Chapter 123 - Fragments of Divine Aspect

The Divine Soul wielded its spear with masterful precision, deflecting every black arrow that rained down on it without letting a single one slip through. But this was exactly what Dark Locust had planned. It had consumed a Wisdom Fruit, granting it the capacity for advanced tactics.

The broken arrows didn’t vanish upon hitting the ground. Instead, they accumulated steadily around the Divine Soul. Once there were enough, Dark Locust slung its longbow across its back and extended its control over the shattered arrows. It transformed them into pure dark energy, shaping a binding ring underneath the Divine Soul. Instantly, the Divine Soul’s movements grew restricted, as if invisible chains held it fast.

Tian Wen cheered at the sight. As an experienced Demigod, he recognized Dark Locust’s precise mastery and skillful manipulation of the dark energy.

The dark circle underneath the Divine Soul was called Shadebound. Anyone who stepped onto it would find their shadow tethered and their movements locked in place.

Seizing the moment, Dark Locust beat its wings fiercely and summoned a black God longsword. With a swift thrust, it struck the Divine Soul. As it perished, the Divine Soul dissolved into smoke, releasing eight radiant white orbs.

Tian Wen waved his hand and collected the light orbs. “These are definitely Divine Aspect fragments. Although they’re only Rank 1, we got lucky to find eight of them. Not bad at all.”

Han Wu picked up a fragment, pinching it between his fingers. Pure energy pulsed through it, accompanied by a faint consciousness without true sentience. This consciousness belonged to the corresponding Divine Aspect. As he studied it, he realized the fragment and consciousness were part of the Rank 1 Armor Aspect—a common type that could be found anywhere.

Tian Wen took his time sensing the consciousness in all eight fragments, then singled one out. “This one comes from the Valor Aspect. Still Rank 1, but its Divine Skill is quite powerful, making it more valuable than the rest. I’d say it’s worth twice as much.”

Han Wu nodded, impressed by Tian Wen’s expertise. He felt grateful for having invited the right companion. With Tian Wen by his side, he could gather far greater rewards than usual.

Having defeated the first Divine Soul, they decided to press on. Han Wu sent his locusts scouting the area, and soon they found another. This time, however, it was not a lone Divine Soul but a small group.

The group consisted of 13 Divine Souls, and a blue halo was their leader. Their forms varied, ranging from a tiger to a lizard.

Tian Wen studied them and shook his head. “These are all weaker types. They won’t drop nearly as many fragments as the one we faced earlier.”

Han Wu noticed Tian Wen’s disdain and asked, “Should we leave then?”

“Leave? Absolutely not. We should fight strong enemies, but we should never pass up easy prey. Why give up free treasure?” Tian Wen said with a grin.

“Then let’s wipe them out in one blow,” Han Wu said, signaling his locusts to prepare for a full-scale attack.

Tian Wen didn’t want to lose either. Though his role was Support, he had still invested time in refining his core race’s offensive capabilities. The locusts’ wing beats thundered through the air while the Rabbitmen army unleashed a barrage of Rabbit Missiles, each one automatically tracking their target.

The missiles lacked power but served well to disrupt the enemy’s focus. Han Wu’s Heroic Locustmen seized the chance and attacked. They summoned two clones with half their strength and charged at the Divine Souls before using Thunderblaze Detonation.

The explosions’ sounds rattled the ground beneath them. The thunder and fire attributes were difficult to counter, and even the Heroic Divine Soul struggled to withstand the relentless chain of blasts. The explosions raged for two full minutes, and Han Wu and Tian Wen’s concentrated fire annihilated the entire group of Divine Souls, including the one with the blue halo.

Tian Wen quickly gathered the fallen Divine Aspect fragments and examined them. From the 13 Divine Souls, they collected 29 Rank 1 fragments and a single Rank 2 fragment.

Tian Wen inspected each fragment and grumbled, “What a bunch of cheapskates.”

Earning only 30 fragments from 13 Divine Souls meant each gave fewer than three fragments on average, far less than the lone Divine Soul that had yielded eight fragments previously. He sorted the more valuable fragments into the same bag holding the Valor fragment and placed the Rank 2 fragment carefully into a separate blue bag.

Han Wu felt disappointed by their haul. He had expected high-ranking Divine Aspect fragments to come easily once he arrived. Instead, seeing how few fragments each Divine Soul dropped and how many Divine Aspects existed, he realized it would take a long time to obtain even a single Rank 5 Divine Aspect.

Tian Wen noticed his disappointment and consoled him. “Han Wu, we’re just getting started, so it’s normal to gather so little at first. Once we upgrade the tent and summon more units, we’ll be able to take down stronger Divine Souls and collect as many high-ranking Divine Aspect fragments as we want.”

Han Wu nodded, his resolve hardening. They were about to move when a report came from one of the locust scouts. Two figures from the Divine Civilization were spying on them. He was immediately alerted and whispered to Tian Wen, “Behind you, to your right, about 30 degrees off, two people are watching us.”

Tian Wen shuddered, suddenly recalling a crucial piece of information he had learned early on about the Ancient Battleground. They had to stay vigilant; any encounter with someone from the Divine Civilization here could turn deadly.

This place was deadly because members of the Divine Civilization couldn’t afford to be discovered here. That was why many fugitive Demigods fled to this territory, hunting others to survive. They could obtain not only vital resources but also the support of the Will of the Ancient Battleground.

“What should we do?” Tian Wen asked, clearly at a loss. As a Support, he lacked the strength to fight and doubted he could hold his own against those spying on them.

Han Wu stayed composed. “If they try to rob us, we will teach them a lesson. I will show them just how ruthless the world can be.”