Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

This word had become his heart demon, tormenting his soul incessantly; if he could overcome it, it would be like a carp leaping over the Dragon Gate, soaring to the heavens thereafter, but if he failed, his will would crumble, rendering him an incapacitated waste.

However, Lu Yu was not worried; he felt a mysterious aura emanating from Arthur, so subtle that it would go unnoticed unless one observed carefully, only someone like Lu Yu, who had touched the river of time and fate, could sense it – it was an aura unique to fate.

Arthur was destined to become the master of this sword; at this moment, he was merely crossing a threshold in life, a matter of life and death to others, but for Arthur, who was favored by fate, it was just a matter of course.

Through the power of the soul, Lu Yu could already see the brilliance hidden within Arthur's heart, and when this brilliance shone brilliantly, it would be the time for Arthur to embrace his own destiny.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Yu looked into the distance; the land surrounding the castle was the Land of Death, its dense power of death had formed a thick black fog that enveloped the area.

Numerous white skeleton creatures grew on the pitch-black earth, fighting and devouring each other in this region, becoming even stronger beings of death.

"Such a domineering law indeed," Lu Yu sighed softly.

He found that these foreign powers seemed to share a commonality, that is, they were domineering, forbidding any other force to exist besides themselves.

Just then, a crisp cry came from the fog, and a white figure appeared like lightning from the fog, instantly darting to Lu Yu's side, emitting joyful cries around him.

This was a white juvenile snake, with bone-like scales as white as jade and a pair of purple eyes filled with a unique charm, its entire body exuding a strong aura of death.

Lu Yu looked at the little snake happily swirling around him, revealing a delighted smile and indulgently said, "Little guy, you must be well-fed."

The little white snake happily nodded its small head and then naturally climbed onto Lu Yu's arm, quietly going to sleep; with its breath, the power of death continuously flowed into his body, and through its jade-white body, one could see an immortal brilliance flickering inside – that was the exclusive rule of death.

This snake was Lu Yu's harvest over these days; it was based on the White Skeleton Snake, a manifestation of creation, a brand new creature made to address the troublesome Land of Death, especially since he had already offended the Skeleton Phantom, and if he truly allowed it to descend upon this world, he would hardly face a good outcome.

Luckily, Lu Yu had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, with wondrous creation at hand, he successfully brought forth such a being. It could absorb the power of death from this land and slowly assimilate it into its own law of death.

This was a process of purification, carrying the meaning of reincarnation, and only through such means could traces of the Skeleton Phantom be cleansed and the pure power of death be claimed as his own.

With such techniques at his disposal, Lu Yu had to thank Empress Hou Tu; if not for regularly observing the Six Paths of Reincarnation, he would not have been able to employ such methods.

Meanwhile, in Arthur's original territory, a conspiracy was unfolding in silence.

Those in black who had taken over Arthur's land were preparing to conduct a grand sacrificial ceremony, to offer their highest respect to the great God of Forest and celebrate their official acceptance of the territory.

The majestic procession marched at the forefront, with the man in black standing atop the float, waving incessantly at the throngs of people around him. Bright petals intermittently showered from the carriage.

A fanatical crowd chanted the man in black's name: "Joy, Joy."

Every time this happened, the man called Joy would halt his carriage and graciously console his fervent supporters.

"Ugh!" Not far from the crowd, a young man couldn't help but pretend to vomit at the sight, provoking an angry glare from an elder beside him.

"Layton, are you asking for a beating?" the elder said, his face filled with fury.

This was an immaculately dressed elder, with exceptionally neat hair. Despite wearing coarse clothes, he exuded a unique aura, one that only comes from long hours of reading.

"Old Man Frey, I know I was wrong. It's just that this guy's behavior is so nauseating. Clearly he paid for his own puppet, yet he acts so surprised. Everyone in the territory knows what kind of a person he is," Layton said with an ironic smile on his face.

"Layton, that kind of thinking is dangerous. No matter how despicable Joy was in the past, he is now the lord of this territory. You simply can't afford to look down on him, Arthur's experience is a lesson," Frey said earnestly.

"I understand, Dad," Layton said, bowing his head.

"I wonder how the young master is doing," a young girl's crisp voice chimed in.

"You have to believe in the young master. The men of the Delatore Family are not as fragile as you think," someone responded.

While they were conversing softly, Joy had already arrived in front of the Temple and lit the central torch, officially announcing the start of the sacrifice ceremony.

The devout priest began chanting the sacred words, verses that praised the Divine Spirits, also the God of Forest's favorite form of appeasement. Surrounding him were women holding oak branches and wearing wreaths, dancing a special dance to please the Divine Spirits.

Soon, the Temple was filled with dazzling divine light, a sign of the Divine Spirits' pleasure, validating Joy's legitimacy and earning their recognition. Joy was now the lawful ruler of the city, after all, this was a world ruled by Divine Spirits.

Watching this scene, Old Man Frey sighed deeply. This Divine Spirit had been worshipped by the Delatore Family for countless years, yet it had been so easily forsaken—an extremely fickle being indeed.

Unbeknownst to the audience, Joy on the stage was also extremely nervous. Ever since he made a pact with the Demon, there was no turning back. Now, standing before the Temple and feeling the power from the Divine Spirit, fear was gradually swallowing his soul as he feared his inner corruption would be noticed.

However, this so-called God of the Forest was clearly not as powerful and perceptive as thought, not detecting the Devil's pact hidden deep within Joy's soul, happily accepting offerings from Joy. As for that devoted family that once served it, it had long been forgotten. After all, how could mere mortals be compared with Divine Spirits?

At the end of the ceremony, Joy would offer a cup of fine wine to the great Divine Spirit, who, in turn, would bless the new lord.

The bright red wine was poured into a golden goblet, its rich fragrance detectable even from a distance—an exquisite wine.

The projection of the God of Forest appeared before everyone's eyes, his face showing pleasure. He was very satisfied with Joy's gift. This wine was the most delicious he had ever seen in his life, and he couldn't wait to taste it.

When the Divine Spirit drained the wine from the golden cup, what he didn't realize was the sinister smile on bended-knee Joy's face. The fear that had originated from his soul had completely vanished, for, as the Demon had told him, the God of Forest would soon become a puppet of the Demon, and thereafter no one would be able to take Joy's position from him.

Yet at this moment, he still had to pretend to be devout, imploring the Divine Spirit for its blessing.

The satisfied God of Forest, absentmindedly placed his hand on Joy's head. This was the Divine Spirit's blessing—an empty gesture, simply a symbolic ceremony. Of course, the ignorant masses did not know this; they believed that those blessed by the Divine Spirit were under divine protection, untouchable by others.