parentshiftbook Chapter 326 Son of the God-King, Divine Mark
Chapter 326 Son of the God-King, Divine Mark
Chapter 326 Son of the God-King, Divine Mark
Li Xijun traversed the gaps between the shattered temple ruins and the solidified energy storm, his divine senses like invisible tentacles, continuously scanning the vast and desolate surrounding area.
suddenly,
His brow twitched slightly, and the edge of his divine sense detected several familiar yet somewhat hurried auras, as well as more hostile energy fluctuations carrying the cold, sacred aura unique to the Anagard gods.
With a clear direction, he instantly accelerated, traversing dozens of miles of shattered void, and arrived at the edge of a relatively intact circular plaza that seemed to be paved with white jade.
The battle raged fiercely in the square.
Chaos, Diana, and Yagami Hiiro, all from Earth, were seen forming a small battle formation back to back, struggling to hold on.
They were surrounded by more than forty Anagardian warriors clad in magnificent silver armor and wielding radiant weapons, who were launching a frenzied attack.
These divine warriors varied in strength, but were generally at the mid to late stage of the Outer Realm. There were even three squad leaders whose auras had reached the peak of the Outer Realm. They were ruthless, and their attacks were like blades of judgment, constantly bombarding the three's defensive perimeter.
Chaos was surrounded by lightning, but it had dimmed somewhat, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth; Diana's demigod bloodline power surged, forming a radiant shield, but the shield was covered with cracks; Yagami's Hiyori sword light was as white as snow, sharp and incomparable, and each slash could force back the enemies who came close, but her breathing was obviously much heavier, obviously due to great exhaustion.
"This won't do!" Chaos roared, blasting away a Protoss warrior who tried to charge with a massive lightning spear. He gasped, "Their reinforcements could arrive at any moment! We must break through!"
Diana's eyes were resolute: "We'll break out separately, and then it'll depend on our individual luck and strength."
Hiyori Yagami bit her lower lip tightly, the veins on her hand gripping the knife bulging. Though she didn't speak, she clearly acknowledged the unavoidable choice.
Just as the three were preparing to launch a full-scale attack and forcefully tear apart the encirclement—
An invisible yet vast pressure, as powerful as a starry sea, suddenly descended upon this plaza!
All the attacking Anagardian warriors froze in their tracks, as if trapped in viscous amber, their thoughts becoming sluggish.
They looked up in horror and saw a figure who had silently appeared on a broken stone pillar at the edge of the square. Dressed in black, the figure stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at them with indifferent eyes, like a god looking down at ants.
It was Li Xijun!
Without making any obvious movements, he merely stirred his mind, and his boundless spiritual power transformed into countless invisible and intangible yet incredibly sharp spiritual swords, like a meteor shower streaking across the night sky, precisely piercing the brows and seas of consciousness of all the Anagard warriors present!
"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"...
As if harvested by an invisible scythe, the more than forty Outer Realm Divine Race warriors, along with the three Outer Realm Peak squad leaders, instantly dimmed and froze in their eyes, then collapsed to the ground without a sound, their breath gone.
Their souls were instantly shattered by that terrifying mental force!
In the blink of an eye, more than forty members of the Outer Realm God Clan were wiped out!
Chaos, Diana, and Yagami Hiiro stared in disbelief at the scene, their faces a mixture of relief at surviving the ordeal and indescribable shock.
They knew Li Xijun was strong, but to be this strong—to wipe out an elite Protoss squad with a wave of his hand—was far beyond their imagination.
Li Xijun moved swiftly and appeared beside the corpse of a Protoss warrior who appeared to be a minor leader.
He extended his finger and gently touched his forehead, his powerful divine sense forcefully invading his not-yet-completely-dissipated soul, searching for his memories.
A moment later,
He withdrew his finger, a knowing glint in his eyes. Then, a wisp of dark, cyclical sword intent flashed from his fingertip, turning the corpse into ashes.
"I see."
Li Xijun looked at Chaos and the other two and said:
"The Anagard gods have gone all out this time. They seem to have made a new discovery, finding a possible entrance to the core of this world—the 'Court of the Gods.' Therefore, they have spared no expense, sending in a large number of people in an attempt to uncover the secret of the Pantheon's ultimate demise."
He paused, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity and anticipation: "The one leading the team is their God-King's son, known as 'Thor' Garnard, whose strength is comparable to the late Golden Core stage, making him a formidable opponent."
Upon hearing this, Chaos and the other two looked even more grave.
Son of the God-King, late stage of Golden Core!
This is someone they absolutely need to look up to.
Li Xijun's divine sense swept across the white jade plaza once more, lingering for a moment, especially at the inconspicuous, deep entrance leading underground in the center of the plaza. In an instant, he understood:
"No wonder you clashed with the gods here. The energy residue here is unusual; below should be a place where a god fell, and it looks relatively well-preserved, perhaps containing some treasures or fragments of heritage."
In the world of Pantheon, such specific places where gods have fallen are standard "encounter points," and no one knows whether they contain treasures or insights left behind by a fallen god.
Li Xijun looked at the three still-shaken individuals, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable air: "Since we've met, it's fate. I can take you down to explore together."
Upon hearing this, the three of them were immediately filled with joy. Being able to explore with a powerful expert like Li Xijun would greatly increase their safety, and they would definitely gain more than if they were to wander around on their own.
"However," Li Xijun changed the subject, "the rules need to be made clear. I'll take 70% of the spoils, and you can distribute the remaining 30% among yourselves. Furthermore, all treasures or insights related to condensing the Golden Core will go to me first. If you have any objections, you may leave now."
"No objections!"
"I'll leave everything to Brother Li's arrangements!"
"That's how it should be!"
The three of them agreed almost in unison, without the slightest hesitation.
Being able to save their lives and even get a 30% share of the spoils was already incredibly lucky; how could they dare to ask for more? Especially since they had clung tightly to Li Xijun, this incredibly powerful and influential figure.
"Follow me." Li Xijun said no more and took the lead towards the underground entrance.
Beyond the entrance is a long, sloping staircase leading downwards. The walls on either side of the staircase are carved with ancient, faded divine runes and murals depicting scenes of fire, forging, and war.
The air was filled with a contradictory atmosphere of both heat and stillness.
At the end of the stairs, a tightly closed door made of some kind of reddish-brown metal appeared before us.
The door is engraved with intricate flame patterns, which faintly form a mysterious array.
As Li Xijun and his group approached, the flame patterns on the gate suddenly lit up, and a scorching heat rushed towards them. A barrier made of pure fire divine power instantly formed, blocking their path.
"It's a protective formation!" Chaos exclaimed. He could feel the terrifying energy contained in the flame barrier, enough to easily incinerate a martial artist at the peak of the Outer Realm. Even a Golden Core martial artist would probably need a lot of time to break through it.
Li Xijun's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even use the Thunder Blade or the Sword Embryo.
He simply raised his right hand, palm up, with the eight trigrams of Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li seemingly flowing from his fingertips.
"The eight trigrams revolve, water and fire interact, thus breaking."
He uttered a few words softly and pressed his palm lightly against the barrier of flames.
Something amazing happened.
The raging, blazing fire barrier seemed to have encountered its natural nemesis. The divine power flowing within it instantly became chaotic, and the fire Dao patterns that formed the barrier were as if dismantled by an invisible force. The light flickered rapidly, and within three breaths, it burst open with a soft "pop" like a bubble, disappearing into nothingness.
The crimson door slowly opened inwards.
This scene once again captivated Chaos and his companions.
They couldn't understand what methods Li Xijun had used at all; they only felt that it was mysterious and profound, as if his words were law.
Behind the main gate was a small hall, not grand, but filled with a fiery and profound atmosphere.
In the center of the hall, there was a long-extinguished forging furnace. Above the furnace, a faint but extremely pure, ever-changing dark red flame phantom floated.
Within the illusory image of flames, a blurry, imposing figure wearing a crown and wielding a giant hammer could be faintly seen, exuding an ancient and majestic divine aura.
"It's a residual mark of a deity's soul!"
The most knowledgeable of them all, Yagami Hiiro, stepped forward and explained with excitement.
"This is one of the most common benefits in the Pantheon world, and one that we martial artists most desire!"
She continued, "The fragments of the souls of gods who perished here, combined with the authority they wielded, form this special imprint. If a martial artist can communicate with and comprehend it through their mind, they can extract from it the god's understanding and experience in using a certain 'authority' during their lifetime. For example, the one before us is clearly a god who wields the authority of fire and forging. Comprehending his imprint can greatly enhance one's understanding of the way of fire, and even allow one to glimpse a trace of the secrets of forging divine artifacts!"
Li Xijun gazed thoughtfully at the flame-shaped brand, then asked, "What if we could directly acquire its authority?"
Hiyori Yagami shook her head, her tone filled with regret: "Impossible. The gods have long since perished, and the power they held over heaven and earth vanished with the collapse of the world, or... it was plundered by that unknown terrifying being during that cataclysm. All we can obtain are fragments of their remaining 'knowledge' and 'insights'."
Li Xijun nodded slightly and asked no further questions.
His gaze swept over the flame mark, then looked at the three Chaos, whose eyes were filled with longing, and he had already made up his mind.
This mark was better than nothing to him, but for others it might be a significant opportunity.
"Let's get started, and hurry up."
He spoke calmly, then sat down cross-legged first. However, his mind was not completely immersed in the flame mark; instead, he kept a sliver of his attention on the outside world.
At the same time, he was thinking about how to use this trip to further refine his Dharma form and soul, making final preparations for condensing a first-grade golden elixir.
(End of this chapter)