Chapter 579: All Defeated and Perished

After a round of fighting, whether it was the Marquis of Champion, the General of Heavenly Might, or the Mountain God of Shou Mountain, they were all in an absolute disadvantage. Li Yi's powerful strength exceeded their expectations. According to the strength displayed in the capital before, they had a chance of winning, even though they had obtained incense power after becoming Imperial Preceptor.

But the Yin Son of Heaven had already stripped him of his position as Imperial Preceptor, and now the incense had dissipated.

Why was the strength displayed by the True Person Tai Yi now several times stronger than before? Only so many days had passed; such a growth speed was simply inconceivable.

Could it be he had hidden his strength before?

"Can the four of us join forces to win against this True Person Tai Yi?"

Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhenshan's face was gloomy at this moment. His body had been destroyed, and although he had gathered incense to reshape it, he was very clear after taking a punch just now that he was absolutely no match for this person. Being able to save his life in his hands was already quite good.

As for killing him, he hadn't even thought about it.

He looked at the others.

Qingsong Daoist no longer had the idea of fighting to the death at this moment. His Shou Mountain Seal had been destroyed, and now he had the intention to retreat, because he was different from the Incense Gods. Although he was the Mountain God of Shou Mountain, he himself was a thousand-year-old pine tree that had become a spirit. Even if the imperial court blamed him and stripped him of his divine position, he would still be fine and could survive.

Since that was the case, why fight to the death here against an enemy he couldn't defeat?

The General of Heavenly Might was filled with murderous intent, wishing he could find back the humiliation from before, but after his golden body was destroyed by Li Yi, his arrogance was no longer there, and his eyes were also filled with vigilance.

He didn't have the idea of retreating. This time, executing the True Person Tai Yi was an imperial order. If the matter wasn't handled well, it wouldn't just be their divine positions that wouldn't be guaranteed. A single imperial decree would strip him of the title of General of Heavenly Might, and at that time, the incense would dissipate, and he would have no escape from death.

"Honorable Ministers, you have all seen this Daoist's strength. Fighting alone is definitely not a match for this person. Only if the four of us join forces do we have a chance to execute him. So at this time, I hope you will put aside your prejudices and cooperate. If you have your own thoughts, you will be caught by this Daoist and killed one by one."

The General of Heavenly Might shouted loudly at this moment, not afraid of Li Yi hearing him.

"We have already tried joining forces, and it didn't work. My Shou Mountain Seal has been destroyed; how can we fight?" Qingsong Daoist said with a cold face: "You fight if you want; I'm not accompanying you. At worst, I won't be the Mountain God of Shou Mountain anymore. Returning to Shou Mountain, I will still be the King of Shou Mountain."

After saying this, he didn't hesitate anymore, but turned around and wanted to leave.

The others were shocked and enraged upon seeing this. They hadn't expected this Qingsong Daoist to be so shameless. After a slight setback, he planned to run away. Didn't this behavior equal selling them all out?

"Can't beat him and want to leave? There is no such cheap thing in this world. Since you came today, leave your life behind." Yet Li Yi gave a loud shout, then he pulled the divine bow in his hand again, and an arrow appeared before his eyes out of thin air. This arrow was completely crimson, like a ball of raging fire burning.

"Bad."

Seeing this, Qingsong Daoist's face changed in fright, and he hurriedly stirred up a wisp of green smoke, flying toward the distance at the fastest speed.

But it was too slow.

This kind of escape technique was not even as good as a Nascent Soul cultivator; how could it escape this divine bow?

Accompanied by the divine bow in Li Yi's hand loosening, a streak of crimson light flashed past in the firmament, and in less than the blink of an eye, the Qingsong Daoist in the green smoke was pierced through the chest by the arrow. Moreover, the power of the superior-grade magic tool exploded, and a ball of raging fire enveloped him, invading his body along the pierced wound and igniting him.

"Ah!" Qingsong let out a painful wail.

He couldn't care about anything else, gathering incense power to resist the scorching of the raging fire while trying his best to recover his injuries.

As long as he was still the Mountain God of Shou Mountain, the incense power would not dissipate, and no matter how heavy the injuries were, he could recover quickly.

But at this moment.

A voice sounded from Huguang City: "By the order of the Emperor: The Mountain God of Shou Mountain, Qingsong, fled the battle and handled the matter poorly. Today, strip him of his title as Mountain God, demote him to a mountain spirit, this is the order."

"What?"

The appearance of this voice immediately attracted the Marquis of Champion and the General of Heavenly Might, and they looked over in unison.

They saw a Golden Pupil Guard in the city holding an imperial decree, rising into the air. That Golden Pupil Guard was named Flower Girl, a mountain tea flower that had become a spirit in the wilderness. Although her cultivation was not as good as Qingsong's, she had also obtained an official position and enjoyed incense, so her strength was not weak. It was just that she was not qualified to participate in this level of battle.

But precisely at this moment, the appearance of an imperial decree gave this Qingsong Daoist the most fatal blow.

As the Mountain God's divine position was stripped, the incense power around Qingsong began to dissipate rapidly and could no longer be gathered on his body.

In normal times, Qingsong wouldn't care, but now it wouldn't work.

The big fire that had finally been extinguished in his body had no incense power to suppress it, and it instantly burned again. The injuries that were about to recover also suddenly intensified at this moment. That incense belief power that belonged to him overflowed in the sky, and the fragrance filled the sky.

"Damn it, does the Divine Martial Emperor want to kick us while we are down?" Qingsong roared, his anger abnormal at this moment.

"Why be so long-winded if you are a person about to die."

Li Yi turned into a streak of golden light and killed his way over. He didn't use the divine bow, but held a Son of Heaven Sword named Mountain Sparrow. This sword slashed over, carrying the power of the common people while also having three-colored magic power intertwined, extremely sharp.

Qingsong Daoist was already severely injured and had no power to resist. At this moment, he could only spit out a mouthful of green miasma in his haste, attempting to interfere with his opponent and fight for a chance to escape.

But it was too late.

Cold light flashed, and Qingsong Daoist's head flew up.

And then his body began to manifest rapidly, turning from a human form into a thousand-year-old ancient pine, and that head also turned into a wooden head, with facial features and contours like a living person. Li Yi saw this thousand-year-old ancient pine, perhaps it was useful, so he collected it into the Five Elements Bracelet.

"Qingsong is dead?" Marquis of Champion and General of Heavenly Might looked at each other, both feeling a hint of panic and unease from the other's eyes.

Everything was too weird.

The True Person Tai Yi's strength was powerful to the point of being abnormal, and there was also the Golden Pupil Guard's imperial decree, as if all this was a trap to lure them over to fight, so as to take the opportunity to wipe out these Incense Gods in one net.

After killing Qingsong, Li Yi's gaze stared at the last person again, Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhenshan.

It was a pity that this Marquis of Champion had never fought such a frustrating battle in his life. From the very beginning, his subordinates were burned clean by a heavenly fire, and later, his teammates all perished one by one, and he couldn't even escape. What made him most angry was that Black Mountain Lord was actually a mole, and a single betrayal killed the General of Heavenly Might.

"You are the only one left, so don't waste time. Let this Daoist send you on your way." Li Yi held the sword and killed his way over, his ferocity awe-inspiring, with no escape.

"Damn it."

Marquis of Champion Zhao Zhenshan roared unwillingly. He wanted to kill his way out of a bloody path and escape this place, but soon he found that he was somewhat naive.

In terms of flight speed, he was simply no match for the True Person Tai Yi. After catching up, after a short fight, a part of his body was sliced off by the Son of Heaven Sword. Even if he gathered incense power, that lost body had no way to recover. Clearly, this Son of Heaven Sword was extremely restraining to Incense Gods.

Finally, this Marquis of Champion could only die with hatred, beheaded on the spot by Li Yi. His body shattered, and the overflowing incense permeated the entire Taihu Lake. Moreover, this incense wouldn't dissipate even after three days.

It could be seen how much incense power these few Incense Gods had accumulated over these years.

Now that they were dead, this power lost its object of attachment and finally could only dissipate between heaven and earth.

"Congratulations to the True Person for beheading the powerful enemy and winning the first battle."

When Li Yi returned to Huguang City, Black Mountain Lord turned into a young man again and congratulated him respectfully.

"Although the strength of these Incense Gods is not bad, they still cannot be counted as powerful enemies." Li Yi's expression was calm: "However, all this is within the plan. Starting tomorrow, continue to destroy temples and cut down shrines, and you come along too. After this matter is over, there will naturally be no lack of benefits for you."

"Obey the True Person's order." Black Mountain Lord was still submissive, not daring to be disrespectful.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 580 =====

His divine position had not been stripped away, so he could gather incense and recover at any time.

It was just that he then took another look in the direction of Huguang City.

He could not be certain whether that Golden-Eyed Guard, holding the decree of the Divine Martial Emperor, would also strip him of his divine position.

But what awaited him was not a decree, but a great fire that covered the firmament.

"Call the Wind!"

A wild wind swept through, and the aura of heart-fire permeated the air, utterly swallowing the General of Heavenly Might in an instant.

Under the burning of the fierce fire, his soul dissipated completely; even with the protection of the power of incense, he could not withstand the devastation of such a Daoist technique.

After the aura of heart-fire dissipated, the sky above became clear and bright, leaving nothing behind.

Yet Li Yi did not stop the slaughter; holding the Son of Heaven Sword, he looked again at the last person, Marquis of Champions Zhao Zhenshan.

Poor Marquis of Champions, he had never fought such a stifling battle in his life; from the very beginning, his subordinates were wiped clean by a heavenly fire, and later, his teammates died one by one, unable to even flee. What made him most angry was that Black Mountain Lord was actually a traitor, and his sudden betrayal had caused the death of the General of Heavenly Might.

"Only you are left, so don't waste time; let me, this poor Daoist, send you on your way." Li Yi killed his way over, his fierce might awe-inspiring, leaving no room for escape.

"Damn it."

Marquis of Champions Zhao Zhenshan roared in unwillingness; he wanted to carve out a bloody path and flee this place, but he soon discovered that he had been somewhat naive.

In terms of flight speed, he was no match for True Person Brother Tai Yi at all. After a brief struggle upon being caught, a portion of his body was sliced off by the Son of Heaven Sword. Even with the power of incense condensed, that lost body could not be recovered; clearly, this Son of Heaven Sword was extremely suppressive to incense gods.

In the end, this Marquis of Champions could only die with hatred, being executed on the spot by Li Yi. His body shattered, and the overflowing incense permeated the entire Taihu Lake, and this incense would not dissipate for three days.

It was evident just how much power of incense these few incense gods had accumulated over these years.

Now that they were dead, this power lost its object of attachment and could only dissipate between heaven and earth in the end.

"Congratulations, True Person, for slaying a powerful enemy and winning the first battle."

When Li Yi returned to Huguang City, Black Mountain Lord transformed back into a young man and respectfully congratulated him.

"Although the strength of these incense gods is not bad, they still cannot be counted as powerful enemies." Li Yi's expression was calm: "However, all of this is within the plan. Starting tomorrow, continue to destroy temples and fell shrines; you come along too. Once this matter is over, the benefits will naturally be yours."

"I obey the True Person's command." Black Mountain Lord remained submissive, not daring to be disrespectful.

(End of chapter)