A Thousand-Year Journey Through the God of War

The wisp of Qilin holy power that entered Xiang'er's body was warm and gentle, slowly flowing along her disordered meridians. The burning pain of the passion poison in her five internal organs quickly subsided, and the crimson poison lines that covered her cheeks and wrists gradually faded away.

Xiang'er leaned against the God of War's shoulder, her tense body finally relaxing, and she let out a long sigh. She looked up at the person beside her. The golden light emanating from the God of War's soul still lingered around him, continuously repairing the foundation of his shattered physical body. The wound that pierced through his chest was visibly healing, and the patterns on his long-dimmed Qilin armor were once again radiating a faint golden glow.

"Your divine soul power can actually suppress my incurable poison." Xiang'er lightly touched the faint red marks left on her arm with her fingertips, her eyes filled with relief: "The ancient records are indeed true. Only the same holy power of the Qilin Fighting God can restrain the love poison that has plagued me for years."

The God of War slowly released his arm from hers, using his spear to straighten himself. With his soul fully activated, the scattered power he had been on the verge of death returned, and the Qilin essence within his dantian surged anew. The foundation of his sacred body, shattered by the demon general, was slowly recovering under the nourishment of his divine soul. However, he had overdrawn his essence too severely, and was still weak and unable to unleash his full power.

"You have come from a thousand years ago, possessing the skills of a healer, and your fate is intertwined with mine." The God of War looked at the surging black mist outside the city, his voice steady: "The crisis in Xinye is not yet resolved, the demons of Futu are wreaking havoc on the world, the calamity of Changban and the collapse of spacetime are all destined futures, and I alone am powerless to reverse them."

Xiang'er opened the medicine box, took out a small bottle of warm, light blue liquid, and handed it to the God of War: "This is the healing ointment I always carry with me. It is made with an ancient formula and can accelerate the repair of your sacred body's injuries. Although I am not good at direct combat, I can use my medical skills to purify demonic energy, heal the people, and also concoct medicinal pills to help you suppress demonic forces."

The God of War took the medicine bottle but did not take it immediately. Instead, he asked, "Is there any record of the Floating Pagoda Island and the Seventh-Level Demon Tower that I mentioned a thousand years in the future, in your time?"

"A few lines in the fragments of ancient Qin and Han texts only mention that the Demon Tower beyond the realm hides the source of evil, opening a rift in the chaotic world, causing widespread suffering." Xiang'er frowned, her fingertips tracing the ancient carvings on the medicine box. "When I came here, I searched through all the medical books and only found prophecies related to you, but no complete method to break the Demon Tower. I clearly saw the scene that resonated with your soul and entered my mind just now. The seven-tiered Demon Tower seals the demonic energy layer by layer, and the loosening of the bottom layer has already caused such a tragic situation. If the source of evil at the top layer is fully revealed, the entire Central Plains will become a demonic realm, the spatial rift will continue to expand, and the order of a thousand years will completely collapse."

The two exchanged a glance and reached a consensus: the only way to save Xinye and avert future catastrophe was to storm Floating Pagoda Island and destroy the core demonic source of the Demon Tower.

Just then, a deafening roar came from the west wall again. The high-ranking demon general, carrying a giant axe, broke through the breach in the wall and led dozens of demonized undead into the city. Black mist poured in through the breach, and the civilians on the street who had no time to escape were instantly enveloped by the evil mist. Their eyes were quickly covered with black gloom, and they lost their consciousness, numbly bowing and kneeling before the demon general.

"A mere wisp of divine soul light dares to stop me?" The demon general roared with laughter, raising his giant axe high and cleaving it down at a group of elderly and weak civilians who hadn't had time to escape. "Today, I'll take your souls as a sacrifice to the Floating Pagoda Lord!"

The people scattered in terror, crying out. The elderly huddled in a corner, protecting the children, as the giant axe, carrying overwhelming demonic energy, was about to fall.

A fierce fighting spirit surged in the God of War's eyes, and the golden light of his Heavenly Martial God of War soul erupted around him. The broken spear in his hand was enveloped in a dazzling golden light by holy power. He stepped onto the blue bricks, and in an instant, he rushed in front of the people, his spear blocking the demonic axe with a thunderous crash.

With a deafening roar, demonic energy exploded in all directions, snapping the wooden beams of houses lining the street. The demon general staggered back several steps, his arm gripping the giant axe trembling slightly, his eyes filled with disbelief: "You should have had your holy foundation shattered and your soul dissipate, how can you still wield such formidable holy power?"

"As long as the soul of the Heavenly Martial God is immortal and his heart for protecting the world is undying, you will never be able to trample Xinye."

The God of War's spear swept across, and the holy power of the Qilin transformed into a semi-transparent golden Qilin phantom, roaring as it crashed into the black mist surrounding the demon general. Wherever the golden light passed, the demonic energy that had been entangling the people melted away like ice and snow, and those ordinary people whose minds had been clouded regained their senses, collapsing to the ground in fear and tears.

This is the first battle after the awakening of the divine soul, and it is also a reassurance to the people of Xinye.

Xiang'er didn't watch the battle; she immediately grabbed her medicine box and rushed to the people affected by the demonic energy. She swiftly inserted silver needles into the acupoints to calm the nerves and detoxify, distributed calming powders, and soothed the frightened children and elderly. While treating them, she kept an eye on the battlefield. Seeing the God of War and the Demon General locked in combat, she went to a high point on the city wall, took out several medicinal bullets tempered with purifying herbs from her medicine box, and flicked them with her fingertips. The bullets accurately struck the black mist surrounding the Demon General, exploding into a refreshing medicinal fragrance that continuously eroded the Demon General's evil power.

The demon general was doubly restrained by the holy power and the medicinal fragrance, his demonic energy rapidly diminishing and his movements gradually slowing down. The God of War seized the opportunity, leaping into the air and thrusting his spear straight at the demon general's evil core between his eyebrows.

The moment the golden holy power pierced through the evil core, the demon general let out a mournful howl, and its massive body rapidly dissolved into wisps of black smoke, completely purified and dissipated by the golden light of the Qilin, leaving it with no power to do evil again.

The low-ranking undead demon soldiers wandering outside the city lost their commander's control, and the black mist slowly dissipated. Many refugees who had been corrupted by demonic energy regained their original nature and stood blankly outside the city, no longer daring to charge the city walls.

Seeing that the crisis had passed, the people of the city came out of the streets and alleys and bowed to the two people on the city wall to express their gratitude. A child, holding the last wildflowers by the roadside, timidly ran to Xiang'er and handed her a bunch of pale purple flowers.

Xiang'er took the wildflower, feeling a warmth in her heart, and turned to look at the God of War standing on the city wall with his spear.

The God of War sheathed his spear and turned around, looking at the people of the city who had settled down. His heart, which had been tense for many days, finally relaxed slightly. But he knew that this was only the beginning. The seventh-level demon tower on Floating Pagoda Island was the root cause. Killing a demon general from the lower realm today was not enough to eradicate the ever-leaking demonic energy.

A scout cavalryman galloped up the city wall, holding aloft a blood-stained message banner. He knelt on one knee and reported loudly: "Lord War God! Our lord and General Zhao are on their way back with light cavalry and will arrive in Xinye in three days. Generals Guan and Zhang are gathering scattered militia from the surrounding areas and will join us soon. General Ma Chao of Xiliang, having heard of the demons causing trouble beyond the borders, has taken the initiative to lead his troops south, intending to join forces with the War God Temple to fight against the demons!"

Upon hearing that renowned generals such as Zhao Yun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Ma Chao were about to gather, the God of War's eyes shone even brighter. The Hall of the God of War was originally meant to gather loyal and righteous people from all over the world to protect it. Now that these famous generals of the chaotic era were willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, he felt much more confident in venturing into the Demon Tower.

Xiang'er stood aside, softly outlining their plans for the future: "To completely sever the demonic energy, we must venture deep into the seventh-level demon tower of Floating Pagoda Island. Each level of the tower is guarded by evil spirits, and the demonic energy is extremely dense, making it difficult for ordinary weapons to harm the monsters. I can gather spiritual herbs along the way to refine pills and antidotes to counteract the demonic energy, and I can also treat the injuries of all the soldiers. However, the demonic energy at the top level is extremely strong, and my calming powder may not be able to withstand it."

"With my Qilin Sacred Body and the soul of the Heavenly Martial God of War leading the way, I will pave the way for you and all the soldiers." The God of War looked towards the distant Floating Pagoda Island shrouded in black mist, his tone resolute, "Once Generals Zilong, Yunchang, Yide, and Mengqi arrive, we will gather the people of the War God Hall and march together to conquer Floating Pagoda Island. I will destroy the Demon Tower and the source of the demons, end the demonic chaos, and protect the millions of people in this chaotic world at the end of the Han Dynasty; I will also help you resolve the poison of love, and live up to the promise of companionship that has spanned a thousand years."

The setting sun pierced through the thin black mist outside the city, casting a layer of soft golden light that fell on the Qilin pattern on the God of War armor and the wildflower in Xiang'er's hand.

The people spontaneously cleaned up the damaged city walls, repaired houses, and distributed stored grain. The city gradually returned to its former life, and the laughter of children replaced the previous cries and wails.

Dou Shen and Xiang'er stood side by side on the top of Xinye City, one holding a long spear and the other carrying a medicine box, looking at two paths ahead: one was the distant smoke and dust, where loyal and righteous generals were about to arrive; the other was the seven-level floating demon tower with black mist covering the sky and hiding the crisis of world destruction.

The destiny separated by a thousand years of time and space has come to fruition at this moment, and the original aspiration of protecting the people in chaotic times is closely intertwined.

The God of War turned his head to look at the white-clad female healer beside him, his voice clear and resounding through the evening breeze atop the city walls:

"In chaotic times, demons are nothing to fear; a thousand-year bond will not be broken. Once the generals of the War God's Temple are gathered, we will storm the Floating Demon Tower, defy fate, and protect the peace and stability of all living beings."

Xiang'er nodded gently, her fingertips gripping the wildflower in her hand. The faint poisonous markings remaining on her body, illuminated by the golden light of the Qilin beside her, completely subsided.

The remaining black fog outside the city slowly dissipated, and Xinye, this besieged city, finally ushered in a glimmer of true hope.

Just when Dou Shen and Xiang'er thought the crisis was over, a gaunt old man with a cold face suddenly appeared in the sky above Xinye City.