CHAPTER 236: CHAPTER 236: TRACES OF THE GODDESS OF LIFE

The Slime tribe had been completely eradicated, and only then did Fang Chang and the others finally have the time to return to the Lake of Life.

Previously tainted by Fang Chang’s poison, the lake was now gradually recovering. With the combined efforts of the gods, the toxins in the lake were soon thoroughly cleansed.

"Gu Yue, can you tell anything from this lake?" Surrounded by many gods around the Lake of Life, Fang Chang asked while staring at the newly multiplying slimes emerging in the water.

Gu Yue fixed her eyes on the lake, secretly channeling her divine power to pluck a newly formed slime from afar. She brought it before her for a closer inspection.

"This is the work of that woman. These slimes all carry the aura of the Goddess of Life."

"She must have transformed the Lake of Life into a grand formation, using the lake’s rich vitality as a constant supply of nourishment for the formation, which in turn accelerates the reproduction of the slimes."

As she spoke, she crushed the slime in her hand, watching as it fell to the ground and divided once more.

"Slimes born from this formation also possess enhanced survivability."

"Can you track their location?" Fang Chang’s expression revealed little emotion, but those who knew him well understood—this kind of calmness meant he was taking the matter very seriously.

"Yes." This time, Gu Yue gave a definitive answer. She infused divine power into the lake, and immediately a strange formation appeared upon the water’s surface.

The formation spanned several kilometers, nearly covering the entire lake. Then, an invisible energy brimming with vitality was drawn forth by Gu Yue, separated from the formation, and drifted northwest.

Fang Chang’s eyelid twitched as he watched the direction the energy pointed toward. "It’s Sun Moon City—the capital of the Sun Moon Empire."

He recognized that the direction led directly to Sun Moon City. Yet he had already investigated the city thoroughly before and found nothing.

"We should head there quickly—this can’t wait." Gu Yue fixed her gaze on Fang Chang, her voice tinged with urgency. "The commotion we made when entering this world was too big. If we delay any longer, they might escape."

This time, she was determined to seize the ancient Tree of Life from the former Goddess of Life. Only with it could she truly be considered the rightful Goddess of Life.

"Let’s go. But we should leave a few people behind to clean up here." Fang Chang pointed at several slime nests still spawning in the lake and looked to the gods behind him.

"Leave this place to us. You go seek out that goddess—they’re the real threat." Bibi Dong stepped forward at that moment, taking the initiative to accept the task.

Once the area had been properly handled, Fang Chang led Gu Yue and the others straight toward Sun Moon City.

Due to the recent chaos, Sun Moon City was no longer the flourishing metropolis it once was. Key figures from various powers had already fled, seeking refuge throughout the empire.

Ordinary citizens were also affected. Without the control of a ruling class, looting, killing, and robbery ran rampant. Common folk, driven by desperation, were forced to abandon their homes.

Now, from the outside, Sun Moon City looked like a ghost town—or perhaps a den of lawlessness, filled with violence.

When they were still several dozen li from the city, Fang Chang halted with the group. "Beyond this point is the domain of Sun Moon City. Let’s stop here."

"The Goddess of Life has been operating here for thousands of years. She must have made ample preparations. If too many of us go, we’ll only get in each other’s way. Why don’t just the two of us go down while the others wait outside for our signal?"

"What do you think?" Fang Chang turned to ask Gu Yue’s opinion. After all, she was a God King and one of the current queens of the Divine Realm. He couldn’t act too unilaterally.

"Mm. I’ll follow your lead." After thousands of years together, Gu Yue might bicker with Fang Chang over minor things, but when it came to matters concerning the Divine Realm, she generally deferred to his judgment.

"In that case, let’s go." Fang Chang took her jade-like hand, and with a motion forward, the two of them appeared in Sun Moon City as if they had teleported.

At the same time, both of them concealed their auras completely. From the outside, they looked just like an ordinary young soul master couple.

As they walked the streets of Sun Moon City, remnants of its former glory were still faintly visible, but now the place had become a shadow of its past.

Most storefronts along the streets had been looted. Anything left behind had already been scavenged by roaming thugs.

Brawls were everywhere. Every few dozen meters, one could spot an unattended corpse—most of them were soul masters.

In such chaos, ordinary people couldn’t possibly stay. But quite a few soul masters chose to remain, hoping for opportunity.

After all, this was once the capital of the continent’s most powerful empire, a nexus of the land’s resources. Even if just one percent of that was left behind, it was enough to drive them mad with greed.

Noticing Fang Chang and Gu Yue, these wandering soul masters on the street all cast curious glances their way.

In this environment, the two of them—dressed neatly, walking with calm and composure—seemed completely out of place.

"Boss, that girl’s quite the looker. Why don’t we hit them? Kill the guy, and the girl’s ours to enjoy..." Not far off, one of a group of five or six soul masters leered at Gu Yue and made a suggestion to their leader.

"Shut your mouth if you don’t want to die." The leader glared fiercely at him. "Can’t you see how many others are watching them? Not a single one dares to make a move."

Indeed, on this street, there were more than a dozen similar gangs. Yet none dared strike first—though the pair seemed like harmless youths, their clothing, temperament, and subtle aura of superiority clearly marked them as anything but ordinary.

These rogue soul masters might be desperate, but they weren’t stupid. They all had their own judgment of who they could and couldn’t rob.

"These people’s stares are making me uncomfortable. Should I just wipe them out while we’re at it?" Gu Yue pouted, clearly irritated by the way some of the men were eyeing her.

Fang Chang continued walking at the same pace and sent her a thought through their mental link.

"Don’t start anything yet. Right now, our top priority is to find the Goddess of Life and help you claim the Tree of Life. We’ll deal with these rats later."

"Fine, fine. I’ll do as you say." Gu Yue huffed in mild frustration, shifting her attention forward—but not before memorizing the scents of those thugs.

The two of them walked farther and farther down the street, drawing closer to the imperial palace of the Sun Moon Empire. From afar, a cloaked figure noticed their approach—then vanished in an instant.