Chapter 41: Devourer of Gods (Part One)

Cackling laughter, eerie and chilling, echoed through the air. Instantly, the temperature seemed to plunge, causing goosebumps to rise. Yet an even more bizarre scene followed.

The ghastly demon statue within the shrine, whose eyes had been tightly shut, suddenly snapped them open. Blood-red and ferocious, they gleamed with a sinister, bloodthirsty light. At the same time, its maw gaped wide, revealing rows of jagged, saw-like teeth. With a brutal snap, it bit down upon the old crone’s bloodstained, emaciated arm.

Crunch! Crunch!

In mere seconds, the demon statue crushed the woman’s arm, bones and all, swallowing it whole. Shards of bone lingered at the corners of its mouth. The statue’s tongue flicked out, curling gracefully to sweep every last fragment into its maw.

A deep, ominous hum filled the air as the shrine began to shudder violently, releasing a dazzling black radiance. Any light that drew near was swallowed into its depths, as though falling into an abyss of sin.

The demon statue tore itself free from the shrine, hovering before the old crone. As black light flickered over it, the statue swelled to the size of a normal person.

“Almighty god, kill that wicked man!” the old crone cried, kowtowing eagerly while pointing at Chen Xian, her voice dripping with venom. She looked for all the world like a bullied child begging their parents for help.

Chen Xian, witnessing such a grotesque apparition for the first time, felt a surge of curiosity and astonishment. Yet he was unafraid—the mysterious, monstrous tree within his mind filled him with confidence and strength.

Cackling, the demon lunged for Chen Xian. When a wall stood in its way, it swept its hands, and with a thunderous crash, sliced clean through the barrier as though through tofu.

Seeing this, the old crone shot Chen Xian a look reserved for the dead. She placed absolute faith in her “divine spirit.” Beneath the level of grandmaster, none could resist its power! Even those on the verge of becoming a grandmaster had perished at its hands before.

In a flash, the demon was upon Chen Xian, its spectral claws sweeping down with a chilling wind, keening sharply as they struck.

Chen Xian unleashed the Azure Dragon Strike, meeting the demon’s claws head-on.

A resonant hum rang out as two crimson vortices appeared around Chen Xian’s fists, absorbing the full force of the demon’s attack. Instantly, torrents of mysterious red energy surged through the vortex into his body, ultimately feeding into the enigmatic tree within his mind. The sixth fruit, previously incomplete, began to solidify rapidly.

The demon’s strength clearly surpassed that of the old crone. When faced with the first form of the Dragon Elephant Divine Fist, the Azure Dragon Strike, it merely staggered back a few steps before regaining its footing.

Howling with outrage, the demon attacked Chen Xian again, as if mortally affronted. As it hurtled forward, ghostly images of long-haired, savage demon heads flickered around its inky claws, their menacing aura intensifying.

“Excellent!” said Chen Xian, stepping up to meet the demon’s assault. He had not yet exerted his full strength with his previous strike.

From the sidelines, the old crone watched in disbelief, her wrinkled face etched with shock and her once-confident eyes now clouded.

“How can this be?” she whispered. “Could that young man named Chen Xian be a grandmaster-level martial artist?!”

As astonishment gripped her, the demon once more clashed with Chen Xian.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Man and demon whirled and collided, exchanging blows at a speed that dazzled the eye, each impact resounding like thunder. The shockwaves from their battle shattered every sofa and chair nearby in a display of terrifying power.

Half a minute later—

A piercing, inhuman shriek rang out as the demonic spirit was hurled backward, its aura depleted to the point of collapse. After smashing through two walls, it finally halted, its blood-red eyes wild as they fixed on the old crone. With a voice that was no longer human, it shrieked, “Sacrifice! I need sacrifice!”

The old crone blanched in terror. She had only just offered up an arm to the spirit—that was her limit! She had no intention of sacrificing another limb.

“Sacrifice!”

As she hesitated, the demonic spirit seemed to fly into a rage. In a blur, it shot to her side, its ghostly claws seizing her body. Its gaping maw lunged for her head.

“No—!” the old crone screamed in abject terror, never having imagined that her god would turn on her so mercilessly. She struggled desperately, her cries echoing, but it was futile. Her body vanished swiftly—first her head, then her neck…

Meanwhile, crimson vortices spun slowly over Chen Xian’s body. He examined the sixth fruit on his mysterious mind-tree, now nearly fully formed. The energy from the demon’s attacks was indeed potent and abundant.

Watching as the demon devoured the old crone alive, Chen Xian frowned. This creature was far too dangerous—a disaster waiting to befall the world. It had to be destroyed.

Within seconds, the demon had consumed the old crone entirely. Its body erupted with black light, its power swelling visibly.

“You are my follower—and also my sacrifice!” the demon hissed, pointing at Chen Xian with a grotesque grin. “And you—I’ll devour you next!”

With those words, it lunged for Chen Xian once more.

In a corner, Ma Tian watched, paralyzed by fear. The matriarch, who in his heart had seemed omnipotent, had just been devoured alive by the very god she worshipped!

A sense of utter ruin swept over Ma Tian. The matriarch was the pillar of the Ma family!

Once again, the demon spirit closed in on Chen Xian, launching a barrage of frenzied, violent attacks. Chen Xian countered with the Azure Dragon Strike, their battle resounding throughout the room.

Yet the longer the fight raged, the more alarmed Chen Xian became. Even unleashing his full strength, he could not overcome the demon. It was not that the Azure Dragon Strike was weak—rather, his own power was still lacking. With only one soul ring awakened, he could not draw out the technique’s full potential.

If only he could awaken a second soul ring, then the one to fall would surely be the demon spirit.

As things stood, his opponent could retreat at any moment. In truth, the demon spirit’s strength now surpassed his own. Only the mysterious vortices granted by the tree in his mind allowed him to absorb the demon’s attacks—without this ability, he would already have been defeated.

This cannot go on, he thought. If the demon spirit realizes it cannot kill me and tries to escape, I’ll have no way to stop it. If it goes after my family, what then? I cannot let it escape—it must die today!

His mind raced, anxiety mounting with each thought.

Just then, a strange yowl sounded from the inky-black cat crouched in the corner.

The demon spirit froze, its movements stuttering.