Chapter 162: Majestic Divine Might, Please Annihilate Him!

Thunder entered the water, lending its might to the current.

In an instant, the entire stretch of the river gleamed with the radiance of lightning.

Although the lightning's power was dispersed, its might remained formidable.

The Great Azure Bull, a deity at the peak of the Fourth Heaven and already touching the threshold of the Fifth Heaven, dared not treat this lightly. It enshrouded itself in a thick mist, wrapping a dense layer specifically beneath its four hooves to isolate itself from the electrified water.

Qingyuan had anticipated this. With another retraction of his iron rod, he pressed his left hand forward. Within the Tower of Condensed Dharma, the Black Tortoise of the North abruptly opened its eyes, its dharma intent condensing water.

Before him, the great river surged with towering waves, rushing toward the azure bull.

The torrential waves roared with a momentum surpassing the charge of ten thousand galloping horses.

The villagers on both banks panicked and fled in terror.

The sacrificial tables, incense, candles, wine, melons, fruits, pigs, and sheep were all overturned and scattered by the surging waves and violent tremors.

Utter devastation covered the ground.

...

The azure bull had already been engulfed by the lightning-lit river waves.

However, this old bull at the peak of the Fourth Heaven possessed profound cultivation. Had it been prepared, even a direct strike from the lightning would have only injured it, not killed it. Being swept into these waves could harm it, but not kill it, nor even inflict heavy wounds.

Qingyuan knew this well. Therefore, the moment the waves surged forward, a flash of fire sprang from his palm.

Yet at that exact instant, the river waves violently parted, and a golden light burst forth from within.

The golden light traveled at an extreme speed. The moment it collided with the flame, it instantly extinguished Qingyuan's fire Daoist spell. Retaining its momentum, it hurtled straight toward Qingyuan.

"This is..."

An ancient mirror had already been suspended above Qingyuan's head—old, profound, and unfathomable.

The mirror's light shone down, protecting his entire body.

The beam of golden light arrived so abruptly and swiftly that it left almost no time to react. Although he attempted defense, it was ultimately too late to be timely. The golden light struck a yard in front of Qingyuan and was blocked by the mirror's barrier.

Yet under the impact of the old bull's golden light, Qingyuan's mirror light sank inward slightly.

Only then did Qingyuan discern the true form of the golden light.

It was a bronze ring, its surface mottled and ancient, covered with a layer of golden sheen that made it appear as if forged of pure gold.

From within the river waves came a thunderous, dignified lowing sound reminiscent of a dragon's roar—muffled, heavy, and echoing for dozens of miles.

The golden light on the bronze ring suddenly flared, growing almost blindingly bright.

Consequently, the shimmering, illusory mirror light before Qingyuan sank further and further, nearing his very body.

By this point, Qingyuan had no time to take down the ancient mirror for defense. He reached out, gripped his iron rod tightly, and lashed out fiercely, striking squarely upon the golden light.

A sharp and resounding metallic crash rang out.

The golden light was sent spinning backward through the air.

Meanwhile, the arm with which Qingyuan held the iron rod trembled slightly.

"That bronze ring..." Qingyuan thought to himself, "Is it a magical artifact?"

With his strength, approaching that of a grandmaster of martial arts, he had exerted his utmost power, yet it remained an arduous struggle to bat it away, leaving a lingering, aching numbness in his arm.

Before Qingyuan could catch his breath, a furious roar erupted from the riverbed.

The azure bull burst forth from the water, kicking up towering waves a hundred feet high in a violent surge.

Before the angry roar subsided, it was already ashore, standing directly before Qingyuan.

Atop its head, a pair of horns curved like crescent moons lunged directly toward Qingyuan.

Its massive body possessed robust and vigorous vital energy. Though it appeared clumsy, it moved with a terrifying speed, pressing down with an aura as heavy as a mountain.

Hoofprints were hammered deep into the earth one after another in rapid succession.

Qingyuan nearly held his breath as he swung his rod downward once more with all his might.

The blow struck one of the bull's horns.

The bull's head tilted slightly, its horn blocked by the iron rod.

However, its other horn—originally aimed directly at Qingyuan's heart on his left side—swerved with the tilt and pierced straight through his shoulder blade, protruding out from his back.

Blood stained his long robe.

The old bull let out a deep rumble: "Impertinent, ignorant junior! You indeed possess the skill to surpass ordinary practitioners of the Third Heaven, and the ability to rival a master. But this old bull is not one of those fledglings who have just stepped into this realm!"

It raised its head proudly and roared toward the sky.

And Qingyuan, with his shoulder pierced by its horn, was hoisted into the air.

"This old bull is a demon who has lingered at the peak of the Fourth Heaven for decades!"

...

Everyone witnessing this scene fell into a dead silence, perhaps too terrified to make a sound.

There stood a behemoth by the riverside, with rolling waves churning behind it.

It reared its head proudly, and impaled upon its curved, sharp, spear-like horns was a human being.

That person was drenched in blood, his white robes stained crimson, appearing exceptionally frail and vulnerable before that gigantic form...

"Immortal..."

Su Xiang's face turned ashen white, his legs suddenly buckling beneath him. "Can Mister Bai not defeat it? Is Mister Bai going to die?"

The common folk of Kanling Town experienced a similarly drastic shift in emotions.

The young immortal who had walked upon the water, summoned towering waves, and unleashed lightning—was he unable to defeat the great deity?

Was he about to be slain by the deity?

Some were shocked, some felt disillusioned, some covered their faces, unable to bear the sight, while others mustered their courage and shouted aloud.

"The deity's might is vast and peerless!"

"The god of our Kanling Town shakes heaven and earth, bringing blessings to the people!"

"The rogue immortal overreached himself, disrupting the grand festival and disturbing the great deity! His crime is unforgivable. We beg the great deity to execute him!"

"We beg the great deity to execute him!"

Once a few voices initiated the cry, naturally others chimed in.

Thus, along both banks of the river arose a unanimous chorus begging the great deity to slay this rogue immortal.

"You... you people..."

Su Xiang breathed heavily, his face flushed crimson. The eloquence and passionate arguments he usually took pride in were choked in his throat, unable to be uttered. He growled in a low voice, "How can you do this? How can you..."

Before he could finish, he was shoved down onto the ground.

He struggled fiercely, his cheek pressed flat against the dusty earth.

Then, the cold blade of a knife was pressed against his spine.

"I won't kill you," sighed the man holding the blade. "But the immortal you brought here cannot defeat the great deity. Therefore, you had better act smart."

...

"Did you hear that?"

The azure bull said in a deep voice, "You wanted to protect them, yet they are the ones asking this old bull to kill you."

Qingyuan's expression remained unchanged, his gaze narrowing slightly with a cold, glittering light. By now, his entire body was drenched in blood, and his life hung by a thread.

"Enough," said the azure bull. "Words are pointless... Sacrificing thousands of boys and girls in blood does not compare to the value of your life alone. So then... off you go!"

With that, it lowered its head slightly, channeling its magic into its horns, and instinctively prepared to toss its head.

At that exact moment, Qingyuan whispered softly, "How could it be that simple?"

The azure bull lowered its head, yet its horns felt as if they had been seized tightly in a vise, rendering them almost completely immobile.

It only needed to give a single flick of its head, and its magic-infused horns, acting just like a familiar butcher's blade, would slice this young cultivator in two. Yet no matter how hard it strained, its movements felt sluggish and obstructed.

Because grasping its other horn was a gigantic palm, gripping it tightly and refusing to let it budge an inch.

Qingyuan planted one foot directly upon the whorl-shaped crest at the center of the bull's head, using the leverage to wrench himself free.

"Mere Daoist arts wielded by a Third Heaven practitioner," the azure bull muttered simultaneously, channeling its magic to jerk its head sideways and shatter that gigantic palm.

As it raised its head once more, another palm filled its vision.

Upon that palm, the five fingertips each sprouted a pinpoint of light, each of a distinct hue, dividing the power of the Five Elements.

This palm struck squarely down upon the center of the bull's head where he had previously planted his foot.

With a thunderous crash,

The azure bull was batted away with a single blow, its massive body plunging heavily into the river as waves surged wildly.

Qingyuan stumbled backward, his body drained of strength, and had to support himself with his iron rod.

Panting heavily, he gazed into the river.

The mist at the lower reaches of the river billowed upward before rapidly receding, and the colossal form of the azure bull had vanished.

It had retreated!

(To be continued.)