Chapter 16: Lord Xuanqing Has Truly Manifested!

Just a few days ago, the Tianshan Sect had smashed the Three-Eyed Lady's idol in the neighboring Liu Family Village, and yesterday they had been tracked down by pursuers.

Those pursuers were the Ancient God Society.

The Ancient God Society worshipped ancient deities — the divine beings spoken of in legends passed down through the ages.

They firmly believed that those gods had truly existed, and they yearned for the mythical era when divine beings walked the world.

To that end, the Ancient God Society had long been searching for traces of the ancient gods, hoping to rediscover the deities of old.

Mu Tong's opinion on the matter: a bunch of lunatics.

Yet the Ancient God Society's foundations ran deep, and their strength was formidable.

Because of their devotion to ancient deities, the Tianshan Sect — with its rampant idol-smashing, its contempt for gods and the heavens and earth, and its utterly unrestrained conduct — was a thorn in the Ancient God Society's side and a needle in their flesh.

The Tianshan Sect didn't merely destroy the idols of rural village shrines. Even the idols of ancient, legendary deities were smashed without hesitation.

In fact, they seemed to take particular delight in targeting those ancient divine idols.

Among the many factions and sects that the Tianshan Sect had made enemies of, the Ancient God Society was by far the most troublesome.

The reason Mu Tong and Mu Nan had ended up stranded in Song Family Village was precisely because they had been hunted down by the Ancient God Society.

Whenever the Tianshan Sect and the Ancient God Society crossed paths, bloodshed was inevitable.

Having gathered all this information, Song Xuanqing fell silent. He tilted his head back to gaze at the star-scattered night sky, lost in thought.

The atmosphere grew suddenly quiet, yet Mu Tong's heart was pounding like a war drum.

He didn't know what this silence signified, nor what Song Xuanqing intended to do with him next.

But it didn't take much thought to realize that he — a man of no value whatsoever to Song Xuanqing — was in all likelihood not going to escape with his life.

Steeling himself, Mu Tong mustered his courage and raised his head to look at Song Xuanqing.

He was just about to speak when Song Xuanqing suddenly turned to look toward the village, a faint furrow in his brow.

In the distance, a torchlight was moving in their direction.

It was Old Doctor Song and his son.

Song Bo held a torch in one hand and a woodcutting blade in the other; Old Doctor Song also gripped a woodcutting blade.

Both men looked somewhat tense, moving at a cautious pace — but they were already only a few dozen meters from Xuanqing Temple.

Song Xuanqing frowned. He had no intention of revealing himself before the villagers just yet.

And with the matter of Mu Tong still unresolved, he couldn't return to his shrine now either.

He glanced down at the black cat lounging lazily at his feet and gave a low instruction.

"Go intercept Old Doctor Song and the others. Don't let them come any closer."

The one who pays is the boss — now that the black cat was a working cat on the payroll, what reason did she have to refuse Song Xuanqing?

With a soft meow, she rose and darted off.

With that side of things handled, Song Xuanqing's gaze returned to Mu Tong.

His expression was distant, carrying a faint undercurrent of killing intent.

Mu Tong had roamed the world for many years — he was acutely attuned to killing intent. The very instant Song Xuanqing's murderous will stirred, he sensed it.

Mu Tong jolted, and his overwhelming will to survive drove him to lunge in terror toward Song Xuanqing's robe hem.

He didn't catch it. Song Xuanqing sidestepped with ease.

Mu Tong no longer had the luxury of composure. He blurted out in frantic desperation.

"My lord! My lord, please don't kill me! I'm still useful to you! You are that Lord Xuanqing idol — surely you don't want people constantly watching you, coming to disturb you one after another, do you?"

"Your idol has already appeared on the Tianshan Sect's list. Knowing their methods, they won't let you go. I, Mu Tong, am nothing but a small figure within the sect — there are countless members far stronger than me. And you are so extraordinary among all the idols they've encountered. Once the Tianshan Sect takes notice, they absolutely will not let you off easily! Even the villagers under your protection will suffer!"

"My lord, if you release me, I can return to the sect and strike your records from the list!"

In truth, Mu Tong still wasn't entirely convinced that Song Xuanqing was the idol.

But to save his life, he had no choice but to gamble.

He would treat Song Xuanqing as though he truly were the Lord Xuanqing idol.

And by laying out his own value before Song Xuanqing, he prayed it would be enough to earn him mercy.

Song Xuanqing said nothing. He merely narrowed his eyes and studied Mu Tong, seemingly deep in thought.

Seeing Song Xuanqing's silence, Mu Tong's anxiety deepened.

He had been gambling on the chance that Song Xuanqing truly was the god enshrined in the temple — and the very reason it was a gamble was that Mu Tong himself barely believed it.

Now, watching Song Xuanqing remain wordless, Mu Tong's wide eyes gradually filled with panic, and he spoke in desperate, scrambling haste.

"My lord, please spare my life! If you truly kill me here, both mine and Mu Nan's auras will dissipate in this place — the sect will absolutely be able to trace it! If you let me go, I can still conceal the true cause of Mu Nan's death!"

"If you don't trust me, you can plant a means of control over me. From this day forward, I, Mu Tong, will serve you with my life!"

Mu Tong was utterly sincere, willing to betray the Tianshan Sect and pledge himself to Song Xuanqing if it meant keeping his life.

At last, Song Xuanqing deigned to speak with magnanimous mercy.

"There's no need."

He had no means of controlling another person.

Nor did he need Mu Tong to serve him.

The silence just now had simply been him thinking about how to deal with the Tianshan Sect in the future.

If the Tianshan Sect chose not to come looking for trouble, so be it.

But if they did come looking for trouble, Song Xuanqing was no pushover.

His starting point was not low, and he had the Incense Offering Divine Ascension System. Given enough time to grow, what was the Tianshan Sect? He'd smash them into the Collapsing Sect.

And so — Mu Tong had to die.

* * *

On the other side.

The black cat arrived just in time, blocking Old Doctor Song and his son Song Bo as they made their way toward Xuanqing Temple.

Seeing that the black cat was safe and uninjured, Song Bo let out a breath of relief.

He was just about to ask about the whereabouts of those two villains, but he still felt a deep wariness toward the black cat's identity as a Demon Beast.

So he looked to his father instead, waiting for him to do the asking.

But Old Doctor Song hadn't spared the black cat a single glance. He was staring straight ahead, fixed on something in the distance.

Song Bo found this strange and followed his father's line of sight.

There, beneath the eaves of Xuanqing Temple at the head of the village, a shadowy figure seemed to be standing.

The figure was extraordinarily tall. Xuanqing Temple stood only about two meters high, yet that silhouette was nearly as tall as the temple itself.

The build was powerful and sturdy — clearly a man.

Even from this distance, even through the blurry darkness, one could sense that this person carried an air of extraordinary bearing.

Song Bo's eyes went wide, his face filled with shock.

In the dead of night — first, two villains had chased Lord Xuanqing's black cat out of the village. Then the black cat had reappeared near Xuanqing Temple.

And now, before Xuanqing Temple, stood a towering, remarkable silhouette.

Could that figure be…

Song Bo's heart clenched with nervous excitement. He grabbed his father's sleeve, his voice trembling.

"Father, is that…" Lord Xuanqing?

Before he could finish, Old Doctor Song clapped a hand over his mouth.

"A divine being stands before us — do not be so disrespectful and rude!"

"And do not look directly at a divine being! Bo'er, kneel!"

Old Doctor Song's expression was grave. Without another word, he pulled his son Song Bo down to kneel on the spot, facing the direction of Xuanqing Temple, heads bowed low, not daring to look again.

Song Bo's heart hammered like a drum, his palms damp with sweat, his wide eyes fixed on the ground.

Old Doctor Song hadn't answered him directly, but those words had already confirmed Song Bo's suspicion.

That towering figure before Xuanqing Temple… was it truly Lord Xuanqing?

Good heavens! Everyone always said Lord Xuanqing had manifested, Lord Xuanqing had manifested — and now Lord Xuanqing had truly, actually manifested?!

He had lived for over twenty years, always hearing only the name of Lord Xuanqing — and now he had witnessed Lord Xuanqing's manifestation with his own eyes!

And if not for Lord Xuanqing's protection, their family — who had taken in those two villains — would almost certainly have met with disaster tonight.

Thank the heavens their village had Lord Xuanqing watching over them!

Song Bo's heart swelled with nervous excitement. He closed his eyes and murmured softly.

"Lord Xuanqing bless us, Lord Xuanqing bless us!"