The Old Gods

Chapter 997 The Three Questions from Back Then
The cold wind still blows, and frost and snow continue to fall.

Northwind City was no longer as cold as before.

Under the fervent gazes of countless people, the tiny human standing atop the goddess's fingertips slowly descended.

His features became clearer, the crowd below grew more restless, and their faces became increasingly eager.

The problem is, some people are really only meant to be admired from afar.

As Lu Ran continued to descend, an overwhelming pressure swept down with him.

"what!"

"No, don't push! No!"

"Don't panic, be careful!" Amidst a series of exclamations, the falling figure from the majestic Heavenly Realm came to a stop.

"Stop." Lu Ran uttered a single word, and the black jade tiger tally hidden in his collar subtly gleamed.

The restless crowd below froze in place almost instantly.

Their movements were incredibly synchronized.

Lu Ran flew up another ten meters or so and looked down at the crowd.

Everywhere you look, some people avoid eye contact, while others hurriedly put down their phones and lower their heads.

Lu Ran said gently, "You can film it so that more people can see it."

The young man was mild-mannered and did not use the tiger tally again, but merely issued permission. However, for the vast majority of beings present, this was still an order that could not be resisted.

In an instant, many people raised their phones.

Lu Ran was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Everyone should know me."

"Burning God!" An excited shout triggered a chain reaction.

"Burning God! Burning God!!"

"Lu Ran! Lu Ran! Lu Ran!!" The shouts grew louder and louder, the atmosphere became more and more heated, and people became more and more courageous.
As Lu Ranfei flew through the air and was far enough from the ground, the crowd surged toward him.

Occasionally, a cry piercing the air would break Lu Ran's heart.

Those faces, flushed with excitement, seemed to have seen a ray of light descending from the sky in the darkest of times.

Looking at the crowd below, Lu Ran said in a deep voice, "Listen to me, the divine statues that have descended upon various regions and ancient cities of the Great Xia today are all available for our human race to worship."

In every ancient city, the techniques used by the previous sculptor are the same as those used by the sculptor who descends to earth today.

For example, her!

Lu Ran turned around and looked up at the towering goddess statue: "The Northern Wind Sect possesses all the divine techniques, and this statue is even more powerful."

After the words were spoken, there was a moment of silence in the crowd.

Not only in Beifeng City, but also in all the cities of Daxia, the crowds gathered in the streets and alleys, and the people watching the live broadcast in thousands of households, all fell silent for a moment.

When a large number of divine statues descended, people had high hopes that these new statues would possess powerful divine magic.

It is hoped that these new gods will have mercy on the common people and help the Great Xia Dynasty overcome its difficulties.

And now, people's expectations have actually become a reality!
No one would question the number one genius of the Great Xia Dynasty, not only because of Lu Ran's own influence, but also because at this critical moment of life and death, people wanted to believe and were willing to believe.

"That's great! That's great!"

"May God bless the Great Xia!"

"A new god, it really is a new god, waaaaaah!"

This explosive news, after a brief period of silence and build-up, triggered an "explosive" result.

Lu Ran's ears were so sharp that they brought a pang of sorrow to his heart.

Shouts and cries of near collapse echoed from all over the city.

A variety of emotions, like streams, surged forth from all directions, eventually converging into a raging river that rushed towards his location.

Although all living beings suffer.

But those who struggle to survive within the system of gods and demons suffer greatly.

It was too oppressive, and too hopeless.

"Burning God! Who are those gods?"

"Who are they? Are they from our race? I saw He Qifeng. Was the deity at the Vajra Ancient Temple really He Qifeng?"

"Lu Ran, Lu Ran! Who are they?"

Lu Ran ignored the question and said, "Don't rush to the ancient cities."

In an instant, the crowd fell silent, all looking up at Lu Ran, puzzled.

Lu Ran nodded and said, "Stay where you are now and stay safely at home! In the next few days, the soldiers of the Great Xia army and the Divine People Bureau will first pay homage to the gods and guard the upcoming night of the fifteenth."

"Soon, the official information on each deity will be released, and you will have more than half a month to learn about it."

"The next worship ceremony will not be held on the first day of June next year, but on the first day of the upcoming Lunar New Year."

Lu Ran's words were transmitted through mobile phones and distant cameras, reaching every street and alley and every household.

"The worship ceremony has been moved up? On the first day of the Lunar New Year?"

"Is it really possible? Can this really be changed?"

"But Lu Tianjiao said... he said it would be the first day of the Lunar New Year."

Forty years of continuous discipline have taught people to revere and obey. The will of the gods is the golden rule, an absolute law that cannot be violated.

It is a rule of survival that all living beings must abide by!
Now, Lu Ran has openly defied the will of the gods and even changed the rules set by them.

Will this work?

"Lu Ran, do the other gods agree?"

"Won't doing this anger the gods?"

"What exactly happened with the fall of the gods? Why do the newly descended gods possess the divine laws of the old gods?"

"I see Lady Luoxian! Burning God, I see your fiancée! She is also a divine statue. Has Lady Luoxian become a god?"

The questions rang in my ears.

Lu Ran couldn't elaborate too much.

At least for now, he cannot say that gods and demons are colluding, as the potential consequences are something Lu Ran does not want to see.

Currently, there is still a force led by the Evil Spear Emperor, entrenched in the northwest of the Heavenly Battlefield. Among them are a large number of gods and countless human believers.

Once Lu Ran reveals the truth, he cannot guarantee the safety of those believers.

For those who have signed a master-servant contract, the gods can execute their followers with just a thought.

This only refers to the Great Xia Dynasty.

Looking across the world, there are billions of believers in various countries and regions!

Once the news is made public, how will the gods and demons from beyond the realm react? And what consequences will it cause?
These concerns prevented Lu Ran from being open and honest.

Perhaps one day in the future, the Burning Gate will expose the lies of gods and demons, but definitely not now.

"Lu Ran, are you a god too?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out, drowning out countless other voices and gradually quieting the crowd down.

Lu Ran turned his head and saw a figure that was somewhat familiar.

It was a woman with an adorable baby face, which didn't match her strength level in the Sea Realm.

Hu Jiaojiao.

Upon seeing an acquaintance, Lu Ran smiled and shook his head.

Hu Jiaojiao: "I don't believe it!" Lu Ran: "."

"Yes, I don't believe it!"

"You are! You are! You must be!"

"Burning God! Burning God! Burning God!"

Lu Ran wasn't lying, but people didn't agree.

After all, many new gods have been born, including He Qifeng, the second prodigy of the Great Xia Dynasty, but it was Lu Ran who spoke on behalf of the new gods.

He directly changed the rules set by the gods, without any fear of angering them, just so that people could join the new gods sooner, regain the familiar divine laws, and have the ability to protect themselves.

"The gods have fallen. Lady Luoxian and He Tianjiao have become new gods, and they have also acquired the divine powers of the old gods. Those old gods were... were given to them by you."

Another voice rang out, but dared not finish its sentence.

Even so, it's enough for anyone to understand what this person is asking.

Such thoughts had long been on the minds of countless people, but they dared not actually ask them aloud.

The crowd fell completely silent.

Countless eyes gazed up at the young man standing in mid-air.

Countless faces stared at their phones and TV screens, watching the young man's smile gradually fade.

Lu Ran put the blood crystal mask back on, reverting to his otherworldly appearance, and a muffled voice came from behind the eerie blood mask:

"Over the years, I have been to many places."

Lu Ran did not answer the question directly, and no one dared to ask any more questions.

However, in various live stream rooms and forums, the calls for answers were like a torrent, completely out of control:

"Yes, the gods have fallen, and you have inherited their powers. Have you killed all the gods?"

"How could you do this! How could you do this! God saved this world, saved us! God has always protected us."

"Aren't you supposed to be the pride of the Great Xia? Giving back kindness with enmity? Ungrateful and treacherous?"

"So many people died in the Great Xia Dynasty! The whole world was about to be destroyed! All because the gods fell, and no one has any divine magic left! Is all of this because of you, Lu Ran?"

"Stop making a scene. Did the God of Burning admit it? What are you all cursing about?"

"I know that goddess who descended upon Bihe Ancient City! She is a human, He Yingcai from Wuliehe University! She's my junior from the next year!"

"Yes! There's also Qiao Yuanxi and Jiang Ruyi. They are Lu Ran's sister and girlfriend! These gods who descended to earth are all human. Lu Ran was also a student at Wu Liehe University before. These new gods are all related to him!"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

"Lord Yu Fu and Lord Han Hai have already announced that the gods are fighting against the demons!"

"Yes, yes, yes! So many demons have also fallen. It must be that before the gods fell, they chose successors and passed on their powers to human disciples!"

"Stop spouting nonsense! You're acting like a judge now? I'm just asking you, do you want to live? Your junior sister can give you the Jade Lotus Divine Law, do you respect her or not?"

People are saying all sorts of things, separated by a screen.

This stands in stark contrast to the deathly silence of Northwind City.

"Over the years, I have been to many places and witnessed many life and death."

As Lu Ran spoke, he slowly turned around and looked up again at the towering, earth-shaking divine statue:
"I also met many like-minded people."

Deng Yuxiang lowered her eyes, her gaze sweeping over the tiny human race, her eyes softening slightly.

"Whoo~"

The stone veil flowing through the goddess statue's hair slowly drifted down, adapting to the size of a human body, transforming into a truly graceful veil.

Like smoke and mist, it swirled around Lu Ran.

The crowd below immediately felt the pressure ease, and the young man's terrifying aura quickly dissipated.

"Don't rush to judge us." Lu Ran looked down at his side, one hand falling, letting wisps of smoky blue gauze flow between his fingers.

"You may know our names, but you don't know our story."

“You only see them transform into divine statues and descend upon the ancient city, but you don’t know what we have all gone through.”

Lu Ran knew very well that the identities of the gods of the Burning Gate would soon be revealed.

Their faces are so clear!
Of course, the warriors of the Burning Gate had no intention of concealing their identities.

"You only need to know that the Great Xia is our common home, and you and I who live on this land are compatriots connected by blood."

"Do you remember the three questions I asked at the Heavenly Pride Ceremony?"

Will the world always be like this?

The crowd looked up at the young man in mid-air, some even covering their mouths and their eyes reddening, eagerly awaiting his reply.

Back then, Lu Ran shook his head and said three words—"I don't know."

After many years, the greatest genius of the Great Xia Dynasty descends to earth as a god. Will he give a different answer?
“You have already seen the answer,” Lu Ran said in a deep voice.

Indeed, reality has already provided the answer for everyone.

Over the past two or three months, the world has changed dramatically, with gods and demons falling one after another.

Today, new gods have descended upon the world, standing tall in ancient cities, becoming new guardians, bestowing divine power upon the people and protecting all living beings.

Lu Ran continued to repeat the second question he had asked back then:

"Will everything be alright?"

Everyone held their breath, their eyes burning with anticipation. Many remembered the two-word answer the young man had given back then—"Perhaps."

“Live on, and see for yourself.” Lu Ran’s tone was extremely serious. “Don’t give up! Just like what generations of us have done over the past forty years, don’t give up.”

Pick up your hope, reclaim your divine law, and then witness it all with your own eyes.

Don't give up before dawn.

"Whoo~"

Lu Ran floated down again, getting closer to the people, only two or three meters from the ground.

With the help of the magical artifact, the Smoke Green Gauze, the crowd below stopped panicking and instead surged forward, shouting all the while.

Lu Ran slightly raised his hand to stop the restless crowd and asked his final question.

However, this question doesn't seem like an inquiry; it's more like another answer to the previous two questions.
"What if?"

As Lu Ran spoke, he nodded slightly.

The scene fell silent. Before anyone could react, Lu Ran nodded once again.

He slowly spun around, nodding repeatedly to the dense crowds of people in all directions and to the eager, expectant faces.

A silent response, slow but firm.

"Aaaaaah!!" The crowd below erupted in chaos.

"It can definitely be done! It definitely can!!"

"It will be alright, the world will be alright, sob sob sob. My mom and I will definitely survive, everything will be alright, sob sob sob."

The roar was deafening, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing.

The crowd was almost boiling over, like a giant bonfire.

Those hands raised high seemed to be trying to grab the hem of the young man's clothes, or perhaps trying to grasp a sliver of courage and hold onto a sliver of hope.

In short, people stretched their arms out as if trying to grab something.

It also looks like it's lifting something up.

(End of this chapter)