Divine Dao Clash!
Outside the Yong Province Divine Court, the sky was suddenly dyed with two completely different colors.
In the east, in the territory of Yong Province where Qi Yun stands, the sky is clear and bright, auspicious clouds swirl, and purple-gold divine light emanates, exuding a majestic, orderly, and all-encompassing Daoist charm.
Meanwhile, the western horizon was covered by a rapidly spreading, frigid tide and dark, blood-red clouds.
A chilling, brutal, and conquering atmosphere swept over us, as if to freeze and tear everything apart.
"A new ruler of Yong Province?"
What audacity! How dare they swallow up the offerings and overstep their bounds like this!
A cold, violent sound, like metal rubbing against metal, carrying the chill that freezes the Divine Soul and the sounds of battle, rolled in, shaking the vast sea of clouds and causing it to churn and shatter.
Before the words had even faded, the icy, blood-red clouds that filled the sky had already reached the border of Yong Province, pressing inward with tremendous force!
Above the clouds, a majestic and boundless Divine Dao image manifested.
Its height was unknown, perhaps tens of thousands of feet, and its entire body was covered with a divine armor of dark blue, as if it were formed from ancient ice. The natural patterns on the armor resembled countless wailing and struggling soldier souls and frozen creatures, exuding extreme cold and death.
Beyond the divine armor, there was another layer of dark red Sha Qi that flowed continuously, resembling magma or Blood Sea —a manifestation of the materialized aura of war and slaughter.
Faxiangsheng has three heads: the front face is glaring, the left face is grinning, and the right face is indifferent. Each of his six arms holds an ice spear, a battle halberd, a blood banner, a broken blade, a skull hammer, and a ground-splitting mace.
These are Divine Dao weapons formed from the purest winter authority and the power of war!
It is none other than Lord Han Province Yong Province, which borders Lord of Han Province!
Its divine duties are in charge of winter, war, and conquest; it is a god of slaughter known for its fierce fighting power and ruthless temperament.
Facing this formidable opponent of similar strength who came with overwhelming force, Qi Yun remained calm.
As he stepped out of the Yong Province Divine Court, purple-gold divine light condensed beneath his feet, forming steps that allowed him to ascend higher and higher.
"Lord of Han Province?"
Qi Yun's voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the opponent's massive roar and killing intent, echoing between heaven and earth.
"Since I am the lord of this prefecture, it is my duty to collect incense offerings and maintain the Divine Dao rites. How could this be considered overstepping my bounds?"
"But you, sir, have come uninvited, invading our borders with military force. Do you truly believe that Yong Province is without capable men?"
As he spoke, a phantom image of the vast territory of Yong Province suddenly appeared behind Qi Yun!
That is not just a map, but a "Divine Dao manifestation" that integrates the terrain of hundreds of millions of miles of mountains and rivers, the Spiritual Qi, and the vast and pure Incense and Fire Prayer Power!
Within the Dharma image, thousands of mountains guard and ten thousand rivers flow to its source, and the phantom images of countless living beings pray, converging into a purple-gold Divine Dao torrent that is equally magnificent and boundless, yet even more profound, orderly, and ever-renewing.
Qi Yun's figure seemed to grow infinitely tall before this Divine Dao image, dressed in a purple-gold dragon-patterned divine robe and wearing a flat-topped divine crown.
However, the Daoist aura flowing around him blended perfectly with the illusory image of the entire Yong Province behind him.
It was as if he was Yong Province, Yong Province was* him!
An aura of supreme authority, as if "acting as the ruler of Heaven and governing all under Heaven," spread out, rivaling the ruthless and murderous power of the Lord of Han Province!
"It's my duty? Hmph! Clever words and flattery!"
Today, I'll let you, this newly appointed governor, weigh your abilities and see if you dare to harbor any thoughts of harming me!
Lord of Han Province was unwilling to say any more. The angry-looking head in front of him suddenly opened its mouth and spewed out a beam of Mysterious Dark Frozen Extinction Divine Light!
Wherever the divine light passed, the space crackled and froze instantly, forming a dark blue, icy path that stretched for tens of thousands of miles, shooting Qi Yun!
At the same time, all six of its arms moved in unison, the ice spears thrust out billions of ice crystal spear beams to block the top and bottom, the battle halberds cleaved out blood-red blade light that tore through the sky, the blood banners waved and attracted boundless blood-fiend and filthy divine light, the broken blade, skull hammer and earth-shattering mace each displayed their ferocious power, turning into a world-destroying torrent that covered down!
This move was all-out!
Lord of Han Province's way of killing emphasizes overwhelming force, destroying everything with absolute power and ruthless attacks!
"Good timing."
Qi Yun's eyes narrowed, and he issued a soft command, "Imperial decree: The land of Yong Province shall heed my command!"
He did not dodge, but simply raised his right hand and made a light, forward-pressing motion.
In an instant, the enormous phantom of Yong Province behind him solidified by a third!
On the land of Yong Province, countless illusory images of majestic mountains rose from the ground, transforming into towering, imposing barriers of divine mountains stretching for thousands of miles, blocking the Mysterious Dark Frozen Extinction Divine Light!
On the sacred mountain, lush vegetation thrives, birds and beasts multiply, embodying vitality and the immortality of the earth. This is a manifestation of the Incense and Fire Prayer Power.
"Swoosh--Boom boom boom!!"
The azure, freezing divine light slammed into the continuous mountain barrier, its extreme cold power violently eroding and instantly freezing the foremost mountain phantoms into ice sculptures before shattering them.
But from behind, even more and more imposing phantoms of sacred mountains surged forth, endlessly!
Although the freezing divine light was fierce, it could hardly penetrate this seemingly endless and deeply rooted power of "protection".
At the same time, Qi Yun made a hand seal with his left hand and chanted the mantra of the Great Luo Dao Sound. His voice was not loud, but it resonated with countless believers throughout Yong Province who were chanting the Dao Sound, causing them to feel a connection and share a common aspiration!
"There are thousands of Taoisms, but the law must be upright."
Within the illusory image of Yong Province, the torrent of prayers from countless beings suddenly split, with a portion transforming into countless golden chains of law shimmering with runes of order, coiling like serpents towards the countless ice crystal spear lights and blood-red blade lights.
Wherever the chains went, the ferocious attacks seemed to be restricted by some kind of "rule," becoming sluggish, slow, and greatly reduced in power.
Another portion of the willpower transformed into countless purple qi lotus flowers, blooming around Qi Yun. The lotus flowers swirled, sprinkling pure Daoist energy to resist and purify the foul and malevolent energy emanating from the waving blood banner.
Furthermore, the power of his will was directly bestowed upon Qi Yun himself, causing his divine body to shine brightly, as if he were wearing a divine armor of will that was impervious to all laws.
"Hmm? There's something to it!"
All three of Lord of Han Province's faces showed surprise; the opponent's method was not simply a matter of attack against attack.
Instead, it used its boundless and profound power of "protection," "order," and "purification," combined with the natural strength of the land and rivers of the entire state, to construct a nearly impenetrable defensive system that dissipated his fierce attacks layer by layer!
"I'd like to see how long your tortoise shell can hold out!"
Ten thousand years of frozen ice, a blood-soaked hell of war—open it for me!
Lord of Han Province roared, his six-armed divine weapons clashing, emitting a piercing, demonic sound.
The illusory image of Han Province also appeared behind him, revealing a desolate scene of frozen land, fields strewn with white bones, and shattered weapons!
He pushed the unique divine powers of "Winter" and "War" of Han Province to their limits, drawing upon the power of heaven and earth of Han Province to bless him!
A surge of eerie blue light erupted from its divine armor, and countless ancient icebergs, each the size of a star, materialized out of thin air. These icebergs, carrying a chilling aura capable of freezing time and space and destroying all things, crashed down upon Qi Yun's defensive system!
At the same time, the dark red Sha Qi boiled and evolved into a boundless Blood Sea Blood Sea. Countless broken warships, the corpses of Gods and Devils and demons floated in the sea of blood, which transformed into ferocious blood dragons, spewing out poisonous flames that corroded divine power and defiled golden bodies, biting and attacking from all directions!
This attack has mobilized the core divine authority and murderous intent of the entire Han Province province, making it far more powerful than before!
Qi Yun's expression remained calm, but a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
Simply relying on defense is not his approach.
"People of Yong Province, where do you pray?" His voice was as loud as a bell, echoing throughout Yong Province.
In an instant, across the land of Yong Province, all those who had recited the "Great Luo Dao Sound" Qi Yun developed faith in Qi Yun—farmers in the fields, merchants in the marketplace, monks in the mountains, and deities in the temples—felt a sense of urgency and spontaneously stopped what they were doing.
Whether silently or softly chanting, one can gather the purest Incense and Fire Prayer Power and prayers for "peace," "prosperity," and "favorable weather" from the depths of one's heart, creating a powerful and far-reaching connection!
This willpower is more proactive, more fervent, and more powerful than the previous passive defensive willpower!
Behind Qi Yun, within the illusory image of Yong Province, the prayers of countless beings converged into a tide of vows that shook the heavens!
The tides rolled and subtly took shape, eventually forming a towering, faceless yet infinitely majestic purple-gold divine figure, holding a Yong Province seal condensed from boundless willpower and the energy of mountains and rivers!
"By the wishes of millions of people in Yong Province, we will quell your evil spirits and calamities!"
Qi Yun in sync with the purple-gold divine figure, holding the Yong Province Great Seal, and fiercely slammed it down on the ancient ice mountain that crashed down and the bloodthirsty dragon that was biting at him!
This is not a simple clash of forces, but a contest of Incense and Fire Prayer Power, a clash of Divine Dao authority, and a head-on confrontation under the blessing of the will of heaven and earth of the two states!
"Boom--!!!"
An indescribable, terrifying explosion erupted in the endless void at the border of the two states!
At the core of the collision, the light instantly swallowed all sound and color, leaving only pure energy annihilation and chaotic flow of broken rules!
A series of unfathomable spatial rifts stretched across the sky, devouring the dissipating divine power and shattered willpower.
The shock wave spread in a ring, completely clearing away the clouds wherever it passed.
Even with the state's protective barrier, the land below trembled violently, mountains shifted, and rivers flowed backward!
Under the suppression of the Yong Province Great Seal, the countless ancient icebergs of Lord of Han Province shattered and melted, turning into a rain of ice crystals.
Those ferocious and terrifying blood dragons, when illuminated by the purple-gold divine light on the great seal, which represented the prayers for "peace" for countless living beings, were like ice and snow meeting the sun, letting out mournful howls, their bodies disintegrating inch by inch, returning to a chaotic state of malevolent Sha Qi.
"Puff--!"
The majestic Dharma image of Lord of Han Province trembled violently, fine cracks appeared on his dark blue divine armor, and the swirling dark Sha Qi faded by nearly half!
His three heads simultaneously spewed out mouthfuls of icy blue divine blood, which splashed into the void and froze everything, clearly indicating that he had suffered a severe backlash!
"You—your incense offerings, why are they so pure and refined?"
Why are your followers so united and steadfast in their beliefs?!
Lord of Han Province was both shocked and furious. He felt that the power of Qi Yun's mobilization was of a higher quality, purer in intent, and faster in response than the Incense and Fire Prayer Power of his Han Province that was mixed with fear, greed, pain, bloodlust and other impurities!
This resulted in Qi Yun unleashing far greater power than him, even with the same total amount of willpower!
We have different paths.
Qi Yun said calmly, not letting his advantage go unchallenged. He took a step forward, merging with the illusory image of the purple-gold deity behind him, and his aura surged once more.
"Swiftly, Swiftly, As the Law Commands!"
Lord of Han Province, if you do not submit now, when will you?!
This time, Qi Yun directly used the [Swiftly, Swiftly, As the Law Commands!]!
However, the target is no longer an ordinary subordinate god, but a state lord of the same level!
The decree he uttered transformed into a divine rope, condensed to its extreme and seemingly woven from countless crimson gold runes, which ignored space and instantly wrapped around the Dharma form and core of the Divine Soul of Lord of Han Province!
"Roar! You dare to try and imprison me with laws?! I am the lord of Han Province, appointed by Heaven!"
Lord of Han Province struggled frantically, drawing upon the power of Han Province's heaven and earth to resist. His divine talisman erupted with piercing cold light, defying this foreign "decree."
Two powerful forces of law clashed fiercely within his body, causing his Dharma form to flicker erratically, and he roared in pain.
If it were at its peak, Qi Yun would certainly not have been able to instantly defeat a state ruler of the same rank using only [Swiftly, Swiftly, As the Law Commands].
But at this moment, Lord of Han Province was suffering from the backlash of the clash of wills, his mind was shaken, and his divine power was in disarray. He was at his weakest!
"Great Luo Dao Sound, cleanse your Divine Soul and return you to the righteous path!"
Qi Yun seized the opportunity and once again recited the core mantra of the Great Luo Dao Sound.
This time, the Dao sound did not spread, but transformed into a clear, spring-like, soul-cleansing divine light that pointed directly to the heart.
Following the pull of the [Swiftly, Swiftly, As the Law Commands] divine rope, it directly poured into the depths of Lord of Han Province's violently struggling Divine Soul!
This soul-cleansing divine light contains the supreme and wondrous power of the "Great Luo Dao Sound" to lead people to refuge and settle their minds, and also bears the imprint of Qi Yun's own "ruling" Dao rhythm.
"No--!"
Lord of Han Province let out a defiant roar, and his will to resist finally collapsed completely under the triple blows of the pure willpower suppression, the binding of the divine law rope, and the cleansing of the soul.
The ferocious three-headed, six-armed form rapidly shrank and dimmed, eventually transforming into a palm-sized, ice-blue divine statue bound by layers of crimson-gold chains, which fell into Qi Yun's palm.
Inside the statue, the Divine Soul of Lord of Han Province has been branded with the law of "[Swiftly, Swiftly, As the Law Commands]", and has fallen into a deep sleep. His divine talisman has also been temporarily sealed.
Lord of Han Province, suppress!
With the suppression of Lord of Han Province, his connection with the world of Han Province was forcibly severed.
The blood-red clouds and cold wave that had enveloped Han Province quickly dissipated.
Throughout Han Province, countless mountain and river deities, city gods, and various divine officials belonging to the Lord of Han Province Divine Dao system suddenly lost the rule and divine power of the supreme ruler, their divine positions were shaken, and they fell into panic and chaos.
As for Qi Yun, the suppressor, his divine will and the Incense and Fire Prayer Power of Yong Province spread and infiltrated like a tide along the border between the two states into the territory of Han Province, which had lost its ruler.
Without the unified command and resistance of the state lord, the equally vast Incense and Fire Prayer Power of Han Province, which had become scattered and disordered due to the suppression of the divine lord, began to passively and irreversibly converge towards Qi Yun.
The incense offerings of the two states began to flow slowly but steadily in parallel!
When the immense will representing the billions of lives in the two states attempts to converge within the Divine Soul and divine talismans of Qi Yun,
During fusion--
"Buzz!"
A gaze, heavier and more focused than ever before, carrying a clear sense of scrutiny and warning, suddenly descended from the Unseen vast heavens and locked firmly on Qi Yun!
This gaze belongs to the Heaven's Will of the [Lingyong] Great Realm!
The pressure emanating from his gaze far surpassed any previous one, as if the weight of the entire world had shifted slightly, pressing down on Qi Yun's shoulders, causing his divine body to sag, and even the surrounding void groaned under the unbearable weight.
Qi Yun's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly became alert.
However, although Heaven's Will's gaze was extremely heavy, filled with scrutiny and an indifferent majesty, it was merely "watching".
It "watches" the statue of the suppressed Divine Soul of Lord of Han Province, and "watches" the incense offerings of the two states slowly merging under the guidance of Qi Yun.
There was no lightning strike, no backlash from the rules, and no divine power to imprison them.
It seems that Heaven's Will is assessing and weighing the options.
Besides the warning, there seemed to be a hint of contemplation hidden in his eyes.
A moment later, that heavy, sky-like gaze, just as it had come, slowly faded away and disappeared.
The pressure dissipated, as if the suffocating scene just now was merely an illusion.
But Qi Yun knew that it wasn't an illusion.
Heaven's Will noticed it, but did not take action.
"Really----"
Qi Yun in the void, holding the Divine Soul statue that sealed Lord of Han Province, feeling the slow growth still within his body...
As the combined power of the two states' incense offerings gradually merged, a glint of understanding and sharp light flashed in his eyes.
"The Heaven's Will in this realm is not a lifeless entity that cannot adapt to change."
The stagnation of the Divine Dao, internal strife and attrition, may not be what it desires.
There are those who are more powerful and efficient who can integrate the Divine Dao and gather incense offerings, as long as they do not subvert its fundamental rules and refrain from acts of defying the heavens and attacking the Dao.
"Then it would be happy to see it happen?"
Or perhaps it is waiting, waiting for an entity that can truly govern the incense offerings of this world and reach a certain "standard" it requires to appear?
Having figured this out, Qi Yun's calm smile gradually turned aggressive.
Since Heaven's Will is unyielding and the path ahead is clear, what is there to hesitate about?
He slowly raised his other hand, his gaze seemingly piercing through the boundless void, landing on the remaining seven states of the [Lingyong] Great Realm.
"The incense offerings in the two states are only just beginning to take shape."
Qi Yun slightly clenched his five fingers, as if he wanted to grasp the invisible map of the Nine Provinces into his palm.
"If the nine provinces are united, then the world will be in my hands!"