"Smash that River Demon's temple."
"Smash the River Demon's temple."
"Go there now."
"Everyone, go now. We absolutely cannot let those bastards get away."
After hearing the village elders' message, the villagers were all aflame with righteous indignation, as though the fury buried in their hearts for years had finally been ignited, waiting only for such a chance to erupt.
Sun Tieshan was the first to pick up a torch. He lit it from the bonfire before Shiqiao Village's ancestral hall, then turned to face everyone.
"We'll make those beasts who eat human flesh and drink human blood pay the price."
"That's right. The River Demon is dead, the shamaness is dead, and those bastards who aided the tiger in its evil can't be allowed to escape either." A second person lit a torch and stepped to Sun Tieshan's side.
"They think this can just end like that? Absolutely not. I must avenge my child's death." One person after another stepped forward.
Hundreds upon hundreds of torches were raised, converging into a vast tide of people heading for Ping'an Township.
Ping'an Township would no longer be peaceful tonight.
The shamaness's prestige, built over several generations and decades, could not compare to Gao Xian's in a single day.
By day, the Daoist had crushed the mountain of faith that was the River God Temple with a flick of his finger. By night, he had raised the devout mountain of Great Immortal Kongchen within the people's hearts.
In Ping'an Township that night, torch-lit dragons could be seen winding in from all directions, sealing off every mountain path leading to the hill where the River God Temple stood.
Even Ping'an Township, once the River God Temple's stronghold and the place of its most devout believers, had now turned against it one after another, joining the crowd and guiding them along the way.
All the deeds of the past had finally brought retribution.
Inside the River God Temple, all the temple priests, disciples, and servants were in utter chaos, even more helpless than when they had learned of the River God's death that afternoon. Back then, they had still possessed some confidence and held onto a sliver of hope.
Since that man had spared them, he should not come to deal with them immediately.
As long as they could hold out for one day, the Divine Cult Headquarters in the city would send more people. They firmly believed they could handle the present situation.
After all, their Divine Cult had more than just one River God.
Yet they had never expected the River God Temple to be surrounded that very night.
"Why have they come at night?" An old man in a temple priest's robe stared at the long chain of torches below the mountain, so anxious he stamped his feet.
"What do we do? The person sent to deliver word to the city only left this afternoon." A black-clad disciple beside him stood before the River God Temple's mountain gate, staring at the movement below. The sea of people made his heart pound with terror.
The many other black-clad disciples were much the same, especially those who had gone to take part in the River God's sacrifice that afternoon.
That afternoon, the Daoist had ridden River God Lord across the river and leapt over the great river. With thunderous force, he had crushed the shamaness to death. The way he had looked down upon them had thoroughly shattered their courage. Even now, the scene remained vivid in their minds.
"What are you afraid of? They're just mud-legged peasants. Have you trained all your martial arts into a dog's belly? You usually boast so fiercely, yet now you've all gone soft?"
"They're only farmers and fishermen holding hoes. Don't panic, everyone. The Divine Cult Headquarters will definitely send people to save us tomorrow." After a fierce, head-on scolding, the old temple priest forcibly steadied everyone's hearts.
"But what if... what if that Daoist who killed the River God comes?" One disciple spoke the thought on everyone's mind.
The air fell silent at once.
The noisy shouts outside drew ever closer, and the footsteps grew more numerous. Even through the towering courtyard walls, they could see the blazing firelight.
Within the River God Temple, nearly a hundred people held swords and sabers, waiting in stern formation. A bloody battle was unavoidable.
Though the River God Temple's people looked down on these villagers, they were terrified that the Daoist who had killed the River God had come. Their palms sweated as they gripped their weapons.
Through the half-open crack of the gate, they stared fixedly at the movement outside.
Then, the black-clad disciples standing at the front heard the noisy sounds outside gradually quiet down. The villagers from miles around, reflected in their eyes, were each brimming with excitement, as though welcoming some great figure up the mountain.
"He's here. The one who killed the River God has really come." The black-clad disciples at the front felt their mouths go dry. Their panicked gazes turned behind them, spreading fear through everyone.
Clop clop clop clop!
Clop clop clop clop!
As hooves struck the stone slabs, a donkey with glossy fur appeared at the very top of the stairs, directly before them.
"?" Doubt arose in every disciple's heart.
"Why is it a donkey?" The old temple priest, who had been watching outside all this time, was also stunned. His gaze searched everywhere, as though looking for another figure.
The donkey held its head high and strode forward slowly, then suddenly stopped.
"Hee-haw-haw-haw-haw!"
"Today, it is this Guardian General's turn to Slay Demons and Exterminate Devils."
"Mortals, all of you kneel before this Guardian Deity."
The donkey actually spoke human words. It laughed and shrieked strangely like a person, sending chills through their hearts—the fear of the unknown and of demons.
The final words, "kneel down," were carried onward by the roar, echoing throughout the entire River God Temple.
Donkey Guardian General lowered his head and looked toward the River God Temple. His eyes erupted with blood-red light in the darkness, as though he had already locked onto every person within the temple.
"What kind of monster is this?" Before they could even flee in terror, they saw intense firelight illuminate the mountaintop.
Boom!
A fire dragon blasted open the gates and crashed into the River God Temple with a thunderous roar.
The violent explosion spread in every direction. No one knew how many people were reduced to charred corpses in an instant.
When this Fierce God made a move, he showed none of Gao Xian's restraint. Apart from the commands of Gao Xian, the supreme Divine Lord, which could not be defied, he regarded no one as worthy of his attention.
Without Gao Xian to restrain him, this fellow was a demon exuding monstrous, heaven-reaching ferocity. Why would he care whether these mortals lived or died?
Donkey Guardian General stepped through the temple gate blasted into shattered wreckage and entered the River God Temple.
The raging flames all around instantly subsided, as though obeying his command.
Miserable cries and groans covered the ground. Donkey Guardian General stood before the gate. The nearest black-clad disciple had only one breath left, yet he still kept retreating in terror, as though desperately trying to get away from this donkey that was like a Fierce God, a great demon.
"Mon... mon... mon..." Before he could finish, the black-clad disciple breathed his last.
A wild grin appeared on the donkey's face, his mouth stretching open to reveal gleaming white teeth.
"Kneel~"
"Kneel... kneel... kneel..." The echoes surged out like a gale, leaving people dizzy and disoriented.
Everyone who could still crawl to their feet, no matter how grievously wounded, knelt before the donkey, as though welcoming a supreme deity.
No one dared utter another word.
Reaching the deepest part of the crowd, the donkey kicked two insignificant pests blocking his way to death, then stopped before the old temple priest.
Beneath that scarlet gaze, he looked down at the trembling old man, who was nearly pressed flat into the dirt.
"Mortal, you are truly blessed through three lifetimes."
"Great Immortal wishes to see you."
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