Lu Zhi always maintained a beautiful mindset towards the world, whether it was towards things or people. He always believed that even the most wicked had a shred of goodness, pursuing fairness and equality. Whether it was a ghoul or a deity, as long as it existed in the world, it had a reason to be.
Ghouls were heretics born from the condensed evil thoughts of humanity, created by humans and then expelled from the world. They harbored malice and killing intent towards humans, solely because their existence was a consequence of human actions.
If the invasion of ghouls was an attempt to return to the world's origin, to kill and collect human faith, and to become gods by treading on millions of lives, this was the only way for ghouls to remain in the origin world without being expelled.
Then, perhaps this was the causal link between humans and ghouls.
But after becoming gods, they still slaughtered mercilessly, taking pleasure in toying with human lives… were they truly gods?
As the world had initially stated, gods were merely ghouls wearing false skins, devouring humanity.
Humans and ghouls could never reconcile, unless humanity was devoid of all emotions and desires.
However, there was one thing that was absolutely unacceptable.
It was to view human lives as insignificant as grass from the perspective of a god. Having become a god, one should cast aside all grievances from past and present lives, rather than pushing the world towards destruction for the sake of gaining greater power.
Shen Qi embraced Lu Zhi from behind, his chest pressed against Lu Zhi’s back. His lips brushed against Lu Zhi’s ear as he chuckled with delight, his laughter causing Di Meila, already on edge, to reveal a look of horror and dread.
Lu Zhi remained expressionless, his eyes dark and fixed on Di Meila. Gone was his usual aloofness, his gaze, as serene as the calm before a storm, fell upon the students and friends who had sacrificed themselves due to his hesitation. "You deserve to die."
Di Meila instinctively revealed a look of contempt and disdain, his gaze, as if at a lowly ant struggling to survive, completely dismissed Lu Zhi's harsh words. Only his taut nerves remained fixed on Shen Qi.
Shen Qi played with Lu Zhi's hand with one of his own, while the other rested on the spot where Lu Zhi’s heart meridian was branded. His slender, well-defined fingers suddenly seemed to sink into water, ethereally passing through the flimsy clothing. His voice, as if amused, teased, "Let me think, for your current body to reach the level required to kill Di Meila, you would need to use thirty percent of your power, but your body would endure extremely intense pain…"
Lu Zhi looked up at him, his dark eyes calm and stern, causing Shen Qi to see, for a fleeting moment, the young general holding a silver dragon spear, standing alone outside the city gate on a battlefield, fearless of thousands of troops, radiating killing intent, his spear thrusting directly at the enemy's leader.
Such a Lu Zhi captivated Shen Qi, who couldn't help but press a kiss to the tear mole at his eye corner. "Ah~ I get it. Enough nonsense, I'll let you conquer the battlefield now, take the enemy's head, and honor the fallen students…"
The golden-silver ringed eyes suddenly flashed.
"Mmm—" Lu Zhi's pupils contracted sharply, his face instantly turning as pale as transparent, a surging and overwhelming power coursed madly from the brand into his body, as if tearing him apart. He couldn't help but let out a pained groan, but in the next moment, he gritted his teeth tightly, cold sweat continuously seeping from his forehead.
Shen Qi lowered his gaze, staring at Lu Zhi's pained, pale face, his eyes flickering as he murmured, "Di Meila is a lesser god. His physical body is a puppet for him to walk in reality. To truly kill him, you must destroy his divine spark…"
As Shen Qi spoke, the energy reinforcing Lu Zhi's body reached its climax. Lu Zhi finally couldn't bear the pain and let out a shout. Shen Qi slowly withdrew his palm from Lu Zhi’s heart meridian, stepping back, his eyebrows soft. "You only have fifteen minutes."
Lu Zhi's tightly shut eyes suddenly snapped open. Deep within those black pupils, golden flowing light shone like a sun hidden in darkness, resplendent and mysterious. The ends of his black hair gradually turned silver-white, and his aura suddenly became filled with killing intent. His pupils rotated extremely slowly as he looked at Di Meila, tilting his head, and suddenly a smile tugged at his lips. "That's enough."
Di Meila was suddenly startled, an unprecedented sense of crisis causing him to instinctively unleash the遁甲 (Dun Jia) defensive ability he had replicated from a student.
*Clang.*
The sound of metal striking metal. The 遁甲 (Dun Jia) shattered upon impact. Before Di Meila could react, he was struck on the side as if by a thousand-pound hammer, groaning as he was sent flying like a cannonball. He crashed into the dilapidated high-rise buildings, tumbling several times before coming to a halt.
The stunned Di Meila looked up in disarray, his eyes filled with fear as he gazed at the suspended Lu Zhi. That oppressive aura and the threat of death constantly hammered at Di Meila's nerves.
How could this be?
Why would an ordinary human possess power comparable to that of a god?
Di Meila's gaze shot towards Shen Qi in the distance, who was seated on a Manjusaka throne, his eyes smiling as he intently watched Lu Zhi.
Di Meila thought of something, his eyes widening in disbelief. "How can divine power be used by mortals? This is impossible!"
Lu Zhi gave Di Meila no chance to breathe. The ends of his silver-white hair fluttered in the wind, a crystalline brand with a hint of crimson beside him glowed brilliantly, transforming into a white river of stars that converged. Lu Zhi clenched his right hand in the air, and a silver long spear materialized under the morning sun, its tip concentrating into a single point of cold light.
The sun leaped above the horizon, and the orange afterglow streaked through Lu Zhi's black and gold pupils like a shooting star. The Silver Dragon Spear suddenly swung out with a single strike, his feet moving as if on solid ground in the void. With a bang, he rushed towards Di Meila like a cannonball.
The clouds in the sky burned like a raging fire, and island sand flew. One large and one small figure darted through the city's ruins, the sound of metal clashing accompanied by the earth shaking.
Sometimes, the Silver Dragon Spear in the air would unleash sparks like a dragon's roar, and sometimes, it would stir up hurricanes of sand in the burning forests. The terrifying battle between the two was truly the kind of ability a lesser god should possess.
Di Meila was going mad. He had initially believed that even if this human could use divine power, his physical body could not withstand it for long, nor would his strength be much higher than his own.
But what Di Meila did not expect was that this human's attacks, though lacking any discernible spear technique, seemed to possess an enlightened eye, always able to precisely interrupt his attacks. Moreover, each spear thrust was aimed directly at a vital point, as if he were a seasoned general.
Those black and gold eyes were calm and restrained, seeming to contain infinite, overwhelming energy. And in his eyes, Di Meila had become the lowly ant he often spoke of, destined only to be suppressed.
Di Meila's eyes turned sinister. As Lu Zhi's Silver Dragon Spear thrust towards him, he raised his hands and shouted, "Imprison!"
Lu Zhi's Silver Dragon Spear stopped less than half an inch from Di Meila, his body stiffening for three seconds. These three seconds were enough for Di Meila to unleash his replication ability. A pillar of magma erupted from the ground with a roar.
Lu Zhi's pupils narrowed. The Silver Dragon Spear quickly pointed downwards towards the lava pillar, a silver light flashed, drawing a silver blade that sliced through the fire pillar from the middle. But the next second, Di Meila appeared behind him, a triumphant grin on his face, as black threads shot out, aiming directly for Lu Zhi's head.