Chapter 423 22: Evil God Followers, a New Identity

The room was spacious and empty.

Beneath his feet was a bluestone floor with no visible seams, as if carved from a single, massive stone.

The walls were pristine white.

The domed ceiling depicted a deep night sky, dotted with countless stars.

Across from him sat Boss Jiao, dressed in white robes and with a three-inch beard. His expression was kind, his voice gentle, and his tone carried an inexplicable confidence, like a sage guiding a lost soul.

"A great disaster is about to befall you."

"And only I can help you."

These two simple sentences were like an invisible shackle, quietly wrapping around Zhu Ju.

"You're the legendary Boss Jiao?"

"I am!"

Boss Jiao was a legend in the criminal underworld of Funeng City.

According to the rumors,

he controlled all sorts of shady businesses and channels, holding the lives of countless bottom-dwellers in his hands.

Even the big shots from the Inner City District sometimes had to act according to his whims.

"I don't understand."

Zhu Ju rubbed his chin.

"How could a bottom-dweller like me possibly catch the eye of a great man such as yourself, Boss Jiao?"

"Heh..." Boss Jiao chuckled lightly.

"A bottom-dweller?"

"I was a bottom-dweller myself. A product of gene incubation, I survived by scavenging trash as a child. I didn't even have a proper name. And yet, I've made it to where I am today, step by step."

He spread his arms wide and said slowly,

"People like us never lack ambition. We only lack an opportunity—an opportunity to reach the heavens."

"Now, my friend,"

"your opportunity has arrived!"

Boss Jiao's voice wasn't rousing, but it held a strange, infectious power that stirred the heart.

"What do you need me to do?"

Zhu Ju narrowed his eyes.

"And what do I get out of it?"

"The Celestial Wealth Commerce Association recently acquired a Curious Object—the Ming King Eye of the legendary Holy King Beast. I need you to help me obtain it," Boss Jiao said with a faint smile.

"And you,"

"will receive the blessing of a god!"

As he spoke,

he pressed a hand down through the air. The deep night sky above them plummeted, and the myriad stars revealed their true forms.

Those stars...

were actually strange, eerie eyes.

Behind Boss Jiao, black smoke roiled as a terrifyingly powerful aura slowly unfurled.

It was like a colossal serpent capable of devouring all things, possessing Boss Jiao to observe Zhu Ju.

Eyes.

An Evil God!

'No wonder the Celestial Wealth Commerce Association was targeted.'

'It seems that 'Ming King Eye' is extremely important to Boss Jiao. That must be why he sought me out.'

"A god's blessing?"

Zhu Ju's thoughts raced as he asked,

"And what if I say 'no'?"

"A very unwise choice." Boss Jiao shook his head.

"However, I sense a different aura about you. It seems there was an error in the investigation into you. For that reason, I can make an exception and give you one more chance."

"No need." Zhu Ju shook his head.

"If you want to do business with me, then let's talk price directly. None of this 'divine blessing' nonsense."

He glanced at the presence behind the man and said,

"I have no interest in worshipping an Evil God."

"Oh?"

Boss Jiao raised an eyebrow, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

"You are very different from the 'Wuh Tian' in the report. But this is a good thing for me. Cooperating with you will make success more certain."

"But you should not have blasphemed a Divine Spirit!"

"Therefore..."

His expression darkened, and he gently pointed a finger forward.

"Die!"

Death Ray!

This was a Secret Technique that combined Martial Arts and Divine Art, using the power of atomic decay to rob a target of its life.

Glory eventually returns to dust; order must yield to entropy.

A jet-black ray flashed past. Zhu Ju's body stiffened, his Physical Body aging and withering at a visible rate. His Divine Soul was pulled by an Invisible Power, plummeting toward endless darkness.

Until...

his Divine Soul was utterly annihilated!

WHOOSH...

A slight breeze swept through.

Zhu Ju's clothes turned to ash and scattered, his sturdy body of flesh and blood instantly reduced to a skeleton.

The skeleton then collapsed into a pile of ashes.

Only a single, dim point of light remained, twinkling in the air.

"Eh?"

Boss Jiao raised an eyebrow slightly.

His Death Ray had always been invincible, capable of disintegrating even vajra diamond into atoms. Thus, whenever he used it, it was nearly impossible for anything to be left behind.

But now,

something unexpected had happened.

Staring at the shimmering object, he muttered to himself,

"Could it be? Was the strange aura on Wuh Tian because of this? What is this thing?"

"A Golden Core," an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

The Golden Core in the center of the room spun. Countless blood vessels and meridians intertwined and appeared, followed by internal organs and a brain, all regenerating at a visible rate. In the blink of an eye, a perfectly intact Zhu Ju reappeared.

"A very powerful Magic."

Zhu Ju flexed his wrist, his eyes showing admiration.

"If you were a true Martial Saint, I really might not have been able to withstand that!"

'Atomic decay is terrifying, but it's ultimately within the realm of physics. I have plenty of ways to deal with that.'

'The key was...'

'that strange will that directly attacked my Divine Soul!'

'That will definitely didn't belong to this Boss Jiao in front of me, or it couldn't possibly have affected my Primordial Spirit.'

'Fortunately, regardless of who that will belonged to, it was channeled through Boss Jiao's Physical Body, so its power had a limit.'

"Who in the world are you?"

Boss Jiao's face was grim. He stretched out a hand, and a gleaming golden Snake Staff appeared in his grasp.

"You are definitely not Wuh Tian!"

"At this point, who I am no longer matters." Zhu Ju raised one hand and then clenched it into a fist.

"Now you take a move from me!"

Innate Qi Grand Capture Hand!

Instantly,

the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathered at an unbelievable speed, forming a giant hand that clenched inward.

BANG!

The very air seemed on the verge of being crushed. Boss Jiao's body shattered like glass into countless pieces.

Seeing this, Zhu Ju showed no hint of triumph. Instead, he frowned slightly and withdrew his attack.

"Gravitational Lens!"

"That's right."

A smug look appeared on Boss Jiao's face.

"This is a top-tier Martial Skill that only a Martial Saint can master. But thanks to the divine blessing, I can use it as well."

"The gravitational distortion can warp space. By hiding in the folds of space, I am immune to all harm!"

"Is that so?" Zhu Ju formed a fist with one hand and punched forward violently.

Uranium Ring Chain Killing Palm!

This was another top-tier Martial Skill of this world, one he had chanced upon in the academy's library.

This Martial Skill allowed a Cultivator's own flesh and blood to undergo a chain reaction, unleashing terrifying power.

BOOM!

The air erupted.

The hard floor and the cannon-proof walls were instantly turned to dust by this single punch.

"Uranium Ring Chain Killing Palm!"

Boss Jiao's face turned pale.

"A Martial Saint!"

'Since when did Funeng City have another Martial Saint? Could he just be passing through? Then why disguise himself as Wuh Tian and hide his identity?'

'I can't figure it out!'

"So what if you're a Martial Saint?"

Gritting his teeth, his face grew cold and grim.

"This is my territory, the abode of a god. Even a Martial Saint can't expect to leave here alive."

Zhu Ju's Fist Force was incredibly terrifying, annihilating everything within a ten-zhang radius, but it couldn't shatter space itself.

Hiding in the folds of space, Boss Jiao was completely unharmed.

Space!

Only the most powerful experts among Golden Core cultivators could master Magic and Divine Techniques related to it.

It was the same in this world.

An ordinary Martial Saint couldn't cultivate Martial Skills involving space either.

"Go!"

Boss Jiao tossed his Snake Staff with one hand. It flew into the air as if alive, circling above his head.

HISS... HISS...

The Golden Snake danced wildly, its tongue flicking. Then, its body coiled up, forming the shape of a vertical eye.

The eyeball stared directly at Zhu Ju.

BOOM!

Space collapsed.

A pitch-black hole abruptly appeared in the middle of the room, devouring everything around it.

Even with Zhu Ju's formidable Physical Body, he didn't think he would emerge unscathed if he fell into it.

At the same time,

the countless eyes in the deep night sky above began to blink frantically, firing off rays of destruction.

ROAR!

A silent, majestic roar echoed throughout the area.

A terrifying entity formed from countless eyes revealed itself, gazing at the two of them from across the void.

"Great Deity, your servant kneels before you."

Boss Jiao's face was solemn as he dropped to his knees and kowtowed piously. The aura around him grew stronger and stronger.

The Evil God!

"The Thousand-Eyed Demon God!"

Zhu Ju's figure flickered, continuously evading the barrage of attacks. The scene before him reminded him of certain records.

Books in the Federation spoke of ten great Evil Gods, some ferocious, some cunning, some sinister and vicious...

The Thousand-Eyed Demon God was one of them.

This Demon God loved to collect all kinds of eyes, especially those of powerful beings. Sacrificing the eyes of others—or one's own—would earn its favor.

SWISH!

Zhu Ju's figure flashed. At his speed, he should have been more than a li away, yet he was still trapped in this room that was neither large nor small.

"It's useless. I've used gravitational distortion to seal this space. You can't get out,"

Boss Jiao said in a muffled voice.

"It's not that Funeng City has no Martial Saints. Do you think they've never thought of killing me, a Divine Messenger?"

"It's not that they don't want to, but that they can't!"

"I may only be a Grand Martial Master, but in here, not even a Martial Saint can do anything to me!"

BOOM!

The gravitational collapse expanded again. The terrifying suction held Zhu Ju firmly in place. His Physical Body even began to distort under the immense Gravity, stretching like a long noodle as it was pulled bit by bit toward the black hole.

"As soon as I obtain the Ming King Eye, I can become a Martial Saint. Then I'll no longer need to be confined here."

Boss Jiao stretched out his arms, as if bowing to the Deity, or perhaps fantasizing about his future life.

"Then, in all of Funeng City..."

"I will be the heavens!"

Just then,

a flash of light flickered in the corner of his eye. His body, under the control of the Power of the Evil God, jerked sharply to the side.

SWISH!

The light flashed past.

A tear appeared in Boss Jiao's white robes.

"How could that be?"

He spun around and looked at the flash of light, only to see it stationary in the air. It was a Longsword.

SWISH!

Zhu Ju's body, which had been stretched out like a noodle, suddenly flickered and reappeared by the doorway.

The gravitational collapse was terrifying, but his Physical Body was not merely flesh and blood; his Soul was integrated into it. This meant that purely physical attacks had limited effect on him.

The same went for even top-tier Martial Skills.

Retreating to the edge of the gravitational collapse, Zhu Ju's expression turned solemn. He formed a sword seal with one hand and pointed from afar.

"Go!"

BOOM!

A clap of thunder echoed.

Sword Qi Thunder Sound!

At extreme speed, the Ten Directions Cross Sword slashed into the void 18,000 times in a single instant.

TCHH...

TCHH-TCHH!

The sound of it tearing through the air was sharp and piercing.

Boss Jiao was hidden within the folds of space. In theory, no matter how fast the Flying Sword was, it shouldn't have been able to affect him.

And yet,

TCHH...

another tear appeared on his white robes.

"How is this possible?"

Boss Jiao took a step back, his face filled with shock.

"Why?"

"A fold in space is not another dimension, after all. Your Physical Body is merely hidden by spatial distortion, not concealed in another world. It's still here," Zhu Ju said, his expression unchanged.

"It's like a piece of paper that has been folded countless times. A word written on it would be hidden among innumerable creases, making it difficult to find, but that doesn't mean it isn't there."

"As long as I'm fast enough—fast enough to cross all the spatial folds in an instant—I can still touch your real body."

"What's more..."

"your Divine Thought fluctuations are so intense, they're like a beacon in the night. It's hard not to notice."

"Found you!"

Sword Qi Thunder Sound!

BOOM!

With a flash of Sword Light, Boss Jiao's body went rigid, and then his head exploded.

With Boss Jiao's death, the Gravity in the room returned to normal.

The door, which had been sealed by the gravitational distortion, was slammed open.

BANG!

Qiann Lan burst into the room with a dozen fully armed people, their eyes immediately falling on the standing Zhu Ju and the headless corpse of Boss Jiao.

"Divine Envoy!"

Qiann Lan cried out in alarm and waved a hand.

"Kill him!"

"Who dares?" Zhu Ju whirled around, unleashing the aura of his Golden Core. A terrifying pressure, like a hurricane and tsunami, swept out in all directions. The faces of the security personnel changed drastically, and their hands, about to pull the triggers, froze in place.

"What are you doing?" Qiann Lan shouted.

"He killed the Divine Envoy, which makes him an enemy of the god! Attack now!"

"Who says killing a Divine Envoy makes one an enemy?" Zhu Ju snorted. The Skin and Flesh on his brow slowly split open, revealing a vertical eye.

"Boss Jiao was disloyal to the god, so I eliminated him. Now, I am the Divine Envoy. This eye is the proof."

Hm?

Qiann Lan's expression froze.