Provoking the Government

City God Xue Lingfu and Zhou Yihang snorted coldly, tightening their auras and binding Xu Ying even tighter.

The two men's power grew stronger, clashing head-on!

City God Xue Lingfu's eyes flickered, and he chuckled, "Old Master Zhou, let's be frank. The Zhou family wants him, is it because of his annotations on the Guiding Art?"

Zhou Yihang raised an eyebrow slightly. The ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked with a pitter-patter, the bluestone slabs shattering under the pressure of his aura. He chuckled, "It seems the City God is well-informed. That's right, I don't care that Xu Ying killed Steward Jiang or those Deities. But he can annotate the Guiding Art, and that's something I must attend to. The City God himself has come out, does this mean the Underworld Court is also interested in Xu Ying?"

Their auras forced the surrounding crowd to quickly retreat in all directions, away from the temple in the town.

Even Steward Huang Sanduo, who had just become a Deity by inhabiting a statue, quickly jumped down from the shrine and hid behind the temple.

City God Xue Lingfu laughed heartily, his robes fluttering and dancing without wind. "Your Zhou family excavates ancient caves and explores ancient mysteries everywhere. The Underworld Court sees this and cannot be unaware. To tell you the truth, the Underworld Court has also obtained many ancient secrets over the years, and we need someone to decipher them!"

His divine might permeated the air, and Incense Qi condensed behind him, forming a tall shrine. His divine might grew stronger and stronger!

A mysterious voice echoed in Xu Ying's mind, "If I were not injured, a wisp of my energy would have dealt with them. But I am injured now. However, you don't need to worry. From what they say, you are very important. Since that's the case, let them abduct you first. Just a few days, and I will borrow your Blood Essence to recover a little. Even if I can only exert a sliver of my power, it will be enough to eliminate them!"

Xu Ying was greatly encouraged by this, but also felt a bit confused. "Borrow my Blood Essence to recover? Then this senior must be..."

A strange energy flowed through Zhou Yihang, counteracting the City God's increasingly powerful divine might. His eyes flickered, and he smiled faintly, "But my Zhou family does not wish to share ancient secrets with others. If we cannot obtain Xu Ying..."

He sighed, "Then Xu Ying, it is best that he becomes a dead Xu Ying. To be utterly annihilated, his soul and spirit destroyed, that is his best end."

City God Xue Lingfu smiled, "The Underworld Court feels the same way. If I cannot take Xu Ying away today, I must kill him and not leave him for the Mortal Realm!"

Xu Ying's expression changed drastically, and he let out a muffled groan.

In his mind, the Great Bell rang with a dong, clearly indicating that this turn of events had also surprised the bell.

"However, Old Master Zhou, there is one point where I have the advantage."

City God Xue Lingfu chuckled, "Even if you kill him, you will have to act again to destroy his soul. And this will give me an opportunity. I cannot take his physical body, but taking his soul is the same."

Zhou Yihang's aura rose to its peak. Even though the City God summoned his shrine, it could not suppress his aura at all. He said calmly, "You can rest assured. If I make a move, with a single strike, Xu Ying will surely perish, body and soul, beyond any possibility of death!"

Xu Ying let out another muffled groan.

At this moment, the street was deserted, leaving only the three of them.

The sounds of trumpets, suonas, and drums from earlier had completely vanished, with offerings, ingots, and candles strewn everywhere.

The wind gradually picked up, blowing the scattered paper money. A small Niu let out a lonely moo in the wind.

Xu Ying stood in the biting cold wind, feeling a touch of melancholy. He thought, "Yuan Qi is still waiting for me to fetch his medicine..."

Suddenly, City God Xue Lingfu made the first move!

The shrine formed by the Incense Qi behind him shone with myriad lights. As he formed a seal with his hand, the shrine erupted with the sound of countless people chanting, causing people's minds to become disoriented and unable to maintain their focus!

Simultaneously, a brilliant golden light emanated from City God Xue Lingfu's body, from the inside out. This was the golden body of a Deity!

Deities absorbed Incense Qi, cultivating Magic Power over a hundred years and forging a golden body in three hundred years. City God Xue Lingfu had enjoyed incense for five hundred years, his golden body was stable and extraordinary!

He formed a seal with his hand and unleashed a world-shattering thunderous sound. Upon hearing this sound, Xu Ying felt his soul tremble, and in the next moment, he saw himself flying up!

He looked down and saw another self standing in his place. Only then did he realize that his soul had been shocked out of his body by the City God's seal!

Moreover, in his soul state, he saw things invisible to the naked eye: clusters of floating flames under the City God's palm seal!

The flames under City God Xue Lingfu's palm seal gave him a sense of great destruction and terror, as if any trace of it that touched his soul would cause immense suffering, even igniting his soul and scattering it to the winds!

However, this seal from City God Xue Lingfu was not aimed at Xu Ying, but at Zhou Yihang. Xu Ying was only shocked out of his body by the thunderous sound of the palm seal. One could imagine the immense pressure Zhou Yihang, who was facing the attack directly, was enduring!

"Clang!"

A bell chime suddenly sounded in Xu Ying's ear, and he felt his body become like a great vortex, pulling his soul down. In the next moment, he fell back into his physical body.

Xu Ying, still shaken, saw Zhou Yihang facing this attack with his hands still behind his back, exuding an air of composure.

In the next moment, two more arms grew from under the old man's armpits, and he met City God Xue Lingfu's seal with his own hands. He was going to confront the golden-bodied Xue Lingfu with brute force!

The City God, having cultivated a golden body, possessed extraordinary strength, with abundant Incense Magic Power, far surpassing the giant Deity Xu Ying had encountered before. His seal was also aimed at the soul, so how could it be met head-on?

However, the moment Zhou Yihang extended his palm, the thin old man's bones grew rapidly, and his muscles bulged. In an instant, he transformed from his thin state into a giant almost as tall as the City God!

His body's muscles coiled like dragons, resembling a Deity!

Xu Ying's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. He had originally planned to observe Zhou Yihang's techniques while he clashed with the City God, compare them with the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method he obtained from Ding Quan, and comprehend the Zhou family's ultimate skill.

But when Zhou Yihang made his move, it didn't match the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method at all!

Not even a little bit!

Ding Quan was a Nu Master cultivated by the Zhou family, following the County Magistrate Zhou Yang. His strength was considered considerable. Xu Ying had originally thought that the Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method, which Ding Quan treasured so much that he would even kill his colleagues for it, would not be too bad, even if it wasn't a rare technique.

But now, it seemed he had underestimated the Zhou family's ruthlessness.

The Ni Wan Hidden Scenery Qi Refining Method was likely a cultivation method the Zhou family used for their subordinates. The true members of the Zhou family practiced a different, or even another, set of cultivation techniques!

The low-level Nu Masters like Ding Quan couldn't obtain the true teachings even if they worked themselves to death!

Zhou Yihang's body transformation technique alone was enough to rival the City God's golden body, and perhaps even stronger!

Coupled with his four arms, Zhou Yihang was practically a flesh-and-blood Deity!

"Boom!"

Their palm seals collided, unleashing a dull and astonishing sound. Xu Ying, caught in the epicenter of their clash, bled from his eyes, ears, and nose from the shock.

The City God and Zhou Yihang, whose palms met as they held their seals, each grunted, their bodies shaking violently. Zhou Yihang, confident in his stable soul, fused with his physical body, but this strike nearly shattered his soul!

The City God, Xue Lingfu, prided himself on his powerful golden body, far superior to the physical body refined by the Zhou family's Ni Wan Secret Treasury. Yet, upon their first clash, his golden body cracked open!

"When I kill him, my golden body (soul) will inevitably shatter into pieces!" Their gazes met, and a simultaneous thought arose in both their minds.

The City God, Xue Lingfu, and Zhou Yihang, their minds in sync, shifted their gazes from each other to Xu Ying.

"Since I cannot obtain Xu Ying even through a fight to the death, then I must eliminate Xu Ying, ensuring the other party also loses this path!" they thought in unison.

The next moment, the City God Xue Lingfu and Zhou Yihang attacked simultaneously, striking towards Xu Ying!

Beneath the City God's palm seal was the Falling Devil Yin Fire, capable of annihilating all souls!

Zhou Yihang's fist seal was like a mountain, supremely yang and supremely rigid. It was the supreme Nuo technique passed down by the Zhou family ancestor, the Dong Jun Pingtian Seal!

This fist seal was destined to blast Xu Ying's physical body and soul into smithereens!

Just then, a great bell, taller than a person, suddenly appeared, covering Xu Ying. The City God Xue Lingfu's Falling Devil Yin Fire and Zhou Yihang's Dong Jun Pingtian Seal struck the great bell in unison!

"Clang--"

The great bell was struck by the two. The City God Xue Lingfu's face changed drastically. Cracks appeared all over his golden body. The immense force sent him flying backward, crashing through an old willow tree at the street corner!

On the other side, Zhou Yihang's thick arm, which had struck the great bell, suddenly had its skin burst open. His incredibly strong muscles twisted, turning into powder, followed by the cracking of his arm bones.

Zhou Yihang spat blood, tumbling backward and crashing through the temple behind him, falling inside.

Beneath the great bell, Xu Ying stood stunned, a mixture of shock and joy. He was shocked by the sudden appearance of the great bell that had "bumped" into him, but overjoyed that the bell had actually blocked this calamity for him!

Suddenly, with a loud clang, the great bell fell to the ground, rolling a few times behind his backside.

A mysterious voice echoed in Xu Ying's mind, saying, "I've used up my last bit of strength. You're on your own. I'm going to sleep."

"The great bell is that senior who guided me!"

Xu Ying turned his head and saw the great bell lying on the ground, its bell nose pointing towards his backside and its mouth facing outward, like a large horn.

He turned, and the great bell also clanged and rotated halfway, always remaining behind his backside.

This was likely the great bell's self-preservation method. Now, in a comatose state, it was still locked onto Xu Ying's form, refusing to leave!

"So, if I run now, this great bell will follow me, clanging and making noise all the way..." Xu Ying blinked, feeling a sense of despair. How could he possibly escape like this?

"Cough, cough, cough..." Suddenly, a coughing sound came from behind the temple.

Xu Ying turned around and saw Zhou Yihang, his giant form a bloody mess, slowly standing up, leaning against the wall. He coughed blood while staring at Xu Ying.

The old man's body was monstrously distorted, largely destroyed by the bell's resonance. However, his Ni Wan Secret Treasury contained endless vitality, keeping his physical body from dying!

But the bell's sound had also injured his soul, which was closely connected to his physical body, leaving him dazed and with his strength diminished by seventy to eighty percent.

Yet, even with seventy to eighty percent of his strength gone, he was still powerful enough to control Xu Ying's life and death!

"You actually have a magical artifact to protect yourself. I was careless."

Zhou Yihang swayed, flesh and blood falling off piece by piece, yet new flesh and blood regenerated on his body, only for the new flesh to crack and fall off again.

His injuries were far more severe than Xu Ying had imagined!

But the Zhou family's Ni Wan Secret Treasury cultivation method was truly miraculous. Even with such injuries, he was still alive.

Zhou Yihang stared at the great bell behind Xu Ying, surprised, "This magical artifact could withstand the full force of both me and the City God's attacks. It's not bad. Its power is exhausted now, rendering it useless and unable to protect you any longer."

His gaze passed over Xu Ying and landed on the City God. He saw that the City God Xue Lingfu's massive body had his head buried in the wall of a house, his body pinned under the willow tree, his condition unknown.

"Heh heh, so my strength is still a bit stronger than the City God's."

Zhou Yihang staggered towards Xu Ying, his flesh and blood still peeling off his bones and falling to the ground. His gaze was strange as he reached out to grab Xu Ying, laughing, "Xu Ying, you will be the treasure that allows my Zhou family to rise..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Ying suddenly turned around. By the time Zhou Yihang heard the clanging sound, it was too late.

Behind Xu Ying, the fallen great bell, still taller than a person, whistled and swept towards him the moment Xu Ying turned. Accompanied by clanging sounds, it smashed heavily into him!

Zhou Yihang was crushed by the great bell, swept away like this!

While in mid-air, his mind was still somewhat bewildered: "What happened?"

"Bang!"

He crashed through the far wall of the temple, tumbling and rolling for dozens of feet before finally stopping against a stone wall.

Zhou Yihang struggled to get up, but his legs made cracking sounds – the sound of broken shin bones!

Zhou Yihang's heart leaped. He dared not move. Being hit by the great bell just now had injured his shin bones. If he moved rashly, he feared his leg bones would immediately snap!

He looked up sharply and saw Xu Ying leaping into the air, his heart filled with rage: "This brat isn't escaping, but instead charging at me! He's courting death!"

Xu Ying was in mid-air, sweeping a kick towards Zhou Yihang's face, a move from the Elephant Strength Bull Demon Fist.

In Zhou Yihang's eyes, this move was crude and unbearable. However, accompanying this kick was a large bronze bell, which swung over with a whoosh!

"Clang!"

Zhou Yihang was struck by the bronze bell, his legs completely broken, and he was smashed back into the temple.

Zhou Yihang was dazed. Just as he struggled to get up, he saw Xu Ying arrive before him, jumping straight up with his back to him, and then falling.

The great bell smashed onto Zhou Yihang's forehead. The old man was half buried in the ground. Xu Ying jumped up again, falling, clang, clang, clang, for more than ten consecutive times, smashing a large pit into the temple floor.

Xu Ying looked into the pit; Zhou Yihang was still alive. Xu Ying frowned. From a distance, he heard the City God Xue Lingfu coughing. He couldn't bother with that and immediately rushed out of the temple. "I can't let the City God recover! I have to hit him a couple more times!"

The road was not clean. The Great Bell smashed the stones on the ground, grinding them into powder, like smoke spewing from the bell's mouth.

Wherever Xu Ying walked, the Great Bell behind him spewed smoke.

"Desperate scoundrel, how arrogant!"

Zhou Yihang's legs were completely broken. He used his arms to climb out of the large pit, staring at Xu Ying's retreating back, grinding his teeth in anger. "You're escaping and your butt is still smoking! Are you provoking my Lingling government!"