Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As a matter of fact, the Crane Deity had another son who was very talented. Sadly, he had perished during an outing one day, and the cause of his death was still unknown.
He Ruchu was the only one who knew that the killers were his younger sister and older brother. Because of that, even though the Crane Deity knew they were the culprits, he did not look into the matter seriously. Therefore, it had ended up an unsolved mystery.
Thus, He Ruchu kept his forbearance and played the fool, all the while concealing his cultivation for the sake of survival.
Now that Su Yu had appeared, he finally got an opportunity to prove himself.
He Xianran was in utter shock. The good-for-nothing member of the Crane Deity’s family was, in fact, the one with the most outstanding talent of all. She fixed her gaze on Su Yu. “You knew early on that my second brother has been hiding his powerful cultivation?”
Su Yu nodded. “Yes, I knew it when he sent me the note the other day. From the fact that he could stealthily pass me the note without alerting the four Peak Mortal Fairy guards, I knew that your second brother is one of the hidden powerful individuals of the era! I’m afraid that among the Peak Mortal Fairies, hardly any of them can rival him!”
“It’s too bad. He is the heir to the Crane Deity’s family that should receive the most support and guidance.”
He Xianran had failed in plotting against Su Yu and had been set up by Su Yu instead.
Su Yu would never forgive her now!
Her gaze flickered, and He Xianran said, “Second brother, the fight for the divine throne is a matter between you and me. Why did you help Su Yu? Kill him, and there’ll only be the two of us left!”
However, He Ruchu did not budge an inch. He only sneered. “It’s very simple! Su Yu laid plans for me early on to assist me in becoming the Crane Deity of the new generation! That’s why I helped him!”
“What a joke! What right does he have to assist you in becoming the Crane Deity?” He Xianran laughed coldly.
Su Yu did not speak but released the Nine Jade Spiritual Pearl. A whiff of deity’s scent came out. At the same time, the elegant voice of a “demure” Goddess sounded. “I can vouch for him. How about that?”
As she sensed the scent, He Xianran drew in a sharp cold breath. “Deity! You have a deity by your side all this while!!”
No wonder He Ruchu trusted him. With a living deity by their side, everything was possible.
“Having lost the deity, the Crane Deity’s family will fall apart sooner or later, but with Su Yu and the Lord deity holding the fort, I believe the evildoers will not dare to disturb us. If I have enough time, what is so difficult about becoming a deity?” He Ruchu was very confident.
He Xianran was unwilling to accept it. She went on to sow dissension among them. “What a fool you are! If it happens, won’t you become a puppet and be controlled by Su Yu? And there’s no guarantee that he won’t go back on his own word and kill you afterward!”
Indifferently, He Ruchu said, “So what about being a puppet? He needs to rely upon the Crane Deity’s family, and I need to slowly rise as a deity with his power. Even if I become a deity, I can’t pose a threat to him either. There’ll be benefits for either side if we collaborate, and there is neither conflict nor discord.”
In just a few words, he had clearly elucidated the beneficial relationship between the two parties. His thinking was indeed clever.
Looking at his sister, He Ruchu stuck out a finger and pressed it on her forehead. Placidly, he said, “You said something to Father just now which was absolutely right: do not make an enemy of Su Yu! Initially, you were the one he wanted to assist, but you were too ambitious, thus the opportunity has fallen upon me instead!”
“Put your mind at ease and go, my sister. In your next life, do not overestimate your intelligence!”
Pow!
A whiff of Mortal Fairy’s Strength penetrated He Xianran’s body and soul, killing her instantly.
He Ruchu grabbed the Soul Refining Furnace and asked with complicated emotions, “Father, do you have anything to say? You have seen what happened out here, haven’t you?”
Inside the Soul Refining Furnace, the Crane Deity’s miserable laughter sounded after a long while. “What are you talking about? I was betrayed by the daughter whom I loved the most, and the son whom I despised the most turned out to be so outstanding. I was as blind as a bat before. What more can I say?”
Now that things had turned out this way, no one would let go of the Crane Deity.
“Ruchu, start the Soul Refining Furnace. All that has been mine will be yours soon. I hope you become a deity. The Crane Deity’s family will be left in your hands now.”
When one was nearing the end of their lives, their words turned kind.
However, He Ruchu shook his head. “An inherited divine throne is too weak, even if I become a deity. My capacity will be far lower than the independent deities. Your ranking among the hundred deities is at the lower end. If I inherit your divine position, my capacity will be even weaker and that is not what I want! I will walk my own Divine Path!”
The Crane Deity was flabbergasted. He had never expected the son whom he never loved would have such an aspiration. He wanted to become an independent deity!
How many of the hundred deities of the present era were actually independent deities? Most of them had inherited the divine positions of their ancestors.
“Haha, my son is so ambitious! I can die with no regrets now!” the Crane Deity sighed with gladness.
After a moment of silence, the Crane Deity looked over at Su Yu, and asked, “Will you assist my son wholeheartedly? Will you be faithful to him?”
Having lost his divine position, the Crane Deity’s family was on the verge of crumbling. Only Su Yu and the deity behind him could protect the Crane Deity’s family, and he was beseeching Su Yu now.
“How would I benefit from being unfaithful? Do you think a human like me could take over the Crane Deity’s family of your devil race? Even if you agree to it, will your people agree too? Will the many creatures of the cavern world agree? I will leave the Crane Deity’s family sooner or later.”
Upon hearing that, the Crane Deity fell silent. It was true that, as a human, Su Yu couldn’t possibly seize control of the Crane Deity’s family.
In that case, what should he do to ensure that Su Yu could assist his only capable son He Ruchu without worries?
After a moment of brooding, the Crane Deity spoke with a tenacious voice, as if he had decided on something. “Fine, then I’ll give you a hand!”
All of a sudden, an extremely powerful consciousness was unleashed from the Soul Refining Furnace. That was a deity’s consciousness.
Not even the Soul Refining Furnace could possibly hold it back!
The consciousness gushed out from the Crane Deity’s dwelling and arrived at the Crane Deity’s cavern world.
All creatures that belonged to the Crane Deity’s cavern world shuddered uncontrollably under the influence of the consciousness and worshiped with reverence and deep sorrow in their hearts.
The skies and the lands, the rivers and the mountains, all emanated the ambiance of grief as they looked up at the desolate heavens.
“Before my demise, I hereby declare the following: firstly, my second son He Ruchu will inherit the position of the Crane Deity’s Family Master and all of my people shall assist him! Secondly, Su Yu will act as regent to the cavern world and will rule this place on my behalf!”
“From the petty insects in the dust to the descendants of deities, all of you should obey his commands! I hereby endow him with the divine title… Feather Deity! These are my last words. Whoever disobeys them will be cursed by the spirits of deities and will suffer a disastrous fate!”
In an instant, the consciousness dissipated into a trillion fragments, disappearing into the bodies of all the creatures.
Imperceptibly, there seemed to be an intangible shackle on them. Once defied, they would suffer a reverse attack.
Having sensed the last words, the Jing Deity was inwardly stunned. “Is the Crane Deity mad? Why did he give Su Yu the power to manage the cavern world and become a substitute deity?”
Putting aside the Crane Deity’s hatred for Su Yu, handing over the entire cavern world to an outsider itself was an inappropriate decision!
But the Jing Deity did not stop him. If the cavern world had fallen into the hands of one of his own, it wasn’t a bad thing after all.
The creatures of the cavern world paid their respects all at once, showing their obedience to the deity’s will.
Even in the Crane Deity’s family, many strong men bent to show their reverence despite the great shock. They did not dare defy his words.
At this point, Su Yu had become a true, actual deity of the Crane Deity’s cavern world!
The Feather Deity!!
Su Yu remained on his spot. Despite his placid look, there were huge waves rising deep inside him. After staring at the Soul Refining Furnace for a long time, Su Yu heaved a deep sigh. “The Crane Deity is bold!”
With the Crane Deity’s will, could Su Yu’s task be as simple as just assisting He Ruchu? He had been made the substitute deity, which was equivalent to putting the entire cavern world into Su Yu’s hands.
The Crane Deity had given much thought before making that decision. In the present, Su Yu and the deity behind him were the only ones who could protect the Crane Deity’s cavern world. Hence, he had to give Su Yu a prerogative, which also served as a binding contract.
In the future, if the Crane Deity’s cavern world ever faced a difficult situation, could the Feather Deity keep himself out of the problems as the substitute deity?
The answer was, he couldn’t!
Su Yu had received a great honor but had also been entrusted with the corresponding responsibility. The enemies of the Crane Deity’s family must regard Su Yu as the thorn in their flesh now. All these enemies had been transferred to Su Yu.
Whether he was gaining or losing was something rather indefinite.
“Alright, my help to you has to end here. Start the Soul Refining Furnace now, and you can use the soul liquid refined from it to create an expert. Although those not in my bloodline stand little chance of becoming deities with it, it can be very useful for becoming a Peak Mortal Fairy in the future.”
However, the Crane Deity was surprised when Su Yu asked, “Why should I kill you?”
“You want to let me go?” The Crane Deity was stunned.
Su Yu shook his head. “No.”
A divine soul was far too powerful for Su Yu to manipulate.
“You can live, in another form.”
“Which form?”
“Artifact spirit!”
The Crane Deity fell silent. Steadfastly, he replied, “Forgive me for not being able to agree to it. I’d rather be dead than be an artifact spirit with my freedom deprived for the rest of my life.”
“Wait till my capacity rises to a level where you have no influence over me. I will let you live,” Su Yu said.
The Crane Deity shook his head. “Haha… I was a deity after all. If I end up being an artifact spirit, how embarrassing would it be?”
“I’m talking about an Emperor-based Saint Artifact,” Su Yu said dispassionately.
The Crane Deity was startled. Shocked, he asked, “You actually have a synthetic Emperor-based Saint Artifact? In the past, there really had been deities’ souls that willingly became the spirits to synthetic Emperor-based Saint Artifacts.”
“They were hoping that one day if the synthetic artifact was upgraded to a true Emperor-based Saint Artifact, their divine souls would receive nourishment and rise as deities of higher levels. However, for a synthetic artifact to become a true one, haih…”
“I meant it literally,” Su Yu said with indifference.
The Crane Deity was taken aback, he asked, “You’re talking about a true Emperor-based Saint Artifact?”
“What do you think?” Su Yu asked in response.
He Ruchu glanced at the two of them and left the scene knowingly. He did not think staying behind to look at Su Yu’s Emperor-based Saint Artifact was a good idea.
However, discovering that Su Yu owned an Emperor-based Saint Artifact still gave He Ruchu a great shock.
In the alliance of the hundred deities, only ten of them owned Emperor-based Saint Artifacts!
Swish!
Starlight circulated on Su Yu’s right palm, emitting the magnificent brilliance of the galaxies.
Buzz…buzz…buzz…
The Soul Refining Furnace began vibrating vigorously, and the anxious and terrified voice of the Crane Deity sounded from within, “Emperor-based Saint Artifact, the Milky Way Star Sand!! The 21st-ranking Emperor-based Saint Artifact!”
“You’re right; so, do you want to be the artifact spirit…”
“I do! Let me do it!” Before the Crane Deity could answer, the agitated voice of the Tree Goddess sounded from the Nine Jade Spiritual Pearl, “I can warm your bed, and I can bear your children. Please let me be the artifact spirit!”
Su Yu’s lips twitched. “Get lost!”
“I am a Goddess! Doesn’t it satisfy your dominance as a man if you get me to warm your bed and bear your children?”
“Do you feel proud of the services of the head of bandits?”
Su Yu certainly did not think the Tree Goddess truly wanted to be an artifact spirit. Only the divine souls who had lost their divine positions would choose to become artifact spirits.
Nonetheless, they usually only chose top-grade fairy artifacts. Those with better luck could perhaps end up with Emperor-based Saint Artifacts.
