Taiyi Dao Fruit

In the sky above Chanting City, a sudden surge appeared from the void and poured into the surrounding mountains, extinguishing the raging thunder and fire.

Miraculously, the surge disappeared completely after putting out the thunder and fire, leaving only wisps of smoke rising. Afterwards, the vanguards who descended on Flying Kites rushed out from the mountains towards the battlefield.

While still a great distance from the battlefield, the vanguard units started moving, each holding a cold, uniquely shaped weapon emanating a strong Evil Qi.

As they approached the battlefield, the Heavenly Soldiers immediately retreated, making space, and then—

"Ratatatatatata—"

Dozens of soldiers in line simultaneously trembled, their circular tube-like devices spinning wildly, unleashing countless Qi bullets like rain, furiously pouring down on the Yellow Turban Warriors, blocking their charging momentum, and ripping through the other soldiers, causing flesh and blood to fly everywhere.

In a matter of moments, the area before the city gate was littered with corpses.

The tragic death of his soldiers also weakened the morale of the leading general. Zhong Shenxiu raised his Sword Light, countless Blade Energies forming dragons, slashing through starry Evil Qi, forcing the general to retreat bloodied.

Seizing the opportunity, the Heavenly Soldiers prepared to storm into the city.

However—

"Taking the city? That might not be so."

Gongsun Qi said as he extended his hand, bringing the view closer and clarifying the situation within the city.

Devil Cultivators were rampant inside, tying up a significant portion of the combat power, leaving only untrained believers available for use.

After Gongsun Qi finished speaking, the believers gathered at the city gates, running while retrieving a piece of yellow talisman paper, shouting, "Let Yellow Heaven prevail," before swallowing the talisman paper.

Visible golden light immediately enveloped their bodies, enhancing their speed as they reached the city gates and collided with the Heavenly Soldiers' weapons.

"Clang!"

Their bodies, as sturdy as gold and iron, were invulnerable, which intensified the believers' frenzy, as they picked up various weapons and began hacking and slashing wildly. Although their movements lacked technique, the sheer numbers had some effect.

"Divine Power infusion, unleashing potential, truly merciless," remarked the Great Venerable.

This was fueled by talismans, with Yellow Heaven descending Divine Power, enhancing potential and imbuing the believers with strength.

Yet, this action posed great dangers; even if these believers did not die on the battlefield, they would ultimately perish from exhaustion.

Using believers as expendable human weapons.

"Heaven and the Saint are indifferent, using all beings as mere fodder. Soldiers are fodder, ordinary believers too are fodder, soldiers die, believers likewise. In my eyes, there's no difference between the two."

Gongsun Qi spoke indifferently, "Do you two really differ in this respect? Would you be swayed by these sacrifices? No need to pretend, we are all without compassion."

"Nonsense, who in the whole world doesn't know I love to protect demons, ghosts, and monsters, and engage in kindness? Do not slander," retorted the Great Venerable.

Jiang Li nodded in agreement, "I deeply respect my teacher and value morality, a sentiment well-known to both friends and foes. How can one who respects filial piety be without compassion? Confucius said: 'He who is filial, respects elders and frequently offends superiors, is rarely unfilial. Those who are filial and respectful usually cannot be utterly heartless."

As they spoke, Jiang Li and the Great Venerable exchanged looks, a hint of disdain in both their eyes.

Benevolent and charitable, you, a troublemaker?

Respectful to the teacher—don't make me laugh.

Unfortunately, neither their own sides nor their enemies really believed what they said.

"Whether it's being benevolent or respecting the teacher, I still have hundreds of thousands of believers at my disposal. In terms of military power, I far surpass you," said Gongsun Qi.

Hundreds of thousands of people could be transformed into usable soldiers; even if they were disposable, their sheer numbers could absolutely achieve overwhelming superiority. Without the fourth-rank intervening, it would be nearly impossible for the court to gather an equal number of troops.

Donglin is a vast place; it's not feasible to focus solely on one area without neglecting others.

Moreover, Earth Uncle within the court was creating constraints.

"It seems we must take action," the Great Venerable said with a light chuckle.

Before he finished speaking, ripples started to form above the distant battlefield. The sun in the sky seemed to suddenly enlarge, transforming into a golden light screen that released endless heat.

Compared to the earlier Qian Trigram, the current sunlight was more than ten times stronger, almost as if the Great Sun was descending to the human realm.

"Great Venerable, be not anxious."

Gongsun Qi interjected. The fluctuations in the sky twisted and changed, vaguely forming the outline of a human face. Simultaneously, a rift appeared in the light screen.

Jiang Li immediately sensed a faint feeling of attention, as if a gaze was coming from the zenith, falling on the surroundings.

'Gongsun Qi has made his move as well,' he thought to himself.

Although very subtle, it indeed attracted Heaven's attention, indicating that Gongsun Qi was also making a concealed move.

However, Gongsun Qi used the Intercepting Heaven Technique to cut off causality and conceal the Heavenly Mechanism, not truly revealing himself. This made Heaven aware but unable to pinpoint him. He limited his exertion to a delicate degree, with his true body always hidden behind the scenes.

The sky transformed into a human face, the Great Sun as if descending to the Earth. Powers interleaved in the sky, twisting the light screen and throwing the vault of the sky into chaos. The heavens spinned like a whirlpool, light scattering weirdly and spectacularly, indescribable in words.

Compared to the battle at Donglin City, their encounter was more covert, without direct confrontation, yet the display was no less striking.

The two supreme beings acted across the void, serving as a signal and ignite the situation explosively. Surges of qi began to ascend, with the Divine Thoughts of fourth-rank experts roaming and colliding.

A great battle was on the verge of breaking out.

"In today's world, when discussing the number of fourth-ranks, the Devil God Sect stands first, and the name of the Ten Great Demon Gods has long been revered by this seat."

Gongsun Qi confronted the Great Venerable, his expression already fierce, "I just wonder how many Demon Gods the Great Venerable will bring to this battle?"

Demon Gods, or rather, True Gods, are the honorary titles that fourth-ranks of the Devil God Sect can carry. The known number of fourth-ranks in the Devil God Sect is unmatched across the lands, totaling ten. Some major sects don't even have half that number.

However, this is merely nominal.

It is well-known that nearly half of the elites in the Devil God Sect come from various powers. Within the Nine Heavens, Ten Earths, Nineteen Demons and Gods, no one knows how many spies are hidden among the fourth-rank True Gods...

Although not as exaggerated, these Ten Great Demon Gods, like the Nineteen Demons and Gods, are pretentious versions.

If someone from these powers advances to a fourth-rank Demonic Attribute Dao Fruit, then they lose the possibility of acting openly and justly; otherwise, it's an excuse for the opposing side to make trouble. Just like the Ji Family's Sect Master, who usually uses the Kui Niu Transformation to protect his own Dao Fruit.

But this method of disguise is unique to the Ji Family. As for other powers...

The simplest method is to hang a name in the Devil God Sect, donning a layer of camouflage, so one can strike powerfully in the guise of a Demon God.

So, how many of the Ten Great Demon Gods are genuinely affiliated Demon Gods remains a mystery.

At this moment, by bringing up this issue, Gongsun Qi clearly wanted to probe the Great Venerable's strength, yet the Great Venerable did not respond directly, only laughing heartily.

"Why summon True Gods when my second brother is unrivaled under Heaven? No matter how many fourth-ranks you bring, they are useless."

Saying this, the Great Venerable gave Jiang Li a signal, "Second brother, go forth."

Alright, it seems there's quite a bit of bluff in the Ten Great Demon Gods.

Of course, there's also a chance that the Great Venerable wanted to take this opportunity to use Jiang Li.

Jiang Li sighed lightly, and with a gesture, a bow, halberd, and spear floated behind him. During the time he had been verbally sparring with the two, he had already started the sacrificial cultivation of these three trophies.

As for Luu Tianpeng's body—

Jiang Li took out the Divine Farmer's Cauldron and threw the body inside to refine it.

"Perfect, I also want to see if I truly am invincible among the fourth-ranks."

Despite having just endured a fierce battle, his qi had never weakened. Innate Qi circulated outside his body, forming the Innate Eight Sceneries, with the Gentle Wind Phase turning to the front, cutting into the wind.

With a faint sound, Jiang Li's figure vanished.