Such exposed flaws among these Devas were too vast.

Seeing the opportunity and the easy pickings, the Emperor of Corpses, who was concealed within the Asura army, immediately launched his attack.

The Monkey, transformed into an Asura with crimson skin and entirely covered in red hair, roared and charged out. He theatrically led a group of hot-headed and reckless Asuras toward the legion of the Dead led by Yama.

Yama couldn't be bothered with these weak Asuras; his gaze was fixed solely on Pāpīyān. The divine staff representing death in his hand was raised high, poised to deliver a fatal strike against Pāpīyān.

With a flash, the Monkey abruptly bypassed the attacks of hundreds of Death Kings and Heroic Generals in front of him, suddenly appearing behind Yama. Before Yama could react, the Monkey brought his staff down with a heavy thud onto Yama’s head, shattering it into ten thousand pieces of blooming peach blossoms, blowing away half of Yama's body with a resounding crash, while the other half collapsed heavily to the ground.

Quick as a flash, the Monkey snatched Yama’s divine staff, famous among the Devas for its immense weight, and clutching it with a mischievous laugh, vanished in a puff of black smoke, swiftly escaping into the boundless Asura host.

Once lost in the Asura army, unless a Sage appeared in person, who could find a diminutive figure, barely seven or eight zhang tall, among trillions of Asuras? The powerful deities under Yama, such as the God of Death and the God of the Underworld, desired revenge but could no longer locate the Monkey.

Hidden within the Asura ranks, the Monkey nearly burst into gleeful laughter. Yama’s divine staff! He would melt it down and fuse it with his current cudgel, then have Old Man Chen, the master refiner, recast it with extreme care. Its quality would surely surpass the Ruyi Jingu Bang used by the Monkey’s true form.

Though the Ruyi Jingu Bang possessed absolute might, it was merely a Post-Heaven Treasure of Merit, originally the Water-Subduing Divine Needle forged by Yu the Great. While heavy and immensely powerful, it was not originally intended as a weapon.

The staff the Monkey now held was forged from Primal Chaos One-Essence Heavy Gold, an inherently vicious divine weapon. Adding Yama’s staff, which incorporated the rules of Death and the majesty of the Undead beneath the Heavenly Dao, the Monkey’s current rod would possess destructive power thousands of times greater than the Ruyi Jingu Bang.

The Monkey could hardly wait to find Old Man Chen. He even began contemplating a majestic name for his new staff, one capable of shaking the Three Realms. But the not-so-learned Monkey thought for a long time, ultimately only conjuring up the name, 'King of Hell’s Rod.'

'King of Hell’s Rod,' as the name implied, partially derived from Yama’s divine staff, and Yama’s position among the Guardian Heavens mirrored that of the Eastern Yama King—both rulers of the realm of death.

Of course, the name the Monkey chose for his staff somewhat betrayed his actions, but he cared nothing for that. Having stolen from Yama, did Yama dare ask for it back?

He was the direct disciple of a Sage, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, while Yama was merely a Guardian Heaven subjugated by the Sage. Between a direct disciple and a forced subordinate, anyone with half a brain knew who held the superior status. Yang Jian, who had long been influenced by certain characters into developing questionable morals, also initiated a sneak attack. Yang Jian’s target was Vayu, the God of Wind, who was currently unleashing endless torrents of arrows upon the Asura army with his bow.

Vayu’s bow was exquisite: the limbs were constructed from two pale azure crystals, and the string was a fine wisp of pure breeze. There were no physical arrows; one merely had to draw the string and inject a tiny, insignificant amount of magical power, and vast numbers of arrows would generate naturally on the bowstring.

At the speed Vayu drew and shot, each pull of the string unleashed hundreds of thousands of arrows composed of gale-force winds that descended like a true storm, suffocating the Asura host. Vayu alone nearly suppressed all the archers within the Asura ranks.

Furthermore, the power of these arrows was considerable. When scattered, each strike was equivalent to the full power of an early-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal. When all the arrows converged into a single shaft, the power rivaled the full-force strike of a mid-stage Daluo Golden Immortal.

Especially since the flight speed of these arrows was terrifyingly high; even Yang Jian’s swift escape light could not match one-third of the speed at which these arrows flew. Vayu’s bow enchanted Yang Jian to an extreme degree.

Thus, Yang Jian, transformed into an Asura general standing five zhang tall with nine heads and thirty-six arms, also let out a mighty roar, leading hundreds of thousands of stubborn and fearless Asura soldiers to charge toward Vayu.

The hot-blooded Asura warriors followed Yang Jian’s charge, but after advancing less than one hundred zhang, they all fell under Vayu’s arrow storm.

Countless arrows forged from condensed gale-force winds pierced the bodies of these Asura warriors. Each arrow spun rapidly, continuously boring into their bodies. A screeching friction sound filled the battlefield until every Asura warrior’s body was riddled with holes, after which the arrows intelligently dissipated.

For a time, the battlefield was filled with Asura warriors resembling sieves, including Yang Jian, who was at the forefront.

Vayu did not even spare Yang Jian a glance. He widened his eyes and charged desperately into the Asura army, leading his Wind God host and his vassal race, the Garuda-Pheonixes, shouting battle cries as he headed straight for Indra.

They had to rescue Indra, otherwise if those audacious Asuras truly succeeded in sacrificing him, the situation would become irreversible.

Within the Triple City, injury or death was inconsequential; even being reduced to blood pulp or burned to ash did not matter, as the vast demonic energy of the Triple City was sufficient to resurrect everyone. However, once one was sacrificed, no amount of demonic energy could retrieve the life offered. Sacrifice was a fearsome power akin to the Heavenly Dao’s laws, which the Guardian Heavens could not resist.

Vayu surged toward the Asura army. Riding his celestial steed, he lightly passed over the head of the fallen Yang Jian.

Yang Jian, who lay on the ground with his eyes tightly shut in death, suddenly opened them. His Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade silently pierced the flank of the celestial horse, entered Vayu’s hip, ran clean through his body, and emerged from the top of his head.

With a casual flick of the hilt, Yang Jian flung Vayu far away, snatched the Wind God's bow from Vayu’s hand, and his body instantly transformed into a black wind, slinking back into the Asura host. Like the Monkey, Yang Jian melted into the Asura army; by casually altering his appearance, no one could locate him again.

Rāvaṇa, possessing ten heads and known as the Ten-Headed Demon, was leading a large contingent of Demon Kings and Great Generals to intercept Vayu’s charge. Seeing an imposing Asura general suddenly slay Vayu and defeat him in such a humiliating manner, Rāvaṇa couldn't help but exclaim with excitement. This was especially true when Rāvaṇa saw the sneak attacks by the Monkey and Yang Jian. Yama’s divine staff and Vayu’s long bow were Innate Sacred Artifacts born alongside them; they were not the shoddy Post-Heaven forged weapons or spirit-coalesced divine implements held by Asura Demon Kings like Rāvaṇa. These Innate Sacred Artifacts possessed terrifying power, the very force the Devas used to repeatedly inflict grievous harm upon the Asura race.

But this time, Indra had been stripped bare, Yama’s staff stolen, and Vayu’s long bow seized. The strength of these three powerful Devas had diminished by at least thirty percent; they now stood on the same starting line as Demon Kings like Rāvaṇa. "From today on, we no longer need to worry about their weapons!"

Rāvaṇa laughed excitedly to Pāpīyān, "Which tribe do those brave fellows belong to? I truly wish to make them my personal bodyguards!"

Rāvaṇa’s words drew furious, murderous glares from all the other Asura Demon Kings.

The rules of the Asura clan were simple: all spoils from the battlefield belonged to the individual who claimed them. Even their own tribal Demon Kings had no right to demand their soldiers hand over their captures. These three fortunate Asura warriors, regardless of tribe, had obtained divine weapons sufficient to elevate them to first-tier Asura generals. Rāvaṇa wanting them was tantamount to stealing food from their own bowls!

Even Pāpīyān felt Rāvaṇa was too greedy. Pāpīyān immediately contacted Demon Kings like Bhaṇyā and others, severely criticizing Rāvaṇa, accusing him of destroying internal Asura harmony, acting improperly, and demanding deep repentance!

Therefore, to punish Rāvaṇa for these ill intentions and thoughts, Rāvaṇa was required to personally engage in hard labor, building the sacrificial altar for Indra at the fastest possible speed. Although tens of thousands of Asuras were already diligently building the altar, their pace was far too slow.

Dejected, Rāvaṇa reluctantly accepted Pāpīyān's proposal, his face grim, and went to construct the altar using magic. Despite being one of the most powerful Demon Kings of antiquity, Rāvaṇa dared not offend so many other Asura Demon Kings.

Just as the Asura Demon Kings gloatingly watched the Deva army, which had become utterly chaotic, charge toward the Asura host, another event occurred that made every Asura lift their heads in pride and sent shivers down the spines of all Devas.

Bhānu, the Fire God, whose power was not inferior to Yama’s and who was famous among the Devas as the Creator God, also suffered a crushing blow.

The Asura general conjured by the Emperor of Corpses towered a thousand li high. Unlike the Monkey and Yang Jian, he did not rely on trickery; instead, he marched with thunderous steps directly toward the Fire God Bhānu. The Emperor of Corpses wielded a bronze long ge snatched from some unfortunate Asura general, putting all his strength into smashing it toward Bhānu.

Bhānu swung his Blazing Flame Sword and the lasso wrapped in raging fire, meeting the Emperor of Corpses casually.

The Emperor of Corpses lacked sufficiently potent Asura demonic qi; though his massive form towered a thousand li, he appeared strong on the outside but weak within. Bhānu’s attention was primarily focused on the Great Demon Kings like Rāvaṇa; facing such a minor Asura general, Bhānu was confident he could casually slay him with a fingernail. He lightly brought his sword down toward the Emperor of Corpses and then soared upward.

The muscles on his thick arm bulged like maddened vipers, and the Emperor of Corpses, putting forth all his strength, smashed Bhānu away with the ge.

Bhānu never dreamed that this seemingly small Asura possessed such terrifying strength. His Flame Sword was knocked away, his wrist shattered, and large amounts of blood mixed with blazing flames erupted outward. Bhānu’s body flew high, and then a bronze long ge pierced his heart.

The attack of the Emperor of Corpses had reached a state of crude perfection, where simple strikes—a swing or a thrust—lacked any flourish, sound, or radiance.

But that one swing landed precisely where Bhānu’s sword momentum was weakest, and that single thrust pierced exactly the largest gap exposed by Bhānu, running straight through his body.

That swing and thrust felt as simple as eating or drinking—so plain it made one’s scalp tingle and body tremble. The mighty Fire God Bhānu was slain as easily as if he were performing a mundane chore.

The Emperor of Corpses seized Bhānu, who still held the bronze ge in both hands, and rapidly stripped Bhānu’s body bare. From the crown of flame on his head down to the winged boots boiling with fire on his feet, the Emperor of Corpses spent only one-third of the time it takes to snap one’s fingers to strip Bhānu cleaner than even Indra. While Gu Xièchén had stripped all of Indra's treasures, at least Indra’s corpse remained intact.

But Bhānu? Even his hair was violently ripped out, leaving not a single strand by the Emperor of Corpses. Bhānu’s long hair was several zhang long, exceptionally fine and glossy, imbued with terrifying flame power. By taking this hair, the Emperor of Corpses was confident he could collaborate with Old Man Chen to refine it into an excellent magical treasure, the 'Heavenly Fire Enchanting Hood'—a potent exotic treasure recorded in the Nine Nether Scriptures, capable not only of harming but also of trapping.

Thus, in an instant, Bhānu was bald.

Bhānu, spitting blood in his rage, cursed loudly, but the Emperor of Corpses had no time to heed him.

He was not worried about his eldest disciple, Siren, or his youngest, Gu Xièchén, but being a master was not simple. His second disciple, Yan Jiang, lacked powerful magical artifacts; though he wore an abundance of supreme immortal artifacts, what were those compared to Innate Sacred Artifacts and Innate Magical Treasures?

Bhānu’s Fire Sword was an Innate Sacred Artifact, and the magical treasure forged from his hair would contain the aura of Innate Primordial Heavenly Fire, bearing Bhānu’s original, miraculous power. Once refined, this Heavenly Fire Enchanting Hood would be at least an Innate Magical Treasure.

Casually snapping Bhānu’s neck and tossing the body aside, the Emperor of Corpses withdrew the bronze ge and expressionlessly charged into the Fire God’s army.

A slaughter began that left all the Asura Demon Kings, generals, and warriors utterly dumbfounded. The Emperor of Corpses advanced step by step with an emotionless expression. As he walked, he simply thrust his bronze ge forward. His movements were not fast; each strike was simple, as if a child were randomly jabbing forward.

But after every thrust, one or two utterly bizarrely positioned generals under the Fire God Bhānu would appear directly in front of the ge, as if willingly offering their hearts to the weapon. Every strike was without surprise, each one plunging directly into their hearts, piercing their chests.

Strike after strike, the Emperor of Corpses slowly advanced a hundred li. Behind him lay tens of thousands of powerful Fire God warriors, including even the strongest deputies of the Fire God Bhānu.

Moreover, the Emperor of Corpses was utterly ruthless. The nature of the thousand-year-old corpse took over; every time he killed a Fire God warrior or his subordinate deity, he would casually reach into their bodies, plunder a trace of the innate fire energy condensed into Heavenly Fire Essence Crystals, and tuck them into his sleeve. The Fire God Bhānu’s subordinates possessed extremely pure and vast internal fire essence; these condensed essence crystals were prime goods. If utilized properly, they could greatly enhance the cultivation of many fire-attribute zombie disciples under his tutelage.

Since he couldn't completely kill these Devas in the Triple City, the Emperor of Corpses didn't need to waste effort stabbing them multiple times, but seizing some of their vital blood was standard procedure—the usual business the Emperor of Corpses had conducted over the years—so he did it as a matter of course.

The Asura Demon Kings jumped for joy. When had their Asura race ever produced such a powerful warrior?

The strength displayed by the Emperor of Corpses wasn't particularly high; even his demonic qi was inferior to that of the weakest Asura foot soldier. But his martial skill was too profound, too terrifying. These battle-hardened Devas were slaughtered before him as if they were infants; his combat techniques completely overwhelmed these arrogant, high-and-mighty Devas.

Gu Xièchén, mingling in the crowd, felt surprised. It was true that the Emperor of Corpses had inherited the lineage of Lord Rahu, but why were these Guardian Heavens so ridiculously weak? Their techniques, their methods of warfare, contained countless flaws in Gu Xièchén’s eyes—they were utterly brittle.

In fact, after watching a Deva swing his blade, Gu Xièchén could, based on the fluctuation strength of the Deva's magical power, the attribute aura of his energy, his posture, the relative position between him and the Emperor of Corpses, the distribution of his muscle fiber groups, the angle of the sunlight, the twitching of his skin and the creeping of his muscles, and the circulation of essence within his five major organs, predict the next thousand-plus movements of that Deva.

Based on this prediction, he could calculate the exact angle and moment the clumsy Deva would be struck by the ge; how the energy dragged by the ge upon piercing the body would tear the skin and muscles, shatter the bones, penetrate the viscera, and emerge from behind the body. And the manner and trajectory in which his blood and muscle fragments would spray out. The subsequent development exactly confirmed Gu Xièchén's predictions. Every strike perfectly matched Gu Xièchén’s calculations.

In Gu Xièchén’s view, these Devas held no mystery; they were entirely groups of vulnerable chicks being culled. Even the movements of the Emperor of Corpses lacked any discernible technique. Gu Xièchén could instantly see through the mystery of every strike, his next target, and the direction of his attack. This was the function of Daoic cultivation!

When he reached the threshold of Sagehood, able to become a Sage at any moment, Gu Xièchén finally understood the true meaning of Daoic cultivation. Cultivation was the manifestation of the Heavenly Dao, its projection onto the individual. With profound cultivation, the more rules of the Heavenly Dao one mastered, the easier it was to solve problems, much like mastering more formulas and techniques in mathematics makes solving equations simpler, causing the problems to appear increasingly rudimentary.

The Emperor of Corpses’ Daoic cultivation completely suppressed these Guardian Heaven Devas, which is why he could slaughter them so easily.

Gu Xièchén’s Daoic cultivation completely suppressed the Emperor of Corpses, thus he could effortlessly discern every move the Emperor of Corpses made. No, not just the Emperor of Corpses’ current actions, but also some of his future variations.

Strange divine runes faintly appeared in Gu Xièchén’s eyes, identical to the countless characters seen within the eyes of the Great Sage Pangu in the illusions he witnessed. Primal Chaos Spiritual Light faintly projected onto the Emperor of Corpses’ body, and under Gu Xièchén’s observation, the Emperor of Corpses’ physical form abruptly vanished.

In Gu Xièchén’s sight, all that remained was a dense aura identified as the Emperor of Corpses. The Emperor of Corpses’ body was completely digitized in Gu Xièchén’s vision. Everything about him, including the scent of a bottle of fine wine he had consumed before leaving the Spiral Star Domain and hadn't fully digested, was laid bare before Gu Xièchén.

The Emperor of Corpses’ level of cultivation, his spiritual power attainment, his aptitude, his potential—everything was displayed before Gu Xièchén. Moreover, the Emperor of Corpses’ personality, character, temperament, and all his complex thoughts held no secrets from Gu Xièchén.

Especially the karmic ties connecting the Emperor of Corpses with various entities, including the karmic entanglement with Gu Xièchén and Fúyǎ, were clearly visible.

These threads of karma transformed into clusters of flames, coalescing into golden chains stretching across the void, connecting the Emperor of Corpses and Gu Xièchén and others.

Based on these conditions and this data, Gu Xièchén successfully deduced that if all proceeded smoothly, the Emperor of Corpses would have the opportunity for Sagehood in three Yuanhui cycles. If Gu Xièchén spared no effort in bestowing teachings and power upon the Emperor of Corpses, and if the Emperor of Corpses’ body and soul could withstand Gu Xièchén’s powerful ministrations, the Emperor of Corpses could attain the opportunity for Sagehood in as little as three thousand six hundred years. Suddenly looking up, Gu Xièchén pierced through the void.

The void was utterly empty, nothing present at all. Yet, from the eyes of Gu Xiechen, streams of spiritual light shot forth, allowing him to see far above in the boundless heavens, three L three layers away, amidst the highest Violet Azure Clouds beyond the heavens—a colossal wheel made of pure radiance, vastly larger than the Wheel of Balance, was slowly rotating. From this great wheel, Gu Xiechen sensed the primal chaos of Hongmeng, felt the Heaven’s Will like a blade, perceived the ultimate indifference of the Grand Supreme, and grasped the ruthless Heavenly Principle where the life and death of all things were unworthy of a second glance, save for absolute fairness. This was the true countenance of the universe's Heavenly Dao. Gu Xiechen was infinitely close to it, yet unable to draw nearer.

A single step further, and upon becoming a Saint, one could commune with it day and night, ceaselessly unraveling its mysteries, ultimately gaining dominion over heaven and earth.

Connecting this insight with the power of the Wheel of Balance within his own body, Gu Xiechen plainly understood the terrifying might that Patriarch Hongjun possessed in the ancient past. It was an appalling state of being where everything was controlled, everything seen through, and no matter what occurred, not a ripple disturbed his heart, which remained still as stagnant water.

Thus, only a monumental discovery like the New Universe from the Foreign Domain could attract even a sliver of interest from Patriarch Hongjun, compelling him to detach from this Wheel of Heavenly Dao, which held no secrets for him anymore, and urge him to venture into the new universe, pursuing new unknowns, new horizons. Under the great eye of the Heavenly Dao, nothing in the myriad things held any mystery.

Gu Xiechen was but one step from achieving Sainthood. For those present whose attainments fell far short of a Saint, what secrets could they possibly hold in his eyes?

Suddenly, an ignorant Asura battle general beside him burst into loud laughter. He delivered a heavy punch squarely onto Gu Wuchen’s head. "Hey, *** brother, look! That brother is fighting so viciously! He killed Shui Ji!”

The Corpse Emperor rushed to the side of the Water God Varuna and likewise dispatched Varuna with an effortless thrust of his spear. This Asura battle general was utterly ecstatic; unable to restrain himself, he delivered a blow to Gu Wuchen. In this Asura general’s view, Gu Xiechen was barely a third of his height, so surely he wasn't all that powerful; a punch wouldn't matter.

But Gu Wuchen’s spirit was painstakingly communicating with the Wheel of Heavenly Dao; his mind was submerged in that profound and esoteric state of the Dao.

At that instant, Gu Wuchen’s body took on a faint aura of the Heavenly Dao. This punch from the Asura battle general had indirectly struck the Heavenly Dao itself. Consequently, the Dao’s self-defense mechanism and punitive action immediately activated.

The Asura battle general vanished without a trace. The very imprint of his existence was utterly erased; even the massive magical power of Sanlian City could not detect any sign that he had ever existed. He simply disappeared into thin air. Following him, every Asura connected to this general by blood relation also vanished—over three hundred and seventy million Asura were instantaneously annihilated, all traces of their existence wiped away simultaneously.

Even the friends, superiors, and subordinates of these vanished Asuras forgot they had ever existed. To other Asuras, this battle general and all his kin had never been. To the Heavenly Dao, these tiny insects had, in truth, never existed.

Tens of thousands of missing Asuras were battling the Devas. As they vanished, the Devas completely ignored the event. They completely forgot the opponents they were fighting and instead directed their rage toward other Asuras before them, swinging their weapons and charging forward.

Only the Three Giants observing the battle from above Sanlian City—Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu—sensed that something was amiss.

Their hearts were simultaneously struck by a severe pain. They knew something had occurred, but they could not grasp what it was. They perceived an abnormality, yet they were utterly incapable of describing what this abnormality entailed.

Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, having already broken through to the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm (Daluo Jinxian) and with a significant portion of their power suppressed, exchanged shocked glances. They did not know what had happened, but the pain in their hearts gave rise to a foreboding intuition.

Thus, the Three Giants, the Protectors of the Heavens, who were about to intervene and halt the chaotic fighting, ceased their actions. They frowned, settled onto their lotus thrones, and immersed their entire consciousness into the profound worlds within themselves, quietly meditating to comprehend what sign that brief pang of heartache represented.

Alas, their cultivation levels were too far removed from Gu Xiechen’s; contacting the presence of the Wheel of Heavenly Dao was even less likely. They wasted massive amounts of mental energy and effort in vain, failing to even ascertain precisely what had transpired.

Gayatri, who had just returned to Sanlian City with Brahma, also furrowed her brow. She too had felt a moment of palpitation, sensing that something incredibly terrifying had just occurred. Yet, she could not pinpoint the origin of this dreadful feeling, nor what she had perceived, and this ominous premonition caused beads of cold sweat to drip from her forehead. She too quickly sat down cross-legged, and naturally, ten thousand celestial flowers drifted up beneath her. Gu Xiechen opened his eyes and smiled gently. He clearly remembered that unfortunate Asura battle general and his even more unfortunate relatives.

But what did it matter? Such was the Heavenly Dao; it was ultimately devoted, but devotion taken to its extreme became absolute indifference.

After a few cold laughs, Gu Wuchen’s malicious gaze fell upon Pāpīyas, Ravana, Lūyǎ, and the other great Demon Kings. These entities had existed in the world for immeasurable Kalpas; since they were going to be accounted for this time, their fortunes should be calculated as well. Robbing them for their wealth, robbing them for their lives—if their lives were to be taken, their riches must certainly be seized.

Hiding within the Asura army, enduring patiently, Guihua stealthily followed dozens of roaring, battle-eager Asuras toward the Moon God Soma. Guihua’s gaze was locked onto the marvelous golden wine gourd hanging at Soma’s waist. Soma was also the God of Wine; he collected the Soma plant to brew the exquisite Soma wine, and this golden gourd was the mystical vessel he crafted, containing an endless supply of the finest Soma brew.

Soma wine was hailed as the nectar of the Devas, possessing all manner of miraculous effects: healing injuries, replenishing vitality, reversing aging, preserving eternal youth, granting immortality, curing all ailments—it was practically an omnipotent elixir, highly esteemed among the Protectors of the Heavens.

And because Soma constantly consumed massive quantities of this wine, his physical vitality, blood, and essence were immensely abundant, with vast stores of vital energy hidden within him.

Merely judging by the sheer quantity of essence, vitality, and spirit contained within him, a hundred Indras combined would not be as powerful as Soma. However, Soma’s own divine abilities and magical power amounted only to that of a mid-grade Grand Unity Golden Immortal; he could not possibly unleash the might contained within that vast reservoir of essence.

It was like a rich master sitting atop a mountain of gold whose spending habits were still stuck at the level of cheap porridge and pan-fried buns; if you forced him to eat nothing but porridge and buns, he could never deplete even a corner of his golden mountain by bursting his stomach. Such a beautifully rich collection of vitality, overflowing with essence and spirit—this was precisely Guihua’s favorite kind of prey!

Especially since his cultivation was so lackluster, and the Moon Palace Celestial Maidens surrounding him were so exquisitely beautiful yet so utterly weak in combat that even Guihua felt embarrassed to bully them!

In the ancient battles of the Protectors of the Heavens, the maidens surrounding Soma were the most frequently coveted by the Asuras; often, a maiden would be forcibly taken by an Asura to become his bride. But for some unknown reason, the beautiful women around Soma only seemed to increase, never decreasing.

Guihua also desperately wanted to snatch a few Moon Palace maidens, but considering the Drought Fiend residing in his Sea of Consciousness, and thinking of Bai Zhu'er who was already carrying his child, Guihua forcefully suppressed the nascent, malicious urge in his heart, waiting only as those Asuras charged toward Soma’s war chariot.

Soma, holding a long spear and guarded by numerous Moon Palace divine soldiers, charged through, slaughtering his way forward. The great Asura Demon Kings and powerful Marshals and Generals held back, so the relatively less formidable Soma fought with glorious momentum, leaving piles of dead Asura foot soldiers strewn across the battlefield.

Seeing yet another group of clueless Asura small fry rushing toward him, the self-satisfied Soma couldn't help but let out a cold laugh toward the sky.

He casually grabbed the golden wine gourd and took several long gulps of Soma wine. Soma spat a cloud of alcoholic breath toward the sky, then carelessly thrust his spear, transforming it into countless, infinitesimally thin threads of pale blue moonlight that sliced across heaven and earth, annihilating these audacious Asura soldiers completely.

Guihua clutched his throat and collapsed to the ground, convulsing. Then, just as Soma urged his chariot forward a few steps, Guihua suddenly sprang up, howling again as he charged toward Soma. Seeing this fellow, Guihua, who seemingly hadn't died completely, Soma frowned.

When he had pierced him earlier, his spear had contained a trace of his Moon Palace divine power, enough to prevent those slain Asura soldiers from regaining combat effectiveness for ten days. The other Asuras had obediently fallen, but this Guihua, transformed into an Asura, jumped up waving his claws and teeth—this was practically slapping Soma across the face! In a fit of anger, Soma snorted coldly and casually thrust his spear; a flash of blue light appeared, and the spear beam pierced straight through Guihua’s chest. Guihua let out a mournful cry, and with a thud, fell to the ground. Soma smiled, then urged his chariot forward a few more steps. Then, Guihua once again jumped up with a gulu sound, continuing to charge at Soma with bared claws and teeth. Soma froze for a moment, cursed in anger, and thrust his spear again. The azure spear beam, sharp and potent, shot across tens of thousands of miles of space and pierced through Guihua’s heart again. Guihua wailed mournfully and fell down once more. Soma stared fixedly at Guihua and urged his chariot forward a few more steps.

The result was that Guihua, with a shua, popped up again, his ferocious face twisted, lunging toward Soma.

Soma’s hands began to tremble; his whole body shook as he stared at the seemingly immortal Guihua, shouting in terror, "Die for me! Die for me! Die for me!"

Soma exerted his utmost strength and stabbed out one last time; a massive beam of pale blue moonlight, several yards thick, tore through the void, rushing toward Guihua’s chest with a piercing shriek. This time, half of Guihua’s chest was blown away, and he tumbled to the ground, spitting blood.

Soma panted heavily, hastily wiped the sweat from his forehead, and furiously cursed Guihua a few times while pointing.

But just as Soma led a large contingent of Moon Palace divine soldiers forward for two more li, Guihua’s strange eyes rolled back, and with another aowu, he leaped up again.

This time, it was too much. Soma was terrified by the constantly 'resurrecting' Guihua, letting out a shriek of fright and retreating several steps in his war chariot, nearly stumbling off and falling from the vehicle. Not only did Soma feel a chilling cold surge through him, but the Moon Palace divine soldiers behind Soma also widened their eyes, stammering and daring not to charge forward.

The great Asura Demon Kings had noticed the situation unfolding here. Regardless, a hero who could repeatedly fall under Moon God Soma’s spear only to rise again deserved the admiration of these ferocious yet straightforward Asura demons.

Pāpīyas was the first to clap and laugh loudly: "What a fine hero! He must possess the legendary Undying Body! Hey, Soma, are you not embarrassing yourself?"

Ravana laughed so hard he bent over backward: "Soma, if you are already too weak to even muster the strength to kill, how deficient must your body be! Your wife is truly pitiful; let me help you comfort her. Such a beauty cannot be left alone in an empty room!"

Soma’s face turned purple with rage. He stared fixedly at Guihua, slowly reaching out and grasping something in the void, pulling out a crescent-shaped scimitar.

The pale cyan scimitar was nearly transparent, emitting a faint moonlight continuously. Soma took a deep breath, poured all his power into the scimitar, and then casually cleaved toward Guihua.

One strike drained all light from the heaven and earth; every ray of light transformed into a hazy, pale cyan blade shadow that struck toward Guihua.

This strike was like the full illumination of the bright moon, showering all living beings between heaven and earth; Guihua could neither evade nor block the strike.

However, Guihua’s huge, monstrous body abruptly accelerated its charge. Howling strangely, he transformed into an afterimage and effortlessly bypassed the blade shadow—which contained the rules of moonlight and starlight movement—instantly closing the distance to Soma. Soma could not clearly perceive Guihua’s movement, nor could the divine soldiers beside him intercept Guihua.

Even Pāpīyas and the others were mesmerized by the blade shadow, failing to notice how Guihua approached Soma.

Guihua, like the world’s greatest lecher encountering the world’s greatest beauty, wrapped his arms around Soma with extreme intimacy.

Then he opened his mouth, and four golden fangs rapidly extended. He bit down hard on Soma’s neck.

Soma struggled frantically, desperate to break free from Guihua’s embrace.

But Guihua’s cultivation was ten thousand times superior to his, and his physical resilience had reached a terrifying degree. The four fangs sank deeply into Soma’s neck, rapidly plundering Soma’s magic power, blood vitality, and the very essence of his being.

Guihua, having comprehended certain paths of life and death in the Blade Wheel Hell, was now vastly different from before. He only sucked for less than two dan zhi (a short measure of time), and Soma was drained into a living mummy.

Satisfied, Guihua wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, let out a loud burp toward the sky, casually snatched the wine gourd and the scimitar from Soma’s waist, and vanished into a plume of black smoke, hiding himself within the Asura army, just like the Monkey King and Yang Jian.

While Guihua plundered the vast essence and spirit that Moon God Soma had painstakingly accumulated over countless years, Sirens and Aridyia successfully mugged the Sun God Surya, using the exact same ambush tactic to rob Surya of his personal artifacts, stripping him and the dozens of divine generals around him completely bare.

Prajna and Maha worked as a team, beating Tvashtar until he vomited blood and fainted, successfully looting the various precious instruments from the God of Craftsmanship and Artistry, leaving this Deva, reputed to be the wealthiest among the gods, poorer than a beggar.

The three Kongsangri brothers robbed Kubera, the God of Wealth; the former deity of fortune now had no choice but to beg for a living alongside Tvashtar. The Kongsangri brothers even stripped off the god’s trousers—"This must be blamed on Kubera; why were his trousers themselves a congenital artifact of decent power? If we don't rob him, who should we rob?"

In short, Gu Wuchen and his group robbed to their hearts' content, cleanly taking everything, while the Devas among the Protectors of the Heavens were beaten into miserable disarray. They had never suffered such heavy losses in their entire lives. Because of Gu Wuchen and his group’s disruption, the Deva army's formations were beginning to show signs of collapse.

At this moment, Sanlian City suddenly began to shake; the sacrificial altar constructed personally by Pāpīyas through magic was finally complete.

The Asura demons cheered, surrounding the unconscious and naked Indra as they carried him toward the altar.

The Devas went mad. Were these demons truly going to use Indra as a sacrifice?

Gu Xiechen smiled. Sacrificing Indra? What an exquisitely beautiful idea!

The Taiyin Primal Spirit and the Sun Primal Spirit followed closely behind the great Demon Kings like Pāpīyas, concentrating their attention entirely on monitoring their movements. Soon, Indra was bound upon the altar. The first chapter update today reached over one hundred and six thousand characters, which is why the update time is slightly later...

We will strive to update the second chapter shortly; please read on for now!