Chapter 789: The City God
Chapter 789: The City God
Pfft!
Mei Changkong stopped at the edge of a stream, spitting out a mouthful of vital blood. His forced suppression of his injuries and his slaying of the pursuers had only exacerbated his internal wounds by several degrees.
Now, gazing at the boundless mountain forest, a hint of despair flickered across his face.
Unlike the ancient times, where killing an official and rebelling allowed one to hide deep within the mountains.
Under the Dao Court's governance, mountains had Mountain Gods, rivers had River Gods, and even a single well might have a Well Dragon King residing within it!
No matter if one fled to the ends of the earth, as long as the Dao Court set its mind to it, they would surely be apprehended and brought to justice!
'Before, I merely killed a patrol inspector, but now I've assassinated a county magistrate. . . the commotion is getting out of hand. '
Mei Changkong was well aware of how the government operated. If it were just a minor matter, no official document would be sent to trouble a neighboring county.
The deities of the neighboring county would certainly not go out of their way to work for another county's government, unless there was an official order from the prefecture!
He had previously killed a patrol inspector and was already wanted by an entire prefecture.
Now, having assassinated a county magistrate in broad daylight, the severity of the situation had escalated once more, and the intensity of the pursuit had further increased. Even many divine beings might well be notified.
At that point, there would truly be no path to the heavens, no door to the earth.
'My death is inconsequential, it's just a pity I couldn't kill that Cao villain! '
Mei Changkong's face was utterly pale as he took out a stone seal from his bosom.
The stone seal was square, its surface a grayish-white, with numerous cracks.
Holding the seal, he sat cross-legged and suddenly drew wisps of spiritual energy from the void, slowly recovering his magical power and bodily injuries.
This stone seal was a precious treasure of his sect, personally passed down by his master back then.
With this treasure, cultivators could slightly bypass the Dao Laws and absorb some of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
Otherwise, no matter how gifted he was, he would never have been able to cultivate his spells to such a degree.
Just as he entered meditation and circulated his energy, a flash of light suddenly emanated from the stone seal, letting out a clear warning chime.
Mei Changkong immediately rose, gripping the longsword in his hand.
"I've been discovered!"
"This person is indeed not simple. . . Let's trap him first."
The white-robed Day Patrol God formed hand seals, and immediately, wisps of mist appeared within the mountain forest.
He had a precise grasp of the situation, knowing that he and the Night Patrol God didn't necessarily have to capture this fiend.
If they sought no merit but only to avoid fault, then merely delaying the opponent for a moment would suffice.
If they could keep him trapped until reinforcements arrived, that would be a great accomplishment!
"Wouldn't that be dull? Let me contend with him in a spell battle. . ."
The black-faced Night Patrol God snorted coldly and took out a bow and arrow from his person.
The bow and arrow were vibrant and colorful, seemingly made of paper, and only palm-sized, like a child's toy.
The Night Patrol God chanted a few incantations, and a flash of light emanated from the bow and arrow, instantly enlarging them. He held them in his hand, drawing the bowstring taut like a full moon!
Whoosh!
With the vibration of the bowstring, an arrow, like a shooting star, shot towards Mei Changkong.
Clang!
Within the mist, Mei Changkong, whose vision was obscured, was caught off guard and had no time to parry with his sword.
However, a faint greenish-blue light curtain appeared around him, like an eggshell, protecting him within.
"Indeed, there's something amiss. This person's magical cultivation is already comparable to a ranked righteous god. . ."
"An ordinary Daoist, even if they cultivate their entire lives, wouldn't reach this level!"
The Day Patrol God said.
"In ordinary times, we two junior deities might not be able to stop him. . . Fortunately, he's injured right now. . ."
The Night Patrol God, however, was overjoyed: "If we secure this merit, my brother and I might be able to seek promotion in the future. . . at the very least, we must enter the ranks to be considered true Blessed Deities."
"Dream on, if you think you can capture me!"
Mei Changkong's expression hardened, and he pulled a talisman from his bosom.
This talisman was ancient in design, its edges even slightly damaged, bearing traces of its age.
He bit the tip of his tongue, spraying a stream of vital blood onto the talisman.
Rumble!
Within the void, thunder flashed once.
The Night Patrol God let out a shriek, nearly being struck by the electric light and turned to ash.
Crackle!
White electric arcs leaped and danced. Wherever they passed, the mist dispersed, revealing the original mountain forest once more.
Mei Changkong had no intention of entangling himself with the Day and Night Patrol Gods and was about to leave.
Clatter-clatter!
Clatter-clatter!
Just then, the sound of a galloping horse rang out!
Galloping a horse at full speed through this jungle was utterly impossible. An ordinary horse would only twist its ankle, and its rider would be thrown to their death or crippled.
But at this moment, a divine light ascended, revealing a figure completely clad in armor.
He rode a tall steed, moving through the rugged mountain forest as if on flat ground, his speed increasing steadily.
As the sound of hooves drew closer, the oppressive sensation, like a collapsing mountain, became increasingly palpable.
"Excellent! It's the Martial Judge!"
Both the Day and Night Patrol Gods were overjoyed. Seeing the Martial Judge, who resembled a heavily armored cavalryman, accelerate with whistling winds, he quickly caught up to Mei Changkong and thrust his long spear!
Thud!
Mei Changkong twisted his body, evading the spear, which struck with the force of wind and thunder, from an incredible angle.
Just then, a black glint flashed from the spearhead, transforming into countless flying needles.
Mei Changkong blocked with his longsword, but his faint greenish-blue protective shield instantly shattered. His longsword then snapped, and he fell to the ground, his chest blooming with specks of crimson plum blossoms.
"Criminal Mei Changkong, for killing an official and rebelling, for assassinating County Magistrate Cao in broad daylight. . . his crime warrants execution!"
The Martial Judge, atop his horse, spoke each word, and with each word, the void grew heavier.
At this moment, it was as if he held the divine decrees in his mouth, capable of directly deciding life and death.
Witnessing this scene, even the Day and Night Patrol Gods were filled with immense awe.
Though also performing official duties, the disparity between a ranked righteous god and unranked divine officials like themselves was vast!
In the Divine Dao, each promotion in rank represented an enormous leap in power; there was no faking it in the slightest!
Pfft!
Mei Changkong spat out another mouthful of vital blood, then half-knelt as he pushed himself up, his spine still ramrod straight, his bones even letting out a cracking sound.
"That Cao villain isn't dead. . . I. . . am unwilling. . . You're all a nest of vipers, colluding together. . . you'll surely. . ."
Blood overflowed from his mouth and nose as he murmured, his voice gradually becoming inaudible.
"Hmph."
The Martial Judge paid no mind to it. He was naturally a hot-tempered sort, and besides, which temple didn't have ghosts of the unjustly dead?
If one were to investigate each one thoroughly, then this deity wouldn't have to do his job.
He raised his long spear, about to deliver the final blow to Mei Changkong, when suddenly his vision blurred.
Before Mei Changkong, a figure had appeared at some unknown moment.
He wore a black robe, his face exceptionally handsome, with a faint smile playing on his lips — it was none other than Fang Xi!
However, at this moment, he appeared in his true form, not as the middle-aged scholar image from White Sweet Village.
"Rogue Daoist. . . are you perhaps intending to aid a Dao Court fugitive?"
The Martial Judge snorted coldly: "According to the law. . . those who harbor criminals are guilty of the same crime as the fugitive, and shall be executed!"
With a cold snort, he once again spurred his horse and cracked his whip, thrusting his long spear forward.
The next moment, a large hand of black qi suddenly appeared in the void, gripping the long spear tightly, as if cast from bronze and iron, making it impossible to budge in the slightest.
Immediately after, Fang Xi flicked his finger.
A black light flashed, and a golden light shimmered around the Martial Judge, appearing over ten zhang away, but his warhorse was shockingly crushed into a bloody pulp.
"How dare you! I am acting on the City God's command to apprehend a fugitive. Who are you? How dare you obstruct my official duties? Do you not fear the Dao Court's punishment?"
The Martial Judge pulled out a token from his bosom and shouted loudly: "The City God's decree is here! If anyone disobeys, may the Dao Laws execute them!"
A light flashed in Fang Xi's eyes, and he saw a crimson web of laws.
This web of laws enveloped the entire Qingxi County, formed by combining divine laws with the qi of the myriad populace, and infused with Dao Laws.
At this moment, under the Martial Judge's shout, even if his magical power surpassed the opponent's, if he had a Dao Court talisman within him, he wouldn't be able to resist this web of laws.
After all, this was rebellion!
If cultivators relied on Daoist talismans to achieve their magical power, how could they possibly resist this system?
"Can't win a fight, so you pull rank. . . What a pity, you can't seal me."
Fang Xi let out a wry chuckle.
Unfortunately, he was not bound by the Dao Court's laws at all, and thus completely unrestrained.
"Hmm, who exactly are you?"
It wasn't that the Martial Judge had never encountered so-called cultivators, but even Daoist True Persons would never dare to obstruct him when he was performing official duties.
However, he hadn't expected to be so thwarted this time, and couldn't help but be greatly surprised. Suddenly, he thought of something, his eyes widening like copper bells: "You. . . you're also a Rogue Cultivator! Even if you're a Rogue Cultivator, are you not afraid of the Dao Court's wrath, of them raising an army to punish you?"
Mei Changkong naturally understood the hardships of Rogue Cultivators most clearly. It was utterly impossible to cultivate such divine abilities and magical power under the Dao Court's all-encompassing net!
At this moment, Mei Changkong heard the young Daoist scoff: "Haha. . . What is the Dao Court even?"
"Good, good indeed. . . another true rebel I've met!"
The Martial Judge's hair bristled with rage, and the Day and Night Patrol Gods beside him, sharing the same hatred for the enemy, were so incensed they nearly ground their teeth to powder.
Encountering someone who truly didn't take the Dao Court seriously was akin to digging up their very foundation, fatally threatening both their reputation and their interests. What followed was a furious roar: "How dare you? !"
The Martial Judge immediately held high the City God's decree: "Iron Ci, Martial Judge of the Rewards and Punishments Bureau, respectfully requests the City God to act and apprehend the rebel!"
On the token, a crimson light shimmered, and a powerful divine might descended.
"It's over. . ."
Mei Changkong vaguely saw a majestic figure, clad in official robes, appear, and his face couldn't help but be filled with despair.
A County City God was at least a seventh-rank righteous god, with boundless power. No cultivator, spirit monster, or demon could stand against him!
Fang Xi gazed at the figure enveloped in crimson light, but muttered to himself:
'By aura, he's only around Foundation Establishment, yet possesses the might of a Core Formation Dharmic Domain! '
'Not only that, is this an External Avatar? Can one cultivate an External Avatar at Foundation Establishment? Or is it the effect of some divine art? '
He laughed heartily, demonic qi rising around him. Dispelling his playful mood, he became slightly serious.
A colossal demonic hand descended from the heavens. With a mere squeeze. . . the seventh-rank City God, enveloped in crimson light, let out a shriek and was utterly annihilated.
Such a drastic change left both the Martial Judge and the Day and Night Patrol Gods dumbfounded.
Fang Xi, not one to be courteous with them, waved his hand and shot out three points of abyssal demonic flame, transforming the Martial Judge and the Day and Night Patrol Gods into three torches. He then reached into the torches, grabbed a few items, and immediately controlled a streak of escape light, enveloping Mei Changkong as they vanished without a trace. . .
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