When the brilliant golden light dissipated from the altar, and the daylight that had illuminated the world as if night were day receded, the beings on Zhuque Mountain witnessed, with their own eyes, the appearance of an unprecedented “Shen Jun.”

This seemed to be a “child,” like an infant at the dawn of creation, with skin like ice and snow, a body like unblemished jade, glowing with inner golden light, pure and spotless. A bright Pixiu golden horn adorned his forehead. His body was like glazed glass, exuding the essence of the Great Desolate Dragon Soul. In the depths of his eyes, black, white, and gold colors swirled, like the blooming of the Three-Colored Lotus of the Great Dao. The majesty of divinity, the compassion of humanity, and the ruthlessness of demonic power merged into one, forming a supreme divine aura that transcended the mundane.

Before this, the countless barbarian cultivators in the Great Desolation might have believed in gods, but they had never seen one with their own eyes. From this day forward, “gods” in their hearts gained a tangible and concrete “image.” When they chanted the name of “god,” what naturally appeared in their minds was this Shen Jun before them, with a body of gold and jade, a Pixiu horn, bearing a dragon soul, and appearing as an infant.

Innumerable barbarian cultivators were stunned by the sight of witnessing a god. What shocked them even more was the scene that followed. They personally witnessed the “battle” between gods. It was a battle between this Shen Jun, like a beautiful jade and glazed golden child, and the ancient and cruel Wu Jiu Great God. But instead of a “battle,” it was more like a “massacre.”

Even more astonishing was that this small, beautiful jade and glazed golden child-like Shen Jun seemed like an insignificant “ant” compared to the enormous, hideous, and terrifying Wu Jiu Great God, who exuded the aura of decay and death. Yet, once he took action, this golden jade infant Shen Jun was incredibly ruthless. His fist, white like exquisite jade, appeared harmless, but with just one punch, he pierced through the wings of Wu Jiu Great God, which contained powerful death and decay energy. The strength of his divine power was astounding.

Subsequently, with a raise of his hand, sacred runes appeared across the sky, with golden light, green wood, cold water, fierce fire, and thick earth circulating endlessly. Then, by joining his fingers, his fingertips could conjure strange black flames. With an empty grasp, even law-like light gathered, forming a supreme divine sword, whose sharpness terrified all living beings.

Wu Jiu Great God exhausted his divine power, unleashing various divine abilities. Swords of death feathers, a sea of rotten flesh, barriers of vengeful spirits, prisons of foul air… They covered the sky and obscured the sun, creating immense karma that changed the color of mountains and rivers and struck fear into all creatures. Yet, they could not harm the Shen Jun in the slightest. The swords of death feathers could not wound his flawless golden body. The sea of rotten flesh could not corrode his body of gold and jade. Vengeful spirits clinging to him were pierced by the golden light from his Pixiu horn. The vast foul air was scattered by a single dragon roar.

Meanwhile, the formation of sacred runes displayed by the Shen Jun’s divine power, like a net, tore his massive wings to shreds. The strange divine flames from his fingertips were relentless, suppressing Wu Jiu Great God, who could not lift his head. The dazzling sword light, sharp as a world-opening sword, pierced Wu Jiu Great God’s divine body with countless wounds…

Finally, after a “fierce” battle, the outcome was decided. The enormous, eerie, decaying, and terrifying Wu Jiu Great God was firmly bound by the net-like sacred runes. First, a gigantic sword of divine thought, radiating brilliant divine light and extreme sharpness like a cascading Milky Way, cut him in half at the waist. Wu Jiu Great God’s chest was forcibly split open, revealing a throbbing “heart.” Then, the Shen Jun, extended his gold and jade-like hands, plunged them into Wu Jiu Great God’s chest, and with a clear shout, tore this divine heart to pieces with his bare hands…

“Tearing” a god with bare hands… The impact of this brutal scene was indescribable. At that moment, all the barbarian cultivators on Zhuque Mountain looked up, staring dumbfounded at this sight. The shock in their hearts almost stopped their minds from functioning. In this world… could such an “existence” truly tear a god apart with bare hands? Such a hypothesis had never crossed the minds of barbarian cultivators. Their normal imagination was insufficient to conjure such an absurd scene. And now, this image they dared not even imagine was presented before their eyes, unexpectedly and vividly.

At the same time, Mo Hua’s previous voice echoed in their ears: “I am the Wu Zhu of the Divine Lord! My great power comes from the Divine Lord! Today, in the name of the Wu Zhu, I invite the Divine Lord to descend and slay all evil gods and heretics in this world!”

Divine Lord… The one who could tear gods apart with bare hands, slaughtering ancient gods like Wu Jiu Great God… Undoubtedly, only the “Divine Lord” could do this. Only the true Lord of the Great Desolation. The appearance of the former Lord of the Great Desolation was unknown to the present-day beings of the Great Desolation. But from this day forward, the appearance of the Lord of the Great Desolation had quietly transformed into the Shen Jun’s Dharma body before them: a body of unblemished jade and gold, a Pixiu horn, a Cang Long soul, eyes that opened and closed like the three-colored lotus of the Great Dao, a fusion of divine, demonic, and human natures, yet returning to primordial simplicity, with the demeanor of an infant, capable of suppressing heretics and tearing apart the God of Wu Jiu.

The Lord of the Great Desolation had become Mo Hua’s image. This was the Divine Lord. Faith, like a spark, ignited in everyone’s hearts, then spread like a fierce wind, instantly engulfing them. The chests of almost all barbarian cultivators were set ablaze by the flames of faith, burning hot. They involuntarily knelt on the ground, offering their most devout faith to the “Divine Lord,” who had once again revealed great miracles in the world of the Great Desolation.

Not only the Dan Que tribe, Shu Gu tribe, Yan Yi tribe, Hong Luan tribe, and Huo Ying tribe, but also the Bi Fang tribe, and even the opposing Wu Jiu tribe, were swept away, kneeling in large numbers. Shouts of “Divine Lord is immortal!” echoed through heaven and earth.

On the altar, Mo Hua tore apart Wu Jiu Great God’s “heart,” shattering his divinity. Then, he immediately pointed with his fingers, forming a powerful, mountain-burning, sea-boiling complex formation, refining Wu Jiu Great God’s divine power into dense smoke. While the formation was burning fiercely, concealed by the roaring flames and immense aura, Mo Hua opened his mouth wide and inhaled sharply, secretly sucking all of Wu Jiu’s power into his mouth. His movements were very subtle; almost no one could see, except for the three Wu Zhu nearby, that this “Divine Lord” had “eaten” Wu Jiu Great God after killing him.

The three Wu Zhu who witnessed this scene—Yan Zhu, Qing Zhu, and the old man Hei Jiu—all had their eyes wide open, almost disbelieving what they saw. After an unknown period, the black clouds in the sky dissipated, the fierce flames receded, and all fluctuations vanished. Wu Jiu Great God “perished” in the sea of fire before everyone, his divine power disappearing into thin air. Mo Hua subtly licked the corner of his mouth. Wu Jiu Great God had indeed completed his divine descent. He descended upon Zhuque Mountain, but also into Mo Hua’s stomach. And Mo Hua had also completed his own “divine descent”—his “divine descent” on the divine path as the Lord of the Great Desolation.

As Wu Jiu Great God “perished,” the altar began to return to its position, and the effects of the “divine descent” gradually normalized. The boundaries between reality and illusion became clear again. All divine existence receded into invisibility. All anomalies returned to nothingness, as if they had never existed. Like a dream of a god, a grand illusion, yet an indelible impression was engraved in everyone’s minds.

At this moment, heaven and earth returned to silence. Night again enveloped the land. The divine battle had lasted all night, and it was already past Mao Shi, with dawn breaking in the east. A red sun slowly rose over Zhuque Mountain. Mo Hua stood high on the altar, beneath the fiery rising sun. The golden light of the morning glow draped over him, as if coating him with a layer of gold. At this time, he had emerged from the divine dream realm, and what appeared before everyone was his flesh-and-blood body. But the two were one, without difference. In the spiritual illusory realm, he was his own Divine Lord. In the real world, he was his own Wu Zhu.

As night gave way to dawn, Mo Hua slowly spread his arms towards the barbarian beings kneeling below the altar, and in a solemn voice, he said: “Today, in the name of the Wu Zhu, I invited the Divine Lord to descend to the world, and with a supreme divine sword, he slew the God of Wu Jiu.” “From today forward, the ancient Divine Lord will once again descend upon the Great Desolation. He will return to his divine throne, wield his authority, and bless the people of the Great Desolation, protecting this land from disaster.” “From today forward, the Divine Lord’s Dao will spread throughout the Great Desolation.” “In the great calamity, those who believe in the Divine Lord shall live; those who defy the Divine Lord shall die.” Mo Hua clasped his hands in a sacred and devout gesture, saying, “…May the Divine Lord be above, protect my Great Desolation.”

Below the altar, countless people bowed in worship, chanting ancient blessings: “Those who believe in the Divine Lord shall live; those who defy the Divine Lord shall die.” “May the Divine Lord be above, protect my Great Desolation.” “Sun and moon shall not wither, Divine Lord shall not perish.” “Coexistent with heaven and earth, immortal through all ages…” The devout voices reached the clouds, shook the mountains, and spread across the Great Desolation… From then on, the ancient name of “Divine Lord,” once lost to history, began to “resurrect” in the vast Great Desolation…

Thus, the tribal war between Wu Jiu and the Zhuque Mountain realm concluded. The outcome of Wu Jiu’s divine descent also determined the end of this war. With Wu Jiu Great God’s demise and the Divine Lord’s appearance, the “divine” war failed, and faith was annihilated, leading to the complete rout of the Wu Jiu tribe’s army. Many barbarian soldiers of the Wu Jiu tribe, after witnessing the “Divine Lord” crush Wu Jiu Great God with his mighty divine power, saw their once-firm faith collapse and then twist, turning them into followers of the Divine Lord. They no longer believed in the Wu Jiu God but began to praise the “Divine Lord.”

The war of gods was cruel. The struggle for faith was equally cold and realistic. The weak are not worthy of faith, and the same applies to gods. But not everyone abandoned their faith… At least the Young Lord of Wu Jiu, and most of the Wu Jiu tribe’s generals, high-ranking elders, and some direct lineage barbarian soldiers, still held onto their beliefs. Their faith was inextricably linked to the tribe’s interests. Even with what they had witnessed, they could not admit to Wu Jiu Great God’s defeat and demise. Even less could they acknowledge Mo Hua, this so-called Wu Zhu blessed by the “Divine Lord.”

The Wu Jiu tribe’s war in the Zhuque Mountain realm had completely failed. But that did not mean they had entirely lost hope in the overall war across the Great Desolation. The Zhuque Mountain realm was merely the main battlefield, but in other large and small mountain realms, there were still considerable forces remaining. These Wu Jiu barbarian soldiers were still fighting for the tribe, campaigning everywhere. They still carried the ambition of the Young Lord of Wu Jiu to “transform into a dragon” and the vision of the Wu Jiu tribe unifying the Great Desolation. Therefore, the Wu Jiu tribe still had a chance to rise again. The Wu Jiu tribe’s three generations of plotting, and the Young Lord of Wu Jiu’s ambition, would never be abandoned because of a single defeat.

And when Mo Hua “invited the Divine Lord to descend,” manifesting his divinity before the multitude and drawing their worship, the Young Lord of Wu Jiu immediately knew the tide had turned. Thus, he swiftly “cut off his arm to save his body,” leading a group of generals, trusted followers, and remnants of his army to escape Zhuque Mountain. With the power of the Young Lord of Wu Jiu’s dragon-patterned avatar, if he wanted to leave, no one could stop him. Even Mo Hua couldn’t. The boundary between reality and illusion only existed on the altar. His truly powerful “divine power” only existed in the spiritual realm and could not harm the Young Lord of Wu Jiu and others below the altar. Even if it could, his “fate-killing” entanglement in his destiny still persisted; killing gods was permissible, but killing humans was not. Therefore, he could only watch the Young Lord of Wu Jiu escape the Zhuque Mountain realm.

The Young Lord of Wu Jiu was not the only one who escaped. Bi Jie of the Bi Fang tribe, as well as some high-ranking members of the Yan Yi tribe, Hong Luan tribe, and Huo Ying tribe, and even some elders of the Dan Que tribe, fearing Mo Hua’s unification of divine authority, also chose to “defect.” The Zhuque Mountain realm underwent a horizontal “split” from top to bottom. The line of division was the “faith” in Mo Hua, in the Divine Lord. Those who believed stayed, those who did not left. Mo Hua silently watched all this unfold, without much intervention. Fate always screens people again and again. And this screening always repeats, going through many twists and turns…

The next day, in the main hall of the Shu Gu tribe. Mo Hua sat in the position of the Wu Zhu. Yan Zhu, Qing Zhu, and the old man Hei Jiu stood below, their faces pale, not even daring to look up at Mo Hua. Mo Hua asked, “Have you made up your minds?” Yan Zhu and Qing Zhu remained silent, their hearts anxious. Instead, the old man Hei Jiu knelt before Mo Hua with a thud, saying, “This old man is willing to serve the Divine Lord with his broken body and dedicate himself to Lord Wu Zhu.” He was the Wu Zhu of the Wu Jiu tribe, so he deeply understood the ancientness and greatness of Wu Jiu Great God. Precisely because of this, he knew even more how terrifying a divine existence the “Divine Lord” who could tear the God of Wu Jiu apart with bare hands truly was. And he also deeply knew that this “Lord Wu Zhu,” who looked like a young boy, was equally terrifying. Because this was a monster who could perform “divine descent” out of thin air, without rituals, without sacrifices, not even needing divine artifacts. Standing there, with a simple “I invite the Divine Lord to descend,” the Divine Lord descended. It would not be an exaggeration to say he was the Divine Lord’s biological son. “Divine descent” out of thin air was absolutely a terrifying existence with immense power and an incredibly strong “divine lineage” among the Wu Zhu in the divine path. Similarly, it made him, a Wu Zhu who had always served a god, green with envy. A wise man adapts to circumstances, and the old man Hei Jiu was the first to surrender. Having gone through the previous deadly battle, he was already like a candle in the wind; if he didn’t surrender soon to cling to life, he would truly perish.

Seeing that the old man Hei Jiu had knelt, Yan Zhu and Qing Zhu felt bitter in their hearts and could only bow down, kneeling before Mo Hua. They were both late-stage Golden Core cultivators, both high-ranking Wu, with their own dignity. But having witnessed the scene of the overwhelming divine battle that day, even as high-ranking Wu, they had to kneel before Mo Hua. Kneeling might not preserve the dignity of a high-ranking Wu. But if they didn’t kneel, it would mean they lacked even the “common sense” of a Wu Zhu.

“We… are willing to go through fire and water… for Lord Wu Zhu…” Yan Zhu and Qing Zhu said in unison. Mo Hua nodded slightly. One fence needs three posts; a good spiritual master naturally needs three helpers. If these three late-stage Golden Core high-ranking Wu could serve him, then he, the Divine Lord’s Wu Zhu, would have even greater prestige.

Yan Zhu looked up at Mo Hua, his gaze containing fear, wanting to speak but hesitating. Mo Hua said, “You can speak if you have something to say.” Yan Zhu then cautiously said, “Lord… Lord Wu Zhu, if you despise my divine artifact, perhaps…” Mo Hua shook his head, “It’s fine, I don’t despise it.” Yan Zhu choked on his words, unable to speak further. Qing Zhu and the old man Hei Jiu also showed worried expressions. Mo Hua then comforted them, saying, “Don’t worry, just serve me diligently. When the time is right, I will return your divine artifacts to you.” The three did not dare to doubt whether Mo Hua was just making empty promises, and they repeatedly said, “Thank you, Lord Wu Zhu.” Mo Hua nodded. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, he waved his hand and said: “Alright, you may go and rest.” These three Wu Zhu had gone through a great battle that almost shattered their brains. Their spiritual energy was nearly depleted; if they didn’t rest, they might die before they could even serve him. The three cupped their hands and said, “Yes.”

As they were leaving, Mo Hua suddenly called out to Qing Zhu, “You stay.” Qing Zhu was a bit startled but obeyed and remained. Yan Zhu and the old man Hei Jiu were somewhat puzzled but dared not ask further, bowing and leaving. In the great hall, only Mo Hua and Qing Zhu remained. Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then looked at Qing Zhu’s lower abdomen and suddenly asked, “You… are you pregnant?” Qing Zhu’s face instantly changed dramatically; her already pale face lost all trace of color, and she stammered, “Lord Wu Zhu, you… you…” She seemed to want to say something but dared not, nor did she know how Mo Hua knew. But then she remembered that Mo Hua was the Divine Lord’s Wu Zhu, serving such an incredibly powerful and favored god, so it wasn’t surprising that he could see through the mists and know things. Thinking of this, Qing Zhu became even more frightened, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Mo Hua frowned, somewhat surprised. It was actually true… From the surface, Qing Zhu showed no signs of pregnancy at all, not even a trace of aura. Even during the desperate fight on the altar with Yan Zhu and the old man Hei Jiu, she didn’t seem like someone who had a child in her belly. It wasn’t until Wu Jiu’s divine descent, when the boundaries between reality and illusion blurred, that Mo Hua’s spiritual sense also “descended” into the present world. Through his divinely enlightened eyes, he then saw a strange “vitality” in Qing Zhu’s abdomen. Mo Hua was unsure if this was pregnancy, which was why he asked Qing Zhu. Although Qing Zhu said nothing, her expression showed that this guess was very likely true. This female Wu Zhu, who believed in the Qing Qiu divine path and used her charm to entice, was indeed pregnant with a child…

Seeing Qing Zhu’s face turn pale and cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, clearly in extreme tension, Mo Hua sighed softly and said, “You may go down and rest well… I will not tell anyone about this.” Qing Zhu was stunned, her expression somewhat bewildered, then secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She bowed gracefully to Mo Hua, sincerely saying, “Thank you, Lord Wu Zhu.” Mo Hua waved his hand. Qing Zhu then bowed and withdrew. Mo Hua watched Qing Zhu’s retreating back, pondered for a moment, then shook his head. A Wu Zhu he had only met by chance, no matter whose child she was carrying, had nothing to do with him; there was no need to pry into her privacy. Mo Hua then temporarily put the matter out of his mind.

However, what he didn’t realize was that Qing Zhu’s child, whose heavenly secret was concealed and deeply hidden, would actually have intricate karmic ties with him… But at this moment, Mo Hua was completely unaware. His mind was focused on another matter—the most important one: completely refining Wu Jiu Great God, devouring his spiritual power, and then attempting to break through to the twenty-four patterns of spiritual sense… which was the biggest hurdle for his Golden Core formation.