“Bloody hell?”
Lu Zheng was startled. How was this God King so powerful? It completely contradicted his previous performance.
What on earth?
Lu Zheng was ready to abandon the wisp of divine consciousness he had in the Painted Wall World. After all, facing an old monster with at least a thousand years of cultivation, Lu Zheng admitted he was powerless.
Shut down the computer! Unplug the power!
There’s a gas leak at home, time to run!
But of course, Lu Zheng wasn’t willing to just accept death. At the very least, he wanted to try escaping with his phone, perhaps taking Madam Du and her daughter with him. So, with a surge of true qi in his body, he let out a soft shout, “Open!”
He had to struggle a bit, right?
Then…
His body felt lighter, and Lu Zheng broke free from his restraints.
“Huh?”
Lu Zheng suddenly realised that the strength he was displaying seemed far greater than his actual power.
With a flash in his eyes, Lu Zheng stepped in front of Madam Du and her daughter, forming a hand seal.
“By the supreme command, gather qi and summon clouds, now!”
The white clouds, previously scattered by the fierce wind, instantly regrouped, amassing in the sky, spreading over ten miles, blotting out the sun.
Lu Zheng: (´°Δ°`)
What’s going on?
Lu Zheng glanced at the God King, whose expression had changed, and pointed a finger, “By the supreme command, flying clouds break evil, now!”
Lu Zheng had never unleashed such a powerful Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Technique!
“Disperse!”
The God King roared, grabbing with both hands. A glimmer of starlight flashed behind him, and he seized the cloud qi, then with a shudder, he annihilated the Flying Cloud Evil-Breaking Technique with his starlit true qi.
The aura and strength the God King displayed were comparable to the ancient zombie that had invaded Jiming Temple, bearing a thousand years of cultivation.
Yet Lu Zheng felt that the strength he was unleashing was not inferior in the slightest.
And this was just a wisp of his divine consciousness sent into the Painted Wall World, not even infused with his full true qi.
“By the supreme command, true cloud incantation, now!”
The cloud qi gathered again, enveloping the sky above the plaza, shrouding everyone present.
“Disperse!”
“Expel!”
“Break!”
Shouts rang out as the crowd took action. Though their cultivation seemed decent, the spells they cast, in Lu Zheng’s eyes, were inferior to even basic exorcism charms.
Is this world some kind of spell amplifier?
Lu Zheng looked at the God King, who had grabbed the surrounding cloud qi, transforming it into a giant white cloud palm, nearly two zhang wide, striking down at him.
“Hmm?”
Lu Zheng let out a soft exclamation, recalling a technique from the Cloud Movement Method called the White Cloud Great Hand Seal. He hadn’t been strong enough to use it before, but perhaps in this world, it was possible?
With a shift of true qi, Lu Zheng extended his hand, and white cloud qi condensed before him, forming a cloud hand about a zhang in size.
“Come on, let’s clash!”
*Boom!*
The two palms collided. Lu Zheng’s body swayed, but his White Cloud Great Hand Seal pierced a hole through the giant cloud palm’s centre. Shrinking only slightly, it continued grasping towards the God King.
“Break!”
The God King took a deep breath and blew fiercely. The next moment, a wild wind surged, forcibly dispersing the White Cloud Great Hand Seal, sending streaks of black lines hurtling towards Lu Zheng.
“Wind?”
Lu Zheng’s lips curled into a smirk as he formed another hand seal.
*Whoosh—*
Endless gales rose out of nowhere, carrying razor-sharp wind blades that surged towards the God King’s summoned winds.
*Whoosh—*
The divine wind scattered the gale, then swept past the God King.
“Aargh—”
After the wind passed, Lu Zheng saw the God King, who had raised his hands to shield his face. His clothes were tattered, his body covered in wounds sliced by the wind blades.
“Heh!”
“Never would’ve thought,” Lu Zheng grinned, “I thought you were a king, but you’re just silver at best!”
At that moment, several golden-armoured divine generals and silver-armoured immortal soldiers from the palace’s perimeter rushed into the plaza, wielding spears and swords, charging at Lu Zheng.
*West Pole Wind-Calling Curse!*
Seal formed! Wind rose! Weapons snapped! Soldiers scattered!
Where the divine wind passed, armour tore apart, leaving chaos in its wake. Not only were the charging soldiers blown back, but even the crowd in the plaza, who seemed like immortals, was affected, their hair dishevelled, their robes in disarray.
“A bunch of bronzes!”
Lu Zheng scoffed, turning to the God King on the high platform, “Who are you?”
The question the God King had asked Lu Zheng was now thrown back at him.
“I… I…”
The God King took a couple of breaths, then, meeting Lu Zheng’s playful gaze, stood up from his seat and bowed deeply, “Yu Gensheng, God King of the Painted Wall World, pays respects to you, sir.”
“Painted Wall World…” Lu Zheng noticed the crowd’s accepting expressions and felt a stir in his heart. He looked at the God King, “Are they all under your mental seal?”
The God King waved his hands frantically, “No, no, everyone is here willingly.”
“Hmm?” Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow.
The God King licked his lips, “Well… a little spell was used…”
Before Lu Zheng could ask further, Yu Gensheng, the God King, spilled everything about the Painted Wall World.
…
This temple was established by a rogue cultivator. The deity statue worshipped here was outwardly called a mountain god, but it was actually the cultivator himself.
His goal was to use the incense and prayers of nearby villagers to construct a Painted Wall World.
This Painted Wall World spanned over a hundred miles, resembling a celestial palace. Time flowed ten times faster than in the outside world, so a century outside equated to a millennium within.
That’s like living ten times longer!
The cultivator’s plan was to bring devoted, unattached followers into the Painted Wall World to enjoy its blessings once it was complete, while continuing to draw incense offerings through the temple statue to sustain it.
But just as the Painted Wall World was formed and the cultivator was about to enact his plan, the Anomaly Suppression Bureau showed up.
Evil god worship was a grave crime in the Great Jing Dynasty, so the Bureau didn’t even give the cultivator a chance to explain. They killed him on the spot and destroyed the temple, leaving it in ruins.
However, the Painted Wall World was already complete, its aura concealed. The Bureau’s agents didn’t notice anything unusual about the painted wall, so after slaying the culprit and demolishing the temple, they left.
As the rogue cultivator’s only disciple, Yu Gensheng happened to be staying in town that night, narrowly escaping disaster.
Knowing his strength was limited and not daring to rebuild the temple or wander recklessly, Yu Gensheng gathered the villagers still loyal to his master and led them into the Painted Wall World. He proclaimed himself God King, assigning others as soldiers, generals, immortal officials, or celestial maidens, sustaining this world.
Over a decade in the outside world translated to over a century in the Painted Wall World. The once-rustic villagers gradually learned to read, play chess, perform music, and dance, taking on an air of celestial grace.
