The Old Gods

Chapter 1042 You can crush me now.
Lu Ran frowned as he looked at the path that had been cleared for him.

It's impossible for him to show up.

However, a clone could be used as a substitute.

I want to see what you want to do!
Lu Ran silently flew to the tip of the enormous jade deity's finger, a surge of divine power within his body splitting off a flesh and blood body.

This is the Evil Dog Evil Technique: Shadow of Evil. Although it is a decoy technique used to confuse the enemy, at the Heavenly level, this technique can already allow the caster to invest their consciousness into it.

"Thump." The clone Lu Ran landed steadily on the Jade Venerable's finger, while the real Lu Ran took advantage of the divine power fluctuations and teleported away.

The enormous jade vessel remained expressionless, seemingly unsurprised.

She simply raised her hand slightly, her pure white eyes, devoid of pupils, gazing at the tiny figure on her fingertips.

The black and gold imperial robes were utterly devoid of any imposing presence.

Despite being the master of gods and demons and the pinnacle of humanity, the young man possessed only a beautiful appearance and lacked any of the expected charm.

Only his eyes were passable.

To ordinary beings, this was undoubtedly a terrifying Celestial Realm expert, but in the eyes of the Faceless Jade Venerable...
fake.

"You said you were waiting for me?" The clone Lu Ran looked up, his muffled voice coming from behind the pirated blood crystal mask.

The enormous Jade Venerable replied, "You don't trust me."

Lu Ran frowned slightly: "We are enemies."

The enormous jade statue slowly shook its head: "We are of the same kind."

"similar?"

"You and I are the same; both of us, enslaved by that pile of stones, have found our own paths."

Lu Ran nodded thoughtfully.

"The Creator is fair." The Faceless Jade Venerable seemed somewhat moved. "Your human race has short and fragile lives, yet you possess potential that other species cannot match."

Lu Ran remained silent, but did not deny it.

The faceless jade deity whispered, "In just a few years of cultivation, you have been able to ascend to the Heavenly Battlefield."

In just over forty years, a mere one or two generations, they found a way to break the deadlock and gave birth to a being like you.

This time, Lu Ran felt unworthy of the honor.

Without Lord Immortal Sheep, I would be nothing.

Well, you can't say that.

After all, there's still the paper doll!

Perhaps I will act as a disciple of the evil spirit, eventually becoming the other half of the evil god and sharing the divine position with her.

The only thing Lu Ran was certain of was that no matter what fate imposed on him, and no matter which path he took, he would definitely try to do something.

Go for revenge, go for change.

The Faceless Jade Venerable raised his hand once more, placing the tiny human race before him: "You and I are only different in our methods. I witnessed the entire process of your destruction of gods and demons."

You have a very special ability: to create your own stone sculptures to replace the old things that rule you.

It seems that the Faceless Jade Venerable and the Immortal Sheep share the same view on the concept of "old things".

"And then, Lu Ran?" the Great Jade Venerable asked.

Lu Ran said, "You could break into the human world at any time, destroy my home, and cause our race to perish."

“I said, we are of the same kind,” the enormous Jade Venerable said softly, then suddenly changed the subject, “but we can also be enemies.”

"All the humiliation you suffered, all the despair, pain, and struggle, ultimately transformed into the sharp blade that allowed you to shatter gods and demons." The faceless jade lord's gaze enveloped the human youth. "We are of the same kind."

I saw another version of myself.

Lu Ran remained silent, waiting for what was to come.

“Now that you have replaced them, if you were to become them again, we would be enemies.”

“I will not become one of them.” Lu Ran shook his head. “Once I conquer all the gods and demons in the world, there will be no more demonic invasions in the human realm, and it will be completely peaceful.”

The faceless jade deity shook his head: "You will."

"what?"

"The way gods and demons exist and their power systems dictate that everything will lead to a single, inevitable end." Lu Ran fell silent.

These words hit the nail on the head!
The cultivation systems of gods and demons are the most fundamental issue.

Looking back on her student days, Jiang Ruyi was also known as "Jiang Beauty" because she treated the world with gentleness.

Look at her now!
Majestic, indifferent, even cruel.

This is not an isolated case, but a widespread phenomenon.

There's nothing to hide; this so-called path of cultivation is a path that obliterates humanity.

Only Lu Ran, a human believer who reveres the "tomb," remains true to his original aspirations.

As Lord Immortal Sheep has always requested:

Walking my own path.

"It seems you agree with what I said," the Faceless Jade Venerable said in a low voice.

“I agree with your assessment of the power system, but I don’t agree with the ending.” Lu Ran raised his head and looked directly into her huge eyes.

"Ok?"

"We have an old saying in our Great Xia: A gentleman judges by his actions, not his intentions."

Lu Ran's expression was solemn as he continued, "I am their leader, and I have the ability and means to manage each of my subordinates well. Under my command, they will not become gods or demons."

The Faceless Jade Venerable slowly shook his head: "Only by breaking away from this power system can one avoid becoming a god or demon."

"Heh." Lu Ran laughed. "You want us to cripple ourselves? And then what? We'll be the same kind of people instead of enemies?"

The faceless jade deity remained expressionless, and his flat words showed no emotional fluctuation whatsoever:
“You know in your heart that what I said is correct.”

"Heh." Lu Ran laughed in anger again. "And then the Great Xia's fighting force will be completely wiped out, and the gates of the mortal realm will be wide open to welcome your arrival?"

The faceless jade deity remained neither sad nor happy: "My goal is only that pile of stones. I promise you I will not harm your people or your human home."

You and your followers can join me to wipe out the root of the chaos.

Lu Ran stopped laughing.

His expression was particularly serious: "You are the only opponent that Nüying respects, and I will not rashly deny your existence. Perhaps you have your own principles, perhaps you are a person of your word, but none of that matters."

Matters of life and death are no child's play!
I cannot entrust myself, and the fate of billions of people, to others.

fantasy,

Absolutely not!
The faceless jade vessel remained silent, slowly turning its fingertips.

Lu Ran looked directly into her eyes: "The right to live, dignity, and the future, and everything else, have never been, and will never be, obtained through the pity or charity of others."

I can lose, and I can die.

But Faceless Jade Venerable, I will never place my hopes on your whim.

The Faceless Jade Venerable suddenly spoke: "I said before that only by breaking away from this power system can you avoid becoming gods and demons."

I take back what I said.

Lu Ran raised an eyebrow slightly.

The faceless jade deity slowly extended its face, its enormous eyes fixed on the tiny human on its fingertip, uttering each word clearly:
"Only through destruction can humanity avoid becoming gods and demons."

Lu Ran's face darkened.

The faceless jade deity reached up with his thumb and pinched the tiny creature, his tone returning to its previous calm: "It seems we are enemies now."

Lu Ran didn't struggle at all, letting her crush him between her fingers, her voice low and deep:
"Yes, you can crush me now."

"Snap! Snap!"

A series of crisp bone-crackling sounds rang out.

The faceless jade deity's eyes were icy cold, and his jade fingers gently twirled.

The tiny creature was pulverized, turned into a pool of flesh, became a spot of crimson blood on her finger, and then turned into jade powder.

It fell softly between her fingers.

(End of this chapter)