Chapter 28: The Divinity of Nature

In a harsh and hostile swamp, decayed magical energy pervaded the air.

Standing amidst it all, Chen Ming gazed at the monster before him, whose divine soul had just been erased, momentarily stunned. “As expected, life born in this place possesses bodies of extraordinary strength, yet their souls are so fragile…” he murmured, watching the beast whose flesh alone remained.

He then turned, facing forward. “This is a critical threshold. If I proceed any further, the dangers ahead will be far greater than before.”

He looked ahead, pondering silently. The journey thus far had been far from smooth. Along the way, countless ordinary creatures had been corrupted by the magical energy, transformed into demonic beings. The deeper he ventured, the more saturated the air became with this corruption, and the stronger those creatures grew. Now, even first-tier demonic beasts had appeared.

And this was only the outskirts. Should he venture further, he would truly enter the core region, where the perils would be even more severe.

He surveyed his surroundings, watching as dense magical energy surged and ceaselessly assaulted his body, only to be repelled by the divine power shrouding his soul. Here, the consumption of divine power was at least ten times greater than in the outside world.

He furrowed his brow, hesitated briefly, then strode forward, stepping into the heart of the region.

After only a few steps, he sensed that the world here had become utterly different from outside. The magical energy was so intense it could be seen by ordinary mortals.

Within him, his divine core quietly spun, emitting a steady stream of divine power to resist the external erosion. Chen Ming sensed the consumption was several times greater than before, and only intensified as he advanced.

He looked around—the scene was strange. Where once there had been swamp, now stretched scorched, sweltering land, as if he had entered the depths of the legendary abyssal hell.

Without pausing to reflect, he pressed forward. Each step brought tremendous resistance, as if the very world sought to repel and weaken him, pushing him into an alien domain.

At the same time, a profound sense of aversion welled up from the forces of nature themselves.

He halted, and with his divine core’s senses, all before him was revealed without concealment.

Ahead lay a region of darkness. Countless eyes snapped open in the gloom, their blood-red gaze filled with madness and brutality. Upon seeing Chen Ming, they surged forth as if they had encountered the ultimate delicacy.

They were a horde of enormous rats, each as big as a lamb, their skin covered in scales and spikes, radiating a powerful abyssal aura.

Though these demonic rats were individually weak—lesser even than apprentices—their numbers were vast. Among them were robust first-tier demon rats and even rat kings, emerging from underground in a tide that seemed endless, carrying a heavy stench of blood, a scene horrifying enough to cause fainting.

A subtle sense of danger stirred within his true spirit, startling Chen Ming.

Feeling this, Chen Ming hesitated no longer. His divine core trembled violently, as if sensing the threat, gathering all its power with unprecedented speed.

Above his head, a sun slowly rose, tinged with pale green and streaked with blood-red, its overwhelming aura enveloping the land.

As if something deep within had been awakened, a sudden insight flashed through Chen Ming’s mind. Within his divine core, a vast surge of natural divinity roiled, condensing along some hidden trace into an ethereal imprint of a divine core.

This imprint was incomplete, missing a large portion, only a small part faintly solidified. Yet it radiated a profound and magnificent mystery of the workings of the world—any ordinary mortal who glanced upon it would instantly comprehend the heart of nature and wield its power.

This was the divine core of nature, forged from condensed and exalted natural divinity, rendered somewhat illusory due to the scarcity of divinity.

Once this divine core took shape, the previously rampaging divine power immediately changed course, flooding into the natural divine core.

With its influx, a powerful aura surged from Chen Ming’s body.

Immediately, the demonic rats howled in terror, sensing an overwhelming pressure. Their bodies detonated, the air thick with blood mist.

In the distance, as if sensing something, a massive demon rat screeched, fear flashing in its eyes. Instantly, all the rats turned and fled the way they had come.

“Is this… a divine core?”

Feeling the broken, illusory divine core inside him, Chen Ming understood.

At first, though he had achieved enlightenment and, with the aid of an intact divine core and centuries of devotion from a tribe, ascended to divinity, he had not truly forged the corresponding divine core. Thus, he could only passively wield divine power, unable to fully utilize a god’s strength.

It was only now, in this realm ravaged by magical energy, that his natural divinity had become intensely active under pressure, and, catalyzed by crisis, finally condensed into a divine core.

Though his thoughts raced, it had only taken a moment.

Chen Ming looked at the dense masses of demonic beasts before him, and within, the newly forged natural divine core gleamed.

Above him, the blazing sun suddenly expanded, radiating the vitality of creation, exploding forward and enveloping the land with immense power.

Before him, vast regions were purified, countless hidden demonic beasts howling and fleeing, only to be caught by the power and reduced to ash.

A rich vitality, carrying the essence of fresh grass and wood, gathered here, coloring the once barren, blood-red earth with patches of green.

Chen Ming looked down, seeing blades of grass dotting the ground. A gentle breeze stirred, making the grass sway as if expressing joy.

Faint power flowed into the natural divine core, and—whether illusion or not—the formerly ethereal core seemed to solidify a little.

Sensing the emotions of the surrounding flora, Chen Ming pondered, then gazed into the distance.

Far ahead, several meters away, the magical energy dispersed by divine power once again gathered, sweeping over the land and re-polluting it to its former state.

Blades of grass were corroded, crumbling to dust and ash, a wave of sorrow washing over his heart.

Feeling this, Chen Ming remained motionless, quietly contemplating.

Within him, the natural divine core trembled gently, its contained divinity slowly gathering with his insight, seeming to grow longer.

“Alas…”

Chen Ming shook his head, gazing helplessly at the surrounding earth once again tainted by abyssal energy, then looked toward the depths ahead.

With the forging of his natural divine core, his previously blurred vision finally grew clear, and through nature’s senses, he surveyed the land.

Now, he could sense that the entire earth was shrouded in a powerful, evil aura—malignant and strong, carrying traces of decay and ruination.

At its essence, it was no weaker than himself, tinged with a hint of immortality, continuously spreading outward.

Deeper within, several veils of mist hid powerful presences, which, under nature’s perception, shone like torches in the darkness, already reaching the second tier.

And in the depths of the abyssal realm, the enemy was at home. With magical energy bolstering them, their power would be even more terrifying.

He looked back, then waved his hand, erasing all traces left behind. Suppressing the intense aversion flowing from the natural divine core, he walked on without hesitation.