Invincible Starts From Dao Fruit

"Everyone, the war is over."

Starfire Plain, a scene of devastation.

Chen Jichuan wielded the Sword Map, obliterating the Fire God 'Gu'en' whose divine power had been exhausted and whose resistance was futile, erasing his will. With a sweep of his sleeve, he collected Gu'en's Divine Body into it.

Thus, the first battle against the Evil Gods came to an official close.

The earth lay in ruin, barbarians wailing, tribes scattered, and flames erupting everywhere. Starfire Plain, ravaged by fierce combat, resembled a tormented canvas, its former beauty lost.

But above the ground.

Compared to the fleeing, despair-ridden barbarians on the land below, the Demon Kings in the skies, led by Chen Jichuan, were all radiant with triumph and high spirits.

This battle.

The Wuling Mountain Alliance had dispatched its full forces, including Chen Jichuan. A total of twenty-five Demon King-level combatants assailed five Evil Gods, ensuring a decisive victory.

The results did not disappoint.

Chen Jichuan surveyed the field deliberately, anchoring the rear, leaving none of the five Evil Gods the chance to escape—

The Fire God 'Gu'en' fell.

The War God 'Lin'en' fell.

The Water God 'Luna' fell.

The Earth God 'Taolifu' fell.

Only the weakest among them, the Wind God 'Ruth,' was captured alive by Chen Jichuan and suppressed with the 'Daluo Heavenly Sleeve'.

Among the tens of thousands of barbarians on Starfire Plain, the twelve Divine Envoys cultivated for years by the Fire God 'Gu'en' had strength far surpassing ordinary envoys. They had each reached the Holy Realm Second Realm, in essence one step into the Second-order Realm.

Considerable power.

Yet before the Demon Kings of the Wuling Mountain Alliance, they were also powerless, slayed one after another until none remained.

"Victory! Victory! Victory!"

The Alliance army roared its triumph, hailing the strength of their Alliance Hierarch and the Demon Kings.

In the skies, twenty-four Demon Kings bore wounds, most non-critical, but all were enlivened with excitement.

The battle was fulfilling.

Chen Jichuan held the rear, while Third Layer Heaven's Tornado and Shuiqing took the lead, overwhelming their foes from all angles. Aside from Fire God 'Gu'en' and Earth God 'Taolifu,' who posed a significant threat, the rest could only be described as crushed.

Among the Demon Kings, Wind-Riding, Zi Han, and Fire Crow were the most animated despite their attempts to suppress it.

These three were, apart from Chen Jichuan, the only ones privy to the hidden truths about the Evil Gods within the entirety of the alliance.

The first victory achieved.

The trio was both thrilled and full of anticipation.

Chen Jichuan did not call upon them, instead summoning Silver-Clad, Yinbo, and three other Demon Kings, commanding, "Each of you will lead a unit to cleanse the tribes of Gu'en, Lin'en, Luna, Ruth, and Taolifu. Destroy their idols and execute the fanatics. Leave not a single mage or warrior alive."

"Understood!"

The five Demon Kings received their orders and departed swiftly with their troops.

The Immortal Dao and the Evil Gods stand opposed. Ordinary believers might be spared, but devoted apostles of the Evil Gods must be eradicated.

After delegating this task, Chen Jichuan announced, "We return in triumph."

As for the other Barbarian Gods within Wuling Mountain Alliance territory, they could only be postponed for now. Though eliminating Gu'en and his ilk was swift, it was by no means an easy feat.

The forces were fatigued, with almost half of the Demon Kings sustaining notable injuries.

The Barbarian Gods were formidable.

Especially the Fire God 'Gu'en,' firmly entrenched within his home terrain of Starfire Plain, supported by tens of thousands of believers. Even Chen Jichuan was somewhat shaken by his displayed power.

Fortunately, the Shuiqing Demon King held the forefront.

Bringing forth a tortoise shell, he endured wave upon wave of Gu'en's attacks, with over ten other Demon Kings helping from the sidelines. Only then could Chen Jichuan seize the moment to strike, narrowly slaying him.

Under such circumstances, the Wuling Mountain Alliance was incapable of organizing another war of equal scale.

"Rest and recuperate for some time before we act again."

…

Wuling Mountain.

Fuling Cave.

Returning to his cave, Chen Jichuan first sealed the Wind God 'Ruth' and set him aside. Then, he withdrew the Divine Bodies of Gu'en and the other four—

"Fire God."

"Water God."

"War God."

"Earth God."

Chen Jichuan's face lit up with a smile, his eyes glowing with spiritual light as he examined each one closely.

Using the 'Insight Skill,' he probed the Divine Bodies' essence.

Thousands of interwoven beliefs had forged the Divine Bodies of these Evil Gods.

At their core lay the divine power these Evil Gods had meticulously refined, which served as their skeletal structure. Deeper still, strands of light flickered—sometimes like silver threads, sometimes like starlight—constantly shifting.

Amidst it roamed countless willful thoughts and beliefs, whose mere presence could overwhelm ordinary mortals or Qi Refinement cultivators.

Worse yet.

They might serve as vessels for the resurrection of the Barbarian Gods.

"Divinity."

"This is 'Divinity'."

Chen Jichuan examined carefully, with feedback from the Insight Skill leaving no room for error.

Though he had only heard tell of these before, seeing them firsthand brought newfound clarity to his understanding of 'Divinity.'

'Divinity' encapsulated aspects of an Evil God's personality, beliefs, methodology, and allegiances.

Mortals could prolong their life and gain extraordinary abilities by absorbing Divinity.

But dangers accompanied it.

Because Divinity held the Evil God's personality and beliefs, it was akin, in some sense, to the Divine Soul or Primordial Spirit of an Immortal Cultivator.

Through this Divinity, a fallen Evil God might very well resurrect.

"The difficulty of eliminating Evil Gods is inextricably tied to this 'Divinity.'

"The secrecy surrounding their nature likely stems from this factor as well."

Chen Jichuan pondered, studying the Divinity.

When battling Evil Gods, even a single escaped fragment of Divinity could allow the Evil God to revive through an accumulation of faith, reclaiming their Divine Position.

Moreover, such Divinity could ensnare unwary Great Demons or Demon Kings, corrupting their minds with the overwhelming faith and influence of the Divinity.

Thus, the hidden intricacies were even harder to divulge.

"To use this 'Divinity,' the embedded information of the Evil God must first be eradicated. Only then can it be absorbed to increase one's power."

Chen Jichuan pinched his fingers together, summoning flames.

This was the 'Daluo Heavenly Fire.'

It was a fire technique he had studied at the Heaven Mending Sect for years. Though his mastery was shallow, having combined the Taiyang Flame from Nine Yang Island, its current potency was considerable.

The perfect tool to deal with Divinity.

"Two Holy Realm Second Realms."

"Two Holy Realm Third Realms."

Chen Jichuan categorized the Divinity, noting that among the two Third Realm Evil Gods, the Fire God 'Gu'en' possessed twenty-seven strands of Divinity. As Chen Jichuan extracted them, they behaved like quicksilver flames—slippery and agile, attempting to escape. Yet they were utterly confined by his 'Daluo Heavenly Sleeve,' looping endlessly in vain.

Divinity is agile and prone to escaping.

On the battlefield, Chen Jichuan had closely monitored these Evil Gods, launching his Great Method once their divine power waned to seal their Divine Bodies and prevent the Divinity from fleeing.

Apart from Gu'en.

The other Third Realm Evil God, the Earth God 'Taolifu,' contained twenty-three strands of Divinity, emanating a deep yellow and faint illuminance interspersed with a sense of weightiness.

Among the Second Realms, the Water God 'Luna' possessed sixteen strands of Divinity, while the War God 'Lin'en' carried nineteen.

"A total of eighty-five strands of Divinity."

"What a shame."

"None of these four Evil Gods managed to ignite Divine Fire."

Chen Jichuan felt a pang of regret.

Divine Fire, once ignited, was invaluable—whether for alchemy, artifact forging, or personal cultivation. But few Evil Gods could accomplish this feat; it was rare and fleeting.

Chen Jichuan shook his head, finishing the refinement of one strand of Divinity, purifying it free of its embedded thoughts and beliefs, before swallowing it whole—

In that instant.

Layer upon layer of insights flooded his mind.

This was the Divinity of the Fire God 'Gu'en,' containing his comprehension of fire—its condensation, combustion, attack, defense, and more.

Chen Jichuan, having studied 'Daluo Heavenly Fire,' had begun developing rudimentary knowledge of fire techniques.

Upon absorbing this strand of Divinity, some barriers within his understanding instantly became clear, enhancing his knowledge and control over fire.

Yet his grasp remained vague.

Chen Jichuan reviewed it briefly, then decisively discarded its lingering influence, opening his eyes.

"I've only just begun delving into fire techniques; I must not be swayed by the path of the Evil Gods."

Chen Jichuan maintained his resolve.

His exploration of 'Daluo Heavenly Fire' was still in its infancy, and absorbing the Divinity of a fire-specialized Evil God like 'Gu'en' could easily steer him astray, making future corrections and breakthroughs difficult.

"Even refined Divinity retains its seductive allure."

"This method is unreliable."

Compared to the Dao Fruit Lotus Seed he possessed, Divinity fell far short.

While Divinity was rife with unresolved hazards, the Lotus Seed represented the grand path. All its insights and understandings could serve as guidance, allowing for personal reflection while safeguarding one's core principles.

It was far superior to Divinity.

"Let's try the second approach."

Chen Jichuan summoned another strand of Divinity, refining it before swallowing. This time, instead of gradual dispersion, it erupted into instantaneous combustion.

At this moment.

Chen Jichuan started to comprehend 'Daluo Heavenly Fire.'

Suddenly, his thoughts seemed sharper, his connection to fire across the heavens and earth more profound, and his rate of understanding accelerated exponentially compared to normal days.

Once the strand of Divinity was fully burned away.

Chen Jichuan opened his eyes and carefully assessed himself, roughly estimating the gain provided by one strand of Divinity: "In mere moments, I've achieved the equivalent of a year's worth of comprehension."

Chen Jichuan reflected silently.

The second application of Divinity posed no hidden risks and somewhat resembled his own 'Enlightenment Skill.'

Yet.

Enlightenment was far more formidable; one session could equal centuries of cultivation, without restrictive limitations.

In comparison.

The benefits from combusting Divinity were meager—not only was its efficacy minimal, but it could only be used for specific purposes.

For instance, the Divinity of the Fire God 'Gu'en' could only be employed to comprehend fire techniques.

If it were the Divinity of the Water God 'Luna,' it would only aid in advancing water-based skills.

"In essence."

"The Divinity of a Holy Realm Third Evil God, when fully combusted, can provide insights equivalent to twenty or thirty years of study for an Enlightenment Realm First Level Fire Skill Cultivator."

"Conversely, direct absorption of Divinity might yield greater immediate benefits—making one seem like they've gained a century of comprehension. By continuously hunting Evil Gods and acquiring Divinity, a cultivator could keep improving."

Those with grand aspirations would undoubtedly opt for the method of combusting Divinity.

Those shortsighted and greedy might succumb to directly absorbing it.

"With my 'Enlightenment Skill,' there's no need to stoop for such gains."

"I can proceed steadily."

Chen Jichuan smiled.