Chapter 1644: Chapter 1644

As Qu Jin just reached the grand hall door, six terrifying forces instantly engulfed him. The overwhelming power pressed down mercilessly, beyond his ability to resist. With a heavy thud, he collapsed to his knees, the ground beneath shattering violently.

Kneeling on the floor, Qu Jin's face drained of color, his cracked body relentlessly oozing blood...

At the forefront, Chu Ling looked down from above, his gaze as cold as ice. "This is your last chance. You're either our ally or our enemy."

Defiantly, Qu Jin stared back, speaking through gritted teeth. "Fear has clouded your minds. If you don't awaken now, divine wrath will befall you!"

A Main God flared with anger, about to execute Qu Jin on the spot, only to be stopped by Chu Ling. He fixed his eyes on Qu Jin. "Keep him alive. He's useful."

Then, he opened his palm and a flame shot straight into Qu Jin's brow.

It was Purifying Flames!

It coursed through his body as Qu Jin's eyes snapped wide open, his body convulsing violently. His features began to warp grotesquely...

The Purifying Flames was burning his divine seed!

Qu Jin curled up on the ground, writhing in unbearable agony.

Chu Ling watched impassively as Qu Jin's cultivation slowly dissipated.

Qu Jin felt as if boiling oil had been poured into him, feeling as if his organs and divine seed were being ‘fried.' Especially the divine seed itself, its radiant light faded bit by bit, and as the glow vanished, so did his power, rapidly draining away...

In less than fifteen minutes, he would be utterly ruined, completely disabled.

Chu Ling sneered down at the suffering Qu Jin, "Without your divine seed, you don't even deserve the title of a blasphemer."

With that, he strode toward the exit. "Send him to the slums."

Several Main Gods followed him immediately.

They didn't strike again. Qu Jin was already completely broken.

After the Main Gods left, Qu Jin remained curled on the ground, writhing in pain. The torment of the Purifying Flames burning within him was unbearable, yet he endured it through clenched teeth.

Yet, he had no regrets.

He never considered himself a good man. Starting from the bottom and rising all the way to a Main God, he had resorted to countless ruthless methods. Good men didn't survive long.

But he always had his limits.

To use the poor to threaten Ye Guan... was something he could not do. Over his dead body.

A true man stands by what he will and will not do. If Ye Guan returned to kill him, he would fight tooth and nail. But Qu Jin would never stoop so low to shamelessly use the poor as leverage. Thɪs chapter is updated by NoveI~Fire.net

To him, that was worse than being a blasphemer.

Qu Jin gritted his teeth, his body convulsing violently as his cultivation plummeted uncontrollably. An unprecedented weakness drained him, as if every ounce of strength was being siphoned away.

He knew the divine seed within him was about to vanish completely and he was on the brink of becoming a total wreck...

Just like Nan Xiao once was.

At this moment, he was living through hell.

The excruciating pain blurred his consciousness and clouded his vision. Everything became indistinct... yet he felt no regret. More than that, he held deep contempt for Chu Ling and the others. This was their idea of "gods"?

What right did they have to label Ye Guan and Sang Mei as blasphemers?

Compared to Ye Guan and Sang Mei, these Main Gods were the true blasphemers. They sat arrogantly atop the divine throne, trampling over all mortals. Anyone who opposed or threatened their interests was branded a blasphemer...

They were a selfish, hideous breed of "gods," the biggest parasites in the Divine Civilization.

But... wasn't Qu Jin himself one of them?

Yes, he was. Over the years, hadn't he been greedy? Hadn't he abused his power for personal gain? He had done that many times before.

All those deeds flashed vividly through his mind.

Trembling on the ground, he weakly stretched out his right hand and struggled to open his eyes. As his divine seed neared complete extinction, he whispered, "Divinity, forgive me..."

The once-dim divine seed, scorched by the Purifying Flames, suddenly flickered with a golden blaze.

The Purifying Flames still burned, and his cultivation still rapidly faded. The pain remained, but he smiled because in that moment, he truly felt the presence of the Divinity.

He also understood the true meaning of the word "Divinity."

People made mistakes, and simply giving up violence wouldn't make one good. Why was it that the righteous had to spend a lifetime doing good to attain salvation, while the wicked were forgiven the moment they put down their sword?

He grasped the essence of a "Divinity," a new life wouldn't come easily. It required sacrifice. To be "reborn," he had to endure suffering, hardship, and seek redemption through his own torment...

As usual, Nan Xiao was teaching a class filled with students. His class had grown significantly, from just over a hundred to more than two hundred.

Outside the classroom, even more students crowded tightly, all silently focused on Nan Xiao's lecture.

Since the academy's founding, Nan Xiao had been its best mentor. Having once served in the Temple of the Gods, he was experienced, powerful, and taught with dedication and full transparency. Many of his students had already begun their cultivation journey and achieved remarkable progress.

In the slums, the chance to cultivate was a true game-changer.

Especially for the students' parents - seeing their children able to study and cultivate stirred emotions beyond words.

It was a chance to change their fate.

They had lived their whole lives in the slums, surviving without hope. They never even dared to dream that one day their children could study, cultivate, and escape this place, to live with the dignity of the "respectable" people outside...

That kind of dream was once a luxury.

But now, it was no longer a dream; it was reality.

Inside the classroom, Nan Xiao held an ancient scroll, pacing slowly as he spoke: "When receiving others, one must always show sincerity, not meet them with cunning and distance. When others come with falsehood, I respond with honesty; over time, even the deceitful will be drawn to sincerity..."

He read slowly, making sure every student heard him clearly.

The students below quickly echoed, "When receiving others, one must always show sincerity, not meet them with cunning and distance..."

Even the ones outside the classroom, hastily began to repeat along.

Though their young faces showed confusion, they listened with utmost seriousness.

Suddenly, a young boy raised his hand.

Nan Xiao looked at him and smiled, "Shi Yu, what would you like to ask?"

The little boy stood up, his eyes big and bright. "Teacher, does the Divinity really exist?"

The other boys turned to Nan Xiao, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Because Nan Xiao had taught them about the world previously, they knew they lived in a universe called the "Divine Civilization," where the Divinity was the supreme ruler.

Nan Xiao smiled, "Yes."

The boy named Shi Yu rubbed his head and asked, "Teacher, who's stronger—You or the Divinity?"

"Of course, Teacher Nan Xiao is stronger!"

Suddenly, a little girl sitting nearby stood up and kicked Shi Yu's buttocks. She scolded, "Shi Yu, how dare you question Teacher Nan Xiao! I'll cut off your little thing..."

Shi Yu quickly grabbed himself in fright.

The other boys nearby instinctively shrank back.

Nan Xiao looked at the girl and smiled, "You Ci, don't scare Shi Yu."

The girl named You Ci blinked, "Teacher Nan Xiao, you're stronger than the Divinity, right?"

Nan Xiao chuckled, "The Divinity is stronger than me."

You Ci looked doubtful. "Is there really someone stronger than Teacher Nan Xiao? That... seems impossible."

The other kids also looked incredulous. To them, Nan Xiao was undoubtedly the strongest. They thought he knew everything.

Nan Xiao laughed heartily. "The world is vast. You all must train hard and someday go out to see the wider world beyond."

The children quickly nodded, secretly yearning for the outside world. They had heard that kids out there got to eat their fill every day. In their hearts, that kind of lifestyle was akin to the lifestyle of the Divinity.

After class, Nan Xiao walked outside. The students hurriedly cleared the way, bowing respectfully as he passed. Many ran up with questions, and Nan Xiao patiently answered each one.

Just then, several terrifying auras erupted outside, and a powerful pressure swept across the air. The students' faces turned pale with shock as they looked up at Chu Ling and the others who had just appeared, fear filling their eyes.

Nan Xiao also gazed at Chu Ling and the others, his brow furrowing deeply. He quickly calmed the frightened students, and then he flew toward the horizon.

He had just started his cultivation journey anew, but his strength could never match his former strength, as he was crippled, after all.

He looked at Chu Ling and the others, saying, "I'll go with you."

He was not the least bit panicked. This day had long been expected.

Chu Ling looked at Nan Xiao and commanded, "Set the array."

At his words, a Main God beside him produced six flags. The flags transformed into six beams of light, hovering between heaven and earth. One by one, powerful forces spread out, engulfing the slums, clearly aiming to trap it within the array.

Nan Xiao's face instantly turned grim. He glared at Chu Ling and the others. "These are just ordinary people! They pose no threat to you. Why are you—

Chu Ling cut him off without a word. With a simple raise of his right hand, a terrifying aura enveloped Nan Xiao. Unable to withstand the force, his fleshly body and soul blurred. Excruciating pain tore through him, as if every bone within him was being crushed.

If Chu Ling hadn't deliberately spared his life as leverage against Ye Guan, a single strike would have shattered Nan Xiao's soul, killing him.

"Why... why are you hurting Teacher Nan Xiao?!" Shi San roared, looking up at Chu Ling's group in the sky. He was terrified, yet he stood his ground. His trembling limbs betrayed the fury in his eyes, but his fury outweighed his fear.

Just then, countless people from the slums began rushing toward the academy. Some carried hoes, others carried bricks, but the majority wielded pots and pans.

More and more slum residents surged into the academy, and their eyes burned with anger as they glared at Chu Ling and his group in the sky. Though instinct told them that they were powerful figures from outside, they weren't afraid.

Instead, their eyes were filled with fierce defiance.

One man suddenly raised his pickaxe high and shouted, "Don't hurt Teacher Nan Xiao!"

"Don't hurt Teacher Nan Xiao!"

The cries grew louder as they raised their makeshift weapons, trying to intimidate those above.

From outside the slums, even more people streamed toward the academy. They had never seen divine gods, but to them, Nan Xiao was their "Divinity," and no one was allowed to harm their teacher.

In the sky, Chu Ling looked down at the crowd with contempt. "A swarm of ants actually dares to defy Divinity."

In Chu Ling's eyes, sparing these "ants" was already a huge mercy. Yet now, these insignificant pests dared to defy them. It was laughable, utterly absurd.

Clearly, the masses below must never be allowed to live too well. If given a taste of comfort, they would only crave more.

Chu Ling raised his right hand and pressed down lightly. A terrifying aura surged forth, shaking the very heavens and earth violently. Storm clouds roared, and thunderbolts crashed down like the apocalypse itself.

He intended to make these "ants" fully recognize their place.

Nan Xiao's face instantly darkened. He knew Chu Ling's power well, and these ordinary people had no chance to withstand it.

Without a moment's hesitation, he ignited both his fleshly body and soul in a blazing inferno, charging fiercely at Chu Ling.

At this very moment, he was completely unaware that his actions were, in fact, a suicidal gamble. Death never crossed his mind; his only instinct was to do what he had to do.

And he embraced it without question.