Chapter 45: Apostle of the Candle
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A great sun rose upon the land, bringing light back to the mortal world.
Scorching air surged in every direction, while the crimson sphere of light swelled until it was almost as large as Xiangliu.
Li Ye’s face was pale as he gazed impassively at the Fallen God before him, his arms slowly bending.
Two terrifying forces drew near, and Xiangliu’s domain unfolded in its entirety.
Wherever it reached, solid earth melted into rivers and swamps.
Li Ye remained utterly unafraid. Lowering both arms completely, he roared:
“Candleflame Fury!”
The blazing, dazzling sphere of light crashed directly into the Fallen God.
“Rumble—!!”
A world-shaking explosion erupted. The sky and earth seemed ready to split apart.
The rivers and swamps formed by Xiangliu’s domain evaporated in an instant.
A violent sensation of weightlessness surged beneath the feet of the Seventh Army.
Steam billowed into the sky, while Xiangliu, who had taken the attack head-on, let out a shrill, agonized cry.
By sheer coincidence, Xiangliu possessed an exceptionally powerful regenerative ability.
Thus, all the flesh across its body cycled endlessly between destruction and restoration.
Without a doubt, this only intensified its suffering.
The stalemate lasted a full five minutes.
The enormous sun upon the land vanished, and the billowing steam dispersed in all directions.
In the ground at the heart of the city, a massive crater had been blasted open.
The Fallen God from the myths of Xia—the serpent Xiangliu—lay dying at its very center.
Though its flesh remained intact, the smell of roasted meat drifted from it.
Li Ye stood at the edge of the crater, gasping heavily.
Tears shimmered in Lu Xuening’s bright eyes as she hurried to his side and asked anxiously and cautiously:
“Xiaoye, how are you? Are you hurt?”
Li Ye shook his head weakly. His voice hoarse, he asked, “Do you have any Blood Crystal Marrow?”
Lu Xuening hurriedly took five pieces from her waist pouch, including one of the first rank.
As usual, Li Ye gently stroked her short hair twice.
Taking the Blood Crystal Marrow from her hand, he began absorbing it as he walked toward the crater.
The Sinner, hovering nearby, suddenly stirred and followed Li Ye down to the bottom.
That attack had completely exhausted the energy within the Heaven-Mending Stone.
If he wanted to use it again, he had no idea how long he would have to wait.
Yet by relying on that overflowing divine energy, Li Ye had unleashed an ability that Qin Wu had only developed after reaching the seventh rank as a General-Class Chosen One.
With this single strike, he could slay a god.
He slid down the side of the crater and instinctively lifted his eyes.
All he could see was scorched earth and ruins. The crimson mist that had vanished moments earlier came rolling back from a hundred meters away.
The Fallen God lay at his feet—his spoils of war.
Li Ye approached. One of the dying Xiangliu’s heads trembled faintly.
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A feeble groan escaped it.
“An apostle of the Candle...”
“Spare... my life...”
Li Ye’s expression remained calm.
“I have never been a lackey of the Fallen Gods. I am human—the kind of human who will one day rebel against the gods and slay them.”
He paid Xiangliu no further attention and raised his right arm high.
Above the nine enormous heads, nine orange-red swords suddenly appeared.
As the aura of death drew near, Xiangliu’s massive body began to tremble.
Dust rose from the ground. Li Ye remained motionless, then swung his right arm without mercy.
“Thwack—”
The nine swords plunged into Xiangliu’s heads at once, and its life force vanished in an instant.
This was the simplest way to kill Xiangliu completely:
First render it incapable of movement, then strike all nine heads simultaneously.
Only then could its regenerative ability be rendered useless.
“Phew...”
Li Ye finally exhaled a long breath and dropped onto the scorched earth.
Next, he only had to wait for the God Merchant to appear of its own accord.
According to what Li Ye had learned in his previous life, it was nearly impossible to find the God Merchant proactively.
But if one possessed a precious divine corpse or some other extraordinary treasure, the God Merchant would most likely appear before them on its own.
And it would take the initiative to propose a trade.
“Just don’t make me wait too long...”
Li Ye turned slightly and saw Shen Zhihong sliding down into the crater alone from the other side.
“Commander Shen?”
Shen Zhihong regarded Li Ye with a complicated expression. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then stopped.
“Commander Shen, don’t forget—you still owe me seventy percent of the Blood Crystal Marrow.”
The words clearly pained Shen Zhihong. At last, he replied irritably, “Do you really think the Dongming Military District will run off? You won’t be shorted.”
Hearing this, Li Ye revealed a vulgar, miserly grin.
Commander Shen said nothing more, merely lifting his head to stare silently at the enormous corpse of the Fallen God.
The two remained quiet for a long while.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Shen Zhihong softly broke the silence.
“You’re leaving Jiangning, aren’t you...”
“Yes. Soon. In a few days, the red mist will disperse. I’ll have to ask you to take good care of Xuening and the others.”
Li Ye’s expression turned earnest as he continued, “They will be the future of Dongming.”
“Rest assured.”
Shen Zhihong nodded solemnly. He said only those three words and nothing more.
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Perhaps conversations between intelligent people required very few words. Once again, the two fell silent.
Shen Zhihong first touched the Fallen God’s corpse with his fingertip. After confirming that there was no danger, he placed his entire palm upon it.
It was still warm.
That was probably because of Li Ye’s attack just moments ago. Xiangliu’s skin no longer felt tough, thick, or coarse.
Instead, it felt like the smooth, tender flesh of a gigantic octopus.
Only slightly overcooked.
After a while, Li Ye spoke again.
“Commander Shen, go back now and transport every resource like Blood Crystal Marrow from the military district.”
Shen Zhihong looked at Li Ye in confusion and asked strangely, “Is there any need to hurry? Wouldn’t it be the same to give it to you after you return?”
Li Ye deepened his tone and said meaningfully, “Commander Shen, whether the Dongming Military District can truly take off may depend on how quickly you make that delivery.”
“Also, have Yan Fenghua or the Legion Commander accompany you. Aberrant creatures may block the road.”
He paused, perhaps afraid Shen Zhihong would not take him seriously, then continued, “Preferably, have both of them deliver it together. That aberrant creature is extremely sinister...”
Shen Zhihong pondered for a moment.
“I understand.”
The rustling of his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.
Only Li Ye remained seated where he was, gazing at the bright moon on the horizon, its silver surface dyed scarlet by the red mist.
...
Across the dark, scorched earth, a biting night wind swept past, lifting the stray tuft of hair atop Li Ye’s head.
“Thump, thump, thump...”
A sound like drumming, or perhaps footsteps, rose behind him.
Beneath the dim moonlight, a mysterious figure in a cloud-patterned robe approached Li Ye.
In one hand, the figure held an exceedingly long serpent-coiled staff, tapping it against the ground at intervals—sometimes slow, sometimes hurried.
Li Ye rose and looked toward the mysterious figure, whose face was hidden beneath a hood. Relief washed over him.
The God Merchant had finally come.
The God Merchant whom countless people had exhausted every means to locate had now come to him of its own accord.
In his previous life, those who had been able to trade with it were all top-tier Chosen Ones or high-ranking figures from the military districts.
The figure slowly came to a stop and looked toward Xiangliu’s corpse.
A moment later, it turned to Li Ye.
From beneath the hood came a clear, melodious voice, carrying a hint of surprise.
“You... alone...”
“You defeated Gonggong’s attendant god?”