86: A divine descent ritual! They were used as vessels.

The end of the platform seemed like a tomb of light.

The further they walked, the stronger that cloying, sickly sweet scent of decay became, making one's skull throb.

"We're here."

Chen Du stopped in his tracks, a golden glint flashing in his eyes.

Before them was a massive hollow cavern.

Above the dome, a pitch-black altar hung upside down.

Countless blood-vessel-like vines dangled from the center of the altar, resembling fishing lines dropped by an angler.

And at the ends of those vines... "That's... ugh..." An Nuonuo covered her mouth, nearly vomiting bile at the first glance.

Six figures, cocooned like insects, were tightly bound by the vines and suspended in mid-air.

The clothes on their bodies had long since been mostly dissolved by corrosive slime.

Their jade-like figures were exposed to the cold air, covered in eerie purple magic patterns.

The one at the very front was a blonde woman.

She was the missing teammate from Jack's squad.

At this moment, this hot, top-tier beauty was being pulled open in a spread-eagle position by tentacles in a shameful and painful posture... her belly began to bulge.

Like a balloon inflated to its limit, it was stretched into a semi-transparent membrane.

One could even see something inside writhing and tumbling frantically.

With every squirm, the woman would let out a roar.

"Ah... the God... is about to be born..."

This sound, a mixture of pleasure and pain, was a hundred times more piercing than the wailing of a vengeful ghost.

"Damn..."

Lin Keke could no longer hold it back, leaning against the corner of the wall and vomiting uncontrollably. "What the hell is this thing!"

"This is the... vessel," Chen Du said coldly.

His gaze passed over the blonde woman, looking into the depths of the shadows behind her.

There hung three figures he was more than familiar with.

Ye Qiu's eyes were tightly shut, her body wrapped in tiny tentacles.

Those tentacles were greedily draining the life force from her body, funneling it into the altar above.

Beside her... was Tang Ran, covered in blood, her state of life or death unknown.

And... "Big Sister!!"

Xia Lai and Xia Mo's eyes turned red.

They had finally found Xia Xin.

The big sister who was usually gentle, lacked her own opinions, and always took care of them like a mother.

At this moment, Xia Xin was unconscious, her neck constricted by a thick tentacle.

A long, slender sprout of flesh was trying to pry open her mouth to crawl inside!

"Let her go!"

"I'll kill you!!"

Xia Lai went mad.

Tactics, coordination—to hell with all of it!

The string of rationality was fragile and easily snapped in the face of family.

Ignoring everything, she raised her hand and fired a crossbow bolt at the tentacle!

"Xia Lai! Don't be impulsive!" Chen Du frowned, wanting to stop her, but he was a step too late.

The crossbow bolt, carrying her fury, accurately struck the perimeter of the altar.

However.

There was no spray of flesh, nor did the tentacle snap.

A pale purple, semi-transparent light shield appeared out of thin air, bouncing the bolt back.

"Second Sister, watch out!"

Xia Mo reacted extremely quickly, appearing before Xia Lai like a ghost, her [sword name] blocking the way!

Clang—!!

The reflected arrow buried itself deep into the rock wall.

"Pfft!" Xia Lai spat out a mouthful of blood from the sheer agitation. "Damn it... that's Big Sister... I have to save Big Sister!"

On the other side, Jack also went berserk.

"Fxxk! That's my sister!"

Seeing his own sister turned into such a horrific state, no man could endure it.

"Break for me!!"

Jack roared as he charged forward, his muscles bulging, a blinding white light exploding from his alloy gauntlets.

This was the wrathful strike of an S-rank talent user!

The [Explosive Heavy Punch], powerful enough to punch through a tank!

The dull explosion shook the cavern, causing gravel to rain down.

Jack's fist slammed hard against the purple shield.

However.

The shield, thin as a cicada's wing, only dented inward by a single centimeter.

The next second.

A terrifyingly powerful counter-force erupted!

"Aaaaaah—!"

Jack screamed as he was sent flying backward, his entire right arm twisted into a grotesque shape, his alloy gauntlet shattering into pieces.

"This... what kind of defense is this?!"

Scarlett was so terrified her legs went weak.

If even Jack couldn't break the defense, she'd just be going to her death!

"It's a Rule."

Li Yaozhi said in a low voice.

The coin in her hand was spinning frantically in her palm, unable to stop.

"This isn't physical defense, nor is it a magic shield."

She looked up at Chen Du in despair. "This is a Domain. Until the ritual is complete, no attack... can interfere."

Translated into layman's terms: this was a scripted invulnerability shield, and they weren't qualified to break it.

"Jie jie jie..."

A grating, eerie laugh came from above the altar.

A dozen or so Faceless Divine Servants in red robes were crouching at the edge of the altar, looking down at the group of ants below.

A slit opened on their featureless faces, emitting a mocking tone full of superiority:

"Humble insects."

"The descent of the God is now irreversible."

"It is the gift of the Lord of Pleasure... that blonde matrix is quite good; soon, the first God-Child will be born."

As their words fell, the chanting suddenly became rapid.

It sounded like countless fingernails frantically scratching a blackboard, causing one's SAN value to plummet.

"Aaaaaaaah!!"

The blonde woman suddenly opened her eyes, which had turned completely pitch black.

Her abdomen heaved violently, and a piercing purple light shone through her skin.

Rip, tear... it sounded like something was using sharp claws to shred her from the inside, wanting to crawl out and see the world.

Despair.

A suffocating despair shrouded the entire area.

Physical attacks were useless; magic was useless.

Were they really forced to watch their teammates be sacrificed and those monsters descend?

"It's over... it's all over..." An Nuonuo slumped to the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably.

At that moment.

Chen Du stood where he was, head bowed, his fringe obscuring his eyes.

No one could see his expression.

But if anyone could see into his brain right now, they would witness a terrifying scene.

The [sacrifice notebook] in his mind was turning scalding hot, glowing red like a piece of iron in a forge!

This wasn't fear at all.

It was an... extreme, frenzied, mouth-watering—appetite!

[High-dimensional energy reaction detected!]

[Pseudo-god embryo detected!]

[Top-tier premium ingredients detected!!]

The pages of the notebook flipped frantically, the blood-colored text twisting and deforming, even manifesting into greedy maws.

It was roaring:

Hungry!

Want to eat!

That is a great tonic! Walk over! Sacrifice it to me!!

Chen Du slowly raised his head.

The corners of his mouth curled up bit by bit, revealing that signature, spine-chillingly 'kind' smile.

"God's Domain? High-dimensional?"

He let out a soft sneer, as if he had heard the world's biggest joke.

One step, then another.

Chen Du walked toward that indestructible purple shield.

"Captain! What are you doing?!" Lin Keke screamed in terror. "Even Jack was sent flying; you'll die!"

"Chen Du! Don't go! Let's... let's think of another way!" Li Yaozhi urged in panic.

Her logic told her that they couldn't go over there now.

Chen Du didn't look back.

He elegantly unfastened the cufflinks on his wrists.

"Think of another way?"

"My crew members are inside; you want me to just watch?"

Chen Du's voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly drilled into everyone's ears.

The suppressed madness beneath that calmness silenced the entire room.

He reached the shield, only a step away.

The blonde woman inside was still screaming, the skin on her belly already torn open.

A small purple-black hand was reaching out from within.

The scion of an evil god was about to be born.

Jack clutched his broken arm and shouted through gritted teeth, "Huaxia man! Are you crazy? That's divine power!"

"God?"

Chen Du stopped and reached out his right hand, his palm slowly pressing against that indestructible purple light screen.

The Golden Wheel Pupils in his eyes were now burning with a greed sufficient to incinerate the heavens.

In his mind, the [sacrifice notebook]'s authority was fully unleashed!

Dark red spectral light surged frantically from his arm—countless invisible mouths hungering to feed.

At this moment, an ancient appetite more greedy, more thirsty, and more indescribable than any so-called divine might had completely awakened.

"In this world."

"There are no gods."

"If there are..."

Chen Du's fingers touched the light screen.

This time, there was no rebound, no explosion.

The despair-inducing shield actually began to boil and dissolve violently, like butter meeting a roaring fire!

"...They are nothing more than slightly higher-grade ingredients."