The Ultimate Divine Class-Chapter 464 - 378: Ten Thousand God Temple, Eleventh Throne_1
Lu Yuan didn’t know much about Guardian Lei, but he knew he was a man who placed great importance on his appearance.
Usually, he was impeccably dressed in a suit, his leather shoes gleaming, and every strand of his hair meticulously styled, exuding the air of an old-fashioned gentleman.
But now, one of Guardian Lei’s eyes had been gruesomely gouged out.
Although he remained silent and his attitude toward Lu Yuan was respectful, the resentment evident in his emotional fluctuations could not be entirely concealed.
Nevertheless, Lu Yuan didn’t dwell on it. He couldn’t very well offer words of comfort, could he? Besides, he felt... what Guardian Lei and Guardian Zhu needed most right now wasn’t comfort.
"Explain the specific situation."
Lu Yuan briefly surveyed the small room. Dust motes danced in the sunlight filtering through a crack in the mud-brick window as he spoke softly.
Guardian Zhu glanced at Guardian Lei before quickly saying, "We were acting on the Emperor’s command. Following clues left by the Previous Demon Emperor in his notes, we found Jia Sha. We followed the trail and discovered an indigenous tribe in Jia Sha that worships the Feathered Serpent God. Then, at the tribe’s sacrificial ground, we successfully discovered the entrance to the Evil Emperor’s treasure Secret Realm. Protocol dictated we report back to the Emperor immediately, but Guardian Rou proposed that we go in first to scout for the Emperor... After some discussion, we decided to follow Guardian Rou’s suggestion and entered the Secret Realm. Unexpectedly, we found the ’Feathered Serpent God’s Heart’ not far from the entrance to the Secret Realm. However, we didn’t anticipate that shortly after exiting, we would encounter a group of powerful individuals who began to hunt us down... Afterwards... well, you see the state we’re in now..."
When Guardian Zhu mentioned the pursuit, an involuntary look of terror and lingering fear surfaced in his ashen eyes. It seemed the experience of being hunted had indeed left a deep psychological scar on him.
"Where is the ’Feathered Serpent God’s Heart’ now?" Lu Yuan asked indifferently.
"Guardian Rou’s group has it. We split up while fleeing. They should still be in the rainforest where we discovered the entrance to the Evil Emperor’s treasure Secret Realm..."
"What was the condition of the others when you separated?"
Hearing this, Guardian Zhu fell silent for a moment, then said, "Law Enforcement of Snake and the Bear Guardian were captured; their fates are unknown. Also..."
"Lin is dead," Guard Ying, standing beside Lu Yuan, interjected grimly. "I saw him shattered by a palm strike, obliterated without a trace of flesh or blood. If it weren’t for Lin, my escape wouldn’t have been as simple as losing just an arm..."
Lu Yuan’s gaze flickered slightly as he slowly withdrew his eyes from the dancing dust motes.
Some captured, some escaped, the ’Feathered Serpent God’s Heart’ missing, and Guardian Lin dead at the hands of another group vying for the treasure.
That Guardian Lin, the one with a horse-like face. He used to stand shouting at the entrance of the Knife-cut Noodle Restaurant across the street every day. Whenever he saw me, he’d put on a fawning smile, the very picture of an Eagle Hound. Just a few days ago, he’d sworn he would come and help me keep an eye on this group to ensure they did their jobs properly. Speaking of which, the clue to the Feathered Serpent God’s Heart... he was the one who initially provided it.
Lu Yuan said nothing. A brief silence fell over the small room, the atmosphere heavy with an indescribable stagnation.
After a moment, Lu Yuan, his eyes calm, spoke again, "Then... do you know the origin of the group that pursued you?" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
This time, it wasn’t Guardian Zhu who answered.
It was Guardian Lei, who had been silent all along. He raised a hand and, from a distance, slowly began to etch on one of the room’s mud-brick walls.
As yellow earth trickled down, a pattern took shape before Lu Yuan’s eyes on the wall.
—
Countless upward-pointing spikes formed a silhouette resembling a mountain range, or perhaps a throne. Above this range was a colossal hand, its numerous fingers splayed, each fingertip wreathed in flame.
Once the entire image was complete, Lu Yuan heard Guardian Lei’s low voice resonate within the small room.
"They called themselves..."
"The Ten Thousand God Temple."
* * *
"Everything ancient is reawakening...
"Those that once fled far away, slumbered, died... the gods, are all returning, one by one.
"The gods will reclaim the glory they lost in days of old... Of course, this will be a relatively short process.
"We were the first to hear the divine decree.
"Is that not a supreme honor, Respected Eleventh Throne of Mosa?"
Deep within the rainforest, on a high platform atop a greyish-white pyramid, a figure entirely enveloped in a voluminous black robe spoke softly, almost in a whisper.
Beside him stood a powerfully built, towering man.
The man stood about two and a half meters tall, his arms thicker than an average adult man’s thighs. He had a thick mane of golden hair like a lion’s, but his face was hidden by an exquisitely patterned platinum mask, revealing only a pair of silver-grey eyes.
The golden-haired man in the platinum mask listened to the black-robed figure’s words, his eyes showing no flicker of emotion. His hands remained clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the area below the pyramid, as he said lightly, "Your Ten Thousand God Temple has been established for less than two months. If you wish to cooperate with us, Mosa, you should be our vassals, not ask us to join you."
"Oh, no, no, no..." the man in the black robe immediately shook his head, answering seriously, "The Ten Thousand God Temple’s origins trace back to antiquity; its existence far predates your Mosa.
"We departed when the Ten Thousand Gods departed, slumbered when they slumbered, and returned with their return...
"We represent the Ten Thousand Gods.
"I am the gods!"
As he finished the last sentence, the black-robed man abruptly raised one arm. His arm was fair and slender, as beautiful as a woman’s. Clutched tightly in this elegant hand was a black crystal ball, the size of a fist, resembling an exquisite artifact. Sealed within the crystal ball was a mountain range resembling thorny iron spikes. Above it, a strange, massive hand was splayed open, flames solidified on each fingertip.
The blond-haired man was unmoved by the black-robed man’s words. "Talk is cheap. Ultimately, cooperation relies on strength."
"Has the Eleventh Throne not already witnessed my strength?" the black-robed man smiled.
The blond-haired man shook his head. "It’s far from enough."
He glanced down at his wrist. On his densely haired arm, he wore an expensive watch studded with diamond chips.
"You have less than two hours. If you still can’t find the Feathered Serpent God’s Heart using your methods... then I apologize... I will take action. At that point, anyone attempting to stand in my way will be considered an enemy."
A soft chuckle emanated from beneath the black robe.
At that moment, countless snakes, insects, rats, and ants streamed out of the rainforest before them, along with various birds and beasts. These wild creatures of the rainforest quickly gathered before the pyramid, uttering a cacophony of distinct cries.
The black-robed man tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the thoughts these creatures conveyed.
A moment later, he waved his hand, dismissing the creatures, then turned to the blond-haired man and said, "Found them."
With that, the black-robed man slightly raised the black crystal ball in his hand. Within it, several clusters of flame silently ignited, flaring to life.
Mysterious ripples spread out from the pyramid’s apex.
Before long, figures emerged from the base of the pyramid. These figures nearly all had wings sprouting from their backs; they were massive and ferocious in appearance. Brightly colored, mottled scales covered their bodies, and sharp bone spurs jutted from their joints. They looked like a race of abyssal demons from ancient mythology.
Two among them led the way. One was somewhat bear-like, its body wreathed in eerie blue flames. The other was shrouded in a dense, dark-green mist, continuously emitting snake-like hisses from its mouth.
"Go," the black-robed man ordered calmly with a wave of his hand. "Bring those fleeing little insects back, back into the embrace of the gods."
The horde of terrifying creatures with fleshy wings emitted sounds of acknowledgment, then swiftly charged into the rainforest, vanishing in an instant.
Having done all this, the black-robed man smiled at the blond-haired man beside him and said, "Very soon, Eleventh Throne, you will see the Feathered Serpent God’s Heart you desire..."
Saying this, the black-robed man couldn’t help but sigh softly. This last remark seemed to be muttered to himself.
"When the gods return, all beings in the world will be Their faithful believers. But for now, every quality seed is worth cherishing and utilizing well..."
The blond-haired man remained expressionless, but an almost imperceptible sneer could be heard from beneath his platinum mask.
* * *
「Arhat Stumble Stone!」
In the rainforest, a colossal white figure suddenly burst from the dense woods. The countless rolls of white fat on its body rippled like waves. Its presence was terrifying, yet it moved with the agility of a Spirit Cat.
Guardian Rou’s fan-sized hands struck out fiercely. In mid-air, his hands abruptly swelled severalfold, becoming like two genuine, massive white jade tablets.
Carrying an unparalleled momentum, they slammed heavily onto the head of a large, ferocious beast before him.
CRACK!
Taking Guardian Rou’s blow, the massive beast, a hegemon of the rainforest, had its head instantly crushed. Brains and blood splattered like watermelon juice.
Guardian Rou killed the beast with his two palm strikes, without pausing. He snatched up the beast’s corpse, opened his great mouth, and began to tear at it. His teeth were like finely serrated steel blades. In a few bites, he tore off large chunks of bloody flesh and swallowed them whole without chewing.
