Chapter 101: Sacrificing Oneself to Embrace Darkness

Ares cursed inwardly, sensing trouble. As he barely managed to clear his mind, Amaterasu’s fierce kick suddenly slammed into his chest with terrifying force. Even Ares, the Olympian god of war, was startled by the power behind the strike. If that kick had connected, would he even have survived?

His body twisted sharply, abandoning all concern for appearances—survival was paramount! With a flicker of movement, Ares narrowly dodged Amaterasu’s blow.

Though the kick missed, Amaterasu felt no regret. She immediately followed with a sequence of swift movements. After the kick, she once again summoned her true form—the bronze mirror. The moment it appeared, a dazzling light burst forth, stabbing painfully into the eyes of everyone present.

Holding the bronze mirror, Amaterasu’s other hand began weaving intricate hand seals in rapid succession, long and complex, forming a grand combination of signs. As the seals completed, elegant lines of energy, like arcs of lightning, sparked between her hands and the mirror with crackling sounds.

Zeus and the other Olympian gods immediately felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from the Eastern woman before them. It pressed down so heavily they struggled for breath. “Stop her at once!” Zeus shouted in alarm, springing forward himself, followed closely by Apollo, the sun god; Hera, the queen of the gods; Athena, goddess of wisdom and righteous war; Artemis, goddess of the moon; as well as Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty. They gathered all their strength, desperate to prevent Amaterasu from completing the seals.

“Hey!” Amaterasu called out sharply, but did not halt her hand signs. Suddenly, Zeus and the others felt as if their chests had been struck by a heavy hammer. Pain surged, and blood roared within them. Their motion faltered midair, their speed plummeting. They watched helplessly as Amaterasu’s seals neared completion, powerless to intervene.

At that moment, the seals were finished. The bronze mirror erupted with an extraordinarily bright light. Within it, a faint image flickered, gradually becoming clearer until a mesmerizing scene appeared: pavilions and towers gleaming in gold and jade, celestial beings floating in midair, all rendered with vivid lifelike detail. Zeus and the others found themselves unable to tear their gaze away, entranced as if under a spell.

While they were lost in this reverie, Amaterasu called out again. The mirror flared with multicolored light, and the heavenly scene vanished, along with the celestial figures inside. As their minds snapped back to reality, a deadly beam of light hurtled toward them.

Horrified, the gods feared the impending strike, but even more shocking was the mirror’s power to captivate their very souls. They were gods, beings who had long transcended mortal distractions, yet this artifact had ensnared them all. What kind of treasure could wield such influence?

But it was too late. Before they could react, the beam from the mirror pierced through their bodies without hesitation.

Zeus was stunned. The beam was no ordinary force. As leader of the Olympian gods, his divine might and indomitable physique placed him at the pinnacle of power, yet even he felt the cold chill of the beam passing through him. The fate of the others was clear.

Turning, Zeus saw that each god bore a massive hole in their body, golden divine blood gushing out.

His pupils constricted sharply. Amaterasu, far from ceasing after inflicting grievous wounds, delivered a follow-up strike. With swift motion, her slender palm radiated immense energy as she struck Zeus again, then quickly retreated to the other gods, repeating the devastating palm strike.

Centered on Amaterasu, the Olympian gods scattered like fireworks, flying off in all directions—and then… they never returned.

Some might wonder: if they never returned, where did they go? As gods of the West, Zeus and his kin were not so easily slain. Though Amaterasu’s relentless assault severely damaged their spirits, they had no escape. The divine light of Mount Olympus had already taken them back to their celestial home. But upon their return, it seemed they had no choice but to fall into slumber.

The Olympian gods had long refrained from descending to the mortal realm, and this first encounter was meant to seize the opportunity offered by the Church’s Eastern Crusade for their own gain. Yet fate had other plans. They unwittingly stumbled upon the fearsome female deity Amaterasu and were collectively sent back to Mount Olympus after a single encounter. Truly, nothing went as expected.

“Rumble, rumble…” A series of sounds reached Amaterasu’s ears, causing her elegant brows to rise slightly. The source was the gathering place of the Eastern cultivators resisting the Church’s crusade. Before her battle with the Olympians, the Norse gods had already descended there. Amaterasu wished to aid them but was entangled by the troublesome Olympian gods.

Rewinding the scene, the Norse gods had arrived earlier. Thanks to the cultivators’ efforts, they had managed to trap the brothers Baldr and Hodr within the Celestial Killing Array. Unexpectedly, the Norse gods then descended en masse. Amaterasu had sought to intervene but was delayed by other sudden arrivals—likely gods from the West as well—who held her back. Realizing this, she understood that relying on her alone to resolve matters was futile for the time being.

The fire giant Surtr swung his blazing arms with terrifying speed. Though the cultivators reacted swiftly, they were no match for a being of Surtr’s celestial caliber. Many fell beneath his blows, engulfed by his raging flames, screaming in agony as they passed from this world.

“Then I’ll fight you to the death!” a cultivator shouted. His name was Shen Chenzi, a third-generation disciple of the great Yunxiao Pavilion, a distinguished school in the cultivation world. His master’s uncle was the current pavilion head. Shen Chenzi had reached the early nascent soul stage, making him a formidable figure within cultivation circles.

Though his pavilion master initially did not want him involved—since Yunxiao Pavilion had already sent disciples and all plans had to be considered—Shen Chenzi insisted on joining. His master, fearing the worst, reluctantly agreed, sighing at the thought of his sect’s potential downfall should disaster strike.

Having cultivated for over six hundred years, Shen Chenzi’s rapid progress—reaching nascent soul in such a short time—was rare. His master viewed him as the pavilion’s reserve hope.

Though over six centuries old, Shen Chenzi’s fiery spirit had not diminished with time. Cultivation was often described as cultivation of the heart, seeking a clear conscience. Shen Chenzi mastered this well—his emotions followed his will without reckless indulgence. Perhaps this mindset was key to his swift advancement.

Now, his heart brimmed with hatred for the Church’s crusade and these Western barbarians who spread their so-called God’s teachings and trampled all over others. And the Norse gods, instead of staying in their own lands, came east to take advantage of the chaos—how detestable!

Watching cultivators fall one after another, charging headlong against these “gods” despite knowing they stood no chance, they pressed onward.

Life was precious, especially to cultivators. Others might die and be reborn by the cycle of reincarnation, but cultivators were different. Losing their cultivation could mean the loss of even that chance.

This was the bitter truth of cultivation. Once one reached the Nascent Soul stage, they transcended the three realms and the five elements. Barring accidents, they could live as long as heaven and earth. Yet watching loved ones age and fade while remaining alone was a heavy price to pay for such power.

Now, they fought with their lives to protect a pure Eastern land. Most were beyond the Nascent Soul stage, so death meant no reincarnation.

What drove their fierce resistance? Shen Chenzi’s eyes reddened with fury. If he could not fulfill the wishes of the fallen and defend the East, what right did he have to live?

“Ah—!” A roar burst from Shen Chenzi, an imposing aura exploding from within him and sweeping outward.

From tens of meters away, the Norse gods Thor, Loki, and Tyr furrowed their brows. They had not expected such powerful warriors in the distant East. Moreover, the aura Shen Chenzi unleashed was filled with rage and ferocity, stirring an involuntary shiver and a flicker of retreat in their hearts.

“Nephew, what are you doing? Stop at once!” shouted the Yunxiao Pavilion master from afar, sensing something wrong. Seeing Shen Chenzi’s wild state, fear gripped his heart.

“Ah—!” Shen Chenzi ignored his uncle’s plea, continuing to radiate overwhelming power. His aura grew stronger and stronger. Though he was only at the early Nascent Soul stage, his power rivaled that of the Great Ascension stage, and it kept rising.

“Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as straw dogs. If immortals are not immortal, then I am willing to become a demon!” Shen Chenzi roared, his face contorted, as the heavenly spiritual energy around him dissipated, replaced by thick black mist.

“What is this?” The sudden change caught the attention of the Norse gods, who all turned to watch Shen Chenzi’s position.

Becoming a demon by self-sacrifice was an extreme emotional outburst. The practitioner harnessed an infernal rage capable of destroying heaven and earth, exchanging their own life for boundless demonic power. For a short time, their strength could multiply tens or even hundreds of times. But once the power faded, death was inevitable. This was akin to a Nascent Soul explosion but lasted longer.

“Boom!” After becoming a demon, Shen Chenzi’s power surged tremendously. Normally, this self-sacrifice spell could enhance strength a hundredfold, yet he pushed it to a thousand times. Could his hatred truly be this intense? Now his power rivaled that of an immortal, matching the Norse gods blow for blow.

Seizing their moment of distraction, he delivered a mighty punch that echoed like thunder. Thor, the god of thunder, was slammed hard and sent flying.

The heavy blow to his chest blackened Thor’s vision, and he was knocked unconscious by Shen Chenzi’s raw strength.