Chapter 26 Pollution
The Abyssal Star Snail Nebuos slowly moved its massive body, approaching the Holy Terra Empire's position.
With each step it took, the earth trembled, as if it could not bear its weight.
Suddenly, the star snail opened its huge mouth and made a strange sound.
The sound was indescribable in human language.
It is deep and resonant, as if it comes from the deep sea, containing some ancient and mysterious power;
It is ethereal and elusive, as if it came from the starry sky, carrying some distant and unknown information.
This voice seemed to possess some kind of magic, capable of penetrating all obstacles and reaching the depths of people's souls.
"Aaaaaaah!"
"My head hurts so much!"
"What did I see… I saw… the abyss… I saw the starry sky on the other side…"
The moment the sound of the Abyssal Star Conch rang out, all intelligent beings who heard it felt a sharp headache, as if something was about to burst out of their heads.
Their minds began to become confused, and their consciousness began to blur.
Some people with weak willpower even start to go crazy and attack everything around them.
Even more terrifying, their bodies also began to mutate.
Fleshy tentacles emerged from their bodies, from their heads and eye sockets, writhing and growing incessantly.
They seemed to possess life, waving freely in the air.
No! No! No!
"Help me! I don't want to become a monster!"
"Kill...kill me..."
Those parasitized by the tentacles let out shrill screams.
They tried desperately to pull the tentacles out of their bodies, but to no avail.
Those tentacles seemed to have grown into their flesh and blood, becoming one with their bodies.
"Damn it! This is...mental pollution?!"
Commander Bard was also stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Although he wasn't parasitized by tentacles like ordinary soldiers, he still felt dizzy and his mind was greatly affected.
He could sense that the voice of this star beast contained some kind of terrifying power that could corrupt a person's mind, distort their will, and even change their body.
"Priests of the Cult of Life! Use the purification spell immediately!"
Bud shouted loudly, trying to stop the disaster from spreading.
However, this time, the purification spell failed.
While the priests of the Life Cult can use divine magic to heal injuries and remove negative status effects, they are unable to combat this kind of pollution from the soul level.
"It's no use, General," a priest said in despair. "This pollution is beyond our control."
"What are we going to do? Are we just going to watch these people turn into monsters?!" Bard roared.
"We…we can only try our best to control them and prevent them from attacking others," the priest said. "Perhaps…perhaps our lord will have a way."
Thanks to the priests' efforts, those who were possessed by the tentacles were temporarily brought under control.
But everyone knows this is just a stopgap measure.
If a solution isn't found soon, these people will eventually turn into monsters and might even attack everything around them.
Worse still, the attack by Abyssal Star Snail Nebuos had only just begun.
It slowly moved its massive body, crushing towards the Holy Terra Empire's position.
Faced with its terrifying size, those originally sturdy fortifications were as fragile as paper and were easily destroyed.
Those soldiers who didn't have time to dodge were crushed into mincemeat, leaving no trace of their bodies.
"All units, attack immediately! Stop it!"
Bard suppressed his fear and gave the order to attack.
He knew that if he couldn't stop this star beast, the entire position, along with the teleportation portal, would be completely destroyed.
However, the Holy Terra Empire's army seemed utterly powerless in the face of this terrifying star beast.
The boulders hurled by the catapults struck the Abyssal Star Conch, producing only a dull thud, and did not cause any real damage.
The spears fired from the giant crossbow could not even penetrate its thick, rock-like outer shell.
The priests on the magic tower chanted various offensive spells, shooting beams of magic towards the abyssal star conch.
These magical beams of light could cause minor damage to the Abyssal Star Conch, creating dents a few centimeters deep in its shell, but they could not stop its advance.
And those war behemoths are as laughable as toys in front of the Abyss Star Conch.
The impact of the Titan Mammoth, the sting of the Earth Scorpion, and the venom of the Venomous Wyvern could not pose a fatal threat to the Abyssal Star Snail.
On the contrary, they themselves suffered heavy casualties in the counterattack of the Abyssal Star Conch.
In just a few rounds, dozens of war beasts fell in pools of blood.
"This can't go on..."
Bard trembled as he gazed at the unstoppable star beast in the distance.
He knew that with their current strength, they were simply no match for this terrifying monster.
Just then, a voice rang in Bard's mind.
"Bard, my faithful servant, you have done well."
That's Bai Zhe's voice.
"My Lord..."
Upon hearing this voice, Bard was immediately overjoyed.
"You...you've finally arrived..."
"I've been watching you all along," Bai Zhe said. "This star beast is indeed very powerful; you can't handle it."
"But you did a great job too. During the battle just now, I was able to extract some of the life information that the enemy was releasing."
"Leave the rest to me."
As Bai Zhe finished speaking, a powerful force descended from the sky, enveloping the entire battlefield.
Everyone felt a sense of relief, as if the mountain that had been pressing down on them had suddenly disappeared.
Those parasitized by the tentacles stopped struggling. The tentacles on their bodies gradually withered and eventually turned into ashes, dissipating into the air.
"This is... the power of my lord..."
Bard and all the members of the Life Cult looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with reverence and fervor.
He knew that their god had finally made his move.
Meanwhile, the Abyssal Star Snail Nebuos sensed nothing and continued its monotonous advance.
Is it finally coming?
Xing Sha and the others also looked up at the sky, their hearts filled with anticipation.
They knew that the crucial moment that would determine the outcome of the war had finally arrived.
Under everyone's gaze, a gigantic figure slowly emerged from the void.
It was a huge black goat, exuding a terrifying and evil aura.
On the back of the black goat, a figure dressed in a green robe stood quietly.
In his hand, he held a scepter entwined with countless vines of life, and at the top of the scepter, a green gem shimmered with an eerie light.
"Is that the god of these people from another world?"
Xing Sha stared at that figure, her heart filled with shock.
Although she already knew that these people from another world worshipped a powerful god, she was still incredibly shocked when she actually met this god.
At this moment, the God of Life, or rather, the incarnation of Bai Zhe who has descended at this moment, stands quietly on the back of the black goat.
He was not tall, and his stature was no different from that of an ordinary person, but he exuded an indescribable and awe-inspiring aura.
It was an atmosphere that was both contradictory and harmonious, both warm and eerie.
The warmth comes from the primal, boundless vitality of the white frost.
It is the source of all life, the foundation of all growth, and the spiritual aggregate of all living beings in the universe.
Enveloped in this atmosphere, people feel an indescribable comfort and joy, as if they have returned to their mother's embrace and experienced the most primal and purest love and care.
This is the most beautiful aspect of life, the hope of life, and the existence of life.
However, beneath this warm and comfortable exterior lies a completely different atmosphere—the atmosphere of survival.
This aura was cold, cruel, and even carried a hint of evil.
It does not represent the creation of life, but the continuation of life, or rather, the continuation by any means necessary.
To survive, one can sacrifice everything, abandon everything, and distort everything.
This atmosphere evokes images of endless competition, brutal elimination, and the struggle and distortion of life.
It makes people feel uneasy, fearful, and even disgusted.
Around the white fold, countless phantom images of life could be faintly seen flickering.
These illusory figures include plants, animals, and even humans.
They are all believers in the God of Existence, and their existence is sustained by the power of existence.
However, not all of these phantoms are beautiful.
Some of the phantoms have become distorted and deformed, losing their original appearance and turning into some kind of bizarre monster.
Their bodies were covered with repulsive things such as tentacles, tumors, and pustules, and they struggled and roared incessantly, as if enduring endless pain.
These are all prices that life must pay in order to survive.
All of this was overshadowed by the rich vitality and misled by the warm and comfortable appearance.
Only those with strong will and keen perception can see through this facade and perceive the truth hidden deep within.
Xing Sha is one of them.
She looked at Bai Zhe, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
She felt both the warm and comforting breath of life and the cold and cruel breath of survival.
This confused her, made her uneasy, and even caused a faint, indescribable sense of dread to slowly arise from the deepest part of her heart.
"Is this... the God of Preservation?"
Xing Sha murmured to herself.
My thoughts are already in disarray.