The Old Gods

Chapter 995 Seeking Death, Seeking Life

Lu Ran did not let Bai Rao stay outside for too long.

Not safe.

After absorbing the entire mass of holy spirit energy, he turned to look at Bai Rao, confirming that she had already devoured the divine soul. Lu Ran then flashed over and put her into the gourd.

At this moment, the value of this phoenix-patterned gourd is shockingly high!
Jiang Ruyi, Yu Changsheng, Wu Xiao, Luo Ying, and a host of other false gods were among them, and they ascended to godhood in a spectacular fashion.

Other stone sculptures, such as the Heavenly Phoenix, Paper Phoenix, and Melting Bear, also devoured divine souls and attempted to break through to the divine realm within them.

You must keep it safe.

Lu Ran sighed inwardly and carefully put the treasure gourd into his waistband. Then he remembered something, reached into his pocket, and picked up a few coins for the afterlife.

【Immortal Sheep, are you there?】A moment later, Lu Ran tried to pray to the gods.

"Is this important?" A hoarse voice entered my ears, its tone unfriendly.

Lu Ran's heart tightened!
Normally, Lord Immortal Sheep would either ignore it or give a cold "hmm".

This unusual response made Lu Ran realize that Lord Immortal Sheep was very dissatisfied!
[This disciple has just taken over the forces of Wu Sheng and Jade-Faced Snake.]

"Hmm, not bad." The deity's response was brief, but the tone was noticeably better.

Lu Ran added: "The martial arts instructor brought back a first-class deity, the Fire Goddess, from India. I have captured her and safely stored her soul."

【Fire Goddess?】The fairy sheep was slightly surprised.

"Yeah, right~" Lu Ran pouted. "She's incredibly fierce, and she even brought a Berserk Bead that broke my Silence Domain."

You've won over the Fire Goddess.

【Yes! How can I tolerate her? Daring to act so arrogantly in our Great Xia, she's practically asking for trouble!】

[Hehe.] The fairy sheep chuckled silently.

"Ahem." Lu Ran coughed awkwardly, realizing that he had accidentally reached for the plastic bag again.

He hurriedly tried to retrieve it, then asked telepathically, "[This disciple would like to ask, what should we do with this soul? It would be a waste to just swallow it, but we don't have a statue of the Fire Goddess in our sculpture garden.]"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ran was filled with anticipation.

This is a first-class god, and his strength is beyond doubt!
That would be amazing if it could be used by the Burning Gate.
In the early 1980s, when the gods were vying for territory, the regions of Bactria and India were the two most populous in the world.

At that time, the population of Bactria was around one billion, and the population of India was around seven hundred million.

This is enough to show the prestige of the first-class gods of India!

Sculpting a stone statue is relatively difficult.

[Can it really be molded?] Lu Ran was overjoyed.

[Yes, unlike resurrecting an existing stone sculpture, creating a stone sculpture is quite labor-intensive and requires a relatively long time.]

"How long will it take?" Lu Ran asked hurriedly.

The immortal sheep pondered for a moment, then said: "You've preserved your divine soul well, which gives you a good foundation. With the strength of your divine soul, storing it in a magic artifact for two or three years shouldn't be a problem."

In the future, you can personally sculpt a statue of the Fire Goddess.

Lu Ran's expression faltered slightly, and he even stammered in his telepathic transmission: "[This disciple personally sculpted the Fire Goddess? Immortal Sheep, you...]"

It's nothing, don't bother me anymore.

Lu Ran was in a state of confusion.

How to shape it yourself?
He knew he had to reach that position to possess such terrifying abilities, so Lord Immortal Sheep's meaning was quite clear.

Furthermore, considering what Xianyang just said, it's not a problem for the soul to exist for two or three years.
Lu Ran grew increasingly distressed, and finally couldn't help but ask: "[Immortal Sheep Lord! You resurrected my father, will this hasten your own death?]"

The price of resurrecting my father: After he was resurrected, are you still alive?

The cold words were etched into my mind: "[Living. But if you keep making a fuss, your father will soon be driven mad.]"

Lu Ran: "."

His face turned bright red, and he dared not utter another sound.

After a long pause, he looked around and ordered Deng Yuxiang to lead a team to guard Yanzhi Sacred Mountain before heading to Liyuan Sacred Mountain.

Here, Lu Ran met Yun Hai's old subordinates who guarded the sacred mountain, as well as the remnants of the martial arts faction—the Ninth-Rank God Corpse Suppressor.

He resembled a middle-aged man, dressed in a wide robe, with a thick and well-groomed beard.

He has a mustache on his upper lip, a goatee on his chin, and a full beard on the side of his face.

It's quite unique.

Other gods exude an imposing aura without needing to be angry, but the Corpse Guardian's power is evident in his facial expression.

Although his attitude was respectful, his facial expression was one of furrowed brows and glaring eyes.

He looked like he wanted to eat someone alive.
"Little Lord!"

"Young Master!" Upon seeing Lu Ran arrive, several soldiers bowed respectfully.

The corpse-guarding official also knelt down.

Clearly, the hierarchy within the gods and demons is equally strict, and when the gods of the Burning Gate take such actions, the Corpse Suppressor has no choice but to follow suit.

"Is this the only one?" Lu Ranfei landed on the mountaintop and came to Qiao Wanjun's side.

Qiao Wanjun nodded slightly: "The weak gods who stayed behind on the sacred mountain were slaughtered by the Faceless Jade Venerable and had almost no ability to resist."

As she spoke, she sighed again: "We didn't receive the divine soul either. The moment the gods and demons were crushed, the Jade Venerable's minions swarmed in and divided up the divine soul."

Lu Ran looked up at the respectfully bowed corpse-guarding official.

I happened to see him with a fierce look, his brows furrowed and his eyes glaring.

It startled Lu Ran!
He truly deserves to be called the Corpse Suppressor!
Take a picture, stick it on your security door when you get home, it's guaranteed to ward off evil spirits.
Lu Ran trembled as he reached out and grabbed his mother's arm, flying towards the distant cliff: "Mom, the time is ripe now. I plan to lead the Ran Clan to descend to earth after Ru Yi and the others become gods."

Qiao Wanjun nodded thoughtfully: "With gods constantly falling, the people of the mortal world will surely be in chaos."

"Yes, our presence can bring hope to people."

“Hmm.” Qiao Wanjun stood with her hands behind her back, quite agreeing.

"By the way, would you like to speak with Lord Jianyi? Now that Wusheng is dead, there's no one watching over her day and night anymore. Perhaps you could discuss your divine position?"

As Lu Ran spoke, he observed his mother's face. Unfortunately, the only time she might show a hint of tenderness was when she looked at him.

Most of the time, Qiao Wanjun was like an ice sculpture, her cold eyes devoid of any human emotion.

Seeing that his mother remained silent, Lu Ran continued, "Doing this will not only grant you a divine position, but it will also be a way of repaying a debt of gratitude and will extend Lord Jianyi's lifespan."

"You think she wants to live a few more years?" Qiao Wanjun gazed at the distant sky.

"Huh?" Lu Ran was a little confused. "Lord Jianyi risked fighting against gods and demons to protect you. Wasn't she carefully selecting a fresh blood to share the divine position with her?"

Qiao Wanjun suddenly said, "The contract I signed with Lord Jianyi is not an ordinary contract."

Lu Ran's eyes narrowed.

Not a master-servant contract?

"Inheritance contract?" Lu Ran was somewhat taken aback, only then realizing that Jian Yi did not want to prolong his life at all, but intended to perish completely.

Indeed, every living being has limitations, and gods are no exception.

Previously, when Lu Ran burned the soul of the jade talisman, the other party repeatedly said that Jian Yi wanted to extend his lifespan through Qiao Wanjun.

Based on Yu Fu's thinking, this would naturally be the conclusion.

However, the truth is...
I'm really tired of Sword One.

Qiao Wanjun said softly, "Nowadays, it's hard for Master Jian to be interested in anything."

Looking at his mother's profile, Lu Ran noticed a rare hint of sadness.

Qiao Wanjun said in a low voice, "I said before that Lord Jianyi likes peace and quiet, but there's more to it than that."

She wanted to quietly savor her final moments, to feel life slipping away bit by bit, her primal energy gradually dissipating.

Lu Ran stood there, mouth slightly agape, stunned.

Qiao Wanjun: "In her long life, she never felt the slow approach of death, and she hoped that I would."
We hope we can protect her until that moment, without anyone disturbing her, so she can savor it properly.

In return, she will leave everything to me just before she completely disappears.

Lu Ran remained speechless, unsure of what to say.

Humans, with their short lifespans, have always pursued longevity, and even immortality.

Jianyi, who has a long lifespan, wants to experience a little bit of "aging" and death.

Lu Ran suddenly realized what he wanted to say.

How much longer can Jian Yi live?
Let's hope she's still dying when a hundred years have passed in the human world.
However, seeing his mother's sorrowful appearance, Lu Ran temporarily suppressed his words and instead said, "Mom, we can't follow Jian Yi's example. You have to stay with me and Xiao Yuanxi for a long, long time."

Qiao Wanjun lowered her head and smiled.

She doesn't consider herself a good mother.

He didn't spend much time with his children as they grew up.

Even after she was sent to Holy Spirit Mountain, the one left in the capital to accompany her young daughter was merely a fake mother made of magical artifacts.

He is indifferent and silent, and rarely comes home.

Only after her husband's death, when she was forced to return to the mortal world, was she able to truly spend a few years with her children.

The son, who had suffered an undeserved calamity, missed his father dearly. He stayed by her side for only three years before returning to Rain Alley City.

Qiao Wanjun sighed deeply.

In this life, I have wronged far too many people.

Husband, children, comrades-in-arms, disciples.
It's good to live longer.

That way, one can atone for some of their sins.

"Mother?"

Qiao Wanjun turned to look at Lu Ran, a hint of tenderness in her smiling eyes: "Okay, sure."

Lu Ran nodded in relief.

My mother is a woman of her word; that one sentence is enough.

Therefore, the matter of inheriting the Sword God Sculpture is probably not something that can be rushed.

Qiao Wanjun suddenly said, "Wuya's soul is with you."

"Yes, I am."

"What do you plan to do?" Qiao Wanjun asked hesitantly.

Not only her, but Yunhai's former subordinates were also concerned about this matter, but they had never found an opportunity to ask the young master.

Or perhaps they dare not ask, afraid of hearing a heartbreaking answer.

Lu Ran turned around and looked up at the group of divine statues. Several of them had expectant looks in their eyes, while others hurriedly looked away.

"You all know my character," Lu Ran said loudly, his gaze sweeping over the stone statues. "I assure you, as long as I live, his soul will exist forever."

I promised Wuya that one day I would bring him back from the realm of the dead.

"Yes!"

"Thank you, young master!" Most of Yunhai's old subordinates were in their forties or fifties and had all become gods. At this moment, they were extremely excited and responded one after another.

Qiao Wanjun lowered her voice: "Can the dead be resurrected?"

Lu Ran smiled, looked at her meaningfully, and nodded gently: "It should be possible."

unfortunately,

That exquisite blood crystal mask concealed his radiant smile.

"Ranran."

"Ok?"

"Is there something you're hiding from your mother?"

"Probably not."

(End of this chapter)