"Are they gods from some foreign divine realm?" Lu Zhi's nervousness eased as he saw Hei Bao Tu effortlessly neutralize the opponent's attack.
However, Lu Zhi's question received no answer from Shen Qi. Turning his head, he was shocked to discover that Shen Qi's eyes had somehow transformed into crimson-gold irises with silver rings, a change that only occurred when Shen Qi resumed his divine status. Even his hair had grown longer, and his clothes had been replaced by a noble, retro-style robe.
"How did you..." Before Lu Zhi could finish his sentence, Shen Qi suddenly clenched his fist in the air, conjuring a long sword. While drawing Lu Zhi close by his waist, he swung the sword fiercely into the void.
Clang—
The sound of metal striking metal reverberated, and an invisible wave of energy radiated outwards from a central point, obliterating all visible obstacles. The asphalt highway was instantly crushed into dust, leaving only a patch of brown earth.
Lu Zhi's gaze fell upon Shen Qi's black iron sword. Its blade was adorned with vibrant, blood-red Manjusaka flowers, its hidden sharpness both restrained and alluring.
Where the sword had collided, a sea-blue scepter slowly materialized, along with a woman with foreign features.
The woman was beautiful, elegant, and noble. Her dress flowed like seawater, rippling in the wind. Her skin was fair, and her sea-blue eyes, mirroring the sky or the ocean, quietly regarded Shen Qi. She said, "Your master wants you dead."
Lu Zhi's pupils contracted. Master? Shao Xin Ran?
Shen Qi, however, chuckled. His back was to Lu Zhi, and facing the cold night wind, his silhouette inexplicably sent a tremor through Lu Zhi's heart, a sense of unease spreading within him.
"It's about time you arrived," Shen Qi said, setting up an absolute, impenetrable barrier behind his back. His crimson-gold, silver-ringed eyes were filled with a sinister, boundless killing intent. "No need for me to visit personally."
With that, Shen Qi and the woman vanished from Lu Zhi's sight.
"Shen Qi, don't—!" Yet, Lu Zhi was a step too late. He couldn't even break free from the barrier. He could only turn his attention to the Zodiac guardians.
However, the Zodiac guardians were too preoccupied to attend to him. The moment the woman appeared, a water gate opened in the void, and foreign apostles began their grand invasion through it.
Huang Kou and Niu Xiao Tong unleashed their divine power, raising golden boundary lines from the ground to protect the entire city.
When gods fight, mortals suffer. Even with the protective barrier, the residual shockwaves were enough to cause earthquakes that could topple tall buildings within the city.
But this was the extent of what the Zodiac guardians could manage.
The foreign apostles were numerous. Over the past few millennia, the foreign divine realms had accumulated faith and created pseudo-gods. While not as potent as true gods, their sheer numbers allowed them to match the Zodiac guardians.
Moreover, the Zodiac guardians present here were not particularly adept at combat.
"Zhu Zi Qian!" Lu Zhi shouted urgently as he saw Zhu Zi Qian slay a pseudo-god. "Quick, help me break this barrier."
Hearing this, Zhu Zi Qian slammed his fist, as large as a sandbag, with all his might against the barrier. He said, "I can't."
Lu Zhi grew anxious. "Is there no other way to break the barrier?"
"There is," Zhu Zi Qian replied with a serious expression. "Only if your power surpasses Shen Qi's."
Lu Zhi was speechless. "How could my power possibly surpass Shen Qi's? I borrowed all my strength from Shen Qi!"
Lu Zhi had considered borrowing Shen Qi's power to break the barrier. But now that Shen Qi and the woman had vanished together, he feared that if he borrowed Shen Qi's power, what if he and the woman couldn't defeat them?