Chapter 169: Fake City God

"I told you that you have a heart of stone. You want to ruin my good deeds instead of just living in peace with yourselves. I have already found out clearly that this small Yecheng only has a small City God Temple. It has been abandoned for many years, and the incense has been cut off and the gods have died. You are definitely not the real City God!" said the Lord of Plague.

"Let me guess, you got the legacy of the City God and stole the throne," the Plague King looked him up and down, "It must be hard to replace a god with a mortal body. Without the incense and the real body, my plague has entered your body, and you must be dead soon. What do you think, am I right?"

Zong Qing just looked at him coldly and ignored the offensive words. He was originally an ordinary man, weak and sickly since childhood. In order to protect him, his parents asked a master to preside over the ceremony and worshipped the city god in the small temple as a god relative to wash away his sickness.

However, the small temple had long been in decline, the gods were no longer prominent, and no one came to worship them, except Zong Qing who used to play there when he was a child. Strangely enough, the place was quite desolate, and tigers and wolves would occasionally come down the mountain. Zong Qing went there alone and had never encountered any, and his health had also improved. He had a vague sense of something, and he often went there to offer sacrifices on festivals and birthdays.

A few years ago, a heavy rain trapped him in the City God Temple. There were thunder and lightning, but not a drop of rain fell in the dilapidated temple. When he got up in the morning, Zong Qing felt empty in his heart. The three animals and fruits he offered as offerings were the same as usual, except for the addition of a golden pen.

Zong Qing could not help but feel grief-stricken and cried loudly for a while. He bowed his head and took the pen. Only then did he realize that it was the seal of the City God. With a little effort, he put on a red robe, held the Book of People, and became the City God in human form.

From then on, Zong Qing took on the role of the City God in human form, touring various places and killing evil spirits. This was also the reason why he often traveled far away.

He discovered the Plague King and his group of ghosts as soon as they appeared. Seeing the unusual movement, he attacked fiercely, but because there was not much divine power in the golden pen, he was defeated.

"Life and death are determined by fate. It seems that I, the fake City God, will eventually die here."

There was no sadness in Zong Qing's heart, just a little regret. Xiaoye City was hidden in a corner and could be seen by looking up. It was not far from here.

"All evildoers, the City God of Xiaoye City is here!" Zong Qing shouted, "This road is blocked!"

“Hahaha, he’s just a fake City God, how can he become a big shot?” The Plague King laughed, then his face turned cold: “Fake is always fake, it can never become real. If the City God of Xiaoye City resurrects, I’ll still be a little afraid, but as for you, you’re courting death!”

The Plague God waved his hand and pointed without saying a word, and hundreds of plague ghosts set off at once.

Zong Qing looked at him coldly, and the Book of the People in his hand moved without wind, flashing with golden light, and turned into dozens of golden-armored soldiers and generals, falling in front of him.

"The God will receive the troops!"

He raised his hand and waved the pen, drawing the shape of swords and knives. Then countless swords fell down and were caught by the golden-armored general.

"Form a formation and kill the plague ghosts!"

The gods shouted together and fought against the plague ghost.

The Plague King cracked his mouth, revealing his fangs: "You just invited a few soldiers, how can you stop my plague ghost soldiers? Speaking of which, I have never tasted the spirit, now is the perfect time to make fun of you!"

As he spoke, his tendons and bones cracked, and he was surrounded by emerald green miasma. His back was slightly hunched, and his arms swelled up, becoming thicker than his legs. Sharp claws grew out and hung down to the ground. He was larger on top and smaller on the bottom, almost inhuman shape.

Zong Qing was on high alert. The divine power in the golden pen turned into a thin golden light, and in the blink of an eye, the Plague King disappeared.

"Where are you looking? I'm right here!"

A sinister voice came from behind Zong Qing, sharp claws grabbed his back fiercely, a mouthful of fangs engraved on Zong Qing's neck, and a golden light shone brightly on Zong Qing's body. He then turned the tip of the pen, wanting to point it at the Plague Lord's brow.

The Plague King blocked it with his sharp claws, and stuck the golden pen tightly between his fingers: "So you are a rookie, didn't anyone teach you how to fight?"

Zong Qing did not speak. The golden light on the pen became brighter and brighter, and more cracks gradually appeared. The Plague King was suddenly shocked: "You want to self-destruct the magic weapon? You lunatic, you lunatic, your soul will be destroyed and you will never be reborn!"

As he said this, he let go of the golden pen and wanted to retreat, but Zong Qing had been waiting for this opportunity and was not willing to let him go. He clasped his hands together and hugged the Plague Lord tightly.

There was a golden glow all over his body, as if it was a last ray of light, but cracks were appearing on his body.

The Plague King's claws pierced Zong Qing's arm, blood flowed out, and the flesh and bones were cracked, but he was entangled by Zong Qing who was determined to die. He finally felt fear in his heart: "If you let me go, I will leave this place and never set foot here again. I swear!" The cracks spread to Zong Qing's face, revealing a trace of golden light, like broken porcelain. He used his body as a lock, and the pain was so severe that he had little consciousness: "The words of ghosts are often cunning, how can I believe them?"

Then he regained consciousness and heard the screams of the gods and the wails of the evil spirits. He laughed and said, "Plague Lord, what a great name! Not at all unworthy of you. It's just right that you should be buried with me!"

The golden pen shattered, the red robe tore, and the body exploded, like a ray of dawn meteor cutting through the long night, but it disappeared in a flash, leaving only fragments falling.

With a gurgling sound, a pen tip fell and rolled to the edge of the gods' tomb, where there were countless broken statues, fragments of colored ink, and torn pen tips, all gathered together and fit perfectly.

In the tomb of gods and ghosts, all gods and ghosts are annihilated and there is silence.

Half an hour passed.

"Cough cough cough, damn thing." The Plague King looked at the mess and saw that most of its body was missing. He couldn't help but feel angry, but also scared.

"I was almost taken away by that lunatic."

"What a pity, it was just a little bit off, ha!" The Plague King laughed.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps interrupted the Plague King's smile.

A man in a green robe walked slowly towards me on the moon.

"Who are you?" The Plague King stood up and was on guard.

"We are just a group of passers-by, here to see Mr. Qing off." Gu Qingyuan said.

The Plague King stared at him intently: "You know that fake City God? He is now dead, you have sent him away, leave quickly!"

"This person is not ordinary. My condition is worrying now. It is not suitable for me to stay here for long!"

"It has been delivered, but you misunderstood." Gu Qingyuan looked at the Plague King.

"What do you mean?" The Plague King slowly retreated, looked around, and observed an escape route.

Gu Qingyuan slowly stretched out his hand: "The person I am sending off is Mr. Qing, a mortal. He is gone now." The broken pen tip fell into his palm.

"The one who has returned must be the City God of Xiaoye City, Zong Qing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a faint golden light enveloped the tip of the pen. Gu Qingyuan reached towards Xiaoye City and saw countless points of light rushing towards him like a surging river.

Gu Qingyuan raised his hand and the pen tip flew into the air and merged with the light spot.

"Today, there is a young man from Xiaoye City, Zong Qing, who is kind and generous, has made many good friends, has killed countless demons and ghosts, and has protected the area. He is both virtuous and talented. He is in accordance with the will of the emperor, and has ascended to the throne to repay the heaven, bestow his grace, and govern all living beings."

"To ward off disasters and resolve misfortunes, I have obtained the order of the Great Heavenly Official and have conferred the title of City God!"

Then a divine figure emerged from behind Gu Qingyuan, a white mist rushed straight into the sky, stirring up chaos in all directions, and then a spiritual light descended and merged with the tip of the pen.

The spiritual light, the pen tip, and the power of will, the three came together, bursting with golden light, and a figure was completed piece by piece.

In the City God Temple outside Xiaoye City, a stick of green incense was burning and smoke was rising.

(End of this chapter)