Chapter 700: Divine Power
Chapter 700: Divine Power
(Thank you, Shu Shi, for your support!)
Mo Hua's body was free from the triple sinister thoughts, returning to its original state as if he were just a simple young cultivator. However, at this moment, as he looked at She Daoshi, his expressionless face and light golden irises exuded an air of authority as he gazed down at the ant-like figure before him.
She Daoshi's eyes widened in terror.
For a moment, he felt as if he were facing a "deity."
Countless ferocious and hideous demons had been annihilated by this Little Yanwang through his formations in just one round.
Could this truly be the work of a "human"?
Impossible...
She Daoshi's heart raced as he knew that this young cultivator indeed possessed a physical body, and it was his consciousness that he had pulled into the dream from his sea of consciousness.
He was undeniably human!
But could one still be considered "human" when their divine sense had reached such a formidable level...
She Daoshi's face turned pale, and he found it hard to believe.
"Old fool," Mo Hua called out, but seeing that She Daoshi was still dazed and scared, he reached out, grabbed him by the neck, and dragged him forward.
After walking a few steps, Mo Hua remembered something and turned back to look at the demon qi that was drifting around after the demons had been incinerated. Feeling that it would be a waste, he opened his mouth wide and sucked in all the demonic thoughts floating in the air.
She Daoshi's body trembled as he witnessed this scene, his soul shaken.
Not only had this young cultivator not been eaten by the demons, but he was now...
"Eating" the demons?
"What kind of little monster have I brought into the River God's temple..." She Daoshi's face turned ashen.
The evil and sinister demons were born from the residual fearful divine sense of the faithful of the Evil God as they were brutally killed, but their essence was no longer truly "divine sense." Instead, they were sinister thoughts that fed on human consciousness.
Mo Hua devoured a large number of these sinister thoughts, refining them slightly to not only replenish the vast amount of divine sense he had consumed earlier but also to seemingly strengthen his divine sense further.
His divine sense had taken a clear step forward, progressing from sixteen strands to the threshold of seventeen.
Perhaps these demons were being raised by the Evil God himself, as their sinister thoughts were "fatter" and yielded a more abundant supply of divine sense upon refinement.
In comparison, the demons in Yu'er's nightmares were much "leaner."
And perhaps due to being "eaten" frequently, the number of demons in Yu'er's dreams had also been decreasing lately.
Mo Hua had been "hungry" for a long time, and now he had finally had a satisfying meal.
After swallowing the sinister thoughts of the demons, Mo Hua held She Daoshi by the back of his neck with one hand and continued to drag him into the River God Temple.
As they walked, Mo Hua felt the atmosphere in the River God Temple becoming increasingly oppressive.
Amidst the golden light, there was a hint of bloody glow.
As they reached the grand hall at the back, Mo Hua looked up and saw a colossal statue of the River God.
The River God statue had the head of a fish and the body of a human. It wore a Daoist robe embroidered with clouds and waves, its hands forming seals at its sides. Its mouth was like a blood basin, its teeth white and sharp, and it sat tall and mighty, its gaze both majestic and terrifying.
It resembled the statue outside the temple, but it was even more massive, and its divine sense was more powerful, as if it were a living deity.
As soon as She Daoshi saw the statue of the River God, he stopped pretending to be dead and immediately knelt down, his head knocking against the stone bricks. His movements were extremely devout, and he trembled as he said, "Believer pays respect to the River God and the Master of the Temple!"
The River God's demeanor was solemn and majestic, and it did not acknowledge him.
Mo Hua looked up, puzzled, and asked, "Are you the River God?"
She Daoshi's heart skipped a beat.
This little brat, relying on his slight skill, was truly fearless!
After seeing the River God, he didn't kneel or show any respect, and he even dared to address the River God directly, showing no reverence at all!
Those who swim well may still drown, and those who ride well may still fall.
Having a little ability does not make one invincible, and eventually, one may meet their end without a proper burial.
How dare he be so bold before the River God!
She Daoshi mocked him in his mind.
But what he never expected was that the River God would actually speak.
"Yes..."
The voice was incredibly deep and solemn, echoing throughout the River God Temple with a subtle hint of emphasis.
She Daoshi lowered his head even further.
He was afraid that he would offend the River God with his actions and displease the deity, but at the same time, he was also shocked.
In the past two hundred years, he had made countless sacrifices, and the River God had never once given him any guidance or instruction.
Yet, this little brat stared directly at the deity, spoke rudely, and acted disrespectfully... and the River God actually responded to him?
And it didn't seem to be angry?
She Daoshi found it hard to believe.
"You have offended the dignity of the gods..." The River God's voice, thick with age, echoed.
She Daoshi's heart trembled.
The River God was indeed angry, and this kid was in for some bad luck!
"I can let bygones be bygones..." the River God continued.
She Daoshi: "..."
Mo Hua was also a little surprised. "I intruded into your River God Temple, discovered your secrets, and killed the demons you raised, and you can still let bygones be bygones?"
The River God's face, above its fish head, was expressionless, making it impossible to discern its emotions, but its voice carried a hint of compassion: "The gods show benevolence to all, and your cultivation age is still young, so ignorance is not a sin."
Mo Hua asked curiously, "Then are you willing to let me go?"
The River God nodded. "Of course."
"I also have a few companions," Mo Hua said.
"They can also leave."
"There are also two children who were offered as sacrifices to you by this old fool..." Mo Hua pointed to She Daoshi, who was kneeling on the ground, and continued, "I want to take them back as well."
The River God fell silent for a moment, its gaze intensifying slightly as it said, "These two children have great fortune, and I intended to accept them as attendants. However, your fortune surpasses theirs..."
"If you want these two children, you may take them away."
She Daoshi, who was kneeling devoutly on the ground, froze for a moment.
Did I hear that wrong?
This little brat actually dared to ask for people in front of the River God, making demands again and again?
And the River God...
Actually agreed?
But then, Mo Hua seemed still unsatisfied.
He thought for a moment and added, "I also want to take away the fisherman cultivators in the square."
The River God's expression froze, and a hint of coldness and indifference appeared in his eyes, his tone losing its previous kindness.
"Young cultivator, contentment brings lasting joy, and a good beginning leads to a good end."
"The blessings I have bestowed upon you are already an exception. Do not push your luck and lose your sense of propriety, or you will surely invite calamity..."
Mo Hua nodded in agreement. "Indeed, you hang a fish head but sell mutton. After killing so many people, devouring so much divine sense, and cultivating so many evil spirits, you should know when to stop..."
"I am speaking to you gently and reasonably, which is already an exception. Do not push your luck and lose your sense of propriety, or you will surely invite calamity..."
The River God's fish head suddenly contorted, and a sinister expression appeared in its cold and indifferent fish eyes.
Its voice, like the frost of a harsh winter, said, "You... know?"
"How could you possibly know?"
"Hanging a fish head but selling mutton..."
The River God's fish eyes turned scarlet, and it snarled, "You audacious little mortal!"
Without further ado, Mo Hua leaped forward and threw a punch.
She Daoshi's body went rigid with fear.
The River God coldly smiled and slowly extended its massive demonic claw, stained with blood, reaching out to grab Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's pale blue fist collided with the giant demonic claw.
A loud rumble echoed as the wave of divine sense shook the surroundings.
The River God's smile froze.
Its giant demonic claw was directly pierced by Mo Hua's fist, and the divine sense illusion above its claw dimmed slightly.
After piercing the claw, Mo Hua threw another punch, aiming straight for the River God's fish-headed face.
The River God's eyes flickered with surprise, and it dared not be careless anymore. It quickly stood up and retreated.
Mo Hua's punch missed, but a pale blue light flashed on his body as he used the Flowing Water Step to continue his assault on the River God.
The River God dodged a couple of times, but due to its massive size, it had limited space to maneuver and was eventually struck in the abdomen by Mo Hua's punch.
That small fist contained an astonishing amount of divine sense force, causing the River God's entire divine body to tremble.
The River God roared in anger, "Good! You ignorant child, if you won't accept my hospitality, then drink the punishment! Today, I won't hold back!"
A cloud of bloody mist surged, spreading for a moment before suddenly rolling back and condensing around the River God.
The River God's divine body didn't grow larger; instead, it shrank, only slightly taller than an average adult cultivator. However, its figure became even more refined.
It seemed that the statue-like appearance it had before was a result of it dispersing its divine sense to deliberately make itself look bigger and more intimidating to its followers.
By spreading out its divine sense, its power was also dispersed.
Now, with its divine sense condensed within its body, it revealed its true form.
Mo Hua's eyes sparkled, and his battle intent grew stronger.
Ever since his divine sense underwent qualitative change and he devoured the divine marrow, he had never lost in a confrontation of divine sense.
Ordinary demons were simply no match for him.
He was curious to find out just how strong the "physical body" of his divine sense was and whether he could truly match a "deity" in a head-on confrontation.
Without wasting any time, Mo Hua flashed forward and threw another punch, aiming directly at the River God's face.
The River God was caught off guard and was struck in the face by Mo Hua's punch, deforming its gills. It involuntarily took a few steps back.
Once it regained its stance, the River God's eyes turned completely red.
Its ferocity was fully aroused, and the cloud and wave-patterned robe it wore transformed into a blood-red color.
"Seeking death!"
The River God growled lowly, its voice sounding like a demon. Its demonic claws lashed out like the wind, aiming to strike Mo Hua.
Mo Hua remained undaunted and engaged the River God in close combat.
Their figures intertwined, fists and claws clashed, and the powerful waves of divine sense shook the air like thunderous drums, causing the dream-constructed temple to vibrate, cracking the floor tiles and peeling the walls.
She Daoshi, afraid of being affected, had long ago cowered in a corner, trembling as he watched Mo Hua and the River God fight. He was stunned by the sight.
"This kid, who's only ten years old or so, is actually daring to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a 'deity' relying on his divine sense power?!"
She Daoshi found the whole situation utterly absurd.
After dozens of exchanges, neither Mo Hua nor the River God had gained the upper hand.
The River God's eyes turned cold, and its demonic claws took on a faint golden color, with traces of blood-red seeping through.
The River God's fish head wore a cold smile.
The golden claws, carrying a bloody wind, suddenly ripped towards Mo Hua.
Sensing something amiss, Mo Hua imitated the River God and infused the golden divine marrow threads into his fist before throwing a punch, colliding head-on with the River God's demonic claws.
A more violent wave spread out as the two divine senses clashed, shattering the floor tiles.
Then, the deity and the young cultivator separated, each taking two steps back.
Mo Hua felt a slight pain in his small fist and couldn't help but rub it.
The River God's demonic claws remained intact, but its expression changed as it stared at Mo Hua in shock. "You're not human?!"
Mo Hua frowned, "Neither are you!"
Then he realized, "Oh right, you're indeed not human."
The River God's expression turned slightly sour, and its gaze turned cold. "With the power of the divine marrow, are you human or a deity?"
Mo Hua smiled but didn't answer.
Seeing this, the River God's face darkened with anger, and it coldly smiled, "Don't think that just because you happened upon some divine marrow, you can dare to disrespect a deity."
"A deity is the ruler of all spirits in the world, and the path of a deity is a taboo of the path to longevity. You know nothing about it."
"Fine," the River God said as its right hand clenched into a fist, condensing a white bone fish spear. The tip of the spear had five barbs dripping with poisonous blood.
"Regardless of your origins, you will become this deity's sacrifice today."
"How could I pass up on the divine marrow that has been delivered to my door?"
Mo Hua's eyes narrowed slightly.
The River God raised the white bone fish spear, and in an instant, blood thorns condensed from the corrupted evil thoughts tore through the air towards Mo Hua.
Mo Hua's body flickered with watery shadows as he effortlessly dodged the attack using the Flowing Water Step.
The River God sneered, and more blood thorns condensed on the white bone fish spear, one after another, turning a deep scarlet as they densely pierced towards Mo Hua.
The River God's expression changed as it asked, "Spell?"
Mo Hua didn't bother with idle chatter.
Since the River God didn't want to engage in close combat, he would play along and use long-range spells instead.
After all, he wasn't a body cultivator, and close combat wasn't his forte.
Mo Hua's eyes deepened as his divine sense flowed, his fingers tapping rapidly. One fireball after another formed a continuous chain, like a rapid crossbow, aimed directly at the River God.
At first, the River God intended to use the White Bone Fish Spear to counter with its blood thorns.
However, after a short while, it realized that the fireballs were increasing in number and speed, several times faster than its own blood thorn condensation.
The dense fireballs were too much for the blood thorns to block.
After only a few exchanges, a fireball hit the River God, exploding into a cloud of fiery mist.
More fireballs followed, striking the River God one after the other, with flames engulfing its divine body.
A moment later, the fire dissipated, revealing the River God, who looked a little disheveled but didn't seem to have suffered any significant injuries.
However, its expression had turned completely ferocious, its whiskers flared, fangs bared, devoid of any divine majesty, resembling a river monster.
This little brat was indeed tricky!
"It seems these tricks won't be enough to take you down..."
"Since that's the case, let me show you the true path of a deity and what a true deity is capable of!"
Mo Hua's expression turned slightly solemn as he sensed the River God's aura growing stronger by the second.
At the same time, a profound and mysterious aura of the Dao emerged from the River God's body.
Mo Hua recalled Huang Shan Jun mentioning that deities were born with an understanding of the Dao and naturally controlled a portion of the heavenly rules.
At this moment, inside the River God Temple, the surroundings were soaked in water vapor, as if permeated by the Daoist rules of the water system. All objects created by divine sense began to distort due to the interference of these rules.
A drop of blood fell from the sky, landing on the floor with a splatter of crimson.
Then a second drop, a third... the rain of blood became denser.
Blood rained down from the heavens.
Mo Hua felt a sense of foreboding.
This blood rain was too bizarre, and the aura of heavenly rules was too strong. It didn't bode well.
Not knowing what kind of technique the big-headed River God was about to use, Mo Hua decided to make a run for it.
Retreat was the best option, to avoid the brunt of the attack and then devise a new strategy.
But before he could get far, the big-headed River God suddenly opened its mouth wide and sneered:
"Trying to run? Too late!"
"Let me show you what it means for a deity to be born with an understanding of the heavenly Dao and to grasp the innate mystical arts..."
"Divine Ability—Limitless Blood River!"
Mo Hua's eyes widened in surprise.
Divine Ability?!
The innate mystical art of a deity?!
He had never heard of such a thing, and even Huang Shan Jun had never mentioned it.
As soon as the River God finished speaking, its body merged with the blood rain, becoming one with the heavenly blood rain.
The blood rain grew heavier, and in just over a dozen breaths, it transformed into a vast blood river, surging and sweeping away everything in its path, including the walls, towers, and halls of the temple.
Starting from the front of the River God Temple, the blood river raged and swallowed everything in its path, reaching all the way to the back hall, but it stopped at the square.
In the square, countless fisher cultivators knelt in worship.
They offered their prayers in the midst of hardship, providing faith to the River God, which didn't want to destroy its own foundation.
However, this vast blood river was enough to engulf Mo Hua.
Mo Hua was drowning in the water, trapped in an endless watery prison, feeling suffocated.
The blood river contained the power of divine rules, evil divine sense, and bloodthirsty evil thoughts.
It was like a poison for divine sense, a corrosive water for spiritual consciousness, constantly eroding Mo Hua's spiritual consciousness incarnation.
Mo Hua was swallowed by the Limitless Blood River, like a child drowning in blood, his small hands and feet struggling helplessly as he was pulled into the whirlpool and dragged towards the evil and bloody riverbed.
The River God watched this scene unfold with a cold smile.
However, a moment later, its smile froze.
Something was wrong...
The River God's eyes widened in surprise, and its expression turned solemn.
It sensed a presence similar to the "Dao" spreading, expanding, and condensing at the bottom of the river, until it erupted like a volcano.
The blood river instantly turned crimson.
So red that it glowed.
But this red was not the color of blood; it was the color of fire.
It was as if a volcano had erupted at the bottom of the river, with flames raging and boiling the river water.
The river began to boil, and the blood water evaporated rapidly.
A vast stretch of the blood river was evaporated into thin air, and the remaining blood water flowed backward, forming whirlpools and eventually turning into steam, drop by drop.
This cycle repeated until the entire blood river was burned away by the raging flames.
The air was filled with scorching heat, and white steam rose.
The remaining blood rain fell with a scalding temperature.
Mo Hua stood in the center of it all, surrounded by raging flames.
He had incinerated the endless blood river.
The River God took a sharp breath, its expression incredibly solemn.
Mo Hua slowly turned his head to face the River God, his small face serious as he proudly declared his technique:
"Divine Ability!"
"Inferno River Burn!"
The River God was taken aback, and finally, it couldn't hold back its anger any longer. It cursed:
"You insolent brat! What nonsense are you spouting? Can't you see that you just used an array?"
"Something like that..." Mo Hua mumbled.
The River God's eyelids twitched.
Array, divine ability...
In a sense, they were quite similar.
But was this level of array something that a human could possibly deploy? How profound must one's understanding of arrays be to create such a powerful array in an instant within a dream, using only divine sense?
In that moment, both the deity and its follower had the same thought.
Could this child truly be considered "human"?
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
