Chapter Five: Redemption

The moonlight was faint and eerie, deep within a forest. Chen Ming stood dazed, staring at the soul before him that had suddenly exploded. He was somewhat bewildered.

“This shouldn’t have happened,” he thought to himself.

Chen Ming quietly recalled the sensation from earlier: his divine power could create all things, suppress everything, and even cleanse the entire soul of his opponent. Yet, when his divine power penetrated the core of the soul, it only got halfway before the other suddenly self-destructed without warning.

“Perhaps it’s because the opponent’s fate was damaged?” he mused.

This world seemed exceedingly fragile. Even the life forms born here were often broken, their fates incomplete. That ghost he had just encountered was such a case—its fate was shattered, so even its soul was incomplete, making it easy to assimilate.

“However, that black aura is strange; it can actually mend the soul’s fate and cause the soul to fall,” he pondered as he continued walking, following the subtle guidance.

He had no idea how long he walked, occasionally capturing souls along the way—some human-shaped, some beast-like. Yet, most were human-shaped, suggesting that the formation of souls was closely tied to the intelligence of living beings.

Among them, the stronger the fate, the clearer the soul. After falling, the evil specters born from them seemed a little stronger than others.

Chen Ming paid it no mind and kept walking. Eventually, he arrived at a place and gazed at the soul standing before him.

The soul was weak but stubborn, which Chen Ming recognized as normal. From his observations these past days, souls polluted by black aura could not persist indefinitely. Otherwise, this world would have long been overrun by specters.

Newly born specters instinctively sought living beings to battle and devour their essence, nourishing their own souls. Occasionally, some ferocious specters would devour not only living beings but also other souls, treating their kin as sustenance. If a specter failed to feed after birth, especially if exposed to sunlight during the day, it would grow weaker until it finally dissipated.

The soul before him was in such a state. Yet what truly drew Chen Ming’s attention was its fate.

Once a soul was polluted, its original broken fate would gradually disappear, replaced by a strange, dark fate. But this soul still retained a trace of white in its fate—tiny, fading, yet undeniably present.

This meant that the soul had possessed a complete fate before death. It might not matter much most of the time, but at this moment, it offered a sliver of hope for redemption.

Bytis focused, enveloping the soul with a quiet touch of divine power.

The soul showed no reaction. As its essence was purified, its formerly dark and terrifying form gradually regained a crystalline clarity.

Divine power slowly penetrated deeper, finally reaching the last barrier.

The soul suddenly let out a loud roar, yet this time did not immediately dissipate.

At once, Chen Ming’s eyes brightened; he maintained the flow of divine power.

The soul screamed in agony, the fate above its head—dark with a streak of white—shook violently. The darkness was being driven away by an immense force.

At last, as an ethereal sound echoed, the soul stirred, returning to its original appearance, though confusion lingered in its eyes. It knelt painfully on the ground.

“Awaken!” A vast consciousness swept forth, like the toll of a giant bell, jolting the soul awake.

In that boundless awareness, he began to recall everything—from life to death, and then, after his soul left the body, to his redemption. Scene after scene replayed in his mind.

Finally, as the last memory surfaced, his eyes flashed with understanding, a hint of fear, and a sense of release.

He looked up at Chen Ming. He could not discern Chen Ming’s face, but from his perspective, it felt as if a towering tree was radiating light. Instantly, he understood that this being was no ordinary mortal.

He knelt and prayed devoutly, “O great deity!”

Chen Ming nodded and replied, “I am Bytis, God of Nature. Will you obey me?”

Though his nod was gentle, the soul sensed a vast, mighty will ripple through him, commanding awe. He hurriedly nodded, his face full of reverence. “Bagh is willing to follow my god.”

Seeing this, Chen Ming’s heart stirred. His divine power formed a robe and cloaked the soul.

Bagh looked at the robe and bowed again.

After the soul leaves the body, it has no concept of clothing—always exposed, with the world’s constant chill assaulting it. This garment, formed from divine power, served not only as ordinary attire but also slowly nourished the soul, shielding it from the black aura’s continued intrusion.

At the same time, Chen Ming tapped his finger, sending down a divine brand, which gently settled upon Bagh.

He felt a warmth suffuse his body, followed by a surge of immense power. Instinctively, he activated the brand.

The brand radiated holy light, drawing strength from the surroundings and circulating it.

A suit of armor formed around him. The armor was black, resembling metal yet also wood, faintly glowing green.

“I grant you the Wood Armor Art. Henceforth, you are my warrior,” Chen Ming said, nodding at the armor.

Bagh felt the power and warmth flooding his body. He was stunned, then quickly replied, “Yes, I will follow your will.”

Chen Ming nodded, said no more, and strode away in a chosen direction.

Behind him, Bagh hurried to follow.

Along the way, Chen Ming slowed his pace so Bagh could keep up, silently sensing his surroundings.

Since ascending to divinity and confirming his godhood, he had become vaguely connected to this world. Though his power was not yet strong due to his sealed divine status, it was better than wandering aimlessly.

Whenever they encountered evil spirits, Chen Ming would let Bagh fight, testing his combat abilities.

The results pleased him greatly. The divine armor repelled most evil spirits, their attacks unable to break through. Once Bagh closed in, he could easily destroy their souls.

Moreover, after an evil spirit was dispersed, the divine brand within Bagh absorbed its essence, strengthening his soul.

At the same time, Chen Ming felt streams of warmth gently flow into him, a pure essence entering his body and being absorbed by his divine status, fortifying his soul. Though not much, it was easy to gather. When the army numbers in the thousands in the future, the benefits will be considerable.

He encountered many souls along the way, but those with intact fate and not fully corrupted were pitifully few. Yet, after a long journey, he managed to gather a small group.

By the time Chen Ming stopped at a cliff, he had assembled a dozen soldiers clad in ebony armor. Five formed a squad, making three squads in total. He simply appointed the three with the strongest fate and stoutest physique as squad leaders; Bagh was among them.

Chen Ming gazed below. Countless broken corpses littered the ground, and he frowned.

After such a lengthy journey, he realized that the farther south he went, the more deaths there were, and the more souls he found. Eventually, he stopped taking detours, simply letting a soldier lead him straight south to this place.

He looked at the multitude of evil spirits around the corpses, radiating cold.

He snorted, refraining from acting personally, and simply waved his hand.

Beside him, the three squad leaders bowed and led their men forward to slaughter.

Bagh looked down at the evil spirits with disdain, wielding a divine longblade, charging ahead.

In the past several days, they had already eradicated many such evil spirits. Bagh knew well that these spirits appeared terrifying, but only to ordinary people or souls. For them, bathed in the glory of the deity, their blades and armor allowed them to fight and win one-on-one.

He moved swiftly; before the evil spirit could react, he had already closed in, swinging his blade.

He sliced one evil spirit in half at the waist, paying it no mind and taking the opportunity to strike again.

The severed evil spirit was immediately engulfed by dense black aura, which reattached its split soul, though it appeared far weaker.

Soon, the other soldiers arrived, each finding their own opponent. Some held the advantage one-on-one, others barely managed against multiple foes, but overall, they dominated.

Above, Chen Ming watched the stalemate below and frowned.

Three squads of soldiers, against dozens of evil spirits, with superior weapons and armor. By rights, it should have been a crushing victory, yet they only held a slight advantage due to their armor.

He shook his head. It seemed necessary to find a ghost general skilled in battle formations to lead them.

But after thinking it over, he smiled bitterly. In this backward, wild land, where could he find such talent?

“It appears I must cultivate them myself,” he thought, quietly observing below.

Gradually, the stalemate shifted in favor of his soldiers. Soon, Bagh led his men forward, overpowering several evil spirits.

“My god, the evil spirits below have been completely eliminated. Only these remain, not yet fully fallen.”

Chen Ming nodded, sensing the evil spirits pressed before him. A hint of gold flashed in his eyes.