Chapter 144 - Rescuing Tian Wen

The Defiant Sword simply wasn’t long enough to completely penetrate the massive body of the Sand Golem. Realizing this, Han Wu instantaneously transformed its shape into that of the Soul Reaper.

Having absorbed countless souls, the Soul Reaper was now both massive in size and incredibly sharp. It effortlessly cut clean through the Sand Golem’s chest, allowing Han Wu to tear the colossal creature in half. As the Golem split, water droplets sprayed out from the gaping wound.

This injury proved fatal for the Sand Golem—the water attribute severely impeded its ability to recover, preventing it from reconstituting its sandy body. Within three seconds, its entire form collapsed, leaving behind five valuable pieces of Rank 4 Divine Aspect fragments.

The ease with which Han Wu defeated the Sand Golem stunned Qin Shuang; she hadn’t realized he had a water attribute skill. After persistently hounding him for an answer, he finally divulged that the ability originated from his Divine Skill.

The Defiant Sword possessed the extraordinary ability to convert its damage into the attribute that its enemy was weakest in. This incredibly powerful property gave it the power to kill virtually anything in its path, making it the ultimate bane of beings who were highly specialized in a single attribute.

For safekeeping, Han Wu tossed the fragments to Qin Shuang. Among them were two Gold Sand Aspect fragments, two Giant Aspect fragments, and one Recovery Aspect fragment. These were considered precious Divine Aspect fragments, easily capable of being exchanged for two to three complete Rank 1 Divine Aspects in the world outside.

The three Locustman Lords and Steely immediately dropped to their knees before Han Wu. They had been locked in a grueling battle against the Sand Golem for three entire days, yet Han Wu had defeated it in a mere three minutes. All four were left in complete awe of Han Wu’s incredible strength.

Steely’s unwavering faith in Han Wu deepened even further, elevating it to the status of a Saint. The Faith emanating from it amplified a hundred times over, making the connection thread to Han Wu incredibly strong. This strengthened thread of Faith now granted Han Wu the power to directly descend onto Steely’s body and allow him to control it completely.

With a nod of approval, Han Wu patted Steely’s shoulder, celebrating its status as his very first Saint among all of his units. Once assured of Steely’s condition, he proceeded to examine the other three Locustman Lords.

The three Locustman Lords had grown considerably stronger after their period apart. Dark Locust, in particular, was now on the cusp of ascending to the rank of High Lord. Han Wu observed their progress with an approving nod, silently hoping that his entire locust swarm would continue to grow stronger as swiftly as possible.

Han Wu then asked for an account of their experiences in his absence. The four units explained that they, along with Tian Wen, had accidentally entered this area while trying to find a safe spot—Tian Wen had lost his way back to the tent after his units were wiped out. Working as a team, they had managed to break through the encirclement of scorpion Divine Souls hundreds of times within this peculiar place.

However, their relentless slaughter of scorpions eventually drew the attention of the realm's rulers. Three days before, two Sand Golems unexpectedly emerged; one promptly abducted Tian Wen, leaving the remaining four to battle the second Golem. On the third day, Han Wu arrived and killed that exact Sand Golem that had been trying to hold them back.

Their survival story left Han Wu completely bewildered. How could they have lived in a place where nothing but Divine Aspect fragments existed? Though a Demigod could certainly endure hunger for extended periods, that didn’t mean they could go without food indefinitely.

Han Wu’s question was soon answered. They explained to Han Wu that Tian Wen had managed the water situation. His Healing Aspect included a Divine Skill called Healing Spring, which not only accelerated the recovery of wounds but also provided them with water to drink.

Their only food source was the Three Locustman Lords. Thanks to their Hyper Regeneration trait, the Lords could regrow even large parts of their bodies after being cut. This unique ability was the secret to their extended survival in this barren place.

Their ingenuity left Han Wu speechless, though Qin Shuang visibly recoiled, her stomach violently churning at the revelation. She vowed to herself never to taste locust flesh under any circumstances.

Having confirmed Tian Wen’s presence in this realm, Han Wu resolved to rescue him at all costs. He then gathered his locusts and began moving in the direction his four units had indicated—the very path the Sand Golem had taken after abducting Tian Wen.

As they continued their journey, they not only encountered a multitude of white haloed scorpion Divine Souls but also came across numerous blue haloed cactus Divine Souls. These cacti stood perfectly still, but they could launch countless sharp spines when an enemy got too close. Their attacks claimed the lives of many locusts and Thunder Sparrows.

Han Wu unleashed the full power of all three of his Divine Skills—Souleater Gaze, Defiant Sword, and Conduitborn—to boost the strength of his locusts, instantly obliterating the cactus Divine Souls. He also managed to collect a large number of Rank 2 Divine Aspect fragments, specifically the Hardy, Spines, and Survival Aspects. Once the cacti were dealt with, they continued on their way.

A distant, massive city was finally discovered by the locust scouts. Within its boundaries resided various Divine Souls, each displaying unique halos: white haloed scorpions and desert rats, blue haloed soldier ants and snakes, purple haloed owls, and numerous others. The black haloed Sand Golems, however, acted as peacekeepers, with other Divine Souls making way whenever they passed.

At the same moment, Han Wu noticed several Divine Souls with red halos. Standing approximately three meters tall, these beings were entirely black, with vicious, wolf-like heads. Their presence was so commanding that even the Sand Golem Divine Souls respectfully lowered their heads when encountering them.

Han Wu discretely followed the wolf-headed Divine Souls, which led him to a grand altar in the city’s central area. Tens of thousands of wolf-headed Divine Souls completely surrounded the structure. To his horror, a familiar individual was tied to the altar: Tian Wen! He was clearly the intended sacrifice, bound for their ritual.

A wave of hesitation washed over Han Wu. Their enemies were overwhelmingly powerful, and he was at a loss for what to do. Even though he commanded a vast number of locusts and Qin Shuang still had many Thunder Sparrows at her disposal, neither could stand against ten thousand red haloed Divine Souls all at once.

Even the weakest wolf-headed Divine Soul possessed the strength equivalent to a Lord. With ten thousand red halos in sight, it meant they were essentially confronting ten thousand Lords. Han Wu seriously doubted his chances of victory, even if he were to summon every single one of his units, especially since there were more Divine Souls scattered throughout the city.

Time was of the essence; there was no time left to deliberate. If they didn’t act soon, Tian Wen would inevitably be offered as a sacrifice in the ceremony. He was determined to save him, no matter the cost, but he was stumped.

In preparation for battle, Han Wu activated Controlled Mutation, sacrificing his locusts’ remaining lifespan to dramatically increase their power. Soon, every one of his locusts was as strong as a Heroic life form. This power was temporary, though, as they were destined to die within 24 hours, their lives extinguishing once that time limit was reached.

“Go and destroy that city!” Han Wu ordered. Responding to his call, the locusts immediately surged forward, enveloping the city and ruthlessly attacking every Divine Soul laid eyes on and utterly eradicating all of the white and blue haloed Divine Souls.

The purple haloed owls, being capable of flight, posed a different threat. As they prepared to dive on the locusts, however, they were suddenly met with a barrage of powerful lightning bolts as Qin Shuang entered the fray, having ordered her Thunder Sparrows to attack.

Undeterred by their attacks, the Sand Golem scooped up handfuls of sand and launched them towards the swarming locusts and Thunder Sparrows. The sand struck like deadly cannonballs, instantly killing many of them.

Han Wu then instructed his four Locustman Lords and Steely to shift their focus and target the Sand Golems instead. With aid of the Defiant Sword, each of them was now capable of inflicting significant damage upon the otherwise impervious Sand Golems. With this sudden conflict, the city was plunged into a state of utter chaos for a short period.

The wolf-headed Divine Souls detected the commotion and quickly banded together to confront their adversary. This, however, was precisely what Han Wu had been hoping for. He finally saw his opportunity and, without hesitation, drew a Rank 6 Spectre Vine seed from his pocket.

Gene Lock!

After Han Wu consumed the seed and absorbed its genes, his body began to transform. Spectre Vines then grew from him, giving him a truly menacing look.

“Black Dragon King Transformation! Bloodfeast Domain!”

Han Wu intensified his power even further, pushing himself to the very limits of a High Lord. This was Han Wu’s strongest form.

He landed on the altar with a resounding thud, announcing, “Mr. Tian, we’re here to rescue you!”