In God's kingdom.
Hongmeng's body shone brightly, radiating divine splendor. Mysterious runes appeared one after another, branding themselves into his golden bones and flesh. The Martial Arts Civilization Aura behind his head also burst forth with a dazzling light—sacred, majestic, mysterious, and profound.
In an instant, Hongmeng felt his Spiritual Platform clear and his thoughts become more agile, resolving countless doubts effortlessly.
HUM.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Hongmeng's divine body violently trembled as a terrifying aura and pressure spread out. This was the power of a True God, not something a Superior God could compare with.
Wang Yuyan and Ah Zhu, who were cooking, trembled and knelt, praying devoutly to Hongmeng. Divine Beasts lay prostrate on the ground, trembling violently.
"DING. Your hero has prayed to you. You have gained fifty Pure Power of Faith. This has been amplified ten thousand times, granting you 500,000 Origin Power."
"DING. Your hero has prayed to you. You have gained one hundred Pure Power of Faith. This has been amplified fifty thousand times, granting you 5,000,000 Origin Power."
Hearing the notifications in his mind, Hongmeng's eyes suddenly opened wide. Two divine lights burst forth, as if piercing through the universe, past and future, filled with the terrifying power of a True God.
The Origin Power is truly mighty. I haven't even comprehended the True God's Way, nor have I condensed a godhead, yet I've already forged a True God Body!
Feeling the power within him surge hundreds of times, Hongmeng's face was unabashedly filled with joy.
The True God Body is divided into nine turns. I'm now at the first turn.
To advance to the second turn, it probably requires 100,000,000 Origin Power.
My heroes provide me with Origin Power every day. For other gods, 100,000,000 Origin Power would be astronomical, but for me, it's really nothing!
He had spent two days forging his True God Body, and in that time, he had accumulated 250,000,000 Origin Power. In the same two days, Wang Yuyan and Ah Zhu not only contributed so much Origin Power to him but also killed a Divine Beast and were studying recipes to prepare his meals. In fact, they had already prepared a meal, but noticing that Hongmeng was in cultivation, they did not disturb him.
"Continue to cultivate."
With enough Origin Power, Hongmeng had no intention of saving it; improving his strength was the most important thing.
「In the Fengyun World.」
The World Association.
Xiong Ba sat on his throne, brimming with vitality. He regarded Wen Chouchou, his aura naturally commanding despite his calm demeanor, and asked, "How are the preparations for the sacrifice ceremony going?"
Wen Chouchou waved his feather fan to cool Xiong Ba, bending over obsequiously as he spoke, "Leader, please rest assured. The altar has been built strictly according to your instructions. One hundred thousand followers have returned, Hall Master Bu has retrieved the Bingpo Divine Stone from the Hero King Mansion, and all the sacrifices are ready. Everything is in place, just waiting for the sacrifice ceremony led by you!"
"Very good." Xiong Ba nodded in satisfaction.
"However…" Wen Chouchou hesitated to speak further.
"However, what?" Xiong Ba looked displeased, his fearsome, majestic gaze fixating on Wen Chouchou.
"However, the return of the members of The World Association has stirred the hearts of countless people, coupled with the destruction of the Hero King Mansion. Many figures from the Jianghu martial arts have banded together, claiming they want to… want to…"
"They want to enforce justice on behalf of the Heavens and eradicate me, don't they?" Xiong Ba finished the sentence for him, his eyes flashing with killing intent, yet he seemed utterly unconcerned.
They were nothing more than buffoons.
"Leader, with your peerless martial arts, you are unmatched in the world. They are just a bunch of clowns. With the flip of your palm, you could wipe them out," Wen Chouchou flattered.
"Come, today I will show you true Divine Spirits. I am the chosen one of destiny. Under the light of my god, all rebellion shall turn to dust and smoke!" Xiong Ba stood up, his presence overflowing with dominance.
Divine Spirits? Wen Chouchou was somewhat confused. Although he knew Xiong Ba was going to perform a sacrifice to the Divine Spirits, he had never considered that the gods might truly show themselves or that Xiong Ba was the chosen one of destiny. Despite his confusion, Wen Chouchou did not ask further and quickly followed Xiong Ba like a servile henchman.
At The World Association's drill ground.
One hundred thousand followers gathered around a massive circular altar in the center. It towered ninety-five feet high and spanned 3,000 meters in diameter, constructed from white bricks and stones, with nine-layered foundations. Atop the main body of the altar, countless intricate and profound patterns were etched. From a distance, it emanated a sacred and majestic aura—grand, solemn, dignified, and austere.
This altar was constructed in just three days, with Wen Chouchou urgently summoning 30,000 craftsmen and tens of thousands of laborers from The World Association, who worked day and night. It consumed a massive amount of manpower and resources from The World Association. If The World Association hadn't already occupied half of the kingdom and possessed an incredibly abundant supply of manpower and resources, it would have been impossible to build such a grand altar in just three days.
At this moment, the center of the altar was filled with sacrificial offerings.
There were the six domestic animals: pigs, cows, sheep, horses, dogs, and chickens.
There were the five cereals: rice, millet, spelt, wheat, and beans.
There were gold, silver, and jewels, ten-thousand-year blood coral, and deep-sea luminescent pearls.
There were countless martial arts secret books and divine weapons.
In the very center were the most precious items: the Bingpo Divine Stone and the martial arts secret books for the Wind-Chasing Leg, Cloud-Pushing Palm, and Frosty Sky Fist.
What is Xiong Ba doing? Has he gone mad?
Yes, all these treasures... has he emptied out The World Association's treasury?
Even for offering sacrifices to the heavens, there's no need for so many items, is there?
What exactly is Xiong Ba trying to do?
Gazing at the myriad of sacrificial offerings at the heart of the grand and towering altar on the field, numerous Martial Artists were dazzled and utterly bewildered.
The World Association calling forth 100,000 of its members and summoning tens of thousands of workers to build the altar had attracted the attention of countless powers from the Jianghu martial arts world. Even though time was short and many Martial Artists did not arrive, a significant number still did. Initially, they thought Xiong Ba wanted to offer sacrifices to the heavens and proclaim himself emperor, but the nature of the offerings did not seem to match such a ceremony. No one would put martial arts secret books, divine weapons, and gold and silver treasures in a heap on an altar for offering sacrifices to the heavens.
"Greetings to the Leader!"
Suddenly, the 100,000 members of The World Association simultaneously knelt to the ground, crying out in unison.
"Our Leader is wise, with great literary and martial virtues."
"Endowed by Heaven with good fortune, unifying the world."
Amid the deafening shouts, Xiong Ba, full of high spirits, walked to the front of the altar, surrounded by the crowd. Qin Shuang, Bu Jingyun, and Nie Feng stood there, their hearts filled with doubt, as even they did not know what Xiong Ba was actually planning.
"Bring the Sacred Girl," instructed Xiong Ba.
Bathed in the slanting rays of the sun, a breathtakingly beautiful girl in a white dress walked slowly towards the altar under the curious gaze of everyone present. She had an oval face, willowy eyebrows, bright eyes, and white teeth, with an air of tranquility and elegance, her long hair as dark as ink.
Seeing the newcomer, Wen Chouchou's eyes widened. "Miss You Ruo!" he exclaimed in shock.
He had not expected Xiong Ba to offer his own daughter as a sacrifice to the gods; it was too insane! If it had been some other beauty, he wouldn't have been at all surprised. But this was his own daughter!
Upon hearing this, Qin Shuang, Bu Jingyun, and Nie Feng curiously looked over. They did not recognize You Ruo, but by Wen Chouchou's reaction, this girl seemed to have an extraordinary identity.
It appeared that Xiong Ba, knowing the grand question in everyone's heart, addressed all members of The World Association, loudly declaring:
"I am aware of the doubts in your hearts."
"You may have realized by now, indeed, this time our purpose is to offer sacrifices to a god. But not just any god, we are offering sacrifices to a True God!"
"A True God who can reveal their holiness!"
Xiong Ba's impassioned voice fell, leaving the Martial Artists of The World Association expressionless, but surrounding opposing forces snickered.
Offer sacrifices to a True God who can reveal themselves? Does he take us for fools? Such fairy tales are only good for deceiving the ignorant common folk. In this world, there is no such thing as a True God. Only charlatans pretending to be gods and tricksters.
However, the words that Xiong Ba spoke next shocked everyone.
"Her name is You Ruo, and she is my daughter, Xiong Ba."