Chapter 859: Martial Might God
Thorn Mountain.
Countless remnants of bodies and severed limbs extended from the mountain’s base all the way to the unnamed village.
These corpses were all clad in dragon-scale armor, but the supposedly excellent defense offered no protection. Some were cleaved with both armor and body, others had their hearts pierced through, and quite a few had their heads severed with a single sword blow... Despite the myriad forms of death, it was evident they all perished by the sword.
Blood stained the earth, pooling into streams that flowed relentlessly, the air thick with the smell of blood!
Some Flood Horses, having lost their masters, gnawed hungrily at the corpses, leaving them mangled and broken; various broken swords, spears, shields, and other weapons lay scattered beside bodies, with clean sword cuts marking their edges.
In the second month after Shen Mo and Chen Mengze moved into the unnamed village, Qing Country amassed tens of thousands of troops, attacking with the force of a falling mountain, intending to annihilate the two in Thorn Mountain.
The result was clear—this elite army was defeated by Shen Mo and Chen Mengze.
In a relatively flat mountain hollow, once a temporary encampment for Qing Country’s army, bodies lay strewn, blood flowing like a river.
At the center of the heap of bodies, Qing’s military commander was pinned under Shen Mo’s foot, unable to move, merely cursing venomously; this person was the strongest opponent Shen Mo had faced since arriving in the cultivation world, having borrowed the power of a Deity to transform into a five-zhang giant, even able to tear his magic robe and inflict a small wound!
"With constant battles, aren’t you consuming too much energy? How about resting for a few days and confronting the Deity once you’ve recovered?" Chen Mengze wetted a handkerchief with water from his carry-on and wiped the bloodstains from Shen Mo’s face, speaking with worry.
Shen Mo raised the heavy iron sword and began carving blood-mark spiritual marks on Qing’s military commander’s back: "Each day spent here weakens my strength by a bit. Who knows what might happen in a few days? It’s better to act sooner rather than later!"
Though he took Blood-strengthening Powder daily, Shen Mo clearly felt his current strength had waned significantly compared to when he first entered this world, and it continued to deplete over time; persisting like this, even returning to the Universal Realm would take great effort to recover, severely delaying his cultivation progress.
If he stayed in the cultivation world for hundreds of years, he might not even maintain his Divine Bridge Realm state of cultivation, and could regress to the Golden Core Realm!
Yet the Qing’s military commander he captured alive was likely to borrow enough Deity power, activating the spiritual mark effect completely, and as long as he slew the Deity that was worshiped, he would escape from this world where the Immortal Path was unclear!
"You damned Outer Zone Evil Demon, don’t think I don’t know... what arrogant plans you have!"
Spitting blood, Qing’s military commander cursed faintly.
The spiritual mark was incomplete, and every time he attempted to chant an incantation to sacrifice himself, Shen Mo would interrupt with a kick, leaving more than half of his teeth fallen.
This man, both a top god disciple and high-ranking Qing Country official, knew many secrets, including Shen Mo, Chen Mengze, and their origins, as well as the effect of the spiritual mark on his back...
"How could beings as insignificant as ants like you comprehend the grandeur and uniqueness of my master? Since you seek death, I shall fulfill your wish!"
The last stroke of the spiritual mark fell.
Shen Mo withdrew the heavy iron sword, releasing his hold on Qing’s military commander, then stepping back several tens of feet with Chen Mengze.
At this moment, the powerful god disciple grinned maniacally, muttering between spatters of blood; as he began sacrificing his flesh, soul, and lifespan, a potent mysterious force emerged within him, causing his body to swell and grow!
Yet he didn’t transform into the prior five-zhang giant. In the next moment, the blood-colored spiritual mark lit up, retaining all the mysterious power emerging inside him.
"Cough, cough!"
Qing’s military commander’s swollen body withered away, instantly turning into a hunchbacked, aged figure with white hair!
Meanwhile, the blood-colored spiritual mark on his back grew increasingly radiant.
Shen Mo narrowed his eyes, holding a treasured sword in one hand and tightly grasping Chen Mengze’s jade-like hand, quietly awaiting changes.
"Buzz!"
The blood-colored spiritual mark burst forth with blinding light, dyeing the entire world blood-red, powerful spatial fluctuations sweeping out,
As their vision cleared, Shen Mo and Chen Mengze found themselves in a bizarre space...
Everywhere they looked, everything was blood red.
A blood-red sun hung high in the firmament, its light filtering through the blood-red mist, casting dappled shadows;
Amidst withered trees and barren grass lay broken steles, yellowing human bones, rusting weapons, and desolate ruins, forming an ancient and mysterious tableau, as if standing amidst an ancient battlefield!
Through the blood-red mist, a mighty mountain loomed far away, reaching the clouds...
Utilizing the [Method Eye Candle Wisp], Shen Mo saw clearly that this mountain wasn’t a true mountain, but a towering giant sitting on the ground with a vague face, covered in menacing scale armor!
"Is that the Martial Might God?"
Qing’s military commander worshiped a Deity revered by Qing Country’s god disciples as the "Martial Might Grand General of Fearsome Demon Subjugation," in charge of valor, war, and numerous responsibilities related to slaughter, granting its worshippers martial prowess and war skills far exceeding other god disciples’!
Upon seeing this "Martial Might God," Shen Mo immediately realized it wasn’t any powerful creature, and it lacked independent personality and gnosis.
Its existence was more akin to the Evil Spirit he had encountered before!
Seemingly sensing the intrusion into its territory, the "Martial Might God" slowly rose, uttering unintelligible shouts like rolling heavenly thunder impacting Shen Mo and Chen Mengze’s minds.
The next moment, it swung its massive, bone-spurred hand like a mountainside towards Shen Mo and Chen Mengze.
"Boom!"
The entire sky and earth shook violently, and a palm-sized crater akin to a lake appeared on the ground.
However, Shen Mo had already used the effect of [Swallow’s Grace], holding Chen Mengze and appearing miles away, narrowly evading Martial Might God’s giant hand!
"Are Deities in this world all this formidable? With such strength, how do other foreign cultivators complete their deity-slaying missions?" Chen Mengze released the arm she hugged around Shen Mo’s waist, landing from him and frowning coldly.
"Deities in the cultivation world vary in strength; the powerful are awe-inspiring, while the weak aren’t even a match for their own disciples. Before confronting them, no one knows the true strength of the deity they’ll face!"
"Our luck isn’t great; we encountered this Martial Might God, probably one of the most powerful deities."