The Dao Sovereign of Shennong

An unexpected change occurred in the square.

The bamboo horse shone brightly and suddenly turned its head, charging towards Zhao Xing's position with the momentum of Mount Tai pressing down.

Two people instantly noticed the true power of the bamboo horse.

The first was Hu Yang, a mechanist, who was naturally familiar with it, as the bamboo horse was a type of mechanical beast, and one of the most classic kinds at that.

Ordinary bamboo horses, even at the top of the third rank, rarely develop strong spiritual intelligence. But the bamboo horse ridden by Yang Junxiong not only developed intelligence but also possessed immense power.

After years of battle alongside its master, it had transformed into a War Spirit!

Through countless battles, the war spirit of the bamboo horse had developed strong combat instincts, and its fighting prowess was equal to its master.

When Yang Junxiong advanced to the Ranked realm on the mountain, the war spirit in the bamboo horse also advanced.

This meant that both man and horse had entered the Ranked realm!

The second person who sensed something was wrong was Du Jiaojiao. With her Nine Transformations Eyes, she saw that as Yang Junxiong left the bamboo horse, a faint shadow of him appeared on the horse's back.

She sensed the presence of two Ranked-level auras!

Yang Junxiong's separation from his bamboo horse had clearly been planned.

If the mountain cat tried to stop him, the bamboo horse would seriously injure Zhao Xing. And if the mountain cat stayed to protect its master, Yang Junxiong could seize the incense and enter the temple.

On the final night, Yang Junxiong finally revealed his true trump card.

"Boom!"

The bamboo horse galloped through the air with the force of a thousand horses.

Zong Shichang and those around him felt their breathing become labored, crushed under the overwhelming pressure. His legs began trembling.

Fortunately, a temple official nearby sensed the presence of the war spirit and swiftly retreated, pulling Zong Shichang back to safety.

However, the others had no time to react. They were either paralyzed by the bamboo horse's overwhelming presence or frozen in place, unable to move.

Just when everyone thought Zhao Xing was doomed, a calm voice rang out:

"Don't come back to save me. Focus on that big guy."

"What?" Even under the oppressive influence of the war spirit's killing aura, Zhao Xing could still speak clearly? Yang Junxiong glanced over, surprised to see Zhao Xing standing tall, completely unfazed.

"A mere foot soldier dares to call itself a war spirit?!" Clouds formed above Zhao Xing's head as he raised his hand to the sky, his body crackling with lightning.

"Zzzzzt!"

From his fingertips, purple lightning shot out, rapidly forming into five binding ropes through a mysterious trajectory.

It was his self-created technique—Lightning Chains!

"Go!"

The lightning ropes danced like nimble thunder snakes, heading straight for the war spirit.

"Kill!"

The war spirit brandished its spear, sweeping through the air like a mighty general. But the lightning bindings were extremely agile, avoiding direct confrontation with the war spirit and lashing straight at the bamboo horse.

"Boom!" Purple and red lights collided, and the war spirit's killing aura weakened by three degrees.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The five bindings struck in rapid succession, so fast that no one could react.

The war spirit was a battle-hardened entity, but even after swinging its spear five times, only two strikes managed to interfere with the lightning ropes.

The other three ropes bypassed its attacks.

This was the brilliance of Yin Lightning. Unlike the brute force of Thunder Palm, Yin Lightning was exceptionally fast and agile. Even when it encountered the spear, it didn't dissipate but instead rebounded, wrapping around the bamboo horse's neck.

"Zzzzzt!"

Wherever the lightning touched the bamboo horse, sparks flew, and its speed drastically reduced, its momentum halted.

"What?!" Yang Junxiong was shocked. He had considered the possibility that the mountain cat might stop his bamboo horse, but he never imagined that Zhao Xing, a mere ninth-stage Essence Gathering shennong officer, could do it.

In his moment of distraction—"Boom!"—Yang Junxiong felt a heavy blow to his chest, sending him flying backward.

It was the mountain cat's secret technique—Wind Strike!

Using its powerful hind legs, the mountain cat had kicked Yang Junxiong's chest. The Wind Strike, amplified by the power of the wind, delivered a blow of astonishing force.

"You wretched beast!" Yang Junxiong's eyes filled with malice as he shifted his focus entirely to the mountain cat. His protective chest plate had already begun to crack, and if he lost focus again, the mountain cat could inflict serious damage.

"This…" Du Jiaojiao stopped in her tracks.

Although she was a woman, she was brave and loyal, having known Zong Shichang since childhood. She couldn't just stand by when he was in danger.

But she hadn't expected the situation to change so quickly.

Yang Junxiong's war spirit bamboo horse had been ineffective!

Five lightning bindings had entangled the bamboo horse, greatly weakening the war spirit's killing aura.

"War Spirit Ignite!"

"Stampede the Mountains!"

Realizing he was trapped, the war spirit rider on the bamboo horse raised his spear, and the bamboo horse reared up, its hooves stomping down with a terrifying shockwave.

The war spirit and bamboo horse both unleashed secret techniques, the wild rider attempting to break free of the bindings.

"Snap!"

One of the lightning ropes actually snapped!

"Let's see how many you can break!" Zhao Xing's eyes flashed with lightning as he raised his left hand.

Three more lightning ropes materialized!

After seizing so many spiritual essences, including Essence Law spiritual essences, Zhao Xing's Lightning Chains had reached the eighth transformation!

"Zzzzt!"

The three lightning ropes quickly wrapped around the bamboo horse's head, pulling it down from its rearing stance.

The mid-tier secret technique, Stampede the Mountains, was interrupted before it could be fully unleashed.

"Yin Wind! Rise!"

A gust of Yin Wind surged from the ground, heading straight for the war spirit atop the bamboo horse.

Previously, the war spirit's killing aura had blocked the Yin Wind from directly affecting it.

But now, with the war spirit weakened by the lightning bindings, its killing aura had diminished. The Yin Wind could now strike directly at its essence.

"Whooosh!"

Though it was just a gust of wind, the war spirit on the bamboo horse reacted as if doused with cold water.

The flames of its killing aura dimmed, losing half their brightness!

The Yin Wind technique specifically targeted souls. While it didn't directly destroy the war spirit, it completely disrupted its offensive momentum.

"Thunder Palm!"

With the bamboo horse and war spirit trapped, Zhao Xing unleashed a third technique.

From the clouds above him, a purple palm emerged. Initially the size of a normal hand, it rapidly expanded as it soared through the air.

By the time it descended upon the bamboo horse, it had grown to four meters in length and one meter in thickness!

The Thunder Palm slammed down hard.

"Boom!"

The bamboo horse fell, the war spirit let out a pained howl, and both crashed into the square, creating a large crater.

The seventh transformation Thunder Palm was immensely powerful, and it shattered half of the war spirit's body.

Thunder techniques could also harm souls, especially the fierce Yang Lightning, which was particularly destructive to soul-based entities.

Zhao Xing had first used his Lightning Chains to weaken the war spirit's protective killing aura, then followed up with the Yin Wind to diminish its strength further. Now, this final palm strike had a devastating effect.

"No!" Yang Junxiong roared, his eyes bloodshot as he madly rushed toward the bamboo horse.

That war spirit was the product of ten years of bloodshed on the battlefield, and now it was being destroyed before his eyes—it was like losing a part of his own soul.

"Meow!" The mountain cat swiftly lunged, kicking Yang Junxiong back once again.

Its speed was astonishing, surpassing even ninth-stage warriors with its innate Swiftstep ability.

Yang Junxiong had no chance of getting past the mountain cat.

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Thunder roared as the purple palm continued to strike.

In the blink of an eye, the bamboo horse war spirit had taken several direct hits.

The sound of thunder was deafening, causing the spectators in the square to instinctively retreat.

In truth, many couldn't fully grasp what was happening. Without fully developed Nine Transformations Eyes, it was impossible to see the war spirit.

But Zhao Xing's lightning bindings and Thunder Palm were visible to all.

Mid-tier thunder techniques at the seventh or eighth transformation were incredibly powerful, far beyond ordinary thunder. Just the sound of thunder could make people jump, let alone the immense force of such techniques.

"What kind of thunder technique is this? How can it be so overpowering?!"

"I've never seen thunder techniques like this—forming a hand?"

"No wonder I lost."

Cao Qiushui watched the scene unfold, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. He had thought his cultivation had advanced, that perhaps he had narrowed the gap between himself and Zhao Xing.

But now it seemed the gap hadn't shrunk; it had grown even wider.

The strong only grew stronger. Zhao Xing's fortunes on this mountain were far greater than his own.

"Boom!"

With one final strike, the war spirit shattered completely.

All of its mystical qualities vanished in an instant.

The bamboo horse's glow faded, dropping from a top-tier third-rank beast to a low-tier third-rank.

Lightning chains bound the bamboo horse, thunder shattered the war spirit!

With Yang Junxiong's spiritual mark erased, Zhao Xing gave a light tug, and the bamboo horse obediently trotted over to him. It had become a masterless creature.

"Pfft!" Yang Junxiong spat out a mouthful of blood.

He had barely been holding off the mountain cat, but now, utterly flustered, he could no longer resist. The mountain cat's Thunder Claw tore into his chest.

"Shhh~" The crackling claws tore through his chest armor, leaving a bloody gash across his torso.

"Boom!" The mountain cat kicked Yang Junxiong's body, sending him flying out of the square, unconscious.

As the storm of thunder and wind subsided, silence fell over the square.

Everyone stared in shock at the scene before them.

The invincible knight who had seized the first incense two nights in a row, Yang Junxiong, had just been thoroughly defeated.

And not only that—he had revealed his trump card and still lost miserably.

"I understand that he couldn't match the mountain cat, but how did the war spirit bamboo horse lose to a non-Ranked shennong officer?"

Hu Yang muttered in disbelief, staring at the now lifeless bamboo horse. As a mechanist, he knew the strength of mechanical beasts well, but this result left him in shock.

Did this mean Zhao Xing could easily defeat his own mechanical beasts?

"This guy…" Lu Qian's eyes flickered with astonishment. "How did he train? Does he really master all four paths of the heavens?"

"Jiao Jie, do the three of us still have a chance at the first incense?!"

Du Jiaojiao's eyes flashed with excitement, but she quickly shook her head.

"Unless you and Qing'er can raise the power of the Da Shao technique by another level, we might be able to fight him."

"Even if we raised it a level, we'd still only be able to fight him?" Liu Muqing shook her head. That meant there was no real hope.

Despite knowing the odds, she still leapt into the air with her spear.

Even though her heart told her it was futile, the martial spirit within her refused to back down. Du Jiaojiao had to at least give it a try.

"Mountain cat, she's trying to steal your toy. Kick her!"

"Meow!" Just as Du Jiaojiao leapt into the air, a black blur shot toward her. The mountain cat's hind leg kicked out, and before she could react, she barely managed to raise her spear in defense.

"Boom!" The silver spear bent under the pressure, and Du Jiaojiao was sent flying back to the ground, her feet stinging from the impact.

Wind Strike, a seventh transformation mid-tier secret technique. The mountain cat, even as a young ranked beast, possessed terrifying strength.

"Meow!" The mountain cat padded around, arching its back in a menacing stance.

It seemed to be saying, "Whoever tries to fly up and steal my toy, I'll knock them down."

Its fierce behavior was almost comical, but the crowd was filled with dread.

Two Ranked experts had been kicked down by the mountain cat.

What kind of creature was this?

"We can't win. The mountain cat is too fast. If Yang Junxiong couldn't defend against it, neither can I," Du Jiaojiao conceded, realizing it wasn't a matter of skill, but the innate advantage of a ranked beast.

With Du Jiaojiao giving up, no one else dared to challenge the situation.

Everyone retreated slightly, waiting for Zhao Xing, the newly crowned strongest, to speak.

Zhao Xing remained silent, and no one dared to ask questions.

Victory went to the winner. Zhao Xing could decide how many incense sticks he wanted, and everyone else would have to comply.

Even his allies—Uncle Hu, Uncle Cang, and Yuan Bo—were too intimidated to approach him.

Finally, Zong Shichang, unable to contain his impatience, asked, "Zhao Sange, there are ten incense sticks. How do you plan to divide them? No one dares to take any without your word."

Zhao Xing thought for a moment. "I'll take the first and second with Shen Zhui. The rest, you can distribute as you see fit."

By dawn, everyone would have to descend the mountain. Taking more incense sticks served little purpose.

Zong Shichang had also run out of silver notes, and there was no point in negotiating for items now. There was no need to be petty; they had some friendship after all.

"Alright, shall I make the announcement?"

"Go ahead."

Zong Shichang, eager for a chance to show off, put on his best posture.

He stood with his hands behind his back, trying to look as suave as possible, and used the wind technique to project his voice across the square.

"For the temple incense, Brother Zhao and I will take eight sticks. The remaining two are for whoever can take them!"

With that, Zong Shichang used his wind technique to scoop eight incense sticks from the air.

The others were furious but didn't dare speak out.

While no one else dared protest, Du Jiaojiao's group was not pleased. Lu Qian shouted, "Zong Shiba, you didn't even earn those victories. Why are you acting so high and mighty?"

But Zong Shichang ran over, grinning as he offered three incense sticks to them. "How could I forget you all? Here, I saved you three sticks, so you don't have to jump for them."

Seeing this, Lu Qian responded with a sarcastic tone, "Oh, you're so considerate, thinking of me and Jiao Jie? Or is it Qing'er you're really worried about?"

Zong Shichang blushed as his eyes darted toward Liu Muqing.

Du Jiaojiao shot Lu Qian a glare, then cupped her hands toward Zong Shichang. "Thanks, Brother Zong. What does Zhao Xing have to say about the order of entering the temple?"

Zong Shichang replied, "He'll go first, Shen Zhui second—that's the one who fought Gu Feng earlier."

"What about the others?" Lu Qian asked.

"I'll handle that."

"And how are you arranging it?"

"I'd like Miss Liu to go third."

"Ah, so you are thinking of her! You really do have ulterior motives, don't you?"

"..."

While Zong Shichang was talking, Shen Zhui returned to the square.

His iron ruler and clothes were stained with blood, but it wasn't his.

"Brother Shen, are you alright?" Zhao Xing asked.

Shen Zhui removed the bow strapped to his back. "Mission accomplished. I've avenged that arrow for you."

For an archer, their bow was as precious as life itself. Now that Shen Zhui had taken Gu Feng's longbow, even if Gu Feng hadn't lost his life, he was as good as dead.

"That's a fine bow, Brother Shen, truly impressive."

Shen Zhui had truly gone above and beyond. Zhao Xing had only asked him to delay Gu Feng. He hadn't expected him to take Gu Feng's bow.

For an archer to lose their bow was either to die or be crippled.

Shen Zhui slung the bow over his back again. "What's the outcome of the incense contest? Has it started?"

Zhao Xing smiled. "It's already over. We're just waiting for you to enter the temple."

"What? It's over?"

Still a little stunned, Shen Zhui accepted the incense stick Zhao Xing handed him.

"Brother Shen, please go ahead and light the first incense."

Shen Zhui shook his head. "No, I missed our previous agreement, and I haven't really contributed much. You should light the first incense."

Back at the Chen Festival mansion, Zhao Xing had been willing to split his pears with Shen Zhui, and Shen Zhui had never forgotten it. He already felt indebted to Zhao Xing and didn't want to claim the first incense.

"Alright, I'll go in first, and you'll follow."

With the incense order set, Zhao Xing, the mountain cat, and Shen Zhui—each possessing Ranked-level power—left no room for dissent.

After descending the altar, the first eight entered the temple in order.

They were Zhao Xing, Shen Zhui, Liu Muqing, Du Jiaojiao, Lu Qian, Zong Shichang, Uncle Cang, and Uncle Hu.

The remaining two incense sticks went to Hu Yang and Cao Qiushui.

As for the others, they could only scramble for the second round of incense.

Inside the temple.

"Shennong officer Zhao Xing, requesting the manifestation of the True Lord."

A gust of wind swirled, and the surroundings grew dark, as if the towering shadow of a giant deity had appeared before Zhao Xing.

"You have requested the manifestation of this True Lord. What is it you seek?"

Zhao Xing bowed respectfully. "I request that the True Lord grant me a superior-grade spiritual essence."

"You have claimed the first incense. Such a fortune is rightly yours. I will send you to the location, but whether you can obtain it is up to you."

"Thank you, True Lord."

Another gust of wind swept through, enveloping the mountain cat, the bamboo horse, and everything else. Zhao Xing felt himself being transported away.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself standing at the edge of a cliff.

"Meow?" The mountain cat meowed, confused by their sudden change of location.

"There's a superior-grade spiritual essence here?" Zhao Xing was puzzled as well. He hadn't experienced the usual Heart's Stirring sensation.

After glancing around, a sense of familiarity washed over him.

"This place... isn't this where Yang Junxiong came earlier?"

Zhao Xing recalled that when he had been farming at the base of the mountain, he had seen Yang Junxiong riding his bamboo horse, leaping around the mountain crevices.

Now Zhao Xing found himself in the same location.

"Could it be that Yang Junxiong was searching for the superior-grade spiritual essence?"

The first incense request for a superior-grade spiritual essence didn't mean it would be handed over directly. Sometimes, it would reveal a location or a method to obtain it, provided the seeker passed the test.

Zhao Xing had found the Fortune Golden Cup earlier because he had already discovered the place and located the superior-grade essence but couldn't retrieve it.

The fifth incense request was to learn how to obtain it, assuming the seeker passed the challenge.

"Yang Junxiong searched for two nights but didn't succeed?"

"It seems this superior-grade spiritual essence won't be easy to get," Zhao Xing thought to himself.

In a few hours, they would all have to descend the mountain.

He wouldn't have another chance to offer incense and ask for guidance.

"Yang Junxiong was jumping around the mountain crevices, relying on this bamboo horse." Zhao Xing swung his leg over the bamboo horse and mounted it. "I'll give it a try too."

The bamboo horse could help a person leap great distances. While it couldn't fly for long, it could jump impressively far.

Though it had dropped in rank, its auxiliary functions remained, even if it no longer had a war spirit.

"Giddy-up!" Zhao Xing squeezed his legs, and the bamboo horse's hooves lit up as it dashed toward the cliff, leaping high into the air.