The Old Gods

Chapter 1049 The Past is Gone, the Future is Born
Have we come to terms with reality?
Lu Ran slowly knelt down in front of the shrine.

Maybe.

Perhaps growth is simply the process of constantly recognizing and accepting reality.

"I have nothing more to teach you, and you no longer need my protection." The fairy sheep's voice was hoarse. "I have told you everything: my name, the meaning of my existence."

I should have left long ago.

Lu Ran pursed his lips and said, "No, there's still a lot you can teach me. Just now, I killed one of the Jade Venerable's true forms and imprisoned one of the Jade Venerable's divine souls."

You can try it yourself.

"Try it myself?"

[You want to ask whether the spirit of the Jade Venerable can be used to create a divine statue?]

"Uh-huh."

"That's your path now, Lu Ran, not mine," the Immortal Sheep said calmly. "Once you inherit everything from me, you will know your own abilities."

Lu Ran seemed to have lost all his strength.

With his head drooping and arms hanging down, he knelt silently before the shrine.

"Heh, why be sad?" The fairy sheep's laughter was a little hoarse. "I told you a long time ago that I would eventually disappear."

Lu Ran lowered his head and tugged at the corners of his mouth.

The smile was forced and tinged with bitterness.

"No need to be sad, Lu Ran." The Immortal Sheep sighed deeply. "You will inherit everything from me. As long as you exist, I will continue to exist."

A wave of sorrow washed over Lu Ran, and he whispered, "This disciple will carry on your legacy."

I have no regrets.

"Huh?" Lu Ran looked up at the small shrine.

The jade ram sculpture inside the shrine, now completely black, looked at Lu Ran with a smile: "[Neither death nor life is my philosophy, the meaning of my existence, not yours.]"

Am I always right?

No, I am old! Lu Ran, I am old, I should be eliminated.

Lu Ran stared blankly at the small shrine.

You are a thinking being, and even if you are about to stand in my place, you are still yourself.

The fairy sheep chuckled softly once more: "Go your own way! Lu Ran, if I had to say what my dying wish is, I hope you will forge your own path."

Lu Ran lowered his head and whispered, "This disciple will keep it in mind."

"Whoo~"

A strong surge of divine power emerged.

A chilling, eerie aura, like an invisible wave, washed over Lu Ran.

He slowly turned his head and saw a ram's head engulfed in flames.

Those dead sheep eyes should have been lifeless, but this time, Lu Ran saw a hint of a smile in them.

"I have devoured too many gods and demons, far too many." The black fire ram's head slowly floated over. "I have been constantly taking away their lives, making them gradually decay until they disappear."

Lu Ran pursed his lips tightly.

"I have always used the life of gods and demons to uphold my principles and seek the meaning of my existence." The black fire ram's head hung in front of Lu Ran. "Now, it's my turn."

The black sheep's head slowly lowered its nose and gently touched Lu Ran's forehead: "No need to be sad, young tomb."

Only my death can make my long-held principles worthy of being called principles.

Only my death can give my existence true meaning.

"Whoosh~" The black flames on the ram's head passed through its nose, staining Lu Ran's forehead, until they covered his entire body.

It wasn't scalding hot.

Instead, it felt rather cold and damp.

That wasn't an illusion; a chilling wind was blowing inside, and the raging black fire was the embodiment of "death energy," burning the entire room.

"Buzz~" The string of money beads around her waist started to vibrate.

Inside the Hall of Rebirth in the Bamboo Forest of the Demon Cave.

"Ding Ding Ding ~"

Thousands of red threads move swiftly without wind, and the lonely coins tied to the ends of the threads sway and touch each other, making a crisp sound that never stops.

Deep within the main hall, on the prayer cushion before the statue of the God of Forgetfulness, a woman in a black dress, kneeling respectfully, suddenly looked up, revealing a sickly pale face.

"Lord Wangquan?" Li Rouyin asked, her empty eyes scanning the hall.

In another dimension, you see strings of copper coins constantly swaying.

A long sigh lingered in my mind.

"My lord, what's going on?" Li Rouyin had never seen anything like this before.

This eerie ghost temple is terrifying enough.

At this moment, for some unknown reason, these money for the deceased suddenly became so restless that the imprisoned souls within them cried out in agony and wailed in pain.

Lu Ran has inherited that person's position.

Li Rouyin looked astonished, a rebellious yet perfectly logical thought popping into her mind: "He...he's become a god?"

[Gods, huh.]

Wang Quan chuckled softly, murmuring, "[It's more than just gods.]"

More than just gods.
More than that?

Li Rouyin was stunned for a while, then put her hands together and said, "Is there anything in this world more powerful than gods?"

【Rouyin, I ask you, what does my Wangquan faction represent?】

"Death," Li Rouyin replied without hesitation.

"Hmm." Wang Quan responded softly, "But I only have a rudimentary understanding of the related techniques, and I've only been fortunate enough to glimpse the Yin and Yang realms."

Li Rouyin was increasingly surprised.

To mortals, deities are always high above and incredibly mysterious beings.

Lord Wangquan is the same.

But at this moment, the deity was filled with emotion, speaking humbly, even with a hint of self-deprecation. Why was this?

Why is Lord Wangquan willing to say so much today?

Is it because Lu Ran is my friend?
You say we represent death, then what are beings on a higher level than us?

Li Rouyin came to her senses, pondered for a long time, and finally lowered her head and said:
"Forgive my ignorance, I cannot figure it out."

Death itself.

Li Rouyin trembled slightly, she really hadn't expected this.

Yes, gods are beings that transcend all living beings, and the only being that surpasses gods is the law of nature.

It's the concept itself!
【Rouyin, it's time for you to make your final preparations and share the divine throne with me.】

Li Rouyin slightly widened her eyes: "Disciple...disciple dares not."

Your beloved Qin Yanzhi has now been transformed into a god under Lu Ran's command. Don't you want to be with him forever?

Li Rouyin opened her mouth: "Me"

Wangquan whispered: "Only new life can help me fight death and slow down decay. Don't feel offended; you are helping me prolong my life."

"Disciple obeys!"

Go find Lu Ran, and bring a string of joss paper money for your salvation. I will let the money guide you.

Li Rouyin asked softly, "What is the purpose of your visit to him?"

[Go and offer my condolences to that esteemed person, convey my congratulations to Lord Lu Ran, and request to join the Ran Clan and become one of his subordinates.]

Lee Yau-yin: !!!

When had she ever seen Lord Wangquan so humble?

“Yes,” Li Rouyin replied, bowing her head.

She really doesn't think that some things need to be asked.

She believed she understood Lu Ran and knew his character. She thought the Wangquan Sect had done so much for Lu Ran, and he would definitely be willing to repay them.

However, Lord Wangquan still maintained a very humble attitude.

Li Rouyin picked up her white cane, stood up, took a string of money for the deceased from inside the hall, bowed to the statue of the God of Forgetfulness to say goodbye, and then left the Hall of Rebirth.

three days later.

The sky over Yuxiang City was overcast, and a light drizzle was falling.

In the Yuxiang Jiayuan residential community, a full-length mirror suddenly appeared in front of an old residential building.

A young man came out and was met by a woman in a straw raincoat.

"Evil Shadow Protector." Qin Yanzhi immediately bowed, then couldn't help but shiver.

The rain in the ninth month of the lunar calendar was indeed a bit chilly, but it didn't cause much trouble for this celestial body.

However, Qin Yanzhi shuddered again.

The bone-chilling cold emanated from the old residential buildings ahead.

Under the cover of rain, the residential building looked lifeless, and in Qin Yanzhi's eyes, it even resembled a gloomy graveyard.

"Yan Zhi?" A voice called from behind.

"Come here." Qin Yanzhi immediately turned around, took Li Rouyin's pale and soft hand, and led her out of the full-length mirror.

Yan Shuangzi stood quietly, sizing up the woman in the black dress who appeared to be blind.

This person's strength is quite remarkable; he has clearly reached the Heavenly Realm!
So young, yet possessing such a level of skill; I truly wonder what methods he used to cultivate.

As Yan Shuangzi observed, she noticed that the woman in the black dress's unfocused gaze suddenly became more focused, her eyes landing precisely on the first floor of the residential building.

“Evil Shadow Protector, this is my girlfriend, Li Rouyin, who is also a good friend of the sect leader. She has come to pay a special visit.” Qin Yanzhi said, then quickly added, “I have already consulted with my wife.”

"Hmm." Yan Shuangzi clearly knew about this, turned around and took a step forward. "Come on."

"Come on, Rouyin." Qin Yanzhi helped the slender woman walk slowly forward.

As Li Rouyin stepped into the apartment building, her already pale face turned even whiter.

Yan Shuangzi keenly sensed that the blind woman seemed to be able to "see" the way and accurately found the security door of the first-floor house.

That's quite surprising.

Yan Shuangzi led the two inside and said softly, "He's waiting for you. Go to the bedroom on the far left."

"Yes."

Qin Yanzhi walked through the living room, his limbs becoming increasingly stiff.

A chilling aura, invisible yet real, relentlessly assaulted and pierced through his flesh and blood.

The two stopped in their tracks as they approached the door of the small bedroom.

Inside the room, a young man dressed in a black and gold imperial robe was kneeling in front of a small shrine.

He lowered his head, his face expressionless, and his body was engulfed in translucent black flames.

"Gulp." Qin Yanzhi swallowed hard, knelt on one knee, and greeted in a trembling voice, "Sect Master."

Qin Yanzhi is a deity, and the soul of this celestial body is made from the remnants of gods and demons. He should not be afraid of any god or demon.

However, standing at the bedroom door, Qin Yanzhi couldn't help but feel a chill run down her spine, and even her breath caught in her throat!

"My lord," Li Rouyin said softly, bowing respectfully in return.

Inside the house, there was a deathly silence.

Within the wide sleeves of the imperial robe, the young man's hand, burning with black flames, imprisoned and toyed with a unique flame pattern.

He slowly turned his head, his dark, horizontal pupils cold and sinister, his gaze sweeping over the majestic Heavenly Realm at the entrance.

Whether it's the Celestial Realm or the Divine Realm, it doesn't matter.

Through these two handsome and beautiful appearances, he saw two trembling souls.

The boundary between life and death is no longer clear.

Souls are nothing more than fleeting spirits that temporarily reside in vibrant lives.

They huddled together, wailing.

In a dimension unseen by the world, he begs for mercy from himself.

(End of this chapter)