Chapter 1315: Godslayer Legend
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Moment Queen had been looking for the true spirit, but in her constant re-watches of the video she had recorded in her mind, she did notice something.
With every bug that became Cup Demon Emperor, she saw another smaller bug writhe around them. It was like a little football, but its dominant color was black, and it possessed a cup on its back.
It was camouflaged well, so it didn't stick out. That was why spotting it had been so difficult and it had taken so long, but whenever a bug became a cup, that little one was around it.
Unfortunately, finding it was difficult, and she didn't think she could keep an eye on it alone.
Before the bugs became copies of Cup Demon Emperor, the little bug that possessed a cup on its back was similar to a chimney that was emitting black smoke.
It disappeared quickly, and then, the bugs that were around it would become those copies of Cup Demon Emperor.
"That must be it!" Moment Queen watched it intently now, with her own two eyes. She was able to spot it every now and again, emitting the black smoke like a puff of perfume. And then, when this occurred, she'd see the big bugs in its vicinity transform and take on the shape of Cup Demon Emperor.
She didn't take action just yet, though. It'd be impossible for her to walk up and kill it, considering how agile it was. She knew she should take her time and not be so hasty.
Seeing the little girl do her thing, Moment Queen decided to teleport next to her.
Then, over the fraction of a second, she went elsewhere right past her. But just before she did this, her lips swiftly moved to speak and provide Zero the intel she sought to impart.
With how quickly she was going, any onlookers would only see Moment Queen hurriedly speed right past her.
The bug knight Moment Queen was still dealing with eventually caught up to her, spitting out silk in an attempt to trap her.
Moment Queen evaded everything it tried to do effortlessly, and unbeknownst to her opponent, she was still secretly keeping an eye on the little girl and her own dilemma.
But more importantly, she was keeping track of where the black bug with a cup on its back was scurrying to.
Suddenly, Moment Queen teleported to the black bug and used her geno sword to stab it.
Dong!
Moment Queen was incredibly fast, and before the eyes of the opponent, it was as if she had vanished into thin air.
Unfortunately, her sword was unable to pierce the shell of the little bug. And while that was dismaying, it was enough. That was because she had left an ugly white mark across the carapace, which worked against its black camouflage.
The bug was maddened by what she had tried to do, though. Like the exhaust of a humvee or the flue of an upset volcano, it began emitting its black smoke everywhere.
Moment Queen quickly dashed away from the smoke, not wanting to hang around and find out what effects it might have on her. But the bug wasn't keen to let her transgression slide. With great anger, it made the decision to chase after Moment Queen, but it was all too late. A Bone Dagger had pinned it in its place.
The bug squealed and squirmed for a couple of seconds, before exploding into a thick, soupy, red haze. When the bug died, all the Cup Demon Emperor copies went with it. They all went up in a puff of smoke.
And then, in tandem, the enemies that had come to the shelter sought to flee the battle. In great terror and fright, the host that had come to conquer the shelter began running away in every direction they could.
Moment Queen immediately started killing them as they went, and picked off any stragglers she could.
In Cup Demon Shelter, there was a robed spirit staring at a can. Inside the can were three black bugs with cups on their backs.
"The heir of Godslayer Luo has revealed himself. My Cup Demon has died; send word. I am sure the emperors of this realm will relish the opportunity to aid me." The spirit smiled. And then, many black bugs began to fly out from underneath his fingers.
In Moving Star Shelter, Snowball and Xie Qing King clutched each other tightly as they were electrocuted back to full health.
They were the ones who had been injured the most, and the silver fox was keen—almost too keen—to help them recover.
"I'm groovy! I'm fit as a fiddle!" Xie Qing King pleaded, beneath the brutality of the electricity he was being forced to endure.
Unheeding, the silver fox continued shocking them both back to full health.
Woof! Snowball said, in a half-squeal.
Moment Queen performed a quick headcount and noted not many had died, primarily through the healing distributed by the Holy Rhino and the silver fox. Unfortunately, the shelter itself was in wild disarray. There was little of it left following the carnage.
They had managed to kill seven creatures all in all, but the strongest of them had been vaporized by Xie Qing King. There was not a trace of its body left to be found.
The black-haired lady Zero was busy preparing food, as everyone regained some happiness in the jovial mood brought on by victory. Moment Queen stared at the girl for a while, thinking about how much she admired her. She knew the girl was the purple-haired lady.
Even Dry Bone King looked at her with admiration.
They were all shocked by Zero's performance that day, and how after all the time they had spent together, they had not known the full extent of what she could do. She wasn't just the near-mute cook Han Sen kept as a companion. There was something special about her, that was for sure.
Across the Third God's Sanctuary, black bugs were individually being sent to emperor shelters.
"Gu Demon, what are you up to?" an emperor asked, while looking at the bug.
The bug then displayed a video of Zero fighting ten Cup Demon Emperors, all at once.
"Godslayer Luo?" the emperor said, as he stared at Zero with a sudden feeling of contempt.
"The heir of Godslayer Luo has come."
"I would like to see the true extent of his power."
"The time for revenge has come."
...
Across all the emperor shelters, their rulers all looked to be in shock.
Chapter 1316: One Versus the Whole Sanctuary
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It took Han Sen four days to return to Moving Star Shelter.
By the time he got back, the fight was already over and the crisis had been averted, or at the very least met head-on during his absence and resolved in a massive battle he had missed out on.
When Han Sen returned, though, he wasn't exactly delighted at the results. Before him lay the ruins and remnants of what was once a glorious and immaculately conceived and constructed shelter. And in the midst of the ruins was Xie Qing King, who seemed to be enjoying a nice, cold beer. Still, he was glad the place had been saved and his companions had pulled through.
"Good job." Han Sen gave him a high-five.
Han Sen had heard what had transpired through Thorn Queen, especially what Xie Qing King had managed pull off in order to kill Gold General.
"I am Xie Qing King, not Xie Qing Emperor," Xie Qing King said.
"I thought you were a super emperor now!" Han Sen said, in hysterics.
Fortunately, no one had died during the siege. An incredible thing, too, given how hairy things became. Having the silver fox and the Holy Rhino around to heal was a brilliant thing, and they had both proven themselves to be invaluable assets to the composition of Han Sen's primary force, despite Xie Qing King's personal feelings towards Little Silver's shock therapy treatment.
The talent of healing was quite rare, overall. Individually, such creatures had a hard time surviving due to their weakness in attacking.
And because of that, it was difficult for them to level up.
Nine gene lock creatures like the Holy Rhino were an extremely rare find, and it was no wonder its original owner had gone to such lengths to procure it.
Saint Fan himself made sure to use the Holy Rhino a lot, too, and it had proven a great asset for him, before his death.
Han Sen, Thorn Queen, and Xie Qing King were having a merry chat when Moment Queen exited the spirit hall, heading in their direction. Moment Queen didn't seem like her usual self, though. In fact, she was looking quite grim. It prompted the interest and concern of those talking.
"Can someone tell me who Godslayer Luo is?" Moment Queen asked.
Moment Queen was in the Second God's Sanctuary when Godslayer Luo was in the third, so it wasn't too surprising to learn she did not know much about him.
"A human elite; why? What's wrong?" Han Sen thought her asking such a question was strange. Something was amiss.
Moment Queen pointed at Zero and said, "I just returned from the spirit base. All the spirits there are saying she is the heir of this Godslayer Luo guy, and that they're all planning to kill her as revenge or something."
"Define the all that is planning to kill her."
Han Sen knew this was going to happen, one way or another. Spirits were quite vengeful creatures, but none had yet learned he was the true heir to Godslayer Luo.
He didn't expect this to become an issue this far down the line, though, prompted by a misunderstanding.
Still, he wasn't too afraid. Han Sen was an incredibly mighty person now, and he'd do whatever it took to protect Zero, provided she even needed protection—the wild and wonderful thing she was.
Moment Queen went ahead to say, "All the spirits want to kill Zero. They know we are in her company. We're on our own out here. This is bad!"
"Well, what can we do about it? We're not feeding Zero to the dogs, if that's what your poisonous heart is contemplating," Han Sen mused.
Moment Queen suggested, "We go into hiding. We go underground, like, literally. We give this dump up for now. Go to the underground shelter, have a nice cold pint, and wait for all this to blow over."
"And what about the humans we've ensured the security of?" Han Sen asked.
Han Sen had asserted control and assured the safety of many shelters by this point. There were many humans, far more than the underground shelter could offer refuge to.
"Maybe they can go hide in that Alliance place Xie Qing King likes to drone on about?" Moment Queen offered.
Han Sen rejected the idea, saying, "No. If we lose the shelters, we might as well off them ourselves."
Moment Queen said, "I fear you are having difficulty grasping the gravitas of the situation here. There are at least a dozen emperors coming, all looking to plant Zero's head on a pike. She's a remarkable fighter, I'll give her that, but this is a threat that is too much for any one person to even dream of defeating."
"I'll help her fight, and fine: tell the humans to return to the Alliance while we sort this out," Han Sen conceded.
"And how do you hope to stop this enemy force? It'll only take one punch off one of them to end our lives," Moment Queen thought Han Sen was overestimating his own talent. He was jeopardizing everything by being so cocky and boisterous, she believed.
Moment Queen composed herself and then said, "The second, fourth, fifth, and seventh Son of Gods are on their way. We hide or we die, it's that simple!"
"Let them come. I will kill them all," Han Sen said, casually.
"Yeah, what are you fussing about? Back in the day, when I had to face a siege, I didn't have any fancy-schmancy super creatures to heal. We had sticks! Two sticks, and a rock for the whole shelter—and we had to share the rock! Buck up, girl, you are one very lucky spirit!" Xie Qing King said, chucking the remainder of his beer away. It was difficult to tell if he was being serious or not.
"This is madness!" Moment Queen had no clue what was going through their minds anymore.
"Madness? This is the Third God's Sanctuary! Have some godd*mn faith, Moment Queen. I have a plan! So, for now, go and tell humans to return to the Alliance. Things are going to heat up, of course, but we've weathered worse storms than this. They will not crush us," Han Sen said.
Moment Queen was unable to convince them to change their course of action, so she ended up having no choice but to abide by their decision. She notified the other shelters as she was told to.
Han Sen then got deep into planning out how he was going to defeat what was coming and turn the tides in his favor. He wanted to take over the entire sanctuary, anyway.
Han Sen had opened ten gene locks with Jadeskin, and with Little Angel by his side, slaying emperors should prove no problem, he thought.
With Zero and the silver fox's help, he wagered he'd be able to take on thirty emperors without even breaking a sweat.
Thorn Queen came to Han Sen in a bit of a rush, and then she presented the snake egg. There were cracks running along the shell, suggesting it was about to hatch.
Not long after, it all came apart as a red-scaled dragon emerged, saying, "Oh yeah! I'm back."
Han Sen smiled and said, "Well, you just remember to keep your end of this bargain. We made a deal, remember?"
"Of course! A hundred years is nothing. You are too kind!" Dragon King was starting to talk more like a human now.
Chapter 1317: Asura's Betrayal
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Well, now that I know you're on my side, I have a problem you might be able to help me with." Han Sen went on to tell Dragon King about the coming siege Moment Queen had reported.
"Are you saying the entire Third God's Sanctuary is against us? And who is Godslayer Luo, anyway?" Dragon King asked, with widened eyes.
"He was a human who slaughtered a bunch of spirits in this place," Han Sen explained succinctly.
"Are you sure? How could he have triggered the ire of so many emperors if all he did was go about killing and conquering, very much like what you have done?" Dragon King thought it was quite strange.
Han Sen admitted, "I don't know the full story behind it, I'll be honest. But to make so many spirits and emperors hate him, he must have done something far worse than kill a bunch of pompous spirits. This is unusual, I'll confess."
"This..." Dragon King did not believe he was hearing the truth. That wasn't to say he believed Han Sen was lying, mind.
Han Sen then slowly started to say, "I have heard that Godslayer Luo wields the power of Asura."
"Pah! Don't feed me that cowpat. I'm the only person in existence who knows the true power of Asura," Dragon King said, with confidence.
"Isn't it the Asura Sutra? And you're the sole one? How can you know, but not the other generals?" Han Sen asked.
"The Asura Sutra is..." Dragon King's talk suddenly trailed off. When he resumed his speech, he said, "How dare you! Stop trying to trick me into telling you. This Godslayer chap couldn't have the power of Asura, because he isn't Asura."
"The Asura Sutra isn't even that good. Zero learned it, and all she did was go a little hyper and kill a spirit. That's what has prompted all the other emperors to take up arms and go after her. It's a little too much of a coincidence, though, don't you think?" Han Sen explained further.
"But humans are unable to learn the Asura Sutra," Dragon King said, resolutely.
Han Sen then went to find Zero and bring her before Dragon King so she could demonstrate the Asura powers she could wield.
"Impossible! Impossible. Impossible! Impossible. Impossible! How are humans able to practice the Asura Sutra?! Impossible. Impossible! Impossible," Dragon King repeated, as if the shock had thrown him into a daze.
"Godslayer Luo's Falsified-Sky Sutra is practically the same as the Asura Sutra," Han Sen told him.
"You're talking crap." Dragon King refused to believe what he was hearing.
Han Sen smiled and said, "I have a blood relation with Godslayer Luo; I am the true heir. It isn't Zero. And I have read the Falsified-Sky Sutra and I can confirm, 100%, they are one and the same."
Dragon King didn't even say anything in response to this claim.
So, Han Sen spoke again, telling him, "My sister has practiced the Falsified-Sky Sutra, and I have seen her use it in action. The powers are the same, and now, I have a personal stake in all this trouble. The last thing I want, when she comes here to the Third God's Sanctuary, is for her to suffer what I am about to go through. I don't want emperors looking to bully her because of a skill she possesses."
Dragon King appeared to be conflicted, but shock was the prevailing emotion. And he was feeling so much shock, he could hardly speak.
Han Sen went on to say, "In the Alliance, there is another race of beings. They aren't human, and they are whom we call shura. The Falsified-Sky Sutra was retrieved from a tomb belonging to one of their perished kings."
Dragon King finally responded, and he asked, "What do they look like? These... shura?"
Han Sen described their appearance, and Dragon King's face distorted.
"Can you tell me if there is a relation between the shura and this stuff?" Han Sen asked.
Dragon King told Han Sen, "I don't know why I..."
"If you don't help me find a solution to this problem of ours, it's us versus the rest of the sanctuary. We're both in the same boat here," Han Sen said.
Dragon King nibbled his lips before talking again. "Okay, tell me what you want to know. Personally, I don't think anything I tell you will be of any service, but if peace of mind is enough, then I am here for your elucidation."
"Tell me what you can, then," Han Sen said.
Dragon King sighed and said, "Fine. Even if didn't tell you, the truth would have to come out eventually."
Dragon King went quiet for a while, as if he was composing what he was about to say. Then, after a period of silence elapsed, he said, "You were right. Mister Ancient Devil summoned a demi-god with a Demi-God Geno Core, but you were wrong in the suggestion that he used us as the sacrifice. He was able to summon the super creatures and spirits necessary, but that aside, he required my help."
"Help?" Han Sen did not understand what help Dragon King could provide, or if the summoning of a demi-god even required help when he was able to do it so simply.
Dragon King said, "I told you that demi-gods will help you after being summoned. But, as with all things, it depends on their mood on that particular day. And what's more, Ancient Devil Emperor did not summon a demi-god for aid."
"What did he want, then?" Han Sen had a guess in mind, but he still wanted to ask for confirmation.
Dragon King said, "He wanted to kill the demi-god and take the core for himself."
Han Sen was able to guess this, but still, hearing that was what Ancient Devil Emperor wished to do was rather unnerving to hear.
"And what happened then? Did he succeed?" Han Sen asked.
"Of course," Dragon King paused, and then went on to say, "Well, success is all relative."
"And what is that supposed to mean?" Han Sen frowned.
"Mister Ancient Devil did trick the demi-god, but it wasn't him who killed the summoned one. And it wasn't him who took the core," Dragon King said.
"Asura?" Han Sen was shocked.
"Yes. He killed the demi-god and took the Demi-God Geno Core. That was what formed the basis of the betrayal incident you have long pestered me about."
Chapter 1318: Strange Demi-God
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Han Sen waited for Dragon King to finish his speech, but he struggled to believe the validity of the tale he had just been told.
If Ancient Devil Emperor wanted to fight a demi-god, would it even be possible for him to be careless enough to allow a subordinate to not only stealing his kill, but take the Demi-God Geno Core, as well?
And if Asura was able to get away with doing so, on the circumstance of what could be considered dumb luck, how could he have been strong enough to turn against Ancient Devil Emperor, so much so that it influenced others to betray their supposed leader, too?
Furthermore, Ancient Devil Emperor already had a Demi-God Geno Core of his own. Why would he risk everything by using it to slay another demi-god, just so he could obtain another?
Just like the jue Han Sen possessed, they weren't artifacts that boosted the abilities of a person in any way.
Dragon King and Yaksha, up to this point, had not spoken a single word concerning the betrayal. Although Dragon King had now stepped forward to elucidate a few minor details, the majority of the mystery Han Sen had long sought to uncover still remained fogged and unlearned.
Han Sen's mind was clogged with a number of questions, just as it always was. And he earnestly hoped Dragon King would be willing to give him the answer he wanted most.
But it seemed as if he had overstepped his own boundaries, because he had reeled back now and quit being so talkative.
He was Han Sen's servant now, though, so Han Sen wasn't going to stop prodding him for more answers. After learning the few tidbits he had, Han Sen was hungry for more. He decided to ask, "How did Asura manage to kill a demi-god? What did he get out of doing that?"
Dragon King's lips trembled and tripped over each other, holding in words that weren't quite willing to part his vocal box. He looked away for a moment, as if to consider what exactly he should say. When he was ready, he turned back to look at Han Sen and said, "It's complicated. The entire thing is like a feverish dream when I remember it now. Truth be told, we weren't entirely sure whether or not it was a demi-god we had actually killed."
Han Sen wasn't really sure what to make of that, so he pushed for more and asked, "Didn't you just say you summoned one? How can you not know you summoned a demi-god, when you went through the necessary steps for the summoning of a demi-god?"
Dragon King was still remaining mum about the crux of the issue, skirting around the subject as best he could.
Han Sen was worried Dragon King would buckle. It was obviously a difficult subject for him to talk about, and it was impressive he had given up as much as information as he had. Han Sen didn't want him retreating back into some sort of shell and refusing to say more.
Dragon King said, "Mister Ancient Devil used the core to summon a demi-god, but it was... weird."
"What was so strange about it?" Han Sen enquired.
Dragon King said, "Mister Ancient Devil planned on summoning a weak demi-god. He could learn the strength of a demi-god by examining their altar before he committed to the summoning ritual."
"He had more than one Demi-God Geno Core, and eventually, he settled on one for the sacrifice. The altar, however, was so weak that it was unable to consume a super creature that was offered in sacrifice; alive, leastways. And this weakness was reflected in the demi-god himself, when he was fully summoned."
"No matter how weak demi-gods are, they must have a fitness of at least five thousand. That's right, isn't it?" Han Sen asked.
Han Sen had learned about demi-gods through the Ji family. The Fourth God's Sanctuary's weakest creatures had a fitness level of five thousand, and that was the bare minimum. Survival in such a place, for any human, was a trial and a half.
Grandpa Ji told Han Sen that even if he did manage to obtain a greater fitness number than five thousand, he should never underestimate the creatures and spirits of that place.
Even if they were weak in the Third God's Sanctuary, they'd be no laughing matter in the Fourth God's Sanctuary.
"He was going to use our collective power and geno treasures to kill a demi-god. Even if we were unable to kill the demi-god we summoned, making it bleed and collecting its blood would make the venture worthwhile. After all, it was a being that inhabited the Fourth God's Sanctuary we were summoning, and it was only natural for us all to be afraid and nervous with the task at hand. But when that demi-god appeared before us, it was already on the precipice of death. Killing it would have been an easy job for any one of us."
"Whoa, you guys were that lucky?" Han Sen was surprised to hear they were that fortunate.
"Lucky?" Dragon King gave Han Sen a strange look before proceeding to say, "None of his plans were of any worth, so Asura stepped forth and killed it. Then, he took his power! It was like the savage twist of a knife, and suddenly, there was division in the ranks and contention amongst the generals. A fight broke out, and it resulted in the utter ruin of Ancient Devil Shelter."
"It sounds like Asura did a good, old-fashioned kill steal. I don't really see what the big fuss is about. Couldn't you guys have just talked it out?" Han Sen was a little underwhelmed, learning this was the answer to the mystery he had long wished to be revealed.
Dragon King looked at Han Sen strangely once more, and he told him, "I said the demi-god looked weird, didn't I?"
"Yeah, weird. As in, it's weird this emperor we summoned is dying weird, right?" Han Sen said.
"It would have been lucky if that had actually happened." Dragon King paused and sighed for a brief moment, before explaining, "Before the demi-god died, he said something that chilled our very bones."
"Okay, and what did he say?" Han Sen asked. He wished Dragon King spoke a little faster, as it aggravated Han Sen when every word and syllable was delivered so slowly.
"He said he was God." Dragon King's voice trembled to speak that final word.
"God?!" Han Sen had heard a lot about some figure proclaiming itself to be God, and he didn't think Dragon King was preaching about the Big Cheese of Christianity when saying this.
It sounded just like the God figure Han Jinzhi was said to have met.