I Pick up a Lost Godhood

Yuu Kunlun nodded silently. Whether to defend the Star Alliance or embrace a new direction, these were decisions that he and the others had to make for themselves.

"Martial Uncle, that may be so, but as members of the younger generation, we are still at a disadvantage against the Demon Race. Zou Chuang was nearly severely wounded by the Tiger Race."

Zhang Bai couldn’t help but complain.

The old man was silent for a moment, then his sharp eyes glinted. "Does the Demon Race really think my Taiyin Sect has no one? Have Zou Chuang come see me!"

The four of them were overjoyed. Even they could no longer help Zou Chuang improve. Given the circumstances, the outlook for the battle of the Other Shore was grim. However, if the Taiyin Sect’s old ancestor intervened, Zou Chuang would surely reach a new level!

In truth, if it weren’t a matter of last resort, Yuu Kunlun would not have wanted to disturb his Martial Uncle. At his Martial Uncle’s realm, he had already become detached from worldly affairs. They were unable to ascend, but they could enter death seclusion to seek rebirth in the next life.

But since this concerned the Taiyin Sect’s direction in the new power shuffle, he had no choice but to disturb him.

Neither Zou Chuang nor Li Mountain had fought to the bitter end, but they could already sense that the Demon Race had considerable staying power. The fact that the Demon Race had been holding back and building up strength for so many years truly shook Yuu Kunlun.

Their generation would have to step down sooner or later. For a long time to come, Zou Chuang’s strength would represent the Taiyin Sect, and failure was absolutely not an option.

The situation was much the same for Jii Wanli and Longyue. The younger generation of Demon Race experts had come to probe their strength, and the final result left the Demon Race feeling quite smug. This was a huge loss of face for the Human Cultivators. While nothing had been officially announced, people had already pieced it together from various clues.

Furthermore, the Demon Race’s claim that Mingren was the only human they deemed worthy was an even greater provocation to the Human Cultivators.

In reality, in the eyes of the Demon Race, there was indeed only Mingren.

In the Pure Land, the name Mingren was basically synonymous with Human Cultivator.

It had to be said that Mingren possessed great charisma, which only made the Demon Race more curious about humans. But could other humans be like Mingren?

The pride of the Demon Race was overflowing without restraint.

At this moment, within that small courtyard, Elemental Power radiated in all directions. But no matter how much the Elemental Power surged, it could not spread beyond the courtyard’s walls.

An old man was sitting on a large rock outside the gate, dozing off while basking in the sun. He turned a deaf ear to the roaring from within the courtyard, only occasionally opening his drowsy eyes to reveal a trace of surprise.

The battle between Mingren and Lin Jinghao lasted until nightfall. A fight of this length usually meant that the two were not using their full strength; it was far more of a probe than a decisive battle.

Otherwise, in a contest between experts, the victor would be decided by a single move at the critical moment.

Mingren’s purpose for this trip wasn’t to determine who was stronger between him and Lin Jinghao. Both of them knew very well that humanity alone was not enough; the Dragon Race and the Demon Race were the key to this war.

Both of them shouldered the heavy responsibility of suppressing the Demon Race. They had to carry on the work that the Star Lord and a host of human predecessors had accomplished back in the day.

However, things were different now. Humanity had not produced a leading figure like the Star Lord of the past, and the Human Cultivators had not yet determined who was the strongest among themselves.

By the time the full moon rose, Mingren and Lin Jinghao had ended their battle. Their sparring session had been quite in-depth. Although they had both held back their ultimate trump cards, they had gained a solid understanding of each other’s abilities.

"Brother Mingren, your progress is truly astonishing. The Holy Light Demon Collapse Body can be called the number one combat Sacred Body of humanity!"

If these words had come from someone else, it might have sounded like they were trying to elevate their own status, but coming from Lin Jinghao, it sounded perfectly natural.

"Brother Lin, you’re the one who’s hiding his true strength. It seems you’re drifting further and further from your goal of becoming a Saint Cultivator."

Mingren smiled faintly. From his appearance, it seemed he had gotten the short end of the stick.

Lin Jinghao shrugged. "Things rarely go as planned in life. That’s why they say ignorance can be bliss."

Mingren looked up at the bright moon. "The moon is almost full again. It’s never a pleasant time."

A flicker of shock crossed Lin Jinghao’s eyes. Mingren’s body seemed to split in two, as if the Holy Light Demon Collapse was constantly seeping through... ’During that entire fight, Mingren was still suppressing his power?’

"It seems it won’t be long before your body completely transforms," Lin Jinghao remarked with a sigh.

Mingren shrugged. "I’m about to lose the feeling of being human. You’re not doing bad yourself. We’re just walking different paths."

Lin Jinghao and Mingren stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the moon together. "Different paths, same destination."

"The Demon Race is still a bit short-sighted. If they think this probe will decide the final outcome, they’re in for a rude awakening. You might as well remind them," Lin Jinghao said suddenly.

Mingren smiled faintly. "Arrogance is a flaw not limited to the Demon Race."

Who else was looking at this same moon?

Master Wang truly didn’t share Mingren and Lin Jinghao’s apprehension. Indeed, the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm was currently quite suitable for the Holy Hall Disciples. On one hand, they could search for opportunities while exploring. On the other, they could avoid external disturbances and focus completely on preparing for the battle of the Other Shore.

But the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm was no joke. In the few days they had been there, almost everyone except for Wang Meng had been injured. While it wasn’t so bad that every step was a deathtrap, it was still extremely dangerous. The semi-ruined Array Techniques were astonishingly powerful when triggered. Moreover, since none of them had reached the Great Perfection realm, they inevitably had trouble dealing with them.

They had to achieve their goal of exploring this place, not just stay here and cultivate by the book.

But being together was undoubtedly what made them happiest. From the moment they first stepped into the Small Thousand Realm, they had dreamed of a day like this. In their eyes, these so-called difficulties and hardships were pure bliss.

As long as they could be together!

Even getting injured was a joy.

Wang Meng focused all his effort on raising the level of his Life Mark, gradually tapping into the power of his Divine Statue. The Qiankun Dragon Roar Moon was astonishingly potent, but his current Elemental Power was insufficient to fully wield it. To prepare for the battle of the Other Shore, he had to increase his Elemental Power to a level that could support the Divine Statue. Wang Meng hadn’t neglected his Sword Technique, either. Though it was already near-perfect, he continued to battle Moo Shan within his Godhood. Things were different now; unlike in the past when he was instantly defeated, Master Wang could increasingly put up a fight. After employing his Divine Statue, he could even see a sliver of a chance to defeat the nigh-perfect Moo Shan!

That’s right. Moo Shan was a Demigod, making him a perfect god within a Small Thousand World. However, he was constrained by the limits of the Small Thousand World, so his power was fixed at a constant level. Wang Meng, on the other hand, was always improving. The Qiankun Dragon Roar Moon God Statue definitely had the potential to surpass the Power of Laws!

The abilities possessed by the Divine Statue already broke the established laws; in other words, they defied the heavens.

Others who defied the heavens would surely suffer heavenly retribution, but Master Wang already ate heavenly retribution for breakfast.

In the battles during their exploration, Zhao Xinglun and the others had become completely convinced of Wang Meng’s capabilities. His raw combat power had won them over completely. They were even more shocked by his rate of improvement, and by the fighting spirit of the disciples under his leadership.

They were completely focused, without any distractions, and filled with incredible passion. This was completely different from other Cultivators, who were driven entirely by desire. This was a driving force that transcended desire.

It was inconceivable; even they felt it. Things like selflessness and friendship—concepts that shouldn’t exist in their world, or that had been buried under cold logic—were being kindled by this passion.

For any dangerous or difficult task, everyone vied to be the first to take it on. They would rather get injured themselves than let a comrade’s back be exposed to an attack.

This was a bond forged through one battle after another. No one was trying to show off, and no one needed to flaunt anything.

In the days of fighting alongside Wang Meng and the others, it was as if Zhao Xinglun and his group were living a second life.

In this pure environment, it was as if they themselves had been cleansed.

No matter what the future held, no matter what kind of enemies awaited them, they had the confidence to triumph!

"Zhang Xiaopang, you’re courting death!"

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE...

In the distance, a chubby figure flew into the sky, his tragic scream tearing through the air.

The poor fatty had tried to peek at Hu Jing bathing. Unfortunately, his meager skills were no match for Hu Jing, so the consequences were predictable.

To succeed in his voyeurism, Zhang Xiaopang had trained bitterly hard. What he didn’t know was that Hu Jing, in order to "deal with him," always made sure he would fail by just a tiny margin. This made him feel it was a shame to give up, so he could only persevere.

Although it was easy to get injured and there were dangers in the Immortal Spirit Secret Realm, having Ma Tian’Er around was a blessing for everyone.

The healing ability of the Life Tree Holy Statue was truly powerful. Moreover, Ma Tian’Er had completely given up any desire to attack, which in turn made her Life Tree Holy Statue even stronger. She also grew more powerful in the process of healing everyone... and because of this, Hu Jing became more and more ruthless when she struck.

"Oww... ah..." Zhang Xiaopang lay there pathetically on his stomach, his small eyes welling with tears.

Ma Tian’Er couldn’t help but chuckle. The others ignored him. It wasn’t that Zhang Xiaopang hadn’t tried to find an accomplice. Wang Meng had now turned over a new leaf. Suo Ming was an honest person and wouldn’t do such a thing even if you beat him to death... As for Zhou Qian, safety first; he never did such terrifying things.

Having finished her bath, a neatly dressed Hu Jing emerged. She glanced at the miserable Zhang Xiaopang. "You didn’t hide your aura well enough. At this rate, you won’t have any hope even in your next life."

Zhang Xiaopang was in so much anguish he wished he were dead. He had been beaten physically, and now his spirit was being crushed as well.

After saying her piece, Hu Jing floated away without a second glance at Zhang Xiaopang.

"Go a little easier on him. The fatty’s pretty pitiful," Wang Meng said, knowing it was Hu Jing without turning around.

Hu Jing tucked a lock of her hair. "It’s for his own good. We can’t protect him forever."

Wang Meng smiled faintly. Hu Jing’s intentions were good, though her methods were harsh. In the past, they had hidden in the Four Directions Small Thousand World, where it was naturally safer. But in the future, they would have to face overt and covert attacks from both inside and outside the Star Alliance. They couldn’t even guarantee their own safety, let alone Zhang Xiaopang’s, especially with his flamboyant personality.

If Wang Meng had any worries, it was that their enemies would target his friends. But this was also unavoidable.

Wang Meng pointed to an area shrouded in mist at the foot of the mountain. "That place is covered by an Array Technique. I’ll go check it out tomorrow."

"I’ll go with you."

Wang Meng nodded lightly. Among everyone in the group, Hu Jing’s strength was growing the fastest. All her past efforts were now coming to fruition, allowing her power to erupt.

It was a matter of insight. Hu Jing’s was even greater than his, and her calmness bordered on coldness. She could filter out all external interference and subjective influence to make the most logical judgment. This was true both in her management of the Holy Hall and in her own cultivation.

As the most rational allocator in the group, this trait of hers was amplified to an even greater degree after she obtained her Holy Statue.

Wang Meng was powerful, but when it came to breaking Array Techniques, there was still a gap between him and Hu Jing.