Chapter 54: The Church of Divine Grace, the Foundation, and the League

He wrote words over and over on the document, yet the information sealed by those words brought not the slightest change to reality. By the time he reached the seventh line, he was compelled to specify both the name and conditions, writing: "Let the woman named Jiang Wan be reborn here."

Chen Qing knew well that within the rules, the more explicit the wording, the clearer the loophole. He was gambling; these were his last two options.

As the words appeared on the document, blood and flesh on the ground began to gather. But when they coalesced into the semblance of a "human," the visage was far from Jiang Wan’s captivating beauty. Its face was riddled with grooves, the fractured skull stitched together with skin and scraps of meat, forming an irregular, jagged polygon.

It emitted a creaking wail, its body crumbling with each step, only to crawl back and reassemble itself from the ground. Chen Qing stared at this being, which could hardly be called a companion, and his fingers fell again upon the document.

"Return all things affected by me to their original state."

He wrote once more—now the eighth line. When he raised his head again, the world before his eyes remained unchanged.

Behind him, the sugared debris had vanished; before him, Jiang Wan’s figure was gone. At least that dreadful creature was no longer masquerading under her name. Chen Qing pinched the bridge of his nose, seeking comfort in the thought.

He kneaded his brow, muttering under his breath, and only after a long while did he drop his hand, a grim look in his eyes.

Here, he still had one way to resurrect the dead.

With this in mind, he made his way back to the earthen building’s entrance. Pushing open the door and stepping outside, he found the scenery bleak and desolate.

This time, unlike before, the river held only a dry bed; not a single fish fry nor even a mosquito larva could be seen.

He looked up at the sky—an expanse of dull gray, with a constant rumble like the tremor of dragonflies. He was surprised, but upon closer inspection, it seemed the pall was slowly shifting.

"Is it a locust plague?"

He spoke softly, but showed little interest in investigating further. Turning, he entered the earthen building, and as he opened the door, a terrifying roar followed.

The sound was as if he'd plunged into a swarm of locusts, their buzzing relentless in his ears.

He looked ahead. In the courtyard, locust corpses lay in a thick layer—about seven or eight centimeters deep.

Atop the mound of insects stood several figures—a man and a woman, and a creature barely recognizable as human.

The three stood in a triangular formation, and as Chen Qing entered, their hands stilled.

The girl was elegant, though her face was smeared with dust and blood. Her clothes were ornate, but bore traces of fire and smoke.

Seeing Chen Qing, their expressions remained unchanged, as if his arrival was expected.

"Now we're all here, aren't we?" The man before Chen Qing licked his lips, his features twisted, his facial structure shifted from its original form.

Yet Chen Qing recognized the relic on his chest—this was the man he’d met on his second visit to the earthen building.

How had he become like this?

Chen Qing frowned. The other woman spoke next, "All four major groups are present. What about the girl from the club? Is she dead?"

She looked at Chen Qing, tightening his heart. He recalled his assumed role—he was posing as a member of the Divine Grace Sect. He smiled, "None of your business."

"Oh. True." The girl was unperturbed, nodded, then turned to the other two. They exchanged glances and, with silent understanding, offered Chen Qing a space.

They now formed a four-cornered standoff—cautious of each other, yet sharing tacit agreement. Such was the bizarre scene.

Chen Qing said nothing more, stepping into the vacant corner. To his left stood the man, opposite was the girl from the Foundation, and at his right, the creature that scarcely resembled a person.

As soon as he settled, the girl opposite drew from her bosom a small, square box.

It was bright and sharp-edged, exquisitely made.

"Oh? You brought out a Class C relic? Aren’t you afraid of losing it?"

Upon seeing the object, the strange creature at Chen Qing’s side let out a roar, about to lunge forward. But a terrifying force swept past Chen Qing from the front. Heart pounding, he cursed the lunatic, and all the abilities fused within him activated at once.

Instantly, pain beyond human endurance surged through his legs. Gritting his teeth, he staggered back two steps and put a piece of "taishi" flesh in his mouth.

His vision blurred; on the brink of hallucination, pain yanked him back to reality.

"I told you. You cannot resurrect me."

He heard Jiang Wan’s voice at his side, but dared not spare a glance.

The silver box spun in the girl's hand, with intricate cubes protruding from its surface. Then, centered on her, a 7x7 square space unfolded, an invisible force manifesting at once. Everything on that path paid a steep price.

The locust bodies on the ground were instantly bisected, a clear dividing line appearing across the courtyard.

Meanwhile, the twisted man’s mouth shifted atop his head. He gritted his teeth, and the necklace at his chest gleamed; as its light flashed, his features partially restored. Next, the creature was suddenly lifted, howling incessantly.

Chen Qing saw the creature’s body drawn toward the 7x7 square, and guessed the outcome of their encounter.

His heart sank—they’d joined forces?!

When had they allied, and for what reason?

He bit back, unwilling to wait. He charged forward, his movement surpassing visual limits.

"I said it. With your strength alone, no one can be saved. You will die here."

He stopped behind the man, Jiang Wan’s voice haunting him.

"Shut up!"

He barked, thrusting the wooden spike toward the back of the man's neck.

The tremendous speed meant tremendous force, and such force upon mortal flesh yielded obvious results.

With a single strike, the creature fell to the ground, howling, then sobbing and wailing.

He lowered his head, quietly turning around, and in the next instant appeared behind the girl. His hands caressed her forehead; the other gripped her jaw like a clasp.

But as he tried to twist, the girl’s eyes—or rather, her head—began to rotate backward. Her neck seemed to have shifted, connecting to the crown, so her eyes could gaze directly into his.

In the next moment, the man Chen Qing had struck was instantly recovered. He gritted his teeth, sneering grimly, "As expected from Divine Grace. You’re ruthless in self-modification!"

He slipped away, the pendant at his chest still glowing.

In less than a moment, the hole at the back of his head had healed.

"Hey! Bitch! Kill the Divine Grace guy first! Ignore the Dao Court fool! He’s useless!"

He shouted, his voice now crazed. He jabbed a finger at the ring on his fingertip, and a terrifying force surged toward Chen Qing. He tried to dodge, but the power barreled forward in a wall.

An eye opened at Chen Qing’s brow, and instantly the three displayed varying intensities of light.

In front of him, the force—or wall—that could not be penetrated now showed faint traces.

It seemed the man's stamina was waning; the wall he pushed began shifting the locusts on the ground.

Before the wall, cubic meters of locusts piled together, forming a small mountain.

Chen Qing glanced down, and Jiang Wan’s voice sounded behind him.

"Swallow it. Otherwise, you have no way to win."

He listened, feeling intensely disturbed, and couldn’t be bothered to reply.

He turned to the grotesque man, whose figure now seemed frozen, still holding the girl’s head.

"Damn... can’t count on him..."

He muttered, a bitter smile his only comfort.

Was he truly to stab him ten thousand times with the wooden spike? Wear him down until he lost consciousness, unable to control his relic’s healing?

He fell silent, tilting his head left to avoid the second incoming attack.

That blow sent dust rising several meters behind him, leaving a conical crater in the earth.

"Is this telekinesis? Is it the power of his ring relic?"

Chen Qing paused, eyes fixed on the man’s most prominent ornaments. He closed his eyes, the single one at his brow focusing on the man’s body.

His chest and fingertips shone with dazzling light. The man snorted, thumb furtively rubbing the ring. In the next instant, Chen Qing saw starlike glimmers before him.

He pushed off, instantly vacating his previous spot. With a fierce resolve, he thrust the wooden spike toward the man’s palm—if he broke his fingers, if he seized the ring...

He was just a lamb on the chopping block…

As he thought this, Jiang Wan’s voice intruded again, untimely.

She muttered softly, her words in his ear, "Attack the right… his right side is weakly defended."

He frowned, his gaze following her advice, but before he could move, he saw a faint scorch mark on the ground from a weak flame.

A chill ran through him; had he followed her words and rushed that way, the outcome would be self-evident.

He had never so loathed a voice or its words, though this voice was stolen by the taishi.