Chapter 152: The God King Makes a Move

The Lord of the Holy Spirit rose from his seat, boundless light erupting from his entire body. In his hand, he grasped the broken half of an ancient golden spear. Because of the Divine Slayer's unique nature, it had awakened early, but the phantoms of the other deities had only just solidified to the point of being able to engage in battle.

"Kill!"

The Lord of the Holy Spirit pointed with the ancient golden spear in his hand and shouted.

Every single deity's phantom rose from its seat. Although they had been forcibly condensed and their true forms had long since perished—meaning the power they could unleash was extremely limited—their sheer numbers were overwhelming.

"Fellow Daoist Yan Mo, I must trouble you."

Zhou Changsheng spoke to the powerhouse from the Daluo Academy standing beside him.

The man named Yan Mo nodded, his face as flawless as jade, and said in a deep voice, "You are too polite. We belong to the same faction, so how can there be any talk of trouble?"

He took a step forward, his physique glowing and crystalline. An ancient ruler appeared in his hand, featuring an archaic wooden hue as if carved from ordinary timber, marked with numerous mottled tally-groves. An unspeakable pressure descended upon the place, causing everyone facing the ancient ruler to involuntarily feel a sense of awe and reverence, as though they stood before a strict and stern teacher.

"The third shattered Heavenly Lord artifact."

The Lord of Thunder had arcs of electricity dancing in his eyes as he stared intently at the ancient ruler.

"Such a grand gesture! Aren't you afraid of perishing entirely here and seeing all these Heavenly Lord artifacts go down the drain?"

The God of Death sat upon his divine throne, his form shrouded in black mist, yet radiating an indescribable holiness.

"The God-King's Spear and this Hall of Gods will ultimately be our spoils of war!"

Zhou Changsheng shared the Lord of the Holy Spirit's immense confidence in their side, firmly believing in their inevitable victory.

"Suppress!"

Yan Mo held the ancient ruler aloft. Above his head, a ball of light flowed, within which sat a tiny human figure. The sound of chanting scriptures echoed through the void, as if that small figure were preaching the Dao to all worlds.

With this tiny figure seated above, the light it emitted seemed to illuminate both past and future, rendering all laws immune, traversing through the ancient and modern, as if stepping forward along the long river of time.

At this moment, Yan Mo gave off an illusion, as if he belonged neither to this realm, nor to this epoch of history, nor even to himself—he was a living being wading through the long river of time.

This was an indescribable manifestation. Neither Zhou Changsheng nor the powerhouse of the Dao Alliance had ever produced such a startling phenomenon when wielding their respective Heavenly Lord artifacts.

Among the shattered Heavenly Lord artifacts the three of them carried, this was the only one meant purely for slaughter.

Yan Mo waved the ancient ruler gently, and the tiny figure above his head actually stood up, its eyes opening slightly.

Clatter!

Bronze divine chains extended from the void, firmly binding Yan Mo. The runes engraved upon them glowed, enveloping him in a formidable suppressing force.

The tiny figure lifted a hand slightly, and all the divine chains shattered completely. With a cough, Yan Mo spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, and cracks actually appeared across his face, yet he still forcefully swung the ruler down.

Rumble!

In an instant, all the phantoms of the deities exploded into nothingness. Even the Lord of the Holy Spirit and the others were affected, their ancient thrones glowing to form a protective barrier. However, because the ancient ruler was not targeted at any single individual, its power was not concentrated, and combined with the activation of a portion of the Hall of Gods' might, they managed to block it. Nevertheless, all the deity phantoms vanished entirely.

Yan Mo tumbled down from the void, coughing up blood, his jade-like body covered in cracks like a shattered piece of porcelain. Fortunately, the injuries were already beginning to heal.

This ancient ruler was an artifact of slaughter; unlike the small gourd and the small pagoda, it demanded a far greater toll, leaving him virtually incapable of launching a second strike.

"The price was still beyond my expectations. The rest will depend on you all."

Xuanzhenzi gave a bitter smile. Although he had already stuffed numerous medicinal pills into his mouth, blood was still seeping from his pores.

"Since it has come to this, let us end it!"

Zhou Changsheng put away the small gourd. Though this item was a Heavenly Lord artifact, its consumption was too great, and once a single strike failed to achieve the desired result, it could not be overused.

With a wave of his large hand, a silver box emerged from the void, and his palm instantly pressed down upon it.

*Ah, isn't that... what's-his-name?* Zhou Tian, who had been observing from the shadows, was slightly startled. Wasn't this box the supreme treasure of the Artifact Realm from the void storm the other day?

"Click-clack, snap-crunch" sounds rang out as pieces of metal attached themselves to Zhou Changsheng's hands. In an instant, a humanoid mechanical armor appeared, its hands pressed together in prayer, radiating golden light over its entire body, with nine golden Dharma balls floating behind its back. The sound of all living beings chanting resounded through the air.

"Your foundations are truly astonishing. I never expected you to possess such a marvelous treasure."

The King of Gods looked surprised.

"I told you not to jump to conclusions until the very last moment."

Zhou Tian said.

"Well said."

The King of Gods nodded in agreement.

This time, the martial Buddha form was not excessively massive, standing only a few zhang tall. Yet, a terrifying aura radiated outward, causing the void to tremble.

Zhou Changsheng did not hesitate. The people of the Artifact Realm had used a special method to lift the restrictions, allowing him to temporarily use this armor as well. Yet, even with his formidable physical body, this Dao Lord-grade armor still placed immense pressure upon him, leaving no room for any delay.

Clack!

The Dharma balls combined into a broadsword, the back of the blade spewing blazing energy to amplify its power. Zhou Changsheng leaped into the air and slashed fiercely forward. Bronze chains appeared in the void, and Xuanzhenzi urged the small pagoda to protect Zhou Changsheng and fend off the divine chains.

The Lord of Thunder rose to meet the attack, pressing down with ten thousand bolts of lightning, only to be blasted away with a massive, gaping wound carved straight through his chest.

Meanwhile, the expression of the Lord of the Holy Spirit remained unchanged. He merely let out a soft sigh, rose from his seat, lifted the ancient golden spear, bowed slightly toward the uppermost throne, and said, "I ask the God-King to act."

"Mortals, never jump to conclusions before the final moment."

The King of Gods looked deeply at Zhou Tian, a faint smile touching his lips. With a single step, he had already crossed outside the divine throne.

"God-King!"

"God-King!"

"..."

The Holy Spirit, the Lord of Thunder, the God of Death, and the other deities all rose and bowed in salute.

The King of Gods nodded, taking the ancient golden spear from the hands of the Holy Spirit. The ancient golden spear blazed with brilliant light, its runes spreading like tiny tadpoles across his body, gradually solidifying his previously illusory form.

With a casual wave of the ancient spear, Zhou Changsheng was sent flying backward, the divine light of the armor clinging to his body dimming as a huge dent appeared on the chest plate.

Following that, with a wave of his hand, countless bronze chains pierced into his body, accompanied by countless runes pouring inward to make his form even more substantial.

If not for the dual protection of the Heavenly Lord-grade small pagoda and the armor, Zhou Changsheng would have been blasted to pieces on the spot; even so, he was severely injured.

"The King of Gods! How can this be?!"

Yan Mo cried out in alarm, his expression changing utterly. This was a development that truly exceeded all expectations.

The King of Gods was still absorbing certain energies from the Hall of Gods and the ancient golden spear, his aura growing ever more towering, his body resembling one cast of pure gold while the void shook violently as if on the verge of immediate collapse.

"My time is limited. I hope you can hold on."