The Lord of Heaven stood with his hands behind his back, slowly ascending through the air. With every step, several feathers of light fell behind him, supporting his body.
Upon reaching the same height as the Mother of Hell, their gazes met, as if they were confirming something.
A long silence followed. Even as the blood claws entangled with the Martial Dao Lords were nearly shattered, he finally spoke a single sentence.
“Hell, are you still yourself?”
Meanwhile, under Li Taiji's cover, the Extreme Martial Dao Lord had finished gathering his strength. With a single punch, he completely obliterated the remaining blood claws.
Everyone turned their gaze toward the Mother of Hell.
The Mother of Hell raised her right hand, bringing it before her face to examine her five fingers closely.
“Am I still myself? Heh, Heaven, you’ve played the holy man for so long that your words have become convoluted.”
“You think I am not myself? Then are you still the same Heaven from back then?”
“The ritual is not yet complete; no one shall find peace! Not me, and not any other living being!”
As she spoke, the Mother of Hell fell back into madness. She pointed a finger at the Lord of Heaven and roared.
“You of Heaven cannot, those martial artists cannot, the undead cannot—none of you can! Why is it that my world alone must bear this madness? Why!”
As her words fell, magma erupted from cracks in the earth, and the sky turned a murky blood-red, infected by her will.
The massive Flesh Throne attached itself to the Mother of Hell’s body. It was unclear whether this was a Dao artifact she had refined or if it was simply a part of her very being.
As the throne merged into her body, her flesh began to proliferate. The elegant queen vanished, replaced by a demon ten thousand meters tall.
She seemed to be a combination of all demons; one could see the traits of every demonic species within her twisted form.
The Lord of Heaven frowned. He reached out, and holy light surged from his body, condensing into a magnificent greatsword.
“This form of yours is truly hideous, Hell.”
In the next instant, the Lord of Heaven transformed into a streak of light, appearing before the Mother of Hell. A crescent moon of holy light splashed out, carving a gruesome sword mark across her chest.
Her flesh stood no chance against the holy light, melting away like snow under the sun as the radiation scoured her body.
However, after that one strike, the Lord of Heaven stopped. He did not press his advantage or continue his assault; instead, he looked into the Mother of Hell’s eyes.
Those eyes, which had scrutinized the souls of trillions of followers, sought to discern the truth within her.
After being wounded by the Lord of Heaven, the Mother of Hell seemed to fall into a trance. She allowed the holy light to burn and spread across her chest without using hellfire to resist, even letting out a low moan.
“Ugh... lovely holy light.”
A flicker of clarity crossed the Mother of Hell’s eyes, but it was quickly reclaimed by madness.
Hellfire erupted from her chest, dispelling the holy light and covering her entire body. The sword mark was wiped away, and the flesh on her chest healed in an instant.
The Mother of Hell looked down and roared at the Lord of Heaven once more.
“Hmph! Hateful holy light! Disgusting holy light!”
She twisted her body, swinging her spiked tail at the Lord of Heaven.
The Lord of Heaven blocked with his sword but was still sent flying. While mid-air, he unleashed a Cross Slash, carving a holy light cross onto her chest.
The cross sizzled against her torso, but it was soon consumed by hellfire.
The other Dao Lords swarmed forward, attacking the Mother of Hell simultaneously.
Wings of light unfurled behind the Lord of Heaven as he stabilized himself. He drew a circle with his holy sword, sketching the outline of Heaven's Gate in the air behind him.
Before the gate even opened, the sound of chanting could be heard from within.
The Lord of Heaven swung his sword from head to toe, and Heaven's Gate swung open.
The holy light pouring from the gate enveloped the Mother of Hell, continuously washing away the hellfire on her body.
Meanwhile, 'Chen Xu' took advantage of the distraction while the Lord of Heaven and the Martial Dao Lords were besieging the Mother of Hell. He quietly opened a spatial gate and retrieved the Truth Monocle passed to him from the other side.
'Chen Xu' put on the monocle and scanned the world. The first piece of information he received made his eyes widen.
【Corrupted Giant World: A massive world forcibly merged by a supreme power. The foundation of the world has been corrupted by blood demons. Blood demons are special creations of the Ruler of Hell... The fate of this world is not only corrupted but also intertwined with martial providence. The two are inextricably linked. Generally, such ethereal connections of providence have no consequences, but if a ritual is involved, the possibilities are unexpected.】
Corruption, martial arts, and intertwined fates—in simpler terms, a deep causality had been established.
This meant the Mother of Hell’s previous provocation of the martial artists and the Dao Lords wasn't just to corrupt some mid-to-low-level fighters, but for a much higher objective.
She wanted to establish causality with martial artists and the path of martial arts.
But why? Her ritual was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.
Next, 'Chen Xu' looked at the Mother of Hell. Perhaps due to the hellfire or her high station, the monocle didn't generate information immediately, showing a rotating semicircle instead.
The delay made 'Chen Xu' incredibly anxious.
Furthermore, the Mother of Hell sensed his gaze. Even while fighting, she diverted her attention to summon five more blood claws near 'Chen Xu'.
Prepared this time, 'Chen Xu' released a Flesh Curse of the Life-Essence branch. The five claws instantly swelled and ballooned, their skin bursting as they grew meat uncontrollably.
Before the blood claws could attack, they turned into a mountain of flesh under the uncontrolled proliferation, tangling together and becoming immobile.
Just then, the analysis was completed. 'Chen Xu' acted decisively, opening a spatial gate and tossing the monocle through so his main body back in the Undead Dao Court could check the data.
Chen Xu caught the monocle and reviewed the information gathered from the Mother of Hell.
【Mother of Hell: One of the special worlds, the world consciousness itself, the Ruler of Hell. Note: Target is extremely dangerous, has destroyed countless worlds, has a flawed soul, and is likely insane. Approaching with fewer than ten Dao Lords is not recommended. Comparison with previous data shows: 1. Sanity is near zero; communication may be impossible. 2. Soul has visible cracks and 5 holes. (Highlighted) Warning: Target has detected your gaze. Evade immediately!!! Warning: Target has detected your gaze. Evade immediately!!! Warning: Target has detected your gaze. Evade immediately!!!】
Chen Xu was first left speechless by the three repeated warnings at the end.
If you're going to send a warning, could you prioritize the notification? What kind of warning is sent only after the results are out? If he hadn't had a few tricks up his sleeve, he would have been played like a ball by the Mother of Hell again.
Then, the second point of the analysis caught his attention.
The Mother of Hell’s soul actually had visible cracks. That was a soul—the most critical component of any living being.
A powerhouse at the peak of the myriad worlds actually had a problem with her soul.
But Chen Xu didn't focus on that. He was more interested in what followed: besides the cracks, there were five holes in her soul.
The number five struck his mind like a bolt of lightning. He felt he had finally caught a glimpse of the Mother of Hell's true purpose.
Five was a common number—Yin-Yang and the Five Elements were the foundations of a world.
But for Chen Xu, that five needed to be added to one, representing the six special worlds: Heaven, the Land of the Undead, the Sea of Spirit, the Elemental Spirit Realm, the Blank Zone, and Hell.
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