Chapter 319: The Immortal Dao Shall Rise, the Divine Dao Shall Decline

Uncontrollably spoke words that should not be spoken.

This bizarre situation filled Xiong Shen with dread; spirits are naturally protected by celestial laws, immune to all evils and invulnerable to all arts—even killing him would be easier than this.

Body not his own, mouth not his own—he had divine rank shielding him, yet this Daoist could still accomplish this.

This man is certainly no ordinary figure!

Even within the 【Qie Ling Dao】, this person is undoubtedly of extremely profound cultivation.

Yet, understanding clearly is one thing; whether one can resist is another.

All of Xiong Shen's rage now turned to sorrow.

To kill this old Daoist, he had given away all the little merit he had accumulated over the years to Tongli Shenjun, just to obtain this opportunity.

Unfortunately, he happened to run into a cultivator of the "Spirit-Stealing Path," who manipulated him into laying everything out in the open.

Such matters are privately understood but must never be spoken aloud!

If Tongli Shenjun learned of what happened here, he would surely wish to grind Xiong Shen's bones to dust.

Thud! Thud!

Xiong Shen involuntarily took two more steps forward; the ground trembled, and the incense burner on the altar shifted slightly.

Divine aura surged mightily, and the two half-grown children turned pale with terror.

Though Jiang Lin the old Daoist found Xiong Shen's actions strange, he still glanced at Hong Zun.

Seeing Hong Zun unmoved, he bowed respectfully.

"This old man's death is insignificant; I beg the noble one to consider my two young disciples' youth and lend them protection."

Hong Zun did not answer, remaining utterly unmoved.

"Hahaha! Even Tongli Shenjun cannot save you, and now you're begging a 【Qie Ling Dao】 thief?"

Xiong Shen continued laughing, yet his heart was filled with sorrow.

He had recited Tongwei Shenjun's sacred title countless times, yet received not the slightest response.

Clearly, this Daoist was behind it all!

Jiang Lin the old Daoist gritted his teeth, then tore open the packaging of his compressed biscuit; dense spiritual energy once again leaked out.

The old man's expression was resolute; he bit into it directly.

Crunch~

A crisp, fragrant taste spread through his mouth alongside dense spiritual energy; replenished, his magic power rapidly restored.

So delicious…

No!

I am a disciple of Yunhai Temple, orthodox of the 【Qi Ling Dao】—how could I swallow spiritual energy outside the gods' allocation?

I truly shame my ancestors…

Hong Zun: "…"

Eating a compressed biscuit like it's a tragic sacrifice—anyone who didn't know would think he was eating poison.

Hmm…

But for them, it's practically the same as poison.

After all, cultivators of the 【Qi Ling Dao】 can be granted divine ranks upon death.

Yet this old man, to save his two little disciples, was willing to forfeit that chance…

Amid the crunching sound, the old man finished eating one compressed biscuit.

As the most popular and best-selling compressed biscuit in the Tai Xuan Realm, its flavor was naturally excellent.

So although his heart was heavy with the anguish of betraying his sect's doctrine, a faint lingering desire remained…

But soon, as if he had completely forgotten Hong Zun and his two disciples were still beside him, he fixed his gaze on the Xiong Shen before him, memories of those horrific scenes flashing through his mind.

He had been puzzled when slaying the bear demon—why was it so arrogant, daring to keep and devour villagers for sport?

It turned out there was a deity…

No!

Several deities, behind the scenes, propping it up to gather incense offerings!

His killing intent grew fiercer; in his palm appeared a bright, eight-foot-tall great knife, which, when struck against the ground, instantly dented the earth.

The thought of reporting this to the Celestial Court vanished entirely.

After all, he himself had committed 【Qie Ling】—if he truly summoned them, who would the divine law enforcers punish?

"Wicked beast! You bear the title of deity yet neglect your duty to protect the land and its people; for the sake of incense offerings, you conspire with demons!"

Hearing Jiang Lin's accusation, Xiong Shen could not speak, yet his heart burned with bitter indignation.

It was your own patron Shenjun who asked my brother to gather incense offerings—why blame me?

"Today, this Daoist will show you what retribution truly means!"

Yunhai Temple is revered by mortals and protects this region—today, I shall slay this deity devoid of virtue and conduct!

Clang!

He kicked the hilt; the bright blade shimmered with spiritual light, slicing toward Xiong Shen with a whistling rush of wind.

With divine rank shielding him, all magical arts are weakened—this direct approach is far better!

Boom!

Spiritual light crushed down with the great knife; Xiong Shen offered no resistance whatsoever—his entire head was split open, blood and brain matter spraying out.

Only when a spray of hot blood splashed onto his face and Xiong Shen's massive body collapsed did Jiang Lin the old Daoist snap back to awareness.

Huh?

That was too easy to kill.

Is he truly a god?

He remained dazed for a long while.

"Master…"

A faint call came from beside him; the old Taoist turned and saw his two young disciples curled up beside the altar, watching him cautiously.

But the black-and-white Taoist had vanished.

"He…"

He spoke only one word, then fell silent.

"Just as the moon waxes and wanes, the tide rises and falls, the Divine Path, though mighty, cannot escape decline."

"The Immortal Age is approaching; our meeting is fate. Tonight's deeds have pleased me greatly—I bestow upon you a chance."

As if echoing beside his ear, came the Taoist's calm voice.

Along with the voice came several methods—

The Method of Summoning Gods, the Method of Controlling Gods, the Method of Enslaving Gods, and finally…

The Method of Swallowing Gods!

Summon the unworthy gods to control them! Enslave the wicked and deluded gods to swallow them!

Jiang Lin's heart reeled; it felt as if ten thousand thunderbolts exploded within him, leaving him frozen in place.

No wonder he reacted this way.

After all, Yunhai Temple had venerated deities for generations, and even he had hoped to accumulate merit in life to be granted a divine title after death.

To suddenly receive a method that utterly overturned the Divine Path—how could he remain calm!

Only when his two disciples summoned him again, gathering courage, did Jiang Lin finally snap back to himself.

After calming his frightened disciples, he began to gather the massive corpse of Xiong Shen.

Several spirit pills verified by the Spirit Department, some celestial and terrestrial spirit substances, and a few miscellaneous items.

But what stirred the most complex emotions in Jiang Lin was one Soul-Seizing Divine Talisman, its surface still humming with the divine aura of Tongli Shenjun…

Sigh~

Seeing this, the old Taoist's mindset finally underwent a subtle shift.

After much hesitation, he ultimately collected the essence and divine title of Xiong Shen.

!. Read

…

…

Deep night.

The clouds dispersed, the rain ended, the bright moon hung high, like the divine eye of the Nine Heavens gazing down upon the mortal world.

Thin strands of Emperor's Dew descended, and all living beings in the mountains, rivers, and marshes faced the moon, inhaling and exhaling its radiance.

In this world, the bestowal of sentience and the granting of spirit were the prerogatives of the Grand Yin Star Lord.

Of course, when sentience was still incomplete, one could freely absorb it.

But once sentience awakened and worldly affairs were understood, one must, like human cultivators, set up a ritual altar and pray to Heaven for permission to continue cultivation.

"The Divine Path is harsh…"

Hong Zun stood in empty air, robes fluttering, like a transcendent immortal untouched by the world.

His gaze swept downward and saw Jiang Lin tossing and turning, unable to sleep over the few methods—he smiled faintly.

Having received his gift, this man was now one of the harbingers of the coming Immortal Age.

After all, to have met him meant his fortune was extraordinary.

Willing to exhaust his spirit quota to eliminate a monster that harmed others—his character was upright.

Even more, he was willing to forsake his future divine title for his two newly taken disciples. Though his talent was mediocre and his age advanced, such things were utterly irrelevant.

Hong Zun was not like Xu Xing, who bestowed cultivation opportunities for mere kindness.

Nor was he like Huo, who gave only perilous chances.

He greatly enjoyed watching people make choices when faced with hardship.

And Jiang Lin's every choice had deeply pleased Hong Zun.

Thus, he deserved a place in the coming rise of the Immortal Age, so that all gods and spirits of this world might know what it means to say, "Do not mock the old and poor!"

Suddenly!

An extremely faint ripple passed through the world—so subtle even the supreme sovereigns who governed this realm could not perceive it; yet Hong Zun lifted his gaze to the sky.

"Has it come…?" he murmured softly.

Hong Zun withdrew his gaze, glancing once at the Grand Yin Star.

Amid the hazy moonlight, a supremely beautiful deity leaned lightly upon a jade pavilion, clad in moon-forged gauze, her face filled with sorrow, gazing down upon mortals.

As the Immortal Path stirs, the gods naturally sense it.

Yet beneath such great tides, how many can remain untouched?

Hong Zun shook his head slightly, stepped forward—and his form vanished instantly.

…………

Dawn.

Faint morning light revealed endless clouds rolling between the cliffs.

A figure walked through the mountains, moving from thick mist into sunlight.

He wore a plain moon-white robe, over which draped a black bamboo-patterned gauze, his expression cold and detached, with a palm-sized figure perched on his shoulder.

"Brother Dao should be nearly done."

"Mm."

It was Bie Xuening and Xiang Yuanjun.

As for why Xiang Yuanjun had shrunk to this size…

This was because, upon reaching the boundary and arriving near this world, Xiang Yuanjun, like Hong Zun, had studied the repulsive force of the Xuan Realm.

And because Bie Xuening was watching over her, she was even more aggressive than Hong Zun!

The result? She, like Hong Zun, was repelled backward and slammed into this world of Tongxuan energy level.

Moreover, since she was still within the range of the Xuan Realm's repulsive force during the process of shrinking…

The result was this current state.

Although her abilities remained unaffected, restoring her original size would still take some time.

It wasn't impossible to use spiritual techniques to return to her original form, but then again, better to let nature take its course.

And she could avoid walking altogether—let the Sword Sovereign carry her. How nice!

"Do you have any leads on a solution?" Bie Xuening asked.

"It's difficult. After all, the Xuan Realm's purpose this time is very simple: to send Brother Dao 'home.'" Xiang Yuanjun floated forward from Bie Xuening's shoulder. "Unless the Xuan Realm believes Brother Dao has already 'arrived,' this repulsive force will never vanish."

The purer it is, the harder it is to change.

"It seems we can only wait and discuss further once Younger Brother arrives."

"There's no other choice."

Xiang Yuanjun gazed toward the sunrise, radiating boundless light above the cloud waves.

Li!

Its cry was ancient and divine, brimming with supreme majesty—a strange divine beast with wings gleaming like molten gold, its entire body wreathed in blazing golden flames, three legs beneath its belly, its divine aura like a hellish prison!

Three-Legged Jin Wu!

In this world, it should be called—Jin Wu Great Deity! (End of Chapter)