Chapter 144 - 143: Memory Fragments

Chapter 144: Chapter 143: Memory Fragments

’What the hell? I didn’t mean to activate it!’

The incident happened so suddenly that Li Ye had no time to react.

He tried to put down the Angel’s Heart fragment, but it was as if it were glued to his hand; he couldn’t shake it off no matter what he did.

"Li Ye, get it off! This thing is trying to suppress me," Lord Ling’s cursing voice echoed in Li Ye’s mind. "Fuck, what is this piece of trash? It dares to try and suppress me?"

’So, was it provoked by the Demon Qi?’

Since it was provoked by the Demon Qi, Li Ye reached out with his other hand, intending to separate the Angel’s Heart from Lord Ling.

The moment his hand touched the Angel’s Heart...

A power completely different from Demon Qi and Spiritual Power surged out of the Angel’s Heart, flowing through his palm and into his body.

Barging in at the same time was Lord Ling’s Demon Qi.

The two powers intertwined, turning his body into a battlefield as they collided with and devoured one another...

Li Ye tried to mobilize his Spiritual Power to resist the two forces.

But when his Spiritual Power met these two forces, it was like snow and ice meeting a red-hot branding iron, melting away in an instant.

"You little punk, still not giving up? If you were a living being, maybe I’d actually be suppressed. But you’re just a fragment, what’s there to be so cocky about?" Lord Ling was furious. "Li Ye, I just recovered some of my memories. Let’s try and see if we can refine this thing..."

The Divine Power had originally been aimed at Li Ye’s Sea of Consciousness, but just as it was about to surge into his head, Lord Ling’s Demon Qi forcibly wrapped around it, diverting its course and shoving it into his meridians.

"Li ye, circulate your Cultivation Technique! I’ll help you refine it," Lord Ling shouted. "The quality of this Divine Power is way better than your Spiritual Power. It’d be a waste not to take it."

The moment the Divine Power surged into his body, Li Ye felt as if his meridians were about to burst.

Furthermore, the instant the Divine Power touched his Sea of Consciousness, a scene suddenly flashed through his mind:

A six-winged archangel, holding a Holy Sword aloft, slashed down at a giant wolf larger than a mountain range.

Beneath the giant wolf’s feet lay a devastated landscape and humans fleeing in all directions. Compared to the colossal wolf, the humans were as small and weak as ants.

Fighting alongside the six-winged Angel were many other Angels.

They too wielded Holy Swords, and the light from their blades could slice through mountains and rivers, yet it couldn’t even break through the giant wolf’s fur...

The vision flickered for only a moment before disappearing. That was precisely when Lord Ling had twisted the Divine Power and redirected it into his meridians.

’Damn it!’

’This damn Angel’s Heart is trying to possess my body and reincarnate!’

In that instant, Li Ye understood the Angel’s Heart’s true purpose.

’As expected, none of these Immortal Gods from the Ancient Era are easy to deal with. Dead for ten thousand years, and it still wants to be revived?’

The Mage, Field, who was blown apart by the Divine Power, must have been unable to withstand its might. Otherwise, Michael would have already reappeared in the Mortal World.

’My own body, on the other hand, has been refined to the extreme by Demon Qi, allowing me to barely withstand the violent Divine Power. It’s a good thing Lord Ling has accumulated enough Demon Qi to overpower the Divine Power from the Angel’s Heart...’

Thinking of this, how could Li Ye dare to delay?

He quickly sat down cross-legged and guided the Divine Power, which Lord Ling had suppressed, into his Dantian.

Lord Ling’s work was impeccable. He not only stopped the Divine Power from invading Li Ye’s Divine Sense but also thoughtfully protected Li Ye’s meridians while guiding the energy through them, not even interfering with the circulation of Li Ye’s own Spiritual Power...

The Divine Power circulated once through Li Ye’s meridians, and as if filtered, it quieted down upon entering his Dantian. It pushed his Nascent Soul to one side, forcibly occupying half the space within his Dantian.

Within this new territory, it gradually coalesced into the shape of a sphere.

The sphere was initially just an illusory image, but as more and more Divine Power flowed in, it gradually solidified.

As the sphere solidified, the Magic Elements that Li Ye had previously forced into a virtual space all rushed toward it. They sorted themselves according to their different Attributes and transformed into various symbols, engraving themselves upon the sphere’s surface...

...

The moment the Angel’s Heart fragment lit up...

Angus and the others were scared out of their wits. When Field was blown to bits by the Angel’s Heart, his situation had looked exactly like Li Ye’s.

If the Divine Power were to explode, Cedar City might survive, but they would be finished for sure.

The three of them resignedly prepared for death.

For a fleeting moment, they all regretted bringing Aragon here. He was just as impulsive as the rumors said...

But a moment later, not only did the expected explosion fail to occur, but they also saw the fleeting phantom of an Angel appear behind Li Ye.

Then, Aragon sat down cross-legged, and his entire body was enveloped by the light of the Angel’s Heart, becoming a sphere of light that blocked their vision...

"I think I just saw an Angel," Angus said uncertainly.

"I saw it too," Grom said, his expression fervent. "Aragon truly is the Savior of Ounide. Without him, I fear no one in our world could have withstood the power of the Angel’s Heart."

"Heaven protect Ounide."

The Elf Queen gazed at Aragon within the sphere of light and piously knelt.

Seeing this, Angus and Grom also knelt on one knee, waiting for Li Ye to awaken as if they were pilgrims awaiting a holy sight.

...

They waited like that for two hours.

When Li Ye opened his eyes again, the Angel’s Heart fragment in his hand had vanished, and his face had taken on a subtle, sacred air.

Li Ye looked inward. His Dantian was now precisely divided in two: one half held his Nascent Soul, while the other held a Divine Format that shimmered with a soft glow.

The Spiritual Power and Divine Power were clearly demarcated, forming the shape of a Taiji Diagram that slowly rotated within his Dantian.

In his previous world, after reaching the peak of the Harmonization Realm, the growth of his Body Attributes had stagnated. Even after arriving in this world, no matter how much Lord Ling’s Demon Qi increased, it couldn’t help him improve his physical constitution.

But after absorbing the Angel’s Heart fragment, his body seemed to have begun a new round of evolution.

Previously, he had to store Magic Elements in a virtual space, which had a limited capacity and required him to constantly replenish the elements he used.

Now, the Magic Elements were flowing into the Divine Format on their own.

Moreover, without him needing to actively absorb them, the Magic Elements would automatically enter his body to help the Divine Format grow stronger.

Before, for Li Ye to create a Fireball, he had to wait for the Magic Elements to gather, then trigger an external Elemental Resonance to gradually make the Fireball larger.

Now, by mobilizing his Divine Power, he could create a massive Fireball in an instant.

He didn’t need Elemental Resonance; he could directly command the elements themselves.

Li Ye’s Divine Sense had nearly doubled in range, now capable of enveloping the entirety of Cedar City. As long as he wished, he could cast Magic anywhere within the range of his Divine Sense...

In a way, an attack using his Divine Format already surpassed the destructive power of a cultivator at the peak of the Harmonization Realm.

After all, a peak Harmonization Realm cultivator still needed to use their own Spiritual Power to control a Magical Treasure. But he could now directly command the Magic Elements within his Divine Sense’s range, which was equivalent to directly borrowing the Power of Heaven and Earth.

’Is this the power of a Divine Spirit?’

’No. I’m still a long way from wielding the power of a true Divine Spirit.’

He had to remember that what he’d absorbed was merely a Divine Fragment from Michael after his fall—one-seventh of a Divine Fragment, at that, which had been dissipating for ten thousand years.

In the vision Li Ye had seen, Michael’s enemy was a colossal Demon Wolf that seemed to prop up the heavens.

’According to the legends, when Fenrir opened its mouth, its jaws could touch both heaven and earth. The one fighting all those Angels... that must have been the Demon Wolf Fenrir!’

Li Ye clearly remembered Fenrir’s eyes.

They were bloodthirsty and frenzied, without a shred of emotion. That gaze alone felt like it could tear his soul apart.

In its eyes, the Angels swarming it looked like nothing more than flies.

Sigh...

’What kind of battle did the Immortal Gods of the Ancient Era actually go through?’

’Why did that cataclysm affect all the Divine Spirits of both the East and the West?’

’And behind that cataclysm... was it really the master of the Demon Suppression Tower suppressing Demon Qi?’

"I’m exhausted! Li Ye, you owe me big time," Lord Ling’s voice once again echoed in Li Ye’s mind, interrupting his thoughts. "To help you suppress that Divine Power, I’ve used up almost all the Demon Qi I’ve accumulated these past few days. You’d better help me get it back..."

After waking, Li Ye remained silent for a long while. Angus carefully broke the silence, asking, "Your Eminence, are you all right?"

"I’m fine." Li Ye smiled faintly. He sighed, looked at the box that had held the Angel’s Heart, and said, "I finally understand my master’s intentions."

"What is it?" Angus asked.

"Perhaps he wanted me to use the Angel’s Heart to cross the boundary between Mortals and Divine Spirits, to become a Divine Spirit just like him," Li Ye said with a melancholic air. "I never intended to absorb the Angel’s Heart, but the moment the Purifying Cloth touched it, the Divine Power contained within was activated."

GULP!

The sound of someone swallowing hard echoed in the treasury.

The three monarchs looked at Li Ye, their envy palpable. To help one’s own disciple become a Divine Spirit... why hadn’t they ever met such a good master?

Li Ye looked at the three of them.

Angus snapped back to his senses and asked awkwardly, "Your Eminence, you have a fine master. So, have you become an Angel now?"

"Not yet." Li Ye shook his head. "While absorbing the Angel’s Heart, I saw some visions. The Skeleton Monarch is even more powerful than I imagined. My current strength is not enough to defeat him.

I must absorb all the Angel’s Heart fragments to defeat him. Only by defeating him can the Divine Power fully merge with me, allowing me to become a true Divine Spirit..."

’In truth, the Divine Format has already been formed after absorbing the Angel Fragment. The other Angel Fragments would simply serve to replenish the Divine Format’s Divine Power!’

’But who would ever complain about being too strong?’

’Especially after seeing the scenes from Michael’s memories. Those beings were too powerful, so powerful that it made him uneasy...’

...

There is no love without reason, nor is there hate without cause.

Relying purely on noble sentiments to keep Aragon in check was always unsettling. After all, they and Aragon were from two different worlds...

But if Gandalf had sent his beloved disciple here for the sake of the Angel’s Heart...

...then everything would make perfect sense!

Self-interest was the greatest motivator!

Angus quickly declared, "Your Eminence, please rest assured, we will do everything in our power to help you find the remaining Angel’s Heart fragments. After all, besides you, no one in this world can withstand the power of the Divine Format. We also hope you will become a Divine Spirit soon and help us expel the Skeleton Monarch."

"Mm, I’ll be counting on you." Li Ye stood up, nodded, and added, "Also, do not let word of me absorbing the Divine Power from the Angel’s Heart get out.

My very existence already poses a threat to the Skeleton Monarch.

If he finds out about this, he will do everything he can to stop me from finding the Angel’s Heart, or he might try to eliminate me before I’ve fully grown in power."

’Demon Qi can suppress the Divine Power of the Angel’s Heart.’

’If Lord Ling can do it, so can the Skeleton Monarch.’

’Power is just power; it has no concept of good or evil.’

There was no rule saying a skeleton couldn’t form a Divine Format, and Li Ye absolutely did not want the remaining Angel’s Heart fragments to be absorbed by the Skeleton Monarch.

’But the Skeleton Monarch has been in this world for over four years. It’s possible he has already found and absorbed some of the Angel’s Heart fragments. Plus, the territory under his control is so vast...’

’Perhaps my only advantage is that the Skeleton Monarch doesn’t have pure maidens helping him search for the fragments!’

’But the condition that the fragments must be found by pure maidens sounded a bit ridiculous no matter how you looked at it. Li Ye had to prepare for the worst and snatch as many fragments as he could in the limited time he had!’