All Gods: Starting with Two Families

Chapter 147 Netherworld Battle ArmorThe black ”Zhou Zheng” claimed to be of the Armor Spirit race.

”We have been sleeping here, waiting for someone to come and awaken us,” it said, its voice hollow and ethereal. ”You are the first living thing to arrive here.”

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng was very vigilant. He clenched his fists, the power of the Great Sun Feathered Serpent Seal circulating within his body, ready to strike at any moment. But after carefully sensing it, he realized there was no malice from the other party.

There was only a kind of... anticipation. It was like someone who had waited for far too long, finally waiting for something.

”Do you know how to completely defeat the Gui?” Half-Demon Zhou Zheng asked.

The Armor Spirit tilted its head, a gesture identical to that of Half-Demon Zhou Zheng.

”Gui?” it said. ”I do not know. This place is desolate, with no traces of civilization. No ’Gui’ as you describe has ever been here.”

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng sighed in disappointment.

He turned to leave.

”Wait,” the Armor Spirit called out to him. ”I need your help.”

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng turned back.

”Our Armor Spirit race lacks spirituality,” the Armor Spirit said. ”We have been sleeping here since the moment of our birth, sleeping for ten thousand years, a hundred thousand years, perhaps even longer. We do not know what the outside world is like, we do not know what Life is, and we do not know what it means to be alive.”

It looked at Half-Demon Zhou Zheng, then at the Sparrow Demon circling in the sky.

”But from you, I felt it. That... light. That... warmth. That... feeling of being alive. That is what our race needs.”

It stepped forward.

”Take me with you. I am very useful.”

As soon as it finished speaking, its body suddenly turned into a mass of black liquid, flowing towards Half-Demon Zhou Zheng. Half-Demon Zhou Zheng instinctively wanted to dodge, but the liquid was too fast, instantly covering his entire body.

Black armor formed on his body.

Breastplate, shoulder guards, arm guards, leg guards. Each plate fit the curves of his body as if tailor-made. It was as light as nothing, yet indestructible. Half-Demon Zhou Zheng moved his arms; there was no obstruction.

With a thought, the armor condensed into a long blade in his hand. The blade was pitch black, thin as a cicada’s wing, yet so sharp that the air itself seemed to tremble.

With another thought, the long blade transformed into a shield, thick and solid, enough to block any attack.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng was stunned.

He was still hesitating whether to keep this thing of unknown origin when the mark between his brows suddenly moved.

The Great Sun Feathered Serpent Seal heated up slightly, and a new mark separated from it, transmitting into his consciousness.

It was a pattern composed of countless weapons—blades, swords, axes, halberds, spears, hammers, bows, crossbows... densely packed and layered, eventually forming a solemn and ferocious ghost face. The ghost face had its eyes closed, as if sleeping, or perhaps waiting.

Netherworld Battle Armor Seal.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng understood instantly.

This was an oracle.

He looked at the black armor on his body.

”I can take you with me,” he said. ”But you must Cultivate this method and believe in the God of Metamorphosis.”

The Armor Spirit agreed without hesitation.

The mass of black liquid detached from him and condensed back into a human shape. It knelt down and, following the direction indicated by Half-Demon Zhou Zheng, bowed toward the sky.

The Netherworld Battle Armor Seal lit up on its forehead.

At that moment, Half-Demon Zhou Zheng felt that something was awakening within this black body. It was spirituality. It was faith. It was the feeling of being alive.

”Thank you, Master,” the Armor Spirit said, standing up and looking at its own hands. ”I have finally... come to Life.”

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng looked at the Sparrow Demon in the sky.

”Return to the South Sea,” he said. ”Tell the Feathered Serpent and the Kunpeng about the situation here. There are many more Armor Spirits here that need the Human Race and the Yao Race to awaken them.”

The Sparrow Demon nodded, spread its wings, and flew toward the South Sea.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng turned around and looked toward the North.

The Armor Spirit turned back into liquid behind him, covering his entire body. This time, it formed a pair of huge wings on his back.

The pitch-black wings had a span of three zhang, and every feather shimmered with a metallic luster.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng was inherently a Half-Demon and possessed the Bloodline of the Feathered Serpent. However, his current strength was not enough for long-distance flight. With this pair of wings, it was different.

With a gentle flap, he shot up into the sky.

The further north he went, the lower the temperature became.

The East Continent was warm grasslands, the South Sea had moist sea breezes, and the West Continent had continuous mountains. But the North Continent—

The North Continent was a frozen world.

Beneath his feet were endless glaciers, a vast expanse of white with no end in sight. The sky was gray and hazy, indistinguishable between cloud and snow. The cold wind howled, cutting like knives.

A layer of frost had formed on the armor on Half-Demon Zhou Zheng’s body. The frost clung to the black plates, making the wings heavier and heavier.

The mark between his brows spun frantically, the power of the Great Sun Feathered Serpent Seal surging through his entire body to dispel the cold.

Below, something different finally appeared.

It was a palace.

A huge white palace stood in the deepest part of the glacier. The entire structure was built of jade, glowing with a lustrous sheen under the gray sky. There was not a single speck of impurity, not a single damaged spot, as if it had just been built.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng landed, retracted his wings, and walked toward the palace.

The Armor Spirit transformed into a miniature Feathered Serpent, detached from the armor, and perched on his shoulder, poking its head out. It vigilantly observed the surroundings, ready to strike at any time.

The palace gates were wide open.

Walking inside, it was a different world.

The four walls were inlaid with a dazzling array of jade. Emeralds were green and gentle as water; agates were crimson like fire and clouds; lapis lazuli was azure and deep as the night; moonstones were white, cold and clear as the moon. There were other jades whose names he didn’t know, in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—everything one could imagine—illuminating the entire hall with flowing, colorful light.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng walked and looked along the way, finally arriving at the main hall.

There were many sculptures in the main hall.

They were carved from single pieces of jade, some in human form, some in beast form, and some in forms he couldn’t identify. Each one was carved vividly, with even the hairs clearly defined.

But they all had their eyes closed.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng walked up to a human sculpture and reached out to touch it. The jade was icy, yet it grew warm to the touch. It was real jade, not anything else.

But these sculptures were more than just sculptures. He could feel that within each one, a Life was sleeping. Like the Armor Spirit, they were waiting to be awakened.

He withdrew his hand and continued walking forward.

In the deepest part of the main hall was a throne.

The throne was also carved from jade, larger than the surrounding sculptures. Above the throne, a crown floated.

The crown was inlaid with twelve gemstones, each of a different color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, as well as black and white, and three other colors he couldn’t name.

The gemstones ranged from crescent to Perfection, encircling it in a ring, like moons in different phases.

Half-Demon Zhou Zheng looked at the crown and suddenly reached out. As if drawn by something, he uncontrollably reached out to touch the crown.

The moment his fingertips touched the crown—

The scene before his eyes changed.

He stood in an empty space. There was nothing—no sky, no earth, no up, down, left, or right. Only a huge mirror beneath his feet.

The mirror reflected his figure.

But it was not his current appearance.

In the mirror was a massive, majestic Feathered Serpent. Its scales were a mix of azure and gold, its wings blocked out the sky and sun, and its body was surrounded by the light of the sun.