This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 355 - 353 Her Reason for Being
Gazing at the eight towering divine trees that reached a height of nearly one hundred and seventy meters when touching the ground, Wu Wang felt an indescribable wave of emotion.
The Young Master really knew how to play.
For instance, there was the wooden puppet exchange that had once caused Wu Wang considerable trouble. Then there was the Goddess’s blessing, capable of purifying the hatred within beings and transforming them into gods. And who could forget the effortless way the Young Master had healed Da Yi, a display that had made Wu Wang inwardly exclaim in admiration.
Just when Wu Wang thought the Young Master’s specialty was "healing magic," the Young Master had confidently jumped in front of him... and pulled out a "summoning magic" that was remarkably powerful.
The eight giant wood spirits, each nearly one hundred and seventy meters tall when still, were clearly not ordinary!
In Wu Wang’s direct perception, the strength of these eight giant wood spirits was incredibly formidable. Given enough space to maneuver, they could annihilate tens of thousands of Divine Guards by merely hurling giant stones.
Even without sensing the fluctuations within these giant wood spirits, just by seeing how they could nimbly lift their heavy tree trunk bodies out of and into the ground without the slightest sense of inconsistency, one could infer how terrifying their own strength was.
Before, Wu Wang might have been daydreaming. But now, Wu Wang was certain that the dozen or so minor gods nearby had probably already started preparing to flee with their statues overnight!
These giant trees, standing many kilometers apart and guarding the eight directions of his Divine Realm, could be considered ’self-propelled multi-caliber trebuchets.’ The entire area for hundreds of kilometers around was under the ’fire coverage’ of these eight behemoths.
What was this? This was the truth, my divine friends!
Wu Wang also discovered the fatal weakness of these giant wood spirits: their fear of fire.
However, the Dao of Fire from the Heaven Palace had been taken away by the Ancient Emperor of the Suiren Clan, and fire-class Divine Spirits were incredibly rare in the Heaven Palace.
Basically, they had no real weaknesses!
Da Yi, who had been awakened by the commotion, was also looking around in a daze, not fully recovered yet.
Wu Wang’s gaze rested on the Young Master with a complex mix of emotions, a whirlwind of thoughts coursing through him.
He felt he needed to reassess this Innate God who was usually simple and innocent... just how much potential she really had!
"What’s wrong?"
Seeing Wu Wang’s peculiar expression, she couldn’t help but laugh with pride, her lips curving into a slight smile.
"With them here, unless a large number of powerful Divine Generals come, or some Innate Gods take action themselves, your statues will be safe."
"No, it’s just that I find it somewhat ridiculous."
Wu Wang laughed and said, "You and your brother are quite a pair. One is not adept at strategy yet insists on plotting, while the other could become one of the strongest gods but is instead engrossed in these divine arts not meant for dueling. Don’t you know? The rise of beings is an unstoppable trend of the world. Your Great Dao is growing stronger, and you have a chance to reach the very top."
"Oh, and then?"
The Young Master twirled a strand of hair around her finger, hummed softly, and didn’t instantly know how to respond.
"And then..."
Wu Wang, also worried about speaking out of turn, added softly, "Don’t take it to heart. I’m just spouting some nonsense; you’re not wasting your Great Dao."
"Spouting nonsense?"
The Young Master caught on to this seldom-heard term in the Great Wilderness, her eyes questioning.
"It means something similar to teasing."
"Many have also warned me about the matter of divine arts."
The fresh night breeze gently blew as she looked up at the closer of the giant wood spirits, her bright eyes reflecting the sparse stars of the night sky shining upon them for the first time.
The Young Master laughed and said, "Most of the time, I don’t need to use the Divine Skills required for dueling others. I have plenty of means to protect myself, and I can sense in advance if someone with malicious intent approaches me."
She pursed her lips slightly and went on in a soft voice, "Moreover, I ultimately feel that the existence of a god is not for the sake of brawling bravery. Back in the second divine era, I actually already had consciousness, but I was just a mass of clouds, weak, and very close to my brother’s consciousness. Our presence at that time seemed to be a kind of omen, triggering speculation, unease, and even panic among many Divine Spirits. The strongest Divine King bound my brother and me within a crystal, calling us the unborn strongest gods. From that moment on, I began to observe this world. But initially, I could only feel a tiny area."
Wu Wang made a gesture of invitation.
They left behind a bewildered Da Yi, strolling on the stone base of Wu Wang’s statue accompanied by the night breeze.
Wu Wang also began to act as a qualified listener, listening intently to the Young Master’s detailed narrative.
The Young Master said, "Back then, they believed that the purpose of Divine Spirits was to guard the Great Daos that gave birth to us. But the Great Dao is formless and intangible. It embodies rules, definitions, and all the fundamental principles, unmoved by any will. Consequently, the Divine Spirits gradually fell into confusion, unsure why they were born or what the significance of their own existence was. At that time, many Divine Spirits chose to fade into silence. That’s how the cosmos is, coming from nothingness and eventually returning to nothingness."
Wu Wang muttered, "Not knowing why Divine Spirits were born?"
"Right," the Young Master, with hands behind her back, narrowed her eyes with a smile and continued in a gentle voice, "These consciousnesses, born from the depths of the Great Daos, could achieve all sorts of inconceivable Divine Skills by completely mastering and utilizing these Great Daos. A portion of the Divine Spirits gradually felt that they were superior to the Great Daos, superior to all beings, superior to all consciousnesses not born of the Great Daos. But what kind of existence had granted the possibility for the Great Dao to give birth to sentience? This problem troubled countless Divine Spirits and caused many to collapse."
Wu Wang laughed, "Were the ancient Divine Spirits all so fragile that they would collapse at the slightest thing?"
"Divine Spirits are different from living beings."
The Young Master spread out her palm, and within it, a shadow resembling a ’jellyfish’ appeared. She spoke softly, "This is what a Divine Spirit looks like at its birth, possessing only a simple consciousness, and then it gradually absorbs and grows amidst heaven and earth. But living beings are different. Living beings, as a whole, evolve from simple to complicated, but for individuals among living beings, they start absorbing the experiences of their elders from a young age and become complex individuals once they are grown. So in some aspects, Divine Spirits are not as advanced as living beings."
Wu Wang laughed, "If the gods of the Heaven Palace hear such remarks, you might be in for a lot of criticism."
"They wouldn’t care to listen."
The Young Master waved her bare hand, and a light green film appeared around them.
Clearly, she could also be very cautious at times.
She continued, "Even, you could understand that the nature of most Divine Spirits was influenced by the Innate Spirits, and that’s how they came to resemble the Innate Spirits. And the essence of a Divine Spirit is the contemplation of the rules themselves. The truly powerful amongst the Divine Spirits shaped the Innate Spirits and, indirectly, what the Divine Spirits look like now."
The truly powerful... Kunlun Ruins?
Wu Wang suddenly thought of the ’old as the hills’ ancient gods that remained in the Kunlun Ruins.
The Young Master and the Head Manager had risen to prominence during the fourth divine era, the last days of the Candle Dragon period. Wu Wang considered her understandings one-sided and limited. But, at the same time, her sincere insights still sparked many reflections in Wu Wang’s heart. The rarity lay in that word ’sincere’.
"Weren’t we just talking about the matter of dueling?"
The Young Master sighed, "Unknowingly, I’ve spoken a lot of bizarre things."
Wu Wang laughed, "How could the heartfelt reflections of a strong god from the Heaven Palace be called bizarre?"
"Hmm, as long as it’s not strange, that’s fine."
A trace of rosy blush appeared on her pretty face, resembling in Wu Wang’s memory the afterglow of the sunset that had just been at the horizon moments ago.
"Then could Young Master please explain, what do you think is the purpose of the existence of Divine Spirits?"
Wu Wang asked jokingly in all seriousness, "It’s not that I worry about you having an existential crisis, it’s just that it’s not easy to find a good friend in the Heaven Palace. I wouldn’t want you suddenly getting overwhelmed by such thoughts."
"I certainly won’t!"
The Young Master huffed lightly and walked a couple of steps forward, hands behind her back.
Wu Wang said, "Then you first answer, what do you think is the purpose of your existence?"
The Young Master carefully pondered over this, her eyes filled with a hint of expectation and her lips slightly curved in satisfaction. Her voice was as calm as a mountain stream, nourishing Wu Wang’s heart as she gently spoke.
"My existence is to bring joyous blessings to all creatures."
Wu Wang couldn’t help but pause, glancing sideways at the Young Master.
She, however, clenched her little fists, making an encouraging gesture, and fiercely exclaimed, "Let everyone have more children!"
"Eh... this..."
Wu Wang felt as if he was choked up.
Give back that moment of being moved!
「A few more days passed.」
Before support from the Northern Wilderness arrived, Wu Wang had intended to let Da Yi stay in the Young Master’s Divine Realm for a while. But Da Yi insisted on staying by Wu Wang’s statue.
"My lord, your statue cannot be neglected. Even if we only have a few followers in the future, the daily offerings must not be missed!"
Upon hearing this, Wu Wang didn’t insist further. Beside the meticulously crafted Treasure Toilet, he built a small wooden hut for Da Yi, and then returned to the Heaven Palace with the Young Master.
The team of Divine Guards finally breathed a sigh of relief. After Wu Wang arrived at his own Temple, the Tiger-headed Commander paid his respects to Wu Wang and quickly left with his subordinates.
The relieved expression on the Tiger-headed Commander made Wu Wang want to laugh.
The Divine Guards hadn’t gone far when Wu Wang and the Young Master’s laughter caught up from behind...
"This team of Divine Guards isn’t bad. I’ll go ask Lady Xihe later to see if I can have them assigned to serve me."
"I think they’re under my brother’s command, though they could also be managed by the Earth God."
The Young Master said rather seriously, and Wu Wang winked at her.
It was only a joke.
Those Divine Guards deliberately avoided him, and Wu Wang naturally wouldn’t force them to stay and serve by his side.
Today turned out to be rather busy, and Wu Wang had a few more things to ponder.
He was somewhat suspicious about Da Yi’s sudden appearance.
After direct contact with Zhong Zheng, Wu Wang subconsciously took all coincidences as if some force was interfering behind the scenes, although many times, these were just simple coincidences.
The Temple was bathed in a soft glow, making it as clear as day.
Wu Wang walked past the still-empty walls, planning a series of developments for his Divine Realm while setting some targets for himself.
To enact a plan to undermine other factions, the Emperor’s City was a good entry point. The Emperor’s City was located outside the Heaven Palace yet intricately connected with the gods within. It was a place that the Divine Spirits seldom watched over unless necessary, offering a natural setting for an ’underground organization.’
The alliance with the Mirror God also gave Wu Wang a line of thought. For example, creating a gods’ pact for the Emperor’s City, forming substantial ties with many Innate Gods.
The matters of power and scheming are often complex yet simple. Complex because people’s hearts are unpredictable, simple because at its core—it’s nothing but deception from top to bottom.
To join the power game of the Heaven Palace, one must first gain power in the Heaven Palace.
Wu Wang thought to himself as he fumbled in his sleeves, drawing out two Treasure Sacks from which he took out several scrolls. These were all artworks by ’Sanxian Daoist’—the kind displayed in Old Snow Eagle’s shop.
Soon, all four walls were adorned with elegant and suggestively risqué paintings of beauties, filling the entire Temple with a rich artistic atmosphere.
Wu Wang wasn’t indulging in any bad taste.
As all authority in the Heaven Palace was concentrated in the hands of Emperor Shun, obtaining power meant winning Emperor Shun’s favor. And his only connection with Emperor Shun rested on the lingering sentiments of Senior Sanxian.
After hanging these paintings, Wu Wang arranged a layer of drapes outside, making the place look much more dignified and adding an obscured beauty to the setting.
Satisfied, Wu Wang soon returned to sit behind the low table, taking out a bottle of twenty-year Northern Wilderness joyful water, adding a few ice cubes, and began to write earnestly.
A good memory is not as reliable as a worn writing brush.
Wu Wang organized all his thoughts on developing the Divine Realm and planned to display them openly later. This was mainly for Emperor Shun to see.
Wu Wang was fully committed to developing his Divine Realm and enhancing his influence. This was not only to gain access to the Innate Gods but also to reassure Emperor Shun of his trustworthiness, thereby reducing the perceived threat he posed in the Emperor’s heart.
He was planning every move with foresight and strategy.
With Yun Zhongjun, his older brother, not around, Wu Wang also took the opportunity to exercise his near-rusty brain.
Sometimes he felt that he was far too dependent on Yun Zhongjun.
Several more days passed.
The news that Wu Wang intended to operate a Divine Realm in Emperor’s City had spread throughout the Heaven Palace.
The multitude of minor gods whose Divine Realms bordered Wu Wang’s were now unable to sit still or sleep soundly, as they furtively went to Emperor’s City to reconnoiter.
Before long, the Heaven Palace was abuzz with rumors.
A few minor gods were summoned to the temple of a confidant of the Head Manager. Several other minor gods had begun scouting the northern area of Emperor’s City for suitable territories and had already filed requests with the Heaven Palace to relocate their Divine Realms.
The masters of half of the Divine Realms bordering Wu Wang’s and in proximity chose to wait and see, painfully squeezing out a bit of Divine Power to cultivate a few low-ranking Divine Generals.
Wu Wang, for his part, was not particularly concerned about these developments and began wandering idly within the Heaven Palace, confining his activities to within a five-hundred-kilometer radius of the Palace.
As the sun rose and set, it soon came time for Wu Wang to visit the Hall of Death and nourish the God of Death.
The words of the Young Master on that day had given Wu Wang much to ponder.
He flew onto that desolate floating land and landed before the Death Temple. Probing with his Immortal Consciousness, he entered with a calm expression, traversed the dark corridor that stretched dozens of meters, and sat cross-legged at its exit.
Innate Gods originally possess only very simple thought processes.
Wu Wang stared at the stone coffin.
If the God of Death before him was the same one that had appeared during his three retrospections, it should have developed its own thoughts and ideas by now. But if the God of Death had already been remolded anew... then was the God of Death he was facing now but a blank slate?
His eyes blazed with brightness!
He had been pondering this question for the past few days and had carefully reflected on his previous experience. Today, he had decided to make a big move!
Calling upon his Divine Power, Wu Wang’s eyes took on an ink-green tinge as a vibrant essence surged in his palms.
The weak Divine Spirit in the coffin seemed to sense something as the fluctuations of the Great Dao began to intensify, yearning and waiting.
This time, Wu Wang did not disappoint it.
Pressing his hands forward, a circle of Treasure Wheels appeared around the seated Wu Wang, and a phantom image of a Staff emerged behind him—his scepter of Divine Power.
"Spring after the Withering."
A mighty surge of Divine Power flowed out; this was seventy percent of the limit of his Feng Chun divine art as the God of Spring!
He couldn’t possibly reveal everything.
In the next instant, the mysterious rhythm of the Great Dao enveloped the stone coffin, and gray-black ripples immediately emanated from within it. Layer upon layer, circle after circle, it seemed as if the cries of myriad spirits resided within those ripples.
A chill crept up from the soles of Wu Wang’s feet, shooting straight to his forehead.
Wu Wang rose to his feet, ready to withdraw quickly if necessary.
Would he be facing a developed Innate God! Or merely a blank slate! The answer was about to be revealed...
"KEKEKE!"
Suddenly, a gap opened in the stone coffin, and a spine-chilling, eerie laughter echoed from within, as streams of black qi burst forth from the crevice.
In Wu Wang’s eyes, a ghastly reflection appeared: mountains of corpses and seas of skeletons, along with the figure cloaked in a colorful cape standing atop a mound of bones!
In that fleeting moment, before Wu Wang had even made a decision, his body lunged forward!
His face twisted fiercely as he pushed the black qi back into the gap, grabbed the lid of the coffin, and pulled out six short swords from his sleeve—weapons of the Human Emperor produced by the Heavenly Craft Pavilion—and used them to nail shut the edges of the coffin lid like long spikes.
"What a pity indeed," Wu Wang said, shaking his head and clicking his tongue in mild frustration.
Brushing off his hands, Wu Wang leaped to the entrance of the corridor and, with a farewell, slowly faded into the darkness.
"Until next time, God of Death."
The stone coffin fell silent for a while before it suddenly began shaking violently.
When the lid of the coffin was blown off, and smoke billowed from the volcano beneath the Death Temple, Wu Wang had already appeared one hundred and fifty kilometers away, quietly slipping back to his own temple, surrounded by the rhythm of the Yin and Yang Path.
Ah, as if nothing had happened.
