Chen Meng examined the dagger he had taken, noticing that while it appeared ordinary on the surface, it contained a sinister energy. He immediately asked sternly,
"Where did you get the power imbued in this dagger?"
"Why should I tell you?"
Li Ling lowered her head as she replied, but suddenly looked up at Chen Meng and said,
"But since you want to know, I'll show you the power that can even kill a god."
With that, she suddenly lunged forward, plunging the dagger into her own body.
"Ah—!"
Li Ling collapsed to her knees before Chen Meng, black mist beginning to seep from her body. Chen Meng quickly stepped back and shouted,
"Everyone, get away from her now!"
He immediately enveloped Li Ling in a barrier of his own energy. Li Ling raised her head, letting out a bestial roar, and began attacking the violet shield around her.
Chen Ming reinforced the barrier, but when Li Ling broke through, he observed her closely.
Her body had grown stronger, her power amplified. Her eyes were vacant, filled only with the desire to attack.
Crack.
The shield began to fracture. Chen Meng glanced at the damage before turning his icy gaze back to Li Ling.
"Thanks for the demonstration. But now, it's time for you to rest."
The barrier shattered, dissolving into mist that surged into Li Ling's body. Within moments, her life faded, and she collapsed to the ground.
Chen Meng watched as her corpse dissipated, merging into the ley lines. Once her body was gone, the dagger clattered to the ground.
Picking it up, Chen Meng pondered the nature of its power.
"Abyssal…"
After a moment of thought, he stored the dagger in his system space and commanded,
"System, destroy the dagger."
The system immediately complied, secretly preserving a trace of its energy.
"[Dagger has been destroyed.]"
Satisfied, Chen Meng returned to the city walls.
Gui Zhong, seeing him return, asked, "Chen Meng, where's the dagger? Let me see it."
Instead of answering, Chen Meng turned to the kneeling Liu Renjie.
"You're no longer of use. But I won't let you die so easily."
He released a surge of energy into Liu Renjie's body. The man's eyes glazed over briefly before he collapsed, writhing in agony.
Once finished, Chen Meng turned back to Gui Zhong, his expression grave.
"Gui Zhong, remember—never touch that kind of power. Never."
"O-okay, I understand. No need to be so serious…" Gui Zhong's voice trembled slightly under his intense gaze.
"Good. Gui Zhong, tell everyone to gather their things quickly. A storm is coming."
Chen Meng looked up at the sky, where dark clouds were rapidly gathering.
Meanwhile, Zhongli stood firm against his enemies.
"Morax, you may be strong, but have you considered the fate of Guili Assembly and your people?" taunted one of the gods.
Zhongli glanced toward the darkening skies over Guili Assembly and replied,
"I have faith in them. And once I've suppressed you all, I'll return immediately. This ends now—Meteor!"
A massive meteor descended upon them as Zhongli unleashed his full power.
"Hold Morax back at all costs!"
Back at Guili Assembly, Chen Meng clashed with Osial, his consort, and three other nameless gods. The shockwaves of their battle threatened to obliterate the city.
"How much longer can we hold?" Gui Zhong asked the adepti as they struggled to repel the destructive forces.
"Not much… Our strength is fading. Even Cloud Retainer and the others are exhausted. Bosacius has already evacuated everyone," Mountain Shaper replied.
Gui Zhong sighed, looking back at Guili Assembly.
"Then let's go."
"But what about Guili Assembly?" Marchosius asked urgently.
"We can't protect it with what little power we have left. We'll reclaim it later."
With heavy hearts, they retreated.
As soon as their defenses vanished, the shockwaves ravaged the city unimpeded.
On the battlefield, Chen Meng felt his strength waning. A system alert echoed in his mind:
[Ding! Friendly reminder: Host's energy reserves are critically low.]
Gasping for breath, he faced Osial, his consort, and the three nameless gods.
"Hah! You're finished! Morax won't make it in time. A newborn god like you, barely able to wield your Authority—did you really think you could stop us? What a joke! Just surrender already!" one mocked.
Chen Meng glanced back at the ruined Guili Assembly, took a deep breath, and turned to them.
"Yeah… the gap between me and Morax is still vast. But a hero can't run away from battle."
"System, activate… no—use the Trial Card."
Purple mist enveloped him. The gods recoiled as the aura of death radiated from it.
"Attack now, while he's vulnerable!"
Their strikes surged forward—but the mist exploded outward before impact.
"Let's begin the second round."
Chen Meng now stood clad in divine armor, his weapon transformed from a simple blade into a gleaming spear.
Without hesitation, he struck.
With the full power of the Dream Authority, he overwhelmed them effortlessly. After trapping Osial and his consort, he turned to the remaining three.
"Those two still have uses. You don't."
One of them panicked. "Aren't you afraid of the corruption our remnants will bring to Guili Assembly?"
"That's no longer your concern."
With a single motion, Chen Meng executed him. The other two barely had time to react before meeting the same fate.
"Chen Meng… was that too ruthless?" Zhongli appeared beside him.
Just as Chen Meng was about to answer, pain wracked his body. He coughed up blood.
Zhongli caught him. "What's wrong?!"
Ignoring him, Chen Meng asked internally,
"System, what's happening?"
[Warning: The full Dream Authority exceeds the host's current physical limits. Your body is breaking down. However, you may reconstruct it—estimated time: several centuries.]
"Understood."
Turning to the remnants of the slain gods, Chen Meng said to Zhongli,
"Gather the Yakshas. Guili Assembly is no longer habitable—relocate everyone near Mt. Tianheng."
Before Zhongli could protest, Chen Meng strode toward the remnants. With a sigh, Zhongli flew toward the ruined city.
"System, if I purify these remnants now, can I still cleanse the Yakshas later?"
[Yes, but it will accelerate your body's collapse.]
Without hesitation, Chen Meng began the purification.