“Don’t kill me! I promise that from now on, I will never do the slightest harm to humans!”
The piranha’s arrogance vanished in an instant, replaced by humble, groveling pleas.
Chen Ning sneered. “A dog can never change its habit of eating feces. You expect me to believe that a piranha doesn’t eat humans?”
“I really don’t eat humans! No, I’ve never even eaten a human in my life!
Believe me, I was forced into impersonating a fake River God against my will. Truly, I never once thought about harming humans!”
The piranha explained frantically, desperate to prove that not a single word it said was a lie.
“Is that so? In that case, I will give you a chance.
It just so happens that I have two swords here that can distinguish between good and evil. Let them decide your life and death.”
Chen Ning extended his hand, and two rays of light—one black, one white—emerged from his palm.
These two rays of light were connected to the Noble Scholar’s Sword within his sea of consciousness. If the piranha was truly good and benevolent, the White Sword would naturally react. But if the opposite were true...
Buzz!
Sure enough, as it drew close to the piranha, the black ray of light suddenly trembled.
Within his sea of consciousness, the black Noble Scholar’s Sword also hummed and vibrated with fury.
Evidently, the piranha had not only killed humans, but it had also killed quite a few. Even the Noble Scholar’s Sword was provoked to anger by the malevolent qi emanating from its body.
“What a pity. It seems you’ve lost your only chance.”
Chen Ning abruptly exerted force in his grip, instantly rupturing nearly half of the piranha’s internal organs.
“Bastard! Even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!”
Knowing death was inevitable, the piranha’s body violently began to swell.
In the next second.
Bang!
The piranha’s body exploded directly within Chen Ning’s grip.
Yet Chen Ning did not even bother to dodge. A faint golden glow merely flickered across the surface of his body.
The piranha’s self-destruction before death could not even breach his Merit Protection.
【Slew pseudo-River God; obtained Noble Qi * 200】
【Congratulations, Host! Your Divine Ability has mutated】
【Poem and Wine Sword Art → Poem and Wine Sword Art, Blue Lotus Sword Intent (First Tier)】
Sure enough, these pseudo-gods were worth quite a lot.
Yet what caught Chen Ning’s attention even more was the reward below.
“A Divine Ability mutation!”
To think that the Poem and Wine Sword Art, which had already reached Great Perfection, would evolve once again.
After mutating, the Poem and Wine Sword Art was divided into nine tiers, with each tier granting a completely different sword intent.
【Poem and Wine Sword Art, Blue Lotus Sword Intent (First Tier) (0/500)】
Although the Noble Qi required for advancement had sharply increased as a result, Chen Ning was not at all worried about lacking Noble Qi.
After all, within the Imperial Capital, quite a few pseudo-gods still remained.
The power of the piranha’s self-destruction just now was pitifully small; even it probably knew a mere self-destruction couldn’t achieve anything.
Evidently, it had another motive.
Right at that moment, several formidable auras suddenly surged forth simultaneously from near the city gates.
“In which direction was the River God’s self-destruction just now?”
“It seems to be at the River God Temple’s location.”
“Heh. First slaying the Fire God, and now slaying the River God... I’d like to see just what kind of grand figure this person is!”
“No matter who it is, with us joining forces today, they are dead without a doubt!”
Just as Chen Ning had expected, the true purpose behind the piranha’s self-destruction was to summon all the other pseudo-gods here.
By the city gates.
The Thunder God, Rain God, Mountain God, Plague God, Calamity God, Earth God...
In the sky above, a full ten pseudo-god statues were actually descending upon the River God Temple all at once!
Though their true forms were merely monsters attached to statues, after receiving human incense offerings for so long, they had genuinely obtained a measure of pseudo-god power.
These pseudo-god statues looked down disdainfully, their expressions dripping with arrogance.
“I wondered what kind of expert it might be, but to think it’s just a Confucian Cultivator.”
“It’s best not to underestimate him. I sense that this Confucian Cultivator is somewhat extraordinary.”
“I know. It’s just a minor probe.”
The withered, skeletal Plague God Statue reached out a hand, and an eerie green mist instantly enveloped the area downward.
The common people prayed to the Plague God in hopes of staying far away from pestilence and calamity, but this mist was brimming with countless lethal poisons and disasters.
Touching it for even an instant would rot one’s flesh in seconds.
“Pure Breeze in Both Sleeves.”
Chen Ning held his sword across toward the sky and flicked his sleeves gently.
A wisp of pure breeze drifted ethereal and light, instantly blowing away the toxic mist.
Within this very breeze, a crosshatch of Sword Qi flashed, actually shattering the void and slicing one of the Plague God Statue’s arms clean off.
“This guy is definitely not simple!”
The Plague God Statue instantly stiffened, and the other pseudo-gods could not help but turn dead serious in an instant.
Only now did they understand why the two gods of fire and river had met such miserable ends.
This Confucian Cultivator’s strength far exceeded their imagination; they could not underestimate him in the slightest!
“Regardless, there is no way he can contend against all of us at once.”
“Hmph, let’s just crush him directly and not give him any chances!”
The ten pseudo-gods understood full well the principle that villains must not talk too much and villains must never show mercy, quickly reaching a consensus.
“Kill! Join forces together and cut off every single path of survival for him!”
In a flash, toxic mist swirled, lightning flashed and thunder boomed, torrential rain poured down, and the various pseudo-gods held nothing back.
The Mountain God charged at the forefront. His body formed of stone expanded several times over, and by expending Merit Power, the entire surface of his body was coated in a golden-yellow halo, as indestructible as a wall of bronze and iron.
With unified focus, the ten pseudo-gods charged toward Chen Ning from all directions simultaneously.
“Just what happened here?!”
Qin Heng, who had just fetched fine peach blossom brew from the city, happened to witness this scene and looked on in utter shock and disbelief.
Before he left, there had only been a single River God here.
How had ten whole pseudo-gods appeared here in the mere blink of an eye?!
“To hell with it!”
Chen Ning had shown him kindness multiple times; even if it cost him his life, Qin Heng could never commit an act of treachery or abandon him.
Hardening his resolve, he threw caution to the wind and charged directly into the center of the battlefield.
“Brother Chen, catch the wine!”
Summoning all his strength, Qin Heng hurled the wine pot toward Chen Ning.
“To think it’s top-grade peach blossom brew!”
Taking a whiff of the wine in the pot, Chen Ning could not help feeling pleasantly surprised.
Nonchalantly raising the wine pot, he tilted his head back and took a hearty gulp of the fine liquor.
“Good wine!”
By the time the Noble Scholar’s Sword materialized in his hand, Chen Ning was already in a pleasantly tipsy state.
His body swayed unsteadily, struggling even to keep his balance.
Yet, the ten pseudo-gods suddenly sensed something strange.
“Something’s wrong! Why is his state completely different after drinking wine compared to before?!”
“This feeling... Even with the ten of us joining forces, I actually feel dread!”
“Not good, there’s definitely something bizarre going on!”
Clang!
Right at that moment.
Under the night sky, that pitch-black Noble Scholar’s Sword suddenly let out a sharp sword cry that pierced straight through the sky!
Rate on N.U.
