Chapter 644: The Grand Sage
Chapter 644: The Grand Sage
In an ordinary marketplace.
Even in times of great turmoil, ordinary people must still carry on with their lives.
So, merchants open as usual, and during social festivals, there are even larger market gatherings.
The crowd was dense, and since the purpose was shopping, most people carried a few copper coins—exactly what pickpockets love.
A middle-aged man in a gray robe, with an ordinary appearance that would easily be forgotten in a crowd, neither fat nor thin, of average height, strolled slowly through the throng.
At a certain moment, he suddenly reached out, his left hand moving like a flash of lightning, aiming to snatch a money pouch.
In the next instant.
A hand stretched out, like an iron chain, grabbing his.
"Thief?"
A tall, thin stranger wearing a hood had extended his hand to seize him.
What surprised the thief even more was that this hooded stranger's hand was cold and hard, more like a corpse's hand than a living person's.
"You... What are you going to do?"
The thief, trying to intimidate, said, "I'll have you know, I'm part of the Viper Gang!"
"Not only that, you secretly worship the God of Shadows and Thieves!"
The tall, thin hooded stranger smiled, "A true deity, back then I would have been cautious... but now?"
Boom!
In an instant, a dark flame erupted violently.
The thief's expression turned cold, and a black dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, like a snake's tongue flickering out!
Thud!
The black dagger pierced the chest of the tall, thin hooded stranger, but to the thief's surprise, the stranger did not fall.
On the contrary, his voice was filled with pleasure, "Sorry... my body died long ago, and when I was resurrected, there were some issues. I gained the ability to resist toxins and fatal injuries... the divine curse you attached to the dagger is ineffective... I never thought a true deity would be harbored in the body of an ordinary thief."
In that instant, the world changed!
Bronze pillars appeared, adorned with mysterious beast carvings, exuding a wild and primal aura.
The left and right envoys and the four protectors of the Death Cult were present.
Even more inconspicuously, several demigods lurked in the shadows, their eyes filled with greed, staring at the ordinary-looking thief as if he were a treasure.
"Death Cult! True Demon Cult! And the Bloodsea Temple, Mercy Hall?"
The thief's eyes flashed with golden light, and a shadowy canopy enveloped his body, as if he were about to vanish into the darkness. "A bunch of clowns, a few demigods... no, wait, how did you find me? The Twelve Golden Statues? Damn Overgod!"
As he spoke, the leader of the Death Cult took action.
Rustle!
The hood fell, the black robe tore, revealing a twisted, deformed body that suddenly exploded.
Blood-soaked ribs fell like a cage, attempting to trap the God of Shadows and Thieves inside.
Meanwhile, the demigods began their assault, various spiritual lights flickering, and top-tier abilities and talents were unleashed one after another.
—Fatal Palm!
The High Priest of the True Demon Lord transformed into a shadow and struck a palm.
Two other demigods began chanting, making the void impossibly viscous, as if time itself had paused.
...
Moments later.
The void distorted, and a shadow broke free, leaping several times with incredible speed, about to vanish into the horizon.
His body was covered in grotesque wounds.
"You actually shattered the Lyxuan Grotto?"
The void split, and several demigods emerged, but their numbers were fewer than before.
In the Death Cult, the right envoy and the White Dharmaraja had vanished, likely having died during the assault on a true deity, their souls about to head to the Destruction Plane or the Dark Divine Realm.
"This was a necessary sacrifice... the God-Slaying Plan has now entered its third phase."
The leader of the Death Cult watched the scene with a calm expression.
For mortals to kill a god, they must pay a heavy price!
Even the demigods who besieged the God of Shadows and Thieves might suffer heavy casualties.
But if successful, the rewards would be extraordinary.
For believers in Destruction, death is merely another beginning, allowing them to obtain everything they desire in the Celestial Realm.
Rumbling!
As he spoke, the demigods began to radiate intense divine power.
They were praying for divine blessings from their respective deities!
The hunt had begun!
...
An unknown amount of time passed.
In a desolate wilderness.
"Hehe..."
The God of Shadows and Thieves, covered in wounds, pulled a dagger from the head of a demigod wrapped in bandages.
Not far away, the leader of the Death Cult, still in his twisted, deformed form, was kneeling on the ground.
"Mortals... how can you comprehend the gap between humans and deities?"
The God of Shadows and Thieves sneered, licking the blood from his dagger, preparing to finish off the leader of the Death Cult.
Suddenly!
He let out a blood-curdling cry: "Impossible... how could the Overgod fall?"
The leader of the Death Cult's expression changed, feeling the divine grace of the God of Destruction suddenly become immensely powerful!
It was a sense of ancient, unchanging, and overwhelming power!
"Die!"
He lunged forward, his body radiating the divine power of an ancient god.
Bang!
The terrifying ancient divine power of Destruction tore through the already weakened divine shield.
A strange, pitch-black short sword appeared in the hand of the Death Cult Leader, slicing across the neck of the God of Shadows and Thieves.
— Decapitation!
Thud!
The God of Shadows and Thieves fell, spilling golden divine blood.
Golden divinity particles danced like fireflies, and two peculiar rhombic crystals emerged.
"Shadow and Thief Divine Domains?"
The Death Cult Leader's eyes gleamed with excitement as he waved his hand.
The 'Shadow Divine Domain' and ten points of divinity fell into his grasp.
"This time, I contributed the most... Gaining the 'Shadow Divine Domain' and these divine forces..."
The Death Cult Leader glanced at the remaining two demigods.
"I have no objections."
The High Priest of the True Demon Lord, his voice hoarse, seized the 'Thief Divine Domain.'
The last remaining demigod, clearly reluctant, could only take a few points of divinity.
Once the collaborators left, the Death Cult Leader turned to look at the left envoy, Poison-Hand Scholar, standing behind him.
He raised his hand, and five points of divinity flew over.
"This is what you deserve. With these, you can attempt to ignite the divine flame and become a demigod."
The Death Cult Leader said.
"Thank you, Lord."
Poison-Hand Scholar accepted the divinity, a hint of joy on his face.
To become a demigod, one needed to accumulate divinity!
This gift saved him centuries of arduous cultivation!
Even without this fortuitous encounter, he might never have ascended to demigod status!
Though... the ritual to ignite the divine flame was extremely dangerous, and a misstep could lead to the destruction of both body and soul.
But what did that matter to a follower of the Death Cult?
As for the Death Cult Leader, his gains were even greater. If he could fully refine the divine domain crystal, he might pass through the deification ritual and become the new 'God of Shadows'!
If luck was on his side, once the Origin Power Outburst in the Heavenly Court ended, he could even enter the original Celestial Realm of the God of Shadows and Thieves to claim their legacy!
Of course, the deification ritual was no guarantee of success.
But the Death Cult Leader was different!
He had a powerful patron! As long as he became a subordinate god of the God of Destruction, becoming a true deity was almost certain.
"Truly, the best of times..."
The Death Cult Leader sighed contentedly. "Let's return to the Three Absolute Pass. We need to secure the most faith from the Dazhou Divine Pantheon!"
"Only faith in our Lord."
Poison-Hand Scholar complied obediently.
...
Years passed in the blink of an eye.
For the common people of this world, these years were a time of great upheaval.
Suddenly, so many temples and churches lost their power!
Suddenly, armies from beyond the mortal realm invaded the Three Absolute Pass, and the Dazhou Divine Dynasty fell...
Suddenly, a new 'Grand Sage Dynasty' was established.
In the Imperial Capital, within the palace, the air seemed to remain tainted by the lingering scent of blood, despite numerous purges.
Fang Xing walked through the opulent halls, his mind elsewhere: "Dynastic change is like this. Once the old power structures are nearly eradicated, the realm can be pacified... and then we wait for the next cycle of order and chaos."
The collapse of the Dazhou Divine Dynasty was both unexpected and inevitable once the supporting true deities were all slain.
The Death Cult's army took years to subdue the realm, primarily due to the time spent traveling and suppressing other demonic sects.
Of course, with Fang Xing, a divine being of ancient power, supporting them, there was little doubt about the outcome.
What truly made Fang Xing uncomfortable was the Death Cult's offer of three thousand beauties, hoping he would grant them divine offspring to rule the world.
How could he leave descendants in this world?
Thus, he refused and chose the title 'Sage,' establishing the Grand Sage Dynasty and preparing to implement the abdication system.
In the future, whoever was the most capable would be elevated to the throne.
No need to worry about the stability of such a system; as long as a true deity oversaw it, and the power was sufficient, any system could be stable.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew past.
Fang Xing's senses stirred, and his Harmony with the Dao ability activated, lifting his gaze: "The Origin Power Outburst in the Heavenly Court has finally ceased?"
To be honest, using an Eternal Realm Secret Art to trigger the World's Retaliation and knock true deities out of the Celestial Realm for years was already remarkable.
'Over these years, the entire Dazhou Divine Pantheon has fallen... the remaining demon gods and false gods have also suffered heavy losses...'
'My Destruction Pantheon shall rise to prominence.'
Fang Xing looked at the pile of divine domains in his hand.
Some were excellent, others were mediocre... but each represented a complete law, capable of elevating a subordinate god.
"Too many deities is not good..."
He shook his head, and suddenly heard a voice: "Great Lord of Shadows, may your path be trodden on earth as it is in heaven..."
"May your kingdom ascend to the heavens, transforming into an eternal star, protecting our souls!"
"It's the Death Cult Leader."
Fang Xing nodded. "The deification ritual... has finally begun?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
