Chapter 266

The deterrent effect achieved by beheading the Eight-Armed Yaksha was quite good.

Zhao Xing held its head and passed through more than a dozen shrines in succession, yet no one dared to block his way.

There were, however, those calling for help.

When Zhao Xing passed by a shrine named the "Haoguang Mountain Lord Shrine," he suddenly heard a faint cry for help:

"Save, save me."

A fifth-rank priest was lying on the threshold of the shrine with half of his body.

His face was twisted, tiger stripes had appeared on his forehead, his cheeks were split open, and velvet fur had grown on his body.

Zhao Xing took a glance; the lower half of the man's body had already disappeared, swallowed by a black crack.

This crack was shaped like a tiger's mouth, complete with canine teeth, devouring the divine light on his body.

If not for the powerful vitality of a fifth-rank Pure Origin Realm cultivator, he certainly would not have survived with only half a body left.

"Mountain Lord Shrine, this is a strange beast Yin God." Zhao Xing glanced inside the shrine and discovered that the deity on the altar was a Yin God with a tiger's head and a human body, holding a long spear and looking ferocious.

Most deity statues were like this, looking fierce and menacing; despite having a tiger's head, it looked as if it were wearing smoky makeup, making it look extremely strange.

"How am I supposed to save you?"

"The various halls of the Heavenly River Temple have all been sealed, and the deity's thoughts have fallen into intense chaos." A look of pain appeared on the man's face. He seemed to have lost all his hair due to excessive consumption.

"Please, please give me a drop of your essence blood so I can suppress the evil thoughts."

"I won't lend it."

Zhao Xing turned and walked away.

"Shrines like this usually don't have ordinary people coming to worship; the incense and faith are all provided by the Great Zhou priests."

"Why would the Haoguang Mountain Lord kill its few remaining believers?"

"Isn't this cutting off its own path to survival?"

Without incense and being forgotten by people, a Yin God would die completely, falling directly to the level of 'Yi,' which is to say, nothingness.

Clearly, this scene did not conform to common sense. Zhao Xing sneered and continued walking forward.

"He didn't fall for it." After Zhao Xing left, the look of pain on the man's face suddenly vanished,

and he became calm.

"Your acting was too poor; he didn't fall for it." A voice emerged from behind the man, and at the same time, a phantom of a tiger-headed human appeared.

"That's normal." The bald fifth-rank priest laughed: "He can't distinguish right from wrong at all; caution is naturally the first priority."

"Can you read his mind? What's his background?"

"I can't read it; all his thoughts are locked." The bald priest shook his head, "This fourth-rank official is an expert. Unless he comes inside and enters my home turf, there's no chance of winning. After all, he killed the Eight-Armed Yaksha."

"The Eight-Armed Yaksha finally managed to escape, only to die just like that." The tiger-headed Yin God sighed, "I really don't know how he died."

No one saw the scene of Zhao Xing fighting the Eight-Armed Yaksha.

Because of Wu Xuanying, Zhu Qingyou, and the Yin Realm deities, many shrines were sealed, and the vast majority of Yin Gods and priests could not get out.

Not only could they not get out, but the range they could see was also very small.

Forty or fifty meters outside the shrine was just a patch of fog.

"What a pity..."

Zhao Xing continued walking forward.

Soon, he heard more cries for help.

"My lord, save me."

"Little brother, please stay your step and lend me a hand."

"Quickly give me a drop of blood; once I'm out of this predicament, you'll have performed a great service!"

"Fellow countryman, don't go..."

Besides humans, there were also Yin God voices tempting Zhao Xing:

"Come quickly, as long as you believe in this deity and let this deity enter your body, you can possess third-rank strength!"

"Sacrifice blood to me, and you shall ascend to the heavens in one step!"

"No medium needed, no incense required; just believe in me and think of me, and you can borrow my power to rise like a dragon!"

"I beg you, no one remembers me anymore, and I am about to dissipate. If you save me, I will be at your beck and call..."

"Mortal, stop! You have been cursed; only this Immortal Venerable can save you, otherwise you will surely face a bloody disaster within three days..."

Countless Yin God voices reached Zhao Xing's ears.

However, most of them could not come out and could only lure Zhao Xing to enter first.

They might be able to cast spells to influence the outside for a few dozen meters, but upon seeing the head of the Eight-Armed Yaksha, they all canceled their plans.

The Eight-Armed Yaksha was a powerful Yin God capable of escaping the blockade, and since even it had been beheaded, it was clear that the person before them was not to be trifled with.

Zhao Xing also inferred a lot of information from these Yin God voices.

"A great upheaval has occurred in the Heaven and Earth Palaces of the Yin Realm; many sealed palaces have been opened, and many Yin Gods have lowered their status, even willing to be driven by others without any cost."

"Among them, there is no lack of existences even stronger than the Eight-Armed Yaksha."

"Because they are about to dissipate; if they don't have incense and faith to nourish them, they will become completely nothingness," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Throughout the dynasties, how many Yin Gods have been left behind?

Even if ninety-nine percent of them perished, the remaining ones, constantly accumulating, would still be a terrifying number.

During the time of the Founding Emperor, for the sake of stability in the world, this type of Yin God was not exterminated, but rather left to perish like a frog in warm water.

Of course, there were also some tenacious Yin Gods; as long as one person thought of it and worshipped it, it would not die.

They could only restrict its area of activity, and to manifest the benevolence of Great Zhou, they gave it the title of a minor deity, sealed it in a Yin Palace, and arranged for a small group of priests to keep an eye on it.

This kept it from dying, but also prevented it from descending into the human world.

As time passed, other believers could not come into contact with the deity's power and gradually stopped believing; slowly, these Yin Gods could only rely on the official priests of Great Zhou to survive.

"There are too many Yin Gods. During the Founding Emperor's time, there were massive ennoblements, and by the time of the Wen Emperor, although the number had decreased, the speed at which they were born was far faster than the speed at which they perished."

"By the time of the Jing Emperor, he felt this policy was too slow, so he began to take action against the Yin God system. However, cutting down the enfeoffment system, reforming the army, and the Great War against the Barbarians took up a lot of his energy, and the final effect was only average," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

There were many Yin Gods, but Great Zhou only had so many priests, and the nourishment brought by the faith of ordinary people was too little, so the conflicts between the gods of the Yin Realm became increasingly intense.

"This time, the Prince of Liang's rebellion is also many Yin Gods gambling for a glimmer of survival; if they remain content with the status quo, they will eventually become nothingness."

"Originally they couldn't resist and had no opportunity, but now they must seize the opportunity, and the cost of inviting the gods has become even lower."

Of course, first-rank Yin Gods like Fu Tianyang and Wu Cheng did not have such worries.

Those who followed the Prince of Liang in rebellion were basically some unpopular Yin Gods, or those about to be forgotten.

After all, this is not the decline of Great Zhou; if another two thousand years were to pass, it would be truly chaotic.

Not to mention that control would be greatly weakened, but the opportunity for resurrection would appear in the Yin Realm! The barrier between the Yin and Yang realms would also be greatly weakened.

Even some small town-level minor deities would jump off their altars to wreak havoc in the human world.

"The Jing Emperor is truly ruthless. The Prince of Liang's rebellion not only allowed him to see clearly the deeply hidden hardliners that the reforms of the past two or three hundred years hadn't revealed,"

"but he also took the opportunity to cut down the Yin God system he had always wanted to reform."

"After this, who knows how many Yin Gods in the Yin Realm will be gone. Most of these eliminated Yin Gods are the ancestors of noble families."

"If the Prince of Liang succeeds in his campaign against the barbarians, that is naturally best. He can use supreme heavenly might to do this. If he fails,"

"he can also be cleaned up, laying a good foundation for the next generation."

Woo-woo-woo~

Countless Yin Gods wailed, and various thoughts echoed in Zhao Xing's ears.

The level of these thoughts was not low, but they were unable to break the seal due to the barrier between the Yin and Yang realms and the seals of the temples.

If one's willpower were slightly weaker, one would probably be unable to resist the temptation; perhaps one could gain powerful strength for a moment, but later one would be reduced to a 'God's Servant' or a 'puppet.'

Of course, Yin Gods like Wu Cheng and Fu Tianyang were not in this category.

They didn't need to 'compete' at all, nor would they do such evil things.

The God of Agriculture didn't lack incense and faith, nor did he need to participate in these messy affairs.

"Stop! Who are you!"

After walking for a quarter of an hour, Zhao Xing soon saw another priest who could move outside.

He looked very normal, completely in human form, and Zhao Xing inspected him with the Heavenly Eye Technique; there was no deity possessing this person either.

"Have I already reached the area of the Earth God Shrine?"

"This is an Earth God priest."

Through multi-faceted observation, Zhao Xing immediately judged the other party's identity.

He couldn't see the other party's depth, but he felt this person was somewhat dangerous.

"My name is Zhao Xing, the Transport Commissioner of the Hundred Paths of Heavenly River Prefecture, concurrently the Third-Level Inspection Commissioner of the five eastern prefectures of Pinghai Province, and a Yuan Marquis enfeoffed by the imperial court!"

"I have come to invite the Golden Body of the True Lord Tianyang!"

The Transport Commissioner of the Hundred Paths was only a fifth-rank position, but the Third-Level Inspection Commissioner of the five eastern prefectures was a proper fourth-rank official position.

Zhao Xing's reason was sufficient, his identity was reasonable, and there was no problem with his appearance at the temple.

The priest opposite heard this and immediately cupped his hands, reporting his identity: "This subordinate is Yao Yuanchun, the Right Hall Master of the Earth God Shrine."

He became polite, not because of Zhao Xing's identity, as he was also a proper fourth-rank official.

The reason for this was mainly because Zhao Xing's clone was holding the head of the Eight-Armed Yaksha.

"Are you a God of Agriculture or a priest?" Zhao Xing asked.

"A priest; I believe in the True Lord Haishan," Yao Yuanchun said.

True Lord Haishan was the fourth-generation Grand Minister of Agriculture, Meng Haishan.

He was also Meng Kun's grandfather.

"So that's how it is; you and I can be considered fellow travelers," Zhao Xing said politely to the other party.

In reality, he was scanning Yao Yuanchun intensely.

A moment later, the top-tier Heavenly Eye Technique finally saw some clues.

"As the main hall priest, the cultivation technique Yao Yuanchun practices should be 'Rhyme Meaning Hidden God,' with the core of the technique being the 【God Palace】 and 【Spirit Platform】. It's similar to the God of Agriculture's Solar Term Order or the Earth Sand and Gravel,"

"When inviting a god, he can let the deity reside in his two apertures: the God Palace and the Spirit Platform."

"No wonder I couldn't see his depth just now; this fellow's method of inviting a god to possess him is quite extraordinary. The Yin God doesn't enter his sea of consciousness but resides in the acupuncture points all over his body."

"Besides the God Palace and Spirit Platform, he also hides two Yin Gods in his eyes. There are at least nine deities in his whole body, and they seem to include deities of different professions... This is meeting an expert!" Zhao Xing thought to himself.

Nine gods entering the apertures, cultivating the 【God Palace】 and 【Spirit Platform】, and also being proficient in multiple professions,

this person's talent among priests was just like his own, having cultivated the Myriad Law Clone and Pure Origin Soil while also being proficient in Heavenly Time and Earthly Advantage techniques!

Because he had nine gods that could all be hidden in his acupuncture points, this meant he could exert great power.

Of course, looking at his lifespan pulse wheel, Yao Yuanchun, this fourth-rank official, was at least 200 years old.

Yao Yuanchun looked at Zhao Xing and had the same feeling.

Because Zhao Xing's clone was not some short-lived talisman dharma body or vital energy dharma body, but a method clone of the Self-School!

On the surface, only eight clones could be seen, but there were dozens more that were invisible!

Combined with the thunder technique fluctuations just now and the death of the Eight-Armed Yaksha, Yao Yuanchun also knew he had encountered an expert.

He was now also highly vigilant.

Because he didn't know if Zhao Xing was an enemy or a friend.

But eventually, he had to ask:

"Lord Zhao, why are you inviting the Golden Body of True Lord Tianyang?"

Yao Yuanchun took a step forward, his eyes sharp.

"Are you for the Prince of Liang, or against the Prince of Liang?!"

Zhao Xing placed his hand on the Yuan Yin Sacred Canon and closed his eyes.

This action made Yao Yuanchun even more nervous.

He suspected that Zhao Xing had seen the gods hidden in his eyes and that this was a combat stance.

It all depended on the answer that followed!

"The Prince of Liang is a rebel. I swear by my three souls, if I have the ability, I will surely execute him!" After Zhao Xing finished speaking, his whole person vanished into the clouds and mist behind him.

Yao Yuanchun was about to strike, but upon hearing this, he immediately shouted: "Wait, don't move, we're on the same side!"

"I also swear by my three souls to execute the rebels of the Liang party!"

Eight clones emerged from the fog, pointing their Heavenly Thunder Fingers at Yao Yuanchun, which immediately extinguished.

Yao Yuanchun scanned the surroundings, his forehead sweating slightly.

Because the closest of these clones was only twenty meters away from him.

Just during the time he was speaking, Zhao Xing had actually already made arrangements, and he hadn't even known.

And the moment Zhao Xing vanished into the clouds, he had lost complete lock-on, and seven identical targets appeared in his sea of consciousness sensing.

If he were truly an enemy, he would have been at a disadvantage in this game of chess.

"Lord Yao, excuse my rudeness." Zhao Xing ordered his clones to put away their Heavenly Thunder Fingers and turn invisible again.

"Lord Zhao, excuse my rudeness." Yao Yuanchun also cupped his hands, the luster in his eyes changing from clear to turbid.

"In these special times, you and I don't need to be overly polite," Zhao Xing said. "Brother Yao, introduce the situation inside the temple."

Yao Yuanchun was an expert, and with the cost of inviting gods lowered, he could definitely kill a third-rank early-stage expert.

Since he was against the Liang party, he was a friend.

"The third-rank Profound-Penetrating Priest Wu Xuanying and the third-rank Profound-Spirit Priest Zhu Qingyou of the Heavenly River Temple have each occupied four shrines and are currently fighting over the Hall of Heroes, which is also the entrance to the passage between the Yin and Yang realms."

"Usually, the offerings to the heroes enter the human world from here."

Zhao Xing nodded; it seemed the actual situation was not far from his guess.

Both sides were in a stalemate and had no mind to care about outside affairs.

"What does Brother Yao plan to do?"

"The Yin Realm is currently in chaos, with all kinds of thoughts mixed together. The main hall is sealed, and I just escaped, so I haven't made any further plans," Yao Yuanchun said, his face looking somewhat ugly.

This situation was a major event that would be hard to encounter even once in a lifetime.

It was normal for Yao Yuanchun not to know what to do.

"If Brother Yao doesn't know what to do, please come with me," Zhao Xing said. "It'll be good to have mutual support."

"Brother Zhao is going to invite the Golden Body of True Lord Tianyang?" Yao Yuanchun said. "That might be a bit difficult; now that the halls are sealed, there are quite a few people with ulterior motives there..."

"I am here to handle this matter," Zhao Xing said. "We can't let these people defile the purity of True Lord Tianyang,"

"and have his divine power utilized by bad people."

"Alright, then I will lead the way for you," Yao Yuanchun said.

"Thank you, Brother Yao."

Inside the True Lord Tianyang Shrine, two priests were leading a group of people, chanting incessantly at Fu Tianyang's statue. Fu Tianyang was watching the scene in the vortex of fog, feeling somewhat surprised.

"This kid, his luck is decent; he took a detour and still managed to run into Yao Yuanchun?"

"There are seven roads leading to the True Lord Shrine, and on six of them, there are third-rank Yin Gods who have broken free and possessed the priests."

"He just happened to choose the road with Yao Yuanchun?"

"No wonder my disciple asked me to look after him; not only is his talent outstanding, but he also carries heavenly luck. In a place like this, he can turn bad luck into good."

Fu Tianyang's previous manifestation was, of course, not a random whim.

It was deployed in the 33rd year of the Jingxin Calendar.

At that time, Li Boqian asked him to manifest and told him about Zhao Xing's affairs.

And asked him to look after him during the turmoil.

In other words, regardless of which prefecture in Pinghai Province Zhao Xing was in, he could activate the mission of 'Saving the Ancestor's Golden Body.'

As for why Fu Tianyang, and not other Grand Ministers of Agriculture of the Heavenly Time School.

It mainly involved the characteristics of the Yin God system:

First, the deities of the current dynasty are usually stronger than those before it; this is determined by the system of the Luck Dynasty.

Second: If it is a deity of the current dynasty, the closer the deity's history is to the present, the stronger the ability. This is because they haven't been dead for long, and compared to earlier deities, more people know them, and their influence is greater.

Third: The closer the deity is to the contemporary era, the more human sentiment they have.

Looking after Zhao Xing carried a bit of a personal nature.

Li Boqian couldn't move the Minister of Agriculture deities before Fu Tianyang.

Of course, official business was another matter.

This also led to the fact that among the current six Grand Minister of Agriculture shrines, the True Lord Tianyang Shrine had the most priests.

Because he was the strongest and the easiest to be "defiled."

Having human sentiment meant that the seven emotions and six desires still remained.

Being easy to invite meant that for rebels, it was easy to "defile the divine thoughts," obtain divine power, and the danger was smaller.

On the contrary, the further away the deity's dynasty was, the harder it was to invite, and the more likely problems were to occur.

For example, the Eight-Armed Yaksha; after being invited, the one in charge was no longer the priest himself, but more like a possession.

"Brother Zhao, we're here."

Yao Yuanchun leading the way saved a lot of trouble.

Along the way, no one disturbed them, and no god dared to spy.

Before long, Zhao Xing followed him to the front of the True Lord Tianyang Shrine.

Zhao Xing sensed dozens of auras inside and immediately looked at Yao Yuanchun, who said:

"The main hall priest here is the Tianyang priest, Ai Tianming."

"He is also a proper fourth-rank official, over 500 years old, and the strongest."

"The others are not worth mentioning."

Yao Yuanchun said: "I can be certain that he has already rebelled."

"Why?" Zhao Xing asked.

"The moment the turmoil occurred, all priests were forced to consume ten to fifty years of their lifespan to resist the erosion of the Yin Realm," Yao Yuanchun said.

"Ai Tianming is still alive, so there is only one possibility: he accepted the Prince of Liang's enfeoffment and obtained additional lifespan."

"This person rebelled in an instant and killed many priests in the surrounding five halls; he is truly hateful and deserves to be executed!"

Zhao Xing nodded; a proper fourth-rank official can only live for a maximum of about 500 years and definitely cannot exceed the theoretical limit of 600.

The reason the theoretical limit is called a limit is that ninety percent of people cannot reach it.

So, the 500-plus-year-old Ai Tianming could not have survived this wave of turmoil.

Unless he rebelled.

"Yao Yuanchun, you are noble, you are remarkable!"

Just then, a voice appeared, and at the same time, an old man with a square face wearing a cyan dharma robe appeared in the Tianyang Shrine.

"You can stand on the moral high ground to attack this official; you are only 200 years old and have already risen to a proper fourth-rank official."

"You still have a bright future and plenty of lifespan... but what about this official?"

Ai Tianming said indifferently: "This official has transferred through many prefectures, yet I cannot get promoted."

"In the fourth-rank position, this breath has kept me hanging for 153 years."

"In terms of spells, I have also mastered top-tier techniques."

"In terms of seniority, I have endured for 153 years and transferred through sixteen prefectures."

"Why can't the imperial court let me rise to the third rank?"

"Compared to those who hold positions but don't do their jobs, where am I lacking?"

Yao Yuanchun shouted: "If you cannot be promoted, there is naturally a reason. Is that your reason for killing and rebelling? It's simply absurd!"

"Does everyone who cannot be promoted have to rebel? You harbor such evil thoughts; no wonder you cannot be promoted!"

Ai Tianming retorted: "This official wants to climb up; what is wrong with that? If this is also an evil thought, why don't you resign from your official position?"

A sneer appeared on Ai Tianming's face: "Also, your promotion has been smooth all the way, and you are a child of a noble family,"

"not only do you have people in the human world, but you also have people in the Yin Realm. Of course, you can say you don't care about official positions, because you can rise anyway."

"Nonsense!" Yao Yuanchun's emotions fluctuated.

"Is a battlefield prefecture like Heavenly River Prefecture some kind of fat job?"

"Have I ever enjoyed glory and wealth? Have I ever been greedy for even a little bit?"

"The reason I cannot be promoted is nothing more than my background," Ai Tianming said in a calm tone; he didn't even have a hint of indignation.

Zhao Xing understood that this person had already passed the state of anger and belonged to those completely disheartened by Great Zhou.

"I won't argue with you about whether the Prince of Liang counts as a rebel; even if he is truly a rebel, so what?"

"I only hate that this day didn't come sooner!"

"Don't talk to me about great righteousness or laws."

"You are suppressing the rebellion, and I am rebelling; we are both just trying to survive!"

"No matter how you spin it, it's still rebellion," Yao Yuanchun looked coldly. "A rebel naturally has to give himself a reasonable excuse. The imperial court has raised you for 500 years, and you don't even have the courage to die; you are a disgrace to priests!"

"Enough talk; I see you are ready, and as it happens, I am ready too," Ai Tianming looked at Yao Yuanchun, his eyes suddenly turning as black as ink: "Then let's see who can walk out of the temple alive!"

"Die!" Yao Yuanchun's eyes erupted with golden light.

The one flying out of his left eye was the Earth Profound General, wearing golden dragon armor, holding a Tyrant Halberd, and standing six zhang tall.

After flying out, it immediately overlapped with Yao Yuanchun's figure.

Yao Yuanchun's body then surged, also becoming three zhang tall!

The Tyrant Halberd in his hand was as if it were real.

Five figures flew out of his right eye, which were the Five-Directional Art Generals enfeoffed during the Founding Emperor's time.

The figures were blue, green, red, cyan, and yellow, corresponding to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Yao Yuanchun's main body charged, while the five Art Generals cast spells from the rear.

At the same time, the Sun and Moon appeared on Yao Yuanchun's shoulders respectively.

The Sun governs soul attack, and the Moon governs soul defense.

"Yin and Yang transform into sun and moon, divine generals divide into five elements, one thought of eight divine arts, both offensive and defensive; what a genius priest."

Zhao Xing watched from the side, and couldn't help but have his eyes light up.

Ai Tianming was clearly under great pressure.

His previous nonsense to stall for time, saying he was ready, was actually not fully prepared.

In the same amount of time, he only cast five divine arts.

They were the 'Canglan True Lord Soul-Breaking Method,' 'Lingxiao True Lord Spirit-Hiding Technique,' 'Haoguang Immortal,' 'Wind-Controlling God-Striking General,' and 'Spirit-Illusion True Circle Technique.'

And after seeing Yao Yuanchun's spellcasting, he immediately switched from offense to defense, strengthening the illusions to interfere with Yao Yuanchun himself, daring only to entangle, not to collide head-on.

Even so, Ai Tianming was at a disadvantage from the start and was instantly forced into a corner.

If not for the critical moment when seven fourth-rank priests came out to help,

the outcome would probably have been decided in a few moves.

"Being the same fourth-rank priest, there is still a gap," Zhao Xing watched this internal war of divine professions.

What Yao Yuanchun said before, 'Except for Ai Tianming, the others are not worth fearing,' was just modesty.

Counting his strength after being enhanced.

Zhao Xing estimated that if Ai Tianming hadn't been enhanced, he would probably only be able to hold on for three rounds under Yao Yuanchun.

The first round breaks the defense, the second round causes serious injury, and the third round leads to near-death.

The others were even less worth mentioning; they weren't even a match for one move.

Even joining forces wouldn't work.

"My luck is too good; I can even run into such a good fighter while doing a mission."

Zhao Xing saw that Yao Yuanchun had taken the absolute initiative and no one was guarding the True Lord Tianyang Shrine, so he immediately flew toward the main gate.

There were more than twenty people inside the hall.

Upon seeing more than a dozen Zhao Xings break in, they couldn't help but be shocked.

Zhao Xing scanned them with the Qi-Gazing Technique and sneered: "All rebels, die for me!"

Because the remaining ones were only fifth-rank, their cultivation was too low, so he could see through them.

"Clang!"

The Soul-Extinguishing Bell vibrated, and as the bell rang, phantoms were shaken out from behind these people.

"No, I don't want to go back... Come here!"

"Die, die, die!"

"How bold, to dare attack this deity!"

"Blaspheming this deity, you are guilty of a capital crime, a capital crime!"

About forty or fifty Yin Gods roared, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, wanting to pounce on Zhao Xing.

"Clang!"

Another bell rang.

Half of these forty or fifty Yin Gods perished completely, and the other half seemed to lose gravity and were instantly dragged away by the surrounding fog.

The Yin energy was turbid and heavy, sinking down and fleeing to the Yin Realm; having lost the priests they possessed, these Yin Gods were automatically pulled back by the Yin Realm.

In an instant, inside the main hall, only a group of empty-shelled priests remained.

Their souls had all perished.

"Ancestor, forgive me."

Zhao Xing reached out and immediately moved True Lord Tianyang's golden body down.

The statue of the God of Agriculture was not as exaggerated as other deities, which were often seven or eight meters tall.

The statues of the God of Agriculture were basically made to human height.

Zhao Xing ordered two clones to carry the Tianyang golden body and run, not daring to delay in the slightest.

Because the pulling force of the Yin Realm was equally effective on him.

The clones had to retreat quickly, otherwise, the clone soul bodies would also be pulled out of the straw man bodies and fall into the Yin Realm.

"Mission accomplished!" Outside the hall, Zhao Xing's main body snapped his fingers.

The clones carried the golden body to his side.

"What?"

Yu Guang saw this scene, and both Ai Tianming and Yao Yuanchun were somewhat surprised; even their fighting slowed down briefly.

"How could he easily carry the golden body out?"

"Impossible; we've been casting spells for so long and could only move the Tianyang golden body by an inch."

"Who exactly is this person?"

A golden body isn't something you can just carry away.

Inviting a god off the altar, how could it be so simple?

But Zhao Xing just ran straight in and immediately invited True Lord Tianyang out.

"Ancestor." The clones outside stood guard, and Zhao Xing's main body respectfully kowtowed to True Lord Tianyang.

"Get up; we Gods of Agriculture don't go in for such grand gestures," True Lord Tianyang's statue suddenly came to life, wearing a smile.

He said he didn't want it, but it was clear he was still very happy.

"Ancestor, what should be done with this group of people?" Zhao Xing asked after rising.

Ai Tianming's words, he figured True Lord Tianyang had just heard.

He hadn't yet figured out this ancestor's temperament and didn't know if he should strike.

True Lord Tianyang put away his smile and said indifferently: "The Prince of Liang's rebellion also has many reasons."

"Grandson, you must remember. Before rebelling, one can still distinguish right from wrong; after rebelling, there is only a standpoint, distinguishing life and death, not right and wrong."

"Yes, thank you for your instruction, Ancestor," Zhao Xing cupped his hands.

"A small fourth-rank rebel is not worth my golden body striking. Grandson, go help Yao Yuanchun and destroy them," True Lord Tianyang said. "After destroying them, go to the Hall of Heroes to suppress the rebellion."

"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded.

However, just as he was about to strike, he found that the outcome had already been decided.

In the square ahead, night and day alternated, and Ai Tianming and the other seventh-rank priests were beheaded.

Even their Yin God bodies were strangled.

"Yin-Yang Domain God-Killing Technique, hmm, this kid is not bad. It's just that his temper is still a bit hot; Ai Tianming's few words made him angry," True Lord Tianyang commented.

Yao Yuanchun stood among a pile of corpses, his chest heaving violently.

He was truly angry, because Ai Tianming was still attacking his heart before he died: "You are truly lucky; if you didn't have a family background, your end would be the same as mine, hehe, hehehe..."

All of Yao Yuanchun's efforts were attributed to his family background; how could he not be angry?

"Brother Yao, don't take his nonsense to heart," Zhao Xing ran over, letting his clones rummage through the corpses.

Fourth-rank priests must have mastered divine talisman techniques, and the talismans they made were all quite good; leaving them here would be a waste. "How could I take their words to heart? However, why were you able to invite the True Lord's golden body out so quickly?" Yao Yuanchun asked the doubt in his heart.

"This is a secret; it's better not to say," Zhao Xing said.

He couldn't talk about his relationship with Li Boqian yet.

Besides, it was to avoid Yao Yuanchun thinking wildly again.

Seeing that Zhao Xing didn't say much, Yao Yuanchun didn't force it; the other party also had the status of an Inspection Commissioner.

It was normal for it to involve secrets.

"What next?"

"Go to the Hall of Heroes." Zhao Xing finished looting the corpses and ordered his clones to turn invisible again.

"Alright." Yao Yuanchun immediately grew clouds under his feet and took off with Zhao Xing.

He easily performed the Cloud-Treading Technique, and his speed wasn't slow; he was truly an all-rounder.

Since the Hall of Heroes was not far from here.

The two soon flew above the square outside the Hall of Heroes.

Zhao Xing carried True Lord Tianyang's golden body and also turned invisible.

Although the square was quiet at this time, there was not a bit of Yin energy; instead, it was full of peace.

"Not simple." Zhao Xing took a look and knew that the situation here was quite tricky.

"Oh? Where is it not simple?" Fu Tianyang asked with great interest.

"Of all the halls in the temple, only the divinity here has the upper hand, proving that the deities here are all upright, have no evil thoughts, and don't think they are rebelling."

"The ones I encountered before, whether it was the Eight-Armed Yaksha or the Mountain Lord, were not deities of the imperial court, and their evil nature and resentment were very heavy."

Yin Gods in the Yin Realm are also divided into those with official positions and those without.

Yin Gods who enjoy incense do not necessarily have the right to come to the human world to do things.

The strength that such Yin Gods can exert is naturally weaker. Their divine power basically cannot be fully exerted in the human world. Of course, the number of such Yin Gods is also the largest.

Yin Gods with authority are different.

Zhao Xing scanned the surroundings and found that although Zhu Qingyou and Wu Xuanying were both fighting for the power of the Yin Gods, not a single person had died.

It was clear that what they were fighting for was of a higher level.

"You guessed correctly; these two are fighting for the authority over the 100, 00 Yin soldiers and generals of Heavenly River Prefecture," True Lord Tianyang nodded.

"They don't know what happened and can only be told by the priests."

"Priests invite gods, and their thoughts can influence the Yin Gods."

"Used right, they are right; used evilly, they are evil."

True Lord Tianyang waved his hand forward.

The vortex of fog in the sky faded.

A voice came from inside the Hall of Heroes.

"... he country has treacherous traitors, laws are not manifest, order is chaotic, and the Heavenly Dao does not exist."

"In the vast world, heroes hide in the abyss. Now I am sincere, respectfully inviting you to appear before me."

"The heroes of the past, their heroic names shake the nine heavens. Their achievements are passed down through the ages, and their spirits will last forever."

"With my sincerity, with my faith. Borrowing the great power of the gods..."

Zhu Qingyou was impassioned, and after chanting repeatedly a few times, a talisman paper flew out from his body: "Soldiers, you enjoy the incense of Great Zhou, follow me to set things right."

"Eliminate traitors, re-establish laws, restore order, act on behalf of Heaven, and do not let Great Zhou repeat the mistakes of the Myriad Nations era!"

"My heart is the heart of the gods, my thoughts are the thoughts of the gods, Profound-Spirit Priest Zhu Qingyou, I invite the Ten Generals of Heavenly River to appear!"

Before the words fell, another voice was heard, coming from behind, like singing and chanting, suppressing Zhu Qingyou's voice: "... he heroes of old, the fires of war have ceased, the disputes have ended..."

"Your achievements will be recorded in history forever, and your light will shine through the ages."

"My heart is sincere, I chant this spell of soul-soothing."

"The soul returns to a place of peace, the heart heads toward the path of light."

Wu Xuanying and Zhu Qingyou, one wanted to chant the god-inviting spell to mobilize the Yin soldiers and generals, and the other chanted the soul-soothing spell to let the Yin soldiers and generals rest in peace and not act rashly.

They were two complete extremes.

The spirit tablets in the Hall of Heroes vibrated for a moment and then stopped vibrating.

Such repeated friction made Zhao Xing not know what to say.

If he were a Yin God, he would probably be driven mentally split and have a splitting headache by these priests.

"Ancestor, who will win?" Zhao Xing asked.

After all, he was not a priest and didn't know which of these two high-ranking experts' spell-fighting was better.

"Zhu Qingyou is a step better," True Lord Tianyang said, "because his divine thoughts have received the blessing of luck, making them a bit stronger."

"And the Yin Realm has indeed experienced turmoil; the 100, 00 Yin soldiers and generals of the Heavenly River Hall of Heroes do indeed have the obligation to suppress the chaos."

"Wu kid is still a bit conservative," True Lord Tianyang said. "At this time, he shouldn't be soothing souls, but grabbing control."

"Once control is grabbed, whether to suppress the rebellion or send them back to the Yin Realm is just a matter of his word, isn't it?"

"He just thought about not letting the Yin soldiers and generals move around; he was too cautious," True Lord Tianyang shook his head.

However, this couldn't be blamed on the priests.

A rebellion of this level is rare even once in thousands of years.

Encountering such a situation, not everyone can make the best decision.

"Is the Ancestor willing to strike?" Zhao Xing asked.

"I cannot strike," True Lord Tianyang shook his head. "I am a God of Agriculture in the Yin Realm; there is no such thing as a Military Minister of Agriculture in the Yin Realm. The authority to mobilize troops does not belong to me; the rule is that only people in the human world can mobilize Yin soldiers and generals."

"Of course, if a rebellion is happening, you invite me to strike, and relying on you, I can strike."

"Because the descent of Yin soldiers and generals will inevitably affect the weather and trigger chaotic celestial phenomena, then I can strike."

Zhao Xing nodded and let the clone beside Yao Yuanchun ask: "Brother Yao, can you still fight?"

"I can."

"Can you stop Zhu Qingyou from summoning the Heavenly River Yin soldiers and generals?"

"I cannot."

"Why?"

"Because I don't have this authority," Yao Yuanchun said. "This is the authority to mobilize troops; I am only a fourth-rank priest, and the Heavenly River Yin soldiers and generals will not recognize me."

"Even if I chanted until I vomited blood, it would be impossible to get a response."

"But if they appear in the world, I can send them back," Yao Yuanchun said. "I can't mobilize them, but I can forcibly send them back after someone else mobilizes them; the only room for operation is this part of sending the gods away."

Zhao Xing nodded; the rules were just like that.

Only a limited number of people can mobilize Yin soldiers on a large scale.

This is a limited edition authority granted by the Luck Dynasty.

However, once they are mobilized, they are in the human world.

Human world affairs are managed by the human world; there is no restriction on "sending gods away," as long as you have the ability.

And priests capable of sending gods away are mostly middle and high-level backbone members.

If this group of people opposes it, it proves that the mobilization of troops by the Profound-Spirit and Profound-Penetrating priests is not recognized by the people below,

and is unreasonable.

Overall, this kind of bottom-up opposition is still very difficult to achieve.

Because it is easy to invite a god but difficult to send one away.

Once Zhu Qingyou masters the authority over the 100, 00 Yin soldiers and generals of Heavenly River, his strength will completely crush Wu Xuanying.

"Look, he is about to succeed," True Lord Tianyang pointed forward. "Kid, you run out first; within the temple range, it is the boundary between Yin and Yang, which is not suitable for sending gods away."

Yao Yuanchun also reminded him with a serious expression at this time: "Brother Zhao, we need to retreat. At this time, we can only ask for the authority of Lord He to stop Zhu Qingyou."

"Lord He cannot get away right now," Zhao Xing shook his head. "He hasn't won the Great Rites Debate yet."

"There is still a way to think; we can go and ask the prefecture musicians and dancers for help," Yao Yuanchun said.

"Heavenly River Prefecture is a military-controlled prefecture; where would the prefecture music departments get third-rank experts? This path won't work either."

"Then what way do you have?" Yao Yuanchun saw that Zhao Xing was not in a hurry at all and couldn't help but be puzzled.

"Let me try," Zhao Xing said.

"You?" Yao Yuanchun was stunned. He sized Zhao Xing up. "Forgive my bluntness, Brother, although you have extraordinary strength, the God-Sending Technique is not something that can reach a high level in a short time."

It is true that a God of Agriculture can invite and send gods, but they mostly borrow external objects, and most of them are their own deities; how could they send away the Heavenly River Yin soldiers and generals?

Zhao Xing moved True Lord Tianyang's golden body out and showed the Yuan Yin Sacred Canon: "This, plus this, can it send away the Ten Great Yin Generals of Heavenly River?"

Yao Yuanchun saw the Yuan Yin Sacred Canon, and his eyes almost popped out.

"A ninth-rank sacrificial treasure?!"

True Lord Tianyang took a look and burst into laughter, because he recognized the characters on it, which came from the Li Dynasty: "Hahaha, you kid, using the dharma canon of an ancient dynasty to send away the gods of the current dynasty, you really have a way!"

"Quick, quick, quick, invite me, your ancestor, to possess you; I haven't done this kind of thing before!"

Fu Tianyang urged; he didn't like doing this kind of thing when he was alive, but now that he was dead, he had to enjoy it!

Inside the hall, Wu Xuanying spat out a mouthful of blood, and the thirty priests following him also spat out blood, their faces turning pale.

"It's over." Wu Xuanying looked at the vibrating Hall of Heroes, and his heart turned cold.

He had stopped Zhu Qingyou from inviting the god, but not completely.

At this time, above the Hall of Heroes, dark clouds condensed into a black vortex.

Four Yin Generals, riding flaming ghost horses, holding battle spears, walked out of the passage.

"Da-da-da-da-da-da~"

Behind the four Yin Generals, 10, 00 Yin soldiers each, holding banners, wearing armor, and holding long spears, appeared in unison.

Four Great Yin Generals, 40, 00 Yin soldiers!

The Yin Generals were third-rank, and the Yin soldiers were all fourth-rank!

This force was enough to overthrow Heavenly River Prefecture!

Because Yin soldiers and generals also know battle formations!

A single third-rank expert would find it difficult to contend with them!

"Brother Wu, things have come to this; why not join me in serving the King?" Zhu Qingyou also spat out quite a bit of blood, his face looking somewhat pale.

He also had some respect for this colleague he had worked with for many years.

Having been prepared in advance and having gained strength enhancement, he still blocked him for so long.

Not letting him achieve his full goal was truly worthy of respect.

"You're dreaming!" Wu Xuanying shouted, "Even if I die, the Prefecture Lord can still suppress you!"

"The Prefecture Lord?" Zhu Qingyou sneered, "Let him survive the Great Rites Debate first."

"Besides, now that I have led the Yin soldiers and generals, the first traitor I will eliminate is this one recommended by Liu Si..." "Ahhh!" Wu Xuanying roared and charged at Zhu Qingyou.

"Hmph, ungrateful! Freeze!" Zhu Qingyou's eyes turned cold, and holding the command arrow, he pointed at Wu Xuanying.

Wu Xuanying, along with the priests behind him, were all frozen in place.

Zhu Qingyou shouted: "Heavenly River Yin Generals, take orders, quickly take Wu Xuanying's primordial soul and lock it in the Seven-Star Divine Prison of the Yin Realm!"

He waved the token, wanting to grab Wu Xuanying's primordial soul and lock it in the Yin Realm.

In this way, he only needed to lock up his physical body, causing the body and soul to separate, and this person would never be able to stop him again.

He couldn't kill Wu Xuanying yet, because Wu Xuanying was still a Profound-Penetrating Priest, and his protection still remained, so he couldn't be killed by the Yin Generals.

"Puff..."

A gust of wind blew through the hall, and nothing happened.

"Hmm?"

Zhu Qingyou looked at the sky in confusion and then froze.

He saw that the four Yin Generals and 40, 00 Yin soldiers who were just in the sky had disappeared.

The sky also cleared up at some point.

The dark cloud passage closed.

It was as if the mobilization just now was an illusion.

"Where are my Yin soldiers and generals?" Zhu Qingyou was stunned and subconsciously looked at the adjutant beside him.

"I, I don't know." The adjutant was also confused and had no idea what had happened.

"Impossible, impossible, I have successfully invited the god; it must be that I am too seriously injured and had an illusion..."

Zhu Qingyou muttered to himself, quickly walked out of the hall, held the command arrow high, and pointed at the sky.

"Heavenly River Yin Generals, quickly appear and obey my orders!"

"Heavenly River Yin Generals, quickly appear and obey my orders!"

"Heavenly River..." He shouted three times, but nothing happened in the sky.

Instead, at some point, a young man holding a dharma canon appeared in the square and slowly walked over: "Stop shouting, brother, the Yin soldiers and generals just left."