Chapter Eight: The Divine Realm

Chen Ming gazed solemnly at the Demon Wolf King before him. Through the mysterious pull of fate, he sensed the life energy burning within the creature’s body like a fiercely blazing ember, radiating intense light.

“This already belongs to another realm,” he thought to himself.

Within the divine inheritance, there was a method for measuring the levels of life. In general terms, those without any extraordinary power, relying solely on mortal flesh, were considered the Mortal Level. Those who had begun to acquire supernatural abilities and embarked on a certain path, yet whose life essence remained unchanged, were deemed Apprentice Level. In the divine system, those who had just grasped divine power and obtained divine arts without undergoing a true transformation belonged to this rank, and could be promoted as priests, the White Robe Priests.

When one mastered and understood a particular path, causing a qualitative change in their life and undergoing an essential transformation, they reached the Adept Level, which allowed them to be Red Robe Priests.

Beyond that, the Second Level corresponded to Yellow Robe Priests, the Third Level to High Priests. The manifestations varied according to different cultivation systems.

Previously, the followers in the Assur tribe who had grasped divine arts, as well as the hundred shadow soldiers, all possessed varying degrees of strength, but were considered Apprentice Level. Even Chen Ming, before obtaining his divine status, belonged to this tier.

After unsealing his divine status, Chen Ming’s essence underwent a metamorphosis, reaching the First Level of transcendence. Moreover, since his nature was that of a deity, his strength faintly surpassed even this realm.

Yet the Wolf King opposite was no weaker. It too had transcended, reaching the First Level, and within this rank, it was a dominant force. Chen Ming, however, was only a spirit now; his physical body was still immobilized.

Thinking of this, Chen Ming couldn’t help but smile bitterly. This world was far more strange and perilous than he imagined. Simply wandering to a random place, he had encountered such an extraordinary being.

While these thoughts circled in his mind, his expression remained unchanged, calm as ever.

On the other side, the Demon Wolf King stared intently at Chen Ming, its head slightly raised. Then, to Chen Ming’s astonishment, it spoke: “Which tribe’s totem are you?”

Chen Ming was startled, unable to react before the Wolf King continued, “Release my followers, and we will leave at once.”

Hearing this, Chen Ming said nothing, merely watching in silence.

The scene immediately became tense.

The Wolf King did not move either, its eyes growing colder, filled with bloodlust, madness, and a hint of apprehension.

Behind it, a dozen demon wolves raised their heads, coldly watching the shadow soldiers standing before them.

The battle had ended long ago. A dozen shadow soldiers held several evil spirits captive in the rear, while the rest gripped their weapons tightly, standing off against the wolves under the command of the burly man.

The atmosphere was taut, and violence could erupt at any moment.

As tension built to the breaking point, Chen Ming remained silent for a while, then said, “Lagus.”

Lagus immediately understood. With a surge of divine power, the thorny vines binding the wolf vanished from the earth.

It howled in pain, black blood oozing from its head, but it moved swiftly, rushing back to its pack.

Seeing this, the Wolf King cast a cold glance at Lagus. The chilling gaze made Lagus’s spirit body shudder.

Then, leading the pack, the Wolf King departed in a chosen direction, leaving behind the echoes of their passage.

Chen Ming frowned.

He watched the wolf pack disappear into the distance, then after a moment said, “Kuleis, bring them forward.”

Kuleis was the name of the burly man.

Nearby, Yakus followed orders, directing his men to bring forward a dozen snarling evil spirits.

Chen Ming barely glanced at them. With a wave of his hand, beams of divine light swept forth, and without waiting for their minds to recover, he summoned them directly into his divine essence.

“Kuleis, Lagus, step forward,” Chen Ming said after finishing.

“My God, what is your command?” The two obeyed and asked.

“You were both tribal chiefs in life. Have you ever heard of totems?” Chen Ming asked directly, voicing his doubt.

He had never seen the Demon Wolf King before, yet the creature had immediately mistaken him for a totem, which puzzled Chen Ming.

Strictly speaking, it was not entirely a mistake, for Chen Ming truly was the totem of a tribe.

The two fell into deep thought, eyes reflecting their recollections.

Finally, Lagus stepped forward. “My God, every tribe has a totem, usually the ancestor of the clan. But I’ve heard that some tribes possess totems different from others, imbued with divine power, capable of protecting the clan.”

“Usually, only large tribes with many people have such totems. Most of us settled in scattered, small clans. Though we were chiefs, we never truly knew what a totem was.”

Lagus paused, then added, “Even what I know was passed down from my elders.”

Beside him, Kuleis supplemented, “Just south of here, several large tribes exist. It’s said they all worship true totems.”

Hearing this, Chen Ming sank into contemplation. A faint flash of inspiration crossed his mind. Meanwhile, his divine essence quivered ever so slightly.

He was startled. Some mysterious premonition gave him an inexplicable hostility toward these totems.

He looked north, toward his tribe’s location.

“At present, the tribe’s faith can no longer grow. If I want to progress quickly, I must preach and gather more followers,” he thought. “It seems I must visit those tribes.”

He also recalled the Demon Wolf King, a sudden sense of danger rising within him. In this strange, fractured world, how many such extraordinary beings remained?

He waved his hand, heading directly north. The last evil spirit from the tribe had been eliminated; it was time to return to headquarters.

Behind him, Kuleis led his troops closely.

With no mortals among them, their pace was swift. The journey that had once taken days was now accomplished in just one.

On the second night, at a spot not far from the tribe, Chen Ming caught sight of his physical body from afar.

He halted, and within his divine essence, vast divine power rapidly condensed, forming dozens of droplets. Then, a dozen drops flew from his spirit.

These droplets appeared tiny, like grains of rice or beads of water, but each radiated a rainbow glow, brimming with supreme divine force, blanketing the earth.

Kuleis and the others stared wide-eyed, witnessing an unbelievable sight.

The earth was shrouded in a deep, eerie glow, the air thick with black, ominous energy that suffused the land with death, making one tremble involuntarily. Suddenly, a beam of light pierced the sky, blending and dissolving the darkness, gradually driving it away and reviving the land.

The illuminated area expanded continuously, until, when the light faded, the darkness had been expelled from a radius of several miles. Only the borders remained unstable, as black energy from outside kept eroding the edges, seeking once more to engulf the land.

Chen Ming sighed inwardly, sending out several more drops of divine power. These drops fused with the elemental forces of the world, forming a small altar in the center, marked with mysterious runes. The space stabilized, and even began to absorb stray faith energy, expanding continuously.

The shadow soldiers felt their souls cleansed, their minds sharpened. Meanwhile, the black energy that had ceaselessly tried to corrupt their spirits was completely cut off.

Having finished, Chen Ming did not pause. With a wave of his hand, a light enveloped the group.

With a thought, they arrived in a dark, deep domain.

Before anyone could react, the scene changed once more.

A sun appeared in the sky, radiating light. Far off, the land materialized, with a village and a military camp standing upon it. Outside the camp, tables were spread with food and wine.

All of this was formed by divine power, within the altar’s sacred domain, minimizing energy consumption.

The food and wine were the distillation of the followers’ distractions, extracted and made manifest. Though inferior to divine power, their consumption was low, and for the shadow soldiers, they could enhance their spirits—a useful recycling of waste.

“This…”

The shadow soldiers stared in awe at the dreamlike scene before them.

The village and camp were inspired by Chen Ming’s memories from his previous life; such wonders were unheard of in this world. The enticing food, emitting fragrant aromas, dazzled their eyes.

To these mountain-dwelling folk, the scene resembled a country bumpkin entering a grand palace.

From afar, Chen Ming watched silently as the group stood astonished. After a while, he said, “Everyone find your own lodgings in the village. Train in the camp during the day, and at night, go out to hunt evil spirits beyond the domain.”

“Lagus.”

“My God, I am here.” Lagus replied, still stunned but attentive.

Chen Ming regarded him silently, then said, “You will manage security and logistics within the domain. Live in the village as its chief.”

“Yes.” Lagus, still confused, responded promptly.

“Kuleis, you will command these hundred shadow soldiers as centurion. Train them by day, and at night, lead them out to hunt evil spirits. If any can be redeemed, bring them back and confine them in the camp.”

Kuleis was briefly startled, then agreed.

Seeing both men bewildered, Chen Ming explained, “The divine domain lies within the altar. From now on, all my followers who die will be guided here. If you encounter powerful enemies, you can retreat into the domain.”

He then condensed divine power, forging two tokens, which he tossed to them. “These are passes, allowing you to lead others freely in and out.”

Kuleis and Lagus hurriedly caught them.