God King Mark

It was a layer of intricate patterns invisible to the naked eye, originally hidden beneath the red glow of Asura divine power. Now, as the outer red light was stripped away, the patterns embedded within it revealed their outlines.

The surrounding light could be stripped away, but whenever the golden threads landed on the lines of this "pattern," they were repelled.

The tips of the devouring golden threads all bore purple points of light-a higher-order power born from the fusion of divine power and the sea of inheritance. With it, Ren Tao had pierced the invincible golden light of the Golden Iron Triangle's fusion skill, broken through the King of Slaughter's magic suppression domain, and even begun unraveling "Sea God's abhorrence." Yet now, he could not even touch this pattern.

Ren Tao felt this had to be a God King's handiwork. Unlike First-Level Gods such as the Sea God and the Rakshasa God, God Kings truly stood at the top of the pyramid, possessing more advanced power and knowledge.

"A God King mark?"

Once that thought appeared, he could not shake it.

After a moment's thought, Ren Tao already had a plan. Though he could do nothing about the God King mark, he could still strip away the divine power inside it. Like the master butcher carving up an ox, if I strip away all the meat, won't only the skeleton remain?

Brimming with enthusiasm, he threw himself into the work with tremendous drive and passion.

Two hours passed... four hours passed... Of course, Ren Tao could not feel time slipping by. Outside, however, an enormous crocodile silently parted the water and arrived before him, inspecting his injuries with two huge green eyes.

He could not help crying out:

"Big brother, your body's been ripped apart!"

Ren Tao simply chose to ignore him. He knew E Laosi had arrived, but he was too absorbed in his work to spare him any attention. At last, his astonishing creation was complete.

A "mark" wreathed in red light appeared before his eyes.

It resembled an abstract Treasure-Crowned Flower pattern, outlined with very simple strokes. Yet not a single line stood alone. All the patterns ultimately closed together in a peculiar way. The longer he looked, the more profound it seemed, as though he had entered the pattern and discovered an entirely independent space.

Ren Tao shook his head, pulling himself free of that dizzying fascination, only to feel that something had been added to his mind.

I never expected the core of the Asura God's power to be a Treasure-Crowned Flower mark. That's different from the Sea God's power, isn't it? Or is the core of the Sea God's power also a mark, and I just haven't cracked it yet?

But why was the Asura God King's power easier to unravel than the Sea God's power?

Does that make sense?

Shaking his head again, Ren Tao withdrew from the sea of inheritance and immediately saw two enormous crocodile eyes.

"What are you doing?"

Still dazed, Ren Tao was startled by E Laosi's sudden appearance.

"I'm thinking!"

E Laosi's massive crocodile jaws opened and closed as he spoke in a deeply serious voice. "Big brother, didn't you say attacking the mind was best, and we should win without fighting? Why are you hurt this badly?"

"It was just a little accident!"

Somewhat speechless, Ren Tao lowered his head to look at his body.

"Big brother, you've split apart! If I hadn't picked up your leg and sealed your wounds, your blood would be flowing like a river by now!"

"This power is a bit troublesome..."

I was so focused on breaking down the Asura divine power that my injuries flared up. I got careless!

Feeling rather embarrassed, Ren Tao prepared to change the subject.

"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come back?"

"It's nighttime. I'm a sea soul beast coming back to the sea to sleep. Is there a problem with that?"

You've picked up bad habits!

Since when did you become such a smart mouth?

"Besides, big brother, you're at Escape Point No. 12, which I designed. What do you think of my escape route?"

"Fantastic!"

Ren Tao's face was expressionless. Only after returning to the outside world had he discovered how badly he was injured. A sword had slashed his waist, and one leg had been severed. He was currently holding it in his arms.

"I'll stitch up my wounds first. Don't disturb me!"

Devouring golden threads sprouted from Ren Tao's waist, rapidly winding outward and connecting with the blood vessels in his leg. Then they slowly became a vast network of meridians woven from golden threads, "joining" his body and leg together on their own.

He seemed to have returned to normal, but that was far from the truth. His soul power could not circulate, and the Asura divine power hidden in his body had not been removed either. All that effort had yielded only a single God King mark. Judging by his current condition, how could there be only one or two strands of Asura divine power in his body?

"Big brother, I saw a strange man on my way here!"

Ren Tao: "Hmm?"

"He had wings and looked really evil. He was holding a huge sword, too."

The King of Slaughter?

"Did he notice you?"

"He did! But he only glanced at me from a distance and ignored me. He seemed to be looking for someone. I was afraid he might be your enemy, so I took a long detour before coming here."

"Well done!"

Ren Tao breathed a sigh of relief. Acting under the Asura God's will, the King of Slaughter would certainly not give up before finding him. He still had to race against time and recover before the King of Slaughter tracked him down.

"Let's move somewhere else. This place probably isn't safe anymore!"

"Okay, I'll take you to Escape Point No. 12!"

Ren Tao: "..."

"Isn't this Escape Point No. 12?"

"No, there are two Escape Point No. 12s. I actually made two routes. We're going to the second one now..."

Looks like you're better suited to life in human society than I am!

Ren Tao let out a helpless sigh.

E Laosi brought Ren Tao to the next bay. Sea gourds grew everywhere, densely covering a vast stretch of water. E Laosi had dug a cave here beforehand, and the aura of the surrounding plants could perfectly conceal their presence.

Ren Tao resumed breaking down the Asura divine power.

As the work progressed, both his proficiency and spiritual power improved, but his connection with the Treasure-Crowned Flower patterns also continued to deepen.

Every time he extracted a God King mark, Ren Tao would fall into a daze for a while. Within the Treasure-Crowned Flower pattern's inner space, he seemed to see countless scenes, like murals displayed in a slideshow, linked together into moving images.

Yet with a single blink, those images vanished from sight, leaving not even a trace of a related memory.

What's going on?

Ren Tao was puzzled. He wanted to stop and properly consider what secrets lay hidden in this Treasure-Crowned Flower pattern—or whether this was yet another layer of the Asura God's scheme.

Just then, a disturbance appeared in his spiritual perception.

An enormous red sphere of light appeared in his mental vision. Like a meteor in the night sky, it leaped repeatedly between the water's surface and the air, rapidly approaching him.

Could the Treasure-Crowned Flower marks be connected to Tang Chen, allowing him to sense my location so quickly?

Ren Tao sealed the God King marks with forbidden power, closed off the sea of inheritance, and fled again.

They arrived at Escape Point No. 5. It was worth mentioning that both escape routes began at Pleasant Sea Villa. Pleasant Sea Villa was No. 1, and the lower the number, the closer the point was to the villa.

They were now less than five hundred li from Vast Sea City.

Having shaken off the King of Slaughter, Ren Tao did not continue breaking down the Asura divine power. He needed to think carefully about whether he had overlooked any important information, and what he should do next.

Though there was a great deal of Asura divine power, breaking it down benefited the sea of inheritance less than that single strand of the Sea God's power had. The only possibility was that most of its energy remained locked inside the "Treasure-Crowned Flower patterns." Until he cracked them, he still could not obtain the Asura God's power.

Working backward, had the Asura God already foreseen this outcome?

Judging by the result, was this merely the Asura God's tracking method? The more marks I extracted, the stronger the signal I "broadcast," until I could no longer hide from the King of Slaughter's perception?

If so, it looks like I need to change my strategy.

"Laosi, do you remember what I told you before?"

"Which part?"

Keeping watch for Ren Tao with his huge eyes bulging, E Laosi asked without turning his head.

"Offense is the best defense!"

"What do you want to do, big brother?"

E Laosi immediately burst with enthusiasm and eagerly swam back to Ren Tao's side. "You also think all this hiding is beneath your dignity, right, big brother?"

"I want to plant a God King mark on you!"

"Ah!"

E Laosi's agonized cry shattered the stillness of the waters and pierced the night sky, carrying far, far away...

A hundred li away, the King of Slaughter, who was speeding through the night, suddenly shuddered. Defying the laws of physics, his body stopped instantly, then flew in the opposite direction.

There, he sensed the God King mark's aura, dazzling as fireworks in the night sky, calling to him with deep affection.

"Hrr... ngh!"

Letting out an indistinct cry, the King of Slaughter jerked his neck and swiftly plunged underwater. He folded his wings, concealing every trace of his aura as he raced forward on momentum alone.

The distant target began moving slowly, but the God King mark's signal grew stronger and stronger, and its image became increasingly clear.

Unable to hold back any longer, the King of Slaughter abruptly accelerated, shooting forward like an arrow through the water.

Passing through caverns formed from layers of silt and cutting through all manner of unknown seaweed and aquatic plants, the King of Slaughter spotted an enormous crocodile.

His rear was facing him, and he was even humming a song...

"Why do you have a God King mark on you?"

The King of Slaughter was clearly confused now, his mind sluggish. After all, the Asura God's divine will could not control his body constantly, thinking and making judgments in his place.

"Why shouldn't I? You think I'm a crocodile, but I'm actually a god from another world!"

E Laosi's acting was superb, and he delivered the lines Ren Tao had taught him with vivid flair. "You think you're the King of Slaughter, but why do you have the Clear Sky Sect's Clear Sky Hammer? Did you devour Tang Chen, or did Tang Chen enslave you? And do you know that old woman, Bo Saixi?"

"I... King of Slaughter... Clear Sky Hammer? No! Bo Saixi isn't an old woman. She... she is..."

The consciousnesses of the King of Slaughter and Tang Chen clashed violently, plunging into utter chaos.

I'll keep working hard on updates so I don't disappoint my readers!

Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Otherwise, this author always feels too pleased with himself and easily gets a swollen head!