At this point, Li Chang’an’s Martial Dao cultivation was approaching its current bottleneck. He was considering whether he should also advance his Realm in the Incense and Candle Divine Dao.
Although the Sunrise God had previously warned him against practicing the Incense and Candle Divine Dao, Li Chang’an still felt it was a perfectly fine supplementary method for his cultivation.
The Shell-Breaking Realm of the Incense and Candle Divine Dao meant shedding one’s old body to forge a new one.
This actually presented an excellent opportunity for Li Chang’an to strengthen his Martial Dao as well.
After all, in the process of shedding his old body and forging a new one, Li Chang’an could undergo a complete transformation. His new physical form would become stronger, more perfect, and more invulnerable than the last.
Just as Li Chang’an was pondering how to undergo this Molting...
The sacrificial ceremony of the Fusang Tribe had ended.
Lu Sang and the women of the Divine Shadow Guard pushed open the doors to the Divine Hall. Their expressions were all grim, as if they were struggling to contain their fury.
Li Chang’an noticed that behind them followed a dozen or so well-dressed tribal leaders and their attendants, their chests adorned with magnificent emblems.
After the group filed into the Temple, Lu Sang walked up to Li Chang’an and said through gritted teeth, "Lord Guardian God, these are members of our Godslayer Alliance..."
As she spoke, she introduced the newcomers to Li Chang’an as naturally as she could, but he could still detect the reluctance and anger in her voice.
After she finished her introductions, a few of the Godslayer Alliance leaders bowed to Li Chang’an with a modicum of respect.
The one at their head, a burly man with a scruffy beard wearing a tunic of tiger and leopard pelts, stepped forward from the crowd. He looked at Li Chang’an, who stood calmly in the Divine Hall, and said, "Sir, my name is Taiyue. I hear you are the master of the Man Yu Martial God, the true progenitor of the Martial Dao?"
Li Chang’an had already returned to his human form. Hearing the man’s question, he nodded. "Yes, Chief Taiyue. Is there a problem?"
Taiyue ignored the angry glares from Lu Sang and the members of the Divine Shadow Guard nearby. His eyes were fixed on Li Chang’an as he said, "But I also heard that you used to be a Guardian God. As a Guardian God, you enjoyed the Incense offerings of the Human Race. What reason could you have had to teach humans the Martial Dao?"
Li Chang’an understood now. This man named Taiyue had brought a large group here for the sole purpose of causing him trouble.
’Interesting.’
’Compared to the past, the Human Race of today has truly changed immensely.’
’Otherwise, they would never have the guts to challenge a tribe’s Guardian God.’
Li Chang’an, however, wasn’t angered by this.
But when Lu Sang saw Taiyue openly questioning Li Chang’an’s identity, she finally couldn’t hold back. She said indignantly, "Taiyue, this is the Temple of the Fusang Tribe, not a place for you to run wild! Although the Martial God has perished, her spirit remains. You’d better show some respect!"
Hearing Lu Sang’s words, the hulking Taiyue grunted but, uncharacteristically, did not argue.
He simply said coolly, "If it weren’t for the fact that this is a Temple, the place where the Martial God’s spirit resides, I wouldn’t be speaking so pleasantly..."
At this, his voice paused. A look of deep reverence appeared in his eyes as he continued, "To spread the Martial Dao, the Martial God traveled over countless mountains and rivers, suffered untold hardships, and made innumerable contributions to the Human Race..."
"She should have been enshrined in the highest place, revered by all the tribes in the world that practice the Martial Dao, her great deeds praised... But now, the credit for those achievements, which should have been hers, has been usurped by some creature. Your Fusang Tribe may think that’s fine, but I, Taiyue, and the other human tribes will not stand for it!"
Taiyue had a massive build and a coarse voice. When he spoke, it was like thunder, each word booming and even echoing in the quiet, spacious hall.
From his earlier conversation with Lu Sang, Li Chang’an had already heard of this coarse man named Taiyue from the Wangchuan Tribe.
According to Lu Sang’s description, Taiyue was a disciple Man Yu had casually taken in on her way to the Central Plains. But because of his exceptional talent for the Martial Dao, Taiyue had now become one of the top Martial Artists in the Human Alliance.
Of course, that wasn’t the most important piece of information.
What was most important was that Taiyue was Man Yu’s biggest admirer and, furthermore, the current supreme commander of the Godslaying Army.
’The reason he brought people here to stir up trouble now was likely because he was unhappy that his master was being overshadowed by this so-called ’Martial Arts God,’ Li Chang’an. He just wanted to demand some justification on his master’s behalf.’
Before Li Chang’an could even respond to Taiyue’s words, Lu Sang shot back furiously, "Taiyue! The Lord Guardian God is the creator of the Martial Dao and Grandmother Man Yu’s master! He is your Grandmaster! With the attitude you’re displaying now, if my grandmother were still alive, she would be the first to expel you from our lineage!"
At this, Taiyue frowned.
To be honest, he didn’t much care for Lu Sang’s scolding, but if she was going to invoke Man Yu’s name, Taiyue knew he had to restrain himself somewhat.
Therefore, after pressing his lips together, Taiyue softened his tone. "My apologies. Perhaps my words were a bit too direct, but I don’t believe what I said was wrong..."
"Besides, never mind that I don’t believe your claims at all. Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that you really are the Martial God’s master. Then why didn’t you do anything when the Martial God was attacked by the Celestial Realm? Don’t tell me you were hiding in some dark corner, pissing your pants in fear?"