The Thirteen Trials of the Deceptive Monk

"I'll leave the defense to you!"

"They're quite ruthless when it comes to ordering people around...!"

Pershka's cloak fluttered in the wind, creating an icy passage. She used the ice to reduce friction and increase speed, while simultaneously constructing a solid ice barrier above the two of them.

The biting cold froze the fallen leaves, forming several layers of green protection on the surface of the ice barrier. However, the onslaught of leaves was far too dense, its speed far exceeding the freezing rate. Under its impact, the ice barrier rapidly crumbled, shrinking from the thickness of a tree trunk to the thickness of a round table! Then, it became almost as thin as paper! Lü Wenjun could even see the veins of the leaves through the ice!

"—Don't underestimate them, ancient gods from a foreign land!"

Pershka's pupils turned a crystal-clear hue, and immense, ancient, and inconceivable magic flowed within her, infusing into the spell with a pronouncement. Her white cloak billowed like a banner, the freezing air intensified abruptly, and solid ice accumulated and piled up, forming pure white peaks.

Divine Enhancement!

Lu Wenjun was overjoyed: "Well done, Miss Witch! You actually had this trick up your sleeve!"

“It’s not like you’re the only one with divinity,” Pershka scoffed. “Even if you run faster, you can’t stop it at this level!”

Giant trees collided with icebergs, leaves danced with the cold wind, and the current battlefield resembled an internal conflict between natural disasters. The ice peak summoned by Pershka was nearly 30 meters high, an insurmountable peak within the range of the Otherworldly level, which even the Myriad Leaves Rain could not defeat.

However, the body of the god of the otherworld was over a hundred meters long! Its enormous size itself was a power that surpassed divine magic. The iceberg that stood in its way was shattered without mercy, and the crystalline ice fragments scattered into a hazy mist, making the forest shrouded in a hazy fog.

Despite the sudden drop in visibility, Lü Wenjun did not slow his pace; the distance between them was gradually increasing. Their strategy was sound; at this rate, even a god would need some time to catch up.

But when he landed again, he did not leap up.

The white outfit faded away silently, revealing the ordinary student uniform underneath.

"I'm sorry," Lü Wenjun said, bowing his head. "I've run out of magic."

"—"

Pershka pounded his forehead, saying nothing.

This isn't a matter of not working hard enough or not being smart enough. It's an inherent limitation that can't be overcome.

Magical power.

Lu Wenjun wasn't known for his abundant magic power, especially since the transformation spell consumed a particularly large amount of magic. The fact that he had managed to hold on this long during the intense chase was already a result of his desperate efforts. But willpower has its limits; no matter how hard one tries or how much one tries to push oneself, there will always be a moment when one reaches their limit.

He bent down and put the girl down, silently gazing at the sky. Pershka was still stubbornly using the ice wall to resist the rain of leaves; behind them, the sound of solid ice shattering was incessant, and the enormous divine body emerged from the thick fog.

The otherworldly god has arrived. 50 meters. 30 meters. 10 meters. The distance keeps closing, the demonic claws pressing down on the last ice peak!

"Fortunately, we finally made it to the designated location!"

three.

The Wood God's demonic claws froze before the ice peak, an invisible spell descending and binding it in place!

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" A familiar voice called from nearby, "Control group, setup complete!!"

Faris emerged from the distant fog, panting and drenched in sweat.

This was his second mission: to retreat immediately after opening the gates of the divine realm, using the precious time gained by the vanguard to arrive at the battle site before the god himself.

It was a very simple task, yet almost demanding. This was because Faris lacked the necessary magical formulas, and once the battle began, every second counted.

Therefore, he had no choice but to exert all his strength. He had to evade the divine retinue roaming the forest, and the pursuit of monsters and plants. He had to push his legs with all his might, reaching the fastest theoretically achievable speed…

Responding to a friend's trust!

"Artificial sacred site, activate!!"

Faris stood close to a cross-shaped wooden stake. There were five such stakes, with the magical artifacts forged before the battle standing at the five extreme points of the battlefield, forming a pentagram that echoed each other.

The Otherworldly Manifestation: Man-made Spiritual Grounds. These techniques, which use the concept of spiritual grounds to restrain supernatural beings, even when enhanced by magical artifacts, can only have a fleeting effect on the Wood God. However…

"Different perspectives, assimilation, and a frozen gaze."

"Heterodox Theory, Assimilation, Possession by the Dead!"

"Charm spell." "Mental interference..." "Mind resonance!"

One figure after another emerged from the dissipating icy mist.

Those were the assimilation sorcerers who belonged to the control group. Pershka created the iceberg both to block the gods and to use the ice mist to activate her third spell.

Different Tales & Assimilation: Snow Conceals the White Sky. An assimilation technique created after analyzing the original texts related to the "snow blindness" story. It can reduce the perception of specific objects in snowy weather, and its range is determined by the snowy environment.

This was originally a trick that could only be used in specific circumstances, but the true witch could turn the entire battlefield into a land of ice and snow. In her hands, these little tricks were enough to deceive even the gods.

Thus, through the geniuses' desperate efforts in deception, the gods were successfully lured to the predetermined location.

What awaits it here is a meticulously prepared trap—

That was an attack launched simultaneously by 35 mages using assimilation spells!

Four.

"Listen up, Ten'in!" Pershka pulled Lü Wenjun forward. "Both of us are out of magic, so we're leaving the rest to you!"

"——Chengzhi."

Linggong knelt on one knee, standing before the wooden stake facing the deity.

Today she wore a white robe and crimson trousers, her beautiful black hair tied up with a red ribbon. This was the attire of a shrine maiden serving the gods, meant to convey an ethereal purity, untouched by worldly concerns. Yet, she removed her glasses, revealing captivatingly long eyes. This small change dispelled her scholarly air and composure; as she rose, her flowing sleeves billowed like clouds, and her bare face, accentuated by the white robes, revealed an alluring, almost otherworldly beauty.

She put away the fox-shaped tube and summoned the fox spirits that had possessed her. Her fox spirits were scattered among the other four wooden stakes, each carrying a brightly colored talisman in gold, black, green, and brown, which, together with the red talisman in Ling Gong's hand, symbolized the colors of the five elements.

The five points of the pentagram lit up, completing the most basic formation of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory. One green point shone particularly brightly, its radiance completely permeating the entire formation. That green represented the element of wood.

The Four Seasons Forest is the divine realm of the God of Long-lasting Wisdom, where the wood element dominates, making it impossible for any formation that harmonizes the five elements to be established.

Therefore, a second layer of magic array was constructed on its exterior.

A brand-new seal script emerged, expanding layer by layer from the center of a pentagram. The characters were severely distorted due to the curvature, resembling human figures shouting in the flames.

Ling Gong stood at the fire position in the north, gripping the talisman tightly, and began to chant.

"God's Fire Bell, Thunder General. Blazing fire descends swiftly, burning away the decaying heart."

"Crimson flames and smoke, blazing through the city of curses. Sealing off the rebellious god, the interrogation never ceases!"

The seal script turned red, and a human figure stood up in the fire.

The red light entered the pentagram, causing the magic circle, which was permeated with wood element, to change color instantly. The deep green, symbolizing life, turned into a crimson that heralded destruction. The transformation was so rapid that the excessively strong element overflowed from the magic circle, forming a raging fire.

The raging fire burned away all the leaves, climbed up the divine body, and turned the otherworldly god into a towering torch!

A Different Perspective: Manifestation. The Five Elements of the Forbidden Flame Prison are Sealed Completely!

Chapter 65 Ancient Trees Decay, Heroes Are Deceited

As the Wood God, the God of Wisdom can control a vast amount of life force. Even if a flaw is created, it will likely be healed by its regenerative and healing abilities.

To defeat the gods, we must find a way to limit their regenerative abilities.

So, how about setting up the corresponding magic arrays in advance on the battlefield?

It's not feasible. Ultimately, Faris has to open the gate first to enter the "battlefield," and besides, the magic array set up around the temple will most likely be swallowed up by the divine realm.

Therefore, another home ground needs to be set up in a distant place.

The vanguard group, led by Lü Wenjun, attracted the gods, while the ranged group, led by Pershka, and the Great Lacey group delayed their progress. The final leg was handed over to the control group, coordinated by Ling Gong.

After stepping into the trap, use fire to cut off the god's regenerative ability!

·

"——!!!"

A piercing scream echoed from the raging flames, and for a moment, everyone's hearing was almost completely lost.

The healing of the wounds ceased, for the gods felt the pain. The leaves withered in the fire, their branches charred black by the intense heat, and the towering flames turned the sacred tree itself into firewood.

Unquenchable, unquenchable, despite the utmost divine power poured into them, the magicians' flames only grew stronger. The otherworldly god was bewildered. Having witnessed countless fires throughout the ages, he had never seen such a raging inferno…

Endless and never-ending, like torture in the depths of hell!

Linggong maintained the posture of chanting the incantation, her body trembling violently.

The first layer of the magic circle she drew was a symbol of Onmyodo, a pentagram named "Seimei Kikyo". Onmyoji advocated the harmony of the five elements, believing that the energies of the five elements could be transformed into each other, and that there was "mutual generation" and "mutual restraint".

The source of the power of the divine spirit is "wood," which, according to conventional Five Elements theory, should be restrained by "metal." However, the spirit is nature itself, and the power of nature far exceeds the strength of one person. How can ordinary metal weapons cut down the divine tree? To quell the conflict, the power of the spirit itself must be utilized.

It adopts the concept of "mutual generation".

Wood generates fire. Through the interaction of the five elements, Seimei and Kikyo transform the power of the otherworldly gods into the element of fire. However, simply igniting a raging fire is insufficient; it would merely be another forest fire, a common occurrence for the wood god. Therefore, the concepts of restraint and punishment must be incorporated. This is to quell the rampaging gods and subdue the raging forest spirits.

Its name is "Fire Prison Talisman".

The prototype is a ghost-binding technique from the original Taoist scriptures, which is perfect for restraining the wood spirit that does not die but remains inanimate. Furthermore, Yin-Yang Taoism originated from the ancient Chinese thought and, in principle, has the potential to integrate various techniques.

After consulting with Ji Chuanjun and Ling Ge several times and spending several nights in the library, Ling Gong and Lü Wenjun finally completed the fusion of the fire attack technique and the sealing technique.

Its name is "Forbidden Flame Prison Five Elements Sealing", a killing move specifically designed to target the gods beyond human realm!

【——————！】

The battlefield, literally, transformed into a burning hell. The colossal body of the god swayed in the flames, his claw-like branches lashing wildly, whipping up butterfly-like sparks.

After the normal activation of the seal was completed, the control group's spells became useless. Everyone tried to evacuate, but were overwhelmed by the aftershocks of the divine attack. Ling Gong remained crouched in place, her fingertips touching one corner of the pentagram.

She cannot escape. She cannot be freed. She is suffering alongside the otherworldly gods.

Using the power of gods to attack gods sounds like an ideal solution. However, magic circles alone cannot automatically maintain the conversion of magic power; the magician himself must act as the central hub for the operation of the spell.

He absorbed the dissipating magic, transforming it into scorching fuel, and personally poured it into the infernal spell. He used his own body as a link in the ritual—

The field of vision turned deep red.

It felt like all the water in my body had evaporated.

The illusion of being burned appeared in my mind. The burning sensation spread along my nerves, as if flowing fire replaced blood in my veins, tearing at my self from within. This was more than just harsh; it was downright asceticism. Even a hermit in the mountains would probably gasp in shock if he saw himself in this state.

But persevere. Keep going. Stabilize your wavering body with willpower. Your stubborn determination still beats.

Is it a sense of responsibility? Duty? Pride? Passion?

No, that's not the case at all.

She never cared about rankings or winning or losing, because the key to living a fulfilling life lies in enjoying the process. She understood this deeply and made choices with composure. She didn't need to fight for empty fame, because she could still be happy even without victory. She didn't need to seek personal gain, as she could live peacefully even by giving up some.

Even so, there were still outcomes she didn't want to accept.

That god was extremely unfortunate.

Having lost his memory and his personality, his mutilated body became a natural disaster. He had done everything in his power, yet he ended up like this. He had saved countless lives, reached the end of his road, only to be told that there was no other way but death.

It itself was completely unaware of it.

It struggled on instinct alone, upholding the promises made to humanity, and thus became an "evil" that had to be eliminated.

She knew very well that such things did exist in the world.

Luck is merely a chance occurrence, while misfortune is indifferent and enduring. Misfortune will indiscriminately befall everyone. Even if you do your best, someone will always suffer, someone will always face a cruel judgment with bewilderment. You can only endure, you can only lament; there is no other way but to accept it.

That's why I feel angry.

That's precisely why we can't stand idly by—

"What I hate most is this kind of unreasonable tragedy!!"

Willpower transformed into power. Flames rose amidst the shouts.

The Fire Prison Spell was activated at full power, transforming into a humanoid form clad in armor under Ling Gong's will. The Flame Soldiers and Generals, obeying General Lei Huo, formed a massive army according to her will and launched a burning charge towards the ancient tree.

Even if shattered in battle, the flames will reunite. Even if buried in mud, they will still emerge from the cracks. The hell built of fire will never cease until the wood spirit is subdued!

"So, just fall down obediently! We'll defeat you, then save you! Let you live!!"

The soldiers risked their lives, leaving scorched incantations on the ancient tree.

The binding force of the Fire Hell Curse is taking effect; the surface of the ancient tree has turned charred black, and the movements of the deity are becoming increasingly slow.

The Wood God has also reached the point of exhaustion.

The pioneers' valiant efforts, the concentrated fire from ranged units along the way, Lacey's surprise attack... all these efforts led to this final outcome. In no more than 30 seconds, the Wood God will be completely halted!

[Cannot... pass away...]

It emitted a low, guttural call.

All hearts and desires... converge upon me... countless prayers... countless requests...

To express in words the deep obsession hidden within this body.