Rewind! (Part 1)

"To slay a Spirit Bridge Realm martial artist while being in the Xiantian Realm?" Shen Zhui was stunned.

Martial artist realms: Houtian, Xiantian, and above that, the Spirit Bridge Realm.

A Xiantian martial artist could communicate with the Power of Heaven and Earth, form protective Gang Qi, briefly fly through the air, and wield immense power in every move.

A Spirit Bridge Realm martial artist underwent a further qualitative change in their internal spiritual energy, constructing a stable channel between heaven and earth within their dantian, gaining stronger control over the Power of Heaven and Earth, and could roam the skies freely, unlike Xiantian martial artists who could only fly briefly.

If a Xiantian martial artist's control over the Power of Heaven and Earth was like a child molding mud, then a Spirit Bridge Realm martial artist could shape that mud into exquisite porcelain!

The two were utterly incomparable.

"Captain, you brought me here—does that mean I can also borrow the power of the deity?" Shen Zhui couldn't help asking. With his current strength at the Ninth Stage Houtian, if he could gain the temple's power, wouldn't he be able to slay a Xiantian martial artist?

"Don't rush." Wang Long waved his hand. "To invoke the deity isn't that easy."

"First, you need the county magistrate to grant you a Daoist Magic Token to communicate with the temple."

"Second, you must reach the Ninth Stage Houtian, or your body simply can't withstand the deity's power."

"Finally, you must be devout in heart, believe in the deity, and earn its recognition."

Wang Long looked at Shen Zhui and said, "These are the three basic conditions for the 'First Summon of Deity.'"

"First Summon?" Shen Zhui was puzzled. "Borrowing the temple's power has different levels too?"

Wang Long laughed. "Of course. The City God Temple is divided into Seven Divisions, and each deity's power is different. Moreover, the stronger you are yourself, the more of the deity's power you can borrow."

"An Earl-level Temple can invoke the deity up to five times!"

"In order: Distinguish Good and Evil, Discern Right and Wrong, Slay Evil Spirits, Exterminate Ghosts and Monsters, Subdue Heavenly Demons."

"Slay Demons and Exterminate Monsters..." Shen Zhui murmured to himself.

"Each time you borrow the deity's power, your strength multiplies several times over. Of course, you don't need to worry about that now. Reaching the level of First Summon of Deity: Distinguish Good and Evil is already impressive."

"Several times over?!" Shen Zhui was breathless. Heavens, if a Peak Houtian martial artist's strength multiplied several times, they could definitely contend with a Xiantian master!

No wonder the Martial Arts Department had only about a dozen Ninth Stage Houtian martial artists, yet the county magistrate dared to stand against the major families in the city.

All the families in Heyuan County combined probably had no more than thirty or so Xiantian Masters, right?

And even among families, they weren't necessarily united!

"Shen Zhui, follow me." Wang Long didn't give Shen Zhui time to think, but led him onward.

He walked slowly to one of the statues holding a mirror, pulled a token from his bosom, and then his entire figure merged into the statue and vanished!

"This, this..." Shen Zhui's eyes went wide.

"Hurry up." Wang Long's voice came from inside the statue, urging him.

"Yes." Shen Zhui immediately followed, stepping toward the Mirror Deity Statue.

Though it looked solid, when Shen Zhui approached, he passed right through it.

Then a white light flashed before his eyes, and Shen Zhui found himself on a vast white land, with an endless starry sky above.

Before he could even be amazed, he saw Wang Long waving at him from not far away.

"Shen Zhui, do you know why, back then outside the city, when that Li Family Young Master ambushed you, I couldn't make a move?"

Shen Zhui thought for a moment and said, "Because Li Ming had a treasure on him that blocked the deity's detection."

Wang Long nodded, reached out, and a tiny star from above suddenly fell. Then he walked over to Shen Zhui and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't resist."

"Yes."

As the words fell, Shen Zhui felt a tremendous force pulling at him, as if his very soul were being drawn away. Instinctively, he wanted to resist, but then he remembered Wang Long's words and let himself go with the flow.

A flash of white light, and Shen Zhui came to his senses. When he 'opened' his eyes, he was stunned.

"What, this is..."

The scene around him had completely changed. Shen Zhui now stood in a Bamboo Forest, fallen leaves and soil beneath his feet, with Wang Long right beside him.

What shocked Shen Zhui wasn't this, but the two figures slowly approaching from afar.

One of them was dressed like a farmer, with a hint of worry flickering across his brow.

A dozen meters behind the farmer was another man, a handsome youth of seventeen or eighteen, with a double ruler at his waist.

"That's..." Shen Zhui couldn't help exclaiming. "Liu Bin and me?"

"Keep watching." Wang Long smiled.

Shen Zhui suppressed his confusion and looked on.

He saw the other Shen Zhui and Liu Bin walking slowly toward him, then passing right through his body, following Liu Bin to an open space.

"This place is quiet and secluded. I often come here to practice my blade. What do you think, sir?"

"Azure Dragon Turns Its Lair passes by, White Tiger Enters the Firmament soars high. Mountains stacked, flowing waters encircling. It's not a bad Wind and Water Array. If buried here, it would surely bless one's descendants."

Clear voices reached him, every move and gesture laid out before his eyes.

The subsequent conversation and battle scene played out in full clarity. Shen Zhui even found himself breaking a sweat watching his past self withstand Liu Bin's final strike.

But in the end, Shen Zhui emerged victorious.

The Iron Ruler pierced Liu Bin's chest, and he died.

"Not bad. I didn't expect you to already have the strength to kill a Ninth Stage of Acquired Realm at this point." Wang Long commented with a smile.

After watching the whole thing, Shen Zhui was full of doubts.

Wang Long, however, showed no intention of explaining. With a wave of his hand, the surroundings blurred again, and Shen Zhui once again felt that pulling force.

This time, with experience, Shen Zhui recovered quickly.

When he opened his eyes, Shen Zhui and Wang Long stood on a hillside.

It took only a moment for Shen Zhui to realize—this was... Fanshan Pavilion!

The very spot where he had been ambushed earlier!

Shen Zhui vaguely understood something, but he held his patience and watched.

"Look, that's you." Wang Long pointed. Down the hill, another Shen Zhui was leisurely riding a horse, soaking in the glow of the setting sun.

From this angle, Shen Zhui naturally also spotted two squads of elite archers lying in ambush in the woods on both sides of the road.

"Swish~" The sound of arrows cutting through the air rang out.

A volley of arrows whistled toward the Shen Zhui below. At that critical moment, Shen Zhui's movement technique broke through to the Great Accomplishment Realm, allowing him to dodge the danger.

"Quick reflexes." Wang Long praised.

"Almost didn't make it." Shen Zhui shook his head with a sigh.

After that, Shen Zhui watched the rest of the events unfold—how he had dodged the arrows, then been surrounded and attacked by A'Da and A'Er.

Even the words exchanged during the standoff were relived from an outsider's perspective.

Seeing his own battle scene, Shen Zhui felt as if he had gained some insight.

And Wang Long, watching Shen Zhui take a hostage and calmly negotiate under pressure, couldn't help but silently admire him.

That composure, that calmness—if it had been Wang Long in his younger days, he admitted he wouldn't have been able to match Shen Zhui.

The standoff ended. A'Er died, and 'Shen Zhui' hurriedly fled up the hillside.

The two of them quickly followed, arriving at the scene of the final act.

Once there, Shen Zhui immediately sensed something was wrong!

He saw that the other Shen Zhui, after fleeing to the hillside, suddenly wore a look of shock, and then the Iron Ruler was knocked aside.

The Iron Ruler erupted with Essence of Vital Energy and was hurled out fiercely...

"How could this be?!"

Shen Zhui's eyes widened. He finally realized what was off!

Because from the very beginning—when he was first attacked, and later when the Iron Ruler flew through the air—

There was absolutely no one there!!

Li Ming and Elder Cang had never appeared in this scene at all!

It was as if...

He had been fighting thin air the whole time!

"This..." Shen Zhui was speechless.

After that, the squad of over twenty archers was killed.

A'Da died with hatred in his heart.

Wang Long arrived.

Shen Zhui was rescued...

Throughout the entire process, the words and actions of 'Wang Long' and 'Shen Zhui' were crystal clear, but Li Ming and Elder Cang, who should have been there, were nowhere to be seen.

"Fascinating, isn't it?" Wang Long smiled. "Don't rush to ask questions. Keep watching."

The scene shifted again.

Please collect, give me your recommendation tickets, I beg you~