Chapter 348

Chapter 348: The Battle of the Divine Path!

The entire starship burst into countless fireballs and fell from the star river.

Everyone died on the spot.

The Divine Academy.

An old man rushed into the hall of Vice Principal Cang Wen. Seeing him act so rashly, Cang Wen was immediately displeased. “What’s the rush?”

The old man said in a low voice, “Vice Principal, one of our starships heading to Mohe Divine Prison has been destroyed. On board were our students — one inner court disciple, more than twenty outer court disciples……”

Cang Wen’s brow furrowed. “Who did it?”

The old man shook his head. “Unknown for now, but it’s most likely the work of Mohe Divine Prison.”

After a moment of silence, Cang Wen said, “Keep investigating. Also, offer comfort to the families of the deceased disciples.”

One inner court disciple, more than twenty outer court disciples — this was not a great loss for the Divine Academy. In fact, it was very, very small.

Of course, the investigation still had to proceed. After all, this was a matter of the Divine Academy’s reputation.

The old man hesitated, then said, “Vice Principal, Qing Yuan was also on the ship.”

Cang Wen said, “An inner court disciple?”

The old man shook his head. “An outer court disciple.”

Cang Wen’s displeasure returned immediately. “An outer court disciple…….”

Partway through the words, something suddenly struck him. He leapt to his feet in shock. “Is he Qing Zhi’s older brother?”

The old man nodded. “Yes.”

“Damn!”

Cang Wen erupted in fury. “How did he end up on that ship? How did he end up on that ship? Ahh!!”

Qing Zhi!

She was now the Divine Academy’s most prized treasure. The principal, who had long been wandering elsewhere, came rushing back the moment he learned of Qing Zhi and personally took her under his wing…… What’s more, the very next day he gave her the Divine Academy’s god-slaying weapon.

Most importantly, the girl was improving at a breathtaking speed — no bottlenecks whatsoever, surging ahead without pause!

She was, without question, the future of the Divine Academy!

Her status already surpassed that of Senior Sister Dong Qian.

Cang Wen felt as though the sky itself had collapsed.

The old man also grasped the gravity of the situation. He hesitated, then said, “Should we keep it from her for now?”

“How do you hide something like that?”

Cang Wen’s complexion turned somewhat pale. “She and her brother share a deep bond. If we hide this from her…… she will resent us both for the rest of her life.”

Then he turned sharply to the old man and snapped, “Didn’t I tell you? I asked you to look after her brother! What have you been doing!”

The old man felt deeply wronged. “Vice Principal, I have been looking after him — I had Zhu Bai personally instruct him. But he had no interest in cultivation whatsoever, only in making money…… Fine, if he wanted to make money, I let him. I kept sending him good assignments……. But this time, I truly had no idea he had gone off to Mohe Divine Prison!”

After a long silence, Cang Wen said, “Let’s go.”

With that, he rose and walked out.

The old man quickly asked, “Where to?”

Cang Wen had already vanished.

Before long, he arrived at the peak of a rear mountain, where clouds and mist swirled as though in a realm beyond the world.

Within that mist, a young woman sat cross-legged on the ground. All around her, boundless incense spiritual energy surged toward her, and she seemed to be one with heaven and earth — no, one with the entire universe.

Across from the woman stood a white-haired elder with the bearing of an immortal sage.

This was none other than Gu Qing, the principal of the Divine Academy.

Gu Qing watched Qing Zhi seated in meditation nearby and smiled, stroking his beard.

Cang Wen hesitated, then walked over.

Gu Qing looked toward him. “What is it?”

Cang Wen said gravely, “Something has happened to Qing Zhi’s brother……”

Boom!

Without warning, Qing Zhi — who had been sitting with eyes closed nearby — suddenly snapped them open. In that single instant, Cang Wen’s expression changed drastically, as though the entire weight of heaven and earth had come crashing down on him.

His heart surged with shock and dread as he stared at her.

Qing Zhi appeared before Cang Wen in an instant, fixing him with a stare that looked as though she could devour him whole. “What happened to my brother?”

Cang Wen hesitated, then said, “They were on their way to Mohe Divine Prison when they were ambushed by a powerful figure from Mohe Divine Prison. The starship was destroyed……”

“Ahh!”

Qing Zhi let out a furious roar. With just that single cry, countless stars in the star river above the Divine Academy came crashing down in response to her rage.

The entire Divine Academy’s star system looked as though the apocalypse had arrived.

Cang Wen stared at the scene in disbelief. “This……”

Gu Qing’s expression shifted slightly as well. He immediately swept his sleeve, sending a terrifying force surging skyward that forcibly caught and held those falling stars in place.

By then, Qing Zhi had already vanished.

Cang Wen stood at a loss. “Principal……”

Gu Qing said at once, “Let’s go!”

With that, he vanished from the spot.

On the other side.

Qing Zhi arrived at the stretch of star space where Qing Yuan had fallen. She stood on the ground, which was littered with nothing but shards of the starship.

Qing Zhi stood there in a daze. A panic unlike anything she had ever known spread across her face. Suddenly, she began searching frantically. “No…… Brother……. Brother, where are you…….”

She searched desperately in every direction, but found nothing.

Then Gu Qing and Cang Wen arrived on the scene as well.

Cang Wen moved to go to Qing Zhi, but Gu Qing held him back.

Gu Qing watched Qing Zhi from a distance. “Let her grieve.”

After a long while, Qing Zhi seemed to think of something. She suddenly spun around and ran to Gu Qing, dropping to her knees before him. Her voice trembling, she said, “Teacher, the Divine Temple can resurrect people, it can resurrect them……”

Gu Qing hesitated, then said, “Your brother never worshipped a deity. He has no incense seed in the Divine Temple…… And the incense within your brother has been completely destroyed. He…….”

To be resurrected, one had to join the Divine Temple and worship a deity. After doing so, an incense seed would form within them. If they perished in the outside world, as long as the incense inside them had not been completely shattered, they could be resurrected in the Divine Temple.

But Qing Yuan had neither an incense seed nor intact incense — both were gone entirely. Resurrection was, for all intents and purposes, impossible.

Hearing Gu Qing’s words, Qing Zhi was instantly overcome with panic — a panic that rose from the very depths of her soul.

Cang Wen walked over and held out a storage ring to Qing Zhi. “This is what your brother left for you……”

Qing Zhi quickly took the ring. Inside, in addition to one thousand seven hundred incense divine crystals, were letter after letter.

With trembling hands, Qing Zhi opened one. On it was written: “Qing Zhi, I earned two hundred credits today……. It’s not much, but I’m already very satisfied. I feel like things are getting better and better……”

“Qing Zhi…… I earned four hundred credits today. It was exhausting, but I was happy…… I just couldn’t see you. They said you were in seclusion training and couldn’t be disturbed……”

“Qing Zhi, I earned five hundred credits today……. That’s the most I’ve ever earned in a single day! Still nowhere near Brother Ye’s level though — you know, Brother Ye Tianming, the one who came here with us. Let me tell you, Brother Ye is so much more capable than me. He took on a task cataloguing books and earned thousands of credits just like that. He’s such a good person — knowledgeable, talented, and willing to be my friend…… I was going to ask him to teach me to read, but I truly didn’t have the time……”

“Qing Zhi…… I miss you…….”

“…….”

Qing Zhi knelt there, reading the letters one by one in her hands. Tears had long since streamed down her face.

When her gaze fell on those incense divine crystals, her heart felt as though it were being pierced by needles.

After a long, long time, she slowly folded each letter one by one, then gradually rose to her feet. She turned to look at Gu Qing in the distance. Gu Qing grew uneasy. “Child…….”

Cang Wen quickly said, “It was all because of Mohe Divine Prison…….”

Qing Zhi fixed her eyes on Gu Qing. “I want my brother back alive.”

Gu Qing was deeply troubled.

Without incense, let alone him — even a true divine god might not be able to achieve resurrection.

Seeing Gu Qing’s helplessness, Qing Zhi understood that it was beyond his power.

Qing Zhi walked slowly to the side. She suddenly looked up toward the heavens above, drew a blade across her own wrist, and let her blood flow freely. “I, Qing Zhi, swear by my blood before all the gods above — whoever can resurrect my brother, I, Qing Zhi, am willing to offer everything!”

Her voice pierced straight through to the heavens above.

In an instant, a divine light descended from the depths of the cosmic star river. As the light dispersed, a grand path paved with golden runes unfurled before Qing Zhi.

Seeing this, Gu Qing and Cang Wen’s expressions changed drastically.

The Divine Path!

This was the legendary Path of Godhood!

It was said that when one’s power reached a certain threshold — when one was capable of proving their way and ascending to godhood — the Path of Godhood would descend.

Walk this path, and godhood would be attained!

But just then, something changed again. From the depths of the star river, more than one hundred golden paths unfurled and stretched all the way to Qing Zhi’s feet.

Seeing this, Gu Qing and Cang Wen were left completely stunned.

More than one hundred Paths of Godhood.

And still more kept descending.

This meant……. the gods were competing for her!

Gu Qing and Qing Zhi were utterly dumbfounded.

But just then, a crimson path suddenly descended from the depths of the cosmic star river — like a blazing fire dragon, cleaving through the star river and shaking the soul. The moment it unfurled, all the golden paths around it immediately parted to either side.

That crimson path stretched all the way to Qing Zhi’s feet.

Without the slightest hesitation, Qing Zhi stepped onto the crimson path. She walked forward step by step, and countless extraordinary incense flames surged toward her from all directions. That incense burned like fire — brilliant and terrifying. Soon, those blazing flames began to corrode Qing Zhi’s body and divine soul.

Seeing this, Gu Qing’s eyes instantly blazed with fervor. “That is divine fire……. Tempered by divine fire, reborn from the flames — she is about to become the youngest deity in the history of our divine spirit universe……”

The youngest deity in the history of the divine spirit universe!

But just then, from the distant end of the star river, a beam of stellar light shot into the sky, breaking straight through the depths of the heavens.

The terrifying aura contained within that beam of stellar light began spreading across the entire cosmic star river.

Gu Qing stood wide-eyed and speechless.

Another person was about to prove their way to godhood!

Cang Wen looked toward that stretch of star river and murmured, “That’s the direction of Mohe Divine Prison…….”

At that very moment, the aura radiating from Qing Zhi and the aura from Mohe Divine Prison began to clash and grind against one another with ferocious force!

Gu Qing’s expression grew grave as never before. “A battle for the Divine Path!”

It was said that in the age of the gods, within a single realm, in a single era, only one person could ascend to godhood.

First, because resources were finite.

Second, because there were restrictions from above.

If two met on this path, it would be a fight to the death.

In such a situation, who would ever willingly step aside?