A God Born of the Will of All Living Beings

"If I were to abandon them, what kind of god would I be? That would be nothing more than a demon walking the Divine Path."

After all, Qingyuan was a Totem Spirit who had transformed into a god; his ties to the tribespeople were too deep to be severed so easily.

"Ridiculous!"

"Gods who do not seek transcendence and treat all living beings as mere lambs deserve to fall!"

"A god cultivated from a Totem Spirit is truly useless!"

The three cultivators surrounding Qingyuan burst into raucous laughter.

Known as the Black Wind Three Heroes, they were unscrupulous members of the Demonic Path. They acted without restraint or moral bottom lines, their Dao Hearts having long since collapsed.

For such individuals, unless they could achieve a great awakening and clarify their Dao Hearts, they would never attain the Great Dao.

Their ultimate end would only be death, but before they fell, they could serve as a calamity for other cultivators.

When the Spiritual Energy in the mountains fluctuated this time, they sensed that Vast Mountain had lost its protection.

If they didn't find a way out, they would surely die once their old enemies tracked them down.

Therefore, they sought a backer for themselves: the White Bone Superior of the White Bone Dao.

The White Bone Superior was a Spirit Condensing Great Cultivator, and the White Bone Dao was located not far outside of Vast Mountain.

Securing the protection of the White Bone Dao meant they would no longer be as free and unfettered as before, as they would have to serve the White Bone Superior, but it was still better than losing their lives.

To gain the protection of the White Bone Superior, the Black Wind Three Heroes had to present a "tribute"—they needed to use the flesh, blood, and souls of mortals to forge a Demonic Treasure for him.

That Demonic Treasure was called the Vengeful Soul Banner. It was an affront to the heavens, and since the White Bone Superior did not want to dirty his own hands, he took advantage of the Black Wind Three Heroes' arrival to have them do the deed for him.

Relying on their strength, the Black Wind Three Heroes had been on a bloody rampage throughout Vast Mountain.

But upon reaching the Minping Tribe, they were blocked by the Auspicious Spirit God, Qingyuan!

The Black Wind Three Heroes practiced the same Magic Art, yet each had cultivated a different divine ability.

They each exhaled a gust of black wind: one could cause flesh to rot, one could chill the Divine Soul, and one could cause mana to stagnate.

The three gusts of black wind merged, and accompanied by the wild laughter of the Black Wind Three Heroes, they blew toward Qingyuan.

At this moment, Qingyuan's mana was already running thin, and he was further distracted by maintaining the grand formation to protect the mortals in the tribe.

Struck by the black wind, his Divine Dharma Body began to show signs of decay.

Qingyuan's Divine Soul felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and the circulation of his mana became even more sluggish.

Yet, even so, Qingyuan gritted his teeth and maintained the formation, refusing to let the black wind reach the tribe.

"Water is at its softest, yet the god is benevolent!"

"Water is at its hardest, yet the god subdues demons!"

The mortals in the tribe, regardless of age or gender, could see clearly at this moment that their deity was exhausting every ounce of strength to protect them!

They watched Qingyuan's state, yet they could not step forward to offer even a sliver of power. They could only clench their fists, their eyes reddening as they recited prayers!

Their voices reached Qingyuan's ears; though faint, they brought a moment of clarity to his mind.

But immediately following, the Black Wind Three Heroes exhaled another gust of black wind to strike.

Qingyuan was ultimately unable to withstand the Black Wind Three Heroes. The waves beneath his feet turned into foul water, and the white fish and red carp were eroded, dissolving into a pool of sludge.

The foul water spread rapidly across Qingyuan's Divine Dharma Body.

Qingyuan sighed once more. In his mind's eye, he saw the mortals of the tribe—generation after generation, from birth to death, from childhood to adulthood, and finally to old age—the images of their devout sacrifices flashing before him.

It had not been easy for him to cultivate from a mere Totem Spirit to what he was today.

At this moment, Qingyuan could no longer hide his emotions, even though he cultivated the Ruthless Water Path.

A faint smile curled at the corners of Qingyuan's lips: "I am a god, a god born from the thoughts of all living beings. Today, I shall die for those who believe in me."

Having said this, blood-red tears streamed from Qingyuan's eyes. His handsome face was covered in water-like cracks, a portrait of utter fragmentation.

Yet, he still wore a faint smile. He was worthy of the name of a deity, having protected those who offered him their faith!

"I only hope that after I die, there will still be someone who remembers me..."

Qingyuan's body was submerged by the foul water.

But suddenly, from within that foul water, ripples of shimmering water light shot into the sky, landing upon the great formation of the Minping Tribe.

That shimmering water light was the Divine Essence of the Auspicious Spirit God. In his final moment, Qingyuan had used his own Divine Essence to reinforce the great formation, continuing to guard the mortals who believed in him!

The black wind exhaled by the Black Wind Three Heroes, though it caused the Minping Tribe's great formation to ripple with waves of light, could never break through!

"Who would have thought the Auspicious Spirit God would do such a foolish thing, destroying his own path of cultivation for the sake of mere mortals!"

The Black Wind Three Heroes laughed boisterously, mocking the fallen Qingyuan without restraint.

The mortals of the Minping Tribe were filled with grief and indignation, yet they were powerless, unable to do anything at all.

Qin Yuyan stood among the crowd, his fists clenched tight.

He had witnessed the fall of the deity who protected the mortals with his own eyes: "If only I could cultivate!"

There were many in the tribe who shared his thoughts. How could the Black Wind Three Heroes fail to sense the malice the mortals held toward them?

"Qingyuan is already dead. These mortals are his kindling; wipe them out as well, so that Qingyuan cannot be resurrected from human thoughts in the future!"

"This also prevents any of them from obtaining fortuitous encounters and seeking revenge later on!"

The Black Wind Three Heroes were no fools. They began to refine the grand formation of the Minping Tribe.

With no one left to support its operation, the breaking of the grand formation was only a matter of time. The mortals within the tribe were already fish in a barrel.

The grand formation above the Minping Tribe hummed and vibrated under the refining of the Black Wind Three Heroes.

Disaster was imminent. If the formation were broken, not a single person in the tribe would be able to escape.

Qin Yuyan suddenly remembered the True Person who had given him the medicinal herbs, and he recalled the words Chen Ming had spoken to him.

Be steadfast in your heart, for fate will find its way!

Qin Yuyan steadied his mind, reined in his emotions, and visualized the image of Chen Ming as he had appeared that day.

A glimmer of water suddenly rose from his body; it was a mark Qingyuan had left upon him previously to look after him.

Qin Yuyan closed his eyes, his intent firm, calling for Chen Ming to come.

At this moment, Chen Ming was in the mountains, and there was a connection between him and Qin Yuyan.

Moreover, Qin Yuyan's will was steadfast, surpassing that of an ordinary mortal. As he thought of Chen Ming, he utilized that faint glimmer of water left by Qingyuan to tug at the illusory threads of karma in the void.

Chen Ming's heart skipped a beat. He pinched his fingers to calculate, changed his direction in the mountains, and headed straight for the Minping Tribe.

"Boom!"

The grand formation above the Minping Tribe was breached under the bombardment of the Black Wind Three Heroes.

They raised a bare flagpole of unknown material, which expanded in the wind to reveal an illusory banner.

Wisps of black mist drifted from the banner.

In an instant, those in the tribe who were entangled by the black mist had their flesh, blood, and souls reduced to nothingness.

"Hahaha!"

"This tribe has quite a large population. Once we harvest this batch, that should be enough!" The Black Wind Three Heroes laughed maniacally.

"Did you kill Qingyuan?"

"Did you kill these mortals?"

Suddenly, a gloomy and cold voice rang in the ears of the Black Wind Three Heroes.

Although the commotion in the tribe was immense and the cries of agony shook the heavens, this voice reached their ears with absolute clarity.

The Black Wind Three Heroes were startled. They saw a Daoist, with a blood-colored bead floating in his hand, standing beside a youth of the Minping Tribe.

The Black Wind Three Heroes laughed arrogantly: "Who are you to meddle in our business!"

The blood bead in Chen Ming's hand suddenly flew up: "Since it was your doing, then die!"