Three days later, in a secret chamber of the City Lord's Mansion.
Qin He sat cross-legged, golden-black Gold-Black Law patterns flickering in and out around his body.
Threads of golden air flowed in from the void, fine as ox hair yet carrying warm, gentle vitality—these were the Merit thought power sent from the Divine Shrine shrines of the thirty-six cities.
The currents flowed into the sea of consciousness between his brows, and golden light immediately glittered within the Demon Shell.
His originally illusory soul bathed in the Merit Golden Light, its outline becoming ever more solid until even the patterns of its hair could be clearly seen.
"It worked. Faster than expected." Long Qingyun's voice emerged from the Black Demon Banner.
Qin He did not respond. His fingers formed a seal as the Merit Golden Light circulated along the Source-Birth Law and seeped into his limbs and bones. His Mid Other Shore Realm cultivation grew increasingly stable, and a faint golden halo even began to rise around him, tempering the originally biting demonic aura.
At dawn on the fourth day, golden light abruptly flashed between Qin He's brows.
The Listening Voice Art was stirred by the Power of Merit. Countless fragmented prayers pierced through the void and flooded into his sea of consciousness. Most were mundane wishes for good harvests and safety, chaotic and disordered, yet carrying the purest thought power.
His fingertips moved slightly as his divine sense sifted through the stream of information, eventually fixing upon a faint but urgent voice.
"Bull-Riding Immortal Venerable above, please bless my mother and let her recover... please..."
The prayer came from Liangcheng. The worshipper's aura was weak, clearly that of an ordinary mortal. Stranger still, the prayer was directed solely toward his statue, hidden away in a corner of the Divine