A surging torrent of thunderbolts swallowed Wang Wang Wang.
Electric arcs rippled through the air, forming concentric circles, shaking the very ground beneath their feet!
Mu Chen's mind stirred, mobilizing the last of his Yin God power to protect those around him.
The advanced version of the Dragon Tiger Thunder Art, which allowed him to transcend the solitary Yin and Yang, merging them into a harmonious whole, had increased his mana consumption tenfold. This, coupled with the exhaustion from the consecutive battles, left Mu Chen, even with his vast power as a Hao Ran Earthly Master, with less than a tenth of his mana, on the brink of exhaustion.
However, the increase in power far outweighed the consumption!
The thunder art's might had reached a terrifying level!
If he hadn't protected the townspeople, the sheer force of the thunder art's shockwaves alone would have resulted in over a hundred casualties!
Wang Wang Wang struggled and wailed.
Amidst the onslaught of thunder, his Yin energy shattered, his breath grew weak, his form turning translucent and ethereal.
As the thunder exploded, the raging destructive energy it contained fully manifested!
At that moment, he seemed to see his Grandmother!
“Kill me! Kill this Daoist!!!”
“Please! Please kill me!!!”
He pleaded with Mu Chen in a heart-rending, pitiful cry, his humility reaching its peak.
Compared to the relentless agony the thunder art inflicted upon him, death seemed like the best option in the world!
The lightning illuminated Mu Chen's face, casting it in a flickering shadow. He let out a chuckle, "Did you go mad from being a fiend? Want to kill, then kill. Want to die, then die? Is the world really that kind?"
“From now on, you'll be called 'Wang Cai', and you'll kneel at my feet and be my dog. I'll tell you who to bite...”
He glanced at Dong Xiao Yu.
Dong Xiao Yu, understanding his intentions, passed the Ghost Emperor Seal Mu Chen entrusted her with to the Yin God.
Mu Chen held the Ghost Emperor Seal before his chest, and a surge of Yin energy erupted from the seal, engulfing Wang Wang Wang.
Instantly.
Wailing and screams, even more horrific than before, echoed in everyone's ears, sending shivers down their spines just by listening.
The Ghost Emperor Seal's slaves came in two forms.
One type, like Dong Xiao Yu, retained their self-awareness.
The other type lacked reason, retaining only the most primitive killing instincts, blindly following the orders of the Ghost Emperor Seal's master.
However, both types could improve their cultivation through independent practice.
Now, Wang Wang Wang was being refined by Mu Chen into the second type.
“Everyone kneel and bow to the Little Celestial!”
“It was the Little Celestial’s great mercy that saved our Renjia Town!”
“Thank you, Little Celestial… Thank you, Little Celestial!”
As the refinement began, the lightning gradually dissipated. Witnessing Wang Wang Wang's pitiful state, the townspeople erupted in joyous sobs, repeatedly kowtowing to Mu Chen!
If not for Mu Chen’s appearance tonight.
The guardian deity would have been slain by the fiend!
The town's young and strong would have been killed by the bandits!
By then, every soul in the town would have been slaughtered!
In their eyes, Mu Chen was their savior, bearing a deep debt of gratitude to every single person in the town!
Mu Chen turned his head, observing this scene, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
Unlike the neighboring island nation obsessed with "overthrowing the superiors," the common people in Shenzhou were like this: Whoever treated them well, they would support and adore them.
This was the endearing side of the Shenzhou people.
Suddenly, he let out a soft 'hm', as he noticed faint, wispy yellowish energy emanating from the heads of the tens of thousands of townspeople, converging towards him, entering his body.
It left him feeling clearheaded, warm all over, even his depleted Yin God power was replenished by a few degrees.
This is… Merit?
Nine Uncle, witnessing this, looked dazed, his eyes flashing with envy.
Merit, a treasure with countless uses.
It could strengthen one's fortune, ward off disasters, be refined into pills, be forged into magical artifacts, heal the sick and save lives, even improve one's cultivation…
In short, Merit was the coveted treasure of every cultivator.
It was also the driving force for cultivators to punish evil and promote good, dispel evil and save lives!
Nine Uncle, with his lifelong belief of "Cultivate for half a lifetime, protect a region," actively practiced exorcism and saving lives, even more vigorously than cultivators driven by Merit. His Merit almost surpassed that of the elder masters in his sect.
But now, it seemed that the Merit Mu Chen gained overnight nearly surpassed the Merit he had accumulated in decades of resolving evil deeds for the people!
Of course, he only felt envy, not jealousy.
After all, he knew that Mu Chen was able to obtain so much Merit because he saved the entire town.
Without Mu Chen, not only would he not have received any Merit, but he would have perished along with the town today!
Amidst the crowd.
Ren Ting Ting looked around, and saw the long street that ran through the entire town, packed with people kneeling and kowtowing. This was only what she could see, she didn't know how many were unseen. Even her own father had kowtowed so hard he had a bump on his head!
She knew who they were thanking!
Pride and self-esteem filled her heart. This was the man she was willing to give her life for!
Ren Ting Ting looked at Mu Chen, her brows curved in a smile, her eyes shimmering with light.
Under the worship of countless people, Wang Wang Wang was refined into a mindless ghost slave.
Mu Chen retrieved Dong Xiao Yu and Wang Wang Wang, who had been renamed 'Wang Cai', into the Ghost Emperor Seal. Then, with a wave of his hand.
His Yin God power diffused throughout the town.
Gently raising each person kneeling in worship.
“There is no need to thank me, dispelling evil and protecting the righteous is what a cultivator should do.”
“And as the saying goes, "The heavens are strong and the gentleman strives for self-improvement”…”
“Even I can only deal with evil beings that threaten sentient life. Life is long, and whether your future is good or bad depends on your own control!”
“Fùshēng wúliàng tiānzūn…”
He recited a chant, shifting his gaze to the deceased young and strong, “As for them, when my physical body returns, I will hold a ceremony for them. At that time, I will surely explain their cause of death to the Underworld, allowing them to be reborn into a good family in the next life and enjoy a lifetime of blessings…”
Those who offer firewood for others must not let them freeze in the snow.
Without these individuals who sacrificed their lives, selflessly stepping forward, how could Nine Uncle have held on until his Yin God arrived?
Since they died protecting, safeguarding, and saving lives, the Underworld Yin officials better properly record their merits and virtues. He would let the Yin officials know what it meant to have a little bit of martial skill, and what it meant to have someone backing them up!
Hearing this, the families of the deceased were still filled with sorrow, but their mood improved slightly.
In this era, ordinary people lived such hard lives.
If the death of their family member could bring them the chance of being reborn into a good family in the next life, where they could live a life of comfort and wealth as a rich second-generation heir or an official's offspring, they thought it was worth it, and even felt happy for them. It's just... they missed their husband (son, father) so much.
Seeing everyone settle down, Mu Chen nodded at Nine Uncle and rose into the sky, searching for his body…
ps: Pure-hearted people, please don't pursue, turn right at the exit, thank you for your cooperation!