I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 319: Chapter 173: Foreign Divine Artifact Projection

”Spirit, be still! Isolate within from without! By my decree!”

Zhu Yunchuan rapidly chanted the incantation, his hands moving like butterflies flitting through flowers as he precisely tossed the array flags to the four corners outside the hall. Simultaneously, he slammed the Purifying Spirit Stone onto the ground.

The array flags took root the moment they landed. Spiritual Light instantly flared, connecting to form a translucent, bowl-shaped shield that enveloped the entire hall. Runes flowed across the shield’s surface, creating a stable runic Array that sealed all auras within from those without.

This was the Purification Array, a technique circulated within the Internal Affairs Inspection System. It was specifically designed to contain and purify sudden spiritual contamination, and it also offered some protection against mental attacks and consciousness erosion from within.

The moment the barrier took shape, the golden light erupting from the divine statue slammed into the light shield!

SSSKRRAAA...

A sound that set teeth on edge rang out as the golden light and the barrier’s Spiritual Light corroded one another. But the barrier clearly had the upper hand, firmly sealing the golden light and its chilling will inside the hall, preventing it from spreading into the courtyard and beyond.

Sweat beaded on Zhu Yunchuan’s forehead as he urged, ”Xia Meng, hurry! Get the target to a safe distance!”

Xia Meng didn’t dare hesitate. He and another team member supported the restrained Li Xiulan and quickly retreated from the courtyard.

At the same time, Yang Wenqing and Qiu Zheng appeared almost instantaneously at Zhu Yunchuan’s side.

Qiu Zheng’s expression was grim as he explained rapidly, ”Be careful! The divine light it’s emitting has powerful rejection and assimilation properties. It reacts to unfamiliar auras and will instinctively attack and even corrode the vital Spiritual Attribute of anyone who isn’t one of its designated followers!”

”If it gets out, all the ordinary people nearby could be affected. In mild cases, their minds will fall into chaos. In severe cases, their Spiritual Attribute will be contaminated and assimilated, turning them into walking corpses!”

A chill ran down Yang Wenqing’s spine. Without a moment’s hesitation, he activated the Spirit Gathering Array Plate his master had given him.

Instantly, a multi-colored Spiritual Light manifested around him, forming a highly efficient energy vortex. It frantically pulled in the surrounding Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, which the Array Plate then converted into a pure and gentle stream of Spiritual Qi. This energy was continuously absorbed by his Golden Core and funneled into his Qi Sea!

Next, he formed a spell seal with his hands, guiding the tempestuous Spiritual Qi surging within him. Like a flood bursting from a dam, it flowed along specific meridian paths and poured unreservedly into the Purifying Spirit Stone at Zhu Yunchuan’s feet—the core of the Array Base—and into several key array flags!

VMMMM—

Bolstered by Yang Wenqing’s immense Spiritual Qi, the barrier’s light shield flared brightly. The light, which had been wavering from the golden light’s assault, instantly stabilized and even pushed back inward by an inch!

”Quick! Contact the Civil Affairs Bureau! Request immediate activation of the city’s National Fate Divine Artifact! Use the glorious, righteous power of our nation’s destiny to suppress this foreign Divine Art!” Yang Wenqing yelled to the security officers waiting on the perimeter, all while pouring out Spiritual Qi with his full strength.

His words had barely faded when an irresistible backlash of force erupted from within the barrier. It was a cold, rational power, carrying a tyrannical will that sought to bend all creation to its own rigid rules!

KRAK... BOOM!

Battered from both within and without, the wooden house could no longer stand. It exploded amidst the rampaging golden light, sending splinters and tiles flying in all directions. However, the debris was stopped by the barrier, leaving those outside unharmed.

With the house gone, the scene inside was revealed. The divine statue had transformed into a twisting, expanding silhouette of golden light.

The silhouette was not quite human, its outline indistinct and its shape constantly shifting. At times it resembled a blurry deity, at others an indescribable geometric pattern. Heart-stopping waves of divine power pulsed from its core.

”That’s... a manifested projection from the source of the Divine Art!”

Qiu Zheng sucked in a sharp breath. ”It must be a Divine Artifact, nurtured by certain nations or sects on the New Continent through special rituals and immense resources.”

An even deeper chill filled Yang Wenqing’s heart, but he had no time to dwell on it. He could only grit his teeth and pour the vast amount of Spiritual Qi gathered by his Spirit Gathering Array Plate into the barrier’s Array Base, sparing no expense to desperately resist the golden silhouette’s assault and corrosion.

Beside him, Zhu Yunchuan and Qiu Zheng were also desperately channeling their own Spiritual Qi to help maintain the barrier. But how could their Qi Sea capacity and Spiritual Qi recovery speed possibly compare to Yang Wenqing, who possessed an entire Golden Core World?

The confrontation was consuming an enormous amount of Spiritual Qi every second. In just ten breaths, Zhu Yunchuan’s face had turned deathly pale, and his body swayed, his own Spiritual Qi almost completely exhausted. Qiu Zheng was no better; veins bulged on his forehead as sweat poured down like rain.

”Director Yang... I... I can’t hold on!” Zhu Yunchuan managed to say.

”Me neither...” Qiu Zheng’s voice was hoarse.

”Both of you, fall back and recover your Spiritual Qi!”

Yang Wenqing gave a low shout. With a surge of power through his arms, he shouldered the vast majority of the pressure himself!

The five-colored profound light around his body began to swirl even faster. For dozens of yards in every direction, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was drawn in as if by a giant, invisible hand, forming a visible tide that surged frantically toward him!

The golden silhouette seemed to sense the shift in pressure and grew even more violent. It twisted constantly, battering the light shield and producing muffled thuds. DONG. DONG. Its cold, rational will tried to seep through like a tide, attempting to disrupt Yang Wenqing’s focus.

Yang Wenqing’s expression was as calm as still water, his gaze as sharp as a blade. His internal Golden Core World trembled slightly, silently neutralizing the cold, invasive will.

The seconds ticked by. A little over twenty seconds felt like an eternity.

Just as Yang Wenqing began to feel a slight stutter in the flow of his own Spiritual Qi, and the light from the Spirit Gathering Array Plate’s Energy Stone started to visibly dim—