"He was defeated that easily?"
As they watched the azure light shoot skyward from the sand table, horror seized everyone around it.
"I thought the Great Wilderness God of Wealth, with the Venerable's help, had gained authority from nothing and received incense offerings from the people of Great Xia. Even if he couldn't easily defeat the Xu Tribe Deity, he should at least have held his own in a contest of divine paths and incense. Yet he lost so decisively!"
"Exactly. I thought that however powerful the Xu Tribe Deity was, his incense came from the borderlands. Once he entered the Xia Dynasty, he'd be like a fish cast into the ocean, barely able to make a splash. This wasn't a face-to-face contest of fists, after all. The Great Wilderness God of Wealth had the Xia Dynasty's people behind him and the Sacred Hall's support. He had the weight of the world pressing down for him, and still the tables were turned!"
"The Xu Tribe Deity has plenty of strange qualities. No wonder the Venerable told us to wait here. We won't have to wait much longer to see him for ourselves. Let's just hope he shows no signs of the five declines before he arrives."
While the others discussed it, Chen Dragon approached the sand table instead. He gazed at the radiance, his eyes growing rapt.
"All that is secondary..."
Splendid colors reflected in his eyes as he said slowly, "A sight like this is truly breathtaking!"
"What kind of technique is that?"
Hongyuan stood a short distance behind Chen Cuo. Watching the azure light soar skyward, she felt her thoughts stir as she sensed something unusual within it.
"This feels strangely familiar. I must have experienced something like it in my Previous Life..." Uncertainty crossed her face.