Spellcasting Gods

When the evil energy reached a certain level and began to operate on its own, Icarette's body exploded with a bang, expanding from a height of about three meters to over a hundred meters!

The core in his chest, emitting a green glow, was spinning rapidly like an overloaded machine, radiating endless light and heat.

Before the other fire creatures around it could react to what was happening, it raised its hands and unleashed a torrent of green fel energy, roaring at the same time: "I! The master of the flames of wrath and destruction! The great Icarus is reborn here! Come! My children! Accept this gift! One day, the gods will tremble before our mighty power!"

Chapter 0664 The Return of the Flame King

At 3:30 a.m., near a remote and desolate beach on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the City of Angels, two drunken young men and women were lying naked on a flat beach chair, doing some activities that are popular and beneficial to physical and mental health between men and women.

Because it was late at night, the two of them made no attempt to hide anything. Instead, they completely let loose, and in a state of extreme excitement, a large number of obscene words came out of their mouths one after another.

Just as they were getting more and more excited, a violent tremor suddenly came from the ground.

next second...

boom!

With a deafening roar, the cliff not far ahead suddenly collapsed, as if the entire sky had been torn apart by a terrifying force!

What followed was a shocking sight that the young couple would never forget!

A colossal monster, as tall as a forty-story skyscraper, squeezed out from the gap!

It not only has an appearance like the demons described in religious books, but its whole body is burning with green flames, instantly evaporating all the surrounding seawater into water vapor, and even the beach and camouflage melt under the terrible heat, forming scorching lava.

“Oh my God! Richard! Tell me, are we having a violent hallucination because we just inhaled too much drug?” the woman asked in a fearful and trembling voice.

The man called Richard quickly slapped himself twice across the face, shaking his head in astonishment: "No, darling. Although I wish this were a hallucination, it's clearly not."

"Shit! Is this the Last Judgment mentioned in the Book of Revelation? Or is the devil about to launch a full-scale attack on the human world?" The woman asked several questions in a row, seemingly without any coherence.

Because alcohol and drugs were still affecting her brain, despite seeing the horrific scene, she did not turn and run away. Instead, she stood up and stumbled naked toward the scene of the incident.

"Doomsday Judgment? Demon invasion? Who cares! I wouldn't mind becoming a follower of demons, as long as they grant me great power..."

The man was clearly not quite right in the head either, muttering to himself as he followed closely behind.

When the two ran closer and felt the astonishing heat emanating from the green flames, they broke out in a cold sweat, gradually regained their senses, and uncontrollably lost control of their bladders.

"Huh? A human!"

Having just left the prison, Icarette lowered her head, looking at the two men who were defecating and urinating in front of her, her eyes revealing curiosity.

"Good evening... Good evening! Great Demon King! I am your most loyal believer and worshipper! Please don't kill us!" The man knelt on the ground with a thud, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

I couldn't help but tremble!

This is a terrifying monster that only appears in games and movies!

Especially that terrifying green flame, which can melt hard rocks and gravel in no time.

“A demon? No, I am not a demon. I am the flame of rage and destruction, the most powerful spirit in the world, and all life made of fire must obey my commands,” Icarette explained, shaking her enormous head.

Despite being constantly filled with rage and a desire to kill and destroy due to the distortion and corruption of fel energy, its reason and wisdom have not disappeared.

"A...monster?"

Hearing that the seemingly terrifying giant in front of her was not a demon, the woman finally regained some courage and looked up into those horrifying eyes.

“That’s right! My name is Icarus, and you humans used to call me Ifrit. Tell me, humans, are you willing to become my followers and offer your loyalty and souls?” Icarus stated her name directly.

It is important to know that in ancient times, gods and powerful magical creatures alike controlled humanity in this way, making them submit to their rule and offer them food and wine.

"Ifrit?! You are the fire spirit queen from Arabian mythology!" The man was clearly familiar with the story and was speechless with astonishment.

In contrast, the woman reacted more agitatedly, clenching her fists tightly as she asked, "What are the benefits of becoming your follower?"

"Of course! I will grant you the power of fire! From now on, even if you jump into lava to bathe, you will not be burned at all, and you will be able to control the flames to burn your enemies. Most importantly, this power will transform the physique of mortals, giving them a longer lifespan and an appearance that will never age until death." Icarette smiled and offered her terms.

"Never grow old?! Yes! I do!" The woman nodded frantically, afraid of missing out.

"I'm willing too!" The man defiantly puffed out his chest and pounded it forcefully.

Whether it's supernatural powers, longer lifespans, or ageless appearances, these are all irresistible and deadly temptations for ordinary people.

Furthermore, the attitude of young Americans toward faith is no longer as devout as that of their ancestors; otherwise, cults wouldn't be so prevalent across the United States. There are no bizarre beliefs they can't create, only things you can't imagine.

"Very well! Then accept my blessing! Remember, you must establish a sect and make sure that as many people as possible know my name..."

As the last word was uttered, two small flames instantly appeared on the foreheads of the young man and woman.

Just as the two were about to ask something, a strong burning sensation spread throughout their bodies. They had no chance to resist and collapsed to the ground, screaming in agony. Their once fair skin quickly turned bright red, like a boiled crab.

It's hot! It's hot! It's hot!

The indescribable heat transforms the bodies of young men and women in ways invisible to the naked eye, while simultaneously invading their souls.

Watching this scene from a dark corner, Zhang Cheng couldn't help but laugh and tease, "Icarette, are you planning to develop followers on Earth? I must remind you, the world today is not the ignorant and barbaric era of tens of thousands of years ago. The more developed a region is, the harder it is to maintain a devout faith."

"Faith? No, I don't need faith. I just want to let all those lurking in the shadows know that the Great Fire King has returned."

"So this is a declaration? You want to see what interesting things the gods will do when they hear the name Icarus?"

"Yes! If those gods are truly still alive, they will be eager to investigate upon hearing my name to see if it's true. And you, you can then follow these people to find the hiding place of those gods..."

Chapter 0665 Hiring

Without a doubt, it would be impossible for a powerful life form like Icarus to stay near a densely populated metropolis.

So after a brief stay of a few minutes, it quickly transformed into a blazing fireball and soared into the sky, heading straight for Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, USA. It intended to use the supervolcanoes there as its home, gradually summoning its minions from its cage to build an army capable of destroying everything.

Of course, whether this action will trigger a major volcanic eruption or earthquake in North America remains to be seen.

In any case, even if it erupts, it will be contained within a certain range and will not directly cause a global catastrophe as scientists have predicted.

About half an hour later, in a 24-hour restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, Mansa, who had narrowly escaped death, was sitting at a table, wolfing down a delicious Spanish-style seafood paella, and occasionally raising her glass to drink the dark red wine inside.

It's clear that what happened not long ago had given her quite a shock, and she's now trying to relax her tense nerves through food and alcohol.

It has to be said that this wild and unladylike eating style made the waiters not far away stare in astonishment, seemingly unable to believe that there could be a woman in the world who was completely unconcerned about her image in front of her male friends.

Since her clothes had been burned to ashes in another world, and most clothing stores were closed, Mansa was currently wearing a bikini swimsuit that she had found in the travel bag of that despicable couple on the beach. The total size of the fabric was probably no bigger than the palms of two adult men, and she looked like a girl who had just returned from a beach party.

However, she didn't seem to care about other people's opinions. She quickly filled her stomach before placing the old parchment book on the table, looking up and asking in a slightly self-deprecating tone, "I'm full! So, what do you plan to do with me?"

"What do you think?" Zhang Cheng asked with a half-smile.

"I don't know. If you wanted me to die, there was no need to save me in the first place. But I've learned so many secrets I shouldn't have known. Gods, creators, spirits, wizards—I never imagined that these things from myths and legends actually existed..."

After saying that, Mansa opened the women's cigarettes on the corner of the table, took one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.

“Don’t worry, I’ve never liked pointless killing, especially since you helped me find Icarus. Now, I’m giving you two choices. One is that I’ll give you a check for half a million dollars, then erase all memories of tonight from your mind, and we’ll never see each other again. The second is that you keep your memories, but you have to work for me, and I’ll pay you no less than two hundred thousand dollars a year. So, what’s your choice?” Zhang Cheng calmly laid out the terms.

Through what happened tonight, he suddenly realized that the easiest way to find those seals, keys, and clues related to the gods was to start with the field of archaeology.

After all, these archaeologists are excavating and exploring ancient sites thousands or even tens of thousands of years old around the world every day. If they make any major discoveries, they will immediately receive the news from each other.

By filtering these messages at that time, it will be easy to identify which ones are useful and which ones are useless.

"Hire me?!" Mansa pointed to her nose in astonishment. "I'm an archaeology major, what use would you be to me?"

Zhang Cheng smiled and explained, “No, you are very useful. I need you to keep an eye out for new archaeological discoveries around the world, especially those related to ancient myths, rituals, religions, and folk tales. Of course, the more information you provide and the more accurate it is, the higher my reward will be.”

“Oh—I see! You’re looking for clues that have been buried by history!” Mansa nodded thoughtfully.

"Hehe, that's right, you're very smart. You know, according to the research conclusions of those archaeologists and historians, human civilization has only existed for seven or eight thousand years. But in reality, tens of thousands of years ago, ancient humans began to rely on gods or powerful supernatural beings to establish their own cities and countries. A very few highly developed magical civilizations even far surpassed the present. However, as the gods rebelled and banished the creator from this world, Heaven and Hell from another universe discovered Earth, and a world-shaking war broke out between the three sides. Countless gods and demons died in that war, and knowledge and technology were thus interrupted..."

In order to give the other party a general understanding of the history, Zhang Cheng selectively recounted what he knew.

He knew very well that most people who liked archaeology had a strong sense of curiosity and were eager to uncover the secrets hidden behind history through a series of discoveries.

A human history infused with supernatural forces is undoubtedly like the purest form of drug, enough to drive any addict mad.

Mansa's eyes gleamed with an unusual light. After finishing her cigarette, she took a deep drag and said, "I choose the second one! But there's a condition: you must tell me how many people like you there are in this world? Do they live among ordinary people?"

"You want to know about the underworld? Are you sure? Don't blame me for not warning you, the underworld isn't as free as the ordinary world. It's closer to the dark Middle Ages, a world with a strict hierarchy, and even retains a terrible system of slavery. Once you know, it means becoming a part of the underworld, and you'll need to abide by its rules, or you'll be eliminated without a trace. When you disappear, there will be no birth record, no bank account, no social security account, and no corpse. All your friends, relatives, and parents will forget you ever existed." Zhang Cheng warned calmly.

"My God! You...you are secretly controlling the whole world?!" Mansa was so shocked she couldn't close her mouth, her face filled with undisguised terror.

As a graduate student, she was not some socially disadvantaged idiot who grew up with a carefree education. She understood how much power it would take to do all this quietly. To put it bluntly, doing this was almost equivalent to controlling the US government.

"Hehe, strictly speaking, we don't easily interfere in the world of ordinary people; we simply don't want supernatural forces to appear within the sight of ordinary people. As for what you mean by secretly controlling the world, we can indeed do that. Otherwise, why do you think the two sides didn't end up fighting during the Cuban Missile Crisis? It was because we sent people to calm down the leaders of those two hot-headed countries! You can think of the underworld as a shield protecting Earth from attacks by the forces of the Super Heaven and Hell; otherwise, this world would have long since become a hunting ground for angels and demons..."

Chapter 0666 Becoming a Part of the Underworld

In the early hours of the morning, the sky was already beginning to lighten, but the sun had not yet risen. The thugs, drunkards, drug addicts, drug dealers, and prostitutes who had been busy all night had long since gone home. Those without homes had hidden in deserted corners or abandoned houses to prepare for sleep. The whole of Los Angeles was quiet, with only the occasional chirping of birds.

Normally, even bars and strip clubs that operate at night will temporarily close during this time, while venues that operate during the day will not open for at least one or two hours.

Interestingly, there was an inconspicuous antique gun shop near the street corner, but its lights never went out, and two people stood inside chatting idly.

"Is this the kind of place you were talking about?" Mansa stood at a distance, gazing at the scene inside the gun shop, her tone revealing intense curiosity.

Just like many newbies when they first step into the underground world, they are always full of all sorts of unrealistic fantasies.

“That’s right! You can think of this as a meeting place under the rule of a lord. The next thing to do is go in, show your abilities to the two guys guarding the entrance, and then register inside to become a citizen of the underworld. From then on, a portion of all your income will be handed over, and you will also receive the lord’s protection. If you encounter any trouble, there will be cleaners to handle the aftermath,” Zhang Cheng answered directly.

"What about you? Aren't you coming in with me?" The girl subconsciously tugged at the suit jacket draped over her shoulders, turned around, and put on a pitiful look.

But Zhang Cheng, whose heart was already hardened, merely smiled and refused in a slightly playful tone: "No, my identity is a bit special. If I go in, it will cause some commotion. Believe me, you won't want to see that kind of scene. Remember, don't reveal our previous relationship. You just need to tell them that you suddenly awakened some power and then met a wizard who introduced you to the underworld."

"Okay!" Mansa shrugged helplessly and mustered her courage to walk toward the gun shop.

Just forty minutes ago, she had drunk a bottle of Evolution Potion 6.0, so she already possessed some spellcasting ability, extraordinary speed and strength, making passing the inspection a piece of cake.

Zhang Cheng unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt and sat on a bench by the roadside, waiting patiently.

About half an hour later, as the first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon where the sea met the sky, the girl finally ran out excitedly, quickly crossed the road, and shouted thrilledly, "My God! Do you know what I just saw? The legendary werewolves! Vampires! And elves with pointy ears! And a witch who can turn people into frogs! Unbelievable!"

"Calm down, girl! There's nothing you can't handle! You're already part of the underworld, so you can come every day if you want. But remember one thing: it's best not to get into conflicts with anyone, and don't try to get too close to anyone, or I guarantee you'll soon find yourself in great danger and trouble."

What is the underground world like?

Strictly speaking, they are a group of monsters with powerful supernatural abilities who are completely unrestrained by the laws of the ordinary world.

Many of them believe that power gives them the freedom to do whatever they want, resulting in far more acts of rape, deception, murder, and robbery than the average person. Nearly a third of these crimes are ultimately dropped because there is no immediate danger of exposure.

Zhang Cheng didn't want his important pawn to one day become a cold corpse without knowing why, or to watch helplessly as he had to take revenge on some bastard who had wronged him.

“Got it! I’m not stupid! Otherwise, do you think I’ve protected myself from those bastards all these years in college? Quite a few of my classmates have been drugged and gang-raped at parties…” Mansa shrugged, a hint of smugness in her eyes.

American universities are notorious for rape cases, even the prestigious West Point Military Academy is no exception, let alone UCLA, where the situation is even more serious.