The sun was shining brightly.
On the altar, two factions faced off, the air thick with tension.
The villagers were nervous, glancing at the figures on the altar, not daring to breathe.
On one side stood the Fat Priest, the one in charge of the ritual in town, who had built up quite the reputation over the years as the spokesperson for the Shaman Lord—no one dared to defy him.
On the other side? Well, they seemed to have a much bigger background!
First off, these three individuals descended from the clouds, exuding an extraordinary aura that made them appear almost divine.
And… had they been in a deep slumber for thousands of years?
Not even a dynasty had been rumored to endure for that long! How ancient was that? And yet, they spoke so casually about it as if they were just taking a nap.
Just thinking about it sent shivers down everyone’s spine!
The villagers were mostly poor, struggling to make ends meet. They could offend neither side, so they could only watch and wait.
“Impersonating a deity? You’re asking for trouble!” the Fat Priest fumed, smoke practically coming out of his ears as he spat that retort.
Who could blame him? The opposing side was throwing out phrases as if they were professionals in the field…
He scoffed, deciding not to engage in a war of words with them any further.
He bit his tongue, channeling the summoning method of his sect. With a spray of his bl**d on the bronze shaman statue, the power of the gathered collective surged and awakened the ancestral spirits trapped within.
Suddenly, a shadow flickered from the totem, and a lifelike figure of a flying spirit appeared.
This was the ancestral spirit of the Flying Spirits Clan, descending with the power of the crowd, bringing with it a heavy oppressive aura. But summoning it came at a great personal cost.
Behind Li Mo, Ling Yuan and Mambo exchanged glances, clearly gearing up to take action.
After all, this was a skill from the Observation Realm, and they were using the power of the masses.
They weren’t worried that Li Mo would lose; they were more concerned about ruining the image of the “Master Celestial.”
“Fake is fake, like a reflection in a mirror or a moon in water,” Li Mo said, his eyes downcast, his expression as calm as a still pond.
“So the bloodline power once given to me is now being used against my Master Celestial?”
Suddenly, he transformed.
With a deer head and a bird body, he was surrounded by swirling mist, something truly extraordinary. His bloodline power resembled the sun, pure and radiant.
The transformation was so similar to the actual flying spirit that it was uncanny.
The Fat Priest’s eyes nearly bulged out, as if he was staring straight at a deity. It was even more real than the ancestral spirit he had summoned with the power of the crowd!
After all, the totem’s essence was to materialize the ancestral spirit through the power of the masses to achieve a “lifelike” effect.
What was this but a mere product of bloodline power?
How could he possibly attack his own “Master Celestial”?
No surprises there.
With a puff, the ancestral spirit summoned through collective power simply vanished.
“How about that?” Li Mo casually reverted to his human form.
The Fat Priest was drenched in sweat. He glanced at the villagers who were visibly shaken, realizing his credibility among them had taken a hit.
No matter how lifelike, it couldn’t compare to the living “deity” right before them.
Impossible—there was no way…
Every disciple of the Divine Sect knew that as the Da Shang’s fortunes waned, those who once existed as deities could not remain intact in this world.
Except for one exception—the matriarch of the Qingluan Clan.
And this young man? He was only at the Observation Realm; how could he possibly be a pureblood flying spirit?
“A true god can summon wind and rain. Can you do that?” the Fat Priest forced himself to remain composed.
“Nothing too difficult.” Li Mo’s expression was indifferent as he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, someone sneezed.
Boom!
In the darkness, Wu Qing received the signal; Shang Qin Qing used a feather to scratch her nose, resulting in an explosive sneeze.
In an instant, the clouds gathered in the sky, dark clouds enveloping everything.
Mambo and Wu Qing were close friends and shared a solid connection, so he also unleashed his bloodline power.
From the swirling clouds, lightning danced wildly, and thunder roared!
The torrential rain began to pour down uncontrollably.
“How is this even possible…” the Fat Priest was dazed amidst the deluge.
Is this the kind of commotion an Observation Realm practitioner could create?
To be honest, not just the villagers but even he was starting to doubt who was the real deal here.
Had he unwittingly entered some fake summoning sect?
“Wait a moment… what is this Wanxiang Xianzong nonsense, and what about you celestial beings? Where did you all come from? I’ve never heard of you!”
“The survival of the people here entirely relies on the divine grace of the Shaman Lord! What does it have to do with you!”
Li Mo squinted his eyes, having long been able to take out the Fat Priest without breaking a sweat. This guy wasn’t worth it; what mattered was establishing the image of the Master Celestial.
Thus, he looked at him with pity, like observing an ant:
“Ordinary mortals, staring at the sky from a well.”
“You must be a Huanmo Sect follower, right?”
“??!!”
The Fat Priest was caught off guard, his identity revealed, throwing him into a panic.
“But since you’ve asked sincerely, I’ll show a bit of compassion and enlighten you.”
“The Wanxiang Xianzong is a branch of the Heavenly Court. In ancient times, we suppressed the universe, swallowing the stars of the Zodiac, ruling over life and d*ath, creating all things.”
“What you call the Huanmo Sect is merely a remnant of the Heavenly Court. Now, you dare flaunt it before me? Absolutely ridiculous!”
This was the Master Celestial’s plan!
Summoning magic to defeat summoning magic! A deity replacing a deity!
The Fat Priest trembled in disbelief.
But recalling the other party’s realm, he didn’t get a chance to voice his doubts.
Seven mystical symbols flew out from Li Mo, moving in mysterious arcs, truly resembling stars!
The Fat Priest was dumbfounded, even dropping his bronze staff with a clang.
What the other was saying actually made sense!
And it felt even more terrifying and profound than anything he had ever heard in the sect.
Observing the villagers as they began to regard him with growing respect, Li Mo decided to deliver the final nail in the coffin.
He gazed into the distance towards one of the three towering mountains:
“Are the people here trapped by the heavy mountains?”
“Yes, Master Celestial, exactly so,” the old town chief stood in the rain, his faith in this celestial being already at ninety percent.
After all, he could summon wind and rain with ease and manifest a deity indistinguishable from the totem.
Actions spoke louder than words.
Most of the villagers, like the old town chief, were so convinced that some couldn’t help but kneel.
Li Mo’s eyelids twitched; he didn’t shy away, giving a soft sigh:
“Though you’ve been deceived, your sincerity is admirable. Then…”
“I suppose I will intervene a little.”
He turned his gaze towards the center of the three towering mountains and solemnly commanded:
“Open!”
That single word, booming with authority.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Emmm… nothing happened?
The villagers exchanged bewildered looks, unsure what the Master Celestial was up to.
Li Mo: “….”
That Giant Whale Clan senior wouldn’t… have fallen asleep again, would he?
Giant Whales had a habit of long lifespans and giant sizes, which made it difficult to stay fed, so they often slept to conserve energy. They could doze off at the slightest provocation, sometimes mistaken for islands by humans.
Luckily, Li Mo had made adequate preparations.
“This kid sure knows how to pull a fast one…”
“The Huanmo Sect learning from him? It ain’t like this every day.”
Shang Qin Qing spat out two sunflower seed shells, her figure slipping through the void towards where Guo Chuan was.
She arrived in an instant.
Sure enough, Guo Chuan was fast asleep, lying beside a thick copper cable, snoring away.
“Time for dumplings!!”
“Hmm?!”
Guo Chuan jolted awake, standing at attention.
