Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

When the grand sacrifice ceremony concluded, the God of Forest returned to his divine kingdom, contented and still somewhat intoxicated at this moment from that miraculous wine—a sensation he hadn't felt since ascending to the Divine Position ages ago.

Sitting alone on his Divine Throne, he quietly savored this tipsy sensation, unaware that at this moment, a dark presence gradually emanated from his being, silently invading his divine kingdom.

Yet, unusually, the God of Forest fell into a deep slumber, and as he slept, it was night in the divine kingdom, where lush forests began to grow ceaselessly, verdant and thriving, a manifestation of the Divine Spirit's Law shining through.

Life within the divine kingdom celebrated the might of the great Divine Spirit; their power dictated the rhythm of the realm—as they awakened, it was day, and as they slumbered, it was night in the divine kingdom.

However, unlike before, a wisp of dark shadow quietly appeared upon the land, and unbeknownst to all, it began a rampant expansion.

This dark shadow, upon touching the trees, turned them into a forest of darkness, and upon touching souls, made them greedy and cunning. The surviving souls screamed in madness, praying to their Divine Spirit for redemption, but the devout deity they served seemed deaf to their pleas, as if never receiving such a message.

In their despair under the shadow's corruption, they uttered blasphemous words, bellows of utter hopelessness, which gathered in the divine kingdom to form a terrifying power.

The slumbering God of Forest was jolted awake by this force, his eyes widening in astonishment as he witnessed the transformation of his realm—once surrounded by forests, now engulfed by darkness, with a sense of decaying madness emanating from the Earth God, leaving the Divine Spirit dumbstruck, having never encountered such a scene in his countless years.

A divine kingdom is a Divine Spirit's sanctuary, the most fortified place, yet such a place was being infiltrated so silently; the dark, corrupted power filled him with fear from the depths of his soul—an innate warning.

At this moment, the God of Forest finally realized something was amiss, and exclaimed in shock, "That cup of wine!"

He abruptly realized that the wine which could intoxicate a Divine Spirit was to blame. Thinking of that sleazy Lord, a surge of anger filled the God of Forest, eager to incinerate this audacious wretch into ashes, to show how fearsome a Divine Spirit's wrath could be.

Yet, at this point, his most pressing matter was to deal with the disorder in his divine kingdom. A green, forest-scented divine light radiated from him, and he almost appeared to transform into a green sun, suspended in the sky of the divine kingdom.

As the splendid light shone upon the pitch-black land, black smoke rose, and under the light of Divine Power, the darkened earth began to turn fresh green again, but soon an even more intense darkness shrouded the land once more.

At the same time, countless blasphemous words of the divine kingdom's souls echoed around, turning into black chains stretching upward to entwine the green sun.

At this moment, the God of Forest truly sensed a crisis, as this eerie power eroded his body and strength. He tried to contact other Divine Spirits but found that the link between the divine kingdom and the outside world had been severed by a strange power, preventing any outside communication. His heart sank, knowing that his adversaries must have planned meticulously.

Reluctantly, he exerted all his might, as Divine Power burst forth like a raging river, but those pitch-black chains stubbornly clung to his body, and countless mourning souls whispered curses in his ear.

These curses penetrated his body, corroding it and weakening his will, lulling him toward sleep.

"Who are you? Show yourself if you dare!" he shouted in anger.

"What a foolish creature, becoming a Divine Spirit despite being so dumb is truly laughable," a ghostly voice echoed throughout the divine kingdom, carrying a strange power.

The God of Forest looked down and saw a pitch-black figure slowly rising from the ground, growing larger and finally as tall as the divine kingdom itself; the sun he had become seemed like a mere ball in front of this figure.

The dark figure had black feet, and its face seemed to be a collective of all beings, each with a cursed and fierce expression, all followers from his divine kingdom.

"This..." he said in shock, the cunning and terrifying methods of this adversary instilling fear and trepidation into the Divine Spirit.

"What a fool, not even understanding the essence of a Divine Spirit, it's fitting for you to die at my hand," the shadow laughed loudly.

With a mere clench of its hands, the God of Forest immediately felt agonizing pain, a soul-deep torment, and let out a scream that echoed through the divine kingdom.

"No need to scream, you'll soon merge into me," it said.

As the voice fell, the God of Forest painfully clutched his throat, his mouth agape towards the sky, as the shadow instantly transformed into a stream of black liquid pouring into his mouth.

The eyes of the God of Forest bulged with pain as though bursting from his sockets; he whimpered agonizingly but could not stop the shadow's flood. With it came the agony of the soul; he knew his soul was being devoured, but by this point, he was powerless, only able to meet his death in despair.