With a deafening roar, a fierce golden light erupted from the portal. Ganggelu's arm shattered with a sickening crack, breaking into dozens of pieces.

Born to the Silver Wolf Clan, where conflict and carnage were the constant companions of dark beings from birth, the pain of severed limbs was trivial to Ganggelu, utterly unworthy of mention. Yet, Cith cried out with a pained "Awoooo!" He clutched his right arm, collapsing to the ground, writhing and convulsing in agony. Cith roared, consumed by rage: "Our souls are fused! Don't do such mindless things! You don't fear pain, but I do!"

Ganggelu glanced at Cith with a hint of apology, muttering without much sincerity, "Sorry, didn't realize you bird-people race were so afraid of pain!"

Cith’s face turned ashen with fury. In a fit of exasperation, he unleashed a bolt of Holy Light directly onto Ganggelu’s severed limb. After their souls merged, their inherent powers had undergone marvelous changes. Holy Light was once akin to sulfuric acid and poison for Ganggelu, but now, as it bathed him, it rapidly healed his injuries.

Flexing his fully restored arm, Ganggelu looked at Cith with a sigh of regret, "What a pity you aren't a woman of the Golden Wolf Clan. Ah, the beauties of the Golden Wolf Clan—they are the most exquisite women among all the wolf races. Especially those few of the highest nobility, the clan maidens. Their looks, their figures... ah..."

Ganggelu licked his lips, a trace of drool dripping down as he savored the memory. He swept Cith with an ambiguous glance that made Cith feel secretly uneasy, shook his head, and stepped into the Tiangong Hall.

Cith hurriedly followed Ganggelu inside, and immediately afterward, the contingents from the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods surged forward, jostling to enter the Tiangong Hall.

Upon entering, a wave of heat washed over them. Cith and Ganggelu stared, dumbfounded, at the lava lake stretching for thousands of miles before them, shouting in shock, "Magnificent! Unbelievable! How could such a vast expanse be compressed into a palace this small? And such immense energy, such terrifying power!"

The two sensed an extremely powerful fire-attributed energy reaction directly beneath the lava lake. The intensity and purity of this energy were unlike anything they had ever perceived. In their spiritual senses, this fire energy was like the combined might of hundreds of giant stars, radiating blinding, endless light in their spiritual 'vision,' almost searing their projected mental force.

Cith and Ganggelu felt their hearts instantly stir. If they could command this fire energy, the power they wielded would shock everyone!

Cith instinctively muttered, "Even the noble Twelve-Winged Archangels don't possess such might! Heavens, this energy is nearly equal to the power of all the Archangels combined. No, perhaps even stronger, even more terrifying. What kind of power is this? How did the master of this place subdue it?"

Ganggelu trembled, taking a few steps closer to the sea of lava. He stared at the churning magma so close by and roared, "Terrifying power! Stronger than the combined might of the Chieftains of our Wolf Clan's seven great clans! The Golden Wolf, Silver Wolf, Moon Wolf, Blood Wolf, Grey Wolf, Black Wolf, and Shadow Wolf—even the combined strength of their seven Chieftains is not this mighty!"

Ganggelu had moved too close to the lava lake. When several massive lava bubbles exploded beneath him, a deluge of molten rock splashed onto his body, making the fur on his body sizzle and hiss. A strand of deep crimson flame clung to Ganggelu, burning his flesh and emitting a foul stench of charring. It seared several fist-sized holes into his body and relentlessly seeped into his vitals through the wounds.

Even the physically robust and pain-accustomed Ganggelu screamed "Awoo!" in agony, while Cith, whose soul was merged with his, went momentarily black with shock, nearly fainting. Cith's body, floating above the lava lake, plummeted downward violently, nearly falling into the fiery depths. Gritting his teeth, Cith forced himself to regain his composure, barely stabilizing his body over the lake. However, his descent was too rapid; his feet were already submerged in the churning lava.

"Awoooo!" The piercing shriek vibrated the very structure of the Tiangong Hall. Tears streamed down Cith's face from the excruciating pain. He shot towards the sky with both legs smoking black, weeping and cursing wildly, "Damn dark creature! If you cause any more trouble, I swear I will perish with you!"

The intense pain Cith felt transferred completely to Ganggelu. A searing agony shot through Ganggelu’s feet, blacking out his vision. He clamped his jaws shut so hard that with a loud crunch, seven or eight of his large teeth shattered. He spat out fragments of ivory, blood tracing a thin line from his mouth, before scrambling desperately into the air.

"What a terrifying place!" Ganggelu glanced at the panting, gasping Cith and shook his head, "Be careful, this place is lethal."

Cith glared at Ganggelu, enraged. If Ganggelu hadn't ventured so close to that dreadful lava lake, he wouldn't have suffered such agony!

However, this harsh lesson sobered the forces of the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods. They cautiously left their heavy weaponry—swords, spears, and halberds—outside the Tiangong Hall, floating gingerly toward the depths of the palace.

Ganggelu, with his sharp eyes, spotted thirty-six massive tripods floating amidst the distant, rolling, golden-red magma, spewing plumes of violet smoke. He urgently pointed toward them, shouting, "Good stuff! It must be the best stuff, the truly valuable treasures must be inside!"

As if to confirm Ganggelu’s words, at the very moment he pointed and shouted, the thirty-six tripods simultaneously emitted sounds like the roar of dragons and the howl of tigers. Thirty-six streams of purple qi shot out from within the cauldrons. The purple qi coiled and swirled, faintly coalescing into the shapes of divine dragons, immortal tigers, white cranes, and violet lingzhi mushrooms. Threads of red flame occasionally wrapped around the purple mist, and iridescent seven-colored light occasionally soared from the tripods, faintly revealing the shapes of exquisite items within—swords, blades, gourds, and small vessels.

A Blood Clan member, exiled here at the same time as Ganggelu, reacted most impulsively. With a cry of delight, relying on his speed, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and rushed toward one of the tripods.

Boom! A shaft of purple qi shot skyward, and a blaze of fire ten thousand feet high instantly engulfed the powerful Blood Clan member, effortlessly incinerating him to ash. This Blood Clan expert, whose strength was nearly at the Void Realm level, only managed to utter one desperate scream before vanishing into a wisp of smoke before everyone's eyes.

"Terrifying!" Ganggelu stumbled back a step.

"Definitely good stuff!" Cith gazed greedily at the tripods. Not only did he not retreat, but he took a step forward. By now, he could barely feel the pain in his body. Although his legs were still emitting faint black smoke, all his attention was fixed upon those thirty-six tripods.

With extreme caution, Cith and Ganggelu, along with several hundred subordinates, advanced gingerly toward the tripods.

Each tripod stood about three hundred feet tall, with the main body diameter exceeding one hundred feet. Scorched by the subterranean fire energy in the lava for ages, the tripods were glowing a uniform fiery red, resembling thirty-six miniature suns constantly radiating intense heat. The tripods were engraved with dragons and phoenixes, and complex patterns depicting mountains, rivers, and vast landscapes. Within these landscapes, one could even discern cities and villages; with focused divine sense, one could see tiny, lifelike figures, no bigger than sesame seeds, seated or resting within the miniature settlements.

Occasionally, wisps of cloud vapor would spray from the tripods, carrying a faint, ethereal fragrance that spread in all directions. This fragrance soothed Cith, Ganggelu, and the others, making their bodies feel light and weightless.

"What precious treasures!" Everyone stared greedily at the thirty-six colossal cauldrons. Setting aside the miraculous artifacts potentially hidden within, the tripods themselves, seemingly capable of nurturing their own pocket dimensions, were already priceless treasures.

The only question now was how to acquire these tripods.

Cith and Ganggelu exchanged glances, both shaking their heads slightly. The difficulty was immense, too immense. The power of the one who constructed this palace was astonishing; the lava lake he created was an impassable chasm. Though the great treasures were clearly visible, they were tantalizingly out of reach.

Sighing, Cith frowned, "Must we destroy this entire lava lake first?"

Ganggelu shook his head, "I can feel that the core power of this lava lake exerts a strong restraining effect on us dark beings. We also lack the proper artifacts to subdue the energy core. Can your bird-people race devise a suitable method?"

Cith fell into a long silence, his gaze falling upon the Holy See members beside him, whose eyes were glazed with greed. He furrowed his brow deeply.

Ganggelu let out an impatient snort, "If you have a plan, say it quickly, or we'll go our separate ways. The weapons outside are already a decent haul! I don't wish to risk everything for these baubles."

After a moment of contemplation, Cith slowly extended a hand. A crimson orb, the size of a human head, suddenly burst forth in his palm. The orb was perfectly round, initially resembling an ordinary piece of red ceramic. However, upon closer inspection with divine sense, one could detect a latent glow within its luster. Though appearing translucent, it remained impenetrable to sight. Thin layers of red haze shimmered faintly within the sphere, as if the head-sized orb contained an entire world, holding infinite profundity.

Ganggelu and the other dark beings’ eyes widened; they recoiled in horror, exclaiming, "This is—"

Cith gently stroked the red orb, asking slowly, "You recognize it?"

After a prolonged silence, Ganggelu let out a wry smile, "I have seen things similar to this. But I never imagined you would possess something so terrifying. If I had known, I would have brought my brothers and fled far away, refusing to compete with you any longer."

Cith smiled wryly in return, stating lightly, "As expected of the Third Prince of the Silver Wolf Clan, well-traveled, even recognizing such a magnificent sacred object." He sighed, shaking his head helplessly, "Unfortunately, it is too powerful, too powerful for me to command freely. If I could truly wield it, hehe..."

After a moment of reflection, Cith confidently declared, "However, even if I cannot command it, it is certainly sufficient to conquer the energy core of this lava lake."

Ganggelu looked at the orb with a mixture of greed and fear, cautiously asking, "What kind of treasure is this? It gives me the exact same feeling as an artifact I once saw in the possession of the Chieftains of our seven great Wolf Clans. But, what is its—or their—origin?"

Cith smiled faintly, "The treasure you saw, did you ever witness it being used?"

Ganggelu nodded eagerly, "Yes, yes! Our Chieftain once used it during the Moonlit Rite dedicated to our great Wolf God. The Chieftain expended all his power to activate it, using it to command the three moons in the sky to dance in accordance with the rhythm of our sacred ritual song. Immensely powerful, so much so that resistance was impossible!"

He paused, then explained, "The moons of our homeland are each the size of the sun in our solar system. Our Chieftain, utilizing the power of that artifact, made them dance in the heavens for an entire night, offering the most sacred rite of dance to the Wolf God we worship!"

Cith nodded in surprise, "Indeed, an incredibly potent force. But compared to this, it counts as little."

After caressing the crimson orb with solemnity, Cith stated proudly, "This is a sacred object born alongside the genesis of our Angelic race's greatest progenitor; it is a divine relic venerated by our people through generations. It is a pity that none of us can command it. Otherwise..."

He sighed, then flicked his wrist, sending the orb soaring toward the vast lava lake.

Dong! A heavy bell toll sounded, and the lava lake suddenly churned, creating towering waves thousands of feet high. Accompanied by despairing, immense surf, crimson whirlwinds swept in from all directions. With two booming crashes, the great doors of the Tiangong Hall slammed shut.

Thirty streams of purple qi fiercely struck the crimson orb. The uncontrolled orb greedily absorbed all the high-temperature purple energy, but the impact flung it high into the air, where it spun rapidly.

As Cith and Ganggelu stared in shock at this turn of events, the lids of the thirty-six massive tripods suddenly shot into the sky. Streams of golden light flew out from within the cauldrons. The purple clouds and golden light merged in the air, transforming into a dazzling, rich purple-gold cloud platform. Suspended upon this cloud platform, a hundred feet thick, were dozens of glittering, strangely shaped artifacts, occasionally emitting crisp, melodious chirps.

Cith and Ganggelu were ecstatic; they rushed toward the cloud platform.

Clink, clank, clatter! With a series of sharp sounds, the dozens of artifacts dissolved into streaks of light, whirling rapidly. Cith and Ganggelu were caught completely off guard and struck hundreds of times by the light beams, sending bursts of bloody light spraying from their bodies and tearing dozens of deep gashes into them. Immediately afterward, the light beams swept outward, like sickles mowing through tall straw, easily harvesting the lives of many affiliated with the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods.

"Great Lord!" The current Pope of the Holy See gasped, watching as a dozen Cardinal Archbishops were pierced through the flesh with almost no resistance. He raised the staff in his hand, but there was no response. The saintly energy augmentation, which should have followed him like a shadow, failed to materialize... A strange, short blade and a tiny Golden Dragon Bell struck the stunned Pope in the eyes, shattering his body and soul simultaneously.

Andre let out a cry of grief that sounded like mourning for the dead: "Your Holiness, the Pope!"

A flicker of almost imperceptible ecstasy crossed Andre’s features. He deftly dodged several light beams aimed at him and scrambled toward Cith.

Waving his hands, Andre projected a dense Holy Light onto Cith, crying out loudly, "Your Excellency Cith! Your Excellency Cith!"

Cith stood up, trembling, and shrieked, "Hurry up and collect these treasures!"

Having fought the Asian Dao Alliance for so many years, the high-ranking officials of the Holy See had become familiar with many unique Dao Alliance concepts, such as artifacts choosing their masters, and understood many of the obscure and profound legends, like the appearance of divine weapons always being accompanied by bloody light, and their quick departure after taking lives.

Thus, Cith shouted, very "knowledgeably" and "skillfully," for the Holy See members to quickly gather the magical artifacts.

But the beams of light moved extremely fast. Lacking any experience in securing such treasures, the forces of the Holy See and the Pantheon suffered devastating casualties before the artifacts fled into the void, breaking through space. The frail bishops of the Holy See lost over two hundred lives, and the physically robust dark beings of the Pantheon also suffered over a hundred casualties. Having gained nothing, the two factions stared at each other, their faces etched with despair.

Cith and Ganggelu exchanged a look and simultaneously threw up their hands.

Such heavy losses without acquiring a single high-quality artifact left them deeply resentful.

Furious, Cith recalled the crimson Anzhu spinning in the air and roared, "This damnable place! I will destroy it!"

If it were only the deaths of some human bishops, Cith would not have gone so mad, but these fallen bishops had all been converted into Angelic beings through Angelic Holy Blood—they were Cith's hope for the revival of the Angelic race. The casualties of over two hundred of his own kind were enough to make Cith heartbroken enough to weep.

The crimson orb seemed to sense Cith's rage, and the entire sphere erupted with intense light, slowly rising into the air, ready to crash down upon the lava lake.

Another heavy bell toll rang out, and the thirty-six tripods once again spewed forth violet smoke and golden light. This time, thirty-six armored giants, seated cross-legged, emerged from the thick cloud platform. These giants, easily dozens of feet tall, droned incomprehensible scriptures in deep, resounding voices: The Dao that can be told is not the eternal Dao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name.

As the giants recited, specks of golden light rose from their crowns, transforming into lotus seeds that scattered everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, the churning lava lake rapidly calmed. Countless golden lotuses sprouted across the lake’s surface, now smooth as a mirror. A gentle, warm red breeze blew past, and the sea of lotuses swayed lightly, stirring up a golden ocean.

"This is..." Cith and Ganggelu were stunned. Their companions stared blankly at the incredible scene, completely frozen.

What baffled them even more was that after chanting several sections of the Tao Te Ching, the thirty-six massive golden giants began mumbling from the Jingang Sutra. After reciting a few verses from the Jingang Sutra, they moved on to an ancient medical text detailing the path to longevity.

Cith and Ganggelu cautiously approached the cloud platform, but the golden giants remained perfectly still, as if ignoring them entirely.

Thus, Cith and Ganggelu boldly edged a few steps closer to the platform, but the giants still did not move.

Eventually, all the members of the Holy See and the Pantheon of Gods flooded onto the cloud platform. They circled the golden giants in astonishment. A few bolder ones, like the Minotaurs from the Pantheon of Gods, even drew their battle axes and brought them down heavily against the giants.

Clang! Sparks flew from the giants' armor. The Minotaurs' axes chipped significantly, but the giants remained completely unmarked.

The disbelieving Minotaurs cast aside their axes and rammed their own hardened horns against one of the golden giants.

Thud! Several Minotaurs fell back, clutching their fractured, bleeding horns, convulsing and crying in pain. The golden giants were simply too tough; the counter-force shattered their horns, and even the bone beneath their cranial plates cracked with hairline fractures.

Ganggelu snorted, casting a contemptuous look at the wailing Minotaurs on the ground, and muttered, "Idiots whose brains have turned to muscle. Even your Minotaur race has wise elders; how could you be so dim-witted?"

A Minotaur, tears streaming from his eyes, angrily shouted back, "Ganggelu, if we were so smart, would we have helped you hold down that woman when you were raping her, leading to us all being exiled together?"

The Holy See contingent erupted in loud laughter. Ganggelu's face darkened with anger. He coldly snorted and violently hurled out a strangely shaped dagger, about a meter long!

It was indeed a dagger; relative to Ganggelu’s massive frame, this meter-long, silver blade, shaped like a viper's fang, was merely a dagger.

Gathering all his strength, Ganggelu savagely plunged the dagger toward one of the golden giants.

With another deafening roar, the Golden Armored Giant remained utterly unmarked. Ganglu’s dagger snapped in half at the waist. Heartbroken, Ganglu clutched his broken weapon and wailed, “Heavens, this was a coming-of-age gift from my first lover after we shared a bed! This is a renowned sharp instrument of our Silver Wolf Clan—how can something like this be so tough?”

The Golden Armored Giants began reciting a folksy chant encouraging good behavior, things like, “Respect the elderly, love the young, and be filial to your parents.”

Ganglu and the others had no idea how the words they were chanting differed from before. Regardless, since their previous attacks had elicited no reaction from these giants, their courage swelled significantly. Hundreds from the Church and the Pantheon Alliance encircled the giants, curiously poking and prodding them, utterly bewildered by how sturdy these behemoths were and what purpose they actually served.

Just as everyone crowded tightly around the Golden Armored Giants, the thirty-six figures simultaneously sighed, “You’ve finally gathered around. If you hadn’t come over, I would have had no choice but to recite self-improvement maxims to you, like ‘The Five Stresses and Four Beauties’ or ‘Love Labor!’ If I started reciting the Daoist Canon, would you even understand it?”

With a dramatic sigh, before Cister and Ganglu could react, the thirty-six Golden Armored Giants simultaneously brandished massive square warhammers. “Lightning coils, drenched in the Great Dao’s thunder, wrapped around the warhammers!” Twenty-six gigantic arms lashed out viciously, like pieces in a botched game of Go, the giants gleefully bringing their massive hammers down upon Cister, Ganglu, and the others.

Thunder roared, and lightning shrieked. The thirty-six warhammers sealed every angle before and behind them. Streams of purple lightning continuously rained down from the heavens; each bolt exploded like a heavy bomb in the crowd, sending the members of the Church and the Pantheon Alliance flying in mangled pieces. Often, dozens of purple lightning strikes hit one person simultaneously, blasting them into fine dust.

Cister and Ganglu watched in disbelief as the Golden Armored Giants swung their arms and smashed wildly. Seeing their powerful subordinates and comrades vaporize in the bursts of lightning, both men spat out a mouthful of blood and screamed in rage, “What is happening? What in the blazes is going on?”

Gu Xietian’s leisurely voice drifted from the mouths of the Golden Armored Giants: “Ah, my apologies for letting you get so agitated for no reason. Truthfully, I feel this place is an excellent killing trap. You’ve entered, and you even delivered yourselves right to my puppets. If I don’t kill you now, I’d be letting down your cooperation!”

Cister spat out another mouthful of blood, roaring, “Who are you?”

Gu Xietian chuckled several times without answering Cister’s question. Killing and scheming—gaining the benefit was enough. Next time, he might even scheme against them again. If he announced himself after successfully scheming against someone, wouldn't everyone become wary of him in the future? How then could he scheme against anyone?

Ganglu roared, “Coward! Do the deed but dare not claim it! You bastard!”

Gu Xietian fell silent for a moment. Controlling the Golden Armored Puppets, he smashed another large group of high-ranking officials from the Church and the Pantheon Alliance into pieces before speaking slowly, with apparent hesitation, “I said, I’m the beat cop responsible for the underground settlement district of Paris, under the Earth Federation. Would you believe me?”

“Beat cop?!”

Cister and Ganglu were so infuriated they spat out another gush of blood, both launching into frenzied curses directed at Gu Xietian’s ancestors. But Gu Xietian remained utterly silent.

After a long silence, Gu Xietian finally spoke slowly, “Before I kill you, I’ll secretly tell you my name. But for now? Let’s just forget it!”

Whoosh, whoosh—the twelve Golden Armored Puppets simultaneously tossed aside the warhammers in their hands. The hammers, wreathed in blinding lightning, whistled towards Cister and Ganglu, causing them to scream in terror.

Cister intercepted the crimson bead before his chest. Ganglu, meanwhile, violently swung a wolf’s head carved from silver crystal, tearing open his own chest to spray a stream of blood onto the carving, then hurled it with all his might towards the incoming warhammers.

Amidst a massive concussion, a blinding light shot up, instantly engulfing the entire Heavenly Craft Hall. Below, the lava lake surged violently, throwing up waves a thousand zhang high. Purple smoke, fierce fire, and churning magma danced everywhere, torturing the remaining members of the Church and the Pantheon Alliance—André, Bobby, and the others—beyond endurance. In the blink of an eye, of the combined forces, fewer than thirty individuals remained. The most quick-witted, André and Bobby, survived tenaciously like cockroaches that could never be killed, sheltered by the protection of outsiders.

Cister and Ganglu were blasted dozens of li away by the twelve warhammers. The bones in both their arms shattered simultaneously, and countless furious lightning bolts hammered their bodies, leaving them charred and scorched everywhere.

They cried out in unison. Both were severely wounded, and with their souls merged, the agonizing pain was effectively doubled. Boundless agony washed over them, making their vision blacken and stars flash; they howled and shrieked miserably—their appearance could not have been more wretched.

Cister’s crimson bead suffered no damage whatsoever; in fact, the impact against the bead caused fine cracks to appear on several of the warhammers. However, the silver wolf’s head thrown by Ganglu was smashed to pieces. Ganglu and the silver wolf’s head shared a deep spiritual connection, so when the head shattered, Ganglu felt as if he had suffered a massive electrical blow, his soul instantly suffering grievous trauma. This, in turn, caused Cister’s soul to suffer a brutal injury as well.

“Ganglu, you idiot!” Mut [Cister] frantically cursed Ganglu’s ancestry.

“Cister, you son of a bird!” Cister retaliated without yielding, cursing Cister’s entire lineage.

While hurling curses at each other, both men spat blood as they desperately dodged the whistling bombardment of dozens of warhammers. Relying on the protection of Cister’s crimson bead, they narrowly avoided fatal blows numerous times. Clang, clang, clang—after a cacophony of noise, Cister and Ganglu darted around the bead. Cracks of varying sizes appeared on all thirty-six warhammers, yet they could do nothing to the pair.

Through the eyes of the Golden Armored Puppets, Gu Xietian meticulously scrutinized the crimson bead.

At first glance, the bead seemed ordinary, but the closer he examined it, the more extraordinary it appeared. Gradually, under Gu Xietian’s gaze, the bead began to emit a blinding white light, as brilliant as a massive star. The intense radiance pierced through space itself, directly burning Gu Xietian’s soul. Wisps of multicolored smoke stirred above his Soul Bead.

Gu Xietian let out a muffled groan of pain, and fresh blood began to drip from his seven orifices, startling Fuya Ming into hugging him tightly.

With a cold sneer, Gu Xietian closed his eyes, focusing all his attention on the red bead.

The Vast Heaven Pagoda flashed with a brilliant azure light. This light sprinkled onto Gu Xietian’s Soul Bead. The white light that had scorched his soul violently collided with the azure light thousands of times, splashing sparks like fire, but ultimately achieving nothing. Gu Xietian’s divine consciousness, wielding the azure light of the Vast Heaven Pagoda, pierced straight through the Golden Armored Puppets’ eyes into the crimson bead, where he suddenly witnessed a strange phenomenon.

It was a colossal star, and within its nearly pitch-black stellar core, vast stretches of raging flames churned and burned.

A giant, nearly translucent, over a hundred thousand kilometers long, lay quietly within the stellar core, enveloped by infinite light and heat that formed a bed of raging fire around him.

The giant’s hands rested over his lower abdomen, and every pore of his ethereal body spewed forth ten thousand zhang of white light. His snow-white hair spread outwards, gradually dissolving into endless flames and merging with the surging energy of the star. The giant gave the impression of an embryo resting inside an egg—it possessed life but was not yet fully developed, quietly awaiting a chance to mature and awaken, after which it would possess unimaginable divine powers beyond mortal conception and enjoy a brilliant life forever unattainable by mortals.

The giant’s eyes occasionally opened and closed. Within his left eye, a crimson iris constantly released terrifyingly fanatical power. His right eye, however, was absolute darkness—only a gaping black void where his right eye should have been.

Suddenly, seemingly sensing Gu Xietian’s intrusion, the giant’s body stirred slightly. His head tilted to one side, and his left eye rotated slightly, turning to look at Gu Xietian. A fanatical power capable of destroying everything transformed into a ferocious white holy light that tore through space and time, instantly blasting into Gu Xietian’s sea of consciousness.

Gu Xietian’s body instantly erupted in white light; the white holy light nearly disintegrated him.

Fortunately, the Innate Body possessed astonishing resilience, and Gu Xietian was protected by exotic treasures.

The Vast Heaven Pagoda swiftly sprayed down a layer of azure light, shielding Gu Xietian’s body. Azure clouds circled and writhed within him. The white holy light and the azure cloud-thunder clashed violently, but they could not penetrate the seemingly weak yet abnormally tenacious azure light. The Primordial Yin Profound Pearl behaved like a tiger spotting fresh meat; it actively left Gu Xietian’s Dantian and plunged directly into his sea of consciousness, frantically absorbing the white holy light that the Vast Heaven Pagoda’s azure light was cornering.

A massive quantity of white holy light was rapidly converted into the purest Primordial Yin Profound Flame. Gu Xietian drew a deep, deep breath. Suddenly, billions of ice crystals sprayed from his nostrils, instantly transforming into two cold currents that were inhaled back into his mouth.

“Hmph.” Gu Xietian’s expression turned cold. He slapped the sword case behind him. A beam of black and white light, almost invisible to the naked eye, swept forth, curling with faint, fine rainbow rays as it shot through the void.

Almost simultaneously with the True Magnetic Two-Pronged Light-Dividing Sword leaving its sheath, the sword light flashed into the Heavenly Craft Hall. The agile sword light swiftly circled Cister and Ganglu, one loop followed by a slash. Blood suddenly erupted from the limbs of Cister and Ganglu, detaching them. Immediately afterward, each received a sword thrust to the chest. The incomparably sharp and blindingly fast True Magnetic Two-Pronged Light-Dividing Sword pierced through both their hearts, severing the energy cores within.

Cister screamed in despair, “What is this?”

Ganglu stared at his wound in disbelief. After a long moment, he muttered, “Such speed!”

Sssshhk. The invisible sword light swept across Ganglu’s neck. His wolf head, large as a water vat, flew into the sky, spraying blood for several li.

Cister suddenly snapped awake, crying out desperately, “I cannot die here! The Great Progenitor is still waiting for me!”

With a mournful cry, Cister violently turned to look at the last surviving member of the Church—the Cardinal, André.

“Pious child, are you willing to offer everything to the Lord?”

Thump-thump-thump-thump. Over a dozen warhammers slammed down violently right beside André. André shrieked, “I am willing! Heavens, Lord Cister, save me!”

Cister gritted his teeth. He roared, “Then, trust your luck! May the radiance of the Great Lord shine upon your path, pious child! You shall see the true glory belonging to the Lord!”

Cister’s chest exploded, and a clean white crystal core, the size of a human head, shot out rapidly, quickly merging into André’s body. The crimson bead then emitted an unbearable, blinding light that instantly submerged itself into André’s body as well.

Cister roared towards the heavens, “Great Progenitor, behold! Your child offers everything for you! Let your wrath destroy these sinful existences! Wrath of Light!”

A crystalline white light sprayed from Cister’s brow. Within the light, a crossbow of strange design slowly drew back its string. A silver bolt, a hundred meters long and nearly a meter thick, slowly took shape on the bow. In the next instant, the crossbow blasted out with a terrifying shattering sound. Everywhere the bolt passed, everything was pulverized; even the void was shredded into dust.

A hole several meters in diameter was blasted through the ceiling of the Heavenly Craft Hall. André, enveloped in white holy flames, transformed into a translucent white Seraph bird, soaring upwards with a piercing cry.

Ganglu moaned miserably. A human-head-sized black crystal bead shot out from his forehead as he flew up. This bead instantly merged into the body of Bobby, the last survivor of the Pantheon Alliance.

“Slave, remember my hatred! Find a way to notify my clansmen. I, the third prince of the great and glorious Silver Wolf Clan, have been murdered!”

“Tell them to come, mobilize the armies, and avenge me!”

“No one can kill a glorious descendant of the Wolf God without facing punishment! They must be punished!”

A searing black flame erupted from the back of Bobby’s heart, transforming into two massive fleshy wings that flapped rapidly, carrying Bobby upwards. He shot out through the hole created by Cister’s Wrath of Light, breaking out of the Heavenly Craft Hall.

Cister slowly tumbled into the lava lake, groaning weakly, “Wrath of Light… what a pity. Only by paying with my life could I barely muster one strike. The Holy Artifact born with the Progenitor is not something a lowly descendant like me can command.”

Amidst Cister’s weak moans, the strange crossbow, radiating potent fluctuations, transformed into a white light and flew out, following André’s escape through the sky.

Boom! The soul, unified as Cister and Ganglu, was shattered into fragments by dozens of successive purple lightning bolts. Their physical bodies were hammered repeatedly by the massive warhammers, pulverized, and then plunged into the lava lake, melting into a wisp of green smoke under the intense heat of the ground fire.

Hoo, hoo… In a secluded mountain forest on the outskirts of Paris, a beam of white light suddenly shot out, piercing straight through the atmosphere. From within the light emerged a strange Seraph bird and a ferocious wolf-like monster, respectively. By the time the white light gradually dimmed, the two bizarre creatures had vanished without a trace.

Gu Xietian’s divine consciousness stared blankly at the transparent hole blasted through the ceiling by the Wrath of Light. The speed of the Wrath of Light was so great that he didn't even have time to command the True Magnetic Two-Pronged Light-Dividing Sword to pursue.

Shaking his head helplessly, Gu Xietian sneered, “It’s enough. This time, at least ninety-nine percent of their masters have been eliminated. Enjoy! Against conventional warfare, are you still afraid of me?”

With a sweep of his large hand, the formation diagrams pre-arranged in the underground city were instantly activated. Boundless sword light covered the entire underground city.

Prince Phillip of the Sacred Blood Knights shuddered. He was just about to shout for his descendants to beware of the enemy’s assault when a sword qi, moving too fast to perceive, swept through the void. It instantly shattered the limbs of everyone. The invisible, intangible sword qi only injured the members of the Sacred Blood Knights ranked below Phillip, but it annihilated everyone else.

The True Magnetic Two-Pronged Light-Dividing Sword’s full-power strike annihilated the entire army of the Church and the Pantheon Federation.