Chapter 386: Advantage Is Mine
Chapter 386: The Advantage Is Mine
The once idyllic White Country Village was now enveloped in an atmosphere of extreme tension.
"Wolf pack! The wolves from the mountains are attacking!"
"Call all the able-bodied men! Grab your tools and head to the village entrance!"
"Hurry, send someone to contact the temple attendant! Everyone, don't worry! With the temple attendant here and the Earth God protecting us, mere wolves can't harm us!"
When Lü Yang cautiously extended his divine sense to observe, he saw over a dozen giant wolves, each the size of a calf, surrounding the entire village. Their crimson eyes gleamed menacingly as their howls and growls sent waves of panic through the elderly, women, and children in the village.
The people's hearts were unsettled.
"So that's it. The foundation of incense offerings lies in the hearts of the people. That's why the Earth God Temple trembled. If I don't manifest my divine power, the incense offerings will scatter..."
Mortals were pragmatic.
If you were useful, they would believe in you. If you weren't, they would naturally turn to someone else who was. With hearts wavering, the divine realm of incense offerings naturally became unstable.
Having understood the situation, Lü Yang finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, at least it's not someone plotting against me..."
After calming himself, Lü Yang couldn't help but feel a bit helpless. It wasn't that he was overly paranoid—he had simply been burned too many times.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
"Earth Deity, Earth God, protect our homes and people, manifest your divine power..."
The voice penetrated directly into the Earth God Temple, causing the incense offerings directed at the [White Country Village Earth God] to surge violently, as if about to rush outward in waves.
Lü Yang looked out—
An elderly Daoist priest, around fifty or sixty years old, stood before the temple, holding three incense sticks. He reverently placed them into the incense burner.
Yet, the White Country Village Earth God was currently unconscious. Without his permission, how could someone else manipulate these incense offerings?
"Temple attendant..."
Lü Yang quickly retrieved the old Daoist's identity from the Earth God's memories. A temple attendant was a low-level practitioner within the divine path system.
"They don't gather incense offerings themselves but instead attach themselves to incense deities, using [Divine Invocation] to borrow the deities' magic power and divine abilities. Their strength depends entirely on the incense deity they serve. If it were the temple attendant of a city god, under [Divine Invocation], they might even rival a late-stage Foundation Establishment Grand True Person?"
With this thought, Lü Yang immediately summoned Ancestor Nether Whisper.
Understanding his intent, Ancestor Nether Whisper released a stream of incense divine power, replacing that of the White Country Village Earth God and bestowing it upon the old Daoist outside.
"Hmm?"
In the next moment, the murmuring old Daoist suddenly paused, a flicker of confusion flashing in his eyes. But he quickly regained his composure.
The safety of the village came first—everything else was secondary.
"Thank you, Earth God!"
With these words, the old Daoist straightened his posture and strode confidently toward the village entrance under the empowerment of incense divine power, ready to fend off the wolf attack.
"Though not deliberately targeting me, this is clearly harmful to White Country Village."
Lü Yang pondered, then raised his gaze toward a small mountain peak about a thousand miles away from the village. There, two figures stood.
Though they seemed to have concealed themselves, their methods were crude.
"Perhaps this is also an opportunity—a chance to witness the methods of Seven Luminaries Heaven's divine path cultivators firsthand, lest I stumble in the gutter later."
As he contemplated, Lü Yang began making arrangements.
Long Yue at late-stage Foundation Establishment, the Mending Heaven Peak Master at mid-stage, Ancestor Nether Whisper, Dragon Maiden Sui Ling, and over ten scattered early-stage Foundation Establishment monstrous cultivators...
The Myriad Spirits Banner and all its Foundation Establishment banner spirits—deployed for battle!
If the enemy proved too formidable and he couldn't handle them, he would immediately retreat, having Ancestor Nether Whisper carry him away while the other banner spirits covered their escape!
On the mountain peak Lü Yang had been observing earlier, two Daoist priests sat cross-legged. Before them, an incense burner emitted smoke, which they continuously inhaled, their faces flushing with vitality.
After a while, the two Daoists opened their eyes simultaneously.
One of them formed hand seals, causing a longsword behind him to unsheathe with a crisp ring, its blade radiating sharp sword qi infused with rolling incense offerings.
"...Senior Brother Lin, what divine skill!"
The other Daoist couldn't help but show envy. "This [Righteous Sword Technique to Break Evil]—I've practiced it for years and still haven't mastered it..."
Lin Sheng smiled faintly, a trace of pride hidden beneath his refined demeanor. "I've merely been at it a few years longer than you, Junior Brother Wang. With diligence and devotion to our White Lotus Sect's teachings, you'll surely catch up in time."
"May your words prove auspicious..."
Wang Anping's spirits lifted slightly at this encouragement.
Then, he retrieved a bronze bell from his belongings, channeled all his incense divine power into it, and shook it vigorously.
This treasure was called the [Beast Summoning Bell].
As its name suggested, it could command wild beasts in the mountains. Empowered by incense divine power, it had summoned the wolf pack now besieging White Country Village.
"Senior Brother, why go through all this trouble?"
Wang Anping asked curiously while activating the treasure. "With our cultivation, we're no weaker than that White Country Village Earth God. Would he dare refuse us?"
"If he submits, it'd be even more troublesome!"
Lin Sheng shook his head and sneered. "What we want isn't just an Earth God—we want White Country Village itself, its incense offerings."
"If he submits, how can we spread our teachings?"
Wang Anping still didn't quite understand. "In that case, why not just kill him? Once he's gone, who would dare oppose our preaching?"
"No one would dare oppose us, true."
Lin Sheng's voice remained calm. "But if we start preaching right after the Earth God's death, wouldn't these stubborn villagers see through it? Even if they believe, it wouldn't be genuine faith!"
"Incense offerings gained this way would be tainted with too many impurities, lacking purity."
"So the best method is what I'm doing—first, send a few demonic beasts into the village, let some people die, and shake the Earth God's foundation of incense offerings."
"Over time, as more deaths occur, faith in the Earth God will wane. We need only wait until the village is pushed to the brink before stepping in to save them from disaster. Naturally, we'll win their hearts and turn White Country Village into a stronghold for our White Lotus Sect."
Saving them from calamity—never mind who caused the calamity.
However, in the next moment, Lin Sheng's confident smile froze.
A sudden change had occurred in the battle between the villagers and the wolves.
The old Daoist, empowered by Lü Yang's incense divine power, now fought like a deity descended to earth. Alone, he charged into the wolf pack, his fists effortlessly crushing two giant wolves to death.
"It's the Earth God's temple attendant."
"Hmph, so he's made his move."
Lin Sheng's expression darkened. "No matter. Let's secretly intervene and seal his Earth God Temple, cutting off his divine power. The outcome will remain the same!"
He and his junior brother were both elite members of the White Lotus Sect's younger generation.
Young and talented, favored by the Divine Lord—though they were merely temple attendants, their strength rivaled that of Earth Gods. Even a county city god wouldn't necessarily be their match.
What could a mere White Country Village possibly throw at them?
Could they possibly produce several county city gods out of thin air?
The advantage was theirs!
"Boom!"
With that, he mounted his flying sword, channeling rolling incense divine power into the blade. In an instant, it transformed into a dazzling sword rainbow, descending upon White Country Village.
The two Daoists concealed themselves with divine power, invisible to mortals. In a flash, they arrived before the Earth God Temple, forcefully breaking through its barriers and barging inside, their voices booming like thunder:
"White Country Village Earth God! We are—are—are..."
Their voices abruptly cut off.
Because what met their eyes was not the pitiful, helpless Earth God they had imagined, but a dense, endless sea of terrifying figures.
All of them were now staring straight at the intruders.
At that moment, Lin Sheng and Wang Anping felt a bone-chilling coldness spread from their hearts to their limbs, shooting straight to the tops of their skulls, making their teeth chatter uncontrollably.
In the end, all they could manage was a single, strangled sound:
"Ah?"