A car sped out of the city and raced along the coastal highway.
Lola said, "You're driving fast."
"Can't be helped. That commotion just now was too great. It won't be long before people from both factions learn that the God of Misfortune is dead," Gu Qingshan said.
He glanced at Shen Xue.
Shen Xue sat motionless, black divine characters appearing and disappearing in the air around her.
"How are you?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"I'm suppressing my power, trying not to let anyone sense the changes in me... This should buy us some time."
"Do we need time?"
"Yes. We need to get to the Altar of the Gods as soon as possible and activate its power to help Lola form her divine office."
"The Thorn Bird is a branch of the Creator. Can't she become a god directly?" Gu Qingshan asked.
"Of course not. I already told you: the Thorn Bird had nothing to do with the affairs of the Land of the Gods back then," Shen Xue said.
"Will it take long?" Lola asked.
"It'll take some effort... All right, I'll find a god to hold them off for us," Shen Xue said.
"Who?"
"A god from the Lawful Faction. He nearly died once, but I didn't take his life then."
Shen Xue took out a little bell and gave it a few gentle shakes.
After a clear metallic chime rang out, a man suddenly appeared in the middle of the road in the distance.
He was a young man wearing a black hoodie, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
The instant he appeared, all the black runes on Shen Xue disappeared.
At that moment, she looked just like an ordinary mortal.
—She had sealed away all her power.
"That's the God of Forging and Metal—Yi. He's