"First Soul Skill—God-Summoning!"
Following Gu Hengzhi's loud shout, a Stone Statue slowly emerged behind and above him, as though awakening from slumber. The statue took the form of the Earth Deity, solemn and dignified, as if it contained boundless power. Behind and above it, the phantom of an Earth Deity flickered in and out of sight. It was as illusory as a mirage, yet carried an oppressive presence that could not be ignored.
Is this the divine form? It feels so oppressive! Gu Hengzhi secretly rejoiced, then immediately cast the Earth Wall Technique without hesitation.
"Earth Wall Technique!"
His voice boomed like thunder, echoing through the air. In an instant, an earthen wall appeared at the location Gu Hengzhi designated, like an impregnable fortress. The wall stood over two meters tall, roughly three meters long and a foot wide. Even a Soul Grandmaster who specialized in strength would not be able to destroy it within a quarter of an hour. That might have been a short amount of time, but on a battlefield, every second could decide victory or defeat.
Afterward, Gu Hengzhi eagerly tested several other minor techniques. Every use brought him fresh delight.
"First Soul Skill—God-Summoning! Form Transformation!"
As the soul skill was unleashed, the Stone Statue gradually broke apart, as though dismantled by some mysterious force. Fragments danced through the air like fluttering butterflies before rapidly assembling around Gu Hengzhi's body. In the blink of an eye, a magnificent battle robe appeared upon him, like a war god's armor, shining with dazzling light. Its material resembled dragon scales, incomparably hard and granting him powerful defensive properties. As Soul Power was released, the robe's defensive effect continued to rise, from 10% to 25%, like an unbreakable shield.
At the same time, a Dragon-Headed Cane appeared at his right hand like a divine weapon descending from the heavens, gleaming with mysterious light. Its dragon head resembled a warhammer, fierce and imposing, as if it held limitless strength. When Gu Hengzhi swung the Dragon-Headed Cane to hammer an enemy, there was a 25% chance of petrifying them, as though time itself had frozen them. The duration of that petrified state depended on his Soul Power Level, lengthening as his Soul Power increased like sand slipping through an hourglass. Furthermore, the same target could only be affected once every 5 seconds, making it a precious effect that had to be used carefully.
The bottom of the Dragon-Headed Cane, meanwhile, resembled the tip of a spear—razor-sharp and glinting coldly. When it struck an enemy, it could inflict bleeding, also with a 25% chance. The bleeding effect was like venom from a poisonous snake, spreading through the enemy's wounds and causing endless pain.
Gu Hengzhi had just recovered from the lingering excitement of his newly completed soul skill. The Soul Power within him circulated smoothly, and his entire body felt several degrees lighter. Just then, a faint tremor suddenly arose from the depths of his sea of consciousness.
It was an exceptionally light, slow fluctuation. It was unlike Soul Power, and even less like spiritual power. Rather, it was some kind of... response from the God-Sealing Record.
He instinctively closed his eyes and focused, sinking his consciousness into his sea of consciousness.
The ancient, weighty tome floated silently within the gray-white space of his consciousness. The three seal-script characters on its cover still read "God-Sealing Record." A faint golden glow surrounded it, as though answering his summons, yet also as though waiting for something.
The pages turned by themselves.
On that page, the place where the Earth Deity Statue had originally been engraved had become much dimmer. The golden divine patterns had also lost their flowing luster, as though they had completed a certain stage of their mission.
On the next new page, an empty Stone Statue frame appeared. The carved patterns at its four corners were slightly different, seemingly hinting at different paths of divinity.
A line of words slowly emerged in the center of the page: "Divine seat vacant. Available for carving."
The words carried neither pressure nor urgency. They simply lay there calmly, like a droplet falling into a deep pool, yet enough to stir ripples in Gu Hengzhi's heart.
He knew what this meant—he could begin carving the next deity.
Gu Hengzhi opened his eyes and gazed through the layers of shadows cast by the trees toward the distance.
He remained silent for a long time.
The Earth Deity was like the foundation of the land, solid and steadfast—a bulwark of defense and a harbor of protection. It had been his first choice upon entering this unfamiliar world, and also the safest response.
Yet the next choice left him deep in thought. Should he strengthen his own combat ability and become an unstoppable warrior? Or should he focus on stabilizing his foundation and building a solid base? Whichever path he chose, it had to be one he could put into practice now.
—Thunder Duke and Lightning Mother, wielding thunder with overwhelming force to dispel evil and display their might, as though they would tear apart heaven and earth to carve out a road of light.
—Night Patrol God, lurking and hiding like ghosts, silently striking at enemies and taking lives in the stillness.
—Fire Virtue Star Lord, drawing flames into battle, igniting the first blaze of an active offensive as though he would set the entire world alight.
He considered them over and over, weighing the pros and cons, yet he could not make up his mind. Every choice was tempting, but each came with unknown risks, leaving him hesitant.
Gu Hengzhi looked up at the sky. The sun, like a weary old man, slowly slipped toward the west. He muttered, "Mm, it's time to head back and find Brother Tao!" Then he picked up his luggage and retraced his path with firm steps, heading east-southeast.
He hurried onward as time slipped away unnoticed. The sun gradually sank westward, dusk silently descended, and finally, the sky turned completely dark. Gu Hengzhi grew increasingly anxious, yet no matter how hard he tried, he could not return to the place where he had parted with Su Yuntao. It was as though some mysterious force was secretly at work, making him circle endlessly through the Soul Hunting Forest.
Another half hour passed before Gu Hengzhi finally spotted a faint glimmer of light in the forest ahead. At the same time, he heard the sounds of fighting. His curiosity was piqued, and he said without hesitation, "Come on, let's go see what happened!"
As he drew closer, Gu Hengzhi saw two Nether Wolf corpses. After examining them carefully, he immediately reached a conclusion: these were definitely not the two wolves Su Yuntao had killed. Moreover, an unpleasant stench still lingered in the air, further confirming his suspicion.
Gu Hengzhi continued onward and soon arrived at a campsite. However, it was completely deserted. Only the escape route leading away along the edge of the camp indicated that someone had once stayed there. He followed that trail, his heart filled with confusion and concern.
"Croak! Croak! Croak!" Suddenly, a miserable animal cry rang out ahead. Gu Hengzhi looked closely and saw two people, one large and one small, along with a pig, fleeing for their lives at full speed. That pitiful cry had come from the pig.
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