A thunderous roar erupted as an incomparably powerful force pressed down from above, crushing and scattering everything on the ground with its overwhelming currents. The earth itself sank under the pressure.
High above, the massive Golden Dragon opened its jaws wide and snapped down. With a deafening crash, Xu Fu and I were swallowed whole. Instantly, everything around us felt like invisible currents; both of us trapped inside the dragon's mouth, completely unable to move.
Gradually, darkness enveloped us. Everything around felt sticky, as if we were mired in sludge—every movement was a struggle. I had no intention of resisting, because I sensed that if I used my power, it would trigger an explosion. That was their aim: to inflict maximum harm on Xu Fu and me. Xu Fu seemed to realize this too. The forces trapping us were of many different attributes, all chaotically intertwined yet held in a delicate balance. If we used our powers, we'd break that balance, causing the already unstable energies to collide and explode violently.
Now I gradually understood something else: Emperor God and his kind probably never intended to enter this world themselves, at most using their consciousness to control the gods they created here. They were making gods. I still didn’t know why, but one thing was certain—we must find a way to stop their god-making plan. Otherwise, in the coming war, if Emperor God wields the power of the Living World, we’ll have no chance to fight back.
Faith is a terrifying thing, capable of becoming an immeasurable force. As long as they keep creating people who believe in these three gods, their power can grow without limit—and so will the world of the Living.
"Do you understand now? Heavenly Soul, Xu Fu, you are no match for these gods."
Emperor God's voice came through. Xu Fu, beside me, burst out laughing.
"Impressive, truly. The gods you’ve made have countless followers in this world—far stronger than the faith built over thousands of years in the Living World. Most of those believers are fake, half-hearted at best, and the truly devout die when their lifespans end. Many things that survived on faith are already vanishing. But you— you created endless followers, gave them gods, and their power snowballs. When did this all begin?"
"Since you understand, I won’t say more. Xu Fu, Heavenly Soul, there’s only one path before you now: cooperate with us, or die."
Xu Fu curled his lip. I kept probing the tangled, multi-attribute forces trapping us. If I could figure them out, I might be able to break the spell.
"So, there’s no choice, then?"
Xu Fu retorted.
"You’re free to try whatever you want. The gods we’ve created are not false."
Emperor God’s words were ambiguous. I quietly sensed our surroundings—we were still inside the massive Golden Dragon. Outside, they’d likely set up more arrays, waiting to attack the moment we escaped.
"A pity. It seems you still refuse to cooperate. Then die here."
In an instant, I grabbed Xu Fu by the collar. My eyes widened as fine white currents spread from my body in all directions, calming the chaotic energies. I’d figured out how many forces there were. Pulling Xu Fu, I easily dragged us out of the mire trapping us. As we emerged, a wave of heat slammed into us.
Before us, walls of fire rose on all sides. Behind, the massive Golden Dragon’s body split into countless golden rays—smaller dragons lunged at us, crackling as golden lightning swept in.
The moment I let go of Xu Fu, he plummeted toward the ground. With a thunderous crash, flames erupted from the earth, and the fire walls closed in.
My hands, feet, neck, and body were all bitten by golden dragons.
"Enough."
Xu Fu's voice echoed through the sea of fire. My eyes widened—the Golden Dragons biting me dissolved into golden particles, and just as the flames were about to explode, every last ember was sucked into my body.
With a thunderous boom, a towering white tree instantly grew behind me. I absorbed all that power as nourishment for the Divine Tree, letting it sprout in an instant and neutralize the force pressing down on us.
"Hahaha, didn't expect that, did you? You underestimated us."
As Xu Fu spoke, he darted forward with a swoosh, appearing before Sylvia Yan, who still had her hands raised. He punched her in the head—an earth-shattering boom followed, and a black fist-shadow swept past, carving a massive chasm through the city. Xu Fu stared coldly at Sylvia Yan; her body had vanished, but her head remained in his hand.
"The gods you created are powerful, but they still need a head. Do you really think we're children to be toyed with?"
Xu Fu sneered and crushed Sylvia Yan's head in his hand. Dust billowed as the forces that had tried to confine us quickly withdrew—they no longer dared approach.
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In the chaos, I handed Xu Fu a seed. He understood instantly—no need for words. Our teamwork was seamless. This was the power I used to seal the Human Soul of the Wraithlord: I absorbed it, transformed it into the Divine Tree. The tree has no consciousness, so the Human Soul of the Wraithlord cannot break free from its seal.
"So that's your instinctive power—absorbing everything as nourishment, turning it into your own strength. Impressive, Heavenly Soul."
Emperor God's voice came from the sky. Thunder rumbled overhead, golden lightning streaked across the heavens. In the distance, pale blue mist formed a ring, trapping us inside. Within the mist, I saw flickering red flames—they still weren’t letting us go easily.
This city extends from the consciousness of the three gods they created. If we can't defeat them, we'll never escape.
My Divine Tree can't expand further—they won't give us a second chance. The seed is fragile during implantation, and with their power, they could destroy it the moment I use it. Now, we can only rely on the Divine Tree growing from the seed I planted in this world's soil, which absorbs their power and grows stronger. As long as they can't crack it, they won't attack, because the tree has no limit—their attacks only feed it, making it thrive.
"When I crushed that stone medium just now, I discovered something."
Xu Fu's eyes flickered as he looked at me. We quickly moved to a dense patch of trees, where their power was blocked and we could speak freely.
"Why stone and not something else? Is it because this is the City of Sand?"
Xu Fu asked. I nodded—their bodies were made of stone. I could imagine that in other cities, their bodies were made of other things. But right now, we can't break through. Their power gathers fast—breaking out is nearly impossible.
"Do you have any ideas?"
Xu Fu fell deep into thought, sitting with his hand on his chin by the tree trunk. I went outside—everything out there was even harsher. The mist had become pale blue icebergs, with a sea of fire in front and golden lightning filling the sky. They were still pressing in, clearly having figured out how to counter my Divine Tree.
It’s true my Divine Tree can absorb unlimited external power, but too much and its foundation will become unstable. The more it absorbs, the taller it grows, but it also has to withstand greater force. If I had several Divine Trees, I could manage, but now there's only one.
"I think maybe we shouldn't do anything at all."
I looked at Xu Fu in confusion. He grinned wickedly, emerging from the thicket.
"What do you mean?"
"Feels like they're waiting for us to use our strongest power."
I looked at Xu Fu, even more puzzled.
"Is there something wrong with breaking through?"
Xu Fu raised a finger and wagged it.
"Using our strongest power means we need even greater restraint to control it. Or do you still not get it?"
My eyes widened—if Xu Fu hadn’t warned me, we’d be in serious trouble. If we used even stronger power, we’d need even greater restraint to control it. Otherwise, the power would collapse, exposing a fatal weakness. Against enemies of this level, that would mean death.