Chapter 418: Assault on the Divine Country
In the Yinxing Domain's Qiaochuan Great Forest, a sea of towering emerald-green trees stretches endlessly as far as the eye can see.
A massive palace stands imposingly at the center of the forest, nestled among the mountain ranges.
Inside the palace, perched atop the highest pedestal, a stone statue sits in silent majesty.
As the Three Gods of Hunting fell, the Wolf God's body, kneeling on the ground, began to crack, its surface splitting into thin fractures that spread and eventually shattered into tiny fragments scattered across the floor.
The Eagle God's stone statue, maintaining its pose with wings spread and poised for flight, promptly followed suit, crumbling apart afterwards.
Behind them, the Bear God, its fists pounding against its chest, broke from the center of its forehead. The jagged fissure extended from the top of its head all the way down its body, finally splitting with a resounding crash into two halves.
The vast temple fell into a heavy silence, lingering for an eternity.
The statue of the God of Hunting remained seated atop the supreme divine altar, its gaze tranquil, peering distantly into the far horizon.
Boom~
Outside the palace, the forest erupted into a blazing inferno without warning.
Ancient trees awakened, morphing into anguished Treemen, howling amid the searing flames.
"O Great One, there are intruders," a voice pleaded.
"Great God, we beseech your awakening. Punish all enemies who dare trespass."
Figures flailed wildly as they evaded the raging fire, dashing into the palace. Some fell to their knees in fervent prayers; others quaked with overwhelming terror.
As the flames began to lick the edges of the temple, the eyes of the God of Hunting's statue glowed crimson.
The Divine Son was slain, His subordinate gods from countless years extinguished. Now they dared to storm the gates of His Hunting Temple.
This was nothing short of dragging His face through the dirt and stomping it underfoot.
When He reawakens, the first would be retribution against this audacious offender.
For now, only gods with faint remnants of Divine Power could break through the constraints and stir. But to act efficiently at His own level of moderate divine strength would require sacrificial offerings akin to the God of Eternal Night's—sacrificing divine country followers to momentarily shatter suppression and act freely.
But such reckless tactics are not fit for a wise hunter.
A clever hunter always captures its prey with maximum gain while minimizing the risk of being bitten back in turn.
Even if the prey prances openly before Him, it could very well be a trap.
Boom!
The palace heavens were suddenly rent asunder. A colossal hand breached the roof of the grand hall, tearing it open as swaths of sunlight spilled overhead, draping the statue in light. Its shadowed face was faintly tilted downward.
"You tortoise, your patience knows no bounds. Perhaps you ought to be called the God of Turtles instead," a mocking voice rang above.
Above the heavens, Sìxiàng smirked slightly, gazing down upon the statue of the God of Hunting.
With a steady hand descending, it attempted to press upon the statue's pinnacle. A ripple, faintly perceptible as though a stone fell gently into a pond—waves expanded outward.
In an instant, world spun into disarray!
The interior of the temple transformed entirely into another domain!
"So this temple is nothing more than a guise for your earthly divine country? I must admit, an impressive trick—it even managed to deceive me," Sìxiàng murmured leisurely, scanning the surroundings.
The new realm underwent a dramatic upheaval, the heavens and earth overturned!
Suddenly, it felt as though one were standing amidst a Sky Island, surrounded by cold, piercing winds.
Beneath them lay vast swaths of fragmented terrain—oceans cleaved apart by scattered islands, each uniquely shaped and diverse in geography.
In the skies, in the seas, and across the varying islands, prowling monsters appeared everywhere. This realm resembled nothing less than a paradise for beasts.
"Welcome to my hunting ground, prey," a somber voice spoke from behind.
Sìxiàng turned around sharply, eyes tracking the figure of a robust man cloaked in a Beast Robe, his muscular frame imposing, a Hunting Bow and Steel Fork in hand, dense whiskers cascading from his face, all while locking onto Sìxiàng with predatory intent.
The moment Sìxiàng turned, the man's tiger-like pupils narrowed to slits. His bloodthirsty maw fringed with bristling whiskers widened, exhaling sweltering heat as he spat: "No one ever taught you? When you hear a sound in the hunting ground, do not turn around."
As the words fell, a shimmering golden divine figure materialized behind the burly man, bow drawn, arrow nocked, unleashing a radiant beam of golden light in an instant.
Sìxiàng vanished at the same time as the beam from its initial position.
Moments passed, and Sìxiàng reappeared hundreds of leagues away, its right arm brushing against the shoulder—a bloody hole punctured straight through.
The wound struggled to close, its epicenter glowing with golden energy, delaying its recovery.
The God of Hunting languidly strummed the string of His bow. "This world is a great hunting ground. From the moment any creature is born, it enters the grand game. You are no exception.
Your Speed Authority grants you swift motion, but the moment you pause, my hunting arrow will pierce you."
"The Hunting Authority, I see... Making an entire world your hunting ground. It seems the other gods have vastly underestimated you," Sìxiàng commented, releasing its grasp from its shoulder.
The God of Hunting continued, "None can evade the hunting arrow, for it is rule incarnate. Power is meaningless when faced against the laws of rules."
Sìxiàng raised its arm—BOOM!
Massive projections of Divine Countries manifested behind it.
The clash of two divine domains rocked the void—distant starry skies appeared frozen in this cosmic collision.
With a single motion, Sìxiàng wielded the Dark Authority, forging a scythe from its essence. Chains of ensnaring thorned vines enwreathed the weapon's hilt up to its fingers.
The God of Hunting lost sight of Sìxiàng entirely within its vision.
Its body trembled. The golden divine phantom behind it returned—hundreds of arms pulling bowstrings simultaneously, unleashing torrents of golden arrows that soared like tempestuous rainstorms!
Countless golden streaks illuminated the sky like an overwhelming flood.
Yet the very next moment, these arrows shifted course mid-flight, converging upon a solitary direction.
Slash!
Blood sprayed; a deep gash tore across the back of the God of Hunting.
Black matter spread over the wound's surface, outwardly diffusing.
The golden arrows chased after the void behind the God of Hunting, only to pierce empty space.
Rip! Another fissure ran through its flesh, expanding jaggedly upon impact.
Sìxiàng's voice echoed amidst the surrounding air, devoid of any visible presence. "You claim your arrow hits when I stop—but I don't need to stop."
Even within the God of Hunting's divine country, it failed to perform a trace of Sìxiàng's whereabouts. Its formerly stoic face revealed growing grimness.
It realized it had likely underestimated the Speed Authority.
This Authority, bequeathed by the Ancient Gods and long-believed lost to the unseen past, renowned as the pinnacle of Extreme Speed.
Yet this realm belongs to Me!
To squander your Authority in My domain with such reckless abandon—how long can you sustain it?
Though certain Authorities are indeed formidable and unleash overwhelming effects,
like Time Authority, allowing its holders to traverse the fabric of time and rendering them almost undefeatable.
However, even the God of Time is dead.
It is said during primordial eras, the God of Time was besieged by countless gods wielding powerful Divine Powers. The river of time turned to solid ice, and the era froze permanently as war culminated in the death of the Time God and the disappearance of the Time Authority.
While it may not freeze time within My country, I can suffuse My domain with suppression.
Transform flowing rivers into mucky marshlands, forcing every movement to drain greater Divine Power with each step.
Under these conditions, the God of Hunting doubted Sìxiàng could outlast its endurance. If Sìxiàng couldn't kill Him, the cycle of hunter versus prey would ultimately reverse.
With a single gesture, the islands below behaved like chess pieces, rising with tidal waves of apocalyptic proportions. Floodwaters annihilated the entirety of His divine country, while He leaped into the waters, changing form and slipping beneath as a fish.