Chapter 996: The Old Man Underneath the Tree

Su Ping felt that their imprisonment was dispelled with the sigh. Right when he could see things again, he found that the divine palace was gone, and so was the Blue Cloud Deity Queen. There was only a green old tree full of vitality; there was green light on the leaves, which flowed like water and refreshed his eyes.

An old man was sitting underneath the tree, with a board in front of him; there was a purple toad on the stool facing the elder. They seemed to be playing a game.

“Where are we?”

Green Lady opened her eyes again. She looked around and found that she was no longer in the palace, which left her shocked and suspicious. She didn’t know all of the Deity Kings’ methods, but it was obvious that the old man was the Blue Cloud Deity Queen in disguise. She couldn’t even see through the mysterious aura enshrouding that senior.

“She has forgiven you. Do not cause trouble again.”

The old man stopped laying down the pieces. He turned around to look at Su Ping and Green Lady with gentle eyes. He said softly, “How did you learn about the war that you mentioned earlier?”

Green Lady asked in shock, “Who are you?”

“Humph. Ignorant junior. Are you still not thanking Master for saving your life?” said the toad with a snort, but its voice was that of a young girl; its cheeks puffed out as it talked.

Recalling the recent interactions, Su Ping realized that the old man had been their rescuer. He felt puzzled. Since they were freed from a Deity King, this old man was very likely one himself. He immediately asked Green Lady via telepathy, “Who is this Deity King? Do you know him?”

Green Lady shook her head. “I saw all of the Deity Kings in the past, but not this one. He must have risen afterwards.”

“Senior, do you know about the war that took place years ago?”

“The war that took place years ago?”

The old man was clearly surprised by Green Lady’s choice of words. He looked at her carefully and then examined Su Ping. No one could tell what was on his mind; he only asked after some time had passed, “You come from other places, don’t you?”

Green Lady gritted her teeth and said, “Yes, but I was born here.”

“The Twilight Deity King was loyal and friendly. I didn’t know he had treated a pill this nicely…” the old man mumbled and then shook his head. “Since you don’t belong here, it’s best if you don’t stay here too long. You will find the answer to your question in due time. The Blue Cloud Deity Queen is not a hypocrite. Don’t be rude to her.”

Once he heard the old man defend the Deity Queen, the Green Lady said with a contorted expression, “I only want to know the truth about what happened.”

The old man gave a slight shake of his head. “The truth you seek is pointless. What happened has already happened. If you really want to do something, live a good life.”

“I…”

It was obviously something that Green Lady couldn’t accept. But the old man had stopped her in a way that couldn’t be refused. She would not dare disobey, even though she was furious.

“Your strength is rather special. It seems to be from another cultivation system,” the old man fixed his eyes upon Su Ping and said, “I’ve thought of strengthening ourselves with the power of beasts; I didn’t know there really was a world where people cultivated in such a way…”

Su Ping was dazed, and felt slightly cold. It was horrifying to find that the old man had seen through him that easily.

Was that the perception of the Celestial State?

“Unfortunately, your energy isn’t as powerful as deity aura. There’s also divine power in your body. It’s a power from ancient times, but you only stored it; it hasn’t been absorbed yet. Maybe the way to make use of it has already been lost. It’s not unusual that you wouldn’t know how to absorb it…” The old man suddenly raised one of his fingers.

Light gathered in one of his fingertips, increasing in brilliance as if billions of glittering needles were being compressed, until the light condensed into a single point, which looked like a revolving Eight Diagram.

“This is the origin of deity aura. It can transform the strength in your body into deity aura. There’s also a little something from me in it. I hope you can grasp it well.”

The Eight Diagram darted forward as the man spoke, entering the center of Su Ping’s eyebrows and quickly disappearing.

Su Ping immediately detected a very special power appearing in his body. The power was dispersed in his two astral oceans. Then, he felt that his two repositories were attracted to each other, as if about to merge.

“Young man, cultivate well. I hope you can let the Realm of Deities return someday. I will keep on fighting until the day comes,” the old man said softly with a smile.

Both Su Ping and Green Lady were stunned; they were completely baffled by what the old man had said. However, the old man gradually vanished into the fog that emerged around them before they had a chance to speak. The tree and the old man were nowhere to be seen once the fog dispersed.

…

“Master, you offered your legacy to a human kid that easily? That’s too reckless.”

The green tree stood between the sky and the earth, while the old man and the purple toad continued playing the game. The toad spoke in a pleasant girl’s voice; the black bell on its neck made it look rather cute.

“I couldn’t see the past of that human; an emperor-level being must have blocked it. His energy and cultivation system aren’t like anything we know. Just consider it as a favor and a gift for the future war.” The old man lowered his head with a vague smile.

The purple toad winked and said, “Why do they know about the war? That pill asked the Blue Cloud Deity Queen why she was still alive. But she doesn’t know that the Blue Cloud Deity Queen dies in the most miserable way. She fights until she sheds the last drop of her blood. She’s not even able to enter the Chaotic Realm of the Undead, forever imprisoned in that war, wandering in the void.”

“All the Deity Kings have tried. So have I…” The old man heaved a sigh with glittering eyes.

…

“Where are we?”

Su Ping looked around and noticed a dense demonic aura. They seemed to be in the middle of a desolate plain; they occasionally saw steaming swamps and forests.

Su Ping remembered what the old man had said, and quickly began to examine himself. He soon noticed two vortices in his astral oceans, attracting each other and absorbing astral power. Astral power entered from one side of each vortex, to be transformed into deity aura which was spewed on the other side!

Yes, authentic deity aura!

Su Ping was shocked, as the two vortices were like deity aura transformers, continuously converting his astral power.

Is he transforming me into a deity? I don’t need to adopt another cultivation system, or ascend to higher levels. He gave me a chance to become a deity with a mere finger… Su Ping was shocked. The old man was so terrifying that he was unsure whether he was a Deity King or a Deity Emperor.

Su Ping thought of something and asked Green Lady, “Did you ever meet Deity Emperor Luofu?”

Green Lady was still overwhelmed because of all that had happened. She snapped out of her brooding to nod and say, “Yes. I witnessed Deity Emperor Luofu’s feats when he fought in the war. Are you thinking that the senior we just saw was him? But Deity Emperor Luofu was young and vigorous, not a dying old man…”

She suddenly paused.

“What’s the matter?”

Green Lady had a suspicious expression. Not just Deity Emperors, even Golden Deities were able to easily change their appearances and aura. The old man had easily rescued them from the infuriated Blue Cloud Deity Queen. Is he really that emperor?

But the emperor has already fallen…

The Green Lady felt at a loss.

Su Ping stopped asking, since he saw how dazed she was. He continued with his careful examination, evaluating the changes in his body. Apart from the continuous conversion of astral power, Su Ping felt that something was flowing into his head as his consciousness sank into the vortices; they were several secret techniques and a cultivation art!

Su Ping was shocked after reading the cultivation art, as it could turn a mortal into a Deity King!

Mystic Shining Wheel Sutra!

Su Ping recited the art’s name to himself, becoming even more curious about the old man’s identity. He was almost certain that the old man was a Deity Emperor.

He gave me such a valuable cultivation art and helped me with deity aura conversion. He clearly wants to train me, but we’ve never met before. Why did he invest so much in me? Su Ping was confused.

He wasn’t suspecting the nature of the techniques, as the old man could have easily killed him without using any schemes.

Su Ping thought for a moment and decided to pass the secret techniques to Green Lady.

She was a pill, but she could also become a Deity King. The cultivation art truly shocked her, since it would help her rise further. Still, the old man had given it away without any hesitation. He had to be a Deity Emperor!

Green Lady eventually shook her head, not planning to practice the art. “My cultivation is pointless. You may eat me when you’re about to become a Deity King. I can increase your odds of breaking through.”

Su Ping was stunned. He felt helpless as he said, “Who said anything about eating you? If I want to become a king, I’ll count on myself instead of eating my employee.”

Green Lady’s eyes glittered. She looked at Su Ping as she thought, then replied, “I know you’re very gifted, but when you reach the final bottleneck, you’ll know that talent doesn’t mean much. It takes an opportunity to become a Deity King. I’ll be your opportunity.”

Su Ping knew it was difficult to reach the Ascendant State, even more so when it came to the Celestial State, but he never thought of breaking through by swallowing Green Lady. In any case, those levels were still too far away. He shook his head and said, “Maybe later. Just practice the technique when you have time. Even if you want to be eaten by me, maybe your effect will be better after you practice the techniques, don’t you think?”

Green Lady rolled her eyes, speechless and dazed. However, she didn’t think that Su Ping meant it, given how bluntly he had said it. She simply heaved a sigh, choosing not to decline again.

“He won’t let us meet the Deity Queen anymore. Is there anything else you want to do?” asked Su Ping.

Green Lady narrowed her eyes and looked around. “I want to take a look at this place.”