Chapter 291: Divine Deity's True Form

That night, A Si Ta Te held a grand banquet.

The Ma Ku La Ge brought out their finest offerings to entertain the honored guests who had traveled from afar.

Barbarians do not engage in production, and the plateau lacks conditions for cultivating crops; they live by hunting, their food centered on meat, grilled and smoked, full of natural flavor, paired with home‑brewed fruit wine, giving a distinct taste.

Lei En had long known the conditions were harsh, so on the airship he also prepared a dozen or so crates of fine strong liquor.

The rich aroma of the wine wafted out, arousing the cravings of the many barbarians; when they drank the Empire's fine wine, their eyes instantly brightened and their expressions became intoxicated.

At the banquet, Xi Ka Liu Si lifted his wine glass while bragging about his experiences in the Empire.

"Hic... brothers, I'm not bragging, but with wine like this I drink three or four pots a day at Ge La Mo Gen, it's nothing..."

"Drinking is not worth mentioning; anyway, you'll have the chance later."

Xi Ka Liu Si shifted his tone, swaying as he said, "That time we were in Weizelan... do you know Weizelan? It's a Fu Kong Cheng, the whole city floating in the sky, belonging to a great Holy Soul Wizard, who is also the boss's teacher..."

"Countless Undead, at least tens of thousands, surged over us like seawater and surrounded us..."

"Ji Li Man above, I've never seen so many monsters in my life."

"Don't worry about ridicule; my legs were almost scared stiff! Fortunately, we have the boss's invention, Lambo's Gun!"

Xi Ka Liu Si seized the machine gun, held it aloft, and displayed it before the tribe.

"It's not the strongest weapon in the world, but it is certainly the most suitable for us Ma Ku La Ge; with it, the thirteen of us brothers plus the boss held back tens of thousands of Undead Army for a full half hour..."

"The monster corpses piled up as high as houses!"

"Ao Tuo and I were promoted to Legend in that battle, hehe, you have to believe me, once you try Lambo's Gun you never want to let go, the javelin doesn't deserve to be given shoes, I haven't thrown a javelin in months."

"I now have a Flame Dragon; riding it into the sky, give me enough bullets, and a single person can wipe out the Logosh Tribe!"

Xi Ka Liu Si's eloquence is average, but his stories are genuine, his narration has rises and falls, and is captivating.

Besides combat, there's also his life in Mo Du.

Especially after following Lei En, his monthly salary alone exceeds two hundred Gold Shields, he dines on delicacies, lives in a spacious grand castle, uses the finest gear, has servants attending to his daily needs, trains in a fully equipped training ground, growing stronger day by day, and ascends to Legend within months!

Other Extreme Warriors occasionally voiced agreement, confirming Xi Ka Liu Si's words were true.

The Ma Ku La Ge present listened with hearts unbound and spirits yearning.

They kept stealing glances at Lei En; if Ma Liwu Si weren't present, they'd practically leap forward, immediately vow to join the ranks of Extreme Warriors.

Lei En smiled without saying a word.

Xi Ka Liu Si, as his first symbiont, is the most loyal, recruiting tribe members tirelessly, but in Ma Liwu Si's eyes his actions probably present a completely opposite image.

He glanced at the main seat above; Ma Liwu Si's gaze was clouded, saying nothing as he buried his head and drank sour wine.

The soul color of this legendary barbarian kept shifting, and no one knew what he was thinking.

After the banquet, Lei En returned to the residence arranged by Ma Liwu Si, on the fourth level of the city.

Its height is second only to the A Si Ta Te Temple, a vast building entirely of stone, weathered over ten thousand years, renovated by successive generations of Ma Ku La Ge, with few traces left of the original dwarf builders.

The stone house is modest, incomparable to Lei En's castle, yet on the plateau it is a rare safe dwelling.

Yisu emerged from the shadow plane, looked around, then turned back to the airship.

A night passed without words.

At dawn the next day, Lei En still rose to meditate, ate the roasted meat breakfast delivered by the barbarians, when a guard beside Ma Liwu Si entered.

"Lord, the chieftain requests you meet at the temple," the guard said respectfully.

"Fine."

Lei En glanced at the guard, who was robust, muscles bulging, bearing a heavy refined‑iron greatsword; his strength was impressive, a high‑rank barbarian warrior. Yet the Soul Eye saw that his original body's symbiotic talent had already been used.

As expected, the guard's original body was Ma Liwu Si.

"Lord, I am Du Lan," the guard said as he led the way, then suddenly introduced himself, whispering, "Lord, are you coming to A Si Ta Te to recruit Extreme Warriors?"

Lei En was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected even Ma Liwu Si's symbiont to be swayed.

What emotion would Ma Liwu Si feel if he found out?

The link between original body and symbiont can be severed, but it requires the original body's consent; once broken, the symbiont loses its power amplification and reverts to its original form.

"I do have that intention," Lei En nodded slightly, "but it requires the chieftain's consent; it's not yet decided."

The barbarian guard's eyes first lit up, then dimmed.

He remained silent for a while, until he stepped onto the massive rock platform, walked across the plaza before the temple, then whispered barely audible, "The chieftain was inside the temple all night yesterday."

Lei En noted this Ma Ku La Ge named Du Lan, his expression unchanged.

The A Si Ta Te Temple's exterior was truly magnificent, twenty massive stone columns supporting a white dome, with a towering spire using the dome as its base, piercing the sky.

At the base of each column stood elite barbarian warrior guards.

They wore metal armor, the best equipped among the Ma Ku La Ge tribe; upon seeing Lei En approach, they cast surprised glances at him.

Du Lan led Lei En up the steps, stopped at the temple entrance, and shouted loudly, "Chieftain, the lord has arrived."

"Let him in," a resonant voice replied, it was Ma Liwu Si.

"Lord, please."

Lei En did not enter immediately; he stood outside the open temple doors, looking inside, his view blocked by a stone wall carved with relief, preventing him from seeing the interior.

But his intuition told him the temple was not simple.

The entire temple seemed shrouded by an indescribable force; even with the dual effects of Truth Willpower and the Key of Doors, one could not pierce this layer of power.

Lei En rarely encounters such a situation; usually the target's power tier is far above his own.

However, he did not sense any danger approaching; the force bore no hostility.

The Soul Eye again surveyed Du Lan and the barbarian guards at the temple entrance; their emotions were normal, a mix of curiosity, surprise, and yearning, with no trace of malice.

If there were traps inside the temple, they should be well aware.

Ma Liwu Si felt conflicted about his arrival, but was far from taking action against him; at most he would bluntly refuse and expel him from the city.

Lei En cleared his mind and, under the gaze of the Ma Ku La Ge, walked alone into the temple.

Going around the relief carving that blocks the way straight ahead like a screen, I look up and a spacious, bright space appears before my eyes.

The interior of the temple is a rectangular prism; a dome over twenty meters high gives an immense sense of openness, and the floor and walls are made of smooth stone, almost entirely empty.

Directly opposite the entrance, at the far end, there is a throne carved from a single massive stone.

The stone throne stands four to five meters tall, its edges sharp, its craftsmanship exceedingly fine—unlike anything a mortal could create—and a giant sits upon it.

The giant wears golden armor but no helmet; his face is simply handsome, the sort of dignified look stamped on a gold coin. His eyes are tightly shut, and he sits as if in deep sleep, his complexion devoid of any blood hue, not appearing alive. His hands are crossed, clad in metal gauntlets, resting on the hilt of a massive sword over two meters long; the sword is planted before the throne, between his feet, his demeanor natural and vivid.

At first glance, this is a statue produced by the most superb sculpting Master.

An aura of awe radiates from the statue, filling the temple interior, compelling one to bow reverently to it.

However, Lei En can see the truth hidden from ordinary eyes.

With just a glance, his soul trembles, cold sweat streams down his back; if not for the protection of the Will of Truth, his legs would have gone weak and he would have collapsed to his knees.

Damn!

This damn thing isn't a statue at all; it's the true form of a deity!

Lei En is caught off guard.

He came to A Si Ta Te only to recruit Extreme Warriors; at most he might have a dispute with chieftain Ma Liwu Si, which could be negotiated or fought, yet he unexpectedly encountered a deity—not an avatar, but the true form…

Lei En doesn't know how others perceive the statue, but to him the giant on the throne is like a sun, each ray of its light a divine power that makes his soul shiver; his eyes are overwhelmed, his mind freezes for a few seconds, and tears stream down in a rush.

In that instant, the illusion covering the statue fades.

Lei En vaguely sees a horrific wound on the deity's neck, as if pierced by a blade, black blood oozing; divine power continuously repairs the wound, yet cannot heal it.

The injury is far more severe than it appears, leaving the deity in a coma.

The throne beneath it is no ordinary object.

Lei En shifts his gaze and finds that the space around the throne has been frozen; temporal energy is locked, not only masking the deity's terrifying aura but also causing time to near‑stop, keeping it perpetually on the brink of death—unable to recover, yet not immediately falling.

He has already guessed the deity's identity.

The former God of Loyalty and Glory, now stripped of his glorious office, has officially changed his formal name to Ji Li Man, the God of Loyalty!

Beneath the throne, Ma Liwu Si kneels half‑heartedly, head bowed in prayer.

Lei En takes a deep breath, then walks forward.

Just as he reaches Ma Liwu Si, the barbarian chieftain stands, turns to Lei En, and says solemnly, "I agree to your recruiting Extreme Warriors in A Si Ta Te."

Damn, something came up and I have to go out; I'll probably be back late at night, Chapter Three will be tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)