Normal Punch

Bai Cangshu descended from the air. A thick stench, pungent enough to seem to blast straight into his lungs, erupted from underground. Then he felt a powerful pulling force.

Buzz!

Bai Cangshu’s figure flickered. A brief spell of dizziness struck his mind, the discomfort caused by his location changing drastically in an instant.

Worlds with this kind of Eastern worldview always contained all sorts of mysterious formations and power systems.

Special Reincarnator EX051, you have entered a special area. Exploration progress has slightly increased.

You have obtained E-rank Anomaly Point *1.

Seeing that the Infinite Dimensional Space had almost "eagerly" granted him an Anomaly Point merely for being teleported in, Bai Cangshu could better sense just how desperately the Space craved information from this Native World.

Like a lowly weakling shamelessly gnawing at an unshakable powerhouse, Bai Cangshu was now a worm, an ant cast by the Infinite Dimensional Space onto a giant dragon. The Space hoped Bai Cangshu would tear off something from this dragon so it could taste that wonderful dragon flesh.

Bai Cangshu sneered and lightly waved a hand. Though there was clearly neither force nor speed behind it, he seemed capable of grasping the viscous air.

With that wave, a violent gale rose.

This was the realm beyond that of a Grand Martial Arts Master. His control over force had become formless and intangible. In a Reincarnator’s terms, even if Bai Cangshu used only ten or twenty points of strength now, he could still achieve what other Reincarnators needed forty or fifty points of strength to accomplish.

The white mist filling the area before him gradually dispersed, and Bai Cangshu discovered that the range of his Mantra perception was expanding as well.

The white mist in this space contained countless sounds, constantly interfering with Bai Cangshu’s Mantra perception.

He focused his gaze and saw vague shadows flickering within it. They were Yin Ghosts and restless souls, but their auras were so faint that they were on the verge of dissipating.

With a thought from Bai Cangshu, Spirit Summoning activated. Black yin spirits emerged from his body one after another, then headed off in all directions.

He himself walked toward where the white mist was thinning. A glimmer of lamplight could already be seen there.

Bai Cangshu tapped the ground with the tip of his foot, crossing several hundred meters in an instant. Under the special realm of Musō Tensei, the Six Powers: Soru had been refined to a level no one could match.

He arrived at the lamplight in an instant. A somewhat dilapidated City God Temple stood alone amid the white mist, fog swirling behind it while bright lights shone before it.

Creak~

The City God Temple’s gates slowly opened, as if inviting Bai Cangshu inside.

Bai Cangshu looked up at the three blood-red words, City God Temple, on the plaque. They seemed ready to drip blood at any moment. He roughly understood that everything Lanruo City had suffered was deeply connected to this Yin God.

Bai Cangshu stepped straight inside. Immediately afterward, the City God Temple’s gates slammed shut.

Special Reincarnator EX051, you have come into contact with Special Creation: City God Temple.

Bai Cangshu’s grin widened. He walked directly toward the main hall at the rear of the temple. Two elderly temple attendants emerged from the mist on either side, one man and one woman, though their faces remained obscured by the fog.

The two approached Bai Cangshu, seemingly slowly yet actually swiftly. However, Bai Cangshu’s steps were the same. Though his stride appeared short and his pace was not quick, the two temple attendants simply could not catch him.

In an instant, Bai Cangshu entered the main hall.

At the center of the hall stood a massive statue draped in a red cape, wearing a white-and-gold robe and a black crown. What drew even more attention was the ring of golden radiance behind its head.

The heavy scent of incense diluted the previously overwhelming stench.

Only then did the two temple attendants arrive, both seeming somewhat startled.

"Bold mortal, how dare you disturb the City God Lord!"

Special Reincarnator EX051, you have encountered a special attack. Based on your Spirit, you have obtained the following information.

You have been affected by the fox immortal’s ability: Edict. Exemption check in progress…

You have exempted the effect.

"Why do you not kneel upon seeing the City God Lord!"

"Prajñāpāramitā…"

You have been affected by the fox immortal’s ability: Life-Reaping Buddhist Chant. Exemption check in progress…

You have exempted the effect.

Bai Cangshu withdrew his gaze from the wall behind the statue, his smile mocking.

"A Daoist god reciting Buddhist scriptures. You… are heretics~"

"Impudent, you…"

Pop!

The mist around the temple attendant to Bai Cangshu’s right churned violently. Only in the next moment did she see her companion’s head explode across from her, his wavering body reverting to that of a white fox. She was about to transform when her eyes met a pair of eyes.

This guy wasn’t a mortal!

Screech!

Golden qi burst forth in an instant, piercing straight through her waist and abdomen. She let out an instinctive cry, her body immediately turning into a grayish-brown fox.

Bai Cangshu grabbed the fox’s true body and moved to snap its neck. At last, the massive statue reacted.

Its half-open eyes fully opened, and golden light instantly shone upon Bai Cangshu.

Buzz!

The grayish-brown fox vanished in an instant, while the warped Three Parts Return to Origin Force over Bai Cangshu’s body violently trembled once.

You have been attacked by the City God Lord (Immortal God · Demon).

"Such murderous intent, young hero. You clearly came to test this immortal, yet you still struck with lethal force…"

The voice seemed to carry its own echo as it reverberated through the City God Temple. Bai Cangshu turned and saw the grayish-brown fox whimper before darting into the mist behind the City God Lord.

Meanwhile, the statue had transformed into a humanoid Immortal God more than three meters tall. The golden halo behind its head emitted specks of radiance.

A thick aura of incense and wishes continuously emanated from it.

This was Bai Cangshu’s first close encounter with an existence marked by the Space as an Immortal God. He stepped forward, and the City God Lord sensed his hostility and immediately said,

"Are you not here for the people of Lanruo City? We need not be enemies…"

Its words were interrupted by a clicking of the tongue. This "City God Lord," simultaneously identified as an Immortal God and a demon, saw the man’s smile growing increasingly twisted and finally sensed something was wrong.

Unlike the previous two, this visitor seemed… not to be a righteous person?

Yet it was still puzzled. Why would a heretic come meddle in this matter? Was he an enemy of the Yin Moon Dynasty?

"Let me see the power of this world~"

This world?

Could this man be a cultivator from the upper realm?

While the City God Lord was still considering this possibility, the other man took a step and vanished. Looking down, it saw the long-haired man, whose hair was half black and half white, already raising a hand toward its waist and abdomen.

Buzz!

Within the City God Temple, incense suddenly ignited. Thick smoke instantly formed two white dragons that slammed fiercely toward Bai Cangshu.

Within the City God Temple, any who dared attack the City God Lord would suffer retaliation.

Boom!

Bai Cangshu merely raised a hand, and the warped, rounded Three Parts Return to Origin Force emerged. The two white dragons were instantly deflected upon impact. Amid the exploding white mist, his hand had already pressed against the body of an Immortal God for the first time in his life.

Sizzle. As if something had been pierced, Bai Cangshu’s pupils fully opened the instant his hand touched the other’s body. His right hand trembled once, as though it had vanished.

The viscous air, like the surface of liquid, along with the other party’s entire body, was pierced through by force in an instant.

A Blazing White crane form burst through the City God Lord’s back. As a crane’s cry rang out, golden light flashed over the City God Lord’s body, and cracks instantly spread across its more than three-meter-tall form.

Boom!

The Immortal God’s body shattered like a clay sculpture. The City God Lord’s expression changed as its body turned into tens of thousands of dust particles, crashing into the wall behind it along with the Blazing White crane-form force.

You have attacked the Lanruo City God Lord. Your reputation with the Great Gan Dynasty faction and Yin Moon Dynasty faction has decreased. Current: Indifferent 13/100.

Bai Cangshu lowered his eyelids and watched the two white smoke dragons whirl through the air, growing several times larger before smashing toward him again. His body flew backward out of the main hall.

The next moment, the main hall began to shake violently, and a pair of scarlet eyes opened above it.

"Impudent! How dare a mere mortal attack a True God!"

Crack!

Along with the City God Lord’s furious roar, a bolt of golden lightning fell from the sky and struck Bai Cangshu directly.

Bai Cangshu’s entire body shuddered, and his muscles actually began to tremble. He frowned. Though he had left the Realm of Nothingness due to his attack just now, this level of lightning could actually affect him?

You have suffered Heavenly Dao punishment. Based on your Spirit attribute, you have obtained the following information.

Your act of attacking a True God has violated the Heavenly Dao. You have suffered Heavenly Dao punishment: Righteous Lightning. Exemption failed. You have been struck by Righteous Lightning.

Based on your traits: Thunder Emperor, Savior, and Goodwill, you have gained substantial damage exemption.

The City God Lord seemed stunned as well. Someone subjected to Heavenly Dao punishment had merely trembled slightly and appeared completely uninjured?!

Looking at the series of prompts, Bai Cangshu understood. The Heavenly Dao of this world was far more terrifying than Dong Xuri and Life of Silence had described.

This was a world where one had to obey the Heavenly Dao. Violating it brought immediate punishment.

In other words, if someone swore an oath to the Heavenly Dao in this world, it would most likely be a truth that could directly ignore mind-reading and lie detection.

The next moment, Bai Cangshu clenched his right fist. Kirin Armor appeared over his body, and his presence surged in an instant. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from having the aura of an ordinary person into one with the oppressive presence of a terrifying great demon.

Within the City God Temple, the lamps flared brightly. Amid the blazing light, Buddhist chanting began.

That twisted power instantly enveloped Bai Cangshu.

Bai Cangshu frowned. Though there was indeed a bizarre scene in one timeline of A Chinese Ghost Story where both Daoists and demons recited Buddhist scriptures, even this supposedly properly ordained god was engaging in such twisted conduct.

It made him feel that a great many things were probably hidden behind this.

However, Bai Cangshu and Life of Silence had only come here temporarily. This was not a proper deployment, and they had no intention of remaining long.

He only wanted to seize benefits simply and brutally. He had no time to carefully investigate the quest line.

With that thought, Bai Cangshu made his decision. He directly abandoned the possible quest lines here related to A Chinese Ghost Story and the Yin Moon Dynasty.

Creak.

As Bai Cangshu clenched his fist, the excessively powerful force squeezed the air aside with a sound like tearing airflow apart, creating a gale that scattered outward and surging currents of air.

He drew back his fist. As the black earring beside his ear swayed, terrifying killing intent instantly spread.

Pitch-black killing intent enveloped everything in an instant.

Shun Goku Satsu: One Instant Thousand Strikes!

Boundless fist intent and fist force erupted, followed by the unceasing sound of fists striking throughout the City God Temple.

Boom boom boom!

As Bai Cangshu revealed himself, Satsui no Hado burned fiercely behind him, seeming ready to scorch words into existence. Yet it was ultimately suppressed by the black earring and disappeared.

That main hall had been completely reduced to dust.

Yet Bai Cangshu still did not see a kill notification, nor did he receive any reward.

"Myriad Death Intent? You’re a Ghost Lord of the Netherworld Underworld?!"

The City God Lord’s voice was terrified.

"You’re here for Black Mountain Old Demon? He isn’t here. He fled long ago. You cannot attack me—I still enjoy the national fortune of the Great Gan Dynasty…"

Bai Cangshu watched red formation markings begin seeping from the ground. He knew that unless he dealt with this City God Temple, this fellow could not be easily killed.

He visualized Saitama’s punching motion. The pose of his clenched right fist slowly relaxed as terrifying fist intent condensed bit by bit.

He deliberately avoided injuring himself, so before that feeling reached its peak, he had already thrown the punch.

Ahead, the City God Temple gates stood open. White mist condensed into the more than three-meter-tall City God Lord, which directly abandoned its temple and fled into the fog.

"Demon Lord, save me!"

As the City God Lord fled, all the mist around the temple swept toward it, revealing grim white bones beneath.

Every skeleton was kneeling on the ground in neat rows, seemingly laid out according to the structure of a city. Each skeleton knelt in the place it should have occupied while alive, before having its life taken in an instant.

Bai Cangshu merely watched this sight indifferently. He roughly knew that some inside story lay behind the City God Lord’s cooperation with the demons.

From the way it had initially tried to negotiate with him, perhaps the City God Lord did not consider itself the villain.

It had even thought that someone "chivalrous and righteous" like him would help it do something.

But unfortunately.

"I’m in a hurry."

Bai Cangshu took a step, throwing himself forward as he punched.

At his current realm and physical attributes, there were already few occasions that made him use such a textbook force-generating motion.

Normal Punch!

Boom!

In an instant, the forces before his fist tore at one another. The Blazing White cloud of smoke began burning the moment it appeared, turning into an azure glow moments later.

The air before Bai Cangshu had already been emptied before his fist fully extended. The vacuum wave erupted first.

Then came the unmatched fist force.

Boom!

The bluestone floor before Bai Cangshu cracked first, followed by the walls on either side, then the temple’s main gate. Destructive power erupted in an instant and, like an unmatched shockwave, completely cleared everything before his fist.

"Ah!"

You have killed the Lanruo City God Lord.

You have obtained B-rank Anomaly Point *1, Dimensional Points *12000.

You have obtained Drop Card (World’s Rare Treasure) *1.