Tycoon War God

”Do you also wish to seize the Holy Relics?”

Lin Mu’s gaze was indifferent. In his eyes, the Habi Servants, the Saints, and the supreme Rui were all one and the same—mere ants.

Rui bowed with his hands clasped. ”As you said, the Holy Relics are a grace from heaven and earth, to be obtained by those who are fated.”

Lin Mu nodded. ”You are at least sensible. Now, step aside.”

”Rui, you…” Praka could not understand why the supreme Rui would act this way.

”However, our Divine Temple has served the Holy Relics for thousands of years,” Rui continued. ”Thus, I hope that Lin Wudi will be magnanimous enough to leave them with us, fulfilling our pious devotion.”

Unlike other Saints who only knew austere cultivation and were ignorant of worldly affairs, Rui was rather eloquent.

”It seems you have witnessed much,” Lin Mu said.

”Seas turn into mulberry fields, and times change. Martial Artists replaced Saints as the strongest in the world, and then firearms replaced Martial Artists to dominate the era. Such is the way of the world. Even the powerful are but passing clouds; only faith is eternal.”

Rui’s eyes were filled with wisdom and the weariness of ages, deeply marked by the long river of time. It was impossible to determine his age, but he must have been incredibly long-lived to speak so candidly about the transformations of the world.

”Enough of this boring wordplay. If you want to fight, then fight. Otherwise, step aside.”

Lin Mu had no interest in continuing the conversation. No matter how long-lived Rui was, could he outlive an Immortal? To an Immortal, spring was but a day and summer a night. A mere century, in their eyes, was nothing more than the time it took for a single session of cultivation.

”Since you are unwilling to return our temple’s Holy Relics, Lin Wudi, then this old one must be impolite.” Rui still seemed remarkably courteous, even giving Lin Mu a bow as he spoke.

But after the bow, the aura around him changed suddenly.

He took a step forward, and his snow-white hair and beard turned to salt-and-pepper as the layers of wrinkles on his face smoothed out considerably. He took a second step, and his salt-and-pepper hair turned jet-black while the remaining wrinkles vanished, his complexion growing ruddy. Upon the third step, his essence, energy, and spirit overflowed as his age reversed to youth. The stooped, white-haired, withered old man transformed into a vigorous young man with a robust physique and surging vitality.

In appearance, he now seemed even younger than Lin Mu. His brows were sharp, his eyes were as bright as the sun, his lips were as red as blood, and on his forehead, a golden mark faintly shimmered.

”The supreme Rui!” Witnessing what seemed like a miracle, Praka and his men knelt once more, prostrating themselves on the ground in utmost devotion, remaining there for a long time.

Amidst everyone’s prostration, Rui took a fourth step and uttered a single word. ”Light!”

At his command, a dazzling brilliance descended from the void. The light was vast, searing, and seemed capable of incinerating everything. Though it descended from the heavens, it was suddenly omnipresent, bathing everyone in its glow. The devotees of the Divine Temple had their wounds instantly healed, their bodies becoming light and strong. Praka’s transformation was the most dramatic; his aura surged, elevating him from a mid-phase Saint to the peak, rivaling the Thunder God of a short time ago.

In stark contrast were Lin Mu and Qin Luoli, who were not devotees. They were repelled by the light, like darkness loathed by the day, destined to be dispersed. Light! Dispel! Grandeur! Countless voices echoed in Lin Mu’s ears, like Divine Spirits humming sacred hymns or punishing sinners.

SZZZT! A sizzling sound arose as Lin Mu’s clothes began to show signs of scorching. This was the first time such a thing had happened since he began his journey west. Even the True God Adam had failed to so much as scorch a corner of his robes.

”Petty tricks. Since you like light so much, I’ll give you light!” Lin Mu performed a Hand Sealing Technique, his voice cold. ”Light!”

As the space behind him began to ripple, the omnipresent light seemed to be driven back wherever the undulations spread. Then, the colossal head of a Divine Spirit slowly appeared before everyone. As the Divine Spirit manifested, its own light shone forth, far purer and more dominant than Rui’s. The light Rui had summoned was completely dispersed by this new radiance. Head, neck, torso, and limbs appeared in succession until the fierce and majestic, three-headed, six-armed Divine Spirit was fully present. At that moment, only one color remained between heaven and earth: its light. Even the Vassa Temple was completely submerged in its brilliance.

The golden mark on Rui’s forehead flashed violently. He staggered back seven or eight steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. The mercenaries, who had just recovered, screamed in agony under the Divine Spirit’s light before turning to ash. Praka’s surging aura plummeted instantly, falling so far that he was nearly knocked out of the Saint realm entirely. His face was pallid and blood oozed from the corners of his eyes, which had been burned blind by the light. Such was the terrifying might of the Divine Spirit.

”Impossible!” Rui shrieked. ”Lin Wudi, you are not a worshipper! You don’t serve any Divine Spirit, so how can you wield their power? What kind of Devil’s art is this?!”

For the first time, Rui’s expression changed, his eyes filling with a terror that suggested his entire faith was collapsing. He had toiled his whole life in ascetic practice—eating once every three days, drinking once every five, never marrying, abandoning home and career—dedicating his entire being to his god in exchange for the power he now possessed. But Lin Wudi was clearly not an ascetic, not a worshipper, so why could he wield the power of a Divine Spirit? Rui did not understand. He couldn’t comprehend it. His faith was shattered.

”Serve a Divine Spirit?” Lin Mu scoffed, his hands behind his back, his tone as placid and aloof as an Immortal’s. ”How ignorant. Human potential is limitless. We can move mountains, fill seas, and hold down the sun and moon. A person is their own god. Why would they need to serve another?”

”Greetings, Emperor Zun!” The majestic, vast, and blindingly radiant Divine Spirit of Light knelt at Lin Mu’s feet and bowed respectfully.

POP! At the sight of this, the golden dot on Rui’s forehead shattered. He spat out a mouthful of blood, his spirit instantly withering. ”Devil! Lin Wudi, you are a Devil!” The once serene and courteous Rui was now vicious and enraged.

”Great Divine Spirit, grant me strength!” Rui cried out to the heavens.

BOOM!

In the next moment, radiance descended once more. A brilliant light shot out from within the Divine Temple, striking Rui’s body. Rui’s eyes narrowed, turning a golden hue, his pupils becoming cat-like and incandescent. A Vestment robe, a Scepter of Authority, and a Crown formed around him out of pure light. In that instant, Rui became like a Divine Spirit walking the earth, the mortal representative of his god.

”For offending divine might, you will die.” Now elevated above all, Rui clutched the Scepter of Authority and pointed it at Lin Mu.

The heavens and the earth trembled as the Divine Temple unleashed an infinite light that gathered at the tip of the scepter. An arcane rune of the Ancient Pyramid materialized on the Scepter of Authority, pressing down toward Lin Mu.

Of the three-headed, six-armed Divine Spirit of Light, one head remained bowed toward Lin Mu while another turned to glare at Rui. ”Audacious!”

The Divine Spirit’s rage seemed capable of destroying heaven and earth. With that one word, the space before it shattered and the void exploded. Golden ripples of light swept toward Rui.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The ripples collided with the rune from the Ancient Pyramid, producing a deafening roar. The first ripple disintegrated. The second followed.

BOOM!

The arcane rune was finally suppressed by the waves of light and shattered. The golden ripples swept forward, crushing the Divine Rune of the Ancient Pyramid.

”Lin Wudi, you forced my hand!” Rui declared. ”Judgment!”

He pointed forward once more. A magnificent and majestic set of scales materialized as a phantom in the air above Lin Mu.

The Scales of Judgment.

This was Rui’s strongest technique. Beneath the Scales, all beings were equal.