Chapter 378 – Pantheon, The Eleventh Throne

Lu Yuan didn’t know Protector Lei well, but he was aware that Lei was a man who placed great emphasis on his appearance.

Usually, he was impeccably dressed in a suit, with polished shoes, and even his hair was meticulously groomed, maintaining the air of an old-fashioned gentleman.

But now, one of Protector Lei’s eyes had been forcibly gouged out.

Though he remained silent and maintained a respectful demeanor towards Lu Yuan, the resentment emanating from his emotional fluctuations was palpable.

However, Lu Yuan didn’t pay much attention to it.

It wasn’t as if he should comfort him with kind words.

Besides, he thought… at this moment, what Protector Lei and Spider Protector needed most was not comfort.

“Tell me the details.”

Lu Yuan briefly surveyed the small room, watching the dust dance in the sunlight streaming through the cracks in the adobe window, and spoke calmly.

Spider Protector glanced at Protector Lei, then quickly said, ‘We followed the orders of the sovereign emperor, tracing the clues left in the handnotes of the Evil Emperor from two generations ago, and found Kasha.

Following the trail, we found a local native tribe in Kasha that worshiped the feathered serpent deity.

At the tribe’s sacrificial site, we easily discovered the secret realm entrance to the Evil Emperor’s treasure.

We were originally supposed to return immediately to report to the sovereign emperor, but Protector Rou suggested entering the realm first to explore on behalf of the sovereign emperor…

After some discussion, we decided to follow Protector Rou’s advice and entered the secret realm.

Unexpectedly, not far from the secret realm entrance, we obtained the ‘heart of the feathered serpent deity’ that the sovereign emperor desired.

But soon after we exited, we encountered a group of powerful opponents who pursued us…

What you see now is a result of that pursuit…”

As Spider Protector mentioned the chase, a hint of fear and dread involuntarily flickered in his gray eyes, indicating that the previous experience had deeply traumatized him.

“Where is the ‘heart of the feathered serpent deity’ now?”

Lu Yuan asked calmly.

“It’s with Protector Rou’s group.

We split up during our escape. They should still be in the rainforest where we discovered the secret realm entrance…”

“What was the condition of the others when you separated?”

Spider Protector fell silent for a moment upon hearing the question and then spoke, “Snake Protector and Bear Protector were captured, their fates unknown.

Also…”

“Old Lin is dead.”

Hawk Protector, standing next to Lu Yuan, continued in a grim tone, “I saw with my own eyes as he was smashed to pieces by a single palm strike, leaving nothing behind.

If it weren’t for Old Lin, I’d have never made it out, and losing just an arm would have been the least of my worries…”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly as he slowly retracted his gaze from the dust motes.

Captured, escaped, with the “heart of the feathered serpent deity” whereabouts unknown, Lin Protector had died at the hands of another group vying for the treasure.

That horse-faced Lin Protector.

Every day, he would stand in front of the sliced noodles restaurant across the street from his home, yelling out; every time he saw Lu Yuan, he wore that sycophantic smile, looking every bit like an eagle lackey. Just the other day, he had confidently proclaimed that he would keep an eye on this group, ensuring they did their work honestly for him. And now Lin Protector was dead.

Come to think of it.

The clue to the heart of the feathered serpent deity… he was the one who provided it in the first place.

Lu Yuan didn’t say anything, and a short silence fell over the small room, creating an indescribable tension.

After a moment, Lu Yuan spoke again, his eyes calm, “So… do you know the origin of the group that chased you?”

This time, it wasn’t Spider Protector who answered.

Instead, Protector Lei, who had been silent until now, raised a hand and began to slowly carve into one of the clay walls of the small room from a distance.

As yellow clay fell away, a pattern emerged before Lu Yuan’s eyes.

Countless upward-pointing spikes formed the outline of mountains, almost like a throne.

Above the mountains was a giant hand, its fingers spread wide, with a flame burning atop each one.

When the entire design was completed, Lu Yuan heard Protector Lei’s low voice echoing in the room.

“They call themselves…”

“Pantheon.”

…

“All that is ancient is awakening…”

“Those deities who once departed, slept, or died, are returning one by one.”

“The deities will reclaim the glory they left behind in the old days… Of course, this won’t take too long.”

“We are the first to hear the divine oracle.”

“This is an unparalleled honor, isn’t it?”

“Esteemed Mosa, Eleventh Throne.”

In the depths of the rainforest, atop a gray pyramid’s high platform, a person entirely wrapped in a large black robe spoke softly, almost whispering.

Beside him stood a towering, burly man.

The man was about 2.5 meters tall, with arms thicker than the legs of an average adult male.

He had a mane of thick blond hair, reminiscent of a lion’s, his face obscured by an intricately patterned platinum mask, revealing only a pair of silver-gray eyes underneath.

The blond man with the platinum mask listened to the black robed man’s descriptions without a trace of emotion in his eyes.

He kept his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the area below the pyramid, and spoke lightly, “Your organization, Pantheon, has been around for less than two months. Even if you wish to cooperate with us, it should be on terms of subordination, not as peers.”

“Oh no, no…”

The black robed man shook his head immediately, replying earnestly, “The origins of Pantheon date back to ancient times, far longer than Mosa.

We disappeared with the departure of the deities, slept with their slumber, and returned with their return…

We represent the deities.

I am the deities!”

With these final words, the black robed man dramatically raised one of his arms.

His arm was slender and fair, almost beautiful, like a woman’s arm.

In his delicate hand, he held a fist-sized, intricately crafted black crystal ball.

Inside the crystal ball, a range of thorny mountains was sealed, with a monstrous hand opening above them, each finger crowned with a frozen flame.

The blond man remained unmoved by the black robed man’s words, “Words are easy; anyone can say anything.”

“In the end, cooperation relies on strength.”

“Didn’t the Eleventh Throne already witness my strength?”

The black robed man smiled.

The blond man shook his head, “Still insufficient.”

The blond man glanced down at his wrist.

On his hairy arm was a luxurious watch encrusted with tiny diamonds.

“You have less than two hours to find the heart of the feathered serpent deity with your method. If you fail… I will take matters into my own hands. And at that point, anyone standing in my way will be considered an enemy.”

A faint laugh came from the black robed figure.

At that moment, from the rainforest in front of them came the sounds of rushing as a large number of snakes, insects, and rodents-along with various birds and beasts-emerged.

These wild creatures quickly gathered at the base of the pyramid, emitting a cacophony of different cries.

The black robed man tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the voices of these creatures.

A moment later, he waved his hand to disperse the creatures, then turned to the blond man and said, “I’ve found it.”

With that, the black robed man slightly raised the black crystal ball in his hand.

Within the black crystal ball, several flames silently ignited and began to glow.

A mysterious wave of energy spread out from the top of the pyramid.

Not long after, figures began to emerge from the base of the pyramid.

These figures were almost all Twin-winged, massive, and grotesque, covered in bright, mottled scales with sharp bone spurs at their joints.

They resembled the demon races from ancient mythical legend.

Among them, the two leaders stood out.

One had a slightly bear-like appearance, with spectral blue flames burning on its body.

The other was shrouded in dense, dark green mist, and hissed like a serpent with forked tongue flicking in and out.

“Go,” the black robed man commanded casually, “Bring back those few fleeing insects and return them to the embrace of the deities.”

The terrifying Twin-winged creatures responded with similar-sounding cries before quickly darting into the rainforest, disappearing in an instant.

After this, the black robed man turned to the blond man and smiled, “Soon, the Eleventh Throne will see the heart of the feathered serpent deity you desire…”

As he spoke, the black robed man sighed, as if to himself.

“When the deities return, all living beings in the world will be their faithful followers. But for now, every high-quality seed deserves to be well cherished and utilized…”

The blond man remained expressionless, but a barely audible, derisive snort came from beneath his platinum mask.

“Arhat Monument Crushing!”

In the rainforest, a massive white figure suddenly burst out from the dense foliage.

Its entire body was covered in countless waves of white fat that rippled like ocean waves, terrifying in its appearance yet as agile as a nimble cat.

Protector Rou swung his enormous, fan-like hands with a fierce motion.

In mid-air, his hands abruptly expanded several times in size, transforming into what seemed like two true white jade tablets.

Engulfed in an unstoppable momentum, they smashed down heavily on a gigantic, ferocious-looking beast ahead.

“Smack!”

The beast, a dominant force in the rainforest, had its massive head shattered into pieces by Protector Rou’s blow. Red and white brain matter splattered like watermelon juice.

Protector Rou wasted no time after killing the beast with both hands.

He grabbed the beast’s body, opened his enormous mouth, and began devouring it voraciously.

His teeth were as sharp as densely packed steel knives, tearing off large chunks of flesh in just a few bites, swallowing them whole without even chewing.