"It's time to finish this, kid from Hua Guo."
Inu-shou Oogami glared ferociously at Chen Xiao, baring its sharp fangs. "As a deity, I have protected this shrine for hundreds of years. All who dared to offend me have been torn to shreds by my claws. You will be no exception!"
As it spoke, it opened its massive maw again, and a stream of black energy, like a tidal wave, spewed forth, heading straight for Chen Xiao.
The energy looked like gas, yet it wasn't entirely gaseous.
It appeared like liquid, but it lacked the solidity of a liquid.
It was a most peculiar existence.
Of course, this made no difference to Chen Xiao. He flapped his wings, and a torrent of phoenix fire surged towards the black energy.
*Boom!*
The flames met the black energy and burned even more fiercely!
The entire sky seemed to transform into a sea of fire!
"Hua Guo kid, what kind of fire is this? Why can it incinerate my divine energy?"
Inu-shou Oogami asked incredulously.
"Oh, for f***'s sake, can you get a grip and stop pretending? You're just a stinking dog, understand? The kind that barks 'woof woof.' Stop calling yourself a deity, okay?"
Chen Xiao was utterly fed up with this stinking dog and began to vent his frustrations.
"How dare you!!!"
Chen Xiao's tirade completely ignited Inu-shou Oogami's fury.
*Buzz!*
A layer of dark green flames ignited on its body.
"Wooo—"
A moment later, it stepped on dark clouds and charged towards Chen Xiao with a howl!
Chen Xiao was witnessing something new today; it was his first time seeing a dog howl like a train whistle.
However, as he watched the charging stinking dog, his expression turned serious. This stinking dog was incredibly bizarre, existing outside Chen Xiao's understanding.
It wasn't that its strength was overwhelming, but rather its form was something Chen Xiao had never encountered before.
The demonic aura emanating from it was potent, yet it didn't quite seem like a demon cultivator.
Furthermore, beneath the demonic aura, there was a hint of another kind of energy.
In short, it was exceedingly strange!
Strange it might be, but its strength... was just so-so!
Inu-shou Oogami swiped a claw at Chen Xiao across the void, sending a crescent-shaped white light, like a tear in the air, hurtling towards him.
Chen Xiao flicked his finger, and with a hum, the white light was shattered!
In Chen Xiao's eyes, the stinking dog's attack was comparable in power to the ultimate secret technique sword strike from Kogen-ji yesterday.
Such a weak "deity," Chen Xiao was too lazy to play along any longer. He drew his Yitian Sword and unleashed a strike!
*Swish—*
A thin line passed through its body, and Inu-shou Oogami's form was cleaved in two, split down the middle!
Witnessing this, the group of Japanese people on the ground were stunned into silence.
The already quiet scene became even more hushed, and time seemed to stand still, even the air felt frozen.
They couldn't believe that Inu-shou Oogami had been split in half by that stinking brat from Hua Guo with a single sword.
That was Inu-shou Oogami! That was the deity that protected all of Hokkaido!
How could it lose? How could it be killed by a mere human?
Just then, a high-pitched, melodious voice suddenly broke the deathly silence.
"My people, my brothers and sisters, you have always been blessed by the protection of Inu-shou Oogami. Now is the time to repay them!"
"Engrave your anger and unwillingness in your hearts, and offer your faith! As long as you believe in it, it will feel your devotion, and it will gain eternal life amidst the flames of hell!"
"The deity will descend in an even more valiant form!"
The speaker was none other than Mizukawa Kuji.
As she finished speaking, she knelt on the ground, her hands raised above her head.
The group of Japanese people looked at her blankly at first, then one of them, mimicking her, knelt down and raised their hands above their heads!
Following suit, everyone gradually knelt down, their hands raised above their heads.
Chen Xiao squinted his eyes, calmly observing the scene.
He could have killed all these people with a single sword, but seeing their mystical antics, Chen Xiao decided to watch further, to see what kind of trick this demonic woman was up to.
That's right, although Chen Xiao couldn't be sure what the stinking dog was,
He was certain that this Mizukawa Iko was definitely a demon cultivator, a snake demon.
And as this bizarre ritual proceeded,
Chen Xiao suddenly noticed that streams of faith energy were floating up from the hands of the Japanese people, converging above the dark clouds.
"Oh? This thing can actually absorb faith energy? That's quite peculiar!"
A hint of doubt flickered in Chen Xiao's eyes.
As far as he knew, only true deities could absorb the faith of mortals.
Apart from that, some disciples of Buddhism could also absorb faith energy through special methods.
But this stinking dog, by all appearances, had no connection to Buddhism!
Chen Xiao observed silently, still refraining from intervening.
He wanted to see how much this stinking dog could absorb.
And as the faith energy flowed in continuously, the body of Inu-shou Oogami actually began to re-adhere.
The wound in its middle was healing at a visible rate!
"Wooo—"
Inu-shou Oogami let out another howl, like a train whistle.
This howl caused the kneeling Japanese people to become invigorated.
It meant their faith had taken effect.
The deity had truly resurrected and descended again!
This, in turn, would allow them to provide even more faith energy.
Because earlier, not everyone had offered true faith energy; a large portion of them did not believe that Inu-shou Oogami could be resurrected.
Unless a miracle occurred!
And now, the miracle had happened, and naturally, they believed, offering their faith energy to Inu-shou Oogami without reservation!
With the infusion of faith energy, Inu-shou Oogami's body underwent significant changes.
As its body grew larger, its form became more agile and powerful.
Its slender limbs and firm chest all exuded its agility and might!
The bulging muscles seemed to contain endless power!
Of course, its power referred to spiritual energy!
The flames on its body burned more intensely, its aura was overwhelming, and it was countless times stronger than before.
Chen Xiao's expression turned solemn. After absorbing the faith energy of these humans, the stinking dog's strength had increased tenfold, if not more!
"Roar!"
Inu-shou Oogami let out a sky-piercing roar, finally no longer a train-whistle-like cry.
On the ground, the faces of the Japanese people were filled with joy and excitement.
Inu-shou Oogami had become more powerful due to their faith energy, and they felt proud of it!
At this moment, Mizukawa Iko also stood up, and her high-pitched, melodious voice rang out again!
"My people, my brothers and sisters, Inu-shou Oogami has received your faith energy and resurrected; a miracle has descended!"
"Now, please offer your most precious possession to your deity!"
"That is, your—lives!"