Tribute spirits were the ancient name of divine spirits, but in Lu Yunâs eyes, the tribute spirits of this world couldnât be called divine spirits. Tribute spirits were born with imperfections and couldnât leave their priest. They lived and died along with their tribe.
Divine spirits, however, were entirely different. Incense and worship enhanced their strength, but they could still survive if they left their priest.
Mountain ghosts were divine spirits, Ah Niu was a tribute spirit. The Wei river god in the clouds was also a tribute spirit instead of a divine one. However, there was a connection between the two of them.
God.
âŠâŠ
The river god was extremely strongâmany times stronger than Ah Niu, in fact. However, what Lu Yun sensed more clearly was that it was⊠afraid. It didnât dare show itself and rain down furious retribution even when a ritual a thousand years old had been interrupted. It could only summon this thick cloud layer and slowly torment the Yan Tribe.
âWhat is it afraid of? Ah Bao? But that doesnât make sense. According to what Shennong and the priest said, Ah Bao will attract the fury of nature if she makes a move and disaster will strike her.â Lu Yun frowned slightly. ââŠthe divine decree!â
Light gleamed in his eyes as spirit energy circulated madly within his body. He ran through several deductions about the Wei river god looming in the clouds.
âAh Bao canât do anything to it because its divine decree is one recognized by the world. But the decree⊠doesnât belong to it! It obtained the decree after swallowing the real river god!
âThe river god it swallowed was an embryo and not yet fully formed. I see now!â Formula dao laid bare everything about the river god in front of Lu Yun. âSince that tribute spirit could take the divine decree, why canât Ah Bao or Ah Niu do the same?
âIn that caseâŠâ A smirk flitted across Lu Yunâs lips. âIâm taking your divine decree!â
Up in the clouds, the river god was still eyeing Ah Bao. Just as Lu Yun had inferred, any divine spirit could take its divine decree because it didnât have right of ownership. However, itâd ruled the river for thousands of years and collected a vast collection of ragtag monster spirits, imps, and lesser demons during this time. There were even a few uncommonly strong divine spirits without divine decrees.
The human tribes along the Wei River had once banded together to defy the river god, but the end result had been the eradication of several tribes stronger than the Yan Tribe. With the Yan Tribe as the remaining leader, the rest of the humans had to bow their heads in submission.
Children were offered as tribute every year, and in return the river god protected the tribes around its waters. Truth be told, it was just corralling humans as livestock.
Sadly, this kind of situation was all too common in the great wilderness. If it wasnât for the human sacred land and two great gods forming its pantheon, humanity as a whole wouldâve long been rounded up as general cattle for other races.
Jiang Ti had benefited from a string of good luck. Heâd saved an unweaned pixiu when he was very young and raised it to adulthood, then met Ah Bao after moving to Qingqiu Mountain who further ensured the safety of Ning Village.
Heâd brought the villagers back to the tribe not to seek more protection, but because Ah Bao and the pixiu could help the tribe with their prodigious strength. However, heâd never thought of going against the river god⊠The stronger tribes that existed several thousand years ago had all been razed over the course of one night for their insubordination!
âŠâŠ
Lu Yun pointed gently, sending a faint ripple through the air.
Kabooooom.
A pillar of brilliant golden light pierced through the heavens and dispersed the heavy clouds overhead. Blinding sunlight once more scattered over Yan Tribe territory.
Lu Yun shot into the air. âAh Bao, Ah Niu, the two of you keep watch here. Beat the crap out of anything that dares rush out of the Wei River!â he roared.
Ah Bao couldnât do anything to the river god because of the divine decree that conferred the riverâs protection. As a natural-born divine spirit, she was subordinate to spirits with a divine decree. Itâd be a pyrrhic victory even if she could overcome the river god, so it wasnât worth the attempt. But at the same time, the other entities and divine spirits in the river posed no threat to her.
Lu Yun hadnât wanted her to do anything in the beginning because heâd been afraid sheâd catch the eye of heavyweights in the great wilderness. Now however, he changed his mind. He was going to seize the Wei River divine decree for her!
âHow dare a pathetic human take action against me?!â The river god flew into a rage at seeing Lu Yun charge up instead of Ah Bao. Gravely insulted, it stretched out a claw to crush the impertinent human to pieces.
Kaboooom.
A second pillar of golden light blasted upward from the ground, slamming right into the river god. With a ghastly shriek, the enormous dragon claw disintegrated into pieces.
âWhat is that?!â Gasping, fear flitted through its eyes.
To its great dismay, a strange pattern had somehow appeared by the river banks. The pattern exuded a stern authority that constantly compelled the river god to descend and kowtow before it. Even more terrifying was that its connection to its divine decree had been cut off!
âYou ant!â Dense malice glittered in its eyes as it glared fixedly at Lu Yun. Everything originated from this human youth thatâd just set foot into the golden core realm. All would be over if he were disposed of.
ButâŠ
The light emanating from the dark-golden diagram prevented the strong divine spirits under its command from showing their faces, while the mountain ghost had the remainder of the river godâs forces firmly in hand.
âAnt? Watch as this ant personally butchers you!â roared Lu Yun. Fingers dancing through sword seals, currents of the worldâs energies gathered in the air as a terrifying sword formation around the river god.
Formations without foundation!
The same dark-gold pattern could be found in the formationâthe Exalted Divine Emperorâs Sacred Origin Runes. These were the divine emperorâs sacred runes; both divines and divine spirits had to worship them upon sight. These runes exerted control over divines and divine spirits, and were Lu Yunâs ultimate trump card in facing off against the Wei river god!
Besides, the river god was only a tribute spirit and half a step away from becoming a true divine spirit.
âCome down here!â Lu Yun shouted, bringing the sword formation and Sacred Origin Runes to bear on the river god. He slammed the tribute spirit onto the ground, activating the runes in the dirt to function as restraints.
However, heâd been the one to draw these Sacred Origin Runes and not the Exalted Divine Emperor himself, so they were of limited use against the river god. Once the river god recovered its wits, it could easily struggle free of these mid-tier runes.
Therefore, Lu Yun would never allow it the opportunity to do so.
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