Chapter 0, Section 31: Lu Changli’s Wish
“Fanyin pays respects to my Lord!”
At that moment, Lu Changli strode forward, bowing respectfully.
Qin Gou waved his hand, signaling Ren Ci to step aside. After all, she was the treasure the entire Ren Clan doted on, and a bit too childish. He couldn’t really let her feel wronged.
“You are Fanyin. It seems that among the young ones I was familiar with back then, only Arid Prison remains?”
As he spoke, Qin Gou took a step forward, revealing himself from the miasma.
But as Lu Changli’s gaze fixed upon him with awe and reverence, he saw someone who absolutely should not have been there.
“Lord Qiushui, you…”
Yan Suoyun immediately reprimanded him sternly, “Fanyin, how dare you be so rude!”
Upon hearing Lu Changli’s address, Qin Gou naturally understood that he was influenced by the Demon Ancestor’s Dharma Aspect. However, this so-called ‘Lord Qiushui’ was likely Lu Qiushui, Lu Zhili’s ancestor, whom Kong Yatou had mentioned.
Therefore, if Lu Changli’s ‘Lord Qiushui’ was once a genuine fear or deep gratitude, but after Lu Qiushui’s death, he unhesitatingly used his descendant Lu Zhili as a bargaining chip, then Lu Changli was truly a scoundrel to the core.
Or perhaps, in this guy’s mind, which could hardly be comprehended by human logic, forcing his own junior to marry into another family was not an act of resentment but a happy occasion for all! What was the integrity of a junior worth? Making full use of the transmigration talent of the Wind and Snow Returnee clan, striving to climb the social ladder, was what truly mattered.
He wondered if he could be so decisive when dealing with himself.
“Idiot, even if you haven’t truly met the Demon God, you should know from legends and ancient texts… one must not gaze directly at a true god. We can hardly perceive the holy visage and can only visualize an image in our hearts.” Yan Suoyun sighed, scolding him for not living up to his potential.
Hearing this, Lu Changli suddenly recalled various records and, filled with panicked shame, prostrated himself on the ground, saying, “It is this subordinate’s reckless ignorance. Please forgive me, my Lord!”
“Let this not happen again.”
All of this was, of course, a play they had devised beforehand. The goal was to create an overlap between Qin Gou’s current actions and the widely rumored deeds of the Demon God, as well as the consistent impression of him formed by the Demon Lords through their readings, thus solidifying his reputation.
After all, most people only believe, or are more easily persuaded to believe, what they want to believe. Qin Gou, who had always felt that his infamous reputation did not match his true self, was deeply aware of this and easily applied it now.
“Fanyin is of the Wind and Snow Returnee clan?” Qin Gou asked indifferently, as if devoid of emotion. “Does your Wind and Snow Returnee clan truly worship this venerable self from the bottom of your hearts?”
This question, especially the phrase “from the bottom of your hearts,” struck Lu Changli’s weak point.
Facing the ‘true ruler of the abyss’ before him, Lu Changli dared not lie. He quickly explained, “My Lord, please see clearly! The Wind and Snow Returnee clan did indeed have a traitorous scoundrel once. She tried her best to prevent our clan from worshipping you, but even then, our elders fully preserved the incense offering. Now that the traitor is dead, the entire clan is loyal to my Lord!”
“Traitorous scoundrel? You mean ‘Lu Ruchu,’ don’t you? The life-saving means of your Wind and Snow Returnee clan are indeed not weak,” Qin Gou exclaimed.
Lu Changli bowed respectfully again. Not many people knew the name ‘Lu Ruchu’ anymore. But back then, that ancestor Ruchu was indeed active in the era when the Abyssal Divine Bridge was intact.
However, Lu Changli’s interpretation of these words was that Lu Ruchu’s life-saving methods were powerful, allowing her to survive that era. But what Old Qin was truly conveying was that Ruchu girl had long since reincarnated and hadn’t truly died. Just wait and see, kid.
“However, which image of this venerable self does your Wind and Snow Returnee clan worship? The nine-armed, one-eyed, bull-headed figure in red robes…”
“It is the sacred image of the one-eyed bull-head!”
Qin Gou nodded slightly, his ultimate motive revealing itself. With a wave of his hand, a small, humanoid statue floated in front of Lu Changli.
“The appearance of the one-eyed bull-head, while indeed one of the great powers this venerable self once displayed in the abyss, is insufficient to gather enough power of faith. In the past, this venerable self would not have cared about such trivialities. But now, this power of faith can also accelerate the recovery of the divine bridge. It is best to make full use of it.”
Qin Gou pointed at the humanoid statue and said, “From now on, the entire Wind and Snow Returnee clan shall change their statues and worship this sacred image!”
If any Demon Lord from Qin Gou’s original world saw this, they would immediately recognize that this blood-robed, sword-wielding sacred statue, whose appearance was unclear, belonged to the tenth Pillar, the Zhenyu Demon Lord.
The faintly visible images of various abyssal races on the dark patterns of his robes, in Lu Changli’s eyes at this moment, represented the Demon God’s ever-changing nature, which was quite perfect and lifelike! In reality, however, it alluded to the fact that Demon Lord Zhenyu’s origins were also from the Faceless Hermit clan, whose forms could endlessly change.
At this moment, as Lu Changli was about to take the statue with both hands, a figure suddenly appeared beside him.
“The Ren Clan is also willing to change its sacred image for my Lord and share the burden for you!” Ren Ci said, looking intently at the small statue with burning eyes.
“Jia Ren, you…” Lu Changli’s gaze sharpened. The Wind and Snow Returnee clan and the Ren Clan had conflicts. He hated and feared Ren Ci, knowing that she always disliked him.
“Very good, the more the merrier in this matter.” With that, Qin Gou flicked his finger, and the small statue split into several copies as if it had cloned itself.
Ren Ci was the first to take several, and Lu Changli, not to be outdone, took all the remaining ones. He was determined to quickly notify his clan and even share them with a few Demon Lords he was friendly with immediately, vowing to compete with Jia Ren.
If he couldn’t match her in cultivation and also lost utterly in serving the Demon God, Jia Ren would surely become even more arrogant.
“Hmph.”
Seeing this, Ren Ci, as pre-arranged, cast a displeased glance at Lu Changli. This made Lu Changli, who was fully invested in the act, feel that ‘the more enemies are angry, the more correct I am,’ and he laughed heartily in his heart.
“Fanyin, Arid Prison must have told you that whenever a new Demon Lord appears, this venerable self will allow them to make one wish. No matter how generous the reward, as long as you serve sincerely, this venerable self will personally fulfill it one day.”
From Yan Suoyun, Qin Gou had learned in detail the exquisite skill of the Demon God in making promises and drawing empty pictures. Now, appearing as himself, and wanting Lu Changli to do his best, Old Qin naturally wouldn’t be stingy with a few empty promises.
“My wish?”
After a pause, Lu Changli said, “My greatest wish is to request the Demon God to perform a ritual for me. If by chance I perish one day, I can, through my clan’s transmigration talent, accurately be reborn into a powerful clan! Instead of, like some of our past strong cultivators, who, despite unlocking the mysteries of their prenatal state with their talent in their second life, could only die in despair due to inferior Dao Body aptitude!”
Qin Gou nodded slightly. “Then tell me, if you were to reincarnate, in which clan would Fanyin wish to be born?”
Upon hearing this, Lu Changli’s eyes lit up, and he quickly said, “I had two ideas. The one that seems more likely now is… I wish to become a member of the same clan as Dragon Saint Qing Yu!”
“Fanyin, you wish to become a pure-blooded dragon?”
“No, for many years, not a single elder in our clan has successfully reincarnated into a dragon. There must be some strange law in the dragon bloodline!”
Lu Changli had clearly envisioned this for many years and was now confident. “What I truly wish to achieve… is, in fact, the Dragon Saint, from countless years ago, who was known as the ‘Lord of the Sea of Blood,’ striking fear into the hearts of all sea races in the four directions. It was that extremely mysterious and terrifying innate domineering bloodline she possessed just before she leaped over the Dragon Gate!”
“Qing Yu’s… innate bloodline?”
“Precisely. Although that woman always claimed she was a mortal beast, just a little blue-tailed fish in a pond, we immediately dismissed such pure nonsense!”
Lu Changli said solemnly, “If that were true, how could she have successfully leaped over the Dragon Gate back then to achieve her current status? Even when she entered the Realm Lord realm, she was far stronger than other Realm Lords of the same rank! This must be because another part of her rare bloodline hides an astonishing talent that she never wished to reveal!”
Upon hearing this, Qin Gou also dismissed Lu Changli’s wild talk.
What was Little Fish like originally? The biggest difference between her and ordinary pond fish was probably that he had fed her some low-level spirit herbs, giving her a bit more spiritual intelligence and nourishing her to have a meat quality far exceeding that of ordinary fish. That was all. Qin Gou had also tried sharing the spirit pills and elixirs he cultivated with her, but even a small amount could make that little fellow turn belly-up for three days and three nights, almost scaring Old Qin to death. What kind of astonishing innate bloodline could she have?
If Little Fish, as a renowned gourmet among sea races, had accidentally improved her own potential over the years by indiscriminately devouring a variety of foods, that might be a possibility.
For instance, the second move ‘Steamed’ of Qing Yu’s self-created spirit art, ‘Dragon Saint’s Three Flavors,’ once activated, the countless phantom beasts dancing in the suspended sea of mist were precisely that cunning girl, who now appeared to many juniors as a gentle older sister, her astounding cookbook accumulated over countless years.
It was also thanks to Qin Gou’s influence that the Dragon Saint had always been repulsed by all humanoid beings and harbored a natural good impression of them, becoming the most human-friendly ruler in the history of the sea race. Otherwise… look, the Celestial Master truly lived up to their title. Without intending to, they had saved the human race of the Cultivation World once again!
“So, Fanyin, you truly don’t know what kind of bloodline Qing Yu had back then?” Qin Gou felt displeased by Lu Changli’s babbling about Little Fish, but his tone remained ice-cold, fitting a divine being.
“Yes.”
Lu Changli’s face showed shame, and he quickly said, “But this subordinate will continue to investigate. I only beg my Lord to… ahead of my lifespan’s end…”
“Why not tell me your second idea?” Qin Gou interrupted him. It wasn’t that he thought his Little Fish couldn’t handle the likes of Lu Changli, but rather that Qing Yu was always very vigilant. If this guy made any significant moves… For now, Lu Changli was still quite useful, and Qin Gou couldn’t let him die in vain so quickly.
Hearing this, Lu Changli suddenly fell silent, hesitating.
“Speak freely,” Qin Gou immediately reassured him. “After all, it’s just talk for now.”
“My Lord, please see clearly!” Lu Changli gritted his teeth and said word by word, “This subordinate also considered reincarnating as a human!”
“Presumptuous! Lu Changli, you truly have great courage!” Yan Suoyun immediately called him by name and shouted sternly. It had to be said that this junior brother Yan’s acting skills were comparable to a top-tier performance artist possessed by a ghost, emphasizing only ‘anger’ from beginning to end.
Fortunately, it still fit the scene somewhat. Qin Gou, with a faint wave of his hand, said, “Arid Prison, what’s the harm in that? Even if he reincarnates as a human, wouldn’t Fanyin’s soul and consciousness still forever be Lu Changli of the Wind and Snow Returnee clan? Right?”
As he asked the last question, Qin Gou’s gaze swept directly at Lu Changli.
However, this guy was not guilty at this moment. He immediately bowed respectfully, excitedly saying, “My Lord is wise! Fanyin shall, for all eternity, be a citizen of the abyss. If Fanyin were not so foolish and had not realized my Lord’s understanding so early, why would I have been so secretive before?”
Qin Gou nodded, a faint smile on his face, and half-jokingly said, “This venerable self always keeps my word. Since I allowed you to make a wish, as long as it is a bloodline with a specific origin, I will naturally satisfy Fanyin… of course, except for wanting to become my divine son!”
“Hahaha, my Lord is truly humorous. With ten thousand times the courage of this subordinate, how would I dare to overstep such bounds?” Lu Changli quickly flattered him with a laugh, and then formally said, “In fact, my initial consideration was to become a descendant of the human Demon Master, Qin Gou of Arc-Moon Mountain!”
“You… what did you say?”
Qin Gou’s smile vanished.
At the same time, the Abyssal Divine Bridge beside him couldn’t help but tremble slightly. If it were able to move freely at this moment, it would have been stimulated to fly up and bite someone on the spot.
“I say descendant, because this person already has descendants. And as Senior Arid Prison mentioned, he himself seems to have been subdued by the Divine Bridge. I don’t know if he was severely injured and fled, or died? But most importantly, his talent and bloodline, along with the vast resources he wielded in the human race, are truly enviable. If I could harness them for my use, Fanyin would soar to great heights. Unfortunately, his descendant has not appeared for a long time since being attacked.” Lu Changli explained.
And it had to be said that the earth-shattering methods employed by the former ‘Demon Master’ in the Cultivation World were unforgettable. Even though Yan Suoyun had personally stated that the ‘Qin Gou’ who fought Mo Qingyang had been subdued, given Lu Changli’s current expression, he absolutely did not believe that this person had truly perished.
It was more likely that, from the beginning, he believed the person from just now was not the real Qin Gou.
After all, since that Qin Gou had not appeared for a long time, countless other Qin Gous had suddenly become active in the world.
“Very good. I have noted both of Fanyin’s ideas. The rest will depend on your own merits!” Qin Gou readily agreed. The main reason was that he no longer wanted to listen to this fellow’s nonsense. To have this guy become his grandson? Just hearing the suggestion made Old Qin feel as nauseated as if he had eaten a fly.
“Yes!” Lu Changli immediately bowed repeatedly and then respectfully retreated.
After he left, Qin Gou quickly asked Yan Suoyun, “The Demon God shouldn’t have the ability to designate a specific bloodline for the Wind and Snow Returnee clan to reincarnate into, right?”
Yan Suoyun nodded with a chuckle, “Lu Changli is clearly fantasizing. Even if it were a true Demon God, they couldn’t perform such a strange ability. Otherwise, they would have long ago mixed the Wind and Snow Returnee clan into the bloodlines of all the strong cultivators of the human, beast, and sea races, easily controlling the entire Cultivation World.”
“That’s good!” Qin Gou finally breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Afterward, they treated the other Demon Lords besides Lu Changli in the same way – a show of force followed by sweet words. Then, through the Divine Bridge’s surveillance of the Sanctuary, the Demon Lords whom Lu Changli did not get along with and who had not been gifted the ‘Zhenyu Statue’ were shared by Ren Ci with the same reason, as if to compete with Lu Changli.
After several hours, Qin Gou’s first step was considered a success. Next, he would wait for the ten ancient clans behind the ten Demon Lords to change their statues. Qin Gou would then find an opportunity to have Kong Ling and Lu Zhili return to the Abyss Palace and spread this news from Demon Emperor City, then wait for the imitation of the various abyssal races, and adapt as circumstances dictated.
Returning to a cave dwelling near the Divine Bridge Sanctuary.
Qin Gou felt that today, due to the limited waking time of the Divine Bridge, he had been rushing and was as tired as an ox.
Outside the door, light footsteps approached.
Qin Gou called for her to come in. Because of the ‘Spirit Blood Seal’ on the back of his hand, he knew who it was without looking.
“Why didn’t Qishuang come with Xinting and the others?” Qin Gou asked with a smile, looking at the beautiful woman in a black dress under the moonlight, his fatigue receding from his brow.
“Eldest Senior Brother? He’s pestering True Lord Zhu Xie to discuss how he unified the three righteous sects. It’s been several hours, and Miss Li must be tired of writing,” Ye Qishuang said with a wry smile, as if she found her Eldest Senior Brother to be like a child who never grew up most of the time.
“Consulting Little Gamble… cough, Li Yuanzhen? Then what about you? It’s getting late, why aren’t you resting?” Qin Gou glanced at the night sky outside and said with a light laugh, “If you still want to chat with your Master, Master promises you can do so tomorrow, alright?”
“Chatting? Master, what are you talking about?”
Ye Qishuang couldn’t help but shake her head and suddenly took a graceful step forward, her movements alluring. With a wave of her small hand, she closed the door tightly, and her voice was full of confidence.
“It’s dark, and there’s no one else. Your lawfully wedded Dao Companion has arrived.”
