Way of the Devil

Lu Sheng’s strength was definitely on par with the true gods’, nobody doubted that. However, nobody knew exactly how powerful he was.

“What you spoke of is only our current strength. What would happen if we forced the churches into a corner and their true gods sent their avatars here? The descent of the saints isn’t something funny,” Scheer retorted in a cold voice from the side.

“Even if a true god descends into this world, as a saint, the most they could unleash is a peak demigod’s strength. Perhaps they’d be able to unleash the strength of a lesser god with their regalia, but that’s only possible by the few with formidable god power.” Barnes was confident.

Among all the feudal lords, it was the one that left with Lu Sheng the most willingly.

It had been sick of hell for a long time. It was waiting for a chance to escape hell and be free from the control of the great lord of hell.

Lu Sheng’s summoning gave it the perfect opportunity. Hence, half-forced and half-willing, it signed the contract and followed Lu Sheng.

“My Lord, weren’t you in need of regalia? We should snatch one for you! That’s the quickest way! We’re the most powerful beings in the main plane right now. No one can stand against us!” Barnes appealed in a loud voice laced with passion.

Lu Sheng drummed his fingers on the armrest. He was thinking.

He had been in this world for more than a decade. If he rashly started a war to snatch regalia, the gods would surely team up against him because of his band of Abominations and whatnot.

Lu Sheng looked at the Abominations beside him.

Because of the unique cultivation method he devised, these Abominations, whose consciousness should have been in chaos, had their intelligence restored to ordinary levels. They were now the epitome of the feudal lords of order.

They were in themselves the enemies of the gods. They were overly powerful and nearly immortal. In the past, they’d had no way of banding together; hence, they’d been defeated by the gods, but now…

“My Lord.” One of the Abominations stood up, and spoke, “We don’t have the confidence to fight an all-out war against the gods yet, but if it’s only a single god system, it’s not as if we have no chance of victory. At the very least, in the main plane, it’s just as Barnes said, we are unrivalled.”

“So?”

“So, I suggest that we can start with some lesser gods outside of the god systems, or maybe start with some wicked gods.” This Abomination was the first formidable Abomination Lu Sheng had subdued, the former master of the cursed land, Enifers.

However, after some guidance, he was now Lu Sheng’s disciple, and he was taught the first nine levels of the Separative Devil Technique.

The Separative Devil Technique was a formidable cultivation method Lu Sheng had derived based on the Eight-Headed Devil Art. Its greatest function was separating the chaotic souls of the Abominations and removing everything that affected their intelligence.

The removed parts would be converted into Heart Devils by the Devil Technique, which would linger around the cultivator. The Heart Devils could not be controlled. Once released, they would lash out at all life forms in their surroundings without differentiating between friend or foe.

This was why the Abominations could only act alone.

“Start with the lesser gods, huh… I think it’s still too early for that. We can start with those with weak god power.” Although Lu Sheng was not afraid, he felt that fighting with the gods at this point of time was still too early.

Attacking legends, divine regions, or even demigods would not result in any dire consequences.

However, if they attacked a true god who had raised his own god nation and formed his own Godhood, that would be a provocation to the gods. The nature of these two actions would be completely different.

Barned stepped forward, and continued, “That’s suitable as well. Of those with weak god powers, like the God of Sacrifice, Guardian Deity of the Forest, the God of Relief Sculptures, I know their whereabouts. I’m also familiar with the locations of their god nations.”

“God of Sacrifice?” Lu Sheng’s interest was piqued.

“Yes. This god obtains belief power through sacrifices. However, those who offer sacrifices are usually the cultists who worshipped the wicked gods. He had no way of interfering, hence his god power remained weak. He’s currently in limbo, between a state of being alive and dead,” Barnes explained.

“How would he obtain belief power?” Lu Sheng asked in a show of interest.

“It’s said that by offering treasures to this god, one will be granted all kinds of temporary blessings. However, the cost-performance ratio isn’t really ideal. One would be better off trading the treasures for arcane potions and equipment rather than obtaining his blessings. So, only the travelers in the wilderness who are desperately in need of a quick power-up with no other options available to them would make offerings to him,” Barnes said with a smile.

“But the divine profession of sacrifice isn’t too bad…” Lu Sheng stroked his chin. After all, he had yet to locate the seven-colored dragons. It should be interesting to get his hands on a deity.

“From what I gather, the God of Sacrifice is now evangelizing in the mortal world. He’s trying to expand the influence of his own church,” Barnes said with a smile.

“Not bad. I shall personally pay this god a visit.” Lu Sheng nodded slightly.

***

In a small town thousands of miles away from Dawn City.

The skies were overcast with a slight drizzle. The townspeople occasionally ran in the rain, using their hands as makeshift umbrellas. Cavalry galloped through the wet roads, spraying water everywhere.

In the only church of the town, the priest Buddy was putting the script of his sermon away. The laity who had come to pray had already left.

The monthly prayer ritual was the most solemn activity of this unnamed town.

Although there were not many faithful—there were six of them at most—as the priest and pastor, Buddy would still solemnly prepare the contents of his sermon. He was preparing for the next prayer ritual.

“Pastor Buddy?” Suddenly, a big and tall figure appeared at the entrance of the church. The closed doors were now half opened by this person.

Buddy looked up with a calm expression, and said, “May our god bless you. How may I help you, sir?”

It was normal for people to approach him alone after everyone left when the person was facing some troubles or difficulties that could be hard to put into words.

After all, he was the God of Sacrifice’s servant. If he offered up some objects, he would be able to obtain some blessings and granted a certain state. Although this was not eternal, this was just what these people, who had unique needs for help, wanted.

The man entered the church and closed the door behind him.

It was only now that Buddy saw the face and stature of this man clearly. The man had handsome features and a certain stillness of a middle-aged man.

He appeared to be well-built as well. With a single glance, it was clear that his bulging muscles were extremely tough, just like steel. His silhouette revealed through his clothes showed that he was comparable to the barbarians from the highlands.

When he got closer, the man displayed a gloomy expression.

“Pastor, I’d like to pray to the God of Sacrifice. I wish to trade for something I need with some treasures.”

“Young man, tell me your story. God will look upon you. If you can earn god’s recognition, you’ll be able to trade for something better,” Pastor Buddy replied in a gentle and soothing tone.

The man’s eyes were slowly filled with a sense of loss and contempt.

“Better?”

“Yes, god is just and intelligent. He senses all. If he understands your pain, he’ll respond to your request with a merciful heart,” Buddy replied gently.

The man fell silent for a while. Eventually, he gritted his teeth and produced an exquisite ruby. “Alright. I’ll try offering one sacrifice.”

“Sure.”

The pastor led the man to the Offering Hall beside the temple. He activated the formation and prayed. Then, he followed the procedures accordingly.

In no time, the ruby vanished from within the formation. A beam of faint golden light shot out from the statue of the deity onto the man. The light formed a mysterious golden mark on his body.

“The offering was a success. God has listened to your request and responded to you,” said Pastor Buddy in a gentle voice as he stepped forward.

The man touched the golden mark, and a look of surprise gradually appeared on his face. After thanking the pastor many times, he hastily left the temple and vanished in the rain.

Buddy closed the doors with a smile. He went back to rest.

He’d initially thought that this would have been the end of this, but the man returned on the second day.

“I’ve failed…” He looked depressed, but his eyes did not lose hope. “I was so close! So close! No! I want to make an offering again! I want a better blessing, a stronger blessing! I’d surely succeed with a better blessing!”

The man seemed to be worked up. He fished out a big handful of light blue, natural crystals from his pocket.

“These! I’ll offer up all these!”

Buddy gulped. The God of Sacrifice always gave his blessings according to the value of the treasures offered. With this amount of natural crystals, the blessings he could obtain in return would surely be substantial.

At the very least, he had been staying in the temple for more than 10 years, and this was his first time seeing a person offering this amount.

“Can I?! Can I offer these?!” The man grabbed Buddy’s arm.

“Sure! Sure you can!” Buddy immediately reacted.

He hastily brought the man to the side hall and activated the formation in the Offering Hall. He placed the offerings there and started praying.

“Which reminds me, what kind of blessing are you asking for?” Out of curiosity, Pastor Buddy asked about the man’s wish. He noticed that the power of the blessing had been completely depleted when it was only bestowed yesterday. He was shocked at the rate of depletion.

The man fell silent for a while.

“You won’t understand…” he said softly.

Buddy smiled mysteriously. “That might not be the case. If you don’t tell me, it’s a given that I won’t understand. However, if you tell me, I might be able to help you in some way.”

The man fell silent. It seemed to be difficult for him to put his thoughts into words. He appeared conflicted and helpless.

“Just tell me whatever you want. This is god’s temple. God is merciful and full of love. He is just. No matter the request, God will listen to it.” Buddy’s voice grew gentler.

“R-really?” The man’s voice was slightly shaking now.

“Of course. Of course, it is.” Buddy nodded. He wore a warm smile that was reminiscent of the sun.

“I… I…” The man lowered his head. “I’m… hungry!”

He suddenly grabbed the pastor’s hands. When he looked up, tears were already streaking down his face.

“Hungry?!” The pastor was stunned.

“I’ve ate devils, evil spirits, legends, demigods, everything I could find. Why… Why can’t my hunger be satisfied?! Anything alive… or dead… any nutritious or non-nutritious, I’ve tried them all. Never have I felt satisfied… Why, why?!”

The tears on the man’s face gradually turned into fluorescent blood-red liquid. They dropped to the ground on the formation and quickly merged with it. The faint golden gleam of the formation was being corroded.

“That’s why, I think that there must be something wrong with the things I’m eating.” The tears on the man’s face swiftly turned into two blood-colored patterns.

The forlorn look on his face was now replaced with a smile.

“You?!” Buddy’s expression changed.