Chapter Twenty-One: The Power of Faith

The boundless power of faith from the Seven Qi Dynasty swirled relentlessly around the Tiger-faced Immortal, weaving an inescapable web. One should never underestimate mortal faith; it ignores all physical and mental barriers and reaches directly to the source of power. Faith is not strength itself, but it is a kind of spiritual force, burning fiercely like a blaze, wholly under Wuyun’s control.

Witnessing this, the Supreme Grandmaster was consumed by grief and fury. As the mastermind behind the Seven Qi Dynasty, he had schemed to harness this faith to heal his wounds. There had been twists and turns, even moments of drinking poison to quench his thirst, but it was better than lingering between life and death.

“What tremendous power of faith!”

Suddenly, the Tiger-faced Immortal revealed his true form, towering so high he seemed to touch the heavens. The entire royal city trembled with shock, and with each stomp of his foot, the ground split further apart. On the ninth step, magma burst forth from the depths of the earth. Except for the city’s protective formation, everything nearby fell into desolation—winds howled, clouds surged, and the cries of the people echoed in misery. In moments, the sky darkened as unjust deaths occurred, with more and more perishing in the molten streams.

Resentment thickened, growing ever more grave.

At that moment, a tornado appeared in the sky, forming the core of a formation, and a trace of heavenly tribulation surged forth.

“What a cunning move—using faith to bind me, drawing out the spirit and order of this space. Do you think the Dao of this land can subdue me? Wrong, wrong, wrong. It can only banish me. Yet I will help it by eliminating all those who defy heaven’s will, until it is satisfied.”

The Tiger-faced Immortal let out three consecutive feline cries. At once, the great formation above blocked the eye of the tribulation. Just as he focused all his will on expelling the force of faith, he suddenly sensed something amiss with his body. Since when had a moldy patch appeared on his ear? The stain spread, corroding his flesh, and under a microscopic gaze, countless ghostly soldiers poured out from the mold, using the faith as a conduit to widen the wound.

This discovery chilled the Tiger-faced Immortal to his core. He looked toward the dragon-headed eel—no longer wounded—realizing it was Wuyun’s sorcery that had transferred the curse of faith from the Grandmaster onto him.

Terrifying!

An overwhelming sense of doom crashed over him, followed by rage and fury. In a flash, he unleashed his mightiest attack, but the force of faith impeded him, and the Tiger-faced Immortal finally spat out a mouthful of black blood.

“Hahaha!” The Supreme Grandmaster, now healed, could not stop laughing. He wished he could embrace Wuyun and savor him slowly, biting off piece by piece.

“All right, old eel, if you hadn’t passed by me when you descended to the mortal world, I wouldn’t have bothered with you. And take that foul mouth of yours away. Little Worm, fetch some dragon saliva—don’t be picky. Swallow it and you’ll shed your insect form!”

The little beast called Little Worm was most reluctant, but seeing Old Bear Three manifest his true form and lap it up with his gigantic tongue, he had no choice but to use a drop that Bear Three deliberately dribbled.

The Azure Dragon roared in fury. Dragon saliva was a rare treasure, yet when he tried to devour and capture Wuyun earlier, an overwhelming hunger seized him, draining his stored saliva in an instant.

Before he could struggle free from Bear Three, the now-enlarged Jiao Hawk broke loose from the Soul-binding Rope as well. Following Wuyun’s instructions, the hawk pecked the Azure Dragon’s tongue, causing a gush of fresh blood—Bear Three gulped down a bucket, Little Worm collected a jar.

At last, the Azure Dragon broke free and was about to let out a thunderous roar when Wuyun said, “You know I charge for healing. Consider this an advance payment.”

The Azure Dragon was furious, clutching his wounded tongue. His formidable regenerative power could not heal the injury. As he gathered his strength to unleash a breath of dragon energy, Wuyun spoke again: “After transferring the poison of faith, you’ll be at your weakest for a stick of incense’s time. Even the force that sustains your life has been transferred to that cat demon. You know, I also have a fondness for stewed eel!”

Immediately, the Azure Dragon shifted back into his mortal form as the National Preceptor, seating himself silently upon the highest throne. The three princes vying for succession stood trembling, uncertain of their fate.

In the imperial court, each general reported the cat demon’s havoc—how his storms had devastated the surrounding lands and sent the populace fleeing in panic…

“That demon emperor is beyond your reach. Wait until I recover, then we can leave this realm together!” The Supreme Grandmaster muttered, attempting to banish them, but Wuyun simply pointed, and a cloud appeared over his own head.

“What the—?” The Supreme Grandmaster was utterly stunned. He had only agreed to let Wuyun treat his wounds, half in doubt, yet not only was he cured, he received a bonus as well.

“What is this…”

Faced with the Azure Dragon’s questioning, Wuyun replied awkwardly, “Many great ones have tried to tame or subdue me. This incantation…it’s effective. Don’t worry, as long as you harbor no ill will toward me, this restriction won’t affect your cultivation.”

The Azure Dragon fell silent, then recounted his past deeds in the Fifth Immortal Realm, concluding, “As the lord of the Nine Seas and Immortal King Long Yi, I never imagined my son would commit patricide!”

“Enough. The Immortal Realm is vast—Nine Seas Dragon King, an Immortal King, is nothing to boast about. Hurry up, cast your spell and banish the Tiger-faced Immortal into the spatial rift. By the time he’s desperate enough to use his life-saving immortal artifact, I hope we’ll have already ascended and departed!”

After Wuyun’s instructions, the Tiger-faced Immortal, now entwined by the poison of faith, was banished into a spatial rift once Long Yi regained some of his power.

“He’ll reflect on this. The next time he emerges, it will be a fight to the death between you two!”

Wuyun shook his head, slipping away with the secretly delighted Bear Three. Except for the Battle King and Liu Ruyan, the three demons had gained immense rewards.

“The spatial teleportation array is damaged. Once it’s repaired, we can leave,” Wuyun said. Behind him, Liu Ruyan quietly asked, “What kind of restriction did you use? Why is there a cloud over Long Yi’s head?”

Wuyun smiled, saying nothing. How could he admit that this was a gift from a god? Other deities might bestow unique powers, blessings, or divine abilities—but he was but a cloud himself, so all he could grant was a wisp of cloud…

“If there aren’t any side effects, why don’t you put one on me too?” Liu Ruyan’s words nearly startled Wuyun. This woman’s love for beauty was truly formidable!

Wuyun shook his head, deliberately saying coldly into the air, “You wish to become my slave!”

Liu Ruyan instantly abandoned her desire for a halo of beauty, while Long Yi, upon the throne, sat paralyzed in a daze.

The Tiger-faced Immortal’s magic had not touched the imperial city, protected as it was by the great formation, though the surrounding satellite cities suffered greatly. But once the crisis passed, the capital returned to its usual bustle and clamor.

“Did you hear? Yesterday a beast that tried to kill His Majesty appeared, but was sealed away by the legendary Supreme Grandmaster…”

“I heard that of the three princes, the second prince, Prince Ji, is most likely to ascend the throne of Seven Qi!”

“They say His Majesty was murdered by the Queen, and the ninth prince will never be king…”

Rumors swirled, only to be swiftly quelled by the issuing of an imperial edict: the second prince, Prince Ji, was enthroned as the new King of Seven Qi. The fifth prince, Prince Zhou, was exiled to the frontier, and the ninth prince, Prince Ou, was imprisoned. The palace was in an uproar, and even Wuyun and his companions, resting in their inn, were subjected to two rounds of inspection.

“I think they should choose another king,” Liu Ruyan whispered to Wuyun, glancing at the kneeling former queen Gu outside the door of the Laifu Inn. Wuyun merely curled his lip, casting a glance at the many subcommanders sprawled inside and outside the entrance, his mouth full.

Wuyun’s mouth was stuffed with food, chewing every bite slowly—a feeble attempt to make up for the tasteless, colorless existence he once had as a god of chaos.