Chapter 177: The Descent of the Demon God

This towering figure had a pair of grey curved horns and dark red skin. He wore a magnificent black robe.

“Demigod?” Dongbo Xueying sensed the terrifying pressure emanating from this gigantic figure—an immense power unlike anything he had ever experienced before, completely surpassing the might of any half-god from the Xia Clan.

Yet another mysterious and unpredictable force enveloped the towering figure, easily suppressing his power and confining his strength to an extremely low level.

“Cursed world will!” the colossal figure muttered in frustration. Then, his gaze settled on Dongbo Xueying. His amber eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement, and his face broke into a bright smile. His body began to shrink, rapidly reducing in size until he stood at the same height as Dongbo Xueying. He descended and landed directly on the ground.

“Dongbo Xueying, correct?” the Demigod asked with a warm smile.

Dongbo Xueying curiously observed the Demigod before him.

A god.

This was the first time he had truly encountered a divine being. Yet merely by looking at him, Dongbo could deduce—he was a Demigod from the Dark Abyss!

Having studied all the records of gods and half-gods in Xia Clan history, Dongbo Xueying clearly recognized this as what was known as a “World Projection” of a god!

A god could not directly enter the Material World.

Even gods who had risen from the Xia Clan, such as Emperor Longshan and Emperor Yunhai, once they became gods, would be expelled from the Material World after living for ten thousand years. As for gods from outside, they were entirely rejected and could not even enter.

Therefore, gods could only descend indirectly in two ways.

The first was relatively simple—sending down a World Projection! The Xia Clan, with its accumulated strength over a long period, was well aware of the method to send down a World Projection. First, they would establish a “Spatial Marker” within the Material World. Then, across vast distances and through numerous spatial barriers, they would forcefully project their power onto that distant marker, forming a projection.

The divine energy required for this was terrifying! Maintaining the existence of a World Projection required a continuous expenditure of divine power.

The cost was enormous.

Therefore, in the Xia World, even malevolent gods and demons only sent down World Projections during critical moments.

Of course, newly ascended gods like Emperor Longshan could not even achieve this. Only those powerful gods who had cultivated to an extremely high level could send down a “World Projection.” In the history of the Xia Clan, ancestors like Emperor Yunhai had once descended in this form.

The second method was far more difficult—sending down a Divine Incarnation!

The cost of sending down a Divine Incarnation was absolutely terrifying!

Even a being at the level of Emperor Yunhai could not afford it.

In the Xia World, only the “Earth Temple” and the “Demon God Assembly” had once sent down Divine Incarnations in history! These were the two great powers vying for the faith of the Xia Clan. They clashed violently, each paying a horrifying price to send down a Divine Incarnation. That battle shattered the heavens and the earth, causing countless deaths and injuries. In the end, the Demon God Assembly was defeated and has since completely hidden in the darkness, never again daring to confront the Earth Temple directly.

Divine Incarnations were terrifying.

Although they were suppressed by the Material World and restricted to the strength of a “half-god’s limit,” their mastery over the profound mysteries of various laws far surpassed that of half-gods, making their combat power extremely formidable.

…

“I haven’t descended for over thirty thousand years,” the Demigod smiled. “Meeting a promising young human Transcendent is truly a joyous occasion. Shall we sit, have some fine wine, and chat?”

Dongbo Xueying smiled. “Drinking wine? Sure, I’ve dreamed since childhood of one day drinking with a god. I never imagined it would actually come true today.”

“Please,” the Demigod gestured politely with his hand.

Dongbo Xueying did not hesitate and directly walked toward the main hall of the inner fortress.

The silver-robed leader and a group of elders kneeling on the balcony of the inner fortress were astonished. A Demigod had descended? And he was actually drinking with this Transcendent? And he was Dongbo Xueying?

“It’s actually Dongbo Xueying!” The silver-robed leader and others finally understood. This was the legendary youngest Transcendent within a thousand years—the fabled Dongbo Xueying!

“Quickly, bring wine!” a cold voice rang in the silver-robed leader’s ear.

“Yes.”

The silver-robed leader immediately complied and hurried to carry it out.

…

Inside the luxurious hall.

Dongbo Xueying sat down first without any hesitation. He still manipulated the power of heaven and earth to cover the surrounding hundred-mile radius, monitoring everything. The Demigod’s descent made him even more vigilant.

“You and the Great Demigod of the Demon God Assembly?” Dongbo Xueying asked.

“I’m just an ordinary Demigod from the Abyss. How could I compare to the Great Demigod?” the Demigod hurriedly replied. “My name is Wu Yunhuo. In your Xia World, I’m merely one of the many malevolent gods and Demigods—utterly insignificant.”

Dongbo Xueying nodded slightly.

This Demigod was putting on a very humble posture.

It was very unusual!

Moreover, according to what he knew, for a god to forcefully project a World Projection across many layers of space required an enormous expenditure to maintain it. And yet this god was leisurely drinking with him? There must be some hidden scheme.

“How did you know I’m Dongbo Xueying?” Dongbo Xueying asked. He was also happy to prolong the conversation.

“The entire Anyang Province has only you and Pengshan as Saint-level Transcendents,” the Demigod ‘Wu Yunhuo’ grinned, revealing sharp teeth. “Pengshan is old, while your youthful vitality is so vivid. I guessed you were Dongbo Xueying, and judging by your reaction, I was indeed correct.”

“Great Demigod.”

The silver-robed leader poured wine beside them, showing utmost respect, filling the cups for both.

“Hmm.”

Dongbo Xueying sipped his wine. The taste was nothing special—better ones were available in the Xia capital. But today, the one sharing the wine with him was a Demigod! This was truly an honor.

“There’s one matter I’d like to ask for your help, young Dongbo Xueying,” the Demigod Wu Yunhuo smiled.

“Speak,” Dongbo Xueying replied.

“Sigh, you know as well as I do, the Dark Abyss is nothing like the Divine Realm—it’s far too cruel,” Wu Yunhuo shook his head with a sigh. “I painstakingly left a spatial marker in your Xia World and, over a long period, gradually cultivated a group of followers. It took great effort, scheming, and heavy sacrifices to gain even a bit of faith in your Xia World. it’s really not easy. And there are many other gods and Demigods competing for faith in the Xia World as well! Not to mention the mighty Demon God Assembly and the Earth Temple!”

“We Demigods really have it tough,” Wu Yunhuo lamented.

Dongbo Xueying listened.

Some Transcendents might feel a sense of empathy, but he had read too many records to know clearly—faith in the Material World was extremely precious! Those who could extend their hands into the Material World were already extremely powerful beings.

Don’t be fooled by how humble Wu Yunhuo seemed to him. It was precisely because he could not bring his true self into the world that he had to act this way. If his true body came here, he could probably kill Dongbo with a mere breath! While his “World Projection” was suppressed by the entire Material World, his strength was restricted to the “limit of mortals.” Although his mastery of the profound laws was far superior to Dongbo’s, his power was confined to the mortal limit. If Dongbo stood here and let him strike, he couldn’t even scratch him!

The World Projection was restricted to the limit of mortals.

A Divine Incarnation was restricted to the limit of half-gods.

Judging from the difference in strength alone, one could infer just how horrifying the cost of descending a “Divine Incarnation” must be.

Precisely because his power was weak, he had to act so humble!

“In fact, I’ve only established twelve main shrines across nineteen provinces,” Wu Yunhuo shook his head. “And the one you are attacking now is one of them. Each main shrine is the culmination of my efforts. Therefore, I humbly ask young Dongbo Xueying to help me by showing mercy and not wiping them all out completely.”

“If you help me this once, I naturally will reward you generously,” Wu Yunhuo said. “I am willing to give you a gift worth two thousand jin of Origin Stones. Young Dongbo Xueying, you can simply pretend this incident never happened. Would you be willing?”