“What kind of joke are you making? I am the genuine Fire God!”
Although the Fire God Statue spoke this way, it could no longer conceal its panic.
There was no other choice; it could only use that ahead of time...
The Fire God Statue suddenly shouted toward the outside of the temple:
“Quick, come stop this human! He is committing deicide right now!
If I am killed, not only you, but the entire capital—even the whole Xuanfeng Dynasty—will bear the sin of slaying a god because of him!
When that time comes, the entire dynasty will suffer crop failures year after year, plagues will run rampant, and it will ultimately perish in the fires of war!”
The moment the Fire God Statue’s voice fell, an eerie red glow flashed without warning in the eyes of everyone who had received a brand on their bodies.
These people had originally been terrified of the Fire God Temple that had turned into a sea of fire, but in an instant, they believed the Fire God Statue’s words without question.
“Quick, let Lord Fire God go! Do you dare slay a god and anger the Heavenly Dao?”
“Fight this bastard to the death! I don’t want to be buried alongside him!”
Just as the irrational crowd was about to charge toward the temple, Chen Ning struck abruptly, accurately seizing the figure hidden within the Fire God Statue.
“This is the Lord Fire God, the deity you speak of?”
What Chen Ning pulled out from the Fire God Statue was surprisingly a large gray-furred rat!
“Let me go! Let me go!”
The sharp, screeching voice of the gray rat as it struggled was identical to the voice the Fire God Statue had spoken with earlier.
Having lost its true body, the Fire God Statue quickly collapsed and disintegrated, turning into a pile of ashes.
“A rat? The Fire God we have been worshiping was actually a rat?”
“That’s right! The feeling coming from this rat is indeed identical to Lord Fire God!”
Only at this moment did the red glow in the believers’ eyes quietly fade away, restoring their rationality.
Thinking about how they had been led around by the nose by a rat, even offering up their entire life savings, the believers felt their worldviews shatter completely.
Chen Ning sneered as he looked at the gray rat in his hand:
“At first, I only casually called you a rat, but I didn't expect you to actually be one.
It looks like you have some cultivation, but a mere rat doesn't have the strength to impersonate the Fire God on its own.
Speak. Who is backing you up?”
The gray rat struggled in terror, but trembled and said:
“Rest assured, even if you kill me, I won't say a single word.”
“An opening!”
Right at that moment, a sharp golden spike suddenly grew out from the gray rat's back, piercing straight through Chen Ning's palm in an instant.
“Haha, you didn't expect that, did you? I still have quite a bit of Incense Faith Power stored in my body!
Wanting to capture this god? You're a hundred years too early!”
Seizing this opportunity, the gray rat broke free from Chen Ning's grip, letting out a mocking laugh.
“Not good!”
Qin Heng reacted abruptly, hastily drawing the short blade at his waist and throwing it at the gray rat.
The blade pinned the gray rat's tail directly into the ground, but without hesitation, the gray rat severed its tail to survive, soon fleeing into the woods dragging its half-tail behind it.
“Damn it, that cunning thing actually got away!”
It was already too late to give chase, and Qin Heng gritted his teeth in frustration.
With the gray rat having completely vanished without a trace, he could only return to the edge of the Fire God Temple, which had been reduced to ruins, and quickly asked:
“Brother Chen, is the wound on your hand alright?”
“It's fine, just a minor wound. I happen to have some healing medicine gifted by a friend.”
Chen Ning took out the Jade Dew Nectar he had previously obtained from the Vine Demon.
After pouring a few drops of the translucent Jade Dew Nectar onto the wound, accompanied by a cool sensation, the injury on Chen Ning's hand quickly began to heal.
Before long, the flesh and blood regrew, until the wound was virtually invisible.
It seemed the Vine Demon hadn't lied to him; this bottle of Jade Dew Nectar was indeed good stuff.
“What miraculous spirit medicine!”
Only then did Qin Heng relax, though he still seemed somewhat unwilling:
“It's just a pity that gray rat was so cunning that it still managed to escape.
If it continues impersonating a deity in other temples, I'm afraid the trouble will be endless.”
“Don't worry, it won't have that chance anymore.”
“Won't have the chance?”
Qin Heng hesitated for a moment, then suddenly had an epiphany.
“Could it be that in order to find the real culprit behind the scenes, Brother Chen let it escape on purpose just now?!”
“Naturally.”
Chen Ning smiled with breezy nonchalance.
If he had wanted to, there were countless ways he could have easily caught that fake Fire God back.
Chen Ning had already branded the gray rat's body with the Blue Lotus Fire Seal.
Not only could Chen Ning clearly sense its current position through the fire seal, but with a mere thought, he could reduce it to ashes at any time.
The reason he hadn't killed it yet was to take advantage of this opportunity to see who was hiding behind these fake gods.
At this moment, Qin Heng suddenly realized a problem:
“Wait, but what if I had successfully intercepted and killed that rat just now? Wouldn't Brother Chen's plan have been ruined?”
Chen Ning merely smiled and didn't answer.
“Could it be...”
After pondering for a moment, Qin Heng suddenly felt terribly awkward:
“Don't tell me... that my inability to catch it was also within Brother Chen's expectations?”
Nothing was more awkward than the sudden silence in the air.
Looking at the silent Chen Ning, Qin Heng immediately felt an overwhelming wave of shame.
“How about when Brother Chen accepts the Little Princess as a disciple, you take me in as well while you're at it?”
Chen Ning: “...”
He hadn't wanted to hurt this brother's self-esteem, but remaining silent seemed to have made him question his life even more.
...
Meanwhile, at Prince Qian Manor.
The large gray rat leaped over the wall, dragging its mangled, bloody half-tail.
“The Fire God Temple was actually burned down? What on earth happened just now?”
In the inner courtyard, a young man clad in a brocade robe immediately furrowed his brows.
He was none other than Prince Qian's eldest son, Qian Wenyao.
The gray rat said resentfully:
“An outrageously strong bastard of a Confucian Cultivator smashed my statue! Fortunately, I kept a trick up my sleeve, or else I might have died there on the spot.”
“A Confucian Cultivator?”
Hearing this, Qian Wenyao was startled:
“Then you actually dared to flee to my place? What if pursuers are trailing you?”
“Don't worry, I already checked multiple times. Absolutely no one is following me.”
The gray rat sneered disdainfully:
“Hehe, since I managed to escape, that bastard won't be arrogant for long.
As long as I find any other temple to gather strength, it won't be long before I make a comeback and repay today's grudge in full!”
But right the moment those words left its mouth, the gray rat suddenly felt a searing heat within its abdomen.
“Strange, what is this sensation?”
Amidst its bewilderment, the burning sensation grew increasingly intense.
In an instant, a burst of flames ignited from deep within its internal organs.
“Th-this is—!”
The gray rat was immediately overcome with terror, its eyes widening in agony.
In the next second, a cyan flame tore through its body, incinerating it to ashes in the blink of an eye!
Rate on N.U.
