The sequence is too involutional, luckily I am too.

Chapter 182 Forced Advancement! The Whereabouts of the Demon God's Body

Seeing Nangong Muyu's increasingly powerful aura in the air and the surging black energy around her, everyone present looked extremely grim.

No one could have imagined that the ultimate beneficiary of this deadly battle between the Tribunal and the followers of the Evil God would be Nangong Muyu, who had been lurking among them all along.

This person, once regarded as the leader of the golden generation of the Inquisition and a shining figure, was actually already a Sequence 4 extraordinary being!

Even someone as powerful as Xue Jiansheng, and someone as insightful as Jiang Nandao, never saw through his scheme and were kept completely in the dark.

But what truly shocked everyone into silence was that Nangong Muyu transformed into a god with just a branch from the Primordial Divine Tree.

To be precise, it is a treacherous god.

His blank, faceless face, and the terrifyingly dense aura of divine corruption surrounding him, all confirmed his current identity and shattered everyone's understanding of the divine tree.

"Can branches from the divine tree turn people into evil spirits? Is this how all the evil spirits of the past were born?"

Yin Shuo and his group stood there dumbfounded, their eyes blank, clearly unable to accept this terrible conjecture.

The sacred tree symbolizes the original path they have pursued throughout their lives. But if the end of this path is to become the mortal enemy of mankind, then wouldn't all their perseverance and pursuit be a joke?

For a moment, everyone was filled with confusion and their minds were in turmoil.

Only Xiao Yiren did not hesitate at all. She immediately burned her own life essence, transforming it into a blazing holy flame, barely resisting Nangong Muyu's terrifying pressure, and rushed towards Lu Yan with all her might.

While she was worried about her teacher's condition, Lu Yan's current state of being corrupted by the Blood of the Evil God made her even more anxious.

The fact that Nangong Muyu has become a demon god is already a devastating blow to humanity. If Lu Yan is also corrupted and falls into depravity, the consequences will be unimaginable.

Just as Xiao Yiren was about to approach Lu Yan, the illusory image of the divine tree suspended in mid-air trembled violently again, and the pair of eyes containing cross patterns reappeared. The huge palm, carrying immense primordial power, suddenly grabbed at Nangong Muyu.

Nangong Muyu was not afraid at all. With her blank face facing the illusory image of the divine tree, she shot out streaks of black silk from her fingertips, attempting to forcibly pull the illusory image of the divine tree down.

Before Nangong Muyu could exert his strength, wisps of gray mist suddenly emerged from his body, enveloping him like a tide, and his aura became unstable.

"Is it really impossible to stay here any longer? How boring."

Nangong Muyu's voice was hollow and eerie, devoid of any emotion. He looked at the phantom of the divine tree with a blank face, then slowly turned towards Lu Yan, his tone carrying a hint of mockery.

"Lu Yan, you still owe me a defeat, don't forget that~"

As soon as he finished speaking, Nangong Muyu's body transformed into countless black threads, completely enveloped by the gray mist, and vanished into the air in an instant, leaving only a faint aura of eeriness to prove that he had been there.

The moment Nangong Muyu disappeared, the filthy evil spirit surrounding Lu Yan erupted completely. Dense blood evil, carrying an astonishing killing intent, swept across the surroundings. Even the several Sequence 4 powerhouses present couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts and their expressions became solemn.

Seeing this, everyone became alert, and several people were ready to take action to forcibly stop Lu Yan's transformation.

But at that moment, the white bone greatsword in Lu Yan's hand suddenly disintegrated, turning into a stream of light and splitting back into the Thousand Slashes and the Hundred Weapons Box.

Immediately afterwards, to everyone's astonishment, the bloodlust and evil spirit pollution surrounding Lu Yan were frantically devoured by the Hundred Weapons Box, leaving not a trace, and Lu Yan's originally chaotic eyes gradually regained their clarity.

To be precise, he was never corrupted!

[Filthy divine blood discovered; initiating the recycling and purification process —]

[Recycling and purification successful, obtained Divine Blood*1]

[The Divine Martial Saint preemptively absorbed the divine blood and threw it into the Blood Fiend Furnace for refining.]

[The actuary's calculations confirm that the Blood Fiend Furnace cannot process all the divine blood; it is recommended that the excess be incorporated into the Hundred Weapons Box.]

The Dragonblood Priest has no interest in blood other than dragon blood and willingly helps guide the power of divine blood.

The Black Forest Lord silently absorbed the spiritual impurities removed from the divine blood, unconcerned by the Divine Martial Saint's recklessness.

The executioner, absorbed in the thrill of executing the treacherous god, failed to notice the Divine Martial Saint's actions.

The ancient wizard was dissatisfied with the Divine Martial Saint's waste of resources, but instead of seizing them, he took the initiative to help him fuse the divine blood with the Hundred Weapons Box.

It turns out that the panel had already started the purification process the moment the divine blood touched Lu Yan. What everyone saw as "erosion" was just the panel removing impurities from the divine blood.

Furthermore, the fact that the Divine Martial Saint failed to perfectly absorb the divine blood caused that terrifying phenomenon. However, all of this still seemed inconceivable to outsiders.

Could Lu Yan have also been corrupted by the evil god? Wan Zhuliu's hand unconsciously rested on the short sword at his waist, his fingertips turning white, already ready to make a move.

Just then, Xue Hanyi moved and stood in front of Wan Zhuliu, her attitude clear and unquestionable.

"His will was perfectly clear and had not been corrupted."

Xue Hanyi spoke calmly, her gaze fixed on Lu Yan, her tone carrying a hint of certainty.

However, Wan Zhuliu remained vigilant. Learning from Nangong Muyu's experience, he was extremely suspicious of any unusual occurrence.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, Lu Yan's aura suddenly surged, and his blood and qi surged, all of which merged into the Blood Fiend Furnace within his body.

At the same time, the Blood Fiend Furnace began to frantically devour all the energy around it, even distorting the air itself.

Upon seeing this, everyone instinctively retreated to avoid it. Wan Zhuliu even drew his short sword, and a phantom of judgment appeared behind him. He was ready to act at any moment.

This doesn't look like a normal progression at all!

But the next second, Lu Yan suddenly reached out and grabbed the Hundred Weapons Box, disregarding the backlash, and forcibly pressed it into his body.

The divine blood that had been separated merged again, along with the Hundred Weapons Box and the Blood Fiend Furnace, which were forcibly mixed together. The two forces collided violently, but under the guidance of the divine blood, they slowly merged.

Just as the two completely merged, a series of panel subtitles popped up in front of Lu Yan's eyes:

[The Divine Martial Saint absorbs divine blood, forcibly fusing the Hundred Weapons Box and the Blood Fiend Furnace, initiating a forced advancement!]

[Promotion successful! Unlocked Sequence 5 - Bloodthirsty Berserker!]

[Gain the Trait - Bloodblade Phantom Weapon: The phantom weapon is the soul, and the bloodblade is the body; you can freely forge various divine weapons and bloodblades; it permanently inherits the attributes of all contracted weapons, and the power of contracted weapons is increased by an additional 100%.]

[Gain Skill - Domain - Divine Weeping Battlefield: Upon activation, a Divine Weeping Battlefield is created. Targets within the domain cannot escape and will be continuously attacked by Blood Blade Illusionary Soldiers until they perish; damage is doubled against those with divine power!]

[Gain Skill - Domain - Devouring God Coffin: Resides permanently within the body without requiring active activation; can melt foreign objects within the body and nurture wondrous items.]

It can nourish itself with wondrous objects, and also devour divine artifacts to strengthen itself: for each divine artifact devoured/acquired, the power of the contracted weapon increases by an additional 30%.

Gradually, the turbulent blood and qi around Lu Yan's body calmed down, and the bloody and polluted smell in the air also quietly dissipated.

Yet he gave off an increasingly dangerous aura, as if he himself had transformed into an unparalleled mad weapon, its sharpness concealed, yet capable of unleashing devastating power at any moment.

However, not everyone is so wary of him.

After Lu Yan fully recovered, Xue Jiansheng walked over with Xue Hanyi's help, followed closely by Xiao Yiren, Yin Shuo, and their group, their faces full of worry.

Before the group could ask any questions, a figure suddenly descended from the sky, her movements light and graceful—it was Yao Qing.

"Grandpa, Lu Yan, are you alright?"

Yao Qing was filled with anxiety. She had clearly seen Xue Jiansheng reveal his power and Lu Yan's strange appearance. Her heart was still hanging in the air.

Seeing the worried expressions on everyone's faces, Lu Yan smiled slightly and said in a relaxed tone.

"I'm sorry to have worried everyone, but I'm fine, and in fact—I've actually benefited from this misfortune."

As soon as he finished speaking, he released the aura of Blood Blade Berserker, and the vast and violent blood energy swept across the entire area, startling everyone present.

Is this aura really only Sequence 5?

And didn't this guy just advance to the next level? How come he's broken through again?

"Is it because of that drop of the eerie blood?"

Xue Jiansheng had sharp eyes and immediately saw through the clues, asking directly.

Lu Yan did not hide anything, nodded slightly, and took the initiative to release his two unique auras.

"Most of the evil divine will within that drop of divine blood was destroyed when my master self-destructed his authority, and the remaining impurities were also eliminated by my own blood and qi."

"Angel's Blood? Glass Bones?"

Wan Zhuliu sensed these two familiar auras, and his doubts instantly vanished.

These two characteristics are absolutely incompatible with any kind of supernatural power and cannot coexist at all, which is enough to prove that Lu Yan has not been corrupted.

But soon, he was so shocked by Lu Yan's terrifying cultivation efficiency that he was speechless.

Both of these cultivation methods are unique to the Primordial Sanctuary, which means that Lu Yan only began cultivating them after arriving here.

But how long has it been? He has already mastered both cultivation methods.

Is this guy even human?!

Faced with the shocked gazes of the crowd, Lu Yan remained noncommittal, turning his attention to Xue Jiansheng.

At this moment, Xue Jiansheng looked much older, with a few strands of white hair and his breath still declining.

But his eyes remained bright, though they had lost their former sharpness and gained a sense of clarity and serenity.

"Master, your sequence—" Lu Yan's tone was full of worry.

"It's alright, this might actually be an opportunity for me."

Xue Jiansheng waved his hand gently, his smile indifferent, "No destruction, no construction. At worst, I can just start cultivating again."

Lu Yan was still worried, so he immediately activated the Life Stream Diversion, and a gentle life force was continuously injected into Xue Jiansheng's body to help him stabilize his breathing.

Only after confirming that Xue Jiansheng was alright did Lu Yan finally feel relieved.

"Lu Yan, you're quite good. Xiang Yang has indeed acquired a good foundation."

Xue Hanyi rarely spoke up to praise him, her eyes full of admiration.

Especially when he saw Yao Qing nestled beside Lu Yan, the smile in his eyes deepened.

With Lu Yan around, there shouldn't be too much to worry about regarding Qing'er's potential health issues.

"In that case, you all go back and rest first. I'll take some men to clean up the battlefield and handle the aftermath."

Seeing that everyone looked exhausted and had injuries of varying degrees, Wan Zhuliu took the initiative to take on the task of cleaning up afterward.

Although the battle is over, its effects still require considerable effort to eliminate.

In particular, the scene where Nangong Muyu devours the branches of the divine tree to advance in rank could potentially trigger an even greater disaster if not handled properly!

But Xue Jiansheng spoke up at this moment, revealing the matter of the Ghost God's body.

Upon hearing this, Wan Zhuliu's forehead veins bulged, and his tone was filled with anger: "The body of the Ghost God? Xue Jiansheng, why didn't you say so sooner! You've been keeping such important information from us all this time!"

"If you were in that situation, would you have easily said it?"

Xue Jiansheng sneered, his tone laced with sarcasm, leaving Wan Zhuliu speechless.

Indeed, before the final battle, everyone had their own thoughts, and no one dared to easily trust others. Even those who belonged to the same court were inevitably wary.

However, they ultimately overlooked Nangong Muyu, which became their biggest regret.

Thinking of this, Wan Zhuliu felt apologetic and said no more. He turned around and went to deal with the aftermath of the battlefield.

"However, since they specifically created the husk of the Death God with the intention of bringing the Death God down, why didn't the Death God choose to enter the husk just now?"

Xue Hanyi frowned and voiced her doubts.

"Perhaps someone secretly took away the body of the Ghost God?"