CHAPTER 308: CHAPTER 306 INVINCIBLE’S SYMBOL

My lord, just how many potential mates does he have?

Gazing at the two figures strolling beneath a tree not far away, this thought couldn’t help but rise in Ringing Serpent’s heart.

The Human Emperor’s daughter was exceptionally talented and adorable, possessing a spiritedness that Ringing Serpent also found quite likable.

As for the Saintess from the Human Domain, Ringing Serpent thought there was nothing special about her. After all, an excellent figure and outstanding beauty were fairly standard for powerful female beings once they transformed into human form, so she lacked a certain uniqueness.

This Acquired God, currently forming her own divine body right here, gave Ringing Serpent a strange sense of closeness. It seemed quite difficult for her to harbor any ill intentions towards this being.

Ringing Serpent hid her form outside the Heaven and Earth painting. She carefully observed Jiayi’s figure, then her slender serpentine eyes quickly shifted to the other side, quietly awaiting her master’s summons.

Also, there’s nothing worth looking at.

Beneath an ancient banyan tree, Wu Wang, dressed in a pale white robe, stopped before a small Stele.

Not far behind him stood the statue of the Goddess, shrouded in a gentle Divine Light. The star-filled sky seemed veiled by a thin film, lending the night a touch of haziness.

Right beside Wu Wang stood a woman whose appearance and attire perfectly matched those of the Goddess statue. With a faint smile in her eyes, she quietly gazed down at the two words carved on the Stele:

[Feng Ge].

Wu Wang asked, "Has the Women’s Country been peaceful lately?"

"Mhm," Jiayi replied softly. Her voluminous, long hair fell in gentle waves, her long dress cascaded to her feet, and her waistline appeared incredibly supple.

"This place is isolated from the world. The Barrier left by our ancestors operates constantly, and the fierce beasts nearby adequately deter surrounding powers.

"We previously repaired our relations with the Human Domain and have consistently received many benefits from them, so everything is proceeding smoothly."

"Have any Divine Spirits from the Heaven Palace come here to investigate?"

"They have," Jiayi said slowly, "but they didn’t enter the Barrier. They just glanced at me from a distance and left."

"Oh?"

Wu Wang pondered for a moment but couldn’t think of anything.

Perhaps a Strong God from the Heaven Palace had some connection with the ’female’ deity who created the Women’s Country, which was why they hadn’t interfered in Jiayi’s affairs.

"And you?" Jiayi asked with a smile. "I heard you became the Human Emperor’s successor in the Human Domain. That’s truly remarkable."

"Remarkable? Not at all," Wu Wang laughed. "It was just a matter of circumstance that pushed me into that position. Neither Shen Nong nor I have much confidence in whether I can truly succeed the Human Emperor."

Jiayi observed Wu Wang’s expression and asked softly, "Is it because you feel that after the Human Emperor passes away, the Human Domain will inevitably descend into dark turmoil?"

"It’s not quite like that; things are a bit more complicated."

Wu Wang said with a smile, "Ultimately, I don’t want to bear such an immense pressure. Having spent some time in the Human Domain, I’ve seen both its good and bad sides.

"All living beings have selfish desires, and the Human race particularly values them.

"Mortals pursue profit, and those who risk everything for gain always outnumber those who would sacrifice their lives for righteousness.

"Cultivators consider themselves to be of high moral character. In truth, it’s often just that they’ve cultivated for a long time and feel they’ve transcended the mundane, able to live more freely. However, once selfish desires sprout and grow in their hearts, they can become far more terrifying than any mortal.

"This is to say nothing of the collective will formed upon these foundations.

"Once a Cultivator joins an organization, they are inevitably influenced by it, and they themselves become part of that collective will...

"In short, while these principles are simple to explain, when you’re immersed in it, you realize it’s one vortex of fame and profit after another, constantly devouring people and their humanity."

He paused, then turned to Jiayi, who still wore a gentle smile, and said, feeling slightly embarrassed, "Ah, sorry about that. I’ve been quite reflective lately, and my mindset has become a bit old."

"Mhm, mhm."

Jiayi chuckled softly and shook her head, her fingers interlaced and resting before her. "You have indeed become much more composed than before."

Wu Wang asked, puzzled, "Really?"

"Could it be false?" Jiayi laughed. "I’m praising you like this, why aren’t you happy?"

"What’s so good about becoming composed? It just means one has realized life isn’t easy," Wu Wang said, raising his hand to pat the Stele before him. "When did she pass away?"

"Shortly after you left."

Jiayi slowly squatted down, gazing at the name "Feng Ge" on the Stele, and said softly, "Ultimately, I was the one who caused her death. If I had been stronger back then, she wouldn’t have had to sacrifice herself to save me."

"It’s hard to comment much on that," Wu Wang comforted. "Feng Ge herself wouldn’t bear to see you like this."

"Wu Wang, is there such a thing as reincarnation in this world?"

"There used to be."

Jiayi murmured, "If all of Feng Ge’s sins were attributed to me, could she be reincarnated?"

Wu Wang sighed softly, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.

A gentle breeze swept past them as one squatted and the other stood in silence.

Not until dawn light began to spread from the east did they both fade away. One returned to the Goddess statue to watch over this thousand-li radius, while the other was taken by Ringing Serpent to the border of this land, where he successfully met with Yun Zhongjun at the prearranged spot.

「」

"This King Jiayi isn’t so bad, eh?"

Yun Zhongjun laughed. "Observing her pure heart and clear spiritual perception, she’s truly excellent material for becoming a god through collected faith. How about it? Shall we take her directly back to the Northern Wilderness?"

Wu Wang asked, "Must those who become gods by collecting faith remain in the place where they gather the thoughts of all beings?"

"Not necessarily, but the flow of such thoughts will alert the Heaven Palace," Yun Zhongjun chuckled. "A small amount might be overlooked, but to create a Divine Spirit within a few hundred years requires an immense volume of them."

Wu Wang nodded slowly, suddenly feeling conflicted.

"Jiayi is wholeheartedly committed to protecting the Women’s Country and has already made many sacrifices for this purpose. If Jiayi remains here, how much longer is it estimated she’ll take to become a god?"

"Eight or nine hundred years, at the fastest."

Yun Zhongjun pinched his fingers to calculate, using some unknown Divine Skill, and quickly added, "If we ’squeeze’ the spiritual thoughts a bit, perhaps five hundred years could be possible."

"Squeeze?"

Wu Wang turned his head to glance at Ringing Serpent.

Ahem, be serious. That’s rather impolite.

Yun Zhongjun gave a sinister smile, his slightly chubby face radiating a malicious grin. "To extract spiritual thoughts from living beings, one must provoke conflict among them, causing their emotions to surge. The strength of the spiritual thoughts they produce is directly linked to their emotional fluctuations; this is a rather miraculous aspect of living beings.

"I know of an Ancient God who, to harvest these thoughts, demarcated a territory and settled two races within it. He first let them reproduce without restraint. Once their numbers swelled, he incited them to attack each other. The two gods worshipped by these races were merely his left and right manifestations. That fellow drew spiritual thoughts from them, converted it into Divine Power, and gained a ceaseless supply of strength."

Wu Wang frowned. "What was his fate?"

"That fellow provoked a powerful Innate God and lasted a mere three or four rounds," Yun Zhongjun snickered. "Before any battle, that guy would often say, ’My methods are very cruel; you’d best endure it.’ Tsk, tsk, tsk, his pitiful state in the end made many Innate Gods laugh for a long time."

Wu Wang: ...

"Let’s get down to business."

Wu Wang pulled several Storage Magic Treasures from his sleeve, took out many sets of clothes, and then brought out a pile of his most cherished, long-hidden treasures.

Operation God Hunt, Step One: Disguise.

Yun Zhongjun complained, "I’ve already checked out all your upcoming trial targets, and you still haven’t figured out your disguise?"

Then, Yun Zhongjun chuckled. "Why don’t we try something subversive? If you took on a female appearance, the Heavenly Emperor would never guess it, not even in his wildest dreams. How about that?"

Wu Wang silently drew his signature weapon and chased Yun Zhongjun, hacking at him for the time it takes an incense stick to burn.

Returning to serious matters, Wu Wang picked and chose, finally selecting a suit of Black Armor for himself.

His best treasures for Dueling were the Star Sword and the Golden Dragon Armor, but these two items were too conspicuous; bringing them out would lead to immediate recognition by Human Domain Cultivators.

To slay enemies, one naturally needed a suitable weapon.

Wu Wang rummaged through his mountainous pile of Treasure Mines for a while. He quickly retrieved seven or eight priceless, nearly extinct blocks of ’Great Wilderness Grade-One Endangered Ore,’ carried them over to Yun Zhongjun, and unceremoniously stuffed them all into his arms.

Yun Zhongjun was slightly stunned.

Wu Wang, with a perfectly straight face, formed a hand seal and said seriously, "A long spear, or perhaps a broadsaber. Preferably a bit heavy."

Then he looked at this Ancient God with an expectant expression.

Dark lines covered Yun Zhongjun’s forehead. He suddenly raised his hand as if to throw the ores away.

Wu Wang quickly said, "Surely such a small matter isn’t too difficult for you, Brother Yun? Don’t tell me that the great Yun Zhongjun, the god of Yun Meng, doesn’t even know how to refine artifacts."

"Hmph! Trying to provoke me?"

Yun Zhongjun gave a cold laugh and said nonchalantly, "If I don’t show you a thing or two, it would indeed tarnish my name. Watch closely!"

As he spoke, Yun Zhongjun swept all the Treasure Mines into his sleeve. He muttered some indistinct incantation, reached his left hand into his right sleeve, and after some CLANGING and BANGING from within, he quickly pulled out a pale black long spear.

"A god-slaying Divine Weapon, the Severing God Spear! It once beheaded six Innate Gods and slew countless powerful innate beings. Its previous master was a half-step supreme expert of the Third God Generation! Here!"

Yun Zhongjun tossed the long spear over. Wu Wang caught it and immediately felt its immense weight.

The spear’s shaft resembled black crystal. When Wu Wang took it, the long spear vibrated faintly, fitting perfectly in his palm. Its diamond-shaped tip emitted a chilling, icy light.

What Wu Wang found rather novel was that when he gripped the long spear, he could feel regular, fine patterns on its surface. Yet, despite careful visual inspection and probing with his Immortal Consciousness, he could not perceive any markings on the spear shaft at all.

With a flick of his wrist, he executed a spear flourish, and its tip bloomed with a three-foot black radiance.

A HOWL tore through the air as a wave of black qi swept over an area a hundred zhang wide. Vegetation withered and died, earth and stones crumbled, and this entire expanse visibly turned to desert before his eyes, utterly devoid of any vitality.

Wu Wang couldn’t help but be inwardly alarmed.

Yun Zhongjun smiled and said, "This is a baleful weapon; it’s quite difficult to control."

Wu Wang calmly stored the long spear on the Immortal Platform within his God’s Mansion and began to nurture it with the power of his Divine Soul. He soon sensed a spirit-like consciousness stirring within the spear.

Divine Weapons possess spirits and must be tamed by blood sacrifice.

With the weapon problem solved, that meant...

Wu Wang glanced at Yun Zhongjun’s sleeve, wondering how he could trick his Treasure Mines back.

Yun Zhongjun waved his hand grandly. "Since I’ve already lent a hand, I might as well help you all the way. Come, let me disguise your aura and Dao rhythm for you."

Immediately, this Ancient Strong God, still in the guise of the Sleep God, began to walk around Wu Wang. A moment later, Wu Wang stared at his reflection in the Water Mirror before him and, for a time, could hardly recognize himself.

His face was unfamiliar and somewhat pale, his hairstyle wild and untamed. His figure seemed slightly slender within the Black Armor, and a faint black qi swirled around him. He held the long spear and wore iron boots.

Activating the Divine Arts Yun Zhongjun had just taught him, billows of black qi enveloped him, with phantom images of mythical beasts swirling within the dark mists.

"There’s one last step." Yun Zhongjun, arms folded, clicked his tongue in amazement. "Give yourself a domineering name."

Without hesitation, Wu Wang offered the pseudonym, "Yan Shuangying!"

"Uh, does that name have any particular meaning?"

"It is a symbol of invincibility."

Wu Wang stated calmly. He lightly tapped the ground with his spear and gazed towards the blazing sun hanging in the East Sky.

Heroic and imposing, an unmatched sovereign.

「」

「About an hour later.」

「In a scenic valley in the Western Wilderness.」

Wu Wang lay quietly prone behind a large boulder, gazing down at the scene in the valley.

Not far behind him, two figures were stealthily positioned. Ringing Serpent watched Wu Wang nervously, while Yun Zhongjun leaned against a Great Tree, fine wine and fruits floating before him, clearly prepared to enjoy a good show.

The Innate God below had been carefully selected by him.

Indeed, for Wu Wang to be able to act without restraint, Yun Zhongjun had considered not only the Innate God’s strength but also their attitude toward other living beings.

For instance, the minor god in this valley delighted in toying with living beings for amusement.

His Great Dao was an offshoot of an offshoot of the Dao of Life, related to the affections of creatures, and he could also, to some extent, manipulate the emotions arising in the depths of people’s hearts.

This god’s pleasure was to find beautiful living beings and make them enact all sorts of overly dramatic storylines—some convoluted love quadrangle involving A, B, C, and D, or a unique love triangle where three people invariably formed three pairs of complex love-hate relationships.

This Innate God would set the ’script’ and ensure it played out, sometimes participating himself, other times watching the drama from the sidelines.

Once he grew tired of the current story, he would annihilate all associated beings on the spot, using their bones and Essence Blood to nourish the ten li of peach blossoms in this valley. Such was the case at this very moment.

The minor god had transformed into a young Qingqiu fox-spirit girl. She was nestled in the arms of a Human race man, while her gaze was fixed on a Hundred Races woman, who had a pair of small horns, hiding in a treehouse.

The man’s hands were a little restless; the god-transformed girl’s eyes were as alluring as silk.

The woman in the treehouse was filled with anguish, secretly shedding tears.

Wu Wang watched from the side for a while. Realizing the minor god was about to immerse itself in pleasure, he finally decided to step forward.

Interrupting people’s pleasant moments is the unwavering, fervent pursuit of us cultivators!

WHOOSH—

A piercing, air-rending sound cut across the valley. The ’fox-spirit girl’ suddenly opened her eyes. She yanked the man from behind her to her front, her eyes erupted with pink Divine Light, and a barrier of Divine Power manifested before her.

THWACK!

The pebble exploded against the Divine Power barrier... which remained utterly unmoved.

The ’fox-spirit girl’ looked up towards one side of the valley, her expression incomparably cold and severe.

She said, "Which eminence are you? To have approached this place so silently... You must be unaware of the rules of the Western Wilderness."

Wu Wang, shouldering his long spear, calmly stepped out from behind a large boulder and looked down at the figures below.

A dozen or so figures appeared amidst the peach trees. All were handsome men and beautiful women, though many had unsteady steps, their vital energy clearly depleted.

"Someone like you counts as an Innate God?"

His voice, like a sword edge scraping against thick armor, reached the ears of everyone present.

Billowing black qi spread out as Wu Wang’s aura surged. Fine black scales appeared all over his body, and a pair of white wings materialized on his back.

These were all merely faked appearances, of course.

With his long spear pointed forward, black mist filled the valley, and several tendrils of his aura had already completely locked onto the Innate God.

Beneath the tree, Yun Zhongjun’s sleeve fluttered, a hint of treasured light flickering within. The Heaven and Earth in a hundred-li radius were completely sealed off.

In the valley, the minor god’s expression changed.

The Human race man before her drew his sword and roared, "Demon! With I, Wu Qian, present, how dare you act so presumptuously!"

He was actually a Human race True Immortal...

However, no sooner had the man’s words fallen than a crimson claw suddenly pierced through his chest. As he collapsed, only astonishment filled his eyes. Turning his head, he stared at the ’monster’ that had emerged behind him.

The god had revealed her true form: a human torso with a scorpion’s tail, four arms gripping weapons. With a gentle inhalation, the dozen or so figures in the valley simultaneously fell, and wisps of Divine Soul power drilled into her nostrils, making her face even more seductively beautiful.

"Hmph. You never put in this much effort for me usually, you fleeting good-for-nothing," the god sneered, her gaze fixed warily on Wu Wang. "Your Excellency, might you state what it is you desire?"

"Your life."

The stone beneath Wu Wang’s feet shattered as his figure shot out like a black streak. The cliff where he had just stood crumbled in an instant.

And so it was:

Wu Wangzi in the Western Wilderness hunts a minor god; Yan Shuangying wages great war against the Scorpion Spirit!