Chapter 111: Devotion
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Seeing the sincerity in Li Ge and Li Hong’s eyes, Li Mu nodded in quiet reassurance.
He had indeed been unwilling to give them the idol of the Evil God. From the records he had read, he knew that most members of their demonic race were wicked and constantly harbored ulterior motives. Yet after speaking with them for a while, his experiences from his second life had allowed him to discern that these two were relatively trustworthy.
At worst, he would merely lose an Evil God idol that was useless to him. In exchange, he might achieve his purpose and gain far more than he would at present.
Li Ge bowed before the idol, then turned back to Li Mu with a solemn expression. “Many thanks, Esteemed Li Mu. I shall never forget your kindness today.”
“You make it sound too serious.” Li Mu fell silent for a moment, then asked, “Very well, Li Ge. Is Wenmeng the Evil God you worship?”
Li Ge nodded carefully. “Yes. Our ancient Rhinoceros Demon Clan has worshiped the God Wenmeng since the days of our ancestors. He was one of the great ancient Evil Gods of the Demon Realm, possessing immense demonic power.”
“Very well.”
Li Mu nodded and did not ask further about the ancient Evil God. He maintained a certain respect for such beings, but this particular matter had little to do with him.
“Li Ge, how long will it take you to recover?”
Li Ge shook his head. “With this idol, it will not take long. I need only sacrificial offerings.”
Li Hong raised both hands and spoke excitedly. “Once we have the offerings, my lord can recover and obtain the Evil God’s power. With this idol, even if Wood Dragon reaches the late Meridian Refinement Stage, we will have nothing to fear.”
“Sacrificial offerings?”
Li Mu grew cautious and asked slowly, “What sort of offerings?”
If Li Ge had said that the offerings required human beings, Li Mu might well have ignored everything else and seized the Evil God idol. He would sooner abandon everything he possessed and flee the Wolf Realm than collude with them in using humans as sacrifices.
Fortunately, Li Ge did not say anything of the sort.
“Blood, flesh, and living creatures—large quantities of them. The Evil God idol can accept all of it. Spirit beasts, demons, and demonic birds will do. Our clan usually uses demonic birds, but there should be spirit beasts here.”
Li Ge looked toward Li Mu. “Esteemed Li, where nearby can we find many spirit beasts? We should hurry and capture several.”
“Spirit beasts will suffice?”
In the blink of an eye, a Tremor-Earth Rhinoceros several meters long was summoned from within Li Mu’s Spirit Pagoda and placed on the ground before them.
Li Mu and the others had eaten from this enormous Tremor-Earth Rhinoceros for several months, yet had consumed only one of its legs. The rest still remained.
The rhinoceros summoned from the Spirit Pagoda was still bleeding, as fresh as though it had died only moments before.
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Li Ge stared in astonishment, unable to understand how Li Mu had accomplished such a feat. The Tremor-Earth Rhinoceros was as large as several houses. Among the demonic races, anyone capable of carrying an object of such size with ease would at least be a Demon General.
Yet, according to Li Ge’s perception, Li Mu was merely at the Spirit Foundation Stage—no more than a low-ranking demon soldier.
Nevertheless, he quickly composed himself. “This is more than enough. The fresh flesh of a single spirit beast will suffice.”
Li Mu smiled and slowly walked outside. From what he understood, sacrifices were sacred and secret matters to the demonic races, which was why he knew he should not remain nearby.
Li Ge gazed at Li Mu and nodded repeatedly in profound approval.
“That will do, Li Hong.”
Li Hong stood to one side with a solemn expression. Suddenly, he produced a pitch-black blade. It was not a demonic artifact, merely an ordinary knife. He was only a demon soldier and had not yet reached the level required to wield a true demonic weapon.
Li Ge sat cross-legged before the Evil God idol and began reciting strange words with utmost piety.
The knife moved without pause. Li Hong’s expression grew increasingly grim, yet his face also bore an expression of solemn worship. Beneath the blade, the sturdy body of the Tremor-Earth Rhinoceros was hacked apart, gradually becoming a mound of fresh flesh. Its blood slowly spread into what looked like a lake.
Yet the blood and flesh did not scatter as they should have. Instead, they arranged themselves in several orderly pools and flowed toward the Evil God idol.
It was as though water were climbing uphill. The lakes of blood actually streamed upward toward the idol.
In an instant, the Evil God idol was submerged beneath the blood and heaps of flesh, its original form almost impossible to discern.
“My Evil God, please hear my devout prayer and accept this solemn offering!…”
As Li Ge continued reciting his prayer, strange patterns gradually appeared across his chest. They resembled blazing flames curling around a burning sun, filled with profound mysteries and an ancient, uncanny aura.
This was the Demonic Mark.
The demonic races cultivated through their Demonic Marks, and the level of one’s mark determined the extent of one’s power.
Li Ge was a noble member of the demonic race, and the Demonic Mark within his body was extraordinarily powerful. Individuals like him were exceedingly rare. Had he been able to cultivate without hindrance, he might eventually have reached the rank of Demon Marshal.
For that very reason, he had been persecuted by every faction of the demonic race in the Demon Realm and ultimately driven out.
Unlike Li Hong’s mark, Li Ge’s Demonic Mark was usually concealed within his body, appearing only when he called upon its power.
As the amount of spirit-beast flesh increased, wisps of dark vapor slowly drifted from the Evil God idol and enveloped both Li Ge and Li Hong.
The dark vapor was so dense that nothing within it could be seen. Even spiritual perception at the Core Formation Stage was unable to penetrate it.
Li Ge’s devout chanting never ceased, yet his voice periodically expressed pain, then delight, then madness…
This continued for quite some time.
At last, the dark vapor dispersed. The Evil God idol no longer bore any trace of blood or scraps of flesh. They had vanished without a trace.
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The Li Ge standing beside it was the same. Not a trace of blood remained upon him, nor could the slightest scent of blood be detected. Yet his appearance had changed dramatically.
His body was somewhat larger than before, his muscles denser and more solid. The Demonic Mark on his chest shone a deep crimson, while the horns atop his head had grown brighter, radiating light in all directions.
“Esteemed one, please come inside.”
Li Mu opened the door and entered, then looked at the more robust Li Ge.
With a single glance, he immediately felt an intense pressure. It was similar to the sensation he had experienced when facing Ye Yibai. The pressure was somewhat weaker now, but the nature of it was almost identical.
This proved that Li Ge now possessed the strength of the Meridian Refinement Stage. The rituals of the demonic race were truly formidable.
So that was why Wood Dragon had needed to use a scheme to separate Li Ge from his Evil God idol when capturing him. Even if Wood Dragon had been stronger at the time, a direct confrontation between the two would likely have ended in mutual destruction.
Li Mu nodded slightly and praised him. “An extraordinarily powerful technique. Impressive.”
Li Ge’s expression remained solemn. “Esteemed Li, the effects of the ritual cannot last long. Afterward, I will enter a period of weakness. We must act quickly.”
“Very well!”
Li Mu’s reply was brief. “We leave at once.”
They could not wait any longer. Every additional moment increased the possibility of unforeseen complications. If Wood Dragon managed to break through during that time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Li Hong seemed to have been waiting for precisely this moment. He spoke with fierce excitement. “Follow me. I know where Wood Dragon is cultivating.”
Li Ge nodded and slowly rose to his feet. With both hands, he held the Evil God idol while narrowing his eyes and murmuring strange words. The idol gradually shrank until it was no larger than a palm, after which Li Ge carefully put it away.
Treasures of the demonic race could be used only by members of that race.
The group left the valley and made their way toward the heights of the mountain.
Whether they could stop Wood Dragon would be decided now.
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