Deep within the temple was a massive pool.
In the center of the pool, the godhead floated within a giant seashell. It was completely translucent, its heart-shaped contour flawless.
However, the godhead was wrapped in a surge of pitch-black energy.
A sea turtle lay prostrate in the pool. The pitch-black energy spread from its body like tentacles, wrapping around the godhead and draining its power bit by bit.
Ning Busan stared intently at the godhead inside the seashell, his voice as cold as shards of ice. “You really are stealing the power of the godhead.”
“The Sea God has already fallen. Naturally, the godhead belongs to whoever has the ability to take it.” The sea turtle's gaze suddenly turned sinister.
A sphere of pitch-black water coalesced beside it and shot forward with a whistle.
Ning Busan quickly dodged. The water sphere grazed past his shoulder and struck a stone pillar behind him. The pillar was instantly corroded, leaving a large hole that emitted pungent white smoke.
Ning Busan's pupils contracted sharply.
With the power of the godhead, it was actually this powerful?
“I didn't just steal the godhead; I also stole the faith of countless sea monsters over the past ten thousand years,” the sea turtle said with a sinister grin. “Just give me a little more time, and I will completely replace Siren to become the new Sea God!”
“Anyone who tries to stop me must die—”
More water spheres continuously coalesced beside the sea turtle, determined to put Ning Busan to death.
Ning Busan's figure moved like a phantom, his actions so fast that they were almost impossible for the turtle to track.
“You think you can dodge like this?” The sea turtle sneered. The speed at which the water spheres coalesced became faster and faster, almost forming a black curtain of water that pressed down toward Ning Busan, blotting out the sky.
A cold sweat broke out on Ning Busan's brow, but his eyes burned like torches as he stared at the godhead inside the seashell.
As long as he seized the godhead, the sea turtle's power would be greatly reduced.
Just as the water curtain was about to crash down, Ning Busan leaped suddenly, his body charging toward the sea turtle like an arrow released from a bow.
A blazing light force coalesced in his left hand, while a deep dark force wrapped around his right.
The two forces converged in his palms. Light-and-dark interwoven patterns surfaced on the Jinge Sword, crackling with electrical sparks.
The sea turtle's laughter stopped abruptly. “Why can you control the powers of Heaven and Hell?”
Ning Busan gripped the Jinge Sword with both hands and stabbed toward the sea turtle's shell.
However, hideous pitch-black patterns surfaced on the turtle's shell.
Ning Busan was blown back by the recoil.
Using the momentum of the impact, Ning Busan successfully reached the side of the floating seashell in the center of the pool, his right hand quickly reaching out for the godhead.
However, before he could even touch the godhead, he felt a powerful backlash, as if an invisible hand were dragging at his soul.
The sea turtle watched coldly. “Courting death!”
Even he could only slowly steal the godhead's power using a secret art. This jiaoren pup actually dared to touch the godhead directly with his hand—was he not just asking to die?
Ning Busan grit his teeth and forcefully suppressed the backlash, his fingers clamping onto the godhead like iron pincers.
The sea turtle panicked. “How is this possible?”
Ning Busan let out a low growl and exerted his strength, actually tearing the godhead out of the seashell by force.
The sea turtle let out a shrill scream. Its power felt as if it had been completely drained, and its massive body tottered unsteadily.
Ning Busan landed steadily. The godhead in his hand seemed to sense something; its blue light suddenly flared, turning into a stream of light that wrapped around Ning Busan's arm and rapidly spread throughout his entire body.
Ning Busan felt an unprecedented power flowing through his body, as if the entire deep sea was under his control.
“This is...” The sea turtle's expression suddenly turned to sheer terror. “Impossible! You are clearly just an ordinary jiaoren!”
“He is already dead! He is already dead! You only look somewhat similar to him! You cannot be him!”
With a gentle wave of Ning Busan's hand, the surrounding seawater obeyed his command, forming water tornadoes that swirled around him.
Ning Busan stared straight at the sea turtle ahead and sneered.
“No, this is impossible!” The sea turtle's voice began to tremble. As he retreated, he muttered, “You cannot be him!”
He wanted to flee, only to find his limbs bound by the seawater, leaving him unable to move.
The sea turtle kowtowed frantically, his head thudding against the ground. “Master! I was wrong! I know I was wrong!”
“You had me guard this place and wait for your return, but I waited for far too long. I didn't want to be trapped here for the rest of my life, which is why I harbored wicked thoughts.”
“I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have coveted the godhead you left behind! Please, spare me!”
Ning Busan said coldly, “You already had a trace of divine power blessing you, which was why you were able to steal the godhead's power.”
“With your lifespan, living for tens of thousands of years is not a problem. Whether you truly didn't want to be trapped here or simply became greedy, you know the answer in your own heart.”
“What isn't yours will never be yours. It is time to return the stolen power.”
Ning Busan raised his hand, and the water tornadoes obeyed his call, attacking the sea turtle in unison.
The water tornadoes pierced through the sea turtle's body. The sea turtle collapsed to the ground, letting out a shrill scream.
“No...” The sea turtle stretched out a withered hand, wanting to grab onto something, but could only grasp empty air.
His eyes lost their luster.
Ning Busan did not hesitate long before storing away the sea turtle's corpse.
This turtle shell was so hard; it would be a pity to throw it away.
Besides, a turtle that had lived for ten thousand years should be highly nourishing if made into turtle soup!
Just as Ning Busan was planning to leave the temple of Atlantis, the godhead emitted a brilliant light, enveloping him.
Ning Busan's consciousness was pulled by something. The scene before his eyes suddenly blurred, and he fell into an endless deep blue.
As soon as Ning Busan opened his eyes, a face was right in front of his.
And it was a face identical to his own.
Ning Busan was startled. “Are you crazy?”
Why get so close?
Siren stared at Ning Busan and said softly, “I have waited ten thousand years, and finally, you are here.”
Ning Busan's heart tightened.
“You're not still alive, are you?”
“No, I am not.”
“That's great.”
Siren: “...”
Ning Busan had almost killed the conversation.
Siren said, “I knew long ago that you would come, so I specifically left behind a trace of consciousness. Conversing within my godhead allows us to avoid the gaze of the God of Light.”
Ning Busan's expression grew serious. “What do you want to tell me that requires avoiding the God of Light?”
Siren asked, “Have you heard of the Silver-Crowned God?”
Ning Busan shook his head.
How did another god pop up?
Siren said, “We call the Creator the Silver-Crowned God; this world was created by Him. But one day, He suddenly fell, His godhead shattered into fragments, and His authority vanished without a trace.”
“Since His fall, xenos began to appear on the Landia Continent. To fend off the crisis of the xenos, the Creator's godhead fragments entered the mortal realm one after another.”
“It was only after I became a demigod that I faintly realized the truth: I, too, am one of those godhead fragments.”
Ning Busan came to a sudden realization.
No wonder the Book of Sages said the method to become a god was hidden within the cards. It turned out that the seven cards in his hands corresponded to the seven godhead fragments.
“What about me then?” Ning Busan let his imagination run wild. “Could I be the reincarnation of the Silver-Crowned God?”
Siren showed a look of pity. “No, you are merely a vessel. Only someone from another world can become a vessel for the godhead.”
Ning Busan really felt like saying “thanks a lot.”
To put it nicely, he was a vessel; to put it bluntly, wasn't he just cannon fodder?
Of course, Ning Busan was not someone who resigned himself to fate easily.
Ning Busan asked, “You didn't leave a trace of consciousness behind just to make me face reality and obediently be a vessel, did you?”
“Of course not,” Siren said. “I want to tell you about the plot of the God of Light.”
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