347 Divine Bullshit

In the endless dark outside the Hollowed World, I was ironically having the time of my life. Soulsunderer in my left hand, Silver Steel in my right, I wove through the void, cleaving apart waves of Void Beasts. They were nothing short of cosmic nightmares. They were nimbus-like monstrosities made of pulsing gray mist, each one crowned with writhing tentacles and layered maws. Every strike I unleashed scattered ichor that evaporated into faint, oily smoke. The stars around me dimmed as the battle raged on, the endless black turning into a stage of flashing gold and silver light.

So how did I end up in this situation again? Complacency? No. Arrogance. I should have known better than to play fair with Jia Sen. I should have come at him with everything I had and crushed him before he could even open his mouth. But instead, I'd held back and decided to duel him on even terms like some fool still clinging to the old ideals of honor and rivalry. Pride played a part, yes, but it was more than that. I hadn't truly wanted to kill him.

Back then, I told myself that if the need arose, I'd end him. But when that moment came… I hesitated. It was idiotic, and I knew it. My heart wasn't steady… I couldn't commit to a single decision, and that hesitation cost me. In the future, I couldn't afford such weakness. The stakes were far greater than my pride or my sentiment.

Still, a part of me didn't want Jia Sen dead. I wanted to capture him. To make him talk. His knowledge of the Heavenly Temple was too precious to waste. That organization… it was the true shadow looming over everything. Even with Nongmin's records and Zai Ai's accounts, we'd barely scratched the surface of their power. They were ancient, organized, and completely unpredictable. My spies couldn't even find the Temple's entryways. Even Lu Gao, who'd managed to infiltrate them briefly, hadn't survived long inside. If there was one enemy that could shake the Hollowed World after this civil war, it was them. We were strong, yes… but blind. And blindness, in war, was death.

A thunderous vibration broke my train of thought. One of the Void Beasts had caught sight of me again, its tentacles whipping through the void. I invoked Zealot's Stride, my body blurring into streaks of light. A lash of cosmic flesh tore past where I had been an instant earlier, missing by the width of a hair. I twisted midair, slashed with Silver Steel, and severed three of its limbs before spinning away.

In the distance, the red planet continued on its slow, unstoppable collision course toward the Hollowed World. The heat from its surface shimmered even here, bleeding through the vacuum in waves of corrupted qi.

Nearby, frost spread across the field of stars. Da Ji was in her full monstrous form: an enormous silver fox, her nine tails fanning through the cosmos like flowing ribbons of moonlight. Unlike Jia Sen's grotesque and furious transformation, hers was almost divine. Every flick of her tail froze another cluster of Void Beasts solid. The elegance of her power contrasted sharply with the brutality of mine.

Alice darted through the frozen fields that Da Ji created, cutting through the paralyzed beasts. Her black and gold armor gleamed with infernal luster as her cursed weapons struck in synchronized precision from scythes, swords, and axes floating around her in telekinetic orbit. Back in LLO, she had been a spellcaster, a special NPC restricted to dark magic. But here, in this world where game mechanics had become reality, she had long discarded those limitations. Telekinesis, fueled by Qi and will, allowed her to fight like a storm of blades. Every weapon that flew through the void carried her intent. She was sharp, graceful, and deadly.

The more she fought and bled, the stronger she would become. Strands of her pink hair deepened, bleeding into a vivid crimson that glowed faintly like a banner of wrath.

As for me, I cut a path through the sea of abominations. Zealot's Stride merged with Flash Step, my movement becoming invisible even to my Divine Sense. When tentacles tried to block me, I unleashed War Smite, the holy energy erupting in waves of gold that scattered the Void Beasts with concussive force. I could almost feel my blood singing again, the thrill of combat burning away my self-reproach.

Ahead, the fiery planet loomed larger, its cracked surface glowing with rivers of molten rock and infernal qi. Its pull tugged at my armor as I accelerated. I broke through the veil of its atmosphere like a falling star, my blades blazing with holy light.

The moment I hit the ground, I invoked Divine Flesh, my body encased in golden radiance, followed by Shield of the Eternal, forming a barrier that shimmered like a celestial dome. The impact sent molten dust scattering in every direction, but the barrier held. The land beneath my feet was dead, barren, broken, and pulsing with wicked energy. The stench of sulfur filled the air.

I steadied my breathing and cast Lion's Courage upon myself, my aura surging brighter as courage and calm filled me. My Divine Sense expanded across the wasteland. I could feel hundreds of life forms scattered across the planet. Most were weak, mere demons, but several… several burned with the unmistakable pressure of Ascended Souls.

Then the ground trembled. A presence, immense and violent, tore through the air like a shockwave.

A shape rose from the distant horizon. It was a colossal figure, wreathed in flame. It leaped once, and the world shook beneath the impact of its landing. Dust and molten rock spiraled upward as the creature emerged fully into view. It was a giant, its skin red as molten ore, six arms each holding a different weapon: axe, spear, hammer, blade, chain, and staff. Its eyes burned with demonic fire, and its fanged mouth twisted into a grimace.

I lifted both swords slowly, their light casting twin halos in the dim red haze.

"Hello there," I said, staring up at the towering being. "Any chance you're the representative of this planet?"

The giant demon's roar thundered through the air, rattling the molten plains around me. "I WILL DEVOUR YOU!" it bellowed in harsh Infernal, its voice like cracking stone and boiling tar. The pressure of its [Level 6] Ascended Soul came crashing down on me, forcing the very ground beneath my feet to buckle and warp.

The sheer force of it almost impressed me. The creature's aura flared bright red, but its spirit was dull. This thing wasn't intelligent; it was a brute, driven by hunger and fury. I could tell by its eyes. There was neither cunning nor intent, only instinct.

I attempted to draw on the power of faith, but the silence that answered told me all I needed to know. No prayers reached me here. The Hollowed World was too far away, and Jia Sen's plan had worked a little too well. I was alone in this forsaken corner of space, cut off from my believers.

Fine. I'd make do with what I had.

I withdrew two Manasouls, the glowing motes of light pulsing faintly in my grasp, and re-cast Holy Sword on both Silver Steel and Soulsunderer. The sacred light burned through the demonic haze, gilding the edge of both blades in divine gold. I steadied my breath, channeling the familiar yet overwhelming energy that slumbered within my body.

"Immortal Art: Godslayer."

The words came out like a prayer and a verdict combined. Power ignited from my core, tearing through my veins like molten fire. Golden and silver light erupted in every direction, bursting through the demon's titanic frame and shearing three layers of his immortality at that moment. Its body shattered into radiant fragments, only for its essence to knit itself back together. The creature roared again, staggering backward, trying to retreat with surprising speed and martial precision.

But I was faster.

I invoked Zealot's Stride, vanishing from its line of sight, only to reappear behind it. "You're not getting away that easily," I said coldly. Then I called upon Righteous Challenge, infusing it with my own quintessence. A pillar of divine light descended, locking the demon in combat with me.

Its eyes widened in fear, sensing the futility of escape.

"Divine Smite!" I cried, swinging Soulsunderer.

"Thunderous Smite!" followed, Silver Steel crackling with celestial lightning.

The two strikes fell almost simultaneously, carving through the demon's defenses. Its body burst apart, again and again… four times within a single breath. The ground beneath us turned to molten glass, its heat rising in waves as pieces of the demon scattered across the crimson sky.

It had no Immortal Art. That alone sealed its fate.

When the last echo of its scream faded, I exhaled slowly, feeling the toll of the Godslayer Art burning inside me. "Man," I muttered, "this Immortal Art really eats through quintessence like nothing else." The exhaustion hit like lead, but the satisfaction of a clean victory dulled the edge.

I flexed my fingers, feeling the tremors in my hands. Using Manasouls for Immortal Arts wasn't ideal, since they burned out too quickly, like lighting sacred fire with paper oil. "I should reserve my innate quintessence for Immortal Arts," I thought, "and use the Manasouls for Ultimate Skills instead." Efficiency, always efficiency.

My Divine Sense caught something, an approaching storm of wicked energy. The horizon writhed as countless demonic presences gathered. Their power fluctuated wildly, from the strength of Legendary rank to Quasi-Gods, and a few burned brighter still… Ascended Souls, at least a dozen of them.

A cold dread touched the back of my mind. If even one of them has an Immortal Art, this might turn ugly.

Straightening, I raised both swords and roared in Lion's Voice, letting my will crash across the barren plains. "WHO IS YOUR REPRESENTATIVE!? WHO IS THE LEADER OF DEMONS BEFORE ME!?"

The words rolled like thunder, shaking the skies. Even so, the air here was thick, poisoned by sulfur and corrupted qi. Every breath scorched my lungs, even with Divine Flesh active. I quickly cast Blessed Regeneration, the golden glow soothing the pain as my wounds closed.

From the infernal haze rose a demon with vast black wings and a body sculpted like a goddess, but distinctly inhuman. Her skin was crimson, her eyes gold, her beauty almost deliberate. Yet her body bore no signs of gender, except the feminine allure she carried. A succubus, or something like it. Her aura surged, [Level 12] Ascended Soul.

"We do not have a representative," she said, her voice like silk over fire. "For we do not belong to any faction." She hovered above me, maintaining her distance, wings unfurling lazily as her army spread behind her, thousands of twisted silhouettes moving in unison. "Is it you?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "The one who drew this plane toward the Hollowed World? The pull of fate began the moment your battle started. How? Why? We do not know… and we do not care."

Her lips curled into a cold and amused smile. "My demons eagerly await their feast in the Hollowed World. That is all that matters."

I frowned, gripping both swords tighter. I didn't like what that implied.

As someone who'd spent years advocating for no genocide, someone who believed that life, no matter its origin, deserved a chance, I hated what I was about to say. But mercy had limits.

"If you do not flee this planet," I said flatly, "I will kill you… and every last one of your kind."

The silence that followed lasted only a second before it was torn apart by cruel laughter. The demons laughed, a chorus of snarling mockery that echoed across the wasteland. Even the succubus smiled wider, eyes glinting with pity… or maybe contempt.

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"Foolish creature," she said, raising one elegant hand. "You speak as though you are the heavens themselves."

She snapped her fingers. "Devour him."

The horde screamed in unison, their roars shaking the fiery sky. The plains quaked as thousands of demons rushed toward me, claws and blades gleaming in the red light.

As an Ascended Soul, I was only [Level 1]. Compared to the [Level 12] succubus that had just commanded her army to kill me, I was practically a newborn. The demons probably thought little of me, another wandering cultivator doomed to be torn apart in their fiery wasteland.

Truthfully, they might have been right… If not for the sheer absurdity of my quintessence and the strange, divine anomaly that allowed me to create souls. Without that, I'd be nothing but ash by now.

The crimson horizon pulsed with demonic life. The hordes came in waves: clawed beasts with molten blood, winged horrors trailing fire, and ground-crawlers whose bodies were made of bone and shadow. The entire planet trembled under the weight of their bloodlust.

"Final Adjudication."

The sky split open.

From the void above, colossal divine scales appeared, each one glimmering gold under the demonic light. I poured Manasouls into the spell again and again, casting Final Adjudication a dozen times in succession. Every repetition tore through the army like a storm of judgment. The weaker demons screamed as they burned, their bodies disintegrating into dust. Others, stronger and more cursed, managed to survive long enough for their flesh to melt away in grotesque patches, only for regeneration to drag them into agony again.

Chains covered in golden fire lashed out from the scales, wrapping around the demons, slicing, burning, and purging. Each link of the chain carried divine intent, the kind meant to punish corruption itself.

"It's a bad match-up, really…" I muttered, stepping through the ashes as another group was reduced to embers. "A single paladin against a horde of demons? Yeah, challenge accepted."

The demons shrieked and howled, clawing over their fallen kin. I could almost admire their persistence. By the time this realm descends upon the Hollowed World, I should've already culled every 'bad' demon here. Failure would mean the deaths of many lives that I otherwise could've protected.

Still, there was a bitter taste to the slaughter. If this had been a human civilization, we might have parleyed. I would've negotiated, offered evacuation, something. But demons? Their lore and nature didn't leave much room for redemption. Maybe I was biased, but experience had taught me that mercy was wasted on things that feasted on souls.

A voice echoed through Qi Speech, cutting through the carnage.

"Do you need help?" Alice asked, her tone calm but with that edge of worry she always tried to hide. Crimson streaks flared across the heavens. It was her aura, burning like a storm of blood.

"I'm fine," I replied, swinging Silver Steel to decapitate a demon lunging from behind. "I'll call for you when I need help."

I had something I wanted to test, something I'd theorized but never dared try in real combat.

I stabbed both blades into the ground and exhaled slowly. Without hesitation, I reached for my left hand, grasped my index finger, and tore it off. Divine and radiant blood spilled onto the charred soil. The scent alone sent the nearby demons into frenzy; they howled madly, drawn to it like sharks to blood.

I didn't stop there. I plucked off my middle, ring, pinky, thumb, and then even the other pinky for balance. Six in total. My hand regenerated sluggishly, divine flesh weaving back together under Blessed Regeneration.

Finally, I cast Exalted Renewal, feeding on my Divine Spark. It was a skill that required my death, but there was no need for me to die anymore.

"Let's see if this works…" I murmured. I poured Manasouls in bulk into my Exalted Renewal to prolong it, while keeping a close eye on my Divine Spark. I couldn't afford to burn it out completely. Without faith, I couldn't replenish it out here.

"Divine Word: Life."

I cast another spell.

"Blessed Regeneration."

The six severed fingers began to twitch and stretch, flesh and bone morphing into strange, writhing forms.

"Divine Word: Raise."

The soil beneath them pulsed as divine energy merged with creation. I pulled out my swords once more, gripping their hilts firmly as I whispered the final command.

"Divine Possession."

Six motes of light—six souls!—descended from within me, merging with the growing vessels.

The Heaven Soul became a giant floating eye within interlocking golden wheels, six wings unfurling in blinding radiance.

The Hell Soul manifested as a demonic version of myself, clothed in a charred tuxedo, with crimson horns, burning skin, and a whip-like tail aflame.

The Animal Soul took the form of a massive chimera, lion's head roaring, serpent-tail writhing, and brown, feathered wings cutting through the heat.

The Ghost Soul emerged as a translucent man in white robes, face veiled, drifting silently above the cracked earth.

The Asura Soul towered over me, muscles carved with glowing sigils, two heads taller and exuding raw battle intent.

Lastly, the Human Soul appeared as an aged man with eyes closed, his robes worn and tattered, yet his aura calm and infinite.

A grin tugged at my lips as the divine pressure spread around me. "Not bad for a test run."

The air trembled, the demons faltering in their advance as the Six Paths assembled around me, six beings born of my essence, each radiating their own divine presence.

"Summon: Six Paths."

As long as Exalted Renewal held, I could sustain them. I didn't know for how long, but it didn't matter. I raised both swords, the Six Paths moving into formation. The sky turned gold as divine light clashed against demonic flame.

"Alright then," I said, voice low but steady. "Let's get to work."

I was still a little worried a Supreme Being might suddenly descend and whisk me away like some insect caught trespassing in divine territory. The last thing I needed was the Supreme Heart's attention. But since Gu Jie hadn't sensed any movements in the higher planes, I figured I was fine as long as I stayed within the Hollowed World's gravitational field. The last time I stumbled into Meng Po's world, she had helped me return without attracting anyone's notice. So, all things considered, this was probably safe enough. Probably.

Which meant I could go all out.

The battlefield was chaos incarnate. It was a realm of volcanic dust, rivers of flame, and skies painted with screaming shapes. My Six Souls tore through it like living weapons of divine will. Each one moved in harmony with me, guided by our shared senses through Immortal Art: Divine Appointment of the Faithful. It was a connection deeper than thought, with six extensions of my own existence, bound by will and faith.

The Heaven Soul soared above the battlefield, a blazing eye of judgment encircled by golden wheels and six radiant wings. Every time it blinked, beams of light sliced through the horizon, vaporizing hundreds of demons in blinding succession. The sky itself seemed to weep fire where it passed.

The Hell Soul, in contrast, laughed with savage delight. The tuxedo-wearing, horned version of myself danced through the chaos, wielding a flaming whip that screamed like a tortured spirit. Each crack split open the ground, releasing geysers of molten lava that swallowed swarms of demons whole. He relished the slaughter, calling out mockingly, "You wanted Hell? Here it is!"

The Animal Soul charged through the masses like a living calamity, a chimera with a lion's roar that shattered bones, wings that summoned cyclones, and a serpent tail that spewed acid upon the cursed earth. Wherever it passed, demons either burned, melted, or were torn to pieces by its claws.

The Ghost Soul moved silently among the carnage, a pale phantom in white robes. Every demon it touched dissolved into ash, their life force siphoned cleanly away. When the succubi and lesser shades tried to charm or hex it, their spells simply faded through its veil, absorbed into the mist.

The Asura Soul fought barehanded, its tattoos blazing with divine sigils. Each punch detonated like thunder, each movement radiating raw power. It faced the strongest of the demonic warriors head-on, matching their brute strength and overwhelming them with relentless blows.

Lastly, the Human Soul, the calm old man, stood in stillness amid the storm. He barely moved, yet each breath of his released waves of quiet light that mended the wounded and stabilized our divine energy. His serenity was both shield and blessing, keeping our rhythm unbroken.

They were using my skills and spells with a unique touch, each of them proving themselves powerful enough to handle the problem in front of them. Then there was I, cutting through the core of the battlefield, a storm of silver and gold.

The demons charged endlessly, clawing and screaming, driven by an unquenchable instinct to consume. Even the Ascended Soul demons came at me with crazed joy, eager to tear me apart for sport.

The Heaven Soul's beams burned holes through them. The Hell Soul's whip carved them into chunks. The Ghost Soul devoured their essence. The Asura Soul crushed their heads. And the Animal Soul scattered their remains into the lava rivers. I finished those that slipped through, decapitating them, burning them with Heavenly Punishment, or crushing them under divine smites.

It went on for days. Then weeks. Then months.

Time meant nothing here. The red skies never changed. The planet bled its endless supply of demons, and we answered with endless extermination. Through our shared senses, even here, I could feel a faint trickle of faith from the Six Souls, which was new. It was small and fragile, but enough to keep me burning. Every kill reinforced my will, every victory reaffirmed my divine spark.

I had no more reason to hold back. Not like I had with Jia Sen. There was no mercy to give, no redemption to offer. Only judgment.

Eventually, the battlefield thinned. The endless roars quieted to distant echoes. From the haze of blood and smoke, she appeared again. It was the succubus, wings torn, skin blackened, but still standing. Her once regal form was tattered, her [Level 12] Ascended Soul dimmed to a desperate flicker.

I faced her with Silver Steel and Soulsunderer drawn, divine light coursing through both blades. Around us, the Six Souls kept the remaining demons at bay, their battle forming a cathedral of carnage in the background.

The succubus hissed, her voice low but venomous. "You think yourself my equal, godling? You think your light can cleanse us?"

I advanced, not answering, slashing once, twice… each swing burning away another of her immortal layers. She screamed as her regenerating flesh disintegrated, her aura faltering.

"Your faith burns too brightly," she snarled, her movements slowing. "But Hell…? Hell is endless. When the barriers crumble, it will devour the Hollowed World. Your world will be drowned in the screams of the damned. Your temples will—"

With little effort, I resisted her charms and curses. In a single burst of Zealot's Stride, I appeared before her, cast Halo of Restriction, and then stabbed her torso with Silver Steel. "Any last words?"

She bared her teeth in a defiant smile, blood dripping from her lips. "Hell will—"

I didn't let her finish as I kicked her with War Smite, freeing Silver Steel. I followed with Flash Step, closing in the gap to deliver the killing blow. Silver Steel struck first, severing her head. Soulsunderer followed, cleaving through her heart. Her body exploded in a burst of black fire that was quickly devoured by the light of my swords.

The echoes of her scream faded into the silence.

At the sight of the strongest among them collapsing into ash, the rest of the demons suddenly remembered they had a very healthy sense of self-preservation. The feral roars quieted into shrieks of panic as the hordes broke apart. For all their arrogance and madness, demons were still cowardly, cunning, and exactly the kind of creatures who'd turn tail the moment the odds tilted.

They scattered like insects under the sun. Hundreds, thousands, and maybe tens of thousands, launched themselves into the burning heavens, their black wings tearing against the vacuum as they fled upward. I tracked them with my Divine Sense, watching in silence as they reached the edge of the planet's atmosphere… only to collide with the waiting Void Beasts. The gray monstrosities swarmed the escaping demons, devouring them in screaming bursts of crimson. The stars were stained red for a moment before fading back into the endless dark.

With Qi Speech, I reached out. "Da Ji, Alice… I'm done over here. Come."

From afar, Da Ji's roar echoed across the scarlet clouds, shaking the planet itself. She pierced through the noxious sky in her full nine-tailed fox form, an elegant yet terrifying figure wreathed in frost and divine fire. Her fur shimmered with white-blue radiance, each strand reflecting a frozen world.

On her forehead stood Alice, her black and gold armor gleaming despite the crimson haze. She waved her hands in intricate motions, sending waves of cursed light that struck down any demons bold enough to lunge at them. Even from here, I could feel her aura deepening. It was half divine, half demonic, a perfect contradiction of beauty and ruin.

Through my Divine Sense, I saw the red planet's trajectory. It had less than a day before it would crash into the dark shell of the Hollowed World. The pressure of its descent could be felt even from here, twisting the space around us.

I was about to say something when a voice split the heavens.

"DA WEI!"

The sound wasn't sound at all. Instead, it was divine force, vibrating through the fabric of reality. I froze as the universe itself seemed to light up.

Above us, a blinding star emerged. It was massive, radiant, and impossibly close. No… not a star. A silhouette made of pure light, burning like a miniature sun. She was so enormous her face alone covered the entire sky, and just the outline of her eyes stretched across continents.

Demons near her presence ignited instantly, their screams dissolving into motes of ash. Even the planet's magma rivers dimmed beneath her light. My Divine Sense screamed warnings; her power was overwhelming, ancient, and suffocating. My bones cracked just by existing under her gaze.

"I, AIXIN, SHALL CLAIM YOU, AND GIVE YOU TO MY LORD!"

My blood ran cold. Aixin!?

That voice. That name. That tone of childish triumph wrapped in divine arrogance. There was no mistaking it. But… this? This wasn't the same Aixin I knew. The last time I'd seen her, she was already powerful… a being of immense will… but this? This was something else entirely.

Her form was colossal, her body made of molten light and celestial fire. The mere sight of her burned my eyes. My divine protections faltered, and tears of blood rolled down my cheeks. I could barely stay conscious under the crushing weight of her divinity.

"What the hell!? This is cheating…"

I could feel Da Ji and Alice tremble in the distance. Even their auras faltered under the sheer pressure. Da Ji's voice rang in my mind, sharp with fear. "Da Wei! That's not something we can fight! We have to run!"

"Run where!?" I snapped back. "She's covering the entire damn sky!"

The impossible happened: a hand, bright as a newborn sun, descended through the atmosphere. Each finger was longer than mountains, each movement bending the fabric of reality. The heat scorched the air, burning through layers of demonic smog.

A voice, grand and trembling with pride, followed:

"My father will finally acknowledge me when I bring you to him! When I give him the 'existence' he desperately wants!"

Her laughter thundered.

I stared up at the colossal hand reaching for me, divine light tearing through clouds, the atmosphere igniting in its wake. My instincts screamed, my body froze, and my divine spark flickered in panic.

"This is some divine bullshit."

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