Chapter 884: A Piece of G.o.dhood
Yang Qi was shocked at the power flowing through his blood and meridians. In some ways, the G.o.dhood was like the turtledove occupying the magpie’s nest, and was attempting to destroy his soul and his true energy, which would turn him into a completely different person.
However, Yang Qi wasn’t afraid. As his true energy repaired itself, and his flesh and blood reformed, the fragmented G.o.dhood shone with scintillating light, transforming into something like a crystal shard on his palm.
Yang Qi knew full well that he couldn’t a.s.similate the shard. The moment it had entered him, it a.s.sailed him like the sharpest of blades. Obviously, it would be of no benefit to his fighting prowess, and would require more research before he could use it.
‘Wait, what about the Engine of the One G.o.d?’ he thought. Focusing his attention on the engine, he asked, “Can you disa.s.semble this shard and absorb the power?”
The photonic computer immediately offered a response. [This fragment of pure G.o.dhood has an index of one, and is from a Lesser G.o.d. It can be converted into power.]
“Begin the conversion!”
A pounding sound echoed out from his heart, the location of the Engine of the One G.o.d, as it began breaking down the fragment of G.o.dhood. The engine began to vibrate and pulse with G.o.dpower. Almost immediately, Yang Qi was filled with power that vastly surpa.s.sed his own current levels.
If he started fighting Zilin now, the power of the Engine of the One G.o.d would ensure that he couldn’t possibly lose. After all, some of the most powerful aspects of the engine were now coming online, including the strength G.o.d systems.
[a.s.similating G.o.dhood fragment. Filling power reserves. Strength G.o.d systems online.]
Yang Qi watched as the Engine of the One G.o.d began transforming in the depths of his heart. It was as if a juvenile dragon existed in the engine now, an ancient heaven-G.o.d whose every breath caused power to flow through Yang Qi. It was a power that, when combined with his true energy, could end the heavens and crush the earth, even pushing him to the level of the G.o.d world.
The strength G.o.d systems of the Engine of the One G.o.d truly provided immense and boundless power.
‘Unfortunately, it’s not my own power,’ Yang Qi thought. ‘My fighting prowess is definitely more incredible, but my overall cultivation level hasn’t improved.’ He shook his head. After all, even the weakest of persons could use the power of a huge battleship to slaughter immortals or devils. But that didn’t make the person any stronger than before.
It would only benefit him personally if he a.s.similated the G.o.dhood on his own, except he couldn’t do that right now.
‘Well, this is only a fragment of G.o.dhood. I guess I should absorb all of it into the Engine of the One G.o.d and improve my fighting prowess. Then I can open the seal and get the full portion of G.o.dhood. If nothing else, at least Zilin won’t get it.’
With the strength G.o.d systems activated, he was now strong enough to fight opponents with a power index of seven or eight hundred. Of course, it would drain a lot of power if he did that. The piece of G.o.dhood he had taken would only keep the greater divine ability systems going for so long before it was exhausted.
He took a breath, and a G.o.d of strength appeared behind him as a projection. It was a manifestation of pure power, without any flaws whatsoever. Power was the foundation of everything in existence, and without it, nothing could function.
All of a sudden, Yang Qi got the sensation that heaven and earth was filled, not with vital energy, but by connections of power. Power itself was what made the universe function. The movement of the sun and the moon. The functions of the dao of heaven. The birth and destruction of the universe. The grip of friction. Even the movement of flesh and blood, down to the tiniest particles, all required power. Without it, there could be no life, no dao of heaven, no primal-chaos, and no existence.
In that moment, Yang Qi realized that power itself was the most majestic thing in all existence.
At the same time, he gained a new understanding of the grandeur of G.o.dmammoths. G.o.dmammoths were the ultimate expression of power, the embodiment of its core meaning.
With the strength G.o.d systems activated, his cultivation of the Strength of the h.e.l.l-Crushing G.o.dmammoth would significantly improve. [1]
He didn’t even realize it, but the particles within him were all stirring, extruding impurities that emerged from his pores and fell to the ground beneath him. Those impurities had come to exist within him as he absorbed the quintessence of heaven and earth during his practice of cultivation.
Truth be told, people would acc.u.mulate impurities whether they practiced cultivation or not. After all, everyone breathed, and as a result, would bring spirit energy into them. As for those who practiced cultivation, as they reached higher levels, the spirit energy would bring more and more impurities.
Whether it was in the mortal world, or during his time in the immortal worlds, Yang Qi had consumed many immortal pills. After he became a G.o.dmyth, he removed all of the impurities that had come with them and began consuming G.o.d pills instead. Unfortunately, even G.o.d pills contained impurities.
When people practiced cultivation, they rose to new heights and left behind the things of the past. With the enlightenment that came with acquiring G.o.dhood, and also upon activating the strength G.o.d systems, Yang Qi was now taking past impurities and removing them, pushing himself closer to the level of the legion of G.o.ds, and closer to G.o.dliness and G.o.dhood.
As he continued absorbing the piece of G.o.dhood, the strength G.o.d systems worked furiously and a power structure appeared within his mind. Then, thanks to the G.o.dhood, his physical body began conforming to that power structure.
It was as if his physical form were porcelain in the midst of flame, soft and malleable, but slowly becoming something more pure.
In the end, he experienced a deep transformation in which the potential of the Strength of the h.e.l.l-Crushing G.o.dmammoth exploded out, making him more pure and natural. He looked elegant and calm, as if even his most casual movements conformed perfectly to the dao of heaven.
There were more fragments of G.o.dhood floating around the altar, which he pulled into the Engine of the One G.o.d, pushing the strength G.o.d systems to higher levels. At the same time, he gained new enlightenment, aiding his cultivation base. Although his power index remained at two hundred eighty, the structure of his body now pulsed with more power than ever.
In fact, he was at least three times stronger than he was when he initially clashed with Zilin. As of now, there was no way he would be hurt by the effects of the man’s b.u.t.terfly attack.
After Yang Qi took all the pieces of G.o.dhood, the altar went completely dark.
At the same time, a halo appeared behind his head, filled with black magical symbols that seemed to pulse, not with the power of the legion of G.o.ds, but rather, that of h.e.l.l.
Shocked, Yang Qi thought, ‘Did some h.e.l.lish ent.i.ty seal or kill a G.o.d here? Are there really such fierce beings in h.e.l.l?’
The magical symbols seemed filled with a fiendish energy that desired to possess Yang Qi’s body, allowing some sort of bane-devil to be born again.
Of course, Yang Qi wasn’t afraid of baleful energy, especially considering his transformation from moments ago. The Strength of the h.e.l.l-Crushing G.o.dmammoth was designed to counter baleful energy, and could easily dispel it. As such, he refrained from absorbing them, knowing that they were essentially impurities, as far as he was concerned.
He only wanted pure G.o.dpower in him.
‘Obviously, some h.e.l.lish fiend-devil created these symbols. But who, exactly?’ He shook his head. ‘Thankfully I have the Strength of the h.e.l.l-Crushing G.o.dmammoth, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to undo the sealing marks on this altar.’
Just as he was about to unleash some energy arts to undo the seals, several streams of light appeared. It is always on a narrow, cramped road that enemies meet, and sure enough, it was Zilin. Looking surprised, Zilin said, “You again?! How did you get here before me? Is this where the G.o.dhood is sealed?”
The other consorts who had accompanied Zilin spread out to surround Yang Qi.
“Let’s see you try escaping from us this time!” one of the consorts said. “We have the entrance to this altar blocked, trapping you like a turtle in a jar!”
“Surrender,” Zilin said. “There’s no way you can undo that sealing mark. It was put in place by a h.e.l.l-born fiend-devil who killed a true G.o.d. The G.o.dhood is sealed there so that the G.o.d could never be resurrected. And even if you undo the seal, you’ll never be able to a.s.similate the G.o.dhood.”
‘Dammit,’ Yang Qi thought. ‘Just when I was about to undo the seal, these guys had to show up. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have wasted time on the strength G.o.d systems. I would have just gone right on to the G.o.dhood and worried about enlightenment later.’
Even as those thoughts ran through his head, he said, “Are you saying you can undo the sealing mark?”
“Of course,” Zilin said. “The Joyflower Palace has done a lot of research into the Exquisite Cathedral over the last hundred million years. For all intents and purposes, that G.o.dhood already belongs to us. We just need to take it away. Didn’t you notice that this fan of mine is a G.o.d item? Look at the picture on it. It’s none other than the G.o.d-King Devil-Quelling Painting, which is specifically designed to suppress all forms of wretched evil. So, of course it can deal with that sealing mark.”
“Stop being stubborn, boy,” one of the other consorts said. “On your knees!”
1. There is a bit of term crossover here in “strength”. Technically, the character I"m translating as “strength” in the strength G.o.d systems is different from the one in the Strength of the h.e.l.l-Crushing G.o.dmammoth.