Storm of Gods

Chapter 144 First Entry into the Sacred Land
Touching the Demon-Sealing Spear, Li Xin felt quite familiar with it. It was a high-end product from Tianjing. In terms of quality, Tianjing was far superior to Daoyuan.

Damn it, Zhao Qing, that bastard, is actually quite trustworthy to outsiders.

"I have my own weapons." Li Xin took the Demon-Sealing Blade with him. He needed to be cautious since it was his first time going to the sacred land.

Celia could detect a sense of being taken advantage of in Li Xin's tone. Her initial enthusiasm had waned considerably. Had she gone mad, spending an hour preparing so meticulously since early morning?
The longsword he used was of a very ordinary design, a typical weapon of the Lilong Night Patrol.

Li Xin laid out the rest of his possessions on the table, saying, "I can die, but I can't lose my property."

Simmons, fully armed, stood at the main position of the Gate of Truth, while Li Xin stood at the secondary position of the array's core. With Simmons as the leader, Li Xin could follow him into Simmons' sacred land. This was common in large families, especially among direct descendants. In the early days, the sacred land was led and guided by family elders or hired experts to ensure safety.

If the Gate of Truth is breached from the outside, the trialers of the Sacred Land will also be expelled. However, the expulsion will take time, and during that process, the trialers' actions will be greatly affected. In some cases, it will certainly be dangerous, so it will not be used by people or places that are not trustworthy.

"Ready, it begins!" As the crisp voice rang out, Celia's eyes shone with a majestic dark gold, the kind of dark gold eyes considered noble among the Eyes of Mystery, which most bishops possessed.

Enveloped in red light, followed by a dazzling burst of light and a surge of energy, Li Xin and Simmons vanished into thin air.

When their vision returned, Li Xin and Simmons found themselves in another world. A hazy starlight shrouded the scene, and the surrounding area was filled with dilapidated, towering buildings, resembling a city scarred by war. Before them stood a massive stone archway, over twenty meters high and missing a corner. The archway's sides were engraved with winding, broken patterns, seemingly telling the story of its former glory and subsequent fall. Ahead lay a road leading into the distance, and as the distance between the two sides increased, dilapidated buildings gradually disappeared into the thick fog. The entire world exuded a sense of oppression.

Simmons looked around and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a familiar place; he had lingered here many times. Outsiders could bring changes, and the stronger the person, the greater the change. This was an experience passed down from his ancestors.

Fortunately, Li Xin is a normal person, so it's not a big deal if he only attracts more abyssal creatures.

“Brother Li, this is my sacred land. We just need to follow the road and not step into the fog,” Simmons said.

"What's inside the mist?" Li Xin sensed the atmosphere here. The dice inside his body had already sensed something. It was hard to describe the feeling, but it seemed that the dice were emitting a sense of comfort.

“I don’t know. Before I entered the sacred land, my family strictly warned me that what was more dangerous than the path ahead was the mist. No matter how strong you are, once you get lost in the mist, you can never come back. Even the Gate of Truth can’t help you. That might be more terrifying than death,” Simmons explained. “Of course, there’s also a saying that the mist leads to the abyss.”

Li Xin nodded. He didn't know if it was the effect of the dice or just his imagination, but he felt a sense of comfort here, as if he had returned to a familiar place.

"Is there anything else I need to be careful about?" Li Xin looked behind him. There was a stretch of road behind him, but it quickly disappeared into the mist, which meant that there was no way back in the sacred land.

Simmons glanced behind him. "After leaving the Fortress, I began venturing into the Sacred Lands. In six years, I've made considerable progress. I arrived in this city four years ago and have gained a lot along the way. However, this city may be my final destination. I haven't made any progress for two years now." Simmons's voice was tinged with bitterness and resentment.

The family had spent a lot of resources and effort to get here, which replenished their divine relics with enough energy. Unfortunately, they could not go any further. In fact, Simmons was genuinely envious when he saw Locke awaken his fire ability.

Compared to the plasticity of the original, divine relics are directly connected to the sacred land. Understanding divine relics and acquiring their power are both related to the sacred land. If the level of the divine relics is too high, it will restrict development. Sometimes, Simmons even doubted whether he was lacking in talent.

Sensing Li Xin's gaze, Simmons composed himself. "It's been a while since I've been here, so there might be quite a few abyssal creatures spawning."

"Abyssal creatures?"

“Yes, that’s also the saying that the mist connects to the abyss. If you stay in one place, even if you clear out the abyss monsters, they will reappear after a while. We don’t know if these things are immortal…” Before Simmons could finish speaking, the ground trembled slightly, and several Lickers and Suckers that had blended into the ruins pounced on Li Xin and Simmons.

Once these abyssal monsters launched their attack, they reverted to their original colors. Unlike the lickers and suckers outside, their skin was deep red, and their appearance was not that of a rotten, soft, and swollen body. Instead, they possessed a more powerful presence, with muscles tangled and tightly bound. Their speed was also much faster, and in just an instant, they surrounded the two people. Their blood-red tongues licked at the two people, and the liquid from their tongues dripped onto the ground, immediately emitting a puff of white smoke.

Simmons acted immediately, his greatsword flashing out to block the way and draw the attention of all the abyss monsters. The abyss monsters here were far more powerful than those outside, not even in the same league. In particular, those few Devourers knew to split up and attack together. However, they were facing Simmons, a top expert who remained calm and collected. His spiritual power exploded, and his greatsword shone brightly. In no time, he killed the Devourers.

Li Xin looked at a struggling addict not far away, stomped on it with a soft "plop," feeling like stepping in excrement, but no abyssal worms came out. "The addicts here are different from those outside; there are no worms."

"They are not human?"

Simmons, his face flushed after the battle, knew he could easily handle this level of combat. "I don't know. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Our family is relatively ordinary in our research in the Holy Land. Secret organizations or the Vatican know more. Shall we continue?"

"Of course, just keep going forward like this?" Li Xin pointed to the stone archway.

“Yes.” Simmons took a deep breath. The real danger would begin once they started moving forward. He had to be on his guard. He fixed the position of the Demon-Sealing Spear. In this kind of battle, the Demon-Sealing Spear was not the main weapon, but rather a tool for blocking and dealing with emergencies. It had to be in the most convenient position.

“Okay, lead the way.” Li Xin nodded. In just a short while, he felt that his dice had become much fuller. It was impossible to observe; it was purely intuition. It might actually be able to counteract the side effects.

Once it's feasible, he can study the dice; otherwise, he wouldn't dare to use them recklessly.

Simmons's lips twitched slightly, but he didn't hesitate and strode forward. The two passed through the huge stone archway. Although it was only a few meters away, Li Xin felt as if he had entered another world.

The city was filled with ruins; a block lay before me, while mist shrouded both sides.

In the midst of it all, faint murmurs could be heard from time to time, as if trying to drill into my brain.

Simmons's face darkened. "It's different from when I came last time. Be careful. Usually, the more we go in, the more corrupted we encounter. They might be lurking ahead, waiting for us."

Simmons gripped his greatsword tightly in front of his chest and slowly advanced. Li Xin followed behind, observing the surroundings. He didn't sense any trace of the monster. Lurking? It would be difficult for it to disguise itself here, but strangely, his senses couldn't penetrate the fog. This thing was a bit eerie.

The city was overgrown with weeds and in a state of disrepair, but there was no sign of any living creature or the monster Simmons had mentioned. Yet, Simmons felt even more uneasy, his breathing heavy, unlike when he had come before.

Jie Jie Jie Jie...

Suddenly, a strange and eerie laugh echoed from within the mist, piercing their minds. Footsteps sounded, and something was slowly emerging from the mist. The other party was not moving fast, but its movements were unusually heavy.

Li Xin glanced at Simmons, "Shall we lay low for now?"

Simmons nodded quickly. "We can't turn back. Let's get out of here first, Celia!"

The road behind us had been shrouded in mist, and all that could be vaguely seen was the stone archway.

However, Celia did not respond. Li Xin felt that thing getting closer and closer. Besides the heavy footsteps, there was also a creepy creaking sound, accompanied by wails. This kind of eerie place was a bit creepy. "Simmons?"

Simmons's expression was also grim. "Celtis didn't respond. This is the first time something like this has happened."

Damn it, what bad luck! I've been in this sacred land for six years now, always steady and reliable, like an old dog. Although there have been a few dangerous situations, I've always managed to escape in time. The most dangerous one was one that even the elders of my family couldn't handle, but Celia managed to bring them back in time. How come this time, I haven't done anything and I can't go back?

The footsteps and the strange laughter grew closer, the mist churned, and the surroundings seemed to boil like a shockwave. A colossal figure appeared before them, a massive, six-meter-tall, fleshy mountain of a man, covered in a multitude of faces that were struggling and howling. Each of its four enormous arms was gripping an abyssal monster, stuffing it into its gaping maw. The crunching sound was the monster chewing, while the other faces on its body struggled toward its massive head, seemingly craving it. The fleshy mountain emanated astonishing abyssal power, its body steaming with purple energy, and its six eyes stared at the two of them, drool dripping from its mouth.

At some point, the surrounding mist also turned purple, which was probably the reason why his connection with Celia was severed.

(End of this chapter)