Divine Battle

Su Ye caught the Little Dream God Lotus Dharma Body, the Lotus War Goddess.

Looking at the Lotus War Goddess's peerlessly beautiful, otherworldly face and feeling her utterly lifelike touch, Su Ye's expression shifted. Her silver battle armor was damaged, exposing a pale, delicate arm, and a jolt ran through him.

How could she feel so real?

Su Ye was puzzled. From the very beginning, he had thought the Lotus War Goddess was merely an illusion, a Dharma Body she had condensed—not a real person.

But now it seemed that wasn't the case. The Lotus War Goddess in his arms was no different from a real person, especially in how utterly lifelike she felt.

The Lotus War Goddess looked a little uncomfortable. With a flash, she vanished from Su Ye's arms, though she didn't go far. She looked at him calmly, a trace of confusion in her eyes.

A moment ago, a special power had been coursing through her—the power with which the God Emperor had grievously wounded her. It was strong enough to annihilate someone in the Cave Heaven Realm, yet Su Ye had come through completely unharmed.

Su Ye noticed the Lotus War Goddess looking at him and felt a little awkward. Could she be about to blame him for his earlier impropriety?

The Lotus War Goddess merely glanced at Su Ye without saying anything, then turned her gaze toward the God Emperor emerging from another space-time. This was the real God Emperor; the one before had only been an incarnation.

"God Emperor Qimu."

The Lotus War Goddess recognized the God Emperor before her. Her gaze was icy, brimming with murderous intent.

There were no records of God Emperor Qimu in the Lower Realm, because he was no God Emperor of the Eight Lower Realms. He came from the Three Thousand Provinces of the Upper Realm.

In ancient times, the gods of the Upper Realm invaded the Lower Realm, and a war among the gods erupted. The very laws of the Eight Lower Realms were shattered. From then on, the Eight Lower Realms fell into decline, and it became almost impossible for anyone to ignite Divine Fire.

God Emperor Qimu was at the peak of the Heavenly God Realm and had been one of the main forces in the invasion of the Lower Realm. Countless gods of the Lower Realm had died at his hands.

"Indeed."

God Emperor Qimu regarded the Lotus War Goddess indifferently and smiled. "Many beings have coveted you. Though you have transcended, your essence is still that of a Divine Medicine. I imagine your medicinal properties are even more astonishing now that you've transcended.

"But what I didn't expect was that you'd be so defiant of heaven. As I recall, a Cult Master once attacked you. How did you manage to escape being completely captured?"

Even in the Three Thousand Provinces of the Upper Realm, a Divine Medicine was an unparalleled treasure, enough to draw Cult Master-level beings into a struggle for possession. Whether they refined it or cultivated it, it could deepen their foundations and strengthen them.

The Lotus War Goddess remained cold and silent. She drew even more power from the Divine Moon. Radiance poured down like a waterfall, making her seem utterly divine. Bathed in the moonlight, her silver armor shimmered with divine brilliance, filling her with an imposing, commanding presence.

She struck with a palm. The heavens roared and shook as if unable to withstand the terrifying force, on the verge of collapse. The blow was astonishingly powerful.

Rumble...

God Emperor Qimu made his move. A halo appeared behind him, and chains shot out from within it, flying toward the Lotus War Goddess. At the same time, he formed a strange hand seal. Patterns appeared along the chains, light shimmering across them as they transformed into powerful Fierce Beasts: Suanni, Bian, Ying Dragons, Golden Pengs...

They let out terrifying roars, their ferocious might striking fear into the heart as the heavens trembled.

"What's that?"

Runes revolved in Su Ye's eyes. His Samsara Eye wasn't especially strong at seeing through things, but it was still a Heavenly Eye, and God Emperor Qimu's methods weren't particularly profound. He could make out what was special about the chains. They weren't merely Treasure Arts; Fierce Beasts were imprisoned within them.

"His Treasure Art must be those chains. As for the Fierce Beasts, they're probably controlled by the Treasure Art. They look real, but they're nothing more than puppets."

Su Ye quickly grasped the essence of God Emperor Qimu's Treasure Art. But understanding it didn't mean he could break it.

Faced with the surging tide of Fierce Beasts, the Lotus War Goddess showed no fear and charged straight into their midst. She swept her delicate hand through the air, instantly killing dozens of powerful beasts.

But the slain beasts soon recovered. After all, they weren't real Fierce Beasts; they were physical forms manifested from runes.

Realizing that simply smashing the beasts was useless, the Lotus War Goddess summoned a battle halberd with a flash of light and swung it, severing chain after chain.

Once the chains were cut, the Fierce Beasts bound to them dissolved into Light Rain.

Faced with the Lotus War Goddess's overwhelming strength, God Emperor Qimu felt no concern. He now possessed a nearly endless supply of power—enough to wear her down.

The severed chains quickly recovered, manifesting powerful Fierce Beasts once more as they charged the Lotus War Goddess.

"Hum."

"Boom."

"Roar."

The Fierce Beasts manifested by these chains weren't merely shaped like beasts. They could use Treasure Arts and Divine Abilities. In an instant, runes surged like a sea across that stretch of heaven and earth, and one powerful Treasure Art after another blossomed.

Seeing the Lotus War Goddess tied up, Su Ye considered whether to go help. He was weak now, but he could tell the two of them weren't that strong.

That's right—not that strong.

Both the Lotus War Goddess and God Emperor Qimu had been mighty in life, far surpassing ordinary gods. But they were no longer who they had once been.

The Lotus War Goddess had only a small piece of root left, while God Emperor Qimu was no more than a remnant soul clinging to the Totem Pillar, barely holding on.

Their strength was now at the Marquis Level. Of course, they couldn't be treated as ordinary Marquis-level fighters. The Treasure Arts and Divine Abilities they wielded were terrifying; even a Venerable fighting them could be killed by the slightest misstep.

So why could they unleash power capable of destroying heaven and earth despite being only at the Marquis Level?

That was obvious. This wasn't the real world but a spiritual world constructed by God Emperor Qimu, so space was naturally fragile.

Time passed.

Though the Lotus War Goddess was tied up, her power had hardly diminished. She still possessed tremendous fighting strength.

"Pfft."

God Emperor Qimu's body was blasted apart once again.

His shattered body soon dissolved into Light Rain, then condensed into a new spirit form. With an ugly expression, he looked at the Lotus War Goddess, unable to understand how she could possess such an unending supply of strength.

Could her main body still be alive?

The Little Dream God Lotus before him was only a small section of root, not her true form. If her main body were still alive, it could naturally keep channeling power to her.

But if her main body was alive, why hadn't it come to reclaim this piece of root?

Surely it wasn't because it didn't want it.

He wasn't the only one who couldn't figure it out. The Lotus War Goddess herself was utterly bewildered.

She knew her own situation best. Her main body had perished long ago in ancient times, and all that remained was this small fragment of root.

She could channel an endless supply of power because someone—or, more accurately, two people—were constantly providing her with faith power.

What was going on with those two people?

Did they have limitless energy?