Chapter Thirty-One: Another Encounter

Several days later, Chen Ming once again arrived at the abyssal land tainted by demonic energy, with Lagers and the other two following behind. He looked up, frowning slightly at the rampant demonic aura ahead.

“In just about ten days, has the corrupted area expanded once again?” he thought to himself, then glanced back at the three behind him.

Upon reaching this place, the three wore grave expressions, the confidence born of their recent surge in power quickly fading away. At the same time, a powerful sense of rejection welled up within them, surging endlessly from the divine power and sacred imprints coursing through their bodies. This was the influence of natural divinity; their souls, having been purified again and again by the forces of nature, had grown attuned to it. Now, upon entering this corrupted ground, discomfort overwhelmed them.

“How do you feel?” Chen Ming asked, noting their somber faces and the faint trace of disgust.

“There’s a sorrow rising from the earth itself,” Lagers replied.

“My divine power is severely suppressed here. Fighting under such conditions would greatly diminish my strength,” Bag said, his gaze steady as he sensed the many powerful evil presences ahead.

Kules said nothing, only nodding in agreement.

Chen Ming let out a soft sigh.

“Our foundation is still too fragile,” he mused.

These three were already the strongest force he could muster under his command, all having reached the first rank—not weak by any means. Yet even here, their power was drastically reduced, not to mention the ordinary underworld soldiers who would fare even worse. Still, he said nothing more, merely casting his gaze forward and continuing on in silence. Lagers and the others quickly followed.

Along the way, countless demon beasts appeared, one after another. But since he was not traveling alone this time, Chen Ming did not intervene, leaving the battles to Lagers and the others. Having ascended to the first rank, their divine arts had grown more potent; wielded in succession, these powers quickly cleared a path through their foes.

Pausing and advancing, they soon reached the core region, where even first-rank demon beasts began to appear, their numbers increasing with every step.

Beside him, Chen Ming observed the three. After their fierce battles along the way, their soul power was nearly spent, and they stood gasping for breath, facing off against a lizard-like monster.

Seeing this, Chen Ming waved his hand. A spear of divine energy shot forth, grievously wounding the beast. Bathed in the vibrant force of natural divinity, it was purified to ash. At the same time, a warm light enveloped the three, instantly restoring their strength.

With the blessing of divine power, the three regained their vitality, their souls growing more robust through repeated trials of life and death.

Chen Ming looked above their heads. There, atop faintly red and deep crimson threads of fate, a subtle golden glow of merit settled, silently altering their destinies.

He glanced at himself. A pale golden thread of fate towered above him, shrouded in a brilliant light of merit—several times more abundant than that of Lagers and the others combined.

This, of course, was due to their differing positions. As Chen Ming’s followers, the trio’s power derived from him, so any merit they gained was naturally divided. Moreover, the merit for slaying a first-rank, peak demon beast far exceeded that of lesser beasts. Chen Ming, though he had slain fewer creatures along the way, had taken down many of the strongest, and so his accumulated merit far surpassed theirs.

“Who would have thought, I’ve become a caretaker of sorts…” Chen Ming thought with a wry smile, glancing at his three restored companions.

But this was precisely why he brought them—bound by threads of faith, so long as his divine power endured, he could endlessly revive them.

Just then, Bag seemed to sense something. His long blade gleamed with ghostly light as he swung it toward the distance.

Driven by divine energy, the strike became a torrent of sword aura, dispersing the gathering demonic miasma and striking a hidden creature. A wolf’s howl echoed as a massive demon wolf deflected the blow, only to be sent flying.

Immediately, Chen Ming’s gaze sharpened. His divine core surged, and a blazing sun of divine power rose, illuminating the illusory scene.

In the eyes of Bag and the others, giant demon wolves materialized all around, radiating terror as they fixed cold gazes on Chen Ming’s group.

“Their strength has grown greatly,” Chen Ming thought, recognizing the familiar demon wolves. Each, as large as a bull, had grown even bigger. Nearly half had reached the first rank.

His thoughts drifted to the wolf king of old, and he turned in that direction.

There, a demon wolf as tall as a small mountain stood, its eyes burning with blood-red light and exuding a fearsome aura—it had reached the second rank.

When it saw Chen Ming, a hint of confusion flashed in its lantern-sized eyes, as if it did not recognize him due to his changes.

For a moment, all was still. Then, in the next instant, a demon wolf lunged forward, shattering the calm.

A dozen wolves attacked Lagers and the others, overwhelming them so that they could barely hold on by virtue of their divine arts.

On the other side, Chen Ming also sprang into action. Within him, his divine core radiated infinite brilliance, unleashing a vast divine might that pressed down upon all the wolves nearby.

He waved his hand, and a blazing sun streaked with countless stars crashed down, striking the wolf king at blinding speed.

The wolf king was sent hurtling away, its flesh torn and bloodied. It howled, summoning the surrounding demonic energy, which surged into its wounds, healing them in an instant—though its aura was slightly diminished.

Once restored, the wolf king charged at Chen Ming with astonishing speed. Its claw struck down, only to be blocked by a shield of divine power. Instantly, it spun, unleashing a torrent of black energy thick with shadow elements from its jaws.

Chen Ming hesitated for a moment as a faint sense of danger rose within his true soul. He activated his divine core, vanishing from his spot in an instant.

Boom!

The shadow energy struck the ground, rotting gaping holes into the earth where he had stood.

Seeing its attack miss, the wolf king lowered its head again, gathering shadow energy for another strike.

“You’d best retreat to your den…” a cold voice echoed from above.

In the sky, countless divine spears appeared, merging into one vast whole. The rain of spears descended with overwhelming divine might, covering a vast expanse below.

There was no escape. The wolf king watched the oncoming barrage, howled to the heavens, and summoned a shield of dense demonic energy that fused with its surroundings.

Yet, the shield was shattered by overwhelming divine power. The wolf king was grievously wounded, while most of the ordinary wolves died instantly—only those near the edge survived.

At last, seeing only a handful of its pack left, the wolf king fled without hesitation, leaving behind the mournful cries of its kin.

Chen Ming watched the wolf king’s retreat, standing motionless. With a thought, he dispatched the remaining wolves, then revived his three companions, whose souls had been on the verge of collapse from the battle.

He glanced in the direction the wolf king had fled, following the lingering trail of its aura as he quickly set off in pursuit.