"May the esteemed Lord Sea God Tang San bless me! Your most faithful believer offers you his purest faith!"
"Please help me, Lord Tang San!"
With a devout expression, Chen Xinjie quickly bit open his index finger and smeared his vital blood across the azure gem in the center of his helmet.
He swiftly put on the helmet. A brilliant blue beam shot skyward from it!
"How interesting. A version of summoning a god from another world?" Ming Yue watched thoughtfully, his swordlike brows lifting slightly.
But on second thought, Tang San was an ancient man. It made sense that he'd be a natural at this sort of thing.
Soon, under the watchful eyes of Ming Yue, Leng Yaozhu, Qiangu Dieting, and the many Douluo from the Spirit Pagoda,
God King Tang appeared behind Chen Xinjie like a spirit hovering at his back, taking the form of a projection.
"Who summons this God King?"
With his eyes closed and an air of authority, God King Tang spoke with utter arrogance.
"Lord God King! It is I, Chen Xinjie, your most devout and loyal Sea God Clan leader and believer!"
Feeling a mighty force settle behind him, Chen Xinjie seemed to forget the bloody feud from moments ago. He answered with an excited shout, full of adoration and fervor.
"So it is you. Since you have summoned me, this God King will take action. State your request."
Whether to maintain his imposing image or for some other reason, God King Tang kept his noble eyes closed. He merely clasped his hands behind his back and spoke in a leisurely tone.
"Pfft—hahaha! Sorry, I don't mean to interrupt this warm 'loving master and loyal dog' scene, but this is just too funny! Hahahaha!"
As the Spirit Pagoda Douluo stared in shock and Chen Xinjie prepared to say something,
Ming Yue burst out laughing, his bright, youthful voice ringing out alongside his naturally rich timbre.
The scene fell quiet at once.
"What do you mean?"
Realizing that his grand entrance had been interrupted, God King Tang finally opened his noble eyes.
As he took in the situation, he quickly spotted Ming Yue, who was still laughing uncontrollably.
His imposing gaze fixed on him as God King Tang demanded in an equally authoritative voice, "What do you mean?"
"Pfft, hahaha..." Ming Yue laughed a little longer, then straightened his slightly rumpled collar. "Sorry, sorry. I suppose Tower Master's got a low threshold for laughter. I just can't help myself when I see such a 'loving master and loyal dog' act."
"But I've heard of you, the infamous little—ah, God King Tang."
Ming Yue paused. Seeing that God King Tang was about to speak, he quickly changed tack.
"Well... as far as I know, isn't there a rule in that so-called Divine Realm of yours that God Kings can't interfere in the mortal world?"
"You, God King Tang, are one of the Five Exemplars. So why are you making an exception like some lowly spirit hovering at someone's back?"
Ming Yue's words were practically designed to cut to the bone. He watched God King Tang with an amused look.
"Oh? I didn't expect someone from the lower realm to know so much about the rules of the Divine Realm."
God King Tang's gaze sharpened as he narrowed his noble eyes at Ming Yue.
"Though I am one of the Five Exemplars, when a believer begs for help with his vital blood, of course I must stand up for him."
"More to the point, you claim to be a Tower Master. Could you be a descendant of the Spirit Pagoda founded by my son-in-law, the God of Emotions, Dai Yuhao?"
He casually shifted the blame with a few airy words, his expression unchanged as he watched Ming Yue.
"Tsk... The leash is already that tight, huh?"
Hearing God King Tang call Dai Yuhao his son-in-law, Ming Yue sighed as if in sympathy.
But he quickly changed the subject. "Much as I hate to admit it, I am indeed the current Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda."
"And I came here because the loyal family of believers under your high and mighty God King has been consorting with Evil Soul Masters."
"So, for the sake of peace and stability on the continent, I had no choice but to step in and clean house."
Having received Xiao Ya's analysis of the strength of Tang San's projection, Ming Yue kept a warm smile on his face.
"Xinjie?"
The corner of God King Tang's mouth twitched ever so slightly as he turned to Chen Xinjie, putting on an act.
"He's! Talking! Nonsense!"
Unable to hold back, Chen Xinjie shouted and, in front of his master, recounted exactly what had happened, word for word.
"You really are a vicious junior. You slaughtered an entire family and then made up an excuse! Your actions are just like those of the Spirit Hall's former pope!"
"With someone like you leading it, the Spirit Pagoda is doomed to fall. Better for this God King to clean house himself!"
Taking Chen Xinjie's words at face value, God King Tang turned toward Ming Yue as the Seagod Trident gradually appeared in his hand!
"Tsk... Full of grand words and putting on airs. You're just a projection. This is no fun."
Having received Xiao Ya's precise estimate of the projection's strength, Ming Yue dropped the act.
He swallowed a pill that could transform Soul Power into a special energy, then mimicked the Heavenly Fire Saintess and brought his sword down hard on God King Tang!
"Foolish junior, don't challenge a God King so lightly!" God King Tang sneered and casually swept the Seagod Trident aside.
He unleashed his signature move, Unfixed Storm.
But the scene he'd imagined, with Ming Yue immobilized and at his mercy, never came. Instead, a scarlet slash drew closer and closer.
God King Tang froze in confusion. Before he could react to the shock, his projected body was cleaved in half at the waist.
"How dare you! You insolent junior!"
Realizing what had happened, God King Tang looked furiously at his severed lower body and instinctively reached for the Twenty-Four Bridge Moonlit Night at his waist.
But he quickly remembered that he was only a projection and couldn't use Hidden Weapons. His raised hand froze awkwardly.
That brief pause gave Ming Yue another opening. He brought down a Heavenly Fire Face Wash, and the projection was split in two and dispersed amid God King Tang's shock.
"Oops, so sorry. I accidentally chopped your master to pieces. Are you all right, Lord Sea God Douluo?"
Ming Yue glanced disdainfully at the spot where God King Tang's projection had vanished, then tossed the Pseudo-Heavenly Fire in his hand.
As it transformed into Pseudo-Fenghuang Down, he strolled over to Chen Xinjie, who was still in shock, and looked down at him.
"Y-you... Huh—!"
Whether he couldn't accept what had happened or had suffered a devastating blow to his spirit,
Chen Xinjie could only gape and stammer in response to Ming Yue.
"Ah, what a shame. It looks like our Lord Sea God Douluo is willing to become one of our Spirit Pagoda's strategic reserve 'resources.'"
Ming Yue lost interest, snapped his fingers, and let Fenghuang Down drift down from the air.
As the golden-orange feather landed on Chen Xinjie's head, he soon transformed into his Martial Soul Avatar.
Ming Yue gestured for the others to move. He was about to take Leng Yaozhu's hand when he paused.
Instead, he turned his gaze toward the spot nearby where a commotion had broken out.
Before you continue