders before, yet none had displayed technique like this.
An Earth-rank weapon wielder could fight three thousand armored elite troops, but they relied on formidable physical constitutions and razor-sharp Earth-rank weapons.
As for the man in blood-colored armor before her, she felt that solely through his flawless combat skill, he could slaughter three thousand armored elites alone and walk away unscathed.
"Who... who are you, really?" The woman's gums trembled so violently that her teeth chattered, emitting faint clicking sounds.
"I am... Divine Descent!"
From the sky, a cold, majestic voice rang out like the proclamation of a heavenly god.
"Divine Descent?" The woman in Daoist attire froze.
She looked up at Qi Yuan, thoroughly bewildered.
Divine Descent... was it the Divine Descent she knew of?
Wasn't Divine Descent a divine artifact—otherwise known as a divine weapon?!
Chen Kangbao's expression turned fanatical as he stared at the blood-armored figure.
He raised his voice and chanted loudly:
"Divine Descent, Divine Descent, revered across ten thousand realms!
The Mysterious Maiden of the Nine Heavens serves at his side,
The Thunder Gods of the Five Directions march at his command.
The Six Ding and Six Jia shield his body,
The Eight Trigrams and Nine Palaces lay out divine arrays!
...
His eyes shoot golden light, slaying evil and revealing truth;
His hands hold the radiance, banishing the dark of night!
...
Wherever Divine Descent goes, light endures forever;
All living things under heaven are bathed in divine grace!"
Seeing this, the kneeling kiln workers hastily shouted in unison:
"In a world without light, behold Divine Descent!"
"In a world without light, behold Divine Descent!"
Their voices rose like a heatwave, crashing over the land with fanatical, pious fervor.
Even the woman dressed as a Daoist nun was swept up in the mood, nearly joining in.
By the time she snapped out of the peculiar atmosphere, she realized that the "heavenly god" had already vanished.
***
Several li away.
*Thud!*
A figure tumbled out of the air.
Qi Yuan's face was pale, and he landed rather comically.
Where was the imposing aura he had displayed earlier?
"Good thing I ran fast! The quality of this Mosquito-brand drone is atrocious!"
If he had lingered any longer chatting with those people, he would have made a complete fool of himself.
Qi Yuan hadn't been wounded in the battle against the guiling, but the toll on his energy and spirit had been massive.
In particular, the Mosquito-brand drone had suffered excessive strain and could no longer support him in midair.
Had he stayed up there any longer, he would have treated the crowd to a divine faceplant.
"Young Master, how was this old slave's recitation of that chant just now?" Chen Kangbao chimed in smugly from the side, looking as though he were angling for praise.
"Not bad. From now on, you're my strategist—plus loudspeaker!" Qi Yuan praised.
The chant Chen Kangbao had recited was naturally a slogan Qi Yuan had cobbled together.
The bad news was that it was cobbled together; the good news was that he had cobbled together everything.
To Qi Yuan, if he wanted to roleplay Divine Descent, showing off miracles in front of people wasn't enough—he also needed a catchy slogan.
First, it boosted his style; second, it spread far more easily.
"The only downside is that this drone's quality is terrible. I have to get something better next time."
At present, Qi Yuan still couldn't fly.
As a god, not knowing how to fly was simply too cheap.
Therefore, a drone was a must.
Things like heavenly lightning were also under consideration.
"Still, this performance wasn't quite perfect. If only I had a projector.
"Since I can't manifest my dharma idol body in this world, projecting one would have been full of style."
Qi Yuan reviewed his performance.
He had always liked post-action reviews.
Even after arguing with someone, he would analyze how well he had performed during the argument.
Once the review was complete, he began taking stock of his gains.
"Eighty-seven Yellow-rank guiling... I've finally reached level 57! Jumped more than twenty levels at once!"
Level 57, by Qi Yuan's calculations, was equivalent to a high-tier Yellow-rank weapon wielder in this world.
He was just one step away from becoming a Mystic-rank weapon wielder.
In some large counties, a Mystic-rank weapon wielder could serve as a county lieutenant, overseeing an entire county's defenses.
"Gaining strength is a minor thing. The most important part is... the roleplay progression for Divine Descent..."
It had surged straight to 12%.
The reward for roleplaying the identity of Divine Descent manifested.
[As My Divine Descent: Manifest a dharma body in response to the summons of believers to purify boundless lands.]
A massive influx of information flooded Qi Yuan's mind at that moment.
"As My Divine Descent" was a skill, or perhaps something akin to a divine ability.
Whenever a believer knelt in pious worship or prayed, Qi Yuan would sense it and could send down a dharma body to display miracles.
This dharma body carried a portion of the might of the divine artifact Divine Descent.
Naturally, it was not without limitations; the greater the distance, the weaker the power.
The only drawback was that someone had to summon him before he could descend.
This skill was far too passive.
"Old man, are you a believer of mine?" Qi Yuan looked at Chen Kangbao.
"Yes!" Chen Kangbao nodded vigorously.
"Actually, I am Divine Descent. Go ahead and summon me!" Qi Yuan wanted to run an experiment.
The old man closed his eyes, a pious look coming over his face. "O God, please open your eyes and look upon this pale, emaciated servant of yours!"
The voice resonated in Qi Yuan's ears and also echoed in his heart.
Qi Yuan had three choices.
First: use As My Divine Descent to answer the call.
Second: activate his superpower to converse with him.
Third: ignore it, or block it entirely.
"Alright, so long as I can summon myself, that works."
Qi Yuan didn't pick option one.
Right now he felt too exhausted to bother answering.
So he chose option two.
"In that case, I shall grant your wish."
After reaching the Purple Mansion, the superpower Qi Yuan had obtained allowed him to converse with voices he "heard," which would cause unexpected events to occur.
As it happened, this ability was exceptionally well suited for the identity of Divine Descent.
Sure enough, Chen Kangbao snapped his eyes open, only to catch a waft of aroma rising from the ground before him.
"Th-this... this is a miracle!"
His prayer just now had been that he was hungry and needed food. In the end, God had truly answered and bestowed sustenance upon him.
The food's packaging looked rather peculiar.
It was a cylindrical container, made of a material Chen Kangbao couldn't identify, though it looked somewhat like paper.
He peeled back the paper lid, instantly revealing steaming food inside.
"Are these... noodles?" An expectant look appeared on his face.
"Instant noodles," Qi Yuan answered.
Indeed, what had appeared before Chen Kangbao was none other than instant noodles from Blue Star.
"Wait, instant noodles without seasoning packets!" Qi Yuan was somewhat speechless.
Without even a seasoning packet, were these instant noodles even edible?
***
Ache. Her entire body ached!
It felt as though every inch of her skin had been battered.
Zhishuang slowly woke, her face etched with deep exhaustion.
An ebony hairpin was thrust at an angle into her dark hair, and her furrowed brow carried an unyielding frost. Her long, slender legs were pressed together like pillars of ice.
Cold—frigid cold.
She gave off the impression of ice that had remained frozen for ten thousand years.
Recalling something, sheer terror washed over her face. Her hands swiftly moved to inspect herself, slipping beneath her clothes.
This aching soreness led her to believe something horrifying had occurred.
A few breaths later, she gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with frost.
She was still a virgin.
Could it be... the son-in-law was impotent?
He had worked on her for half a day, yet only used his hands?
However, her clothes showed no sign of having been undone either.
She lifted her head and immediately saw the familiar figure fast asleep on the carriage bench.
Looking at Qi Yuan's face, complex emotions welled in her eyes.
"What... what did you do to me?" Zhishuang couldn't help asking in a cold voice.
"Huh? Did someone turn on the air conditioning? Why is it so cold?" Qi Yuan woke and stretched his limbs. His gaze fell upon Zhishuang. "Didn't do anything. You were just too noisy, so I knocked you out, turned you into a spear, and wrapped you around my waist."
"What kind of nonsense are you babbling?" Zhishuang was baffled.
She was a high-tier Yellow-rank weapon wielder; how could this son-in-law, who couldn't even truss a chicken, knock her unconscious?
As for turning her into a spear and wrapping her around his waist, that was even more absurd.
Could he... have truly had his soul claimed by a guiling, driving him mad?
She was also perplexed as to how she had fainted in the first place.
Just then, a pleased voice came from outside the carriage.
"Young Master, I've handled the task you ordered. The incident at Red Cloud Stockade has been compiled into a story script..."
After returning from Red Cloud Stockade, Qi Yuan had pondered his roleplay as Divine Descent.
To increase his progress, he first needed to raise the fame of Divine Descent.
So he had turned the events of Red Cloud Stockade into a story script, instructed Chen Kangbao to transcribe it, and distributed it to storytellers in wine taverns, paying them to spread the tale.
Translating that to Blue Star terms, he was basically a big shot vanity-publishing physical books.
Zhishuang's eyes locked onto Chen Kangbao, brimming with wariness and apprehension. "You are...?"
Her mind was sharp, and she recognized Chen Kangbao's extraordinary nature at a glance.
Though he was a gaunt old man, he had calluses on his hands, and his posture indicated he was likely a weapon wielder.
"I am the strategist the Young Master recruited from the Madhouse!" Chen Kangbao replied haughtily.
Surprise crossed Zhishuang's face, followed by sudden realization.
She looked toward Qi Yuan with a mocking glint in her eyes. "To think that after only a few days apart, the son-in-law's abilities have grown so much—managing to dupe a patient from the Madhouse and have him knock me out!"
She naturally assumed it was Chen Kangbao who had struck her unconscious.
Qi Yuan was merely a frail scholar.
Facing Qi Yuan, Zhishuang showed no politeness.
She could tell Chen Kangbao's mental state was unhinged.
Last time, she had been caught off guard and knocked out; now that she was on her guard, how could Chen Kangbao ambush her again?
"What do you mean 'dupe'? He is my believer," Qi Yuan said lazily.
"I am the Young Master's most loyal servant!" Chen Kangbao quickly chimed in.
Zhishuang stared at the two of them, suspicion creeping into her gaze.
Could the son-in-law... truly have gone mad?
This behavior was completely different from anything she had seen from him before.
Still, his luck wasn't bad—even in his madness, he had managed to recruit a crazed weapon wielder to serve him.
Recalling their conversation before she lost consciousness, her tone softened slightly. "Son-in-law, return to the commandery with confidence. As for the matter in Ninghe County, the Young Mistress will personally interrogate Lao Zhong!"
These words carried two meanings.
If Qi Yuan had genuinely committed improper acts, the Young Mistress would punish him severely.
If he had been framed, his innocence would be restored.
If the son-in-law had truly been wronged and lost his wits to madness... a wisp of pity stirred in Zhishuang's heart, though it quickly turned to relief.
A dimmer son-in-law was far better than the wicked troublemaker he had been before.
At least he wouldn't bring disaster upon the Young Mistress.
"That Lao Zhong—I need to have a good talk with him too. Framing me? Is he looking to die!" Qi Yuan said indignantly, playing his role as the matrilocal son-in-law.
Seeing this, Zhishuang became certain that he had lost his mind.
The son-in-law had always been timid and subservient in the estate, never daring to throw a tantrum.
Remembering her physical condition, she pressed on, "Son-in-law, what did you two actually do to me? Why is this servant aching all over?"
Right now, her entire body was sore and numb, as if she had just fought through an all-night battle.
"Your memory is terrible. Didn't I just tell you?" Qi Yuan replied offhandedly.
Zhishuang remained silent.
Indeed, he had gone mad.
At that moment, Qi Yuan looked at Zhishuang with an expectant expression. "I want to ask you about something!"
"Please speak, son-in-law." Though Zhishuang's voice was frosty, she maintained basic courtesy.
"I heard my wife is a Mystic-rank weapon wielder. Is she strong? Is she fast? What are the highlights of her cultivation?" Qi Yuan asked eagerly.
A wave of icy chill swept out as Zhishuang's face turned freezing. "Son-in-law, who told you to ask that?"
The Young Mistress was not only a renowned beauty on the Hundred Fragrances Ranking, but also a true disciple of the Heavenly Sect.
Within the State of Ning, sects and aristocratic clans held immense power, to the point where even the imperial family had to defer to them.
Among them, the Heavenly Sect and the Ancient Thunder Sect were the two mightiest sects in the nation.
These two sects had been locked in conflict, battering each other bloody to claim the position of state religion.
In just a few months, the true disciples of the Heavenly Sect and Ancient Thunder Sect would face off in a contest.
With Qi Yuan asking such questions, Zhishuang naturally assumed someone was trying to use him to probe the Young Mistress's foundation and measure her depth.
"Nobody. I wanted to ask myself."
*Look into my big, sincere eyes!*
Qi Yuan gazed earnestly at Zhishuang and continued, "As the saying goes: Lü Bu is invincible on horseback, Dian Wei is invincible on foot, and Ma Chao is invincible in horsemanship. Therefore, if Lü Bu rides Ma Chao, and Ma Chao rides Dian Wei, wouldn't they be invincible under heaven?
"I happen to lack a mount, so I intend to emulate the ancients and ride your Young Mistress into battle!"
Qi Yuan spoke with absolute seriousness.
Turning mosquitoes or birds into drones was ultimately suboptimal.
Thus, an idea had suddenly struck him: why not turn a powerful weapon wielder into a drone?
For example, the son-in-law Qi Yuan's wife was a Mystic-rank weapon wielder. While she couldn't fly, her speed and strength far exceeded a mosquito's.
He could use Myriad Transformations to disguise his wife as a drone to carry him into combat.
As for legs and the like, he could simply turn them invisible and treat it as low-altitude flight.
Then, once he nurtured his wife into an Earth-rank weapon wielder, wouldn't she be able to fly at high altitudes?
Qi Yuan applauded his own ingenuity.
Hence, he had come to ask about the strength and speed of the son-in-law's wife.
"Are you... serious?" Zhishuang's face was completely iced over, filled with fury.
"Dead serious!" Qi Yuan was entirely earnest.
"You shameless lecher!" Zhishuang fumed.
She was definitely writing a letter to the Young Mistress! The son-in-law hadn't just lost his mind; he had become even more degenerate!
To actually want to ride the Young Mistress!
Even though she was a maiden, she knew full well what "riding" implied—did he think he could stand on the pedals and ride full-tilt next?!
"You feel bad for your Young Mistress and don't want me to ride her?" Qi Yuan mused thoughtfully. "Pity your speed and strength fall a bit short, or else I would have ridden you instead."
Chapter 492