Chapter 204: Heavenly Court of Blue Sea
Commander Mo Yuxuan had earned the privilege of striking first thanks to her [Lightning] ability.
In truth, she could still unleash more lightning.
In the previous world, Mo Yuxuan had already advanced to Tier 5. Back then, she had needed to exhaust every last ounce of her strength just to summon 161 pillars of lightning. For the current her, that was practically child’s play.
Her current record for the most lightning pillars summoned in a single attack was 572.
Even so, she still preferred the nickname 161. Every time someone called her that, it reminded her of just how clever she’d been back then, and how she’d given everything she had when faced with a choice in order to secure the opportunity to join Blue Sea.
—Every time someone called her 161, the nickname reminded Mo Yuxuan that she’d made the right choice.
Previously, she’d always been acting on her own. Now, at long last, she finally had the opportunity to repay Blue Sea, heed their God’s divine oracle, and complete a Safe City mission.
She felt full of energy. She was absolutely certain she could use this tree demon as an opportunity to surpass her record of 572 lightning pillars.
But Mo Yuxuan forcibly suppressed the urge to keep unleashing lightning.
After all, according to Blue Sea’s plan, the defining characteristic of the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals was that they fought in overwhelming numbers.
In a world with a divine system, the way ordinary people perceived the gods was very important. So once a god established a particular image or set of rules for themselves, it was best not to change them.
—At least, not publicly.
Therefore, although any one of them could have taken on the crippled tree demon below and held their own, they had still gathered together and come as a lively group.
Mo Yuxuan had summoned only a dozen or so pillars of lightning in that very short span of time before stopping.
—She had to give her other colleagues a chance to show off, too.
Before joining Blue Sea, her approach to combat had been simple: if she could use her supernatural ability, she’d use it.
But after spending enough time in Blue Sea, Mo Yuxuan had gradually picked up the habits of its residents. As long as it wouldn’t affect the outcome of a battle, if she could get her hands dirty, she’d go straight into hand-to-hand combat.
This was not only a great way to relieve stress, but also made her feel increasingly secure as her combat power continued to rise.
If Mo Yuxuan ever encountered an ability user of the same tier who also wielded lightning, she was confident she could beat them.
Besides, there was something genuinely satisfying about landing solid punches!
—And if there was no flesh to punch, pounding tree roots felt pretty good, too.
The City God of Qingtian County, the Mountain Lord, and the passing human cultivator had yet to recover from the sight of a whole host of heavenly gods, their golden bodies so dazzling they hurt the eyes, descending from the sky.
Then a deafening shout suddenly rang out.
“Monster! How dare you wreak havoc!”
The voice was provided courtesy of Xiong Cuicancan, a Tier 4 [Sound Wave] ability user.
With her [Sound Wave] ability cranked up to the maximum, her voice boomed like the heavens themselves were thundering, pouring directly into the ears of every human and deity present.
Even the City God, who held an actual divine office, had his mind shaken into disarray for a moment by the sheer force of that voice, to say nothing of the ordinary mortals in Qingtian County.
Some had already fled to open ground. Others remained beside their destroyed homes, desperately trying to lift the rubble and rescue family members trapped beneath it. Still others were pinned under slabs of stone or fallen beams, struggling in vain to crawl free.
Qingtian County had been in complete chaos, with panic and confusion permeating every corner. Yet beneath that thunderous shout, everyone fell silent for a brief moment.
Of course, they had only quieted down to hear what the voice was shouting.
If it had been, “Mortals, not a single one of you will escape!” the common people would have immediately panicked and started running for their lives.
But since the shout was, “Monster! How dare you wreak havoc!” even the most terrified civilians could tell that whoever stood behind that voice had come to help them.
Even those who hadn’t noticed the commotion in the sky instinctively looked upward at the sound.
The Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals, their golden forms gleaming brilliantly, were as conspicuous as bright white lights in the dead of night.
“Heavenly gods!”
“The heavenly gods have come to exterminate the demon!”
The common people erupted into cheers.
It was no wonder the people were so overjoyed. The very first thing the tree demon had done upon arriving in Qingtian County was destroy the City God’s temple.
Ordinary people might not understand how the divine system worked, but they knew one thing very well: under normal circumstances, the most powerful deity in a county was its City God.
It didn’t take much imagination to figure out that if the County City God were still around and had been fighting the tree demon, then if he were strong enough to win, his own temple wouldn’t have been demolished.
And with the tree demon’s roots spreading throughout the entirety of Qingtian County, there was nowhere left for them to flee.
Now, seeing heavenly gods descend from the sky, the people might not recognize them, but just looking at their dazzling golden forms was enough to tell them that these were undoubtedly figures of great importance.
From the civilians’ distant vantage point, the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals stood together, their brilliant golden radiance resembling a flourishing golden tree.
Then, one heavenly god after another fluttered down like golden leaves, swiftly taking up positions above the tree demon’s roots, which had spread in every direction.
Some of them raised spears, others lifted long sabers, while still others unfurled whips. A few even gripped cudgels in their hands.
They issued no loud commands, yet they rotated positions, advanced and retreated, and moved in perfect unison, their actions coordinated as though they were of one mind.
When one unleashed a sharp attack, another nearby would immediately raise a hand in perfect understanding, blocking the roots’ escape route. When one charged forward, several others would cover the rear. Despite hundreds of people taking part in the battle, not the slightest hint of disorder could be seen.
Their pure golden divine power clearly belonged to each heavenly god individually. Yet as they continued their assault, from a distance, it appeared as though their power had never been separate at all.
As their forces flowed, converged, and spread apart, in a mere instant, their pure golden divine power had woven a vast net around the tree demon.
Only after the net was complete did the heavenly gods raise their hands in unison. Almost simultaneously, they severed root after root, cutting off every avenue through which the tree demon could resist.
Even an ordinary mortal watching from the sidelines could tell that the tree demon was doomed to lose.
From the perspective of Blue Sea’s residents, this was just immensely satisfying.
But from the perspective of the locals, the spectacle was so dazzling that their eyes could barely keep up.
At this point, only a dozen or so breaths had passed since the heavenly gods arrived.
“Goodness! Goodness gracious…”
The tiger demon Mountain Lord had spent his entire life living deep in the mountains. Although he had lived for several hundred years, he honestly hadn’t seen much of the world. All he could do was stare with his tiger eyes wide open, marveling at how two fights could be so different. They were both battles, so why did these heavenly gods make fighting look so beautiful, so pleasing to the eye?
He wanted to say something complimentary, but as a tiger who had never received an education, he struggled for a long time and could only manage a few more exclamations of “Goodness gracious!”
The County City God was no less overwhelmed.
He was certainly educated, but his mind was in too much turmoil today. After all, it was His own territory that had been smashed to pieces.
His City God temple was still nothing but a pile of rubble. If He hadn’t been appointed by imperial decree and protected by the imperial dragon qi, He would probably have kicked the bucket long ago.
Now, with help suddenly arriving, He was just as awestruck by the spectacle. But after being thrown through such extreme ups and downs, He could barely find the presence of mind to feel grateful, excited, or even relieved. He simply had no mental energy left to carefully figure out what kind of heavenly forces these soldiers descending from the sky actually were.
The human cultivator, on the other hand, had traveled far and wide and seen plenty of the world. He was educated, and since Qingtian County wasn’t his hometown, he could assess the situation with a clear head.
As he watched the hundreds of heavenly gods fight with such effortless ease and perfect coordination, he couldn’t help growing more and more excited. At the same time, however, he fell into deep thought.
“Looking at them, why do these heavenly gods seem so much like soldiers?”
There was nothing strange about a deity resembling a soldier. Some gods had once been mortals who died on the battlefield. Thanks to the killing intent they had accumulated during their lifetimes, they tended to retain more clarity of mind than other wandering spirits. If they happened upon the right opportunity, they might even become minor deities.
However, after becoming gods, these minor deities were usually bound to their local territories and forbidden from wandering freely.
Besides, how could several hundred soldiers possibly ascend to godhood all at once?
And these heavenly gods were exceptionally valiant. They weren’t constrained by territorial boundaries, either. Instead, they had descended directly from the heavens.
Their fighting style, their practiced coordination, their full suits of armor, and the weapons in their hands…
—It was almost as if their divine office was that of “soldiers.”
Did such a divine office even exist?
The human cultivator, Jing Weizi, racked his brains, recalling the Record of the Gods preserved in his sect’s archives. Yet he simply couldn’t match them to any known divine office.
Looking at them individually, every one of these heavenly gods appeared to possess combat strength no weaker than that of Qingtian County’s Day and Night Patrol Gods. In a small county, any one of them could serve as its principal deity. So what had brought them all together?
Gods had always governed their own territories. What, then, had prompted these several hundred terrifyingly powerful heavenly gods to rush to Qingtian County’s aid when disaster struck?
If they truly were “soldiers,” then with such overwhelming numbers and such formidable strength, which “general” was leading them?
While Jing Weizi pondered these questions, the tree demon that had stretched across the entirety of Qingtian County was swiftly torn apart by the golden, glittering heavenly gods.
He had already guessed how things would end. Even so, when he actually witnessed the tree demon that had rampaged throughout Qingtian County for half a day crash to the ground, transforming from a “terrifying tree demon” into “high-quality lumber,” Jing Weizi couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath.
Thirty breaths.
It was now precisely the thirtieth breath since the heavenly gods had descended.
He had practically forgotten to breathe. All he could do was feel grateful that these heavenly gods were righteous deities.
The world was in chaos. Now that he had fortuitously encountered such a large gathering of righteous deities, all of whom possessed the power to transform the very territories they occupied and boasted such formidable strength, if he could establish ties with even one or two of them—
Just as he was thinking this, an exceedingly obsequious voice suddenly rang out beside him.
“Oh my! My deepest gratitude to all you revered deities! Thank you all for saving Qingtian County! If not for your intervention, I’m afraid not a single person in the entire county would have survived today!”
As he spoke, the County City God broke into a quick trot, running past Jing Weizi toward the glittering golden heavenly gods.
He was a deity, after all. He could have floated or flown straight over to them, yet he actually ran the entire way on his own two feet.
Once he reached them, the County City God bowed repeatedly in a flurry of respectful salutes.
“Thanks to the gracious intervention of all you exalted deities, this humble god has been able to survive this calamity. To have the honor of meeting you exalted deities today is a blessing this humble god must have cultivated over several lifetimes. I know my divine power is meager, but should you exalted deities have any orders for me, simply give the word. I would gladly give my life a thousand times over to carry them out.”
Jing Weizi: “…”
The look he gave the County City God was even more incredulous than the one he’d worn while watching hundreds of heavenly gods battle the tree demon just moments earlier.
Was this really the same County City God who, just an hour ago, had worn a resolute expression and stood with an air of unshakable determination as he declared, “This demon wants the lives of every single person in Qingtian County. Even if I have to exhaust all my divine power today, I will never let it have its way”?
The giant tiger Mountain Lord beside him was also staring with its tiger eyes wide open.
It wasn’t surprised by the County City God’s superb talent for flattery. Rather, it wanted to approach the heavenly gods but didn’t quite dare.
After all, gods and demons were natural enemies. When some gods encountered a demon, they might investigate first. If it turned out to be a good demon, they would leave it alone. But other gods had much fiercer tempers and would kill any demon on sight.
The reason the Mountain Lord hadn’t been afraid of this happening in Qingtian County before was that the County City God couldn’t beat it.
But that glittering golden crowd up ahead could clearly turn it into a dried tiger carcass without breaking a sweat.
It didn’t dare risk approaching them, but it didn’t dare run away, either.
After all, it tended to judge others by its own standards. If it were lying in the mountains with a full stomach, minding its own business, and a wild boar suddenly spotted it and came charging over in a panic, there was probably an eighty percent chance it would lunge forward and sink its teeth into the boar.
While the Mountain Lord hesitated over what to do, the County City God on the other side had not only finished showering the heavenly gods with flattery, but had also taken the opportunity to introduce the two of them.
“There is something you exalted deities may not know. That giant tiger over there is Qingtian County’s Mountain Lord. It receives offerings from the common people and is therefore also something of a mountain god to this county. That is why it came to our aid when Qingtian County fell into peril.
“As for that cultivator, he is Jing Weizi, a disciple of Qing Si Temple. And this is the Broom God. Just like all you exalted deities, they saw the tree demon wreaking havoc and stepped in to help.
“If not for all of you today, I’m afraid Qingtian County would have ceased to exist altogether.”
Gods could cry, too. The County City God was crying so hard that tears and snot streamed down His face. His expression was full of gratitude as He repeatedly bowed to the several people who had come to help.
In the course of His words, He had subtly grouped Song Xi, the Broom God, the cultivator Jing Weizi, and the giant tiger Mountain Lord together with the several hundred heavenly gods, placing them all on the same side.
The Mountain Lord hadn’t understood what He was doing, but Jing Weizi saw through it. He realized that the County City God was worried these obviously powerful and domineering heavenly gods might kill the Mountain Lord on sight. So He was establishing the Mountain Lord’s identity in advance, vouching for him before anything happened.
As for the heavenly gods clad in glittering golden armor, it was hard to tell whether they hadn’t noticed the City God’s little maneuver or had noticed but simply didn’t care.
One of the heavenly gods spoke.
“Subduing demons and exorcising evil spirits is a god’s duty. City God, there’s no need for such formalities.”
The County City God thought to Himself that subduing demons and exorcising evil spirits was indeed a god’s duty, but gods generally subdued demons and exorcised evil spirits within their own territories.
—It wasn’t that gods were overly possessive of their turf. It was simply that most deities could only remain near their own statues.
Besides, even if a god could travel freely, their divine power came from the local believers who worshipped them. If they went off to help the people in another region drive away demons, leaving their own territory unattended, they might return to find their home in ruins. Wouldn’t that make them complete fools?
The County City God wasn’t particularly powerful. Having finally encountered a group willing to travel elsewhere to help, He naturally went out of His way to show them the utmost respect.
Only after another round of profuse thanks and flattering praise did He cautiously ask, “I wonder, exalted deities, have you come to our county on some business, or were you merely passing through when you decided to lend us a hand?”
“If, if you do have business to attend to, this humble god will gladly follow any orders you give!”
He was probing their origins.
Xiong Cuicancan’s voice was naturally loud even when she wasn’t using her ability, so she was the one who handled external communications.
She let out a hearty laugh.
“We weren’t passing through. We came here in response to a summons.”
Song Xi had already walked over, carrying her two enormous brooms.
“I was the one who called for reinforcements from above.”
The County City God stared at Her in bewilderment.
What did She mean, calling for reinforcements from above?
Wasn’t She the Broom God?
Song Xi cupped Her hands in a salute.
“The situation was urgent just now, so I didn’t have time to introduce myself. Lord City God should know by now that I am the Broom God.”
“But I am not a naturally born deity. I am the Broom God serving under the Great Luo Heavenly Court of Blue Sea.”
She pointed toward the several hundred glittering golden heavenly gods beside Her.
“These are the Heavenly Soldiers and Heavenly Generals of the Great Luo Heavenly Court of Blue Sea.”
