Chapter 551: Nation-Protecting Divine General

"Xinzhou is in the south, the capital is in the north. Daoist, you can go north all the way."

Above the auspicious cloud, there was no wind or waves. King Xin sat down directly, appearing quite carefree. He untied the bundle, and inside was nothing else but a jar of fine wine, a few small dishes of snacks, and a bowl of exquisite wheat rice. Besides that, there was nothing else.

King Xin drank wine and ate wheat rice, seemingly feeling that he was bound to die on this trip, so he simply decided to be a well-fed ghost. Before he came, all the matters in his mansion had been arranged properly, just waiting for the news of his death to reach Xinzhou City.

"Are you very hungry?" Li Yi said.

King Xin said: "I didn't eat much at the banquet, and then there was all that commotion. Now my stomach is empty. After thinking it over, I decided to bring food and drink to have a full meal on the road. After all, I don't know when I'll be able to eat next time."

"It seems you don't think you can return from the capital alive." Li Yi said.

King Xin smiled self-deprecatingly: "Daoist, your ability is heaven-reaching. This trip to the capital will surely turn everything upside down. If this King gets involved, I will be satisfied if I can get a good death. I dare not hope for anything else."

"You don't believe this poor Daoist can protect your safety?" Li Yi asked.

"I don't." King Xin continued to drink wine and eat food.

Li Yi said: "Your personality is not bad. You don't fear life or death, which is suitable for practicing boxing. If this world truly cannot accommodate you, this poor Daoist will send you away from this world to the Four Seas and Eight Continents to practice boxing and martial arts. Although you will suffer a bit and won't enjoy the life of a King, perhaps in some years, you can become a martial artist with extraordinary strength."

"Leave this world?" King Xin stopped his cup and chopsticks, looking at Li Yi in shock.

As a Marquis, he had read many books since childhood and understood the great affairs of the world. He considered himself a clever person, and with just one sentence, he had captured very important information.

"Daoist, you are not a person of this world?"

"He is not either." Li Yi said calmly: "When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much of the past do we know..."

Before this poem was finished, King Xin spat out a mouthful of wheat rice. He stood up abruptly, shocked and terrified, and shouted: "This is impossible... This is absolutely impossible."

His emotions were very agitated, as if something he had firmly believed in for a long time had been overturned. At this moment, he lost his previous calmness and composure, immediately losing control, and began to shout and yell. His face turned red, his whole body was trembling, and he kept repeating the words in his mouth, seemingly trying to refute Li Yi.

Li Yi just turned sideways to avoid the sprayed food, then continued to ride the red auspicious cloud, heading north all the way.

Here, the sky was high and the earth was wide, and there was no one for a thousand miles. No matter how the two talked or what they talked about, no third person could hear it.

"There is nothing impossible about it. This poor Daoist can come to this world, so naturally, others can come to this world. That poem is the best proof." Li Yi said: "King Xin, you are a smart person. From the moment this poor Daoist recited the first line, you already guessed the truth, otherwise you wouldn't be so agitated."

"Impossible! You demonic Daoist must have stolen this poem from somewhere, which is why you came to Xinzhou to seek this King, and then fabricated such a lie to deceive this King. You want to use this King to spread rumors to achieve some ulterior motive of yours." King Xin was furious: "Demonic Daoist, kill this King! Even if I die, I am unwilling to become your pawn."

As he spoke, King Xin didn't hesitate and rushed out of the auspicious cloud, jumping down, wanting to fall from the high sky and die.

However, he didn't fall very far before a red auspicious cloud caught him and lifted him back up.

"Don't be so agitated. If you want to seek death, do it after helping this poor Daoist find that lyricist." Li Yi said calmly: "And your death won't solve any problems. This poor Daoist already knows that person is in the capital. Even if you don't lead the way, this poor Daoist can find him if I spend a little more time."

King Xin remained agitated: "It's different. If you find him, you've just found him. No one will believe that the lyricist is a person from another world. But if this King participates, it's different. If, if..."

He didn't dare to continue speaking.

"So you were afraid. No wonder you were seeking death." Li Yi shook his head slightly: "But the more you are like this, the more curious this poor Daoist is about the identity of that lyricist in this world."

He couldn't be sure yet if that cross-worlder was his father. Everything needed to be verified after seeing him with his own eyes.

"This King is not afraid, but this matter involves a lot." King Xin said: "How this King wishes everything were your demonic Daoist's conspiracy. That would at least be easy and carefree."

Li Yi laughed: "Do you think there is any significance in this poor Daoist playing such tricks?"

King Xin fell silent. He stopped talking and just slumped on the auspicious cloud, then picked up the jar of fine wine and poured it into his mouth, wishing he could get dead drunk, preferably dying directly, so he wouldn't get involved in this turmoil.

"Think about it slowly, just don't seek death. Because death can't escape anything, as this poor Daoist also knows a little about soul-detaining methods." Li Yi said.

King Xin didn't speak, just kept drinking.

It was a pity that the jar of wine he brought was too small. Even after drinking it to the bottom, he couldn't get drunk. Instead, his head became clearer and clearer. He threw the wine jar away in anger, lay back, and simply resigned himself to fate.

The speed of the Cloud-Treading Technique was very fast.

Li Yi headed north all the way, crossing mountains, rivers, villages, and towns. Before long, a brilliant light appeared on the earth in the distance—that was the light of ten thousand homes.

In this world similar to ancient times, a city that could possess the lights of ten thousand homes at night was undoubtedly the capital that gathered the people of the world, possessing such magnificence.

"Is that the capital?"

Li Yi lowered the speed of the cloud-treading. He looked at the city in the distance; it was truly magnificent.

Gathering the Qi of heaven and earth, with coiled dragons and crouching tigers, the momentum was extraordinary. The city was so large that it covered three hundred miles.

Backed by towering mountains, surrounded by nine rivers, spiritual veins, earth veins, and water veins crisscrossed, gathering the incense fire belief power of the world, turning into Dragon and Tiger Qi steaming into the firmament.

It was clearly night, but it was like broad daylight.

In the city, things similar to hot air balloons were pulled by ropes, suspended in the high sky, emitting light and heat, lighting up the entire city. And even at night, the streets were still crowded with people, as if there were no distinction between night and day here, only extreme prosperity and noise.

Li Yi had crossed many worlds and seen many cities similar to ancient times, but in terms of prosperity and magnificence, this world was the first.

And with such sufficient popularity, it meant that incense fire was flourishing here. Who knew how many gods could be nurtured?

Just by looking, he saw a thick green smoke rushing from the direction of the capital. In that green smoke was a general with a sword at his waist, wearing armor, burly and strong. Although that general was an incense fire god, he had been nourished by the imperial court for countless years, and his body had turned from virtual to real. His appearance now was like a divine general from heaven descending.

"That is the imperial court's Southern Nation-Protecting Divine General." King Xin said in shock: "Daoist, why did you attract that great god?"

As a King, he had seen the statues of the Four Nation-Protecting Divine Generals when he was in the capital. Each statue was eighteen zhang high, standing in the four directions of the capital, overlooking the mountains and rivers for ten thousand miles, shaking the world.

However, this was his first time seeing the manifestation of a Nation-Protecting Divine General. One must know that usually, Nation-Protecting Divine Generals would not show themselves easily. Only when monsters and ghosts appeared that were sufficient to threaten the safety of the capital would they hold divine weapons, step out of the capital, and slay demons and eliminate monsters.

Li Yi narrowed his eyes, flicked his Daoist robes, and stood up slowly: "Naturally, it was this poor Daoist's powerful aura that attracted him."

【Note: Repetitive filler phrase.】

Even from far away, he could feel the power of this divine general.

The mountain gods and land gods near Xinzhou City were like small witches compared to this.

"I am the Southern Nation-Protecting Divine General of the capital, Zhang Wang Jian Gong. Daoist ahead, stop." The Nation-Protecting Divine General announced his name and stopped not far from Li Yi. At this moment, he walked with large strides, holding the precious sword at his waist and shouted.

Li Yi's red auspicious cloud hovered in the firmament. He was unhurried: "This poor Daoist is Tai Yi, coming from Xinzhou, wishing to enter the capital. Why do you block me?"

Zhang Wang Jian Gong's expression was calm as he sized him up: "Your aura is extraordinary. This general saw a streak of red light carrying Dragon and Tiger Qi heading north all the way from far away. The speed was so fast it was inconceivable. The mountain gods, City Gods, and garrison generals passed along the way were unable to block you. Seeing that you are going straight into the capital, this general had to show himself."

"And the person you brought with you is the current King Xin?"

He then recognized King Xin and immediately bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness King Xin."

King Xin said hurriedly: "Divine General, you are too polite. Please rise quickly."

He didn't dare to put on the airs of a Marquis.

One must know that the Nation-Protecting Divine General Zhang Wang Jian Gong had existed through twelve dynasties, and his status was extremely noble. He, an idle King, could not be compared with him at all.

The Nation-Protecting Divine General Zhang Wang Jian Gong nodded slightly. After the etiquette was done, he ignored King Xin and stared at Li Yi: "When did Xinzhou produce such a master? How come this general doesn't know? Daoist, what is your purpose in bringing King Xin into the city? If you don't tell the truth, this general will absolutely not allow you to enter the capital."

He could ignore some small monsters sneaking into the capital, but he absolutely dared not ignore this Daoist who called himself Tai Yi.

The strength of this person's aura was truly rare.

Li Yi said: "This poor Daoist enters the capital only to seek someone, not to cause trouble. If the General can make it convenient, that would be best, and everyone can be at peace. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" The Nation-Protecting Divine General Zhang Wang Jian Gong asked, holding his sword.

Li Yi said directly: "Otherwise, if we fight, and the three-hundred-mile capital is smashed, causing boundless slaughter, that would be bad. At that time, this poor Daoist can shake my butt and leave, but the General will likely be spurned by ten thousand people, the incense fire will collapse, and the divine statue will crumble."

"Audacious! You Daoist dare to threaten this general?" The Nation-Protecting Divine General Zhang Wang Jian Gong opened his eyes wide in anger, and the precious sword at his waist hummed.

Just with one anger, thunder rolled between heaven and earth, and lightning flashed.

King Xin nearby opened his eyes wide and stared at Li Yi.

Is this Daoist usually this arrogant?

If they don't agree, he'll smash the three-hundred-mile capital.

"It's not a threat, but a fact." Li Yi took another step forward at this moment. Dragon and Tiger Qi entwined, and magic power surged into the sky. The Daoist robes faded, turning into a set of red-feathered purple-gold armor. In his hand, a divine wood large bow appeared out of nowhere. Although it hadn't been drawn, a shocking divine power gathered within it.

The wind and clouds changed all around, silver lightning intertwined, and golden fire light jumped.

Such momentum was truly shocking.

Even the Nation-Protecting Divine General Zhang Wang Jian Gong's expression turned solemn instantly.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 552 =====