Lu Yuan had a premonition about this giant axe. To be precise, he suspected the crimson bead on it was the material needed for the advancement of the Elephant God's panel.

He gripped the axe handle. When his Spiritual Power touched the crimson bead on the axe's face, he could sense the profound and complex Power of Elephant God contained within.

Images of the Sea of Blood and Demon Mountain flashed before his eyes.

A wave of murderous intent emanated from the axe, seeming to drag him into an abyss.

This bead is at least the same grade of material as the Feather of Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow. If that's the case, will the [Elephant God. Ming King (Extraordinary)] panel transform into a Legendary Level job panel during the next upgrade?

Lu Yuan's heart fluttered. He couldn't deny the probability was high.

With one here and another waiting to be unlocked, that means I only need two more Legendary Level materials! Then I'll become a man with two Legendary Level panels!

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

Various titles flashed through Lu Yuan's mind. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He quickly grabbed the gray-white giant axe, trying to pry the crimson bead off its face.

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

He then tried to break the giant axe apart, only to find that this bone axe, apparently carved from the bones of some unknown ancient beast, wouldn't shatter no matter how hard he tried.

It's not that the bone itself is this hard...

Lu Yuan brought the giant axe closer for inspection and found many crimson threads running through it, like blood vessels within bone.

It must have been fused with the bead for too long, and its material has vastly improved. What was an ordinary weapon has been enhanced to the Pseudo-Legendary Level...

Lu Yuan decided to give up for now. The giant axe was in his hands and wasn't going anywhere; he could study it slowly later.

If all else fails... I can ask Yu Wentong for help, to see if he can break it.

Unknowingly, Lu Yuan reached the center of the black desert, where he saw a platform made of black stone.

The stone platform was tall, standing alone as if it were an ancient altar.

Just as Lu Yuan was about to step onto the stone platform to investigate, he suddenly realized something—

No!

He looked around the black, gravel-strewn desert in sudden realization... Shouldn't there be a towering black mountain here?

He had seen it in the Elephant God's dream and in the stone murals of the Elephantman tribes he'd passed.

In the depths of the black plains, there should have been a supreme mountain forged by the combined strength of all Elephantmen, where generations of Elephantman Kings resided at its peak. This was also the place closest to the Elephant God. But why has it turned into a desert? What kind of entity, what kind of power, could shatter an entire mountain in an instant, reducing it to desert? And those Elephantmen he saw along the way—why were they kneeling? What caused this Secret Realm of the Elephant God to become a dead land? Why didn't the Ancient Elephant God's creatures die?

All the clues and mysteries he'd encountered on his journey now surfaced in Lu Yuan's mind.

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

Right. They'd started moving again. The fusion progress had reached 80%. He wondered if this exploration would be enough for them to fully merge.

Lu Yuan walked up the stone platform. Along the way, he saw that both sides of the steps were covered in carvings and paintings.

The content was largely repetitive, mostly a Merit wall detailing the achievements of past Elephantman Kings.

So the Six-Armed Elephantman is indeed the natural king among the Elephantman race, and a tribe isn't allowed to have two kings simultaneously...

The murals confirmed some of Lu Yuan's conjectures.

He even found the "biography" of the Elephantman King he had just killed.

It was the protagonist of most of these murals, being the last Elephantman King.

So this giant axe was a reward from the Elephant God to it...

Lu Yuan stopped before a mural depicting the Elephant God bestowing blood.

The crimson bead on the giant axe was indeed a drop of blood.

Blood of the Elephant God? Or something else?

Lu Yuan's eyes flickered; he couldn't be sure.

Lu Yuan continued upward, examining the murals as he went.

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

Before him lay a flat platform, its surface covered in many patterns and grooves of unclear significance.

Lu Yuan examined it carefully for a moment and finally found a shallow depression in the center of the platform.

He thought for a moment, then placed the giant axe he was holding onto it. The body of the axe fit perfectly into the depression.

So this giant axe is also a sacrificial implement?

Lu Yuan ran his fingers lightly across the platform's surface. As they brushed against the patterns and grooves, his expression suddenly changed.

SWISH.

Lu Yuan grabbed the giant axe from the platform and sliced open his own palm.

The axe was very sharp. Otherwise, it wouldn't have cut into his neck earlier.

A large amount of blood flowed from the gash in his palm. With deep concentration, Lu Yuan carefully filled the grooves on the platform with his blood.

Is this how it's done? I wonder if my blood can summon the Elephant God's Will?

Lu Yuan felt a complex mix of emotions as he poured his blood: curiosity, anticipation, nervousness, and a touch of apprehension.

To be honest, he was acting on a whim, subconsciously doubting anything would actually happen.

If the Elephant God's Will were that easy to summon, the deceased Elephantman King wouldn't have waited so desolately in the Secret Realm until now.

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

Lu Yuan observed that the blood-filled grooves formed the pattern of a Demon Mountain.

It was identical to the symbol of the Elephant God Religion. However, this symbol, now formed by blood, also resonated with the meaning of the Sea of Blood and Demon Mountain.

So the Sea of Blood has always been hidden within the Demon Mountain. The Power of Elephant God is composed of both the Demon Mountain and the Sea of Blood; it's just that no one ever discovered it...

As Lu Yuan pondered this, the blood-red Demon Mountain pattern on the platform began to glow faintly.

Could it really work?!

Lu Yuan was taken aback.

He was the one who had impulsively wanted to try it. Now, realizing it was actually working, he was torn. Part of him feared genuinely summoning the Elephant God's Will, while another part wanted to smash the stone platform with a punch.

Even if It really comes, it should be fine, right? After all, I'm the new Elephantman King, and a talented one at that. There's no reason for It to harm me... If I behave, I might even get some benefits from the Elephant God's Will... Didn't the previous Elephantman King receive a reward at his coronation?

Lu Yuan's thoughts raced as he watched the blood in the platform's grooves rapidly being absorbed by the giant axe in the center.

The entire axe then began to emit a red glow. The drop of blood on its blade grew even more crimson and alluring, spinning like a blood-red eye.

Hesitantly, Lu Yuan...

Reached out...

And lightly gripped the axe handle.

The moment he gripped the handle.

BOOM!

A flood of information surged into his mind.

In Lu Yuan's mind, countless chaotic and ancient images flashed past.

He saw an Elephantman King wielding a giant axe, striding across the land. The axe swung wildly in its hand, unleashing wave after wave of scarlet light.

Beneath this light, massive beasts fell like reaping wheat.

Their blood was absorbed by the great axe, continuously strengthening it.

A Blood Drinking Sword? No, this must be a Blood Drinking Axe!

The scene continued.

Empowered by the great axe, this Elephantman King no longer faced any rivals in the land. Even the most ferocious and cruel beasts couldn't withstand a single, gentle swing of its axe.

Moreover, the great axe's power continued to grow as it absorbed the blood of countless opponents.

The Elephantman King gradually became intoxicated by the feeling of wielding such supreme power.

It became tyrannical, cruel, and bloodthirsty. With the great axe's aid, its position as tribal king became unassailable.

No other Six-Armed Elephantman could challenge its throne.

Time continued to pass...

Useful information in the visions grew scarce; almost everything Lu Yuan saw was slaughter. These repetitive, bloody scenes gradually numbed his will, making him apathetic, even stirring memories of his Sea of Blood and Demon Mountain dream...

He didn't know how much time had passed when, suddenly,

A scene flashed before Lu Yuan's eyes—

Across the vast plains, the sky suddenly filled with dark clouds. A majestic and immense will rumbled down, and countless orbs of blood-red lightning materialized.

Atop the highest mountain, the Elephantman King, still holding the great axe, abruptly rose, gazing at the sky in bewildered surprise. It fell to its knees, seemingly communicating with the descending will.

Shock, horror, and confusion flickered across its face, eventually transforming into deep awe and piety.

The dark clouds dissipated. The blood-colored lightning faded away.

The Elephantman King rose, its expression indifferent as it issued one command after another.

Soon, the entire Elephantman kingdom bustled with activity. Countless tribes of Elephantmen were mobilized.

At the Elephantman King's command, they began to frantically hunt down every living being except for other Elephantmen.

Blood stained the earth dark red. The corpses of countless creatures were transported to the highest mountain, arranged in every corner.

When almost every living creature in the land had been hunted down, the black, giant mountain was finally covered in flesh and blood. An unprecedented sacrificial altar had been erected.

The Elephantman King, wielding the great axe, stood silently atop this mountain of flesh and blood. Its subjects, tribe by tribe, knelt in devout circles around the central Stone Pestle.

They seemed to be waiting for something. Finally,

At a certain moment.

The head of the Elephant God appeared in the sky. Without a word to its followers, the descending Elephant God opened its tentacle-filled maw and made a swallowing motion toward the land below.

Flesh turned to smoke, mountains crumbled. One by one, the Elephantmen rapidly petrified under this suction, then swiftly disintegrated.

Lu Yuan abruptly snapped out of the vision transmitted by the giant axe. He opened his eyes wide, his face a mask of shock and horror.

The final, terrible scene replayed endlessly in his mind.

That apocalyptic scene. The impact was even greater than when he had witnessed the Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow annihilate the entire Ancient Brent Kingdom.

The latter had only left him in awe. The former, however, sent a bone-deep chill through him.

The entire Elephantman kingdom was destroyed by the Elephant God Itself... Their own faith had claimed all their lives... Is this what believers mean to Ancient Evil Gods?

Like fruit trees in an orchard—diligently cultivated, watered, fertilized, and tended. Then, when the trees bear fruit, at the necessary moment...

Stunned, Lu Yuan murmured, ...they can be harvested at will, to sate hunger... quench thirst...

Lu Yuan subconsciously touched his chest, feeling for the Feather of the Hundred-Eyed Dark Crow within.

That feather had been left to him by the Crow God Lamashtu.

He, who had once taken pride in being favored by the Crow God, now couldn't help but consider a terrifying possibility—

Was he also a fruit chosen by the Crow God? In some unknown corner, was that woman in black, the one who enjoyed bathing in the Netherworld River, watching him silently even now? Waiting for this fruit—him—to gradually grow plump, juicy, and ripe... Then... would she gobble him up in one bite?!

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