In a dense forest ten miles east of the Dead Realm, Zhong Yuxing, who had received word in advance and taken the opportunity to slip away amidst the chaos of the battlefield, released the Fallen God Stone Wall once he reached a suitable distance and injected his Soul Power.
Upon receiving the Soul Power, the light patterns on the surface of the stone wall flared, transforming into a twisted gateway. A moment later, a dark red dragon shadow emerged from the portal.
At this moment, the Fallen God appeared even more translucent than when he first arrived; breaking through the world barrier had been taxing enough, and the subsequent fierce battles against Qian Daoliu and Bo Saixi had consumed a significant amount of his strength.
The Fallen God thought of how he had been struck by two soul skills from the mortal believers of other gods, and flames of shame and fury rose uncontrollably within him.
Damn humans, just you wait! This god will soon make you understand what a true deity is.
Zhong Yuxing looked at the current state of the Fallen God, bowed his waist, and spoke respectfully.
"Respected Lord Fallen God, how shall we proceed from here?"
He was a clever man and naturally would not anger his superior, remaining silent about the Fallen God's previous defeat.
Hearing Zhong Yuxing's words, a cold glint flashed in the Fallen God's eyes as he turned to look at him.
"My loyal servant! I am currently trapped by the shackles of this world and cannot exert my full power, yet I have strong enemies nearby. There is one thing I urgently need your help with!"
Hearing this, Zhong Yuxing raised his head and said respectfully.
"Please command me, my Lord! I will surely go through fire and water, and will not refuse!"
The Magic Dragon took a deep look at the man groveling before him and spoke in a loud voice.
"Good! You are worthy of being my most loyal servant; I will not forget everything you have done."
"Therefore, offer your body to me!"
As he spoke, the dark red magic flames on the Magic Dragon began to burn. The dragon, which already looked quite ethereal, rapidly turned transparent, transforming into a stream of blood-ink energy that surged toward Zhong Yuxing.
Seeing this, Zhong Yuxing immediately retreated, his expression changing drastically as he cried out.
"Lord Fallen God, what are you doing?"
Watching Zhong Yuxing drop the act, the voice of the Fallen God emanated from the blood-ink energy.
"The world suppresses me, but it does not suppress the native inhabitants. So, the simplest way to break through these shackles is to occupy the body of a native."
Zhong Yuxing continued to dodge while loudly pleading.
"My Lord, if you want a vessel, I can prepare one for you. I still wish to serve by your side in the future."
The voice of the Fallen God came again from the blood-ink torrent.
"That won't do. You are the vessel I specifically cultivated; you are the most suitable for me. Furthermore, I will not tolerate someone with ulterior motives serving by my side!"
Zhong Yuxing was stunned by these words, then the look of agitation on his face faded into calm as he said helplessly.
"So the ruse was discovered! Is it because I lack faith?"
Although he was asking, he was certain. The Fallen God did not shy away and responded generously.
"Yes, it is faith."
"God's Believers generate faith, yet I have not felt a shred of it in you. It seems that no matter how carefully you performed, you still could not deceive your own heart!"
Seeing the distance between them closing, Zhong Yuxing stopped running and said calmly.
"So that's how it is. What a pity!"
"However, I was the one who helped you come to this world. Do you really intend to seize my body and erase me?"
Looking at Zhong Yuxing, who was either feigning composure or had already given up, the Fallen God laughed loudly.
"Hahahaha—"
"Why would a god care about the opinions of a human? Would you care about the weeds on the side of the road?"
"However, as a benefactor who helped me enter this world, I will walk the continent using your name and let your reputation spread for eternity. So, become my vessel!"
As he finished speaking, the blood-ink torrent lunged into Zhong Yuxing's body. Zhong Yuxing watched the power of the Fallen God pouring into him, a strange glint flashing in the depths of his eyes, though it was immediately replaced by a blood-red hue.
After rushing into Zhong Yuxing, the Fallen God headed straight for his Sea of Consciousness, intending to take over, but as soon as he entered, he found it filled with a rich aura of light. His soul was repelled and suppressed by the entire Sea of Consciousness the moment it arrived.
The Fallen God looked at the soul of Zhong Yuxing, which was shimmering with golden light and filled with dense power of light, and shrieked in desperation.
"Damn it, how could you have absorbed a light-attribute Head Spirit Bone!"
Zhong Yuxing had not used his spirit bone earlier, and his aura had been masked by his Martial Soul, so the Fallen God had not noticed. Now that he was inside the Sea of Consciousness, it was impossible to miss.
To the Fallen God's question, Zhong Yuxing replied calmly.
"Lord Fallen God, you seem to have forgotten that my Martial Soul was not evil-attributed at the beginning, so naturally, I could absorb a light-attribute spirit bone."
After the initial shock, the Fallen God quickly deduced the general reason and said coldly.
"Human, when did you start guarding against my abilities?"
Zhong Yuxing said.
"The first time you transmitted divine power to me and began to strengthen my Martial Soul."
The Fallen God was stunned. The first time! Over a decade ago, that early? He asked again.
"My influence on you shouldn't have been significant back then! Could it be that you anticipated today?"
Zhong Yuxing's soul remained expressionless as he said.
"I cannot predict the future ten years from now. I only discovered that the entity I found was a Fallen God, so to prevent his abilities from influencing my personality and to maintain my original intent, I specifically sought out this Light Head Bone."
"It seems my decision back then was quite correct, and it was worth far more than the price I paid."
Zhong Yuxing had other motives when he sought out the divine object. Upon discovering that the deity behind the Stone Wall was a Fallen God, he naturally wouldn't allow himself to be manipulated at will; he had to keep a few trump cards for himself.
The Fallen God is currently in great distress. Because Zhong Yuxing was meticulous, he successfully helped him break free and enter this world, but it is also because of that same meticulousness that he has now encountered a massive problem.
The skull is not like an ordinary Spirit Bone; He cannot simply force it out of Zhong Yuxing, or else this vessel would be ruined. However, having spent fourteen years cultivating Zhong Yuxing for this very day, He naturally will not give up easily.
"Human, you don't truly believe a single Spirit Bone can hinder a god, do you?"
"Once I reverse the attributes of this Spirit Bone, you will still die!"
Suddenly, monstrous resentment flooded Zhong Yuxing's Sea of Consciousness, and boundless baleful energy began to scour his mind and the Spirit Bone. But Zhong Yuxing is the true master of his body, not without the power to resist, and he immediately utilized the Light Head Bone to fight back.
Now that things have developed to this point, they have slipped out of Zhong Yuxing's control. He can only hope that the location he specifically chose—neither too far nor too close—will be discovered by Yun Ming and the others, helping him turn the tide.
A silver light flashed, and Yun Ming, accompanied by the other four experts, followed the spatial fluctuations and appeared in the dense forest. Seeing that the two locations were so close and faintly sensing the aura of the Dead Realm, Qian Daoliu and the others were surprised. They hadn't expected the spatial Teleportation Technique to be so short-ranged; was this Fallen God incompetent?
Yun Ming felt something was off. Judging by those subtle spatial fluctuations, the Fallen God's mastery of space should not be low. Yet, given the short distance, it seemed this wasn't a simple escape attempt!
Before they could dwell on it, they discovered the contorted face of 'Zhong Yuxing'. At this moment, the expression on his face shifted between calm and madness, and his mouth never stopped speaking, as if he were arguing with himself.
"You are truly damnable!!"
This exasperated voice was clearly Zhong Yuxing's, though it carried an extra layer of reverberation compared to before. The one speaking was the Fallen God; He had also realized the intention behind Zhong Yuxing setting this specific location for him.
But soon, a change occurred. His face was once again replaced by a calm expression, and the voice returned to its previous tone.
"Lord Fallen God, the feeling is mutual! If your character weren't so base, we wouldn't be in this situation."
"This outcome is entirely of your own making."
As the words fell, Zhong Yuxing's voice shifted back to a furious, desperate tone, screaming, "Human!!"
"."
Watching this bizarre scene, the five of them were all people of vast experience; how could they not understand what was happening? Yue Guan asked in confusion.
"At such a critical juncture of the great battle, what is the purpose of this Fallen God seizing his subordinate's body?"
Qian Daoliu replied with a grim expression.
"Perhaps, to increase his power!"
Although he wasn't entirely clear about the Fallen God being suppressed by the world, every time the Fallen God version of 'Zhong Yuxing' appeared, the increasingly indistinct aura and his blaring sixth sense told him that the opponent was gradually becoming stronger.
An indistinct perception meant that the Fallen God was likely truly about to cross that bottleneck.
Yue Guan and Ghost were not fully aware that the Fallen God was about to re-enter the God Realm, but His power was already outrageously strong. If it increased further, would there even be a way for them to survive? Yue Guan cupped his hands and suggested to Qian Daoliu.
"Grand Offerings, let us take this opportunity to slay him! He is too dangerous. If his strength increases further, it will be very disadvantageous for our side!"
Qian Daoliu frowned, feeling reluctant. He, Qian, had lived his life upright and honorable. Many had died by his hand, but they had at least died with glory. Now, to be asked to act in such a way—he did not want to commit such a base act. But before he could make a decision, Bo Saixi spoke first.
Bo Saixi felt Yue Guan made sense and agreed.
"It is indeed an opportunity."
Qian Daoliu's expression shifted, and he said, "I will do it."
As he spoke, he raised his hand to summon a Holy Sword of Soul Power and walked toward the 'Zhong Yuxing' who was constantly changing faces.
Yun Ming: "."
If he hadn't misread the situation just now, Qian Daoliu had just performed a sudden change of heart. He glanced at the red-clad beauty beside him, sighing inwardly, Ah, love! But returning to the matter at hand, killing him was for the best. If the Fallen God truly regained his god-level cultivation, no one knew what would happen next.
Qian Daoliu approached 'Zhong Yuxing' with the Holy Sword in hand. At this moment, the Fallen God was in control of the body, and He shouted sharply.
"Despicable servant of the gods, only capable of such base acts! If you have the ability, face me in a real battle later!"
Those with profound cultivation are mostly proud and arrogant, unable to tolerate such provocation. The Fallen God understood this well, so He chose to use a goading tactic, hoping to stir Qian Daoliu's pride.
His approach was successful. Qian Daoliu was already unwilling to act this way, and now that He said this, it made things even more difficult for him. But with the goddess watching from behind, could he fall out with her because of an Evil God? Absolutely not! Qian Daoliu retorted.
"Barking like a cur, you are unworthy of a god's position."
As he spoke, he raised the Holy Sword and slashed down with force, as if to cleave Him in two.
Watching the approaching Holy Sword, the Fallen God felt a sense of unwillingness. This was a vessel He had cultivated for fourteen years! If it were gone, He would have to wait several more years to recover His strength.
However, looking at the current situation, Zhong Yuxing was doomed to die today, so He could only retreat and find another vessel later. But soon, a change occurred.
Just as the Holy Sword was about to land on 'Zhong Yuxing's' head, Zhong Yuxing's true self regained control of the body, and he shouted violently.
"Stop! You cannot kill Him this way!"
Everyone: "???"
Hearing this, Qian Daoliu immediately pulled back, and the Holy Sword in his hand dissipated into flames of light. It was only because of Qian Daoliu's profound cultivation that he stopped; had it been the Chrysanthemum and Ghost Douluo handling it, with the sword less than half a centimeter from the skull, Zhong Yuxing might have already been finished.
Yun Ming stepped forward and asked, "What do you mean?"
The true form of Zhong Yuxing spoke to explain.
"If you continue like this, you won't be able to kill me, and He will still be able to escape to find another host."
The two of them were now of one mind and body, vaguely able to perceive each other's thoughts; Zhong Yuxing could not let Him run away. However, the Fallen God also sensed Zhong Yuxing's intentions. He was actually trying to borrow the power of these people before him to suppress Him—this would not do.
Before the words were even finished, the Fallen God rushed out, feigning composure as He said.
"To be chosen by this god, yet to possess such a small spirit—how truly pathetic!"
The people outside, hearing these two conflicting accounts, fell into a dilemma. They knew too little information and were completely unaware of which one was lying. Even though Yun Ming, Qian Daoliu, and Bo Saixi were no ordinary individuals, they ultimately understood too little about the realm of gods, and their hesitation was inevitable.
As the possessor of Resentment Divine Power, the Fallen God did indeed have some understanding of human nature, but He was clearly not as knowledgeable as Zhong Yuxing, the genius merchant. Soon, the consciousness switched back, and the 'Zhong Yuxing' true self came online to propose a new method.
"You don't need to believe me; you only need to purify the power on my body. That certainly won't benefit either me or the Fallen God."
Inside Zhong Yuxing's Sea of Consciousness, the Fallen God was furious, never expecting this mortal to be so clever as to think of a solution so quickly.
There was no other way; He had to retreat first. Thinking this, the Fallen God began to withdraw from Zhong Yuxing's body. However, His movements did not escape Yun Ming's perception, and this action by the Fallen God directly revealed His weakness, giving him the answer.
Yun Ming summoned the Atlas Divine Spear, bypassed Qian Daoliu, and stepped forward to thrust the spear in one fluid motion. A black-gold Spirit Ring lit up beneath his feet as he directly unleashed his Sixth Soul Skill against 'Zhong Yuxing'.
'Atlas, Eternity'
Rings of golden ripples were released from the tip of the Atlas Divine Spear. Wherever the spear tip pointed and the ripples passed, everything they touched seemed to come to a complete standstill. Suddenly, where the long spear pointed, all things were sealed.
Seeing the incoming ripples, the Fallen God instinctively felt that something was wrong, but it was too close; He could not escape at all and was forced to be frozen by Yun Ming's Eternity.
Trapped by an external ability, the power within 'Zhong Yuxing' instinctively began to resist, but it could not break through immediately. Yun Ming's Sixth Soul Skill was provided by the Mountain Sea Dragon Turtle that had evolved alongside the Atlas Spear in his past life; even a god would be imprisoned by it.
With Yun Ming taking the lead, the wily and experienced Qian Daoliu naturally realized the reason and immediately activated his Martial Soul Avatar, moving to strike.
Qian Daoliu flew high into the sky, and the Holy Light shone brilliantly. In an instant, all the clouds above the dense forest dissipated, turning into an ocean of Holy Light and revealing the sun hanging high in the Skyline. Under the blessing of this magnificent sun, Qian Daoliu's aura rose by another three points. Coupled with his increasingly imposing and dazzling figure set against the radiance of the sun, it was as if he were truly about to break through and ascend to godhood. Simultaneously, as Qian Daoliu soared, the Six-Winged Angel True Body reappeared in the world.
Qian Daoliu raised his right arm, and countless golden Soul Power condensed into a massive Angel Sword that fell into the hands of the Angel True Body. Qian Daoliu's majestic voice resounded across the heavens and earth.
"Light, Judgment!"
The Angel True Body held the Holy Sword high, and ten thousand golden rays descended from the sky, shining upon Qian Daoliu. The massive Judgment Energy, condensed by borrowing the Sun Power, transformed into a beam of pure golden Judgment Light that descended from the heavens, striking 'Zhong Yuxing' directly.
Yun Ming seized the timing of the attack and canceled his soul skill.
The pure Power of Judgment, belonging to the direct lineage of the Angel God, slammed fiercely into 'Zhong Yuxing'.
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Translated by: randomtranslator.com
Proofread by: DaoistReader