## Chapter 359: Shot Apart, Red Light Blood Lotus, Coward
The scene Tang Song experienced at this moment, while not as terrifying as being caught peeking through a door crack, was akin to standing at someone's doorstep, pondering whether to step inside, only for the host to open the door and prepare to leave right then. The awkwardness was palpable.
Although Tang Song had a thick skin and wouldn't dig a three-bedroom, one-living-room house into the Ground out of embarrassment, he subconsciously shifted to the side, originally thinking the bald head opposite couldn't see him. Unexpectedly, the bald head's gaze remained exceptionally sharp, following his movement.
The two faced each other. The bald head made the first move, two crimson Omega Beams shooting directly at Tang Song across the Boom Tube.
Seeing the two laser beams approaching, Tang Song quickly dodged into Subspace, using his ability to manipulate space to position himself in the gap between Reality World and the Dimensional Realm.
He hadn't expected that the two crimson light waves would actually penetrate Subspace, pursuing him.
The speed of the ray waves was very fast. Seeing the light waves about to hit him, Tang Song formed the Acala Vidyaraja Seal with his hand. Almost in a thousandth of a second, he visualized the True Form of the Acala Vidyaraja in his mind.
"Namo Siddhi Siddhi Su Siddhi Siddhi Galoraye Kuyam Sam Mamasili Ajama Siddhi Svaha"
There was no other way. The intensity of Tang Song's Clone was limited. Many Magic Arts requiring high Magic Power couldn't be cast. However, the Acala Vidyaraja only required Visualization to condense a solid Husk outside the Body.
As he chanted the Acala Vidyaraja Mantra, in an instant, a Golden Light Projection of the Vidyaraja, holding a Vajra Scepter in his Right Hand and a Lasso in his left, enveloped Tang Song. Streams of Buddhist Radiance descended, protecting Tang Song completely.
The Acala Vidyaraja is the most important venerable status among the many Vidyarajas of the Buddha, occupying the central position among the Five Great Vidyarajas and being the chief of the Five Great Vidyarajas.
Its Power is also the strongest among the Five Great Vidyarajas.
The Acala Vidyaraja visualized by Tang Song was dark blue all over, with a ferocious Look. There were water ripple-like patterns on his forehead, Garuda Flame behind him, and he stepped on the Adamantine Seat. In one hand, he held the Kurikara Sword, with the Kurikara Dragon King wrapped around the sword body. In the other hand, he held a rope to subdue all demons... *Hiss*—
Breaking through space, the two pursuing Omega Beams fiercely struck the Acala Vidyaraja Phantom enveloping Tang Song.
*Boom*, a violent Explosion instantly erupted within the Subspace.
After dealing with the peeking Little Bugs, Darkseid refocused his attention on the few enemies.
His main focus was on Wonder Woman Diana Prince and Aquaman Arthur Curry, Old God, Atlantean Race, truly a familiar combination.
Darkseid touched his Shoulder. Although the Wound had healed, it still ached faintly whenever he recalled it.
For the Dark Lord (Darkseid), the strongest New God, the Ruler of Apokolips, the defeat on this Planet thousands of years ago was a humiliation.
Although he hadn't yet ascended the Throne back then, humiliation needed to be washed away with Blood.
He hadn't expected that Steppenwolf, this traitor, could find three Mother Boxes. If so, he could consider allowing him to return to Apokolips.
Darkseid's Gaze swept across the Boom Tube opposite, where Steppenwolf was leading the Parademons in besieging the enemies, quietly waiting for the Boom Tube to stabilize completely.
Behind Darkseid, three Shaman-like individuals were channeling Energy Waves into the Boom Tube, stabilizing it.
Zooming out to this seemingly dilapidated Planet, on the Planet Surface, countless dark, dense Parademons flapped their Wings, flying towards the Boom Tube that towered into the Horizon.
The number of these Parademons was so vast that the entire surface of Apokolips was covered by them. The scene was like a sugar ball completely covered by layers upon layers of mosquitoes and flies.
Their dense numbers were enough to cause anyone with trypophobia to instantly break down.
Although Steppenwolf had now opened the Boom Tube from Earth to Apokolips, the Boom Tube was not stable and could only accommodate the passage of Bio-weapons like Parademons. To accommodate an existence like Darkseid, the Mother Boxes needed to absorb more Energy.
"Steppenwolf said the Anti-Life Equation is on this Planet!?"
Darkseid looked at the Flames and Explosion Sound rising from the opposite side. He lowered his Head to look at his Subordinate beside him.
Desaad, draped in a black Cloak, humbly lowered his Head: "Steppenwolf did say so. He said he has realized his mistakes and killed the one who sought the Throne. He begs for your forgiveness!
I conveyed your meaning to him, telling him he must conquer 50,000 Planets in your name to receive pardon and return to Apokolips!"
"My uncle, who coveted the position of Ruler of Apokolips, was banished by me. Since he has realized his mistakes, if he can retrieve the Anti-Life Equation for me, I will make an exception and allow him to return to Apokolips!"
"Your Heart is as vast as the Universe!" Desaad quickly flattered.
As Apokolips's number one scientist, Desaad was not very welcoming of Steppenwolf's return.
Desaad was originally born on New Genesis but was later corrupted by Darkseid and became a follower of the young Darkseid.
The reason he didn't welcome Steppenwolf's return was that before Darkseid ascended the Throne,
Darkseid's mother, Queen Heggra of Apokolips, threatened him and poisoned Darkseid's beloved Princess Shuri because Heggra's Plan was for Darkseid to marry the bride she had chosen, Tigra.
Darkseid was furious when he discovered the Truth. He ordered Desaad to poison Heggra.
From that day on, Desaad became an important follower of Darkseid. There was no other way; caught in this kind of court struggle, Desaad had no other choice but to cling tightly to Darkseid's leg.
And Steppenwolf was Heggra's younger brother. Desaad, who had betrayed Heggra, naturally didn't want to see Steppenwolf return to Apokolips.
However, although Desaad didn't want Heggra's Influence to increase due to Steppenwolf's return, he wasn't very afraid of Steppenwolf.
As Apokolips's foremost scientist, Desaad was responsible for over a dozen research projects, including Parademon modification and Mother Box construction.
His importance was no less than that of Professor Connors under Tang Song. Even though he had defied Darkseid multiple times and been killed by Darkseid's Omega Beams, because Desaad was very important to Darkseid, every time Desaad was killed, Darkseid resurrected him, claiming "This is the last time."
"Heart!" Darkseid was noncommittal to Desaad's flattery. His Gaze suddenly sharpened, looking outside the Boom Tube: "Another Old God has arrived! I thought they were all dead! I didn't expect there to be Survivors on this Planet!"
After receiving notification from Bruce Wayne, Diana and Arthur did their best to frantically slaughter the surrounding Parademons.
However, the Physical Quality and Combat Capability of these Parademons from Apokolips far exceeded the batch led by Steppenwolf.
They didn't engage in Melee Combat with Diana and Arthur but used their Wings to employ kite Tactics, shooting at the few from afar.
Even if Diana, relying on the Super Speed and Flight Capability granted to her by Hermes, rushed in front of these Parademons, the clustered Parademons would instantly scatter, retreating a distance before raising their Guns to shoot at her.
Just as Diana and the others were falling into a passive state, a Lightning bolt tore through the Horizon, accompanied by the rumbling sound of Thunder echoing through the Sky. A Figure, dragging countless Lightning bolts, descended from the Sky.
The moment he landed on one knee, the Lightning he held instantly covered an area of several kilometers around him.
Large swathes of Parademons were directly blasted into Charred Remains by tens of millions of volts of Lightning.
"I'm not late, am I! *Burp*!"
Thor stood up unsteadily, holding Stormbreaker. He let out a burp and looked around, searching for Tony and the others.
"Thor! You've been drinking again!"
Captain America's Figure suddenly appeared in front of Thor. Looking at the bloated, obese Thor and smelling the alcohol on his breath, he said with disappointment:
"Have you forgotten our Agreement? No drinking when traveling through the Universe!"
"I only had one bottle of Rum. They found it on a shipwreck, hundred-year-old liquor, just one bottle. The Taste was too fragrant and mellow, I couldn't resist!"
Thor scratched the Back of his Head, a little embarrassed.
"Forget it! Where's Rocket?"
"I left him at the Base. Someone has to stay and watch the Equipment!"
Thor looked around, seeing the dense, dark mass of Parademons rushing towards them again. He patted his large belly: "They are the Enemy. What do we do?"
Captain America also looked around: "Of course, we kill them all!"
As soon as Captain America finished speaking, Thor raised Stormbreaker in his hand. Dark Clouds instantly covered the Sky, and countless Lightning bolts converged towards his Battle Axe.
"*Crackle*!"
Thor leaped high, gripping Stormbreaker tightly with both hands. With a swing of his Axe, the Axe Blade instantly released dozens of massive Lightning Torrents, like the veins of a leaf.
The Parademon Army that had just rushed forward was instantly swept clean by his single Axe swing.
*Thud, thud, thud, thud*—
Countless Charred Remains fell to the Ground, then were completely Devoured by the indiscriminate Blood Lotus Array on the Ground, leaving behind only piles of White Bone.
"Why did they all turn into White Bone? Do I still possess the Death Divinity in my Body?"
Thor looked at the White Bone scattered all over the Ground, looking at his hand in surprise. Having drunk an Oak Barrel of Rum, he subconsciously shook his Head.
At this moment, on the Ground, the half-meter-deep ditches were also completely activated by the Formation after Devouring a large amount of the Parademons' Flesh and Blood Essence and Souls.
In the ditches, Bloodlight resembling fresh Human Blood shot up into the Sky. Streams of Bloodlight converged, condensing into a Blood Lotus Bud covering tens of kilometers in the air.
The moment the Flower Bud formed, the Blood within the Bodies of the Parademons circling in the air, under a strong suction force, sprayed out through their Pores, floating in the air and condensing into Blood Orbs. These Blood Orbs wriggled and transformed into distorted Tadpole Blood Characters.
These Tadpole Blood Characters swam in the air for a moment before disappearing into the air.
"John!"
Seeing the Blood of each Parademon float out of their Bodies, their Bodies visibly dried up and withered into Dried Corpses at a Speed visible to the Naked Eye.
Even under the illumination of the red light on the Ground, the skin and bones on the Dried Corpses also disappeared until they turned into a pile of Bone Powder.
Seeing this horrifying scene, even the most composed Bruce Wayne felt a chill run down his spine. He subconsciously cast his Gaze towards the Master of Dark Magic.
John Constantine, upon feeling the Blood within his Body stirring, immediately took out several Jade Talismans and distributed them among the Crowd.
"We have to get out of here quickly! Otherwise, when the Evil God descends, standing in this Magic Array will be like being in his bowl! If he thinks we're plump, it's just a matter of one more or one less forkful!"
"But how do we leave when we're in this Magic Array?" Bruce Wayne looked at the Lotus Petals that resembled Blood Jade.
The red light flickering in the ditches condensed into petals that seemed like translucent Walls. He had personally seen a Parademon crash into a petal Wall and instantly turn into a pile of Bone Powder.
"With this Jade Talismanic Seal, it's fine. This is a protective Talisman I got from that Evil God! Wearing these protective Talismans, we can leave here safely!"
John Constantine smoked a Cigar, watching the white Bone Powder scatter everywhere. That was the residue left after the Lives of millions of Parademons were Devoured.
"It's truly spectacular!"
After hearing Constantine's answer, Bruce Wayne couldn't even bother to appreciate the scene of "snow" falling everywhere.
He immediately grabbed a handful of Jade Talismans and had Barry Allen quickly take them Outside to distribute to Diana and the others.
Barry didn't dare to delay. He used almost all his strength, his Body transforming into a red Lightning bolt, and in an instant, he arrived beside Diana and the others.
To Barry's surprise, Diana and the others showed no reaction in the midst of the strange blood-red Radiance.
When he took out the Jade Talisman given by Constantine and handed it to Diana, Diana looked at him with Doubt and pulled out an identical Jade Tablet from her Body.
Touching the warm Jade Tablet in her hand, Diana didn't know when this Jade Tablet had appeared on her Body.
And it wasn't just Diana; Thor also had something similar.
"You mean this," Thor pulled out a Jade Torque emitting Golden Light from his chest, "My mother gave this to me. They say it's a protective Talisman my brother-in-law gave to Asgard!"
Barry didn't know who Thor's sister was, nor did he dare to associate the obese man in front of him with the legendary Thor.
But Captain America and Dr. Banner cast surprised Gazes at Thor.
Others might not know, but Dr. Banner had personally witnessed the Destruction of Asgard, and he had even fought the legendary Demonic Wolf Fenrir.
Thor's sister, wasn't she the Goddess of Death Hela? Does he have another sister? He never mentioned it!
Barry distributed the Jade Talismans in his hand to Captain America, Dr. Banner, and Arthur. After all, none of the three had a cheap sister, nor could they change their Gender to gain the favor of some old pervert.
Soon, the Justice League members and some of the Avengers began to retreat Outside the Blood Lotus Bud.
The Blood Lotus Bud, covering tens of kilometers, had a layer of petals condensed from every ditch Barry had passed through. These petals stood tall, reaching into the clouds, closing into a giant Lotus Flower Bud.
There were no Passages within these Lotus Flower Buds. The petals were not tightly connected but had gaps of tens of meters. The Crowd, holding the Jade Talismans, passed through layer after layer of Flower Buds, feeling very strange.
It was like passing through a layer of Water Ripple. The Crowd's Speed was not slow, especially Barry Allen pushing Constantine. He took less than two minutes to push Constantine Outside these Flower Buds.
The rubber Tires of Constantine's Wheelchair were worn down to sparks, almost setting fire to the Rear under Constantine.
"A thousand layers!" Constantine muttered, looking at the huge Lotus Flower Bud in front of him.
"Mr. Constantine, what did you say?" Barry, pushing the Wheelchair, didn't hear Constantine clearly and asked with Doubt.
"I said this Lotus Flower Bud has a thousand layers of petals. I counted the Patterns on the Blueprint/Diagram. If every ditch is a petal, this Flower Bud has a thousand layers!"
On the Small Mountain, Constantine looked at the giant Blood Jade Flower Bud from afar, while secretly thinking: "Such a large Energy Fluctuation must have attracted the attention of those guys in Heaven and Hell! It would be best if they could start fighting!"
"What is this giant Thing? A Flower!"
At this moment, a figure in gold and red descended from the Sky, carrying a thick Missile. Iron Man directly stood the Missile next to Constantine, nearly scaring Constantine into jumping out of his Wheelchair.
Constantine didn't answer Tony Stark's question. His hand, still wrapped in Gauze and slightly trembling, pointed at the Missile standing beside him and retorted:
"What Thing did you bring? A Missile!"
"Oh, nothing, just a Nuclear Bomb!" Tony Stark opened his Helmet, revealing his somewhat playful and cynical face. Looking at the pale Constantine, he spread his hands and explained:
"Don't worry, I've cracked the Control System of this Thing. It's very safe. For a while, I specifically researched the Control System of Nuclear Bombs. It's an idiot-proof control program, very easy to crack!"
Tony Stark wasn't bragging about this point. After experiencing the Chitauri Invasion battle, as a Return Gift for the Government dropping a Nuclear Bomb on his Head, he had invaded The Pentagon and stolen some confidential Documents.
Take Nuclear Warheads, for example. The Federation's Nuclear Warheads, whether in Missile Silos, on Fighter Jets, or on Nuclear Submarines, their launch Software is manual, and under Physical Network Disconnection mode, it's impossible to control the launch of Nuclear Bombs through Network Intrusion.
However, once a Nuclear Bomb is launched, the White House has a Software that can make the launched Nuclear Warhead enter Self-Destruct Mode.
This is a safety Software developed to prevent accidental launches.
Although the safety Software in the two Universes were different, Tony Stark quickly cracked the Nuclear Bomb safety Software of this World and controlled this Nuclear Bomb using Nanobots.
But Constantine didn't know this. Anyone with a Nuclear Warhead next to them would feel uneasy, and Constantine didn't dare to gamble whether his Soul would be instantly evaporated under the Force of a Nuclear Bomb Explosion.
The more he thought about it, the more scared Constantine became, and he quickly had Barry push him far away from this Nuclear Bomb. Ten minutes later, the Justice League members and some of the Avengers all walked Outside the Lotus Flower Bud, but everyone's Complexion was somewhat pale.
"John, what Thing did you Summon? Are you sure It won't appear in the Reality World!"
Bruce Wayne got out of the Bat-jet and went directly to Constantine, his face serious. He was truly frightened by the scenes within the Blood Lotus.
No one would think Batman was timid. If you told the Supervillains in Gotham City that Batman was timid, they would definitely spit in your face, lightly crippling you, or severely sending you to meet God.
Most of Gotham City's Supervillains are fervent Fans of Batman.
But Bruce Wayne was truly scared this time. As he piloted the Bat-jet through the layers of lotus petals, he watched with his own eyes as groups and groups of Parademons on all sides dissolved in the strange red light. If it were just these Extraterrestrial Life Forms, it would be fine, but what if this strange Flower Bud appeared in the Urban Area of Gotham City, or even in major Cities around the World? Bruce Wayne couldn't imagine how he would face that day if it really came.
"Don't worry, it won't! This is just a one-sided Sacrifice!" Although he said this, Bruce Wayne keenly noticed that Constantine's hand holding the Cigarette was trembling slightly.
Compared to Bruce Wayne's worry, Steppenwolf was already in a state of frenzy. The Parademon Legion he led were turning into Dried Corpses and then into Bone Powder before his eyes, group after group.
Yet, he himself, standing in the red light, felt nothing. He frantically swung his Electro-Axe, hacking and slashing wildly at the blood-red Wall nearby!
*Clang clang clang clang!*
The petal Wall that Batman and the others had just passed through like Water Ripple now emitted sounds of Metal and Iron clashing under Steppenwolf's Axe swings.
Steppenwolf used all his strength, mobilizing all the Energy within his Body, hacking at this thin layer of blood-colored Wall, but it left no Mark.
Inside the empty Dam, unknowingly, all the Parademons had turned into half a meter thick Bone Powder on the Ground. Steppenwolf stepped on it, and amidst the rustling sound, an emotion called Fear rose in Steppenwolf's heart.
He looked up at the Boom Tube released by the Mother Box. Unbeknownst to him, in the Boom Tube, no more Parademons had appeared for some time.
"King/Queen! Should we call Steppenwolf back!" Desaad carefully looked at the expressionless Darkseid.
Across the Boom Tube, the scene of nearly ten million Parademon Army dissolving into pools of Blood Water and turning into Dust under the strange red light made him secretly fearful.
As the primary modifier responsible for the development of the Parademons, Desaad deeply understood the reliability of this Combat bio-weapon. Otherwise, Apokolips could not have conquered and destroyed World after World relying on the Parademon Army.
In such a short Time, nearly ten million Parademons were annihilated. This strange red light was clearly some kind of large-scale destructive Weapons that they did not understand the principle of operation for.
This was also the Reason he advised Darkseid to stop the Investment in Parademons. He knew deeply that without understanding the operating principle of these strange red lights, continuing to deploy Parademons would only be a waste of Apokolips's Resources.
Although these Resources were just a drop in the bucket for Apokolips, which occupied tens of thousands of Planets and dozens of Parallel Universes, Darkseid was a wise Lord who was good at accepting advice and immediately ordered the cessation of the Attack on this Planet.
"He has developed Fear in his Heart and is no longer a qualified Warrior!" Hearing Desaad plead for Steppenwolf, Darkseid looked expressionlessly at his uncle. Steppenwolf looked at the Boom Tube with a pleading Expression. He seemed to know that someone was watching him from within the Boom Tube.
"The New Gods do not need a Coward!"
With a single word, Darkseid decided Steppenwolf's Fate.
(End of chapter)