# 1694
Chapter 1687: Battle of the Great Xia Ancient Gods
Lin Qiye's gaze continuously studied the Chief God cowherd before him, puzzlement flickering in his eyes.
From beyond the barrier, he had caught a whiff of a terrifying aura fluctuation. He had intended to enter and see if this Chief God stationed at the Grand Three Halls was a familiar face from his memories, but this person before him was a complete stranger.
Lin Qiye did not recall any such Chief God existing in the Heavenly Court of later ages.
"It is the Wood God Gou Mang!" Jialan, upon seeing the cowherd, immediately spoke up. "He is a Chief God of the Heavenly Court who came as a guest at the Jade Pool at the Queen's invitation... This is a misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding..."
Lin Qiye narrowed his eyes as he gazed at the cowherd mounted on the ox, speaking calmly, "I'm afraid not."
"His body carries almost no karma... This is not the Wood God Gou Mang, but a replicated counterfeit."
Upon hearing these words, Jialan froze in place.
A counterfeit... How did it enter the barrier? And on whose orders—whose "Queen Mother's"?
"The barrier laid down by the Queen Mother of the West—if a counterfeit Queen Mother of the West can open it, then the real Lady is in danger." Lin Qiye gripped Ame-no-Murakumo and said nonchalantly.
A roaring bolt of lightning-dragon descended from the sky, transforming into a spear that landed in Huo Qubing's palm. He walked slowly to Lin Qiye's side, his black-gold marquis robes swaying gently in the dust and smoke, a terrifying battle intent that surged straight into the clouds!
"Then let's slay this counterfeit and go save the real Queen Mother of the West."
Sensing the auras emanating from Lin Qiye and Huo Qubing, the cowherd on the ox's back frowned slightly, speaking in surprise:
"Not gods, but mortals...? When did such experts appear in the mortal realm?"
BOOM—!!
Before Gou Mang's words even finished, Lin Qiye stomped hard on the ground, directly blasting a massive crater into the earth. Using the force, he instantly flashed to Gou Mang's front, a blade's light rapidly enlarging before his eyes!
Gou Mang's gaze sharpened. He raised the grass whip in his hand, which instantly extended several meters, coiling like a serpent toward Ame-no-Murakumo's hilt!
Lin Qiye spun the sword in a reverse flourish, slicing the whip's tip into fragments. Just as the blade tip touched Gou Mang's throat, the latter suddenly transformed into a lifelike wooden sculpture, easily cut in two.
"Be careful." Huo Qubing's voice came from behind.
Lin Qiye sensed the wrongness of the sensation. He immediately twisted his body to look downward—only to see the wooden sculpture beneath had its green ox rapidly expand, hundreds of wooden arms growing from its back, clawing toward Lin Qiye's airborne form.
Flashing blade light sliced apart great quantities of wooden arms. Scattering fragments obscured the sky. At that moment, the漫天 wood shavings rapidly converged, forming a ferocious ox-head that suddenly bit down on Lin Qiye's back.
Blood seeped from Lin Qiye's wound, but it failed to pierce his flesh. He frowned. The arm caught in the ox-head's mouth grabbed its lower jaw, his other hand dug into its eye, and surging power erupted forth—he ripped this ox-head clean in two!
Lin Qiye's form landed on the ground. Before he could steady himself, a green glow materialized behind him.
The cowherd held the grass whip, his expression solemn. His right hand floated lightly toward Lin Qiye's shoulder!
As that youthful palm touched Lin Qiye's skin, a verdant glow seeped into his body. But as a flicker of radiance circulated, all those motes of light vanished without a trace.
The cowherd stood frozen on the spot:
"A Hongmeng Spiritual Embryo?! How is this possible?!"
Lin Qiye's eyes turned cold. A strand of karma silk connected through that palm into the cowherd's body. He said in a low voice:
"My injury—I'll return it to you."
BOOM—!!
The cowherd's back suddenly burst with several trails of blood, as if torn by some wild beast. Meanwhile, the wound left by that ox-head on Lin Qiye vanished completely without a trace.
Under the power of [Fated Fruit], Lin Qiye transferred the "consequence" of the damage he had suffered, through that strand, to the cowherd.
At the same moment, a roaring lightning-dragon tore through the air. The cowherd frowned, about to dodge—but Lin Qiye's palm had already locked him in place!
The next instant, surging lightning simultaneously engulfed both Lin Qiye and the cowherd's figures. A spear-point pierced through the cowherd's back, but as it was about to enter Lin Qiye's chest, it abruptly stopped midair!
PFFT—!
The cowherd spat a mouthful of blood, his complexion somewhat pallid.
He looked down at his chest—a gruesome blood hole had torn through his heart, half his body blown away by Huo Qubing's strike. Yet as wisps of green light flowed within him, his body was regenerating at a startling speed.
As the Spring-Wood God who governed the growth of all things, his vitality was overwhelming. The speed of his wound recovery even surpassed An Qingyu's!
"Zhu Rong! What are you waiting for?!" the cowherd roared.
Lin Qiye's pupils contracted slightly. Immediately afterward, he seemed to sense something—his form transformed into a rainbow light and rapidly retreated!
FWOOOSH—!
Swaying wood shavings spontaneously ignited simultaneously. Dancing flames gathered together, vaguely outlining the silhouette of a tall man.
"A Hongmeng Spiritual Embryo... How could it be here?" Zhu Rong, stepping out from the flames, frowned as he looked at Lin Qiye, confusion filling his eyes.
"Damn it, there's another god hiding here?" Zhan Yuwu's expression immediately grew grave upon seeing this.
The Spring-Wood God Gou Mang and the Summer-Fire God Zhu Rong stood shoulder to shoulder on the steps before the Alchemy Hall. The overlapping auras of the two Chief Gods pressed down on everyone, making it hard to breathe.
As expected, the Great Xia gods of this era... differ greatly from those of later ages. Lin Qiye, gazing at these two unfamiliar divine silhouettes, thought to himself.
"Is he also fake?" Huo Qubing asked.
"Yes."
"Then perfect—one each."
"Facing a Chief God alone? Can your body handle it?"
"It's fine, I'm here too!" Red-haired Chloe walked to Huo Qubing's side and patted her shoulder. "I'm the Western Gods Friendly Exchange Ambassador—fighting alongside you all!"
"Zhu Rong is yours to handle. Gou Mang regenerates quickly and is countered by my Ame-no-Murakumo—leave him to me."
"We have no divine laws. Can we even kill them?"
"Let's try."
"Alright."
The auras of three Human Apexes—Lin Qiye, Huo Qubing, and Chloe—erupted simultaneously, colliding with the two Chief Gods on the steps. A visible shockwave rippled outward in all directions!
With a sword cry that shook the heavens, five figures collided in an instant!
BOOM—!!
Searing winds swept across Wu Quan and the others' faces. They couldn't help but be pushed backward. Beneath the aftershocks of this divine battle, they had not yet reached the Human Apex and could barely hold on.
"The halls have sturdy barriers inside—hurry in!" Jialan charged to the front of the group, using her own body to shield them from the battle's aftermath while shouting loudly.
Without hesitation, the others rushed toward the nearest Law Hall. Wu Quan pressed his palm through the air, pushing the hall doors open. One by one they stepped inside, then closed the doors, sealing the battle's shockwaves outside.