Invincible Divine Power

"What?"

Lin Baici stopped in his tracks.

[They're your servants. You boss them around, so can't they have a little attitude? It's not unreasonable for them to punch you once in a while, is it?]

The God of Gluttony sounded perfectly matter-of-fact.

"The problem is, that punch would kill me!"

Lin Baici sighed helplessly. It looked like he'd have to be more careful from now on.

Everyone hurried back to the dock.

The lake was calm, with nothing but lotus leaves stretching across its surface.

"Captain, hurry up!"

Jiang Hong had thick skin. Even though he barely knew Lin Baici, he still addressed him familiarly.

He called out as he ran toward a covered boat. The other tourists were jostling and shoving, fighting for a spot.

Splash!

Someone was pushed into the water.

"Everyone, get off!"

Jiang Hong jumped onto the covered boat and shouted at the people who had crowded aboard with him. "Without the captain's permission, nobody gets on!"

"Who do you think you are?"

Someone protested, but most of the others went to fight for the two skiffs instead, steering clear of Jiang Hong. After all, he was Guangqing's richest man. He had money.

That impressive student surnamed Lin had only needed to lend him a hand to earn ten million. There was no reason not to take the money.

Lin Baici stepped onto the dock and frowned at Jiang Hong, who was still shouting. "Get off."

"Huh?"

Jiang Hong stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Get off!"

Lin Baici couldn't stand people like Jiang Hong. "Don't make me say it twice!"

"..."

Jiang Hong looked so awkward, his expression as pained as if he'd been constipated for ten years.

"Get lost!"

Sima Mu jumped onto the covered boat and waved his sickle at him.

Jiang Hong looked at Lin Baici and understood. They didn't want him on their team.

Sigh!

He should take the hint and get off, before he got beaten up.

"Handsome Guy, let me on too, please?"

The red-haired woman was still alive. She gave Lin Baici a fawning smile and begged him.

"You can take the skiff!"

Lin Baici picked up an oar and began rowing.

On his boat were Jin Yingzhen, Hua Yueyu, Sister Xiao Li, Old Aunt, Sima Mu, and Zhang Ju and her daughter.

"Give me a spot!"

Jiang Hong tried to use his money to get his way. "I'll pay!"

Unfortunately, everyone wanted to live. And with the more capable men, like Hook-nosed Man, gone, the rest were all about evenly matched. The crowd descended into chaos, everyone scrambling to be among the first across.

The covered boat reached the shore. They had arrived at Lake Heart Island.

A vast field of golden wild chrysanthemums swayed in the wind, releasing a fresh floral scent.

"Get off and pick flowers!"

Sima Mu jumped ashore.

"Wow, they're beautiful!"

The Little Girl exclaimed.

This was the only place that didn't have the dark, sinister atmosphere of the God Ruins.

They could even see bees flying among the flowers.

"How big a bunch should we pick?"

Hua Yueyu and the others disembarked and headed into the field to gather some pretty wild chrysanthemums.

"Wait!"

Lin Baici stopped them.

Whoosh!

Everyone froze.

"What's wrong?"

Old Aunt was frightened. "Is there danger?"

"I don't know!"

The hunger had lessened when Lin Baici obtained the Bodhi Messenger Kasaya, but it hadn't disappeared completely. As soon as he set foot on Lake Heart Island, it surged back.

It was so intense that his mouth began to water.

[A field of wild chrysanthemums overnourished by divine power. They've mutated, and their roots will drag every living thing that enters into the soil and turn it into nutrients!]

[Burn it. It's no good anymore. Otherwise, you could pick some chrysanthemums to brew as tea. They'd be good for cooling down.]

The God of Gluttony offered its review.

"Burn it? Then what about our mission?" Lin Baici asked inwardly.

The God of Gluttony didn't answer. It was only interested in food.

"Should we pick the flowers?"

Hua Yueyu was only listening to Lin Baici now. He was sure to know what was best.

"Don't pick them!"

Lin Baici took a torch and struck it against the side of the boat to light it. Then he jumped ashore and approached the flower field. "Stay back!"

"What are you doing?"

Sima Mu panicked. "You look like you're going to burn them!"

"Exactly!"

Lin Baici looked at Sima Mu. "You have a problem with that?"

"No! No!"

Sima Mu smiled. "Do whatever you want!"

Lin Baici lowered the torch and swept it through the flowers a few times.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The flames caught at once, beginning to devour the entire field.

On the shore, the tourists saw the island catch fire and panicked.

"What's going on?"

Thick smoke billowed upward and drifted with the wind.

The tourists in the two skiffs rowed over as fast as they could. Before they even reached the shore, they heard shrill squeals from the flower field, as though some monsters were being burned alive.

They exchanged uneasy looks.

Hua Yueyu and the others looked shaken.

If Lin Baici hadn't stopped them from picking flowers, they'd probably have been killed by the monsters in the field.

Ten minutes later, Lake Heart Island had become a scorched wasteland. Every chrysanthemum had burned away.

Some of the tourists were unhappy, but they didn't dare complain.

Old Aunt had been about to ask Lin Baici what to do, but when she saw his stern expression, she promptly kept quiet.

After a while, some wild chrysanthemum seedlings pushed through the soil.

They sprouted!

They grew at a visible speed, shot upward, blossomed, and stood tall in the breeze.

"Baici, you really are incredible!"

Hua Yueyu exclaimed.

Lin Baici was just a student?

Who would believe that?

He had to be a God Hunter—and a powerful one at that!

Lin Baici turned to look at the people in the skiffs, as well as the tourists who'd been bold enough to swim over. "We'll pick first. Nobody has a problem with that, right?"

"No problem! No problem!"

"Please, go ahead!"

"If anyone dares object, I'll beat them to death!"

There weren't many of the wild chrysanthemums that had just grown back, not enough to make more than a few bunches. But the others knew better than to fight Lin Baici for them.

Hua Yueyu and the others benefited along with him.

After picking a bunch of wildflowers, Lin Baici wandered around Lake Heart Island.

What was here that made his mouth water uncontrollably?

Lin Baici wasn't leaving, so Hua Yueyu and the others had no choice but to wait.

The Little Girl crouched on the ground, playing with pebbles. She happened to spot a walnut-sized crystal buried in the dirt.

It was pale blue and round, covered in strange patterns and wreathed in light.

"Wow, it's so pretty!"

The Little Girl hurried over to Lin Baici with her short legs. Holding the crystal in both hands as if presenting him with a treasure, she offered it to him. "Hungry God Brother, you can have it!"

This was it!

The moment Lin Baici saw it, he wanted to gobble it down.

[In your human terminology, it's called a Meteorite Stone. It's full of divine energy. Eating it can activate and nourish your cells, allowing your bodies to evolve to the next stage of life!]

"Could this be a Meteorite Stone?"

Jin Yingzhen was astonished.

"You recognize it?"

Lin Baici needed someone to explain.

"No, I've never seen one."

Jin Yingzhen shook her head. "Meteorite Stones are the most precious resource in the God Ruins. You could say God Hunters risk their lives to break into God Ruins for God's Remains and these!"

"Meteorite Stones contain a mysterious energy. After being refined through a special process, God Hunters can absorb it to strengthen their bodies and replenish their divine power."

"Didn't I tell you before that the more Divine Graces a God Hunter has, the stronger they are? But if a hunter's body is too weak, they can die when absorbing a Divine Grace. And using a Divine Grace consumes divine power. So it goes without saying how valuable Meteorite Stones are—they can strengthen the body and replenish divine power!"

Jin Yingzhen had learned all of this from her older brother.

"Can't I just eat it?"

Lin Baici frowned.

"Even if you're a God Hunter, not just an ordinary person, if you eat one and don't get your stomach pumped within a few minutes, the mysterious energy inside will soon radiate through you and turn you into something unrecognizable!"

Jin Yingzhen looked at the Meteorite Stone with envy. "Among hunters, it's the highest form of currency."

"How much is it worth?"

Lin Baici's eyes lit up.

"If you sold it for money, you'd be set for life!"

After saying that, Jin Yingzhen quickly added, "But no hunter would sell one for money. They all use them to get stronger!"

If you weren't a God Hunter, you couldn't understand how precious a single Meteorite Stone was.

"Mm!"

Lin Baici put away the Meteorite Stone. "Let's go!"

Once he'd gotten some money, he decided he'd give the Little Girl a sum as thanks for finding the Meteorite Stone.

Though he didn't really have to. He'd saved her and her mother's lives, after all.

The covered boat set off and headed back to the dock.

Once Lin Baici was gone, the tourists on the island immediately grew hostile. After all, only thirty people could survive.

[Eat it already. What are you waiting for?]

The God of Gluttony urged him on.

"Eating it will kill me!" Lin Baici explained inwardly.

The God of Gluttony didn't care. [If you won't eat it, I'll shove it into your mouth myself!]

"Jin Yingzhen said it has to be refined through a special process before it can be used."

Lin Baici hesitated.

He'd survived this long thanks to the God of Gluttony's food reviews, but was it really fair to expect him to eat something like this raw?

[You can't kill the God's Remains in the Great Hero Hall in your current state. Going there would be like delivering yourself as takeout.]

The God of Gluttony sneered. [You don't seriously think those minnows around you can help, do you?]

"How am I supposed to eat it? I can't even bite through it!"

Lin Baici looked at the walnut-sized Meteorite Stone and sighed.

He didn't really have a choice.

Besides, the hunger was driving him to take a bite.

[Just put it in your mouth!]

Lin Baici wiped the Meteorite Stone with his jersey and, while everyone was distracted, slipped it into his mouth.

The temperature in his mouth rose immediately. The Meteorite Stone softened and turned into liquid.

Gulp! Gulp!

Lin Baici swallowed twice in quick succession and ate it.

A surge of heat exploded in his stomach, coursing through his whole body. White steam rose from Lin Baici, and his skin turned faintly red.

Everyone sensed the wave of heat and turned to look. Seeing Lin Baici's strange condition, they were startled.

"Baici, what's wrong?"

Sister Xiao Li was panic-stricken. You were the whole village's hope—you absolutely couldn't let anything happen to yourself.

Lin Baici didn't speak. About a minute later, the steam dissipated and his skin returned to its normal color. Compared to before, it was now smoother and firmer—so flawless that even women who used high-end cosmetics every day would be jealous.

"I'm fine!"

Lin Baici exhaled a breath of stale air.

The Covered Boat reached the pier. He looked back at Lake Heart Island and could clearly see the tourists fighting over the wild chrysanthemums. He could even make out the ferocious expression on Jiang Hong's face.

His eyesight had improved.

Lin Baici hadn't been nearsighted, but years of reading and studying had still weakened his vision. Now, though, it was definitely 5.3. He'd surely pass a pilot's vision test.

Lin Baici recalled God of Gluttony's assessment of the Meteorite Stone.

The stone was filled with divine energy, which could help humans evolve to the next level of life.

"Divine energy?"

Lin Baici clenched his right hand. He could clearly feel something flowing through his body.

[This is Divine Power. You must have Divine Power to use Divine Grace!]

Lin Baici understood. Divine Power was like the mana bar in an online game.

"Let's go!"

Lin Baici jumped off the Covered Boat and headed for the Great Hero Hall.

That Dark Great Buddha probably never imagined I'd eat a Meteorite Stone and return wearing the Bodhi Messenger Kasaya.