A Thousand-Year Journey Through the God of War

Without a breeze or a cloud in motion, the peaceful atmosphere between heaven and earth suddenly froze without warning.

In an instant, the sky over Xinye suddenly darkened, the bright daylight instantly turning into a hazy gray, and the warm and vibrant spiritual energy in the air was instantly swallowed up by a cold, chilling, and violent evil force. A vast, invisible, intangible, and silent black mist, like an ancient, dormant abyss, quietly enveloped the entire city.

It's an inner demon.

It is not an ordinary evil spirit roaming the world, but a dreamlike inner demon formed by absorbing the blood and violence of the chaotic world and devouring the obsessions of countless dead souls. It has been lurking beneath the battlefield ruins for a long time, quietly watching for the peace of Xinye, and will suddenly attack when people's hearts are most relaxed and their fighting spirit is most relaxed. It is insidious, ruthless and impossible to guard against.

This inner demon is well aware of the weaknesses in people's hearts. It knows that the God of War is kind-hearted and compassionate, and that the people of Xinye have suffered from war for a long time and are mentally weak. It also seizes the opportunity when the whole city is relaxed and unprepared, and without making a fuss, it quietly infiltrates all directions.

The first to suffer were the ordinary people on the street who had no manners or education.

The laughter of children playing in the streets and alleys abruptly ceased, and pairs of clear eyes instantly became bloodshot and murky. The once gentle and kind people now had eyes brimming with selfishness, violence, fear, and madness. The power of inner demons silently invaded their hearts, tearing apart everyone's defenses of reason.

A woodcutter repairing a house, his eyes bloodshot, suddenly swung his wooden axe, viciously striking the neighbor working alongside him; an old woman holding a bowl of porridge on the street stood frozen, letting out a strange roar, splashing all the hot porridge in her hand onto the child in front of her; the once harmonious and helpful neighbors instantly turned against each other, tearing at each other, fighting, and roaring.

The entire small town of Xinye was transformed into a living hell in an instant.

Heart-wrenching cries, frenzied roars, and chaotic crashes erupted, shattering the brief peace. The inner demons did not destroy brick walls and city walls, but they devoured people's hearts, amplifying the fear, resentment, and despair accumulated in the hearts of people in this chaotic world, turning what should have been a peaceful home into a battlefield of infighting.

A chill ran through Xiang'er's heart, and her pure spiritual energy surged and churned in chaos. She looked up abruptly, her beautiful face turning deathly pale as she stared at the people who had suddenly gone out of control and were killing each other. Her eyes were filled with shock and sorrow.

"Oh no! It's a demonic possession!"

She cried out in alarm, unhesitatingly channeling all her spiritual power. A surge of white light erupted from her body, and the gentle, pure spiritual energy transformed into layers of light curtains, rapidly enveloping the chaotic crowd. She attempted to forcefully suppress the evil obsessions festering in the hearts of the people and protect the out-of-control children and the elderly. But the power of this dreamlike inner demon far surpassed ordinary evil spirits; it was subtle, unpredictable, and all-pervasive, specifically targeting pure and righteous energy.

Her purifying light fell upon the frenzied people, only able to temporarily alleviate their madness, but unable to completely eradicate the demonic thoughts that had invaded their minds. Even more terrifying, wisps of pitch-black demonic mist coiled in the opposite direction of her spiritual energy, attempting to penetrate her sea of ​​consciousness.

Xiang'er's heart jolted, as countless chaotic negative obsessions suddenly surged from the depths of her mind—the pain of war and displacement, the despair of separation and death, the guilt of being powerless to protect—a myriad of thoughts frantically assaulting her mind. She had always been compassionate towards all living beings and easily empathized with their suffering, but now she became the primary target of her inner demons.

She staggered slightly, a trace of faint red blood spilling from the corner of her lips. Her belief in protecting the people was crumbling, and a dark mist had quietly settled around the edges of her clear eyes.

On the city tower, the God of War, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them wide!

His dark pupils instantly burst forth with dazzling golden divine light, and the Heavenly Martial God's soul instantly awakened with a roar. A powerful divine martial aura suddenly exploded around him, causing the icy demonic mist in the sky to tremble violently.

Just as the inner demons were engulfing the entire city, countless thoughts of killing and resentment, and the suffering of the people, surged wildly into his mind along with his protective heart that was connected to the land of Xinye.

He was the God of War, who had protected the people of Xinye for three years, killing countless enemies. His soul was filled with the fierce energy of battle, and deep within his heart lay the regret and obsession of protecting the world amidst its chaos. This inner demon was extremely cunning. Knowing that he could not defeat the power of the Heavenly Martial God of War head-on, he avoided the strong and attacked the weak, not targeting the physical body or breaking the fighting spirit, but focusing on the weaknesses in the soul!

Overwhelming demonic thoughts raged through his mind, bringing with them the bloody scenes of countless battles, the mournful cries of countless souls, the tragic destruction of countless cities, and the regret of his inability to protect the common people. Countless illusions layered upon each other, sweeping over him.

"You can't protect...the common people in this chaotic world, they are all like ants..."

"Having fought countless battles and stained your hands with blood, you are the greatest of all men..."

"The so-called protection of the world is nothing but self-deception; in the end, it's all in vain..."

The chilling and eerie demonic voice resounded directly into the depths of one's soul, each word piercing the heart.

The God of War trembled violently, the brilliant golden divine light around him fluctuating wildly, his boundless battle intent rising and falling with each passing moment. He wielded the power of heaven and earth, capable of slaying ten thousand demons and breaking through a thousand armies, yet he could not sever the obsessions of the human heart or eradicate the regrets in his soul. The inner demons used his benevolence to disturb his spirit and his obsessions to disrupt his Dao heart, turning his strongest protective instincts into his most fatal weakness.

Below the city, the people fought madly, their cries shaking the heavens; beside her, Xiang'er was exhausted of spiritual power, her mind and spirit wounded, teetering on the brink of collapse; within her sea of ​​consciousness, demonic thoughts arose, countless illusions appeared, and her Dao heart was in turmoil.

The elusive inner demons, shrouded in mystery, have enveloped the entire city of Xinye, using the hearts of the people as a prison and countless obsessions as sharp blades to trap Tianwu Doushen and Xiang'er. A deadly battle between gods and souls, unseen yet a hundred times more dangerous, has already erupted over Xinye.

Xiang'er's white robes fluttered, and the light of purity and cleansing spread out in all its might, protecting the weak in one place layer by layer. However, the power of inner demons was rooted in heaven and earth, originating from the obsessions of all living beings, and was endless.

She was inherently gentle and compassionate, and the more she saw the people suffer, the heavier her guilt became, and the more demonic thoughts took advantage of her vulnerability.

Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, her jade-like fingers trembled slightly, and blood seeped from the corners of her lips. The purifying spiritual light grew increasingly dim, and the dark mist in her eyes threatened to swallow the clear light within them.

"God of War... Hold on..."

Xiang'er gritted her teeth and called out softly, her voice slightly hoarse from the pain of being consumed by grief. She knew that the fate of the entire Xinye rested entirely on the decision of one person on the city wall.

If the God of War's Dao Heart collapses and his inner demons fully materialize, no one in the entire city will survive.

As if sensing the gentle call of his beloved, the God of War's previously turbulent eyes suddenly became completely clear!

"I am the Heavenly Martial God of War, who uses war to quell chaos and benevolence to subdue demons!"

A deep shout, not a deafening roar that shook the heavens and earth, yet every word was firm and resolute, shattering the myriad demons in the sea of ​​consciousness!

Boom—!

His dormant Heavenly Martial God soul suddenly and completely awakened, and an eternal golden light shone from the depths of his soul. All the negative illusions that entangled his sea of ​​consciousness, all the demonic thoughts that pierced his heart, and all the obsessions of self-doubt were instantly burned away by the raging divine martial flames.

If the mind remains steadfast in its pursuit of the Tao, the true nature of the mind will be clear and bright!

The pitch-black demonic mist that had been pressing down on Xinye suddenly recoiled and trembled violently, as if it had encountered the nemesis of heaven and earth.

The inner demon had nowhere to hide, and for the first time let out a sinister shriek filled with surprise and uncertainty.

The God of War's eyes shone brightly with golden light, and his entire body surged with overwhelming battle intent. The benevolence that had been manipulated by his inner demons was now transformed into the strongest power to suppress the demons!

He raised his hand and clenched it, causing the void to tremble. All the remaining martial energy in the world gathered in his palm. "You mere treacherous people dare to imprison me, the Heavenly Martial God?"

The inner demons abandoned their attempts to manipulate the mind and instead resorted to brute force to crush the enemy!

The sky was filled with black demonic flames that transformed into countless demonic blades, slashing down on the city's fighting god, the street's incense burner, and the innocent people of Xinye below, with the intention of destroying the city and slaughtering all living beings!

With a single step, the God of War unleashed the full power of the Qilin Sacred Body, creating a colossal Qilin pattern that protected the thousands of citizens of Xinye City. At the same time, the Heavenly Martial Soul transformed into a golden body that spanned the sky above Xinye, single-handedly blocking the countless demonic blades.

The inner demon's earth-shattering scheme was all for this one moment. He carried a sky full of demonic energy and, taking advantage of the moment when the God of War sacrificed himself to protect the people of Xinye, went straight into the depths of the God of War's sea of ​​consciousness, intending to seize the soul of the Heavenly Martial God of War.

"You can't protect everyone..."

"The common people are fragile, and chaotic times are ruthless; your benevolence and righteousness are nothing but shackles..."

"Only by abandoning benevolence and embracing evil can one remain undefeated..."

The chilling, eerie whispers pierced his very bones, attempting to erode his unwavering principles and complete his long-planned possession.

In an instant, the murderous aura accumulated from countless battles, the resentment of countless dead souls, and the regret of a lifetime dedicated to protecting the world were all detonated and amplified by the inner demons.

He clearly sensed that the path of protection he was so proud of was being completely negated by his inner demons; the benevolence he had upheld throughout his life was being twisted into shackles and sins; and the very essence of his soul was being gradually devoured and replaced by darkness.

"Am I going to die?" Despair gradually enveloped the God of War's heart, but his obsession with protecting all living beings did not dissipate due to the possession by his inner demon.

A muffled sound, originating from the deepest part of the soul and resounding through the ages, suddenly exploded!

"My body may shatter! My path may never perish!" A hoarse, deep roar, filled with the blood and tears of a shattered soul, exploded from the God of War's parched throat!

That one sound shattered the demonic noises that filled the sky!

This sound shattered the demonic mist covering the ground!

This roar was the peerless cry of the Heavenly Martial God, who was on the verge of death and was fighting against his inner demons!