"Reporting to Lord Demon: I've gained Nüwa's trust and am heading to Tianwai Village now. But… can this really fool those two immortals?"
Chen Jingchou was a little uneasy.
He wanted revenge,
but that didn't mean he wanted to die.
"Don't worry," the Demon Lord said with supreme confidence. "The power I've given you lies only in the depths of your soul. As long as you don't use it, those two idiots won't sense a thing."
"Remember: when you reach Tianwai Village, do whatever those two immortals tell you. Don't take matters into your own hands."
"Yes, Lord Demon."
Chen Jingchou guided his black sword and flew toward Tianwai Village.
...
Daxing City.
Yuwen Tuo looked over the completed altar and nodded, satisfied.
"Come—bring up the four living sacrifices. The rite begins!"
"Yes, Master National Teacher!"
In a short while,
Dugu Ningke and her younger sister, Yu Xiaoxue, and the Taba sisters were led to the altar.
The upper tier of the altar was tiled with glazed bricks,
magnificent to behold.
After half a month locked away, Ningke was much more docile. She fixed her eyes on Yuwen Tuo and pleaded, "Tuo… please let me go. I may be the devil's daughter, but I have always loved you. If you spare me, I'll tell you everything about the Demon Realm."
No one wants to die—
least of all as a living sacrifice.
"Hah… do you think I still listen to you? Shuxiang has already identified you—she's a demon as well. She recorded every rotten thing you said to me before."
In an instant,
Dugu Ningke went pale.
Damn—tarnish-witnesses were all the rage these days.
Trust it to that harpy Shuxiang to rip off her mask long ago!
Compared with Ningke, the other three were beyond question much more compliant.
Yuwen Tuo opened his spatial weapon and took out the sacred tools within. Only then did Dugu Ningke realize he had already assembled five artifacts.
In such a short time—
he'd collected three more.
One could see how swiftly Yuwen Tuo moved.
"Ignite the sacred flame and begin the offering to the Great Eternal God. Let the demons beyond the sky see that we humans have our faith."
"Roar!!!"
Hundreds of thousands of believers roared as one.
With the chief priest officiating, the sacrificial ceremony began.
"Great Eternal God, Your most devout believer, Yuwen Tuo, hereby prays to You with the Five Great Artifacts: the Xuanyuan Sword, Kunlun Mirror, Nüwa Stone, Shennong Cauldron, and Fuxi Qin.
"We offer to You Dugu Ningke, daughter of the demon; Yu Xiaoxue, descendant of Nüwa; and the sisters of the Taba clan…"
The five artifacts
shone with different lights.
Yu Xiaoxue awoke from deep sleep,
but she could not move—she could only stare blankly up into the sky.
The prayer lasted nearly the time of a stick of incense.
Just when Dugu Ningke thought she might scrape out a little delay,
the sky shuddered.
A terrible pressure swept down from the Ninth Heaven.
"Ah… what is that!"
Dugu Ningke clutched her head. Her physical body shattered at once, and the soul of a sultry woman in a black dress appeared before Yuwen Tuo.
But he continued to pray,
paying the scene no heed at all.
It was the Taba sisters who were shocked.
"So Dugu Ningke really is the devil's daughter…"
Thunder rolled above; multicolored, glazed flame fluttered down.
Under the billowing divine radiance,
the entire Shenzhou Continent could see the terrifying transformation.
Even the beings within Chiguang Star, who had long coveted the invasion of Shenzhou, felt a power that tore the very starry sky, and howled in pain.
The power was utterly sacred—
nothing they could resist.
Even a single glance—
and they turned to ash in that flame.
But the people of Shenzhou beheld in that divine light scenes of sacred beasts:
a fire qilin, a water qilin, a jade phoenix, a true dragon of the starry sky,
a true dragon of destiny—
and dozens of shining gods.
The light diminished for a moment.
Across the sky,
trace-like rifts
appeared in people's sight.
Yuwen Tuo frowned slightly, looked at the torn firmament, and understood—it was the work of the Demon Lord of Chiguang Star.
"Years are only a game in my eyes…"
With that voice falling from the sky,
a tall, stalwart figure appeared before all beings.
He was ineffably holy.
Before this person, even light seemed to dim.
Everything felt brushed by something deep within its soul.
An image-scroll unfolded in their minds:
a brief scene of the world's opening—
and it moved them to tears.
Since the Eternal God opened the world, He had fallen into slumber from weariness—and people had forgotten the very existence of God.
What Nüwa?
What Fuxi?
They were only ancient ancestors from the age of God's slumber.
Though that group had some merit,
their strength was meager.
They could not even repel Chiguang Star's invasion—leaving the people to fend for themselves.
How absurd!
Yuwen Tuo could not hide his elation. He cried out, voice ringing, "Yuwen Tuo, priest of the Eternal God, welcomes the advent of the Eternal God!"
"Well. You have done well…"
Liu Che's praise was mild.
For a first sacrifice to empty out a world's treasury—
only Yuwen Tuo could bring it off.
"Yuwen Tuo has merely done his duty—he dares not claim credit…"
The humble bearing,
the devout faith—
they made Liu Che extremely pleased.
"Merit should be rewarded. Since you have held the sacrifice, you are granted the rank of Three-Star Envoy, ten thousand years of mana, and a draught of dragon's blood. I hope you will spread the faith across the entire world…"
"Thank you, Lord God."
Ten thousand years of cultivation, the blood of a sacred beast—
what power that was.
And to gain it in the very first sacrifice—
better treatment than Chu Xuanfeng received.
Yuwen Tuo wept with joy—though he hadn't meant to cry, he simply couldn't help it.
He was overwhelmed,
laughing and crying at once.
He didn't know that the True God before him governed the Way of Love;
let alone tears—
if Liu Che so wished, he could adjust one's performance and let mortals think it their own will.
At that moment, the towering figure in the sky turned his head slightly
and looked toward the red Chiguang Star.
"A mere evil spirit," Liu Che said coolly, "daring to strike at my believers. Just because those false gods cannot move against you does not mean no one will punish you. I'll simply erase you…"
There was no sky veiling the view now.
All clearly saw a vast planet hovering above Shenzhou.
They saw the immense figure raise a finger and touch lightly.
The red planet convulsed.
Then a glorious bouquet of fireworks blossomed over Shenzhou.
The Demon Star of Chiguang—unable to withstand even a single divine finger.
The scene shocked all.
In Tianwai Village, three people were still discussing how to overturn Yuwen Tuo's power.
When they saw a demon star burst beneath a divine finger,
the discussion ceased.
What more was there to say?
If they truly angered this God, He might kill them with a single glance.
Nüwa?
The Demon?
All spicy chicken!
Gu Yue cleared her throat lightly. "I'll… keep being a fox. Goodbye, everyone…"
He Ran: …
Chen Jingchou: …
Truth be told, it was also Chiguang Star's ill luck—without protection from world-consciousness, entities like that could be broken by Liu Che hundreds of thousands of ways.
He'd made fireworks—honestly, they were rather pretty.
"Now that the demon star's threat has been removed, all beings must remember my grace—and do not slaughter one another…"
When that mysterious voice sounded again,
it was as if people awoke from a dream.
They bowed and knocked their heads to the ground; tears flowed; chants rose—without end.
Yuwen Tuo declared with pride, "We thank the God for His gift. We believers shall never again fight each other, but strive to build a better world…"
"Good. When the world is filled with faith, your realm can be promoted to a God's Domain…"
The sacrificial offerings were wrapped in divine light
and borne aloft toward the heavens.
At this time, Taba Yue'er felt no trace of resentment.
Compared with the petty Chen Jingchou,
the Eternal God was every woman's dream.
If she could serve God,
she was truly blessed.
In midair, Yu Xiaoxue turned into the true goddess Nüwa, while Dugu Ningke became a phoenix wreathed in dark flame.
The five artifacts, each shining in its own light—
then vanished.
"Send off the Great Eternal God—"
"Send off the Great Eternal God—"
The chanting rolled on and on.
It was the people's wish,
and their most devout blessing to God.
…
Ding… Your follower has offered the ancient artifact Xuanyuan Sword, triggering a ten-thousandfold amplification. You have obtained the Fate Artifact—Sword of the Divine Dao.
Note: This sword can bear divine power. Whoever wields it will be bound to God's Domain. Please use with caution.
Ding… Your follower has offered the ancient divine Nüwa Stone, triggering a ten-thousandfold amplification. You have obtained a Nine-Star Divine Nüwa Stone.
Ding… Your follower has offered the ancient artifact Shennong Cauldron, triggering a multiplicative amplification. You have obtained a Miracle Medicine Star.
Note: Miracle Medicine Star—a wondrous celestial body suited for cultivating medicines.
Any medicine planted upon it will have its maturity time shortened by 50%, and its efficacy increased by 20%.
Ding… Your follower has offered the ancient artifact Fuxi Qin, triggering a ten-thousandfold amplification. You have obtained the Eight-Star Artifact—Fengyu Immortal Zither.
Ding… Your follower has offered the Kunlun Mirror, triggering a millionfold amplification. You have obtained a Main-God-class weapon—the Domain of Time and Space. Given that you have mastered the Avenue of Time, this item's capabilities are maximized and can affect worlds whose sacrifices have not yet been delivered.
Seeing the last line,
Liu Che smiled broadly.
"I didn't expect a boon like this, something to accelerate the operation of fragmented worlds—perfect for the worlds of my believers… It'll save them from taking so long to gather faith."
As for the Miracle Medicine Star—such a thing was truly rare.
And as for the Sword of the Divine Dao:
with a thought, a sword of divine dao condensed from source power appeared in Liu Che's palm.
Such a sword could be bestowed upon his followers.
It was not a mundane weapon—
and it could be forged without limit!
The only cost was the power of his own God's Domain world.