The Art of Chaotic Divinity-Chapter 1250: The Gathering Storm

Inside the grand hall, rows of hideous creatures wore expressions of wild excitement. From time to time, they flicked out long tongues like serpents, licking the sharp white fangs within their gaping maws.

"Hahaha! We can leave this cursed place at last. I've had enough of being trapped here!"

"There are countless humans outside. We can finally feast without restraint and never again worry about running short of food!"

"Wahahaha! I propose we seize all the human livestock kept in cages and eat them! Heh heh heh..."

These monsters had long treated ordinary humans as nothing more than animals to be raised for slaughter. To them, eating people was no different from eating pork or beef, and it carried not the slightest burden of conscience.

"No. Before leaving this place, we must hold a Heaven Sacrificial Ceremony to dedicate offerings to the Lord Tianzun. Everyone, prepare the human livestock! The ritual will begin at noon tomorrow!"

The Heavenly Pool Island Master sat upon a golden throne and spoke in a ringing voice. "No one is permitted to make the slightest mistake!"

"Yes!" A thunderous roar echoed through the hall. Xuan Sha stepped forward again and asked, "Island Master, did Lord Tianzun give instructions on how to deal with the intruders?"

"Since they have come, let them throw themselves into the net. They will serve as the offerings for our ceremony."

The Island Master's lips curved in a sinister smile. "Sound the drums, send the message!"

"Yes!"

At once, the monsters in the hall unfurled their wings and shot off in every direction.

Soon a dense drumming rose from the east, then from the west, the south, and the north...

The sound was as close as falling rain, as deep as a morning bell. It spread quickly across the skies above Heavenly Pool Island.

Leaning against his golden throne, the Island Master's eyes gleamed with cunning malice. "Even this Lord Tianzun cannot be fully trusted. Otherwise, he might swallow me whole, bones and all!"

...

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

From every direction the drums resounded.

Within the ruins and broken walls of Heavenly Pool Island, from dark corners and shadowed pits, half-human, half-demon creatures crawled out one after another. Their mutations had driven them far from human habits. They preferred damp, sunless places and even feared light to a degree.

When they heard the rapid drumming, confusion flickered in their eyes. One by one they looked toward the central hall of the island. Beating their wings, they flew upward, their eyes filled with doubt.

"Twelve strikes of the drums from the eight directions without pause. Something important is happening!"

One creature whose face still bore faint traces of human features narrowed its eyes toward the hall at the center. It beat its wings and took off.

Soon, more and more creatures followed, surging toward the source of the sound until they covered half the sky.

In the cage where humans were kept like livestock, the captives huddled together, trembling. The drumming filled them with an unshakable dread.

At that very moment, Ling Feng and his companions finally infiltrated Heavenly Pool Island and instantly looked up. Countless winged monsters were flying toward the island's center, and surprise flashed across their faces.

Lou Qianzhong's eyelids twitched. "Could it be that the monsters discovered we slipped onto the island and are gathering to hunt us?"

"If that were the case, they should be searching around the walls instead of flying to the center," Ling Feng replied calmly. "Something important must be about to happen on this island."

Dum! Dum! Dum! Dum!

The drumming grew faster and heavier until it filled all of Heavenly Pool Island. Whether asleep or feeding, every monster dropped what it was doing and took to the sky, converging toward the great hall.

In all, there were more than two hundred of them, flowing from every direction like rivers rushing into the sea.

"The drums of eight directions sound again. What could be so urgent?"

"It was exactly like this when Lord Tianzun appeared ten years ago!"

Two monsters met in mid-air, exchanged a look, and dared not be careless.

From the sky above Heavenly Pool Island, one could see clouds of dust rising on the ground below. Frenzied creatures sped toward the island's center, shrieking in excitement. Birds scattered, beasts fled in panic, the forests roared, and the earth trembled as though the end of the world were coming.

"What... what is happening?"

Lan Yuhuang stared into the distant sky, her expression grave.

"A storm is gathering before the mountain rain," Ling Feng said with his hands clasped behind his back and a solemn face.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes, gazing at the hundreds of monsters crowding the sky. He drew a sharp breath. "There are far more of them than I imagined!"

President Fang's very soul seemed half frightened away. He kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, trembling with unease.

Lou Qianzhong inhaled deeply. A heavy sense of foreboding filled his chest. "Ling Feng, if something happens to me on this mission, make sure you take my remains out of here. Burn them or bury them as you like. I refuse to let those monsters have me."

"Brother Lou, don't talk like that."

Ling Feng looked back at him and said, "We should be glad. Since all those monsters are being summoned to the city center, that means less trouble for us."

"Ha, you really can find comfort in anything," Lan Yuhuang muttered, rolling her eyes at him. Regret was already creeping into her heart. If she had known how dangerous the Sea of Miracles would be, she would never have come here chasing after so-called treasures!

Ling Feng shrugged and did not answer. His gaze turned cold as he looked toward the heavens. So you are the one pulling the strings behind all this, Heaven-Patrolling Angel. Your death is near no matter how powerful you are!

Whether for the generations-old hatred between the Heavenly Dao clan and the rest of the world, or for his pact with the devilkin Ke Weili, or for the justice and faith within his own heart, Ling Feng knew he must kill that Heaven-Patrolling Angel and seize its immortal core!

...

Deep within Heavenly Pool Island, above a mountain of corpses and a sea of bones, a red-haired man sat silently. His eyes were fixed upon a massive floating eyeball before him. Within its pupil flickered the image of Ling Feng.

"That look in his eyes..."

The red-haired man frowned slightly and murmured, "It is truly unpleasant. And that aura... why does it feel so hateful?"

He shook his head. His face was as cold as ancient ice, without the faintest trace of emotion. He seemed like a god watching indifferently over heaven and earth. Then he closed his eyes once more, quietly awaiting the final moment to come.