Martial Arts Genius with Proficiency System Chapter 996 - 443: How Do We... Devour a ’God’?

Simultaneously, ghastly chewing noises assaulted his hearing, and an unsettling, viscous dampness started to creep upwards.

"Lift your head."

A kind voice commanded.

"Raise your head, child." Another gentle voice echoed the sentiment.

At that very moment, Chen Yuan's expression flickered with a subtle tremor, and then he slowly rose from the ground, his eyes snapping open.

The subsequent instant revealed a scene of profound horror painted before his very eyes.

It was a pool of crimson, viscous blood. Within its swirling currents, it seemed imbued with a semblance of life, each drop faintly bearing twisted, malevolent visages that defied description.

The impact on the Heart and Spirit was overwhelmingly terrifying; any ordinary person who so much as glimpsed these faces would be plunged into instant madness.

As the viewpoint shifted upwards, it became apparent that these so-called spectral faces and the blood pool were merely a thin veil, a guise worn by 'someone'.

And that 'someone' was positioned directly behind Chen Yuan, their arms encircling his shoulders in an embrace of unnatural intimacy and tenderness.

It was a woman with a serene countenance, her eyes closed, emanating compassion. Her entire form was composed of blood, yet there was no eeriness about her; instead, she radiated a peculiar warmth.

Half of her face was pressed against Chen Yuan's, her sticky blood smearing his visage, yet Chen Yuan dared not stir.

The veil rippled, the blood pool churned, and countless ghostly faces erupted into frenzied, maniacal laughter.

Amidst this chaotic symphony of laughter, a pale apparition began to emerge from the depths of the blood pool – a colossal being constructed entirely of bone, its form a mosaic of countless shattered fragments.

Within its skull, as white as jade, two cold bone fires flickered slightly, a pair of clear, benevolent eyes gazing downward, fixing upon Chen Yuan.

Within those eyes, two pale figures materialized, resembling ordinary human skeletons extending from the pupils.

"Bow to the compassionate Blood Mother, the benevolent Bone Father!"

Chen Yuan spoke again, his voice imbued with reverence, attempting to prostrate himself, but an invisible force pressed down, rendering him immobile.

"There is no need for such gestures, you are our child, and you are our most beloved..."

The crimson woman, the Blood Mother, murmured softly, her tone suggesting an unwillingness to witness his bow.

But before she could continue, the pale giant intervened: "...and also our beloved devotee and... Food!!!"

As the giant's words concluded, the cacophony of blood-faced laughter resumed.

The unsettling sounds of gnawing began to echo all around.

It became apparent that something was visible within the mouths of both the woman and the giant, seemingly consuming something – and that something was Chen Yuan's own arm, which had just disintegrated into dust.

Witnessing his limb being chewed and devoured, Chen Yuan's voice resonated with profound admiration and devotion.

"To become your devotee is my greatest honor; to serve as your Food is the sole glory of my existence."

*Wow~*

The compassionate Blood Mother transformed, dissolving into a pool of blood that surged from behind him, enveloping the shoulder of the benevolent Bone Father.

"Indeed, among countless devotees, you are the one we favor most," the Blood Mother affirmed.

"However, child, you have not visited us for a considerable time."

"Speak, what is it that brings you before us on this occasion?"

The Blood Mother's voice was gentle, yet woven within that tenderness was an undercurrent of inexplicable danger.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan hastened to report.

"Reporting to the Blood Mother, the birth ritual for the Holy Son has been successfully concluded. However, this time, the vessel into which the Muddy World Divine Son has descended possesses its own consciousness."

With these words, the atmosphere surrounding both the Blood Mother and the Bone Father erupted in violent tremors.

Blood-hued spectral faces began to ascend, and the surrounding space revealed countless pairs of contorted eyes.

The entire domain spiralled into chaotic disarray, and shadowy figures manifested all around, emitting piercing wails.

"The Muddy World has descended??" the Blood Mother shrieked.

"Impossible!! Utterly impossible!!"

"Its true form was devoured by us long ago; what remains is but a fleeting echo of its indelible concept!"

"That concept cannot be entirely eradicated, only diminished over epochs. Was this not your charge to manage?!!!" The Bone Father's voice boomed, laden with terrifying divinity.

As his voice reverberated, Chen Yuan's surroundings began to disintegrate at an alarming rate. Pairs of eyes emerged from various points on his body, inflicting excruciating agony as skin peeled, veins drew, bones corroded, and channels burned – the pain amplified a hundredfold, a thousandfold.

Even Chen Yuan, subjected to such torment, exhibited a face twisted in extreme agony. Profuse sweat already seeped from his body as he spoke, his voice trembling with panic.

'Bone Father, this matter has been relentlessly investigated. The church conducts a grand ceremony each century, designed to diminish the Divine Son's influence. As per your directives, I have converted the burgeoning faith into Divine Grace, imprinting it upon every follower.'

'Our very existence, our everything, rests solely within your grasp.'

'Your magnificent ambition has never escaped my mind. Ever since our paths crossed from obscurity, not a single moment have I allowed myself to falter!'

Chen Yuan's words were heavy, as if he might vanish into thin air at any moment.

Hearing his declaration, the Blood Mother, perched upon Bone Father's shoulder, showed a flicker of hesitation. She subtly lifted a hand, and a single drop of crimson blood descended, landing upon Chen Yuan's form.