337: Jiuli Fire!

“Cough cough!”

Loki sat up from a pile of ruins. He now strongly suspected he was dreaming.

He had spent so much effort, meticulously leaving behind three life-saving altars.

In his long years since becoming a deity, he had only ever consumed one altar to escape life-or-death crises.

But what was going on now?

In just one day, two altars were used up, just like that, by force.

Loki couldn't help but wonder if he was too weak, or if Great Xia was too bizarre.

It seemed every time he interacted with Great Xia, it never ended well.

“Damn it! Where did all this ash come from?”

Loki patted the ash off his body and began to gather his thoughts.

He had been slain by Zhou Ping under the combined scheme of Zhou Ping and the Law of Time.

Before he died, Chen Lu should have still been alive.

As a follower of Cthulhu, he should also have a backup plan, right?

As Loki pondered, he suddenly felt an itch on his body. He subconsciously reached into his clothes and scratched.

Suddenly, Loki felt something was off.

He violently tore open his upper garment, and in a state of terror, he discovered that his numerous sword wounds were filled with ash.

“This ash…”

Loki could clearly sense that the ash was like living worms, frantically burrowing deeper into his flesh and blood.

“Is it Cthulhu?”

Loki reacted immediately. He had once detected this evil, bizarre, and absurd power on Odin’s body.

It was then that Loki noticed that the entire seabed where he was located was, at some unknown point, covered in this ash.

“What exactly happened during the time I was dead?”

Loki looked at the ash that had merged with him, feeling uneasy. Although he had previously wanted to gain Cthulhu's boon through Chen Lu, it was definitely not this inexplicable infection.

Just as Loki was feeling conflicted, he suddenly sensed two powerful forces flying towards him.

He looked up and saw a huge black ball of flesh and a golden Dharma form flying towards him.

Loki narrowed his eyes. He recognized the golden Dharma form behind him; it was Yang Jian, one of the Great Xia Gods.

But the one in front, could it be…

The Black Goat also sensed Loki's awakening. A black tentacle suddenly extended from his body, coiling around the bewildered Loki, and continued to flee into the distance…

In the Ghost Country, Song Zhong witnessed everything that happened in Ningchang County. He sighed, realizing that with the current level of National Fate Power, while it could harm Cthulhu-type Deities, it was far from enough to eliminate them.

Song Zhong circulated the Divine Power within him, manipulating Ningchang County's National Fate Power to thoroughly purify the contaminated ash left by the Black Goat. If this thing were left behind, Ningchang County would face a complete disaster.

Under Song Zhong's control, the National Fate Power began to purify the ash in Ningchang County. At the same time, the other members of the Mask Squad also completed the transfer of survivors.

They returned to the fishing village sea area and immediately found Zhou Ping and Wang Mian.

“Captain!”

Seeing the unconscious Wang Mian, Whirlpool was the first to rush over, “Senior Sword Saint, what happened to the Captain?”

The pale Zhou Ping slowly said, “He only suffered a mental shock; he’ll be fine after some rest. How are the survivors?”

“All survivors have been transferred to a safe area and are being looked after by the local Night Watchers,” Vice Captain Balance said.

Zhou Ping nodded, “Find a place to settle Wang Mian for now, and wait for subsequent support.”

Zhou Ping did not tell them the specific details of what had just happened. Wang Mian’s mental trauma was caused by Cthulhu’s call, and recovery might not be that simple.

He had already contacted Zuo Qing and planned to send Wang Mian back to Shangjing for observation and treatment.

Regarding information about Cthulhu, although the Night Watchers had obtained some information from the Shang Xie Society, overall, their understanding of Cthulhu was still too limited.

Perhaps more truths could only be learned from the Great Xia Gods.

Zhou Ping had now realized something: their enemies might not just be those Outer Gods.

Recalling the sword strike that had just broken through the human ceiling, Zhou Ping felt a sense of loss. He had to find a way to take that step.

In the Ghost Country, Song Zhong finished his refinement for the day.

Turning the Ghost Country into a Divine Kingdom was not something that could be accomplished in a day or two.

After a brief rest, Song Zhong skillfully opened his System panel.

He now possessed an astonishing 104,780 points of Sacrifice Value.

The massive Sacrifice Value was just enough for him to perform a second draw from the Chi You Coffin.

The first time, due to Shen Tu and Yu Lei, those two scoundrels, the System had compensated Song Zhong.

So, would there be new surprises in the second draw?

With a thought, Song Zhong appeared in the System Space.

The System Space had undergone significant changes. Now that Song Zhong had a continuous supply of Power Of Faith, he could completely suppress the Bronze Coffin through the faith tombstone.

When he arrived in the System Space, the few conservatives who were still inside immediately became vigilant.

The once complete team had ultimately fallen apart for various reasons.

Song Zhong walked to the Chi You Coffin. This time, there was no drastic reaction from it; it just lay there quietly.

Song Zhong placed his hand on the Bronze Coffin and said, “System, I want to perform a second draw.”

The System immediately responded.

“Detecting that the current Host’s Sacrifice Value meets the requirements. Initiating second draw.”

Eerie faint light flickered back and forth over the Chi You Coffin, and Song Zhong’s accumulated Sacrifice Value rapidly decreased.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, for a successful draw! You have received the reward: ‘Nine Li Fire Seed’!”

“Nine Li Fire Seed: This fire seizes the creation of heaven and earth, invading the mysteries of the sun and moon. Plant this fire seed in your heart, nurture it with Divine Power, and upon Major Achievement, there will be nothing it cannot burn, nothing it cannot incinerate.”

Song Zhong’s eyes lit up. “Nine Li Fire Seed?”

Among all the abilities he had drawn through the System, none were related to fire.

And Chi You, in the myths of his original world, was the Old Ancestor of metal refining.

How could the fire seed he possessed be an ordinary object?

A small, faint red flame slowly flew out from inside the Chi You Coffin and came before Song Zhong.

Song Zhong looked at the flame, feeling a sense of connection. With a whoosh, the flame disappeared into Song Zhong’s chest, coming to rest in his heart and slowly burning.