The heavens were on fire.
Celestial banners burned as god turned against god, their battle cries shaking the pillars of the cosmos. The Thunder God Varkus stood at Luo Feng's side, lightning crackling between his fingers, while above them, the War God Karghes cleaved through Pantheon loyalists with a roar.
"You see?" Varkus shouted over the chaos. "Even they don't know whose side to take!"
Luo Feng's claw-mark had spread to his collarbone, its golden veins pulsing in time with the Nine-Tails' distant laughter. The Pantheon was fracturing into three factions:
The Annihilators – Gods who wanted Luo Feng erased before the Nine-Tails fully awakened.
The Opportunists – Those who sought to weaponize him against the First Horror.
The Rebels – The few, like Varkus and Karghes, who now fought for his side.
[System Alert: Divine War Zone Detected]
[Mission: Survive the Schism]
[Reward: Pantheon Allies / New VE Fusion]
[Failure Penalty: Becoming a Divine Pawn]
A meteor of divine blood crashed beside them, and from the crater emerged the Celestial Arbiter, her mask split down the middle—half condemning, half pleading.
"Luo Feng," her twin voices boomed. "Submit to judgment, or be unmade."
[The Battle: A God's Choice]
The Arbiter's Ultimatum
She extended a hand, offering clemency—if he surrendered to the Pantheon's control.
The claw-mark burned in warning.
The War God's Defiance
Karghes landed beside them, his axe dripping with ichor. "She's lying. They'll rip you apart for parts."
The Opportunists' Play
The Goddess of Wisdom descended, her scrolls unfurling. "Let us study you. We can fix this."
Luo Feng's Eclipse VE surged, reacting to the pressure. The energies within him—Wind, Thunder, Sword, Illusion—began merging without his command.
[Void Energy Fusion: 45%]
[Warning: Unstable]
[The Turning Point: A Memory Unleashed]
Then—her voice.
The Wife of Ashes, whispering through the claw-mark:
"Show them why they fear you."
Luo Feng reached into the storm of his own power and pulled.
The fusion ignited.
A blade of pure Eclipse VE formed in his grip—a weapon that cut not flesh, but fate itself.
The Arbiter flinched.
"You—"
He swung.
The blade passed through her without resistance—and the Arbiter screamed as her twin voices split, her divine authority sundered in two.
[Void Energy Fusion: 70%]
[Effect: Can Now Sever Divine Bonds]
Pantheon loyalists routed.
[The Aftermath: A Fractured Heaven]
The battle ended not in victory, but in stalemate.
The Pantheon shattered into warring factions, their unity broken. The Rebels claimed a quarter of the celestial realm. The Opportunists retreated to their libraries. The Annihilators…
Well.
They glared from the burning edges of the sky, already plotting.
Varkus clapped Luo Feng on the back. "Well. That happened."
Karghes grunted. "Next time, lead with the fate-cutting sword."
The claw-mark pulsed, now edged in Eclipse VE's black flame.
[Claw-Mark Evolution: 95%]
[Xiao Jiuying's Consciousness: 5% Remaining]
[Check-In Complete (Temporary Victory)]
[Reward: Pantheon Fractured / New Allies]
[Penalty: Annihilators Now Hunting Actively]
As the dust settled, the Death Queen emerged from the shadows, holding a scroll plundered from the Opportunists' retreat.
"Bad news," she said cheerfully. "The Nine-Tails just claimed the next nail."
The scroll showed a single location:
The Corpse Emperor's Resting Place.
Where this all began.
END OF THE CHAPTER40