Chapter 740 - 396: City God (2)

As the Mountain and River Order appeared, the City God tapped it. A rumble like the beat of war drums immediately echoed all around.

The ground quaked as if the world were ending. Massive boulders crawled up from the earth, forming into stone men dozens of feet tall. In the blink of an eye, they had surrounded Yang An and his two companions.

The sheer scale of the display made Yang An take a second look. It appeared to be some kind of Technique activated through the Mountain and River Order.

"Stay back."

Yang An warned Pan Yu and the other. In the next moment, a volley of White Feathers shot out from behind him, striking first at one of the stone giants.

Instantly, countless White Feathers rained down on the stone giant, producing a series of sharp CLANGS as sparks flew.

The stone giant was incredibly hard, but Yang An’s Spinal True Feathers were even sharper. In the blink of an eye, they shattered the stone giant into rubble.

Just then, however, the other stone giants charged toward them. The ground shook violently with their every step.

Yang An used no Techniques. Facing these stone giants wasn’t enough to warrant expending his Mana and Spirit Charm.

Facing the swarm of attacking stone giants, Yang An’s figure blurred into an afterimage. He relied purely on his physical power, his speed alone making him impossible to see clearly.

He smashed one stone giant to pieces with a single punch while the White Feathers behind him shot toward another.

A continuous shower of stone fragments rained down from the sky, crashing to the ground.

In just a few blinks, the ground was piled high with rubble, forming a small hill.

As Yang An landed steadily on the ground, the last stone giant crashed down, crumbling into the heap of rubble.

The rubble soon vanished, returning to whence it came.

Although the stone giants seemed powerful and numerous, to Yang An, their strength was at most on par with someone like Yuan Si. Even Pan Yu could have handled them easily, so for him, it was no challenge at all.

Seeing Yang An dispose of the stone giants with such ease, the City God’s expression soured. The Evil Demon’s power far exceeded his expectations.

The City God immediately tapped the Mountain and River Order again, his fingers moving so fast they became a blur.

An invisible wave radiated from the Mountain and River Order. A fierce wind immediately rose, and the air temperature plummeted.

Wisps of white mist seeped from the City God’s body and flowed into the Mountain and River Order. In front of him, the mist quickly coalesced into a humanoid figure.

It was an imposing giant, clad in Armor and wielding a long spear.

The spear’s tip glinted like a cold star as it shot toward Yang An in an instant.

Countless White Feathers amassed in front of Yang An, converging at a single point to block the attacking spear.

The impact was powerful, even causing the blood vessels connected to the White Feathers to bend slightly. But to Yang An, it was nothing more than that.

Under Yang An’s control, the White Feathers suddenly pulsed with force, instantly shattering the long spear.

His figure vanished. When he reappeared, he was already in front of the giant, throwing a clean, decisive punch straight into its chest.

A confident smile touched the City God’s lips. The giant, formed from the Mountain and River Order, was his bonded Armored Soldier. The Armor it wore was an incredibly tough Magical Artifact; even a peer one Small Realm higher than him would have trouble breaking it.

’This Evil Demon is so arrogant! I’ll kill you first!’

The City God immediately commanded the Armored Soldier to capture Yang An. The giant’s two thick arms were already closing in on him.

But at that very moment, with a tremendous BOOM, Yang An’s fist landed on the giant’s chest Armor.

Instantly, cracks spiderwebbed across the giant’s Armor. The creature staggered backward as if struck by a massive hammer.

CRASH!

The Armor shattered, its fragments clattering off the giant’s body. Simultaneously, a huge crater appeared in the giant’s chest, and countless cracks began to spread across its form.

Before the City God’s stunned gaze, not only was the towering Armored Soldier’s Armor obliterated, but the soldier itself collapsed. With a final BOOM, it disintegrated into a cloud of white mist.

His bonded Armored Soldier had been destroyed with a single punch. The City God violently coughed up a mouthful of blood, and even the Mountain and River Order before him dimmed considerably.

But in that instant, Yang An appeared before him and seized him by the throat. Simultaneously, countless White Feathers surrounded the City God from all sides. With a single thought from Yang An, the man would be riddled with holes.

Yang An’s cold voice drifted from beneath his strange mask.

"I ask, you answer."

Disbelief lingered in the City God’s eyes. Pinned by Yang An, a flash of resistance crossed his face, but he ultimately nodded.

"Are you a Cultivator?"

This was Yang An’s first question. He really wanted to know if Cultivators existed in this world.

The City God nodded.

"Yes."

"How did you begin cultivating?"

"I was a dead man. After my death, I was taken in by the Emei Mansion. I passed a series of assessments and was promoted to become the City God here."

"Then how do you normally cultivate?"

"The Emei Mansion bestowed upon me a Qi Eating Technique. By resolving issues with resentful spirits and Demons within the city, I can cultivate with this technique to seek longevity and transcendence."

Yang An nodded and continued his questions:

"What is the Emei Mansion? Is it a Sect?"

"The Emei Mansion is this province’s Immortal Mansion. It governs all matters beyond mortal reach within its jurisdiction and protects the region’s inhabitants."

"Besides Emei Mansion, are there other such mansions?"

"Yes. Emei Mansion is just one of many. To the south, there are the Jade Dragon Mansion and Brahma Pure Mansion. Farther away, I’ve heard of the largest one, the Kunlun Mansion. Each province is governed by an Immortal Mansion, and we City Gods all operate under their command."

’So that’s how it is,’ Yang An thought, finally understanding. ’No wonder it’s named after Mount Emei. The Emei Mansion must possess an even greater Mountain and River Order, one named after the famous mountain itself.’

"What is your current Cultivation Level?"

Yang An asked. This City God wasn’t very strong, or he wouldn’t have been captured so easily.

"It’s embarrassing to say, but although I am a City God, my cultivation is still shallow. I have only just entered the Golden Core realm."

Hearing the term Golden Core, Yang An quickly understood the general outline of this world’s Cultivation System.

Although he had only heard of it in legends in his past life and never seen it, this Cultivation System was real.

"If I take this thing, will you die?"

Yang An asked his final question, his gaze fixed on the Mountain and River Order in the City God’s hand.

Pan Yu needed the Mountain and River Order, but he didn’t want to kill this City God.

After all, this City God was not his enemy. He was a Cultivator governed by the Celestial Dao, an existence dedicated to protecting the people of a region.

If he died, this place would likely fall into chaos, which would almost certainly affect ordinary people.

Behind the City God was the Emei Mansion, which might have even more powerful Cultivators.

Although the City God was acting on orders from the Emei Mansion, which already knew of their existence, they had been adversaries from the start.

But only Yang An knew that they weren’t truly enemies. If he could get the Mountain and River Order without killing anyone, peacefully, that would be for the best.

If this were the Origin Realm, upon capturing a guy like this, Yang An wouldn’t have wasted a single word; he’d have simply punched him into a bloody pulp.

Hearing Yang An’s question, the City God fell silent, clutching the Mountain and River Order tightly in his hand as if weighing a difficult choice.

"If you won’t..."

Seeing the man’s silence, Yang An had been about to say that if he wouldn’t die, he should hand over the Mountain and River Order. In return, Yang An would not harm him and would let him go.

But before he could finish, the captive City God suddenly looked up. His eyes were shot with blood, his face twisted into a crazed expression.

"Die, Evil Demon!"

A sudden burst of power erupted from the City God’s body, forcefully breaking free from Yang An’s grip.

A chunk of flesh was torn from his throat as he broke free, but the City God paid it no mind.

Slender tentacles emerged from the bloody hole, instantly snatching the Mountain and River Order and pulling it inside his body. The gaping wound healed in the blink of an eye.

At the same time, a copious amount of Red Fog, like a bloody mist, seeped from the City God’s pores, forming crimson lines across his skin. A vicious-looking horn sprouted from his head.

The City God, who had looked like an ordinary man just a moment ago, underwent a grotesque transformation in both appearance and form.

"This is..."

The piece of the City God’s flesh in Yang An’s hand rapidly withered and decayed. But seeing the City God’s new form, Yang An was inwardly shaken.

"Immortality! And... Turbid Qi?"