Chapter 317 – Human-Headed, Tiger-Bodied Evil Earth God, Samadhi True Fire Shows Divine Power

When night fell, the Karma enveloping the entire Bloodflame Mountain began to visibly thicken at a rapid pace.

Simultaneously, many figures that hadn’t appeared during the day slowly began to manifest around Bloodflame Mountain.

Despite being in a scorching environment akin to a furnace, the children serving as offerings beside the dilapidated temple at Bloodflame Mountain could distinctly sense a chill emanating from the depths of their hearts.

This chill had nothing to do with temperature—it was purely psychological.

Yet, this very psychological effect made them feel genuine fear from within.

Looking around, though the surroundings appeared empty.

They felt as if some monster was hiding in the surrounding shadows, ready to emerge and devour them at any moment.

Amid this anxiety and fear, the children in the carriage outside the broken temple lost track of time.

Until a commotion sounded beyond the broken temple…

Thump, thump, thump…

Accompanied by steady footsteps, a massive figure slowly emerged from the forest outside the broken temple.

Hearing this, the children in the carriage fell silent in fear, their eyes wide with terror as they stared into the distance.

Soon, a monster with a large head and small body, composed of flesh and rock, stood towering outside the temple.

[Name: Contaminated Earth God]

[Cultivation: Sixth Revolution Golden Core Stage]

[Description: A minor Earth Deity of the Southern Divine Continent, whose spiritual nature was contaminated for unknown reasons, transforming into a monster that only knows slaughter and consumption]

The Contaminated Earth God—this was the true nature of the monster that had appeared outside the broken temple.

And this very temple was originally a place dedicated to his worship.

But unlike before.

The original Earth Deity only required regular incense offerings and had the duty to protect the area’s peace.

However, after his spiritual nature was contaminated, what the Earth Deity desired was no longer just incense.

Instead, he began to seek other things, much like Demons and Monsters.

The children sent by the Qiu Kingdom soldiers were precisely what the current Earth Deity now desired.

Undoubtedly, all these changes were related to the strange blood rain that occurred thirty years ago.

Gazing at the distorted Earth Deity, as tall as a three- or four-story building, approaching them.

Not to mention the children in the carriage.

Even adults, and ordinary Cultivators, would feel fear.

Under the terrified gazes of the children, the distorted Earth Deity reached out a hand toward them in the carriage.

As if intending to grab them all and swallow them in one gulp.

But just as the large hand was about to touch the carriage, a burst of fierce flames suddenly appeared from the side.

Boom!

The scorching flames struck the Earth Deity’s arm, causing a violent explosion.

Although the explosion didn’t inflict significant damage on the Earth Deity, it forced him to retract his arm.

“Roar!”

The suddenly interrupted Earth Deity was enraged, turning to look in a specific direction.

There, in the distance, two Cultivators dressed in dark red Daoist robes appeared among the trees.

“No wonder they say Bloodflame Mountain is a Forbidden Zone for the living. Even the Earth Deity has turned into this half-human, half-ghost form. One can only imagine what happened to the others.”

The woman among the man and woman pair looked at the Earth Deity, her expression grave.It was evident just how much pressure the Earth Deity’s cultivation level was imposing upon her.

Though the male cultivator beside the woman appeared calm, the intensity in his gaze revealed he was equally strained.

Despite both siblings being Golden Core cultivators themselves,

they still fell slightly short compared to this Earth Deity who had once received the ‘Heavenly Decree’.

For the Heavenly Decree was, in a sense, a blessing bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.

In other words, this Earth Deity before them was equivalent to a Heavenly Path Golden Core cultivator among ordinary practitioners—

far beyond what common cultivators could hope to match.

Realizing this, the male cultivator spoke up at once: “Little sister, take the children to safety first. Leave this to me.”

Jiang Changqing nodded upon hearing this and immediately flew toward the carriage’s location.

Seeing these two attempting to disrupt its feast,

the corrupted Earth Deity, though largely devoid of reason,

still understood simple logic.

If it didn’t eliminate these two, this delicious meal would surely slip away.

Moreover, compared to those children, these two actually whetted its appetite even more.

With a covetous gleam in its eyes, the Earth Deity raised its hand once more.

This time, numerous crimson runes began swirling around its form.

These runes were profoundly intricate, their arrangement seemingly embodying certain cosmic principles.

Instantly, Jiang Tiange—standing not far from the Earth Deity—felt an immense gravitational force crushing down upon him.

It was as though an entire mountain had materialized out of thin air to press upon his crown,

not only slowing his movements but also rendering his usually fluid Divine Abilities clumsy and difficult to execute.

‘To think this Earth Deity can still wield Mountain God Art even in this state…’

Jiang Tiange stared grimly at the Earth Deity while keeping his sister Jiang Changqing in his peripheral vision as she reached the children.

Just as he withdrew his gaze, a dark shadow engulfed him from above.

It was none other than the Earth Deity’s massive palm.

Boom!

The Earth Deity’s hand struck the ground, carving out a massive crater.

The terrifying impact sent violent tremors through the earth.

Fortunately, Jiang Tiange was no novice. His figure vanished moments before the palm could land,

reappearing some distance away.

Along with his form emerged countless Golden Talismans,

hovering behind him to form a pattern resembling the Bagua diagram.

“Rise!”

Jiang Tiange circulated his fist technique, causing the talisman-formed Bagua around him to spin rapidly.

It expanded continuously until it enveloped the Earth Deity entirely.

Though the Earth Deity didn’t comprehend Jiang Tiange’s actions,

a primal sense of foreboding gripped it.

Placing both hands on the ground, it channeled its full Mountain God Art power,

attempting to manipulate the very earth beneath its feet for some unknown purpose.

Jiang Tiange made no move to interrupt.

Only when he glimpsed his younger sister shepherding the children to safety did his concerns vanish.

“Strike!”

Adopting a horse stance, Jiang Tiange threw a punch toward the Earth Deity from afar.

In the next instant, a golden fist imbued with talismanic energy materialized out of nowhere.At the same time, the talisman-formed Eight Trigrams enveloping the Earth Deity began to activate.

These talismans descended from the sky, directly adhering to the Earth Deity’s body, seemingly restricting his movements.

Thus, aside from forcibly enduring Jiang Tiange’s punch, the Earth Deity had no better alternative.

Boom!

Jiang Tiange’s golden talisman-empowered fist struck heavily against the Earth Deity’s chest.

Not only was this punch immensely powerful, but it also seemed to resonate with the energy of the talismans currently affixed to the Earth Deity.

Instantly, it caused secondary damage, triggering a chain of explosions.

Boom, boom, boom…

After a series of intense talisman explosions, the Earth Deity’s form was completely shrouded in a cloud of dust.

“Brother, how’s the situation?”

Jiang Changqing returned to Jiang Tiange’s side, gazing at the scene ahead filled with talisman fragments and billowing dust, her voice tinged with concern.

Before Jiang Tiange could respond, a sharp whistling sound pierced through the smoke.

“Watch out!”

Jiang Tiange’s pupils contracted, his right hand instinctively forming a stack of talismans and hurling them forward.

Rip!

The golden talismans were torn apart by a sharp claw before they could fully materialize.

Fortunately, although these talismans posed no threat to the attacker, they managed to slow its movements.

Meanwhile, Jiang Tiange’s sister, Jiang Changqing, seized the moment to swing her sword.

Clang!

Her red Spirit Sword clashed against the assailant’s claw, generating a startling shockwave.

The resulting blast forced Jiang Tiange and Jiang Changqing back several paces before they could steady themselves.

As they observed the distant figure, their expressions turned grim.

The Earth Deity, who had previously retained some humanoid features, had now transformed into a complete monster.

His original stone-like body had morphed into a dark red beastly form.

Upon closer inspection, it resembled the powerful frame of a mountain tiger.

The Earth Deity, now incarnated as a Human-faced Tiger, glared ferociously at Jiang Tiange and his sister.

It seemed intent on tearing them apart on the spot.

Remarkably, the talismans Jiang Tiange had earlier struck the Earth Deity with had left no visible damage.

Even Jiang Changqing’s subsequent sword strike had merely left faint white marks on its claws.

Undoubtedly, this was a creature far surpassing their own strength.

Jiang Tiange and his sister had not anticipated that with their dual Golden Core Stage cultivator setup, they would struggle so severely even at the outskirts of Bloodflame Mountain.

If they were to proceed as planned into the depths of Bloodflame Mountain, the dangers they might encounter were simply unimaginable.

By now, both had begun to consider retreat.

However, though they wished to leave, the distant Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity had no intention of letting them escape so easily.

“Roar!The Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity roared skyward, its intense sound mixed with some peculiar message, spreading across dozens of miles.

“Brother…”

Jiang Changqing cast a worried glance at the distant Human-faced Tiger, clearly sensing something amiss.

Beside her, Jiang Tiange spoke with a troubled expression, “It’s too late. We can’t escape now.”

As he spoke, more dark shadows began to emerge behind them.

These suddenly appearing entities were identical to the Human-faced Earth Deity before them—bizarre amalgamations of mountain Yao Beasts and other entities.

There were monsters half-wolf, half-bear.

Others had the upper body of a bird and the lower body of a bear.

Their strange appearances alone were unsettling enough.

But what was worse, each of these creatures exuded a formidable aura.Among them, the most powerful one even possessed cultivation at the Golden Core Stage.

For a moment, Jiang Tiange and his sister were like intruders stumbling into a demon nest, trapped between a rock and a hard place.

Dealing with the Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity alone was already difficult enough.

Now, with so many demons emerging, including a Golden Core Stage great demon, their situation had worsened drastically.

At this point, forget about slaying demons and vanquishing evil—even escaping from this horde was uncertain.

As the demon horde pressed closer, Jiang Tiange and his sister slowly drew together.

“Little sister, I’ll find a way to break open an escape route for you. Seize the opportunity and flee…”

“Brother!”

Hearing the resolute tone in Jiang Tiange’s voice, Jiang Changqing knew immediately that he was prepared to sacrifice himself to secure her survival.

At this moment, Jiang Changqing deeply regretted not heeding her brother’s earlier advice and recklessly entering the terrifying Bloodflame Mountain without any preparation.

She had initially believed that with her Golden Core Stage cultivation, even if she couldn’t prevail, escaping wouldn’t be difficult as long as she stayed near the outskirts of Bloodflame Mountain.

But now, it was clear she had overestimated herself and underestimated the horror of Bloodflame Mountain.

Yet, at this stage, regret was useless.

She had to do something.

But as she looked at the twisted demons around them and the Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity advancing step by step in the distance, Jiang Changqing felt a profound sense of powerlessness for the first time.

“Samadhi True Fire.”

Just as Jiang Tiange and his sister resolved to fight to the death, a voice sounded from nearby.

In an instant, the demons surrounding the two began to shriek in agony.

Ethereal white flames appeared out of thin air, landing on the demons.

These powerful, grotesque demons of Bloodflame Mountain, who should have had high resistance to fire-based spells and Divine Abilities due to living in an area saturated with fire-attributed Spiritual Power, were now helpless against the flames.

As the ethereal white flames spread, a gap quickly opened in the densely packed demon horde.

The first demons touched by the terrifying white flames had already turned into piles of ash on the ground.

The surrounding demons avoided them in fear, terrified of being contaminated by the dreadful flames.

From this gap, Lu Chen calmly emerged.

He glanced indifferently at Jiang Tiange and his sister, then turned his gaze toward the distant Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity.

This Earth Deity was the unique presence Lu Chen had sensed earlier—a being exuding an aura somewhere between the normal Heavenly Dao and a distorted Heavenly Dao.

At this moment, the Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity clearly perceived the threat from Lu Chen.

It bared its fangs, warning him not to approach further.

Naturally, Lu Chen paid no heed.

Under the astonished gazes of Jiang Tiange and his sister, Lu Chen ignored the surrounding demons and strode directly toward the Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity.

Seeing this, the Earth Deity roared furiously.

The demons, which had temporarily retreated out of fear of Lu Chen, were compelled to charge forward again at the roar.

But before they could get close, the ethereal white Samadhi True Fire reappeared.

This time, the flames transformed into numerous Flying Swords, swiftly slicing through the demons’ bodies.

Wherever the Flying Swords passed, they cleanly severed the demons at the waist.The lingering Samadhi True Fire caused their souls to fly away and spirits to scatter amidst agonizing screams.

The distorted power within them, capable of corrupting even spiritual power,

completely lost its effect when confronted with the terrifying divine fire of Samadhi True Fire.

Before long, Lu Chen arrived before the Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity.

Despite the vast difference in stature between Lu Chen and the Human-faced Tiger Earth Deity,

it was actually the Earth Deity who now wore an expression of fear.

(End of Chapter)