CHAPTER 492: 051 BLOOD SACRIFICE

The Wood Nine Void City.

Two men and one woman stood suspended in mid-air, looking down at the ’city’ that held nearly 100,000 people.

"The Gods had fallen to the earth, Divine Fire had descended upon the world, and the great serpent that would destroy everything would eventually devour the shattered red moon."

The elder among them, his eyes gleaming with fanaticism, chanted strange syllables, "Hundreds of years of lurking, and finally, the time to harvest has come!"

"Is it enough?" asked the tall, gauze-clad female Divine Envoy sternly. "If it’s not enough..."

"We won’t have a second chance!"

"It is enough!" the burly man among them said in a muffled voice. "The sacrifice of 100,000 people will definitely activate the lingering will left by the Divine, not to mention the arrangements made in other places."

"We have no time left. All nearby Void Cities have moved over here, and those farther away... it would take more than half a year just to get here. Plus, the dangers along the way mean that hardly anyone else will come."

"Exactly. Since we have decided to act, there is no turning back." The elder nodded and continued, "According to the records left by our ancestors, the giant void serpent under the Main God’s throne was pinned in the Netherworld by the Moon Goddess’s sword. If we pull out that sword, it will help the Main God open the passage to this world."

"Afla!" He looked at the female Divine Envoy. "Bring the Demigod here."

"Yes." Afla nodded and gestured toward a spot below. A boy bound in ropes flew up to the three of them.

"Demons!" The boy struggled, his anger fierce. "You damned Demons, the Gods will curse you, curse you for all eternity!"

"Heh..." Faced with the boy’s curses, the elder simply shook his head and chuckled, "Oer. You are the only one in the Crash Divine Domain who possesses the Death God Bloodline; only you can lead us there. So... I’m sorry!"

He extended one hand. An invisible force enveloped the boy, instantaneously tearing him into countless pieces.

Then, the elder stepped forward, opening his arms, "Let the ritual begin! We welcome our Lord!"

The two behind him bowed their heads and chanted together, "We welcome our Lord!"

BOOM!

Smoke billowed from the Void City below. As the dust storm swept through, all the people and livestock turned into skeletons. Only about a hundred Divine Envoys remained scattered about like points of light.

The deaths of countless people in an instant generated a horrifying amount of energy, and the ground trembled violently.

RUMBLE...

A giant phantom serpent emerged from the smoke, its mouth wide open, frantically devouring the divine stones and Divine Marrow accumulated in the Wood Nine Void City. But these were far from enough to stir the great serpent’s power.

The real energy... was the Divine Fire!

The Divine Fire, which had sustained nearly a hundred Void Cities and was sufficient to burn for 10,000 years to protect a region, was swallowed by the great serpent in one gulp. Furthermore, with the Death God Bloodline as a catalyst, the dim light in the great serpent’s eyes gradually brightened.

But, it wasn’t enough!

"Just a little more," the elder said, his expression grave. "Others have already made their move elsewhere. We only need two of those locations to succeed to open the gates of the Netherworld."

* * *

Carl had been in seclusion all year round, yet his reputation was considerable. Thanks to the promotion by Mashi, Hardy, and others, the development of the Void City to this point was attributed entirely to his efforts. Indeed, that was the case.

According to rumor, his strength far surpassed that of ordinary Divine Envoys, to the point where he could even contend with Despair-level Fiends. However, very few had actually witnessed it.

This time was just the opportunity.

Flower Witch!

A Nightmare-level Fiend!

Gregarious!

Huge flower buds with roots deeply embedded in the void, each unfolding to reveal a naked young girl sitting cross-legged at their center. There were as many as nine of these buds scattered across a region spanning more than ten miles, their energies interconnected, devouring any living beings that tried to pass through this area.

The Flower Witch had a saintly visage and an enchanting body, with a voice that held an extremely terrifying hypnotic power. A typical Divine Envoy seeing this would surely flee far away. If one unfortunately got too close... then one could only rely on whether their fate was strong enough.

"Come here!" The young girl beckoned to Carl, her face full of smiles and her eyes showing a hint of affection.

But in an instant, that affection vanished. Her expression became stiff, her face contorted, and her white teeth turned into a mouthful of sharp fangs.

In the Fiend’s ’perception,’ Carl’s Martial Arts Will was as hot as fire; just approaching it scorched its body.

SCREECH!

The girl suddenly disappeared, only to reappear crouched on Carl’s back, biting towards his neck. Moreover, countless flower stems erupted from the void. This ability, akin to traversing space, made it impossible to hide or avoid; one could only endure it head-on.

Ten Thousand Buddha Hands—Vajra Seal!

Carl formed a seal with one hand. His Battle Aura erupted from his body, transforming into a giant Buddha that shielded him from the assault. At the same time, he thrust his palms forward, striking at the Flower Witch’s main body.

This creature possessed First Order Peak strength. Without it reaching Second Order, defeating it was exceedingly challenging. Especially since spiritual attacks were not a Knight’s forte, not to mention their gregarious nature... It was almost an unsolvable problem!

However, Carl’s spiritual power reached 18.3, and he also possessed the Spirit Secret Technique, Thunder God’s Fury. Thus, most of the Flower Witch’s tactics were ineffective against him.

Thunder Seal!

BOOM!

A dazzling bolt of lightning shot across the void, pulverizing it and another Flower Witch that had rushed over along with it. Carl withdrew his hand and flew forward.

"Let’s go!"

「Several days later.」

Monstrous fish, enveloped by tidal forces, disintegrated under the terrifying crushing power, their flesh melting and bones turning to dust. The other Divine Envoys also took action, decimating this strange river suspended in mid-air.

The river had also become a Fiend!

「Half a month later.」

Carl sat cross-legged on a mountaintop, frowning as he looked ahead. Hardy and the others appeared exhausted as they neatly arranged Divine Stones in a pattern, taking the opportunity to restore their spirits.

The Crash Divine Domain is simply unsuitable for survival. The entire world is heading towards destruction, and the people of the Void Cities are merely struggling in their final moments.

The more Carl understood this world, the clearer he saw.

This world was beyond saving!

Fiends are born from destruction; they can never be entirely eradicated. The world itself is perishing. Fiends will only become more numerous, and one day, there will be no living humans left. A few decades? A hundred years? In any case, this time won’t be too long.

Carl had originally wanted to use the power of others to create a ’sanctuary’ in this Crash Divine Domain. Not for any other reason, only to collect more Divine Marrow. With enough Divine Marrow, his strength could advance by leaps and bounds. Now it seemed almost impossible to achieve that. The scale of Wood Nine Void City is already its limit. No! More than a hundred years ago, Wood Nine Void City began accepting only top experts and useful talents from other Void Cities. It was clearly already operating at a deficit.

As time went on, the situation became increasingly difficult.

Perhaps my expansion plan can only last a few years at most before it becomes unsustainable, completely cut off from other Void Cities. At that time, every Void City will be an isolated island in the Crash Divine Domain, facing the endless onslaught of Fiends. A few years... If I can get people from ten or so Void Cities to come, and gather Divine Marrow two or three times, that would be enough for me. By then, I should also leave this world. After all, continuing to invest emotions here is meaningless.

Steadying his spirit, he suddenly surged forward.

Death Specter! Perfection of the Curse Killing Technique was imminent!

* * *

"Divine Envoy Carl," Sam glanced at the few people around him and suggested, "we’ve been out for so long. Even with a temporary camp to recover our spiritual power, we... can hardly hold on any longer."

"Exactly!"

"Yes!"

Everyone nodded repeatedly. Although they had Carl, a master, with them, and their seven-person party had suffered no losses, they were now all utterly exhausted.

"Then let’s go back." Carl reluctantly shook his head. "Let’s return first, and after some time..."

"Huh!"

"It’s finally here."

He raised an eyebrow and looked into the distance, a smile appearing on his face.

Fallen Angel!

The reason for staying out so long this time was, firstly, to clear a path, and secondly, to encounter it. However, he didn’t know why, but on previous occasions, whenever he came out, he would encounter it soon after. This time, there had been no sign of it. Fortunately, it did not disappoint him in the end.

"Fallen Angel!" Hardy suddenly stood up, his expression grave. "A Despair-level Fiend!"

The others also showed looks of terror. They were several days’ journey from the Void City; escape was impossible. And to defeat a Despair-level Fiend... They all turned their gazes towards Carl.

"Don’t panic." Carl waved his hand. "Take out what I gave you and follow my instructions. Leave the rest to me."

Having been forced to flee in disgrace three times by the Fallen Angel, this time he was prepared and determined to regain the upper hand.

SWISH!

His figure flashed out. A Buddha phantom emerged behind him, and countless palm imprints, heavy with immense power, struck towards the target.

A hint of surprise seemed to flash in the Fallen Angel’s deep eyes. Since its birth, countless lives had died at its hands, while barely any had survived. This life charging at it had escaped its clutches several times, and each time it reappeared, its strength had increased. Now, it even made the Fallen Angel feel pressured.

BANG!

The two figures collided in mid-air. Smoke steamed from the Fallen Angel’s body as its wings suddenly expanded dramatically.

SWISH!

A distance of 100 meters was covered in an instant.

Punching!

Side-kicking!

It understood no Martial Techniques or Cultivation Techniques, yet it instinctively knew how to kill its target quickly.

Instinct was its strongest talent.

Carl’s expression was solemn. His Ten Thousand Buddha Hands shifted rapidly, employing various Seal Techniques intermingled with numerous kinds of witchcraft. Thanks to the enlightenment gained from the Divine Gift, his martial arts realm had long surpassed his current Cultivation.

Facing a dead thing that only followed its instincts... he could finally fight it to a standstill.

This won’t do! This thing’s energy is endless. Even if I exhausted myself to death, it wouldn’t show the slightest fatigue. And... its strength is growing!

Despair-level Fiends seemed able, to some extent, to break the upper limits of this world’s rules and reach the Second Order. And as the world drew closer to destruction, the Fallen Angel’s strength also gradually increased. The increase was extremely slow. If Carl hadn’t battled it several times, he might never have noticed.

CRACKLE!

Electricity flickered. Carl suddenly retreated at the height of the Fallen Angel’s attack, covering over a hundred meters in a flash. He didn’t use any movement techniques or cast witchcraft to confuse his opponent. It wasn’t necessary. The Fallen Angel was immune to such deceptive tactics; instead, the simplest actions were more effective.

The two figures, one chasing and one fleeing, soon approached the location of the other Divine Envoys.

"Be ready." Hardy’s expression was grave. "Once Divine Envoy Carl lures the Fallen Angel here, we’ll all strike together to trap it and expel it to the Outer Domain’s void."

"Yes!" The others nodded repeatedly.

Three breaths!

Two breaths!

One breath!

"Act now!" Hardy roared, and the others acted in unison.

Several giant pillars appeared out of nowhere, forming a simple array that trapped the Fallen Angel within.

But...

"Sam!" Hardy looked shocked. "What are you doing?"

It turned out that, in addition to the Fallen Angel, Carl was also trapped within the array.

Sam’s expression was nonchalant. "Of course, I’m doing what needs to be done." He glanced at Yun San beside him. "Do it!"

Yun San grinned, loosening the restraint on the Fallen Angel and focusing it instead on Carl.

"You..." Hardy’s expression changed drastically. "You two... so there really was something wrong with you?"

"Huh?" The two of them paused, startled.

"Divine Envoy Carl mentioned to me that someone in the team was suspicious, specifically you two." Hardy shook his head. "I originally thought Divine Envoy Carl was overthinking. After all, as fellow members of the Human Clan, how could we possibly help Fiends? To think..."

He twisted the cylinder in his hand, and Sam and Yun San’s figures suddenly stiffened.

Immediately after, Carl appeared where Sam had been, while Sam appeared next to the Fallen Angel.