There was a commotion over there, and the priest here exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Aren't you His Highness Qiying???"
The others then burst out laughing and said, "You've got the wrong person, buddy! Have you forgotten? There are two Martial Gods guarding the West, one is Yinyu and the other is Qiying. They are fellow disciples. The one in front of you is His Highness Yinyu, hahahaha..."
The priest hurriedly said, "Oh, oh, oh, I'm wrong. Sorry, hahaha, I'm so ignorant, I've heard more about Qiying..." Before he could finish his words, Yinyu had already closed his eyes, seemingly tired of talking and giving up on the conversation. Someone noticed something was wrong and nudged the priest with their elbow. He seemed to realize the sting of his words, laughed, and quickly said, "Ahem, excuse me. I'll be leaving now. Yin... Yinyue, ah no no no, Your Highness Yinyu! We'll meet again sometime. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, hahaha..."
He was about to leave when he grabbed his wine glass and rushed towards the direction where Quan Yizhen was coming. A large group of priests had already gathered there, all vying to greet Quan Yizhen. They surrounded him so tightly that the people inside could not be seen at all.
It seemed that Quan Yizhen had just ascended to heaven and had already established his own temple. He was very popular at that time, not yet despised as he would later be. Although both of them were Western Martial Gods, the scene was far more impressive than Yinyu's. Everyone flocked to that side, leaving He Xuan alone here, still sitting and drinking soup. It was a cold and deserted scene. He couldn't stand or sit. After a moment, he suddenly said, "Go back."
The two left the table, and no one paid much attention. Jianyu was furious. "What a bunch of scoundrels! They're still priests, aren't they? When this guy first arrived in the Heavenly Court, everyone was disgusted with him and complained to you like crazy. Now that he's ascended to heaven, there are more lights, and everyone's praising him like crazy, and now he's blowing it up! He changes his face faster than turning the pages of a book. What do you mean by unshakable status and promising youth? I think all his followers are as mentally ill as he is! Only mentally ill people would believe such mentally ill people!"
At this time, Shi Qingxuan came over with a glass of wine. Yin Yu whispered, "Stop talking and go!"
Seeing someone coming, Jianyu shut up. Shi Qingxuan asked curiously, "Yinyu, are you going back now? Didn't Qiying just come? Last time I heard him say that you two haven't seen each other for a long time, and he even asked me what I've been doing recently. Why don't you chat with him?"
Yinyu forced a smile and said, "No, I'm feeling a little unwell. I'll go back first."
Shi Qingxuan didn't think much of it. Seeing the "Earth Master" behind him, he laughed and said, "Then you should have a good rest. We'll get together next time. Brother Ming! I told you not to sit here! Come on, come over to my side..."
When Shi Qingxuan had walked over and was no longer paying attention, Jianyu lowered his voice and continued, "What a joke! This brat won't be so proud for long. Sooner or later, he'll be thrown to the ground. I'm waiting for that day!"
He kept on cursing, and Yinyu was very annoyed. He said, "Forget it, don't be so resentful."
Jianyu said, "Forget it, forget it! You keep saying forget it, but how can you really forget it? If you hadn't covered up for him and apologized to him when he first came up, he would have been kicked out long ago. I really can't stand it. I feel so sorry for you!"
The two quickly returned to Yinyu Palace. Compared to the bustling atmosphere when the palace was first established, it now seemed deserted, with only a few lower-ranking priests serving. After closing the door, Yinyu's voice grew louder. "Stop talking! I don't want to hear it. It's perfectly normal for an ascended priest to establish his own palace. He hasn't done anything special. If you're bothered by your mention of him, why do you always bring him up?"
Jianyu said, "Don't blame me for being nosy. Someone needs to remind you of this. Yinyu, the entire west is so small, and there are only so many believers. He's taken so much by himself. Last time, that wolf demon took it all away from him! Look at it now. Your territory is shrinking. How much is left? How can you still have a foothold?"
Yin Yu said, "How can it be considered robbery? He didn't use a knife to force people to believe in him and worship him. It was a voluntary act. And that wolf demon..."
He sighed and said frankly, "I really can't deal with that. It's useless to pray to me, so I'll naturally go to him."
Jianyu said bitterly, "I'm... I'm afraid that if you keep going like this, he'll have no chance of turning the tables! Damn it, even these lower-ranking priests are so snobbish. They've all found excuses to quit our temple and slip away to other priests. None of them are good people!"
Yinyu sighed again, sat down on the futon, and said, "What's the point of fighting or not fighting... Why bother with those things? Those who want to leave will leave, and those who want to stay will stay. I didn't ascend to heaven to fight for power, land, or to fight with others. Why are you so upset?"
As the saying goes, "There is no room for two tigers in one mountain." Let's take a look at a ready-made example: Feng Xin and Mu Qing, who are both in the south, have been fighting each other to the death for so many years. If they were not in the same territory, it would be a little better, but as the saying goes, "enemies will always gather together." Wherever you ascend and become famous, that is your territory. Old friends who had conflicts when they were human often crowded together again after ascending. It's so awkward to be a human or a god, whether in heaven or on earth. There is no way Quan Yizhen would give up the West and go to another territory. The two were arguing when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Jianyu said, "Who?!"
The person outside the door said, "I."
Jianyu angrily said to Yinyu silently, "...Why did this brat come to my house?"
Yinyu gestured for him to go to the back, calmed himself down a bit, and went forward to open the door. Sure enough, standing at the doorway was Quan Yizhen. He was much taller than in the previous scene, and looked about the same as when Xie Lian first met him. He had finally stopped squatting by the window.
Yinyu spoke calmly, "It's Yizhen. Didn't you attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet? Why are you here?"
When Quan Yizhen was led into the hall, he blurted out, "It's my birthday."
“…”
It turned out that Mid-Autumn Festival was Quan Yizhen's birthday, and he came here to ask for a birthday gift.
Xie Lian had also heard that in previous years, Yinyu, as his senior brother, would always give gifts on Quan Yizhen's birthday. This year, perhaps due to various awkward situations, he didn't give any. Judging from what Shi Qingxuan had said at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Yinyu had probably been avoiding him for a while. A more sensitive person would have noticed something was wrong if someone hadn't met them and given them gifts, and wouldn't have asked for it anyway. But he, on the other hand, didn't think anything was wrong at all and had the audacity to come and ask for it himself. Xie Lian had never witnessed such a horrific and embarrassing thing. If he hadn't had to press his forehead against Huacheng, he would have wanted to slap himself on the head and cover his eyes to avoid looking.
Yinyu laughed dryly and said, "...Ah, yes, today is your birthday again. However, the palace has been a bit busy lately, so..."
Quan Yizhen's eyes widened when he heard this and he said, "No?"
Yinyu still seemed to feel uneasy, so he changed his tone and said, "No, I haven't forgotten. It's in the back, wait a moment."
Quan Yizhen sat down on the spot, his hands resting on his lap, nodding repeatedly, looking extremely expectant. Yinyu fled to the side hall, and Jianyu sat there with a sullen face. Yinyu was definitely unprepared. After entering, he searched through all the boxes and drawers, but couldn't find anything suitable. So he said to Jianyu, "Help me find something that can temporarily replace the gift."
Jianyu grabbed a piece of cloth from the side and threw it on the ground, stepped on it twice, and said, "Give it to him."
Yinyu said: "Jianyu!"
Jianyu said, "Even if it's just this, I still think it's a bargain for him. He still has the nerve to come to me and ask for a gift."
Yinyu said helplessly, "He doesn't understand at all. He's given gifts every year, but not this year. It's too deliberate. Anything is fine, it's just a token of his appreciation. How about this, can you go find that Vajra Subduing Demon Bracelet you got last time? It's not quite suitable, but it's better than nothing."
He urged her several times before Jianyu angrily went downstairs. Yinyu returned to the main hall and sat in front of Quan Yizhen. He said, "Wait a moment. The things are a bit messy. I asked Jianyu to look for them. By the way, what have you been doing lately? I think things are going well. I heard that the number of believers praying in your hall has increased fivefold in the past few months. Congratulations."
Quan Yizhen said, "I don't understand what believers are. I just fight my own battles, but they keep crowding into the temple for no apparent reason. It's strange. Recently, I killed a wolf demon."
Yinyu's smile inevitably grew a bit drier. What he couldn't grasp, Quan Yizhen easily grasped. It was like the beloved woman you'd been pursuing for so long, but she ignored you, yet you cried and begged for her to throw herself at her, and she didn't even bother to look at you, telling you that she was just plain beautiful and nothing special. It was really not a good feeling. Quan Yizhen talked for a while, then suddenly said, "I saw you at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet just now. I wanted to talk, but I didn't expect you to come back so soon."
Hearing him finally review the recent battle situation for him without much interest, Yin Yu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Oh, something happened, so I came back first."
Quan Yizhen nodded and said, "Someone told me that it was because he made a mistake."
Upon hearing this, Yinyu's expression changed slightly, but Quan Yizhen was completely oblivious. He raised the corner of his mouth and said, "How funny! How stupid!"
Xie Lian couldn’t bear to watch any longer, so he buried his face in Hua Cheng’s arms and said, “This…this, this, this is simply horrible…”
Of course he believed that Quan Yizhen really thought it was funny that someone had mistaken someone for the wrong person, and he really didn't understand that this was not a funny thing for Yinyu at all, but that didn't stop him from feeling that if the two of them continued to talk awkwardly, they would suffocate. Fortunately, before he suffocated, Jianyu finally came out with a gift box. He handed the gift box to Yinyu and went back in without saying a word. Yinyu seemed to have been saved and handed the gift box to Quan Yizhen. He looked very happy and jumped up on the spot to catch the box, but Yinyu's smile revealed fatigue and said, "Take it back and take a look at it."
Quan Yizhen nodded and said, "Okay. I'm going back. I'm going on tour next month, and if you have time, come with me."
Yinyu couldn't bear to hear him anymore and just uttered a few perfunctory words. After sending him away, Jianyu lost his patience and slammed the door, cursing, "This is too much! I think his mother threw him headfirst a hundred and eighteen times since he was born! Or maybe he's just trying to disgust you. He doesn't understand believers, he's inexplicable, he's on tour, is he just trying to show off? He's such a jerk!"
This time, he cursed furiously, and Yinyu didn't stop him. He walked to the back of the hall and didn't come out again. Xie Lian instinctively felt that there was something fishy about the gift box Quan Yizhen had taken away, and asked, "Could it be that the Jinyixian was inside?"
Hua Cheng said: "You guessed right."
Xie Lian asked, “The blame for the Jinyixian incident should have been placed on Jianyu. Why was Yinyu punished so severely?”
Hua Cheng said, "Brother will know in three days."
Three days passed. Suddenly, a few rays of sunlight streamed into the cold Yinyu Palace. Yinyu walked listlessly into a side hall, seemingly searching for something, rummaging through boxes and drawers. Suddenly, from among the files on the desk, he pulled out a golden bracelet engraved with incantations. He didn't pay much attention at first, setting it aside. Then, suddenly, he grabbed it and said, "Jianyu?"
Jianyu came in from outside and asked, "What's the matter?"
Yinyu held the bracelet and asked suspiciously, "Why is this Vajra Subduing Demon Bracelet here? Didn't you give it to him? Didn't I ask you to put it in a gift box?"
Jianyu snorted, "Give it to him? He's not even worthy of you spitting on him as a reward."
Yinyu was both amused and angry, and said, "You didn't really give him that foot cloth, did you? Why offend him?" Jianyu smiled slyly and said, "No. What I gave him was a good thing."
His tone was a little strange. Yin Yu frowned slightly and asked, "What exactly did you give me?"
Jianyu said, "The piece of clothing you grabbed last time."
Yinyu's face suddenly changed, and he no longer found it funny. He said, "What? I was wondering why I couldn't find it anywhere. That piece of clothing can control people's minds, and it sucks blood!" He was about to leave in a hurry, but Jianyu grabbed him and said, "Hey, why are you in such a hurry? That piece of clothing can control people's minds, but you were the one who gave it to him, so no one else can control him. And it sucks blood. It's okay to suck the blood of mortals, but I don't think it can do anything to the priest. Look, it's been three days. Is he okay?"
Yinyu pondered and pondered, pacing back and forth in the side hall. Jianyu added, "Besides, isn't this kid quite capable? He's young and promising. This time, we'll see how capable he is."
Finally, Yinyu threw his hands up and said, "No! I don't know how dangerous that thing is. If anything goes wrong, it's all over! How can you be so careless! Sigh!"
He ignored Jianyu's cries and rushed out, knocking down many priests along the way. He first rushed to Qiying Temple, but he was not there. He then grabbed people everywhere and asked, "I need help urgently. Where is Qiying?"
Someone else said, "Qiying? His Highness Qiying is holding a meeting in the Shenwu Hall! All the top martial gods who have ascended to heaven today are there..."
Yinyu ran away before he finished listening. When he arrived at the Shenwu Hall, he found that he couldn't enter. First, the meeting was for the "top martial gods in the heavenly court," not him; second, even if he went in, he couldn't speak about this matter in front of everyone, so he had to wait outside the hall. Xie Lian glanced through the window grilles and saw that several familiar faces, such as Feng Xin, Mu Qing, and Pei Ming, were in the hall, listening attentively. Yinyu saw Quan Yizhen inside, wearing a rather impressive and shining armor.
He didn't seem to be acting unusually, but Ling Wen, who was standing beside Jun Wu in the hall, was acting a bit strangely. He was distracted and made frequent mistakes. Jun Wu had no choice but to ask, "Ling Wen? Ling Wen?"
After shouting several times, Lingwen suddenly came back to his senses and asked, "What? What happened?"
Jun Wu smiled and said, "What's wrong with you today? You've been staring at Qiying. Do you think his new armor is nice, just like me?"
Several martial gods in the hall also laughed. Lingwen apologized and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead without leaving a trace, but the hand holding the pen seemed to still tremble slightly.
If they had been at the same scene, Xie Lian would probably have smiled, but now, it was clear that Ling Wen must have felt terrified and shocked because he saw Quan Yizhen wearing the blood-stained shirt that he had made hundreds of years ago, swaying under his nose.
Yinyu paced back and forth outside the hall, sometimes squatting, sometimes standing, in agony. Finally, when the meeting was over, Quan Yizhen was the first to come out. Seeing him outside, he called out, "Brother, why are you here?"
Yinyu quickly stood up, said a few words casually, and immediately said: "Your armor..."
Quan Yizhen said, "Very good! Emperor and Lingwen both praised it just now. Thank you, Senior Brother."
“…”
Yin Yu forced himself to remain calm and said, "It's quite good, but the person who made this armor said there's something wrong with it. He wants you to take it back to him and have it repaired."
If he were to simply order Quan Yizhen to "take off this armor," he would later realize he was being controlled by an evil spirit, and exposing this would be disastrous, so he couldn't be made to notice anything was wrong. This was the only tactful way to make the request. Quan Yizhen, however, was puzzled and said, "What's the problem? I don't see any problem."
After all, it would be embarrassing to ask for a gift back after giving it away. Yin Yu was struggling to think of a solution when Quan Yizhen said, "By the way, Senior Brother, we can go on tour together next month."
Yinyu looked up instantly, bewildered, "What?"
He had almost forgotten about the Jin Yi Xian and said hesitantly, "There's no place for me on the tour."
Quan Yizhen, however, looked quite happy and told him, "Yes. I mentioned you just now, and the Emperor said he would consider it."
“…”
For a moment, Xie Lian almost saw waves of hot blood rushing towards Yin Yu's face.
The anger and frustration that had been pent up for years finally exploded at this moment. Yin Yu cursed directly, "Are you sick?!"
It was the first time Quan Yizhen had seen Yinyu so angry. He blinked, a look of confusion on his face. A few passing priests stole glances over. Yinyu clutched his head and said, "Did I ever say I was going?! What does the Martial God's tour have to do with me?! I didn't ask you for anything, so why are you bringing me up to the Emperor?!"
Others might not understand why Yinyu lost his composure, but Xie Lian understood perfectly. For a Martial God with such high self-esteem, this was a profound humiliation.
The Martial God's Procession is a ritual reserved for only the most elite Martial Gods of the Upper Heaven. During this procession, the chosen Martial Gods use their might to repel demons and monsters. This not only spreads their fame and attracts followers, but also allows them to spar with fellow Martial Gods, enhancing their strength and building closer bonds. While it's a grand event, it also requires a high level of wealth and strength for the participating Martial Gods, such as possessing a temple with over 4,000 inhabitants or ranking among the top ten.
Given Yinyu's background, he certainly wasn't qualified to be a Martial God on tour. Even if he could go, and gain tangible benefits, how could those within the Heavenly Courts, knowing his status, not gossip? Thick-skinned people wouldn't care, and countless lesser priests would scramble to get a piece of the action, but Yinyu was clearly not one for shamelessness. He knew full well he didn't have the qualifications, so why would he rely on others to push him in? Furthermore, this person was Quan Yizhen, the one whose support had saved him from being expelled from the mortal realm!
Quan Yizhen, however, couldn't understand it at all. He probably thought it was a good thing, so he just mentioned it, and didn't think it was necessary to care about anything else. But because Yinyu looked so angry, for the first time, his face showed an expression of wanting to say something but not daring to speak. After a while, he said in a muffled voice, "Brother, why are you angry? Did I do something wrong?"
“…”
This sentence again!
Xie Lian practically begged him to stop talking. Yin Yu's forehead veins bulged, and he was on the verge of collapse. He grabbed his hair and said, "Enough! I've had enough! I'm going crazy! I'm going to drive you fucking crazy!" He pointed at the Shenwu Hall and said, "Quan Yizhen, stop talking to me! Withdraw your proposal immediately! Stop causing trouble for me! Now, hurry!"
After he finished yelling, Quan Yizhen turned around and ran back to the Shenwu Hall without saying a word. Yin Yu was stunned, then he remembered that he was still wearing the Jinyixian. This action did not mean that he knew he was wrong and wanted to make amends, but that he was controlled by the Jinyixian!
Inside the Shenwu Hall, the few Martial Gods who remained looked at Quan Yizhen, who had rushed in with great haste, in surprise. Yin Yu, who was standing outside the hall, trembled slightly and shouted again, "Stop!"
Just as Quan Yizhen was about to run to Jun Wu, he suddenly braked and stopped. After a long while, he asked curiously, "What happened to me just now?"
Jun Wu also frowned and said, "Qiying, don't move! Come here and let me see you. Just now, I saw that your eyes were glazed over and there was an evil spirit on your face. It seemed like you were under some kind of evil spell."
Quan Yizhen scratched his hair, bewildered, and said, "Okay." He was about to step forward. As a last resort, Yinyu said, "Come back! Let's go!"
As soon as he shouted the order, Quan Yizhen turned and bolted out of the hall, rushing towards Yinyu. Perhaps because he was so furious and anxious, his steps were extremely erratic. Yinyu also ran in a daze, looking like a fugitive. Jun Wu couldn't pretend he didn't see it, so he stood up and shouted, "Capture him!"
All the martial priests responded in unison: "Yes!"
Yinyu was almost in despair, completely disoriented, covering his face and shouting, "Go! Go! Take off your clothes!"
Quan Yizhen's eyes widened as he sprinted, stripping off his armor. Unexpectedly, a group of martial priests surrounded him and headed straight for him. Seeing his execution interrupted, Quan Yizhen's eyes gleamed with ferocity, and he unleashed a flurry of punches, using the bodies of a dozen martial priests as targets, punching holes through them!
“Ahhhhhh! Go to heaven, kill people in heaven—!!!”
Amidst the relentless screams and the gushing blood, Yinyu froze in shock, his face pale. Perhaps the only person paler than him was Lingwen.
I never expected this Jinyixian to be so powerful and so evil! The situation is completely out of control!
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