The People's God: Sacrificing Trillions to Ascend-Chapter 373 - Soul Cage

The Monster Armor Association advanced swiftly and reached the outskirts of Ban Tu’s city within two days. The sheer size of their force made concealment impossible, and they were detected almost at once.

Ji Long felt no concern. He had no interest in secrecy—he wanted the enemy to see his army and watch as it crushed the so-called Gods.

Han Wu’s swarm of 600 million locusts blanketed the surrounding land, tracking every movement with ease. What puzzled him was the enemy’s brazenness. They made no effort to conceal themselves. Was their commander simply arrogant, or was some deeper scheme at play behind their reckless display?

Regardless, Han Wu issued the order to strike. The 600 million locusts surged forward, joined by several million Thunder Sparrows and tens of millions of skeletons. To the Monster Armor Civilization and the Divine Civilization alike, this clash amounted to nothing more than a minor war.

Both sides fought fiercely. The warriors of the Monster Armor Association cut down enemies by the thousands before they fell, but sheer numbers crushed them. Their original force of 100,000 was halved in short order, reduced to 50,000 survivors.

The trio also paid a price. Han Wu lost 400 million locusts, leaving only 200 million. Qin Shuang’s Thunder Sparrows suffered the fewest losses—just 4,000, felled mostly by boulders hurled into the sky. Jing Jing, however, emerged stronger. Her skeletal horde swelled as fallen soldiers rose to join her ranks. From her original tens of millions, she gained an additional 50,000 skeletons by the battle’s end.

The Monster Armor Association finally recognized the strength of the three envoys.

Ji Long felt a sharp dissatisfaction as he studied the numbers. His men should have outperformed them and taken more lives, yet the chance to prove it had already slipped away. They had been repelled, and now he had no choice but to put his own plan into motion.

That night, Ji Long stepped onto the battlefield alone. He found an empty space, equipped a luxurious brocade, and started to dance. The brocade was none other than his Silk Armor, and the Skill it unlocked at Heaven grade was the Tribute Dance—a ritual that drew the souls of the dead toward him. He could manipulate these souls, weaving them into silk strands capable of wounding the living.

As he danced, more souls converged around him, mostly those of fallen locusts. With careful control, he spun them into delicate strands of silk, then wove them together to form a massive birdcage encircling Ban Tu’s city.

His design was cruelly elegant: the souls of the fallen would form the threads of the cage, entrap the entire city, and assault every soul within simultaneously.

Once the cage took shape, it began to contract slowly. They passed through inanimate objects without resistance but shredded anything with a soul. Livestock along the city’s edges perished as their souls were torn apart.

Han Wu’s locusts detected the immediate threat and reported back at once. Han Wu summoned Qin Shuang and Jing Jing to the city’s edge, where they saw threads made of souls slowly slicing into the city. Beyond them lay dead livestock, their souls violently eviscerated.

Anger flared within Han Wu. The Monster Armor Association intended to slaughter everyone in the city, including innocents and Armor Warriors alike.

The trio could easily escape the cage using their God-tier strength, but their units could not. The threads were so dense that even Han Wu’s smallest locust could not break free.

“We have no choice but to destroy it ourselves,” Han Wu said.

Jing Jing shook her head. “I have a better plan.” 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Han Wu raised an eyebrow. “You do? How do you propose stopping this?”

“My god, have you forgotten what race I am?” she asked.

“The skeleton race—or rather, the Crystal Skeletons. How does that help you dismantle the threads?”

Jing Jing sighed. “Skeletons can absorb souls.”

Han Wu smacked his forehead. He had indeed forgotten this. Skeletons could devour souls, drawing energy from the spiritual flames in their skulls and eye sockets. If they absorbed all the souls from the threads, they could dismantle the cage.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s tear it apart immediately,” Han Wu urged.

Jing Jing exhaled. “Very well. Let’s begin.”

Using her authority as a God of the Divine Civilization, she ordered her skeletons to absorb the souls drifting through the threads. They marched in unison to the city’s edge and devoured the free souls. With their help, the Soul Cage collapsed in moments.

Sensing its destruction, Ji Long froze mid-dance, and his fury boiled over. He ripped off his brocade, hurled it to the ground, and crushed it underfoot. He had hoped the Soul Cage woven into his Silk Armor would finally achieve something, yet he had never imagined Han Wu commanded a race capable of consuming souls. He spat curses, blaming his misfortune for meeting a perfect counter to his power.

Even so, surrender never crossed his mind. With the Soul Cage undone, he resolved to shift tactics. He would strike hard and sow panic. Though many of his soldiers had fallen during the day, half remained—still outnumbering Ban Tu’s forces. He rallied them with a roar and drove them into a frenzied charge.

The battlefield erupted into chaos. The trio rallied their troops to resist. Ji Long’s gaze locked on Han Wu, and with a furious roar he transformed. His body stretched and swelled until he stood as a 1,000-meter Ultrasaurus. Dark Energy coiled in his massive jaws before he unleashed it in a searing blast aimed straight at Han Wu.

The latter did not flinch and revealed his true power. “True Demon King Transformation!”

His body expanded in an instant until he loomed as tall as Ji Long. Ban Tu rushed out from his base, and his eyes widened at the sight of Han Wu’s majestic Demon King form.

“Oh shit. Ji Long is dead,” he muttered.