The Auspicious Spirit God

"Kid, don't be so ungrateful! The young master wants that thing to offer to the Old Ancestor. Hand it over already!"

The people gathered around the young master shouted at him, reaching out to snatch it.

The boy clutched the Green Tile tightly and refused to let go.

The commotion quickly drew a crowd of onlookers.

"Isn't that Qin Yuyan, Granny Fan's grandson?"

"How did he get into a dispute with the Priest's young master?"

"Granny Fan's gravely ill. She depends on her grandson selling odds and ends and gathering medicinal herbs to keep her alive. If he offends Young Master Hachamu, the Priest's grandson, both of them could lose their lives!"

"Why should I?"

"This belongs to me! Why should I give it to you?"

Qin Yuyan shouted angrily. The life-infused medicinal herb was almost in his grasp; perhaps it could help his grandmother recover. How could he bear to let them snatch the Green Tile away?

Hachamu gave a scornful sneer. "I'll tell you why!"

"Because the Old Ancestor of my household is favored by the Auspicious Spirit God!"

"Because the Old Ancestor of my household fights for the Minping Tribe and protects its people!"

"You make your living here, so you should know that my wanting your things is your good fortune. How dare you think otherwise?"

Qin Yuyan's face flushed red and his chest heaved. He didn't know how to answer, but he still gritted his teeth and refused to let go.

Hachamu chanted a spell, and an Auspicious Water Pattern appeared on his face. A thin wisp of Water Qi turned into a rope and curled toward the Green Tile in Qin Yuyan's hands.

Chen Ming watched closely from the side. The Priest's young master, Hachamu, was just an ordinary mortal. He had summoned Water Qi by chanting a spell and borrowing the power of the Auspicious Spirit God through the Auspicious Water Pattern.

As the Water Qi rope flew halfway toward him, Qin Yuyan realized he couldn't hold on to the Green Tile. He raised it high, ready to smash it to pieces!

Chen Ming waved a hand and dispersed the Water Qi. The Green Tile in Qin Yuyan's hands landed in his own.

"In any deal, first come, first served. I said I'd buy it, so it's mine!" Chen Ming said coolly.

"Who are you to meddle in my affairs?"

Hachamu saw Chen Ming dispel his supernatural spell with a wave of his hand. Wary now, he realized the man before him had some ability and didn't dare get too brazen.

But as he spoke, he saw the Green Tile in Chen Ming's hands—and a medicinal herb brimming with vitality as well.

"This man isn't from the tribe. He may have some ability, but it can't be much. Otherwise, why would he trade such a fine medicinal herb for a tile? I might as well take both. With the Old Ancestor behind me, he won't dare make a fuss."

"If he does, I'll make sure he never leaves!"

Hachamu weighed his options and then barked, "You Daoist, you stole my household's medicinal herb and still dare parade around in public! Hand over the tile and the herb, and surrender!"

At that, Chen Ming burst out laughing. "If you're capable, come take them!"

Hachamu didn't dare be careless. He directed his subordinates to form a mysterious formation, then stood in the middle and silently chanted a sacrificial incantation. In an instant, Auspicious Water Patterns crawled all over his body.

As the patterns appeared, Hachamu borrowed streams of Water Qi and condensed them into blades, forks, swords, and halberds, which pointed at Chen Ming from midair.

"This little trick might make me take two steps back if your Auspicious Spirit God used it. But what can you do with it?"

Chen Ming had barely finished speaking when Hachamu's expression changed. "You dare show disrespect to the Spirit God? You deserve to die!"

The blades, forks, swords, and halberds made of Water Qi charged toward Chen Ming.

Chen Ming didn't even dodge. He exhaled a breath of green qi, and Hachamu's spell abruptly turned back on him.

Hachamu was instantly terrified. He shouted, "Reverse it!"

His subordinates hurriedly moved through the formation in the opposite direction, and the auspicious patterns on Hachamu's body turned around as well.

The spell only reversed at the very last moment, just before it struck him, and transformed back into Water Qi.

By then, Hachamu knew he had run into a real hard case.

"This is Minping Tribe territory! You dare hurt me?"

Hachamu roared, hoping to make Chen Ming hesitate and stop him from striking a fatal blow.

But he didn't know what Chen Ming was like.

Chen Ming cultivated the Demon Refining Method. He was utterly without scruples and feared no threats.

His face darkened. "Oh? I won't just hurt you. I'll kill you!"

As he spoke, Poisonous Smoke rose behind Chen Ming, and a dense swarm of insects poured forth.

"Demon!"

"Old Ancestor, save me!"

Hachamu cried out and turned to flee.

He used his own subordinates as a shield. Caught in the swarm, they became white bones in the blink of an eye, clattering to the ground.

After all, this was Minping Tribe territory. The incident immediately alarmed Hachamu's Old Ancestor—the Priest of the Auspicious Spirit God.

"Wicked demon!"

Though the Old Ancestor, Hachachar, was a divine attendant, he also possessed the strength of the Qi Gathering Realm.

Feeling Chen Ming's power, Hachachar knew he couldn't stand against him, but he didn't panic.

The Priest and Old Ancestor Hachachar circulated his magical power. Elaborate water patterns appeared over Minping Tribe, transforming into a grand formation.

"What demon dares cause chaos in Minping Tribe?"

"This land is protected by the Auspicious Spirit God. Leave at once!"

Using the formation, Hachachar shielded Hachamu, his voice echoing through the sky.

Minping Tribe wasn't the only tribe that worshipped the Auspicious Spirit God. There were many other tribes, large and small.

Minping Tribe had reached its present size because Hachachar could commune with the Spirit God and borrow divine power.

But Hachachar was already old, and Hachamu was the only one in their line who could summon Water Qi.

If Hachamu died, Minping Tribe would inevitably decline once Hachachar himself passed away.

That was why Hachamu had been spoiled all his life. Hachachar had never imagined he would provoke such a demon today.

Chen Ming stared at the formation of water patterns, estimating that it could trap an ordinary Contemplation Realm cultivator.

But it was no threat to him!

"Break!"

Chen Ming shouted, and a streak of Golden Light Divine Flame shot from his eyes.

The formation above Minping Tribe was instantly blasted open, leaving a huge hole.

Hachachar was stunned. He hadn't expected Chen Ming to be so powerful.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, Hachachar felt a sharp pain in his foot.

The insects Chen Ming had released had followed the Golden Light Divine Flame to Hachachar's location and bitten him.

The poison traveled up his ankle and burrowed into his body.

A layer of blackness spread across Hachachar's face.

He had no time to worry about anything else. He took out a pill and swallowed it, then drew the water-pattern formation in around himself to suppress the poison and keep his mind clear.

Hachachar no longer dared to underestimate his opponent. He used a Priest's ritual to summon the Auspicious Spirit God.

The Auspicious Spirit God was cultivating in the Divine Domain Dojo when Hachachar's ritual chants abruptly woke him.

The Auspicious Spirit God cast his gaze down from the Divine Domain Dojo and saw clearly what was happening in Minping Tribe.

"How did they provoke such a demonic fiend? What a nuisance. If I don't intervene, the faith of Minping Tribe will be ruined!"

The Auspicious Spirit God manifested his divine form, left the Divine Domain Dojo, and descended upon Minping Tribe through the link to Hachachar's ritual.