Forty millenniums of cul.., p.971
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 971
"Young Friend Qi!" Deity Raincloud's voice turned solemn. He was even more aloof and aggressive than before as he demanded, "What do you mean? Are you doubting my identity?"
"Not a doubt but a certainty!" Before Qi Zhongdao replied, Han Baling laughed aloud not far away and shouted, "I am very certain that the so-called 'Deity Raincloud' is just a counterfeit. There's absolutely no way that you are 'Thunderous Fire Zhu Cangshui' or a deity who has descended from the deities' realm'!"
Chapter 1495: Cloud Qin, Han Baling! |
Han Baling was still hiding behind the round shield of the Colossus without exposing any part of his body. He shouted without any pause, "Firstly, if you are truly 'Deity Raincloud' who has returned from the deities' realm to support the enterprise of your family, why are you acting so stealthily? Why did you even chose Zhu Zongyou, the least capable one of all the candidates, as your partner?
"The old emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty only died last year. He was your offspring, too. There was also the legitimate crown prince as well as many other royal princes in the palace. You selected none of them but an unsupported prince who was assigned to watch over the ancestors' temple. What's your motive?
"If you were truly a deity who had returned, why didn't you simply show up openly in the court in the Divine Capital to be cheered and worshipped by all. When such a piece of astounding news spread out, even Cloud Qin would have been shaken and forced to admit that the Great Qian Dynasty still had some time. I would've been willing to surrender immediately!"
"Han Baling!" Greatly insulted, Emperor Phoenix jumped to his feet as if a bee had stung his bottom. "I—I am the emperor that fate has designated for the renaissance of the Great Qian Dynasty, and I am watched over by the ancestors of the Zhu family. It's only reasonable that Deity Raincloud supported me after he returned to the mortal world. What's strange about that?"
"Fate has designated you for the renaissance of your family? Was it him who told you the bullsh*t that can only fool a three-year-old? Only such a naïve, ignorant boy like you would buy it without thinking, not even knowing that he was simply manipulating you like a chess piece, little emperor!" Han Baling snapped.
After a slight pause, he continued coldly. "Secondly, if you are truly a renowned deity who has returned from the deities' realm, and you are here to sever your connections with the mortal world after preparations, you should've brought countless ultimate treasures in the deities' realm, such as the Cloud Qin Gold Statues. They are the priceless treasures for the Cultivators of the mortal world, but are they precious for the deities, too? Can you not find any of them in your place but have to steal them from here?"
"Exactly!"
Han Baling's questioning refreshed a lot of Cultivators.
The actions of 'Deity Raincloud' were too weird. If he were really an omnipotent deity, why did he not reveal his identity in the Divine Capital, and why was he fighting over the Cloud Qin Gold Statues with them, the Cultivators of the mortal world?
Was it possible that there was not a single Cloud Qin Gold Statue in the glorious deities' realm?
Qi Zhongdao looked at Ba Xiaoyu, Yan Liren, and Master Bitter Cicada, hinting at them to slightly move toward Han Baling and focus their attention on Han Baling and Deity Raincloud.
What Han Baling had said was exactly what Qi Zhongdao was suspicious of.
Qi Zhongdao believed almost eighty percent of Han Baling's words. This Deity Raincloud was ten to one a counterfeit. Whatever he was exactly, they had to take precautions in case he suddenly attacked anyone!
"Thirdly!"
The more he spoke, the more fluent Han Baling became. He chuckled for a moment and continued.
"The real deities must know every detail about places like this 'Divine Palace'. Also, judging from the fine armor on your body, I don't think the tempests and snowstorms on the Land of Eternal Land are a problem for you. Why didn't you come to excavate the Divine Palace earlier on your own but arrived together with us?
"There's only one possible answer. Before Wang Xi discovered the Divine Palace, you did not even know of the existence of the Divine Palace. Even if you did, you couldn't determine the specific location of the Divine Palace!
"Can a 'deity' who doesn't even know where the Divine Palace is be a real deity? That's hilarious!
"If 'Deity Raincloud' cannot give satisfactory answers to all three questions, I fear that you can barely convince everybody here. Who knows what kind of evil being is hiding beneath the skin of the so-called 'deity'? Who can be certain that the so-called deities' realm is not another way of saying a bloody hell?"
Had it not been for the blockage of the Grand Illusionary Land, Li Yao would have rushed up to Han Baling's face and applauded the monarch from the prairies.
Li Yao had thought more highly of Han Baling's Ghost Qin than the murky Great Qian Dynasty in the first place.
However bad the 'classical militarism' was, it was still more or less an advancement compared to the decayed and rotten world of the ancient Cultivators!
Han Baling's head was particularly clear, too, and he had stabbed into the three critical issues with the special agent from the Imperium so quickly, making it impossible for the guy to continue acting. It was truly gratifying!
"You—"
Emperor Phoenix was shaking in fury. The brilliance on his crystal suit was rising, and the string light was releasing cracking noises. He was almost determined to die together with Han Baling!
"Zhu Zongyou, I suggest you clear your mind and get everything straight!" Han Baling said behind the shield. "Do you not know what you are made of? Even if your ancestor has indeed returned, why should he go through all the trouble to support you? Supporting anybody else would've saved him a great amount of time and effort!
"Hehe. I know that you are an ignorant baby who has been dreaming about reviving the Great Qian Dynasty and satisfying your ancestors!
"If that is the case, it is all the more reason for you to figure out whether or not this guy of unknown backgrounds who claims to be 'Deity Raincloud' is an ancestor of your family. If you accept a random guy as your ancestor and introduce a wolf into your house, your Great Qian Dynasty may be destroyed in the end. In such a case, all the ancestors of your family will roll in their graves!"
Emperor Phoenix was blushing and stammering. He hesitated for a long time, only to come up with no rebuttal.
Even 'Deity Raincloud', who was hiding inside the black-skeleton-like Colossus, was rendered speechless and failed to answer the questions openly after a long silence. However, the flames of spiritual energy spreading out of the gaps of the black feathers were growing more and more fierce!
"Deity Raincloud, I have washed my great neck, waiting for you to behead me!" Han Baling suddenly raised his voice and burst into laughter. Then he declared resolutely, "However, I can be killed, but I will not be fooled like swine before my death! I believe that all the Cultivators here are the same as me!
"Speak, who are you exactly?"
Han Baling last demand contained immense spiritual energy. It exploded in midair and echoed inside the temple for a long time, waking up a lot of Cultivators who were staring at 'Deity Raincloud' in a keener and clearer way!
Whispers came over from the high-level Cultivators of the six major sects.
"That was close. I was almost fooled by the guy just now!"
"On second thought, it does not make sense. If he is truly a deity, all the questions will be barely explainable!"
"Why didn't he reveal his identity a few years earlier but have to steal the Cloud Qin Gold Statues while hiding in the exploration team? Why did he support Zhu Zongyou, a guy without any other help whom he can easily manipulate?"
"If he had revealed his identity in the court a few years ago and demonstrated the remarkable performance of the deities, he would have been acknowledged by the royal family. We certainly would've believed him."
"But right now, he has jumped out of nowhere and asked us to believe that he is an ancestor of the Zhu family without any proof. This is rather imposing!"
The whispers soon evolved in a tide of doubts and suspicions. Some people even emboldened themselves to ask, "If I may ask Lord Deity, we…"
"Han Baling!" Deity Raincloud finally opened his mouth. His voice was solemn and sharp, filled with killing intent. He said, one word after another, "This whole time, I have considered you to be one of the trickiest people of the Ancient Sages Sector, only secondary to Wang Xi. But from what I've seen now, you have far exceeded my expectations!
"You are not as reckless as you appear. You are smart. Really smart. No wonder you can compete against the whole world with only the Dark Cloud Prairies!
"However, hehe, I don't need to explain or prove my identity to you at all. Had it not been for the benevolence of the heavens and my own lenience, I would've activated the Cloud Qin Gold Statue and killed all of you!"
"I don't believe in the benevolence of the heavens or that you are a man of lenience!" Han Baling was truly a tough man who was fearless of death. He was bold enough to sneer before a Colossus more than thirty meters tall. "You haven't killed us either because you can't or because you are trying to exploit us more!"
There was another moment of silence in the Colossus. Deity Raincloud seemed to have been choked by Han Baling. It was not until a long time later that he finally said, "Han Baling, if you choose not to go against me, it is not necessary for me to kill you. You, Qi Changsheng, and Wan Mingzhu are the same. You are all deeply connected with the deities' realm, too. If you can pass my test, I can also consider taking you to the deities' realm, where you will enjoy infinite benefits and opportunities!"
Han Baling was dazed for a moment after hearing the reply. He did not expect that 'Deity Raincloud' would be so friendly.
Before he figured out how he should respond, Emperor Phoenix had already jumped up and shouted in utmost astonishment. "Elder, Master! What—what did you say? Are you planning to pardon Han Baling, Qi Changsheng, Wan Mingzhu, and Wang Xi? That's not what we agreed upon in the beginning. Didn't you promise me that you would hand over the 'Four Rapscallions' to me, and I would be free to mince them into pieces and crush them into powder?"
The young emperor hated the 'Four Rapscallions' who had savaged the Great Qian Dynasty so much that he completely lost his calmness.
Deity Raincloud was silent for a moment before he casually said, "After you ascend to the deities' realm one day in the future, you will understand that everything in the mortal world is just a hallucination. If you are obsessed with meaningless hatred, your heart will be corrupted, and your level will stagnate forever. Why don't you just let it go?"
"I—I can't let it go!" Emperor Phoenix was almost crazy. He screamed while waving his arms and legs. "I don't care about my Cultivation! I don't want to ascend to the deities' realm! I only want to revive the Great Qian Dynasty! I just want to be the greatest emperor in all the dynasties that have been recorded! The greatest emperor of all time! I just want those evils who scourged the Great Qian Dynasty to be demolished! Elder, Master, you promised me that you would mince them into pieces. Each and every one of them!"
"You have gone mad, emperor!" Deity Raincloud's voice was full of agitation and dissatisfaction. A stream of spiritual waves that had been compressed to the minimum was generated in front of the black-skeleton-like Colossus like a thin, tiny bug and pierced toward Emperor Phoenix brutally!
Chapter 1496: Prisoner's Dilemma |
"Ahh!"
Despite the blockage of the crystal suit, the spiritual energy still disappeared into the center of Emperor Phoenix's eyebrow instantly.
The young emperor immediately began screaming in the most desperate way, as if his brain was exploding only to be stopped by the helmet on the crystal suit. He was apparently in excruciating pain!
Holding his head, he bent his body like a shrimp and was almost writhing on the ground because of the suffering.
The screams, each higher than the last, made all the locals of the Ancient Sages Sector in the area feel their heads were dizzy regardless of their stance!
Although Emperor Phoenix was the youngest one of the 'top ten experts of the Ancient Sages Sector', he had demonstrated unbelievable capabilities during the struggle for the throne in the Divine Capital the previous year. His Cultivation might not have been as high as Yan Liren's or Qi Zhongdao's, but the gap was not huge. They were approximately at the same level.
Even such an expert had failed to defend against Deity Raincloud's casual attack. Was it because Deity Raincloud's Cultivation was unimaginably high, or was it because he had planted a certain barrier in Emperor Phoenix's body in order to manipulate him as a puppet like Han Baling had said?
The latter appeared to be the more plausible possibility, because when Emperor Phoenix was cramping hard in excruciating pain, the imperial guards around him who should have been loyal to him were merely watching coldly. None of them gave him a hand!
Such a fact made Emperor Phoenix even more devastated. His twisted screams almost sounded like sobbing right now.
"Han Baling!"
Deity Raincloud did not look at the cramping Emperor Phoenix any longer. He shifted the enormous skull of the skeleton to Han Baling and the other rapscallions. The deep red crystal camera was gliding nonstop in the cross dent, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking about.
"Although I cannot bear to watch the Ancient Sages Sector mired in war, and I want to keep the Great Qian Dynasty stable forever, it doesn't mean that your Ghost Qin, Qi Changsheng's Heaven Battering Army, and Wan Mingzhu's White Lotus Cult must be eliminated!
"As long as you pledge loyalty to me obediently, I will certainly figure out a proper solution. I guarantee that all of your subordinates will receive tremendous benefits. As for the few of you, infinite opportunities will be waiting for you in the deities' realm, which will certain increase your Cultivation and allow you to sprint for the Divinity Transformation Stage!"
"Hehe!" Han Baling looked at Qi Changsheng and Wan Mingzhu and sniffed. He was wearing all kinds of expressions and did not give a reply.
"That goes for everybody here!"
Deity Raincloud turned the skeleton skull to Qi Zhongdao, Ba Xiaoyu, and the other experts of the six major sects behind the Three Saints. He declared thunderously, "It is meaningless to chew on my identity. The fact is obvious that I possess power that is beyond your imagination. I can manipulate the Cloud Qin Gold Statue, and I can offer you tremendous ultimate treasures from the deities' realm to guide you toward the Divinity Transformation Stage and help you embark on the path of immortality!
"Is it not enough to prove my identity and to convince you to pledge loyalty to me?
"I will give you one last opportunity. Kneel before me right now!
"There are dozens of Cloud Qin Gold Statues here, but no more than twenty of them are intact and functional!
"However… there are a hundred of you here!
"If every Cultivator is given one Cloud Qin Gold Statue, only twenty lucky dogs will be qualified to claim the primeval treasures that can dominate the world and the universe! Whoever kneels down first and pledges loyalty to me sincerely will be rewarded with a Cloud Qin Gold Statue. I will also teach you the corresponding usage and even the way to break into the Divinity Transformation Stage!"
Deity Raincloud's words were as shocking as thunder.
Fewer than twenty Cloud Qin Gold Statues!
Great secret arts to break into the Divinity Transformation Stage!
For the locals of the Ancient Sages Sector who were struggling and groping in darkness, the temptations were too alluring to resist.
With everything progressing so far, the shrewd elders and leaders of the six major sects had mostly realized that the mysterious person inside the black Cloud Qin Gold Statue was most likely not the senior expert Zhu Cangshui of the Thunderous Qian Hall. Otherwise, his answer would not have been so obscure and ambiguous.
But so what?
Deity Raincloud was not wrong. His identity was not important. What was important was that he had in his possession the powerful treasures from the deities' realm and that he was aware of the methods to manipulate the Cloud Qin Gold Statues.
Most importantly of all, there were only twenty Cloud Qin Gold Statues at most that could be allotted!
Twenty Cloud Qin Gold Statues for more than a hundred super experts who were all above the peak of the Core Formation Stage, and more people were hiding outside on the warship. Right. There were also the tricky people such as Wang Xi and Master Spiritual Vulture who had not shown up yet. Chances were that they had already been bought by Deity Raincloud and were lurking in the darkness, ready to launch a critical strike at any time!
It was a very simple arithmetic question, but it was also the most complicated conundrum.
"Don't be tricked!" Sensing the disinclination behind him, Qi Zhongdao grew anxious. "He is trying to divide us. Don't be fooled! United. We must remain united!"
"Exactly!" Han Baling also gnashed his teeth. "He is definitely not as powerful as he appears to be on the surface. If he was, he would've gone on a killing spree and suppressed everybody with brute force. Why would he bother wasting so much time talking to us?
"As long as we stick together, more than a hundred experts above the Core Formation Stage will certainly be enough to defeat a single Cloud Qin Gold Statue!"
The two of them echoed with each other, but the elders and leaders of the six major sects were not moved much.
"Stick together?"
"It's not so easy!"
"Yes. If more than a hundred experts above the Core Formation Stage are united and charge forward without considering the sacrifices, there might be a slim chance that we can crush Deity Raincloud."
"But who will lead the charge and be sacrificed first?"
"Besides, just because I don't surrender doesn't mean other people won't. As long as some twenty of the hundred people choose to surrender and cause trouble behind us, there is absolutely no way that we can compete with Deity Raincloud. By then, those who choose to resist will be crushed into smithereens by Deity Raincloud, and those who surrender in advance will probably be rewarded with a Cloud Qin Gold Statue and the secret arts to break into the Divinity Transformation Stage!"
