Chapter 273 – Genesis Mountain and the Voracious Deity Sect, Lei Fusheng and Rou Pushan

It was a stone palace carved out of the mountain.

The style was rugged and ancient, with numerous torches hanging on the walls for illumination.

In the center was a long stone table, more than ten meters in length.

On either side of the stone table were four chairs, and in the middle stood a massive stone throne.

Engraved on the wall behind the throne were two large, flamboyant ancient symbols that read “Deity Martial.”

The bottom of the “Deity” character and the top of the “Martial” character were connected, encircled by a black flame ring, forming the unique emblem of the Evil Martial Alliance.

Although Hawk Protector frequently referred to the organization as the Evil Martial Alliance, they officially called themselves the Deity Martial Alliance in more formal settings.

Surrounding the “Deity Martial” emblem were various strange patterns.

Lu Yuan carefully observed and identified abstract symbols for hawk, elephant, bear, spider, and so on, indicating these patterns represented several Protector level members of the Evil Martial Alliance.

“Feels like the villains’ lair.”

Lu Yuan remarked casually, pointing to the central throne in the dimly lit, cold-toned hall, and asked Hawk Protector beside him, “That’s the Evil Emperor’s seat?”

“Yes.”

Hawk Protector nodded, then watched as Lu Yuan walked step by step to the high platform, and finally sat down casually on the throne.

“Remember to put a cushion under this later.”

Sitting in the Evil Emperor’s seat, Lu Yuan felt the hard stone underneath was uncomfortable, so he casually ordered Hawk Protector.

The latter nodded quickly.

“But the view is quite good.”

From the throne, Lu Yuan looked down, his height and angle allowing him to overlook the entire hall.

The conference table below was several heads lower than him.

It was easy to imagine, if people were indeed gathered here discussing something, those seated at the long table would only see their own feet at a normal angle, and would have to look up to see his face, emphasizing the supreme and exalted status of the Evil Emperor.

“Have the messages been sent?”

Sitting on the Evil Emperor’s throne, Lu Yuan casually inquired towards Hawk Protector.

The latter replied, “Yes, they have been sent. Rest assured, Demon Emperor, regarding the Evil Emperor’s treasure, the rest of the Protector level members will certainly come.”

“Hmm.”

Lu Yuan nodded, then said, “Tell me in detail about the other Protectors you know.”

“Yes.”

Hawk Protector seemed well-prepared as he quickly replied to Lu Yuan from below, “Among the remaining five Protectors, the Demon Emperor needs to particularly pay attention to two.

One is Protector Lei, and the other is Protector Rou…

Protector Lei has served under three generations of Evil Emperors, mastering the Thunder Evil Power of Genesis Mountain.

Thunder Evil Power is much harder to control than ordinary power of the evil deity and is extremely dangerous, easily leading to death from its backlash if not careful.

However, its power far surpasses ordinary power of the evil deity, so the status of each Protector Lei in the alliance has always been high, second only to the Evil Emperor…”

“Each generation?”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, “Are the Protector positions also passed down through generations?”

“Not entirely. Only exceptionally strong powers like Thunder Evil Power are worth transferring through generations. The Buddhist relics of the Protectors are usually kept by the Evil Emperor, awarded to trusted individuals…”

As Hawk Protector explained, Lu Yuan gained some understanding of the succession system within the Evil Martial Alliance.

Several powerful evil deity powers specifically passed down to Protectors were established by the First Generation, Second Generation, and Three Generation Evil Emperors.

Protectors who receive these legacies are considered authentic Protectors of the Evil Martial Alliance.

Meanwhile, those like Hawk Protector and Lin Protector are considered talented individuals who joined later and were promoted to Protector level.

This leads to significant differences in strength among the Protectors within the Evil Martial Alliance.

Generally, Protectors with authentic legacies are considerably stronger, while the strength of later-joined Protectors tends to be weaker.

But this is not always the case.

For example, as Hawk Protector mentioned earlier, another Protector of equal stature to Protector Lei is Protector Rou, who joined during the tenure of the predecessor before last Evil Emperor.

Protector Rou’s case is quite unique, as he defected from an evil sect known as the Voracious Deity Sect.

Originally a devoted follower of the ancient “Voracious Deity,” for some unknown reason, he suddenly believed that ancient martial arts combined with power of the evil deity was the ultimate path, and eagerly joined the predecessor before last Evil Emperor.

Having often heard stories about martial artists falling into the path of evil cults, this reverse scenario is quite a legendary tale.

I have to say, the second-to-last Evil Emperor of the Evil Martial Alliance was indeed a talented individual. He even managed to undermine the Ancient Evil Deity.

“Genesis Mountain… Voracious Deity Sect…”

Lu Yuan muttered these names of the evil deity sects, his fair, slender index finger lightly tapping the armrest of the stone throne rhythmically.

Previously, he had examined the stone slab engraved with “Sky Wrath Feathered Serpent Deity” obtained from the three individuals.

He found out that it was related to the “Sky Wrath” secret realm, which was one of the nine legendary secret realms referenced in Yellow Bear’s internal records.

Now, with the information about these two evil deity sects…

It had to be said that this contact with the Evil Martial Alliance had been quite valuable.

“Continue.”

Lu Yuan raised his eyes to signal Hawk Protector to proceed.

Hawk Protector nodded and continued, “… due to the Protectors being replaced less frequently than the Evil Emperors…”

At this point, Lu Yuan’s eyelids twitched slightly.

It seemed that the fact of being an Evil Emperor as a “high-risk profession” was an accepted reality within the Evil Martial Alliance.

“So the loyalty of the Protectors to each Evil Emperor varies…”

This was quite understandable.

For instance, within the alliance, the most ambitious individuals were Protector Lei and Protector Rou.

Protector Lei was the trusted aide of the predecessor before the predecessor before last Evil Emperor, with the Thunder Evil Power legacy bestowed by him.

Protector Rou was subjugated by the predecessor before last Evil Emperor.

So, after the predecessor before the predecessor before last and predecessor before last Evil Emperors died, these two were not very loyal to the Former Evil Emperor, making them old stalwarts.

Meanwhile, Elephant Protector, who was traveling with Lu Yuan, was a trusted aide of the Former Evil Emperor, receiving the elephant deity power legacy from him.

Thus, when Pei Ye received the Former Evil Emperor’s buddhist relics, Elephant Protector had been loyal and dedicated, trying to support him in assuming power.

“With the Evil Emperor’s position vacant, the various Protectors have formed factions. Protector Lei and Protector Rou have been ambitious, coveting the Evil Emperor’s position for a long time.

Lin Protector and I, along with Elephant Protector, have been trying our best to stop them, but we were outnumbered. Thankfully, Demon Emperor, you have emerged! Under your reign, the Deity Alliance will usher in an unprecedented era of prosperity!”

As Hawk Protector spoke, his expression turned fervent, and he fervently flattered Lu Yuan with a series of compliments.

Lu Yuan, with one hand resting on the armrest of the Evil Emperor’s throne, propped his chin and listened to Hawk Protector’s words with a bored expression.

He casually thought to himself: The strength of an evil martial artist following the path of evil martial arts mainly comes from two aspects. One is the power of the evil deity they possess, and the other is their achievements in ancient martial arts.

As far as he knew, before Hawk Protector and the other two transplanted the power of the evil deity, they were all top-tier martial artists at the pinnacle of True Intent, just one step away from being Grandmasters.

So regardless of how mediocre the power of the evil deity they possess, their overall strength still safely resides above level S.

“Considering this, Protector Lei and Protector Rou, being top talents, could probably reach level SS? If I could subdue this power, it would indeed be a significant aid for my journey to Penglai.”

Just as Lu Yuan was contemplating this, he suddenly felt the elephant deity’s curse on his right chest burning intensely.

In his mind, fragmented images of demon mountains, boulders, and three-headed six-armed elephant men constantly flashed.

“It seems the curse is nearing its peak…”

Lu Yuan rubbed his temple, unable to suppress a frown as he muttered, “How inconvenient.”

Suddenly,

“Boom!”

A massive rumbling sound echoed from outside the hall.

Hawk Protector, who was enthusiastically flattering Lu Yuan, abruptly stopped speaking. Immediately, Elephant Protector, who had been healing, and the horse-faced middle-aged man rushed out with serious expressions.

Lu Yuan slightly leaned forward, squinting in the direction of the noise.

It was as if he could see through the heavy doors and observe the situation outside.

The curse mark on his right chest kept burning.

Lu Yuan lightly stroked the mark with his hand. The frown he wore earlier suddenly relaxed, and he softly murmured, “On second thought, this curse… actually comes at the perfect time.”

“Damn it! Calling us here and then locking the door? Do they really think having the next Evil Emperor’s backing means they can act however they please?!”

Outside the stone hall exposed on the mountainside, a black bear man, covered in long fur, had swelled to over two meters in height.

Muscles bulged under his fur, his eyes were blood-red, and his expression was as ferocious as a wild beast.

He was relentlessly pounding on the stone door in front of him.

The bear-like giant hands glowed with alternating blood-red and white lights.

Each strike he landed carried a formidable palm technique, clearly derived from an extremely advanced pure martial artist’s cultivation techniques.

An old man in a suit and Spider Protector stood quietly nearby, watching the black bear man’s attempts to break in.

Every strike from the black bear man was immensely powerful, causing large chunks of stone to fall off the door.

The force radiating from his strikes even made the surrounding mountain slightly tremble.

Yet, despite this, the stone door remained impenetrable. Who knew what material it was made of?

“Save your strength…”

After a while of futile efforts, the stone door still stood firm.

Spider Protector couldn’t help but mock, “All the branch base doors are forged from high-purity Rainbow Steel, capable of withstanding impacts of up to three hundred tons.

Do you even know your own limits? You might as well shout for them to open the door; maybe someone inside will hear you…”

Hearing this, the black bear man stopped his actions, glaring at him, “If you’re so capable, you try.”

Spider Protector smirked and took out a mobile phone from his pocket.

Just as he was about to contact the people inside, suddenly…

Protector Lei, the old man in a suit standing in front of him, had his eyes burst into sparks of electricity.

In an instant, a dense shadow surged forth rapidly.

Both black bear man and Spider Protector suddenly felt their hearts race.

Following this, a tremendous explosion filled the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet and the rock overhead.

From outside, rocks tumbled and crashed down…

Once the dust and noise settled,

They saw, at some unknown point, a colossal figure over four meters tall had appeared, resembling a mountain of flesh.

This figure had pale, snow-white skin and was covered in layers of fat.

He nonchalantly withdrew an arm from the now-smashed stone door.

Turning his head, his face squashed almost beyond recognition by his layers of fat, beamed at Protector Lei, whose body faintly crackled with electricity. Slowly, he said, “Oh my, Protector Lei, still being held up outside? The people in there are quite audaciously careless. I’ve opened the door, please, do come in…”

This mountain of flesh smiled broadly, his movements causing his fat to ripple like waves.

The terrifying oppressive force from his massive size and immense strength rolled towards the three present individuals like a tide.

Protector Lei maintained a stoic expression.

However, black bear man and Spider Protector turned pale, looking at the supposedly indestructible door that now lay in ruins, and the massive figure before them. In hushed voices, they uttered the individual’s names.

“Rou Pushan, Protector Rou…”