Ascension Day

Pinned under a willow tree, City God Xue Ling Mansion saw Xu Ying dragging Da Zhong closer. The City God shot upright and laughed heartily. "The Yin Court is blessed beyond measure! Today, I shall capture Xu Ying!"

Just a moment ago, he and Zhou Yihang had attacked in unison, intending to kill Xu Ying, but had accidentally struck Da Zhong instead. The bell’s recoil had nearly shattered the Golden Body he had painstakingly cultivated for five hundred years, and the Incense Smoke Qi accumulated in his Shen Kan had been almost blasted to dust!

Fortunately, the Earth God had just been in the temple bestowing divinity upon Huang Sanduo, so he was still nearby. Seeing the City God was injured, the Earth God quickly scurried out, placed a few sticks of incense in the Shen Kan, and made an offering to him.

After receiving the incense offering, the City God could finally catch his breath. He gathered his scattered Incense Smoke Qi and stabilized his Golden Body.

For Xu Ying to run toward him now was like walking right into a trap. Even for a City God as composed and calculating as he was, he couldn’t help but beam with joy.

Before he could even get to his feet, Xu Ying was only twenty or thirty feet away. The young man was turning as he ran!

City God Xue Ling Mansion had just stood up, the smile still blooming on his face, when he saw Da Zhong swinging toward him!

"My lord, block it!" the Earth God cried out in a panic.

City God Xue Ling Mansion remained calm in the face of danger, immediately mobilizing his remaining Incense Smoke Qi to form a large shield at his side.

BAM!

The shield was crushed by the great bell, and the copper bell continued its swing. City God Xue Ling Mansion ducked his head and hunched his shoulders, preparing to brace for the impact while simultaneously reaching out with his left hand to grab Xu Ying.

With the shield as a buffer, he was knocked dizzy but suffered no major injury.

Zhou Yihang saw this from a distance and thought with a sinking feeling, ’Xue Ling Mansion has the Earth God making him offerings. He’s recovering faster than I am! I’m afraid Xu Ying is about to fall into his hands!’

However, Xu Ying was like a wild spinning top, rotating furiously as he charged forward. City God Xue Ling Mansion had just blocked the copper bell’s strike when he saw Da Zhong whip around for another attack, moving so fast he couldn’t even track it!

If his eyes couldn’t keep up, what hope did his hands and feet have?

City God Xue Ling Mansion managed to block the copper bell’s second strike, but he couldn’t block the third, fourth, or fifth. He was sent tumbling through the air!

The moment he was airborne, he was struck several more times by Da Zhong, sending him flying even faster and slamming him brutally toward the temple!

The Earth God had been hiding behind the City God. With Xue Ling Mansion sent flying, how could he expect to fare any better? He too was sent flying by a swing of the bell and vanished from sight.

Zhou Yihang saw the City God flying toward him and hastily dodged. With a loud CRASH, the City God slammed into the temple wall.

Xu Ying charged forward, dragging the bell. Before he even got close, he threw himself horizontal, pushed off the ground with one hand, and began to spin rapidly, parallel to the ground!

Da Zhong was also swung up into a whistling spin, smashing against the temple wall with a CLANG and driving City God Xue Ling Mansion, along with the wall itself, into the ground!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

A series of explosive sounds rang out. Half of City God Xue Ling Mansion’s Golden Body had been brutally shattered!

Zhou Yihang was mobilizing his Mud Ball Secret Treasury, desperately trying to repair his Flesh Body, when suddenly Xu Ying flipped upside down, spinning like a windmill. Da Zhong came whistling through the air and smashed right into him!

’I’m done for this time,’ a chill ran through Zhou Yihang’s heart as Da Zhong slammed viciously into him, sending him hurtling through the air.

Having sent Zhou Yihang flying, Xu Ying immediately spun around and swung Da Zhong toward the City God, giving neither of them a moment’s rest.

Zhou Yihang hit the ground, spitting blood. Glimpsing Xu Ying charging toward him, he shouted, "City God Xue, our only chance of survival is to team up!"

Half of City God Xue Ling Mansion’s Golden Body had been shattered, and the other half was in tatters. His Incense Smoke Qi was dissipating, and he could barely hold on. Hearing Zhou Yihang’s shout, he instantly knew that his old rival was also at the end of his rope.

’If we don’t team up,’ he thought, ’we’re really going to be beaten to death by this junior right here in Huangtianpu Town!’

At this thought, he gathered his remaining Magical Power. His Incense Smoke Qi transformed into a massive hand, over ten feet wide, that reached into the temple.

The newly appointed Temple God, Huang Sanduo, was hiding inside the temple watching the battle when he saw the City God’s huge hand reach for him. He was seized in its grip.

Huang Sanduo cried out in panic, "City God Xue, remember me? I’ve given you offerings before!"

"I know," the City God replied. "And that’s why I’ll be borrowing your life!"

Using all his strength, City God Xue Ling Mansion hurled him straight at Xu Ying!

Xu Ying was in the middle of swinging the bell to smash Zhou Yihang when he glimpsed the two-faced, six-armed Divine Statue flying at him. He quickly spun and met Huang Sanduo with Da Zhong.

Da Zhong crashed into the Divine Statue, which immediately shattered. Huang Sanduo was only a fledgling Divine Spirit who had just begun to enjoy a sliver of Incense and Candlelight. His divine body was destroyed, his Divine Soul obliterated, and a single speck of his Undying True Spirit flew off toward the Underworld.

However, this brief delay gave Zhou Yihang the moment he needed to recover. He immediately mobilized his remaining Magical Power, activated the East Lord Heaven-Suppressing Seal, and struck Da Zhong with his palm.

DONG!

Da Zhong let out an earth-shattering boom. The terrifying power that erupted from the East Lord Heaven-Suppressing Seal sent it flying, tumbling end over end into the sky.

Xu Ying wasn’t hit directly by the East Lord Heaven-Suppressing Seal, but he felt an irresistible force wash over him, sweeping him up and sending him spinning helplessly through the air.

’This is bad!’ the young man thought. ’I can make Da Zhong perform all sorts of maneuvers, but that also means Da Zhong can drag me along with it.’

Da Zhong fell to the ground, bounced once on the street, and then rolled for several hundred feet.

Xu Ying crashed to the ground along with it, bouncing and then rolling for several hundred feet.

Zhou Yihang and City God Xue Ling Mansion stared blankly for a moment, then came to a sudden realization. ’So that’s how we have to deal with him!’

Xu Ying pushed himself up with both hands and got to his feet, warily eyeing the two of them.

Zhou Yihang and Xue Ling Mansion struggled to their feet, but neither of them advanced. Even though they were the top experts in Lingling, both were now completely spent. They knew how to counter Xu Ying, but they also knew that if one of them charged forward without the other’s support, they would most likely just be beaten down by Xu Ying and his bell.