I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Chapter 384: Chapter 367: Peacock Ming King Statue

A smile touched Hua Jianyu’s handsome face. ’I’ve pinned her down!’

He truly felt his Demon Suppression Tower had locked onto Ling Fei. An indescribable feeling of heroic ambition surged in his heart. If his faction’s base hadn’t been destroyed and Wang Meng’s group hadn’t been allowed to escape, Hua Jianyu probably wouldn’t have mustered such courage.

CLINK... CLINK...

A strange sound, like a clear mountain spring striking stones, rang out.

An indescribable atmosphere permeated the area. Hua Jianyu felt it, and so did Ji Rushan. Even for a body refinement expert like him, a chill ran down his spine.

BOOM...

The Demon Suppression Tower slowly rose, gradually revealing Ling Fei beneath it. A surge of Elemental Power erupted as she began to lift the tower.

Hua Jianyu was dumbfounded. Controlling his Life Artifact was a matter of leverage, not brute force. For Ling Fei to physically lift the Demon Suppression Tower, she would have to endure an immense weight.

But the problem was, Ling Fei didn’t seem to be exerting any force at all. Her eyes glowed with an emerald light.

A clear cry pierced the heavens.

BOOM...

A five-colored peacock of Elemental Power burst forth from Ling Fei, instantly blasting the Demon Suppression Tower away.

Hua Jianyu and Ji Rushan suddenly felt as if the very space around them had changed. A tyrannical pressure locked onto them both.

If even Ji Rushan, who was outside the immediate combat zone, felt this, one could only imagine what Hua Jianyu was experiencing head-on.

This was Ling Fei’s Peacock Ming King Statue!

Hua Jianyu snorted coldly. The Demon Suppression Tower pressed down once more as his Elemental Power erupted, and brilliant Sword Qi swept toward Ling Fei.

Ling Fei’s hands formed a peacock Hand Seal. "Unmoving Ming King Seal!"

BOOM...

The Demon Suppression Tower and Hua Jianyu’s Sword Qi were all instantly frozen in place. Ling Fei walked toward Hua Jianyu step by step, staring at him fixedly.

At that moment, Hua Jianyu could clearly see the beauty blooming within Ling Fei’s cold expression. ’Only a woman who combines power and beauty like this is truly beautiful, truly worthy of my conquest.’

"Surrender the Holy Hall’s base, or die!"

Ling Fei’s voice was enchanting, but her words were anything but.

Hua Jianyu shrugged, instantly retracting his power. The Demon Suppression Tower flew back into his body, and the Sword Qi shattered into motes of light.

"Since Miss Ling has personally intervened, I have to show some respect."

Hua Jianyu said with great nonchalance, a complete change from his earlier demeanor.

Ling Fei nodded. With a flicker of her body, the distance between them widened again. The Holy Statue vanished, and the pressure enveloping them instantly disappeared.

With another flicker, she vanished completely, leaving Hua Jianyu, who had been about to say something, to swallow his words.

Hua Jianyu and Ji Rushan stared at each other in dismay. "So that’s the power... of the Peacock Ming King Statue."

A Life Artifact is a superior Magical Artifact. Unlike ordinary Magical Artifacts, a Life Artifact grows stronger along with its wielder and can be controlled more intuitively. A Holy Statue, however, is something else entirely. It’s an ability, and that ability varies depending on the specific Holy Statue.

Although neither side had used their full strength, after this one clash with the Holy Statue, the two still had no idea what the Peacock Ming King Statue’s true ability was.

The moment the Holy Statue appeared, a gap in power had suddenly opened between them, even though they were all at the Minor Perfection level.

"If the two of us went all out together, would we have a chance?" A daring glint flashed in Ji Rushan’s eyes.

Hua Jianyu shook his head. "If we knew the weakness of her Holy Statue and could target it, we might have a chance. Otherwise, defeat would be certain."

The two exchanged a bitter smile. They were beyond frustrated. If it were just the two of them, they would have fought to the death to determine their ranking. But with Ling Fei looming over them, their struggle seemed rather pointless.

"...What is Ling Fei’s relationship with the Holy Hall Faction?" Ji Rushan suddenly asked.

Hua Jianyu rolled his eyes. "How should I know? There are so many busybodies lately!"

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t frustrated, but Hua Jianyu knew it was better to offend a scoundrel than a woman. This Ling Fei was definitely not someone to be trifled with. The Flower Fairy Sect’s ranking was much higher than the Cloud Dragon Sect’s—breaking into the top ten was a major hurdle, and her sect was ranked sixth. Even if she killed Hua Jianyu, the Cloud Dragon Sect wouldn’t dare challenge them.

「In the Dragon Transformation Pool」

Everyone was seizing the time to cultivate. Wang Meng... was still making no progress whatsoever.

Among this group of elites gathered by the Extreme Dao Alliance, everyone except for him had advanced to varying degrees. Some were even close to the forty-ninth layer, yet he was still stuck at the Thirty-Fifth Layer. This gave the three Elders a headache, and they weren’t sure whether they should let him continue.

"I think we should stop. If he keeps consuming resources like this, the loss will be too great. It would be better to give the opportunity to someone else."

The Third Elder couldn’t help but say. The Pills and Spiritual Liquid were all treasures. ’Letting this guy use them feels like a complete waste of precious resources.’

"I said it long ago: the Five Elements Body is useless. I don’t know why they went through so much trouble to recommend him. Having one Holy Light Demon Collapse Body is enough!"

The Second Elder also shook his head. This was only continuing because of the Great Elder’s insistence. Their primary target this time was Mingren; everyone else’s success depended on their own fortune.

The Extreme Dao Alliance’s resources didn’t just fall from the sky.

The Great Elder watched Wang Meng in the mirror, feeling a twinge of regret. ’It was partly because of that person’s recommendation, and partly because I wanted to test our luck. They all say the Five Elements Body is the most wasteful, but it does offer five chances. If he got lucky and an Artifact Soul manifested, it would count as a breakthrough. But now... it seems the boy is just a complete waste.’

But looking at Wang Meng’s earnest face, the Great Elder felt it wasn’t quite right to just kick the boy out like this.

"Old Xu, you must be decisive when the time comes."

The Second Elder said. Five people had already been disqualified and sent away. Once it was determined there was no chance, the Extreme Dao Alliance wouldn’t let these people continue to drain their resources.

An opportunity, once it arrived, had to be seized.

The Great Elder shook his head slightly. "Let’s give him one more month. For the sake of the one who recommended him."

The Second and Third Elder exchanged a look and could only nod, though in their hearts they strongly disagreed. ’Someone like him...’

Just then, footsteps sounded. The three Elders all stood up. A smile appeared on the Great Elder’s face. "Protector Zheng, you’ve arrived."

Zheng Dasheng, a Protector of the Extreme Dao Alliance who had successfully cultivated a Life Artifact, had also started out here.

"Greetings, three Elders. The Holy Daughter sent me to inquire about the situation."

"So far, things are going smoothly."

"Of the five with the potential for a Holy Statue, has anyone cultivated a Holy Shadow yet?"

"Not yet. It won’t be that quick."

Zheng Dasheng was dressed in white, the mark of an Extreme Dao lightning bolt on his chest. He looked quite arrogant.

With a Cultivation at the sixtieth layer or higher and possession of a Life Artifact, he had the right to be proud.

"The Saintess is concerned about the Holy Light Demon Collapse Body. How is that boy doing?"

Zheng Dasheng asked nonchalantly, but it was clear he was very concerned. ’The Extreme Dao Alliance already has two people with Holy Statues. Every new one is a blow to those like me who only possess a Life Artifact, to say nothing of it being a Holy Light Demon Collapse Body, one of the Ten Great Sacred Bodies.’

The three Elders exchanged a look. The Second Elder gave a few dry coughs. "He seems... to be doing alright."

Zheng Dasheng frowned. "What do you mean, ’seems to be doing alright’?"

In the image, Mingren wasn’t cultivating with the same serious intensity as the others. He remained calm and unhurried. He read scriptures leisurely and practiced his Cultivation Technique methodically, step-by-step. He didn’t give off a very serious attitude at all.

Seeing this, Zheng Dasheng understood why the Second Elder had spoken that way. "The boy doesn’t seem to cherish this hard-won opportunity."

"Perhaps this is just his way of cultivating," the Great Elder said.

If it were an ordinary constitution, Zheng Dasheng would have expelled him long ago. But this was the Holy Light Demon Collapse Body; the decision wasn’t his to make.

"Let me see the status of the others. From now on, I will accompany you. They’re having it too easy right now. This is a waste of the resources painstakingly accumulated by countless members of our Extreme Dao Alliance. We must put some pressure on them."

"Protector, you mean?"

"Gather them. I have something to say... This is also the Saintess’s will," Zheng Dasheng said.

Now that he had invoked the Saintess, the three Elders could only nod.

「Dragon Transformation Hall」

Everyone was summoned, forced to stop whatever they were doing. The Cultivators unconsciously separated into groups based on their level. The five strongest were in one area, the eight with Life Artifact constitutions were in another, and the rest were divided into two groups based on their living quarters.

"I am Zheng Dasheng, a Protector of the Extreme Dao Alliance, here to supervise your cultivation. You should know that the treatment you are enjoying now is something that the heirs of many Sects can only dream of. The Spiritual Liquid and Pills you use are priceless. You must be grateful! You must work hard! This place does not welcome fools who only know how to waste resources!"

Zheng Dasheng spoke coldly, his gaze sweeping over everyone. He released a powerful pressure that, combined with his words, created an oppressive force.

"From today onward, there will be periodic evaluations. Those who do not meet the standard will be eliminated. So you had all better make every minute count!"

Zheng Dasheng stared at the five with Holy Statue Bodies, especially Number Two and Number Three. The more he looked at them, the more he found them displeasing.

"I say, Great Guardian Zheng, did you interrupt my cultivation just to spew a few sentences of bullshit?"

The Number Three cultivator said coldly, showing Zheng Dasheng no respect whatsoever.

"What did you say!"

Zheng Dasheng’s eyes flew wide with rage, looking like a living Vajra. His aura crashed toward the Number Three cultivator like thunder, preparing to slam the man to the ground.

The Number Three cultivator was already prepared. POP...

The aura exploded, and the Number Three cultivator staggered back three steps. "You’re just someone with a Life Artifact constitution. Don’t you come here shouting and screaming!"

Zheng Dasheng raised his hand, and Elemental Qi exploded forth. This was a surging power that only a Cultivator above Minor Perfection possessed.

The Number Three cultivator gave a cold smile. "Zheng Dasheng, mind your station. You are merely a Protector. I think you should know who I am!"

Zheng Dasheng slowly suppressed his Elemental Power. "Number Three, you remember this: you had better succeed in forming a Holy Statue. Otherwise, you will pay the price for your actions today, and not even your Sect will be able to save you!"

Number Three shrugged nonchalantly. "That’s not something you need to worry about."

With that, he turned and left without a backward glance. Zheng Dasheng had lost face and couldn’t continue, so he could only dismiss everyone in a huff.

Mingren watched Number Three’s departing back and couldn’t help but smile. ’An interesting person indeed.’

Wang Meng and Ma Tian’Er also lingered for a moment. It was one thing if they hadn’t seen each other, but since they had run into one another, the three of them naturally had to chat for a bit.

"Has your Holy Shadow emerged yet? I’m really looking forward to it."

Wang Meng said with a smile. He could feel a change in Mingren’s aura; the Dragon Transformation Pool had changed him greatly.

Mingren smiled faintly. "Not yet, but it won’t be a problem." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation.)