Chapter 317 – Truth and Fruit

Lu Yuan had a premonition that it was this giant axe.

To be precise, it should be the Scarlet bead on the axe that is the material needed for the Elephant Deity panel to advance.

He gripped the handle, and as his mental power connected with the Scarlet bead on the axe, he could sense the deep and complex power belonging to the Elephant Deity within it.

Images of blood sea and demon mountain flashed before his eyes from time to time.

Waves of murderous intent surged out from the axe, as if trying to pull him into some abyss.

“This bead is at least on par with the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow Feather. If that’s the case, the [Elephant Deity. Ming King Stance (Extraordinary)] panel might evolve into a legendary level professional panel the next time it advances?”

Lu Yuan’s heart raced.

He had to admit, the possibility was high.

“One here, plus another one that is to be unlocked.

In other words, if I get two more legendary level materials, I will become the man with two legendary level panels!”

Invincible on the surface! The strongest under the Starry Sky!

Words like these popped into Lu Yuan’s mind, making him more and more excited. He quickly grabbed the gray-white giant axe, trying to pry off the Scarlet bead from the blade.

But it seemed to be fused with the giant axe. No matter how hard Lu Yuan tried, even after activating [Three Flowers] again, he couldn’t move it.

He also tried to break apart the giant axe but found that the bone-made weapon, perhaps forged from some ancient beast’s bone, refused to break.

“It’s not that the bone is hard…”

Lu Yuan brought the giant axe closer and observed it. He noticed that the ax was filled with numerous Scarlet threads, resembling blood vessels embedded within the bone.

“It must have merged with the bead for so long that its material has been significantly enhanced, turning the originally ordinary weapon into a ‘pseudo-legendary’ level…”

Lu Yuan ultimately decided to temporarily give up. After all, the giant axe was now in his possession and wouldn’t run away. He could study it slowly later.

If all else fails…

He would ask Yuwen Tong for help to see if she could break it.

Unknowingly, Lu Yuan had arrived at the center of the Black Desert.

Here, Lu Yuan saw a flat, black stone platform.

The platform was tall and stood alone, resembling an ancient altar.

Before stepping onto the platform to investigate, Lu Yuan suddenly realized something-

No, this isn’t right!

He suddenly remembered, looking around at the desert littered with black gravel, and it hit him…

This place… shouldn’t it originally be an incredibly towering black mountain?

He had seen it in the Elephant Deity dreamscape and also in the rock paintings found in the cairns of the Elephant Man Tribe along his journey.

The heart of the Black Plain was supposed to be a supreme mountain forged with the strength of all the elephant men, and successive Elephant Man Kings resided at the top of this towering mountain.

It was also the place closest to the Elephant Deity.

But now…

Why had it turned into a desert?

What kind of existence, what kind of strength, could shatter an entire mountain in an instant and turn it into a desert?

And why were those elephant men along the way kneeling and worshiping?

What caused this Elephant Deity Secret Realm to turn into a dead land?

Why hadn’t those ancient elephant deity creatures died?

All the clues and mysteries that Lu Yuan had gathered so far surged within his mind.

Lu Yuan glanced at the fusion progress of his [Student] and [Ancient Language Expert] panels.

Okay.

They had started moving again.

They had reached 80%, and he wondered if this exploration would allow them to fully fuse successfully.

Lu Yuan walked up the stone platform, noticing the steps were etched with murals on both sides.

The content was repetitive; essentially, it was a wall showcasing the merits of successive Elephant Man Kings.

“As expected, the three-headed, six-armed elephant men are natural rulers within the Elephant Man Tribe, and no tribe allows two kings to exist simultaneously…”

Through the mural, Lu Yuan confirmed some ideas he had in mind.

He even found the “biography” of the Elephant Man King he had just killed.

Most of the murals featured it as the protagonist, as it was the last Elephant Man King.

“So this giant axe was a reward from the Elephant Deity to it…”

Lu Yuan stopped in front of a mural depicting the Elephant Deity bestowing its blood.

The Scarlet bead on the giant axe was indeed a drop of the deity’s blood.

“Elephant Deity’s blood? Or something else?”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered, uncertain.

As he walked up, he observed the surroundings, moving slowly upward.

By the time the fusion progress of his [Student] and [Ancient Language Expert] panels reached 86%, he had completely ascended to the top of the platform.

Presented before him was a flat surface.

The surface was covered in various patterns and grooves whose meanings he couldn’t decipher.

Lu Yuan inspected carefully and finally discovered a shallow depression at the center of the platform.

After some thought, he placed the giant axe in his hand onto the depression.

The axe fit perfectly, covering the shallow depression completely.

“Is this giant axe meant to be a sacrificial tool?”

Lu Yuan gently brushed his fingers across the surface. As his fingers touched the patterns and grooves, there was a sudden shift in his expression.

“Shwa-“

Lu Yuan grabbed the giant axe from the platform and slashed across his own palm.

The giant axe was incredibly sharp; otherwise, it wouldn’t have previously nicked the skin on his neck.

As blood from his hand began to flow profusely, Lu Yuan attentively filled the grooves on the platform with his blood.

“This should be the right way to do it, right?”

“Will my blood summon the will of the Elephant Deity?”

As he processed, Lu Yuan’s emotions were mixed.

He was curious, expectant, and a bit nervous, tinged with a sense of apprehension.

Truth be told, his actions were mostly on a whim, and subconsciously he didn’t really believe anything significant would happen.

If the will of the Elephant Deity could be summoned so easily, the dead Elephant Man King wouldn’t have had to wait indefinitely in the secret realm.

Finally, the grooves on the platform were completely filled with Lu Yuan’s blood.

He observed the fully filled grooves and noticed they formed a pattern resembling a demon mountain.

It looked exactly like the emblem of the Elephant Deity Sect.

However, this pattern made of blood now also matched the imagery of the blood sea and demon mountain.

“So the blood sea has always been hidden within the demon mountain. The elephant deity power is actually composed of both the demon mountain and the blood sea. It’s just that no one ever discovered this…”

As Lu Yuan pondered, the blood-red demon mountain pattern on the platform began to glow slightly.

It actually worked?!

Lu Yuan was shocked.

It was his whimsical idea to give it a try in the first place.

Now, realizing that it truly had an effect, he hesitated, fearing that it might genuinely summon the will of the Elephant Deity. He contemplated whether he should smash the stone platform with a punch.

“But if it really descends, it shouldn’t be a problem, right? After all, I am now the new Elephant Man King, and a pretty talented one at that. There’s no reason for it to kill me… If I perform well, maybe I could even get some benefits from the Elephant Deity’s will…

Wasn’t there a reward when the previous Elephant Man King was crowned?”

His eyes flickered rapidly as he looked at the blood in the groove being swiftly absorbed by the giant axe placed at the center of the platform.

Soon, the entire giant axe began to emit a red glow.

The drop of blood on the axe surface turned scarlet and sinister, spinning like a blood-red eye.

Hesitant, Lu Yuan reached out…

And gently grasped the axe handle.

The moment he held the axe-

“Boom!”

An immense stream of information flooded into his mind.

…

Countless chaotic and ancient scenes flashed through Lu Yuan’s mind.

He saw an Elephant Man King, wielding a giant axe, walking the earth. The Elephant Man King swung the giant axe recklessly, releasing wave after wave of scarlet axe light.

Under this axe light, giant beasts fell like wheat being harvested.

Their blood was absorbed by the giant axe, continuously enhancing its strength.

“Blood-drinking blade? Oh no, it should be called the blood-drinking axe!”

Lu Yuan quipped at the vision.

The scenes continued.

Empowered by the mighty giant axe, the Elephant Man King found no rival on this land.

Even the fiercest and most ruthless beasts could not withstand a single stroke of his axe.

Moreover, the axe’s power kept growing as it absorbed more and more of his opponents’ blood.

The Elephant Man King gradually became addicted to the feeling of wielding such immense power.

He grew violent, ruthless, and bloodthirsty.

With the giant axe’s support, his position as the king of the tribe became unshakeable.

No other three-headed, six-armed elephant man could challenge his throne anymore.

Time kept passing…

The useful information within the vision became exceedingly scarce; all Lu Yuan saw were scenes of slaughter.

These repetitive and bloody scenes gradually numbed his will, making him indifferent…

They even evoked memories of the dreams about the blood sea and demon mountain in his mind…

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

Suddenly,

A picture flashed before Lu Yuan’s eyes-

The vast plains were suddenly covered with dark clouds in the sky.

A colossal and mighty will descended with a rumbling roar, and numerous spherical blood-red thunderbolts appeared.

Standing tall on the highest mountain, holding the giant axe, the Elephant Man King suddenly rose, looking up at the sky with a puzzled expression.

Falling to its knees, it seemed to be communicating with the descending will from above.

Its face gradually changed from shock, fear, and confusion to deep reverence and piety.

The dark clouds dissipated.

The blood-red thunderbolts faded away.

The Elephant Man King rose from the ground and started issuing one command after another with a cold expression.

Soon, the entire elephant man kingdom was bustling.

Elephant men from numerous tribes were fully mobilized.

Under the command of the Elephant Man King, they began to crazily hunt all living beings except for the elephant man tribe.

Blood turned the earth a dark red color.

The corpses of countless living beings were transported to the highest mountain and placed in every corner of the giant mountain…

When nearly all living beings on this land were almost hunted to extinction, the black mountain was finally covered with blood and flesh.

A historically unprecedented altar was built.

The Elephant Man King stood atop the mountain of flesh, holding the giant axe, quietly waiting.

His followers, grouped by their respective tribes, knelt in a circle around the central cairn, waiting devoutly for something.

Finally.

At a certain moment,

The head of the elephant deity appeared in the sky.

Without addressing its followers, the descending elephant deity opened its mouth, which was filled with tentacles, and made a devouring motion towards the land below…

Flesh turned to smoke, and the high mountain collapsed.

One by one, the elephant men turned to stone under this immense force, then quickly shattered…

“Hu-“

Lu Yuan abruptly awoke from the visions transmitted by the giant axe, opening his eyes wide, his face filled with shock and terror.

The final scene continued to flash incessantly in his mind.

That apocalyptic and terrifying spectacle.

Its impact was even more profound than when he had witnessed the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow annihilate the entire Ancient Brent Kingdom.

The latter had merely left him in awe.

But the former…

Brought him a bone-chilling fear.

“The entire elephant man kingdom was destroyed by the elephant deity itself…”

“Their belief took away the lives of all its followers…”

“Is this the true purpose of followers to the Ancient Evil Deities?”

“It’s like a fruit tree in an orchard, meticulously tended, watered, and fertilized regularly. And when the tree has borne fruit, at the necessary moment…”

Lu Yuan, lost in thought, murmured to himself, “It can be harvested at will, as food… or drink…”

He subconsciously touched the spot on his chest where he could feel the feather of the Hundred-eyed Nether Crow.

This feather had been given to him by the crow deity Lamashtu.

Once, he had been elated to gain the favor of the crow deity.

But now, he couldn’t help but consider a terrifying possibility-

Could he also be a fruit chosen by the crow deity?

In some unknown corner, the woman in the black dress, who liked to bathe in the river Styx, might be quietly watching him at this very moment.

Waiting for this fruit to become plump, ripe, and mature…

And then…

Devour him in one bite?!