"Greetings, Chancellor of the Heavenly Palace."
The monk showed no surprise at seeing the man. Instead, he smiled. "Every Deity's talisman under All Under Heaven has its rightful owner. This Great River Talisman must have come into being through the investiture of the Ten Thousand Image. It has nothing to do with the Heavenly Court, so how could you ask me to leave it behind? But you mentioned only the talisman. Do you mean to abandon the Great River Water Lord?"
The man hesitated, then said, "If you are willing to spare him as well, Master, the Heavenly Court will remember the favor."
"You expect this poor monk to stand aside for a single favor?" The monk shook his head. "I fear you still haven't seen how formidable this River Lord is."
The man replied, "He was born into the Southern Dynasty's Imperial Clan, became an inner disciple of Great Hua Mountain, and is a reincarnated soul besides. Most people would never dare touch him lightly. But you, Master, are not most people."
"Those are merely titles and ties." The monk shook his head, his hands never pausing. "You still underestimate him. Otherwise, you would not have sent two Earth Deities, nor would you have come as a projection at the crucial moment. You should have descended in person to stop this poor monk!"
As he spoke, he sighed. The Buddha Light around him grew brighter, and the clatter of chains in the sky grew denser!
Then the phantom Nether River formed from Buddha Light descended with thousands upon thousands of Flowers of Life, instantly drowning the River Lord Temple and obliterating the Court Robe-clad man's projection!
The Pingyang City God and Cloud Hill Mountain God felt that force, as though the Milky Way itself were falling, and a trace